The Spirit Flies
April 25, 2020
Ancient Chinese wisdom shows up in my calligraphy all the time. That’s kind of the idea. This week’s pulled on my heart strings a s being particularly true. 翰逸神飛 When the pen flows, the spirit flies.
Category: Japan
Japan is Awesome – Health News
April 8, 2020
When I say awesome, I kind of mean “messed up.” Take the image below… This is in one of my favorite free health news magazines. I pass by a pharmacist near my neighborhood, and every month or so there is a new magazine. The above is from the end of last year, but it was … More Japan is Awesome – Health News
Shodo – Mountain Village in Spring
March 30, 2020
My kana practice from last month is another waka poem. The rough translation is below. The fragrance of plumsAmong the sounds around youThe familiar chirp of the bush warblerMountain village in Spring 梅が香に、類へて聞けば、うぐひすの、声なつかしき、春の山里 As a side note, the bush warbler doesn’t really have the poetic punch that another bird might have, say the nightingale or … More Shodo – Mountain Village in Spring
Shodo – Kana
January 12, 2020
A short poem by Mantaro Kubota, who I’d never heard of till I tried to write his poem in my Shodo class. Pretty cool though. It reads: shiragikuno yuukage fukumi someshi kana しらぎくの夕影ふくみそめしかな -久保田万太郎の句 Do the white chrysanthemums, in the evening shadow, seem tinged red
Japan is Awesome – Hatsumode
January 4, 2020
Happy Year of the Mouse! Apparently in China, they call it the year of the rat, but I’m in Japan… and I like mouse better. Every year, I do a Hatsumode (pronounced hah-tsu moe-day ) , a little pilgrimage to the local shrine. Literally, pilgrimage is what the “mode” part of Hatsumode means. I think … More Japan is Awesome – Hatsumode
Almost There, Stay on Target
May 28, 2019
I feel like Red Leader in Star Wars. I started Shodo about 4 years ago. I focused mostly on kanji and kana. Surprisingly, I’m progressing in kana more than kanji, which surprised my Sensei as much as me. I just took a level up test, and reached 2nd dan in kana, which is amazing. With … More Almost There, Stay on Target
Japan is Awesome – Translations
May 4, 2019
Been in Japan long enough to be able to read quite a bit now. But English still has a more direct line into my brain. I see the meaning without having to process the words. With Japanese, I have to concentrate, go from top level words to lower level meaning. So if I see a … More Japan is Awesome – Translations
