Finally we exit into the street but it is dark by now and hard to imagine what this place is except that the signs are all in Japanese so we must be here. We decide to have dinner before going to Misuko's house. She pulls into an anonymous parking lot made glorious by many Cherry Blossom trees all fully in bloom. Quite late, we arrive at Misuko's house and put our luggage in our tatami room. This is the mode of the journey, these beautiful ceremony/guest rooms with tatami, and both of us wondering how we will sleep. The beds are prepared by pulling out futon and blankets. Some nights we get one futon and sometimes two, but in all cases it is not the kind of bed we are used to. I go into adjusting and Janne into figuring out how to make it work.

Next morning, the first of many incredibly complex breakfasts. We begin to call it fusion. Traditional Japanese breakfast foods of miso soup, greens, rice, pickles, soba, fish and on and on. All foods are on separate small plates and in bowls. Each dish beautiful and a bit mysterious. We try everything. Also they add white bread, yoghurt, fruits, weak coffee and wonderful green tea. Almost always, there is too much food. The whole trip becomes about food. Every meal is a gift of love. Wow!! Finding a way to say no to more food. It is like all the music trips I have been on where each group of family or production team wants to give us a very special meal. Special meals every day become this loving burden. Only in Japan, many foods are a surprise and we want to try everything. Soo full! Sooo much love. A trip to the grocery store is a big wow. Everything in packaging. Everything strange and new. Lots of carbohydrates, rice, soba noodles, potatoes. Whole lotta sweets. Everyone loves sweets here. At all meals, all people seem to eat sweets. How do they stay so tiny? I feel in danger of food explosion and imminent diet. Meantime, we do the best we can and so grateful for all the love. Everyone loves Shizuno and we are part of her.

I give away lots of Spontaneous cds as gifts for all the kindness. I think people will play it in their restaurants and cafes and homes. I hope they enjoy. It is good to have this gift to give to these new friends. Janne’s photo of Hawaii hula is perfect because Japanese people love Hawaiian culture so they ooooh and aaaah when we give them the cd. We also brought Hawaiian red salt which we hope is a good gift because they love to cook here and food is so highly prized. We receive many gifts of fabric, books, cds, umbrellas and food of course for traveling so we don’t by some terrible fate, starve while getting from one place to another. After breakfast, we pack. We pack almost every day of the three weeks. Fortunately there is a great service for sending heavy bags ahead so we don’t carry them on trains and in cars. Amazing and so quick and secure to send the bags. It will save our arms and back to have this service. Shizuno and Susumu do everything to make our journey smooth.

We go by many trains through Osaka, into the countryside and finally we get off in a small town. Of course we go immediately for tea and sweets. Delicious. Then a taxi up the mountain to Tenkowa, the Shinto temple where Shizuno spent much studying time in her young years with her daughter. The road is very windy and the mountain so beautiful with Cherry blossoms as we climb. Finally we arrive and go to our traditional Japanese B & B. More tatami everywhere. They try very hard to accommodate our western bodies that are not used to futon sleeping. Up the mountain it is very chilly and now we add this worry that we will freeze because we are not used to this style of weather. Of course they take care of us with a heater, but still it is quite cold as we go to the temple to see where the ceremony will be. Shinto temple grounds are huge and very natural. All spaces are open to the air and the forest. Ornate but natural. Ceremony is very strict but nature continues to unfold in her riotous way. This dichotomy continues in most aspects of life here. The monk who is our contact welcomes us for a visit in his tatami office with tea and sweets. We have a long conversation about the clearcutting of the forest above the temple and town. Then last fall there was intense rain and flooding that ruined much of the town and threatened the temple. Much had to be repaired. This disaster happened only some months after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Poor Japan. But it was brought on by these bad human practices of cutting the forest without regard of consequences. The whole world has these same problems. We go to the first of many hot springs. Wonderful. Really for me the star of the travel. The healing of each day is entering these baths with local women and falling into the warm/hot water and melting all the experiences into my body. Often there are indoor and outdoor waters. This one at Tenkawa is simple and wonderful.

Dinner at the B & B includes many small dishes of exotic foods and attempts at conversation with the other Japanese people with whom we share this guest house. Among them is a Buddhist nun who Janne connects with in some great and kind way. We realize later that she has been sick with cancer and her shaved head is from chemo not her nun life. Concentrated focus during the conversation with one subject and one voice in the air; one at the time with everyone listening and ohhing and aahhing. We show pictures of the farm. We are able to tell many new friends about our life there and invite them to visit us. The nun wears an intriguing and glowing bracelet which we hear about at dinner. All of us so attracted to the energy and beauty of it. The next day she gives this bracelet to Janne. Sleeping is always an adventure here, but I notice that I do ok as long as I don’t sleep on my side, just front or back and talking to myself about relaxing into this bed situation.

