The Quaich's Journeys Through Japan

[McMurdo]

A wonderful read, and some truly moving and beautiful photographs. I found myself wondering how could anyone top this. Well done, thank you for taking us along with you. Our thoughts are with the people of Japan and will continue to be.

[CDNSushi]

To the membership.

CDNSushi has told me that the Quaich is now on her way to DownunderKilt in Victoria, Australia.

The Quaich.... Moments before I drove her to the post office...



-Working on posting the rest of the photos now.

-Can't wait till the Quaich arrives in Oz.

[xman]

A great exposé, thank-you.

[rtc872]

CDNSushi, making it harder for everyone. haha I am disappointed I couldn't see it while I was in Japan. I was a little preoccupied though. lol

Fantastic pictures and the timing couldn't have been better. Cherry blossoms and wonderful weather.

[English Bloke]

Great pictures mate... A grand opener. Nice one!

[CDNSushi]

I wasn't sure at first whether this should all go into one thread, but in the end, I decided that it would be the most logical thing to do, even if this photo essay doesn't start on "page 1."

I will also post a cross-link on the photos thread directing to here.

Alright, as promised, I'm back to fill in some of the details from my previous post. If the logbook entry and photos were the appetizer, I suppose this would be the main course. I haven't thought about what I can do about desert yet, though.

From the original 282 photos, I cut things down to just over a hundred, but even that is a LOT! The set that I thought I would share with the rabble totals 73, and as I write this, I'm not even sure whether that is realistic. But I will just dive headlong into it, and see how far I get. I also don't want to become tedious or boring.

Two weeks isn't a whole lot of time, and I realized this as soon as I received the parcel from Steve. I was suddenly overcome by a sense of dread. Where will I go? What will I do? Will I have the time to make this something special and meaningful? Will I be able to do this project justice, having been such a proponent of it in the first place?

I decided that my plan of action would be to try and represent as much of Japan's varied culture and geography as I could, while sharing the experience with as many people as would be available in the allotted time. This then coagulated into something a little more manageable and easier to organize.

The first trip I made was to Miho-no-Matsubara, which as I detailed in the logbook, is a fantastic place for viewing Mt. Fuji. But even without that significant landmark, the three hour journey to Shizuoka was very much worthwhile.



The way the trees give way to the beach, and then the crashing waves of the ocean were truly special on this day! As I stood in the chilly water, the Quaich was baptized in the Pacific Ocean, which I thought would be a great way to start this adventure.





There was a small shrine near the beach that I thought looked really interesting. It just reminded me of something you might see in an old, Samurai flick. All that was missing was an armor-clad warrior, praying here in the wee hours of the morning, as the sun rises over the Pacific, just before he charges into battle with a rival clan!



This curious monument didn't really call out to me, until I looked much more closely at it and realized there was a poem inscribed in French, and that it was dedicated to the friendship between Japan and France. I included it here for our resident francophones and francophiles alike.





Many of the photos I took were actually without the Quaich… Even though it traveled with me, I felt that it would become tacky quickly if every photo were the same, with me holding it or drinking from it… There are enough of those shots anyway.

[CDNSushi]

Kofu City is a miserable place in the winter. Gray, dull, and dirty. But come spring, it makes a remarkable transformation into a pink and green wonderland.



Some of my close friends gathered for a "hanami" which is a traditional, Japanese cherry blossom-viewing picnic. It was here that I first had the chance to introduce the Quaich to others, share some good whisky, and sign the logbook.











Here's me with the missus -- the fine lady who puts up with all my eccentricities, enjoying a drink together.

[CDNSushi]

So, between that small gathering of friends, it seems we went through the entire bottle of Glenfiddich rather quickly. In the span of no more than two hours, it was all gone, and here I am, just a wee bit tipsy, holding the bottle upside-down to show that it's empty. After this, we all went to the traditional, Japanese "ni-jikai" or "second party." I'll tell ya -- the Japanese know how to DRINK!







The next trip I took was to Minobu, Temple. It is the world headquarters to the Nichiren sect of Buddhism, which is the second in the world for its number of practitioners around the globe. Nichiren was a saint who lived hundreds of years ago in Japan, whose philosophy for achieving enlightenment (and Nirvana) was the repetitive recitation of the "Lotus Sutra." Now, I'm not a Buddhist myself, so I won't claim that what I say here is 100% error-free, but I will do my best.

I came on a very auspicious day. Let me fast-forward for a second, as it will tell the tale much more easily if I do. The next day, on our river boat cruise (explanation forthcoming) I met a lovely lady named June, who grew up in Tokyo but moved to the U.S. and now works as a realtor in Las Vegas. As we got into a conversation I learned she was a Nichiren Buddhist, so without missing a beat I whipped out my digital camera and showed her all the pictures I had taken from Minobu Temple the day before. She was thrilled to see them, and told me that I was very lucky as it happened to be the Buddha's birthday, and that was the reason for all the pomp and ceremony I had photographed and taken video of.


Taking a drink from the Quaich, with my new friend June sitting next to me.

Anyway, back to the story.

[CDNSushi]

June explained to me, that this 5-story pagoda was recently rebuilt. From what I know of Buddhist tradition, all pagodas have a limited lifespan, and when they have served their purpose, they are rebuilt from scratch.





This monk was chanting a sutra while keeping time with a drum. He went on for quite a while without stopping. Eventually, he was replaced by another monk who also went on for quite some time.



These are the Steps of Enlightenment. There are 287 of them. I've linked to some more information on this feature if anyone should be interested.



The temple bell



One of the ancient, several hundred year-old weeping cherry trees at the temple complex. In full bloom, it is truly awesome and breath-taking!

[CDNSushi]

Then, moving on to the summit of Mt. Minobu, I took some photos of the landscape and valley down below.



A small temple at the top of the mountain.





I don't believe this is Buddhist, but Shinto -- sacred trees wrapped with sacred rope and rice paper.





Top of Mt. Minobu



As I mentioned in the logbook, and earlier on in this narrative, the very next day, we went to Tokyo to take part in a fundraiser for the earthquake and tsunami victims. It was a dinner cruise aboard a river boat, called "yakatabune."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakatabune

It was organized by the St. Andrews Society of Tokyo and Yokohama, in lieu of their regular "hanami" party at the British Embassy. It was attended by just over fifty people, who are here assembled near the dock.



My lovely wife accompanied me, as usual…





Even though the boat's speciality was "tempura," the first course was a delectable selection of fresh "sashimi" (raw fish). But to make things sufficiently Scottish, this all-you-can-drink event included the whisky ginger you see in the photo… I would call it a local (Tokyo St. Andrews) specialty.