Tama...Super Station Master

The photos below are of Tama a sweet cat known all over Wakayama Prefecture as the station master of the Kishi Line...Tama spends time sleeping and watching over events at the station thru her sleepy eyes...

When she is out and about she has a full set of station master uniforms and hat and is very strict about the trains running on purr-fect time...candies and snacks w/Tama logo's on them are for sale (no Tama O'Sake though). The station is designed as the face of a cat w/a snack shop where wonderful Mikan sorbet is available...in front of the station are two Shinto Jinga (shrines) one for Tama and one for the Kishi Line.

Tama...Super Station Master...

Flu hit's Japan...

The flu has begun to spread thru Japan...Noriko is down w/it and i am just about over it. Got it 1/1/12 and it's taken this long to get back to 90%!!!
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/flu-cases-increase-rapidly-across-japan

Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Road...

This is the start of our walk...down in the river valley below. 

“------Kuma­no Kodo-----
Ancient sacred road,
we walked again today...
Thru mikan orchards.

The pilgrimage­'s trail...
now paved with oranges,
among bamboo leaf!”

---------H­aiku------­--
Nihon cloud poem,
when filled to over flowing...
Raining down those words!”

This is where we are going...towards the distant castle...

Meeting an amazing Aikido Sensei...

I posted this originally on a Japanese Martial Arts forum and copied it here...Hence the different format! ... I met this amazing Aikido Shihan quite by accident...i was wondering if there was any Aikido practice i could film and watch. I didn't bring my Keiko Gi w/me since i am recuping from some injuries...my wife who is Japanese found this dojo by chance thru a friend who lives here in Kimiidera but does not train in any MA...she called and an elderly gentleman answered and was pleased to have an American come to his dojo to watch...we arrived at this smallish dojo located in the narrow streets of this small old school town during the kid's trianing class and found it packed to the rafters w/kids from grade school thru HS all training together...probably 50 or so w/parents sitting on the mats edge...every one trained w/every one else...so you have 6 year olds w/powerful little kiai's going at it w/15-16 year olds twice as tall w/yudansha rank and Mr. Takenaka 8th Dan weilding an ancient shinai amongst them keeping them moving and teaching "tachi-dori" in the midst of this total "randori"...This was truly like stepping back in time to an earlier age of Aikido practice...when keiko was over i was introduced as a visiting sensei and every one bowed and thanked me for coming to their dojo...during the break between adult and kids training tea and cookies were served by Takenaka Sensei...he lives in the back of his dojo and his wife prepares these snacks and hands them down for all to enjoy...Sensei came over and we talked he then had me do some Ki work...i found his Ki power to be completely off the charts...i have trained for over 30 years w/some famous Sensei and have NEVER felt that kind of Ki...EVER!!!! He told me at age 18 he began to train w/O'Sensei and stayed w/O'Sensei until his passing....he was awarded 4th Dan by O'Sensei and has trained and taught for 60 years! Sensei told me that before O'Sensei died his Ki was so strong no one could receive it fully in practice...he said O'Sensei's Ki seemed coming from some place deep w/in him and was so strong no one could stand against it. Takenaka Sensei then went on to conduct the adult class and i must say i have never seen such "kime" in any dojo ever. After keiko he again announced me as a visiting American Sensei...and i must say after 2 and 1/5 hours of watching and learning the last thing i think of myself as is a sensei...after so many years training i felt completely dumbfounded by this man on every level he has almost no ego and is as kind as he is powerful...i can only imagine what O'Sensei must have been like to train with. After an hour of very serious but friendly keiko tea was again served w/cookies and every one bowed and thanked me for coming to their dojo... Sensei told me just show up and train in a tee shirt and my Kung-Fu pants...dont worry about a Gi and Hakama...Sensei has 11 other small dojo's in Wakayama and has a group of 300 students studying under him...he mentioned going out for drinks soon and please come back and practice..."You not get more hurt here...please come back". When i mentioned all my injuries i've collected over the years Sensei said O'Sensei never hurt anyone...only bad sensei will hurt student. So i will go back for keiko w/a tee shirt no hakama of black belt...older and less fit and become a beginner again...just like so many who have come to my dojo...in a tee shirt and sweat pants... I look forward to beginners mind and a new understanding of Aikido. A clip of Sensei in action...enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgZA...layer_embedded

Coming of Age Day...

