Baraka

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

I watched the documentary, Baraka today. The film, beautifully photographed in high-definition, depicted the common thread found in all people in the world: spirituality, community, violence, destruction and death. The story was told through man’s relationship with nature. The opening scene began in Japan where a female Japanese snow monkey (macaque) was soaking in hot springs. The monkey sat still, her expression calm, almost meditative. I had wanted to see the film on its own merit, but the image of the macaque in such a calm repose, convinced me that the film was worth putting aside the day’s chores.

It has been my intent to one day return to Japan to visit the mountainous regions where the snow monkey lives. I don’t know much about the snow monkey except for the photographs I have seen of them. Macaques have a red, human-like face with expressive eyes. Their fur is naturally thick and during the winter months they grow an even heavier fur coat that protects them from the cold. Although they typically walk on all four legs, they are capable on walking on their back legs allowing them to hold items in their hands. Most photographs of macaque show them soaking in Japanese hot springs, called onsen. I guess that is where I first fell in love with them.

My initial trip to Japan was an experience in culture shock. It was the first time I had travelled to a foreign country (Canada notwithstanding) and found myself in a place where I was the one who stood out from the masses. Metropolitan Japan is defined by large waves of people in constant motion. Narrow city streets and tightly packed buildings are brightly lit by gaudy displays of neon. It was emotionally overwhelming and isolating for in addition to not looking Japanese, I did not speak the language.

After a day of recovering from jet lag, we left the city travelling by rail to Hakone. We walked around the city and stayed in a traditional Japanese hotel; rooms furnished with tatami rugs and futons rolled away in a closet. After dinner we went to the onsen where there were separate pools of steaming water steeped in various herbs and smells.  This was the Japan I was seeking, one where the pace was slower, buildings simple and elegant, where traditions and history are more important than commerce.

Someday I will return to Japan, not to visit the Ginza or Akihabara (Electric Town where stores carrying the latest in electronic gadgetry ply their wares) but to travel far into the forested regions where the macaque live. Where people and nature intersect and move in concert with one another.