Monday, May 16, 2016

Visiting the Takasaki Kannon, the Deity of Mercy




Hey lovelies! I've been a bit MIA for the past week due to some blogging troubles, so many apologies  for not responding to any comments and such. I'll probably talk about that in a separate post later.

I did, however, have a 3-day weekend after the "spring break" in Japan (aka Golden Week), and paid a visit to the Kannon deity of mercy in Takasaki, Gumna at the Jigenin shrine. Living and working in the city of Tokyo, it's hard to get away from the stresses of busy city life, which is why I hardly ever make trips to other surrounding prefectures. But it was time for me to make this small trip happen to refresh my mind and reflect on things I usually don't.

After a 15-20 minute drive from Takasaki station, my friend and I reached the foot of the Kannon statue, and I was in awe at its size and beauty. Built in 1936, Kannon is considered the guardian of Takasaki, blessing the city and its people. Gazing up at the serene and motherly expression on her face brought a wave of peace within me. Visiting on a weekday was the perfect choice, because there is no way I could savor a peaceful moment with tourists around. Scoring a paper fortune for excellent luck was also a highlight of the trip - my first one, actually! 

If you're someone like me who has to juggle many different jobs and always feels like there's not enough time to do everything you want and need to do, there is always still time to take a breather. I can't stress how important this little getaway was for me - it allowed me a moment to reflect, and a chance to take a deep breathe to refresh myself. And I know I'll be back again when I need to get away from the ever-busy Tokyo city.


皆さん、お久しぶりです!一週間ほど更新していなくて、ごめんなさい。ブログトラブルに追い込まれてしまい、コメントさえも返せずにいました。でも、そのことに関しては、後ほどお話ししようと思います。

それでも、ゴールデンウィーク明けに3連休を頂いたので、気分転換に高崎の観音様を拝みに行くことにしました。東京で毎日がバタバタで忙しい中、どんどんストレスを感じて行き、結局ほとんどどこも出かけないままでいる日々が過ぎていました。しかし、今回はどこか行ったこともない場所に行ってみたい!と、強く思いました。

高崎駅周辺から15−20のドライブで、私と友人は観音様の麓に到着しました。観音様の盛大さと美しさには正直びっくりしました!昭和11年(1936年)に建立され、観音様はそれ以来、高野山から高崎の人々を見守っています。その穏やかで母親らしい表情を眺めていたら、心も身体もほんの少し落ち着いた気がしました。平日に行って正解でした!観光客などで溢れていたら、絶対こんないい経験にはならなかったと思います。おみくじで大吉をひいたのも、すごくラッキー♪

私のように、いくつものお仕事を毎日こなさないといけなくて、毎日時間に追われていてやりたいことができないと思っている人にも、たまには一息をつく時間がすごく大事です。このお出かけは私にとって、本当に必要な時間でした。色々と思案したり、自然の中、お大きく深呼吸をすることができました。またそのうち、絶対観音様に会いに行くと思います!


11 comments:

  1. Beautiful snapshots! x
    http://josefinmolanders.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful photos!

    Have a lovely Sunday evening :)

    http://beautyfollower.blogspot.gr/

    ReplyDelete
  3. The temple looks indeed very serene and beautiful! So lucky with the fortune, when I drew one, I got the worst luck available, haha!

    ReplyDelete
  4. enjoy reading ur post..

    Regards,
    Aa
    www.miss-aa.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. This looks like such a tranquil place :) Thanks for sharing!

    Enclothed Cognition/Bloglovin

    ReplyDelete
  6. What an awesome place. So rich in history and arts.

    ReplyDelete
  7. glad that trip was refreshing for you! Japan is always an interesting city. Been there three times and still want more. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. i hope your blogging troubles are all sorted samantha - i've been pretty MIA lately myself :( but so good to be back! x love your travel photos as always :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree we need a breather time to time.
    I do recommend you Kamakura area. Of course Kyoto is more than good if you can have
    1-2 days off.
    http://fetish-tokyo.blogspot.jp/

    ReplyDelete
  10. 観音様に会えて、まりこさんが元気になられてよかったです!
    ブログトラブルは、私も時々やられることがあるけど、そういう時は
    環境を変えるっていい事ですね♡

    akiko

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a comment! I read each and every one!