A Zazen Retreat in Japan: Paying Attention to the Here and Now

After months of terribly hot weather - and constant AC, day AND night - it's finally started to cool down here. Temperatures were typically 10℃ higher or more than the yearly average making for a pretty unbearable summer. As much as I like Japan, I'm going to have to give serious thought to spending the summer back in the UK to escape the heat. Indeed, some of my retired ex-pat friends do just this, having the best of both worlds by avoiding the Japanese summer and also avoiding the long, dark, miserable UK winter (Japanese winter is pleasant - and sunny!). But that's one for the future - for now, I'm just enjoying the cooler temperatures and the signs of autumn, one of which are the gorgeous red spider lilies (higan-bana =彼岸花) which are popping up all over the place.

Last month's post focused on the film Perfect Days and as I wrote there, the film caused me to reflect on the idea of mindfulness, with its emphasis on slowing down, analogue over digital, simplifying life, paying attention to the here and now, taking in your surroundings one thought at a time, and the cultivation of curiosity, wonder, and awe. Thinking about it, mindfulness has much in common with zen, the Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, originally from China, which emphasises the value of intuition through silent meditation - giving attention to only one thing - rather than enlightenment through ritual worship or the study of scriptures. The term zazen (座禅）literally means seated meditation - usually cross-legged, in the lotus position.

Here I'm going to introduce one zazen experience available for English speakers, a temple in the mountains of Saitama called Shokakuji (正覚寺). The Japanese web site promotes its overnight and one-day zazen experience, noting how the peaceful, natural environment provides a space for self-reflection in both body and mind through zazen, Buddhist talks by the priest, vegetarian cuisine, sutra copying - and even life counseling! The English website invites enquiries in English and also contains the schedule for the overnight programme (pictured). Here Shojin Ryori (精進料理) refers to a special kind of vegetarian cuisine derived from the dietary restrictions of Buddhist monks (no fish or meat).

As advertised, there are two zazen sessions which involve sitting cross-legged on a cushion, staring at a point in front of you while focusing on one's breathing for around 30 minutes. It seemed very long and - by the end - very uncomfortable (especially the legs) though there was no being hit by a bamboo stick if you move or slump like I heard happens in some other places. In the (very early) morning session, zazen is followed by a sermon where the priest talks about Buddhism and the key concepts, including live lessons. Meals are eaten in complete silence and are very simple, just plain rice, miso soup, and lightly seasoned vegetables. Finally, there is the copying by hand of (fairly long) Buddhist sutra known as shakyō (写経) - this is all in kanji so probably not for the Japanese beginner. Surprisingly, the 9pm lights out is not strictly enforced - after the priest goes to sleep, you're pretty much free to do as you like!

Interested? There are many places that offer foreigner-friendly retreats throughout Japan, some more expensive than others. There's a list of eight of the most interesting here; the Japanese National Tourist Organization (JNTO) site also has a good overview. For those of you who want more of a challenge, you could try the women-only five-day yamabushi mountain priest training at Mount Haguro in Yamagata which includes meditating under waterfalls! But wherever you are, mindfulness is something that could help simplify life and give you more space - check out the fantastic MSBR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) free online 8-week course here. Share your (simple) thoughts in the COMMENTS!

The Month of Death: Living Perfect Days in Japan in August

August is a month of death in Japan both remembered and real. Real not only because of the searing temperatures that lead to heat stroke but also because of the typhoons that sweep through the archipelago this time of year. Earlier in the month, Typhoon Ampil (No. 7) passed along the east coast of Japan causing many train and plane cancellations and disrupting the Bon holiday's return travel rush. And as I write, Typhoon Shanshan is causing devastation down in Kyushu. On top of that, a magnitude 7 earthquake struck off Miyazaki Prefecture on August 8th, triggering the first ever official week-long "megaquake" advisory as fears grew that this was the precursor of the long-expected super quake in the Nankai Trough (南海トラフ). Amid these natural disasters, the man-made disasters of Hiroshima (August 6th) and Nagasaki (August 9th) were commemorated, followed by a solemn ceremony on August 15th marking 79 years since Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender (known as Shūsen-kinenbi or "memorial day for the end of the war" =終戦記念日).

The traditional Obon (お盆）holiday itself is rooted in death. Running August 13th to 16th this year, it is one of the three major holidays in Japan. Whereas some Japanese take the opportunity to travel abroad, many travel back to their hometown (furusato =古里・故郷) to honour their ancestors who are said to return to their earthly homes for a brief visit during this period. To guide the spirits of these ancestors, one often sees lanterns hung in front of houses - the pictures show scenes from my local lantern festival (灯りまつり) - as well as cucumber "horses" (shōryōuma =精霊馬）and aubergine/eggplant "oxen" (shōryōushi =精霊牛). The former are said to guide the dead back quickly while the latter, being more slow-moving, take their time helping them return to the underworld (lanterns are also floated in rivers at the end of Obon for the same purpose).

