Kaito parked his silver Lexus sedan in the parking lot at the SuperQuickly. While the stalls at the front were reserved for konbini customers, the rest of the parking was for visitors hiking on the mountain or visiting Kumotawa Shrine.
Sana thought it had been a good vacation so far. Kaito, her husband, was making a real effort to be nicer and less irritable. Yesterday's lovemaking was passionate, like when they were first married. That had been more than twenty years ago now, and she wondered where they went wrong.
Sana checked her makeup in the visor mirror and smiled at Kaito, who patiently waited in the driver’s seat. She quickly adjusted her hair a little. Her long black curls made her face seem narrower. I still really look good, she thought, even if I’m in my mid-forties now. There might have been an additional wrinkle or two by the corners of her eyes, but she still looked younger than she was.
“You’re sure you want to stop at the konbini?” she asked.
“Yes. We should at least get some bottled water and a few snacks for the top of the mountain. It is a long walk up.”
“I thought we would just stop at the teahouse at the shrine. I hear their tea and sweets are excellent.”
“We definitely will do that, dear. But it never hurts to be prepared.”
“Very well. Maybe I’ll get something for the drive back.” Today was the last day of their impromptu weekend getaway. They were visiting Mount Kumotawa, famous for its views and shrine, before driving back to Hiroshima.
Kaito looked at the convenience store, a SuperQuickly, one of the smaller chains. “I don’t know when this konbini opened, but there used to be an inn here when I was a child. My friends and I would play on the mountain and catch insects here.”
The two stepped out of their sedan and walked over to the store.
“Welcome to our store!” Yuriko greeted the couple as they walked into the store.
The woman looked too elegantly dressed for a hike in her green silk blouse and tan slacks, but at least she wore walking shoes. The man dressed plainly, wearing a striped sports shirt and black pants with sensible shoes. Both wore matching lightweight jackets, all they needed for a sunny spring afternoon out, but the woman definitely dressed better. The man’s appearance looked sloppier, and his obvious attempt to conceal a large bald patch by combing his hair over it did not help.
The two browsed around the konbini, with the man picking up a few bottles of green tea, a beer, and some foil packs of beer snacks. The woman browsed through the candy aisle and picked some gummy candies.
“Will that be everything?” Yuriko asked Kaito as she scanned the last of the purchases through the till.
Kaito glanced briefly over at the hot food cabinet near the register. “I think that is it.”
“Very good. That will be 980 yen.” Yuriko began to pack the items into a plastic bag. “It looks like you’re planning on going up the mountain. The cherry blossoms are still in bloom but past their peak.”
Kaito placed a 1000 yen bill on the plastic payment tray. “Yes, we are planning on visiting the tea house and taking in the view at the top.”
“1000 yen,” Yuriko confirmed. “That will be nice. It is a little late in the afternoon now, so I should warn you that the shrine and path close at six p.m. today. There is supposed to be heavy fog on the mountain tonight, so the police close them as a safety precaution.”
“They used to do that when I was growing up here. Silly superstitions about yokai haunting the mountain to scare kids.” Kaito waved it off. “I can’t believe they still do that though.”
“Your change of 20 yen.” Yuriko put two small coins in the payment tray. “It sounds like you moved away, but people around here still avoid the mountain when it’s foggy. I can just say that it is almost impossible to see when the fog is thick and that people have gone missing before on these nights.”
Sana noticed Yuriko’s role in the store from the nametag on her konbini uniform. “You’re the manager. Have you ever seen anything strange on the mountain?” Her question had a nervous tone. “Everyone’s heard of the yokai legends about this mountain.”
“I haven’t seen anything myself.” Yuriko flawlessly lied from the many times this question had been asked. “A bear mauled a cyclist four months ago in the fog. He must have startled the bear when he was cruising down the road from the shrine. Bears frequent the mountains here as it is quite wild.”
“There you have it,” Kaito confidently said. “It’s all legends. There's nothing to worry about, dear.”
“Yes. There really isn’t anything to worry about,” Yuriko reassured. “The day is beautiful, so enjoy your shrine visit. There is plenty of time to go up to the shrine and come down before evening. Just stay on the main path; it is very well used.”
“Thank you,” Sana replied, “I’m looking forward to the visit.”
Yuriko watched the couple leave the store. The husband was full of bravado; the wife was a little nervous, probably from her husband’s teasing, but it wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before in visitors to the mountains.
