Yes, I am going to answer all of your questions! The imagery of you leaning into the oden with the steam filling your nose also invokes a Miyazaki moment in Spirited Away when the parents are hungry. I OFTEN find a sense of belonging in a variety of places. I gave myself the name 'Many Homes' (which I recognize might be cultural appropriation from Indigenous American tribes). I certainly felt at home in Japan in many ways...the tie between nature and spirituality there is a big pull for me. I think learning to speak the language is one way we can cultivate deeper connections..as a way of showing respect for the culture and a way to actually connect. My Japanese is very poor (3 years of H.S. plus 1.5 years of Duolingo) so many of my interactions were single words..but they made such a difference to me! When a lady made me a matcha ice cream cone at 9 am , we laughed when I called it asagohan. When a dog's bark,asking his human for a treat, shattered the calm at a shrine, she apologized. I said 'Tabemasho!' and she said 'Takusan'. These interactions fill me with a warm glow and a lil pride.
Glad you are up to the task! I just laughed really hard at your ice cream asagohan moment :-D These little moments of connection take us somewhere very rich, don't they? Not sure how to describe it, but the moments you shared feel like that. They are really precious.
Ah, and I should watch Spirited Away again soon. It's been a while.
Yes, I am going to answer all of your questions! The imagery of you leaning into the oden with the steam filling your nose also invokes a Miyazaki moment in Spirited Away when the parents are hungry. I OFTEN find a sense of belonging in a variety of places. I gave myself the name 'Many Homes' (which I recognize might be cultural appropriation from Indigenous American tribes). I certainly felt at home in Japan in many ways...the tie between nature and spirituality there is a big pull for me. I think learning to speak the language is one way we can cultivate deeper connections..as a way of showing respect for the culture and a way to actually connect. My Japanese is very poor (3 years of H.S. plus 1.5 years of Duolingo) so many of my interactions were single words..but they made such a difference to me! When a lady made me a matcha ice cream cone at 9 am , we laughed when I called it asagohan. When a dog's bark,asking his human for a treat, shattered the calm at a shrine, she apologized. I said 'Tabemasho!' and she said 'Takusan'. These interactions fill me with a warm glow and a lil pride.
Glad you are up to the task! I just laughed really hard at your ice cream asagohan moment :-D These little moments of connection take us somewhere very rich, don't they? Not sure how to describe it, but the moments you shared feel like that. They are really precious.
Ah, and I should watch Spirited Away again soon. It's been a while.
Be well, Rachel sensei!