An Ode to Japan
“All our knowledge brings us near to our ignorance, All our ignorance brings us nearer to death, But nearness to death, no nearer to God.”
— T.S. Eliot
Many people die well before their bodies do. Many people give in willingly to the ease of their own suffering. Many people love the boxes they have decorated and attended to, that provide the mind killing shelter that is often referred to as fear. I too face fear and one of those is the fear of flying. I recently flew halfway around the world to visit one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. Japan.
There is no right way to start this journey of reflection on the wonders I sought and found in that distant land. Even to refer to this place as some foreign, alien prefecture of earth is to disservice it and it’s people. As Anthony Bourdain said, “Be a traveller, not a tourist.” That’s all I can hope that I’ve been.
I’ll start at 7-Eleven. I hadn’t slept a bit on the plane. I had been awake for twenty hours. My eyes burned and bled. I hadn’t a clue as to what any of the substances resting in that facility were. My vision was blurry and distressed. I was surely losing my mind pretending I had any idea what the labels on the provisions read. All I knew was that I was after a sandwich. An egg salad sandwich.
