Spring

Dear readers, it really has been a while.. Hasn't it? Much apologies, if there is any I can offer. Instead of repeating the same old excuses, let me just indulge myself in this post.

Yes, spring has come to Osaka. It's going to be around 20 degrees Celsius throughout this week, and although I have been inside my room this past weekend, starting and finishing Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, from the seldom walks outside I gather that the first few cherry blossoms are blooming. The real cherry blossom, or sakura, are not as red or pink as the plum blossoms that bloom much earlier. Nor do they last as long. But I guess scarcity, and not audacity, makes something more precious.

I have been looking forward to this spring. No, not just for the warmth, nor the flowers. I have been looking for a turning point, a new beginning. Things were slightly darker and testy than I expected in the first few months here, but I see signs of change since two weeks ago. It's amazing, how renewed energy fills me in and sparkles me with life. On that note I am still working towards the certainty of my summer endeavors; this blog is just an act of procrastination. Thus let me indulge you in a story, a story of my best date in Japan.

It happened around ten days ago, I think, when we decided to explore Arashiyama in Western Kyoto. Although people might say that Arashiyama seem very touristy, it still could not avoid the warm, fuzzy radiance that belongs to Kyoto. Its rustic landscape, blended almost perfectly with nature, gives one an illusion of ancient Japan. She loved Kyoto the most too..

We first worked our way from the train station to the Arashiyama bamboo grove. Given the number of people who called me panda in the past, I can only say I feel at home in the bamboo grove. Pictures cannot even capture the feeling of being in it; much less words, but let me try. The bamboo grove is a pathway surrounded by very tall and lush bamboo trees. Being in its shade and smelling its fragrant, but meek scent gave me a sense of a sacred calm. We loved this place so much that we actually came back again after visiting Tenryuji.

The Tenryuji temple is also beautiful. She saw her first sakura blossom there, and we meandered through beautifully assorted trees and Buddhist structures. But I must confess that the best part of the temple visit was the vegetarian lunch we got. For 3000 Yen each, we had lunch in a traditional Japanese room. No tables, no chairs, no cushions, just a designated area for us to sit seiza-style. To the left and to the right of us are strangers, fellow Japanese people who are enjoying the same kind of lunch we are about to have. The waitress came and brought a luxurious set meal with probably more than 10 kinds of varieties of vegetarian dishes, and they tasted fantastic. It was a lot of food, and I am so proud of my date for being able to finish everything, save the rice, which I happily gobbled up (In Japan, it is considered bad taste and manners to leave food behind).

We decided to walk down our food by randomly exploring the nature trails in Arashiyama. We crossed a magnificent lake, and were very close to visiting a monkey park (which I tease my date a lot about), until we found out that admission was not free. My date and I then decided to browse some stores to potentially get some souvenirs. Kyoto is very famous for their sweets, and after half an hour of strolling we got enough free samples to make up for our lunch's lack of desserts.

After we sampled and bought (yes, we're not that cheap haha) enough stuff, we still had a few hours left, and thus we decided to follow this sign which says "Great view! 1km".We ignored the fact that the sign brought us into wilderness, that the trail was getting higher and steeper. But thank goodness we did follow the trail, because it led us to a hidden shrine, up high in a mountain and covered by trees. When she told me that it was a beautiful sight, I thought to myself that the view was almost as pretty as her smile then. When she told me that she enjoyed the sound of the flowing river, I thought to myself that it was almost as enjoyable as hearing her soft voice. I sat next to her, brushed her shoulder, and gave it a light kiss.

She gave me a good slap on my face. Just kidding, she smiled at me warmly.

We went back to the station afterward. And oh, along the way she spotted a shop that sells roasted sweet potato flavored ice cream. I'll never forget its marvelous taste, and how she loved it so much.

Thanks, I had fun!