today, i think, was the best day i have had yet in japan. every moment neared perfection and i attained a state of peace that can barely be expressed (and one that offers a brilliant prelude to the upcoming three days at a Zen temple).
i woke up more than a bit groggy from the night before, and after grabbing some snacks from the local convenience store, i was train-bound for Kibune. Kibune and Kurama are two small towns about thirty minutes north of Kyoto by train, nestled in adjoining mountain valleys. one way between the two is train or car, another is walking the road connecting the two, and the third is hiking between the two over Mt Kurama. aaron, the intrepid traveler, chose option three.
walking to kibune from the train station took about twenty minutes of hiking along a small country road that wound through forests along a river with many man-made waterfalls. very serene and very green. i also saw the biggest spiderwebs and spiders ever - these things traversed water canals, and fifty feet away, i could see the spider with unaided vision! kibune itself sits along the river, with many a resturant on decks overlooking the water. i found a grassy knoll, and had a picnic of sushi rolls, rice balls and dried nuts. from there, i hiked a short way to kibune-jinja, the shinto shrine. the stairs leading up were lined on either side by bright saffron lanternposts, and the shrine itself painted a similar color. the trees were all adorned with brightly-colored prayer papers, creating a kaleidoscopic image before the shrine itself. i did the traditional prayer before the shrine (bow twice, clap twice, prayer, bow again) and headed back down the hill.
on the other side of the road is the hike up mt kurama, leading through various other smaller shrines and temples. as i was entering the path (which began with a 500m climb up steep stairs that had me panting in humid summer heat), a young-looking zen student or pilgrim came down the mountain and when we met eyes, gave me a very knowing smile, exuding this sense of calm as if to say that he knew something really special. as i hiked up the mountain, i was surrounded by amazingly tall trees, only letting rays of sunlight in between their trunks and leaves. i welcomed the cool shade as the hike was only a little more strenuous than i had expected. along the way to the summit, i passed two small zen temples - simpler constructions of white-painted wood or stone. set in beautiful wooded locales, i imagined this was one of the larger benefits of the hike. i spent some time simply strolling the grounds, peeking out at the valleys around through the trees.
after another water break, i continued the hike. already near the top at 1200m, the path began to flatten and meander downward. a few hundred meters along this path, and the forest opened up to a sweeping vista of the valleys and mountains below. i could see miles and miles out in front on this stunningly-clear day, and the green leaves of the trees mixed in the large amounts of red maples caused me to stop dead in my tracks. i headed toward a deck over the cliff to just savor the moment. stunning beauty along the lines of which i have never seen. but this was only the beginning.
i hadn't yet turned around to see what was on the open space behind me, as the views of the valleys from the top of mt kurama were so breathtaking. when i did, i beheld Kurama-Ji, a huge zen temple with several adjoining buildings in its complex. the grounds were a wide open flat space of raked stoned and paths, studded with bright saffron lanternposts and statues. the shrine itself glowed against the mountain backdrop. i had my picture taken by a friendly old chinese couple, the man of which spoke english and told me he was very impressed that i was traveling alone through a country where i didn't speak the language. he was all smiles and kept offering repeatedly to take more pictures - kindness and generosity know no cultural barriers.
i took a walk through the shrine itself, paying my respects to a huge gold-cast buddha on an ornate altar. i watched as a temple docent painted japanese calligraphy with a brush onto the blank pages of books brought by pilgrims. staring at these sweeping characters flourishing across the page, i found myself on the one hand, feeling a sense of regret not speaking or reading japanese, and two, stunned with a sense of beauty of everything around me - the mountain, the valleys, the trees, the temple, the grounds, japanese language, japanese characters, japanese clothing. this sense of awe welled up inside me until i felt myself trembling. i quickly went outside for fresh air and leaned up against the balcony overlooking the valley. the trembling turned into an almost gentle crying, the root cause of which i couldn't quite figure out. in retrospect, my best guess is that i'd come across something so beautiful, so pure, so unadorned and so real that it shook me to my core to such a degree that i had to find an emotional outlet. i could barely move.
