| Articles from the September 1998 Buddhist Temple of Chicago (BTC) Bulletin | |
| My Five Minutes of Fame in Paris George D. Inouye  WATCHING SOCCER’S WORLD CUP CHAMPIONSHIP (France v Brazil) on July 10th brought back memories from the “Stade de France” stadium.  Underdog France was 3-0, and the prize was an 11 lb. gold trophy. Presenting the cup to the French team was President Jacques Chirac before 80,000 frantic fans plus supporters on the Champs Elysees.Watching this spectacle brought back memories of 28 years ago. In 1970, when Ritsuko and I took a group tour to Europe, Paris was the highlight.Our tour director said, “Today, we go to the ’Folies de Bergere.’ This theater has France’s world-famous, sexy, shapely chorus girls.” Our reservations placed us all in the first two rows of seats.After the chorus girls flung their skirts and legs, the leader said, “I want three men on this stage for a contest.” She picked yours truly first, and wife was shocked, but she bravely allowed me to get on stage. Next, a Britisher was selected, and, finally, someone from Mexico.Three skirts were brought out, and we were dressed by three gorgeous dancers. After kicking, twirling, and doing the bumps with them, they picked the winner using the audience applause system. To my surprise, they made me a winner and presented a bottle of cologne.While walking toward the exit after the show, there were American shouts of: “Bravo George!” “That’s our boy from Chicago!” “Nice going, George, for that hot number!”(I was lost in total shock!!)
Back to top of page 1998 Kono Scholarship to Chris Manshio BASEBALL IS HIS PASSION, but it is the depth of his compassion that makes Chris Manshio an exceptional person. A recent graduate of Loyola Academy, Chris stood with his parents, Peggy Wallace and Calvin Manshio, to receive the 1998 Masuto Kono Scholarship during Sunday service on July 19. He will attend St. Louis University in the fall, with the intention of preparing for a career in international business.During his Loyola years, Chris participated in sports and the French club while maintaining an excellent grade-point average. At the same time, he followed the traditions of his school and his family by engaging in a number of community service activities. Chris worked, on a volunteer basis, at a daycare facility in Chicago and at a nursing home in Des Plaines. Most notably, he and several friends worked at a United Methodist Church in Chicago organizing a meals program for homeless people: They planned menus, purchased supplies, and even did time at the stove with the actual meal preparation.Members of our immediate community know how much Chris helps out at many functions of the Japanese American Service Committee, as well as those of BTC. Kitchen workers at recent Natsu Matsuri festivals may remember the “big boy” who was on hand to do the heavy-duty hoisting and pouring.Chris Manshio is a team player with a compassionate heart. We wish him the best in his next step forward... and in all his future endeavors.
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1998 BTC Japan Tour Fred Babbin Editor’s note: In April 1998, Rev. Ashikaga and a group of Temple members left on a ten-day tour of Japan. The central event of the tour was the Eighth World Dobo Conference of Higashi Honganji and the Rennyo Shonin 500th Memorial Service held in Kyoto. As described in the “Next Minister Committee Update,” which was presented in the July Bulletin, the Dobo Conference also marked the beginning of the formal fact-finding process that will eventually lead to the hiring of a new minister at BTC. The following report is an overview of the tour. THE TRIP TO JAPAN started out mainly as a religious pilgrimage. While this was the case, we also found it to be an enjoyable, informative, short tour of Japan. We made the trip in April with not very many notes, so with that warning, we will give a report as best as we can. The first spot we visited after arriving was Nikko, which is a very large and beautiful park with magnificent waterfalls, lakes stocked with rainbow trout, and buildings in the style of old Japan, as well as a pagoda and memorial shafts. Its importance lies in the fact that four shoguns are buried there. One other important item of nature in the park are the troops of furry monkeys that come begging. The large males were especially aggressive, and they would climb on people if given a chance. One attempted to get Fred’s film package because it was wrapped in gold-colored foil. One of the buildings was decorated with bas-relief carvings of these monkeys and illustrated all of the human vices. It was quite amusing. Another high point of this part of the trip was a Shinto wedding, with everyone dressed in full regalia, as well as priests and musicians, all appearing very serious. It was probably very expensive.In Tokyo, we went to the usual tourist sites, the Tokyo Tower, and looked out over the city. We could see a very old Buddhist temple from the Tower, which was in the heart of the commercial district. In Japan, the temples always have cemeteries on the grounds, so it is very easy to identify them as such. We visited a very large temple in Tokyo, which had long lanes of souvenir shops. It was more like an amusement park than a place of worship. Apparently the authorities feel this is necessary for their continued existence, because religious institutions are no longer government-supported, as they were in the old days. Other places we visited were a cultured pearl demonstration and the Imperial Palace, but we were unable to enter to see the palace grounds.Suzi Joji’s brother-in-law was very kind, and treated us to supper one night. Unfortunately, he was not familiar with that part of Tokyo, so we ended up in an American-style restaurant. The Americanization of Japan is amazing. Fred and Ruth wanted “Japanese” T-shirts for the grandchildren, but after much searching, could only find a couple with Asian-style fish without words. Everyone wears typical Bulls, rock, etc T-shirts, always printed in English. Out of curiosity, Fred noted that all the cars had logos in English, or at least Western lettering. No Asian lettering on the cars anywhere. Street signs in the center of the major cities are in English, as well as Japanese; many