Kamakura sits sandwiched between ocean and low hills, about an hour and a quarter by train from Tokyo. For a time, known appropriately as the Kamakura period, it served as the seat of power. Now Kamakura draws tourists from Tokyo and around the world. Last Saturday it drew the Idle Monkey Trainer – a frequent enough occurrence.

 

On this occasion, however, I took a stroll along the trail of the Seven Happy Gods. Starting at a small shrine and cemetery near Kita-Kamakura station, the trail leads through a total of seven shrines – one for each of the Shinto deities. Completing the trail is supposed to bring happiness and good fortune.

 

According to the website Shonan Sport Site, the trail takes three hours to complete, not including time to enjoy the quiet of the shrines or to take photographs. Thinking this to be the case, I was prepared for a walk twice the length of what was actually required. In fact, three hours was the total amount of time I took, including time to search out statues and dally a bit at each shrine.

Not all the shrines have a statue of the god to be found. The first, however, does have a tall statue of the happiness god, waiting in a cave (as the sign informs) for one to rub his belly for luck. My own belly, not as developed, is probably not as lucky.

The route wanders past the largest and perhaps most well visited shrine in Kamakura, and touches on a small island. The trail then takes to the less traveled streets and shrines.

The third shrine boasts blooming flowers year round, and even some of the trees were in on the act, despite it being mid-January.

Stop four housed a little statue of finely carved wood in a glass case, and a more easily photographed stone carving of the same god. Shrine number six on the trail featured a large green roof that (to my eye at least) resembled a turtle shell. It was then a bit of a walk to the sixth shrine.

Having gotten a later jump on the day than had been hoped for (owing to a bit of idleness in the morning), it was nearing closing time for the sixth shrine. With a few minutes to spare, however, a short statue of the god Ebisu was the reward for a trip up a few flights of stairs. In the spring and early summer this shrine opens its “trail of prosperity,” leading up the hill behind the main shrine building and through famous azalea blooms. The garden area also offers good views of Kamakura and the beach.

 

Knowing it might be too late (everything seems to close at 4:30 p.m. in the winter) a visit was made to the final shrine. Fortunately this final stop did not have an entrance gate, and indeed even the room that holds the sacred masks was still open (for a nominal fee of 100 yen).

 

As the light faded on departure from the shrine, an elderly resident of 20-plus years explained (three times) and made it understood (once) that after a few minutes’ wait, the enoden (Enoshima Train) would eclipse the shrine entrance. This, apparently, is a sight to behold and entices photographers from around Japan.

And so, idly, I waited.

Tournament Hockey

On the past Sunday, January 18th, the Tokyo Street Hockey Association (TSHA) took to the surface in Tokyo to compete in a showcase tournament ahead of the start of a ball hockey league. Despite play that ranged from poor to mediocre and only scoring a total of three goals in four regulation games, TSHA managed a 2nd place finish. It took six shooters in a shootout for TSHA to advance over the Ushida Tigers. The team representing the Japan Street and Ball Hockey Federation (JSBHF) took first in a sudden death overtime.  You can read the full account of the day on the TSHA website. 

Learning Japanese

As I was looking up the word 電動 (electric) this afternoon, the dictionary I was using came up with this example:

電動じゃなくて手動のマスターベーションでは十分な刺激が得にくい
It's difficult to provide adequate stimulation through manual masturbation.

Nikko, Japan

The town of Nikko lies about a two-hour train ride north of Tokyo in the hills of Tochigi prefecture. Famous for its temples and shrines, Nikko is also well known for monkeys. So, on a clear January 3rd, the idle monkey trainer ventured forth to experience the town.

 

The main attraction of Nikko is a rare clustering of temples and shrines, called Tosho-gu. The complex is the final resting place for the Tokugawa Ieyasu (died 1617). Now a World Heritage Site, the complex stands out among Japanese temples and shrines for a couple of reasons. The first is the proximity of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. The second is the bright coloration of the buildings. In contrast to many temples and shrines in Japan, those at Tosho-gu are brilliantly adorned with gold, as well as the more traditional red.

 

Along the walls and eves are also numerous intricate carvings of animals and people. Perhaps the most famous of which are the three monkeys covering their eyes, ears and mouth to symbolize the Buddhist doctrine of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” (see photo at top) and the sleeping cats. The latter are reputed to be near life-like due to their intricacy (and require an additional 530 yen to view). 　

 

Up the mountain from Nikko are the Koggen Falls and the Nikko National Park. The falls take a spectacular drop from a lake, and are reputed to have drawn forlorn and unrequited lovers to make a final leap for centuries. Once source has it that more people jump here than from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Other sources have said that the national police each winter take advantage of the freezing of the falls to dive the pool at the base and remove the summer’s leapers. Sadly, it gets dark in Japan very early in winter, and when the idle monkey trainer arrived at the falls it was well past dark. Only the faintest ghost of the falls could be seen in the cold light of the crescent moon.

The only other let-down of the day was that Nikko’s famed monkeys were nowhere to be seen. And so, the idle monkey trainer remained idle.