Fallen leavesCome flying from elsewhere
Autumn is ending.
~Matsuo Basho
Along this roadGoes no one,
This autumn eve.
~Basho
The road to my beautiful mountain school.
The view from the Beautiful Mountain school (^-^)/
Showing posts with label haiku. Show all posts
Showing posts with label haiku. Show all posts
Friday, December 01, 2006
Autumn in Ena 恵那の秋
Fallen leavesCome flying from elsewhere
Autumn is ending.
Along this roadGoes no one,
This autumn eve.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
桜咲いているね！Sakura \(^-^)/
Sakura, or Cherry Blossoms, line the ragged, rocky bank of the Kiso River that flows past my beautiful mountain school. The trees have been in bloom all week, but today is the first day it hasn't rained, making this chance to enjoy the fragile beauty of these short-lived blooms all the more precious.
Spring buds burst, and so I gaze,
Blossoms fall, and so my days
Bassho, Haiku Master
The tradition of hanami, literally meaning flower viewing, is centuries old. It was once believed that cherry blossoms were the most accurate indicators of the coming harvests. If the blooms were full then the merchant classes would party and parade in their best kimonos, as it predicted a bountiful rice harvest. The traditional appeal of cherry blossom viewing is also said to lie in its poignant reminder of the fragile beauty and brevity of life.
By the end of the 17th century the hanami party had become a ritual popular across all social classes, and the tradition continues today as friends and families gather for picnic parties under the huge cherry trees, armed with bento boxes filled with delicious treats, beer and sake.
A lot of planning goes into hosting the perfect hanami party. Securing the right position could involve laying your mat before 8am and some even hire a person to reserve their space. Cunning corporates send their junior employees out before sunrise to stake a claim on the prime picnic spot for their company function, partly explaining the many young men in suits found snoozing under the trees while they await the arrival of food, drinks and guests.
TV stations give weather forecasts with blossom blooming predicitions and updates, while newspapers print maps with tiny pink dots to pinpoint the best hanami locations for this much anticipated event but you'll need to arrive very early at famous blossom-viewing venues such as Tokyo's Ueno Park Osaka Castle, or Maruyama Park in Kyoto. Hanami comes but once a year! Kampai!
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
明けましておめでとう！Happy New Year!
O Christmas tree...
Well, despite some serious effort on behalf of the snow the midwest has been burried under recently, I finally made it back to good ol' Japan, but not without some duly noted drama. First I made the mistake of delaying my flight an extra day so I could kick it with my crew around the 'hood. Fo' shizzel.
La famiglia.
Pre-departure romp in the snow.
No sky
No earth-- but still
Snowflakes fall.
~Hanshin
The airport people said my flight was good to go, so I said my good-byes and passed thru the security gates (gates of hell would be more appropriate). My flight was an hour and a half late, which means I missed the connection to the day's one and only flight to Nagoya. I was stranded in Detroit (also more appropriatey, Hell on Earth) again! Luckily I had met up with Matt, another JET ALT in Gifu. We got a hotel and watched every Back to the Future movie ever made. Thankfully our flight left on time (2:30PM) the next day. Sigh (of relief).
But the drama didn't stop there. About an hour into our flight an old man became terminally ill. They were going to turn around and take him to a hosipital, but the family refused. They wanted to get him home to the Phillipines so he could be burried in his homeland. The entire flight a doctor that happened to be onboard tried to save him, but he actually died on the plane. When we finally landed in Japan a whole crew of police, Meds and fire fighters (yes, fire fighters) hopped on board and spent about an hour confirming that he was indeed dead, and trying to determine the exact time of death. I guess they were confused by the time zones. Craziness.
When I finally got to Ena it seemed so much warmer than Ohio-ville...Until I got into my apartment! Even with my heater on full blast I could still see my breath! After I took a shower, the steam that had condensed on the mirror actually frosted over! I slept underneath my kotatsu, a small japanese table heated from beneath with a blanket draped over it. I love kotatsu! I'm convinced kotatsu has saved the lives of many a foreigner in these here parts!
It's been snowing all day! Light and fluffy, it floats down as if it were waltzing, vanishing when it hits the ground. The tree-covered mountains shimmer as if they've been sprinkled with star dust at night, and in the sunlight they sparkle like diamonds. Its beautiful!
(disclamer: Its the year of the chicken, hence, the funky chicken comment. I do apologize for any distress or confusion it may have caused. )
Well, despite some serious effort on behalf of the snow the midwest has been burried under recently, I finally made it back to good ol' Japan, but not without some duly noted drama. First I made the mistake of delaying my flight an extra day so I could kick it with my crew around the 'hood. Fo' shizzel.
La famiglia.
I arrived in the States on the tail-end of a blizzard that dropped about 20 inches (about 50 centimeters) of snow in one day. Stranded in Detroit, some other desperate Cleveland kids and I rented a van and braved the blanketed highways determined to make it home for Christmas. Since that snow had all finally melted, I figured I was golden...Until I woke up the next morning to find that once again we had been smothered in a blanket of freshly fallen snow.
Pre-departure romp in the snow.
No sky
No earth-- but still
Snowflakes fall.
~Hanshin
The airport people said my flight was good to go, so I said my good-byes and passed thru the security gates (gates of hell would be more appropriate). My flight was an hour and a half late, which means I missed the connection to the day's one and only flight to Nagoya. I was stranded in Detroit (also more appropriatey, Hell on Earth) again! Luckily I had met up with Matt, another JET ALT in Gifu. We got a hotel and watched every Back to the Future movie ever made. Thankfully our flight left on time (2:30PM) the next day. Sigh (of relief).
But the drama didn't stop there. About an hour into our flight an old man became terminally ill. They were going to turn around and take him to a hosipital, but the family refused. They wanted to get him home to the Phillipines so he could be burried in his homeland. The entire flight a doctor that happened to be onboard tried to save him, but he actually died on the plane. When we finally landed in Japan a whole crew of police, Meds and fire fighters (yes, fire fighters) hopped on board and spent about an hour confirming that he was indeed dead, and trying to determine the exact time of death. I guess they were confused by the time zones. Craziness.
When I finally got to Ena it seemed so much warmer than Ohio-ville...Until I got into my apartment! Even with my heater on full blast I could still see my breath! After I took a shower, the steam that had condensed on the mirror actually frosted over! I slept underneath my kotatsu, a small japanese table heated from beneath with a blanket draped over it. I love kotatsu! I'm convinced kotatsu has saved the lives of many a foreigner in these here parts!
It's been snowing all day! Light and fluffy, it floats down as if it were waltzing, vanishing when it hits the ground. The tree-covered mountains shimmer as if they've been sprinkled with star dust at night, and in the sunlight they sparkle like diamonds. Its beautiful!
What a way to start the new year! I can't wait to see what adventures 2005 is going to bring! Funky chicken! Rock out!
(disclamer: Its the year of the chicken, hence, the funky chicken comment. I do apologize for any distress or confusion it may have caused. )
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