the belly chronicles

ushering out

As the holiday winds down (kiddos go back to school on Monday), I have a few days to reflect on our delightful visit with my dear brother and his lovely wife. It would have been fun to host them no matter where we were living, but being a food- and fun-focused family in food- and fun-loving Japan made the trip peripatetic and delicious. It's amazing how much ground we covered in 10 days.

A highlight was a trip to Koya-san. The combination of scenery, food, architecture, and spirituality added up to an unforgettable experience.

As Papa-san described the journey in a missive to his colleagues:

This New Year's break my family, including Rachel's brother and his wife, had the privilege and honor of visiting Koyasan, Japan.  Koyasan is a mountain, but it is also a center of a sect of Buddhism and is popular for its "temple stays" where one may stay the night in a Buddhist temple and enjoy vegetarian monk's cuisine. We stayed two nights and enjoyed some very adventurous food. I was not as devout as Rachel to arise for early morning prayer but I trust it was moving. The journey there and back is epic. Door to door, one-way involved 7 trains including a Nozomi Shinkansen and a cable car for the final leg up the mountain followed by a short bus ride to the inn. But not to worry, as a warm meal and a soak in the onsen await the weary traveler. Aside from spending some relaxing time out of the city and in the quiet mountains with family, one of the highlights was the 2 km walk through the cedar-forested Okunoin cemetery where some 200,000 gravestones line the pathway culminating at Torodo Hall (Hall of Lamps) and Kobo Daishi's Mausoleum. Kobo Daishi is the founder Shingon Buddhism and a revered religious figure. Koyasan is having it's 1200th anniversary in 2015 so to be able to visit such a culturally rich and ancient place is truly an experience we will cherish.

The 2-kilometer walk through the 1200-year-old cemetery among 1000-year-old cedar trees was one of the best walks of my life. We didn't mind the cold, and the snow only added to the peace of the area.

The path led us to the Toro-do (Lantern Hall), which houses hundreds of lamps, two of which are believed to have been burning for more than 900 years, and the central mausoleum.

Several blocks from the cemetery is the Garan, the central temple complex with an impressive array of building of varying architectural styles.

At one point, Koya-san numbered about 1500 monasteries, but large-scale slaughtering of monks by 16th and 17th century shogunates and preferential treatment of Shinto during the Edo period caused a decline in the numbers. Koya-san is now a thriving center for Buddhism. Visitors can stay overnight in any one of 50 monasteries that accept guests.

We chose the one with the onsen. Which was a good thing, because this is the view from in the hallway in the mornings when we woke.

That's what you get in a traditional building. We froze our robe-clad tushies getting from the room to the onsen to the private tatami dining room, but once there, we were warm and cozy and well-fed on vegan shojin ryori food.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't so warm right when we walked into the tatami room, but once we got the space heater cranking and the 12 or so tasty dishes fueled us, we toasted right up.

I wish I had gotten some better pics of the food for you, but I'll just say that if you take two food-loving kiddos and set in front of them 3 personal tables filled with an array of small dishes of pickles and seaweeds and soups and tofu and tofu cakes and rice and tea, you have some mighty happy adventurous eaters.

Our last day at Koya-san was December 31, so I had the unique opportunity to rise at 6 am to meditate with the monks in the smoky quiet of their sanctuary and to greet 2012 on the dance floor at Club Womb in Shibuya...I hope it's an omen of a varied and blessed year.

Happy New Year to you!

 

 

simple slowing

As we step into December, with it's last few weeks before school winds down, the holidays hit and the new year begins, I find that I am seeking beauty and simplicity. It's my instinct to slow down, hunker in, clear out clutter, and get crafting and cooking.

I realized today that over here at this blog feel a bit slower than facebook, so I'm going to try to talk to you from here for a while. I know...I've said that before...but for now I wish you a simply happy December.

endless summer

Hi friends,

Happy autumn! (Although here we're still experiencing endless summer here.)

I've had quite a long summer vacation away from this little space, but I'm ready to return and start to share with you again. So much to catch up on, don't know that I can get it all in over the next few weeks, but I'll start with saying it was a summer of camping in California and extended family fun on the beach in South Carolina replete with baby loggerhead turtles*, boogie boarding, and even one dawn that found me hula hooping while on roller skates!

(*That's a picture of some tiny baby turtles that are crawling from the nest to the ocean. Mom's on Turtle Patrol at Seabrook Island and keeps tabs on all the nests...when they are laid, when the babies come out.)

There is much to share and I really hope to catch up with some pics from a fantastic summer, but I'm going to try to stay present and share a glimpse of the Otsukimi Moon Viewing festival. Last night we went to Sankeien Garden, a local treasure, where we were treated to the sight of lit buildings around the pond and a beautiful moonrise (as well as soba, udon, and kakigori (snowy shave ice). The atmosphere was so peaceful and reverent, we felt almost out of place with our little gaggle of raucous children though none of the hundreds of tripods we passed in the dark got knocked down, so all in all I'd call that a success!

