Other Side of the Leaf. . . or a walk in the Park

Mokuren at night

 Why is it so hard for me to grasp is how how different worlds cans be. Here, south-west of the wounded Tokoku region, life, amazingly, goes on at much the same tempo as before. Conversations often get pulled into the tragedy-- the suffers, the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant, etc, but still spring pushes it's renewal. Cherry blossoms burst forth white and pink in a magnificent and delicate resurrection.

Looking NW from the guide way bu

Yesterday we traveled north on the Guide Way Bus (a bus that rides on it's own special elevated road) north to the Shonai Gawa (Shonai River), the park, and a Tibetan Buddhist Temple. The first thing we discovered as we moved into the green of bamboo and woods was a patch where a very kind and cheerful man (Mr.Muramatsu) was working in his rice field. He took time to talk to us, to show us some of the water life in the irrigation canals and tell us about how he's been growing there for 15 years and never has used any chemicals on his plot. It was so nice to be walking on the good earth with tadpoles, little crayfish and shrimps swimming right there here still in Nagoya. Mr. Muramatsu said he would see if he could find an open plot for me to work. Such a lovely area and only about 15-20 minutes ride by bicycle.

Mr. Muramatsu at work in his rice

Mr. Muramatsu shows Yumiko some water life

We then wandered down to Obata Ryokuchi Koen park proper and while enjoying our onigri, tea and sembe we happen to hear the strains of a violin emanating from the woods. Tracking the sound down we came to a small pagoda with two smiley musician (Yuu and Yuhei  aka  Sora Tobu Kujira-Sky Flying Whale) enjoying the spring weather and the music they were skillfully making.

Sky Flying Whale--Yu and Yuhei

I shot them while they were busy playing. A Minor Swing 

Came back later to get their names chat more and then shot: A Sentimental Mood.

(You can follow the links above to hear them.)

looking down at the Shonai River in Nagoya

and in the NW view across the river . . . mountains

My head was filling so full of the honey of blue skies, spring air, trees, walking, and swing music. Now on to temples and a look over the river valley in front of us.

 Chanbarin Temple

in Chanbarin Temple

Siddhartha

We came home tired and complete. . .full of the realization that within a short bike ride from our home in Sunadabashi there were many treasures to find, maybe a garden to grow and very warm human music springing and singing in the woods to be heard.

peace and happiness. . .

Strange things in the sky tonight

Looking down into the waters below through a Plexiglas box was something that I absolutely loved as a kid. A whole other unseen world was revealed with fish and moving plants and different light and. . . It was such magic to peer into another world. Later I would enjoy the world that Jacques Cousteau opened up with his invention of the "aqua lung." The underwater world was so quiet and enveloping. Even the dangers were silent; sharks, our favorite the Moray Eels, barracudas or even the possibility of being lost under the ice. Kind of dream like--the cries can't be heard.

There's a part of me that is still entangled by the frenetic self expression that the last week has made me think the western "rich" world represents. I still read the doom and arrogant gloom of James Kunstler's blog and it still fills me with the trepidations he's so good at instilling. I guess selling fear is almost as big a business as selling salvation. Maybe they walk the aisle together.

When the Huffington Post (spit on the the left for being as reactionary as the right) printed "NO HOPE" as their big headline just as the Fukushima (Happy Island) nuclear uncertainty was at its peak and scaring many and there was lots of uncertainty in Japan, I realized how far we have gone toward the direction of no restraint. I see it in the Facebook posts and even the NY Times-- which until recently I have always held to be above the generally lack of civility. The PBS News Hour was actually the best at listening and talking to people who weren't just beating the drum of Apocalypse. However when Mark Shields tried to take credit for the 'Messy American system of free information," being responsible for loosening the information flow from Japanese officials in Fukushima I almost choked. The only thing the American press did was spread rumor and fear--and probably they received a lot of hits on their websites for it too.


I cried when I saw the workers who volunteered to go into the dangerous plants to work on fixing what could have potentially been even more horrific. They knew the risks and for their families, their country and the world, they went. I'm tearing up now. Such beauty in action. I love the Japanese. 思いやりがあります。Awareness of the other person.

When in a store tonight with Kaime to buy just one thing the lady in front of me said please go ahead. So typical. Such a polite people.

