Okinawa Peace Memorial

In addition to getting to know our new family, our visit to Okinawa has been educational and emotionally moving.

Okinawa is a tropical, lush, mountainous island. While driving around one may feel they are more in the Caribbean than Japan. What we've learned is that the Okinawans have a distinct cultural heritage. Okinawa became part of Japan in the late 19th century. Prior to that time, the land of Okinawa was known as the RyuKyu Kingdom. The Okinawans feel very proud of their heritage, they have their own language, music, food (Okinawa soba is very delicious, oishi desu!). The Okinawans whom we've met exude warmth, hospitality and "joie de vivre".

While enjoying the Okinawan sun and the beautiful beaches, it is almost impossible to comprehend the suffering that had been inflicted on them during the 2nd World War. Our visit to the Okinawa Peace Memorial was a testimony of their suffering and resiliency.

The most painful period for Okinawa is named "The Typhoon of Steel": In late March 1945 a fierce battle took place on Okinawan soil. It was the only ground fighting (between Japanese and American forces) fought on Japanese soil. The Typhoon of Steel that lasted for 90 days disfigured mountains, destroyed much of the cultural legacy, and claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people. The Okinawans people were victims of both armies. There is a disturbing testimony in the Peace Museum about the Japanese army ordering mass suicide of civilians who were trying to escape the horror of the battle.

What you see above is a photo of the Peace Plaza and the flame of Peace. The simplicity of the flame, and the spectacular view both promote reflection and meditation. While visiting,  we witnessed beautiful ceremonies, conducted by high school children from all over Japan. Another part of the Memorial are the monument walls: These 118 monument walls, shaped like folding screens,  are spread around the Flame of Peace. On these walls, there are more than 200,000 names of the victims of war: Okinawan civilians, Japanese and American soldiers. One of those whose names is Hideki's uncle, who was a young child at the time of his death.

Another part of the memorial is the peace museum, which consists of extensive documentation of  suffering, resiliency and transformation. While visiting, I found myself reflecting and thinking of my visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial Center in Jerusalem. When exiting Yad Vashem  one faces a spectacular view of Jerusalem. When exiting the Okinawa Peace Museum, one faces a spectacular view of the Ocean. In both instances  the horrors of wars and destruction are followed by hopes for the future.

Pnina

Awesome news from Japan

Hello from Okinawa, the land of romance. We are in a rush to pack and move on to our next adventure, so I must make this short. For those of you whom we were unable to contact, it is true, Sarah and Hideki are engaged to be married.

We shall follow up shortly. As usual, we ask you to stay tuned.

As you may guess by the delay in updating this post, we are back in Tokyo. So many things have been happening that it is impossible to know where to start. From the beginning.... The photo above is the first published combined Aniya and Pinchevsky photo. I thought of pasting Tal and Mary's photo since they could not teleport from New York. So can you tell us apart? Piki and Yukino look like twins and act very much the same way. Hirokazu and I both have a white beard. But the similarities run much deeper than surface appearance. Before I ramble on too much, I must declare a very public thank you for their generosity. Their warmth and affection was out there well before the announcement of the engagement.

One evening which we enjoyed together highlights how messages from the heart can jump over the hurdles of language. The four of us, without the benefit of a human translator, sorry Hideki, went out for dinner. With only slight help from an electronic dictionary, we ate, drank some superlative Sake, and talked about many topics; our children, our lives and our hopes and beliefs. The evening passed too quickly but it quickly continued at their home for dessert, champagne and some karaoke. How can I describe such moments? This blog is too constraining as is my command if the language. Therefore, when we meet, ask us about this evening and we both shall be thrilled to repeat the event.

