Kamakura again

I didn't get to write up yesterday's events, and I'm off again today to Kamakura.

I met an American teacher yesterday who offered to take me to Hokoku-ji, the bamboo temple, and have green tea and talk with me about his experiences teaching in Japan. He did a "one year" thing that has turned into an 13-year one, so I'm curious about his perspective.

I also have to say briefly that yesterday was so amazing ... a cool breeze on a nice day, walking who-knows-where. I had the thought that there was no cell phone in my pocket, that I couldn't be found ... the only reality was the now, the moment I was living.

And what gems I encountered ... a tiny modern art musuem where I went from piece to piece, each one speaking to me. "Winter in Aizo" (1958 in a series) by Kiyoshi Saito almost brought me to tears. The image above is his "Remnants of snow" (1983). I couldn't find an image of the particular "Winter in Aizo" piece I loved.

There's so much I want to write ... alas, I have to buy my shinkansen ticket for tomorrow and get ready for the train to Kamakura. Mike said there's a hike he wants to take me on ... apparently there were only a few passes into Kamakura, and they played a role in its history. He wants to hike one of them with me on the way to Hokoku-ji.