Nishiokoppe, Hokkaido
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Nishiokoppe, Hokkaido

Dec. 15, 2024
[Image1]Miyanomori Draped in SnowOver the course of a few days, Miyanomori deepened in snow.While helping a
[Image2]Miyanomori Draped in SnowOver the course of a few days, Miyanomori deepened in snow.While helping a
[Image3]Miyanomori Draped in SnowOver the course of a few days, Miyanomori deepened in snow.While helping a
[Image4]Miyanomori Draped in SnowOver the course of a few days, Miyanomori deepened in snow.While helping a
[Image5]Miyanomori Draped in SnowOver the course of a few days, Miyanomori deepened in snow.While helping a
[Image6]Miyanomori Draped in SnowOver the course of a few days, Miyanomori deepened in snow.While helping a
[Image7]Miyanomori Draped in SnowOver the course of a few days, Miyanomori deepened in snow.While helping a

Miyanomori Draped in Snow
Over the course of a few days, Miyanomori deepened in snow.

While helping a wood education program coordinator, I took a short stroll through Miyanomori.

I trudged through the snow, my boots sinking as I walked.

If I had been alone, I would have kept my eyes on the ground, but
when someone spoke to me and I looked up, I found flower buds and leaf buds.

They’re putting out buds and patiently waiting for the long winter to pass.

There was a hollow opening in a trunk.
I wondered whether someone lives there or had lived there.

I learned that the cracked bark on the Sakhalin fir is caused by frost cracking.
Moisture inside the tree freezes and expands, splitting the trunk.
When the trunk cracks, a clear sound is said to ring through the whole forest.

I tried walking alongside deer tracks
and picked up fallen fruits and flowers from the snow.

I also loved the view of the town dusted in snow from a slightly higher vantage point.

#Nishiokoppe Village #Hokkaido #winter #snow #snow-dusted
#Miyanomori #wood education #kobushi (Japanese magnolia) #yachidamo (Manchurian ash) #Sakhalin fir #deer

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Dec. 25, 2024
Making Miso The other day, I attended a miso-making gathering. It was a small event where people who make miso for their own table met with local adults and children from the nursery school. At the nursery in Nishiokoppe Village they grow vegetables in a field, and one of the crops they raised this year was soybeans. "Miso is made from soybeans, isn’t it?" "What else is made from soybeans?" While reading a picture book, they connected the story to their own experiences and thought about soybeans and miso. The first task was to crush the soybeans that had been cooked in advance. They put the soybeans into a mincer, and when they turned the handle, the beans became a paste. Both the person holding the mincer base and the person turning the handle needed a lot of strength. The little makers worked hard, crushing the beans with steady force. They mixed salt and koji with the soybeans, formed miso balls, and tossed them into a barrel. The beans that had gleamed and shone gradually smoothed out over about an hour and a half. Miso takes more than six months from making to being ready to eat. As the gentle, mellow scent of soybeans filled the air, we thought we would have to wait until next year… but then— One of the group brought miso they had made last year, so we all enjoyed miso soup together. For me, miso had become something I just bought. This showed me that making it myself is an option too. The miso we made this year will sleep soundly until next year. #Nishiokoppe Village #Hokkaido #miso making #miso #handmade #nursery school #soybeans #field #mokuiiku (wood learning) #miso soup
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Dec. 3, 2024
The Resurrected Sound of the Drums Sunday, December 1 We performed the Wenshiri Taiko from Nishiokoppe Village at the Okoppe Town Charity Variety Show. We played a single short six-minute piece. It depicted Mt. Wenshiri awakening as snow melts, from winter into spring. We were very glad to receive so many warm rounds of applause and words of encouragement. Since we had the chance, here is a brief story of how Nishiokoppe Village’s taiko practice was revived. Taiko performance in Nishiokoppe Village began in the 1980s. Back then the drummers were the local youth association. Their powerful rhythms energized festivals and other events. The piece played since that time was Wenshiri Taiko. A teacher from the elementary school composed the piece, and it was handed down through performances until around 2000. Afterward, following the disbanding of the youth association and other changes, the drummers disappeared and the drums lay silent for a long time. There was a period when a volunteer taiko circle was active, but the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to invite instructors, and the drums fell completely quiet. Things started moving again in August of this year. As the variety show was returning, former drummers and villagers with strong musical insight teamed up to revive Wenshiri Taiko and learn the piece. Although we were amateurs, seven passionate members brought the Wenshiri Taiko back to life with resounding sound. After that performance, a few villagers who heard us at the variety show joined as new members, and we continue our activities today. We were fortunate to be invited to perform at the Okoppe Town Charity Variety Show. Though our group formed only recently, getting calls from inside and outside the village has energized our practice. This has become a bit long. Restarting something that had stopped and keeping it going takes a great deal of energy. We hope the members can keep enjoying their activities and that this joy reaches those who listen. #Nishiokoppe Village #Hokkaido #drums #Wenshiri Taiko #Okoppe Town #Town Charity Variety Show #December 1 #youth association #taiko #I was the filming team

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