[Date & Time] Saturday, November 19, at 11:00~16:40
[Spots] Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Hasedera Temple, and Kotokuin Temple (Great Buddha)
[Participants] 33 JICA participants from 16 countries (8 from Vietnam, 5 from Myanmar, 4 from the Philippines, 3 from Thai, 2 from Sri Lanka, and 1 each from Laos, Ecuador, Columbia, Bolivia, Mozambique, Kenya, Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey, Morocco, and Uganda)
[Attendants] 18 KSGG members
The weather forecast had said it would be raining. In our group, we, 4 KSGG members and an observer, guided 8 JICA participants. While guiding the guests around Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, the wind got too strong for us to put up our umbrella. So we cut our guiding short and took lunch earlier. We had a rather long lunch time, spending about one hour and a half. Some participants started to learn Japanese; others ordered beer to warm themselves and relaxed. We guided sentaijizou (one thousand statues of Buddhist deities) and the statue of Kannon (the Goddess of Mercy) in Hasedera Temple and then headed for Kotokuin Temple, or the Great Buddha. In spite of such a strong rainfall, they struck poses and took photos. Foreigners seemed to be impressed with the Great Buddha. Although it was a tough day for all of us because of strong rainfall and wind, the visitors enjoyed the tour with us through the end. I believe this tour in Kamakura would be an unforgettable memory for them. I felt this tour was beneficial to the guests.