When you think of Japan lots of things come to mind. Anime, sushi and sake, or maybe even this stuff.....but what I ended up loving when I left Japan sounds like a cheesy Martha Stewart special: what I appreciated was the delicate planning the Japanese put into a garden. The Zen gardens were lovely to explore in their simplicity, but once a garden is truly cultivated, there's a balance in the leaves, and the way the water shapes itself around the trees that makes the most simple places paradise. Then, add a temple painted bright gold, and you have magic.
On the bus, we met a man who happened to live across from the temple. Thankfully, feeling safer with my new companions, we didn't think it was that strange to accept an invitation to his home. He paid for the bus fare, and lead us to his beautiful villa. He gave us scarves with his own designs, gave us drinks, and (once he found out I was from New York City), talked about the New York Yankees pretty much non-stop. We took some pictures, talked for a little while, then we went on our way happy to have made a new friend. Because of a miscommunication he thought I still lived in NYC, and when he wanted an address from me in order to write a letter, I couldn't bear to break his heart. So, I gave him a friend's address. Two weeks later she received this:
The temple was worth every penny, and we got there as the sun was about to set, leaving a golden color on the leaves and water as it rippled away from the temple. I realized I had met three wonderful people that day because of a stressful money crisis. It was worth it to be able to have the adventure I did, even if I didn't know it at the time. Travelling is a wild animal in itself: strange, unpredictable, and hard to communicate with. Sometimes you simply have to wait until its calmed down enough on its own, and sometimes there are people there to help you sooth it back under control.