Ten o'clock, and not a child in the house washed

And the streets full of sailors...

Awakened at six thirty by the bright morning sun shining on my face through the chink in the curtains. But even with an early start there's the tea to be made, shower and shave, a glance at the TV to check on catastrophes (has nuclear war broken out in India/Pakistan, any earthquakes or tidal waves in the vicinity?), unpack what's needed for the day and pack the rest away, update the diary (as anyone who's done something similar knows, this can be quite time-consuming, checking names, references, etc.), then off to the Internet cafe to check the email and catch up on the latest news, so before you know where you are it's ten o'clock, and you haven't had breakfast yet...

That was Zen, this is Tao: Kamakura

With my eki-bento ("train-station-lunch-box", available at all Japanese train stations) of assorted sushi and bottles of water I boarded the train for Kamakura, the ancient capital of Japan. Kamakura is one of the most important centres for Buddhism in Japan, containing many shrines, in one of which is a huge statue of Buddha. It is located about 25 miles southwest of Tokyo.

Buddhism came to Japan from Korea between 540 and 600 by way of royal missionaries sent to Japan’s imperial court. Zen Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the 9th century. Before Buddhism, Shinto was the main Japanese religion, and afterwards both became somehow fused together.

I alighted a station too soon (Kita-Kamakura), but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise because by making my way downhill to Kamakura I was able to cover all the sights I wanted to see.

First up, in an idyllic sylvan setting, was the Buddhist shrine and cemetary of Tokei-ji , a kind of early women's refuge, where a woman could be recognized as being divorced if she lived there as a nun for three years (a man needed only write a three-and-a-half line letter). I reckon it's a bit easier to get divorced nowadays (both parties simply sign a one-page "consent" form that requires only the most basic information—no need for a lawyer—stamp it with your hanko name seal and it's done). (I read later that although divorce is on the rise in Japan—in 2000 there were about 264,000 divorces in this country of 127 million people—it is still generally considered taboo. Instead, estranged couples just lead separate lives.)

Back to the temples... Next was Jochi-ji, one of Kamakura's five great Zen temples, in an equally pleasant setting. In fact, according to the guide-book, nearly every temple is important for something. Which means that if you want to do the temple thing seriously, nearly every temple is a must-see!

Then to the much larger Kencho-ji, the most important Zen temple, which contains a number of gates and buildings, a training school for monks, and a huge ancient temple bell, which must really have gotten the monks up in the morning.

At this stage I was feeling a little peckish, so I got stuck into my sushi lunchbox, after which I continued with my spiritual refreshment. I skipped one or two of the Buddhist temples (which meant I missed the giant Buddha, but then I've seen enough Buddhas on this trip!) and proceeded to the largest temple, which was something completely different (relatively speaking): the Shinto shrine of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu, dedicated to Hachiman, the god of war.

A long walk through several ochre-coloured red Shinto gates surrounded by tall ginko trees and a steep flight of steps led to the main shrine. At the shrine a wedding was taking place. The bride was decked out in an elaborate white wedding kimono (probably rented for the day—these cost thousands of Euros. ). On her head she wore a traditional wig spiked with decorative hairpins and combs. The groom wore a black formal kimono and wide hakama striped trousers. As the priest officiated, a miko (shrine maiden) guided the couple through the ceremonies, as there is no rehearsal. I didn't wait for the end of the ceremony, but continued to explore the buildings that form part of the shrine complex.

There is a saying that a tourist is half a pilgrim and a pilgrim half a tourist. Well, now that I was all templed-out, I decided to give up the pilgrim part and take on that of the tourist, and I headed for the souvenir shops in the town. Among the good luck charms there is a plump little lady called o-tafuku or uzume. She is a version of the Goddess of Pleasure, O-Tafuku, who in Japanese mythology danced lasciviouly before the cave where the sun goddess had locked herself in, in order to entice her out. I returned to Tokyo by train.

The Beautiful Game—Down a Lonely Alley on a Dark Night

That evening, to watch the Group H Japan-Russia game, I returned to Shinjuku and sought out the Hub English bar, just on the edge of Kabuki-cho, the red-light district, which I'd come across the previous evening. Unfortunately the bar was closed to the public, all places booked out in advance.

Working on instinct, I thought the best chance of finding a bar showing the game would be further in Kabuki-cho, and sure enough, after turning down several narrow streets, I came across The Bomb, a dark basement bar crowded with groups of ex-pats and Japanese fans. Well before the game the bar was totally packed, not even standing room, and I began to get a little anxious at half time, as a cocktail-making display featured a fire-thrower, and with no visible emergency exit I could just imagine the panic if fire broke out...

The behaviour of the Japanese fans at the game, drowning out the Russian national anthem and booing the Russian players, was less than sportsmanlike. After Inamoto scored, the place went ballistic. Japan won, and things were beginning to get out of hand, so I got out before I suffocated.

Can't Buy Me Love: Kabuki-cho

After the game I wandered through the streets of sex quarter Kabuki-cho, packed with jubilant fans, trying to find my way back to the station. Touts everywhere trying to push brochures full of pictures of naked women into my hands. The mizo shobai working girls didn't do much business tonight—in fact many of them—hostesses, masseuses, call girls, strippers, schoolgirls out for a fast buck, were standing around on the street watching the celebrations, or desperately trying to drag in some custom off the street. They were also lowering their prices—8,000 yen or less for a "full-body massage". I had great difficulty in shaking off one little masseuse, obviously desperate to earn her room's rent for the night, who latched onto my arm and simply would not let go.

Other results of the day were:

In Group G, Mexico now leads the group after a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Ecuador.

In Group C, Costa Rica came to life and managed a 1-1 draw with Turkey to stay in second place.

Movie Trivia

Found on the web yesterday while searching for some information on Japan:

The movie "Star Wars" was derived from (among other things) a Japanese movie called "The Hidden Fortress (1958)". Obi Wan Kenobi was modeled after a Samurai warrior, and C-3PO and R2-D2 are derived from a couple of petty crooks he conscripted to help rescue a princess. The word "Jedi" is derived from the Japanese words Jidai Geki (period drama), which is a Japanese TV soap opera set in the times of the Samurai. Lucas mentioned in an interview that he saw a "Jidai Geki" program on TV while in Japan a year or so before the movie was made and liked the word.

The title of Ian Fleming's book, "You Only Live Twice", comes from a 17 century poem by Japanese poet Basho, it reads:
"You only live twice
Once when you are born
And once when you look death in the face".
Roald Dahl wrote the film script about a stolen spacecraft (which didn't occur in Ian Fleming's novel). Bond is disguised (ridiculously!) as a Japanese, and marries one of the Japanese agents, Kissy Suzuki. It was filmed on location in Japan, using the backdrops of Tokyo and Kobe. Most memorable quote:
Bond: "We're supposed to be on our honeymoon..."
Kissy: "Think again, please. This is business."

Two Japanese Proverbs

To teach is to learn.

If you understand everything, you must be misinformed.