Sweatin' Scribes

May 22, 2014

I am very proud of myself as I write this! Today I tried two very new things: calligraphy and a traditional Japanese bath. 

Our calligraphy class was first thing after breakfast this morning. 
The same man from the tea ceremony the other day served as our instructor for the morning. I didn't realize this before the trip, but calligraphy is considered an art form just like aikido, and there are degrees of proficiency in the art (similar to earning belts in martial arts). The man who led us is a tenth don, the ultimate honor in calligraphy, and is one of only a few in the world.  
Not only was it incredible to watch him perform (I love that tea ceremonies and calligraphy-sessions are considered "performances"), but at one point he physically took my hand and, as I held my brush, showed me exactly how he moves as he paints each character. What an opportunity!

We talked about how certain skills we've learned in our aikido training are the same skills necessary for improving our calligraphy. We had to have the proper posture, a can-do attitude, stability, etcetera in order to create the pieces.
Calligraphy is hard. There is a very specific technique, and I wasn't surprised at all to hear that this tenth don calligrapher still has to practice and study every day. 

Difficult as it is, I'm quite proud of the work I did today!  I think I did a pretty darn good job for a first-timer! In the piece below, you'll see the Japanese character for "friend". The paper on the left shows the example from the professional; mine is in black (on the right). 

...and he didn't hold my hand for this one! 

We'll be returning to work on calligraphy again next week, and I hope to improve even more! At the very least, I've gained a ton of appreciation for calligraphy as an art form! 

After we returned from calligraphy, we had lunch and continued our aikido training. When we finished up, we were surprised to learn that we'd have a chance to relax our tired muscles, take in more Japanese culture, and get away from headquarters for a few hours... We were heading to a Japanese onsen! 

An onsen is a traditional Japanese bath, complete with showers, indoor and outdoor hot springs, a cold pool, and a sauna. 
In other words, five different places to soak up (pun intended) Japanese culture and five different places to be totally naked with strangers! Woo hoo!
I could be all casual like "Yeah I was naked with five other girls who I've only known for a week plus a couple of random Japanese old women. It was chill." But I'm actually not that cool. I panicked a little at first. 
We were originally told that it'd be okay to bring swimsuits to the onsen, but a sensei explained that that'd actually be very rude. 
Well what do you say to that?
Nothing. 
You just nod and take your clothes off.
After the aforementioned mini panic and a very awkward 30 to 40 seconds, I chilled out and ended up having a really fun time! The outdoor hot springs is on a sort of balcony, over looking beautiful green trees and rice farms (Sorry, no pictures aloud in the onsen... for obvious reasons). And it wasn't painfully hot like many natural hot springs I've been to before! 
The sauna, on the other hand, was a different story.
I've been in a sauna before, but this one knocked the wind out of me. It is. So. Hot. 
I think I lasted three minutes in there (and probably sweated more in those three minutes than in all my twenty years... TMI?) and I'm calling that a major victory! 

In the end, the hot springs were a really neat experience. I left feeling so relaxed and like I'd definitely bonded with the other ladies on my trip! 
...I guess nudity just brings people together? Am I aloud to publish that? 

In the end, I'm counting both the calligraphy and the onsen as personal victories! I improved my calligraphy skills in just one session annnnnnnd was naked! Woo!  (That sounds incredibly lame. It is what it is.) 

Tomorrow is my last day of training for the week, so get ready for my next blog post from Utsonomiya! 
More adventures to come!