In sum, August in Japan is a time to contemplate life and death. Here, I'm going to introduce a film I watched recently which made me think a lot about how and why we live: Perfect Days (パーフェクト・デイズ) directed by Wim Wenders and starring the famous Japanese actor Koji Yakusho (who won best actor at Cannes for his performance as Hirayama). Billed as "a work of fiction with the feel of a documentary," the movie follows the daily life of Hirayama who cleans public toilets in Shibuya, Tokyo. All the toilets featured in the movie are drawn from the 17 toilets created by famous architects, creators, and designers known collectively as the Tokyo Toilet Project. The Project unashamedly promotes toilets "as a symbol of Japan's world-renowned hospitality (omotenashi) culture" and the focus is very much on accessibility, comfort, and safety. For example, this is the thinking behind the two "transparent" toilets (which turn opaque when locked): the technology allows people to easily check cleanliness and whether anyone is inside, two of the things people tend to worry about when entering a public toilet. Check out this BBC video for a more detailed overview of the Tokyo Toilet Project and visit the sites in the film (not only toilets!) using the interactive map here.

L to R: Nabeshima Shoto Park toilets, (the transparent) Yoyogi Fukumachi Mini Park toilets, and Yoyogi Hachiman toilets

Getting back to the film, Hirayama leads a very simple life with a fixed daily routine that sees very little interaction with others. He is a humble man who carries out his job diligently and with dedication, taking pride in his work. Interestingly, surveys constantly show diligence (kinben=勤勉）as the trait Japanese see as most typical of their national character (graph here in Japanese - click on #1). There is so much to take from Hirayama: the importance of noticing things around you, the value of connecting with nature, the importance of appreciating the current moment, the merits of small things and daily rituals, and the peace brought by speaking less and reflecting more. There is a gentle optimism, a tranquility about Hirayama, his life, and his philosophy that kept reminding me of mindfulness, with its emphasis on slowing down, analogue over digital, simplifying life, paying attention to the here and now, taking in your surroundings one thought at a time, and the cultivation of curiosity, wonder, and awe.

Jaz walking in the komorebi

Interestingly, the film was originally slated to be called Komorebi (木漏れ日). At the end of the film - after the credits - this Japanese word is translated as "the shimmering of light and shadows that is created by leaves swaying in the wind which exists only once, at that moment." In the film, this concept comes into its own during Hirayama's lunch break, which he takes every day at Yoyogi Hachimangu (代々木八幡宮) Shrine, a hidden oasis of calm in the middle of Tokyo. Hirayama always has simple white bread convenience store sandwiches and milk for lunch and takes a single picture every day on his disposable camera, trying to capture the perfect komerebi amongst the towering trees. Check out the video below of me trying to capture Haruyama's experience - sandwiches and all! COMMENTS are, as always, most welcome - let me hear your take on the film (if you've seen it) or indeed on any of the themes raised in the post.

Dog-Friendly Travel in the Izu Peninsula and Praying for Pets' Health at Jingi Shrine

Here in Tokyo, the rainy season is over, and the brutally hot summer heat has hit with a vengeance. Shizuoka reached 40℃ on July 7th and its pretty much certain that the 2020 record of 41.1℃ will be broken at some point this year. The Japan Association for Acute Medicine (JAAM) seems to think so too, and has added a new "special heatstroke alert" (熱中症特別警戒アラート) level to its heatstroke index; the Ministry of the Environment publishes a daily map showing which areas are under heat stroke or special heat stroke alerts (pictured). This is based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WGBT), a measure of the heat stress in direct sunlight; anything over 31 is classified as dangerous and exercise outside is not recommended. Special cooling shelters (クーリングシェルター）have been set up in community centres and shopping malls and parasols have become ubiquitous, among both men and women.

As well as keeping hydrated, as I have written before, one of the ways to prevent heat-stroke, avoid natsu-bate (heat fatigue), and generally survive the fierce Japanese summer heat is to eat nutritious, stamina-boosting foods. Traditionally, foods beginning with "u" are said to be good and one of the best is unagi or eel. In fact, there is a special day for eating eel known as doyō no ushi no hi (土用の丑の日) or "day of the ox", traditionally the height of the summer. This year doyō no ushi day fell on July 24th, though there is also a second "eel" day on August 5th (for a full explanation see here). Personally, I also love deep-fried eel bones, crunchy, salty, and guaranteed to shake off the summer blues - though every single one of my British friends found them utterly repugnant when I brought them back as souvenirs on my last trip back!

