The Quest for Shingu and Going Feudal

Alright first off I’m not going to lie, shingu is the Japanese word for bedding so the purpose of my “quest” isn’t the most exciting. Still Taoism teaches that the journey rather than the destination is important so please indulge my inflated sense of the grandiose.

So I had a sort of lie in on doyoubi (Saturday). In other words I woke up at 8:30 am, definitely working too hard. Anyway I had a long list of kaemono (shopping) to get through so the plan was to first head to Aioi. As I left the door I realised I’d not had much chance to explore my local area so I decided to go for a yomp around Harima first.

I actually have to admit this place, whils a little empty, is actually really nice. Just next to me is a little koen (park see how I’m subtly teaching you all Japanese :P). It’s kinda cool and has this massive slide, yes of course I went down it. Chikaku ni (nearby) are a couple of schools, a high school and a primary school, both of which had an outdoor swimming pool, mad. I may have to inquire about their availability to the public. I also found a rope climbing frame thing, which of course I climbed and the view from the top was pretty cool.

It was getting on for time and I headed over to the bus stop via the rook of the primary school (everything is more of an adventure if you are climbing something). I also noticed how awesome one of their walls could be for bouldering, this definitely needs further investigation.

Moving on, watashi wa basu de Aioi ni kaemono o shimashite (work that one out yourself). Again I’ve complained a few times about this place being void of anything to do but a second look with a different perspective and it’s actually pretty cool.

First time round  I hadn’t wandered into Aioi far enough to rely get a feel for it as a space. It’s actually quite nice once you get beyond the main little shopping bit and the giant co-op. A little further up th road Aioi revealed itself to actually be a port town (hmm smells like home). I noticed there was a shingle sort of beach running around he bay area so I hopped over the bridge to check it out. Plenty of nice views and some more interesting looking rocks (I know obsessed but I’ve talked about this before). I also saw a bunch of cockle pickers on the shore.

So anyway continuing on to a aka biru (red building) I’d seen up ahead I found a local market. I think cooking is going to be an issue in Japan, I literally have no idea what over half the things they sell actually are. Could make fo some interesting experimentation though. By now I was pretty hungry and luckily I pretty much bumped into an okonomiyaki stand. This means ‘grilled as you like it’ and is kind of half way between a pancake and an omelette with cabbage and pork belly. Sound tasty? It was and whats more the chef geve it to me for nowt. I think it was because of my enthusiastic response when he told me he was selling okonomiyaki, definitely going back.

Just a bit further up I found a massive retail park. Only I could venture forth in a new country and find what is essentially the Japanese equivelent of home bargain. Japan is full of hyaku-en shops (100 yen) and they are way better then poundland let me tell you. Also nearby was a cheap supermarket and a home clearance store. Win. So now my cupboards were stocked and  I had bedding, goal achieved.

Nichiyoubi (Sunday) was upon us. I was up early as I’d been so shattered the night before and had gone to bed about 10:30. Well I thought that was as good an excuse as any to salute to the sun.

As I’ve alluded to before I’m a pretty active guy and sadly out here I haven’t been able to do a lot of the sports I love (yet!). One thing that has kept me rooted though is Yoga. Self practice can be performed anywhere and as well as building off stuff I’ve learnt I’ve also downloaded a load of podcasts.

I’d decided to follow along with one of these that morning. Interestingly the theme was integrity, and how the building blocks of integrity are not just personal but also from those who have influenced your life. This gave me pause for thought about all the yoga teachers I’ve had over the past few years and so I thought I’d write a short bit about each of them as a tribute, it’s my blog so why the hell not.

Glynn: This guy was my first teacher. I Started yoga with him and he was a lot of fun/completely bonkers. At the time I was very much in a strange state of mind, disorder being in full swing. However Glynn taught me about the strength in flexibility, not just in loosening the body but letting go of the rigidity in my mind also. The subtleties of strength are not easily defined by how much you can bench.

Bill: What a lovely guy he is. Bill allowed me to regain the joy of exercise with others. His classes always drew a great crowd I think down to his warm personality. He also taught me how important the foundations are in yoga practice.

Helen: Helen opened up to me the subtleties of adjustment that are always present within a posture. From her I’ve learnt the importance of dedication and attention to detail in everyday life.

