Monday Murals -- Let's Drum!

I'm taking part today in

Monday Murals hosted by Sami.

I took this photo in April, 2012 at the 

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine in Japan,

which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It was a temporary mural on a wooden hoarding

built to hide some construction/restoration work

going on behind it.

I'm a fan of Japanese taiko drumming

and of course, as a Canadian, I'm also

drawn to any depiction of maple leaves!

[Photo © Debra She Who Seeks, 2012]

Hokusai's Great Wave

The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, also known as The Great Wave or simply The Wave, is a woodblock print by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai. It was published sometime between 1829 and 1833 in the late Edo period as the first print in Hokusai’s series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. I was fortunate enough to see an original print of The Great Wave at the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum located near Matsumoto when we were there in 2012.

One of my favourite souvenirs from Japan is this cute little tote bag featuring a couple of maneki-neko ("beckoning cats" or "lucky cats") riding in one of Hokusai's storm-tossed boats --

As the tote bag shows, The Great Wave is now a pop art icon, instantly recognizable no matter what form it takes. So here for your viewing pleasure are a few notable versions I've come across on the internet over the years --

Digitized poster, 1982 --

Cookie Monster version --

Photographic art by Tim Walker, 2019 --

Japan-based artist and LEGO Certified Professional,

Jumpei Mitsui created this version with 50,000 LEGO --

Circuit board print by Alain Bousquet, 21st century --

"Uprisings, 2003" by artist Kozyndan --

Wil Wheaton Bedhead GIF --

Karaoke Memories, Part 3

Picture it -- Japan. 2012. A busload of Canadian tourists driving through the Japan Alps. Not just any bus though. A bus equipped with a karaoke machine! Everyone singing at the top of their lungs. The bus rockin', rollin', bouncing off all four tires. Mariachi horns blaring. Mariachi horns? Yes, it's Ring of Fire!



I'm proud to say that Ring of Fire was my selection from the karaoke catalogue for our group singalong that day. The key to picking a great group karaoke song is to make sure it's very fast, catchy and something everyone knows. No dreary folk songs or weird slow stuff -- that just brings down the energy and the mood.

They loooooove karaoke in Japan, of course, because they invented it. Karaoke is everywhere in that country! We had such a blast that day on the bus. It sure passed the time and made the bus ride seem shorter. And how many people can say they've sung karaoke in the very Homeland of Karaoke?

Here's my one known factoid about karaoke -- it means "empty orchestra." It comes from "kara" ("empty") and "oke" (an abbreviated form of "okesutora" which is the phonetic Japanese imitation of our English word "orchestra"). It refers to the missing lead singer track in the otherwise fully recorded music. Now you know!

Buddha Beads

I've been thinking a lot lately about an old wooden Buddha statue that I saw in Japan a couple of years ago when My Rare One and I were there. It was at the Itsukushima Shrine on the southern island of Miyajima -- you know, the shrine with the famous red torii gate out in the water.

Anyway, there was this very old hand-carved wooden Buddha statue sitting in front of a little side temple adjacent to the main shrine. The wood was absolutely as smooth as glass from people rubbing their hands all over the statue for umpteen years, presumably for luck or in supplication to the Buddha.

The Buddha's wrists were adorned with several sets of prayer bead bracelets, perhaps from people whose entreaties had been answered or whose luck had changed. Or maybe just from those who wanted to honour the Enlightened One, I don't know.

I love little ritual gestures like this which arise spontaneously and uncommanded from people's deepest hearts.

[All photos © Debra She Who Seeks, April 2012]

Kimono Memories

Recently, Kestril Trueseeker had a very interesting post about kimonos over at her blog Kestril's Rhythms and Groove. It reminded me of some kimonos we saw on display in Tokyo when we were there. This particular one was my favourite -- can you guess why?

The front:

The back:

Yes, you guessed it! I love the whimsical bunnies on the obi sash! Who knew rabbits were so musical? Here's a close-up:

[Photos by Debra She Who Seeks, 2012]

Japanese Tea Ceremony -- The Experience

I had never participated in a Tea Ceremony before but I had read about them and thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong.

After we were seated and had washed our hands on warm cloths, we were served a small, extremely sweet cake to eat before the Tea Ceremony began. I thought this was very odd. The Japanese are not big on sweets at the best of times, let alone at a traditional Tea Ceremony.

