Monday, February 6, 2012

Shake Your Soul/Kripalu Yoga Dance in Japan

There are many dance forms in Japan that you can try from Hula to Hip Hop, Belly to Butoh to Bon Odori. In Japan odori (踊り) means "dance" and is generally used in referring to Japanese forms of dance, while "dan-su" (ダンス), written in katakana from "dance" is a popular way of describing the many forms of dance which come from all over the world.



Dance is popular for all ages and is a great way to express yourself, release stress, and exercise. Now in Japan you can also find Yoga Dance (ヨガダンス).

As yoga in it’s many forms is becoming popular in studios all over Japan, the freedom offered in Yoga Dance is a chance to break free from the set poses and to find your inner rhythms and expression in order to achieve union between body and spirit.

Shake Your Soul/Kripalu Yoga Dance comes from Kripalu, a world-famous yoga center in western Massachusetts. Music from around the world is incorporated into the classes which are a combination of guided movements and opportunities for individual expression. In a culture where most leisure time activities as well as work and school life and even exercise and dance are fixed with set rules and expectations, the opportunity to express oneself freely and find your own rhythms in a class can be a welcome chance.

Yoga dance is a dance form that is meant to be shared, so it is also a fitting expression in Japan where doing things in groups in the spirit of team work is a prevalent value. Once we connect to ourselves and let our own hearts open, it is a joy to share that expression with others through movements and creative expressions.

Shake Your Soul Kripalu Yoga Dance in Oita (Heart of Christmas Event, Oita)

For information about Shake Your Soul/Kripalu Yoga Dance in Oita: joannegyoshida[at]yahoo.com

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Japan Photo Fun

写真

Visiting Japan has been one of my daughter's and my favorite experiences. Our photographs are our most cherished souvenirs.



Whenever we see a life-size cut-out of a samurai, a warring states princess, or even a television character I am ready to whip out my camera. My enthusiastic daughter will always pose for a picture that never fails to make us laugh.

On Shikoku we visited Uchiko in Ehime Prefecture, where we met up with Mito Mitsukune and (no surprise here) Sakamoto Ryoma.



On Kyushu my daughter was pleased to portray the awesome Kato Kiyomasa, standing in front of the impressive Kumamoto Castle.



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Saturday, February 4, 2012

Japan News This Week 5 February 2012

今週の日本

Japan News.Incoming Chief Takes On a Sony That Is a Shadow of Its Former Self

New York Times

Thomas Blake Glover

BBC

IAEA approves stress tests on Japan reactors

Guardian

Record lows recorded at 38 locations

Japan Times

¿Estallará China?

El Pais

Nucléaire au Japon : « L'Etat est un traître pour les travailleurs »

Rue 89

日本议员:中国年轻人应亲眼来看日本

Caijing

Hooked on Nuclear Power: Japanese State-Local Relations and the Vicious Cycle of Nuclear Dependence

Japan Focus

IOC sells Japan 2014, ’16 Games rights for $472M

Yahoo Sports

Last Week's News

Statistics

As of the end of October 2011, the number of foreign workers in Japan rose by 5.6% over the same period in the previous year.

686,246 foreigners currently work in Japan.

Source: Kyodo News

Number of foreign students in the USA, by country (percentage rise or decline compared to the previous year):

1. China, 157,558 (23.5%)
2. India, 103, 895 (-1.0%)
3. South Korea, 73,351 (1.7%)
4. Canada, 27,546 (-2.1%)
5. Taiwan, 24,818 (-7.0%)
6. Saudi Arabia, 22,704 (43.6%)
7. Japan, 21,290 (-14.3%)
8. Vietnam, 14,888 (13.5%)
9. Mexico, 13,713 (2.0%)
10. Turkey, 12,184 (-1.7%)

Source: Asahi Shinbun

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Friday, February 3, 2012

Reigando Cave

宮本 武蔵, 霊巌洞

I am a visitor from America, and in late October I traveled to Kumamoto in search of Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), the legedendary Japanese swordsman.


Kumamoto has a large bus terminal with 36 points of departure. After some assistance from the bus personnel, my daughter and I located the correct bus heading to Reigando Cave. This is where Musashi spent the last years of his life and purportedly wrote The Book of Five Rings.

We reached the bus stop in about a half hour. It is a 20 minute walk uphill to the cave.

After paying the entrance fee we passed by some modest displays before pausing to photograph the stone jizo figures covering the hillside. Then we climbed up to the cave and investigated. It was just as we had seen on the 2003 Taiga Drama, "Musashi." We each sat on the large rock and took in the view, as we imagined Musashi himself may have done in his private meditation.


The guide book recommended traveling by car to Reigando Cave, and if you have this option available I think it is a wise decision. The bus schedule isn't convenient at all. We had to ask a sympathetic middle-aged couple for a ride down the hill because we weren't going to make it to the bus stop on time. The man and his wife were so kind they ended up driving us to a local bus terminal. We were extremely grateful.


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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Yoshida Shrine Bonfire 2012

節分際吉田神社

As part of the "setsubun" festivities to welcome in the new lunar year the massive bonfire at Kyoto's Yoshida Shrine is taking place this evening. Expect a larger than average crowd as it is a Friday night.


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Kamikaze Japan's Death Pilots

神風

A new book "Kamikaze Japan's Death Pilots" by Albert Axell and Hideaki Kase was published in Danish on 27 in January.

The front cover shows Lieutenant Yukio Seki (1921-1944), one of the first Japanese airman who went to his death as a kamikaze pilot, attacking and destroying the USS St. Lo.

The image is from a painting by Copenhagen-based, Japanese artist Yoshiki Nakahara (after the likeness of the suicide pilot and plane).

Click on the image to expand

An English edition is in the works but not unfortunately with Yoshiki's cover.

Read an interview with an ex-kamikaze pilot

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Sapporo Kaitakushi Beer Premium

サッポロ 札幌開拓使麦酒

One of the better classic Japanese beer re-releases for the winter season is Sapporo's Kaitakushi Beer Premium, supposedly a return to the taste of the first beers produced at the Sapporo brewery way back in the late 19th century.



The limited release beer is available in convenience stores and is one of the best pale ale type beers we have sampled in Japan. With an ABV of 5.5%, Sapporo Kaitakushi Beer Premium has more of a kick than common or garden Japanese lagers and it's fairly tasty and with a nice color and aroma to boot.



For recent updates on new Japanese beer releases check out the informative japanbeer.wordpress.com

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