Impressive Impressions - Tokyo's Shrines

Wow, .... I mean.... Ouuffff. One day in Tokyo is not enough on all levels.

Meiji Shrine

I already had a feeling that Japan has something magical. And I experienced it too. To start the day, we went to a park. We entered through a 7m high gate made of solid wood. An impressive entrance. We strolled up and passed a fountain. Sure, a fountain, nothing extraordinary to see, please move on. But why perceive the world only with your eyes. Right, perceiving through touch is also part of it. And that's when it really hit me:

'Ah, that's why there are hardness levels!'

Yes, water can be soft. And here I got to feel the softest water ever. At a fountain that you can simply miss if you spend 5 seconds checking WhatsApp and Instagram. Life can pass by so quickly with all its beautiful experiences. And not just in front of your eyes, but with all your senses.
How much have you missed because you didn't smell fresh blooming flowers? Because you once again chose the same schnitzel as last time? Took the same route every day? Spoke to the same people day in and day out.
Even now, I'm typing blindly on the keyboard (thanks to my VHS course :D ), so that I can enjoy the passing landscape sitting in the Shinkansen and occasionally pause. Even if only for a brief moment. Nope, the cherry blossoms are not only in the city. We pass by hilly and forested landscapes, held in green and sprinkled with pink cherry blossoms.

But I'm digressing. Let's continue through the park, to the shrine. The trees and their lush green have a comforting and benevolent feel to them. We enter the inner courtyard of the shrine. I feel that this place has something special about it. Not with my head, but with my entire body. Indeed, this place is special. Not because someone else or my head says so. No, it is palpable to me.

To our left, under the cover, we perceive something. A procession. Led by a Shinto priest. It's a traditional wedding procession moving through the shrine. We stop, enjoy, and appreciate it at the same time.

After a while, we are drawn to the shrine itself. On the right side, we see a massive, ancient tree. It takes at least 3 people to hug it. Then we enter the shrine, paying our respects to this place.

As we leave this place, a small group quickly forms, wanting to visit another shrine. I join them. And after crossing the threshold to the outside world, I feel that magical feeling fading away.

Asakusa Shrine

Well, what can I say about this. Compared to the first shrine, the Asakusa Shrine pales in comparison. Nothing personal. ;) On the way to the shrine, we weave through the crowds of people squeezing between the vendors.
I miss that sense of devotion and connection here. No matter how much you shake and rattle, the person is ultimately an animal of nature and by nature an animal. If you want to connect, go to the forest. And the trees that stood in the first shrine were old and devout. They have endured there for many decades. That creates a place of introspection. It's in stark contrast to the fast-paced hustle and bustle in front of the second shrine.

You are like a clear lake. You can only look to the bottom when you let the water come to rest.

And who does that nowadays? Regularly? In an appropriate measure?