Japanese Memories

from January 2010's trip to Japan

Yesterday we spent the afternoon with a group of friends for an annual New Year's journaling session. We each have a list of questions drawn from Elizabeth O'Connor's Letters to Scattered Pilgrims, and we settle down with our journal or laptop and work our way through them, reflecting on the year through a variety of lenses: high points, significant people, significant books or movies or pieces of art, new discoveries about yourself, regrets and learnings, dreams, themes, ways you were gift to someone else, and so on.

We take about an hour and a half looking back over the past year, take a snack break and do some sharing, and then move on to a second section, looking ahead to the coming year.

One of my highlights last January was a trip to Japan as part of an Amish and Mennonite quilting exhibition for the Tokyo Quilt Festival. Yesterday, getting ready for the journal session, I spent time looking at photos of the trip. I thought I'd post a few memories, sparks of light from last January.

Deena, Lyn, and Esther quilting, Junko translating, and me telling a little about Amish and Mennonite quilting.

Japanese quilters intrigued by our use of a quilting frame, and no thimble underneath.

There were 400 or so quilts, incredibly beautiful. Here's a close-up of one of my favorites -- at a distance, it made me think of Japanese cranes, dancing. And looking at it now, I see the dance of light and shadow.

I don't know if taste can be a spark, but my mouth took great delight in exploring Japanese cuisine.

Some day I would love to go back and have more time to spend visiting gardens -- which were lovely even in January.

And a cloud and sunlit view of Tokyo from my high hotel room.