Lindfield Junior Rugby Tour 2011
Lindfield Junior Rugby Tour 2011
Friday 23rd September to Monday 26th September reports and photos here ...
The sight of the morning was defiantly Paul Evans eyes as he boarded the bus at Kawanishi JR Station. Apparently a quiet night at home with the Sakamoto's involves it's own challenges.
First stop was the Golden Temple or Kinkaku-Ji. Obviously a popular tourist destination, the place was packed! Built around 1400 the gold leaf building, topped by a solid gold Phoenix was pretty special, but the boys gravitated yet again to the vending machines, this time discovering one dedicated to Hagen Daas.
Next we toured the Shogun's Castle - Ninomaru Palace. Here the boys learned about the Shogun's many wives and the 'Nightingale Floorboards' that literally sing as you walk on them. Lunch at a very up-market hotel meant some of the boys ate a full meal for the first time in days - pumpkin soup, roast chicken, veggies & gravy! Yum!!
Our last visit was to Kiyomizudera Temple. Set high on the hillside above Kyoto, this temple was founded on the site of a pure water spring which is said to bring good fortune, health & longevity. A steep climb through a winding maze of craft shops led to the Temple itself - the boys having been advised that plenty of time would be available for shopping on the way down - we hiked to the summit reasonably quickly. Once there, many took the opportunity to strike the huge Buddhist bell, light a candle, buy a prayer script or drink from the sacred spring - all to bring good luck & fortune.
The stroll down the hill was leisurely and many thousands of yen flew from our pockets to the tills of purveyors of souvenirs ranging from tasteful to tragic. (You'll find out soon enough how well your son/brother/mate/partner chose - just keep telling yourself that every gift comes with love!)
Dinner with our host families tonight gave us all our last chance to spend quality time in their homes as our schedule becomes very tight from here on in with our trip to Hiroshima starting tomorrow. The Kawanishi families have been truly welcoming, nearly all of them giving up their own rooms to accommodate us as honoured guests and all of them making enormous efforts to ensure we had all the comforts of home - read; coffee, cold beer, good wine, bacon & eggs, etc, etc, etc.... We all enjoyed a relaxed evening ready for a VERY early start tomorrow.
Photos for the day are here ...
Universal Studios in Osaka was a good antidote for those with TFS (Temple Fatigue Syndrome). The Human Auditor did his job admirably with no casualties in transit, although there were some stressful moments on the packed commuter trains on the way home, particularly when the doors on both sides of the train opened at one of the tranfers. James Price and Henry Chapman were mislaid for a while in the park (Henry still insists he was in the right place).
There were some extraordinary sights and most of them were footwear: ugg boots, six inch heels, stockings with suspenders and good old-fashioned FM boots are not obvious footwear when it is 30 degrees.
Other highlights were Matt Penfold's argument to get a coffee that turned out to be unfit for human consumption, and Luke Reimer must have set a record for rides on the rollercoaster. Spiderman seems to have been the best ride. The worst was Sesame Street (gone into my accident) but it was at least half an hour in a cool, dark room.
The boys had a really great time and were left exhausted. Two temples tomorrow.
First set of Photos here (more to come) ...
Human Auditor, James Sutton, began the day with our role call in Japanese for the first time proving the boys are absorbing the local culture beyond Pokemon and Super Mario. The overnight arrival of the Chapman's meant that 'san' or '3' was answered for the first time and our Touring Party is complete.
Today's guides, Kazu Furuichi & Hideko Kado, got us off to a meditative start by asking "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" and introducing us to various other aspects of Zen Buddhism as we made our way to the Ryoanji Temple for our first outing of the day. Kazu also explained that Kyoto is a city that prides itself as being 'elegant' in every way, so we knew we would blend in perfectly.
The shaded gardens & spectacular lily pond provided a welcome sanctuary on a warm day. Zen Monks built the Ryoanji Rock Garden in the Middle Ages. Measuring only 25 x 10 metres, the garden is acknowledged as one of the masterpieces of Japanese culture. Another feature of the Temple is the Tsukubai stone basin which bears the inscription ' I learn only to be contented'. Whether the message of contentment & spiritual development over the material made any impression on the boys would be tested over lunch very soon....
The Yatsuhashi Cooking Factory proved to be an extraordinary experience for boys & parents alike. The sight of Jason Parata sliding on surgical gloves and brandishing an 18 inch wooden baton was truly frightening, but even this seemed like an easier option to some of the boys when they saw their 'traditional style' Bento Box lunches replete with smoked eel, tofu, bean curd and pickle. After lunch Hugh Rocks took aim at a passing Geisha with his new 'Apache' Heli-Toy in a perfect warm up for our visit to Kyoto Studio Park aka 'Ninja Village'.
Styled as a 19th Century Shinto village, the Kyoto Park featured an amazing Haunted House, a very tricky Ninja House with a thousand secret doors and a pantomime (read 'high camp') Ninja Show that gave Luke, Matty & Richie the chance to do battle with the Bad Samuri and win the hearts of yet more giggling school girls.
Finally we rejoined the coach for the trip back to Kawanishi where the boys spent the evening partying with their new friends and the Lindfield parents had a night with our host parents. Details of the night will be released on the 100th anniversary of the death of the last descendent of any who attended.
The Kawanishi and Lindfield Rugby Exchange and Tour Project is supported by the Commonwealth through the Australia-Japan Foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
