A Stay in Comfort and a Path to the Unknown
It was an icy, windy evening. I remember it clearly. Lanterns hung from dangling wires as the people below them shared smiles with one another. I was walking amongst these crowds of people, whose dress in unfamiliar clothing, and enjoying the night, not knowing where this night would lead. I found myself filled with marvelous curiosity. A curiosity one would expect to show while travelling in a foreign country. Wandering the streets in the same unfamiliar clothing everyone around me wore, my heart started to thump faster and faster as seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours. As dark and cold as the night was, I had never felt any warmer or brighter in my life. It was the night of the Japanese New Year, a celebration that I had never attended before, in a country that was foreign to me. The night of Japanese New Year inspired me to explore the unknown parts of life.
I had made my way from the dark, cold streets of Tokyo, Japan to lanterns filled Japanese New Year Festival. As I gradually and cautiously walked around the mud-covered road near a moonlit pond, I found myself in a completely different world. The lunar fishes were swimming in a pond to the rhythm of the beating taiko drums. It seemed as if they were dancing in the water. As I proceeded closer to the pond, I saw my reflection. It was the reflection of a completely different person. The softness of the silky kimono wrapped around my body and the sound of the wooden geta on my feet made me feel like a brand new person. I went back to the streets around town staring at every single thing that I passed like a child in a candy store. While putting on a Noh mask that I had previously won from a mini-fish catching game, I was drawn by the sweet smell of takoyaki. The enchanting grilled octopus dumpling with sweet tasting okonomiyaki sauce on top was the best food I had ever eaten. While enjoying this scrumptious food, I ended up walking toward a flight of stairs that led to a shadowy unknown.
I walked up the stone steps, a step at a time as my geta made wooden clacking sound against each step; my heart was full of anticipation. I did not know where I was heading and what is waiting for me. As I approached the top, I heard bells ringing and people clapping. Another gush of cold night breeze blew on my face, freezing my sweat, as I finally reached the last step and entered a world of God.
I saw people gathered around a large bell. They were ringing it, tossing money into a wooden container, and then clapping their hands. I advanced toward the bell and quietly asked a nearby gentleman in a rather fashionable kimono to explain the meaning behind this profound ritual. He explained that ringing the bell cleaned you of your sins for the past year and the tossing of money was for wishes of good luck for the New Year as well as personal wishes. With an uncontrollable curiosity roaming in my head, I proceeded to ring the bell, throw the money, and clap my hands. As I was making my wishes, a cold, but gentle breeze blew upon me. It signaled my departure from this haven.
Although this moonlit night felt like an endless dream, I realized that if I only stayed in this single moment, I would never be able to move forward into the future. The Japanese New Year had engulfed me with its brilliant and captivating culture. It provided me with a long lasting experience that will continue to impact throughout my reminding life. It is a special moment that taught me, in order to continue growing, I have to leave what is comfortable and familiar and venture out into the unknown.