Mottainai Grandma

My friend, Karin is a kindergarten teacher. She is a very enthusiastic and Passionate woman.

After I'd backed in Japan, I visited Karin and her kids at her school. Her kids are all English speakers.

I brought a KAMISHIBAI to show her kids a Japanese story. KAMISHIBAI is a Japanese cultural story telling, using big picture story boads. A long time ago, when we didn't have a TV or other amusements we have today, a KAMISHIBAI man came and told kids a story in a outside playground...

The story I told was named ''Mottainai Grandma''. MOTTAINAI is a cultural Japanese word, which means, ''Don't waste'' or ''What a waste''. I think many Japanese people have been told that word from grand parents, parents and teachers whenever we waste food,water,money or even tears...

An author, Ms.Mariko Shinjyu drew the usual scenes of Japanese grandmas saying the word ''Mottainai'' ... and now she is trying to spread the word ''Mottainai'' around the world, and also bring back the messages of other third world countries' lives to Japan using her pictures... She says she doesn't want Japanese children to think all the issues of the other countries are not for us. she wants to make those issues our own issues to foster the idea. We are world citizen.

I really felt sympathy for her ideas, So I got her book ''Mottainai Grandma'' and made a KAMISHIBAI with this story. Karin and the children seemed to enjoy my KAMISHIBAI ''Mottainai Grandma''. Together, they even repeated and memorised the word ''Mottainai''.

After doing the Kamishibai once, Karin tried to review the story.

That made children understand well.

Karin e-mailed me that day and after I left, one of the children even used the concept. He said, "MOTTAINAI! Don't waste your milk!" to his friend. I was really happy to hear that!

There is an African woman trying to spread the Mottainai concept around the world. Her name is Wangari Maathai. Her ambition is to spread MOTTAINAI around the world as a common keyword for conserving environment. The author of ''Mottainai Grandma'', Ms.Mariko Shinjyu, is also trying to do the same thing in different way.

So I'd like to try to join them ! Spreading the word is one thing I can do something for the world, something for global warming. In the modern world, people are living with an abundance of things...and becoming less grateful for what we already have...Think about the other places in the world. People in some countries hardly eat food and drink water...go to school.....get clothes, stationery...

It is important just to imagine how life is in other countries in the world. We are world citizens. We are living on our only planet.

Karin, she always says ''You are Japnese Karin !!'' For me, That is really fortunate. I want to be like her when I become her age...

Thank you for this friendship Karin !!

SORAMUGI farm

My friend Emi, Yuuki and I visited Emi's brother and his wife who have own rice fields,vegetable fields and hand-built house in Yamanashi.

They have 3 rice fields and several vegetable fields, named ''SORAMUGI farm'' (SORA=Sky MUGI=wheat)
Soon we arrive, we start helping weeding in a rice field.
They got a new family,very pretty newborn son last year. so now, mostly the father works for the fields. As we were helping him, He said happily '' a human power is not really be twice, it is two-and-a-half times more'' .
It's easy to use chemical herbicides, but they are trying to glow everything organically. However they told they understand the people use chemicals for the field, because it is really hard to do for older people.

Start the whole thing why they started this self-sufficient life style in Yamanashi was his wife first got a sick badly and tried to recover from the bottom causes such as food and living ware etc...
They used to work for a Japanese cosmetic company, but they decided changing their life. so they quited the job and both went to an architecture course in a vocational training school. So that they built their house by themselves... I impressed what they've done as I saw it. It was amazing job....It's a little house, but there are warmth of tree every where... It's like my dream house.... but they said to me strongly and very warmly ''Anyone can build this, all the things we human have made, nothing impossible...''

Working at the rice field only couple hours, my back starts hurting ... I thought how old people worked so hard, they had no pesticide and all the machinery we have now. And also ofcause people were like this couple in front of me who are growing things 100% organic...
Now, I feel those fresh and healthy vegetables are far removed from all the shiny vegetables and fruits in a supermarket. It's really important knowing the fact what we are eating and how things grow...

