Art and culture at Tokyo National Museum online in English

Art and culture enrich the inside

I went to the Tokyo National Museum onSeptember 21, 2020 with my daughter. It was a pleasant autumn day in Tokyo.

This day is a free viewing day. The following 3 days in a year are free viewing days:

1. May 19th (Tuesday), 
2. September 3rd Monday, 
3. November 3rd (Tuesday / holiday)

The Tokyo National Museum is a museum of Japanese and Oriental cultural properties (arts, archaeological relics, etc.). 

Reservations must be made prior to your intended visit.

The purpose of my visit to the museum this time was to trace the memories of old things. I'm sure things have memories. I wanted to connect with the thoughts of my ancient ancestors.

Changes in consciousness appearing in ancient objects

I felt that the times would obviously change significantly.

1．For example, a clay figurine.

1-1. First, the clay figurines of BC

No.8 is "goggle-eyed" clay figure, which is very unique among variety of humanoid figurine from the late Jōmon period. It's like an alien in a spacesuit.

1-2. Next, the Kofun period when war and centralization began

 

The expression of the Jomon period in BC is full of mysterious charm. The haniwa around the 6th century dates from the Kofun period (Tumulus period), when the war and centralization began, and it seems that the expression is somewhat melancholy.

2．Another example is a vessel.

2-1. First, the vessels of BC

2-2. Next, modern vessels

Modern vessels are sophisticated and beautiful, but BC vessels have a mysterious energy.

Touch the spirit of ancient ancestors

Another purpose is to see the toes of the stone statue of Sakhmet, the goddess of ancient Egypt. The head of the goddess is a lioness. She is also the goddess of the sun. In Egyptian mythology, Sakhmet is a warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing.

Like my daughter, Sakhmet has a long second toe. 

It's nice to have something similar to this unique goddess of ancient Egypt.

Art and culture are elements of inner affluence. 

Tokyo National Museum has Japanese and Oriental cultural properties, available online in English. 

English Online Videos

Memory in Objects at Rest Affects Our Life in Real

Memory in architecture and objects 

Maurice Halbwachs (1877-1945)  was a French sociologist, famous for his advocacy of the concept of Collective memory. According to him, the past is inscribed as a trace in space and held collectively through this trace. 

Difficult academic reasoning aside, it is true that sometimes I get a strong sense from architecture or objects. I know that there is certainly something like memory in objects at rest.

Two contrasting experiences of architectural memory in Scotland 

A trip to Scotland in 1995 gave me a sensitivity to the presence of an invisible force. As soon as I enter an architecture, I recognize it as negative or positive.

I traveled to Inverness, Scotland in 1995 when I was a student at L.S.E in London. I studied Philosophy at that time.  At Inverness, I touched on the memory of these two contrasting types of architecture.

Landscape in Inverness

Architectural with Happy Memory in Scotland 

A wonderful stay in Inverness, Scotland, was at the Manor House, Loch Ness Country House Hotel at Dunain Park.　It was the best stay of my life. If it comes true, I want to stay again in my lifetime. 

It had a beautiful garden surrounded by the scent of herbs. The staff were friendly and sophisticated and made my stay comfortable. Most importantly, the food was excellent. It was similar to French food, but with a beautiful, delicate, herb-based sauce that was delicious. The furniture, including chairs, tables and shelves, was tasteful. 

I enjoyed reading and talking to regular customers in the drawing room.　I felt the time pass happily. As I looked out of the window at the garden, I felt as if there were dainty fairies in the garden.  Perhaps it was just my imagination, but it was a strange sensation.

Architectural with Sad Memory in Scotland 

In the same Inverness, I booked a stay at the castle. 

The castle is owned by an old German couple. I was the only guest in the castle. As they showed me around the castle, I sensed a small screaming negative presence at the end of the corridor. 

It was late in the evening. I went into my room where I would be staying. After a while, the lights suddenly went out. And the furniture in the room started to clatter and shake. In the darkness, someone was approaching me from the corner of the room. I stiffened in horror. 

But I knew it was not safe to sit still there. So I took a deep breath and got myself together. Clenching my fists, I walked out of the room. It happened in a split second. 

Then I told the German couple that I couldn't stay here, and I left the castle and stayed in a nearby business hotel. 

The owner of the castle was said to have been killed, according to a story I heard later, but his body had not been found.