 

Clearly, I lack the techniques, skills, tools of all those photographers lined up around the pond, but I caught a little glimpse for you. And I LOVED that when I looked on facebook the next day, I saw that friends had posted images and inspiration of the full moon from New Zealand, California, Minnesota, Iowa, New York and Italy...we are all only a moon away.

round and round

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms reading this and especially to my mom, Macky, who I love and appreciate even more now that I'm a mother myself!

After flowers (from the kiddos early morning park walk) and breakfast (homemade blueberry muffins) in bed, we took my new hula hoop and a picnic to Kodomo no Kuni, a 240-acre children's wonderland of playgrounds, rolling slides, zip lines, and fun.

It was a sweet finale to Golden Week, during which time we've had Steve home all week and we've enjoyed having him "visit" the regular routine of school, soccer, and bedtime stories.

I've been surfing around this evening, looking for some instructional videos on using my new toy gracefully. Or at least without hurting myself :) Still looking for the grace, but I did find two entertaining spots for you here and here.

Now you know what I'll be doing in my living room every evening while Steve is still at work!

passed over

Even as we live our days, we don't always know what will retain significance through the journey of life. The holiday of Passover has become a surprising marker for me. Since Isaiah was born, we've moved 5 times and each time we've needed to establish new routines, connections, and rituals...while keeping many of the old ones alive and well. We're FULL of intentions, rituals, and friends here!

Passover has been my favorite holiday since I was a kid. My (pseudo)stern grandfather presiding over a table stretched with relatives all talking and eating at the same time. The same story every year, a story that just might make sense if I listened closely enough. The dipping our fingers into our wineglasses (yes, at some point we got to try some of the Manishevitz sweet wine) with each of the 10 plagues. The games my brother and I played once we reached our teens, taking a sip at each mention of "Moses" or "G-d" or "Egypt."

As I've experienced Passover with my Gendaica tribe in my 20s and 30s in San Francisco, these years on our own as a family, with my parents (seder on the beach!), and in synagogues, I've had the opportunity to consider exactly what is important to me about it and what lessons I want to teach the children. As we were still suffering the effects of jet lag, trekking to Tokyo for a community seder wasn't an option, and either was preparing all the traditional foods, but we decided to have a feast and then of course we decided to we wanted to share it. It is such a pleasure to share our favorite holiday with friends who never experienced a seder before. They were so gracious in sharing the service with us and in return, we fed them well.

I finally found a seder that I really like: A Passover Haggadah for a Unitarian Universalist Seder. (Of course it's UU!) Highlights: Isaiah reading whole paragraphs when his turn came. An orange on the seder plate for my first time: "A woman belongs on the bimah like an orange belongs on the seder plate." There you go.

All this nomadic living coupled with the deep sorrow I've been feeling for so many who lost everything just a few hours north of here has had me perpetually contemplating the question of "home." For all it's foreigness and temporariness, this is our home right now. We have settled back and it feels right to be here. I appreciate the beauty and grace of Japan even more now that I've witnessed that grace under pressure.

I can't stop watching and thinking about this video...heartbreaking. Awful.

My friend Corry made a trip up there, spending time with children and other survivors. This blog recounts some of their trip. Deeply moving and bringing a bit of hope.

I apologize for the problem with the link to Adam's blog. Let's try this: Who Is Adam Clark?

Today I dedicate myself to openheartedness and service.

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!

May the Year of the Rabbit bring you closer to your heart's desire!

 

sweet moon

The family that celebrates everything has a new holiday to add to our list. And true to form, it isn't necessarily a holiday here, but it sounds like one and we took it and made it our own kind of night.

Isaiah had learned about tsukimi moon viewing in his Japanese culture class and came home and told us about it. His class pounded (rice?) to make dumplings and learned about how Japanese people might take their dumplings out and look at the two rabbits in the moon as they enjoy their moon dumplings. We knew this was celebrated in September at the lovely local Sankeien Garden, where they light up the pagoda and stay open late, but the September full moon was rainy and cloudy. When the October full moon came about, we popped over to the park across the street, brought chocolate caramel turtles as a treat, and played shadow tag (mostly in street light shadows, I must say).

I feel like I have a random list of various little things to share with you today,, and I know you're wondering what I'm doing with all this free time,  so I'll just tell you that this week I have...

