The following blog post is about the wonderful, adventure-filled day I had three weeks ago on October 22nd. This is the first of two installments about that day, so stay tuned for the second, but for now, I'll be talking about my hiking adventure.
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the frightening side of japanese wilderness |
From the time that the CET program in Japan sent me my Lonely Planet Japan guidebook, I had been wanting to go to Kurama, a tiny town tucked away in the mountains near Kyoto. It's certainly a feasible day trip from where I live, as it takes only about 2 hours total with all travel time included to get from my apartment to Kurama itself. But anyway, I had been particularly interested in going there since the middle of the summer when I read about it, and had specifically planned to ascend this mountain on October 22nd, the day of the Kurama-no-hi Matsuri (see next blog entry), one of the most renowned festivals in Japan.
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量感のレストラン |
All of my research had led me to believe that the hike from Kibune (a neighboring town on the other side of the same mountain) to Kurama would be the most amazing way to go about actually getting to Kurama. This way would allow me to explore nature and see the various Buddhist temples scattered on the mountain (because the people of Kurama founded their own sect of Buddhism centuries ago). And amazing it was!
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外のいす |
I set off with Ishani (one of my American roommates) in the morning, both of us commiserating about the butterflies in our stomachs. Ishani was going to the Jidai Matsuri in Kyoto, which happens annually on October 22nd, as well. And although this wasn't by any means my first time exploring on my own, it was my first time going anywhere outside of Osaka on my own. And it was the first for Ishani as well, so we were a little bit anxious about what the day had in store. We went our separate ways near Gion in Kyoto, when Ishani walked to the Imperial Palace and I transfered to another train to ascend the mountain.
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猟官の中 |
Because there is no station that goes all the way to Kibune, I got off the train at Kibuneguchi, and walked uphill 20 minutes to get to the town. I felt my adventure truly commencing as the fresh, mountain air hit me, I put my one foot in front of the other, and started trekking. I immediately had one of my absolute favorite things happen to me, as I ran into four women (who must have been in their 60s) hiking up the way to Kibune as well. I got to talking with them about their lives and what they thought I should see while in Japan, etc. I really love meeting random strangers here and striking up meaningful conversations with them, and it was so enjoyable to climb up to the town with them, but when we got to Kibune, we parted ways, as this group of friends was continuing still further up the mountain to stay in a Ryokan together that night. They did, however, point me in the direction of the main attractions (there were very few, but it was truly beautiful) in town.
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貴船神社の通り |
Kibune is a ridiculously small Ryokan (Japanese traditional inn) town. The little village has only one street, as does Kurama, but all there was in Kibune were various Ryokan, and the Kibune Jinja (Shinto shrine, not Buddhist). The pictures at the beginning of this blog entry are of the various Ryokan where visitors stay and dine above a beautiful river, taking in the sounds of the rushing water below as they eat. And the picture directly above and directly below are of the shrine.
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貴船神社 |
You may remember this set of stairs from the picture in my last entry of the old man helping his wife up to the shrine. And I can understand why that couple came, because to date this was probably my most-loved Shinto shrine. It was absolutely beautiful, and I really enjoyed taking in the sun and fresh air in such a heart-warming place.
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snag |
The nature was definitely highlight number one of the day (hence the hike blog, followed by the matsuri blog, as the matsuri was highlight number two). And as I walked around (well, really up and back down) the town, I found myself mainly looking at the trees.
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sunny pods |
While trees of course make me a tad bit nostalgic about home, I was also having such a fun time exploring on my own that I wouldn't have traded that feeling for the world, and thus didn't find myself homesick.
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real brooms |
Just a quick anecdote about this picture above. In Japan, I see REAL brooms everywhere I go! I think it's so exciting to see brooms actually made from wood rather than the plastic, ungrounded brooms we have stateside. I didn't realize that people actually still used this kind of broom before Japan, but it actually makes me more than a little disappointed that we don't use them, too. So much more sustainable, not to mention better for Kiki and Hermione, I'm certain.
This particular broom was standing outside of the "toll" booth for the hike, where you paid 100 yen, roughly a $1.50 with my ridiculous exchange rate, for a map of the hiking trail, coupons for the local attractions in Kibune and Kurama, and access to the trail and the temples they housed.
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up, up, and away |
And then I started up. And up. And up. The hike itself was roughly an hour uphill to climb the mountain, then less than 20 minutes down the other side. Though I have to admit that I was taking my merry time, because guess what? I met and socialized with yet more Japanese people on the way!
While I found myself inspired by the 60-or-some-odd women I had met on the way to Kibune, I had no way of knowing what was yet in store. Little did I know that I would soon be CLIMBING a mountain with more than a dozen 70 some-odd year-old women, a group of childhood friends who continued to meet up at least a few times a year and take long walks together.
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back to my roots |
In about 20-minutes of uphill stair climbing, followed by 40 minutes of walking the trail portion uphill over hundreds of roots, I never once heard them complain about achy knees or backs. Needless to say, it was inspiring to walk alongside such wise and healthful women. We talked quite a bit about their lives, and they asked me about all sorts of cultural differences. There is really no way I can put into words how delighted I was to meet them. I'm now sorry to say that I have no pictures of the group, because when I asked they said that when you get their age, you don't really want pictures of yourself taken. I thought to myself that when you're that age and still healthy and lively enough to go climb a mountain with your childhood friends, you should pretty much want to show the world! But I guess writing about it is one way of sharing their inspiration!
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view from the top |
Nevertheless, it just so happened that there was plenty to photograph. This picture above was just past the apex of the mountain on the way down, as the rooftops of the main temple became visible from above.
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bell |
Soon, we found ourselves face to face with the giant bell, primarily rung on New Years' day when every temple in Japan rings their bell all day and night to beckon visitors to their first temple visit of the new year. But one of the youthful old ladies rang the bell, and we listened to it sound throughout the valley.
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can you hear it? |
We then all proceeded to eat lunch together down at the main grounds of Kurama-dera, which was one of the most remarkable Buddhist temples I've seen. It was an excellent place to rest my feet for a while and take in the view while munching on my pre-packed bento box and chatting with a group of old ladies.
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きれいな木 |
As we wandered down the mountain, we went through the various portions of the main temple grounds, and wound our way down steep stairs and trails. And then I said my goodbyes and sincere thank you (accompanied by the deepest bow I've ever given--to show my respect) to my group of kindred hiking women. I took a few extra minutes exploring the temple, and then made my own way further down the mountain towards Kurama town.
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鞍馬寺 |
*note the broom!!!
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大杉 |
I finished up my hike by looking at this giant cedar, and then looking back the way I came. This 800-year old, 53 meter-tall giant is an ambassador of another time. While I find the old hiking women extremely inspiring, I find trees like this one awe-inspiring. And they stand tall, shining light on your own accomplishments. I'm so happy to have climbed that mountain, but have I been standing and growing and developing for 800 hundred years? No. Do I even have hope to? No. And that doesn't by any stretch of the imagination that my accomplishments are small (though some would say they are), but little by little I'm growing as a person. I step outside of my comfort zone every day here, and I stretch myself to grow upwards and out. The sky's the limit. But anyway, my hike came to a close with my reflection on my personal growth through the first half of this semester. And with all of the amazing sights I saw, and all the excellent examples I have to follow when it comes to growing into my own skin, I couldn't be more happy to be here experiencing it all.
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the path from whence i came |