Janne gets up very early to go shooting in the morning light. Everything is stone, ancient and mountain special. Breakfast. I won’t talk about every meal, but really, the number of plates, the number of different foods is startling to me and the tea so good. Then Chiakkiri, Nobuko and others arrive and we begin to meet these young musicians and artists and helpers who will be with us for two weeks. I feel how good the connection is and am looking forward to improvising in the temple. Intimidated to be in this ancient ceremony of spring, but here I am.

Shizuno helps me dress all in white, a costume from Kaoriko in Hawaii. So beautiful and formal for this occasion. I feel like I am being married. Strange but sweet. We enter the temple by using the water at the gate. There is a small dipper which we use to wash left and right hands, then sip and spit out the water, then let the water run down the length of the handle and then replace at the pool of water. We E Ho Mai at the bridge to bring Hawaii to this ceremony. The ceremony at the temple is full of horns, bells and chanting, costumes and walking up and down remembering what holds life together. Honoring this season. That’s what I think it is about. Much of the time, I don’t know at all what is being said and must be content to follow and respond the best I can.

Our performance is beautiful I think, me Shizuno and Chiakkari. We enjoy very much this 10 minutes of contributing to the ceremony.

Afterwards, of course, tea, food and sweets in the big hall with all the people who have come to watch. Then a performance of Noh theater which is again brimming with costumes, tradition and a story about a ghost who tries to solve a dispute between two people of different classes. Shizuno’s young brother picks us up and down the mountain we go to his place near the biggest lake in Japan called Bewako. But first a sweet restaurant filled with gorgeous pottery. We have Chinese tea ceremony first and then a wonderful dinner. Janne and I photograph almost every meal of the trip. Often they are traditional Japanese style, but not always. Each time they are shared with love of food, tradition and care for us as guests.

After dinner, we drive to Lake Bewako and sleep on the top floor of a building by the lake. When we awake in the morning, the water is rippling and the sun shining. We spend the day at a Japanese style BBQ at the shore.

Perhaps 12 guests come to this gathering with beautiful food, dogs, good conversation and resting looking out at the water. The sound of the lapping of the water is contentment.

That night we go to a large grocery to buy food supplies for our room. Everything is packaged in a different way from home. So many foods I don’t understand with many layers of plastic and without understanding Japanese I hardly know what anything even is, much less tastes like. Big adventure. We drive into Kyoto to have dinner at a macrobiotic restaurant. Two sisters make the food and designed the place. The family is there to greet us and tell their story of being from Fukishima where their family built home with gardens and teaching facilities now sits empty after the radiation poisoning. Their story is multiplied over and over, but their eyes tell it with sadness and somehow courage to shift and go on. We drive back to the lake and fall asleep.

Next day we drive up the mountain to a treasured Buddhist temple and are taken on a tour by a young monk. I enjoy the ancient qualities and as always with religions, I have many questions about form and ritual, the place or absence of women. My response is to pray over and over that the place and respect for women in all aspects of life with be genuinely regarded and uplifted. Otherwise I would start to scream.

On to Kyoto where we have our first western style beds and can relax during the night even though through this whole tour we are in separate beds. Is that the way with all people here? At least now we will be here for a couple of days and can stop driving with Janne getting vertigo and both of us tiring and needing all our energy. The theater is wonderful, simple with great facilities and staff. We begin an arduous planning of the performance. I am frustrated by my lack of language skills and feeling on the outside, not able to fully collaborate. That evening after a rehearsal, Janne and I go with 3 young people to a simple bar/café and drink a bit and have small food and let go for the first time. $100 for that little adventure. Learning how it all works here.

The day of the show is more rehearsing and lots of frustration at language and not very organized plans to occupy this huge stage. Performers meeting for the first time and finding the way to improvise together. Takes most of the day. The performance goes very well after all. 150 people or so. Not what Shizuno hoped for but strong I think for our first time. Collaboration with Jakkiri (playing handmade string instrument kind of like a koro, 15 or so bowls of various sizes Japanese style not like anything I have seen or heard and his beautiful haunting voice), Esoh (with electronic keyboard, digeredoo, voice and flutes, very skilled and committed to world music) and Yurabe (Buto dancer old friend of Shizuno). Extraordinary number of gifts, mostly sweets. We pack them all up and go off to an Italian restaurant for shared pizzas and lots of sweets passed around and taken home. Most friends brought these beautifully package boxes of goodies from various shops. I have never seen this before. It is a bountiful way of gifting at a concert. There were some gorgeous flower arrangements, but much more about the food. Like Christmas getting all of them. So we put them in bags and at the restaurant, we pass the boxes and everyone takes of few of each kind. YUM! Next morning we walk through the Imperial Palace grounds with Cherry blossoms in full bloom and children having picnics under trees.