Looking for a little respite, we headed to the Izu Peninsula (伊豆半島) which, despite being in Shizuoka Prefecture, is a good three or four degrees cooler than Tokyo. I highly recommend the Odoriko (踊り子) special train which runs from Tokyo, via Atami, to either Shimoda (stopping at Kawazu) in the south or Shuzenji on the west coast. I have already written about Atami, the traditional Japanese sea-side resort and hot-spring paradise. I would also recommend Kawazu, famous for its 850 cherry blossom trees along the Kawazu River in the spring. In this extreme heat though the best thing about Kawazu is the hour-long trail in the mountains along the “seven waterfalls of Kawazu,” (河津七滝) which is deliciously refreshing and cool to walk along. This area is also the setting for Nobel Literature Prize Winner Yasunari Kawabata’s famous novel of first love, “The Dancing Girl of Izu” (伊豆の踊子) from which the special train gets its name. Kawazu is also famous for wasabi (Japanese horseradish) grown in the streams of Amagi, and local wasabi dishes, such as buckwheat noodles and even ice-cream, are widely available.

We stayed near Ito City not far from the coast since we wanted to take our much-loved dog, Jaz (Jasmine), to the beach where she loves digging holes in the sand - but adamantly refuses to go near the water! The whole area is amazingly dog-friendly, both in terms of restaurants/cafes and accommodation. Jaz is a "shelter dog" (hogoken=保護犬) who was found abandoned and dangerously mal-nourished in Saitama in spring 2011; she was taken to a government shelter (保健所) where she was due to be put down but was saved by a local animal rescue organisation and we adopted her in October of that year (see here for an older post). Two years ago, she was diagnosed with leukemia (白血病) and has been undergoing treatment at a university hospital in Musashino City since. Not knowing how much time we have left together we wanted to spend some quality time with her - and also take her to the famous dog/cat shrine at Jingi Shrine (神祇大社) in Ito to pray for her health.

Climbing up the steep stairs to Jingi Shrine, one is greeted by a magnificent view of the coast and refreshing sea breezes. After entering the shrine through the Torii gate and before praying at the altar, it is customary to purify yourself by washing your hands in a water trough with a ladle and in a nice touch there is a small stone water bowl where pets too are invited to purify themselves, a practice known as okiyome (お清め). We prayed at the shrine and then went over to the shop to buy an omamori (lucky charm or protective amulet) for Jaz; the priest also performed a purification (oharai=おはらい) ritual to drive evil spirits away by chanting and shaking bells (see the video below and note Jaz' reaction!). One can also buy a wooden wish plaque known as an ema (絵馬）in the shape of a dog or cat's head on which you draw your pet's face, write a wish, and hang up with hundreds of others. This (Japanese) post gives a great step-by-step description of one dog lover's trip to the shrine with her two dogs. Anyway, enjoy the video and look forward to hearing your COMMENTS!

Father's Day, Sunflowers, and Child-Rearing: Exploring Fatherhood in Japan

Summer is well and truly here, with temperatures already edging towards 35℃ - anything over that is officially known as a mōshobi (猛暑日) or a "fiercely hot summer day" - although the start of the rainy season on June 21st has brought some respite. Nevertheless, unusually high temperatures are forecast for this summer, bringing increased heatstroke warnings. Shops are already full of goods to help people tackle the heat, including traditional fans, battery-driven neck and handheld fans, and long black gloves and tops that cut UV (pictured).

Another summer tradition is the summer greeting card or shochū mimai (暑中見舞い) comprising the words "height of summer" and "to check on someone's health" (also to visit someone in hospital). Compared to the UK, greetings cards are less common in Japan - sending a birthday or anniversary card is still rare - but sending a card during the hot and humid summer months to wish the receiver good health has a long history. Interestingly, as this site explains, these cards typically feature refreshing and cooling images such as goldfish, shaved ice, wind chimes, and various flowers like morning glory (asagao). This year sunflowers (himawari) seem particularly prominent, as the display in my local stationery store shows.

As the photo shows, the traditional postcard has been replaced by elaborate 3D and laser cut cards. Japanese do seem to have a particular penchant for the sunflower - Van Gogh's sunflowers series are much loved - and they apparently symbolise hope, adoration, longevity, and positivity. Interestingly, sunflowers have also become a popular gift for Father's Day in recent years: the Japan Floral Marketing Association (JFMA) poster for this year featured a father holding a sunflower with the caption, "On Father's Day, why not let dad too hold some flowers once in a while?" (父の日　たまには、父さんにも花を持たせてくれませんかね).

