Macbeth of Noto

“This castle hath a pleasant seat;
The air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself
unto our gentle senses.” -  Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Pleasant seat indeed; The quiet village of Nakajima in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture is too lush, too green, too gentle to ever be compared with the rugged coast of Scotland.
There is little in the pastoral scenery to prepare us [...]

DEMONIC DESSERTS

An autumn barbeque can be delicious,
Seared steaks, roasted pig, boiling hot stew,
The fire’s products are tasty, not malicious,
Till you get beyond the standard menu.

Your belly bursting          and your head aswoon, Your eyes transfix               on the blazing embers,
Standing or sitting
‘neath the Autumn moon,
The carnal heat thrills
your outstretched members.

Closer you stand, poking and prodding,
Teasing the flame into [...]

AUTUMN ON THE NOTO PENINSULA

The Noto Peninsula lies some 500 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, that computes to about $200 in gas and an equal amount in tolls round trip normally, putting it out of our reach for the past 35 years.  This year the new discount highway policy reduced the tolls to $50.  So we were off to the [...]

AUTUMN IN THE MOUNTAINS OF GIFU

Autumn in Japan – the damp heat has returned to the tropics, the winter winds remain comfortably distant and Amaterasu wears a crystalline smile.  There is no better time to be in Japan.
New bargain holiday rates on the nation’s toll roads allowed us to finally make a road trip across the island to the [...]

Earthen Treasures

Pieces of a dream, shards of an era, earthen treasures from the kiln.
Visit Maitre D’s to enjoy  the delighting ceramic works of Yoko Asakura.
Tied up through the 20th?  Then Click on the ojosan or the garcon to get a cyber glimpse of what you’ll miss.

TANABATA – STAR CROSSED LOVE

Seven-seven, lucky seven, romantic seven.  The seventh night of the seventh month is the time the star crossed lovers of Japanese and Chinese legend redeem their forbidden love.
Once upon a time of Asian mythology, Tentei, God of the Universe, matched his lovely daughter Ori Hime with the handsome young cowboy Hikoboshi.  The young Goddess of [...]

JAPAN’S CONSTITUTIONAL FARCE

On May 3rd, 1947, Japan promulgated its new constitution heralding a new era of peace and democracy.  The highlight of the document, co-authored by MacArthur’s GHQ, was Article Nine, the peace clause that unequivocally renounces war and the means of war.
None of the usual Japanese ambiguity here:
“…land, sea and air forces,
as well as other [...]

FORGET ABOUT IT

fō-gé-də-bow-dit
Most of my Japanese students swear by their dictionaries.  They take so much stock in the translated word that they often lose touch with what’s really going on.  This is really ironic considering the fact that second guessing the speaker is the art of the Japanese conversation.  Those who lack the skill are [...]

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS?

Dane: Tomorrow’s the 29th. I hear we’ve got the day off.
Yuji: Yes, it’s a national holiday.
Dane: What holiday is it?
Yuji: Uh, I don’t know.
Dane: Well, I’m sure the Japanese aren’t celebrating Obama’s 100th day in office. So, can anybody tell me what holiday April 29th is?
Reiko: It’s Greenery Day.
Dane: But [...]

EASTER FOR THE JAPANESE

Yuji:  Do you have cherry blossom parties in America?
Dane:  No, we welcome spring with Easter, the day Christians believe Jesus came back to life.
Yuji: Back to life? How did he die?
Dane: The Romans killed him after a Jewish court said he was guilty of pretending to be the son of God.
Yuji:  But I thought Jesus [...]