夏草

Visiting Enoshima 江ノ島

Enoshima is a tourist island shrine thing just a few stops down the Enoshima train line from Kamakura. On the day I went, there happened to be a festival parade.

DSC08527.JPG Kamakura is lousy with ajisai (hydrangea)
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DSC08530.JPG Enoshima is guarded by dragons
DSC08535.JPG The Isle of Enoshima
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DSC08539.JPG The old copper torii of Enoshima
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DSC08552.JPG Apparently, you go through this hoop for luck
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DSC08558.JPG Bridge to the mainland. Note also the festival dancers in the street.
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DSC08566.JPG An ad for “Karl” brand cheese puff snack
DSC08567.JPG Kids playing the Enoshima train line simulator game
Festival folks parade, and temple workers come out to see
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National Diet & Akasaka 国会議事堂と赤坂
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DSC08646.JPG Replica of the Emperor’s chair
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DSC08647.JPG There aren’t many water fountains in Japan, so I felt compelled to take this picture
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画像 006 Jaunty umbrella
DSC08663.JPG 1. Liberal Democratic Party Headquarters 2. The first picture where my camera’s pixel alignment became defective
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DSC08672.JPG Akasaka area. (Apparently, the boy in front of me was a ghost?)
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Lecture about hip-hop at Waseda U. 早稲田大学のヒップホップ講義

My classmate Ellen Rubinstein invited us to check out a lecture about Japanese hip-hop by Ian Condry at Waseda University. Afterwards, we had dinner with him and some of the students there.

DSC08677.JPG Takadanobaba: Funniest station name on the Yamanote train line
DSC08679.JPG “Go to the genba.”
DSC08685.JPG 要チェキッ!
DSC08686.JPG At a family restaurant
DSC08689.JPG Waseda U.
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DSC08694.JPG Dude looks just like Gendo Ikari from Evangelion
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DSC08698.JPG They were explaining otaku culture to us
 
Ocean Day Fireworks Party in Yokohama 横浜での海の日花火大会
DSC08705.JPG Sakuragichō crowded with girls in yukata
DSC08714.JPG My camera is held together by just two screws. As a result, it’s slowly breaking. Which has me totally excited, because the broken pictures are awesome! This is the first one where I wnoticed the breakage.
画像 011 The school provided free food to celebrate the fireworks show
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画像 045 A lot of people showed up
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画像 058 Looks atomic…
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DSC08749.JPG A busker out front of Landmark Plaza takes advantage of the firework crowds
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Exploring North Kamakura 北鎌倉
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DSC08769.JPG Looking down on North Kamakura
DSC08772.JPG Mysterious tunnel
DSC08777.JPG Engaku Temple Info
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DSC08782.JPG Green pond
 
Seeking the Bashō-an 芭蕉庵をさがし

The poet Matsuo Bashō once lived on the banks of the Sumida River near Waseda. He took his pen name from the bashō banana leaf tree that he was given by a patron and was planted at his hut. As a field trip, I went in search of his hut, the Bashō-an (芭蕉庵), and whatever else I happened to find. As it turns out, I ended up eating a bowl of donburi over the birthplace of Natsume Sōseki. Not bad.

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DSC08792.JPG Waseda, again
DSC08797.JPG Sumida River. It has more bikes now than in Bashō’s day
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DSC08814.JPG Some sort of photo shoot
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DSC08829.JPG Banana leaf
DSC08830.JPG Bashō (芭蕉) took his pen name from the ancestors of these plants
DSC08832.JPG An old pond
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DSC08834.JPG 古池や 蛙飛びこむ 水のをと
Natsume Sōseki's birthplace
夏目漱石記念丼
DSC08869.JPG Nichiren statue
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DSC08879.JPG “Ritual Fire for Israel: A Prayer for Peace Crossing Borders” Poster by weird “Buddhist” group Agon-shu
 
Noge Festival 野毛祭り
DSC08882.JPG Okinawan dancers for the Noge Festival
 
Class trip to Chinatown クラスの中華街への見学旅行
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DSC08897.JPG Sea Bass (Not Sea Bus!)
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画像 002 Too tall again
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DSC08918.JPG Chinatown
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画像 011 Chinese food
 
More Kamakura 鎌倉
DSC08926.JPG Camera breakage → Spooky auras
DSC08928.JPG More camera funk
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DSC08940.JPG From the train this looked really impressive, but actually, it’s just a notch in the mountain
 
Graduation ceremony and roller coasters 卒業式とジェットコースター
DSC08945.JPG Class photo
DSC08946.JPG Graduation ceremony
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DSC08952.JPG The roller coaster is pretty fun
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DSC08955.JPG Jason Erb, roustabout and muscle man
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DSC08961.JPG We weren’t supposed to take pictures during the ride
DSC08962.JPG Nevertheless…
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DSC08969.JPG Nippon-maru
 
Zeniarai Benzaiten, etc. 銭洗弁財天など
DSC08971.JPG Shrine hidden in the side of the mountain
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DSC08979.JPG Spiderweb
DSC08984.JPG Peace cranes
DSC08988.JPG At this shrine, you wash your money for luck. My landlady reports that she has tried to no effect.
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DSC09004.JPG Great Buddha Hiking Course
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Farewell Lunch 別れ会
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DSC09018.JPG The Convention of Kanagawa was signed hereabouts
DSC09019.JPG In memory of the British lost at Kagoshima
DSC09020.JPG More camera dissolution
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DSC09027.JPG Some subtle camera breakage around the steeple
DSC09030.JPG Entrance to Chinatown
 
Trip home 帰国
DSC09032.JPG Karl and friends in Kamakura station
DSC09033.JPG On the flight back, I got bumped into seat A1! Also, my camera is getting funkier with time
DSC09034.JPG Even this photo is a little messed up
DSC09036.JPG Foie gras tastes a little gross
DSC09045.JPG More funky camera stuff, the end.
 
Summer of “Natsu-kusa” 『夏草』の夏
 
With the Great Buddha of Kamakura Return to first half ←