Bridges

For the last seven months I have had the privilege of being in a group known as JAW, Japanese American Wives group. Twice a month, roughly 20 American Navy Spouses and 20 Japanese Navy Spouses get together to exchange cultures and conversation - and of course eat. It has been a very rewarding experience for me. I've made some Japanese friends, that thankfully are fluent in English. I've seen some wonderful places, most particularly the beautiful grounds of the Shomyoji Temple, a Pure Land style garden, in the Kanazawa-Bunco area south of Yokohama that our group visited on Tuesday.

We were so lucky - Monday it poured here, it was nasty weather. Today it has rained off and on and the wind has been wicked coming off of Tokyo Bay. But yesterday, we had a glorious day - it was warm, so warm that most of us were shedding the coats and jackets, if not sweaters we had all worn. It was beautiful, with the sun shining welcoming us to this lovely oasis in southern Yokohama. And the weather gave us the opportunity to reach out and enjoy each others company. The Japanese ladies had arranged for us to play several lawn games on the grounds of the temple - we were divided up into teams and competed against each other. It was very fun. And you haven't seen enthusiasm until you've seen Japanese ladies play games - they love to compete, and even more they love to win. On the way out of the grounds to our traditional Japanese style lunch, awaiting us in a local restaurant, we had time to take photos and enjoy the cherry blossoms. The Shomyoji Temple is known in particular for its beautiful Vermillion Bridge - and I couldn't help but think as I took photo after photo that it's a wonderful symbol for my experience with the JAW ladies. I've had a chance to bridge cultures and while I hope I've somehow enriched some of the Japanese ladies lives with my contribution, I think it pales in comparison with what I've received. They've shared their country and their culture and they've inspired me to learn more – like researching and finding out about just exactly what is a Pure Land style garden. For me, that's inspiring.

For more about Shomyoji Temple visit my blog http://clearykazoku.blogspot.com/