May 9 cont...
Temple 26 was another one on top of some ranges and if there were nasty stairs, I thankfully never found them and walked easily up the road for an hour or so.
I got my stamp (now costing 500 yen on the scroll – 200 yen more than on the book).
This was the Temple that the kind Blue monk from the Temple 1 shop – Yamamoto San – said to ask for him when I got there. He said I could stay with him for a night. So as the monk finished off the stamp, I asked if Yamamoto San was there.
He had never heard of him.
He spoke no English so I didn’t know what to do!
I went outside to think about my next move. It was late in the afternoon, the next temple was a long way away and I had no idea how I was going to find accomodation. I hadn't even considered this possibility!
Thankfully the monk came out and offered to ring Yamamoto San from the number he had written on my bag with the vivid marker.
He finally got hold of him then, through my phrase book, indicated I was to wait.
He said ‘5’. I had already learnt that could mean 5 minutes or 5 o’clock – so I sat.
I’m glad I got to wait an hour because I was able to observe 3 – 4 busloads of Henro come through the Temple. It was fascinating to watch the way the different priests operated, the way the Henro did their rituals, rang the huge bell, lit their incense and candles, voiced their ‘sutras’ etc. It was like a well oiled if a little chaotic production line. I can see why the stamp places are open from 7am to late in the afternoon – stamps bring in big bikkies for the Temple coffers.
I noticed, with interest, two ladies in one of the parties. When they arrived, they were bent over double, as was common amongst older people who had worked in the fields most of their lives. Amazingly, I then saw them standing upright, leaning back with hips thrust forward as if balancing precariously on them. I'm not sure how they got themselves into that position but it gave me a small sense of relief that they had that option.
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