After being in the US for a while, I finally returned to Kamakura, Japan. Three years ago when we moved partially to Kamakura, we were just in time to see some “Sakura” and the Spring parade. It was a wonderful start to enter Japan. Now again, after making the decisi ... Continue Reading
Coming-of-Age is a young person’s transition from adolescence to adulthood. Since 1948, the age of majority in Japan has been 20; persons under 20 are not permitted to smoke, drink, or vote. Coming-of-age ceremonies, known as “seijin shiki”, are held on the sec ... Continue Reading
This is a special time in Japan and a lot of people take their days off to visit family and to go to the shrines and temples. Even banks and post offices are closed for several days, so, you have to be prepared. (We ran into this problem 2 years ago and in Japan a lot is paid by ... Continue Reading
When I go to my friends on the other side of Kamakura, I bicycle over the grounds of the Hachimangu Shrine. The atmosphere is great and relaxing, especially, when you pass the very big pond. But there are always people and sometimes big crowds and lots of schoolchildren. They com ... Continue Reading
It is great to back in Japan. The temperature is really nice: in the night it cools off and you still sleep under your down cover. Last night we had a thunder storm and today, it is beautiful and sunny again. I rode my bicycle around town with all the beautiful cherry “SAKU ... Continue Reading
The pond at the Tsurugoaka Hachimangu Shrine looks magnificent and wonderful with those big water Lotus-lily plants. Do you see the coy fish and the turtle? Unfortunately, they don’t have flowers yet and tomorrow I leave for Holland and America. So, flower pictures have ... Continue Reading
Setsubun is the day before the beginning of each season. The name literally means “seasonal division”, but usually the term refers to the Spring Setsubun celebrated yearly on February 3. It is accompanied by a special ritual to cleanse away all the evil and drive awa ... Continue Reading
Last Sunday, I went to the Peony garden at the Tsurugaoka Hachimango Shrine. This was constructed by the famed Minamoti Yorimoto, the first shogun of the Kamakura regime in the late 12th century. Just so beautiful with the little umbrellas for protection of the sun and the skirt ... Continue Reading
Easter morning and I prepared a delicious breakfast with of course some cooked eggs and raisin bread. In the afternoon we went to our friends, Juli and Stuart, where the kids colored eggs and then hid them for eachother in several turns. It was still raining heavily, but by noon ... Continue Reading