© JFMA 2024 (link here)

Like many other countries, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June in Japan. Father's Day is called chichi no hi (父の日): chichi is the humble form, used when speaking about one's own father to others; in contrast, the word otō-san (お父さん) with the honorific "o" is used when talking about someone's else's father or when talking to one's own father. In the latter case, tō-san without the honorific, is also possible, though more casual, like in the poster; even more casual is papa, but this is usually only used by small children. Finally, the more colloquial form oyaji (親父）is also used, typically by men, to refer to their own father when speaking with others (much like "my old man" in English), but is sometimes used when addressing one's own father directly. An oyaji-gyagu is a dad joke!

© FDCJ (buy online here)

Father's Day in Japan has a relatively short history, first emerging around the 1950s but only becoming well know after the establishment of the Father's Day Council Japan (日本ファーザーズ・デイ委員会=FDCJ) in 1981. Today, there is an annual "Father of the Year Award" (known as the "yellow ribbon prize") and just over 50% of people send a Father's Day present, though only 22.1% say they celebrate together (here). The FDCJ initially promoted gifts with yellow ribbons for Father's Day and this later developed into the custom of yellow roses. However, with yellow roses coming to be associated with jealousy, sunflowers have become more popular. Nevertheless, only 1% of people say they want to give flowers on Father's Day: the most popular gifts are food (33.2%), alcohol (26%), and health/lifestyle goods (9.4%). In contrast, 20% of fathers said they wanted "words of thanks or a handcrafted item or letter," followed by 18.9% who chose "spending time with family" (survey here). The same survey also asked about child-rearing and found that while around three out of four dads were fully or fairly involved in looking after their children, almost 50% noted the existence of barriers for fathers involved in child-rearing in Japan, particularly long-working hours.

"Thank-you for working dad" ©Canva

Encouraging fathers to be more involved in child care - seen as one of the keys to increasing the birthrate - has long been a feature of government campaigns. In particular, the government has made strenuous efforts to increase the number of men taking paternity leave - Japan has one of the most generous systems in the world - with some success: the percentage of men taking paternity leave increased from 1.89% in 2012 to 17.13% in 2022 (the UK, in contrast, is said to have one of the least generous systems). The flipside is that the actual time taken is relatively short compared to other countries - an average of 46.5 days in 2023 - and long working hours, especially for those in management positions, together with deep-rooted gender role stereotypes, remain a key barrier. The reality is that the burden of child-rearing remains with the mother, even if she too is working: the term wan-ope ikuji (ワンオペ育児) meaning "one person child-care operation" (solo child-rearing and housework in a two-parent family) is commonly heard. For a detailed overview of the evolving nature of fatherhood in Japan, check out the article here.

On a final note, Japan recently passed a law to recognise joint child custody (kyōdō shinken=共同親権) after divorce. Perhaps surprisingly, Japan has up to now had a system of solo custody - almost always by the mother - after divorce. This meant that many fathers had no access to their children with the result that many refused to pay childcare support. I had interpreted the reform as a step forward, a chance for fathers to contribute more to the upbringing of their child even outside of marriage. However, I found some of my students had a surprisingly different take - they saw it as making marriage more of a "risky" proposition, making them more reluctant to marry. This reflects the view that solo custody serves as a safeguard against domestic violence and child abuse; indeed, a 2022 survey found that 80% of single parents in Japan had a negative view of joint custody. What do you think? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the COMMENTS!

Skywalking in Ginza: Towards a New Greener, People-centric Tokyo

It's warming up rapidly here in Japan and the humidity is already stifling - I dread to think what the summer holds for us (last summer, as I've mentioned before, was the hottest on record). Even, Golden Week - a series of four public holidays over a seven-day period from April 29th to May 6th was unusually hot. Many Japanese see Golden Week as a chance to take an extended break, some jetting off to Hawaii or other foreign destinations, others just enjoying domestic tourism. Needless to say, it's crowded and expensive everywhere during Golden Week, so BritishProf usually stays home, but I did venture out to explore the Ginza skyline after getting tickets for a special event called the "Ginza Sky Walk 2024".

