Cherry blossom madness

Cherry Blossom Madness is a thing in Japan, due to the ferocity of love for the cherry blossoms. People get this kind of Madness. They were not out in Kyoto yet and even less out in Takayama where it was barely spring. But here in Shikoku we have started to see more blossoms in general, and today we experienced the full blooms at last!

We got up early and left our place, drove a short distance on the bus and left behind the Pacific Ocean, at least until we land in San Francisco in about 10 days. We drove a short way to the trailhead and the climbed up through wooden hillsides to the only temple today. We were warned to look out for little Japanese pit vipers, and we started up through breezy sunny tree tunnels. We crossed a few roads, saw a few Pilgrims headed down, saw a few little Jizo statues at the cross roads that protect the traveler. About half way up we were in a simple little park, filled with cherry trees at the peak of the bloom. Because they know this in Japan, Ben informed us that the peak bloom was actually yesterday, but it looked pretty peak to me. We were quite dazzled, and a crazy amount of picture taking ensued. We were all trying to capture the feeling on film, even though the point of the Japanese love of the blossoms is their impermanence, how they remind us that the present moment is so fleeting and precious.

As we continued the climb through the temple we saw more in the thickness of trees on the hillsides, islands of blossoms among the green through the mist on the hills. This reminded us of two haikus had been reading this morning, both Basho--

Springtime

A nameless hill

In the haze

The oak tree

Is not interested

In cherry blossoms

The climb led us to a temple that is very vertical. Many steps up to it, and then many more up to the main Hondo where the deity is enshrined, then even more up to the neighboring Shinto cave and temple above. There was a spring that is supposed to have curative properties if you drink the water, right next to a statue of Jizo holding babies, as he is the bodhisattva protector of the souls of children as well as travelers. After going up and doing all the temple rituals, and getting our books signed, we walked down to the bus and had a sleepy peaceful journey inland to the Iya valley, a dramatic mountainous area in the middle of rural Shikoku. A river with brilliant green clear water, greenish stones, and a bridge made of vines!! This took makes back to the Thai rope bridges of my childhood.

After playing around in the beautiful river we went to our hotel, which does have a room that smells of smoke, but the by now very familiar and comfortable futons on tatami mats. And an outdoor hot springs, with the pool ringed with the same greenish stones. A cherry tree leans over the pool, and it's all buds--only one single open cherry flower that we all look at while we soak in the pool.

Dinner is an insane array of small pretty dishes of pickles and fish and mushrooms and miso and squash and who knows what else. And the middle of the table is sand, with a fire pit in it, whole fish roasting on sticks in a circle around it. We sit with our little international crew, try local saki and see if we. An determine what we are eating. Right before bed we return to the Onsen to look at the stars and put our feet in the hot spring foot bath.

That was today, a day of Cherry Blossom Madness.

- Jessica