Marcel

Piki, as usual will soon follow with her version of the story

Cool stuff in Kyushu

The Sumo tournament had brought us to Fukuoka, described as the "the gateway to Kyushu". It is  a modern not too interesting city (In my Japanese transformation, "ugly" is no longer part of my vocabulary). The interesting part of Fukuoka is the food stalls, mentioned in Marcel's last entry. Kyushu happens to be a wonderful place to visit. It is the most southerly and the third largest of the four main islands of Japan. Rail and car tunnels connect it to Honshu, the main island of Japan. It took us 6 hours by 2 trains from Tokyo, Honshu, to Fukuoka, Kyushu. Kyushu is famous for its natural beauty, volcanic ranges and for its Onsen, or spas that are built directly above hot spring sources.
My 2 main interests in Kyushu were a visit to hot spring resort, and a tour of Arita, the birthplace of Japanese ceramic and porcelain (brought to Japan from China and Korea).
Most tourists searching for hot-spring resorts in Japan tend to visit Beppu, Japan most popular hot-spring resort. But since we were aiming for the less traveled road, I searched for another destination. Again, my "beauty pilates" buddies were a wonderful source of information: I had been told of paradise on earth:Kurokawa Onsen. It is a gorgeous small mountain village nested in the mountains of Kyushu. It is hardly a village, but ryokans (small Japanese inns) and beautiful outdoor baths built on hot springs. Driving is challenging so we chose to take public transportation, meaning: One express train, followed by 2 local trains, then a bus.. We gave up on the bus and from the last train station we took an hour cab ride, definitely the most exciting beautiful taxi ride of our lives! The local trains were somehow intimidating, no word or sign of English, but my limited Japanese appeared to be useful. There is an announcement before each stop, so all I had to understand was something like: "Tsigi wa Aso Desu" the next stop is Aso.
After my visit to Kurokawa Onsen, ( and also after attending a Tea ceremony in Tokyo) I finally understand my deep attraction to Japan, it is about learning to stay in the present, fully experience and use all 5 senses. Staying in our ryokan, walking in the mountains I see the beauty of trees and flowers, I hear birds and waterfalls, I smell the sulphur of the hot springs, I touch leaves, branches and rocks, and , of course, taste of the wonderful food: Dinner in the Ryokan is a feast to eyes and palate. We could not read the Japanese menu, but we counted 12 courses, small, colourful portions, in exquisite dishes.
We could not communicate much with the staff at the ryokan. I mastered enough Japanese to say: Denwa (telephone), Taxi, Ashita (tomorrow) Aso eki (Aso train station) but there was wonderful communication of greetings, smiles, warmth and hospitality.

On our way back to Aso eki, our taxi driver received what seemed to be an urgent call from the ryokan. He turned to us and kept saying something like cado, kedi. After some tiring process of non verbal communication I finally understood: Kagi! keys! I realized I took the 2 room keys with me. I felt so embarrassed, gave the keys to the driver, who "said" that he would return to keys to the ryokan.
I am sure that my psychotherapists friends can see here an unconscious hope. I still have the keys, I will come back "home' one day...
Pnina

PS Here is a photo of the Gourmet stall restaurant.

Our New Best Friend or Gourmet Night in Fukuoka

What you see before you is one stunning example of how to grab the attention of the audience. My photo cannot even begin to capture this garden in Kumamoto.  But let me return to the adventure and magic.

We had gone into the mountains of Kyushu near Mount Aso (yes, it is still an active volcano). We stayed at a Ryokan with a marvelous private hot spring bath. Remember, boys and girls, take off your silver jewelry first. Our technology was close to useless and, in addition, I found out how Rogers remains so profitable. Watch for those roaming charges. So we struck out to explore the wilds of the mountains. Yes, this is the city boy going on a country walk, over the hills, a couple of mountains, and a taxi driver even offered to take us home. No way. we ate stuff at the nearby town. It was good but I had no idea what it was. The warea has wall to wall onsen. It appear the thing to do, go from hot spring to hot spring, each with its specialty, dunk your weary body into mud, sand, sulphur, etc. It is all designed to take your money and raise your spirits. Both work.

But as usual, I digress. We are back in Fukuaka and following Piki's reading of a local tourist guide, we walked over to the hot area in town. It is wall to wall bars, the only women in the area were running to work the hundreds of bars catering to men's dreams. Not sexual, mostly little girls in weird outfits.

We quickly went back to the canal side restaurants. Some quick background is needed. These are stalls,set up and taken down each night. We went back to one we tried the other night. These stalls have about ten seats around a kitchen, grill and dishwashing space. The food is fresh, limited and brilliant in its marinate. We connected with a couple (guy from Peru, she from here), connected with the owner and chef, a lady of character and stamina. They work 6 days a week non-stop, hot or cold. When it is cold, they close the shutters so the heat from the kitchen protects you. In warmer weather, they increase the seats by moving onto the sidewalk. More magic. The chef/owner even offered us a free pork dish (it was kosher).