Ginza (銀座), made up of the characters for "silver" and "place," (following the establishment of a silver-coin mint in 1612) is famous for being one of the most pricey, elegant, and luxurious districts in the world thanks to its many upscale shops and restaurants (it has the highest concentration of western stores in Tokyo). At the same time, it is deeply rooted in history, forming part of the traditional downtown (shitamachi) centre of the old Edo capital (see here and here for my two-part take on Tokyo's old town). Walking north past the department stores and designer boutiques you eventually hit Nihonbashi and here you can find the true centre of Tokyo, the bridge marking the terminus of the roads which ran between Edo and Kyoto: as I show here, the zero milestone plaque known in Japanese as Nihon Kokudō Genpyō (日本国道元標) can still be seen on the bridge and it is from this spot that distances to Tokyo are calculated. The bridge itself though is overshadowed by a massive expressway running right over the top which was built in the rush to get ready for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and is typical of the maze of highways scarring the Tokyo skyline. Fortunately, change is afoot and the Ginza Sky Walk 2024 marks the beginning of that change.

Ginza Sky Walk 2024 (map here) was the first chance to preview a new development project known as the KK Line Regeneration Project, "a future walkable urban development that aims to connect people with the city and the environment" that may begin to open in the 2020s but won't be finished until the 2030s or even 2040s. KK Line (KK線）is an abbreviation for the Tokyo Expressway Network (東京高速道路) and the project envisages a green pedestrian/cyclist space above the streets somewhat similar to the New York High Line. The three-day event allowed 15,000 people to take the 1.8km walk from Shimbashi to Kyobashi on the car-free elevated highway.

This push to create network of pedestrian walkways and cycle paths throughout Tokyo and introduce more green and recreational spaces is welcome. Despite the stereotype of Japanese as being "in harmony with nature," Japanese city-scapes are blighted by utility poles and wires running above ground and even the countryside is covered in concrete. Indeed, Alex Kerr's Dogs and Demons: Tales from the Dark Side of Japan starts with a chapter on Japan's "construction state" and the author argues that Japan "has become arguably the world's ugliest country." Let's hope the Ginza Sky Walk marks the beginning of a face-lift for the capital, a move from a car-centric to a people-centric metropolis.

As a final aside let me introduce an upcoming comedy show in Ginza at the Hakuhinkan Theatre (銀座博品館劇場) , a 381-seat auditorium located on the 8th floor of the Hakuhinkan Toy Park, a lovely building chock full of toys, stuffed animals, games, dolls, variety goods and souvenirs. The Newspaper (ザ・ニューズペーパ）are a Japanese comedy troupe with a 35-year history who bill themselves as a ‘social satirical comedy group' (社会風刺コント集団). In a country where political comedy is almost entirely absent in the mainstream media (mostly due to the reluctance of sponsors to offend the powers that be - see here for a detailed paper), their sharp commentary on current affairs is a breath of fresh air. The show I saw had an incredible variety of comedy techniques, and included members imitating political figures, like Kishida and Trump, as well as celebrities, such as the baseball player Shohei Otani and shogi champion Shota Fujii. To my surprise, there was even a skit centred around the Japanese imperial family, something which is usually taboo here in Japan. Highly recommended! If you're feeling peckish after the show, I would recommend Ginza's  Sukiyabashi Jiro (すきやばし次郎), the only sushi restaurant ever to get three Michelin stars. Unfortunately, reservations have to be made months in advance and, as with most places in Ginza, it costs an arm and a leg. The Netflix documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" (二郎は鮨の夢を見る) may be as close as you ever get! COMMENTS as always are most welcome!

More Japanese than the Japanese? Talking Japanese Identity on Tokyo J-Wave Radio

Last time, I wrote how the cool weather had delayed the cherry blossoms, but since then the weather has really warmed up and Japan is well and truly in full bloom. A particular nice feature of spring in Japan is the song of the uguisu (鶯) or Japanese bush warbler/nightingale which is said to mark the start of spring proper. It is so revered by the Japanese that uguisu is also used to refer to a woman with a beautiful voice!

Speaking of beautiful voices, I was recently interviewed by Sara Ogawa, a presenter (known as a "navigator") on Tokyo's J-Wave radio (81.3 FM) for the "World Connection" segment of her Sunday morning "Across the Sky" show (averaging 200,000 listeners!). J-Wave is located on the 33rd floor of the famous Mori Tower, the centrepiece of the mega integrated property complex known as Roppongi Hills. The Mori Art Museum is located 20 floors further up and the first director was British-born David Elliott (famous for his 2011 exhibition, "Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art" - video here). The museum is a popular tourist spot; apparently, it is one of the only venues in Tokyo with a percentage of foreign visitors comparable to the Tokyo National Museum. The Mori Art Center itself center occupies the tower's top six floors, with the top (54th) floor offering spectacular views of Tokyo!

