To introduce you in greater depth this blog, maybe you should start from how and why.
We are three friends: Xim , Lô and Marie (me) . Each of us will write according to our wishes. Xim and I are in their thirties, forties for Lô, but age, it is just in the head, and in our case, we are eternally young. All of us are practitioners of Aikido. Do you begin to “feel” the connection with Japan?
Xim is Italian and practically trilingual, since his English is excellent and his French improves day by day. Lô and I are French. The blog will be trilingual, so that our families can follow our travels, and some of our friends are English-speaking, but do not understand (really) French or Italian. This should explain our cosmopolitan side.
Xim lived six months in Sendai, during his studies. He already knew the country, its people, its weirdness, and it is a fantastic tour operator. Lô has studied Chinese for 5 years, so it will be our personal resource for understanding the kanji. As for me, I try to immerse myself in the understanding of this people, ot once so alien, and sometimes so close, depending on which side you look at.
Why going to Japan? I speak for myself and let others speak for themselves. Since about fifteen years I have an “aesthetic” attraction for Japan, which can be explained in part for my taste for Art Nouveau and its “japonism“. I am undoubtedly more interested in “classic” art or essential spirit, efficiency within simplicity. Although the literature has had its influence, obviously with Murakami (which I read before it became so fashionable), but also Soseki and Basho, especially for their haiku. I’m not a fan of manga or anime, even though I specifically asked that a day will be dedicated to Ghibli museum. I have a personal cult for Totoro. For what I know about Japan, I have to say that there are elements that have a real resonance in me, and other aspects that concern me. Going to know or at least try to understand things, it seemed essential at this stage of my life. And there is also the Aikido, of course. Among other things, the title of this blog comes from just one of Hitohira Sensei phrases: Sukoshi Mainichi, a little every day (talking about suburi) .
We’ll go to Japan to see the cherry blossoms. We will be in town, certainly, but what interest us the most, and we all agree on this, it is the nature, although domesticated and “framed”. Japan is not an entirely idealized postcard, but I hope that we will find pictures, people, meetings that enrich us for the rest of our lives.
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