First days on the pilgrimage route
by Lynn Berry
Day 1. Getting ready.
We have time to walk around the town of Yuasa (Japan). Pretty streetscapes, single and double storey buildings, external walls partly scorched black; others painted orange, or Tuscan pink. Simple geometrical patterns of wood panels, screens and small windows.
Narrow streets with angled mirrors for tight corners. Gardens with bonsai or shrubs or a pot plant or two out the front. No large yards or gardens here. Decorative covers for stormwater drains highlight the plumbing; things missed if not looking down.
A Zen garden inside temple walls surprises. White round pebbles raked into ripples expand outwards from large rocks. Well cared for old trees with arms and trunks supported affirm a deep respect for nature.
There’s a simple town layout but its best to follow the Venice system: ditch the map, take your time and wander around. Museums of soy sauce, sake and an old bathhouse. Small groups of tourists delight in the sights swapping shoes for slippers to peek inside.
I see another tsunami warning sign. A slight ponder and I move on.
Locals are friendly. An elderly cyclist smiles and waves. Clothes shops hint at their main clientele. Few young people around.
maps unreadable
yet a simple street grid layout
my brain upside down
last out of the bath
my slippers are gone, sharp inhale
bare feet pad the floor
Day 2. It begins.
A shrine marks the start of the Nakehechi pilgrimage route
Ring. Bow twice. Clap twice. Pray. Bow.
A photo of the walking group
All smiles, geared up and ready, we thought.
Just ahead a tree hugs a rock, swallowing it in its encompassing trunk
A sign of natures power I see and feel throughout.
Large winding tree roots spread across our walking path
Careful foot placement in and around the roots, over variably sized rocks and uneven ground.
Steep walk, large steps, sweat, breathless, rest
Womb rock mistaken but we are reborn anyway.
After the climb, different mindsets now about the physical demands of the walk. Recalculations about what our physical bodies can achieve.
The steep walk leads up high to witness the majesty of the blue mountains
We rest then find a beautiful shrine.
very long proboscis
hovers and mines nectar
No! Not bird! A moth!
mellow muted mountains
cocoon me in misty embrace
mystical om vibe
I walk on cushioned paths
layered eons of leaves
and old pilgrim dreams
at an onsen:
bare with strangers
scrub in steamy sulphur baths
hot skin and dizzy spells
© Lynn Berry 2019
Lyn Berry is a Sydney based curriculum designer who likes walking and writing haiku. She joined our Kumano Kodo Haiku Walk in Japan in Oct 2019.
This magazine showcases the haiku inspired work of artists/writers who took part in Haiku Walking in Japan from 2016 -2019. Read more contributions on other pages of Summer Grass here.
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