My grandmother, Kinu-san, crossed this "Wagi Pass" to marry into the Obara family.

She walked along this pass in her bridal gown. I wonder how she must have felt.

The marriage was decided by her parents. How must she have felt to have to marry a man she had never met or seen before?　I heard that on the morning she left her parents' house, kinu-san woke up at 3:00 a.m., washed her nieces' and nephews' diapers, cleaned up the household chores, and then packed her things and left.

Grandma was a person who always surrounded Watashi with her quiet and benevolent smile. Whenever something happened to her beloved grandmother, her grandson Watashi would walk along this mountain pass that she used to travel back and forth between her parents' home and her daughter-in-law's home. At times, it may have been a pleasant path, and at other times, there were days when she would crouch in grief. I would like to write down the story of such a grandmother on a separate page. The "Kinu" in the name of Watashi's business [Kinu & Kukai] was named after my grandmother. Thank you! Grandma. I love you now and always. Thank you for keeping life alive!



Now, here in Ohara, there are seven mountain passes. Seven in such a small village. I barely knew of the existence of "Waki Pass". However, most people nowadays do not even know the existence of the passes, let alone their names. I thought that "Waki Pass" was the official name, but the people on the Waki side call it "Ohara Pass. What? The road signposts set up by the people in Waki say "Ohara Pass. The people on this side of the pass called it "Ohara Pass" while the people on the other side called it "Ohara Pass". They called it by whatever name they wanted to call it. People in the old days were very fuzzy. The official name is meaningless, as long as you know what you are talking about. They did not have the idea that they should call it this way or that. Therefore, there were no fights over what to call a mountain pass. Do you think, "People in the old days were so lazy? Yes, they knew "good enough".

It is rational and efficient to unify and standardize all names to make them easy to manage! I feel that this thinking has deprived the Japanese people of the "generosity" of "good moderation". Words and names have been integrated and standardized, and this has trapped us in a narrow world where we can only see one side of our thoughts. No one realizes that it is a small world. Compulsory education, newspapers and TV programs have created a uniform pattern of thinking. In the past, Japanese people had the ability to look at things from multiple perspectives. I think it was the power of the Japanese language, the sound 靈 of vowels and mother tones, and the power of Goto靈 (言靈). The names of roads, such as National Highway No. 9 and Prefectural Highway No. 59, have been unified by numbers and changed into tasteless official names. The names of minor roads and mountain passes that had no merit were erased from existence. In the fall of 2021, when the polarization of the society had reached its peak and the eugenicists and materialists seemed to have won by a landslide, Watashi would like to shine a light on the forgotten paths that have no merit. There is still a small, warm fire burning there. We hope that this fire will become a light, a beacon of hope for Japanese people who have lost their discernment, and a guide to help them cross the steep mountain passes of life by their own strength.

In fact, the pass on the Ohara side was dark with man-made forests, steep slopes and fallen trees, and the path disappeared halfway up, leaving us to find our way with a compass and a map. The entire forest lacked the bright power of a place that no one has paid attention to for years. At the top of the pass, we arrived at a signpost that had been erected by the people of Wagi. The air quality changed after the pass. The descent to Wagi was full of joy and brightness. It was such a beautiful path that one could walk along it while humming a song. I could feel that the people of Wagi had not forgotten this pass, but rather cherished it in their light. The rocks, the trees, the grass, the path, everything was bright. Even if you run into a bear, the bear is smiling like Pooh! I am sure of it (laugh). (Laughs) At the end of the pass, there was a torii (a Shinto shrine). A chicken welcomed us with a "cock-a-doodle-doo" sound. I felt like a god. I passed through the torii gate and landed in a beautiful village! I could feel the plum trees and Japanese trees that my uncle had started. Then, after a while, I saw a familiar sight: 。。。。 It is the house where my grandma was born, brought to me by my grandma when I was a little girl! It's Grandma Kinu's birthplace!

We are being led! I'm being guided in this direction! I feel that I am being supported! I feel that I am being supported.

"Grandma, this is the right direction for me to live, isn't it?

She is standing by me with a kind smile, saying, "You can do whatever you want, Yochan.

I'm so grateful!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you x a million times.

In this life, I feel as if Watashi has come back here to shine his light on Ohara.

Born and raised in Ohara, I didn't like the small world of the countryside, so I wanted to see a wider world, and became an overseas tour guide. I saw the whole world. Then I got married and began to live a life of patience and hard work, trying to be a decent, sensible adult in every way. I thought it was right to live inside the quadrangle, so I went in there myself, and when I saw people living outside the quadrangle, I was envious, angry, and scornful of them. (laughter)

From the moment I left the countryside, I only saw one side of the story. I was running with selfishness, thinking that I would work harder and harder, build a career that everyone would envy, and win the life and happiness that I longed for.

It was nothing. Grandma Kinu, who survived in Waki and Ohara, lived beautifully in this village with a broader mind and richer heart than Watashi, who had seen the whole world. She was the most secure and gentle grandmother in the world. I have seen the most beautiful places in the world, and if I were asked what is the most beautiful village in the world, I would say Ohara and Kazusa. I would answer Ohara and Waki.

Is this what all my experience has been for? Connected! I want to make a map of the mountain pass! I thought, the aspirations of the ancestors behind Wataji manipulated Wataji's thoughts and actions. I agree. I will no longer resist, but live as my heart desires. And I will make this beautiful village of Tamba more vibrant.

November 19, 2021, the day of the mysterious almost total lunar eclipse