On my first free day, Saturday the 21st of January, I did a solo trip to Nara, home to the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara World Heritage Sites. I’d like to begin my description with some of what I wrote at the end of the day:
MOS Burger –
I feel like I’m returning from the spirit world – walking out of the darkness and woods, from deep inside a primeval forest and, inside, an abandoned shrine. My legs are shot, my face burns, and my back is killing me. It was just going to be a little hike up to a shrine and back to south Nara, but I had this urge – possession – to keep going around the whole route, all the way to the waterfall, sunset on Mount Wakakusa – deer and wedding pictures and a hot lemonade in a plastic bottle – the floating hundreds of feet down through the park fields in the waning light – incredibly steep…
Followed the deer paths across the ski-able hills and down – walk back into town and now I’m here. It’s scary reflecting on it, but in the moment it was super cool…
All I can say now is I know how that ghost character feels coming down from the mountain…
A burger is my reward now :).
I began my time in Nara with a walk through the central park. Coming into the day, I was doubtful I would see any deer, but I was pleasantly surprised to see countless deer roaming the streets, sidewalks, fields, and gardens. They were everywhere! I ate a snack while a doe watched at close proximity, then walked through the Nandaimon Gate and into the Tōdai-ji temple. A giant Buddha sat inside, and I paid my respects. A long flight of stairs took me to the upper part of the Tōdai-ji complex, and there was a great view of the valley. I hiked up narrower trails, past small Buddha statues, to a modern cement building which I believe was part of the city’s water supply system. I sat on its roof and meditated for an amount of time which I do not know, until another hiker startled me. Making my way to the base of Mt. Wakakusa, I passed several shops and restaurants, and was disappointed to see that the gates to the hill field were closed. A doe met me in the middle of the road, and I pet her head.
I next entered the Kasuga-taisha shrine complex and took Fujifilm photographs of the deer. Inside of the core shrine building, I stopped for about thirty minutes as a wedding took place. The ceremony was open for all to see, and I stood next to people whom I took to be relations of the bride and groom. We listened to flute and percussion music coming from inside the shrine, as a priest and his two assistants carried out the marriage through the use of various swinging and waving branches and other objects. When the ceremony concluded, the bride, groom, and company departed from the main shrine, and I paid my respects. I next walked into a dark hall with orange lanterns and mirrored walls (photo below). The wedding party left about the same time as I did, though they went north and I made my way south to the road outside the park.
I was going to walk back into town, but I had an urge, as described above, to go into the Kasugayama Primeval Forest. It was a long route, and took me just under three hours to complete, from the south side to the summit of Mt. Wakakusa. I passed only five other hikers, and stopped to explore the Myokengu shrine complex, which was deserted; I can only assume it is left alone just for the winter, as the grounds seemed relatively tidy. After reaching the southeast bend of the trail, I passed a couple hiking up from the Uguisuno-taki falls, and as it was getting dark they made sure I had a torch with me. The falls were honestly not breathtaking, but I appreciated the rest and the opportunity to fill my water bottle. Then it was all uphill to the summit, where I arrived twenty minutes before sunset. A couple was having their wedding pictures taken, but were interrupted on several occasions by a herd of deer. At one point the herd raced over to me (photo below) when I inadvertently loudly attempted to open the packaging of my cinnamon bun, my first food in six hours (I had no lunch that day). Sunset was marvelous.
The descent was tricky, but I managed to find a shortcut and, by following the deer trails, not fall into the gorge below me. Right when the sky turned a deep purple, I arrived back at the street at the base. I made a beeline for the train station, and ended up eating a relatively unrushed dinner at MOS Burger, where I wrote the above entry in my journal.
Throughout the day, I had the messages and teachings of the shokunin and priests in my head. They were pushing me to weaken the boundary between myself and the world around me, to accept my bodily discomfort, and to let my mind flow freely. By the end of the day, I felt like a ghost, similar to how I felt after the Noh performance: frankly, exhausted and profoundly puzzled. I am very grateful for the experiences I had in Nara and deep in the forest, and while it was at times scary, I feel as though I learned a lot about myself and how I can connect with inochi.
