The first day of class was the day they would take their final exam.  This meant I had the day to myself unless I wanted to take the exam.  I’ve already taken the exam twice, once for my class and once with the class behind mine.  I chose a day to myself instead of taking a test.

My teacher gave me the lowdown on where I could hike in the area.  Most of it was walking on a small one-lane road, not actual hiking, but all the routes sounded wonderful.  One option was going to a nearby tea house.  That sounded perfect – a little walking in the mountains, some tea and then a walk back.  I headed out for my walk a little before the tea house opened so I could get there after it opened, have time for tea and get back to the retreat center for lunch.

The one lane road took me past an azalea farm.  Most of the plants had flowered, but there were plenty still in bloom.  Then it went through a little village of about 6-10 houses.  The village was quiet.  I didn’t see anyone out and about.  Every turn of the road offered me a different view of the mountains.  I missed the cherry blossoms, but now all the tree foliage was full and every shade of green was present at the same time.  The leaves were fluttering in the breeze.  There is a delicate quality to the leaves that felt so different from Colorado.  It’s hard to put my finger on it.  Aspen leaves flutter and feel small and delicate.  These leaves almost had another dimension to them, a different level of delicate.  They seemed more intricate in detail.  Obviously, there was more variety of trees and leaves.  They also felt artistically placed.  Each branch had a graceful flow and direction as if a team of artists had chosen the exact angle the branch would arc at, the perfect number of leaves and the orchestrated placement of those leaves on the branch.  It looked like art informed nature, but I could see perfectly why Japanese art is so beautiful – it mimics the perfection of nature.

The road gradually climbed, twisted and turned until another village came into view.  There, a few buildings into town was the tea house with an open sign.

I was the only guest there.  They seated me and gave me a menu.  I ordered a strawberry ice cream thing and a homemade ginger ale.  As I waited, I flipped through my emails.  My friend emailed me to tell me she had called them to let them know I was coming.  How sweet.

The ginger ale was what we would call ginger beer and it was the best I have ever tasted.   I couldn’t be happier with my choice.  The ice cream was good too – strawberry sorbet, vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, mint and a thick cream.  The cream made the dessert, it was slightly sweet and made your lips feel smooth and creamy.

Next I went in search of Nogura No Meoto Dosojin as it was supposed to be across the street.  It was a shrine of a man and woman that is supposed to bring good fortune for married couples, fertility, and maybe other good things I can’t remember.  I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking for so I walked right by it.  At some point, I gave up, turned around and went back the way I came.  Then I saw the rock carved with a man and woman on it.  I was expecting something bigger.  Hopefully, I got some luck or a blessing.

The walk back was the same way I had come and it was just as beautiful.  Even though there were no cherry blossoms (maybe one tree), there were many other flowers along the way if you looked.  I always love the smell of pine when hiking in Colorado.  No pine smell here.  No earth smell.  The air felt lighter and crisper.  Every few moments I would pick up a sweet smell, almost like candy.  Was it the flowers?  Was it the trees?  It would go away as fast as it had appeared.  A few minutes down the road, it would appear again.