About 700 students came from Virginia State to Yokohama by a passenger ship. It was their second visit this year after the one in spring. We KSGG members welcomed the group by taking them to Engakuji Temple and Chojuji Temple to have them experience zazen, or sitting in meditation, and having some of them come to our homes.
(1) Visiting Engakuji Temple and Chojuji Temple to experience zazen
[Date and Time] Friday, November 20, at 12:00～17:00
[Spots] On board the SAS (Lecture on “Zen and Bushido” by a KSGG member), Engakuji Temple and Chojuji Temple
[Visitors] 19 participants, with 15 SAS students and 4 general passengers
[Attendants] 10 KSGG members
We met the visitors at Kita-Kamakura Station. They were all smiles, saying, “We had looked forward to visiting Japan.” In the precincts of Engakuji Temple, we explained its outline briefly, and showed them into the temple. One of their leaders who had been impressed by the Buddha said, “I’ve never seen a Buddha with such a beautiful face.”
At Chojuji Temple we had matcha, a powdered green tea, in its large room. We explained the spirit of tea ceremony and the manners of having sweets and matcha. After that, they finally moved to practice zazen that they had long waited for. As the priest said, “Sit with a straight back. This is the most important,” every one of them corrected his or her posture and, with the sounds of a gong and a clapper that vibrated in the room as a sign, entered into meditation. Some students were aggressive in tasting the blow of the warning stick, which suggested that how valuable it was for them to experience the pain.
(2) Home-Visit Experience
[Date and Time] Saturday, November 21, at 9:30～16:30
[Spots] 1 KSGG member’s home
[Visitors] 1 Spanish man and his American wife
[Attendant] 1 KSGG member
I met a wonderful couple at Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal and took them to my house. They liked sukiyaki or a dish of thinly sliced beef cooked in a pan with vegetables very much, and tried daringly to eat other typical Japanese food like raw eggs, natto, or fermented soybeans, and homemade ume liqueur. They were contented with everything except natto. We said to the wife, “Try to put on kimono.” As it suited her very well, we were all excited and praised her in kimono. Also, she liked origami, or folding paper into forms of many different things, learned quickly how to fold a sheet of newspaper insert into a trash box. Since my daughter and her husband, who will go to Spain soon, talked a lot about topics in common, and took the guests to a sushi restaurant in Tsukiji, which they had wanted to visit. I understand they had a good time talking and enjoying Japanese sake there.
(1) Visiting Engakuji Temple and Chojuji Temple to experience zazen
[Date and Time] Friday, November 20, at 12:00～17:00
[Spots] On board the SAS (Lecture on “Zen and Bushido” by a KSGG member), Engakuji Temple and Chojuji Temple
[Visitors] 19 participants, with 15 SAS students and 4 general passengers
[Attendants] 10 KSGG members
We met the visitors at Kita-Kamakura Station. They were all smiles, saying, “We had looked forward to visiting Japan.” In the precincts of Engakuji Temple, we explained its outline briefly, and showed them into the temple. One of their leaders who had been impressed by the Buddha said, “I’ve never seen a Buddha with such a beautiful face.”
At Chojuji Temple we had matcha, a powdered green tea, in its large room. We explained the spirit of tea ceremony and the manners of having sweets and matcha. After that, they finally moved to practice zazen that they had long waited for. As the priest said, “Sit with a straight back. This is the most important,” every one of them corrected his or her posture and, with the sounds of a gong and a clapper that vibrated in the room as a sign, entered into meditation. Some students were aggressive in tasting the blow of the warning stick, which suggested that how valuable it was for them to experience the pain.
(2) Home-Visit Experience
[Date and Time] Saturday, November 21, at 9:30～16:30
[Spots] 1 KSGG member’s home
[Visitors] 1 Spanish man and his American wife
[Attendant] 1 KSGG member
I met a wonderful couple at Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal and took them to my house. They liked sukiyaki or a dish of thinly sliced beef cooked in a pan with vegetables very much, and tried daringly to eat other typical Japanese food like raw eggs, natto, or fermented soybeans, and homemade ume liqueur. They were contented with everything except natto. We said to the wife, “Try to put on kimono.” As it suited her very well, we were all excited and praised her in kimono. Also, she liked origami, or folding paper into forms of many different things, learned quickly how to fold a sheet of newspaper insert into a trash box. Since my daughter and her husband, who will go to Spain soon, talked a lot about topics in common, and took the guests to a sushi restaurant in Tsukiji, which they had wanted to visit. I understand they had a good time talking and enjoying Japanese sake there.