• been playing with Pocket Yoga. A lovely class here has helped to inspire my home practice, and although I'm not head over heels in love with Pocket Yoga, I'm urging myself to do the expert level practice and that has me doing all sorts of things I'd only be doing in Robyn's class otherwise (like warrior 2 into bird-of-paradise and a walk around from downward dog into full wheel). And I'm a long way away from her. Although a retreat in Hawaii is starting to sound close. (And I have friends here who go for girls' weekends to Hawaii for cheap shopping...go figure.) It's funny how after 20+ years of yoga, I want to click on the "intermediate" level. I think that about sums up my attitude about myself and life lately...and I'm finally ready to grow into the "expert" phase of life (as long as I can be as forgiving of mistakes as I can in "beginner" level.

             
             

• made salted caramels. Twice. With help. Plain, chocolate-covered, and pecan turtles. Dangerous. And it's only October.
• almost finished a cool-weather jumper for Miel. Much like this one (which was worn for 2 winters, but is now outgrown), but in different colors. Inspired by my friend Kate who was inspired by me...I love how creative inspiration works! More to come soon on this!
• scored a sewing machine at a garage sale on Saturday. Garage sales are so rare here...I have no idea where all the used stuff goes, but there must be SO MUCH of it. You either have a sewing machine or you don't, you know? And now I have one.

Which will encourage me to continue to practice honing my intentions and choosing what to do with the moments of my life. I have goals for my time here, and I also have many worthy distractions.

Well, that's enough for one day. Thank you so much for listening!

seeking balance

 

Equinox brings with it...for me...a melancholy that seems always waiting, almost to be savored. Especially autumn equinox.  By this time of year in all the places I've lived, fall has begun to show itself in cool breezes and crisp skies. In Minnesota, autumn is made even more exciting by being the brink of the epic story that is winter. No matter how wonderful northern winter is in its snowy splendor and offerings of sledding, skating, and skiing, it is deep, dark, and long.

Here in Yokohama, autumn seems more like spring equinox in Minnesota...a fantasy or promise of things to come. With temperatures still in the 30s, it truly seems like endless summer. We knew August would be a challenging time to move here, but I didn't count on it lasting through the end of September and I didn't realize how the stifling heat in the big city would affect our connection with nature. I did a bit...it was my biggest fear, but now, as I spy the moon in the sky, I find myself mining deep for the resources to hold our family values strong."What does it mean to be a global citizen?"

It is especially during these times of transition that I find myself asking, "What does home mean?" "What does it mean to be a global citizen?" "How can I best serve my family and how can my family best serve in the world?"

As we settle into our life here and the children are really experiencing missing the friends and surroundings that mean home to them, we find ourselves stretched to our limits of compassion and understanding. I seem to carry a meditation/breathing practice with me that goes something like this.

child 1: (Screwing up his face for full effect) But I don't want water. I want juice.

me: I'm sorry, sweetie. You already had ice cream today and a juice from the (ubiquitous) vending machine today. Water is what you need to drink.

child 1: (Kicking me) I hate you!

me: (closing my eyes, taking a deep breath and running through the litany of thoughts: I really feel like hauling off and smacking him. Hmm...how would that feel? Not very good, really. Well, maybe a little good, but then a lot worse. I love him. I'm so lucky he's my child. He's a little guy still.) I know you're mad at me right now, but I still love you.

Take scene and repeat in 5 minutes with child 2. And on and on.

I realize that when my children aren't happy and I can't make them happy, it completely throws me out of my comfort zone. I feel like a failure as a parent. Even as I tell them that it's not my job to make them happy, but to keep them healthy and safe, I tell myself something different.

Hmm...much to ponder as we consider how to serve each other and this fragile planet we call home. I promise there are tales of adventure (beach camping!) and fun to share (as well as more belated Tuesday haiku), but this is where we are today.

Keeping it real, as always.

mom's eye view

My favorite view on a mother's day or any kind of day hike.

My gratitude surges for these three who made me a mom.

And my mom (and dad and grandparents and all those who came before) who made me me.

And yes, this mother planet on whom we depend for so much and who deserves our love and care as well.

May gratitude smooth your journey as it has smoothed mine today.

Beltane earth warriors

 

This weekend seemed to set the tone for the coming season...nonstop May Day celebrations to introduce the whirl of spring and summer. 

In Minneapolis we found thousands of like-minded souls at the Heart of the Beast Theater's May Day Parade, Ceremony and Festival. Giant puppets, a grand story, live music, fun toys like devil sticks, poi and hula hoops. Corn dogs and cotton candy. There was something for each person in our family.

 

 

On Saturday, our little wheel of the year group joined together to perform a service project in honor of May Day. We became Earth Warriors! A week ago we painted our faces to meet with the Department of Public Works staff to pick up the supplies for a clean water project. On Saturday morning, armed with storm drain markers, brushes, "curb adhesive," and colorful capes, and inspired by Starhawk's book, The Last Wild Witch, we set out around the neighborhood attaching storm drain markers and sharing literature about how we can keep our local water supply clean.

 

The thrill of ringing neighbors' doorbells isn't only for Halloween!

 

Ah, the power and glory of being a kid who can do her part to help the earth!