Decision time

White plum blossom- Engakuji

Domestic beauty with pink plum blossom

A house that looks like it belongs in Penrith.

Monday I went to Kamakura- essentially it was to see Fuji from the top of the mountain shrine at Kenchoji, where I had only a cloudy view on my last trip. I also wanted to think about recording there or whether to stick with Yoyogi Park, even though the background of the city is overwhelming. Also I had not seen all the bigger temples, on this trip I visited Engakuji, Tsurugaoka in daylight and Kenchoji again- this time seeing the 700 year old Cyprus trees.

Kamakura is a really nice place to think. There is something about the domestic size housing with gardens, forested hills, ocean horizon and the reduced white noise that reminds me of ‘home’ and enables me to connect to the artist I am trying to be. Maybe its also the steep climbing and unexpected view/outlooks that is a metaphor for the struggle?

Anyway I climbed to the top and got a white clouded view of Fuji, which I guess is also one of the moods of the mountain. I was disappointed in as not a clear day. On the way back to Tokyo I noticed several local passangers looking around to see if there was a view of Fuji. I started to think about a work which is light and captures some of the expression of hunting and collecting views. I am going to start a new blog/artwork that is just about Fuji and will link to it in a new post soon.

Tien-en hiking course: Kamakura

I started the day at Kenchoji (the last picture), which is the oldest Zen temple in Kamakura and an impressive wooden temple complex. The trail started up behind the temple climbing steeply straight away via a long sequence of stairs to a temple which had a lookout to view towards Fuji-san. As you can see the day was pretty clouded over and I only got glimpses of the very base at points during the day. It was also very windy making recording hard. I have found that the weather forcast changes pretty rapidly here with what is predicted for tomorrow in the evening being different to what was said in the morning. Rain was forecast for Friday- that is why I had headed out of town on Wednesday and Thursday. It held off till I got to Zuisenji (first picture) and then started to rain, making me head off before I wanted to really. Zuisenji is the oldest original garden in Kamakura and was filled with ancient blossom trees that needed to be propted up. It poured the whole way back to town and meant I took pretty straight route and didn’t see that many temples.

The hike was a good long walk with some steep climbing. It was mostly through deciduous forests, so lots of bare trees and then cedar (?) or some kind of pine (?) in the shaded gullies (4th from top- for Felicity and Lyndon). I love the straight trunks that don’t get foliage till near the top. The hike got a bit confusing in places with many trails cris-crossing and after a while the English directions disappeared from the signs, after about half way. Also I only saw about 10 other people on this walk over 5 hours. Some serious runners in special gear and other wanders like myself. It was a really nice change to be out and alone and will be a good place to make some recording on a less windy day.

The trail gave fantastic panoramic views of the coast (which photos don’t quiet capture), and that coast view with the space of the ocean made me think of home and I thought about lots of people as I walked along. The shrine cave above is one in a group in an area which where empty (there where lots of little ones along the walk) and made me think of Sarah doing an installation there. The camellia’s are for Haico; I understand the way he prune trees after seeing the gardens in Kamakura.

Of course half way back to Tokyo it cleared and the sky cleared as I passed Yokohama and I got a view of Fuji-san from base to top, much like the blue evening view the day before.

More shots here on flickr

Kamakura-night

At the end of my hike I found the temple Zeniaraibenzaiten. A magical place contained within a rocky canyon, entrance via a tunnel chipped out of the sandstone bedrock. Washing your money there is meant to double your money- I only took a small chance and washed about 800 yen, which I spent on fox charms at the next shrine. Workmen were replacing some of the timber gates.

I headed off to the next closest temple, which was Sasukeinarijinja, devoted to the god Inari who is represented (?) or associated (?) with foxes. These are fast become my favourite Shinto shrines. The foxes are believed to be the mediator between the spirit world and this world. The fox at the edge of the forest being especially auspicious. This means that at the beginning of each hike there are shrines to Inari. They are relatively small and modest and often at the edge among trees at large shrine complexes. With my Australian baggage, as foxes are man introduced and maintained, or contained, pests, the concept of them being an “in-between” of the “human” and “animal” resonates with me. I always take a moment and stop at the fox statues and give part of myself up to nature.

Also they are just beautiful spots, with red gates and flags. Red and green was a bit of theme at the Hotel New Kamakura too. The bottom shot above in the Inari shrine at Tsurugaoka hachimangu (pictured in two shots above- at the end of a really long walkway planted with cherry trees, current lit with the paper lanterns- 3^rd shot above). I wandered round that shrine after dinner enjoying the darkness and spot-lit landscape and marvelled about how relaxed you can be in this country.

More shots here on flickr

Black Kite Kamakura

Day #1

I have put links into this post to my Flickr; you can click across for each link or click the Flickr link at the end and scroll through the photos then.

