JAPANESE WATER STONES

The three best water stone quarry sources are found in Narutaki Japan, Arkansas, and the Ardennes in Belgium. Used for thousands of years, Japanese water stones are softer, wear down faster, but sharpen blades more quickly.

When in use, some water stone particles abrade exposing new stone surface to better sharpen blades. These stone particles make a "slurry," a paste, that  helps sharpen and polish the blade. I use a middle grit (1,000) for basic sharpening, and a high grit (3,000) for a final polish.

Larger particles of a lower grit stone remove more metal when sharpening a dull blade.

Smaller particles of higher grit stones  polish the scratches left by coarser grit stones, leaving a polish.  Sharpening fine steel blades on water stones takes some practice. (Scroll to bottom of page for instructional videos.)  

Most treasured moments in Japan: While I was away visiting Hiroshima, four of my friends arranged for me to visit Gassan upon my return to Nara and Asuka Village. The film reel starts in Hiroshima and ends in Gassan Sadatoshi's samarai sword making studio in Sakuri City, Japan.

 

The sharpest samurai sword blades I've ever seen were in Gassan Sadatoshi's hands. I shot this video in his home while sipping Japanese tea. He taught us:  "Swords are not for fighting." I think in his eyes, samurai swords are treasured works of art.  The Gassan family has been crafting samurai swords for over 800 years. 

Click HERE for more about Gassan Sadatoshi

(Includes a map and directions to his sword making studio.)

Part 1

Part 2

HOW TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN AN INTERESTING BLOG HAS A NEW POST

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Just click on the blue "Follow" button (usually in the right column). Once done, you will receive an email as soon as the blog is updated.

or...

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$25,000 TO BUY A VACANT HOME (AKIYA) JUST 45 MINUTES FROM TOKYO

  Click HERE for the full article: 2,700 SQUARE FEET

Jaya Thursfield (Australian), his Japanese wife, Chihiro, and twin boys live now in a traditional Japanese home, once abandoned. Built by a temple architect in 1989 at a cost of $450,000. They wanted a home with a big yard for the kids.  He documented (on video) the renovation from it's first days through its current status, showing us the surprises and other things that are important to know before starting your own renovation project in Japan.

 

Photo credit: Andrew Faulk

AKIYA #1: Jaya's videos can be found on his YouTube Channel under the name Tokyo llama. This second video, showing the renovation process is twice as interesting because Jaya teaches us useful Japanese terms so that we build a vocabulary while learning what it takes to renovate an abandoned home. For example: genkan, traditional entry, and fusuma, sliding panels used to separate rooms.

Gaining the blessings of the Shinto Kami (spirits) for your home restoration.

AKIYA #2: Move in for $300 per year.

JAPAN'S HOT SPRING RESORTS & GEOTHERMAL POWER

 ♨ or the kanji 湯 yu, 

More than 13,000 hot spring resorts (onsens) welcome guests in forested mountains and along the coastlines of Japan which sits upon the third-largest geothermal reserve of any country on earth.

Click HERE for Geothermal Power Could Help Run Japan.

But Japan continues a long history of Hot Spring Culture dating back hundreds if not thousands of years. 

HOW SAMURAI FAMILIES ADAPTED TO A CHANGING WORLD

七転び八起き

Fall seven times get up eight -- Japanese proverb  

Japanese culture and ways of thinking can not be adequately addressed in a short space, but this Japanese proverb reflects an important and shared ideal: "Nana korobi ya oki" (literally: seven falls, eight getting up) means fall down seven times and get up eight. This speaks to the Japanese concept of resilience.

Yataro Iwasaki 岩崎 弥太郎

1834-1855

Yataro's family came from a long line of samurai, but as he came of age, that heritage was in transition. Instead he pivoted to Japan's industrial future becoming the founder of Mitsubishi which began as a shipping firm to later evolve 3 branches: Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Ind-ustries and Mitsubishi Bank. 

After World War II the Mitsubishi companies contributed to Japan's unprecedented growth to become the world's 3rd largest economies.

The Kobayakawa Families

AMAZING VEGAN CHOICES IN TOKYO AND KYOTO

 26 VEGAN CHOICES IN TOKYO, AND 23 MORE IN KYOTO

 

So many choices creates another problem... you may not want to go back home.

Patricia and I are checking these lists for our Tokyo and Kyoto Fall Trip (either 2023 or 2024 contingent on travel restrictions).

 

Click HERE for Kyoto Machiya: traditional wooden townhouses.

 

 

1. Click HERE for the best Tokyo Vegan choices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Click HERE for the best Kyoto Vegan Restaurants and Cafes

HIROSHIMA

Before

 

After

 

 Today

It was 9:30 am Friday, November 25, 2005, 3rd Floor Tokyo Prince Hotel.  We were attending the Peace Education Seminar arranged by the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund.   Guest Speaker: Mr. Koji Ideda, Hiroshima Survivor, Keynote Speaker. We chatted after his session and I asked to be moved to the JFMF group going to Hiroshima, but that would have created too many complications. Our entourage of 200 American Educators would form 10 groups each destined to the far reaches of Japan. My group was headed to Ohda, Shimane,  hope of visiting Hiroshima would have to wait for another time. 

 

                                       Mr. Koji Ikeda

At 8:16:02 am August 6, 1945  

Koji Ikeda, must have been around 20 years old, had just picked up his crying and "always hungry" baby. His wife had just gone into the city, on her morning walk for groceries, she’d be back soon. It was August 6th, that moment a blast wave shattered his Hiroshima home.  When he regained consciousness... “Where’s my baby?” “What happened to the house?” and “How long was I out?” and  All that remained was piles of splinters and chards of wood where once stood his home.  “Where is my baby?” Searching through the broken timber, Koji finally found his baby, but the hillside was now neighborhood of rubble.

 

10:40 am. Since I was seated in the first row and since tears were streaming down my cheeks, I turned around to see if I was the only one crying.  With 200 American educators in the room,  not a dry eye in the house.  

 

 

It would take me 10 years to finally arrive in Hiroshima but it all started with Koji Ikeda’s presentation on Peace Education.

In 2015, I finally returned to Japan, this time making sure include Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park.  The short documentary below opens with my visit to Hiroshima Peace Park, and is followed by my visit to the home of one of Japan's most recognized swordmakers. Gassan family has been making swords for 800 years.

When I posted my Hiroshima video to YouTube I said: “Every politician in the world must visit Hiroshima Peace Park before taking office.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For 77 years it has been believed that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war with Japan. But today, I've seen a different way of framing the surrender of Japan.

Click HERE for the full article.