Since art is a key feature of Mori Tower it is no surprise to see various sculptures in the vicinity. I was particularly struck by the statue of a giant spider (pictured) and a closer look revealed it was created by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois. The nine-metre-high steel and marble sculpture is titled "Maman" (mum) and apparently alludes to "spinning, weaving, nurture, and protection." This is not the only "Maman" statue - others are dotted around the world, including one at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

 

The interview itself was a 20-minute segment entitled "Who are the Japanese?" (日本人とは誰なのか？). The trigger was the selection of Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino (椎野カロリーナ) as Miss Japan (ミス日本) 2024. Shiino moved to Japan at the age of five after her mother re-married a Japanese; she became a naturalised Japanese citizen in 2022, but was criticised on social media by some for ‘not [being] Japanese enough’ (see here for a brief video summary and here for some street views). In response, the organisers stressed her Japanese-ness, saying she was a "hard-working but humble Japanese woman with deep compassion for others." In a moving acceptance speech, she spoke about how grateful she was for finally being recognised as Japanese after facing many racial barriers and non-acceptance. She also spoke of her hope to build a society that respects diversity. However, the organisers "more Japanese than the Japanese" justification could actually be said to undermine this hope; I have heard this kind of "praise" many times and for me its underlying assimilatory message raises serious questions about Japan's readiness to change and to recognise difference and diversity.

The furor over "Japanese-ness" is inextricably linked to the growing demographic crisis in Japan. The debate over Shiino's selection undoubtedly reflects a deeper anxiety in society around the falling number of children (少子化) and declining population. Indeed, the latest forecasts point to the population plummeting to under half (62.77 million) by 2100. As a measure to counter this - specifically to deal with growing labour shortages - the Japanese government is ratcheting up migration. In a recent article (PDF here pp.23-26), I argue that Japan's multiculturalism - the support infrastructure for newcomers - is failing to keep pace with rising migration. The reasons for this disconnect between wanting migrants but being reluctant to integrate them into society is closely connected to ideas of who is - and, more importantly, who is not - Japanese. Any thoughts? In the COMMENTS I would love to hear your ideas on national identity, whether it be Japanese-ness, British-ness, or something else!

Staying in a Typical Japanese Hot Spring Hotel - with Stunning Views of Mount Fuji

See here for the TOC

Unseasonably chilly weather, together with lots of rain, has made for a miserable last few weeks, delaying the cherry blossoms, which are now expected to bloom this coming weekend (see here for the map). With university graduation ceremonies pretty much done - see here for a nice shot of my seminar students and me - and school spring break started, many families take a small vacation. Whereas in the UK, holiday camps, with on-site entertainment, activities, and facilities, are popular getaways, here in Japan hot spring resort hotels are beloved by young and old alike. Here I introduce one I stayed at recently in Yamanashi Prefecture, less than a 2-hour drive from Tokyo, called Hanayagi no sho Keizan (華やぎの章慶山). The hotel was featured in the 2022 edition of "100 Japanese Hotels and Ryokans selected by Professionals" (magazine cover pictured - see page 50). 

The hotel is located in the Isawa-onsen - onsen means hot spring - area of Yamanashi, north of Mount Fuji. It's a quiet little town surrounded by mountains and famed, as this site points out, for two things the Japanese love: hot springs and cherry blossoms! Despite being called Yamanashi (山梨）- literally mountain pear - the area is in fact famous for peaches and grapes. Indeed, with regard to the latter, there were two wineries within walking distance of our hotel. Arriving at the hotel, the first thing one is struck by is the service described in Japanese as omotenashi, a unique kind of Japanese hospitality where the needs of the customer are always anticipated. Thus, from the car park your luggage is taken and as you walk through the main entrance a bevy of nakai-san (hostesses) greet you and the head housekeeper (okami=女将）bows deeply and presents her business card (meishi=名刺). Then you are asked to choose a yukata (light common kimono) - as the picture shows there are various styles and sizes - before you and your luggage are guided to your Japanese style tatami room. Please note, tips are most definitely not needed - indeed the nakai-san would be rather affronted to be offered money just for doing their job.

These kind of hotels are a great base to do some sightseeing during the day - and then come back to relax in the evening. We drove down to the Fuji Five Lakes (Fujigoko=富士五湖), the region at the foot of Mount Fuji which give the best views of the sacred mountain. Whether you get a spectacular cloud-free view or not is all down to luck. On the first day, we visited the biggest of the five lakes, Yamanaka-ko (山中湖) and after cycling around the windy lake drove up to the best sightseeing spot - Panorama-dai (パノラマ台) - only to be disappointed with Fuji all but invisible behind the mist. But on the second day, we visited the most developed of the five, Kawaguchi-ko (河口湖), and got lucky - some of the best and clearest views of Mount Fuji that I've seen in my thirty-odd years in Japan!

