Japan – Kyoto- December 9-11, 2002

In the courtyard of the shrines are these bushes. The white is paper fortunes tied to the branches, which bring good luck to the people.

T We all spent the morning painting fans a short walk from our hotel. There are three places in the city where you can do this, but it is difficult to schedule, and there is absolutely no English spoken at all..

This is the house of a Kyoto samurai. The warrior class was active in the 15^th thru 19^th centuries, and while generally poor, they were respected throughout the land for their devotion to honor and right. Not unlike the English knighthood, except with less money!!

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Language – again, no english or any other language spoken. The people in Japan live on an island, and think like an isolated people who do not depend on others or even have to put up with foreigners. The customs and practices are all insular, and act to keep them separate and aloof. Unfortunately, this is taking a toll in their ability to react to day-to-day issues on a national level. Look at the banking system in Japan and you see a system desperately in need of change, but without the national will to change it. This is typical throughout Japanese life and culture.

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