Today was the last day of the Japan Peace Run, and all of us were keen to soak in every running moment as we made our way to the final destination — Kamakura City.
All of us were cherishing the good memories and experience we had during this nine day long Peace Run journey.
In Japan, choosing a drink isn’t simple, it’s a life decision. With hundreds of vending machine options staring back at you, sometimes the hardest part is just pressing one button!
Our first school today was Heiwa Gakuen Elementary School.
Sudasa's smart way of giving hint about Tokyo as "etto..etto..etto..". 'Etto' is a common filler word in Japanese but he says "edo..edo..edo.." - 'Edo' is an old name for Tokyo.
Principal Kobayashi received the Torch Baerer award on behlaf of the School. As the name of the school "Heiwa Gakuen" (i.e. Peace School) indicates, its mission is to create peacemakers. Not only in philosophy but abundantly in practice they work on realizing this goal. Their dedication to peace is closely aligned with the motto of the Peace Run - "Peace begins with me".
A quick group picture before we go out for some running with kids.
Kids were having a great time racing with Abhinandan.
Magic moments.
We ran our final 5km together.
It was sunny and nearly 30 degrees but the breathtaking views and cool breeze made our run very memorable.
A very delightful lunch stopover at Japan's very own chain of American style fast food.
We indulged ourselves with vegan burgers and shakes.
Girls team cheering for the boys team running with their belly full of burgers. Burp!
Heading towards our final presentation at the Inamuragasaki Elementary School.
Two voices, one melody, an Indian duet - guess the country!
Getting ready for skits to show if the act was peaceful or not.
Final school, final high fives, final farewell — we will truly miss the heart-melting cuteness of the Japanese kids.
A final cheer to the Japan Peace Run team for inspiring the Japanese community with their dedication and spirit, and in return, being inspired by the community’s resilience and pursuit of perfection.
The words of Sri Chinmoy's song uniquely capture the heart and soul of this special land.
"Japan, Japan, Japan!
A soulful flower-garden.
Clearly you see,
Quickly you do.
Silence-ecstasy
Your property true.
Japan, Japan, Japan!
High Heaven's hallowed plan."
