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
Monday, February 6, 2012
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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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
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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Japan News Japan Statistics politics
Incoming Chief Takes On a Sony That Is a Shadow of Its Former SelfNew 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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Miyamoto Musashi Reigando Cave Miyamoto Musashi Kumamoto
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.
© JapanVisitor.com
Tags
Miyamoto Musashi Reigando Cave Miyamoto Musashi Kumamoto
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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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).
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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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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Yoshiki Nakahara
Japanese art
Kamikaze
Yukio Seki
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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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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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Shin Fuji Kendama On Sale
Books on Japan
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Sapporo beer
Sapporo
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Japanese beer
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