We went to assist a natural farmer. It was hard work. The farmer is a man in about his 40s who left Europe, acting and pursued the Buddhist monkhood. He trained to be a monk and actually became one, but left when he discovered hypocrisy. Monks originally believed in refraining from things of the world, but then it became more a commercial and profitable “business”. He said that when you study to become a monk you cannot drink and do other worldy things, but when you become a monk you can. They spend alot of money on the finest robes, etc. and he could not condone that hypocrisy. He left and now does organic farming. He seems very happy with his choice as he loves working outdoors and with his hands. When rice is not being grown, he works on building additions and improvements to his home. He did use a machine to cut and bundle the rice, Thank goodness! Then we picked up the stacks and put them on racks to dry. Tedious work and hard in the hot sun. He does this mostly by himself, with temporary help from his mother and father who are visiting from Germany.
Sado is known as the breeding grounds for the crested ibis or toki as the Japanese call it. They were declared extinct in japan in 2003, but with breeding birds from China, they have come back to about 500 living in Japan. They only live in Japan, Korea, China and parts of Russia.
Another fabulous adventure was a “stone age” experience. In Sado there is a place which practices ancient ways of doing things. They “fired” earthenware (pottery) which was made over a year ago in the fire on the beach. There was a master who showed us how to carve toys and other objects from bamboo. We made our lunch over the fire and shared our meal together. After lunch we made holes in the ground to assist with irrigation and put iron and leaves in the holes. Last, but not least, we did a beach clean up.
Another awesome adventure was joining a taiko drumming class. Sado is know for their taiko drumming and this studio, Kodo, is one of the best. They did some introductory activities and we had quite the experience.
We also had the pleasure of working with some Niigata University students and brainstormed ways to keep Sado Island developing and growing. We talked about increasing modes of transportation, ways to engage the youth here and various ways to draw people to Sado for cultural activities
Keiko wanted us to replace some screen doors in the temple. You need to be careful not to accidentally tear the paper or it will have been all for nothing and you’d have to start again. We also spackled the outside wall as the wall coverings are old, cracking and coming off. They look better now, but probably should be totally replaced.
I have been here for 2 weeks and will be leaving on Friday. I will miss a local festival and much more. There always is something going on here. Sado is a lively and culturally engaging island. It’s an early morning to Osaka. Must take the ferry, a bus, then the train to Osaka. It will take all day. I should arrive in Osaka by 6 pm. After a few days there I will head to Taiji in Wakayama to visit Hiromi, my cousin. My dad grew up there and my mom lived a short while as well. It should be an interesting visit.
I will miss Keiko and the other volunteers. It has been a wonderful learning experience.
Dream, Create, Inspire 