More of the Same

Opponents kill international school plans in Sapporo | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis https://share.google/L8AppUCfNgESR0DZx

Beautiful Japan- Not So Much

Racist, discriminatory: a truly awful proposal from Japan Rugby. Hopefully this never comes to pass. Should provoke widespread condemnation. Sadly of a piece with growing anti-foreigner sentiment in PM Takaichi's Japan. RUGBY/ New rules leave former Japan rugby star Timothy Lafaele in limbo | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis https://share.google/lo4EjdQEiuwUTCB8L

Jizo in Shibata

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