Good-bye rice fields, hello residential buildings in Echizen city, Fukui prefecture

Adjacent rice paddies have been covered in a gravel suitable to support and drain the poured cement foundations of single-family houses. But this section includes a deep pit and since houses in Japan do not include subsurface storage basements, perhaps this project will mirror the ones on the horizon: multi-story blocks of apartments or condominiums ('manshon').

Watching the operator of this heavy equipment scoop the subsurface mix of water and gravel, then swirl the mix to rinse away the smaller particles, it is easy to see how deftly his touch is. By the end of the clip the mechanical shovel tips the washed gravel into the pile off to the right.

Ringing the temple bell as the bus with mourners arrives for the memorial service at the temple

Some local residents know the temple of Gotanjo-ji as the "cat temple" because strays, abandoned, and unwanted felines are welcome there at any age and in any condition. One briefly comes into view as the camcorder moves from the bell platform across the parking lot to the bus where mourners are stepping off.

Buddhist temples in rural Japan vary in their scope and depth of engagement with parishioners. Some were founded with the labor and money of a core group of families long ago and have grown as the descendants increase. Others, particular Zen temples like this one, came about as a good deed by a single benefactor or a small number of founders who endow it, thus making it independent of ongoing contributions and involvement of parishioners. The case of Gotanjo-ji (literally, 'birthday temple') stands out from many other places of worship created in the most recent generation or two. The name refers to one of Soto-Zen's early leaders many hundred years ago who was born only a short bicycle ride from here. Looking at the memorial markers and family tombstones, there are many that are non-traditional in theme or design; for example, carved with "arigatou" (thanks or grateful) instead of a Buddhist phrase. Many of the markers seem to refer to individuals instead of family units, as is traditional. Furthermore, those one-person markers frequently give a home location of a prefecture other than Fukui. In other words, for people without ties to another place or a family unit, this temple welcomes them to reserve a spot for their cremains, whether they are a member of this temple's congregation or not.

traveling Fukui-ken by rail early Saturday past factories and rice paddies toward the mountains

A minute or so after leaving J.R. Takefu station and heading to Kyoto for the national holiday of Culture Day (bunka-no-hi) the view changes from backs of houses and gardens to more open spaces where land is still farmed and the views to the horizon are not blocked. The morning light casts long shadows that exaggerate the shapes.

In the distance on the mountainside is a lower and darker slope where the large Shinto shrine stands, Oshio Hachiman Jingu. In the festival season it fills with neighborhood residents (ujiko) and visitors from surrounding towns and prefectures.

walking to some Kyoto temples - the hilly Kiyomizu-dera vicinity

This video shows one segment of the steady stream of afternoon visitors to some of the Buddhist temples along the west-facing slope of Higashi-yama, not far from Kyoto's main rail station.

On the horizon is Kodai-ji, with Kiyomizu-dera to the right of the frame and some distance behind the camcorder. At the very end of the clip someone dressed in kimono comes into view. With the fine fall weather every now and then somebody in the colorful traditional clothing could be seen on this day. A shop along a busy road was renting the kimono, perhaps mainly for the foreign visitors to pose for pictures and to have a short experience of walking this way.

Chanting a sutra at the head temple of Pure Land Buddhism of Japan in Kyoto

The strong voice of the priest carries into the air from inside this prayer hall up on the hillside where the temple complex has been for hundreds of years. He punctuates the rhythmic text with a floor bell at first. Then later he uses the hard, clear sound of sticks to accelerate the beat of the text.

This Saturday afternoon in early November is the national holiday called Bunka-no-Hi (Culture Day). In addition to followers of the Pure Land Buddhism from other temples around Japan, there are visitors from other branches of Buddhism in Japan or from overseas, as well as people with no direct connection to Buddhism who wish to walk the grounds and see some of the notable parts of the place.

live theater long ago and today - Kyoto's Kabuki-za

For the past 100 years when artificial dyes and synthetic fabrics, neon, and plastics have made daily life filled with color, and with semi-conductors making battery powered sources of light and color ever more visually stimulating, people's awareness and arousal by color has been dulled. So the fantastical costumes, make-up, and effects of the pre-electronic and pre-plastic period of kabuki theater seems to make less of an impression on the audiences of now.

kabukiza in Kyoto

This clip from the national Culture Day holiday in Kyoto shows the front of the theater with its flashes of the metallic petals flickering in an eye-catching display not normally seen on a building facade; goodness knows what happens during the typhoon season!