Our new best friend's restaurant ranks right up there with other places we have tried, close to the top. People were still waiting to sit, as we left. We are going back tomorrow.

What do we do for an encore?

Marcel

Sumo night in Japan

Those of you in Canada will understand.

We are now in Fukuoka, another leg in the adventures of Marcel and Piki as well as the Sumo tour. This is one of 4 stops of the annual sumo tournaments which last 2 weeks. There we were, at the top of the stadium where we would be assured of sitting in chairs rather than on tatami mats. Actually the place is quite intimate without a bad seat in the house. The competition starts at 8:30 in the morn. But as we all know, the best is saved for last. So we showed up at 3:30 just before the parade of the superstars at 4:00pm.

The sport is very much steeped in history but modern times have forced change. The top sumo guys are Bulgarians and Mongolians. Very much like our pro sports, commercial interests have been introduced. See below for the McDonald's commercial sponsorship.

The advertising is subtle and limited. But much like hockey, they do stop the match for some moments while the sponsor parades his stuff.

This sport also has similarities to baseball and football. There is much posturing and primping. Prep time is long with the actual battle lasting from 5 seconds to a max of 2 minutes. No trashtalking but there are very subtle psych-out techniques. Definitely no arguing with the ref. Last comment, size does not always win, but it sure helps.

In this part of Japan, Piki and I are truly on our own. There are no english speaking friends to bail us out. Yes we survive. Tonight, we went to a sushi place with an English menu. Of course, I randomly pointed to an item on the Japanese only "menu de jour". I promise you, in Japan, there are no bad decisions. What did I order, you ask. I do not. There was no one to translate and there was no equivalent on the English menu. Yes it was delicious, but minimalist. But I have been eating too much lately.

Tomorrow we are off to another "end of the universe" Ryokan. They say they have internet.

Stay tuned
Marcel

Ikebana and Beyond

 On a lovely stroll in the neighborhood of Azabu Juban I discovered a little unassuming book, that is now( other than Marcel) my best companion: "A Flower Lover's Guide to Tokyo" by Sumiko Enbutsu. I loved Enbutsu-san's introduction: "Appreciation of flowers is universal. It needs no language: smiles are enough to express the pleasure that we get from gazing at lovely blossoms and inhaling their fragrance." In Japan the changing seasons are marked by flowers: Cherry blossoms are certain sign of spring, Irises welcome summer, while Chrysanthemum and maples mark the beginning (Chrysanthemum) and end (Red maples) of Autumn.

This week, with my 2 wonderful companions (Marcel and my little book) I embarked on Chrysanthemum exploration. I now have a beautiful flower arrangement, from my last Ikabana class with beautiful big yellow Chrysanthmum. From  my Ikebana teacher Misako-san, I've learned the Japanese name of these beautiful flowers: Pingpong-kiku, or just Kiku.

Our first visit took us to Sinjuku Gyoen Garden.This garden, originally owned by a feudal lord, became an imperial property in 1879 and was landscaped in 1906 into a luxurious beautiful traditional Japanese garden. The Chrysanthemum show is being held at Sinjuku Gyoen annualy from Nov 1 to 15. The most impressive are the  cascade shaped and the dome shaped Chrisanthemum. I've read that the Dome shape style was first created in Sinjuku Gyoen in 1884. This magnificant sructure of hundreds flowers starts from one root! It takes a year to progressively advance from one root to 600-700 beautiful flowers.

The following day we headed to Yushima Tenjin Shrine, one of the oldest shrines in Tokyo. People come to this shrine to pray for academic success and to admire the beautiful Chrysanthemum in November. The day of our visit to the Shrine was gloriously sunny and we spent a very relaxing hour  observing the Shinto ceremony that took place in the Shrine, and admiring the brilliant flowers, in all shades of red, pink, yellow and white. I particularly loved the colourful cascades of flowers hung from a gently arched bridge.

I hope to share some more garden stories when it is  the time for the viewing of the Maple trees (Last week of Nov, first week of Dec.)

Until next time, Oyasoominesai (good night) from Tokyo

Pnina

How are we doing?

The fellow at the right is not the local policeman.

