Asakusa station

Asakusa was our first destination. Towards Asakusa station, my Dad and I took the subway Ginza line from Shimbashi station. During the train ride, I noticed that there were many people who rode from the Ginza station. But as the train got closer and closer to Asakusa, people were getting fewer and fewer. I guess not all people were up early for a temple run. Who would when you could rise up from the bed late and enjoy a holiday? I thought that Japanese would. But unexpectedly, many people still alighted the train in different stops. We mixed into the crowd as we entered the ticket gates in Asakusa station.



Dad and I waited for Erik at the lobby. While waiting, we took some pictures of ourselves and of other people who were busy staring at the ticket booths or patiently waiting like us.

Tourists studying the train maps

Everywhere you go in Japan, there is a taste of its culture. Everything seemed organized and helpful, especially to tourists. If tourists know the language, the task of navigating will become much easier. But there are enough instructions around that can help a lot.

When Erik arrived, we went out of the station and into the massive mixture of tourists. Around the corner, we found a Ghibli Museum gift shop. I could not control my happiness. Because I know I would develop the desire to buy everything, I quickly looked around with a big smile on my face.

A Kaonashi (No-Face) is holding our one peso coin. (((:

A long array of tourist shops aligned the path toward Sensoji Temple or also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple. This shopping street is named Nakamise. I was surprised to see that most of the tourists were following two lines. One line on the right were all going toward the direction of the temple. The line on the left were the people who were going back from the temple. But of course, there was a mixed-up once in awhile because some of the people were curious to look at the shops on both sides.

In our school, the character trait for the month of March is courageous. In class, we are currently talking about being brave and courageous in different settings.

In our church, we are also talking about being so afraid. I told my class a story about the video shown to us in church last Sunday. One man wanted to jump off a cliff and swim in the lake but his fears were stopping him from doing so. A friend who encouraged him caused him to jump. They jumped off the cliff together.

We discussed the story. Then I had them write down their fears on a sheet of paper. Some wrote a list of their fears. Others drew them. I also write mine. When they were done, each of us talked about it in front of class. Then I asked them, at the count of five, to tear their lists of fears as a start of braving out and saying goodbye to them. We did this together, all at the same time.


Except for one child. I was surprised that one child could not say tear his paper. He said, "I don't like tearing my drawing!" He had tears in his eyes. I kept on explaining to him that it was not because we did not like the drawing but it served as a sign of saying facing our fears and saying goodbye to them. It served as a sign of courage and bravery. He thought about it for awhile then he slowly tore his drawings. He even hid some in his pockets so that they would not be thrown away. I told him, "Leave nothing behind. Let it all go. Give all your fears to God." He smiled, hesitating at first, emptied his pockets and threw the torn pieces of papers in the trash.

In my mind, I thought that I am sometimes similar to this child. A picture of myself caving in and being afraid came to view. This happens to most of us. We sometimes get wrong notions about what will happen in the process of tearing our fears down. If we do tear some of them, we still hide in order to avoid some. Why? Because we are afraid of the uncertainty that we might not be able to handle it and still end up more afraid.

If you are like this child, like me, you are not alone. I am also afraid. But there is a promise to all of us, if we believe. "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1