永平寺二回目：Eiheiji the second time around

Eiheiji is one of the largest Buddhist temples in all of Japan with a history spanning nearly 800 years. It's also less than one hour from Fukui city by car. Last week, a few other JETs and I took advantage of a Monday holiday to venture out to the temple grounds. This was actually my second trip since a couple years ago my host family took me on a road trip to Fukui. I have a few photographs from that trip on my old Japan blog. A bit of a warning: my explanations on the old blog may have some errors in them as I was often unaware of my surroundings. For example, last time I didn't even know the name of the temple until I started posting pictures online and asked my host parents where we had been.
2 years doesn't sound like much time, but a lot has happened since my last trip to the temple. My overseas study director in France used to say that in one term of study in another country a person matures 2 years faster than if he had remained in his home university. If that be the case, then my last trip to Eiheiji actually took place 6 years ago. I certainly feel much older than I did back then. Walking about the gravestones and trees, I didn't mind moving at a slower pace than before. Even the rainfall really was no nuisance.
Having always been too shy to indulge myself in over-zealous peppy song and dance rituals that people in my Evangelical background always told me was necessary to appease the Creator, I find myself most spiritual in the splendor of natural scenery or the silence of a cemetery. This is something I did not understand very well two years ago. By the time I reached the vacant main room in one section of the temple I sensed something inside me urging me to put away the camera and just rest my knees on the tatami mats for a while. I'm no priest or monk nor will I ever write inspirational guides to religious pilgrims, but I just can't escape the feeling that sometimes I really do belong on my knees.
Next to the temple is a hill that visitors can climb to get a view of the grounds. The pathway winds upward with several statues at intervals along the way. This little guy was tucked away in some bushes and we almost didn't notice him. Even Buddhas need a little siesta from time to time, it seems.
The view from above. Rain began falling on our descent just as we neared the bottom.
Fuji Climbing Partner and another friend who enjoys Karaoke a bit too much approach the door to the Buddha hall. The shrine inside honors the three Buddhas of past, present and future. A tablet above the shrine also serves as a reminder of the Buddhist calling to dedicate oneself to all sentient beings.

Duct Tape Forever

Before leaving for Japan, mother purchased me a backpack in the US equivalent of a recycle shop known as Goodwill for roughly $3 (347円, £1.50, R21.57). It's a nice enough bag and suits me fine except for the US Army logo emblazoned on the front of it. It's not that I don't respect the military. It's just that, well, quite frankly, I don't want to anger people before even having the chance to say "hello". Mother did her best to black out the logo before I left, but it was still visible to anyone who looked closely. Needless to say, I was eager to cover it up with something more.

Upon arriving at my desk in my school I dug around and examined the worksheets and paraphernalia left behind by previous instructors. My predecessor left behind a nice map of the UK and one of his predecessors left behind packs of Canadian flag stickers - a few of which happened to be large enough to cover the US Army logo on my bag. Without stopping to consider the consequences of my actions I swiftly pressed one of the stickers onto my bag. This seemed harmless enough. After all, Canada is a country with no natural predators.

Well, this afternoon I discovered what happens when people mistake you for someone from a friendly part of the world. They expect you to be friendly! While waiting for the train back to Fukui city from my school an elder Japanese woman noticed the sticker and shot off in what may be the fastest Japanese I've heard yet about what a wonderful and friendly place Canada is and how her daughter who is now 48 years old spent a semester there studying English long ago and how big the country is but oh it's such a beautiful country and it's so nice and friendly and you seem to understand Japanese so well but maybe there are many things you don't understand yet and my it must be nice to be from such a nice place as Canada I don't think it's as hot there as here but it's so nice......

And after all this incomprehensible one-sided conversation she gave me some candy.
Hooray for Canada!

Hooray for Public Education!

A bit about Education. Teachers in Japan do not have their own room. The rooms are divided according to how the students are divided (1st year computer information, 2nd year mechanics, etc), and the teachers have a shared office. Teachers generally have 3 classes per day and use the rest of their time for preparing lessons, managing club activities and generally keeping far too busy.

In the fall, schools all across Japan have festivals that feature student performance in sport, music, dance or whatever else interests the students. The students in my school are currently preparing for their festival in the beginning of October. Part of the activity includes composing cheers and constructing mascots to encourage classmates. This afternoon, after classes had finished, the gym teacher rushed into the teacher's office saying, "I need to get on the internet! What is this thing called Spongebob?" Apparently, some of the students began planning to build a Spongebob costume, but most of the teachers had no idea what Spongebob was. Thus, the teacher's room has been abuzz all afternoon with the printing of cartoons and explanations of why a Sponge with opposable thumbs would want to wear a tie.