[Date & Time] Sunday, December 11, at 11:00~16:40[Spots] Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Hasedera Temple, and Kotokuin Temple (Great Buddha)
[Visitors] 26 JICA participants from 9 countries, with 14 from China, 3 from Suriname, 2 each from Malaysia and Thailand, 1 each from Vietnam, the Philippines, Chile, Mexico, and Dominican Republic
[Attendants] 29 KSGG members
The cold let up and it was a clear and nice day for sightseeing. When we reached Turugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, a wedding ceremony had just started. Each group stayed there for long time, KSGG members explaining about it and the participants taking pictures of the ceremony. When I asked where Chinese people have a wedding, they answered that most Chinese celebrate a marriage in their own house or a restaurant with their family members and relatives. As I guided a group of five Chinese, I explained closely about koma-inu, or a pair of stone statues of imaginary animal based on the image of a lion, Chinese juniper tree, and gingko trees which were related to China. At Hasedera Temple, beside bonsho, (temple bell), I explained that temple bells were struck 108 times on New Year’s Eve to get rid of worldly desires that we human beings had. At Kotokuin Temple (the Great Buddha), using the materials of his own making, one KSGG member in my group explained the statue of Buddha had been there over 500 years in spite of past big tsunami and how the statue had been casted and completed. At the end of the tour, we gathered near the exit of Kotokuin Temple and enjoyed the ex-chairman’s greeting and the quizzes.