Tuesday (3/18)

Today was my last full day in Japan, and I didn't do a whole lot. I had to do some laundry this morning, and after a late start, that kept me from leaving the hotel until well after noon. I spent the time waiting on my laundry to talk over Skype with Erina and Tina, trying really hard to keep up, but they talk really fast =)

When I finally got out, I wanted to try to see Sekakuji in Shinagawa, but by the time I got over there and found it, it was already closed. I could still walk around the temple grounds, but I couldn't get to the burial grounds for the 47 ronins. The story goes that a few hundred years ago, a master with 47 samurai was being antagonized by another feudal lord, and so his temper finally got the better of him, and he drew his sword on him in the imperial grounds at Edo (now called Tokyo). The guy was sentenced to commit seppuku, and his family was banished, leaving the 47 samurai to be masterless ronin. Over the next few years they met in secret, and tried to appear normal while they planned to avenge their master's honor. Finally, they stormed the house of the other guy, chopped off his head, and brought it to Sengakuji where their master was buried. They knew from the beginning that they would be sentenced to seppuku, but they considered it an honor rather than the price of revenge. All 47 ronin are buried there with their master, and every year on the anniversary of the raid, people come to honor the ronin and their tremendous loyalty, and steadfastness.

One of these is the place they washed the head when they brought it to the temple.





Anyway, I headed back to the Shinagawa station, and came back to Shinjuku. I had sushi for dinner (only the second time since I got here), and kinda splurged. It was really good. Then I wandered around, listened to a couple of bands that were playing on the sidewalk, and made my way back to the coffee shop across the street from the hotel, and sat there reading for a while.

Since I got back to the hotel, I've been geotagging my photos. That's where you add longitude and latitude data to your photos so that they can be placed on a map (like Google maps, or whatever). I've finished all the latest pictures back to just before I went to Nara.

Tomorrow, I get up bright and early (my bus is at 6:10am) and fly back to California .. after a few hours in Texas .. so weird.

Until the next chance I get to come back, sayonara.