Garden of the Fairies

My Hawaiian Baguazhang teacher
came to Japan from Hawaii,
and since there was a one-day workshop in Tokyo,
I went to attend it.

We all moved in circles,
creating a large flow,
and within that, we drew our own individual circles,
practicing infinite loop movements.

We also did partner training using dragon movements,
which was incredibly fun.
I was also able to meet up with old friends from the Tokyo group,
so I was very satisfied.

I'm not good with the city center, so I stayed at a cheap hotel in Oimachi called Ours,
and the next morning, I went to a place I'd always wanted to visit:
Hokoku-ji Temple in Kamakura, where it's rumored that fairies live.
I stopped by there.
It was so beautiful it made me gasp,

and the tiny plants were just adorable.

I'm the type of person who
can't really see those kinds of beings with my eyes,
but I'm the type who feels the bustling presence of spirits
with my whole body.

This place is amazing.
There seem to be so many beings here who are having a great time,
and it made me feel cheerful too.

And as expected of a Zen temple, this property alone
is like another world, like its own universe.

The bamboo forest is also beautiful.

The light rain was coming and going,
but that just made the plants shine even more beautifully,
like the fairies were dancing a waltz in the light rain.

Suddenly, the wind would blow and then stop,
and I feel like I could stay there all day and never get bored.

I'm so glad I took the plunge and participated in the Tokyo workshop.

Dragons and fairies have somehow
become familiar presences to me.

Since I got back,
I've wanted to draw fairies again.

This is something I drew about 20 years ago.

I think I'll change the name of my crystal salon back
to 'the Gate of Starchild'.

I've started wanting to do all sorts of things.

Spring is almost here.