If you catch a cherry blossom in your hand, it is very good luck.

We stop in at a friend’s shop who sells fabrics from Bali. Wonderful artistic people who have espresso made for us that is utterly delicious. We each have two. Yum. My eyes are often satisfied in this esthetic of Japan. On this morning between the cherry blossoms and the colors, textures and patterns of the fabric and the arrangement of the room and garden, I am filled.

We say good bye to Susumu who will go home to Hawaii, and we take the train to Nagoya with Yoriko and sleep at her sister’s studio. Back to tatami and futon. Have I said there are hot springs almost every day. That balances the hard, low beds. Janne and I go shopping for electronics and walk around the city to get our own feel of things. Very funny, delicate and often difficult attempts at conversation with shopkeepers. Janne gets a haircut, very brave and a great cut as it turns out. We eat traditional Japanese food from a street vendor that is delicious, made with cabbage, eggs, and vegetables. Warm and just the right thing. And Starbucks.

On to Hamamatsu to a rehearsal at a Buddhist temple. Lots of issues with the space very chilly and very tired. Afterwards we are taken to another large dinner at an Italian restaurant with too much food, lovely, but being fed to death, oh my oh my. How to resist in a respectful way? Then we drive almost an hour to our hotel. So much driving on this tour. It turns out to be a wonderful resort hotel. The only trouble is that it is after 9 when we arrive and our performance next day is at 2. Great hot springs and lovely beds. It is raining next morning but fine breakfast and back we drive to the gig with many issues, but I think we do well there in spite.

Our collaboration with Esoh, Ema and Chakkiri is rich.

14 PROJECTION

Afterwards a dinner, yet again, at a local Japanese place that is charming and funny. We take a train one hour to Shizuoka after buying Mochi Cream at the train station and eating them as we go. What great flavors with the soft mochi and cold filling in the middle, not too sweet but each flavor wonderful like green tea, Darjeeling, raspberry, coffee latte, etc. Jakkiri’s dad picks us up and up the mountain we go to his home where our beds, Japanese style, are all set up and a bath drawn for us in a deep futo tub as well. We fall into bed afterwards and sleep well.

Next day the rain calms down and a wonderful home style breakfast with some foods we have never seen. After tiny, tiny spring fishes, tender, young bamboo and other savory dishes lovingly prepared, we go with Jakkiri and his wife Kiki to a tea garden where we finally see beautiful mature tea hedges in traditional manicured gardens. We have tea ceremony in a traditional tea house with elder women serving us tea and explaining the history.

Outside there are ponds with koi and finally a bit of sun. Later I take a long walk around the fields. I could stay here for days to explore the various styles of tea farms running up mountains and around curves in the valleys. I can feel the care of the tea and the generations of farmers.

More trains on to Tokyo where we arrive at rush hour and are smashed into subway cars. We get to our hotel that turns out to be airless and small, clean with good beds. Bath and bed but not sleeping very well and doing the best we can.

Janne’s vertigo is quite bad now. I alternate between feeling compassion for her and frustration at worrying about her. Hoping it will get better if we can just stop traveling.

Back on the trains to get to the airport where we fly to Hokkaido, the north island of Japan. We are met by Oya, the wife of our next producer, Katz. They live with their 4 children in Teshikaga. Already this island is captivating. Much cooler, but fresh clean air, lots of wild animals including cranes, geese, bears, foxes, deer, hawks and owls. Their presence is everywhere. The gig will be in Katz’s café and general store. What a magnificent creation is this place. One or two of everything is for sale from all over the world including a diverse collection of music. This is ohana for sure. Our hotel is next door with good beds and a private hot springs. These are everywhere. Hot springs water runs in all the houses I think.

We rehearse with Oumar from Senegal with his pregnant wife Aisha from Russia. Tim from Chicago and his girlfriend Kristine, Philipino from New Zealand are helping hands. As well as Fuki from Lake Akan of the Ainu people, indigenous people of Japan. This will be much easier. Our dinner that night is served at a long table, cooked by Katz and surrounded by his kids and these very nice people. We sleep well. The next day is more preparations to turn this space into a stage. It looks good. I have time for a walk with Janne and a drive out to a lake with Tim and Kristine to walk with their young wild dog. How great to be with animals in this setting. Finally some good exercise. We have late dinner at a Japanese restaurant with heads of crabs, sea urchin and raw scallops. Some I can eat, and some not, but obviously very fresh. Great cold beer. The food calms us down and we sleep well.

