Seeing my grandpa @ Nara

  

I wonder how people feel about family affairs but I have been suffering this type of problem in my life. On July 6th 2011, I finally met my grandpa. I have not seen him four years since last time. During the passed four years, so many family affairs happened and I was not allowed to see him. I was interrupted by people who's surrounding him and he also actually still does not want to see me....

I'm thinking about going back to Canada now because of the current Japan's status, and I was sure that this is my last time to see him.

Even he still does not like to see me and anyone, I decided to visit him because I did not want to regret losing the chance to make it.

I made many calls to my grandpa and people who's surrounding my grandpa and arranged to see him. My grandpa still does not feel like seeing me but he said OK over the phone.

I was rush to catch a night bus before my grandpa's changing his mind. The night journey took me 8 hours.

The night bus arrived at Kyoto station around 6 am in the next morning.

The picture above is the one I took the front shot of the Kyoto station.

I'm usually quick to make a plan and go into action but I'm still thinking about how the whole journey will end. The above picture is as a note when I'm going back to Tokyo. Kyoto station has many night bus trip ads so I browsed, picked one that fits me, and took a shot.

I found one funny doll in the Yamato-Saidaiji station where I exchanged for the local train leading to the nearest to my grandpa's home. The doll is called "Sento-Kun" that is a representative character of Nara prefecture in Japan. The motif is a mixture of an ancient monk and the dear that is a representative animal to Nara. I was actually a little bit scared from the doll's looking. It's not very cute as much as it's expected :P

I went to Honganji, Japanese temple in Kyoto after I had spent couple of hours with my grandpa. Please let me keep a secret about what I had talked with my grandpa. It was pretty private and yet thoughtful things that will work only for me.
I might tell you later but it's not now...

I had been in Honganji for a few hours before back to Tokyo and I prayed for people in north part of Japan affected by the earthquake.

The Honganji has a gorgeous looking entrance to welcome people.
I took one shot and noticed that the entrance looks like the Samurai's helmet.

The above two pictures shows the ornaments on the entrance door of the Honganji. They are the national flower of Japan, the Imperial Crest.

The Honganji has lots space and the space is used for the emergency like earthquake. In the central Kyoto is crowded by many office buildings and the Honganji locates there too but the Honganji still keep the space for people's safety.

I know I'm not the person who can evaluate how the art is but I can say how the Honganji's building is beautiful. The whole building is well organized and has complex matrix by millions of wood posts.

At the exit of the Honganji, I found there is a messaging plate on the wall.
The messaging plate says, "The Buddha's recognition and knowledge is vast with no ending and deep without seeing the buttom".

This is an one-way ticket to get on SHINKANSEN between Kyoto and Tokyo.

 

It was a nice short trip. I made it to see him and could tell him how I'm doing now. I only spent couple of hours with him but I understand him and noticed lots things I have not recognized so far.

My grandpa's last word for me is "Don't come back". I was sad to hear his words because it is literally negative words.

I don't take the word in a negative way but positive way because he smiled when I asked someone to take a picture of us.

He already knows that he's close to an end of his life since he took an operation in twice for his heart-attack this year.

I have to meet his death next time if I come back. I think he was trying to give me his warm wishes and wanted to let me go without any burden that will stress me in the near future.

I just want to thank him and be proud of his attitude to the life.

Sooner or Later I have to say hello to the death and welcome it but my grandpa taught me that I have to pursue my dream without thinking about any negative things until the time comes.

 

Thank you again grandpa :)

Stay Tuned.

M.K