My second day in Kumamoto. The weather is quite windy and a bit rainy. I wanted to go to the mountains today, a bit far from the city center but possible.
Few research and I found that by tram and bus I could go to visit a temple in a cave, it's a 1h30 journey. After a nice coffee at the 7 eleven in front of the bus stop, luckily the number 6 arrived. While riding to the hill, I realized that the driver wasn't speaking English and all the announcements were in Japenese! Only 3 peoples in the bus. I asked the man in front of me, he told me that he was a swordsmith working in the mountain and he kindly asked the driver to let me know when I should stop.
It was very windy up there, I really like to watch the wind bending the trees tops.
While walking to the Temple in the mountain through a narrow road, I realize that bamboos surrounded me. A beautiful bamboos forest playing with the wind and making an incredible sound. On my left a river cascading. After about 1 miles I arrived in a small village, quite traditional and very quiet! Alone on the road I continued straight up. I finally arrived in front of two old statues, far away I could see an entrance looking like a gate.
That was there. Thought the window I saw an old man smoking a cigarette.
I walked in... They were there waiting still, sitting on the slop of the mountain, the 500 boudha disciples. Cover by moss, eyes closed meditating.
I walked a bit and sat to watch them, listening to the sound of the wind in the tree, some small birds are singing, sometime I can feel few drops of rain blow by the win ending there journey on my skin.
they all have a differents expressions and postures, they all feel in peace and one with the nature, they are one with the slop of the mountain. They are the mountain.
The color of the moss is incredibly green.
After a while I realize that no one was there, I could stay as long as I want here, just hearing, watching, breathing.
The sky is white, the wind is bigger. Its raining, a small rain.
I'm spending a lot of time taking, pictures and videos since I start my trip. This is cool but looking life through a camera is not really the best. Its good to keep record of memories but before that you need to live your memory. Now, I'm not leaving a place without staying at least 30min looking around, enjoying the pace and the quietness. And I really feel the difference.
That's really incredible to be alone in this place.
The 500 are still peaceful and still, whatever rain, win, moss, snow or sun, they are the mountain.
There is some place on Earth that give you inner peace only by being there and looking around, that is what nature and stillness can give you. It was hard not to stay, after almost 3hours I decided to leave and go back to the real world.
Walking back to the bus stop it start to rain quite intensively. I found my way back but no sign of bus stop in the other direction, I decided to wait at the same bus stop. Under the rain like totoro I was waiting for the bus. A car came and a lady told me in Japenese that I should wait on the other side of the small road and the next bus to kamamoto was in 30min. The choice not to have internet all the time didn't make it easier but I like it better like that. Instead of browsing and browsing while waiting I'm watching the bending trees.
When I jumped in the bus , the same old lady was sitting at the same room in the bus. Like the 500 she was still and peaceful watching the landscape through the bus windows.
