An early morning Shinkansen to Kyoto. The perfect cone of Fujiyama in the distance, a department store bento box, seasonal mochi.
Shosei-en Garden:
“even the fish are a bit drab,” wrote a disappointed western tourist on tripadvisor, but i only read that afterwards; we came upon the temple gardens at random, biking kyoto in search of japan’s longest wooden building.
And then, Japan’s longest wooden building. Inside, a reverent procession of silent tourists without cameras, and 1001 carved statues of Kannon, who represents mercy. A candle and thoughts for a friend at home whose 2014 was challenging.
Biking through narrow inner city streets. Stopped for shopping: unexpected new shoes, an artfully folded handbag, scraps of bright fabric.
Dinner at the train station: soba for a long life, or to let go of hardship. Edamame, pickles.
Temple-hopping, taking silent, frozen back streets between crowded places.
To Kiyomizudera for the bell (“struck once for each of the 108 earthly desires believed to cause human suffering” – wikipedia), and countdown to midnight.
& then, on New Year’s Day, it snowed.