We’ll get to the machiya later but first, can we just talk about HOW FREAKING AWESOME JAPAN’S TOILETS ARE?! Like, bruh, the toilets alone are worth the trip already! My bum had never felt so warm and pampered in all its life!

I mean, it took a bit of rocket science to figure out all the illustrated buttons but nonetheless, it proved to be quite a fun experimental process.

The room we were staying in at Irori Hotel was small as it was narrow. BUT… for its size, it had everything you need if you don’t need a huge closet. It had a kitchen that doubled as a laundry room, a dining area that doubled as a workstation, a bathroom that doubled as a toilet, and a bedroom that doubled as a lounge room. It had a fridge, an electric kettle, an electric stove, a washing machine/dryer, an Asian-sized bathtub (half the size of a regular tub), and a television where you can watch the news without understanding anything at all because it’s all in Japanese.

I woke up at 5:13am and the dining table became a journaling one. I made myself a cup of complimentary green tea and took it all in — the stillness of the morning and the whole experience of living in such a highly efficient space that I couldn’t help but admire the incredible aptitude for creating a habitable and cohesive environment where everything seemed pared down right to their very essence.

It was like saying, look, life is so simple. Why do you need to complicate things? Why fill your life with too much… stuff?

As I realised those things, I wrote on my journal how I should get myself a teapot set as a remembrance of my visit in Japan.

A block or two away from Irori Hotel was the Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, also known as “the Eastern Monastery of the Original Vow.” It was first built in its present location in 1658 before undergoing a series of rebirths through various fire incidents that saw the temple burn down and rebuilt to what it is now.

Something I didn’t know about when I was there because all the signs were in Japanese and I didn’t have mobile internet to use Google Translate.

Something I only read about on Wikipedia just then and adding it in now so I don’t sound like a complete idiot.

In this day and age of filters and influencers, I like to give the impression that I’m an educated traveler. I’d probably do it Confucius-style — pacing slowly and thinking deeply, all while stroking my long white beard. That will so be my vibe!

Ironically, being offline made me observe and appreciate the temple more while relying only on my own senses. I mean, it’s not like I had much of a choice.

But trust me when I say there is peace to be found within those wooden walls. In the main hall where photography was not allowed, I sat on the floor shined and polished by pilgrims and time. Listened to my heart beat. Looked up at the massive wooden structures in awe and the intricate geometry of the designs. Breathed in the ancient scent and beauty of it all.

And when the rumination was over, the selfies began. As it should. #picsoritdidnthappen

*Raven at 7 years old