Japan and beyond

It seems as though I preface every blog entry with some sort of an excuse for why my posts are so infrequent, and here I go again. By now you probably know that my computer skills are rudimentary at best. Even writing the word r u d i m e n t a r y takes me forever!  The superficial excuses include my lack of skills, and other things not always under my control. Japan is an enigma. It is first world and high tech and at the same time old fashioned and maddeningly complex.

simplicity

    These are all just excuses however. Without going into too much detail, our lives have been altered by a recent event in my family. We were called back to the united states about 2 weeks ago due to a serious illness of a family member. We spent time around Thanksgiving in Columbus Ohio where most of my family lives. Seeing my family under these conditions around the Holiday was both difficult and profoundly moving and positive. I am still attempting to assimilate the new reality of our condition and the lessons and yes even gifts to be gleaned from this unexpected turn. Life is short, we never know where it will lead us. We pretend we have a solid grounding and we go along with the illusion of permanence, until something happens to shatter that picture and we are left with the new reality. There is no future, there is only NOW. Love is the only constant, everything changes all the time, sometimes for the good, sometimes not. Cherish what is real. Our mortality is a curse and a blessing, but there is no denying it. We will be in the US until the 4th of Dec. then resume our travels in New Zealand. The 2 things iIwas looking forward to in Japan were gardens and onsen. The Japanese revere nature. Probably because of their numbers and relatively small land mass the manicured garden has been elevated to an art form like few other places. Even the most modest of homes has some homage to nature, be it a garden,flower arrangement, or water feature. Typical gardens attempt to find a balance between the natural and the manipulated,never entirely wild or completely manicured,as if people really are an extension of nature and not separate from it. The skillful use of stones, gravel, plants and water are vital elements of the Japanese garden. Gardens can be exceedingly simple,with the skillful placement of a few stones or incredibly expansive, with changing vistas, water features, and skillful use of plantings. The intent is usually to invoke nature without strictly duplicating it. My favorite gardens were in the city of Kyoto, the capitol of Japan prior to Tokyo. The absolute favorite was the Katsura Villa. To get a ticket to see this garden we first had to go to the the imperial palace in downtown Kyoto, request tickets for a future time(tickets are limited)and hope for an opening. We were in luck, but due to some arcane reason Anika could not join us. Adults over the age of 20 only! Dont ask me why, perhaps they feel younger people wont appreciate the garden enough. The tour was in a group of about 25 people,almost all Japanese with a Japanese guide. We got audio info by pushing buttons on our devise. I believe based on the interest of the crowd and the length of the guides talk that the Japanese received the better tour. No complains however, the grounds were stunning

one more bridge to cross

     Now on to Onsens! Onsen proliferate in all areas of Japan, and range from the simple, natural to the complex. They can be found in large cities as well as the countryside. Practically any where in japan, if you drill down, you will find hot water. In many places drilling is not needed, the water is percolating out of the ground. As onsen are a fabric of Japanese life they come with rituals refined through the centuries. onsen are a social hub of Japanese life. They are usually though not always divided into men's and women's sides. Before entering the baths strict rules of hygiene must be observed. rule # 1,you must be absolutely clean before entering the water. This usually requires at least 15 minutes of careful scrubbing in the shower. Showering is done sitting on a small stool with a bucket for water and a wall mounted shower wand. Several cycles of scrubbing and rinsing are required. Once your skin is tingling with cleanliness you are ready for the soak. Often many options are available to you. In our favorite onsen in Kyoto the choices included small tubs with mineral water, large pools both inside and out, individual jaccuzi jet tubs, freezing cold pools, saunas and steam, foot soaking pools, and areas to lie down where hot water flowed across the floor! When bathing the men carry around a small "modesty towel" used to cover that area needing coverage, but not taken into the water. My favorite ritual was the regular sauna routine given by the staff attendants. On the men's side at regular intervals a staff member would walk through shouting out something which inspired nearly everyone to enter the sauna. Being the curious person I am I followed. Picture a sauna laid out in a semi circle, with four different seating tiers. The capacity when full was about 40 men. 2 attendants march in and start a friendly back and forth banter. After a while one of them applies aromatic water to the sauna rocks producing a dense steam. Then, one by one the staff approaches each person and asks if you want him to fan you with his giant hand held fan. Everyone complies and the fanning proceeds for the next round lasting 15 minutes or until your stamina expires. The staff leave as quickly as they arrived and the sauna resumes its role as viewing space for the wide screen TV show with quirky reality being the norm. Ahhh.
     What struck me the most about my onsen time was how natural it felt to be there and how much a part of everyday life social bathing is in Japan.
   While our time in japan is over, our memories are strong and each of us are dreaming of our return to this amazing land. I want to extend a special thank you to everyone who made our trip memorable, but especially to our fantastic host, Shige.Without his hospitality our trip would not have been as meaningful or enjoyable.
  On a final note, be sure to express your Love and appreciation to all of the people and experiences that make our lives worthwhile. we can not predict what comes our way but we do have control over how we respond to it. Life if an amazing miracle. obey the awe!