September 11, 2008

Hello from Tokyo!

Since I wrote last we have covered a lot of miles -- by air, bullet trains, buses, and on foot! The travel time that Kristina, Kevin and I had together is over. They have returned home and I am about to begin the next stage of my Japan experience.

The flight over the Pacific was great. I always marvel how easy it is to get from one part of the world to another by just sitting for a few hours! Once at Narita airport in Tokyo we picked up our Japan Rail passes and made reservations on the Shinkansen bullet train for the rest of the weekÕs travels. We had good directions to get to our first hotel which is actually a TEAM mission guest house. This place was our headquarters for the first two days.

After checking in we wandered through the narrow streets in search of something to eat. Voila!! There was our first sushi restaurant!! It was tiny. There were seats for only 8 people at the sushi bar. Nobody spoke English, so with my limited Japanese and finger pointing we made ourselves understood and ended up with a great meal. A little old man sat beside us, eating all manner of raw fish that we had not seen before, and kept laughing at us as we were trying to make ourselves understood. This was to be the first of many great eating experiences.

On our first full day we went to Kamakura to see the big Buddha and the Hasedera Shrine. This shrine was built in memory of all unborn, stillborn and aborted babies. Families come to the shrine to purchase small ÒgodsÓ which are lined up in neat rows as a sacrifice for their loss. Later we went back to Tokyo to discover what Ginza, the main shopping district, had to offer. We discovered that electronics in Japan cost more than they do in the US ∆ perhaps because of the value of the dollar. Tokyo is a crowded and always moving city. We experienced rush hour on the trains. It was a hot hot day and we walked over 8 miles!

The bullet train took us to Kyoto the next day. This is a trip that used to take about 10 hours when I was a child ∆ and now takes about 3 hours. Kyoto was one of the places I lived when in high school. It is the former capital of Japan and has temples, shrines, and palaces scattered throughout the city. We found our ryokan (Japanese inn), left our suitcases and began our excursion by bus and by foot. We went to the Kyoto Baptist Church where my parents had worked ∆ and even saw pictures of all the Swedish missionaries who had worked in Kyoto through the years. We walked through my old neighborhood, although our house is no longer there. In the evening we walked through the Gion district, where all the geisha houses are and saw a few geishas going into their inns. We enjoyed the experience of sleeping on futons on the tatami mats ∆ but it was probably the night we slept the worst! The Japanese bath is a great experience! A typical Japanese breakfast the next morning was one of KevinÕs favorites! Miso soup, cold salmon, many different types of pickles, tofu, seaweed, and rice sure beats granola!!

Kyoto is an incredible city. Even staying a week would not be enough time to see all there is to see. Naturally we had to do some shopping and our hotel was situated right in the middle of good shopping streets. The time in Kyoto was all too short.

Hiroshima was our next stop (in the southern part of the main island of Honshu). We were picked up by a young minister, Mr. Tamura. He is the minister of the Hiroshima Peace Church. He came dressed in his shorts and t-shirt and looked like he was about 25!!! But as we talked he said that he had three children, ages 18, 17, and 15Ñhe himself was 47!! They had prepared a very nice meal for us. He is part of a group that will be going to Sweden in October to visit some churches there. Mr. Tamura is musically very talented and has written many songs. He and his wife sang a few of his songs for us. Awesome!!

The Hiroshima Peace Museum and Park were on the agenda for the next morning. What an amazing museum this is. Through audio recordings we learned about that fateful day the A-bomb exploded and all the devastation it caused for years to come. Every time there is another nuclear bomb tested the mayor of Hiroshima writes a letter to representatives of that country asking for all tests to stop. There were many letters written to Michael Armacost (Mary HulstÕs brother) who was the US ambassador to Japan for many years. The statues in Peace Park are very moving, especially the statue in honor of the 10 year old girl who died of leukemia ten years after the bombing. In her memory Japanese school children still fold origami cranes and these are hung, by the thousands, in covered partitions around the statue. One cannot go through this museum or park without being moved and determined to do ones best to bring about peace in this world.

Then on to Kobe ∆ where my alma mater, Canadian Academy, is located. CA was located up on the mountain Maya San in the Ògood old daysÓ, but moved to a man-made island in Kobe bay about 20 years ago. But I wanted Kristina and Kevin to see the old location! We took a taxi up the mountain ∆ and walked down. It is on a very steep hill. Today there are super modern apartment buildings on the school site and the views of Kobe city and port are amazing. As we walked down the hill I noticed that most of the houses were new and had been replaced by modern houses with very interesting architectural designs. Mega bucks!!! Only one building remained from the old days. That was one of the girlsÕ dormitories, the Jarmain house, where I lived for two years. IÕm so glad that Kristina and Kevin were able to see my old stomping grounds!

The next morning we set off on the train to Rokko Island where the new CA is located. Fred Alsdorf, who was two years behind me in school, met us and took us on tour. He is the only person left on the campus from the early days of CA. He is in charge of alumni affairs. In the last year they have built an early learning center which is a magnificent facility. The school now has over 800 students ∆ a far cry from when I was at CA when we had about 200. CA is a very impressive school.

Another short train ride and we were in Himeji. This was the first city where I lived when I was 10 to 13 years old. Himeji boasts the best example of a feudal period castle. We walked up to the very top, admiring the awesome structure. As you walk through this castle you can picture the shogun and samurai defending their space. Kevin probably took more pictures here than on the whole trip so far!

We took a taxi to see if we could find the Himeji Christian Center and Megumi Church, which were built by the Swedish Baptists in the late Ô50Õs. My aunt and uncle worked in this place and I lived with them for one year when my parents went to Sweden on furlough. We found the buildings ∆ but 50+ years later the buildings looked worn and not very inviting! The city has grown up around the Center and replaced all the rice paddies that were there when I was a child.

Back in Kobe for the night, we spent the evening watching the webcast from Calvary! It was Gathering Sunday back there and both Toby and Michael received their Bibles as new first graders. It was great to be able to see that service!

Now, would you believe that there is an IKEA store in Kobe??? Well, we spotted a bus that took us from the center of the city to another man-made island (Port Island) right to IKEA. Who says you canÕt eat Swedish meatballs and shrimp sandwiches in Japan? We had fun going through the store ∆ all the time talking about needing to have an IKEA in Denver. Yesterday I received an email from Brad Berglund saying that one will be built in Centennial in a couple of years. ThatÕs in my own back yard. I canÕt wait!!!

Then it was time to go back to Tokyo and the TEAM Center, for our last night together. Kristina and Kevin left for home on Wednesday ∆ arriving in Denver two hours before they left Tokyo!! And I went to be with Roberta Stephens for a couple of days before going to Osaka on Saturday.

What a trip it has been! I was glad to be able to show Kristina and Kevin a few glimpses of my past as well as sharing the experience of seeing modern day Japan. Japan is such a modern country ∆ and a fast moving country especially in the large cities. We came away with many ideas of inventions that the Japanese have that we ought to bring back to the US! Having limited space the Japanese have learned to make use of every inch. Travelling on the trains we have observed people in their own little world as almost everyone is attached to an Ipod, mp3 player, or phone as they commute. Others sleep or read.

With the exception of a couple Starbucks visits and the IKEA experience we have only eaten Japanese food. It is soooo good!!

Hope all is well with you!

Margareta/Margie