Traditon

This last weekend I spent some time learning about Tradition. My tradition of riding a 50cc motorbike for extended periods of time on a quest to find something unknown to me. Saturday afternoon after an oil change I headed out to the rural town of Shigaraki, about 30km south of Hino. After passing through Minakuchi I started climbing the twisting mountain roads. It was at this time that I was glad I just had clean oil to lubricate the little engine that could.

The goal of the day was to learn about pottery. Very old pottery. Shigaraki is known as one of the locations of "The Six Old Kilns" of Japan. Records show that potters developed specific kilns and techniques there dating as far back as the early Kamakura and early Muromachi period (circa 1333 - 1573). One thing is for certain, these were some old pots.


Ancient ceramic wrapped in the arms of time.

Upon arriving at the Shigaraki train station, which services a train that runs on diesel, I parked my motor bike in the free parking courtesy of rural Japan. From here I walked to the information center and was greeted with an English "Hello!" by an elderly woman. My guess is she was somewhere in her 60s. She immediately volunteered to take me around the town and show me the old kilns of Shigaraki. Considering her enthusiasm, I thought it best to agree to the proposal. Turns out she has only studied English independently, and her recent study material is an American TV show called "Brothers and Sisters." A show I have never heard of in my life, but impressive considering her English ability.


My Shigaraki tour guide and the ancient kilns.


The kiln interior.

From her I learned that Shigaraki-ware began as a necessity in agriculture but eventually became popular in Tea Ceremony due to a tea master named Murata Juko. The reason for the sudden rise in popularity in tea ceremonies, was due to the simplicity of Shigaraki-ware. Shigaraki-ware is not glazed, nor painted in any way. The colors are natural from the temperature, kiln and ash from the specific types of wood used during the baking process. This went along perfectly with the tea ceremonial concept of "wabi-suki," which emphasized such simplicity.

However, looking around Shigaraki shows a different form of popularity in Shigaraki ceramics. Nowadays Shigaraki is famous for Tanuki, a Japanese raccoon dog. Famous in Japanese folktales for being extra cunning and having magical powers including that of shape shifting, people seem to easily fall in love with this cute character. Unfortunately they are becoming rarer and rarer due to urbanization, and cute as they are, are considered pests.


Giant Shigaraki ceramic tanuki.

At the last kiln, I was introduced to the owner's daughter. My guess is she is somewhere around 22 years old, since she is attending university. She wanted to try to explain the kiln to me in English. After all, she is the next in line to take care of the ancient kiln, starting next year. After an explanation that went quickly from English to Japanese, we sat down in a rustic room and enjoyed tea out of Shigaraki tea cups. Here the conversation was light and with no real topic. Honestly I can't even recall saying much at all, except that I was surprised that the old wooden table I was sitting at was once a boat. Before I left, we exchanged contacts. She goes to school in Kyoto for ceramics, but every weekend returns to Shigaraki to learn from her grandfather. However, one thing I have learned is that the world is small so who knows when we will meet again.

When we left, the old woman showing me around asked me if I knew what the Japanese phrase, "ichigo ichie" 一期一会 meant? Surprisingly, I did know. Its directly translated as "one time, one meeting." However, I feel it is better translated as "one chance in a lifetime." The phrase was developed to describe sharing a tea ceremony with someone, and if you were ever to meet that person again the experience will never be the same as the first. Nowadays it is used for any meeting of this sort, not just tea ceremonies. I personally like to draw parallels to photography and the moment that is captured after the shutter opens and closes, never to be 100% the same again. She told me that that meeting was like "ichigo ichie."

After saying our goodbyes, I headed back to Hino to watch a Shamisen concert in a Buddhist temple on the night of a full moon. In Japan, its traditional to have parties during Autumn, called otsukimi, which translates simply as moon viewing. While uncreative in name, it is unique nonetheless. At this particular concert I was invited by a teacher at my school who has played the Shamisen for most of her life.



At the end of the day, I realized I spent most of my day learning and doing things very traditional. Something that I usually don't have the opportunity or real desire to do very often since the traditions most available to foreigners are temples and statues of the Buddha of mercy. Thankfully to an open invitation from a couple older women, I was allowed to grasp a deeper sense of such things. I guess most of my meetings this weekend resembled "ichigo ichie."

The next day was spent watching a Sumo exhibition. It was exciting to see the strongest certified sumo wrestler in the whole world, Hakuho Sho!


Sumo hair style


The living warrior god, Hakuho Sho!

Eqinox

These last few weeks have been extremely busy. I was hoping to post a story about the bike ride that almost killed me, but haven't found the time. Even now I write this update on my iPhone. So here is what has happened the last month or so for those that are wondering.

At the end of September I went on a bike ride around Lake Biwa. I was going about 40km an hour when I had to make a sharp turn to avoid a car. I was coming down a montain road, the car was going up. There was a blind spot. The sharp turn caused my bike to slide out from under me. As I slid 2 meters on the pavement, I avoided the car in exchange for road rash. I was lucky not to hit my head because I was wearing no helmet! After about 2 weeks and about $40 worth of bandages I was on my way to recovery. It probably would have been cheaper to go to the hospital with my national health insurance and given bandages and antiseptic.

I bought the iPhone 4 after realizing it would only cost me $5 more a month.

I bought tickets to Thailand to volunteer at Baan Unrak again this year. I plan on riding a bus through Cambodia from Thailand to Vietnam and seeing Angkor Wat along the way. Then a train from Saigon to Hanoi, with the goal to spend a night in Halong Bay on a Junk Boat.

My passport is being renewed because there are not enough empty pages.

I'm studying Japanese to take the Japanaese Language Proficiency Test (N3 Level) in December.

I've been teaching like a mad man, and sleeping less than 6 hours a night.

I've put nearly 1500 kilometers on my motorbike within he last 2 months.

I'm practicing a dance routine to preform on Halloween.

I went to an art festival in my town and found a bakery where the grain is harvested and then baked by the same woman.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

Today marks the beginning of Autumn. It's pretty nice because the equinox is considered a holiday, although nothing is really celebrated.

Last night some of my Japanese friends and I went to a club in Kyoto. I was expecting it to be pretty chill being a Wednesday night, but I couldn't have been more wrong. There were more people than oxygen molecules, and the music was fantastic. The cover charge for the club was about 4000 yen which is pretty expensive in Japan. Usually cover prices are about half. But with big names such as RIP SLYME it's no wonder. Most names aren't known internationally, but it would be like going to a venue with 3 or four famous people in the U.S. With that considered, I guess the 4000 yen cover wasn't even that bad.

The energy was high, and it was probably some of the best House music I have heard in a long time. To be honest though, the club was a little too packed. It felt impossible to try to meet new people because there was just too many of them. When everyone is packed together so tightly, your not sure if they are friendly or just standing next to you. Also dancing was almost impossible, so it was basically jumping up and down and yelling. However it was a blast!

When my friend was driving home, everyone was passing out from exhaustion in the car. I tried staying awake but kept dozing. My friend was so tired that while he was driving he was constantly slapping his knee as hard as he could so that he wouldn't fall asleep. It was humorous, and at the same time it is too bad that I can't drive four wheeled vehicles in Japan. Needless to say, we all made it back alive. So I guess knee slapping does work.

After sleeping until about 5PM I decided it was time for dinner. I rode my Honda Cub to the nearby town, Minakuchi, for some spicy curry. Recently I have been riding my motor bike a lot. I am actually surprised how much I like it! Within this month I have already put on about 500 km. Which is pretty insane. But if I don't know what to do, I ride. When I want to explore, I ride. When I feel bad, I ride. When I need to go somewhere, I ride. I may be on that bike more than I am in my apartment.

Yesterday was hot like summer. Ironically on the first day of Autumn, today, it became much cooler. I actually wished I packed a light sweatshirt while I was riding. The feeling is strange. The smell has changed, but its familiar. I can feel Autumn in the air. It is nostalgic, and also a little depressing. I now know for sure I have been here for over a year because I can easily remember what I was doing at this time last year. It will be getting colder again. Somehow it seems like winter just ended. This means I only have about 5 months to decide my next move. To go back to the U.S. To move to another place in Japan. It's a tough choice because my current apartment is nice and the job pays well and is one of the best English teaching gigs in Japan. If I leave JET I could be thrown to the dogs. But I could also live in a more urban environment and possibly have a better life. After thinking a lot, I decided I want to stay in Shiga or move to Kyoto instead of Kumamoto if I decide Japan will still welcome me. I like the Kansai area and want to be closer to Kyoto. I hope when the time comes I know what to do. If I can become a JET prefectural advisor, that would be ideal. Move to a more populated area, help ALTs, and teach once and a while while still keeping all the benefits of JET.

Now I am thinking of returning to Thailand and exploring Vietnam. Soon I will have to buy my tickets if it is really going to happen.

Oh, and after 14 months of sitting on the floor. I finally bought a sofa.

Philosophical Picnic #3

I stand in the center. The middle of my existence. Nothing pulling on any side. It would be peaceful, but without any direction I just float, uncertain and empty. Maybe this is how it feels to be in space?

It as if I had to make a choice to stay or to leave. But nothing is pulling me to go either way. I want to keep running though. Keep going. I know now this is not because I am running away because I am not being chased, but I am running towards an undeniable goal. I also want to stay, because I am tired of running in space. Maybe it would be easier to embrace this perpetual solitude in my life. It seems fate draws me cards to keep me alone. When the cards are dealt I am givin' isolation.

When floating in space, it's hard to know who you are. Which way are you floating?

Wheels of Freedom

Classes started last week. Summer 'vacation' is officially over. Although I still had to go to school during summer I miss my 2 hour lunch breaks and the ability to come into work an hour later than usual.

Even though summer is over, except for the persistent sweaty heat wave this year, I am pretty happy. Last Friday I finally got my Honda Super Cub 50. After my school made a big deal about me getting a motorbike, which they really have no real say in except if I use it for work, I finally got to drive it home last week. The only thing I really needed help with from my school was someone to sign as my co-signer for a 100,000 yen ($1,200 USD) loan. Since I am a foreign resident, they wanted reassurance I would pay for the next 6 months and not just flee back to America on my new freedom machine. Thankfully my Board of Education supervisor signed and it was approved. If I had to pay for the bike upfront then I would have to wait until after the 10th of September and live for a month on bean sprouts and rice.

Anyway, after picking up the bike and enjoying Indian curry and naan in good company, I drove about 35km on the highway from Kusatsu to Hino. Since it was late, traffic wasn't too bad but there were a lot of trucks on the road. Overall it was great though! The summer night breeze was a great relief from the abundant hot and humid that I have grown accustomed to. I was back at my door step in about an hour and saved about 500 yen ($6) in train fees.

In 2006 the Honda Cub was named the best motorcycle of all time on a show aired by the Discovery Channel. You can watch their review of it with Chinese subtitles!

Today I took it out for its second spin around my area. I went to Minakuchi to make a spare key for the bike and buy some groceries. Minakuchi is about 20 minutes away from Hino. But when I came back I wanted to drive some more. So I headed up to Yokaichi which is north of me by about 25 minutes. However I got lost so spent about 20 minutes wandering around, which I didn't care about too much.

For being a 50cc engine, it seems pretty quick to me. Granted it maxes out on flat areas around 60km/hr. Which can be scary on the highway sometimes although the speed limit is 60km/hr. Most cars go about 80km/hr. The roads out to Yokaichi were very hilly though, so I was maxing out at about 40km/hr up hill on a road with cars whizzing by at about 70km/hr. Technically for 50cc vehicles if you go over 30/km you are breaking the speed limit. But it seems like nobody except grandmothers follow that rule.

My hundred million yen ride!


Not new, but beautiful.

When Under the Influence of Depression, Don't Attempt to Fly

A sad story.

On Monday I went to the city of Kusatsu to check out a green Honda Super Cub 50 that I am trying to purchase. When I was on my way back home I waited at Minami Kusatsu station for about 40 minutes.

Why?

A freight train came through.

So?

It went through someone.

Japan has one of the world’s highest suicide rates. In Japan, suicide is the leading cause of death for males aged 20-44 and women aged 15-34. For some, jumping in front of a fast moving train is the easiest, considering train stations can be found every ten or so kilometers. Oddly the rail company charges the family members a fee for causing traffic disruption if it is found that the cause was suicide.

Monday, was it suicide? I don’t know. All I know is my train pulled into the station for a scheduled 30 second stop, the freight train was passing through on the adjacent platform and it sounded its shrill whistle and slammed on its emergency breaks leaving the residual smell of burning rubber in an electrical fire.

Before anything was announced, I already knew just by the expressions of those on the platform that probably witnessed it. Our train, although on another track, didn’t leave until police came and the body was removed. All I saw was some blood and a blue tarp concealing the victim being carried away by police.

I don’t know what to think about it, just a feeling of sadness. Did someone throw themselves in front of the train? What was so painful in their life that they thought an oncoming train would be more peaceful? Was it an accident? Was someone drunk? Did someone trip?

I read in the paper today that a drunken man from Hino City (Not my town, a city near Tokyo) knocked another person in front of a train near Shinjuku, Tokyo. The event at Minami Kusatsu didn’t even make the paper since it’s not news to most Japanese. Was it a man, a woman, a child? I would be sad for the person, if the person was injured or killed by accident. I would be sad for the loved ones if it was suicide.

The faces of the people around me. On the platform. In the train. Shock in the eyes of the people standing on the platform. Grandmothers holding back tears. Irritated salary men. Oblivious children. And the man across from me with a small unsettling smile. The nearly perfect white circle in the sky expressionless to what it has seen many times in its lifetime.

In A Race With The Sun

I’ve been to 3,776 m (12,388 ft) and back again.

Two weekends ago I reached one of my goals, climbing Mt. Fuji. I left my town and boarded a bus for Shizuoka prefecture along with around 30 Japanese ready to climb to the highest point in Japan! After about 12 hours and no sleep on a bus, picking up a few others along the way, we arrived at the Yoshida Trail Head 5th Station at around 11PM. At this elevation most of my companions thought it was freezing, I thought it was refreshing. We waited for about 40 minutes to adjust to the altitude change and slowly we made our way up the mountain.


Maki trying to sleep on the bus.

While climbing the gradual incline to the 6th station, I was happy I didn’t put on my warm clothes yet. Actually I had to take off my rain pants in order to stay cool enough without getting tired from heat. I like my weather crisp when I hike. The cold weather keeps me going, refreshed and awake. Everything was going well from the 5th station to the 6th station. I even saw a shooting star, which was amazing. At this altitude, although not even half way up the mountain, the stars seemed so close. I could almost taste them. We were lucky to be hiking on a night when a meteor shower was happening.


My climbing party

After the 7th station one of the members of our group, a girl named Mai, started falling victim to altitude sickness. The hike between the 7th and 8th station was very long and although we were taking it slow, almost too slow to my liking, by the time we arrived at the 8th station and met up with a few others, Mai was in rough shape. The path had become steep and rocky. Before arriving it looked like she could fall over at any time. I followed her closely to make sure she wouldn’t. It was decided that her and another girl Maron who wasn’t feeling well would stay at the 8th station, rest and climb down after feeling better. One man volunteered to stay behind in order to help, since he climbed Fuji before and said it was fine if he didn’t make it to the top again. This was good because when climbing a mountain, your party should usually always consist of 3 people. If one gets injured, one can go for help while the other stays with the injured person.

