Nagano - Japanese Chernobyl

Sunday Meditation 🧘‍♂️

Today I'm going to the Zazen meditation, so I have to get up before 7:00. At this time in Germany, it's midnight. I go out, the streets are basically empty. It's 7:30, the sun is shining.

Arriving at the temple grounds, I search and search for the meditation, but find nothing. I hear a bell, but I don't know where the sound is coming from. There is no sign indicating it, the place is big. I decide to ask the security guard with the help of Google Translate. I hold my phone behind my back to ask him where I can find the meditation. Even with the automatic translation function, he can't give me a satisfactory answer. I hear the bell again, the meditation is about to start. I'm not going to open any rooms here that I don't know what's behind them. Opening unknown rooms is its own story in such a facility. I'm annoyed because I was looking forward to it and got up early. I give up and go to another meditation. A walking meditation along the river. With the sunshine, it's probably the best option since I'll be spending six hours on the train today.🌞

Thomas behind the locomotive 🚅

This journey will mean changing trains twice for me. With the group, it was easy, Miho took care of everything. We just traveled from one city to another without changing trains. Miho reserved our seats, all we had to do was sit on the assigned seats. Now, on the other hand, I have to organize the route and find a seat myself. A little excitement, my pulse rises. But I have dealt with more difficult things here, like finding carabiners. 😅

I'm on the train, everything is going smoothly. Sitting in my seat, I take out my laptop and start typing my lines. The staff are walking up and down here and there. One catches my eye from the corner. He is a bit slower than the others, he arouses my curiosity. He also walks through the carriage, but his gaze wanders in a long rehearsed choreography. From left to right, from row to row, at a constant pace. But he doesn't look out of the corner of his eye, he sways his head back and forth. He reminds me a bit of a human typewriter. Hmmmm, there it is again. This ritual, this mindfulness, the focus and dedication.

I am reminded of this mindfulness only a short time later. The train arrives in Nagoya earlier than expected. I hastily pack my things and start to leave my seat. I'm already standing, one seat further, when I call myself to mindfulness. Good thing, because it wouldn't have done me much good if I had gotten off but my wallet had continued on. 😓

The three from the gas station

I meet Damian and Mark. I know Damian from old times, we worked together and always got along great. We chat at the ice and coffee machine. 'Should we go to the train?', Damian eventually asks. Shit, 2 minutes, we rush. And on top of that, the station doesn't accept JR Rail Pass or Suica. The staff member refers us to the machines around the corner. Okay, I stand in front of the machine. Out of nowhere, a flap opens next to the machine in front of me, the railway employee peeks out. 🤣 I've seen pictures of it, but it really surprised me. He asks me where I'm going. 'Yudanaka.', I reply. I'm told to go around the corner again. Now he hands me a piece of paper. We are supposed to pay when we get off. We rush down to the platform, make it in the last seconds. After that, we enjoy the wide landscape with the mountains in the background for an hour.

Nagano and surroundings, 1998, in winter. Olympic Winter Games in Japan's Alps, the country is prepared, buildings were built for it.

25 years later. When we arrive in Yudanaka, we are ... a little surprised. The city has beautiful corners, but in general, the city looks like a creepy Chernobyl movie. Every hour, a loud ringtone plays throughout the city. In front of a former sports building, there is a clock that plays a creepy, several-second melody at the full minute. We only quickly get some drinks from the vending machine, but the melody quickly starts eating into our brains like fissile material. Buildings are partially decayed, the old buildings have probably not been entered for decades.

We continue to explore the area. This area is known for its hot springs, so tomorrow we will go to the monkey park. There, the monkeys bathe in the hot springs. Here, the hot water comes out of the tap for free, and in the city, we find a public footbath.

Fooood 🍜

Later, we go to eat ramen. It's a bit of a disappointment, but the flavor makes up for it. But at least the onsen makes up for it. We spend a relaxed 20 minutes in the hot water. There it is again, that total relaxation that brings an involuntary smile to my face.

Do Koi Fish Dream? 🎏

I thought he was dead. No, they all are. When I later opened the windows, I see all the koi fish lying on their backs in the pond. Occasionally, they twitch. I realize that I don't know much about fish. How do they sleep? Do they dream like dogs do? I embrace the thought. It's a beautiful thought.

Japanese TV 📺

Mark and Damian come over, equipped with chips and canned drinks, as well as strawberry milk. We turn on the TV, we want to see. What do the not even 10 channels have to offer us in terms of entertainment.
Again, on almost every channel, a small picture is shown, with the reaction of people watching. The curious thing: it's a news program, and on the screen, a video of a helicopter that appears to have crashed is playing.

Okay, let's continue. We end up watching a game show. In the bottom right corner, a timer is counting down, it is currently at 35:00. Below that, a counter is increasing, it is counting up a sum of money.
We quickly understand the show. It's called 'Run for the Money'. We see contestants on an empty amusement park site. Then the image switches to menacing-looking men and women in black suits and white shirts. Equipped with black Chronos sunglasses and a camera attached to them. The black breathing mask completes the visual. Audibly, a menacing melody is played with each overlay. It could have been the Terminator sound. The icing on the cake is the narrator. His unique voice emphasizes the threat. We understand almost nothing, but one emphasized word stands out. 'Hunter'.

We quickly realize what's going on here. An adult version of tag with money for the remaining players.

18:34. 18:33. 18:32 

We realize that we have already spent over fifteen minutes on it. Well, then we can finish watching it. There are still six players left, all the others were caught by the four Hunters. In between, the contestants receive missions. The last mission is to catch three people dressed as monsters on the site. Two monsters can be caught, here and there a Hunter catches a player.

 05:02. 05:01. 05:00

The mission has failed. The monster releases 10 more Hunters, who run out of a room like stung by a wasp and flood the site.

00:35. 00:34. 00:33

That's it. We watch as the last player is captured as well. We had a fun time, despite the language barrier.

For those who are interested, you can watch it on Netflix with a Japanese VPN. Definitely a recommendation for such evenings.

Afterwards, we watch commercials for nasal irrigation. In our country, you see an actor, an animation, the actor. Here, on the other hand, you get the full program. You see the soup flowing out of the nostril. 😂