This is quite sudden, but what were you scared of when you were a kid? Your neighbor's dog, vaccine injection or thunderstorm? In my case, I was afraid of Ofuna Kannon (Ofuna Goddess of Mercy).
Please look at the photo below. That's Ofuna Kannon. It's a half-length statue in a Buddhist temple. The white-colored statue stands at 25 meters tall and weighs nearly 2,000 tons. Whenever I visited my grandparents' house with my parents, I passed under this giant statue by train. My parents always said, "What a compassionate face it is!", but I didn't feel like that. For me, there wasn't anything else but a scary giant, who could come alive at any moment.
What do I feel about Ofuna Kannon now? To know the latest impression of this giant half-length statue, I recently visited there for the first time in decades. The nearest station is Ofuna on the Tokaido main line. Different from decades ago, the vehicles on the Tokaido main line had been replaced by the stainless-steeled E231 and the E233-3000 series. The scenery around the station had also changed from what it used to be. It's not easy to find out Ofuna Kannon, as there are many buildings around the station. What did I feel about Ofuna Kannon this time? It's not so scary anymore, but even now, it doesn't look like a compassionate face to be honest. A leopard cannot change its spots. You should also visit there, and observe it with your own eyes.
