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A year has passed since the day Tohoku earthquake happened in Japan.

I still feel unsettled when I think about it. First of all I feel powerless when I imagine the circumstances many people are still going through. I feel anxious about  the unknown facts and unmeasured impact  of the major meltdown of a nuclear power plant.

I feel guilty that I have not really done anything to help ease people’s suffering.

Many prayers went to the victims and people suffering  worldwide. At the zen center I live, I had a chance to offer incense at a special ceremony they held.  

東日本大震災から一年たった。この影響下で暮らしている人々の事、未だに判明しない事実とはかりしれない影響のことを思うと本当に胸が痛む。

その助けに全くなれなていない自分の事を情けなく思う。この日、世界各地で被害を受けた人に対する祈りが捧げられた。私が今住んでいる禅センターでも住民を代表してお線香を上げる機会がもてた。

While I was contemplating what I can do, I learned about this photography exhibition by Kazuma Obara.

His photographs  document the disturbing impact so painfully well, and at the same time capture people’s determination to stay calm, kind, and be hopeful.

By reading his profile, I learned that he is from the area which was affected by “the triple disaster” , and after that fateful day, he decided to quit his full time job at a financial company to answer his call, which is to witness and to document what is going on in the area.

一体自分に何ができるのだろうかと考えているとき、たまたま小原一真氏による写真展の事を知った。彼の作品は災害の様子だけでなく、人々がその最中にあって、平常心、思いやり、そして希望をつなぎとめようとしている様をまざまざと映し出している。プロフィールを読み、彼は岩手県出身で、東日本大震災のあと金融関係の仕事をやめ、現地、特に福島県の原発問題を写真で撮影しているという事を知った。

His photographs speaks to me about so many things at so many levels.

小原氏の写真を見ていると、色々なことを様々なレベルで考えさせられる。

  

Memories of my grandmother おばあちゃんの思い出

Today is the first anniversary of my grandmother's passing. 


I have so many memories of her. She was a very resourceful woman. She was very good at sewing, beading, knitting, cooking and so many other things. 
I remember her always doing something. 


今日、１０月３１日は大好きだったおばあちゃんの命日。彼女は一年前に亡くなった。



おばあちゃんといえば、和裁、ビーズや編み物、料理などをいとも簡単にやってのける本当に手の器用な人で、いつも何か作っていた事を覚えている。


Later in her life she made Japanese paper dolls. She knew how to make kimonos; that's why the dolls came out so beautiful, I thought. 












晩年になってから、おばあちゃんは和紙を使った日本人形を作るようになった。着物を縫えるからうまいのだろう、と単純に考えていた私だが、いざ作ってみると、それだけではない、根気のいる本当に難しいことだということがわかった。







When I was about ten years old, my cousin and I tried to make one doll each as a special project during our summer break. I remember us struggling to make one doll.


Today, I visited the house where she had lived and took photographs of the dolls. My grandmother made hundreds of them. Each had a different expression.
It made me very happy to spend a day honoring what she had done.  I'll love you forever, dear grandma!
今日、私はおばあちゃんが作った何百体もの人形のうちのいくつかの写真を撮ることができた。こうやって命日を過ごせた事をとても有り難く思います。

Tower of the Sun

In the Expo Memorial Park in Suita, Osaka you can see "Tower of the Sun" by Taro Okamoto.
The sculpture was created for the Expo ( World Fair ) in 1970. It represents the past, present and future of the human face, they say. 


For a long time it stood inside a metal structure and was hard to view completely. Now it stands exposed and can be viewed easily. It faces the main gate and welcomes the visitors. It is indeed impressive.



















A friend of mine and I were talking about the Expo recently. 
The design of the pavilions looks so futuristic and refined. It is very 70s, but at the same time full of timeless imagination.


There is also a nice Japanese garden in the park. 
It features a sizable pond with koi ( carp ) and a bamboo forest. 

We enjoyed looking at the birds and first sign of autumn foliage.

Bukkokuji Temple

This temple has a special place in my heart.

Shunko-san, a monk whom I met in Kochi, spoke highly of Harada Tangen Roshi and the quality of the Zen practice at the temple, so I went along with him. I stayed there a few days before and one day during Sesshin.

 If only I were focused enough to participate in all 7 days of Sesshin! Still, I remember the sweetness of the silence and the monks who dedicate their lives to practice.

