A Japanese Bath and Misc.

The bath was drawn and waiting for me.  In Japan, the guest bathes first.

I was staying with the Matsuyama family near Kameoka for the evening - dinner, okonomiyama - a popular Japanese dish had been served, and now it was time to end the day.  I was tired and ready for some good sleep, but first, a hot bath.

Bathing in Japan is a little different than bathing in the States.  Only when you are clean can you enter the tub of hot water.  Mostly I think this is due to the fact that everyone in the family uses the same bath water.  First the guest, then the head of the household, then the mother - then oldest to youngest.  Isn`t Cameron glad we didn`t grow up in Japan!  Ha!  I really like the idea of washing before soaking.  Another way to add a moment of tranquility into the daily routine. 

Next to the bath was a sink, mirror, and a hose with a shower head.  There was a small stool to sit on while you scrub your skin and scalp.  After all the soap and shampoo suds have been rinsed off, then you move into the bath to rest, soak and relax.  It`s a great way to bathe and I plan on having a Japanese soaking tub that is open to a garden one day.

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Today the Mastuyama family took me to Kayabuki no Sato.  A Miyama town about an hour drive into the mountains.  It`s a very small village where the people still have thatched roofs.  It was enchanting!  I have been so lucky to see such a variety of landscapes and methods of living that exists in Japan.  Soon we`ll move in to Tokyo which means I will have seen the big city to the moutain temples and everything in between!

I learned more of why the some people here were face masks: allergies/pollen is high right now, or flu season, even though flu season is really over now - or...yellow sand from China.  Ah!  The yellow sand - that must be what has been making my eyes twitch since day one.

It was really great staying with a Japanese family for a day.  They are more westernized and it was nice to have that point of view and to see another lifestyle of many people in Japan.  Sachiko, the wife, could speak english very well so I was able to ask a lot of questions about culture, history, and little odds and ends.  I learned that in Kyoto dialect, Geisha are called Geiko, and Geiko in traning is called Meiko.  Kyoto still has a Geiko district.  I also was enlightened to an amazing magazine that I will now have a subscription to.

It`s been fun to learn the differences between Buddhism and Shitoism.  Buddhism = Temple.  Shintoism = Shrines and Tori Gates.  Yesterday we went to one of each and while at the temple a monk led us in zazen.  We had to sit still while he led us in mediation.  We were all sitting on tatami mats with legs crossed, hands locked together in a certain manner, eyes closed.  He clapped two pieces of wood together twice, hit a bell four times - and that`s when it began.  During the next 15 minutes he walked around with a bamboo type stick.  If your posture is off or if you are falling asleep or aren`t concentrating you are `corrected` by the stick.  Normally they do this meditation for at least 30 minutes, I think.  It probably depends on what sect you are a part of.

Yesterday we were taught by local gardeners - we built a bamboo fence and set stepping stones.  We learned the knot they use to lash the bamboo together using a black rope made from a certain type of palm tree that comes from China.  The main posts were made from Cedar and were charred earlier to maintain their longevity and to protect the wood from the rain.  I now have 9 bundles of this rope I am bringing home with me to use when I, at some point, build a bamboo fence of my own - either for myself or for a Client.

Tomorrow is a free day and I am wandering by myself again!!  I am thrilled.