Huh, where is this?

It wasn't that long ago.

One night, I was heading towards a distant mountain in my dream.

I got on a train and then a bus, getting off at the foot of the mountain.

I had a shoulder bag with me.

Inside was water.

About five hundred milliliters.

At this point, I thought, "Huh."

For climbing a mountain, five hundred milliliters of water seems like not enough.

My dream self seemed to think it would be sufficient.

In reality, I'd want to bring more.

I also wanted an onigiri (rice ball).

Ideally, I'd also want a towel.

But in the dream, I thought, "Since there's water, that should be enough," and just kept going.

That's how dreams are; they're bold like that.

After passing through the tunnel

I thought I would spend a whole day climbing the mountain path, but then there was a staircase-like tunnel in the middle. After passing through it, I suddenly found myself near the summit.

Huh? Just now, I was at the foot of the mountain.

What happened to that all-day climb?

Dreams often skip over important parts.

The procedures for moving around are detailed, but the actual climbing is completely skipped.

I wonder why they skip those parts.

Moreover, there was a temple-like building near the summit. As I approached, the lights at the ticket booth suddenly turned on. It's still early in the morning, but there were people there. And they properly sold me tickets.

This is a dream. Even in a dream, there are entrance procedures. For Mount Myōjin (a sacred mountain), you would expect something like clouds parting to reveal light as an welcome. But first, it's the ticket. Even for a mystical experience, there's a reception desk. From that point on, the story starts going in a strange direction.

That is not the correct brochure

After buying the ticket, I was walking around with something like a brochure. However, when I asked where I was based on the information in the brochure, it didn't quite match up. A staff member said: "That's the wrong brochure." And then they gave me another thick brochure.

In my dream, I had the wrong brochure. It felt too realistic; it could have been anything. After all, it's a dream, so the brochures should automatically be correct. But that wasn't the case. Dream tourist destinations are surprisingly strict about paperwork. Moreover, there are apparently over fifty temples on this mountain.

Fifty.

A lot.

Quite a lot.

In reality, I would probably be worried.

Can I make it around?

Is there enough water?

Is there a bus to go back?

But my dream self is not very surprised by that.

So, there are more than fifty of them?

That's the kind of mountain it is.

For some reason, I accept it.

I am tolerant of big mysteries, but the brochures are perfectly detailed.

Smaller things rather than huge ones

There was also a giant Buddha statue on that mountain.

It was so large that it seemed like something out of this world, with its strange appearance as if it were sticking its face out of a building.

Normally, that would be the center of the dream.

What does this mean?

Is it some kind of message?

That's what I want to think.

However, memories in dreams don't always work seriously.

The giant Buddha statue is amazing.

The sacred mountain is amazing.

More than fifty temples are amazing.

But what remains after waking up isn't just those big things.

Rather, the small details remain.

Five hundred milliliters of water.

Ticket booth.

A different brochure.

And the dining hall.

Something on the seat in the dining hall

It is understandable that there is a dining hall at a mountain temple.

There will be pilgrims.

There may be hikers.

It's not strange to have a place to eat something.

However, there was something strange attached to the seat in that dining hall.

It looked like just the coin slot of a coin-operated binoculars.

Where are the binoculars?

Is it equipment for looking out the window?

Or does something activate for each seat?

I don't know.

But even though I don't know, I remember only that part very clearly.

Even in my dream, I thought:

What is this?

And after waking up, I still think:

What was that?

The mysterious coin slot is more interesting than the giant Buddha statue.

When it becomes like this, the highlights of the dream change a little.

Not "めでたし", but...

There was an unfamiliar mountain.

There was a long staircase.

There was a large Buddha.

Up to this point, it's quite a respectable story.

However, from somewhere in the middle, the tone of the story changes.

The ticket is here.

It's not that brochure.

The dining hall is over there.

There is a mysterious coin slot on the seat.

Suddenly, this becomes a tourist guide.

But perhaps that's what makes it interesting and dreamlike.

Mysterious things don't always appear with a mysterious aura.

Sometimes, they come along with reception desks, brochures, or even 500-milliliter bottles of water.

More than meaning, first...

You don't have to force an interpretation of what it means.

"Huh, what is this?" Just looking at it and wondering is enough to appreciate it.

If I were to go to that mountain again next time, I think I would bring a little more water. And also some small change. It might be necessary for tickets. There might be vending machines. There's also that mysterious coin slot at the dining area tables. But what you put in it and what you see... That part is still unclear.

I should have asked about it at the entrance.