*****
Sana did not know what to expect from her visit to Mount Kumotawa. She just knew from a quick internet search that the shrine and its teahouse were famous, and the views from the top were nice. After the conversation with the store manager, her nerves had calmed down. Kaito had said they would be up at the shrine by three thirty, where they could visit and have tea, then enjoy the late afternoon view from the top by five. The walk back down would be quick as it was all downhill, so they would be off the mountain by six. She felt better about the path up when she saw the big red torii gate that marked the way up to the shrine. The pathway up was wide enough for five or six people to walk side by side and was well-groomed with stone steps. A big sign by the gate repeated what the store manager had said about the shrine and path closing at six p.m. Seeing a couple of women come down the trail reassured her immensely.
She tired more than she would have liked to walk up to the shrine. The Internet had said there were 408 steps up to the shrine, and it wasn’t a lie. Kaito felt the climb, too, and joked it was much easier when he was a kid. They took it slow, and Kaito was a gentleman who regularly asked if she needed a brief rest. She welcomed the change from the criticism and indifference that characterized the recent years of their relationship.
They had been constantly arguing for over a year, sometimes over the smallest annoyances, but she believed it was about her husband’s failing company. Over the last few years, his construction company had bled money since it lost its biggest government contract. His mood turned dark, his demeanour demanding, and he obsessed over little details. Her tongue was sharp, too, and then he had slapped her for the first time two weeks ago. She had been ready to move in with her sister and file for divorce, but then he apologized.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
He told her his bad behaviour would stop, that she had nothing to do with his own failure. Things would turn around as there were some promising new projects on the horizon. Finally, he said he wanted to make it up to her for a hot springs holiday at a famous inn near Odewara. When she said it was too expensive, he insisted, saying that there was extra money and that she was the most important thing in his life. She relented. True to his word, their relationship went smoothly for the last week, even if some of his good behaviour seemed forced. The ryokan and its hot springs had been wonderful for the last few days, nestled in a beautiful outdoor setting, and the wonderful multi-course kaiseki meals were delicious. She wondered if the changes to their relationship would last beyond the holiday.
They passed through a thick pine forest, with the branches of the trees overshadowing the path in many places. Plenty of sunlight still made it through the foliage, though. The path had numerous switchbacks as it ascended, and they met more people coming down the mountain. Breathing the fresh, pine-scented air invigorated her, and the walk was less of a chore than it originally seemed. Soon, they saw another big torii gate with imperial crests that marked the entrance to the shrine grounds.
Kumotawa Shrine nestled in a shallow valley halfway up the mountain, making it quite picturesque. Their approach to the shrine revealed well-maintained landscaping. Cherry trees covered in pink blossoms scattered throughout the grounds added to the beauty. The main entrance went through a big red gatehouse where a thunder deity on the left wall and a wind deity on the right wall kept watch and glared out to keep evil at bay. They walked right by the teahouse through the gate onto the main shrine grounds. The two stopped briefly here to purify themselves by using ladles to pour water on their hands from the fountain just beyond the gate.
The Shinto shrine housed three kami at separate altars on the grounds. The main shrine building, with its large worship hall, was dedicated to the primeval deity of creation, Amenominakanushi. Fox statues marked a small shrine building with an altar to Inari, the god of agriculture, while another tiny building next to it was dedicated to Hanuman, the god of war. Scaffolding and tarps covered a portion of the main building. Sana had read on the shrine’s web page that the honden was closed for renovations as wood rot was discovered in some of its ancient beams last month. They were just a couple of weeks too late to see it, along with the spring festival.
They did go to the offertory box in front of the honden. Both tossed some coins in, pulled the long rope to ring the bell suspended above the box to draw the attention of the gods, silently made their wish, bowed, and then clapped twice. They stopped at the shrine shop next. A helpful shrine maiden assisted them with the available charms. Each omamori was a small, flat, rectangular fabric pouch that contained a prayer, and it was never supposed to be opened. The omamori came in a variety of patterns and designs. They passed on the charms for good crops, the strange one for protection from yokai, which was a popular souvenir seller here. They both agreed on a charm for a happy marriage, and she picked up ‘Success in Education’ for their son in college. Kaito also picked up a golden charm for monetary success. “You can’t have too much luck,” he said.
Afterwards, they took some photos around the shrine with their cell phones, and Sana posted a smiling picture of Kaito and herself on her social media. She also noticed that the shrine placed signs that said, ‘The shrine closes early today at six p.m. All visitors are to leave the mountain for their safety because of fog. This is a police order. We are sorry for the inconvenience to all of our visitors.’ Sana thought they took the early closure seriously around here.
