ONE special shrine?

I think not. Maybe 100, maybe more. Kamakura was yet another mind blow, I got the real deal, mountains, shrines, temples, cemeteries, and best of all BAMBOO. It bamboozles me! I am so ignorant, but fortunately I had the sense to take an overnight bag, but I would need a week at least to see all the good things around there.

Even the drink machines have art in them.
I arrived in the morning with thousands of other colour lovers, and caught a bus from the station to somewhere, I never found the temple I went there for, because before I knew it, I was climbing a mountain, and then another and another and another. The day was spent lost, wandering through still forests, and admiring amazing caves full of sacred rocks and carvings, and wow. It just kept going on and on. I had fortunately bought an apple and some seeds with me, and monk like, munched on these, and they were truly the most delicious things I had ever eaten. I was so high, high up and exultant, eyes very wide.

The day was going quickly and I found more than I could have hoped for, having trusted that being lost was part of the process, but found a road down, and there was a sign for a shrine; Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine, I thought oh goody, a Zen shrine. You entered through a tunnel carved into solid rock and the place was full of incense smoke and dark pools of water, filled by natural waterfalls. I wandered around, and in the back found the real excitement. In a cave hung with paper cranes, queues of people with baskets crouching by troughs washing their money in the water. So strange, so much enthusiasm and delight. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, and there was a sign "Dries naturally", outside people were sitting waiting for this to happen.
Made my way back to town and found a small hotel to stay. The woman at the Tourist Info place told me about a temple in the next town that had special night lights, so after dropping off my bags I got the tram to Hase. I am a sucker for the lights, as are many, and had to race around, which is not my want. I find I always make a friend in these sorts of places, as so many people are trying to take photographs, and often I see people struggling to get a photo of themselves, so I offer to take one, and then they offer to take one of me, and so on.


It was very very beautiful at Hasedera temple there, and I could see the ocean below, so made my way down there afterwards, and wandered on the dark sand smelling the Pacific, but it smelt different. Surprised some lovers with my loud exultation, and realised this was the first couple I have seen actually in an embrace. People here do no more than delicately hold hands. A few times that day I came across single men in lonely places, and wondered about gay beats, I mean, Sydney is one huge gay beat, and yet here I haven't caught a whiff of any untoward business. Very hetero where I have been.
Anyway, got the tram back, bought some shochu and wandered up the main avenue towards the big temple in town. Its nice at night, the crowds desert, and the place was all my own, bar some priests in their good-looking robes, hurrying and worrying. Very lovely, yet I felt empty and alone.

And hungry! Found a quiet sushi restaurant, where I ordered some beautiful sushi. Got to talking to one of the chefs who said he caught his own fish, and then proceeded to make me a piece of sushi with said fish. Wonderful, horse mackerel, very big fish, very tasty. I was stuffed by then, and more than wobbly, every ounce of me was crying for bed, so I paid and made a quick exit. I must have said something funny, because when I slid the door shut I heard them break into great peals of hilarious laughter. I am glad to have entertained them, they fed me well.
Slept wonderfully, though short, and got up early and went straight to the bamboo temple, as it is known. Hokokuji Temple was possibly the most beautiful one I have seen yet, as the priests care for a bamboo forest, which you can walk through. Each step was taken slowly and with great aplomb.
It felt monumental there, and my status was "heart soars", indeed drinking whisked green tea in the tea house, gazing at the gardens around me, made me teary with bliss.




I was refreshed and revived so hit that part of town, wandering here and climbing there, seeing more and more. The standout piece that afternoon was an enormous tree in one garden. When I asked a fellow how old it was (there was a sign in Japanese below it), he didn't know so went and asked at the desk, 900 years old! The oldest tree I think I have ever seen, such a girth! I felt positively skinny next to it.
I also felt that age myself by then so called it a day, and made my way back to the city. Only one hour away, and so worth it. As soon as I got back to Shinjuku and got stepped on, and my wrist got knocked hard by someone very bony, I knew I had done the right thing by getting out.

Villa of the Detached Heart

Life-sized
After tearing myself from the cosiness of my bed this freezing morning (futons hold your body's warmth for more than an hour I have noticed), I took a long hot bath.
Made my way to a temple where I was told they made costumes out of chrysanthemums, which they did. I went into one area, and watched as Mothers lined their traditionally dressed children up in front of a screen and photographed them. I was bemused by even the youngest children's abilities to hold more than one 'action' pose.
Wandered down the road and found a garden, it was the former home of the Mitsubishi family, with both a Western and Japanese style house. Sat in the Japanese house and had green tea, but there wasn't anyone else there to talk to.