But I think this aspect of the ceremony was probably for the benefit of our western palates. As we learned, the tea which is always used in the Tea Ceremony is a powdered green tea called matcha and it is extremely bitter. The Japanese likely learned from experience that westerners would not or could not drink matcha without a preceding big dose of sugar to coat our mouths! [Nope, I'm wrong: see Kestril Trueseeker's remark in the Comments at the end of the blog!]

An older lady explained to us what a younger lady was doing as she went through the steps of the Tea Ceremony. Each action must be slowly and mindfully performed as a meditative act. But in another concession to our western restlessness, pre-boiled water was used so we didn't have to sit there waiting for it.

While we were on the bus driving to Uji, our tour guide had instructed us how to respectfully hold and turn the tea bowl in a traditional manner while sipping. It is not considered proper to drink from the same side as any decoration that is found on the bowl.

The tea is also supposed to be slowly and silently consumed as a mindful act of meditation. My Rare One and I did so with an attempt at the proper spirit, but I'm afraid everyone else in the tour group spent the entire time yakking, laughing and farting around like boorish yahoos. I was embarrassed for them and for us, but the Japanese ladies were seemingly placid and unperturbed by this disrespectful behaviour.

I have read that a traditional Japanese tea ceremony can last for hours. But we were in and out of there in half an hour, max. Another indication that we got the western tourist version, I suppose. Or maybe that's only how long the Japanese ladies could stand us, LOL!

[All photos by My Rare One, April 2012, except for Photo 2 which is from the internet.]

Japanese Tea Ceremony -- The Setting

Here's another tale from our tour of Japan in April of 2012 --

In the southern Japanese city of Uji, some members of our group attended a traditional Tea Ceremony. Behind these beautiful cherry blossoms and a meticulously sculpted tree, My Rare One and I located the Uji City Municipal Tea Ceremony House called Taiho-An.

We entered through its front gate . . .

. . . proceeded through the courtyard's waiting area . . .

. . . and arrived at one of the Tea House's three tea rooms.

This room was meant for Japanese guests because it was a mat room and required leaving your shoes at the door.

But as westerners, we were directed to the tea room with chair seating and no requirement for shoe removal. Hmmm, already not so traditional! But our middle-aged bones didn't argue about not sitting on the floor.

Tomorrow's post: Japanese Tea Ceremony -- The Experience.

[Photos 1 and 2 by Debra She Who Seeks; Photos 3 to 5 by My Rare One; all taken in April, 2012]

Kitsune Shrine

Buddhist temples in Japan often have smaller Shinto shrines within their precincts. I came across this charming little shrine near the exit of a temple in Kyoto. It honours the sacred kitsune (fox) messengers of Inari, the popular and all-important Shinto deity of rice.

Peering inside the shrine, I saw a miniature red torii gate, two vases of greenery and an offering cup probably containing rice or sake. But what is hiding at the back behind the foliage?

Two ceramic statues of white foxes with large ears and big bushy tails! Traditionally, one fox of the pair is male and the other is female. The kitsune of Inari are benevolent, protective guardian spirits and ward off evil. Legend says that their favourite food is fried tofu.

But Japanese mythology features many other kinds of kitsune as well, not all of which are good or protective. They are often tricksters and shapeshifters. Their mercurial moods and shifting loyalties teach many hard lessons. Because kitsune can be both allies and enemies of humans, it is proper to simultaneously revere and fear them.

[Photos by Debra She Who Seeks]

Japanese Bathrooms: Toto Washlets

Japanese Toto Washlets always have heated toilet seats that activate when you sit down. Then, on the wall or on an attached console arm on the toilet itself, there are assorted buttons that you push to make the toilet perform various functions.

The most common buttons activate a frontal water spray or a rear water spray for maximum cleanliness. You can customize the water pressure for those functions with another button. Deluxe models have a button for dispensing air freshener too. And the so-called "princess models" have a button that activates the sound effect of running water to drown out any unladylike bathroom noises you may make. We encountered the Toto Washlet's most ultra-deluxe feature only once on our trip, where simply walking into the bathroom stall causes sensors on the toilet to automatically raise the lid for you.

Oh, and of course after all that, there's a button to flush the toilet too. Sometimes that button is located on the floor so you just step on it. Deluxe Washlets flush automatically by themselves.

