Kamakura (also, microwaveable rice)

Yesterday afternoon we had our first field trip...to Kamakura!  Specifically to Enkakuji, which is a zen temple.  There are going to be a lot of pictures and not a whole lot of commentary, 'cause I'm tired, so bear with me.

We were basically a gaijin swarm that took over the train and made everyone very confused.

(My main sensei is the guy wearing the white shirt.)

Yes, that is exactly what it looks like.

Big gate!

Miscellaneous pictures from around the grounds:

Yes, those are carved out of tree chunks.  Yes, people have left a ton of coins on them.

Anyway, we wound up doing zazen, which is sitting meditation.  We did three sessions: one that was 3 minutes, one that was 10 minutes, and one that was 15 minutes.  That might seem like a pretty short time, but remember that you have to sit cross-legged with your feet on top of your knees and your back straight and then NOT MOVE AT ALL.  (Oh, and you have to breathe really, really slowly.  That's the bit I have the most trouble with.)  A lot of other people were in pretty bad pain by the end, but my feet and legs just went completely numb.  I couldn't feel my feet for a good five to ten minutes after we finished.
Also, the monk in charge actually whacked someone (with the whackee's permission) with the scary whack-y stick.  (You get whacked with the stick if you break your posture or you obviously aren't doing zazen properly.)  It was REALLY LOUD, and apparently did hurt quite a bit, despite the fact that he said he was only hitting at half strength.  Moral of the story: Don't do hardcore zazen if the idea of being whacked with a stick freaks you out.

Anyway, after that was over, we wandered around the temple grounds for a little bit, and then someone had the bright idea of hiking to the Daibutsu (the giant Buddha statue in Kamakura).  Someone (and this person is now refusing to come forward) said it was "a stroll" to the Daibutsu, which was how we wound up accidentally climbing a mountain (or four) to get to the Daibutsu.

This cool gate was on the way.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but that's a sheer cliff that we had to climb down next to.

Hahaha, "a stroll."

There was a shrine along the way, so I got to show everyone how to behave properly.

Husband and wife rocks tied together by a rope covered in five yen coins.  It was an enmusubi (marriage) shrine.

Anyway, after that, we headed off in the direction of the Daibutsu again.

You can't tell from this picture, 'cause the contrast on my camera isn't good enough, but that first picture is actually a picture of Mt. Fuji.

I told you we climbed a mountain.

Stairs, are you drunk?

(It's worth noting, these were some of the better stairs on our hike.)

Anyway, we finally arrived at the Daibutsu...4 minutes after the gate closed.  GAH.

We did get to see this exciting tsunami sign, though.

Anyway, we wound up walking back to the station and taking the train back to Yokohama, where I had dinner with a couple other folks from IUC and then headed home to crash.

Today has mostly been a chilling and homework day, but I finally took pictures of the dreaded microwaveable rice.

DUN DUN DUN.

Worth noting: This does not have to be refrigerated.

You peel the top covering back to the dotted line, and then put it in the microwave for 2 minutes.

When it comes out, it looks exactly the same.

Except it is rice.

And it is entirely indistinguishable from normal rice.

If this doesn't freak you out, you are made of much stronger stuff than I am.

(And then I put my dinner on top of it.)

Okay, I am going to pass out now because I am too tired for everything GOOD NIGHT.