TURNING JAPANESE...

This could easily be me...

When I say “I think I’m turning Japanese,” I mean it…

The first thing I see in the morning (after a good night sleep on my Japanese buckwheat pillow) is a picture of a Japanese Garden hanging on my wall. I walk into the bathroom and wash my face, hair, and body with everything Shiseido. After breakfast I brew a pot of Gyokuro green tea. During my writing ritual, I sip more green tea, and burn Shoyeido’s Lisn, Sound on Wave, incense…the best in all the world! Later, I get into my Honda Accord and take Aunty to buy Hello Kitty items.

When we get home we watch Miyazaki films. My Neighbor Totoro, is one of my all time favorites. Aunty and I enjoy organic ice green tea. We often eat Udon and Soba noodles for dinner.

We bow before bed (and this is not a joke)… prayer and meditation are two ways we stay young and healthy, and we often genuflect in the practice. One of these days I am going to acquire my own kimono… I have my eye on one that is simply sublime (and way out of my price range).

Friday, I went to a concert to hear Elizabeth Bennett play the Shakuhachi. She is the First American woman to master the Shakahachi in the US. This is a Japanese end-blown flute traditionally made of bamboo. It was used by the monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism in the practice of suzien (blowing meditation). Its soulful sound made it popular in 1980s pop music in the English-speaking world. Her playing transported me into a deep, sonic spiritual journey. That night I dreamed I was in Japan, sipping sake under the cherry blossoms…

I can’t wait to actually go to. The people there seem to smile a lot. I will fit right in. They might even mistake me for a native. I have got the grin, the bangs, and a kimono on lay-away. I’ve even got the bow down pat. I love temples, gardens, and tea parties. I am really on a roll here…Make that a California roll…with extra ginger.

Arigato…
Sushi all around

I hope I am by no means politically incorrect here. I am simply paying tribute to a fantastic culture that has captured my heart and pocket book.~

For more go to:
http://www.shakuhachi.com/
http://www.howtojapan.blogspot.com/
http://www.japan-guide.com/
http://www.miyazaki.com/
And, check out the song Rainy Night in Tokyo, by Michael Franks ~

Save the Date: The 2011 National Cherry Blossom Festival -- March 26 - April 10, with the Parade on April 9, right here in Washington D.C.