Iccho Butterflies

Autumn chill has turned the leaves of this ancient Iccho tree at Eiho-ji (永保寺) yellow, transforming them into a kaleidoscope of million colourful butterflies.

Deep Beautiful Loneliness

Loneliness-
That deep beautiful colour
No one can describe:
Over the dark mountains
the gathering autumn dusk.
-Jakuren 寂蓮 (1139–1202)
(also known as Fujiwara no Sadanaga 藤原定長 before becoming a monk)

Image: somewhere near Tajimi City 多治見市 in Gifu ken (岐阜県) Japan. Loneliness is a really deep beautiful colour. Perhaps so is life. Sometimes it is set ablaze by a shaft of sunshine for a short while.

Autumn Memories

Even your pledges,
leaves of words, have lost their green
now that falling tears
dim my youth as drizzling rains
transform autumnal foliage.
-Ono no Komachi (小野 小町 c. 825 – c. 900)

Image of colourful foliage brought down to earth by autumn rains. Somewhere near Ueda (上田市), Japan. Long time ago.

Karuizawa 軽井沢町 Nagano

By lonely roads
this lonely poet marches
into autumn dusk.
Matsuo Bashō (松尾 芭蕉, 1644 – November 28, 1694)

Autumn colours in Karuizawa (軽井沢町) Nagano ken, Japan.

Tea Tasting

Recently we had a group of tea enthusiasts from Japan at a tea tasting function. The group was to have gone to the tea garden but due to political instability could not go there. We tried to compensate for this disappointment by organising a tea tasting function in Kathmandu where we showcased various teas from Jun Chiyabari. It was our first attempt to organise tea tasting at home.

I included the picture at the bottom (showing the spoons and small ceramic tasting bowls) for a special reason. After each guest had finished her / his tea tasting she / he placed the bowl and the spoon perfectly on the tray. It came so naturally to them. Had it been us Nepalis, some bowls and spoons would have been on the floor, some on the table and perhaps a few on the tray but none perfectly aligned and so neatly done.

It is a perfect metaphor for all that is wrong in Nepal (and perhaps in South Asia) and why we have a long, long way to go before we can even dream of catching up with East Asia in general and Japan in particular.

Little Japan, Nepal v 2.0

The Tea Corner in the newly renovated and retrofitted (against earthquakes) living room is now often used to introduce fine teas to visitors and members of the extended family. Or just to relax on a Saturday morning.