I always found the NHK broadcasts about the Fukushima nuclear plant to be informative, serious, and calm. No one was cavalier or smug (the way G. Bush senior looked when he announced the start of the first war with Iraq) but they were doing their best to fix this absolutely nightmarish situation.
On the subway to work I looked around me like that kid in the boat. I can't understand it at all. Always a stranger in a strange land. Mystery on mystery.

Peace and Love. . .

If possible please help to support the effort to rebuild the Tohoku area by donating to one of the organization listed below in the "Prayers" blog.

Radiate

We appreciate your kind thoughts and concern. Japan has been hit by a real blow (the best laid plans of mice and men…) and all the redundant systems to keep the waves at bay and the nuclear cobra in its jar have proved insufficient. Now we wait and wonder what will evolve and how it will affect Japan, our lives, the greater world community.

The first thing is that I have such great respect for the Japanese as a people. They are proud, stoic and behave like civilized people even during a crisis. Going into to those nuclear plants to try to diffuse this nightmare might be as brave a thing as someone could do. The Japanese carry on but you can see the apprehension about these melting, exploding nuclear plants. I talked to a friend in Tokyo (Matsumoto Akihiko) and he said, “準備します。Meaning: “We are getting ready.” Supplies are in short supply in Tokyo and there are the rolling black outs.

That Japan has not moved toward a more sustainable path is only understandable if one realizes that the same people are calling the shots here as are calling them in much of the developed and undeveloped world—large energy corporations. Maybe the change will come in the form of nuclear energy becoming too expensive (isn’t it already???) and the business sector will abandon it. I don’t feel it will come from consensus seeking leaders or the easily mislead peoples. The Japanese have great solar gain and wind all the time. A town like Nagoya could have solar panels on every flat roof and turbines spinning to boot. In a country that is always eager to embrace the future and high tech development it’s more than a little puzzling that they headed down not only such a dangerous road but one that has already left a painfully searing mark in there history.

We feel safe but insecure—here, at the moment—we are about 600 some kilometers from Fukushima and luckily we’re south west of them so the prevailing winds usually blow all the unknowns out to sea with out affecting us here. Or so we believe at the moment.

On the way into work today while walking down “Sun Road” (which most ironically is an underground mall (very nice smells of cakes and roasting teas etc.) from the Nagoya train station (which is huge) I walked past a store I had never noticed before. A clothing store. Usually a store like this would be full of folk browsing but it was surprisingly empty. I, then, in my hurried pace, I happened to catch the name on the sign board above the wide open doors “Radiate.”

peace and love and payers for the best out come. . .

Prayers

Nothing to write. Please send prayers, wishes, good thoughts to the suffering people of northern Japan, and for safest possible ending to the nuclear situation.

Aid and Charitable Organizations

Each of the following groups have set up fundraising sites specifically for the victims of Friday’s earthquake and tsunami.

AMERICAN RED CROSS
Red Cross officials say donors can text REDCROSS to 90999 and a $10 donation will automatically be charged to donor’s phone bill, or donations can be made directly on its Web site.

AMERICARES
Information is available on the organization’s Web site.

CARE
CARE is one of the world’s largest private international humanitarian organizations. Their offices in Asia are on high alert and have ensured that staff are informed of the tsunami warnings and other related developments.

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
Information is available on the organization’s Web site.

GLOBALGIVING.ORG
GlobalGiving is working with International Medical Corps, Save the Children, and other organizations on the ground to disburse funds to organizations providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Donors can text JAPAN to 50555 to give $10, and larger increments can be submitted on GlobalGiving’s Web site.

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS
Information is available on the organization’s Web site.

LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL
Information is available on the organization’s Web site.

THE SALVATION ARMY
The Salvation Army has been providing food and shelter to Tokyo commuters who were stranded when public transportation was interrupted by the earthquake. They are to send a team to Sendai, a city about 250 miles Tokyo, to assess the situation there. Text JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 to make a $10 donation. (Make sure to respond “YES” to the Thank You message you receive.) Donations can also be made on the organization’s Web site or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

SAVE THE CHILDREN
To make a donation, visit Save the Children’s Web site, call 1-800-728-3843, or text JAPAN to 20222 to donate $10.

SHELTERBOX.ORG
Shelterbox.org is a disaster-relief organization that focuses on providing survival materials such as tents and cooking equipment to families displaced by disasters.

