🌸Do you have a place you want to return to?🍀

Do you have a place you want to return to?

For me, the place I want to return to is 'Ojiba' in Tenri City, Nara Prefecture.

On the night of 4/24, I left my local church in Kawasaki by car at 10:00 PM and returned to Ojiba at 3:00 AM early on 4/25🚗✨

A five-hour drive in the middle of the night.
But... I didn't feel tired at all.
Of course, there is the 'Orbitron effect'😆

The moment I entered the sanctuary, the scent of wood drifted softly toward me...

'Ah, I'm home.'

The moment I felt that, my heart was filled with joy and happiness🪷

🌙 The Main Sanctuary at 3:00 AM is another world.

'Ojiba' is the home of human creation.
Therefore, it is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so that anyone can visit and worship at any time.

What do you think the Main Sanctuary is like at 3:00 AM?

There are already people there worshipping. And there are also people carefully wiping the corridors.

Not to show anyone, not to be praised, just silently.
That sight makes my heart swell with emotion.

And when I greet them, they always greet me back. Yes, since all humans are children of God, brothers and sisters, it is natural to greet each other ☺️
It makes me even happier 🪷


And because it was this time of night, the scent of the wood in the Main Sanctuary felt more vivid than usual.

I feel that the 'face of Ojiba' that I don't notice during the day quietly appears in the middle of the night 🍀

🌸 'Resonance of the Soul' connected by note

This return to Ojiba was not with my family, but with Jinan-san, whom I met through the note blog this year.

Jinan-san is a 'person of action' who continues local cleanup Hinokishin every single morning without fail.

As we exchanged messages on note, our thoughts overlapped—and the 'Smile Seed-Sowing Team' was born 🌸

This was also Jinan-san's first day of the Tenrikyo Basic Course.

Learning in the atmosphere of Ojiba. I believe that something important must have reached Jinan-san's heart as well 😊

▼ Click here for the Smile Seed-Sowing Team ▼

▼ Smile Seed-Sowing Team Magazine ▼

☀️ Ojiba during the day was also absolutely wonderful

After dropping off my luggage at the dormitory and having breakfast, I walked around the Main Sanctuary slowly once more.

The approach, wrapped in the fresh green of new leaves, was different from the night. The violas and chrysanthemums in the flower beds were colorful, a beauty unique to Ojiba in spring 🌸

I also walked slowly along the Tenri Hondori street, finished the souvenir shopping I was asked to do, and returned to the dormitory.

Before I knew it, I had fully enjoyed Ojiba from morning until noon 😄

🌿 Finally, the activity! Smile Seed-Sowing Team in Tenri

After lunch, starting at 2:00 PM, it is finally time for the Smile Seed-Sowing Team activity to begin!

Picking up trash on the way from Tenri Station to the Main Sanctuary, at the Tenri Station plaza, and while walking along Tenri Hondori 🗑️

Of course, as always, with our banner raised and playing this theme song🎵

The members are 4 adults and 2 children, a total of 6 people!

Once we started, I understood well🌸

The city of Tenri is truly, really clean 😂

It's hard to even find trash (lol)

It's like a treasure hunt!
Competing with the kids to pick up trash - lol

Perhaps it means that the spirit of Hinokishin is rooted in the city 🍀

The children also held tongs with serious faces and worked hard to pick up trash. That sight was just incredibly cute 😊✨

🎵 The Three Sacred Treasures and the Lesson of the Dead Battery

Through this activity, I realized something.

The Smiling Seed-Sowers have "Three Sacred Treasures"! 🌸

🗑️ Tongs—a symbol of "Action"
🚩 Banner—a symbol of "Expression of Intent"
🎵 Image Song—the source of "Cheerful Heart"

※In neighborhood parks, two more are added to make it the "Five Sacred Treasures".
🌸Musical instruments (Shinobue flute, hyoshigi clappers, kotsuzumi drum, etc.)
🌻Smiling Seed-Sowers Member Recruitment Flyer

On the way there, we had all three sacred treasures, and everyone's reaction when we greeted them was warm, which naturally lifted our spirits.


But!...

On the way back, the speaker battery died...😅

Then... oh, how strange💦

The reaction when we greeted people changed somehow. I felt like our own energy dropped a little too.

Music isn't just background noise, is it?
I felt firsthand that it was the fuel for the team's heart.

Next time, don't forget the spare batteries! (An important lesson, haha)⚡

🗾 Someday, Smiling Seed-Sowers in all 47 prefectures

After finishing our activities in Tenri this time, a dream was born.

“Someday, I want to create a ‘Smiling Seed-Sowers’ group in all 47 prefectures across the country.”

This small circle born in Kawasaki has spread to Chiba, Gunma,
and now to Tenri, Nara.

And from here on,
to the whole country—🌸

“Clean the streets, cheer the heart.
The world is one big family.”

With this thought in our hearts, we are looking for friends to walk with us.

Would you like to join us in our activities to “clean the streets and cheer the heart”? 🍀

🍀 If you felt something after reading this article...

First, feel free to come here🌸

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