承福寺の滞在

I can`t believe it either but I am actually making a new post! About 2 weeks left. Less than 2 weeks. So what do I have to say after such a long `hiatus`? Well, honestly I am only willing to expose one quite recent experience that I have gone through. What about everything else you may ask. Wait. About 2 weeks. Don`t worry you`ll see me. No matter where you live.

Anyways. What does the title of this blog say? `(My) Stay at Jyofukuji (Temple)` roughly. Temple? Yes, I stayed for three days in a Zen Buddhist Temple from Monday till Wednesday. And it was great - to sum it up in a word. Unfortunatly, I didn`t get to experience the full weight of `Zen Buddhist Training` because I had to go see some of my fellow exchange students off to their respective countries in the middle of it all. The cool part is that the temple`s only monk/priest runs a surprisingly well-maintained website at: http://www.jyofukuji.com . He even put stuff about me on the site.

Here, let me guide those who cannot read Japanese. I`m in his picture posting section here: http://www.jyofukuji.com/sh/picbbs/picbbs.cgi. (Posts: 2005/07/06(Wed) 21:53 No.1911,2005/07/05(Tue) 06:15 No.1908)

The first post (with my meditation picture) reads:
Title: Exchange student Rahul`s Entrance/Introduction (to Jyofukuji)
Post: Rahul Syamlal, an American exchange student, has come to stay for three days at Jyofukuji temple in order to experience a Zen Buddhist temple one more time before he goes back to America. In the afternoon, he did some sweeping and cleaning outside and in the evening he participated in the Buddhist religious service and Zen meditation.

The second post reads:
Title: Rahul...Gokorosama(I can`t translate this word very well but I can translate with a humorous tone like `You did good, kid`)
Post: You did very well on this short 3 day introduction to a Zen temple. Today, you put your efforts into Shakyou (hand-copying sutras, Buddhist scriptures). Please find something meaningful in your last days of your high school life in Japan. (Refering to the picture below) In darkness of the evening, Rahul on his way back to his host family.

If you click the link on either post, you are taken to the `From the Priest`s Room` page where there is an entry of me (2005年07月06日(水) 21時40分) which reads:
Title: Exchange student, Rahul`s Shakyou
Post: Third day of his stay. Today was Shakyou and Zen Meditation. I was surpised when just as I showed him the Japanese translation of `般若心経` (Hannyashingyou, a Buddhist scripture: `Perfection of Wisdom`) he immediatly started using his electronic dictionary and started translating it into English. I have great admiration for his vigorous thirst for knowledge.

I guess I posted this because I have a low self-esteem and need to post other people`s praise for me in order to feel better. (j/k) or (just kidding, for you non-tech folk) But I do highly respect the priest`s words because I highly respect Zen Buddhist priests.

Less than 2 weeks.

久しぶり

Yes, it`s been a long time. I had been feverishly (every three or four weeks or so) trying to write down what had been happening in the past. And then I just stopped. But I assure you that my day-to-day life here in Japan is and has been just as full of activity as it was when I actively wrote and posted to this blog (which was probably 5 months ago).

In the interrim, I have gathered a rather large collection of pictures which I have gone through and posted `random` selections representing these past 5 months. The internet connection here randomly shuts off (wireless connection) so I wasn`t given much time to write the captions.

It is coming down to about 2 and half months before I leave Japan, and I am trying to take every oppurtunity to absorb it all. My Japanese has improved enough to start attending regular classes with my classmates: Politcal Science and Econmics is one of my favorite classes, but it tires me out because of the amount of concentration and translation it requires.

And through it all I have found many oppurtunities to avoid posting to this blog which is why it is in the state its in. I am afraid it will most probably stay in this state until I get back, because of it`s low ranking in my list of priorities. It`s almost as low as writing my Rotary reports.

The city of Nagasaki with Glover Garden in the foreground 

5/4/05 - Visiting Nagasaki with the Asadas 

5/3/05 - Hakata DonTaku - Fukuoka`s huge Golden Week festival - these cute kimono-wearing girls asked to take a picture with us 

5/1/05 - Visiting a monkey mountain in Beppu with my 4th host family the Asadas 

Riding gondala-like boats in Yanagawa 

4/17/05- Fukuoka District meeting in Yanagawa - the entire exchange student crew inbound/outbound 

3/14/05 - Birthday dinner with my third host family the Izus 

3/6/05- Kyoku no Sui `Bending Water` at Dazaifu shrine. Rotary Exchange students and their host families were given coveted front row seats to this famous ancient poem-writing event. 

