shinji.htm

shinji                                                     I forgot to mention the ultimate special motivation of last nights mission – namely the fact that temples 68 & 69 are in the same place where I am now sitting. So 2 for the walking price of 1 but I didn’t make it this far until this morning after being happily diverted in staying at my new friend Shinji-sans restaurant. The name ‘tanoshiya/enjoyable shop’ was enough to invite me in and then within minutes it was like being adopted into a family. To start with the yakisoba was great, with lots of  tasty ‘services’ on the side and then shinji suggested I sleep on the tatami . his regular customer and fish supplier, satomi-san went out and bought me 2 pairs of new socks (which feel amazing this morning) upon seeing the state of mine as I prepared for my restaurant cushion bed and then there were their respective daughters, Risa in particular who I enjoyed talking to as she enjoyed practicising her English learned on homestay in Australia. Shinji was an interesting character I couldn’t quite work out beyond a slight air of melancholy that pervaded his otherwise totally cheerful exterior. He heaped further kindness upon me with breakfast this morning but generally seemed happy to have some internationalness around, reminding him of his youth as a bell-boy speaking Spanish at a hotel in Kyoto. We had a good conversation about the universality of music this morning and generally it was a real pleasure to spend time in such easy and enjoyable company, having not done so for a while. Eventually slept very well and fully refreshed for the delights of this heavily religious feeling town where the air is wild with drums this morning.