After touring the grounds, they went to the tea house. The crowd was thin at this hour, so they were directed to a table right away. They ordered green tea and a selection of small cakes to split between them. The cakes were delicious, in a variety that ranged from matcha to chestnut flavours, and they went well with the house tea.
They rested for a while, chatted, and then Kaito looked at his watch. “We need to get going to make it to the top.”
“It’s already 4:30. Maybe we should just head back down to the car.”
“No. We came all this way,” Kaito cajoled. “Besides, I want to show you the view. I haven’t seen it myself in ages.”
Sana’s anxiety showed in her voice. “Can we make it to the top and back before everything closes?”
“I’m sure we can do it. It is only forty or forty-five minutes to the top. We can enjoy the view up there and then head straight back down. I promise you’ll like it.”
They called the waitress over and paid their bill.
“Is it only forty-five minutes to the top of the mountain?” Sana asked the young lady.
“Yes. Most people can make it up there in that time. But it is getting a little late today as everything closes soon.”
“See. We can do it,” Kaito chimed in. “Coming down will be easy. I raced down when I was a kid here. I’ll bet we can see them cleaning up here.”
“Well…,” the waitress started to say but then stopped. She did not want an argument. “Just make sure you’re off the mountain before the fog sets in. It’s supposed to be really thick tonight. We don’t leave ourselves until six or so.”
*****
The two then headed for the summit. The path to the top branched off at the big torii in front of the shrine. They maintained a good pace through the switchbacks and managed to make it to the top in just over forty minutes. Sana suspected she might be a little sore tomorrow, but she felt pretty good at the moment. Again, her nerves were calmed by seeing hikers come down as they went up. At the top, another couple was taking pictures when they arrived.
The lookout was a circular concrete platform at the top of the mountain that offered spectacular views all around, especially to the west. A metal radio tower marked the actual highest point on the mountain. Many picnic tables were set up on the platform for visitors to rest and eat.
Kaito pointed to the blue strip of the Seto Inland Sea with its many islands far to the west, with rolling hills of mikan orange orchards that ran down to the water. To the east and south, Sana saw lower hills and larger mountain ranges. The northern direction showed flatter farmland and the town of Odewara. This mountain seemed to be an outlier from the surrounding mountains.
“It is just like I remember!” Kaito exclaimed. “I told you the view is spectacular.”
“It is pretty,” Sana agreed. She walked around the lookout to take in the view and took many pictures on her cell phone, especially of the view to the west. The sun lowered in the sky, providing nice late afternoon lighting, but it wouldn’t set for hours.
The other couple giggled and joked about something funny in one of the photos they took; a warm breeze carried their sounds to them. A brazen squirrel ran by them, looking for food that humans dropped, then disappeared over the side of the platform. “It really is a beautiful afternoon,” Sana happily said. She forgot all her nervousness for the moment.
Kaito raised the plastic bag he had been carrying. “Let's have a seat and picnic with our snacks and enjoy the moment, especially since I carried them all the way up.”
Sana picked a clean table to sit at, and Kaito spread out the snacks and opened up his beer. He really wanted a beer, even if it was warm. Sana drank some of her bottled tea and picked away at some of the nuts and rice crackers on the table.
A long silence ensued while they enjoyed their break. Sana glanced at Kaito, who seemed to be basking in the sun. He was certainly trying to be nice, but she still sensed that he was hiding something. His attitude had hardened over the years, so everything had to be his way now. Even on this hike, she realized he cajoled her the entire time. She would still have to look into a divorce.
Time passed far more quickly than Sana realized. She looked at her phone and realized it was a quarter to six. Looking around, she saw the other couple had left. No one else had come up since their arrival either.
“Kaito! We should go. It is quarter to six.”
He opened his eyes. “Really? I guess the time really flies when you are having fun.”
Sana packed their trash.
“You worry too much,” Kaito said, putting his empty beer can into the bag. “It won’t be night for a couple of hours. They close the trails coming up, not going down.”
“What about the fog?”
“Again, don’t worry. It doesn’t really start until later in the evening.” Kaito saw she was still apprehensive. “Listen. I know a shortcut down the mountain if you’re really worried. It’ll shave half an hour off our time as we won’t have to do all those switchbacks.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Of course,” Kaito held her hand reassuringly and gave her a light kiss on the lips. “I used to use it all the time when I played here.”
This mountain unnerved Sana; she just wanted to get off of it. “Okay. Then let's go.”
*****
Concluded in the next installment.