i waited until some of the trembling subsided and began to walk down the mountain. i began in the peaceful silence of the woods around me, and then added music to the mix (widespread panic, "hatfield" and "pleas" from live in the classic city). the swelling joy of the music mixed with already tender emotional state brought me walking down the mountain on a cloud of air. i felt truly lucky to see what i had seen and to have been able to experience such an emotional moment. the entire walk down the mountain, passing several other shrines and waterfalls, was a cathartic comedown for me, bringing my sense of calm back to a manageable place by the time i reached Kurama below. however, the wonder does not cease.
from the base of Mt Kurama on the Kurama side, there is an osen (hot spring) a mere 10 minute hike away. i headed up there, disrobed, washed and slid into an open air pool of naturally-flowing hot water, overlooking the mountains and valleys i had just hiked. a fantastic way to experience such a view. it is a wonderful feeling to be in a steaming hot bath while the sun beats down from above - i got to relax/soak and tan at the same time (and, given the state of undress at all japanese baths, no tan lines!). it is actually quite liberating and calming to shed any degrees of modesty and stroll without clothing. i alternated my time between the outdoor bath and the indoor cold water bath, raising and lowering my body temperature and feeling all traces of tiredness and soreness flee from the body. i stayed until i felt myself becoming lightheaded, so i cleaned, dressed and headed back to the train.
i took a quick nap on the ride back to town, and then, after a cool iced Starbucks sitting out over the river, i did some shopping (cmon, the japanese know how to dress). i found some fantastic items, as well as gifts for friends at home, before finally making my way back to hostel for a needed shower and change.
by the time i cleaned, Yuko was back tending bar. i had a nice talk with her about kyoto, and then about joel. we talked about moving in with a significant other, and i said that while my feelings are a mix of excitement and nervousness, the former far outweighs the latter. she liked how my face lighted up whenever i mentioned joel's name (hear that, honey?). soon, some friends from the other night (chris and mark from australia, and valerie from montreal) came into the bar and we spent another few hours drinking beers and talking about life in our varying countries. around 11, we all walked to the downtown center where i parted company back to the gay bar.
once again, i had a great night at Azure. Tanjai was tending bar again, and joined tonight by Ling (fashion student born and raised in kyoto) and antoher tall japanese from okinawa (who i often couldn't take my eyes off of). i sat next to Shogo, from tokyo now living in kyoto doing urban planning work, with whom i spoke for a few hours about life in japan, life in the states, life in foriegn countruies (he spent two years in paris), music and politics. shogo likes the smaller towns and countryside, and has loved spending time in okinawa, alaska, hawaii and the west indies.
at one point, i asked shogo his impressions about america. he said that he, and many of his friends, see two americas - nyc/l.a. and everything else. he admires the internationalism of
nyc and l.a. and think that those cities have much to offer the world. but then, there is the "small town" america which, he feels, represents the america that tends to involve itself in world affairs. an america that thinks it is always right and that only looks at things from an american perspective without considering the world views of other countries in the world (hey! yeah! remember that post i did a few days ago?). he also doesn't like that americans expect that everyone else in the world speak english - from diplomats and leaders who don't even speak a single foreign language, to tourists and travelers who come to other countries without any ability to speak the native tongue. i felt a little bad, and after graciously thanking him for his willingness to talk to me in english, i asked what he felt about me. luckily, i am saved, knowing both spanish and hebrew, and stating that (truthfully), if i am to come back to japan, i will have studied the language and know how to converse.
time passed quickly again, and before i knew it, i was yawning and my clock read 3am. so with a flurry of goodbyes, i made my way back to the hostel to rest up for my zen retreat. yes, for the next 3 days i will be at a zen temple studying meditation, so i will likely not be posting. there is free time in the afternoons, and there may be an internet cafe in the nearby town, but i am unsure about posting. i may use this time to take a needed break from daily typing. either way, i am very excited and hopeful for the coming days.
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