Happy Golden Week

コンサート映像　遊助「たんぽぽ」

We started off our Golden Week with attending a concert of Kamiji Yuusuke.

He is a top of the charts pop singer and talent. His tour came to a theatre just a few minutes walk from us in Oita.

On stage he is vibrant and alive. He likes for his fans to wear yellow and bring sunflowers.

We wore yellow and brought sunflowers.

His energy and positive spirit are contagious. He made everyone promise at the beginning of the show to share in one wish---To Enjoy the time together for the whole duration of the concert.

His movement and dancers are great, and his songs are filled with bright lyrics like arigatoo (thank you) and kagayaku (shining) and of course, ai (love) and himawari (sunflower).

The song above is called Tanpopo (dandelion) and he also has a famous song called Himawari (sunflower).

It is Golden Week in Japan. Happy Golden Days to You!

ai♡ kawarazu

jgy

This simple philosophy has stayed with me. To have a good time. Just that.

12! & Lunch

To..

All girls born in the Year of the Rabbit...

You are invited to a No-time-limit Brunch.

Starting at 10:57

Of course, there will be carrots. The brunch will be followed by Easter Egg coloring and Karaoke.

----text on the invitation to Y's birthday brunch

This week we celebrated Y's birthday.

She is 12!

This year also marks my twelfth year of living in Japan-- I came to Japan with her in my belly.

We've both lived in Japan through one complete cycle on the Japanese zodiac.

From rabbit to dragon, snake horse, sheep monkey , rooster, dog, wild boar, mouse, ox, and tiger, and now back to rabbit...

So what else for lunch, but some things to do with carrots , and with twelves !

What's for lunch in your Corner? Feast on gorgeous photos and foods from around the world. Francesca's hosting, Dorte's theming. Never to forget Jane, Happy Birthday to you , thanks for bringing us together through Corner View (next year I'll have to remember to send you the hat!). And while it's still April, Happy Birthday April, Cate (welcome Genevieve!!!), and Ibb, Happy Birthday to You!

ai♡ kawarazu

jgy

PS if you'd like to try a good recipe for a Japanese Tofu-ish Dish (if you can find the ingredient called okara) that we served, Here's a link to Unohana,

Cherry Blossom

Drop

your pink

against the night.

Invite

me to sit

beneath your canopy.

Bow

before

I do.

Happy Spring, or whatever season you are in.
Enjoy the bounty of your creations!

moon

I am the luckiest person in the world.

I slide open the glass door and

there you are.

Radiant.

Just rising out

from a cloud.

moon (2)

It's so easy

to write poems

about the moon.

of Patanjali and Albers

Arthavatra (Purposefulness):

The entire material world is for the sake of the soul.

--from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

I sat on a gray cushioned bench in the middle of one of the galleries at a Josef Albers exhibition.

The gray cushioned benches were in a square configuration.

All around on the walls were squares of color.

The one image that reached me most was a circle of white

emanating light.

It was funny in a show about colors in squares, that I was stopped in front of this one circle

of white.

Just like last night.

Standing on the veranda, looking at the moon,

I stood still.

Albers made a circle

for the moon to come through.

When people started to enter into the gallery where I stood with the circle,

I moved into the next gallery with the squares.

I took out the paperback Patanjali book that my yoga teacher leant me yesterday, and I read:

"The entire material world is for the sake of the soul".

Pens are not allowed in the gallery so I borrowed this pencil

to jot these thoughts down.

The Mom Egg

Break a Leg is a show biz expression.

What about Break an Egg. Could it be a publishing equivalent!?

Y broke an egg, purely by 'accident' and it cracked open into a heart.

I share the happening here to tell you about The Mom Egg, Issue 9 which is just out in time for Mothers Day.

The Mom Egg is a collection of poems, prose, and art by and about mothers.

I am honored to have had my photograph chosen as the cover of this issue (as well as a few other photos and a poem inside).

Since we all come from mothers, everyone is a potential contributor. Every year there is a call for submissions--- if you are inspired to submit something for the next issue, check out the submission link as well.

Thank you Ibb for your playful inspiration--there's a photo you'll know, inspired by your fun postcard post ---in the issue. Wishing you a very happy birthday, and well, break an egg!!!

ai♡ kawarazu

jgy

(my heart returned thank you nadine, ai)

Kay's Postcards and Cherry Blossoms

Kay sent me some of her beautiful postcards for Japan that she made to support the Japan Tohoku Earthquake Relief. Thank you Kay! They arrived here in Japan from Holland.

I shared them at my yoga class yesterday, during our cherry blossoms viewing picnic (hanami).

The cards, which picture hands holding a folded origami crane, were passed from hand to hand, as the petals blowing in the wind were beginning to make a pink carpet on the ground.

