Cooking has been one of my hobbies for many years. However, there is “no kitchen” in my current tiny apartment room provided by my company. Some functions of kitchen are embedded in the narrow hallway, and I don’t call it a kitchen. Things I can do there is limited. That’s not a place to do “my hobby”. How sad do you think it is?
But today, I’ve “restored” my old hobby. Motorcycle. During the long vacation in early May called Golden Week, I went to my parent’s place to restore my motorcycle. It was not broken but had not been used for more than four years and half while I was in Canada. Now I’ve re-registered it and got a license plate. I’m officially ready to enjoy riding.
As I wrote in a previous post, for some people vehicle is only a tool to move from one place to another and carry a load. That’s fine. But for me, motorcycle is a partner who takes me away from daily life and lets me experience something different. In an early post, I wrote “do objects have a spirit?” Motorcycles don’t, for sure. But I’ve developed strong attachment to my “partner”.
A license plate allows me to ride my motorcycle. This is official. Besides that, I always do my ritual at the beginning of a year, or in this case after restoration. I go to 箱根神社 (Hakone shrine) and get 交通安全守り (traffic safety charm). Hakone had been a critical traffic point during the Samurai Era, and I suppose traffic safety charm made at Hakone shrine “works well”. Anyways. I’m glad to restore my hobby and ritual.