"Evolution," "Ingenuity," and "Wisdom": What Lies Beyond, Vol. 1

● Sensor-activated water purification pavilion (chozuya)
● A long-established bakery selling bread in vending machines
● A hot spring facility displaying ventilation frequency for over 10 locations within the building
● A set-meal restaurant that includes a complimentary mini iced coffee

During a brief six-hour stay in Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture, for some business,
I experienced symbols of the present and omens of the future.

Things that change, and things that change but remain the same.
I felt as though our consciousness and the phenomena we see are gradually and steadily changing in weight, quality, and scope, much like a gradient.

I have decided to write down my thoughts on this in a series of posts.

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Life brought about by the awareness of water as a gift from the eight million gods

Whether it's due to skyrocketing utility costs, water conservation, COVID-19 measures, or perhaps a decrease in income—I suspect there are several reasons—but I witnessed firsthand that the water purification ritual, which I had always taken for granted as flowing freely, is actually provided through the kindness of the shrine, in the form of sensor-activated water.

Many shrines have closed their water purification pavilions entirely to avoid crowding, but the fact that it is controlled by a sensor gave me a sense of unease, as if I had been suddenly pulled back from a dream world—or rather, as if that world had never truly existed at all.

I wonder why this is so surprising...?



Thinking about it, I realized it might not just be a matter of "the evolution of the times," but rather an awareness of the actions integrated into our daily lives and their cultural background.

For us Japanese, the water purification ritual is a daily custom performed to allow us to enter the realm of the gods, in other words, a natural action performed unconsciously.

And the foundation of a shrine is Shinto. Whether they are conscious of it or not, Japanese people understand, as naturally as breathing, that "gods dwell in all things", and that nature gods and the eight million gods (yaoyorozu no kami)" exist within shrines.

The water in a shrine's chozuya (purification fountain) is water that springs from the god's domain, in other words, the chozuya is one of the natural objects where a god dwells, so I assumed it was not something humans should control—or rather, that shrines exist in a dimension completely different from the artificial dimension of control. However, I am now astonished by the fact that this is actually not the case at all!!!

Oh god, how merciless... (>0<) Oh NO!!

I thought that perhaps many Japanese people share the assumption that a shrine is a place where human intervention cannot occur, but what do you think?

And this sensor-based chozuya feels a little bit like the time, decades ago, when we assumed that tea and water were free...

Is a sensor-activated chozuya really SDGs?

Now, I have actually seen the articulated SDGs initiatives of a certain company, and I encountered a sentence that gave me a strong sense of discomfort. It was...

"Baths are a waste of resources; let's try to use showers as much as possible."

Oh my... (^^; Well, I think there are many different opinions. I was surprised and saddened by a sentence that felt so lacking in consideration, but at the same time, I felt the terror and danger of a dualism that draws a line across everything uniformly, which left me with mixed feelings~💦

As you know, the bathing culture is unique to Japan, which is blessed with abundant water, but a bath that allows the whole family to warm up is actually quite rational, and when you consider the use of leftover water, it can result in water conservation.

Bathing, which also has an aspect of health management, could lead to misunderstanding and confusion if not examined from both cultural and practical perspectives.

Discerning "Change" and "Essence"

I don't want to just dismiss it by saying "it's the times we live in." There is always a reason for how things came to be, and our lives are an extension of that.

Bad customs should be reformed, and the decisions of those involved should be respected. There are surely some customs where drawing a line is difficult.




Thinking about such things, I dug deeper into my feelings of surprise regarding the sensor-controlled water basins this time, and what emerged was a "re-recognition of the delicacy of Japanese people's sensitivity toward nature."




It warms my heart—ah, the Japanese people! I am genuinely happy about that sensibility~ (^^/

Phenomena will likely continue to change, but I want to cherish gratitude toward natural objects. I have come to realize that we must not mistake what changes for what does not.

Trees, plants, flowers, wind, soil... one answer to happiness for Japanese people, who possess a sense of awe toward nature and a rich sensibility, may be unexpectedly close at hand.

Let us not lose sight of it even as we evolve. I want to choose things that bring peace to the heart.

Thank you for sticking with me through this long post!