Dazzled by Simple Thoughts

I've known Adrian since I was 16. It's odd. How does one keep a friend for so long? Over such a long distance? Odder still, we have met only twice. We were penpals, and nobody does penpals anymore. Someone in a podcast tried to explain life's meaning and referred to Dostoevsky, whose literary works explore the human condition in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century Russia. Perhaps, friendship and life can be explained simply. Perhaps, answers can be found right in front of us. The satirical comedy, The Monk and The Gun, which we watched this week, offered insights into a simpler world, where money and liberalism meant little, and rituals and offerings a lot. I won't spoil it for you, but watch out for this movie wherever it's streaming.

Baths, Faiths and Rites

This morning, I walked the 200m to Yunomine-oji. It's a shrine that defines this village onsen. We put up last night in Ryokan Adumaya. It's featured in the book, Hidden Hot Springs. I've finished walking the Kumano Kodo with Brian. I've decided that rituals are not the answer to problems. it's one of the crutches we need to get through tough days. Japan is a country of rituals. Pilgrims are supposed to start their journey from Kii Tanabe. it doesn't matter that they take a bus to Takijiri, and walk to reach Kumano Hongu Taisha. We didn't even arrive at Kii Tanabe. So, we weren't following a ritual early last week when we started. Whether one is rich or poor, healthy or ill, one cannot avoid practising rituals, or profess a faith for that matter. The first thing I did when I woke up was to luxuriate in the rotenburo, an outdoor bath. I was alone. I was not fastidious about scrubbing my back as I saw a few bathers do in my stays at a Japanese inn. Are they obsessive? Probably not. But, scrubbing the back seems to provide a clue of what the soul of Japan is.