My journey in Japan
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In April 2005 my husband and I left behind the dreary weather of England. We touched down in Tokyo, where the sun was shining and the sky was a lovely blue, dotted with only a few white clouds.
Our journey started in the capital, a trip to Mikao Usui's memorial was first on our agenda. The information I had gathered before our trip was limited. The Saihoji temple, where the memorial was based, was not in any of the tourist books. Fortunately, the Japanese people were always eager to help, so we sought advice from the hotel staff. There were no trains local to the temple, so we treated ourselves to a taxi. The ride through the city was a wonderful merge of traditional housing and modern day business. A few narrow back alleys later we came to the Saihoji Temple. In front of the temple, by the cemetery were a large group of schoolchildren, playing in their school grounds. My minimal knowledge of Japanese meant we could check that we were allowed to go through to the cemetery.
Next, we had the difficult task of figuring out which of the many memorial stones belonged to Mikao Usui. Luckily, a Japanese woman approached us and asked if we were looking for Usui's memorial. I doubt we would have found it amongst the sea of stones and kanji, without her help. The woman introduced us to her friend, a Czechoslovakian Reiki Master, who immediately greeted me with open arms. Like many others he had been drawn to Reiki through profound coincidences. He too was enjoying the calm energy that seemed to engulf the whole of Japan.
It was a moving experience to sit in front of the memorial stone. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for a man responsible for changing so many lives, in such a positive and wonderful way. I spent my time there thinking about Reiki and all that it meant to me. I felt humbled by the experience. The energy there was intense and I experienced sensations I had never felt before, it was hard to drag myself away several hours later.
After spending only a couple of days in the capital, we took a train west to Toba in the Mie Prefecture. Here we were encircled by mountains cloaked with greenery and surrounded by small pockets of coast that met the Pacific Ocean. It was a remote part of Japan with no other tourists to be found, bliss. Here we experienced our first Shinto Shrine, Ise - Jingu. I noticed that at most shrines and temples there were water basins with running water flowing into them. People would approach these and use the long handled, bamboo cups, resting on the basins to rinse their hands and sometimes their mouths. The routine is a form of cleansing and purification.
The only difficulty in Japan for us was the fact that we were vegetarian. In Japan absolutely everything is cooked in fish stock. There were many days where dizziness ensued for the lack of substance in our bodies. Mainly due to the fact that it was difficult to explain our diet needs in Japanese. By the second day of our stay in Toba, we finally managed to explain the fact that we were vegetarian to the chef. The result being a huge feast specially bought and prepared for us every morning and evening. It was rather embarrassing to see the endless dishes being brought to our table. Our tummies were most grateful, despite being full to the brim and a few inches wider by the time we left Toba.
Our next stop was Kyoto, the spiritual heart of Japan and the old capital. We visited numerous shrines and temples. Each temple or shrine offered a different atmosphere and energy, some played drums, others wind instruments or gongs and bells. Most were only visited by the Japanese people who came to pay their respect and offer prayers.
The Zen temples were the only place in Japan that offered truly vegetarian food without the need of a phrase book. We were glad of the opportunity to experience real Japanese food and culture. The locals always seemed surprised to come across westerners who were happy to sit on the floor and embrace their ways. In one Zen restaurant we had our own private section, a large window allowed a fabulous view of the activity below. Young men were busy carrying passenger carts around the temple grounds; you could see their bulging calves from some distance. It was a set menu of several courses. Despite being surrounded by traditional Japanese screens, they seemed to know exactly when to bring the next course. We kept looking around for hidden cameras but could not see evidence of any.
We also had the opportunity to take part in a tea ceremony, which was a relaxed and delicate procedure, full of ritual and meaning. Both men and women perform these ceremonies, an art form that requires training and dedication from a young age.
During a Ninja demonstration, we learnt about their fighting techniques and survival training. The Ninja house is clearly an inspiration for any Bond movie, with secret hiding places and trap doors, shelves that come down to create stair cases to secret levels. They were riddled with hidden revolving doors and swinging floor boards that concealed weapons. Watch out on the stairs and landings at night as some parts will be missing, of course the Ninja would know when to jump over these gaps but the enemy would fall through. The Ninja was careful about what they ate and how they washed, to avoid body odours that would give away their hiding position. They would know if it were going to rain by observing a spider’s cobweb, if there was dew drops on it at dawn then rain would fall. They carried out a lot of farming work, a convenient way to grow their own food and disguise their weapons as tools. In general, the Japanese people are very quiet but no one mastered the art of silence better than the Ninja. If you see other martial arts, however, you will see a very noisy side to the Japanese, who use sound not just for healing and prayer but for defence purposes as well.
The day that excited me most had finally arrived. Today we would climb Mount Kurama, a place of great spiritual history. It also has a special connection with Reiki. Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki had visited this mountain. He performed a twenty one day meditation and fast, which resulted in a moment of enlightenment. It is said that this moment contributed to the development of Reiki.
At the hotel they told us we could not climb the mountain. That we could only go as far as the first shrine, at the bottom of the Mount Kurama. This was disappointing news but we decided to go over and see for ourselves what could be achieved. The final train came to a halt beside a small wooden platform, at the foot of the mountains. Once again we were surrounded by locals and some Japanese who had clearly travelled far to be here. They seemed as excited to be there as we were and better equipped for mountain hiking. For some it was a family day out.
The day was perfect and the sight in front of us stunning. We discovered that we could actually cross a fair portion of the mountain, which took us on a windy path up, around and down the other side. We visited many shrines, temples and spiritual relics along the way.
In one of the temples the basement was a mausoleum. Inside it was dark and much colder. You could smell the woody incense burning and the only light came from candle light. Everywhere you looked you saw masses of shelves, all stacked right up to the ceiling. The shelves were packed with thousands of small urns, holding ashes from those who had once lived there. This was an incredible place and although in some ways eerie, there was a sense of stillness and peace.
Several monks went about their daily chores. We even got to witness a Spring Harvest ceremony with several Shinto Priests making offerings and chanting prayers, often clapping three times at the end of each sequence. Nearby stalls would sell small charm bags for offerings and to encourage new growth during the spring season.
As vegetarians we had little opportunity for food at the only café on the mountain. We did manage to get an air tight packet of rice, sticky with molasses and incredibly salty. Oh and Haagen Dazs ice cream of course. Looking out from the mountain we could see the tops of other mountains and down into the lush green valleys. I could certainly see why so many monks liked to spend their lives here. The views were breath taking and stopped us in our tracks with every corner that we turned.
We spent over six hours crossing the mountain, taking regular breaks to admire the awesome views. I took as much opportunity as I could to meditate on this legendary mountain. I felt an ancient connection with the lifestyle here on the mountain, one I felt destined to return to some day. The energy and atmosphere of the mountain left us feeling thoroughly cleansed. Mount Kurama has something unforgettable and indescribable about it. I can't wait to go back.
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