千日回峰行：京都大廻り
I didn’t write about it here, because I’m not allowed to take pictures, but last year I was invited to participate in supporting the monk Hoshino Endo as he performed 100 straight nights of traversing 40 kilometers of mountain trails (days 701-800) in a tradition that goes back more than 1,000 years on Mt. Hiei in Kyoto: the Sen-nichi kaihougyo, the 1,000-day devotional circuit. I was only able to get up in the middle of the night and get out to Sekizan-zen-in Temple a few times for Endo’s 3 a.m. …

Greg in kimono and hakama after his Shichi-Go-San (literally “7-5-3″) blessing ceremony at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto, where he was blessed after his birth in the O-miya-mairi ceremony. Shichi-go-san is for girls ages 7 and 3, and boys age 5. Greg is only 4 until next February, but according to the old way of counting age, you are age one at birth, so he could go this year or next. Greg insisted on wearing the green kimono set (blue is the norm), which surprised us, but it looked pretty snazzy …

The son of a family friend had a very public recital a few days ago — right in front of the Granvia Hotel at Kyoto Station. He played “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” very well and said he wasn’t nervous at all, despite the crowd. (click for more pictures on flickr)

 

We hopped on the Eizan train to Yase-Hiezan-guchi station (just about 8 minutes from home) after school and met Anthony and his daddy Jeffrey for a dip in the river.
UPDATE (JULY 23): Oh, man, our little swimming’ spot was featured on the news last night, at the start of summer vacation! It’s gonna be crowded beginning today, for sure.

At Sanjo bridge a few days ago I ran into an old coworker and her family visiting from the U.S.

Video is here
(QuickTime 7 required)

Japanese adventurer Yuichiro Miura, 75, whom I photographed at a lecture in Kyoto in 2005, climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest last week in an attempt to recapture bragging rights he previously held as the “oldest summiteer.” It didn’t quite work out. One day before he reached the top, a 76-year-old Nepalese climber got there first and set a new record. Man, I hate when that happens.
At the lecture, Miura pointed out that people are always surprised that he does not have an athlete’s body. he’s fairly short and …

Three young women dressed in kimono for “Coming of Age Day” sit on granite and wait for the bus on a frigid day as it begins to snow.

Click for some clips from the just-concluded Ebisu Matsuri in Kyoto, a festival at Ebisu Shrine where people pray for business success in the new year and buy branches and all kinds of lucky charms in hopes that the gods will favor them over the following year.