Student Art

紅葉 Fall Color at a Zen Temple

A Japanese Expression for Our Times, for All Times

歯を食いしばる (ha wo kui shibaru): To grit one's teeth, to bear up in tragedy 歯- teeth 食い- eating しばる、縛る- to tie, fasten, bind Or, as a man who lost nearly everything in southern Japan's unprecedented flooding today (11/9) commented more eloquently, 人生には色々ある。

Artwork by Niigata Primary and Secondary School Students

These works are by atudents ages 11-15.

Saigo Takamori: One of the Founders of Modern Japan

Samurai Saigo Takamori, along with Sakamoto Ryoma, is one of the most influential figures in the restoration of the emperor and modernization of Japan in the 19th century. This statue is in Ueno Park, Tokyo. When it was unveiled, his widow thought it execrable.

Golden Carpet: Gingko at Ueno Park

A Festoon of Drying Daikon

'Tis the season for daikon.

A Video and Photo for Hard Times

Neko and Jizo Sado temple welcome committee

Wabi and Wabishii

The former means quiet elegance, refinement, while wabishii something quite different: miserable, wretched. I think this farmhouse with the thatch roof expresses 侘しい。

Ramen to soothe the soul

The highlight of the past 48 hours: 辛海老味噌らぁめん from Magogorotei. They've got the best miso ramen around (Niigata City), the spicy shrimp my favorite.

Harris Defeat: Glad to be in Japan

Wow. Clean sweep. Yet not that surprised, really. Many people who have no business voting for Republicans did just that. One of the stated aims of these Republican zealots is to end America's pathetic version of government funded health insurance. And people who rely on Obamacare voted for the these fanatics. Morons. So glad I live in a country with universal health care. So glad I don't live in the US. Goodbye to all that.

New Shorts

Several new videos have been uploaded to https://youtube.com/@japanglimpsed?si=4nK8X2ZkjuMHRlZ-

The 辻堂 (tsujidou), or Wayside Shrine

I am quite fond of such unassuming shrines, which are common in rural areas, particularly. They typically house statues of Jizo-sama, about whom much has been written in this blog. This particular tsujidou does not show figures of the bodhisattva guardian of travellers or childbearing women but of a deity I do not recognize. The characters refer to streets, roadsides (辻 tsuji) and temple, shrine (堂 dou). Regarding the initial character, my kanji guide lists 辻番人 (tsujibannin, or guard) which has been replaced by the unattractive ガードマン. A perfectly fine Japanese term usurped by an import that is merely a sound, devoid of essential meaning. Then there is 辻自動車、tsujidousha, which is so preferable to the pedestrian 'taxi', or タクシー. This second photo of a 辻堂 along my commute contains a figure of Jizo-sama.

October 27 Ride Videos

Negi Transport : Sawayama Dango Shop: Samurai: Low Ride

A Nice Waterfall, Niigata

Cod: Putin, North Korea, and Stupid Policy

Japan has imposed bans on certain Russian imports (lumber, LNG) but not on the fish. Why? Don't know. But what I do know is it's boneheaded: cod is caught in Japanese waters. Support of Russia means support of NK, which is clearly against Japan's interest. Not to mention Ukraine.

Yahiko Shrine Ride Video: Big Red Gate

To Yahiko and back today, 80K. The torii gate is most impressive.

New Japan by Bike Videos

Here Here And Here

Weekend Cycling: Niigata, Yamagata, Fukushima

Nobel Peace Prize, 2024: Hidankyo, Japan

The Japanese association Hidankyo, which represents atomic bomb victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-Bomb attacks and currently numbers 106, 825 survivors (average age 85) of the indiscriminate targeting of Japanese civilians in those cities in 1945, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. Congratulations. So, what did Hiroshima look like after the bombing?

Crickets

One of the things I like most about this time of year is the crickets, who make their appearance in late August or early September and hang around until October. There are numerous species, and autumn evenings offer a symphony of cricket chorus, as the following files record.

Grannie Chops Wood To Heat Water for180+- year-old Public Bath

I watched a TV program this evening about unique people and places in Japan. From Iwate Prefecture comes the story of Hiryusan no Yuu (飛龍山の湯) a 180+-year-old bath (not onsen) located in the mountains 40 minutes by car from the nearest city. Tsubuhari Kimi, who gave her age as 88, is the 7th- generation caretaker of the bath. Every day she cleans the bath and chops wood to heat the water. The bath is free, by the way. She explained that she does this out of a sense of loyalty and responsibility as well as a wish that the medicinal properties of the water heal the sick. I couldn't find a YouTube video, but there's this.

Cycling Video: North by Niigata (and a monkey, briefly)

The plan was to ride to ramen town Hakata, Fukushima, via Niigata and Yamagata, but the weather didn't cooperate. No worries, saw some nice scenery. And a monkey.

Fresh Produce from an Unstaffed Stall

I rode home from work along a different route today and discovered a roadside veg stand, where a local woman on her bike was purchasing some onions. After exchanging a few words about the unseasonable heat, I lifted the lids from the styrofoam boxes and selected purple onions and eggplant. Payment: 200 yen, placed in a wooden box visible in the bottom right of the photo. Honor system.

Froggie

I nearly overlooked this frog atop a garbage can at Kajikawa Roadside Station in Shibata City.

Japanese Child Killed in China

Japan operates schools overseas for children of diplomats, businesspeople, etc. Recently, a 10-year-old Japanese student in China was murdered while on his way to school. Days later, a local official commented on social media that killing Japanese in China was a duty. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/7da53d7d20ad48e9122347ed0107ced8b70307c0

Sado Cycling: Nashinoki Jizo

I've never seen so many statues or figures of Jizo-sama at one place. The story of the Nishinoki Pass Stone Jizo is legendary. Long ago, a fisherman from the coastal village of Toyoda set out in his single-mast vessel. Some distance from shore, the sail unaccountably went slack, and his boat stopped. Peering into the sea, he noticed a shiny object on the sea bottom; diving in, he retrieved a small figure (30cm) of Jizo-sama. Abandoning the fishing, he returned to port, where he summoned his neighbors to discuss what to do, as this eerie and unprecedented experience clearly required a response. The result: a shrine to the Bodhisattva. Some time later, as the votive figures to Jizo-sama increased, it was decided to move the shrine to Nashinoki Pass, several kilometers from Toyoda Village. As the video shows, there are thousands of Jizo-sama figurines. The shrine has an air of isolation (though it is no more than 100 meters from the road, the sign announcing it is parallel to the roadway, not perpendicular), dereliction, even abandon. The pinwheels and stuffed animals were especially poignant (as appeals are made to Jizo-sama by pregnant mothers and parents of children suffering from illness).

Goddess of Mercy

A temple to Kannon in downtown Niigata.

Niigata, 1859

In 1858, the Edo shogunate named Niigata one of 5 treaty ports open to international trade, ending more than 200 years of isolation. Ganzuiji a temple near the port, hosted discussions between local authorities and foreign emissaries who visited the following year, 1859. https://note.com/brian_southwick/n/ne5c716f2b50a#:~:text=%E6%97%A5%2017%3A10-,Niigata,-was%20named%20one

Sado Cycling Photos

Monday was a holiday in Japan - Respect for the Aged- and as Sunday (ordinarily my only day off) was a washout, I postponed my 1-day cycling trip to Sado to the following day. It started out overcast, but by lunchtime the sun was out, and unlike the recent past, the humidity was not outrageous. So, a great day on the bike on Japan's largest island that is not a prefecture. Photos of the trip to follow. Video here.

The bike on the boat