Coming of Age Day is a Japanese national holiday...on 1/9 Noriko and i went to Tennoji to spend the day and visit some friends. When we arrived at the station in Tennoji i saw many young women dressed in kimono their hair done up in beautiful style and all wearing small white fur capes across their shoulders,they also wore zori (ぞり) and looked really beautiful. Noriko told me it was "Coming of Age Day"...i took lots of photos and will post them as soon as i can find a decent card reader...i provided a link so all of you might see a few pix and read about the really ancient history of this holiday...the antiquity of this country and the continuing of these "old ways" is truly remarkable...Japan never ceases to amaze me!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_of_Age_Day

New Years Day

New Years day in Japan is an extremely important day...there is much prayer and supplication to the Kami and Buddha...we spent the day at Norikos spiritual Dojo up in the mountains out side of Wakayama and quite distant from the city center...the ride up was provided by some good friends and members of the O'Yama Dojo.
O'Yama Dojo is a spiritual center that combines Shinto and Buddhism...the property has numerous shrines and statuary dedicated to the various diety of both spiritual practices.I have always been welcome there and being New Years Day i was invited to stand w/the other men and pass the sacred food along to the shrines so that the diety might feed on the essence of those amazing dishes...the event lasted almost an hour w/very beautifully designed large platters transported one to another over a distance of 300 yards.
The arrangement of these was very ornate and very heavy...many of them included large containers of O'Sake on smallish platters which were precarious to say the least...one misstep and all would be lost...i had to really focus on walking on uneven rocky ground w/the dieties food and not making a mistake...finally after what seemed to be a life time the alters were finished and we went on to participate in the New Years prayer...many sitting in seiza including Noriko and i on a cold wet log ventured into a two hour supplication of the Buddhas and Kami for a bountiful and healthy New Year.
With this done we disassembled the alters and brought them in side where we feasted upon the food of the gods...this food included four very large and delicious Red Snapper that cost at least $200.00 each...
Red Snapper (Tai...たい) is a very special fish reserved for all important ceremonies in Japan...we dined on sashimi (さし み) made from those amazing fish and a huge amount of food and excellent O'Sake.
When day was done 6 hours latter we went back to Kimiidera and slept a deep and wonderful sleep.

Got the Flu...

I will be posting again soon...i have the bug...so i will be having some hot O'Sake （あつかん） and going to bed.

Marina City/New Years Eve

Early on New years Eve Noriko and i took the free shuttle to Marina City for a day at the ocean and to check out the Marina City pre New Years preparations...Marina City is about 10K from Kimiidera and is a man made island w/an amusement park and many eateries...Since foreign trade was strictly regulated and not every trader was allowed to trade in Japan and lots goods were smuggled in at ports distant from the capitol that may have resembled this reconstructed port town. The Marina City harbor is designed to look like  a Portuguse trading port and it certainly does...a huge set of buildings resembling a Portuguese castle is an attraction in Marina City...while we were there an expert Tuna cutter (he was featured on Japanese TV) was cutting up Tuna w/surgical skill...as fast as he cut it the fish was selling like crazy for quite a lot hard earned Yen (six smallish sushi for 2,000 yen) or about $22.00...down the pier local bands were warming up and sound checking for the evenings concert...these guys were excellent musicians w/great talent and great music...i mentioned i had seen Janis Joplin and Frank Zappa as well as being of the "Woodstock" generation and they looked like what was that and who were they...LOL even the guys in their late 40's early 50's had no clue what i was talking about. The weather was clear and very cold and windy...we commented on that and were told "last year it snowed" so this was not bad at all...we got on the free shuttle and headed back to Kimiidera... My first time experiencing a Japanese New Years Eve and New Years day. Having spent all my New Years Eve celebrations in the US and a couple in SE Asia when I was in the service...my experience here in Japan was one of wonder and amazement. Noriko and I walked over to the Kimiidera temple area about 11PM and the streets were empty!!! I expected to see lots of people moving about eating and drinking w/the usual "noise makers" and a general party like atmosphere...but infact the streets were empty other than the food stand's (I bought a molten lava hot Takoyaki たこやきand burnt my mouth) and a small "Teddy Bear" game stand...Noriko said that in Japan things don't get going until after Midnight...we strolled over to the temple and climbed the 231 steps w/a few other people and families...upon arriving at the top it was almost completely empty of anyone. We walked around and did a bit of exploring we then settled down to await the 108 bell ringing and the fireworks show held at Marina City a town next to the ocean about 10K from Kimiidera...as midnight approached more people began to climb the "231"... infact the number of visitors increased dramatically and folks began to line up to ring the bell housed in a small building...at about 11:45 a camera crew from the local TV station moved in next to us on the temple wall to film the fire works...many other people gathered around to watch the fireworks...the excitement was electric and a small "test" firework was sent up...the crowd was really ready at this point then a wonderful mulit-colored firework went off and the happiness exploded as well...then the camera crew left and the crowd vanished and that was it!
I asked Noriko is that it and her answer was hai はい (yes)!
As the New Year approached Noriko and i lined up to ring the bell and got to ring it together. At about 1PM we decided to go home as we left huge numbers of people were climbing the stairs and the street vendors were happily selling food and drink...I bought a Teriyaki chicken on a stick and we shared it...first food of 2012!
We got to our apartment and had long Soba noodles...(long noodles mean long life)...the old year ended and the new began in a wonderful way.
At about 2PM we woke up w/the sounds of the real fireworks display...every thing begins late New Years Eve and very early for the New Year!