Later when I came out a nice woman struck up conversation with me, and it always gets around to the weather and how Australia is opposite. She was a bit kooky and I liked her. When she left I watched her cross the garden to a huge ginkgo tree where she performed a ministration worthy of great applause.
Kept wandering and actually found my way back to another area I had been before, another connection. Had to check in the mirror that I didn't have something all over my face, for all the stares I got today, there wasn't anything on my face except my face.
I got some yummy gyoza on the way home, and some kimchi, are you allowed to eat them together? I did and liked it.

Floating ghost must have entered me today

Fish food vending machine, sacred fish, a few rocks being perfect, and a few bonsai plants.
I had meant to just go to the museum of modern art in Takebashi, and the Craft gallery nearby that had been closed the other day, as it was so easy to get to, and I knew it would be open ('cos I checked!), and then come straight home. But I had some extra lightness in my step, maybe as the weather is cooler, but I was just streaming along, walking so effortlessly, after the most disappointing galleries I have seen as yet, I found myself in a huge park with wonder of wondrous nature all around me.
I kept going further away from where I had started, and it was great, I was in this huge park, next to a river pretty much on my own, and found a huge judo stadium, and the biggest steel temple gates I have seen as yet, immense, and the further I went the more spirited away it got. I am not kidding!
I began to feel hungry and there was an eatery with all old laminex tables and little stools that were so worn, I thought, the food must be good, if the stools are so worn. It was very spartan, and no menu in English, so I just asked for a fish soup, and he held up a tempura piece of fish so that seemed fine with me. I sat down and he brought me a tray with these wonderful green noodles and a broth I dream of making. It was the very first piece of tempura I have eaten here yet, I love it too much, and although I have eaten the other fried stuff, I have been scared of my appetite and it's many extensions. But this was sublime, all getting soaked in the broth, and turning into a thin dumpling, with just a crisp on the top...yum! Seaweed, shallots, a piece of pink and white stuff and an enormous tempura prawn, even though he had held up a fish. I wasn't worried, it was the most elegant meal I had ever eaten, and I felt so replete and fortified.
I kept on gliding, with new vengeance now, as it was late afternoon, and I felt like I wanted more and more. I got it.
There were vast wooden structures and spacious special buildings, I didn't know what they were for or anything, I am a twit, but I just wandered along, agog. One seemed like it was just a house for shoes. There was a big chrysanthemum display and also bonsais. I love that stuff, and was just so taken. The gravel was somehow not entering my shoes, I tell you, I was floating! (What I like about the gravel is that you can hear someone approaching.)
Behind this most beautiful of chrysanthemum temples was a garden like in the movies, that's as well as I can describe it, this enchanted grotto, with ponds, and slabs of stone paths, placed with such elegance and care, and little buildings, and many slab bridges, that went around, and toward a valley of rocks, I just couldn't believe my eyes, every step I took was bringing me more visual delight than I had ever had. THIS was what I came to Japan for, my true love! The careful placement of rocks is a very fine art. I am most interested in this, it seems so essential and getting it right, is paramount. Having sympathy with the singular stone is important, but in collaboration with what is around each one is just as important. I know it sounds like bullshit, but I am so into placement! No rock wobbled or was out of place. I have noticed that on footpaths throughout my month uneven surfaces exist. It seems like it is intentionally conceived that way. Maybe for the visually impaired, who I have noticed a number of. They don't have guide dogs here, (or I am yet to see one), it's just using a white stick...but the utility of the raised surfaces may also help with the all important drainage and slippage, and it serves to make one have to lift their feet just that little bit more to prevent stumbling.
I stopped in a little hut overlooking the water as it seemed there were more carp here to watch, and a fellow came up and started feeding the fish. I hadn't seen that he was throwing pellets, I was just trying to get a good photograph of the fish in the evening light, but I heard the noise they were making as they were thrashing around, and gulping at the surface in the most liquid manner, slurping and sucking, the water was boiling and seething. I turned around and he was smiling, and I took a bunch of photos. He showed me the "secret hidden vending machine" with food for the fish, and gave me some pellets. I was laughing because there were like 100 fish there, and you could see ones in the distance hurriedly hoisting themselves over as the tucker was on. So funny.
He said they were sacred to the temple, and only the best fish were chosen. Some were 20 years old, and massive.
I had found the delight I sought, and all felt good. I will have to come back to this garden, it was so remarkable, there were sword makers, and a tea house, and people in kimonos and robes, oh it was the most beautiful place I have ever seen!!!
Got the train home and it was 8:30, I had been out all day! I was passing the stand-up sushi place on the way, and I thought, hm, back in Australia I would be hard pressed finding a treasure like this. So I went in and and ate some raw things that tasted like they had only been swimming yesterday. Lots of ginger, a huge pat of wasabi and 2 green teas, for less than $20. Cool jazz playing, happiness.
I feel so fortunate. Thank you Australia Council.