Monthly Archives: April 2018

Life In Japan: The Nesting Tree

Posted on April 24, 2018 by johnrachel

Great egrets and gray herons must number in the hundreds here in Sasayama. They can be seen everywhere, along the riverbanks, in the rice fields, soaring high overhead above our rustic town. Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Japan, Spiritual | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Life In Japan: Western Arts – Pt 2

Posted on April 9, 2018 by johnrachel

I find it a fascinating question why Japan is so enamored with Western art forms, not that I’ve made any progress coming up with a definitive answer. My very Japanese wife serves as an example. She sings opera, plays classical piano, and teaches Western-style music to elementary students as part of the official school curriculum. But there are other things which remain intractably Japanese. Why Western music? Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Music, Social Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment