ApostateMonk

I am an apostate monk who succumbed to desires and worldly temptations.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

After memorial services at an ancient Buddhist temple, I sometimes show the family around its sacred halls.
Others are welcome to listen, but please do not step ahead of the family to hear first.
A sacred place reveals one’s manners. The Buddha is watching, too.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

When a precious soul who always smiles finally asks for help, it must be serious. At such a moment, a monk gives his all.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

I loved Birdman Project and The Bee in the Sky, the mystery satire of The Laws of the Detective, the dark humor of Kaishō Shōsetsu, the memoir-like Ano Koro Bokura wa Aho Deshita, and the daring ending of Which One Killed Her.

Rest in peace, Keigo Higashino.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

What you pay is the price of her service.
A gift is gratitude for what she has already given you.
Neither is a down payment on the future.
Never demand services outside the menu.
If you think, “After all I’ve done for her,” don’t give gifts.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

“Shiki soku ze kū, kū soku ze shiki.” My time with the princess existed only through the shop, money, and an agreement. It was temporary - a bond with no lasting form. Yet it was real, and it still remains in my heart.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

Food and fruit are common offerings at graves, but we take them home after praying—otherwise animals may come and ruin the place.
The same goes for gifts to a princess. Fresh food can be a burden.
Forget surprises. Give your heavenly maiden what she truly wants.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

With only your sacred body, you row into the raging sea.
This sinful monk is cheering for you.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

Everyone chooses a car differently—design, specs, price.

I choose by experience: the dealer, the test drive, the feeling that it was meant to be.

Isn’t it the same with a SOAP princess?
Specs may catch your eye, but the experience with her goes far beyond specs.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

I support one of the "Sakamichi" groups as a whole. They’re young enough to be my daughters, so my feelings are almost paternal.

Yet I’m in love with a princess at the SOAP though she’s the same age as them.

Monk are selfish creatures.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

"Reikado", a hall linked to Saint Kukai, burned down.

Its 1,200-year eternal flame seems to have survived.
But the hall itself will take time to rebuild.
SOAP demands even greater care than Reikado.

A temple hall can be rebuilt.
A SOAP, once lost, cannot.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

My sect’s head temple has an eternal Dharma lamp:"Fumetsu no houtou".
A flame kept burning without ever running out of oil.
Some say this is one origin of the Japanese word *yudan*, meaning carelessness.
I never want the flame of my love for soaplands to go out either.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

When we monks visit parishioners for memorial services, they offer donations and deep gratitude.
I try to follow that spirit when I visit a celestial princess at SOAP: show maximum respect and thanks.
Mutual respect matters.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

A monk I deeply respect once shut himself in a temple for training:
9 days with no sleep, no lying down, no food, no water.

By the final day, he could smell a woman’s perfume from 300 meters away.

Even after brutal training, desire never truly disappears.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

When we monks attend memorial services, we do so in formal attire.
It is a matter of respect for those offering prayers, for those being prayed for, and for the Buddha.
Isn’t it the same when going to meet a princess at a SOAP?

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

Next week is the Sanja Festival in Asakusa. Traffic restrictions and congestion are expected, so plan ahead and give yourself extra time. Don’t leave it to luck.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

I usually take a taxi or get a ride, but this time I arrived at Ueno Station a bit early and walked to Yoshiwara.

The Shitaya Shrine Festival was happening in Ueno, and there were groups of people gathering in happi coats around the area.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

I met Cinderella in Yoshiwara.
For two hours, it felt like a dream — then the magic faded.
But even after midnight, she was still Cinderella.
Maybe I was the one under the spell.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

Listening to Fujii Kaze’s Prema.
The singles felt different compared to the full album.
Especially tracks 1 & 2 and the title track Prema gave me strong ’90s nostalgia—
I could feel shades of Hall & Oates, Whitney, and Toshinobu Kubota.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

As the saying goes, 'When people have enough food and clothing, they know etiquette,' so let's groom ourselves before going to SOAP.
Then, be polite and kind.

By doing so, the heavenly maidens will surely guide you to heaven.

[ApostateMonk @fzk_monk]

They say 'Asking may bring temporary shame, but not asking brings lifelong shame.'
If there's anything you don't understand at a SOAP, just ask the heavenly maidens.

Just as we monks seek the Buddha's help in understanding the impermanence of this world.