Trips to Ueno Park and Kamakura
During our second week in Japan we made several afternoon excursions including a visit to the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno on Tuesday as well as the long awaited trip for many in the group to the Ghibli Studio Museum on Friday. Ueno Park is filled with school groups from all over the country who come to Tokyo for a few days before they graduate from high school.
Probably one of the most famous Japanese woodblock prints is the Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai. An original print is in the museum along with numerous other art mediums including; swords, Buddhist icons, kimonos, paintings, etc.
The day long trip to Kamakura, about one hour outside Tokyo, included visits to several shrines and temples. Many students said that their favorite was the Hokokuji Temple which is surrounded by a lovely garden and bamboo forest. The group drank traditional macha tea while enjoying the view of the bamboo.
We visited several other shrines and temples and ended our day in Kamakura with a visit to the most famous site in Kamakura, the Daibutsu or Giant Buddha.
Rainy season began on Friday bringing some lower temperatures and an abundance of umbrellas. We are grateful for the dry weather during our first two weeks. As I write this on June 10 the students are sightseeing in Nikko where temperatures are in the 50's and there's a steady rain.
On the campus of the Olympic Village.
This was taken through a window overlooking the intersection known as the Shibuya Scramble, a short walk from where we are staying in Tokyo.