In the bright green envelope people put in contributions and received your postcards. Y and I brought the contribution to put in a collection box in the city. I put one of your cards, Kay, into the collection box too...Sending on your wishes of Hope, Peace and Love.

xo

Ai(heart)kawarazu JGY

Corner View---Home is where the...Om is

When I salute the sun

I become one...

I kept a Tomare mat in NY last summer, the black one, and when I was there last week I took it with me and walked to the East River on our last morning there. I unrolled the mat beneath a flag pole in a cul de sac that looked out onto the river and began a series of sun salutations as the sky was turning pink. Little by little the sun came up from over the Triborough bridge. As I was chanting the series of mantras that go along with each movement, the 'ohmmmm' of the universe joined in with me.

It was this tugboat, going slowly as I was. The reverberations of it's voice and mine joined as one. I was in a centered moment. I'm not always able to find my center, but it's my search and my journey. I believe when we are centered in ourselves, and connect with the rhythms around us, that this is home. Lately I have said that Home is where the Mat is.

Thank you magical April for the surprise gift from your home. I felt that one-ness as I sipped the yogi tea and listened to your CD (there it is playing above on the pink player). I remember your meditation spot that you posted recently, and it made me so happy and at home to see how similar mine is to yours! I hung the colorful streamer outside the door. I love the little Angel, and the Paul Klee connections.

This is a word I like in sanskrit:*(though I'm not sure if its spelled right)

bhairava

bhairavat

meaning: state of starting to feel at home in the universe.

For Home Sweet Homes around the world, visit Corner View, starting with Francesca at her loving and creative home...

ai (heart) kawarazu jgy

Inter-continental Rabbit

She likes to put on her rabbit ears sometimes...

Maybe because it's near Easter, no one seemed to think anything unusual as she hopped down the avenues.

Happy Spring Days, or whichever season you are in,

ai (heart) kawarazu

JGY

interlude: New wall paper in our rooms

All my life I struggled day in and day out to get it right.

Now suddenly the walls of my room are all white.

As if in the middle of one night some men came in and changed the cloth on the walls.

They tore down the old and put up white (vinyl-coated paper) that can be cleaned

if it yellows.

They brought their own drinks--- canned coffee and tea---and worked steadily.

When I wolke up in the morning I smiled at the fresh, bright white and thanked them. Everything was in place, just the things I need remained.

Just before they left one man scribbled a note with the name of the cleaning product I could use to keep the walls clean if I need something stronger than

water.

ai (heart) kawarazu

jgy

i love japan (and new york!)

Between time zones, ______________ is just

a heartbeat away

This weeks Corner View is Time. I just commented to host Francesca that I didn't think I'd get around to do it, but I just fit these fotos into the theme. Fill in the blank if you have the time,

and i'll tell you the story of the man who asked for a dime.

My mother gave him a dollar bill.

then at the next corner a man asked for a hundred dollar bill,

and she gave him

the time.

It may not make sense, but it managed to rhyme!

Happy week to all,

and let me know when I start to bore you with my NY photos. In the meantime will still post a few to follow.

ai (still can't find that heartmark) kawarazu

jgy

corner view and more on time: jane - ian - joyce - francesca - state of bliss - isabelle - janis - kari - jgy - lise- cate - otli - dorte - sophie -mcgillicutty - sunnymama - daan - ibb- kelleyn - ninja - sammi - theresa -cherry b - cole - lucylaine - skywriting- anna - conny - rosamaría - tikjewit -juniper - annabel - valerie - mlle paradis - wander chow - don -flowtops - susanna - tania - dana -tzivia - mezza - ocean girl - kristin

first, the surprise

Now that our mission was accomplished, I can reveal the surprise ---

since my mom cancelled her plan to come to Japan this year during Y's spring vacation, we decided at the last minute to go to her. But she didn't know. And we didn't know either until three days before we left.

So we arrived in New York, in the dark (and cold) of spring night, got a burger (and veggie burger) at Shake Shack, shacked in an upper east side hotel, and rang my mom's door in the morning with all the ingredients to make French Toast. When we rang the buzzer, we yelled up "do you have any maple syrup?"

She almost fainted when she saw us. How fun it was to walk down her street, (not even sure she'd be in but pretty sure she'd be there!) with grocery bags filled with breakfast ingredients that we'd picked up that morning, after travelling 1/2 way around the world to surprise my mom and ring her bell.

Y's heart strings pulled us there, and it taught me something-- that it's truly wonderful to follow ones heart, and/or to be an accomplice to someone who is following theirs.

And Y kept her promise to make French Toast for Jane (my mom, Y's grandma) over her spring vacation.

It was great to see my family--including my dear sister Tzivia-- and lovely Natsumi while there. New York seemed radiant, even in the rain and gray, when there for such a brief and unexpected stay.

Related NY posts to follow.

Happy week and happy adventures to all.

ai (heartmark) kawarazu

jgy