Nathaniel Sharratt reports on the road from the Zen of Spirit retreat to rural northern Japan with John-Roger & John Morton and 58 participants.
The farewell ceremony at the temple was as a wonderful closing to the experience. We learned that the monks who helped out during our group’s time at the temple were from their own temples. It was a sweet closure, and they honored the group and J-R. They knew that J-R was our “Sensei”, and they respected our spiritual path while they shared their path with us. It was wonderful to see the smiling faces of the monks as we thanked them, and all posed for a group picture before leaving to catch a train to our next destination.
We then arrived in Tono, where the group split into two. One group went on a bicycle tour of the countryside. It was a nice way to spend the day after all of the sitting in the Zen temple. It was a beautiful day, and those who didn’t go cycling were given the opportunity to walk about town. After the day’s excursions, the group retired to our hot-springs hotel.
After our dinner at the hotel, a local women’s group welcomed us to Tono. They performed for us and demonstrated all of the uses for the tenugui. The tenugui is a small piece of cloth that the Japanese have used for many years for various uses including a head band, a scarf and a mask for thieves. They even gave each person in the group a tenugui.
The mayor then spoke to us, giving us a warm welcome to his town. By the end of the evening, we joined in the fun by singing songs in both English and Japanese such as: “You are my Sunshine” and “Hokey Pokey”. The whole group had a really great time, and the heartfelt sharing across cultures was a wonder to behold.
The night ended with a very sacred and wonderful sharing session with both of our Travelers, and much thanks and gratitude is extended to the Travelers for all the information and loving support that they extended and keep extending to us.
Click here to view Day 3 of the Japan Trip
Click here to view Day 2 of the Japan Trip
