The Oyunohara (大斎原) Otorii Gate, the largest of the Kumano Kodo sanzan. Before 1889, 熊野古道, Kumano Kodō pilgrims arriving at Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine visited its original site of Oyunohara 大斎原, an island located at the fork of the Iwata River and the Otonashi River in Tanabe, Wakayama. Instead of Misogi, 禊 a Japanese Shinto practice of … Continue reading 熊野古道, Kumano Kodō: Oyunohara 大斎原
nature
Walking the Kumano Kodō – 熊野本宮大社 Kumano Hongū Taisha –
Walking the Kumano Kodo beings at 熊野本宮大社, Kumano Hongū Taisha. It serves as the head shrine of more than 3,000 Kumano shrines across Japan and is part of the san-zen - three famous shrines that cover the route. Hongu Taisha enshrines its own deity and the deities of the other two Kumano shrines, Hayatama Taisha, Nachi Taisha, as well asthe sun goddess Amaterasu.
Walking the Kumano Kodō: 玉置神社 Tamaki Shinto Shrine – With Haiku and Photos
Haiku and photographs accompany Sydney Solis's journey to Tamaki Shrine in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan while on pilgrimage walking the Kumano Kodo.
‘In Japan, Nature is Our Religion’ — Mine Too
Aligning with, not destroying, nature is the future of the planet in the age of coronavirus. Japanese culture and reverence for nature show the way in the Reiwa Era.
自然 Nature & the Sacred 木 Tree: Trees that Survived the Atomic Bombing at Hiroshima
Photograph of Kurogane holly trees that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II, with commentary by Alan Watts about our relationship to nature.
熊野古道 Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage – Japan’s Sacred Trees
Photograph of trees along the Kumano Kodo, or dark path, at Nachikatsuura, Wakayama, Japan.
Birthday at Kyoto Gyoen
Writers in Kyoto had its annual writing contest for a piece 300 words or less. Here is my submission! I won just by entering! I won just by writing, because it's so healing and so much fun! I am grateful to my Sensei Masasihi Nakamura for these adventures in Japanese philosophy and nature! Part of … Continue reading Birthday at Kyoto Gyoen
Japan’s Reverence for the Human Body Evidenced in Public Sculptures
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.
Nature Enthralls at Osaka’s Sakuya Konohana Kan Botanical Garden
Schizophrenics tend to live in cities, research shows. Grow up in a city and you are more likely to have psychosis, and urban life can lead to depression and anxiety. Anxiety and busy being etymologically the root word of "business," by the way. No doubt, the constant stimulation of the mind, the hurry, hurry, go-go-go … Continue reading Nature Enthralls at Osaka’s Sakuya Konohana Kan Botanical Garden
