However what I love is not only the stone stairs in front of shrines and temples but also the stairs I see in town. Living in Yamanote I often come across stairs. I'm aware that this town is completely the opposite of a barrier-free town, but I still hope the stairs will be kept as they are. In this case the source of my pleasure is to ponder over such things as the history hidden behind the slopes while taking a walk. Every hill and stairs has its own history in most cases and it's quite interesting to follow it.

To precisely describe my fondness for stone stairs, it's "I just cannot help going up if there is any stair-shaped object outside" But because I generally use escalators instead of stairs at the subways and elevators in office buildings in my daily life, I'm probably not a genuine stair-lover. If to answer what's so different about going up the stairs outside, I'd instantly give two reasons; one is that the stairs outside always come with a great reward that I can expect to have an excellent view at the top, and the other is that it makes me feel I can leave my footprints. Looking at the stone stairs dating back for hundreds of years, you would realize that the center of the steps are worn away as a great number of people have been walking on them. Then I walk on the steps that have been rubbed off by thousands or tens of thousands of people's feet in the past, and rub off the surface deeper, though very slightly, with my feet. Picturing myself doing that, I feel like I'm actually involved in the history of human.

Now, the final destination of this trip was Sendai. The main purpose of the trip was, of course, not the stone stairs but to see a building called Mediatheque and to see my friend performing a live concert there. I think I'll talk about it next time, but today I'm going to introduce the stone stairs I came across in Sendai.

I first visited Zuihoden. It's Masamune Date's mausoleum standing on a hill called Kyogamine. This building was gaudy and glossy. It was been reconstructed in 1979, and though it might be objectionable for those who like old buildings, the colors being used were quite lovely causing even the animals lto ook a bit inferior, and I actually liked it.

As the steps of the stone stairs leading to the building were wide, it was very easy to walk and that quickened my pace. I almost didn't feel that I was going up the stairs since there was no obstacle to catch my feet.

The next stone stairs were in front of the Toshogu. The stairs were built toward Zuishinmon, an important national cultural property. I saw a family eating lunch at the top of the stairs. Because the view from the top was not particularly fine as there were only residential quarters at the bottom, I wonder why they were eating box lunches there as late as 3:00É. There were almost no tourists, and it was such a peaceful area where the neighborhood children were playing with a ball and old people were strolling around.

The following day, I took the Senzan Line and went to Yamadera where Risshakuji is found. That's where the poet Basho composed his famous poem "In the utter silence of a temple, A cicada's voice alone penetrates the rocks."

There you'd need to go up the stairs of more than a thousand steps to reach the inner shrine; for me, it was like heaven. At the place to pay the entrance fee, there was a notice stating that you would be able to get rid of worldly desires by going up these steps one at a time. Thinking that it'd be quite a problem if I lose all my worldly passions, I went along the well-maintained street under the sunlight filtering down through the trees. From the holes on the rocks on the side, I assume that this must have been a place for ascetic practices. The view from the top was excellent. It was a typical temple that is worth going up. At the top there was an area where even now only trainee monks were granted admittance and I couldn't help turning my gaze on that direction with an envious look.

Yet even I have a weakness concerning stone stairs. I'm bad at going down. I lose my sense of balance and my knees begin to wobble. If the stairs are not in good condition, I even feel terrified. I wish I could keep going up forever...; that clearly reflects my character of going headlong at everything. It's just like life. It's pleasant only because there are both ups and downs, but I never think about it. I guess that the idea of bearing hardship of going up stone stairs in order to get rid of worldly desires wouldn't apply to me. It's because that going up the stairs is not asceticism or anything at all but it's rather a pleasure. Possibly my worldly desires would be gone if I am able to go down the stairs without tottering, don't you think?