After a hard day sightseeing, nothing beats going back to your hotel, slipping into your yukata and heading for the bath. Sometimes you will see the symbol for onsen (♨）but more often than not, as in the picture, you will see only the hiragana ゆ (pronounced "yu" and written 湯 in kanji) which literally means hot water. Usually this is written on a short split curtain (noren) at the entrance - navy blue signifies men, red women (the character for men=男 and women=女 is also written but this is typically quite small so be careful to go in the right one!). There are also various massage services and relaxation tools and chairs around. I enjoyed a quick 10-minute massage for ¥1000 (£5) before the bath and made use of the free foot massage machine afterwards. Inside the bath itself, I love to rotate between the regular hot baths (both inside and outside), the sauna, and the cold bath (for more on sauna and the concept of totonou see here; also see here for  some tips on bathing etiquette). 

After the bath, the next step is dinner - an incredible feast of washoku Japanese style food with multiple courses. The menu (okondate=おこんだて), pictured top right in the photo, shows just how varied the meal was, including sakura tofu, tuna sashimi, squid noodles, and chawan-mushi (steamed egg custard). Stuffed to the gills, you stumble back to your room to be greeted by a nice surprise - while you were eating a nakai-san had cleared away the table and chairs and put out the futons for you! There was no mention of this happening - it is another example of the silent omotenashi service that anticipates the needs of customers before they even voice their requests. Incredible!

But it wasn't quite time to sleep yet. In the lobby there was a taiko performance. Taiko (太鼓) simply means drum and has a long history in Japan but the kind of group drumming famous today - known as kumi-daiko (組太鼓) - is a post-war invention. The show started with a single strike on a massive hollow wooden drum, a physically tangible thunder-clap that reverberated through the audience. Indeed, it is said that the sound can reach up to 120dB, equivalent to the noise produced by a jet engine. There are thousands of taiko groups in Japan, and it can take years to perfect the technique and strength required to play. Enjoy a clip of the performance captured in the video below and do let me know in the COMMENTS how and where you like to take a break.

Skiing in Zao: Snow Monsters, Japow, and Jizo Statues

The UK may be famous for its ever-changing weather - "four seasons in one day" - but the weather this past week in Japan has been similarly unpredictable. On Tuesday (Feb. 20th) we had a high of over 23℃ here in Tokyo, with people in T-shirts and plum blossoms blooming all over. Record breaking temperatures of 25℃ in Chiba made this the official first "summer day" on Honshu this year! However, Friday (23rd) saw snow and a high of only 4℃, a drop of nearly 20℃! On top of that, we have also had the first wind of spring known as haru-ichiban (春一番), a strong southerly wind marking the change from winter to spring, characterised by a warmish day followed by more cold weather. Four seasons in a week if not a day!

© Zao Onsen Tourism Association (URL here)

Speaking of snow, recently I took a trip to Zao in Yamagata, two and a half hours on the bullet train from Tokyo, to get in a bit of skiing. Yamagata is located in Tohoku (東北) or Northeast Japan and was the first place I lived in Japan way back in 1992. I fondly remember getting the bus on weekends from Yamagata-City to Zao Onsen Ski Resort (蔵王温泉スキー場), a sprawling network of 25 trails and almost 1.9km of skiable areas with the longest run at 9km (official English site here).

Ropeway information in both Japanese and English

Zao is famous for "Snow Monsters" (juhyō=樹氷), not abominable snowmen but trees glazed with ice and snow due to water droplets in the cold air blowing from Siberia freezing. Even if you don't ski, you can ride up on the ropeway and see the Snow Monsters which are particularly impressive when illuminated at night. In recent years, though, as temperatures have risen, the Snow Monsters have not been as imposing as before. Indeed, one thing I noticed overall was how much warmer it was on the mountain, nothing like the freezing temperatures, biting wind, and low visibility of previous years. 

BritishProf with Snow Monsters

Rising temperatures and less snow does not seem to have put off tourists - in fact, it seems to have encouraged them - and visitors from Australia and Taiwan were noticeable in Zao. Indeed, the foreign "invasion" of Japanese slopes has been discussed at length, with Niseko in Hokkaido - named by some as the Japanese powder snow ("Japow") capital of Japan (link) - gaining special attention. Post-pandemic, foreign visitor numbers have well and truly recovered, encouraged by the weak yen, and foreign investment in the resort looks set to expand further. The downside is an increasing strain on the local infrastructure, especially transportation, accommodation, water, and food, with labour shortages and price increases a growing problem. Fortunately, Zao is nowhere near as crowded as Niseko and over-tourism is not such a problem - indeed, skiing over the east side of the mountain there were places when I was completely alone. Bliss!

