entry nº 30 // 20180820

twice, that week back at the end of march, i biked up to the top of mt. bishamon, about ten minutes away from here. (that is to say, biked until i couldn’t bike no more, my legs being no match for that last section, steep road w/ steps up the middle, so i ditched my bike in some bushes off to the side and hoofed it from there till the end, breathing heavily). eight cherry blossom trees up at the top, standing in a row along the edge of clearing at the foot of the shrine up there, almost as if watching over the valley stretching out below. nobody else in sight. after finishing the snacks and the beer i’d packed with me, i lay back on the ground, flower petals gently wisping down, flag flapping in the breeze overhead, sound of the uguisu (japanese bush warbler, i guess it’s called?), whose song is exceedingly sweet, in the woods behind me. stared up at the sky and daydreamed and felt spacey and airy and diaphanous. springtime, huh? 

(so spacey, in fact, that i left my water bottle up there, that second time around. like a week later i found myself wondering, “where’s my water bottle?” took a while to figure out that i’d left it up top. finally went back up when i had time, and sure enough, there it was, sitting up next to the shrine. big shout out to whoever came across it and left it up there.)