In between two temples in Kyoto there lies a scenic walkway known as the Philosopher's Path (哲学の道). I say this only because the maps and guidebooks mention it - not because I actually walked it. Yea though a friend and I spent an entire afternoon searching for the Philosopher's Path, we ne'er did find it. Corner after corner of turns and dead ends and false leads, but no scenic trail.
I mention the Philosopher's Path because the friend who led me into the meandering nonsense also led me into an awakening of what really has drawn me back to Japan:
The Broads!Ahem, hello, Grandma. Yes, I came back to Japan to reunite with my Japanese supermodel girlfriend. She loves ice cream, robots and grandiose Hindi song and dance routines as much as I do. We plan to have 3 children and name them all after you.
Ha, actually, the awakening came through a book my Philosopher's Path Finding Partner pointed out to me in the English section of a bookstore in the downtown shopping area. The name of the book is おくのほそ道 (The Narrow Road to Oku) by 松尾芭蕉(Matsuo Basho). It's the account of 17'th century poet Basho on his long journey from his home to a place called Oku. Basho is most famous for his Haiku. Haiku are very simple 17 syllable poems that often evoke images of nature to create emotion. When I was first trying to teach myself bits of Japanese in high school, I used to trade Haiku back and forth with a friend whenever we were bored in class. I continued the haiku into university years, but, for some reason my subconscious has probably purposefully removed from my memory, I stopped.
The beauty in Haiku is simplicity. The poet has only 3 lines and 17 syllables to convey his message. This simplicity permeates many facets of Japanese culture and history. The Shinto faith, native to Japan, never developed scripture or even rules. Its practitioners have the fire and gold of autumn leaves and the blossoming cherry trees in spring to inspire them. Japanese cuisine has often avoided heavy seasoning and even cooking in order to preserve the natural flavor of food. What is perhaps the most famous poem in Japanese history is one of Basho's haiku: a simple ode to the sound of a frog jumping in water.
In rediscovering Haiku, I came to know some of my own motivation. It's been there for a long while, for certain, I just hadn't acknowledged it. What a joy it would be if we could toss aside ornamentation and small talk and simply allow the natural state of things to reveal itself!
Ha, actually, the awakening came through a book my Philosopher's Path Finding Partner pointed out to me in the English section of a bookstore in the downtown shopping area. The name of the book is おくのほそ道 (The Narrow Road to Oku) by 松尾芭蕉(Matsuo Basho). It's the account of 17'th century poet Basho on his long journey from his home to a place called Oku. Basho is most famous for his Haiku. Haiku are very simple 17 syllable poems that often evoke images of nature to create emotion. When I was first trying to teach myself bits of Japanese in high school, I used to trade Haiku back and forth with a friend whenever we were bored in class. I continued the haiku into university years, but, for some reason my subconscious has probably purposefully removed from my memory, I stopped.
The beauty in Haiku is simplicity. The poet has only 3 lines and 17 syllables to convey his message. This simplicity permeates many facets of Japanese culture and history. The Shinto faith, native to Japan, never developed scripture or even rules. Its practitioners have the fire and gold of autumn leaves and the blossoming cherry trees in spring to inspire them. Japanese cuisine has often avoided heavy seasoning and even cooking in order to preserve the natural flavor of food. What is perhaps the most famous poem in Japanese history is one of Basho's haiku: a simple ode to the sound of a frog jumping in water.
In rediscovering Haiku, I came to know some of my own motivation. It's been there for a long while, for certain, I just hadn't acknowledged it. What a joy it would be if we could toss aside ornamentation and small talk and simply allow the natural state of things to reveal itself!
Anyway, here's my attempt at rediscovering Haiku. This photograph is from 銀閣寺 (The Silver Pavilion) in Kyoto. The Philosopher's Path is allegedly near here.
Raked sands and dead endsForm the philosopher's path
But wiser men nap
And another about my frustration at slamming into a wall of hikers nearing the peak of Fuji in August:
Queuing for sunriseNothing moves, so I pray that
Lava melts tourists
2 comments:
today I am so
hungry I could eat my toe.
but f*ck it would hurt.
The tales of women
On a certain gaijin blog
Only fools would trust
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