Day 2 –
Makiwari
At breakfast
Sato-san informed me that today I’d be ‘makiwari’. I was confused for a moment
before he explained that ‘makiwari’ meant wood-splitting. Sure enough, this is
what I spent most of the day doing, using an axe up by Tougenoyu. It was
another beautiful day in Toyomi, though, and it was great to be working outside
under the sun with the sound of birds and the river all round me. Sato-san had
a special treat in store for me at lunch, as we drove into the mountains for an
obentou picnic from a woodland spot overlooking his village, Funato, with a
spectacular view of Mount Iide-san’s snow-covered top. On the way up we passed
various small groups of people out picking mushrooms, and we ourselves were
lucky enough to find some of the tiny rare nameko mushrooms. It was a special
feeling participating in an activity that people in the area had probably been
doing in the same way for centuries. During the drive back down I quizzed
Sato-san on the different varieties of trees in the area, and we discussed the
difference between Japan’s natural mixed woodland and the dense Japanese cedar
forests planted in the last century. Sato-san’s belief in a wholly natural life
is very strong, and it’s fascinating to hear his view on the effect modern man
has had on his surroundings. At the end of the day, we opened the balcony doors
of Tougenoyu and had an amazing bath with a view of the the forest and a fresh
mountain breeze. Looking out of the window afterwards, I was greeted by a
bright full moon, and the first of the evening’s fog rolling in over the river;
a beautifully peaceful scene with which to end my 2nd day at Cosmo
Yume.
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