Our trip in Aomori was exciting – indeed rather too exciting for us.

We had a  lot of very unusual experience in Aoni hot spring. The first day We stayed in a place where only oil lamps are available. It was interesting but not easy.

We realized how much we always depend on electricity. The place is surrounded by nature. I was amazed to see the sky at night. I have never seen so many stars in my life. I was even scared by the stars. I felt like they were all going to fall on me ! It’s not an exaggeration.

The following day we went to the town. The city is called Kuroishi city.

That city has an old arcade called “ Komise “. It was made around 300 years ago . In winter, this area has a lot of snow so this kind of arcade has been quite useful. This area still has old buildings such as a sake brewery.

As we took a walk we found a nice old house. The entrance wasn’t wide but inside is very spacious. This house used to be a shop for the lord of this area ( Kuroishi Han )and was dealing with rice, bean paste, soy sauce and salt.

This building is designated as an important cultural property.

The owner of this property is a very knowledgeable, friendly and interesting person. She told us many interesting stories. Over a cup of coffee we talked about many things.

One of the interesting stories is about this “ Korori Jizou “

This Jizou or deity is said to help people pass away without suffering for a long time. This Japanese word, “ korori “ is a kind of onomatopoeia used often for describing someone’s sudden death without suffering in pain for a long time.

Everyone must die someday (in the future) and I guess everyone wishes to pass away without suffering, without causing trouble for one’s family.

The owner’s husband passed away many years ago. Since he had been healthy and nobody expected him to pass away so soon, when her husband passed away, she was very sad. However she thinks it was lucky for everyone.  She thinks this deity helped him to pass away in that manner.

In Aomori, to my surprise, almost all of the people have a spiritual counselor called “ kamisama”. This word literally means “ god “ in English but it’s not equivalent. Anyway the person called “ kamisama” looks the same as anyone else, I mean they don’t wear any special clothes or carry special spiritual

gear. But they can communicate with the dead. Once she visited “ kamisama” to have her husband’s spirit called. She was amazed to see when her husband’s spirit came on “ kamisama”, “ kamisama” started to behaved exactly like her late husband used to do. The “ kamisama” hadn’t seen him before and she hadn’t talked about him. During the session, the late husband said he is happy now and had nothing to complain about. According to “ kamisama” since the husband devoted himself to disabled people as a teacher, his status in the world seems to be high in ranking.

 Now I started to worry about my future, I mean after death. I have to do something nice for others !

We stayed at an inn on Lake Towada. I took this photo from the tea room of the inn after sunset.

We took a walk early in the morning along the lake. It was not very hot and the air was crystal clear. This lake is a caldera lake. In the 10^th century there was a huge eruption. The eruption was so big that the ashes of the eruption reached as far as Kyoto which is about 800 Km away. A priest of Enryakuji temple kept a diary . According to his record, it suddenly got foggy and they couldn’t see the sun or the moon clearly. He was also worried about mulberry that the ashes would harm his mulberry leaves. Did you know Lake Towada’s eruption is the second biggest in Asia ? The biggest one is Baitoushan which lies on China and North Korea. Baitoushan also had a big eruption in the 10^th century.

A few decades ago, this lake’s transparency was about 20 meters but its visibility declined so they took great care not to dump used water in the lake, however visibility hasn’t improved yet and now it’s about 9 meters. They don’t know why. For me the lake is very beautiful and romantic.

When I first I saw this lake I was struck by the power of nature. The lake is so huge and natural forests grow strongly. In Aomori “ Osorezan “ is famous as a power spot and so is Towada shrine. No wonder it has a special atmosphere.

It is said the oracles of this shrine hit it. On weekends, fortune telling sessions are also available. If you go up this trail, you can reach a view point.

It has a nice view but it’s from a 30-meter high cliff. The fortune teller goes down the cliff using an iron ladders and below the cliff, he / she ( I haven’t seen the person ) sees the clients’ fortune. Then the fortune teller goes up and tells the clients their fortune. Clients can’t go down the cliff. It sounds interesting. Next time I’ll go there on a weekend and try it out.