And let me tell you -- when we got home to our own North American toilets, we sure felt like we were being forced to slum it, LOL!

[Photos by Debra She Who Seeks]

Japanese Bathrooms: Squat Toilets

As we discovered on our trip to Japan last year, Japanese bathrooms are very interesting places. Traditional squat toilets are still quite commonly found. Their basic design is the same, whether constructed of wood as this one in Takayama at the historic government offices of the Tokugawa Shogunate . . .

. . . or whether constructed of the finest porcelain and marble as this one in a ritzy Kyoto hotel:

Thank goodness, however, squat toilets are never the only option! At any given public bathroom, there is virtually always an equal or greater number of "western" toilets available. But of course the Japanese have improved on western design and made our style of toilet a million times better. Tomorrow I'll fill you in on the wonder and the glory that is a Japanese Toto Washlet.

[First photo by My Rare One; second photo by Debra She Who Seeks]

Shirakawa-go Gingerbread House

My Rare One had to do our annual gingerbread house by herself this year because I was away in Manitoba visiting my Mom. But she did a great job! She took as her inspiration this little Shinto shrine and its torii gate that we saw in Shirakawa-go Village in Japan --

Behold its gingerbread counterpart! Yes, My Rare One did bend the "everything must be edible" rule a wee bit by using a wooden model for the torii gate but who cares? We're not perfectionistic hard-asses about such things.

And of course, the Japanese original didn't have a Christmas wreath and red ribbons on it but again, artistic licence. The front door is a chocolate bar and the warmly glowing window panes are lemon gumdrops. I think My Rare One did a particularly wonderful job of the thatched roof, which she replicated using Sun Chips and heavy icing for the snow.

And I must point out that she bricked the chimney with genuine dry-roasted edamame (soy) beans -- you can't get much more Japanese than that!

A final shot of this year's creation! Well done, my love!

[All photos by Debra She Who Seeks]

[Reminder: If you haven't entered my Poe 'n Raven giveaway yet, click here to do so!]

Shirakawa-go Village, Part 2

Near the old Japanese village mill with its turning wooden water-wheel . . .

. . . there was a small wayside shrine on the path. When I peeked inside . . .

. . . I found that some kind soul had outfitted the Buddha with a warm knitted coat and hat to fend off the winter's chill!

And there was a second surprise in Shirakawa-go for those who took the time to snoop around. Despite this village's dedication to protecting and preserving an ancient way of life, I discovered this tucked away at the back of the gift store -- a big honkin' shiny modern riding snowblower!

[All photos by Debra She Who Seeks]

Shirakawa-go Village, Part 1

High in the Japan Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site called Shirakawa-go preserves traditional rural Japanese houses, barns, shrines and outbuildings in a village setting. Some of these buildings are 250 years old. When we were there in early April 2012, there was still a lot of snow on the ground.

In fact, it snowed while we visited. The big fluffy snowflakes falling gently to the ground made the village seem even more charming. But it wasn't particularly cold -- only about -1℃ (30℉).

The wooden buildings of Shirakawa-go all have thickly thatched roofs in a steep A-frame architectural style which was developed over generations. The roofs are designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow which the region receives. Here's a shot of the roof thatching method, which is done completely without the use of nails:

This roofing style is called gassho-sukuri which means "constructed like hands in prayer." It is thought that the steep roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together while praying.

Traditionally, the second floor of each house was dedicated to silkworm farming. The family would live downstairs.

Tomorrow: A couple of surprises in the village!

[All photos by Debra She Who Seeks]

"Thank you for looking so tired"

Japanese people work very, very hard. Exhausted salarymen (corporate businessmen) sleeping on the Tokyo subway are a common sight. When we were in Japan, our tour guide told us that the greatest compliment anyone can receive from their boss is to be told: "Thank you for looking so tired."

This must be why there are a gazillion vending machines in Japan selling an infinite variety of canned coffees. Endless caffeine is what keeps salarymen and other workers going.

I snapped this photo of a typical canned coffee machine in a hotel near Mount Fuji. BOSS COFFEE / COFFEE BOSS says it all, really. Drink coffee, work harder, keep your boss happy!

In this ancient land of tea, tea houses and the tea ceremony, coffee is marketed as a hip foreign American drink. In advertising, Japanese canned coffee imagery often uses western spokespeople and English words or phrases.

[First photo from the internet; second photo by Debra She Who Seeks]