芥川 龍之介: 蜘蛛の糸

"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

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

Ishikawa Takuboku- See サルと人と森 in these pages-- Remarkably Prescient about Our Condition

Hiraizumi and WW2: A Lucky Miss?

Hiraizumi, Iwate, is home to Chusonji, a 900-year-old temple of the Jodo Shinshu Sect. Tucked away in Hir

aizumi Station is a small exhibit showing what the US Air Force was up to in early August, 1945, in addition to obliterating Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Either the temple was lucky, or the crews were instructed to spare the site. Anyhow, the bombings in Hiraizumi that August caused extensive damage, and many lives were lost.