walkabout-japan

Day 24
A winter fairy tale
GPS: N 33°, 16. 612 ' E 133°, 10.478 '
Place: Kageno
Etmal: 23 km
Total: 535 km
Actually, I have come to Japan to find the spring and now I
have found the winter. The violent snowfall turns into a kind of blizzard sweeping trough the high valley; snow mixed with freezing rain. Two times I must go out to de-ice the tent, as otherwise it would have broken down. Then about 10.00 p.m. the blizzard becomes a quiet snowfall. That's one of the reasons for which I am here, but the thick flakes should announce the end of the cherry flower and not the fresh
snowfall called "Sakura". Anyway, the fine noise on the tent
roof together with the surreal light of the full moon shining
coldly and palely, lulls me to sleep... To get up in the morning
is again a problem, because it's bloody cold. The tent leans badly to the right - the snow. Inside of the tent the condensed water starts to run down and I get my morning shower. Lousy! Some time later, at a much used road I am dragging myself through a bamboo forest. It's again and again a real vision when the icy wind blows snow and ice from the sheets and allows me walking through a rain of diamonds. At least it
looks like that in the sun and when they hit on the ground you can hear this quiet noise. It's there, you only must believe in it! OK, OK, the descent has been lousy - 16 km on the road without a break. On the right it goes steeply uphill, on the left steeply downhill and there are of course again a lot of tunnels. After the last one there's again a town. I am lying with all I
have on the beach, and after a long conversation about going on a pilgrimage with grandpa and his dog (sure) enjoying the last sunrays of the day, grandpa suddenly comes back with mackerels on rice and fresh strawberries. It's a simple as that! There's a full moon today and I think I can forget about spring. The coldness weakens my body. ..!


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