Japan Day 3

(View pictures at http://community.webshots.com/user/Proverbs21vs9)

(9:20 p.m.) Today was another day of travel in the city of Kyoto. We visited three locations: a shrine, a temple, and a historic Japanese castle. They were beautiful and very impressive but it was difficult to fully appreciate them because I was unaware of their cultural, historical, and religious relevance. I’ll have to do a little home work on my own to learn a little more.

Matters of faith were kept silently on my mind. I enjoyed being at these places but my spirit was uneasy. I felt that the Spirit was trying to tell communicate to me one or two things: 1. “This is not I (God) had intended” 2. “These are the people that I love so be slow to pass judgment.” I stood before giant status of Buda and twenty-one Vajrayanistic Buddhist statues that met something very important to these people. I stared at these figures trying to image what God might think. Issues of heaven, hell, judgment and the sacrifice of Christ where racing through my mind. This nation is devoted to something other than God the Father, which is not much different from my native nation primary devoted to it self. What should my reaction be? I am unsure.

For lunch I had my first official Japanese meal. Angie ordered me a bowl of noodles called udon. The noodles where very thick served with one long shrimp in a bowl of broth. Noodles have never been my favorite. For some reason I eat very little much of them. Therefore, I ate only half of the noodles.

Three other people will be sharing our room tonight; two Americans and a young Japanese man. The Americans was a man in his mid thirties from California and a woman from Bloomington, IN (or maybe it was IL) that seemed to be in her mid twenties. They where traveling together. The American man was somewhat friendly. The young woman did not make an effort to talk to us but we didn’t make an effort to know her either. The fact we where from Indiana or the Midwest could have been our conversation starter but I was extremely tired. She didn’t seem interested in talking so I honored that.

The Japanese man was very friendly. He knew just enough English for us to communicate. He was staying in Kyoto for over a month. If I understood him correctly he had/was finishing school and would soon become a “civil servant” which I am unsure what that would be. We talked about music. He liked Jack Johnson as do I. I had recently downloaded the latest Jack Johnson song off of iTunes and I asked him if he has heard it. I handed him my iPod to let him listen. He hadn’t heard it. He liked it. My sister said she liked the group Coldplay and asked if he did. In an effort to be polite he said, “Huuuuuuuuu” (which translated in any language as “not really but I can tell you do therefore I do not want to disagree with you.) Angie said it was alright if he didn’t. I told him I didn’t care from them either (to much of a U2 knock off).

It’s not very late yet I am very tired. Tomorrow we move to another city.