The performance goes very well even as we continue to learn with each new collaborator. This time we have Oumar from Senegal on djembe and Fuki from the Ainu people who came down from Lake Akan with her haunting mouth harp and stringed instrument from her people.

Amazing the performance space Katz and all his friends made of this café. Intense amounts of moving furniture and goods. Amazing amount of love and devotion to art. Janne’s slides are changing and developing as well as she adjusts each show to the performance space and the region and people. She is improvising too.

Did I say that Japanese drink all cold drinks with lots of ice? They do! After the performance 8 of us have late dinner at a home style restaurant just down the street. Each course is so clean and simple in taste. Wonderful vegetables and tasty fish. Sake and beer. The chef is a young woman so sweet and unassuming. So clear in her food concept. Wonderful.

Next day we have lunch at Katz’s which is simple cardamom spiced curry. Roasted vegetables stacked in the center so they stay tasty and not soggy. Just delicious. Strong and uniquely good.

Did I say that Kata makes wonderful espresso and even better drip coffe done in a slow and loving way? He does. We stop to buy a ceramic bowl at the young chef’s pottery shop. Lucky us to be able to take home a few precious arts of this country.

We drive with Fuki to our last gig up the mountain at Lake Akan. The mother and father mountains surround this lake and give vibrant clarity to this place and these Ainu people. From the moment we arrive, we feel the power of this place and the energy of the tribe. We have a rehearsal at their new theater with full tech facilities which they don’t quite know how to use yet, but we can see that it might go very well here if they are sure to include the power of the women here. Fuki and her mom Midori are the heart of it with their Ainu café where we have lunch and then a great crowded party after the performance.

Lots of enthusiastic sharing of food, drinks and appreciation. Wild grape wine, wasabi chips, sudden dance and song in the center of the crowded café with everyone joining in. This song happens suddenly as one of the Ainu women jumps up and starts singing with body genstures. Then another woman gets up and joins her. That encourages everyone to sing and do the movements from their chairs. There isn’t enough room for everyone, but if there had been, I can imagine we would all have been up there. Turns out the song is about someone drinking and knowing they will be held up by the others no matter what. Very raucous and happy.

We meet a young guy from Fushiro and his mentor who runs a jazz and art center where we might be able to work the next time. Wonderful connection. He speaks English very well and can translate so that we can participate more fully in the party.

The show is good and strong. We could do even better if we stayed and had more time. Imagine suddenly improvising with 4 cultures and various languages.We are all trying to step in but not on one another. Very sensitive and at the same time, we must not hold back or the vibe will be insecure and not real. Plus the Ainu are performing very specific music with specific movements. Oumar is playing time and holding us and I am trying to build bridges with my voice.

We have 5 Ainu women playing Mukuri and Tonkuri and singing, Shizuno dancing, Oumar playing djembe and me singing the best I can in each of these situations, but here especially where the nature and the people are so connected and there is so much desire to fit in and make a strong bond between us and the audience.

Janne did lots of shooting and added some wonderful new images that reveal spring coming to this region. She is finally feeling quite well and enthusiastic again.

Hot springs everywhere, including private one in Shizuno’s room and places along the street and in the park to sit on wooden benches around a small pool and soak tired or cold feet. Walking along the lakeshore, we come upon steaming earth and bubbling spring nature in the shape of flowers and green. Even so, there are still 7 foot high piles of snow and each evening the temperature falls. Wonderful feeling here and I think the Ainu take us in with the same happiness that we meet them. Morning with a ferry ride around the lake just me and Shizuno, everything shining in the spring light. Pack up and head down the mountain to Fushiro where we take the plane back to Tokyo. More trains and finally arriving at Yoriko’s house where we have quiet dinner and sleep deep. Today is our final day. We walk around the neighborhood buying flowers for Yoriko and finding a shoe repair for Shizuno, whose walking shoes are collapsing.

Final packing so that our presents and food treats are safely stowed for the plane. We have given away Hawaiian salt to many of our hosts. We didn’t bring enough, but will know better next time. Gave away 20 or so cds and sold $1000 worth at performances. Yoriko gave Janne an Ainu jacket that looks wonderful on her. We are taking home so many adventures and treasures. Much to digest as we take the final train rides to Narita airport and fly home to Hawaii. Saying goodbye to Yoriko at the express train and dear Shizuno at the airport. She wants to return next year with new contacts and collaborations. I have much to think about in that regard, but I know for sure that my heart and mind have opened to Japan, this land, these people, this food, the problems and curiosities, the stiffness, the politeness, the generosity, bowing and thanking at every turn. All of it new to me. What I hold now is the fact that we got to see Japan from a local point of view. We were honored to be there and to be there in this way is precious. I extend my gratitude to all that we met and especially Shizuno who planned every detail and held the vision. May it happen again and again in just the right way.