Right at the top, we can see the amazing almost 250-year-old 2.3 metre Jizo Statue (地蔵尊), just below the 1736m Mount Jizo (地蔵山) peak. While the purpose of many Jizo Statues is to protect the spirits of children who have passed away before their parents (see here), this one serves to protect travellers from unforeseen misfortunes or disasters. Compared to past winters, when I remember only the head visible this time the snow was only up to the chest, reflecting changing temperatures. In the summer, of course, the full statue is visible and the surrounding area offers many lovely hikes. Thoughts? Do please share in the COMMENTS!

Japanese New Year Foods and TV Gourmets

Happy New Year! New Year in Japan is very much like Christmas in the UK, a time for family, resting at home, and eating too much! I love the colourful decorations people put on their doors: known as shime-kazari (しめ飾り), these wreathe like adornments feature some combination of pine, fern, tangerine (mikan), and berries decorated with rice straw rope. Also of note are the decorations placed either side of a door or gate, often simply pine branches with Shinto inspired white jagged zigzag-shaped strips of paper (shide) but sometimes a more elaborate pair of kadomatsu (門松), huge pieces of diaganolly sliced bamboo, decorated with pine and sometimes plum (ume). Pine and bamboo are both said to symbolise longevity and strength/hardiness. 

Like Christmas in the UK, eating is a central feature of New Year in Japan. The food traditionally eaten over the first three days of the year is called osechi and consists of family favourites such as sweet black beans (kuromame), mochi (rice cake), and mashed sweet potatoes and chestnuts (kurikinton). These were typically foods that would keep well, since tradition had it that using a fire over this period was bad luck. Nowadays, however, osechi is spread over three days more as a way to reduce cooking and give everyone a break. Moreover, on top of the traditional staples, expensive and colourful seafood delicacies seem to have proliferated in recent years: crab, giant shrimp, sashimi, herring roe (kazunoko), lobster, grilled sea bream (tai), and fish paste slices (kamoboko). As the snap shows, our New Year's dinner was not particularly traditional, but did contain most of the things I like!

© Fusōsha Bunko (preview)

If more proof was needed of how important food is to Japanese at New Year, this year's holiday featured a non-stop morning to evening broadcast on TV Tokyo of the manga inspired series "Solitary Gourmet" (孤独のグルメ), a nine season classic about a traveling salesman dropping in at various restaurants around the country. There really is no plot as such, just the main character doing a little work and then suddenly declaring, "I'm hungry" (hara hetta=腹減った) before going off to search for a suitable restaurant. We then hear his inner voice pondering over what to order before finally describing in exquisite detail the food that comes out. The TV Tokyo website has an amazing collection of mouth-watering food photos while wikipedia lists all the dishes he has sampled over all nine seasons -  plus the specials!

© TV Tokyo/Yoshinaga Fumi/Koensha (original link here)

Whereas British TV is full of cooking programmes featuring celebrity chefs, while these exist in Japan (Iron Chef, a cook-off type program featuring guest chefs, is probably the most famous), Japanese TV is instead full of programmes featuring celebrities just eating and describing dishes in various restaurants. There are also hybrid cooking/eating shows, probably the most popular being the fictional drama What Did You Eat Yesterday? (きのう何食べた) which unsurprisingly aired a New Year special. Originally a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fumi Yoshinaga, the show centres on the relationship between a middle-aged gay couple living in Tokyo. The show typically features Shiro, a gourmand, cooking a dish as he explains the key points step-by-step and finishes with the two enjoying the meal together. Actual recipes can be downloaded from the website - check out one example here - reflecting the fact that the original manga also contained the recipe for the featured dish. Now in season 2, it has proved so popular you can even buy a set allowing you to recreate Shiro's recipes in your own home (ad pictured).

As a final aside, it is interesting to note that the restaurants featured in the "Solitary Gourmet" are all real restaurants. I recently tracked one of those down, a Burmese restaurant called Nong Inlay in Takadanobaba, Tokyo, which offers food eaten by the Shan ethnic group of Myanmar. Interestingly, this area of Tokyo is often called Little Yangon due to its 2,000 or so Burmese residents and the many Burmese restaurants and shops operating in the area. For those interested in more on Burmese - and other foreign migrants - living in Japan, I recommend checking out the films by the Japanese director Akio Fujimoto, who is married to a Burmese, especially the 2018 "Passage of Life" about a family from Mynamar living in Japan (trailer here) and the more recent "Along the Sea" about three Vietnamese migrant workers (trailer here). Both are based on true stories that highlight how Japanese people tend to turn a blind eye to the many non-Japanese living in their midst. If you have a COMMENT - or are just feeling hungry - do please drop me a line!