 

Former Residence of Prince Asaka in Tokyo, Japan

Another experience was in Tokyo: I went to Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in September, 2020 with my two daughters.

The tickets of the museum

This building is the Former Residence of Prince Asaka. It was built by a Japanese craftsman based on an Art Deco style design. 

Giant perfume bottle

The prince and his family left the imperial family on October 14, 1947, at the behest of GHQ. And they left this mansion. 

                              

The combination of high artistry and memories of the lives of noble people made me feel heavy energy. 

The trees and gardens surrounding the mansion cleansed, lightened, and blew away its weight. In a sense, from this museum, I may have enjoyed the autumn of art and meditation.

Japanese garden in Teien Museum

Resonate with architecture with happy memories to be happy

Some buildings have happy memories and others have negative memories. 

This is especially true in older buildings. If you have the freedom to choose, it is better to spend time in a building with happy memories. 

Because such buildings evoke a sense of happiness. 

Everything is a wave, and if one is in tune with the happy wave, one will become happy.

Creating a happy resonance in your living space 

Compared to our relationship with people, it is easier to change our relationship with things. 

To the extent that we have a choice in where we live and what we do, we can change it to something positive. 

A tuning fork of the same vibrational frequency resonates, so it is helpful to spend time in good places and with things that we like in order to maintain a happy tone. 

"You are what you have in a sense..."

On the other hand, it's not a good idea to hoard things you no longer use. Because that's not a good relationship. And it is important to keep it clean.

Conclusion

Architecture has memories. So we want to spend time in architecture with happy memories. Our relationship with our possessions is also important. To make your life happy, it's beneficial to just get your living space in order.

                              

Divine Intervention

Unbelievable Divine Guidance 

Sometimes unbelievable divine guidance happens. 

My father and mother's marriage, for example, was due to the fact that their two mentors' hospital rooms were across from each other. 

The old teachers told each other stories of the young men and women who visited them.

👴"A good-natured young lady came to visit me today. She is unmarried."

👵"An honest and serious young man came to see me today. He is also unmarried."

👴"Yes, we'll arrange an introduction for them."

👵"Yes, we will."

Then the young man and woman, i.e., my parents, were married. 

The next year, I was born.

Just when you forget, the thing you wanted comes to you.

God's intervention comes from a completely unexpected place. 

I try so hard to want something, and in my case, it usually doesn't work. 

But sometimes, just when I forget, what I want appears: a master's thesis I wrote in 1999 that I had lost and given up on. 

But 20 years later, in April 2020, someone had a copy of it in electronic form. At the time I wrote it up, I gave a copy to a few people, and one of them gave it to someone else. 

That person was kind enough to scan it and keep it in electronic media. I happened to meet with that person and was able to regain what I had lost. 

God made my wish come true over time. I am continually grateful.

Blessings that saved me from a desperate plight 

In December 2001, I traveled to Dusseldorf via Copenhagen. My flight was delayed and I didn't make a good connection, so I arrived in Dusseldorf at midnight. 

I had to take a train. The last train was announced and I jumped on it. I asked the other passengers in broken German if I would be arriving at the station I wanted to go to. He kindly replied that it was the third station. 

When I arrive at the station, another problem I noticed: it would take 20 minutes to drive from the station to the hotel. 

It was already past midnight. I didn't want to walk in the dark and cold. 

Then a taxi came by. It was as if it had come for me. I told the driver the name of the hotel and he took me to my destination without any hesitation. 

But it was 1 a.m. and the hotel door was closed. I was about to freeze to death. Then the hotel staff came from behind and unlocked the door for me. It was truly a miracle! I walked into the warm room and cried tears of gratitude. 

I later learned from my birth chart that it was dangerous to travel at this time of year. 

Many blessings protected me.

 

Surely there is divine intervention

There is, after all, divine intervention. Because sometimes there are miracles that can't be explained. Astrology might say it's the influence of the planets. In any case, it seems that there are some things that humans cannot understand. Gratitude, with all my heart.

Simple Morning Routine for Happy Life

Simple morning routines

Since this summer, I have decided on a morning routine and have been implementing it every day. 

Thanks to this, I'm in good shape both physically and mentally.

Here are three of my morning routines:

1. Drink a glass of water.
2. Walking for 20 to 60 minutes
3. Meditate for 10 minutes.

All of the above are easy and I feel comfortable continuing to do so.　 And they are very effective.

