Climbed Mt. Iwate (岩手山)

10/15/07 Update (some pictures!):
Pictures from my camera
Pictures from Steph's Camera




We climbed Mt. Iwate last Saturday stayed on it overnight and descended it on Sunday... it was amazing and we'll try to put up some pictures and maybe a video soon. This photo is of it in spring.

Kamaishi Daikannon

Yesterday we went to see the Kamaishi "Daikannon (Large Statue of the [female]Buddha)" in Kamaishi City. It's only an hour away. We've always meant to go there but just never got around to it. So, we took a-lot of short videos to share with y'all...ENJOY! We were surprised to find out that the actual statue of the Buddha we climbed is actually taller than the Statue of Liberty! (only by a few meters...but nonetheless suprising! Of course, The Statue of Liberty is on a platform that is about half the total size. )



Well,... here is some info:
"As a symbol of Kamaishi, the Daikannon stands upon Kamazaki Point, overlooking Kamaishi Bay. It is 48.5 metres tall, and is divided into 13 stories. Inside the statue, there is much to see, including the [Honzon Gyoran Kannon], [the 33 Kannons] and the Grand Gallery. At the exact point at which the Kannon is holding the fish, (from the 10th to the 12th floor levels) there is an observation platform located 38 metres above the statue's base. From the platform there are spectacular views of such sights as the Ozaki Peninsula and Mada Misaki.It is said that you will feel great happiness upon visiting the [Shichifukujin Goddess] after climbing the 204 stairs." from this link

Golden Week Day 6

Here are some pics from Day 6 of Golden week. I can't believe this was a month ago already! Time sure does fly! We went to Tono this day to see Mark and his Samurai group at a festival. Unfortunately we were too late and missed his show but we did get to see him in in armor! It was really cool.






Next we watched some traditional dancing. This one in particular was a deer dance. They were playing drums and flutes I believe. There are some amazing similarities between the old Japanese music and dance and Native American music and dance. We really enjoyed sitting and taking it all in.

Then we walked up the mountainside and found this lookout point. It was beautiful. We could see a perfect view of Tono city. The sky was clear and blue and the cherry blossoms were just starting to bloom there. It is a little colder in Tono (which is about 45 minutes from our town) so their blossoms bloom later.

After our day in Tono we went to have dinner with our friend Mutsuko and her family at their house. She prepared Sukiyaki for us. It was so delicious!
Everyday was like a dream!