For some reason, am on a “do as much as you can in a day” itinerary. Must be the railpass. Must be the first opportunity I’ve ever had to do some touristy exploration. Must be the fact that there’s really not much to do after 5-6pm!Thus, I woke up at the break of dawn. The communal bath the night before was WAY TOO HOT! (Maybe that’s why nobody else was using it. Or maybe it’s the fact that the other guests might be too shy to use it.) I was out the door and up to Zenkouji, home to the oldest surviving(?) image of Buddha (dating back to 552AD) that is actually never seen. Once every seven years they show a replica. And that wasn’t today. Did get to observe the morning chants, and even had my head blessed with some rosary beads and a “NamoAmitabha” for good measure. That’s what happens when you wake up early. Lastly, got to observe a the head priests dusting(?) the dragon tapestry that hides the image of Buddha with the world’s largest broom. Apparently, it was some big deal because there were a bunch of TV cameras there.
Sprinted off to Matsumoto to see the castle, but not before getting chided at by the bus driver for standing up too soon. (Alas, I don’t get much gaijin power out here!) Matsumoto-jo is one of four famous ancient castles that have been preserved for over four centuries. It is actually quite small, but the structure was unique: a moon-viewing pavilion; a concealed fifth floor; a samurai-running hallway around the interior; and a staircase rising over 60 degrees. Dark, cramped, cold, and bare, these ancient castles were built for military purposes only, to defend against sieges; living quarters were actually in the grounds nearby. Lastly, passed on some local fare (crickets and bee larvae) as well as a trip to the wasabi farm (fresh wasabi paste needs to be refrigerated). Maybe next time I combine the two into a peculiarly palatable dish. Unlike the grossly over-priced, under-nourishing “burger” from Mos Burger. $9 for a hamburger meal with less than 3 ounces of meat. Yums!
No comments:
Post a Comment