He is one of many at a traditional parade where many costumes were brought out to re-enact an old tradition when the big cheeses from all over the country came to Tokyo (Edo) to show respect to the biggest cheese.

Now is the time of chrysanthemums and we have been visiting many gardens and shrines where this brilliance is fully on display. More on this from our new ikebana expert.

So how are we doing?

We are constantly in a state of wonderment. Blue skies and ideal temperatures have made our exploring of this city a total pleasure. We zip back and forth on the metro to different corners to explore ancient temples, manicured gardens, and just walk the streets where random shrines and cemeteries pop up where they have been for years and now undisturbed by the high modern buildings. Even the random pizza joint is a discovery.

Our first experience with the Nippon Budokan, the martial arts centre of this city was really exciting, Even Piki was into this ancient art of Kendo. The men and women competed on equal footing with no quarter given. Actually it was hard to tell who was who with all the fighters being covered by masks and armour.  The administrator greeted us with some warmth and we were still the only signees on the "foreigners" register. We both observed, totally enthralled, as they went from their ritual warm up, the training sessions and the final free for all when the bamboo swords resounded against the body armour and head guard. Wow. I am still editing the photographs.

This blog would remiss without a brief comment about the range and quality of eating in this city. Thanks to our friends and our guide book we have been introduced to some really cool dining. Let me share just two experiences, only chosen because they are the most recent. The 52nd floor of the Roppongi Hills Club not only was a feast for the eyes as we looked over Tokyo as they served with grace and tact I never saw them refill my saki cup even though I did my best to empty it. Each course of this Japanese meal was a work of art, visually and gastronomically. More magic.

Last night, we went to a local yakitori place down the street. What a find. We sat in front of the kitchen which served up a number of wonders, all based on chicken. Even watching them clean the kitchen was impressive.

For you cynics out there, yes, we know that we are living somewhat an artificial life. But what magic and what adventure, every minute.

We are doing great.

In a few days, we are off to Fukuoka and Okinawa. Stay tuned for more.

Marcel

Sunday night family dinner

When you travel to a new culture, the greatest privilege is to be invited to local people's home. We were very lucky to meet Akiyo, Sarah's friend from The Ship for World Youth. Both Akiyo, and another friend, Macco have been taking care of us, and we call them "our Japanese daughters"(Nihon no musume)

Tonight we took a long metro ride for a visit to Akiyo's home. Upon arrival to the train station. we were greeted by a very warm welcome: Akiyo, her friend Yoshida, and her younger sister ("imotosan") were waiting for us. We walked together to Akiyo's home and were introduced to her father (otosan).mother (okasan), grandmother (obasan) and 2 lovely cousins.

We spent about 4 hours with the family, eating delicious food (We were introduced to the art of making your own Sushi) and drinking beer, Sake, and ocha (Green tea). Our nervousness about language barrier quickly disappeared. With the competent simultanious translation provided by Akiyo and Yoshida, we found ourselves having very facinating conversations with our hosts. We learned from Grandmother about her childhood during the bombing of Tokyo. We spoke about family values in Japan, work, life,  conducting business, healthcare , travelling in Japan, festivals, places to visit for the folliage. The cousin, who is cellist and a nurse told us about the hospital's orchestra, consisting of nurses an doctors, who practice regularly and play for the patients!

As I said, we felt priviledged to be so warmly received, and to learn more about the family's perspective of life in Japan.

Thank you, Akiyo and family for your generosity and warm hospitality!

Pnina

Words escape me but that did not stop me before

Can you recognize the person toasting "kampai" who is under 32? Tough, is it not?

This group is all directly or indirectly related to Sarah.

Thanks to the generosity of Makiko (front right), we were invited to a reunion of some of the participants in the Ship for World Youth. The photo was taken early in the evening so half of the extended familia are not present. The photographer, by then, had put away sufficient sake to limit his ability to get his legs from under the table and crawl over the crowd.

Sarah always told how tight this group was. I am impressed, despite feeling rather fatherly (sounds better than old).  Conversation was animated and we both lasted well past our bed-time.

Today's adventure took us about an hour outside of Tokyo to Kawagoe, a town which has maintained some of that Edo period charm. It is also famous for its cooked use of sweet potatoes from the traditional to a host of sweets that I cannot even describe. Makiko took us out there and thanks to the iPad (squeezed that techno stuff in) we found another Japanese restaurant which produced a great meal. Not barkroot but excellent stuff, none of which I can remember. At another place we had cappuccino and more cake. Not a bad meal in this country.