UJA-FEDERATION OF NEW YORK
Information is available on the organization’s Web site or by calling (212) 836-1486.

Bodies and Currents or Shoot Out in the Wild West

I was working on another blog, 'The Sailor and the Firefly,' and then thing kept happening to me that made me think about how my experiences here were laying on top of the economic and political drama that is going on at home.

お雛様 in our living room

 I went a dentist here (walking 5 minutes) with a certain amount of trepidation. (Dentists have almost always seemed to me a bit mercenary--one I visited in Park Slope had his walls covered with picture from the travels to distant parts that his patients had paid for.) I also had this strange idea that American dentists were the best, that is why we pay such big bucks to have our teeth cleaned etc. isn't it? I was in for such a surprise.
Last summer when Yumiko and I received our tax returns we each went to the dentist and without getting much done used up almost $3000 which was a good chunk for humble folks like us. And they wanted us back again for more money infusion. They had hardly scratched the surface..

長母寺

中 村先生 came right in and told me that he believed he could save my tooth (one that Dr. Mossafarri told me would have to be a root canal) and which had since cracked. Dr. Nakamura also said that he would build a crown for the neighboring tooth and the price for this work (the part that the national insurance wouldn’t cover) would be somewhere around $80.00. Would that be OK? he asked. While the anesthesia was taking effect Dr. Nakamura’s assistants came in and cleaned my teeth and did a marvelous job. When Dr. Nakamura came back he carved (drilled) away the decay almost as painlessly as a warm shampoo and invited me back next week for the new crowns. When I mentioned to him that he seemed to me quite skillful he replied, “Maybe more skilful than the average American dentist.” He then went on to explain that American dentists are in too much of a rush to pull teeth or do root canals. “Too much of a rush to get to the bank,” I thought.
On Saturday I rode to 大須 (Oosu) by bike. It's about a 10 kilometer ride cross town and traffic. In Japan the bikers almost always ride on the sidewalks weaving in between and around people and other bikes. It's an amazing performance especially when the sidewalks are full of people the way they were in Oosu on Saturday afternoon. I realized as I was weaving around people, that what makes this possible is that the people here walk in a predictable trajectory. They don't suddenly swerve or stop or throw up their arms. Even in their street motions they move with  遠慮。Enryo; meaning restraint, reserve diffidence, discretion, tact, thoughtfulness. Riding along--on my way back home--at a fairly good clip--someone suddenly broke out of this pattern and changed direction. I guess they saw something attractive in a shop window--and I had to jam on the brakes. It was then I realized it couldn't be helped--he was a foreigner. He hadn't had the generations of training in swimming in the crowds that the Japanese have had. The individual/the group.

長母寺

It got me thinking about freedom. The freedom that Americans always refer to. In the same way that people have freedom from theft when no one steals the Japanese have freedom of motion through group restraint. Freedom through discipline.
It appears to me that a truly rich culture puts it's wealth into the public sphere; building up the libraries, schools, public transportation, protecting the natural resources and does not sanction the great accumulation of wealth and power by individuals (or for that matter corporations). The public good over individual accomplishments/excesses. This is a difficult balance. Ayn Rand would have had a hard time in group think Japan. Lemmings can be lead into disaster--and the second  world war is not forgotten. There is, however something to be learned through group cooperation. This is not a 'communist' ideology--it's just one that says that people can benefit from pooling resources, strengths and talents and that individual competition, which is always held up as the hallmark of western capitalism has it price--alienation, mistrust and isolation.
The tendency that I see going on in America, among all the rancor, Sturm und Drang  and political gesticulations is that people are shoring up their own little (or big) castles and hoping to ride out the storm; kind of like people closing the shutters when the outlaw gangs came to town. The rich are increasingly feathering their nests while calling for the cutting of programs that aid the poor, the environment, women, elderly and public infrastructure. In a trade off they allow the working class their guns--making them feel empowered and able to protect their freedoms. It's all sold as great free enterprise and necessary for unfettering of our great entrepreneurial spirit.
I drink my morning coffee from a cup that was here when we arrived. It says in a typically Japanese and un-American fashion, "We are sure to succeed if [we] work together."

p & l

Photos of Oohinasama and Choboji taken by wms.