The PPF team have been traveling! Miki recently went to the UK and came back with some Scottish Shortbread!
Shortbread, one of the world's greatest foods and a brilliant choice of souvenirs...
When Japanese go on trips, it's customary to bring back a souvenir or two. Recently one of the PPF team, Gyoten, went to Kobe and came back with some custard puddings....
Open them up, chop them up a bit to allow the syrup to penetrate, then pour on the rich syrup,
After doing Zazen at Taisenji and seeing the waterfalls at Yaotsu, we went to a local confectionary makers, famed for their chestnut flavored sweets. Flanked by Kawamoto San and Oshiro San after a bit of a taste test of the traditional sweets.....
At this time of year the chestnut trees bear their prickly fruits. These are ground up with sweeteners and rolled into a dough like treat known at kurikinton... Bought a box of 10 to take home... most were gone by late afternoon....Oh, Alright, ...early afternoon.
Oct. 1, 5:30 am. Up at 3:45, on the road by 4am off to the ancient Taisenji Temple in Gifu Prefecture's Yaotsu Village. This temple is famous for Zazen, Zen meditation, and hosted the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi almost 400 years ago,...
The surrounding hills were still covered in mist when we arrived....
Ad agency friend Oshiro San and I went up to Gifu by car, and after a short talk from the head priest there, joined 30 others, (mostly locals and mostly elderly) in a 30 minute meditation session.
Sit on your folded knees, close your eyes, relax, and let your mind slip away,...truth be told my mind slipped away years ago... Zazen really is relaxing, tho' I think part of the experience is being at an old temple such as this one. It just wouldn't be the same doing it at home on the kitchen floor.
After the meditation all took part in a light breakfast of rice gruel, a salted, pickled plum, a slice of pickled radish and a slice of something else,..not sure what that brown thing is / was...
My hero, the great swordsman Miyamoto Musashi visited the Taisenji Temple in the 1620's and stayed a while. One of his favorite places to practice meditation was on this flat rock below a tree in front of the temple.
One of the many names Musashi went by was the artistic name, Niten, or Two Heavens. Musashi created the two sword style of fighting, Niten Ichi Ryu, or two Heavens as One Style, also known as Enmei or Ni Tou Ryu, Two Sword Style. It's believed that part of this came from the nearby waterfall known as Niten Falls.
Alongside the Niten Falls are the bigger, more spectacular Gorou Falls. The water was so clear and fresh, the surrounding forrest rich and green. The fact that I had barely slept was all but forgotten while enjoying this historical and beautiful area.
Two claws, one crab,... Found this little guy scuttling through the undergrowth along the path.
Special guests on my radio show today were Japanese Wadaiko drum and marimba unit, Gonna. These guys play the Nagoya Civic and Arts Centre Saturday 3rd,... I'm GONNA have to catch one of their lives one of these days.
Tuesday Sept. 29... Caught the Doobie Brothers live at the Nagoya Geijutsu Gekijo Theatre! All the hits all the way through,... China Grove,... Long Train Running,.... Black Water, ...Listen To The Music, and more! The band still sounds good even after all these years. Naturally the band is getting on, I'll grant you that, but the shocker was, for a live concert audience, the number of thinning heads and the smell of old men prevailed.....
