11/10/2026
To Ogijima in Winter: A Stay in Serenity
As winter deepens, one feels as though they have become distant and detached from the rest of the world.
I walk the narrow forest paths of the island. The cold wind brushes away the stagnant thoughts, bringing clarity to my consciousness.
The sound of fallen leaves crackling underfoot. The light filtering through the gaps between the trees. Touching the fresh vitality of nature that simply exists there and moving my body, one is naturally guided to a quiet place deep within.
A dialogue with the dynamic self inside me, something that is difficult to feel outside of true silence.
For the body weary from walking, the primitive warmth of burning wood penetrates deeply.
Within the steam of a herb-infused sauna, the core of the body gently unwinds. The sound of wood crackling inside the stove. With every pop and crack, I reclaim the tactile sensation of time.
To gaze at the flames is to gaze at time itself. It is to look deep inside oneself.
Distancing oneself slightly from the world to touch the profound depths of your own existence. This winter, enter such a quiet and deep time.
冬の男木島へ 静寂のステイ
冬が深まると、世界と遠く隔たった気分になる。
島の森の小径を歩く。
冷たい風は、思考の淀みをさらりとかすめ、意識を明瞭にする。
足元で爆ぜる落ち葉の音。木々の隙間から差し込む光。
ただそこに在る自然のすがすがしさに触れ、身体を動かすとき、人は自ずと、自らの内側にある静かな場所へと導かれてゆく。
静寂の中でしか感じることの難しい、自分の中の動的なる自己との対話。
歩き疲れた身体には原初的な薪の温かさが深く染み渡る。
ハーブの香るサウナの蒸気の中で、身体の芯がほどけてゆく。ストーブの中で爆ぜる薪の音。爆ぜるたびに、時間の手触りを取り戻す。
炎を眺めることは、時を眺めること。自分の内側を見つめること。
世界から少し距離を置き、自分という存在の深層に触れる。この冬、そんな静かなる深い時間へ。