A glass of water in the morning

A glass of water in the morning improves bowel movement and regulates the autonomic nervous system.

Walking

The walks are flexible, 20-60 minutes. You may be sleepy at first, but you'll wake up as you walk. Try to walk on a green path and take deep breaths. When you are walking, try to think about nothing but your breathing.

Meditate for 5-10 minutes.

I think about 10 minutes of meditation is a good amount of time to make it last longer. Of course, if you have more time to spare, you could do a longer meditation. I use my favorite 5-10-minute meditation induction with background music that I found on You Tube. It's a program that incorporates deep breathing. It makes me feel at peace every morning.

5-Minute Meditation You Can Do Anywhere

Morning routines can change your life.

All three of the above morning routines are easy to follow. But they will affect you throughout the day. So, a good little morning routine makes the day more comfortable. It's been three months since I started my morning routine. And I've found that I'm fulfilled in the moment of being here now. Moreover, I find that my morning routine makes my life more fulfilling. Life is surprisingly easy to control.

Be aware of yourself, not others by morning routines

The morning routine is, after all, about being aware of yourself. Relationships with people are often turned around when you change yourself. And letting go of distractions is an opportunity to get to know what's important. It's a small morning routine that can make us happy.

Conclusion

A simple morning routine can turn your life around. For example, drink a glass of water, take a walk, and meditate. A good start to the day makes the whole day easier. As a result, we become more conscious of the good things we do.

Synesthesia: World Can be Seen in Many Different Ways

Respecting the sensibilities of infants

Ever since my first child came out of me, I have often been amazed at the wonders of that infant's sensitivity.　

When she was able to speak, she told me about her flying over the room, which I am convinced that true.  

One of the wonders was synesthesia.  

Synesthesia

One day a long time ago, my young daughter told me that this string of numbers was a vivid combination. Yes, she has synesthesia. 

When she looks at the numbers, images of colors come together. I was excited to learn that. Synesthesia is the pairing or linking of sensory information, like numbers and words, or sounds and colors, or sounds and tastes, to give the subject a unique perception. 

There are various perceptions though, her way of perception of numbers is following correspondence relations with colors:

• zero: transparent
• one: white
• two: pink
• three: yellow
• four: yellow-green
• five: blue
• six: purple
• seven: cream
• eight: orange
• nine: brown

World Can be Seen in Many Different Ways

I've found that the world is different for each viewer by knowing her way of understanding numbers. Thanks to this, my imagination has been broadened. 

Similarly, dogs see the world differently, i.e., as a colorless, black and white landscape. 

Furthermore, the color spectrum may also be different for each person. 

If we could see infrared and ultraviolet light, which are usually invisible to humans, the universe might seem more mysterious.

How I respect the sensibilities of infants

In particular, it was Rudolf Steiner's (1861-1925) theory of education that stuck with me at the time as a new mother.　I enjoyed eurhythmics, baby yoga, baby massage, English for kids and more with my newborn.　 

When we were out, I always spent time with her close in front of me in a carrier strap. I never used a stroller.　

I gave her a set of round tipped crayons in a variety of colors. She drew wonderful pictures before she was a year old. She is left-handed.　

Her grandparents, i.e., my parents, tried to convert her to right-handedness. But, I rejected to do so, based on my own experience; I was once left-handed, too; but my parents corrected me to be right-handed, which has been a traumatic experience for me. 

I believe this helped me to overcome my own childhood trauma. Because I saw my inner child through my daughter. 

The spiritual energy radiating from children is so divine. I believe that adults need to support children just for themselves.

Conclusion

Children is so divine. Synesthesia is the tip of the iceberg. A child's sensitivity is immeasurable. Playing with innocent children heals people.

Chrysanthemum Festival in Japan, the 9th of September

The 9th of September is one of thefive festivals in Japan

It is the most important of the five festivals, but, strangely enough, it is less known than the other four festivals.

The five festivals are

• January 7th,
• March 3rd,
• May 5th,
• July 7th and
• September 9th

A deliberately forgotten festival must be a very useful day for the common people.

The 9th of September is an important milestone 

The Yin-Yang theory, which divided all things into "yang" or "yin” as follows:

• the positive and negative
• the male and female principles
• the sun and the moon
• light and shade

It believed that there are also "yang" and "yin" numbers, and odd numbers are considered to be "yang" numbers.  

In yin-yang philosophy, odd numbers are considered auspicious. 

