A walking tour of the Temple Grounds

The Temple Grounds face eastwards towards the ocean...actually the windward side of Tokyo Bay...which is only several kilometers away.  It is nestled within a moderately urbanized area consisting of a sprawl of elder structures and lowrises to house the many people who commute to the nearby Bayside industrial area and convention grounds.  Directly behind the temple is a large hill that extends upwards for several hundred meters; this hill provides a magnificent backdrop to the temple environs.  Megumi often rides her bicycle up this hill for training.  At the top of the hill is a scenic outlook...an outlook that Keiichi rediscovered when he and Belldandy were taking care of a stray puppy.

Approaching the temple, one must pass through a weathered wooden torii, which serves as a gateway the grounds general.  The thinly-graveled driveway passes inward about a hundred meters, then turns left twice.  At the T intersection, turning right will lead to a small garage that functions mostly as a repair-shop.  Keiichi can often be seen working on his BMW motorbike and other vehicles there.  A walkway comprised of set groundstones leads to the main vehicle garage.

Walking behind the garage, one encounters a small bell tower in the distance, formerly used to summon generations of Buddhist practitioners.  It has the traditional gonging cast bell with a ringing pole. Since Keiichi and Belldandy moved into the temple, this bell is rarely rung...except by drunken sempai, Skuld when she engages in one of her temper fits, and Sayoko when she arrives wasted and wants to wake the household up for a 4am karaoke contest...

Approaching the northwest corner, one gradually enters the gentle shades of a small tree grove.  These are known to the temple residents as "Skuld's Trees".  Belldandy created them as a place of repose and reflection.  Ironically, they eventually were named after the very non-reposing, non-reflective Skuld...nobody knows why.  These flavorful trees provide ample coverage and ambience; Belldandy deliberately chose a wide variety of cedars, pawlonias, maples, pines and oak trees for this corner.  In the center of the grove, an open area is described with wedges of rock and small mounds of grass, suggesting islands in the ocean.  The whole creates a poetic expression of the macrocosm within the microcosm.  Several benches comprised of slabs of flatrocks are set within the small open area, where one can relax while the trees pull the sky down...or do they push the sky up? 

A stonepath walkway lined with various kasuga, enshu and other stone lanterns, extends from Skuld's Trees towards the main Temple House, following a fair pathway where it arrives near the Sunroom decking.

Behind the temple house are two gardens: Belldandy's Vegetable and Flower Garden and Cevn's semicircular Zen Garden (not yet pictured) .  Each year, Belldandy plants an number of vegetables and flowers in her garden, fueling the household with a wide variety of organic vegetables, fresh spices, and floral effusions of beauty.

Passing southwards along the west wall about another forty or fifty meters, one finds themselves in the midst of another garden.  This ancient stone garden dates from the Ashikaga; it assembles a very distinctive set of contrasts with its spare use of shade trees, small fishpond, and rocks that are of the masculine sort.  This stone garden provides a complement to the gentler arrangement of the garden in the small clearing in Skuld's Trees.  Belldandy and Keiichi decided to retain this relic of the temple, because of its symphony of resonance with the natural setting.  It serves as a place of meditation...and also a make-out spot for several couples.  Belldandy and Keiichi always retreat to one of the wooden benches here when the NIT MCC 'volunteers' the use of the temple for a pre-race party.

Walking eastwards along the south wall, one sees a single cherry tree planted nearby the southeast corner of the Temple House.  This is the Infamous Cherry Tree, site of the mystical prominence that almost caused Belldandy to have to return to Yggdrasil during the first year of her stay.  This tree also is infamous because of Troubadour, Urd's second divine boyfriend.

As one basks in the rustles of the Infamous Cherry tree, they may notice a large structure to the east.  This is Banpei's home, often referred to as the "Banpei Shed".  A groundstone walkway extends north from Banpei's home towards the driveway.  On the right of this walkway is the Mecha Shop, where the Goddesses (primarily Skuld) work on mechas and projects too large for their individual hobby rooms in the Temple House.  Both Urd and Skuld have blown up this structure a number of times during their 'experimenting'...so far, the combustion tally is 4 for Urd and 6 for Skuld...

Back at the main driveway, one sees a groundstone pathway to the front entrance of the house.  To the right of the walkpath is a sequence of koi ponds, trees and trimmed shrubs.  Approximately 5pm during the weekdays, one may see a beautiful woman with long soft brown hair and wondrous azure eyes waiting patiently...