Hashimoto-san

In late August a local woman from the Karumai town office and her family took me to southern Iwate to see some tourist stuff. Hashimoto-san dosen't speak English, and neither does her family but we get by using a dictionary. At the time I had no idea what was going on or where we were going because of the language barrier but it turned out to be great. Since this trip I've been out with them again to other places in the prefecture and we have plans to go make pottery in a couple of weeks! It's been easier to communicate since I've started to pick up a little Japanese, but you'd be surprised how much you can get across just by using gestures!

On this first trip the Chusonji golden temple in Hiraizumi and Genbi Gorge were especially impressive and really beautiful.

"Hiraizumi was established by Fujiwara Kiyohira in the latter half of the 11th century. It prospered for the following three generations, a hundred years, as a peaceful, idyllic place for Buddhism. During this period, it was second only to Kyoto in size. Nearly all the important buildings were later burned to the ground, but the Golden Hall and over 3,000 historical relics are still preserved and provide a glimpse of Hiraizumi's glorious past."

Genbi Gorge is designated as a natural monument in Japan. The gorge itself is full of koi fish and the water was really clear. We took a boat ride through the gorge for a 1 mile stretch in a japanese style gondola until we got to a beach where we had a chance to walk around a bit before heading back.