Forest and mountains are a wonderful combination to relax. Walking around and letting go all the stress of the week is just wonderful and so important to stay normal in this crazy word. This is not only true in my home country, but also in the rest of the world and therefore also here in the Far Eastern Japanese archipelago. There are enough forests and mountains, you just have to move and get out of your own house.
Fortunately, recently we managed to do this quite often and we discovered and explored places that I quickly fell in love with and visited several times. Like the Kamoyama Park 加茂山公園, where we went a few times and strolled around. And the many green in its innumerable facets and variations impressed me once again and I couldn't help but try to capture this impression with my camera. I didn't always succeed perfectly, but I think I was able to bring some of the wonderful atmosphere in this park with me into this post.
In order to not flood everything with photos, today this will be the first post in which I will show you a small shrine a bit off the main paths, and how enchanted it seems to be. Nature and mankind seem to have already entered a symbiosis and harmonize with each other without any problems. Since not too many people come and disturb this harmony, time seems to stand still here and nobody is waiting for anything. Everything is in calm balance and you are immediately invited to quietly join in, whether offside or in the middle it is up to you, but the main part of this show is played by someone or something else.
Just take a deep breath and feel inside yourself. To perceive and absorb the sounds and smells around you. Don't rush on immediately, but pause for a moment. Look closely to the left and right, up and down, and then go back again and take a closer look. And turn around again and again and stand still. Everything happens to savour the moment, and it all helps to save the impressions and take them with you. So you will be able to feel them again later.
Can't you feel the green power? This vibrant and lush energy which swirls around you everywhere you go! Here in this forest park it was with us all the time and I was enjoying this walk so much while breezing in fresh air which helped to clean and clear up my head.
For me it sometimes seems like magic, like a distant dream but then I realize that I am here in Japan and seeing all this beauty with my own eyes. Even after years I am not used to it at all, I am still embracing this atmosphere as if it was my first time to see all this.
This playful and cuteness is an essential part of life here in Japan and I have come to accept it without always questioning what I am coming across. I might not understand all what I see, but I am getting a feeling for what it is all about.
It is all flowing, and coming together. Nature and mankind are not in opposition, we can harmonize and thrive together even better than most of us imagine.
Do you like the beauty of silence and emptiness? Here in Japan are many such place to find and to discover. Often just around your own doorstep.
Now that I've taken a deep breath myself, I'll just finish today's post and wish you all lots of strength and energy for today and a wonderful weekend. And above all, much joy in your lives, which I hope you will enjoy to the maximum.
お元気で O-genki de (Take care of yourself.)
