John and Yoko

Before you read this blog you have to read my blog on the stone church. 

John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent summers in this area from the 70's to the 80's. Way to short a time. 

A piano John played on at the resort.

They would have known about the stone church and Uchira's sense of "non-church." They also would have know abut the second church that I'll show you where people come to discuss peace initiatives. I always thought the "Imagine Song" was so brave and true. My question was where did he get the support for speaking out like that. We may have just stumbled on some of that support history.

This church may be the one more properly called the Kogan Church, getting decorated for Easter. The

 web sites have mixed me up in calling the Stone church the Kogan church, but it truly is the church dedicated in honour of Uchira.

Other famous guests at the  Mampei Hotel.

The American army

Lovely Japanese poet 

Henry Kissinger and ...

John's favorite bakery was closed but that's good because we are gluten-free. These are different times.

I'd love to talk to Yoko Ono about their life in Japan and hear her reflections on what they learned from different people in the different cultures they were part of.

Kogen Stone Church in Karuizawa and remembering John and Yoko

Stone Church in Karuizawa was built in commemoration of Uchimura Kanzo (1861-1930) who was the foremost leader of the Non-church Movement, Japanese author, and Christian evangelist. The church is only 20+ years old, but it looks like it has been here from the ancient days. (Japan Travel)

The building, designed by an American architect, Kendrick Kellogg (1934-), integrates its surroundings naturally. Kellogg was careful to make sure that the building would not change the surroundings: air flow, water stream, and the slope of the land. Kellogg's concept was that the repetition of stone and glass arches would symbolize male and female, bride and groom. At the ground level is a chapel, and below that is a memorial hall of Uchimura Kanzo. ( Japan Travel)

 

Uchimura's grave is marked by this quote of his.

Uchimura studied in the states and was part of the Philadelphia Quaker group who established the Tokyo Friends School where we've been attending.

After his return to Japan, Uchimura worked as a teacher, but was fired or forced to resign in several instances over his uncompromising position toward authorities or foreign missionary bodies that controlled the schools. (Wikipedia)

Uchimura's career as a journalist was cut short as well, largely due to his pacifist views and vocal opposition against the Russo-Japanese War in his newspaper columns, which came into conflict with the paper's official editorial views. He started publishing and selling his own monthly magazine, Tokyo Zasshi (Tokyo Journal) and later Seisho no Kenkyu (Biblical Study), and supported himself by addressing weekly audiences of 500–1000 people in downtown Tokyo in lectures on the Bible. His followers came to share Uchimura’s attitude that an organized church was actually a hindrance to the Christian faith, and Christian sacraments, such as baptism and communion, are not essential to salvation. Uchimura named his Christian position as "Mukyokai" or Nonchurch Movement.(Wikipedia)

The church's arches are angled in a variety of ways so that at any time of the day shafts of will light coming through the alternating glass panels will light up a different aspect of the interior.

       We could only go in the basement museum area because there was a wedding in the chapel. In the museum we saw these quotes, one for my Mom &

Dad. But it left us a bit puzzled. 

Awesome find Emily! She googled this by fluke and sent it to me even before we knew we were going to this place. So linked in life aren't we. We're one big mind.

Cherry Blossom Festival

Happy Blossom Festival

April 3 will be our dear Helene's 25th birthday and our dear friend Candace's 70th.  It has been sweet to adopt the habit of "Hanami," the many centuries - old practice of picnicking under a blooming Sakura or ume tree. (Wikipedia)

In the 3rd century it was only the elite who would practice this tradition. 

Dan and I like many others have had a meal out under the blossoms, and I spent the better part of an afternoon under a tree thinking of our dear spring birthday sweethearts. I include Sarah who will turn 27 April 23 and on her birthday we remember Candace's mom Helen, Edna Whiteley and Gillian Anderson.  HappyBirthday dear ones you are lovely, long lasting flowers in our lives.

Emperors planted cherry blossoms to denote their territory...hence the proliferation.  

We saw a 15 year old girl standing staring into a fully blossomed tree. Everyone is taking pictures of them as if in the next second the wind will sweep all the petals away. They are likened to clouds for good reasons.

For this short time of the blossoms, huge trees burst out in magnificent blossoms and then within days the petals are blown into the streets and rivers. People take this time to remember how beautiful life is yet how short, they marvel at the beauty and pay attention because it is so short lived.

The symbolism for the Japanese is about the ephemeral nature of life and a Buddhist concept of mono no aware, or pathos of things, or empathy, or sensitivity to ephemera. A deep and gentle sadness about the reality of life's impermanence. (Wikipedia)

Often Dictators co-opt a people's long loved symbols for their own purposes in order to influence many people and hide any destructive intent. That was done here during the war, when the fleeting life of the blossoms was likened to the brilliant burst of a young kamikaze pilots life. 

People in Japan reclaim the simple practice of a quiet, gentle walk under the cherry blossom symbol as a meditation on the beauty of our swift journey in this life. We talked to many people who came out to enjoy the beauty. 

Every age of person is out for a bike ride, walk, picnic or just to sit. The only place or time we can think of huge groups of people specifically out to meditate on a marvel of nature encases like this is sometimes in Vancouver in the summer on a particularly beautiful summer day and tons of people go down to Spanish banks to picnic and walk along to enjoy the ocean and perhaps a particularly low tide. 

In this huge city of many and varied attractions people are out to enjoy the blossoms in the several days they are in full bloom. There is a society which tracks and publicizes the blossom schedule throughout Japan. Don't you love that!

Sakura burst into bloom 

blow away on the wind

Beneath it I watch and wait. 

ssm

Sweet Darkness

 You must learn one thing.

The world was made to be free in.

 

Give up all the other worlds

except the one to which you belong.

 

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn

 

anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive

 

is too small for you.

 

~ David Whyte

Lord Maita

IIn Kanazawa a huge garden and palace in the Maida family for 13 centuries. More info coming.

The Japanese celebrate cherry blossoms

And though we truly respect their attention to this delightful sign of spring we are generally adverse to crowds and avoids the blossoms in the main garden. I have vowed to ride under the cherry blossoms near our Tokyo home every day. Their sweet smell fills the air.

You do not have to cut down old trees!

  

These guys are working hard to prop 

this pine up ....could last another 25 years or more. Great artfulness is attended to every branch and  intense care is taken of every old tree especially in temple grounds.

This palace space has been redone in the old construction .. No nails, wooden pegs and slings.

 

Some of the huge walls have a circular pattern and little rocks used to chink the huge rounded boulders but this one is smooth fitted rocks of irregular sizes. I think this one would withstand more attacks don't you?

Two old ones here propped up.

I've seen this symbol in on a Buddhist