Date & Time: Friday, October 27, 9:30 am – 5:20 pm
Spots: Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Kenchoji Temple, Kamegayatsuzaka Kiridoshi Pass, Jufukuji Temple (Just passing by), Genjiyama Park (Lunch), Zeniaraibenzaiten Shrine, Sasuke Inari Shrine, Kamakura Daibutsu (Buddha) Hiking Trail, Kotoku-in Temple (Great Buddha), Hasedera Temple
Visitors: 3 Filipinos
Attendant: 1 KSGG member
Language: English
Under the calm and comfortable autumn sky, I enjoyed hiking with three young Filipino brothers and sister who got along so well with each other. We had lunch at the Genjiyama Park. A big grasshopper jumped into one of their lunch boxes, which made them all excited. They were typical young people of the new generation who were looking forward to visiting Ghibli Museum and Pokémon Center the next day.
However, they were also interested in the art of Buddhist statues and the history of the Kamakura period when its ruler shifted from Genji to Hojo Clans. This made me, as a guide, really happy. They asked precise questions from one after another: “What is the origin of the family crest in the shape of three scales?” “Why is the fox the messenger of Inarishin, the god of harvest?” At Zeniaraibenzaiten Shrine, the younger brother and sister washed their credit cards so seriously ( it is said that money washed in the shrine’s spring will double ), as the eldest brother watched them smiling gently. They said the eldest brother was going to get married next January. I thought to myself this might be the last time for the three alone to travel together. I hoped they would make a lot of wonderful memories in Japan, and saw them off at the station.