After everything was sorted and we piled warm clothes on Mai and Maron, we lifted the two girls into the back of a small abandoned flat bed tractor to protect them from the wind. A storm was coming. It was about 3AM, the 4 remaining members of our party continued on.


Taking a break around the 8th station.

Between the 8th and 9th station we started to lose visibility and the typhoon that was hitting Japan was bringing strong winds to the top of Fuji. The sky was getting brighter; I knew we wouldn’t make it to the summit to see the sunrise. About half way between station 8 and 9 we were climbing a steep incline in a misty fog thicker than almost anything I’ve ever seen. We were in the clouds. Another girl of our team was falling ill and was looking faint.


The first sight of dawn.

While we all lay against the volcanic rock catching our breath and regaining our strength, I take a deep breath from my O2 can. Then suddenly the clouds around us flash orange, and dim out. At first I thought it was the result of the altitude. Then it happens again, and again, and becomes brighter. It was beautiful, and I thought I may have died and was now floating in heaven. Then suddenly the mist parts a little and a beam of golden light shoots through the sky. It’s the sun! Only for a moment do I see the golden disk before I’m enveloped in clouds once again.


The sun through the clouds.

I really wanted to see the sunrise from the top of Fuji. I also wanted it to be clear. But nonetheless the sunrise was breath taking although most of my breath was gone. I have never been in the clouds when the sun has risen. All the tiny particles of water that make a cloud, light up with the color of the morning sun.

Still not done we press on to the 9th station. I try to keep the group moving. I go to the front of the line. I know Asuka isn’t feeling well, so I make sure to ask her if she is alright. She says she is fine, but I know every 20 steps forward is going to be 3 minutes waiting. I really want to make it to the top, but I also want everyone to make it with me.

We reach the 9th station and meet up with another group of 7. Our group is the only one who had to break off before this point. But that didn’t mean everyone was O.K. After a decision process that seemed to last forever, following in Japanese tradition, it was decided that Asuka would stay behind with another girl and head down. She wanted to make it to the top so badly that she had to hold back tears knowing she couldn’t go on. With only 3 members of my group remaining, we merged with the other 6 we met at station 9. One more station to go until the top!

By now visibility was about 4 feet in all directions. Half way from the 9th station to the 10th (the top) I started to feel the altitude affecting me. Much later than most of the members, but I decided to take a few deep breaths of my canned O2, which helped a little and kept me pushing forward. It was freezing. The water in the clouds clung to my orange rain coat in the form of frost. I lost one glove somewhere so only could really keep my left hand warm, the right I wrapped in the bandana I got while in India.

Somewhere around 6AM we passed through the Shinto torii gate, signifying that we made it to the summit. I got the last stamp on my wooden walking stick at a Shinto shrine that also doubled as the 10th gate of Fuji. The weather was cold, like late November, and visibility was near zero. So I couldn’t see the caldera or the vastness of land below the holy mountain. Only an hour or so to rest and it was time to head back.


The torii at the top.

Going down was much easier. Every step forward was a step towards oxygen. We took a small short-cut through the sand/ash pits. I enjoyed it, since if you ran a little you could slide most of the way. You would suffer a shoe full of sand and stone though. But this seemed easier than resisting the natural flow and stopping yourself from slipping down the mountain.


Slopes of sand into clouds.

That evening it was soaking in an onsen (hot spring) and a small party. Then sleep, sounder than the dead. Staying awake for almost 40 hours and climbing up and down a mountain during that time is definitely a test of endurance.

Overall, a great experience. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) one I will have to re-live, since I want to see the sun rise over the horizon while standing upon the tallest point in the land of the rising sun. I want to see the land below, out to the ocean under a clear blue sky.



会う日まで。