A Writer’s Visit to Kyoto, Japan; Temples, Shrines, and Crowds, plus a Writing Prompt
Writing. Traveling. For me, they go together well. I see new things and I’m inspired. I experience something different and it causes me to appreciate what I have.
On our visit to Japan a few weeks ago, I was aware of the preciousness of personal space. Often, we waited in long lines and stood in crowds. People were polite and orderly, but everything took longer. When I moved forward, I needed to gauge my steps, so as not to jostle the person in front of me.
Buses and trains were filled to capacity. For the first time I saw little seats that folded out that took up the center aisle of a bus. Once all the regular seats were taken, passengers began flipping open the middle seats.
Packed into the bus like sardines in a tin, I began to worry. What if the bus crashes, or a passenger in the back has a medical emergency and needs to quickly get out? Fortunately, we got to our destination without a hitch.
In addition to visiting Tokyo and Sapporo, which I wrote about in previous blogs, we visited the historic city of Kyoto. Known as the “City of One Thousand Temples,” one of the memorable sites we toured was the Shinto Shrine, Fushimi Inari, dedicated to the God of Rice. Thousands of vermillion torii gates straddle a network of trails that lead higher and higher in to the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari. Each gate represents the transition between the everyday world and the enlightened world. Ideally, the experience is a singular one and the journey should be free from distractions. The day we visited, between Christmas and New Years, was a festival day and the grounds were filled with tourists. I cannot say that I got to the very top of the trail, nor was I able to walk in a meditative fashion, amongst so many visitors. However, the setting and the ascent upwards gave me an inkling of what it might feel like if i were to revisit at sunrise. A writer’s imagination helps.
Arashiyama, a popular Kyoto destination.
The Bamboo forest grove and the Monkey Park is located in Arashiyama, one of the busiest tourist spots. Arrive as early in the day as possible. Tall brilliant green trees filtering the light gave me the sensation of being in a magical place, if only there were not so many other people on the trail. Fewer folks make it all the way up to the top of the mountain to arrive at the Monkey Park, which is definitely worth the hike. At the top you see not only great views, but meet 120 Japanese Macaque, also called Snow Monkeys. These monkeys are wild, not to be stared out, touched, or fed directly ( you can feed them from inside a building through safety wire). But as seen by the photos, they get quite close to their human visitors.
Writing Prompt with a focus on Setting: Thinking about the differences between solitude and crowds, how can this perception be applied to writing?
In a scene, we may choose to emphasize loneliness or estrangement when describing a character doing a solo action. A farmer plows a field humming a tune, a child bounces a ball against the side of the garage shed. In contrast, maybe the farmer has to compete with other farmers at an auction to successfully bid for a cow, or the child plays a basketball tournament and hears the crowd cheering in the bleachers. Maybe someone finds themselves in the midst of a mob, hungry people vying for their chance to receive a loaf of bread.
Take a character, or yourself if writing memoir, from a crowded scene to a place where they are completely alone. How can you use the setting to reveal something about the character? Try different settings and different types of protagonists. What did you learn and how can you use it to further amplify a story or essay? Have fun and keep experimenting.
Thank you for reading and feel free to share your comments and any questions. If you enjoyed this post and want to support my writing, consider purchasing my little chapbook filled with short essays and poems, RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN .
Originally published at http://nadjamaril.com on January 27, 2025.
