Summit storm, sushi and tempura and a small sento like from the 1950s

I have rediscovered the early mornings. While traveling, I wander through cities and places at dawn as they wake up. Everything is empty and peaceful, street sweepers are gathering leaves, the newspaper delivery person is distributing the daily papers, parents are bringing a child to school or kindergarten, all the shops are still closed, the light is particularly special and only a few cyclists hurry somewhere. In the park, there are already a few people sitting on benches, quietly greeting the day together with the first deer that have come down.

I have decided to climb the mountain where the animals spend their evenings and nights. The lower third is completely covered with grass, entirely bare because everything has been eaten down almost to the ground. Above that, there is a mountain area with bright colors, I assume very young cherry trees that are now red and yellow, and above that, the mountain peak, densely forested all the way to the top, in lush green.

So here we go. It's steep uphill, many steps. And it's always the same: When I start, I think, “Of course I can do this!” full of enthusiasm. Halfway up, then: “Have I been bitten by a wild monkey? This is absolutely crazy! I can't go on!”

But then you don't want to give up because you've come so far. Sweat-soaked hikers come towards you and express encouraging words, so onward, always count to 10 and then briefly stop to catch your breath: A hat, a stick, an umbrella! Does anyone else remember this from the past?

There are only a few deer up here, as they are in the valley waiting for their breakfast and lunch. But when I finally do reach the summit, there are some standing at the edge like silhouettes. The views are breathtaking all the time. All of Nara lies at your feet, and the panoramic view at the top, 330m above the flatland, expands over endless mountain landscapes in all colors to the horizon. It was worth it.

The descent is easier through dense forests, where deer have well-camouflaged themselves among the trees and are ruminating. Even at the entrance, I was warned that bears had been sighted near the mountain summit in January and August of this year. But now it’s already November, and I always crackle cautiously with my plastic water bottle and the chip bag that I purchased for a snack.

When I arrive at the bottom, there's sushi and tempura as a reward with a pictorial guide on how to eat it. The sushi specialties from Nara are wrapped in persimmon or bamboo leaves, and you have to unwrap them (I would have definitely bitten into them with great appetite had no one explained that to me!). On top, there’s a slice of raw mackerel or salmon, preserved and seasoned through the leaves, and the rice is soaked so well with vinegar and spices that you don’t also dip these Kakinoha sushi in soy sauce.

The tempura here consists of giant shrimp and various vegetables, all deep fried in batter, exceptionally delicious and beautiful as always.

After a long midday nap to recover, I then look for the neighborhood sento near my hostel, and it is a real discovery! Very small and certainly not renovated or modernized since the 1950s, old tiles in pink and light blue, ceramic wall paintings, three basins, maybe four bathtubs in size, one with brown thermal water, the next bubbling, and the third just pleasantly warm. Wabi-sabi, the love for the old and imperfect, simplicity greets you from every corner. Friendly people.

The bath is run by an elderly couple, and the grandma (or great-grandma?) sits toothlessly in a chair in the women's changing room, making sure everything is in order, showing the foreign guests where they can find the shampoo and watching over the horde of small children who arrive with their mothers as I finish, ensuring they brush their teeth properly, all with a kind smile and many bows.

I also quite like the hairdryer arrangement: There is one! And beside it, there’s a piggy bank and an hourglass. You should throw 20 yen (about 10 cents) into the pig, then you may use the hairdryer for the length of an egg timer!

I wish I could have taken photos there or that I could draw well, there would have been countless motifs.