With the relentless pace of innovations in consumer electronics, personal transportation, and software apps for mobile phones, it is nice to see that performance art forms like kabuki continue to attract audiences - whether it is first-timers and foreigners, or it is life-long fans who follow the stage careers of their favorite actors. Perhaps there is some element of nostalgia for pre-electronic, pre-telecommunication times. And maybe, too, there is another element of wanting to financially supporting older art forms for its own sake, whether one is deeply involved or is a more distant supporter. Whatever the mix of motivations in the audience, or even within one person, the productions continue to be made and tickets continue to sell.

Train lines running in many directions - downtown Osaka, Japan

Efficiently and economically moving through a big urban landscape is a thing of wonder when everything is work well, as it almost always seems to be: generations of engineering design for materials, safety, signage to minimize user confusion or mistakes, pricing of products, lighting design to direct the foot traffic and to discourage nefarious activity, maintenance of infrastructure, incorporating emerging technology (smartphone apps and notifications), and programs of training for new staff and technical experts all have to figured out and kept up to date. Changing weather (or natural disaster) conditions call for special alterations to normal schedules, and so on.

On this early Sunday morning ride from central Osaka to the KIX international airport in the bay the train meets other ones traveling in the opposite direction on the left side or the right side. Ones that are slowing sometimes are overtaken by this limited express service as it speeds past some of the minor platforms. At other times another train traveling in parallel diverges along its path, leaving this train's route and disappearing into the distance. It is hard to imagine what a time-traveler from 50 or 100 years ago would think of the brightly lit carriages with heated seats in the cold season and air-conditioning in the hot season.

Cutting both ways - life-filled art and death-filled swords

click image for full-size view: one of the old katana blades on display 11/2018

The fall 2018 special exhibit at the National Museum of Kyoto, Japan features more than 100 historical Japanese swords, in conjunction with another exhibit that gathers characters from graphic novels (manga) who carry similar weapons.

The crowds on Saturday, November 3 (Culture Day) were considerable and for safety reasons were only admitted in groups of 12 every 5 or 10 minutes to keep pace with the circuit starting on the 3rd floor and wending down to the ground floor. The museum-ification takes the fearful instruments out of their historical context, being worn by samurai with the authority in defined situations to strike down lower status people and also being treated as treasured wealth or status among the samurai, not to mention the occasional application in a field of battle or for use in ritualized self-embowelment. So the glass cases with beams of spot lighting in the dim gallery, the absence of owner, scabbard, and grip all contributed to the hyper-aestheticized experience of viewing the swordsmiths' work up close.

collaborative to the fall special exhibition of swords (from Kyoto smithies, especially): manga characters toting katana

Reflecting on the artifacts from the point of view of social analysis or commentary, though, these weapons - despite the aesthetic attributes - were ultimately a tool for killing, much like handguns are today. Theoretically they can be used for something other than destroying human life, but that remains the primary application. And yet in the gallery setting, the horror they may have caused, the coercion they may have emanated, or the high-stakes encounters between pairs or groups of armed combatants is all erased. Instead there is the wonder of process and craftsmanship. There is a similar feeling when visiting the permanent exhibit of swords and guns arranged chronologically at the USA's National Museum of the American Indian in order to impress visitors with one of the fatal technologies that mediated the relationships between Native Peoples north and south of the equator and the aliens from across the Atlantic. Here, too, the wavy glass wall that mounts the many artifacts of hundreds of craftsmen, sellers - buyers - traders - scavengers, and collectors presents an aesthetic sensory experience rather than an indictment or set of case histories that record each weapon's curriculum vita, for example.

From a high altitude viewpoint, it is fair to say that economic surplus (usually thanks to the domesticated grains of settled agricultural society) and the technology of death (removing anybody who interferes with the smooth harvest of taxes extracted by high-status power holders), such as the sword makers and users on display here, is what made possible the concentrated cultural centers of learning, wealth accumulation, and technical advances in social organization/management and in drawing more resources from the Earth and its living and unliving things. And so, beyond the historical interest, the march forward in technical improvements of carbon steel, and the artistic curve of killing blades, this collection of regional swordsmithing is an essential part of the Japanese society that grew during the past 1,000 years on the islands.