Nathaniel Sharratt reports on the road from the Zen of Spirit retreat to rural northern Japan with John-Roger & John Morton and 58 participants.
Today we traveled most of the day on trains and buses to reach the small fishing town of Taro, which we will call home for the next two nights. Our hotel is in Rikuchu Kaigan national park situated on the Pacific coastline of northeastern Japan. From the cliff’s edge hotel that we are staying at, one can see the straight, horizontal branches protruding from the strength of the trees’ weather-tested trunks, which strike a sharp contrast to the sheer vertical cliffs upon which they rest. Beyond these classic landscapes is the charming town of Taro, with its great cement walls to block the Tsunami’s great waves that are characteristic of this area.
After arriving at the hotel, we were given some free time before dinner to enjoy the spa, unpack and relax. After dinner, local entertainers gave us a special treat. The group of six, three men and three women, had brought their great Taiko drums to play for our group a selection of songs that they had composed.
The group has been together for ten years, at which time the town bought them the drums to use in their performances (all of their drums together are worth around $30,000 US dollars). The drummers were so excellent that they were given a standing ovation with calls for an encore (which they performed).
As people, they were also very kind as they took questions from our group. One of our participants asked about the significance of one of the men not wearing a shirt and long pants like the others in the drumming group, at which the one in question became very embarrassed because it was to show off his body (the other members of his group laughed with the rest of us).
At the end, they let our group play the Taiko drums. It was a lot of fun, and some people in our group really got into it and created some nice rhythms together. After that, our group exchanged gifts with our new friends and once again the loving and sharing made for a very enriching experience.
The night ended with a sharing by J-R and John that was full of heart-warming information. As always, our Travelers really rocked the house. Finishing up a full day of traveling, we went to bed with the loving words of the Travelers lingering in our minds.
Click here to view Day 4 of the Japan Trip
Click here to view Day 3 of the Japan Trip
Click here to view Day 2 of the Japan Trip