2/19/05 - Spotting a humble `No Smorking` sign at a Bagel & Bagel 

2/16/05 - Seeing the German student Niels (in the orange) go back early because of conflicts with his German school 

2/11/05 - Spotting an anti-Iraq war (US) demonstration in the downtown of Fukuoka city 

2/5/05 - The amazing mess that was my second host family`s kitchen on the day I left 

Speaking to all 400 or so 2nd year students as their representative in accepting the ski school`s certificate of achievement 

One of several pictures with random 2nd year students in the Ski Resort Tangram

On the slopes in Nagano, my classmate Sasaki learns how to ski 

1/31/05 - First day on my highschool`s ski trip to Nagano - with the guys in my class 

1/29/05 - Viewing the early ume blossoms with Misuzu 

1/4/05- Visiting Kokura Castle with the oyabus 

1/1/05 - Traditional Japanese New Year`s meal with my second host family the Oyabus 

Tokyo: huge, commercial, some old, mostly new, sprawling, relatively safe, tons of people, beautiful, ugly, bay, young people crazy, old people crazy, salary men a plenty, packed trains, shopping malls on top of shopping malls, Tokyo Tower, Disneyland, Ueno Zoo, big, huge, massive, gigantic, mammoth, enormous, HUMUNGOUS.

WE HAVE ARRIVED IN TOKYO! The two Japanese men on the left were Rotary members who chaperoned us, and then...From Left to Right: Sony(Taiwan), Neils(Germany), Me, Amanda(USA), Graham(USA), Sean(Canada), Igor(Brazil), and Matthew(USA)

On the bus ride to Tokyo Disneyland 

Welcome to Tokyo Disneyland! 

Group picture with Eeyore (had to look up that spelling) From L to R, B to F: Igor, Me, Matthew, Graham, Sean, Sony, Amanda, Mai 

Eeyore had no idea. 

Me, Niels, Sony, and Matthew posing in front of Snow White`s Castle at night (which cannot be seen because of the limited power of camera flash) 

The classic Disneyland picture: Snow White`s Castle with Mr. Disnye himself on the right side. (Yea doesn`t look much different than any of the other Disneylands/world) 

Delicious outrageously priced Disney Mickey Mouse Belgian Waffle 

Graham thought it was good 

Graham`s favorite the Pirate ship 

Crazy firework display Disney style 

Large decorative tree in the middle of the entrance of Disneyland 

This picture was taken when the subway car was packed like sardines with Japanese business people 

Riding a Tokyo subway: (From L to R: Me, Graham, Matthew, and Sean) 

The never-ending traffic jam that is Tokyo 

Meiji Jingu Shrine, a very old and very important temple in Tokyo 

Entering Meiji Jingu Shrine 

As in all Japanese shrines, you are supposed to wash your hands before you enter the shrien grounds. Taken at Meiji Jingu Shrine. 

Large latern display in Meiji Jingu temple with the names of donators 

European style palace for the Japanese Prince 

This gate is the largest of its kind in Japan and leads to Meiji Jingu Temple, the most important shrine in Tokyo

Serenity captured from the Emperor`s Palace grounds 

In the Emperor`s Palace`s garden: (From L To R) Mai, Amanda, Matthew, Sean, Igor, ME 

Sensoji Temple`s main pagoda - a famous temple in Tokyo located in Asakusa an old temple town 

The inside of Sensoji temple, where people pray and buy omikuji, a slip of paper with your fortune on it 

I scored the best fortune from Sensoji temple 

Kaminarimon gate in Sensoji Temple 

Entrance to Nakamise Street 

Nakamise street - In front of Sensoji Temple contains a ton of soviener shops 

This cool statue was in front of Sensoji Temple and it means 暫く shibaraku) , something like `wait`

Graham and Matthew asked these two receptionists in a mall on Odaiba to take a picture with them because they like Christmas...costumes...yea 

Three major landmarks, can you spot the fake? (1. Tokyo tower in the distance 2. Rainbow Bridge 3. The Statue of Liberty? NO! a fake..) Taken from Odaiba Island 

Fuji TV`s (Big TV broadcasting channel in Japan) headquarters on Odaiba 

Japan a blend of the old and new: a Buddhist monk stands in prayer holding an alms pot on a street in Tokyo 

`The Crew`: (From left to right, back to front: Igor (Brazil), Amanda (USA), Niels (Germany), Graham (USA), Me, Mai(Thailand), Matthew (USA), and Sony (Taiwan)