Nine is the largest of the odd numbers. September is the ninth month.　Therefore, the 9th of September is the day when the two largest 9s among odd numbers come together.

If there is a mysterious power in numbers, the 9th September festival is the most powerful day.

Purification at the Chrysanthemum Festival 

The 9th of September is also known as the "Chrysanthemum Festival".

Some say that if you cover a chrysanthemum flower with a cotton ball the night before the Chrysanthemum Festival and wipe your body with the cotton ball on the morning of the 9th of September, you will be rejuvenated.

There was also a bath called "Chrysanthemum-bath" in which people put chrysanthemum flowers in a bathtub, and the chrysanthemum, a symbol of longevity, is said to have been highly valued.

Chrysanthemums were believed to have medicinal properties and to ward off evil spirits.　Furthermore, the design of the chrysanthemum is also considered to be the imperial emblem. 

The aromatic fragrance of chrysanthemum flowers was believed to ward off evil spirits and prolong life.

chrysanthemum

Food of Chrysanthemum Festival

Food for the Chrysanthemum Festival includes the following autumnal flavors, which can be used to capture the purification power.

Chestnut rice

Chestnut rice is a representative of the autumnal flavors. Rice cooked in a rice cooker with peeled chestnuts, water and salt. It's easy to make and very tasty.

Chestnut rice

Roasted eggplant

In the old days, it was common to roast and eat eggplant in season. Grilling eggplant on the grill is familiar, but it's easy to make it in a frying pan. Soft, juicy grilled eggplant with a browned, peeled skin is refreshing and delicious. It's even more delicious when you eat it with a little soy sauce.

               Roasted eggplant

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum was also popular as a food. Sometimes people would drink "chrysanthemum wine", which is cold sake with chrysanthemum petals floating on it. Since chamomile is a member of the chrysanthemum family, you can also drink chamomile tea.

chamomile tea

Conclusion

The 9th of September is an auspicious day, so why not be aware of the power of the number 9 spirit and eat foods associated with chrysanthemums and seasonal foods to help you get lucky.

Everyone is Different, Everyone is Supreme

When I was little, the songs that everyone sang were the same. 

Without any doubt, all the people used to get the information from the TV and newspapers. In Japan conformity has long been a priority. 

But nowadays, we can seek a better way of life without having too much importance on conformity.　

Therefore, there are various sources such as YouTube channels where various viewpoints, artists, styles, etc. 

Furthermore, even non-authoritative people disseminate very valuable content.

Internal consciousness among people changes the way of relationships.

We used to expect all of us to have a correct way of life, namely being obedient to the society.  However, it meant assimilating oneself into part of the hierarchy.

A series of recent impact caused by coronavirus has brought about many changes. Especially the change in internal consciousness among people is significant. 

As a result, social relationships changed from centralized hierarchical to flat networking. I'm happy about that. 

But it is challenging. Because everyone may now have to proactively innovate, or find their own breakthroughs.

Information obtained from flat network not from the mass media

I have come to think that the reports by mass media are intentionally selected. That's why I don't read TV reports or newspapers. Because I know there must be true information somewhere in the world. 

Thanks to social media, more and more people have come to know truth by directly getting transmitted information such as YouTube and social networks instead of the mass media such as newspapers and TV reports. 

Because more information is now open to all. They say, quest, then you will be given.　We simply create our own lives by finding the correctness for yourself by polishing information literacy.

Enjoy communication with people with similar thoughts and sensibilities: the new way of life in the new era

Let's enjoy more freedom in the sea of information. It's fun to talk to people with similar thoughts and sensibilities. 

I think that we will no longer be imposing the rightness on others and vice versa. Everyone is different, everyone is the best. 

Therefore, be honest with your feelings. In order to know your true feeling, dailymeditation is beneficial. 

Compared to before, I no longer have to put up with other high-pressure people. 

I'm delicate, so honestly, I found it difficult to live because of interpersonal relationships.  But I have become to know that everyone is different but supreme.  

I believe that finding new friends and enjoying communication is the way of life in the new era, namely the age of Aquarius.  

It leads you to accepting as it is but staying away from people who don't suit you.　It's a stress-free, free and reflective way of life. I want to upgrade to that kind of mind soon.

Conclusion

More people are getting information from flat networks, not from the mass media. It fits the way of life in the age of Aquarius. In other words, everyone is different, everyone is the best. We value individuality and time spent with harmonious people.