[Date & Time] Friday, April 13, at 10:00~16:30[Spot] Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Jufukuji Temple, Genjiyama Park, Zeniaraibenten Shrine, Sasuke Inari Shrine, Daibutsu (Great Buddha) Hiking Trail, Kotokuin Temple (Great Buddha), Hasedera Temple, and Kamakura Station
[Participants] An American couple in their thirties
[Attendants] 1 KSGG member
I was supposed to meet an American couple at Kamakura Station, but they came in a large group with an American man and 2 Japanese couples. It was a perfect day for hiking as it was fine with no wind and cherry trees were still in bloom. I rebooted my mind from this surprising situation and started to guide them at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. They enjoyed each other’s company in leisurely pace at Hachimangu Shrine in the spring, enjoying drawing fortune telling papers and admiring cherry blossoms around the Genji Pond. After having lunch at a Japanese restaurant near Hachimangu Shrine, we said good bye to 2 Japanese couples and headed for Jufukuji Temple.
At Zeniaraibenten Shrine, I said you would become a millionaire if you bought a lottery with the coin washed at the shrine, which made them laugh. At Kotokuin Temple, I explained how the Great Buddha was made, showing the illustration about this. And then, the wife, a school teacher, gave me a compliment and asked me to explain it again so that she can explain it to her students. Walking along Hase Street, I explained the story of “Oba Maccha ” and we went to Hasedera Temple eating Oba Maccha soft creams.
As they were impressed by beautiful flowers at Hasedera Temple, they said “Cool!” many times. The wife, a flower-lover, lost track of time, taking photos of flowers.