Happy 2008!

I just want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!
I, most likely, will not get to another update until the new year.
Have a safe holiday!

Jigoku-nozoki is the name of this lookout. Translates to Hell's Peek.
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Last Wednesday we visited Nokogiri yama (or mountain) in Chiba Prefecture. The fastest way to get there from Yokosuka is by ferryboat from Kurihama Port. You can literally see Chiba Peninsula from Miura Peninsula...you can probably swim there it's that close! Anyway, the ferryboat ride is about 40 minutes long. And all the way to Chiba port, the seagulls that were at Kurihama port flew with us, nonstop. I'm thinking they even flew with the boat back to Kurihama port. It was awesome!
Nokogiriyama is full of buddhas, large ones and small ones. This is the larget on the mountain and the largest stone figure in Japan, Kenkon-zan Nihon-ji.
Little buddhas at the temple (there must have been tens of thousands of them in this pile). Write your name on it. Place it in the pile. Make a wish and it comes true!