Tangen Roshi was luminescent. He said that it is important for each one of us to know who we really are. He said this with such a smile, it made me cry.

What I saw while I was at Bukkokuji showed me what it is to be a monk. It still inspires me today.

Please see my webalbum for more photos

Sogenji Temple / 曹源寺

In September, I had a chance to visit and stay at Sogenji Temple in Okayama for two nights. The abbot of the temple is Shodo Harada RoshiThey have international students from all over the world.  The atmosphere was somewhat familiar to me, because I started my Zen practice in US. Still, it was my first time to sit formally in a Japanese Zen temple, and I was quite nervous.
The experience showed me that whole-hearted practice is the same everywhere. It seems to me that there was a good balance of joy and formality.

The highlight of the visit was having an informal conversation over tea with Harada Roshi. I had so many questions to ask, and he was there to offer his reflections. Not only the conversation itself, but also just to sit with him was a quite experience. He had such an intense presence.
I want to thank Steve T for making such a wonderful connection, and Daichi-san for her open-mindedness.

Please check out my web album for more photos

osaka castle 大阪城

I went to the Osaka Castle in September.

Its most impressive part was the stone wall around its moat.

It is quite old; they say its construction was finished in the 17th

century. It is built perfectly and it is beautiful to look at: bigger

stones on the outside, smaller stones on the inside.

Its construction started in the 16th century; but the castle we see

now is not that original structure.

The park is famous for Sakura (cherry blossom) and plum trees.

Many birds travel through. It is an ideal place for bird-watching.

築城は１５８３年豊臣秀吉によるものですが、お城そのものは建て直されていて、お堀は１７世紀初めのものがまだ残っているということでした。よく見ると、石の積み方など、かなりすごい。あと、大手門は見応えがありました。大阪城公園の桜と梅は見事だとか。また、渡り鳥などかなりの種類の鳥も見られるようで、鳥見ファンの集まる場所でもあるらしいです。

tenshukaku - the top of castle is clouded with visitors 
天守閣の金の鯱（しゃちほこ）私は大阪城だけかと思ってましたがそうでもないみたい。

The castle looks small among modern buildings. 
今はすっかりビルに囲まれてしまい小さく見える

kurokawa Dahlia Garden 黒川ダリア園

In Kurokawa Dahlia Garden you can find 350 different kinds of Dahlia
from mid-September to early November. The garden is located in
beautiful, good old countryside.

It was truly stunning to see so many gorgeous flowers in so many
different shades; there are about 1300 plants, they say. I had great
fun taking photographs with a macro lens.







黒川ダリア園では、毎年９月中旬から１１月初めまで、約３５０種類、１３００株の色とりどりに咲き誇るダリアを見ることができる。”日本の里100選”にも選ばれたという美しい山村に映える色は本当にきれいでした。さっそく、今はまってるマクロレンズで接写！













In this area you will also find a school that is closed because of　depopulation. The building is used as a community center now.


近くには、廃校になった”黒川小学校”。今は公民館として使われているようですが、小学校のとき、夏のキャンプで泊まったのはこの校舎だったのでは？　と、古い思い出が蘇ってきました。 

Sept / Oct is a season for rice reaping.  She was using a handheld sickle.

稲刈りのシーズン到来。鎌を使い手で収穫されていました。


for more photos of flowers and the school, please visit my web album

黒川ダリア園の写真をもっと見たい方はウェッブアルバムをご覧ください。

Unique about Japan

I am back in Japan; I noticed a few things which I thought were
unique about the country.

First, the number of vending machines! They are everywhere! In the
streets, at the stations, stops, in the park, in the middle of
nowhere! You can buy almost anything from them: juice, tea, snacks,
cigarettes, even beer!

Second, bathrooms, and I mean clean bathrooms! Very unlike New York,
there are many public bathrooms in the city. Their cleanliness is
impressive, too. Many of them have a "washlet", an electric toilet
seat with water spray feature for washing. Yay!

Third, the overwhelming number of bicycles! Even more in the city!
There are parking lots for bicycles near many public places. I saw a
device for your bike to attach an umbrella so you can ride your bike
in the shade. I saw special bike-baskets to carry small children.
Some young mothers ride with two children, both in baskets, one in
the front, one in the back!

Yesterday, I saw a group of young mothers riding their bicycles with
their kids tucked into bike-baskets. I wish  I had taken a photograph
of them. To be honest, it looked quite dangerous!