The Importance of Greetings and the Scent of Home

 Facebook posted on June 21, 2023

I moved to an unfamiliar land, an unfamiliar town, and an unfamiliar house. I'm so lucky to speak Japanese, otherwise, it feels like I moved to a foreign country.

Despite having a place that required my initial greetings, I was occupied with paperwork such as residency registration and setting up utilities.

Amidst this chaos, we visited a local Shinto shrine.

To my surprise, reaching the shrine involved driving under a torii gate—a practice I had never done before. My mind was filled with confusion.

Do I bow my head while passing under the Torii gate?

Isn't the center under the Torii gate where the Kami walks?

Is it appropriate to drive through it?

With these thoughts, I parked my car at the gravel square next to the Torii gate. However, upon realizing that the shrine was quite far to walk from there, and considering the asphalt road and passing cars beyond the torii gate, I wondered how people managed to enter through it.

Thus, I approached an older gentleman who was gardening nearby and asked,

"Excuse me! I want to visit that shrine over there. Where should I park my car? I placed it next to the torii gate."

"Ah, I wonder whose land it was next to the torii gate. It's better to park your car beneath the shrine," he replied.

"But is it okay to drive under the Torii gate?"

"Well, everyone living around here drives under the Torii gate."

"Not next to it, but under it? Under?"

"Yes, Under."

I drove under the Torii gate and I proceeded to introduce myself at the local shrine.

"I recently moved here from Canada. My name is Mari Okazaki. Thank you for watching over me and my family. I have specialized in Reiki therapy for many years in Canada, but from now on, I would like to learn new things in this place, so I made the bold decision to move here. Thank you in advance for your support."

Feels good.

And then, there was the house.

A home is the foundation of our lives, and we want it to be as comfortable as possible. So, I began by peeling off any washable materials and washing them. Just doing that already transformed the scent of the house completely. Whether it was the old house's unique smell or the previous occupant's lingering scent, my senses became hyperactive. On the first day, I felt as if someone was constantly watching me, unable to get any sleep. I could almost hear whispers saying,

"There's a new person. Will they fit in here? Will they stay?"

Ah, that's right—I hadn't properly greeted the house either.

"My name is Mari Okazaki. I have moved here from Canada. I will be living in this house from now on, so thank you for having me."

Then, I rearranged the Miroku Buddha, Daikokuten & Ebisu combo statues that had been randomly placed—into their proper positions. Just doing that made the house feel much calmer, and the scent no longer bothered me.

Slowly, but surely, the place became more comfortable.

I also planted the baby basil I received as a gift and did a little bit of weeding (with a scythe, a very analog way of doing it). I was covered in sweat, but it felt refreshing.

And that's my story today.