Day 5 - The Stunning Design Of A Hornet’s Nest, A Lesson In The Lightness Of Being From A Frog So Light It Can Sit Inside A Rose - Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan
Day 5 - The Stunning Design Of A Hornet’s Nest, A Lesson In The Lightness Of Being From A Frog So Light It Can Sit Inside A Rose - Hot Springs Walking Tour Of Northern Japan
You can learn so much from being in nature.
In fact, if you are in tune with the rhythm of nature, you can learn more from your own experiences in nature than you can ever learn from a book or from others, no matter how enlightened they are.
If you think of it in simple terms, I could describe the smell of a rose to you, or the tenderness of its petals, but you will only know it by smelling a rose yourself, or by rubbing the velvety rose petals between your own fingers.
Today I was walking behind Jules, taking close-up photos of interesting things.
I was looking to take artistic photos, either of flowers, bugs or even rusting metal and old buildings.
There is such beauty in everything, even in broken rusted iron, in the symmetry of structures or in the patterns of the moss.
My travel camera is old.
It has been with me on several pilgrimages and I have dropped it many times.
The lens inside is full of dust particles, from walking through dusty sand dunes and windy sea spray.
It is also not great for macro photos, but I have not invested in a new travel camera that is light enough to carry, so it will have to do for now.
One of the amazing things that I saw today was a tiny green frog, gently resting inside the petals of a pink rose.
As I was walking, my feet were throbbing and I felt so heavy, carrying my heavy backpack and feeling that is is so hard to move so slow through space and time.
Then I saw this tiny frog, demonstrating the lightness of being.
I immediately felt delight and gratitude,instead of heaviness.
I was so excited to see it.
If I had found $1000, I wouldn’t have been as happy and grateful as I was seeing this frog, and learning a lesson in the lightness of being from it, so calm and so light it can look at the world from the inside of a pink rose.
Farther on, I stopped to admire the stunning design of a hornet’s nest.
I don’t know how the term “Hornet’s nest” got its pejorative connotation.
Their nests are a masterpiece of nature.
The hornets built this nest in circular patterns, each with its own color, creating a masterpiece of natural architecture.
The intricate, swirling patterns that you can see on the outer surface are made from chewed wood fibers mixed with their saliva, which the hornets use to create a kind of papery pulp.
Each layer is built up in thin sheets, creating a marbled texture that can look almost like fine handmade paper or carved wood grain.
The materials the hornets use could be weathered wood from trees, fence posts, or even cardboard, giving the nest soft shades of gray, tan, or brown.
The concentric, swirling lines are the result of overlapping paper layers — like the growth rings of a tree, but made by the insects.
Inside, the nest is made of perfectly hexagonal cells (like honeycombs), organized in tiers.
The outer pattern isn’t just decorative — it helps camouflage the nest among the bark of neighboring trees , while providing insulation and strength.
The nest that I photographed even had a hornet at the opening, looking at me with the same curiosity that I felt while admiring its beautiful nest.
This morning, we checked out of our Ogata hotel, and took the express train to continue our walk north.
We got off the train at Noshiro Station.
The village of Noshiro takes the time to welcome the passengers on the express train.
People who don’t get off in Noshiro get off the train just to listen to local kids drumming and playing flutes.
They walked up and down the train platform, offering train passengers the chance to take one shot at making a free throw at the basketball hoop.
Whoever gets the basketball in, gets enthusiastic applause and a commemorative wood plaque with the village’s name carved on it.
I got the basketball through the hoop, and was given the commemorative wood carving.
Then everyone got back on the train and continued on to Aomori.
But Jules and I will be staying overnight in Noshiro.
We locked our backpacks in the lockers at the train station and started walking north.
We decided to visit the sights of Noshiro before walking out of town, because we will return by dinner time, after everything would already be closed.
First we visited the old local shrine, adjacent to an old and beautifully preserved restaurant from the 1700’s.
The wooden building was magnificent.
Then we walked through the “Kaze no Matsubara”, a vast black pine forest along the coast of Noshiro.
It stretches about 14 kilometers along the shoreline.
The area covers about 760 hectares and is made up of around 7 million black pine trees.
Because of their location near the sea, the trees have been shaped by strong winds and sea breezes.
Many of the trees lean inland, creating interesting curved forms.
It is a popular place for walking, cycling, and jogging, with several trails for enjoying nature and sea views.
It also acts as a natural coastal barrier, protecting the area inland from wind, salt spray, and historically even reducing damage from tsunamis.
After we left Noshiro, we crossed a long bridge and walked north.
The day was very hot, and people in passing cars were cheering for us.
My feet were so hot, and drops of sweat ran down my back.
The main streets of the villages we passed through were mostly deserted. Shops were mostly closed or permanently out of business.
Only utilitarian businesses survived, like gas stations, car rentals, car dealerships, banks and post offices.
There were no cafes, restaurants or eateries.
Luckily, before we left Noshiro, we had bought two roasted sweet potatoes and rice balls, to eat for lunch.
We walked through rice fields with many windmills looming over them.
The four lane road that we walked on was full of traffic, with no shaded places to sit.
Finally we found a farmers market, that was selling Japanese pears the size of grapefruits, and some really delicious dark red grapes.
We ate our lunch sitting at one of their tables, among other people who pulled off the road into this roadside rest area.
People looked at us with bewilderment and curiosity.
They clearly couldn’t understand what we were doing there, walking in an area where you never see people walking.
We finished our walk in plenty of time to catch the train back to Noshiro.
We got our backpacks out of the storage locker and walked another three kilometers to our hotel for the night.
It was a business hotel, that offered a large and empty hot springs bath, a coin laundry to wash our clothes, and a clean room with dinner and breakfast.
I did our laundry as I soaked in the hot bath, and then we ate dinner and went to bed.
It felt like a very interesting day, despite the intense heat and the lack of places to rest.
With love and blessings,
Tali
Walked today - 23 km
Total walked to date - 96 km.
