last stop in Kyoto

Kyozmiduera Temple - I was starting to get 'temple' -ed out, as the tour started at 8 and it was now 5. The special thing about this shinto shrine was that it was way up in a mountain, and for the first time since my arrival in Japan, there were trees. It was so crowded that it was difficult to walk around.

After this I took the bullet back to Tokyo. Tonight it's midnight, and in the morning I will take a commuter plane to Nagasaki. My group will be staying in Unzen, but for tomorrow & Monday, we'll be in Nagasaki. We will have the opportunity to go to Peace Park and the A bomb museum.

I'm really looking forward to that. Yesterday we were able to interview a survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima. His story was so vivid that it made me tear up. He was not bitter towards the americans, he greeted us very warmly. He even apologized for his country's part in the war. He said he speaks because he's one of the few who knows english, and he doesn't hate the americans, he hates the atomic bomb. He also assured us that had Japan had the technology, it may have been us, rather than them. We also heard from a second generation survivor who has suffered cancers from secondary radiation. She is a teacher in Hiroshima, and addressed how the japanese government is teaching peace education. So far, it was my favorite session.

I will post again tomorrow night if I can. Oh - by the way - when I'm in Unzen, starting Monday, I will not have internet access, ( or cell service, or beds, or my own bathroom!) We will be staying in a japanese inn, with futons, bathrooms down the hall, and a 'community' bath. When I return to Tokyo on October 27, I will try and update my poor blog! I'm sure that I'll have a lot to write about because this should be a real adventure. There are 10 of us going to this small town of 50,000 (that's very small for Japan). The town of Unzen was totally burned by a volcano not too long ago, so it's fairly new - like 3 years old. At least the chances of that volcano erupting again aren't that great! We start at Nagasaki University, visit city hall, one day at a high school, middle school, and elementary schools, each, and then a host family for 2 days. We will then spend the night at a japanese inn called a Ryokan before returning to Tokyo. Unzen is famous for it's hot springs - I imagine there are all kinds of them with that volcano rumbling!

Here are a few pics of that last temple.