Banana wa doko desu ka?

Where are the bananas? 

Apparently, there was a program on the Japanese news the other night touting the health benefits of the banana and how one woman lost 20 kilos after including two bananas in her daily meal plan. Since then, there hasn't been a single banana on the shelves of the grocery stores here. At least, not by the time I get there in the afternoon. A Japanese colleague explained the banana shortage to me thus: the Japanese love anything that's in. They will buy it, eat it, do it, wear it - whatever it is - until they've bought it, eaten it, done it, and worn it to death. Even if they don't particularly like it. (My colleague admitted that she never ate bananas until the other day...!) And until the hot item - the banana in this case - has gone out of fashion, it will remain an ever elusive item. How long does it take for a fad to fade? My mornings just haven't been the same lately. After all, what good is a banana-blueberry smoothie without a banana?

But this wasn't supposed to be about the banana. What really fascinates me is the Japanese ability to turn even the most mundane item/event/pastime into a craze. This isn't the first time I've witnessed this It's new! It's in! Gotta have it now! phenomenon. A new IKEA opened up on Port Island last spring, and the lines to get into the store were hours long for the first few months. Yes, hours and months! Are you kidding me? Who would wait hours in line to go to IKEA? Okay, I did. But that was only because I really needed a new lamp. 

But this wasn't supposed to be about me or the banana...

October Looks Promising!

We received an email this morning saying that we should expect to travel in October! Still no referral information, but apparently that will arrive before we receive our travel dates. We also saw an email on the chat group that another FTIA family has been registered in the region of Kaliningrad, which makes three families from our agency. We were originally told that a third family wouldn't be registered until the first family (us) received and accepted a referral. So, it must be coming soon! We'll keep you posted. 

Our papers were officially registered in Kaliningrad three months ago today.

Moon-Viewing

Tsukimi, or moon-viewing, is an age-old Japanese tradition, albeit a waning one.

History has it that moon-viewing was already an old tradition in China by the time the Emperor of Japan introduced it to his court in AD 909. Back in the day, and around this time of year, nobles and artists would gather together to honor and adore the beautiful harvest moon (meigetsu). These gatherings eventually became an annual autumnal event and led to an outpouring of emotion through songs, poetry, and other writings.

Peasants and commoners were also intrigued by the moon. Believing it was capable of granting happiness and providing a successful harvest, they would pray to it for bountiful crops and set out offerings of fruit, vegetables, and nuts. The common folk are said to have created several nursery songs (e.g. Deta Deta Tsuki Ga or The Moon is Rising) and short stories (e.g. Taketori Monigatari or The Tale of Taketori) about the moon - and in particular about the rice cake-pounding rabbit that can be seen on the face of the moon. I have to agree, when I look at the moon, I now see a rabbit and not a man. Take a look - you might agree!

This year's harvest moon, and the accompanying Moon-Viewing Festival, took place on Sept 13-15, while we were in Takayama. I was hoping to stop off in Kyoto on our way home last weekend, in order to view the moon from one of Kansai's best moon-viewing spots - the Osawa Pond at Daikaku-ji Temple. But alas! The weather in Kyoto was not going to cooperate. So on our last night in Takayama, Jon and I grabbed a bottle of wine from the local liquor store and headed to the river. We offered up our vino tinto to the little rabbit in the sky and talked of all the good things to come this year. I can't remember the last time we did something so... romantic!

The moon-viewing I was hoping to do this year

In Kyoto...

on a pond...

by a temple...

sipping green tea from a dragon boat.

The moon-viewing I got to do this year (and by no means am I complaining!)

In Takayama...

by a river...

under a bridge...

swigging wine from a fish bottle.

How would you like to moon-view?

Zen in Takayama

Takayama, as promised, was full of traditional charm - not to mention traces of...Zen? Here are a few favorite shots from the weekend. 

Takayama by Train

We're off to Takayama - a small town in the mountains - for our three-day weekend. We figure we'd better take advantage of these get-aways while we can! Here's what Lonely Planet Japan says about Takayama: 

"With its old inns, shops and sake breweries, Takayama is a rarity - a city (admittedly a small one) that has managed to retain its traditional charm. Vibrant morning markets, hillside shrines and a laid-back populace add to the town's allure, and it should be a high priority on any visit to central Honshu."

We're taking the shinkansen (a.k.a. 'bullet train') - another of my favorite Japanese ingenuities  - to Nagoya. From there, we'll hop on the JR Wide-View train to the little town of traditional charm. 

Toji Temple Sale

A few colleagues and I headed out early this morning to the Toji Temple Sale in Kyoto. Temple and shrine sales are nothing more than outdoor flea markets - but in beautiful surroundings - and are a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. After finding a few treasures (kokeshi dolls, lanterns, and gongs) we headed into the old district of Kyoto for lunch. We stumbled into a great place, and I discovered a new favorite dish - I believe the translation was 'hot and spicy black sesame noodle soup'. It was oishii! Here are a few photos from the day.

Three Cups of Tea

Jon and I joined a book club this year, and our first book was Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson. It's an amazing story of how one man, after failing to climb K2, decided to dedicate his life to changing the lives of others by building schools for girls in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. To date, he has helped build more than 60 schools and several other community-based programs in the region. 

Moretnson is also a co-founder of the Central Asia Institute, a non-profit organization that continues to carry out his mission of promoting peace via education, and one of its programs Pennies for Peace.

The evidence that one man really can make a difference is incredibly inspirational. It has me wondering what I could be doing to make a difference in this world. Should I finally submit an application to the Room to Read program, an idea I've been considering ever since ordering the book Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood (not John Wood as in Jon's uncle, but John Wood a former Microsoft Director of Business Development)? Perhaps I'll contact that friend of my aunt who makes baby quilts to send to Russian orphanages - maybe I could join her cause, a cause that now hits close to home. Perhaps I could do both... For someone who is so moved by these kinds of stories and the unselfish act of giving, why do I do so little of it?  

I love the title of this book, Three Cups of Tea. At first I wondered why he chose this title, but I soon realized just how fitting it is. The three cups of tea are symbolic of Mortenson's dealings with the village elders of Pakistan. The first time he was invited for tea, he was a stranger. The second time, a friend. By the third cup, Mortensen was considered family. Negotiations were never made without first sharing a cup of tea! Now that I'm about to start my chadō lessons, I'm fascinated by the power of tea, or 'the cup of humanity' as Okakura Kakuzo refers to it in The Book of Tea. Nearly every culture in the world has its traditions surrounding tea, and people the world over take delight in the simple act of sipping and sharing a cup. 

"The story of tea is the story of humankind in a nutshell, or perhaps a teacup. It includes the best and worst of who we are and what we do. Throughout its long history, tea has been used as medicine, as an aid to meditation, as currency, as bribes, and as a means of controlling rebellions. It has been the instigation for wars and global conflicts. It has also been the reason for parties, for family gatherings, and for high-society occasions. In short, tea has touched and changed our lives as no other beverage has, connecting us all - from the workers to the monks, from the pluckers to the emperors, from the British to the Chinese, to me."

- From Tea: The Drink that Changed the World by Laura C. Martin