Day Four and half of Day Five

Ok, so let me try to recap Day Four, which was pretty darn cool for the most part.

Our day started with a bus trip over to the Diet building. Now, I know all of you are thinking these horror stories about how the skinny Japanese have founded up all us folks of ample carriage and are going to whip us into shape. However, that is not the case. The Diet is the parliament of Japan. They have a governmental system which is very much like that of the United Kingdom, which two houses of Parliament and a Prime Minister.

I must say that our visit to the building was a bit frustrating and underwhelming. Essentially, we just got to see one of the houses for such a brief little bit. When we got there, there were janitors cleaning up. :) We didn't get to stay long at all. So, while it was cool, it was just a bit of a let down, I guess.

The highlight of that trip was seeing Japanese students on field trips. There were at least two different groups there and they were absolutely adorable. One set of kids were in uniforms and one was not. Both were so fun and excited to see us. Of course, about 150 American cameras came out and we started taking pictures of them. Their smiles and giggles just made me day. Of course, they made the "peace" sign when we took their picture. The girls especially started to get a little uncomfortable with all of the attention. It makes me look forward even more to our school visits. I'm be happy when I have permission to interact with the kids. Should be fun.

Then we loaded our bus again and went off to Asakusa. This was just a neat place. It was our first vist to a Buddhist temple. (I've leanred that shrines are Shinto and temples are Buddhist. I didn't know that!) Our tour guide was very helpful in giving us a little crash course in everything. I made sure that I stayed close to hear to hear her pointing things out. She showed us how people purify themselves with both water and incense before entering the shrine. They wash their hands and lips with water that they ladle out of a fountain, and then waft the incense onto themselves from a large space where it's burning. I did the incense, but not the water. The temple itself was very attractive. Our guide told us the story of how two fishermen found a little golden buddha in a river, and that they built the shrine around that statue. It is believed that the little buddha is enclosed in the big buddha in the shrine. People put donations of coins in a large box and then go to the temple to pray. Of course, since it is a big tourist attraction, it did not especially lend itself to an atmosphere of serenity. Right past the gate to the large temple, there was a little garden with statues inside, and when I walked pas that I was very fortune to notice an elderly Japanese couple praying at one of the statues. It was very moving to see their devotion in the midst of all the hustle and bustle.

We passed through this long gauntlet of shopping kiosks, but we had to pass all the way through them to get to our restaraunt. We sort of rushed there for our first "real" Japanese eating experience. It started with removing our shoes, putting them in plastic bags and storing them on shelves. We went went into the room where we all sat on the floor on pillows, where our food was already waiting for us on our tables. It was tough, butI ate my meal with only chopsticks even though they did start offering forks. It was tempura, which made me happy to see some good old deep-fried stuff. It was shrimp and other stuff, including vegetables. We dipped it in the soup, which we had added ginger and turnips to. There was also rice and miso soup. All in all, it was pretty yummy.

After the meal, I made my way back into the shopping area, since our meeting point was back by the temple where we started. It was so busy and had so many different types of things to buy, ranging from your typical souvenir fare to food and drink, also purses and belts... even wigs and hair pieces! I started in buying things for folks back home, and spent every bit of money that I had with me! It's a good thing I haven't exchanged my traveler's checks yet!
Back at the hotel, we had two consecutive sessions. The first was on government, and featured two members of parliament from opposite parties. My observation is that partisan politics is just as thriving in Japan as it is in America.

Then came the economics lecture, which lasted for an hour and a half. That's all I have to say about that.

After that, I went with Tim (an art teacher from Texas) to the Kabuki-za theatre. After an afternoon of economics and politcs, these two artsy-fartsy types were ready for some culture! What an amazing experience it was. I'm not ashamed to say that during the show, I had tears in my eyes more than once. I was just touched by the universality of theatre. Here I was in Tokyo watching this traditional theatre and enjoying it so much (with the help of English interpretation on headphones.) It was an adaptation of a kyogen story, and it was very funny. It had so many similarities to Shakespearean comedy or commedia dell'arte. In two words: good times.

After that, we decided to subway back to our hotel area. Oh! I didn't mention the subway! This was the subway debut for Tim and I. I'm proud to say that we got through with no trouble. It was actually pretty easy to figure out.

Back in our area, we walked around trying to decide where to eat. When Tim said that he was tired of Japanese food, we hesitantly come to the decision to eat at McDonald's. I think that we were both kind of embarrassed to admit that it's what we really wanted. Even though it's only been a few days, that meal tasted so good! It was just what I needed.

