November Adventures - Kamakura: part deux

One of my favourites - Ikuko-san - took me, my friend's sister Corine and my two other Canadian friends (Dayna and Aileen) on a tour of Kamakura in early November. We couldn't have chosen a better day, the sky was clear, the weather was perfect and we went on the day of the Shichi-go-san celebration. The shichi-go-san celebration is one for children of the ages of 7, 5 and 3 (as per the name in japanese :P). It's to celebrate the coming of age for 7 and 3 year old girls, as to pray with their family.

We started the tour at the main temple and then made our way to the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) and from there we went to a beautiful temple area and garden where we could watch the sunset on the Pacific. We were especially lucky to witness a traditional Shinto style wedding. It was truly fascinating as the bride and groom are to remain serious (no smiling) throughout the entire ceremony as to show their respect to God. I felt bad as they ended up being a main tourist attraction but regardless, I felt really lucky to have seen it.

My day at Kamakura is one of my best memories from Japan :P

Here's a slideshow!

Here's a slideshow.

November Adventures - Tsukuba-san: part one

I've been lazy about blogging and I apologize for those few people who actually read the crap I write about. So here's a breakdown of my last few months:

November:

What a grrrrreat month! I went to Tsukuba-san (a small local mountain) and climbed it with my friends Kenny and Mike. Although it would have been a nice Sunday afternoon walk for most people, it was a little more difficult pour moi because it marked the one year anniversary of mono. I was sweating profusely and breathing heavy but DAMNIT!!! I made it to the top! It was a beautiful fall day and the mountain was packed with people of all ages. But i must say that it didn't do much for my ego when all the 70+ year olds were whizzing by me while I was struggling. :P

Here's a slideshow :)