May 28th, 2009

Teh Nihon Updates

Yep, I'm alive. Trip's been really awesome but also really busy so far. Tokyo's come and gone, and while we were there for only a week, to me, that's plenty. Tokyo's truly my old stomping grounds - the instant I'm there, everything just 'clicks'. I can make my way around almost anywhere, and while there're a lot of places I've yet to go to, I never ever really feel lost.

So now we're in Kyoto, and it's the land of culture that it's always been. Gorgeous temples everywhere, in particular the Kinkakuji and Tenryuji temples stuck out to me. Got to meet a Zen Monk who coached us in a brief Zen Meditation session as well as a vegetarian meal. While the food was great and the meditation was relaxing, it was the monk himself whom I found the most fascinating. Being an American man who had lived in Japan for 40 years,  he was one chap that has definitely blended into the monk lifestyle perfectly. Everything about him; the way he moved and spoke, was just so...calm and peaceful. 

I'm no fan of religion, but Shinto or Buddhism have always been more of ways of life to me, and that was definitely apparent. It wasn't about who's invisible man in the sky was more believable, it was simply about being focused in life, and being the best person you can possibly be. And that is the truest form of enlightenment.

Oh, and I got the Go-On Wings' gear, and shit loads of Kamen Rider Ganbaride cards.