Kamakura

Saturday, May 30, 2009
10:20 PM JST
Matsuura-san’s Home, 大船

I wasn’t lying when I said I would write again! So take that. I decided to do two in one night, because there wasn’t much that happened between the time we left Osaka and now. Just lots of relaxation, and a lot of touring.

I have to admit, as cool as the entire Tokyo area is, Kansai definitely holds a special place in my heart. It was really amazing, the people were good looking, the food was delicious, and overall (sans the whole 外人 thing), everything was really fun. After being with a group of people CONSTATLY for a little over a week, I guess I’ve developed a bit of separation anxiety. I miss joking around with Sam, Loretta, and Kenji, and hitting the town on a nightly basis to see what kind of crazy things we’ll get ourselves into (Sam and Kenji even ran into Yakuza!).

Anyway, compared to that, these last few days have been pretty tame. The first day we arrived in the Kamakura area, we were in Ofuna. We spent the night at the Hotel Mets. We traveled ALL DAY again, coming from Osaka. It was pretty miserable, and pretty exhausting considering the weight of my ENORMOUS bags. I’m stupid for having brought this much SHIT on this trip. But, I’m lookin pretty good, so no regrets right? Actually, regrets galore. Compared to people in the cities here, I look like crap all the time. I don’t have any hair product on me, and I don’t have more than one pair of shoes, a jacket that isn’t really made for wearing out, and t-shirts. My fashion is weighing down my soul right now, as far as I’m concerned.

So when we arrived in Ofuna, Sam and I wanted to go out. Loretta was already gone with her host family, and so Chris and Nathan tagged along with us. We went to a chain izakaya, spent $80 on small orders and drinks, and came back and basically crashed. We wanted to take a break then head back out, but there really isn’t much here, and Sam and I were really beat. He talked a bit with his friend who is here from the Netherlands, and I watched Zorro in Japanese and Facebooked a bit. This signaled the death of the night.

Anyway, the next day my host father, Mr. Matsuura, gave everybody in the group a tour of the most famous temple in Kamakura. It was really cool to see, especially since his wife’s grandfather was samurai class and descends from the Genji family. WHOA right? They are really cool interesting people, and are really interested in the history of Kamakura, which I really respect. After the tour we returned to the hotel, and went off with our respective host families. The Matsuuras made me and Nathan dinner. I don’t remember exactly what we had, but it was delicious. Japanese food in general is delicious. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get back to the United States. I will really strive to eat healthier, consumer more vegetables and rice and less meat, but it’s not going to be the same. And God knows the sushi in the US is going to SUCK compared to Japan. ESPECIALLY the sashimi! xP

Anyway, these last two days we have all been separated by a train stop or two, and I am now in Ofuna with my host family, the Matsuuras. They are SO sweet, and so nice to me. It’s awesome to be with them. Every morning I wake up, and I am greeted by the two of them, and as I go to shower, Mrs. Matsuura makes me breakfast with toast and cold milk. It’s just really a pleasure to be staying with them. Last night for dinner we had sukiyaki, possibly my favorite Japanese dish. I was given a raw egg to dip everything in, which was definitely a different experience. The food was so good though. I wish I had been a bit hungrier, so I could’ve eaten the rest of it. xP Tonight we had traditional style sushi which has become a significant dish within the home. Mrs. Matsuura cooked it PERFECTLY, and we also had sashimi. I don’t know what the fish was, Mr. Matsuura tried to translate it for me, but I’d never heard of it before. *shrug * Oh welll....
Today we visited six temples. It was a really interesting experience. For some reason when I visit temples (Zen or Shinto), I feel some kind of higher presence. It’s completely not the same with Christian or Catholic churches. I had this discussion with Kenji in Kyoto last weekend. I really like the way the Japanese are able to infuse spirituality into their lives. The flow just doesn’t translate in American culture. Religion is so separate, and Americans let it dominate their lives. The Japanese are aware of religion, but don’t let it govern every decision they make. But anyway, it was really cool to see the history, to feel the power of the temples, the architecture, the statues, the plant life. It was really beautiful. At the end of the day, Mr. Matsuura and I had a glass of Matcha green tea at Jomyoji, and took in the beauty of the nature surrounding us. It was a really exhausting day, but a lot of fun.

Tomorrow we go to Machida and the Tokyo area. I’m really excited, but I have to admit a bit nervous. I want to be able to get out of the house and enjoy my time in Tokyo, but I’m also worried about massively screwing up and ending up somewhere I don’t know where I am. I am going to miss the Matsuuras, but I’ll be sure to keep in touch with them. They want me to come back and visit sometime. I think I might! =) Anyway, I’m going to hit the sack, it’s pretty late and I’ve gotta be up early tomorrow to carry tons of crap to and from house to house, station to station. Woot. Peace!

Photos: Together with the Osaka ladies at okonomiyaki, our rainy ass tour of Kamakura, the scenery and tea with Matsuura-san on our temple tour *woot*