large electric signs are in English, and “spaghetti” and “pizza” are also generally available.We took the train to Kyoto. The Japanese rail system is intimidating; we rode the Bullet train, but only the “slow” version. Nevertheless, compared with the American railroads, all trains were luxurious. Not only were the upholstered seats large and comfortable, but vendors came through, hawking snacks and drinks. And needless to say, the ride was very fast and smooth. The rail system is a necessity, as everything is very congested. Multistory (10 to 20) apartment buildings are standard. Both the highways and railroads are multilevel, and in the cities, the highways look like spaghetti everywhere.In Kyoto, we stayed at the Hotel Granvia, which is right next to the railway station. You can go from the train to your hotel room without going outside, and there is a large (even by American standards) shopping mall also attached. The first morning in Kyoto, Ruth and Fred went walking to a large memorial garden. Apparently they took a wrong path, because a woman street cleaner (they are everywhere) stopped them and explained, without English, that they were going the wrong way, and to go another way. We found that to be typical Japanese hospitality. The garden, in the middle of the city, was magnificent.The first day in Kyoto, services were held at the Higashi Honganji Temple, but after that, morning services were held in the hotel. There were two evening banquets, which were very nice. The lectures were truly enjoyable, although we can’t remember any more than the merest details. Thulani Davis Jarman, a minister from Brooklyn, who was ordained by Rev. Saito, gave the opening talk. It dealt with minorities in the US, her experiences as a black growing up in the south, and the relationship of all of this to Buddhism. The second talk was by a Chinese woman, with simultaneous translation into English. She described the experiences of herself and her family living in China during the Cultural Revolution; her talk was very moving. The third talk was by a Japanese minister-activist who marched for peace in Japan during the Vietnam War. He still had his long hair, and he was very earnest and sincere. We have hopes that Higashi Honganji will publish all of these talks; it will be a loss if they don’t.Other memories of Kyoto are the gardens on the grounds of Higashi Honganji, which are very quietly beautiful, as well as the tiny, narrow streets, narrower than our alleys, where one can see anything. Fred saw a welder and a cabinetmaker plying their trades in the middle of a residential area, as well as all kinds of retail shops scattered here and there. The elegant homes had gates and tiny gardens with trees and/or shrubs, while the less expensive homes had flower boxes lined up in front, where you could see anything from orchids to the most ordinary daisies. Before we left Kyoto, we had an elegant bento lunch, which gave Ruth and chance to practice her ability with chopsticks. At the second banquet there was taiko drumming, as well as minyo and other folk dancing, where we all had a chance to show off our expertise (?).We then took the train to Hiroshima, where we visited the Peace Museum and Garden. It was very moving. There was a mention of the Japanese atrocities before and during World War II in the exhibits, but not much more than that. There were models that showed the extent of destruction by the Bomb, as well as a replica of the one building left standing at Ground Zero inside the museum. The real building is still standing as a memorial and record of the destruction that was created. On some of the walls inside the museum, replicas of letters written by the Mayors of Hiroshima protesting the continuance of the production and storage of nuclear weapons, which were very impressive. We were told that the mayor of Hiroshima has written a letter to the United Nations every day since the bombing, and that the letters are still being written. Outside the museum, a garden is dedicated to the girl of the “thousand cranes,” and there are many pictures about peace and antiwar, as well as many, many origami paper cranes created by children from all over the world. As the paper fades and deteriorates, these exhibits are replaced with fresh ones, so that the area is always covered with these objects.Hiroshima itself is a very modern city, with almost no signs of the wartime destruction. Ruth and Fred took a streetcar ride one night, from one end of the line to the other. At the far end, they wanted to pay (you pay at the end!) and take another route back. When Fred went up to the motorman, he thought they were lost, and wouldn’t let Fred pay (Japanese hospitality again).We also visited the Kurashiki district, which is close to Hiroshima. There is a lovely little art museum, called the Ohara Museum of Art. Ruth had to understand that Ohara is not necessarily Irish, but can also be a Japanese name. While in this district, we also saw Ohashi’s house, which was the house of a wealthy merchant who lived a few hundred years ago. We learned many details about how they and their servants lived, and how merchants carried on their business.From Hiroshima we took the ferry to Miyajima, an island close to Hiroshima. We were told that this place is considered such a treasure that no one is permitted to be born or to die there. We could see Hiroshima castle, which is up on a very high hill and can be seen from a great distance. As you come in on the ferry, there is a very large, very elegant torii gate made of gigantic camphor logs mounted out in the water. Camphor wood is used because it is extremely water-resistant. We also saw tame deer. The Jojis bought food for them, but the deer were very aggressive, and started chasing them for the food. We also saw a few minutes of a Noh play and more gardens, where we walked across a classical zigzag bridge (to keep the evil spirits away), and visited Okayama Castle and Korakuen Gardens.With Hiroshima and Miyajima, our trip was about over. The Matsumotos, the Jojis, and Sensei went on to visit other friends and relatives, while we flew back from the new Kansai airport to the States. It was a very enjoyable trip.Back to top of page |
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