Connected By Water

We came by ship to Kagoshima and from there by train to Kirishima to stay at an apartment for a few days before our flight to Singapore. Ellie had found a sushi train restaurant only a few blocks away, and it would close in just an hour.

Rumico and her mother, Akiko, lived near Kirishima and passed through once a month to pick up water. After getting their week's supply, they decided to stop for sushi before returning home. When two tall Americans sat down next to them, Rumico couldn't help offering assistance as the foreigners looked puzzled by the process.

A sushi train is a conveyor belt running around a diner-type counter where patrons grab what looks good as it comes by and pay based on their empty plates.

It turns out she went to high school in Nebraska. Her English was wonderful, and she was charming as well as helpful.

As the sushi chef came around for the last call orders before they closed from lunch, Rumico asked what our plans were. We said we were thinking about visiting a nearby shochu brewery, but weren't sure if we would go today. She kind of lit up and asked if we would like them to take us. We said it was quite a distance. She said it was not if you had a car.

A few minutes later, Ellie was in the back seat with Mama Akiko, and I was riding shotgun in the left seat with Rumico setting her GPS for the Kirishimacho Distillery https://akarui-nouson.jp/.

The twenty-minute drive had us chatting the whole time. We climbed further into the hills and were soon at the edge of a national forest with a volcano billowing smoke along the banks of a beautiful river.

Pulling into the empty lot of the distillery, a smiling young man in a blue company shirt and matching apron came out to greet us.

We couldn't help but take souvenir photos of our new group like we were a family at Disneyland. The difference in height between us was, not for the last time, a source of much laughter from Akiko.

We were all given big blue umbrellas to protect us from the sun and escorted through the grounds.

Stepping outside, the scenery was breathtaking. Ellie said the word "bucolic" described what she saw for the first time in her life. Rice and blueberries growing along the banks of a river flowing over two small waterfalls was backed by a forest of perfectly straight pine trees.

Rumico translated what our guide was saying. Both she and her mother seemed as enraptured as we were. They had never been here before. We were shown the process of making the spirit and in the end sampled some before leaving.

There was a blueberry version that we liked and planned to get as a gift for our hostess. Before we could pay at the register, Akiko zoomed up to buy it for us. With a few giggles and a few yen, Ellie managed to get a second bottle to gift to them.

Getting into the car, Rumiko asked if we would like to visit the Kirishima-jingu Shrine. We realized we were very close and felt right accepting her generous offer. Besides, Akiko seemed to be glowing at the opportunity to show her hospitality.

The drive took us into the forest proper. We were soon faced with a bright orange torii gate two stories tall.

We got to the torii gate, indicating the entrance to the shrine ahead. The ritual handwashing station adjacent to it was familiar from our visit to Tokyo. We purified ourselves according to our recollection of the procedure and approached the shrine on the wide path through the woods.

Our new friends soon caught up with us as we neared the exit from the trees. It was not long before we all had umbrellas over our heads. Approaching the shrine, Ellie handed me a 100 yen coin to make the coin/clap/bow ritual when we climbed the stairs. A few moments later, Rumiko offered a five yen coin, saying it had special meaning.

"A Japanese five-yen coin is linked to friendship because the word for "five yen," go-en (五円), is a homophone for go-en (御縁), meaning "good fortune," "destiny," or "connection." As such, it is seen as a token to foster good, lasting relationships, and it is often used as a donation at Shinto shrines to establish a connection with the deity."

We tossed our coins, clapped, bowed, and made our wishes known silently to the wood and paint before us. Maybe long friendships, or new ones, or whatever.

After looking at some of the prayers that could be purchased, we passed an ancient mammoth tree. Rumiko told us about it, and we told her about our drive through the redwoods in California.

As we left the shrine, the rain stopped. As we passed through the torii gate, we bowed, and Rumiko realized that in their rush, she and her mother had forgotten to cleanse themselves at the ritual site on the way in. As they did so, I thought about the water connection between us.

Water brought us to them by ship. Water brought them to us since they came once a month to pick it up. We cleansed ourselves ritually at the shrine. The rain had cleansed the shrine (and their volcanic dust-soiled car) while we visited. We had made new friends and experienced Japan in a way that most never will.

They drove us back to the sushi restaurant, and there Akiko gifted us the cinnamon treats she had picked up at the shrine. We laughed and took more pictures and promised to think of them when we tried the local shaved ice treat before we flew away.

Box art from our gift from Akiko

The end?