Visiting my ancestor and past


Sometimes you want to review where you are from to find a hint for the future (Please click Read More)

It was a very beautiful day today: sunny, dry, light wind blowing and slightly warm. I had a small trip and it turned out to be a short visit to my past...

My grandfather passed away on September 22 2000 and I could not make an anniversary visit to his grave on the day of this year. I therefore visited his grave on my way to my high school today before I attend the 'Home Coming Day'.

There are three major occasions Japanese people visit their ancestors' grave: March, August and September. (I explain why they are 'major' when I have a chance: please keep me reminding!) Anyway today is September 27 and it still seemed to be an appropriate occasion to visit my grandfather's grave.

My grandfather's (and my grand mother's as well) grave is located in a temple, eastern suburb of the city of Kyoto. Flowers blooming, sun shining, I thought it couldn't be any better to visit there. I stood there, put some incense and flower, and thought of him for a while. Memories flooded, voices remembered and I re-constructed what my grandfather was like. (My grandmother passed away before I was born, so it is a shame that I only know her with a limited number of photos.) To me it is what visiting a grave is like, and I think it is fair enough.

Flowers at the temple:



Then we drove down to the high school where Masayo and I graduated, Doshisha International High School. It is 'international' as it accepts Japanese students who grew up abroad. (Students with international experience tend to have difficult times in usual Japanese schools, at least when I was 15 years old). The school still looked very different from other Japanese high schools: students without uniforms, teachers also dress freely, more university-like facilities etc.

I met some teachers whom I still remember (and who still remember me!) and talked for a while about what happened to the school since I last visited. They built a new library, changed the allocation of class rooms etc. Actually the school looked very different at the gate because of the new buildings!
However, the students looked the same, independent, self-producing, and colorful...

Anyway today was a day that I recalled my past, and I think it should be done once in a while to relocate where I am at the moment.

I wonder whether this applies to the others. Do other people stop to think of the past and find out where they are? Do you?

Posted: (日) - 9 28, 2003 at 09:22 PM          

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