blaine not brain: Shroud of Clouds in Haruyama

The warmer weather is stirring my soul like a bubbly cauldron of stew. I like that I can come home and not have to turn my heater on to feel comfortable. The only thing I could complain about right now is the hit of pollen. I don't remember feeling the effects in March last year. It made me cringe when I saw my car covered in pollen a week and a half ago. I knew the inevitable was on its way. So what does a allergen sufferer such as myself do to make myself feel better? I go to the best place imaginable, straight to the forests where all the pollen is coming from. I pay dearly with my dry eyes and sneezes later on.

It was like someone painted the sky gray today. Only twice did I see the sun burning through the thick haze. I'm trying not to let the cloudy weather get me down. I'm trying to exploit any day for what its worth regardless of the forecast. Usually cloudy weather makes me want to hide in the house and sleep. Doesn't it do it to all of us? Goshiki waterfall had been on my to do list for awhile. The only problem was that it only appeared to be the kind you look at from far away. That kind of fall gets a down grade in my book until I forge my own path. I half prepared myself for a longer hike if needed but as I got closer to the fall and the valley floor climbed farther away, I knew the likelihood of going anywhere near the fall was in jeopardy.

Nevertheless, I carried on up the road I assumed was the right one. It only seemed right from my memory of the maps I had looked at. You know I even wrote down some names from the map but the same thing happens every time. I DON'T see any of the names I wrote down. I just took my best guess. I came to a small village high up in the hills and saw the waterfall way off in the distance. I was right. I wasn't getting anywhere near there. There is no picture of this fall yet in case you get confused.

The village ended up being pretty interesting. It was really run down and it looked like there were maybe 3 or 4 houses out of 10 or 15 that people were living in. I loved this place for its semi ancient Japanese feel and all the little paths that ran haphazardly about.

I wondered who would be more surprised if I ran into someone. I heard someone down that path sliding doors around. At least I think it was someone and not some ghost from the nearby shrine playing tricks on me.

Tell me what it is because I don't have a clue.

A rice husker?

I've seen and driven through a number of villages. Walking through this one felt so surreal. It was close enough to a ghost town. The Japanese aesthetic was beautiful in a somber way.