We go to Hasedera for a day trip.
It’s a 40-KM train journey away. We pass through less densely-packed parts of town.
Hasedera village is tranquil and rural. You only hear the stream that runs through town.
The narrow main street is full of interesting shops.
It’s fun to browse. Maria buys a new wallet.
There are no non-Asian visitors here. It is off the (non-Asian) tourist map. Why are we here? In January 2016, we see Robert Lepage’s The Library at Night at the ‘national’ archives in Montreal.
Among its aspects is a VR (virtual reality, for those of you over a century old) tour of ten world libraries, some imaginary, some past and gone, some still in existence.
One was the rotating sutra library of the Hasedera monastery. Such a library is known a kyozo.
I find this so fascinating. I vow that if we ever go to Japan, we’ll seek out this library. (Thinking it not very likely, at the time.)
As it turns out, Hasedera happens to be located less than an hour from Osaka, where we first arrive. An uncanny coincidence.
So of course we make an effort to visit, since we’re in the vicinity.
While here, we touch the feet of the Buddha for good luck. Sorry, no photos allowed where the magic happens.
We have lunch in the village at a local restaurant.
Then back to town again. Did we mention that our place in Osaka has a resident cat?
His name is Akubi. Akubi means ‘yawning’, which he does a lot of. Usually just before napping. He has strangely short legs, like a dachshund or a corgi.
When he’s not prowling the hotel, he sits on a leash outside and lets adoring passers-by fuss over him.
You can see he’s just loving the attention we give him. </S>
Sight or Insight of the Day – Hasadera
In one of those exquisite ironies of travel, we arrive at the site of the Hasadera library in the temple grounds, years after first learning of it on a freezing Montreal January afternoon on the other side of the globe – and it’s closed. At least to the public.
Oh well. So it goes. This is what it looks like on the inside.
