Thursday, April 26, 2012

Guiding Women Working in U.S. NAVY in Yokosuka (United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka) around Kamakura

[Date & Time] Thursday, April 26, at 10:00~15:00
[Spots] East Gate of Kamakura Station by JR, (Buses), Hokokuji Temple, Sugimotodera Temple, Ruins of The Kamakura Shogunate, Egaratenjin Shrine, Grave of Minamoto Yoritomo, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Maruyama Inari Shrine, Kaburaki Kiyokata Memorial Art Museum, Komachi Dori Street, (Lunch), and JR Kamakura Station


Our guest, Ms. R, is an entertainer who has been working in the Yokosuka Naval Base for 2 years and has one more year to work.  Two friends of hers came to Japan for the first time.  They seemed to have been impressed with the beautiful bamboo grove, the sound of the waterfall, the chirp of Japanese bush warbler, and the quietness in Hokokuji Temple.  Ms. R, from Tennessee, began to sing "The Tennessee Waltz" and I sang it with her in front of the steps of Sugimotodera Temple just like dedicating it to  the temple, with which she was pleased as a good memory.

After we visited Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, we visited Kaburaki Kiyokata Memorial Art Museum which is popular among women.  The special exhibition, "The Genre of Women's Attire and the Taste of Four Seasons," was held at that time. They eagerly gazed at his watercolor paintings in the 1900's.  We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant on Komachi Dori.  When we went outside after lunch, it began to rain.  They started to sing "Singin' in the Rain" and began to dance saying, "We are Gene Kelly!!"  I promised the next day's guiding around Yokohama and said good-by.