Then it was back to the hotel where I promptly crashed. My "peeps" were going to the fish market in the morning and I planned to go, but I went ahead and told Tim not to wait for me if I didn't show up, which I didn't. I sort of just decided that if I woke up on my own like I usually have been, I would go. I slept in today, all the way up until my wake up call. I feel refreshed and ready to go!

Since I have a few minutes, I will go ahead and begin recounting today, which is Day Five!
Both of the sessions today have been phenomenal. This morning, my session was on Peace Education. I was honored to hear a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Ikeda-san is 89 now, and he told us in English about his experience. His tale was haunting and I'm sure it will be with me for a long time. The thing that struck me the most is that he was holding his 20 day-old son in his arms at the time the bomb exploded. I just can't imagine trying to protect a baby that young during such a terrifying time. A couple of things he said that I wrote down in my notebook:
"I thought it must be hell, but no."
"There is no remedy for the Atomic Bomb."

The detail of his story impacted me greatly. We also heard from two children of survivors who
have since passed away. At the conclusion of her presentation, the daughter of a survivor read her father's favorite prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . . hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . . joy
O, Divine Master,Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled . . . as to console
To be understood . . . as to understand,
To be loved . . . as to love
For it is in giving . . . that we receive,I
t is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying . . . that we are born to eternal life.

I don't think there was a dry eye in the room.

After lunch, I am now at my second session for the day, which is completely different. It's an art education seminar, and Hiroshi-san is having us do a hands-on activity. The problem is, there are about 150 people in the room. And they're teachers. And you know how civilization breaks down so easily among teachers. They love to be sooooo confused and talk about how confused they are. I thought it was pretty refreshing to get to do something artistic. Lots of fun.

After this session, everyone is left to their own devices until Sunday morning. It's fun hear all of the different things that people have planned. Some are going far away, and some aren't. I still haven't totally decided what I'm going to do on my own and only totally free day. I know that I will either stay in Tokyo or go to Kamakura, which would take about an hour. There is of course plenty to see and do in Tokyo, so right now that's where I'm leaing. There is Ueno park, which sounds very much like Forest Park in St. Louis. There are many museums there and a zoo, including pandas. Nearby are several shrines and temples. I think I will probably start my day there and then move on to another area of Tokyo... maybe Tokyo Disney? I heard someone saw that in the last part of the day the tickets turn to 1/2 price. I might just have to check it out. Hey, if some folks can go to a baseball game, I can go to Disney.

I tried to get a ticket to Noh theatre for tonight, but when I had the travel desk call the theatre, there were only 3 tickets left. You have to go there personally and get the ticket, and I didn't have enough time before the art session to go out there and back. I might try to get one for tomorrow night, and go to Disney if that doesn't work out. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out what I nd up doing.

Some various observations:

We had our first experience with getting crowded in an elevator. A whole bunch of us Americans were already on the elevator, when we came to a floor where several Japanese were waiting. To us, the elevator seemed full, but here they came! I guess in Tokyo they just have a completely different sense of personal space. It is a pretty crowded place! The subway seemed to still be at a "rush hour" at after 8 last night on the way back from Kabuki.

I love the bowing. The hotel staff is constantly bowing to us every time we pass them. I know that they are trained to do that, to show respect to the patrons of the hotel. But I always bow back. I just love it. I'm always greeting them or thanking them, probably because it's the only Japanese that I know.

Even though it is very crowded, Tokyo is surprisingly quiet. I think it's mostly due to the fact
that they drive much smaller cars over here. No loud trucks or SUVs, etc. It is also clean EVERYWHERE. I even saw a man with this big broom-type thing sweeping leaves off the pavement in a park that we passed on the bus. I have only seen one piece of litter, a plastic drink bottle, the whole time I've been here. It was so surprising that I picked it up and threw it away!

The smells coming out of all the restaraunts on the streets are so unfamiliar and rich. I love walking along and just taking them in. I doesn't make me all that hungry for the food, though. :)

We are well fed. It seems like there are only a few hours between the buffets that we are ushered to. Tim pointed out that it's almost like being on a cruise. There is just always so much food, and so many different kinds. They are still serving both Japanese and American.
OK, I think I have written everything that I should have written earlier. Sorry I was out of touch there for a bit. I've also updated the pictures, so check those out at well, ok?

Tonight I think we are going out to Harajuku for some shopping and eating, and I think a temple. I think there might also be some.... ka ra oke! Stay tuned! Keep those emails and comments coming! Even if I don't get a chance to reply to each one, I am loving hearing from folks. It's nice to know that folks back home are reading.