Wandering around the Denpo-in garden the other day, I spied this rock. Why did it have twine tied around it like that?
It’s a biter, so it needs a muzzle?
Zen discipline?
A gift that got left out in the rain?
Nope, nope, and nope. According to my Japanese friend, it’s the old way of saying Do Not Enter! It was sitting in front of a teahouse that looked so inviting, I was tempted to plead ignorance, but the little bar they put up behind it was close enough to something people are familiar with all over the world, I knew I’d get caught.
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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