Tonight is the last night in Osaka. Tomorrow morning we take a train down to Oita. We’ll be 5 hours on the train before we get there. Getting ready to be all cramped up in my muscles again.
It has been a couple of days since I last wrote and we have done much since then.
Kuwahara sensei dresses our okonomiyaki with some seaweed shake on the mayonaise streaks and then (after the shot) he puts on a pile of bonito flakes (shaved dried fish that is so thin that it dances in the steam)
There was – Oki-do yoga with Tatsumura sensei, there was okonomiyaki japanese ‘pizza’ with his students. Kind of like a cross between an omlette and seafood au gratin.
All brought to your griddle table for you to fry and adorn yourself with a variety of condiments.
Crane kami at ise-jingu shrine sanctuary
There was our day long visit to Ise city. One big city that is chock full of shinto shrines of beautiful tongue and groove architecture with natural roofs and elaborate roof lines and, I’ll tell ya, I saw some small kami (spirits) all over the sanctuary.
The stairway up to the innermost shrine.
There was even a Qi fountain – a place where the qi is so strong that everyone who reaches their
hands out can feel the warm and full air emanating from the pile of rocks.
Temple rooflineKent hugs one of the largest cypress trees in the sanctuary
Today was another 2 clinic day.
Suzuki sensei’s hands with Teishin doing very unusual technique
We started the day out at Suzuki sensei’s clinic and learned some new teishin techniques. Very different and very interesting.
Suzuki senseiSuzuki sensei’s Teishin
The afternoon was for Miyawaki sensei’s clinic. Miyawaki was a soto deshi (outside apprentice) to
Miyawaki sensei giving us an introduction
Fukushima sensei – Kuwahara sensei was also a deshi to Fukushima but he did the 5 year live in deshi program (crazy!) Miyawaki is also nearly blind and getting on in age. He is one of the amazing treats in life that come from being in such an amazing set of circumstances as I am in right now. How lucky!
From left to right: Kuwahara sensei, Miyawaki sensei and his wife
We are all a little road weary now and got awfully silly and ridiculous in a delerious kind of way tonight. First with Miyawaki sensei and his wife at dinner and then with just the group of us all the rest of the night long.
What a day.
Tomorrow we say goodbye to Kuwahara sensei and see how we fare at navigating the insane public transportation feat that lies ahead of us. Thank you with all my heart Kuwahara, for giving us all this time, attention, translation and opportunity!
2011 The days fly by…
Tonight is the last night in Osaka. Tomorrow morning we take a train down to Oita. We’ll be 5 hours on the train before we get there. Getting ready to be all cramped up in my muscles again.
It has been a couple of days since I last wrote and we have done much since then.
There was – Oki-do yoga with Tatsumura sensei, there was okonomiyaki japanese ‘pizza’ with his students. Kind of like a cross between an omlette and seafood au gratin.
All brought to your griddle table for you to fry and adorn yourself with a variety of condiments.
There was our day long visit to Ise city. One big city that is chock full of shinto shrines of beautiful tongue and groove architecture with natural roofs and elaborate roof lines and, I’ll tell ya, I saw some small kami (spirits) all over the sanctuary.
There was even a Qi fountain – a place where the qi is so strong that everyone who reaches their
hands out can feel the warm and full air emanating from the pile of rocks.
Today was another 2 clinic day.
We started the day out at Suzuki sensei’s clinic and learned some new teishin techniques. Very different and very interesting.
The afternoon was for Miyawaki sensei’s clinic. Miyawaki was a soto deshi (outside apprentice) to
Fukushima sensei – Kuwahara sensei was also a deshi to Fukushima but he did the 5 year live in deshi program (crazy!) Miyawaki is also nearly blind and getting on in age. He is one of the amazing treats in life that come from being in such an amazing set of circumstances as I am in right now. How lucky!
We are all a little road weary now and got awfully silly and ridiculous in a delerious kind of way tonight. First with Miyawaki sensei and his wife at dinner and then with just the group of us all the rest of the night long.
What a day.
Tomorrow we say goodbye to Kuwahara sensei and see how we fare at navigating the insane public transportation feat that lies ahead of us. Thank you with all my heart Kuwahara, for giving us all this time, attention, translation and opportunity!
Gretchen