This Is No Day to Be Cutting Grass

I woke up early this morning and began preparing for Miyanagi.

Miyanagi is, essentially, a day for cutting grass.

We had all cut the grass once before in May.

But today was July 15.

The temperature was expected to rise above 33 degrees Celsius, and a heatstroke alert had been issued for Chiba Prefecture.

It was not an ideal day for cutting grass.

⸻

I put on a black hat and a long-sleeved shirt and began working fully covered.

Even so, it was unbearably hot.

The heat is not something one easily gets used to.

After about thirty minutes, we took our first break.

There is no air conditioning at the shrine.

Since our house is right next door, I returned home for a while and cooled my body under the air conditioner.

When the break was over, I went outside again.

And began cutting grass again.

⸻

We started at nine in the morning and finished at around ten-thirty.

As soon as we were done, I returned home and took a cold shower.

My shirt was completely soaked with sweat.

I changed my clothes three or four times during the day.

Even after changing, sweat would soon begin pouring from my body again.

This is no day to be cutting grass.

I felt that from the bottom of my heart.

⸻

Miyanagi is also the day a new year begins for the shrine.

It is something like New Year’s Day.

My father-in-law led the gathering and shared several announcements with everyone.

When he had finished, we all ate sushi together.

My father-in-law does not usually drink much alcohol.

But for some reason, he had several drinks today.

Before long, he was thoroughly drunk and began talking about one thing after another without pause.

Normally, my father-in-law would formally announce the end of the gathering.

But by then, he was quite drunk and never brought it to a close.

Even so, everyone cleared away the food, folded up the tables, and put away the cushions.

The gathering ended without incident, more or less.

⸻

We live right next door.

When we returned home and stepped into the air-conditioned room, I felt deeply relieved.

The morning’s grass cutting had used up almost all the energy I had for the day.

Even now, at night, my head still feels slightly foggy.

This truly was no day to be cutting grass.

⸻

Most of the people who gathered today were in their seventies.

Next year.

The year after that.

And the year after that.

If we continue doing things in the same way, the grass cutting will become increasingly difficult.

We could spread wood chips.

Lay down gravel.

Use weed-control sheets.

If we created an environment where grass was less likely to grow, the amount of work could be reduced considerably.

⸻

I do not want Miyanagi to disappear.

I want to make it a little easier so that it can continue.

People change a little every year.

So do their bodies.

The form of a tradition can change with them.