Day 1

And so we are off to Japan.

We did not plan for it but somehow we managed to get a redemption on an SQ flight to Nagoya.

I looked back at what I said previously, that I want to experience the four seasons in Japan. We visited Japan last December during winter, then in spring we headed to Fukuoka , in summer we did Kyoto .

I have always read about how you just need to know what you want – not how to do it.

And I get the idea now- this is how the universe does it.

Bf was in a low – he said he was demoralized due to work incidents but somehow this culminated in a trip to japan

I managed to put together a trip in a matter of days and the flight costs was manageable because we could redeem our miles

As I walked towards the aircraft, I can’t help but felt thankful

I learnt a few things in the last few days

– respect another’s journey

With bf and his low, we all wanted to do help and do something

We can try our best but like HuaiHao said, – it will work only if someone wants that help- enough

– talk it out on the table

I could feel bf happy as he stepped into the aircraft

I felt happy myself – thankful for the opportunity of a trip

Bf said he wanted to go to somewhere quiet and thankfully dad can help with the kids

It’s been quite a while since we took off on an afternoon flight and it was almost drizzling at ground level but as we flew up and out of the weather

Now that’s a teaching !

Day 2

We drove to wakayama , had some food at kurushio market and headed to Yuasa to get soy sauce at Kadocho
Founded in 1841, this brewery contributes a large part in the history of Yuasa soy sauce brewing.

Then we drove to Koya

A UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, Koyasan is a historic temple town located in the mountainous regions of the Kii Peninsula. It is the birthplace of the Shingon Buddhism, drawing plenty of pilgrims and tourists alike.

Koyasan is magical.

Somehow as the car weaves into the mountain or into place , the heart kind of opened up

Located 800m above sea level in the basin of an eight-peaked mountain, this small temple town is where the Shingon sect of Buddhism was founded in the early 800s. Today, there are 117 temples here, along with a collection of unmissable spiritual sites. This includes the sacred Danjo Garan complex in the centre of Koyasan, home to several temple buildings and the 49m tall Great Pagoda

Considered the heart of Koyasan, Danjo Garan Sacred Temple Complex houses the statue of Dainichi Nyorai (main Buddha) and the Konpon Daito (Great Pagoda).

Somehow in the air , it kind of felt like there’s a grounding force which stills you

We found our way to Fuzen to try the Sasamaki Anpu, these are small wheat-starch parcels flavoured with mugwort and filled with a sweet bean paste wrapped in bamboo grass leaves

Then as we strolled in the little town getting traditional sweets from kasakuni

Then we found ourselves at ekoin

We did a simple Ajikan meditation and a monk was explaining to us what to do

He made some points which were interesting intriguing and important

For example, how we sit , his advice is to lift the pelvic area so that that area is tense but the rest of the body is relaxed

He suggests moving the body from side to side and front to back to find a comfortable position

He suggest to half close our eyes, so that we can see the world but not get too relaxed

And if something comes to mind, look at it as if it were a pebble in the garden. Look at the garden not the pebble

He suggests once we think of anything , first create space in the mind

And that if we are able to control our breathing we would be able to control the mind

He says the goal of the meditation is to become one with the cosmic Buddha and the universe

Of course he reminded us to do this meditation everyday even if it were for 5 min

It made me think what true balance is – it’s a play between tension and relaxation and enough of both to set either element in place or rather- in check

And in the temple you can hear quiet . It’s so quiet it made you think what sacred is or means to you

We had shojin ryori for dinner

Day 3

We woke up and attended a morning prayer ceremony which involved some chanting and an offering of incense to the Buddha

Then we headed over to another small shrine and experienced the fire ceremony

Called the Goma fire ritual – I read that not all temples at koya held this every morning. But at Ekoin, it’s an everyday affair

“The Goma (Homa) Ritual of consecrated fire is unique to Vajrayana and Esoteric Buddhism. It is performed for the benefit of individuals, the state or all sentient beings in general. The consecrated fire is believed to have a powerful cleansing effect spiritually and psychologically. The fire symbolizes the wisdom of the Buddha and the wood sticks symbolize human desires (the root of suffering). the Buddha burns away the root of our suffering as we pray for our wishes to come true. Flames can sometimes reach a few meters high.

