the Sage of Tahara

Once upon a time,

He woke up and decided to travel somewhere far away, somewhere beyond the grasps and clutches of the daily hustle bustles of life.

Thus he packed his bag, and set to travel by himself. He went down southern to Tsuruhashi. In the midst of the bustling train station, he took another few hours of train ride to the west, until he ended up in Toba, where the train could no longer take him no more. He has reached the seaside, the terminus, the part of Mie Prefecture that embraces the great Pacific Ocean. It was a misty, foggy day, but he ran, and ran. He kept on by himself, with some loneliness, sadness in him. He saw families laughing, birds crowing. The sea breeze was blowing against his chest, as if teasing him.

Unsatisfied with the vastly different scenery, he insisted on fleeing further from Toba. He scurried past whatever the port town had to offer him, and reached the terminal just in time: His ferry was about to depart.

He didn't care, because he knew that there was somewhere he needed to go. However, what he was looking for he himself was not sure of. But to go, he must, thus he bought his tickets and quietly boarded the vessel. He chose to sit on the exposed part of the deck, and in the midst of the mist, shivers, and the howling wind, his eyes flashed with joy whilst seeing the mesmerizing islands and oceans coming to life. "Even for just a little, let me forget everything, break free from everything. For the scariest dragons to flee from are inside our minds rather than the ones you see in the mountains.."

All the sudden, an announcement from the speakers woke him up from his daydream: "伊良湖にようこそ！"

He glanced at his watch; an hour has passed by. The ship has turned into a standstill, and crowds of people began streaming out of the vessel. It was probably around four in the afternoon, and he had just arrived in Irago peninsula, the easternmost tip of Aichi Prefecture. It was still raining softly then, but he stepped out and walked toward the road that led to the inland. He looked left and right, and he saw a painting. He was facing the vast Pacific Ocean, while behind him are trees, hills, and forests stacked one after another. Yellow magnolia flowers were shyly blossoming, seagulls were chirping and diving after one another. The quietness of the seaside village and its salty fragrance softly embraced him. He silently wondered, if, it could get any closer to paradise..?

He threaded through the meandering, hazy road. One or two cars occasionally passed by, but it was quiet otherwise. Finally, he found the pre-arranged lodging he had in mind. The BnB was not large, neither did it stand out from the rest, but it had a speck of immaculate quality that made it feel special. It didn't take him long to settle into this Japanese-style accommodation, and he savored the hot bath with grace.

The streets of Irago were unlit, so when night fell he went out and looked above. The sky was rugged with stars. Guess what was the brightest star among them all?

He expected his journey to be a quiet one; he denied himself of any outside contact, and he wished solitude. Alas, some paths are not meant to be walked solo. He became friends with three other adventurers, each hailing from different countries and holding different purposes in mind. With these three new friends he spoke with zeal, shared his bread, sang at the sundown, and raced towards sunrise. He envied the freedom these lone wolves possess, for his three friends have forsaken everything in order to see the world. They may have little money or stability, but they have the biggest wings and the smallest worries.

There exists a bigger municipality which is connected by land to Irago, named Tahara. He thus decided to venture around it. Oddly enough, it was not Tahara that he sought, it was the Sage of Tahara. "The Goddess of Irago would probably suit her better", he thought, after witnessing her enchanting smile.

It is amusing and yet very spectacular how life always brings you what you need when you really need it the most, even when sometimes you are not quite sure what you are seeking for. As long as you are willing to make that leap of faith, you shall be led to the light.

Ah yes, that smile. Only once, or twice, in his lifetime has he seen such a saintly smile. When she talked, it felt as if she was blessing him. Through her sweet melodies and voice, wisdom came down pouring on him. He felt swept away by a current, trying his best to capture the jewels that came raining on him. Although it was almost exhausting, after each encounter he felt healed and stronger; he felt that his life was rejuvenated. And, the Sage of Tahara was still very young too.. He could not help but marvel at her wisdom, obtained and refined at such an early age.

The sage told him that she graduated a few years ago, and in the end preferred Japan over America or Britain. She spoke a wonderful English, caramelized with a sweet Japanese accent. She was also fascinated by his command of Chinese, and asked him to correct her pronunciation of "空". As it turns out, "空" was her favorite word.

"If you dislike something in somebody, you are essentially disliking yourself. What you saw was the projection of yourself into the person, だよ。If you think about it, there are some people who still like the person no matter how bad he or she is. Thus, you must learn to forgive yourself through forgiving other people too, ねえ", said the sage to him.

"Why are you stressed? You must be attached to the results, ねえ。Live in the now. Worrying about the future is pointless because your future is determined exactly right now, by the bits of seconds that add up right now. How can you dream of a happy future if you can't be happy right now?" The sage further elaborated.

He felt that he found what he was looking for. It was... love. No, not romantic love, but a real lesson on love. After understanding that, he no longer felt lonely, he no longer felt weak. He then knew how to love himself better. He had rested his fatigued spirit, had satisfied his sense of adventure, and finally regained the courage to continue. He was ready to move on.

At the time of parting, the sage said to him: "Remember not my face, remember not this place, remember not my words, but remember the truth that lies within them. Remember who we really are," she smiled sweetly and added: "But you are always welcome to come back. You know where to find me."

He bowed deeply to her, expressed his utmost gratitude, and left.

And there were none.

---

Tahara (田原) in Japanese means the origin, or the source, of rice fields. May we always remember to stay connected with our (re)source, remember our origin, of who we actually really are.

あやちゃん、とてもとてもありがとうございました。迷惑をかけて、本当にすみませんでした。お疲れさまでした！また後でお会いましょう、ねえ。。多分、ある日。。かも知らない。。