Japan
Mitsuzan Nagata
The Choonzan Taiko temple is hidden away in a hillside close to the coast, surrounded by trees which rustle in the sea breeze. Unlike the well-known Futamiokitama shrine and the Golden Temple of Ise, this is a hidden gem that is as timeless and overlooked as any other village shrine in Japan. Mitsuzan Nagata has been a Buddhist monk for forty years, and has spent twenty of those in Ise. He nobly follows ritual practices and maintains the temple to the best of his ability. The sounds of the nyōhachi ring out through the silence of the village, while the relaxing aromas of incense drift through the still air in this shady refuge from the summer humidity.
The Cutting Board
Hiroshi is an itamae (literally ‘in front of the board’) - he learned how to be a sushi chef under his father, and as the first-born son, he will inherit his grandfather’s restaurant. To become a ‘chef’, it takes many years of training, the first years pass by cleaning and aiding the itamae, then the rice preparation is learned, and just after that, one can be promoted to become a wakiita (‘near the cutting board’). Once near the board, one learns to prepare some of the ingredientes, and then how to interact with clients, cut fish, run the business and ultimately, after a decade or so, have the perfect balance in a piece of sushi.
Kei welcomes us as we walk into her restaurant in Taito City. She kindly brings hot green tea and then sits back in her high chair, keeping one eye on her customers while attending to her accounting. Her father-in-law started Tsune as a humble sushi cart decades ago, and now her son Hiroshi is the third generation of sushi chefs running this business.
Fushimi Inari Shrine
A rice cake was thrown into the air and midway through, it transformed itself into a swan that landed on the peak of this mountain. In the eighth century the shrine was founded, and since then here is where Inari, the god of rice, sake and business, is prayed to in hope of receiving fortune and good luck.
Vermillion torii gates come streaming down the mountain. One is slowly transported to the world of shinto gods, stepping far away from the human realm. We walk along the tunnels for hours, exploring a complex that is said to have over 40,000 shrines.
Kimonos
Tomohide Niino is a kimono maker in the city of Kanazawa. He became an apprentice at twenty-six, spent seven years studying under a sensei the different dyeing techniques, drawing patterns, decorating fabric by hand and sowing the kimono panels. He has been perfecting this art for over thirty years, and now, his daughter Nami has been using some of his father’s creations to dress up Japanese traditional wooden dolls and sell them in town. I met her in Kanazawa and she welcomed me into their home to see them at work.