You could pray for the well-being of your family, recovery from illness, traffic safety, prosperity to the business and school success.” —— from the Ekoin website

The ceremony involved a monk chanting , and beating the drum . He observed another monk at the alter- who was involved in carrying out the main ritual of lighting the fire , burning wood and throwing some rice and others , and hand gestures into the fire as the ceremony progressed

Before this you would be writing your name and wish on a wood panel and the monk would put this into the fire to burn

The ceremony was just 20 minutes but it felt like there was a lot of content and cultural significance

Simply putting everything aside and Experiencing the fire in front of you , wood chips burning and cracking in the air made a lot of sense

It was a purification of sorts putting something out you want to release and handing it to the fire

Somehow the mood lightened as the ceremony progressed – like a weight lifted

We checked out and drove through the winding mountains down south towards Kumano

And it just made you stop to be

Be with the winding roads

It’s so beautiful with sunlight passing through foliage and thrown in the roads

And the beauty is having bf resonating with this feeling

So beautiful I said and he nodded

So just take time and be with the roads and let it show you the way (out)

Discover with it

After a 3 hour drive, we found our way to the Nachisan area, which is home to Japan’s longest waterfall-Nachi

There’s a shrine there and you could light a piece of wood and offer a prayer

We then hiked up to the Seiganto-ji Temple with its vibrant red pagoda.

There’s a camphor tree there and if you went through it it is dark and signifies the womb or a rebirthing process and you would then come out to light

You just felt very open as you reach the top

Affording myself a view with a little climb. And what- will you (choose to) afford yourself this day?

Then we continued our way down and drove to Kawayu onsen

It’s a quiet place and you could see people using a shovel to dig a hole in the river to get the underground hot spring water bubbling

We did our hot spring soak and it’s so good it made me think what made me so tired

It made me know that I have spent too much effort pursuing

How about this- just allow things to come to me

Day 4

We did a short 1km hike/walk on the kumano path at Fushiogami back to Kumano Hongu Taisha, one of the three revered Kumano Sanzan shrines.

Fushiogami means to kneel down and worship

At this viewpoint, ancient pilgrims first saw a view of Kumano Hongu Taisha in the distance and that moved them to their knees in prayer.

How much of a journey must that be for one to get down on the knees to pray?

I read here that in the mid Heian era, a great poet-Izumi Shikibu once embarked on a pilgrimage to Kumano Hongu Taisha from Kyoto. Less than 3 km from her destination, her period began unexpectedly. Thinking that she has lost her chance of worshiping the Kumano gods, she composed this poem:

晴れやらぬ身のうき雲のたなびきて

月のさわりとなるぞ哀しき

Beneath unclear skies, my body obscured by drifting clouds, I am saddened that my monthly obstruction has begun

That night, one of the Kumano gods appeared in Izumi’s dream as Buddha Amida and replied to Izumi.

もろともに塵にまじはる神なれば

月の障りもなにか苦しき

How could the god who mingles with the dust suffer because of your monthly obstruction?

Openness and acceptance is a fundamental theme of the Kumano faith. This beautiful story has been retold to emphasize that Kumano does not exclude anyone from worshipping. I take it one step further as a reminder to acknowledge the divinity in each and every being.

I read after that the Fushiogami-Oji Forest walk is one of the 100 therapeutic walk spots in Japan.

And before long we are on the hike!

We then drove to Ise and had a good time at the old town which exudes authentic atmosphere of a traditional Japanese town

We didn’t really have time to visit Ise-jingu Shrine’s Inner Shrine.

Oharaimachi features old-fashioned residences lining a stone-paved thoroughfare. Here you’ll find an impressive array of Japanese cuisine, traditional craftwork, and an enormous variety of souvenirs. The street runs parallel to the Isuzu River, where broad paths along the banks make for a nice walk if you need a break from the seasonal crowds.