In the background is Rainbow Bridge, a famous bridge in Tokyo, that connects Tokyo with a reclaimed land island named Odaiba

Tokyo Bay Cruising 

`The Crew` amused by the moving water below 

Tokyo Tower in the daylight

Graham and I sharing a laugh on the boat against a Japanese flag backdrop 

Hey, you have to eat before you can scale the vertigo-inducing heights of Tokyo tower. (From left to right: Mai (Thailand), ME(People`s Rpeublic of Rahul), Half-of Sony(Taiwan), Amanda(America), Niels(Germany), and Sean(Canada) 

The tower of light known as `Tokyo Tower` 

Viewing the veins of light that run through Tokyo from Tokyo tower 

Blurry, yes. But amazing. 

The triumphant crew after conquering (paying the $18 fee) Tokyo tower which can be seen in the distance 

Taken at one of the world`s largest open fish markets in Tokyo... whose name I will find and post here 

*VIEWER`S DISCRETION IS ADVISED* Graphic fish guts not suitable for landlubbers and the like, savvy? 

Ueno Zoo - Tokyo`s most famous zoo`s most famous animal is the panda 

This gorilla has that `Yeah, I don`t care` look about him...or her 

Dog? Hyena? I should have taken notes. 

Penguins rule. (period) 

An Elephant in its gray majesty...one of the elephants was donated by India and there was a message in zoo by JAWAHAR LAL NEHRU, India`s first prime minister  

Meeting my first host sister Ai in Tokyo 

Reflecting on the Past: 11/14 - 11/29

11/14 - Zen Buddhist Temple and Mikan pickin`

The day after going to Kumamoto castle, I went with my first host family and Furuno-san to a Zen Buddhist Temple in a town called Genkai up in the mountains. The only priest at this temple is a Rotary member and so knows Furuno-san pretty well. I really enjoy Japanese Buddhist temples they are very peaceful and tranquil places. Everything is very clean and simple too. I suppose it has to do with the methodology of Zen Buddhists which is to devoid oneself of indulgences and stick to a life of simplicity. But when I went to the bathroom I was surprised to find one of those high-tech washlet Japanese toilets.

The priest gave us a short demonstration of a simple meditation. This meditation required that we cross our legs in the lotus form which I wasn`t able to completely do. But we tried to meditate for about 5 minutes. Even with all my fidgeting, the whole meditation experience was quite refreshing and intrigued me even more about the Buddhist religion. Since I was unable to have a completely calm meditation, the priest came over and told me lean forward toward my lap. He then struck me with some sort of wooden rod three times on my back and then we bowed toward each other. This is not meant to be a punishment but rather an encouragement to empty your mind.

Afterwards, we all went to a mikan farm to get some mikan. Mikans are small Japanese oranges which are really good. This mikan farm allowed you to go through the entire field of mikan trees to pick out a bag full of mikans for about $10. It was as fun to pick the mikans as it was to eat them.

11/20 - My Second Host Family - the Oyabus

On this day, I switched host families to my second host family the Oyabus. During most of my stay, the Oyabu family consisted of Mr. Zenjiro Oyabu and Mrs. Sumiko Oyabu. Mr. Oyabu is a priest at church near his home and the principal of a kindergarten also nearby his home.

Mrs. Oyabu helps out at the church and is mainly a housewife. Living with the Oyabus turned out to be quite difficult, because on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays they had to go to a different home in a different city to help take care of Mr. Oyabu`s 94 year old father. This meant that on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays I was alone in their house. The beginning turned out to be quite difficult and then later Furuno-san helped out and took me to other Rotary members` houses to have dinner on the days I was alone. Then toward the end I found things to do in the city on the days the Oyabus were not home so I still had a good time.

Anyways, on my first day with the Oyabus my host mother took me to a classical music concert with three performers. It was a small concert held in an Italian restaurant where we ate lunch prior to the concert. The food turned out to be Japanese-Italian food which isn`t really that great. I enjoyed the concert they rocked out some classics with a violin, viola and piano.

11/29 - Trip to Hiroshima

My first big adventure with the Oyabus was this trip to Hiroshima. We started early one Monday morning (the Oyabus do everything early in the morning because they sleep early) in a van and picked up about six older women who are members at Mr. Oyabu`s church. Then, we traveled by car to Hiroshima city with plenty of bathroom breaks along the way.

Our first stop was the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Musuem. This museum is