Rock Bondage

DoNotEnter1

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.

DoNotEnter2
Here it is, in front of the teahouse. If they’d only put up the little bar behind it, people might interpret it as some sort of mini-fence-like decoration and think it was okay to go into the teahouse. Apparently, it’s the rock that sends the message loud and clear.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for
Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon

For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, changing the lives of all who possess it…read more

“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist

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

Published by Jonelle Patrick

Writes all the Japan things.

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