We went to a festival at Daitsuuji temple. They exhibited and demonstrated “ Zoubihai”. “ Zou “ means elephant. “ Bi “ means nose. “ Hai “ means glass. Doesn’t  the lotus leaf looks like an elephant’s ear and nose ? Here’s the kanji characters which represent “ zoubihai”. All they had to do was to make a hole on the middle of the leave, since inside is a tube-like structure that can be made into a straw. Chilled sake ( rice wine) was poured onto the leaf ( glass ) and you can drink the sake through the lotus straw. Since this temple is at the foot of Mt. Fuji they served sake for the goddess of Mt. Fuji “Konohana sakuyano hime”. The gentleman who tried it is 100 years old ! He was wearing jeans and looked very young and healthy. Best of all, he seems to be curious about many things and that makes him young.

I tried lotus nuts. They sold a box lunch with these nuts. It is said that any part of the lotus can work as medicine but especially the nuts gives you energy. I can buy roots at supermarkets but I don’t think I can buy other parts. Now I started to think about growing lotus so that I can view and eat or drink various products afterward.

I went to Fuku Akino Art Museum in Hamamatsu City. Hamamatsu is located in the western part of Shizuoka Pref. and has many excellent companies such as Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawai etc. The founder of Honda, Soichiro Honda was from this area and so was Fuku Akino. Why has this area produced these powerful people   Is it because of Akiba Shrine ? If you keep going northward up to the mountain (through an area I call deep Hamamatsu), you’ll reach Akiba Shinto Shrine. The name Akihabara ( Tokyo )is derived from this shrine. http://www.akihasanhongu.jp/newpage1.html

The museum isn’t a big one but I really love the building. Since Fuku Akino (1908~2001) fell in love with India she started going there regularly from the age of 53 to paint. She also traveled to many other Asian and African countries. This museum’s architecture interested me. I heard it’s an Indian-style building. Unfortunately on that day only a few paintings of Fuku Akino’s were on display. They had some exhibition of other authors. The person I took is a big fan of Fuku Akino and was very disappointed. Since it is named “ Fuku Akino Museum “ I expected that we might see more of her work. According to the museum, they don’t have enough display space. This time the special exhibition took up a lot of space so they didn’t have much room for Fuku Akino’s work. This explanation didn’t convince me but complaining doesn’t help and I concluded that we have to come back at the right time in the future. I may be a sore loser but I always find something unexpectedly interesting when I have a setback. This time 1. Inexpensive and delicious noodle shop( ramen). 2. beautiful lake where we can enjoy rowing boats  3. Better roads to get to the area.

I bought some post cards and book-marks.

During Golden Week, a string of consecutiove public holidays in Japan, I visited Ryogoku in Tokyo. Ryogoku has The Edo Tokyo museum and Kokugikan (the National Sumo Stadium) and is the gateway for cruises on the Sumida River. And you can see Sky Tree, due to become Tokyo’s tallest building, under construction.

It also has some sumo stable houses and you might see sumo wrestlers training even on the street early in the morning.

On the days I stayed they had a festival in Ryogoku. Many shops and sumo-related people opened their shops on the street.They are currently holding an exhibition about Ryoma Sakamoto who was very active at the end of the Edo period. Right now his story and the time he lived, at the end of Edo, are being televised, so many people rushed to the exhibition. Even some who might not normally be particularly interested in or familiar with Japanese history might enjoy this museum’s  regular exhibition.

Ryoma is a hot figure right now and some people tried to sell a lot of goods related to him. He was involved in trading in Nagasaki so he might be happy to see people buying goods marketed in his name if it contributes to the Japanese economy.

Here’s a new icon to advertize sumo, Sekitori kun. Since that Mongolian wrestler left this world, some people worried about the decline of the popularity of sumo but it looks like it is doing OK.Despite the high price of sumo tickets, it looks like they are selling well.

