Japan s mountain ascetic hermits For more than 1,400 years, Yamabushi monks have been walking Japan s sacred mountains, believing that this harsh natural environment can bring enlightenment. In an ancient forest of towering cedars, all was silence except for the chirping of unseen birds. Suddenly I heard the tinkling of a bell. Through the mist, a dozen figures emerged, walking in single file. Led by the Tolkienian figure of a man with a long grey beard, they looked like ghosts, dressed all in white. They were Yamabushi: Japanese mountain worshippers. For more than 1,400 years, centuries before anyone spoke of forest bathing , Yamabushi monks have been walking the sacred mountains of Dewa Sanzan (literally, the Three Mountains of Dewa Province ) in Yamagata Prefecture. But theirs is no pleasure hike. Through immersion in nature and rigorous self-discipline, the Yamabushi seek spiritual rebirth.
May 8, 2021 In the year 675, Emperor Tenmu decreed that eating meat would be prohibited from April through September each year a broadly Buddhist idea generally adhered to until the Meiji Era (1868-1912). Curiously, wild animals were exempt. Hunting for meat is nothing new. It sustained humanity for millions of years. But we’ve moved on since then to farming and fast food now, most people don’t hunt because they need to, but because they want to. However, in the past few decades, hunting wild animals has made a comeback in Japan out of a different sort of necessity. Here, it’s known as
May 7, 2021 Osaka – In his 1906 text “The Book of Tea,” Meiji Era intellectual Okakura Kakuzo interprets pan-Asian thought for Western readers. Writing in English, he declares: “The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” These words seem apt when visiting “Tea Time,” the latest work from digital art collective teamLab, which will run through March 2022. Like much of teamLab’s creative output, “Tea Time’’ relies on how visitors react to the environment they create. The work is an experimental 14-seat tea room built into the basement of Fukuoka Shoyu Gallery, a storehouse from the Meiji Era (1868-1912) that’s located in downtown Okayama. Inside, glass lanterns slowly pulse red while mirrored walls and pools of water reflect light in every direction, turning the tiny space into a cosmic womb both intimate and infinite. Tea is poured into a glass, which glows white, pulsing to a tempo of its own. If left alone, the pulses of both glass and room will synchronize. Take a sip, however, and the pulse from the glass changes color and tempo. Uniformity collapses and the cycle of spontaneous order begins anew.
The relationship between Japan and Bangladesh is a trusted and time-tested one. Bangladesh became Japan's biggest recipient of the Official Development Assistance in 2020. Since the Covid-19 pandemic started more than a year ago, there has been a lot of talks and anticipation about Japanese businesses moving base to Bangladesh. In a series of high-profile interviews, The Daily
The Takanawa Embankment ruins near JR Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. The central area is believed to be the remains of Japan’s first traffic light, according to the Minato Ward board of education. (Yuta Ichijo) Despite an outcry by archaeologists, it will soon be the end of the line for part of the remains of an embankment built off Tokyo about 150 years ago for the nation s first railway service. East Japan Railway Co. said it will preserve only a portion of the Takanawa Embankment ruins, which stand in the way of a major redevelopment project of the surrounding area.