Through this meeting and experiences at their field, I again realized how treasure rice and all the food we are given. I am eternally gratitude. It's all gift from the land, Mother Earth, Lives...

Since I came back to the city in Japan, I was almost losing something I learned in the nature of Canada and the beauty of the Japanese nature... ''Earth is not ours, We are just a part of the Earth.'' Living with gratitude for Nature. SORAMUGI farm reminds me that again. I'd love to visit them again and keep remind myself this feeling... Thank SORAMUGI !

my HASHI “chopsticks” case

Yesterday, I got a sweet present from my friend Satoko.

It was pretty handsewn chopsticks case with original embroidery on it. It embroidered Sun of the peace mark, Mt.Fuji and a wave. it's very pretty.

Speaking about waste disposable chopsticks, annual use of waste disposable chopsticks in Japan is $25 billion and annual consumption per person 200 sets. Those waste disposable chopsticks are imported 97% , about 90% come from China.

Producing disposable chopsticks has led deforestation, eliminating 30 hectare of forest a minute, 14 thousand hectare are lost annually in the world.

Forests play a vital role in the earth's ecosystem. They are essential for maintaining healthy soil and water, and reducing greenhouse gases. And the chopsticks used mildew-proofing agent and bleach, so using my own chopsticks is also healthy for us !

There is called My Hashi (chopsticks) project in Japan. Using my own HASHI is the one we can be earth-conscious .

I carry my own chopsticks around instead of having to waste disposable chopsticks. so she made my chopsticks case. It was BIG present.... she sewed each stitches thinking of me !

Satoko is Remaker. She makes little things with used clothes. This is the one thing she is trying living environmentally friendly. Everything she makes shown her warm heart . I look forward to her future... she makes many people happy with her arts !

Let's enjoy living environmentally friendly !

UME

''One idiot who cut branches from a Cherry blossom tree, One idiot who not cut branches from a Plum tree.''

This is Japanese old saying.

We can not cut branches from the cherry blossom tree. The best thing is viewing but We can cut branches from the plum tree. Plums will set very well.

I visited my grand mom and dad and helped cutting branches of the plum tree together.
We got many plums from the tree. They are going to make a Japanese plum wine called UMESHU. Plum(apricot) is UME . Japanese people like UME very much !! We pickled UME for preserved food too. It's a very sour,but known as healthy food from long time ago.

Picking plums is an annual event. They look forward to doing it this time of every year. And I am looking forward drinking the UMESHU when the time is come !

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AFRICA

Japan co-hosted Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) this year in Yokohama. TICAD was launched to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners.


This Summer, Japan also has a opportunity to make sure the G8 leaders keep their promises to the world's poor as they host the G8 summit.


so now, many movement-related those international events are everywhere in Japan.
Last week, I participated an event named ''ONE FOR ALL''. Antony Gormley the artist from England led us and over 500 people became one art . It taken a picture from the sky and will spread all over the world as a symbol of the peace....
I am looking forward to seeing how the art will go all over as a message.

It was raining at the event but He speeched in the beginning , ''In Here, We say this rain is unfortunate. but some of the countries in the world need this rain...'' It is .... It's very important to think that way I thought...

After the event, I went to two Picture Exhibitions, Pictures taken in Africa. It was not a Pub claw but a Exhibition claw... The exhibitions named ''A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AFRICA'' and ''THE LAND OF AFRICA National Geoglafic presents''.

The faces of Africa, civil conflicts,epidemics,poverty and public health sanitation...They have faced with various difficult problems however on the other hands, The barefaced of brightness they have, and Beautiful and Grand nature... I pondered many things...

One message caught my eyes.
''Yesterday was just a dream and Tomorrow only a vision. But today well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.Look well, therefore to this day.''

I just wanna live with people who take life one day at one time with all over creation in Africa. I pondered the memories of the places I have been in Africa.... Kenya, Egypt, Eritrea and Morocco....and many more deeply continuing land I saw in the pictures this time..... I wanna visit there again definitely...


