Sharing

They say to share is to care, and according to the answers to the Emperor's three questions, the most important thing to do is to care. So I will probably share, probably.

How are you?

I am fine, as always. I almost can't believe that it has only been ten days after I left Japan; time has been really fast and really slow, really merciful and really cruel, at the same time.

And I have been blessed with a lot of stories and people who shared them to me. They happen fluidly too; I didn't put much effort or resistance in obtaining them. My task is merely of a student's: The black notebook is brimming with scribbles since its inception in Tahara. I guess I'm a study addict, a nerd, or a true scholar, for I'm learning way more, even when school's out. One time I was sipping wine in my cousin's condominium until three in the morning, and he taught me what it meant to conquer a mountain and what it meant to be rich, among other things. Another I was sweetly sitting and smiling at a group of sweet Indonesians who were puffing smokes, and they shared about making life more beautiful. Thank you...

I am a story teller, but my disposition is always such that I prefer to listen first. I can assume a fountain, which fills and overflows, but a good fountain keeps quiet in front of a waterfall. After receiving a lot of water and pumping, I'm starting to overflow too, so let me pour some to you readers!

(This story is a throwback from Japan)

Do travel, because traveling is a prayer to stop thinking about life and to start living it.

After an amazing day exploring Minoh 箕面市and its beautiful waterfalls, Dan and I decided to try our luck in Wakayama 和歌山 the next day. This time, not only Htet-Htet, but Wesley and Montana also decided to tag along. Wakayama is located in the south of Osaka, we took the slowest train to get the cheapest fare. It took us nearly 1800Y (15USD) and 3 hours in total to reach Wakayama.

Let me start by confessing that I am often guilty of being an impromptu sort of person, and I didn't plan the Wakayama trip at all. I just assumed that it would roll along well like the Minoh trip; we'd reach the place and then slowly figure out the ample things to do in Wakayama. Thus, being a democratic citizen, we settled for a chain curry restaurant that can be found in Umeda 梅田 (downtown Osaka) and discussed our plans for the day. (For readers from Jakarta, Singapore and Beijing, the chain restaurant was CoCo Curry..)

We finally settled to go to a famous temple with a forest walk, which was said to calm one's nerves and enhance one's happiness, but none of my friends knew how to get there. Thus I google-mapped the name of the temple, and found the supposed destination around an hour away by train. Thus begins the epic misadventure in Wakayama.

Firstly, I led my friends to a perfume section of a department store "KINTETSU", asking the confused store clerks if they knew where the train platforms were. We left the clerks confused and left to the station to take themed-trains for which our train passes did not work. Our toy-themed train was very adorable, laden with kids and young parents, but it took us straight to very far in the sticks. By the time we reached the recommended stop, we were in the middle of nowhere. There were vast paddy fields and narrow, single lane car roads around us, up north were the mountains, and there were few small residences interspersed.

I led my friends through harrowing roads and very old Japanese houses. We walked through and against the traffic, complete with curious onlookers who probably never saw white people in their lives. (Yes, I'm Asian, but three of my friends weren't). We saw gardens, giant pumpkins and flowers, traditional co-ops, until we finally reached a wall and a step of stairs by its sides.

"Friends, I think this is it. The Maps are telling me that we've arrived to our destination." I told my friends. I was fervently hoping that whatever shrine in the sticks we were visiting would be worth the journey, but..

At the start of the steps there is a traditional gate-like structure that signifies an entrance to a Japanese shrine. That's where I learned that you are not supposed to enter from the center of it unless you are a god (or a God, probably). We meekly climbed the stairs until we saw the temple, and we were appalled at what we saw.

Nope, it wasn't therapeutic. We saw a square-ish ground, with a really small, unkempt shrine full of cobwebs to our left, and a charcoal-burnt, half-standing structure on our right. There was a barricade preventing entry to the blazed grounds. To borrow the words of a friend, the place looked "hobo-ish". That was it. Some of my friends decided to toss some Yen into the donation box and pray, one of them missed the throw. (Dan, I hope you're not cursed.. hahaha) I could sense several murder intents, but boy I'm lucky I am still alive hahaha. My friends probably need my GPS to lead the way back home!

We traveled back to Wakayama station through the tedious roads, and Htet-Htet and Montana decided to catch the train back to Osaka. It was probably a wise choice, because I decided to catch a bus to Marina City with Dan and Wes, and it was a "marine" themed park with an odd mix of Mediterranean. Yes, we got a beautiful view of the ocean, but we were watching it in a midst of drizzle and we didn't last long. I also bought and lost an omiyage (I think it was a yuzu mochi) but thankfully someone stopped me before I left the bus without my phone. To top off the perfect adventure, the boys decided to get some horse sashimi in Aikawa 相川. We walked late at night after reaching Suita吹田for a good 15 minutes in the middle of the rain without an umbrella, and only when we sat down in the izakaya and ordered we realize that they were out of horse that night.

What is the moral of the story? Enjoy and bless every moment.. Hehe. I am really glad that the trip happened. We bonded together as friends and shared this unforgettable memory of the misadventure, and I fully agree with Wes who told me that he much preferred improvised trips like this, exploring the middle of nowhere without any plans, because they are much more remarkable and fun. Ten years down the road, when we meet again, we'll probably remember the cursed shrine in Wakayama.. So glad to live the 危ない生活。Hahaha. (or blessed?)

Thus, please feel free to travel, roam, and explore. Even feel freer to plan less. If you are even luckier you will be blessed with amazing and understanding travel buddies. It is the characteristic of your spirit to roam about freely, and to enjoy life. Cheers!