What is this?

When I went hiking recently, I found this sculpture thingy at the top of viewing area. I was totally enthralled with it. It took me a bit to figure out what it was. The ladies I was with asked me if I brought my lock and then had a little chuckle. What are your ideas of what this sculpture is?

life is a highway?!

I don't care what the song says, life is not a highway. It's more like a hike up a rugged mountainside on an unpaved trail littered with tree roots and loose rocks, followed by brief moments of flat terrain where you can catch your breath. The descent offers a different type of workout--exercising different muslcles. Until your legs are jello and want to just lie down or take a hot shower.

adventures despite it all

What did I expect? If you travel on crowded trains for hours at a time, you're bound to catch a nasty cold! Now the cold's nearly gone, but has left behind a hideous cold sore smack dab in the middle of my upper lip. Hideous.

Somewhere in between the sniffles and coughing, I had some amazing little adventures. Cheryl and Bernie brought some Americans with them from Tokyo when they came to Tarumi last weekend. We took some time to see some sights near Kobe.

I've been to the public baths a number of times, but always find more courage when I go with other Americans. Strength in numbers, or something? This time I thought it was pretty hilarious when Abby and I were trailed by a 4-year old boy with a whole lot of curiosity for naked foreigners. The Japanese are always really surprised to know that I've been to the baths and have actually enjoyed it. It's very relaxing! And no, I do not have pictures!

For a long time I've wanted to see the country-side of Japan. I'm in a smaller city, but still feel crowded by the tight spaces jammed with people and buildings. (Just wait until I go to Tokyo this weekend!) We drove about 1 1/2 hours outside of Tarumi, away from the ocean, toward the mountains. We saw an old house with the original thatch style roof off the main road. Cheryl decided to turn off so we could get a closer look. I'm so happy we did! When we pulled up, we saw an old man and woman standing outside. They greeted us warmly and had no problem with our requests to take pictures of the house. We thought it might have been strange for them to have 5 foreigners suddenly show up on their doorstep, but it seems like their house has often attracted attention from foreigners. We were not the first.

The man told us this house is 260 years old. He hasn't changed anything from the original building. When we stepped inside, he showed us some framed prints that he had made from wood carvings. They were amazing. The woman was so cute, with her giggles and her shyness. She said to her husband "Why are you showing off that dirty house?" and then giggled. So cute!

The next day, we braved the wind and went to see Himeiji Castle. It's been over a week, and I'm still impressed by what I saw. There's so much there. It's hard to explain--I'm still unpacking some of my thoughts. I'll share those someday when they're a bit more orderly.

Until then, enjoy the pictures!

stumble and bumble along

Everyday, I am bombarded by signs with scribbles that I can’t read (yet!). I'll have to do a post someday of fun signs I've seen around Japan. When I see something in English, my eyes jump to attention and my brain scrambles to compute the message. Sometimes the English makes absolutely no sense and does nothing else but make me chuckle. Other times, I am struck by the sheer messages of Truth that are found in the strangest of places. Recently, I saw a sign at a construction site that caught my attention. Instead of the typical “Under Construction” sign that I’m familiar with, I saw this sign that read, “Reborn.” I don’t want to over-spiritualize this, but I do find it interesting that the signs of Truth are everywhere here in Japan. I saw another message of Truth as I was waiting for a traffic light to turn green. I glanced over at a small parking lot and saw a blind man walking inside a fenced-in area. It didn’t take me long to realize that he was disoriented and was feeling his way around, trying to find the exit. Fortunately, there was a woman with her daughter walking by that was able to steer him in the right direction. Tears came to my eyes as I witnessed this act of kindness happening in front of me. I thought about the spiritual blindness of this country. Paul described man as having such a need for God that we fumble about in the darkness, trying to grasp unto Him. I can’t say that my spiritual eyes are perfect. I stumble around a whole lot. But, I have hope of one day seeing clearly and knowing fully the One is who calling me deeper and deeper into the unknown.