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World Heritage Site in Japan / Koyasan Part-2 / Who Made Koyasan?

2016.03.31

Charms of Japan

As I mentioned in our previous blog on March 8th, 2016,

I visited temples on Koyasan

( registered in the UNESCO World Heritage sites on July 7th, 2004)

to take videos of a tree-planting ceremony.

 

Do you know who made Koyasan?

Kobo Daishi did. The name, Kobo Daishi is shigo (posthumous name) of the priest Kukai.

Kobo Daishi (Kukai) (774-835) is the founder of Shingon Buddhism.

 

A young Kobo Daishi (Kukai) discovered the site on Mount Koya

and he wanted to use it as a training ground for esoteric Buddhism.

So he built Kongobuji Temple on Koyasan.

 

As I mentioned in our previous blog,

Koyasan is the area of mountains from Wakayama Prefecture to the south of Osaka.

There is no mountain officially called “Koyasan” even “san” means a mountain in Japanese.

*For more notes about Koyasan, please check our previous blog,

The UNESCO World Heritage Sites -Koyasan-

He built Kongobuji Temple on such high mountains which are very isolated from the city,

so trainee monks and visitors were able to concentrate the Buddhist training

such as meditation, reading sutras and everything between.

 

For sure, it is very quiet so it’s a perfect place for anyone to meditate even just by visiting.

 

 

T.F

"Cinderella who speaks a Japanese dialect in Fukui"

2016.03.30

Music, theater and dance

I had an opportunity to meet one of the members of a recitation play's group "Rikka".

They perform mainly in Fukui City and I saw their presentation of the recitation play course

called “First step in a recitation play, Spring presentation!”.

 

This was my first experience to see a recitation play's performance

and it was very interesting, especially the last play of their presentation

“Cinderella who speaks Fukui dialect” was hilarious.

 

Overall, it was 30 minutes long which is pretty long as a video to upload though,

I can't wait to subtitle this video, so I hereby post the prerelease version.

Please enjoy watching it.

 

T.S

First penguin

2016.03.29

Random thoughts

I recently heard the word ”First penguin” in a NHK morning drama series.
It means a penguin which first jumps into the sea out of a flock of penguins.
In the sea, there might be some killer whales or sea lions.
Even so, to catch fish, one must jump into the sea first to make sure of the safety.

 

Finally, a courageous penguin jumps into the sea.
And if the penguin rises on the sea surface,
other penguins will jump into the sea all together.
If it doesn’t rise or rise covered with blood,
other penguins will just go somewhere different.
I wonder how the first penguin feels when it jumps into the sea.
I mean, it might get eaten up right away.
So it is moving to think about the first penguin…

 

By the way, this word became to refer to people who start something first
despite risks or hardships in a field or an organization. (H.S)

Spring / The Season Of Farewell And Encounter

2016.03.28

Random thoughts

Charlotte who participated in several GEN's videos.

She moved out of the city.

 

It was sad for us to say goodbye but it was definitely grateful to meet her,

get to know her and work together.

Dec.24th,2015. GEN Video

Jan.10th,2016. GEN Video

Dec.15th,2015. staff blog

Dec.10th,2015. staff blog

*For more blogs and videos to see, please visit our website, GEN Japan

 

Spring is the season of farewell and encounter in Japan.

 

In Japan, there are graduation ceremonies in March.

It is time to say goodbye.

 

And in April, there are entrance ceremonies.

So it is time to say hello.

 

Even though there is a full of hope for the future in spring,

spring in Japan leaves people with bittersweet memories.

It is time for us to feel gratitude for the memories which were given to us

and let them go.

Let them go to receive new ones.

 

We must have a little strength to move forward.

 

Ending something is a beginning of something new.

 

In the next chapter of our lives, there are smiles, laughter, joys, new friends and things

we have not seen yet.

 

Let's see what's coming next!

 

T.F

Mr. Kimura's Guitar

2016.03.27

Music, theater and dance

Mr. Kimura from the music group, “Jonetsu Gundan” (Passionate Group),

he had performed twice in Fukui this year.

 

He is the guitarist who plays in bands such as

“BRIGHT EYES super-duper (Rock)”, “Kimura Brothers (Folk)” and “HAKKI (Instrumental Duo)”.

 

How does he play the guitar even though he is deaf?

The MC for the events, Mr. WIZARD said that it must be the guitar which he plays.

 

I found a video from YouTube, “The Shadow’s TV X” in which you can see

how Mr. Kimura collaborated with Yairi Guitar from Gifu Prefecture to make his guitar.

 

 

Although I understand from the video that

the neck of his guitar is made for the sound to be felt easier,

I still think it must be difficult to feel and know each note.

 

As I listened to  Mr. Kimura saying that

“not only for the people with no hearing,

I also want people who became older and started having hearing difficulty to use this guitar”,

I thought that this guitar must be the good news

for anyone with any types of hearing problem.

 

Without Mr. Kimura, we would not have this guitar today.

 

T.S

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