A special tour to Japan!
My life partner and I have just come back from a magnificent journey and teaching tour in a country of contrasts: ancient culture and the newest technology are both very present in Japan. We were taken to beautiful sites in nature and a few huge metropolises: Nagoya, Fukuoka and Tokyo. We also visited the towns of Shimoda on the Pacific Ocean and Gifu, where they have traditional fishing with cormorants. In these two cities we could really feel the intimacy of the sea and people. We visited very powerful and interesting natural power spots, the gods of nature are recognized and very present as illustrated on altars in sacred places where their names are inscribed.
To go there we had more than 12 hours of flight from Brussels with a stopover in Moscow with Aeroflot. We were welcomed like royalty and lodged in a five star hotel the Prince Sakura Tower Hotel beside a magnificent Japanese garden. We were there for 5 days to recuperate from jet lag, the air pollution and radioactivity suffered on our long plane flight. Getting all our balance and subtle bodies back takes time.
Our organizer, Yasushi Sakanoue, Director of Secret Gardens and his wife Ritsuko Sakanoue, distributors of our Invocation products in Japan, wanted to share the customs and sights of their country with us. Thus, a large part of our stay there was in the loving care of their organized trip, getting a feel of the country as well as its culinary dishes.
We were immediately impressed by the cleanliness and sanitation of the Japanese in all places. In the center of Tokyo, all vehicles are clean, even tracker vans! One person out of ten there wears a face mask. When asked why, Sakanoue said it was because of the Chinese pollution. I’m very sensitive to pollution and my lungs are my weak spot, yet I never felt too much pollution even in Tokyo.
Cars run to the left like in the UK. They have a very developed sense of security and safety. A woman can walk everywhere, day or night, without fear.
We managed to find some natural food stores, what is still not very widespread, but we found pea, radish and alfalfa sprouts. Fish, rice and seaweed are often the basis of their diet. Certain foods go in a precise order, certain dishes specifically with a special sauce or salt, so we had many a culinary discovery that shelved for a time our raw vegan diet! It was interesting. Fish in Japan are special. The tuna or squid do not compare with what we tasted elsewhere.
To sleep on tatamis was a real pleasure, as well as the discovery of ryokans, onsens, natural telluric steam saunas and hot springs. We had the benefit of their warm baths in hot springs for many days and on other days every place has these warm baths that are typical of the Japanese lifestyle.
hat was even more interesting was the philosophy of life, the way of thinking of the Japanese people that is closer to aboriginal culture than would be expected. Polite, respectful, tolerant, of a joyful nature, hardworking, the Japanese whom we met forced us to humility. Peaceful and friendly, we were almost a bit shy in receiving so many small attentions and gifts during our stay in different places. They know how to give without wanting in return, and recognize the value of the sacred nature of every human being. At 5 pm everywhere, every day, a music or bells sound, reminding everyone to pray for peace in the world.
Gardens, very orderly and well-kept, are of great beauty and remind us of the Beauty Way. Large trees, even close to huge buildings, are protected. And the spirits of Nature responded well to our prayers. This demonstrates the natural symbiosis between the people and the nature. The national day is March 21st, the spring equinox.
We had the joy of discovering the Sakuras in bloom. It was very special to see the beauty of these cherry tree flowers which incredible blooming last a week to ten days. This is a kind of national holiday in Japan, because they are everywhere. So beautiful. As with butterflies, the temporality of nature and life is celebrated.
For us the energy was fluid, synchronicities constant, we were in harmony with the environment and the 5 elements often giving us little signs of awareness.
Seeing the inescapable Mt Fuji and the urge to discover the great forests of the North had us imagining a 2nd journey. We feel inclined to continue nourishing this budding friendship and many contacts and meetings with the Japanese people as we clearly felt an understandable thirst they have for the wisdoms of our First Nations. Indeed, ultramodern technology is ever present in daily life at a surprising level. The toilets are warmed [super comfortable!; -] and on a pressure of a button a warm fountain cleans the anus or in front for women. There is even a small button Privacy which makes the noise of water running for those who do not want that their evacuation efforts being heard. This is only one example among hundreds which illustrate the high technological level which we noticed everywhere. They have a train with magnetic suspension [levitation] the Maglev which can reach 500 km speeds which was in demonstration. Our hosts brought us to experience it. In fact the train does not touch the earth, at a certain speed the wheels rise up and that’s what allows these speeds. It is foreseen for 2027 a connection Tokyo-Osaka will allow passengers to travel 400 kilometres in one hour!
With my convictions that technology is a huge hindrance to human development, you can imagine the impact of my conferences there. Nevertheless, all my teachings were welcomed. I do not know if it is their almost exaggerated politeness [that I find really comfortable] or a sincere desire to learn. If I trust the numerous insistent demands that I return to Japan, I think it is more a desire to learn. So, it is foreseen that I return after a well-deserved sabbatical year probably end of 2019 or beginning of 2020. They also want to organize trips to come study with me here. We shall see if this project happens.
Here is a photo album of our journey: clic on a photo to see the full size.