My friend Hachi is working as JICA members in Niger.... I ponder how is she... and how are people backside of the planet.... always.... Peace for our only planet...

This is Sarah Mclachlan Music Video

This vido clip is about what can we do for the people in Third world, their education, medical care, food... how much we can help using the same cost as this video clip... What a ironic world we are living...

Please Watch the video clip !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzoNInZ2ClQ&mode=related&search 　

thoughs of in-betweener...

I was in Canada for one year. I just came back to Japan last week. I've met many people and many things. Looking back this one year... The faces of the people I've met this time come up to my mind... and remember how was I one year ago, what I've been learned and have experienced.

Nature and People I met gave me lots Love... Teachers gave me enthusiasm. City gave me lots different point of view.. And Trip gave me special meeting and all the inspirations and awaressness...

My teachers encouraged me to continue blogging everyday... I have been lazy last 3months while I was traveling ...

I came back to Japan, now I'll try to start blogging everyday again !I will try my English studies all my life.One thing I am trying is reading English everyday....Now I am reading a book named ''eat pray love''

It's about one woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia...One chapter, On the journey, She was looking for her word which the word defines, identifies herself.The word for herself finally she found when she leaves India was ''ANTEVASIN''. It's Sunskrit word.It means ''one who lives at the border.'' Antevasin was ancient spiritual seekers, an in-betweener. He was a border-dwelller. He lived in sight of both worlds,but he looked toward the unknown.

When I looked the word... I feel the some kind of similality between authour and myself.
I've been thinkinig what I want to be long time or every time.... When I left Japan last May, I couldn't find the answer .... I'd lost what I wanted be.. but One thing I could tell was I want to be a cultual bridge .. that was only I could tell at that time.... I wanted to be a person who can understand many different kind of people.... I know... (I have always abstruct conception...that's one of my problem... ) then I was wondering how it will go, how I can make get my blurred vision into a shape .... then I went to Canada to find something more blightness in my life. I learned many things. although, I still don't know what I am going to do and what can I do for the world...

However, One action I did already was volunteering as an Interpreter for Oxfam Japan last weekend. This event named Trail Walker 2008 is a challenging endurance fundraising event. It has become a global event. People challenges two things, One is a commitment to fundraising and the other is walking a distance 100k within 48hours with team of 4. its all for helping people fight against poverty. The money is used for the project of Oxfam for Sudan, South Africa,India,Cambodia,and Advocacy, other campaigns...

It was increadible event... I was in the last check point for supply drinks and food for Walkers, Eventhough I didn't do much as an Interpreter, I had a wonderful experience...
Walkers are from all over the world..There were many emotional drama ... It's amazing to see people who give it everything they've got... I realized.. In my life, when and what I would try if I give everything to something with all my efforts... I haven't seen anything yet. I am far from finished. I still have a long way to GO !

Life is Journey.. The journey will continue all my life.

Existence of “I”

This was a poem that my friend sent me, and would like to translate this a little bit.

Under the fall sky

There are many branches and leaves getting together.

They don't have a division or a notion.

All their energy is harmonized.

And I realized they don't have a notion of “I”.

There is no restriction to being branches or leaves.

They are just one part of universe.

They don't even know what they are.

They don't need to be something else,They are just existing there.

Same as all of us.We are all a little part of the universe.

We don't need to be something else,

We are just existing in this moment.

Pain born from the frame of “I”.

“I”want you to understand.

“I”want you to love me more.

“I”want to be like that.

Once you know the there is a frame of “I”,

Why restrict yourself ?

You will go beyond the division of your self.

And we become oneness. The borders disappear.

This is from Tomo-san's website "Yurishisu no Mori"
http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/ulysses/diary/

When I read this, I wondered when I started “I”myself.It's really hard to go beyond myself. “I”is sticking deeply inside me since I was born in me, and “I”grew up with myself untill now, however, if I go beyond “I”, I would explore the world and be more natural, become one with the universe, the borders removed. ThankYOU Tomo-san.