In the Pines

“Golden Week” has started here in Japan . It’s a series of holidays at the beginning of May that ends up giving people about a week off from work or school. Since I have no formal job I was a bit oblivious to it and was trying to go about my work as usual today, but found everywhere closed. So, errands will probably have to wait until after the holiday. People here in Otaki are still out working in their fields—no golden week for them. I will be returning to Kyoto for a bit on May 2 nd and will be back here by the 10 th be cause there is a festival on the 11 th that I have been asked to partic ipate in. Not totally sure what all the festival consists of. I know it takes place at a small shrine up on the hillside above the village-center, and I know we will be cooking takoyaki たこ焼き and yakisoba やきそば , which are customary festival treats these days. I’m sure there will also be plenty of drinking. In addition, I was delighted to find out that the “second party”...

Good Evening Ontake-san!! Today I visited a section of Otaki called Takigoshi 滝越, which is located about 10 kilometers from the village center at the back of a canyon that rolls out from Ontake-san's southwestern slope. This section was the hardest hit by a landslide caused by a large earthquake in 1984. A section of the hillside that had collapsed and carried a house away with it was pointed out to me, as was a statue that commemorates the site where a mother and her child were buried and killed. My neighbor had invited me out to Takigoshi to visit a small park called Suikouen 水交園. The park is run by a man and his wife, both of whom are in their thirties and have lived in Otaki for a decade. Both were very fascinating to talk with. They live nearby the park in a minshuku 民宿, which is like a Japanese B&B, that was built about fifty years ago. The house is heated by a wood burning stove and they bath in a home-made tub that is also wood-burning--It's also open-air. ....

Spent the day today in Nagiso town on the border of Gifu prefecture visiting two post-towns called Magome 馬籠 and Tsumago 　妻籠 . The residents of the towns try to maintain a feeling of the Edo Period (1603-1867) when a foot path led from Miyako 京 (Kyoto) to Edo 江戸 (Tokyo); part of the foot path, known as the Nakasendo 中山道 , still exists, connecting the two small post-towns. The Japanese novelist, Shimazaki Toson, spent part of his life in Magome and a m us eum dedicated to his life still stands there today. Toson wrote novels that focused on the lives of peasant farmers and how they experienced the transfer from Daimyo power in the Edo Period to a national government that came with the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Along the road between the two villages we stopped by a pair of waterfalls, one a “male” waterfall and the other a “female” one. We also stopped briefly at a clearing where a stature of Kannon Buddha is located. The statue was surrounded by cherry blossom tr...

Made some good progress today on a couple of fronts. We still lack a washing machine, so the day started--as many do--with washing clothes by hand in the sink and then rinsing them in the bathtub. There's something satisfying about the work. . .my wife and I both comment about how hungry we feel and how much we look forward to lunch everyday--there's a sanctity to the menial tasks humans have sought be free from. While hanging our sloshy clothes we were serenaded by bird songs. The indescribably delightful "ho-hokekyo" of the Japanese Bush Warbler that starts low and rides the cool canyon winds up and into one's ears. We also heard and spotted several Citrine Wagtails, wonderful yellow bodied birds with long, thin tails that swoop through the air in a series of dives and climbs resembling an Olympic swimmer doing the breaststroke. It's hard to put into words just how joyous it is to once again be privy to the moods and songs of mountain birds. After ...

Rain today. . .thin strings of mist rise up and out of the valleys, clinging to the tree tops before flowing into the gray swirl of clouds overhead. I spent the day yesterday introducing myself and talking with villagers. Most people were out working in their fields, so it was a bit difficult to interrupt. Also, it's hard to describe the look that comes over people's faces when a white guy suddenly walks up and begins speaking Japanese. So, I'm thinking I need to revise my tactics a bit. At the same time, in a town of 1,000 I'm sure that most people now know who I am, and have a semblance of what it is I'm up to. Because Ota ki used to be a forestry town, I haven't seen many rice paddies in production--though these may begin being planted towards the end of next month. Most people grow vegetables in fairly small field plots. Red turnips 赤かぶ are a major crop here, but planting must come later because I haven't seen any yet. Most people seem to be planti...

Had to run up to Matsumoto yesterday to do some errands. Luckily, the cherry blossoms on the hillsides were in full bloom. Woke this morning to the sound of children yelling "ohayou, Ontake-san"--"Good morning Ontake!". They are part of some sort of program taking place; will have to go check it out today if I get a chance. Later this week the village-owned forests will be closed to all but village residents, who gather edible plants there. Using communal forests is an old tradition in Japan, but one that has been difficult in Otaki due to the high value of their forests for timber, which has brought external control. Today I'm going to be out in the village trying to meet as many people as possible. In a village of 1,000 I'm guessing that news of a foreigner living here has already passed most people's ears. So, I'd better get my face out there so people can start figuring out just what the hell I am doing.

Today, the wifey and I had a chance to look around Otaki a bit. However, before I get into that, allow me to give some orientation as to Otaki's location in Japan. The village is located a little over 200 kilometers west of Tokyo, in the southwest of Nagano prefecture, along the border with Gifu Prefecture. Otaki lays at the southeastern foot of Mt. Ontake 御嶽山. This volcanic mountain is revered by many who come to make pilgrimages and worship at various shrines and spots of natural wonder. In 1984 a strong earthquake caused a section of the mountain to crumble and flow into Otaki, killing several people. Ontake is definitely alive and well, greeting us with a small tremor on our first night in the village. Here's a depiction of Ontake showing the various shrines and pilgrimage stages. So, that's where I'm located. Next, a few photos of the new bungalow. The house is located a bit west of the village center, below a "children's forest", where kids used t...

Finally arrived in Otaki yesterday!!! Fieldwork has officially begun I suppose. Though yesterday and today were spent getting the house straight. The wife and I are staying in a house built by the village to accommodate people interested in possibly living in the village. It's a nice little place--we have great views of the hillsides that lay to the south of Otaki. No leaves yet, but summer is just around the corner. Tomorrow I need to go get some things sorted out at the village office, and then it's on to some anthropologicatin'. I'll begin introducing myself to as many people as possible, and trying to find potential interview subjects. Still don't know how the "gaijin"--foreigner--will be received here in Otaki, so things might take a little time to get going. But, the process should be just as informative as anything else. It's very quiet here in the village. Woke up this morning to the sounds of songbirds--a very pleasant way to wake ind...