Osaka's historical roots is as a port city of trade, fishermen and merchants. One of the biggest festivals in honor of the patron deity of commerce, luck and fishing, Ebisu, is held annually on January 10 in the streets of Osaka with a giant parade and ritual activity as the locals wish for business success and prosperity in the New Year.
A few weeks ago I was in Tokyo again for the First World Kamishibai Day for peace. I told the story Nidoto by Eiko Matsui about the atomic bombings and the need for peace. In English it's titled Never Again. The day before Eiko Matsui and her sister, Asako and I had visited with the … Continue reading Healing the Ancestors With Story and Kamishibai To Prevent Another War and Japan’s Re-Militarization
By chance last year I read in the Japan Times about the World War II reconciliation work of Taeko Sasamoto and Yoshiko Tamura, founders of the POW Research Network Japan, I contacted them, and they graciously asked if I'd like to see the sites where my grandfather died as a prisoner of war. Amor fati! These … Continue reading Mythic Yoga Journey to POW Sites in Tokyo
The First World Kamishibai Day for world peace is December 7. Raise your voice for world peace! It is urgently needed! Share stories for peace. Peace, for the children!
It's nothing short of a miracle. I can speak Japanese. At least broken Japanese, spewing out a lot of basic verbs and nouns to get the message across (mostly) or ask directions, put a friend in a cab to the Kansai Airport, direct a cab driver to my apartment or tell him when he's at … Continue reading I’m Speaking Japanese! I Really Think So!
Halloween in Japan has been growing a lot. This year I noticed far more Jack'o'lanterns and Western style Halloween decorations than last year. As if it were a orchestrated event, as just about every store or restaurant had some kind of Halloween theme or promotion. Fun! I was excited to take a friend who is … Continue reading Halloween at Universal Studios Japan – Good Kawaii Fun! In Photographs
A good friend of mine I met when I lived in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands introduced me by email to a friend of hers. Joan D. Stamm is the author of the new book, A Pilgrimage in Japan - The 33 Temples of Kannon. It's a fabulous read for those of us … Continue reading Heaven and Earth Really Are Flowers – Ikebana in Japan for World Peace
One of the most refreshing things about Japan I find is that there is an exaltation of the human body and it can be seen in public sculptures all across Japan.
In addition to photographing nature, temples and shrines, my favorite subjects are neighborhoods that are historic, have lots of character or are a bit run down. Many mornings I walk the 3.3 kilometers with my husband from our Bohemian, but chi-chi, Shinmachi neighborhood in Osaka to the Nishikujo Station he takes to work. We leave … Continue reading Street Photography Tour & Workshop Nov. 26 with Sydney in Osaka
Happy to announce that photographs of mine I took of Ise Jingu Grand Shrine in Ise, Japan have been published in Kyoto Journal magazine issue 92. Titled "Devotion" it features photographs I took, ironically on a rainy day, of the most sacred shrine in Japan that is devoted to the Japanese Sun Goddess Amaterasu. The photographs … Continue reading My Photographs of Ise Jingu Grand Shrine Published in Kyoto Journal
