Your North Star

Your North Star

by | Life Wisdom, Words to Grow Over Time

“Where is your North Star?” he asks me. “Keep your eye on it when you write.” “I am trying to find one through my interviews!” I say. I was sensing where he was going, and wanted to wriggle out of the gravity of it. “Well, you can always find it in the sky if you...
What We Leave in the Locker Room

What We Leave in the Locker Room

by | Japan Daily, Life Wisdom

I was soaking in a lukewarm natural hot spring at Tenzan. It was late afternoon on a weekday. Although the place was almost packed for that time of day, the atmosphere felt relaxed. I saw a group of tourists gazing at the misty mountains surrounding us, in admiration....
One Movement, One Focus

One Movement, One Focus

by | Japan Daily, Life Wisdom

一動作、一注意 Our bodies are much less static, and more fluid. This is my relatively recent, surprising and delightful discovery. The discovery was made during my morning stretch. I discovered that my body could bend further forward with something as subtle as a breath. At...
The Weight of Fourteen Stencils

The Weight of Fourteen Stencils

by | Life Wisdom

≪日本語が続きます≫ ”I never really know until I see it, and even then, I don’t think I fully understand…” That was the feeling I had when I finally visited Shiro Nakano in his workshop this past April. To give a sense of the vastness and depth of the craft that...