Yesterday was a holiday in Japan, Shunbun no hi, celebrating the Equinox. We were invited to Kamakura, an hour south of Tokyo by train, by Yoshida-san - who works at Visa with Bill - and his wife to see the sights and to their home for dinner. We had a lovely day - as did thousands of others - in this beautiful city by the sea, home to over 200 shrines, some small and others very large. The cherry trees are just now coming into bloom, so Japan has announced the official Cherry Blossom time - relative to one tree that signals spring.Mr. Yoshida showed us many shrines from the 13th century, including the Tokei-ji Temple, a beautifully landscaped serene convent for women who wished to flee from their husbands. Only husbands could apply for divorce (as easily as drawing 3-1/2 lines on a piece of paper and announcing to his wife that they were divorced), but women in earlier times had no other right other than flee to this convent and stay for three years at which time she could initiate divorce.
We also saw the Great Buddha, 44 feet tall, cast in bronze. All in all, we walked over five miles on a beautiful spring day, and Mrs. Yoshida picked us up and took us to their nearby lovely home for a delicious dinner of sushi, tempura, soup, meat sticks, vegetables, salads, cheeses, dessert - beautifully presented. We very much enjoyed our first experience being hosted by a Japanese couple. 
