05 September
Day 14 Japan
Early start this morning! Monks being monks there are some very early morning rituals which visitors are invited to observe. I've decided to get up and watch the 6am ritual at the lantern temple and the 7am fire ceremony at a different temple in town. It's like getting up to go to work :(
I was a little bit early and the monks were a little bit late to the 6am ceremony so I thought I'd got the wrong spot but eventually I heard some gongs being hit and two monks came trundling up the path carrying a big box with some stuff in it. I didn't get to see what was in the box but I'm assuming it's the meal for the immortal meditating guy.
There were only 3 other people there. 1 westerner who was in the capsule above me (and who I saw on miyajima island ... distinctive tattoos) and 2 Japanese who were practicing Buddhists.
The ceremony was basically some chanting, lighting candles / incense and ringing some bells / gongs. The monks had nice sonorous voices and it was quite pleasant but after 15 minutes I'd had enough and left to go to the other temple so I didn't miss the fire ceremony.
This one had tons of people there though many of them were overnight guests of that particular temple. We were invited into a small building and maybe 30 people sat on benches around the central altar. The room was completely full so a couple of latecomers had to stand outside and watch through the door.
No photos so here's a description ...
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There were 2 monks performing the ceremony ... 1 playing the drum and the other sitting in front of the altar. The smell of incense is strong in the room.
M1 begins to chant and play the drum. In such a small space it's very loud and almost drowns out the chanting.
M2 starts to ring some bells and stacks kindling in what looks like a copper bowl on the altar. Everything was prepared in advance so whatever he needs is within easy reach. Wood is stacked in a crosshatch pattern and after a couple of layers are done M2 sets it alight. Ground incense and oil are thrown on the fire to get the flame high and the fire burning hot.
More wood is stacked on the fire in a random pile and it starts to grow. M2 adds more oil and incense and starts to ring the bells again.
After a few minutes the supports of the fire burn through and the remaining wood collapses into the bowl. It's clearly taking too long because more oil is added and the fire burns out quickly.
M2 finishes the ceremony then invites people to douse themselves in the smoke coming from the remains of the fire and say a prayer about something that's bothering them.
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Humans are fascinated with fire. This really wasn't any different to the other ceremony with the chanting but the addition of fire just made it far more interesting. I think it lasted about 40 minutes all up.
Back to the hostel for a nice western breakfast (raisin toast, fried egg, yoghurt and watermelon). This was a nice change from the convenience store breakfasts I've been grabbing on the way to train stations.
After breakfast I started my long trip to my next destination. Maria had been suggesting I visit Takayama while in Japan and I kept forgetting. But after another prompt I booked a ticket there and I'm really glad she suggested it.
The train ride itself from Nagoya to Takayama was just stunning. A couple of hours through the mountains along a river full of beautiful bridges and great scenery. I wasn't able to get any decent pictures through the train window due to speed, trees and reflections off the window but it was just gorgeous.
I ended up seated next to a pair of Australians on the train who were visiting after Tokyo. This would be a sign of things to come as I heard so many Aussie accents in Takayama it became annoying.
Arrived at my hostel and checked in to find another Australian in the dorm room. The woman at the front desk gave me a map with a few recommended dinner spots so I went out for an explore and to try and find some food.
I think I experienced my first hit of Japanese racism. The first place I went to (her recommendation for best place to eat) just flat out said no. At 7pm on a Tuesday night with a half full restaurant I got turned away. Disappointing as it looked like a pretty good place.
Takayama was a really nice city to wander around at night. They were playing music along all the main streets through speakers scattered around the place and it made for a really nice atmosphere. I walked past a ton of places that didn't really appeal and in the end I stopped at a ramen place that had a few people in there. The chef seemed a bit grumpy to have someone walk in but he served me. I figured he might be closing soon but I walked past again an hour later and the place was packed so I dunno what his problem was. Bad day maybe. Very different attitude to what I've experienced so far in Japan.
Heaps of tourists wandering around looking for food. Maybe the place is just too close to Tokyo and too much on the main tourist route.
Wandered around a bit more after dinner thinking about having a couple of drinks but in the end I decided I couldn't be bothered and just went to bed.
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