Didn’t get off quiet as early as I wanted to yesterday morning. It was also the first day where I have felt a little overwhelmed with the transport system. I was worried that I was avoiding the underground because I use the raised Yamamote Line so much, so I used the underground to get to Tokyo station, where I would get the local train to Kamakura. I had to change lines to get there, and the change was a bit of maze and at Tokyo station I got really confused by the signs and ended up in the wrong place. But I didn’t panic and even coped with peak hour crush. Once I was on the right train I realised that there was a closer station to pick up that connection and I didn’t need to go through the underground at all. And when I got to Kamakura I found out there was a train direct from Sibuya- so I just done that 45min trek to Tokyo station for nothing... avoiding or not avoiding? Who knows, but at least next time I will know the direct route.

Apart from going to Kamakura to see and experience the temples I was hoping that the forests that Sarah had written about would be good birding and less crowded that Takao-san (yes- I will post about that day…), and with less background noise than the Meiji Temple (which is in the centre of Tokyo) and the industrial Oi Yacho Koen.

When I got off at Kamakura I had a good feeling because straight away I saw two large raptors circling above the town.

My plan was that I would check out some of temples on the route to the two hiking tracks- one starts on the western side of the tracks behind the big Buddha and one on the East from the oldest Zen temple in Kamakura: the beautiful Kenchoji; to Zuisenji. Kamakura is located between small hills with the valleys running down to the ocean. Lots of the temples are built into the tops of these valleys and there are walking tracks over the ridges to the next valley- if you are a Kamakuran the shortest route to where you are going will often be walking up these steep sets of stairs.

I chose the shorter hiking track as I was starting in the middle of the day and took the little rickety local train to a couple of stations along. First thing I heard when I got off was a high-pitched whistling and whinnying like a horse (but high pitched- imagine the sounds in those old Western movies in the desert) - a raptor call. There where several circling quiet low. I finally have a copy of a field guide I like and identified the birds as Black Kites: “58.5 to 68.5cms in the body (females bigger than males) with a 150cm wingspan. Locally abundant on sea coasts, rivers and lakes; where it feeds mainly on carrion and dead fish.” There where quiet a lot of them in sky and I wander along happy at their presence and admiring the beauty of the gardens in the temples.

I had brought with me a packed lunch as I had remember from Sarah’s blog that she had needed the apple and seeds she had packed. There were plenty of places on the west side for food but I was happy to eat my tomatoes, bread roll and cream cheese with walnuts and figs. But I was feeling very self conscious because you never see Japanese people eating on the street and as it was a holy place, and I was responding to it’s special energy, I didn’t want to offend anyone by sitting in the wrong place to eat- I had considered some of the stairs leading up to temple gates, stairs in tiny cemeteries, the train station- I did grab one mouth full before the train arrived- so after several hours when I got to the vending machines and picnic table thoughtfully provided at the coastal look out at Syugenji temple, I was really relieved. Before I sat down I took a picture of the sign with the Black Kites. As part of my research I have been taking pictures of animal–human interaction, so I was most pleased to get the shot of the Kite on the TV antenna, and have been collecting pictures of animal signs- you can see some more here. I didn’t really think about what it might mean, just ‘yes they are Black Kites’.

Why does food always taste so good when you have been walking a lot? Or when you are at a lookout admiring the clear sky and ocean? Why can’t we make proper crunchy French bread in Australia?

Those where my thoughts as I focused on breaking off pieces of baguette and spreading the cheese, feeling the relaxation spread as my blood sugar levels started to go back up.

I was looking out to the ocean when I sensed something large near my left shoulder. Sharp pain in my left thumb! I cry out! A crow? No- too big, too fast A Kite! My god!

Having such a large bird so close to you is quiet a buzz! It happen so fast I was looking the wrong direction so didn’t really see him/her descend straight down with the talons forward. The pain in my thumb focussed my eyes away from the birds movement I just saw him/her spreading its wings and glide away. My instant reaction was to put away the rest of my baguette so he/she didn’t come around for another swoop.

Everyone around asked if I was ok and apologised (As if they had control!) I showed them my binoculars and field guide and said I was happy because I had come to see birds and that was a close look. And the birds kept circling overhead at about a 4-metre clearance- that is close.

Only after a few minutes I realised that he/she had taken the chunk I was eating out of my hand and that he had nicked my thumb near my nail. Amazing really given the size of the bird and the size of it’s claws. I am in awe of it’s ability to judge space and speed.

The Kites flying over town had a more ominous feeling after that and I felt hunted and hungry. I wasn’t really into this temple- the garden where beautiful but would have been nicer at another time of year. I headed off to the Big Buddha hoping to find a safe spot to eat.

I got accosted by two school girls wanting to practice their English- it wasn’t very advanced. The concept of “Is this an ok eating spot” was not getting across- but I figured the big stones where there under the blossom trees ready for the picnics so it wouldn’t matter if I was 2 months early.

I had given up seeing Fuji-san when I was rewarded with this view towards the end of my 3km walk.

Go to flickr for extra photos.