Things We Do
It's another spot on the planet - Korea, China, Japan. They are collectively a spot that shares thousands of years of history and culture, and themes that come through look very similar. There are few sharp edges - lots of circles - designs of buildings, bridges, pathways inside of buildings. You can't get lost because everything comes around again, reminding you that everything is, in the end - connected.
Watching the people is a great pastime. Elders who are walking with hands folded behind their backs, probably to help with posture/balance as much as anything else. And young kids playing with a kind of joy that cannot be experienced in all parts of the world at the moment - but the energy of children playing is so affirming of life. There is delight in little girls who receive a gift of a necklace or candy from strangers who look like they might be asking for a donation - it's funny how some parents will readily accept and express thanks; while others will pull back and essentially say, "go away."
Traveling by rail and bus and express trains is relaxing - even when lost. It must be because the southern California experience is so stressful as we move around in our individual capsules. Here, it is affordable, more efficient, and on time! So people can rely on the times to get to work, home, and other engagements with fairly precise estimates of when they will arrive. Sharing space - even toilets - is treated with care and consideration. The potties are clean, never overfilled with used tissue on the floor or garbage strewn about (actually, in Japan there are no garbage cans since the culture is to take your own trash home to dispose of it – pretty smart for two reasons: limits unnecessary trash; and reinforces the idea that we each should clean up our own mess).
Meals are where you see the range of what cultures have developed from the basic food options to the most elaborate presentation of a meal that begins with simply seeing what is put in front of you. Even in the most modest of eateries, great care is given to the presentation of something that will soon find its way into your body. So the color, the arrangement, the utensils and plating - all offer an insight into cultures that have taken great interest in bridging imagination and reality as we experience it.
And finally, the arts. Wow. The most exquisite examples of creativity are shared through all mediums - painting, sculpture using every kind of material including fabric, paper, wood, bamboo, straw, tree shavings, and now: 3D printers that create dinnerware that combines with traditional lacquer processes to produce amazing colors and shapes that work for food presentation.
Not sure that there will be another chance for such a full and easeful trip in the future; but feeling grateful to have had no agenda other than to make our plane rides and to allow encounters with things we do in living.