Wrong Turns Kansai Airport to Mountain-Top Koyasan
weary of tunnels,
in the Fukuchiin Temple
we sleep near the monks
Koyasan’s Okunoin, Japan’s Largest Cemetery
graveyard night tour
Fukuchiin has a curfew!
doors locked, grave concerns
Sacred Koyasan to Seaside Tanabe
Obscure location—
where’s Nissan? Its kindly staff
van us into town
Kumano Kodō Nakahechi Pilgrimage Trail—First Day
angry rain gods, then
sun to Tsugizakura
best homestay, ever
Kumano Kodō Nakahechi Pilgrimage Trail—Day Two
another pass climbed,
warm afternoon light, glowing
ochre, like the path
Kumano Kodō Nakahechi Pilgrimage Trail—Day Three
shrine gods we revere:
trail markers, vendees, rice balls,
Asahi beers, sleep
Kumano Kodō Nakahechi Pilgrimage Trail—Last Day
mossed stones, sunbeam spears
we climb a thousand metres
mystical beauty
after the earthquake
ryokan mommy’s dinner,
shockingly tasty
Benesse House, Naoshima
Ando and artists,
sleeping in the museum
we’re art-full lodgers
Teshima Art Museum: The Concrete Harmony of Environment, Art and Architecture by Rei Naito and Ryue Nishizawa
a shell: thin, curved, white,
oculus for light, air, rain,
droplets shimmer, bond
Nightfall at Chiiori
blackened floors glisten
charcoal embers (persimmon)
smoky dreams linger
The Almost Abandoned Hamlets of Tenku no Mura and Kakashi no Sato
villagers today
outnumbered by past dwellers
immortalized ghosts
Bukeyashiki-Kita-ke Samurai House
the suicide room,
unlike twisted mountain roads,
can’t be exited
Leaving the Iya Valley in Shikoku
on the bullet train
three centuries whiz by us;
Hello Osaka!
Kuidaore: How the Japanese Define Osakans
‘eat oneself bankrupt’—
very apt; we’re all on a
street food pilgrimage
Arigato
tofus to totos,
Sugoi! our memories,
Hei! we loved Japan
(arigato=thank you, sugoi=amazing, hei=yes)
16 Responses
Wonderful pictures. Can’t wait to hear about the remainder of stories. I am intrigued.
I think you’d love the spirituality of Chiiori despite the mountain road leading to it, which would remind you of our time together in those little Italian towns in Tuscany.
Fabulous! And communing with Tadao, as well….
As an architect, you’d probably be sleepless in Benesse House admiring Tadao’s concrete proportions and brilliance with natural light.
Osaka Street Food ! 🙂
The street food was fantastic. Try kushikatsu—deep-fried heaven on a stick, or takoyski—octopus balls, or okonomiyaki—a savoury Japanese pancake, and finish with a foot-high ice-cream cone!
With the exception of the food on the way home, AirCanada Rouge was a lot better than the rumours. And lots of leg room if you’ve only got a 28″ inseam!
Amazing Photos! The training in Utah is really showing up here…….Looking forward to hearing about the trip (and Rouge) later this week…….
I loved Japan when I was there twice
We saw a lot of road and forestry equipment in Makita colours—bet they didn’t buy them at Home Depot!
Can’t wait to hear about it!
There are lots more stories to come!
Working Titles for Posts About Japan
“Your passport madam?”
Mr. and Mrs. Yuba
Fish Market Today?
Totally awesome!
Suicide room – I’d give that a WIDE berth
The leaders of the day obviously held themselves to a very high standard. “The residence of the Kita Clan, … including Irazu-no-ma (room of no entry) for committing ritual suicide, tells the story of the ancient way of life of samurais in the mountains.”
Excellent!
We approached the hike of the Kumano Kodo as pilgrims, intent to focus on the spiritual—two grand shrines and “ninety-nine” oji dedicated to the deities of child gods. But as we hiked the 66 km of the Nakahechi Route over four days, with 4,430 metres of cumulative vertical, we started to focus on the milestones every half kilometre and the far too infrequent vending machines!