(1) Kamakura [Date & Time] Monday, December 20, at 9:40~17:00 [Spots] Hasedera Temple, Kotokuin Temple (Great Buddha), Zeniarai Benten Shrine, Sasuke Inari Shrine, and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine [Visitors] An Indonesian Family: Parents in their 50s, a trading firm owner, a son in his 20s, a company employee, and a daughter, a teenage student [Attendant] 1 KSGG member [Language] English
The parents living in Jakarta and their children living in Melbourne, Australia, met in Japan and will stay together for 15 days. Their itinerary was set up by their son, and he had requested local SGGs to arrange guides for them. At Hasedera Temple, after visiting “Eleven-faced Kannon,” we all climbed up the steps to the top of the hill. Looking down the town of Kamakura, I explained why Kamakura Bakufu, or feudal government, was established here. Then they asked, “What’s Kamakura’s population?” I said, “It’s about 174,000, but on the first 3 days of a new year, 2.5 million people, 15 times larger than that, come to Kamakura to visit Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine for their long life and happiness. On our way to Kotokuin Temple, I explained that President Obama, who lived in Indonesia as a boy, also visited here last month (Nov. 10). At Zeniarai Benten Shrine, their son and daughter washed their Australian fifty-dollar notes and put them back in their purses like treasures. Australian notes are quite good for this practice, for they are plastic and waterproof! After Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, we went to Komachi Dori Street. The young two dropped in a lot of stores there, trying to taste various kinds of Japanese foods. On the way to Kamakura Station, the father expressed their sincere appreciation for my guiding, and their words made me more than happy as a goodwill guide. Thanks to this friendly, warmhearted family, I was very happy the whole day.
(2) Yokohama [Date & Time] Monday, December 27, at 11:00~16:50 [Spots] Shinyokohama Raumen Museum, Yamashita Park by “Sea Bass,” Port Opening Square, Kanagawa Prefectural Government (Tower of King), Nihon-odori and Yokohama Chinatown
[Attendant] 1 KSGG member [Language] English and Bahasa Indonesia
I met the visitors coming from Osaka at Shin-Yokohama Station and, at their advance request, we went to Shinyokohama Raumen Museum, moved to Yokohama, and headed for Yamashita Park enjoying the water-line view of Yokohama from “Sea Bass.” On “Sea Bass,” I talked about “Japan’s national isolation and opening-to-the-world policies and Japan’s modernization,” mentioning that Jakarta was an important transit spot of trading between Japan and Europe during our national isolation days, which seemed to fascinate them. After showing them around Yamashita Park and Port Opening Square, I took them to the rooftop of Kanagawa Prefectural Government (Tower of King) to have them enjoy the views of Minato Mirai 21 and Osanbashi areas. Then we saw the Three Towers of Yokohama from a spot across the street from the front of Kanagawa Prefectural Government (Tower of King), and went to Chinatown through Genbu Gate via Nihon-odori. At Chinatown, they were surprised at its grand scale, and strolled in the town as they dared to eat Chinese buns walking, and as they questioned the large number of world cooking contest champions displayed on the signboards of boom restaurants. I saw the family off at Shin-Yokohama Station. They headed for Tokyo in good spirits despite their heavy itinerary on consecutive days. As it was a day blessed with good weather, I could really have an enjoyable communication with the family.