猛暑真夏日

Readers of these pages will recall that I hail from the greatest country ever. That's right: USA, USA, USA. Born in the "Don't mess with" state of Texas, USA. Hooray. As Japan is gripped in a heatwave- who isn't this summer- construction firms and other companies in the country are introducing mitigating measures: shortened working hours, earlier starts, longer breaks. You know, to ensure worker health, safety. Because it's the right thing to do. For business And morally speaking. They're NOT CHRISTIANS here, by the by. But they are in Texas, as those folks love to remind us. Ten Commandments in the classrooms. The point? That benighted state- CHRISTIAN, barbaric, unregenerate (and we won't address LGBT Q)- presided over by a fella with an impairment, and not just moral- (sorry for the lengthy parentheses)- has rolled back protections (as in mandated water breaks)- for those who work on construction sites, etc. Brown people, and Whites who don't matter. Tale of two countries. Tale of CHRISTIAN and non-christian cultures. To paraphrase Baldwin, "If your religion doesn't ennoble... Ditch it."

影像, 坐禅堂

Sado, Crepuscular

芥川 龍之介: 蜘蛛の糸: Updated

"Spider's Thread", by Akutagawa Ryunosuke (for whom Japan's premier literary prize is named). With good reason, as this short short story is steeped in Buddhism without being didactic or obscure; the reader needn't be Buddhist to appreciate its virtuosity or the unique style and voice/ tone of 芥川. I read "Spider's Thread" in Japanese today and continue to marvel at Akutagawa, having recently perused Rashomon, In the Thicket, and Nose. All great stories, but perhaps 蜘蛛の糸 is most accessible. Here's an English translation: Kumono-Ito-text.pdf https://share.google/4FW9VOfv9pbeldFh9 Japanese: https://tatsu-zine.com/samples/aozora/kumono_ito.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOooYZKwjasUw6z5PZtXQwmHyapdN3FQsOdnfY_Bc704Zz8HrwzVF Having read 蜜柑 (Mikan) in the meantime, I strongly suggest Mandarin Oranges as a point of entry into Akutagawa.

The 木漏れ日: 晩版Video

Well, damn, the video is unavailable. Will try to fix. The fix, finally: https://youtu.be/k5iO4fjHVCc?si=BzE10USv4K8YJu_S

木漏れ日: 晩版

Wim Winders can be a bonehead, but "Perfect Days" is pretty excellent, even if naive at times. So, 木漏れ日 is a, what, Japanese or Eastern (yeah, that term is garbage) philosophical concept essential to the film. Just watch it. Outstanding performance by aptly named Yakusho Koji.My of 木漏れ日。

金沢刺身夕食

金沢西茶屋Sweets

Delicious monaka, 塩豆あん抹茶アイス

金沢: 杏庵蕎麦屋

Some of the best soba I've ever had. (にしん蕎麦) It's not easy to find 杏庵、I almost gave up.

Peace and Article 9, Japanese Constitution

Our right-wing PM would so love to repeal Article 9. As it is, Japan will begin exporting offensive weapons for a change (In the recent last election, PM Takaichi talked about eliminating taxes on food, not weapons exports or constitutional revision. But she's a died in the wool nationalist, so moral complicity be damned). Meanwhile, demonstrations grow against Takaichi's disingenuousness and lack of mandate

金沢大乗寺/ Hillside Park

金沢大乗寺坐禅堂

金沢大乗寺

草鞋と仁王