Yesterday, we started the day by going to the Myōraku-ji temple, here in Kawasaki Asao-ku. It was a short bus ride and walk away, we went mainly because my friend loves hydrangea flowers. I had heard that in Japan, June and July is the perfect season to see hydrangeas or ajisai as they call it in Japan. In a touristic sense, it’s much overshadowed by the cherry blossom, but if you’ve ever seen a hydrangea you know that they are beautiful flowers that have a range of colours. We had a very interesting journey there and it started with a very kind bus driver.
As we got on, I showed him our intended destination because I thought that I needed to pay according to the distance we were travelling. It turns out that in Japan, most buses have a flat fare… so we paid and then took our seats. The bus slowly started to fill up and before long we were surrounded by people both sitting and standing. As the bus drives, I always carry a gps map in my hand so that I know which stop to get off at but as we were going along, I felt that something was wrong. He was stopping at spots that weren’t marked on my map, and I started to panic a little (it doesn’t take much, as you may have noticed).
The inevitable happened… we were stopped at a location that I thought was near the point we had to get off, but we stopped for longer than normal. The bus driver spoke on the loud speaker a couple of times, but the entire bus remained silent. People started to look around, as if they couldn’t understand what he was saying. I tried to catch the eye of the bus driver, but my seat was too far back behind him. Finally, he undid his belt and turned back, he motioned to us that we had to get off here. We sprung up, and I for one was a little embarrassed, but we laughed.
We waved at him and bowed as we left for the walk, and he smiled back. We thought that this was so kind… I had only briefly shown the driver our destination, and I didn’t realise that he had remembered it until that moment. Since we were staying in a local area, we stood out, and it was yet another example of how Japanese people have made us feel welcome and taken care of. So after that awkward moment, we commenced our walking.
It wasn’t long until we arrived at a big set of stairs… walking uphill in the humidity of rainy season isn’t always pleasant, but we made it and we were rewarded soon after. At the top was a playground, with the most amazing view of the city skyline. The swing set sat there motionless against the wide expanse. Along the horizon we saw the craggy edges of the city buildings… clusters of boxes of different shapes and sizes, different shades of blue in the distance. Some were tall towers, probably office buildings reaching into the sky, others were pointing upwards ending in a sharp tip. We stopped for a moment, silent, taking it in. I imagined what it would be like to be a child sitting on that swing, staring out… were they aware that millions of little people lived and breathed in those far away shadows? Or were they just as oblivious as I was when I was a child growing up in the countryside?
The silence clung to the moisture in the air, softly bathing my skin. It was a pleasant silence. Unlike this morning on the bus, that made me sweat nervously. Silence is beautiful like that, it can mean so many things. Sometimes it is peaceful, other times it is loud. Sometimes it soothes, sometimes it suffocates and other times it is used as a weapon. Silence has many faces, just like anything else in this life. It is not always a ticket to peace, although I think that it provides the fertile ground for it. And with that thought, my eyes turned to the gate I could see just below the playground… the Myōraku-ji temple awaited.
As we walked along the wall, topped with dark tiles, we got a peek at the garden of the temple. It was absolutely breath-taking. A cascade of hydrangeas, all in soft pastel pinks, purples, blues, whites… blooming all at once. It looked like a sea of colours, swimming in its green foliage, with pathways meandering in between so onlookers could admire the flowers. As we reached the gate, we understood why this temple was famous, however there were not many people there. Bulbs of delicate flowers seemed to enclose the sober looking wood and stone of the temples, little statues assumed different mudras and were wrapped in red scarves. I knew that the temple was Buddhist, but it also felt distinctly Japanese.
We walked through the little pathways, hydrangeas reaching in towards us and we unable to take our eyes off the beautiful landscape. I often paused to admire the scene, which seemed to be different at every turn. I was not expecting to be so touched by this place, yet I found myself wanting to stay there for a long time. I touched one of the delicate flowers. There was no scent, but it felt as if there was something in the air which made the place beautiful. It felt pure and innocent, sincere and content. Despite there being a few people there, it was silent. Everyone was respecting the sanctity of the area created not only by the heaviness of the wooden beams and the sharpness of the pointy temple roof edges… but also by the prettiness and daintiness of the flower itself.
I later discovered the story behind the hydrangea flower, and why it is revered not only in certain temples but all around Japan. It is considered the “Rose of Japan” and symbolises emotional sincerity, apologies and gratitude. It became clear why this is such an important flower here, a country that values the meaning behind a respectful apology… but I also realised that it was important for me personally. Legend says that a Japanese Emperor gave a bouquet of hydrangeas to the family of a girl he loved but had neglected to give attention to for a period. With the flowers, he wanted to show that he was sincerely sorry for his behaviour because he greatly valued this love even though his duties called his attention elsewhere for a period of time. He treated the value of his work, and the value of his love equally. This legend greatly touched my heart, because such an expression of emotion seemed to be so rare in today’s world. At least for me.
Neglect is another face of silence, and one that can cause a great deal of emotional pain. These days, I see it being used as a weapon in many relationships. When we receive the silent treatment, it can often bring a lot of shame to all involved. Over the years, I’ve realised that the truth is this: we go silent when we cannot resolve our own emotions for whatever reason. We may not be able to admit to ourselves that we are incapable of something… perhaps life is throwing a lot at us and we are incapable of emotionally processing it all. As a result, we go silent and take time to let the overflow of emotion balance itself out. It reminds me of when I talked about The Wind Rises.
This kind of silence is necessary, but in love it is often seen as a weakness. As a result, the silence is buried… and remains deep within the hearts of those that hold it, evolving into a deep seated, unexplained pain over time. It becomes a tool of control, unknowingly (or knowingly) wielded by the one who is being silent. The paradox is that they are only silently languishing in the fact that they are unable to face up to who they are. It takes great courage to do as the Emperor did, and to honour this period of neglect as something that also symbolises part of the evolution of great love.
I am not a Buddhist, and neither am I Japanese, yet this simple visit to a quiet little temple has given me so much. Maybe the hydrangea blooms in bunches because it waits. It covers itself in silence but in reality, within, it is preparing itself to bloom in great number and in vibrant splendour. Maybe it’s just like the silence that exists in true love. Moments where you are not by the side of your loved one, and you do not express yourself to them, but yet they remain there in your heart… silently preparing to bloom again. These moments of quiet, they are just as important as moments of romance. Separately, silence can be hurtful and words of expression can become empty… but together, they birth fullness, vibrancy and demonstrate the beauty of creation.
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