At the festival, I tried chanko. Chanko Nabe is a special dish for sumo wrestlers. They have to practice hard and have to eat a lot to build up their body. Chanko-nabe is said to be body-building.

First I hesitated to try it because I don’t want to gain weight any more. But when I tried it I found it is very healthy . It has a lot of vegetables of various kinds and the broth is rich in collagen from chicken. This bowl of chanko was only 500 yen. It tasted very good.

Then I went to Ekoin Temple where Nezumi Kozo , other people who were killed by the big fire in the Edo era or any other people and even animals are buried. Nezumi Kozo was a famous ( infamous?) thief who was active in Edo. He took things from rich people and distributed them to the poor. On that day they had gagaku and bugaku performance. It was very good. I thought gagaku and bugaku are only 

performed at shrines but they are also performed at temples. This art came to Japan from China with Buddhism. The priests from Zojyoji Temple, belonging in the musical division, told me. 

Why don’t you try experiencing Zazen and having a short tea ceremony ? Chokoji in Numazu ( Shizuoka ) has a beautiful garden and tea room. This temple has strong ties to the Zen master, Hakuin.

Zazen and tea ceremony will make your mind clearer and give you more energy !

For those who have problems with kneeling, we will prepare a table and chair for the ceremonies, so that anybody can participate with ease.

Afterwards we will enjoy Japanese Buddhist dishes.

Date and  Time : June 21st ( Mon ) 10:00 AM ~ 13:00 PM  ,  June 27th ( Sun ) 10:00 AM ~13:00 PM

Meeting point   : JR local Tokaido line, Hara station ( 9:40 AM )

Fees                  : 5,000 yen

Schedule           1.  Zazen

                          2. Viewing the tea room and garden, enjoying powdered tea and confectionary

                          3. Lunch    Buddhist dishes  ( at Bells )             13:00 PM  Finish

Dress code         : Please wear something loose and flexible such as sweat pants.

                            We take off our socks when we do zazen.

Cancellation charges  : If you have to cancel, please let us know as soon as possible.

                                     Day before the tour  50% of the fee

                                     Day of the tour 100 % of the fee.

Please refer to February 23rd’s blog entry and user’s voice ( comment ).

If you are interested in this event, please let us know. You might leave your e-mail address as comment then we’ll contact you later.

Notice :  Chokoji Temple holds its annual festival on May 30  http://www11.plala.or.jp/cyokoji/annai/naki.html

 http://www11.plala.or.jp/cyokoji/nakizumou2009/index.html#top

 One of my students got married and I was invited to their wedding party. The party was held at http://www.fugetsuro.co.jp/ It used to be the 15^th Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu’s property and is now used for these kind of gatherings.?It is such a beautiful place. 

?It is said that more than 700,000 couples get married in Japan and more than 60 percent of all Japanese wedding ceremonies are?Christian –style. However this couple had a Shinto Wedding at Shizuoka Sengen Shrine. http://www.shizuokasengen.net/index.html

I know another couple who are going to get married this month and they are going to have a wedding at the same shrine.?

The bride was dressed in white at the Shinto Shrine. After that she wore a colorful kimono at the party. She looked so beautiful.?The party was fun. We heard stories about how they got to know each other, etc.  We also enjoyed a delicious dinner.

Later she wore a white wedding dress. She looked great in the dress, too. When she made a thank you speech to her parents she was in tears and her tears were as beautiful as diamonds. I was touched very much and almost going to cry. I didn’t know that she is such a great speaker. All in all she married a very promising engineer and he is loved by many people. I’m sure she is going to build a happy family.

It was such a nice wedding party.

 We had a zazen tour last Sunday at Chokoji in Numazu. This temple belongs to the Myoshinji school of the Rinzai Sect. All of the participants tried zazen for the first time. Some of them were worried about whether they could sit in the lotus or semi-lotus posture or not. We prepared chairs for the people who might have  difficulties or find it hard to get used to. We use Japanese flat cushions (zabuton) and a pillow-like round cushion which make it easier for us to keep a good posture for zazen.

