robert frost-ing : December 30 2024

this nightwalker started walking at around sunset, a not so nightwalker thing to do. for today there is no actual theme for today, but i just want to walk. themes will just come depending on what i find on the road. i am opening my self for surprises. who knows that at the end of the day, i will be surprised with the absence of a theme.

now that the sun is still up, there is a place i am curious to check out. so i am planning to head there for now. sunsets and roads look perfect, don't you think? somehow, it made me lonely though. when you live on the edges of the city, there are really times when you feel lonely. or are sunsets supposed to make you feel that way?

nearly there, i just have to climb up these stairs. up there is suwa temple which i have featured multiple times in this blog. but all of those times were done at night, in typical nightwalker style. this road up made me exhausted a bit, i'm sure it's the down jacket i am wearing. but coldness does make it harder to breathe, doesn't it?

and a last look at this road leading to suwa shrine before i continue. 2 days ahead of the new year, it is pretty early for the festivities. deserted for now but wait for the flock to arrive on new year's day. japan has the tradition of visiting shrines on new year.

here i am, arrived at last. this place is fujimizaka. was frustrated, not gonna lie here. allow me to explain my frustrations. fuji for mount fuji, mi for to watch or to look, and zaka meaning slope. this slope was publicized as one of the best places in tokyo where you can view mount fuji. i often pass this road at night so i could not verify, but i was anticipating that day when i could finally visit in day time. it was but a mountain of buildings that i saw. there was a time when fuji was visible, they should have emphasized "past tense" in their writings. when those apartment complexes crumble, we will see mount fuji from here again. for now, let's stop this publicity. i am sure it must have been pretty back then, but it just frustrates people now.

the frustrated me went back on my tracks and decided to walk farther, searched for a path to ikebukuro. it will be my 2nd time going there from home, but i will certainly find the shortest path this time. this path led me to a skywalk over the main street.

passing by roads beside residential buildings this time, the sky is still brighter than night. still wondering at this point whether to proceed to ikebukuro or just redirect somewhere else.

that sky looked nice! i'm just glad this road was downhill, it would have been very exhausting going up in here. the incline was just insane. now this is where it got tricky, i was far away from the main streets, and residential roads are just too many and some do not even show in google maps. i got lost a couple of times, i even had to recall my steps after ending up in a dead end. just glad it was not back up this road or i would have completely struck off the plan and go somewhere else.

these streets were completely new to me; the nearest train stations were also alien. i had no clue where this is but at least it is pretty. good thing that they kept that illuminations in these parts, the japan i knew immediately removes christmas decors on the 26th.

i'm still sure that this road will lead me to ikebukuro. i was contemplating whether to ride the bus or not. it would be be fast but quite anticlimactic to ride on a bus though. but that option is open.

and the subway is also another option. this road leads me down there. how unfortunate though that this exit or entrance is so open to the elements. the other for sure had roofs over it, i wonder why they decided to keep it simple for this one.

i am finally here at last, in ikebukuro. this bus terminal near sunshine city mall is the last road i took pictures of. i made it!

and oh! i finally got the theme of today's walk, ROADS! wide, narrow, uphill, downhill, bright, empty, frustrating, wondering, with a quick stop, all these roads are pretty. no matter which road it is you take, just enjoy the view. roads are meant to be taken and traversed on, not meant to be dwelled in. so walk on it and keep walking, you'll eventually get to the destination. now that goes the same for LIFE.

this simple journey made me think of robert frost and his the road not taken poem. i took the roads less known, to me at least, and that made the difference. now if you don't know about this poem, i'll give you the assignment of reading it and sharing your thoughts down below. just a short poem, very doable.