I’ve had this in my drafts for ages and made a nod to it in this post >>>
sublime #16
at the start of November we took ourselves to Japan; hōjicha mornings, honey-glazed light through swaying grass, golden persimmon wrapped carefully in parcels on trees and displayed on windowsills, Chrysanthemum season, ginkgo on the ground, privacy glass, cold air on wet skin in a bath the mountains, still-summer leaves reflected on water and black lac…
and have only now found the courage to hit the publish button. Weirdly, it’s not because of the content but more because I feel safest in my images, telling myself that I don’t need to explain them (a true story) but sometimes I like the intangible things that can’t be seen and only felt… the things that make me try to find the words for. Also there is a strict ‘no pictures’ policy in the baths so words it is:
Steam emerges from the dark water and drifts along the surface, meeting the trees in flurries, dancing with the few remaining mottled leaves of the cherry and disappears into the grey sky. Cool air, hot bath. Tall pines make up the mountain sides, above that a thick blanket of cotton wool sky and to my left, 2 naked strangers. The strangers swap places with other strangers, staying mostly silent as they manoeuvre bodies and positions; I’ve found that an air of self-awareness hangs in some baths that doesn’t seem to exist in others; it’s most apparent in a tub full of foreign visitors (myself included) rather than home residents. We are all trying our best to follow the rules and show our respect to the ritual, drinking it in and making it precious. Precious things are often quiet things, or at least they are in this bath.
There’s an undeniable privilege to be able to submerge in water like this and even deeper to do it in such romantically-viewed surroundings and on a weekday while the world back home is waking to go to the office. Here I am, thousands of miles east, a few trains and a bus journey north of the city, cradled by mountains and surrounded by deep green. A chilled breeze brings be back with goosebumps and small bubbles magnified through the water, thick with minerals and promises of nourishment and restoration.
Regular service resumes with more stories from November in Japan (this time in my comfort zone of image format):
I love this post. And yes! Onsen on weekdays are a special kind of deep magic.
Loved this India - words and photos