To the left is another family photo, Masahiro Kawata, our first Japanese teacher and his parents. Today, he has advanced to head of IT for Pinchevsky. We were privileged to be toured around Asakusa by Masahiro's father who sold tabi (Japanese footwear) in this area quite some time ago. Most the shops are gone, but his memories were fresh as he led us through the marketplace, past the shrine and down the street to a shop that was still in operation. We were each treated to a cool pair of this traditional split toe sock-like and comfortable foot cover. I was so thrilled I immediately asked for directions for the nearest Yukata shop, so I could get a robe to complete my comfort. Those who have seen me semi-naked on Skype, no more.

To all of friends, good night.

Marcel

Ikebana Class

It is very late in Tokyo, but I am so excited with my latest creation: My first Japanese flowers arrangement!

What is so amazing about Japan is the coexistence of a modern progressive society and strong vibrant cultural customs and traditions. Ikebana, Japanese flower arranging was first popularised among the Japanese aristocrats during the period of 794-1192 AD.

My connection to Ikebana is not exactly aristocratic. While taking a "beauty pilates" class (That's how they call it) at the club, I spoke with the French woman next to me. She told me about an Ikebana class, being given in French. I emailed the Ikebana teacher, Misako Kitamura, and was warmly invited to join the group. I was told to meet her and the group at the Hanzomon Metro station sortie 5 (very important! If you take the wrong exit you may find yourself in a completely different part of town).

The Ikebana classes takes place every Thursday morning in a group member's apartment. From the Metro station, we walked to Beatriz's apartment, a Mexican who has been living in Tokyo for the last 4 years. So here we were: Japanese instructor, and five other women of various backgrounds: Thai, French, Mexican, Italian, Israeli/Canadian, all happily sorting, touching cutting and arranging beautiful branches and  flowers.

Everybody else is quite advanced while I am still at the Ikebana for dummies stage. What I do know is that today I learned the Moribana style, or, as Misako presents it: Style de Base Verical Moribana. . I took my arrangement to our apartment, but since I do not have a vase, I put the flowers  (hopefully temporarily, since I am planning to buy a nice vase) in a frying pan. What  you see in front of you, in the frying pan: Enishida (green branches), Bala (yellow roses) and Asta (small purple flowers.)

I can't wait for next Thursday. Hope to introduce you to Nagiere (tall vase flower arrangement)

Pnina

Meeting of New and Old

The Nihon Budokan was built for the Japanese Olympics to house the martial arts. It is a much more modest effort than the Big O and was paid for a long time ago. I understand that cigarette smokers and Montreal taxpayers are still on the hook.

It also had its scandals. The Beatles had the first rock concert bringing shock to the traditional community of Tokyo. It is now a regular home to both, modest concerts (10,000 and less) and martial arts training dojos.

Last night, thousands lined up for a local rock band. Yes they also have scalpers here. How do you say, "got any spare tickets in Japanese"? We were granted access to the training area. In fact, the foreign visitors signup sheet was pristine. As Piki and our friend Akiyo watched patiently, I pulled out my Nikon and clicked at my first Kendo experience. This is Japanese sword fighting, although in this age of pacifism, bamboo has replaced the real thing. We first watched youngsters as they went through their paces with the sensei. Next we were enthralled as over 30 adults, men and women, old and young, big and small went through their moves.

I can only imagine what it must like under all that gear. I could see the sweat, even through the face shield. Adrenalin was rushing fast and furious with a fascinating combination of passion and control. I thought of this in light of the constant griping from hockey and football that they are emotional sports and therefore aggressive behaviour is normal and acceptable. Bull-swaggle.

At the end of the session of beating each other relentlessly, calm broke out. All took off their head-gear, sat  several meditative moments, bowed ritually on the ground and proceeded to clean the dojo hardwood floor.  Many sweaty bare feet. No trash talking. The shouting during the training was all part of Kendo, as much as the breathing, posture, footwork and other techniques. Wow.

We stayed for the full hour and 30 minute session, thanked sensei, and went off for a traditional pizza and beer.

Marcel