Since we are beginners, Reverand Matsushita explained various details. We live in a very stressful society. Many people are suffering mentally and physically. Zazen can be one of the solutions for it. He showed us a Daruma doll. In fact a famous Daruma festival is going on in Fuji City. We have to sit like Daruma or Mt. Fuji. We have to breath slowly and deeply and concentrate on our mind. We hold power at the point called Tanden which is located around 3 centimeters below our bellybuttons. The priest used an air pump for bicycles to show us how to breathe properly. This breathing method can be a key to stay healthy and to be successful.

After zazen we relaxed with confectionary and powdered green tea. We enjoyed the scroll painting and talked about it. Usually at tea gathering, the scroll and the arranged flower constitute a message from the host to the guests. Today’s scroll was Mt. Fuji.

Then we moved to a nearby restaurant named Garden Bells. The owner is a great chef. Today she made a Buddhist’s meal. In zen’s teaching, eating is a kind of training. They have certain rules to have meals and we got to know a little. As they chant sutra we serve food by ourselves. It’s a kind of busy but fun.

We give a lot of thanks for the food and the people who prepared it and reflect if we are really worthy of it. We consider the meaning of eating and try not to devour the food greedily.

 The food was so delicious that I devoured it . I’m sure the food I had was too good for me. I feel like talking about the restaurant to many people but on the other hand I’d liketo keep it as a hidden diamond.

We’ll have the same kind of tour on June 21^st and 27^th. If anyone feels like coming, please contact me.  

 I like plum blossoms because they give off a subtle scent . This plum tree is in front of the main hall of Chokoji temple where I do zazen on Sundays. Since January was too busy for the priest to hold a meeting We started the first meeting in February .We usually have it at Kobokudou which is smaller than the main hall. But on that day the usual place couldn’t accommodate the people so we moved in to the main hall. There are many temples but it’s not always easy to find a temple where you can try zazen. We were all happy and amazed to see that twice as many people took part in that morning’s zazen meeting. The youngest one must be a junior high school boy. We had a New Year party at the end of January and I discovered a wide range of jobs and ages. Zazen may be booming now. People might feel a lot of insecurity. If I know nothing lasts forever or nothing stays the same, I’m not very much shocked to see unexpected changes and am able to stay relatively calm.

                     On the same day at Iwamotoyama Park in Fuji City I saw a very interesting plum tree. I like its branches. Many people go on a picnic or walk their dogs here. Since it’s a very nice place to take photos of Mt.Fuji and plum blossoms or cherry blossoms, we see photographers with expensive cameras and other gear.

I went to see the wooden statue of The Great King Emma.This wooden statue is made in Genroku period in Edo era ( 17^th century ). It was made by a man serving Lord Kira. His master Kira is a historical figure and has been depicted as a bad person. As we can see it in the Kabuki play “ Chusingura “. This man was always frustrated and angry since his lord was not bad in fact.

He was desperate and did not know how to comfort his dead lord and the dead co-workers. He decided to make this great king Emma a statue. 

He made every effort to earn money to build it. When it was completed, he was in tears but by that time he found himself free from grudges. 

According to Buddhism, after one’s death one’s acts while alive are investigated. This is the mirror which reflects what one did while one was alive. We can’t hide anything. We go through seven judges every seven days. The Great King Emma is one of the seven judges. That’s why we hold ceremonies such as “ syonanoka” , meaning first seven days, and “ shijyukunichi ”, meaning the 49^th day, hoping the dead person will receive favorable judgments. Depending on the judgment the person’s next life can be determined. If the person were very bad, he or she must keep suffering in hell for a long time. When I was a child my grandmother and great grandmother used to tell me this story and told me not to do wrong things. Even if I could cover up my wrong doing , after death I would have to make up for it. This old wooden Emma statue is taken good care of by the people in that area. Now the new hall for this statue is under construction. These days Buddhist statues are popular and some people steal them. I hope nobody will do this; perhaps fear of judgment will deter them from doing anything like that.