Apparently , pilgrimages to sacred areas around Japan grew in popularity from the early 1600s with the end of the violent Sengoku civil war period. As Shinto’s most sacred site, Ise-jingu Shrine was no exception.

Most commoners who lived far from Ise could not afford the journey, so communities would pool their resources and send a single villager to make the pilgrimage on their behalf. With the influx of worshippers came money for food, accommodation, and entertainment. Oharai still prospers as a pilgrimage center to this day.

We had lots to eat too, such as the thick chewy Ise udon, traditional Japanese sweets

We stayed overnight at Gero onsen and then made our way to the morning market ideyu after that drove for about 2 hours to kamikochi

This is a place I have been when I was about 26-27 and it’s been almost 20 years now

Looking at this, the little roar of the river, the winds, the sky and then sun the clouds, the question that came begging at the mind was- 我要多么 坚持才可以跟你来这里？

How much endurance would I need to be able to come here with you

Anything lesser would not cut it

Anything lesser than any of my experiences would not have brought me here

The winds kind of brought them all out.

We stayed at Miyama Ouen at Hirayu Onsen and had a pretty good time

Dinner and breakfast was a course by course event and you could slow down and enjoy dining

there’s the onsen bath which is kind of a newfound love, I love how the heat seeps into the body and warms it up

Day 6

We came back to Kamikochi on a early bus ride

When we got to Taisho pond, the early morning mist was still there

And we walked up towards kappabashi in about an hour passing by a view point for mount yaka date, an active volcano

It was lovely to see how the light changes the atmosphere and the landscape

Passed by kappabashi and continue towards Myojin pond – and finding back a soba place and the river which we used to be at when we came the last time

And what would you like to do going forward TPY?

I would like to travel and see the world, be one worth nature, meet beautiful inspiring people and devote time to meaningful causes and to have the freedom of time and in life I want to continue writing or creating content that is close to heart and warms people , giving light and hope

Day 7

We left Hiroyu Onsen and drove down to Kiso, the valley of hundred year old cypress or hinoki, did first bathing at akasawa in the late morning-it is said that this is the very place which gave birth to the concept of forest bathing

in the forest, the trees have started to change colour, there’s yellow of all shades, oranges and red. And what-actually made the colours change?
Like a hurrah before the cold comes? Changes and perceived impending changes always get things out of us-and maybe nature too ?

we stopped for food at a 300 year old soba place and chanced upon a shop which does laquerware-which this area is famous for , and got to know that lacquer tree produces sap that is of a limited quantity -just 200cc of lacquer juice can be retrieved from a lacquer tree and the sap juice actually changes colour in contact with air . For darker colour lacquer, the odour is actually achieved through the addition of iron powder,’

We then weave our way down the valley and past Tsumago into Magome, these are post towns which let people stop and rest while they commute in between Kyoto and Tokyo.
By the time we reach Magome, the sun is near to setting and a lot of shops have closed.
But the town is quiet with few visitors and the feeling is serene -as how it is when things have settled.

The next drive was to tajimi and for some supermarket and shopping before checking in.

Day 8

We checked out the ceramic town of Tajimi and had lots of good time strolling the Honmachi oribe street which has a lovely collection of mino pottery stores. There were lots of artistic pottery work and a limit to what I could bring back home-but the joy seemed to be made bigger this way, not because you could buy everything you wanted back home but really- because you couldn’t

We then did shopping at Toki, there’s the premium outlet and Aeon mall and then drove to the airport . And this -along with lots of packing, concluded the trip!

Japan is so beautiful snd there’s a wealth of choices everywhere -whether it be culture, food or shopping. It is so nice to be able to some time here this season-to feel the feeling of being in season, to have the opportunity to be in place, to just see, breathe, walk, and bathe in autumn’s foliage, meeting with the autumn wind. In so doing, receiving the splendour and richness of nature.