Debbie: I think she has taught me more about myself in just over a year than I’ve managed to glean in the previous 21. Through practicing with her I’ve managed to recapture many elements of my true self. The idea of “feel the fear and do it anyway,” that she introduced me to has become my way of life, part of the reason I made it out here in the first place. This has been crucial for me as I was formally so ruled by anxiety. She has also taught me the playfulness inherent in physical practice as well as the importance of inner strength to truly flourish outwardly.

Right anyway enough of my rambling. After yoga it was time for my first official meal in my new flat. I like to call this one east meets west, I was so happy to find some Granola. I really miss cereal and I don’t care how expensive it is.

Fed I nipped down the road to the bus stop to meet up with Liam and Cheung. We were taking the day off to visit Himeji as it was Liam’s last real free day and he wanted to get some sight seeing done before he left. We got to the train station just fine and I went up and ordered tickets, it’s nice being able to do things in the native language.

Liam had wanted to go around Himeji-jo but sadly it is under intensive regeneration at the moment so there isn’t much to see, more on this later. A quick chat at the tourist information desk led us to Shoshazen Engyo-ji, a large zen Buddhist temple at the summit of mount Shosha and also the site were scenes of the last samurai where filmed. Well it was touristy and you got to go up via the Mt Shosha ropeway, an aerial lift line. Sounded like fun to me.

Ah watashi wa yama ga daisuke desu (I love mountains). The view from the top was beautiful and fortunately the weather was good. The site itself is over 100 years old, and spanned a good 2km so there was plenty to see. I kinda went off on my own here as Liam and Cheung moved a bit too slow. There were plenty of steep ups and downs which no doubt kept those monks mega-fit as they visited the various shrines. As you enter the first thing you come across is the bell of benevolence, or as I now know it the bell of incessantness as it peels every 30 seconds as another visitor gives it a bash.

At the main temple site I purchased a candle and some incense and said a quick dedication to family and friends. I bumped into Cheung and Liam there and we set a plan to meet back at the ropeway for 2 o’clock. So I pushed on to the main hall, Daikodo. I believe this s where a lot of the filming in the last Samurai was done (I should watch that film at some point.) Anyway it’s really impressive. I tried to go in some of the buildings not realising the signs said no entry, I was hastily shoed out by a stern monk, “Shitsureshimashita gomenasai” (Sorry for my intrusion).

My wanderings continued on to the summit naturally. At the top I found a shrine that I can’t remember the name of but the sign said it was where Shoku Shonin, the temples founder, gained superhuman powers. Nearby I found what to most would look like an old wall. To me it looked like a series of bouldering problems, well I am a monkey. When no one was about I had a quick scramble, I wish I’d had my boots though, plenty of good handholds but the foot holds were a little sketchy so I sensibly backed off.

I have a predisposition for going places I’m not supposed to stemming from my natural curiosity. Sure it gets me in trouble but it’s a whole lot of fun. Anyway I’d travelled round the whole are now so it was time to head back to the ropeway. No more exciting things but I’ll leave you with some nice pictures of the many deity and Buddha statues scattered throughout the place.

 

We got the bus back to Himeji and, due to Cheung banging on about it, went a picked up some free rental bikes. It was getting late though and I demanded we get food first. I frantically searched for somewhere to by Oden, it’s on my list of foods to try, but sadly no luck. I settled for some sushi, not sure wht the fish was but it was quite nice. We actually bumped into a lady from Adelaide in the supermarket. Apparently it's a sister city of Hmeji and she comes out ever year to teach English.

 

Fed and watered we took to the streets on our crappy rental bikes, they were far too short and my feet kept clipping the front wheel. A short pedal up the road was Himeji castle. As I said much of it is being renovated so noot a whole lot to see. We unfortunately got there a bit too late, the city zoo inside was closing up, I was gutted. If you are ever in Japan and hear Auld lang Syne being played, it means get the hell out we’re shutting.

The park surrounding the castle was still pretty though, many sakara and people going mental for Hanami. A short tour and we headed back into Himeji to drop off the bikes and do a bit more exploring. We stopped in a couple of shops for a few bits and bobs and I got some tofu and peppers in for dinner. We also walked past a cinema with a cool mural depicting king-kong. I had a closer look just to see what was on and now have a date for my diary (such a geek).

 

So another knackering day and I headed back home to my apartment. My first attempt at cooking in japan, also lead to my first cooking disaster haha. I burnt about half of my Tofu stew but what wasn’t burnt tasted ok, food is food and I was hungry.