A trip to Yasukuni shrine

 Wow, already over a month in Japan and I feel like I have only walked around the block once. Everytime I open the door to my house and step outside I am overwhelmed by the fact that I am still in Japan and I still got another eleven months at least here.

I spend many hours studying at school, another three to four hours at home doing homework and it doesn't feel like a chore. Are you supposed to actually enjoy non-play this much? Well, I do and not even once have I felt like it has been too much or I should give up. But spending my time only studying isn't very good now that I have an oppourtunity to experience Japan.

So I decided to borrow one of my housemates' guide book and walk to Yasukuni shrine. At first I planned to just walk and see where I end up but since I have school in the afternoon I thought it better to actually use a map. The road to the shrine wasn't long at all, it took only 20 minutes or so. The streets were unusually empty which made it very easy to keep a good pace.

The original plan was to pass through the nearby park, Kitanomaru park I think it was called, but they were setting up for either renovation or a huge concert, so I let it be. There will be time to go there again.

The weather was incredibly nice and reminded me somewhat of a slightly more humid Los Angeles, a refreshing breeze, a sun barely peaking over the buildings and small white clouds dotting the otherwise clear sky. Against what I normally advise against I didn't bring a water bottle but I didn't feel like I would need it today. A cap to protect my head was more than enough.

As I mentioned the walk to the park was very pleasant and I didn't get caught in any crowds and I could leisurely look at the different stores lined up along the sidewalk. I am still practicing reading kanji which makes it more interesting to see what the next window would be even if it was just a shoe store or a "We heard there would be a demand for aged plastic clocks severely bleached by years in the sun so we sell that alongside with slippers and noodles" kind of store. Sometime I wonder what kind of customers they have and for what reasen they shop there.

When not full of people and cars the Tokyoian streets are actually very wide. Being stuck between nine million people makes you narrow your perspective and keeps your eyes focused much closer to where you are lest you bump into someone and need a hasty "sumimasen" loaded. The people I have met or bumped into this last month have been very polite, smiling and even a few random high fives from young women who apparently have never experienced someone holding a door open for them. Their giggling and quick retreat always makes me smile.

When I arrived at the shrine I first noticed that a lot of mothers clad in black holding the hands of their daughters clad in equally black clothing coming and going to the shrine. I got curious but felt too shy to let them be bothered by a khaki wearing foreigner wanting pictures of them and their kids. I better stick to enjoying the scenery in undisturbed and just let it happen around me. I kind of wished I could be invisible and let the lives around me happen naturally without my foot print piqueing their curiosity. Or something weird like that. You get it.

As I got closer to the main building I saw more and more people, but nowhere near as much as as at the Meiji temple. It felt nice to be at a place of peace and quiet without too many posing people around me. It felt more honest and real. The wannabe hipster in me slightly raised his nose in a "I am special because I prefer another place that is not quite as mainstream Meiji temple.". Another part of me told the hipster he was an idiot and that he should focus on enjoying the now than being proud that his past now is better than other people's present now.

I mentioned wanting to observe without distrubing the surroundings and I think I actually got exactly what I wanted. I walked around the shrine area nad came to a high fence with some very small openings between the planks. I was obviously not supposed to go past this point but I couldn't help at least looking inside. What I saw was something taken directly from an old samurai movie. A very neatly raked stone garden, small bonsai trees complementing its surroundings, black wooden floors and a shrine maiden sweeping the floor with a bamboo brush. She had long black silken hair and wore the red and white clothing very elegantly. At first I didn't see her face, but when she turned around I saw how beautiful she was. I wanted to take a picture but I couldn't move my hands. When she lifted her eyes and looked in my direction I unconsciously skipped back a step so she wouldn't see me. It might seem silly but some things I feel are better not stored as a picture, only as a memory.

Expenses

• Monster Energy drink 200 yen
• Whinnie the Pooh red tea 147 yen