spiritual reflections on art

Asuca Hayashi 林明日香 — Song of the Earth, Tokyo (May 5, 2024)

On a sunny 5th of May — Children’s Day in Japan — I made my way to what seemed like an unlikely venue, Mifa Football Cafe, for a matinee child/family-friendly concert and luncheon called “Song of the Earth,” organized by the J-Pop singer Asuca Hayashi 林明日香. Mifa is located in Toyosu, one of a series of artificial islands in Tokyo Bay just southeast of the former Tsukuji Fish Market in Tokyo, a strange but fitting location. Both Asuca and the people of Tokyo were charting a new course in pursuit of more healthy, sustainable lives.

read more
In Sendai, A MUSE for Everyone (April 13, 2024)

In Sendai, A MUSE for Everyone (April 13, 2024)

One of the highlights of my trip to Japan was spending time with my friend the composer Aya Nishina 仁科彩 and her partner, the artist Shimpei Takeda 武田慎平, at MUSE (Music Unites Special Education) in Sendai. At MUSE I had the privilege of sitting in on (and participating...

Ishinomaki Reborn (April 12, 2024)Photo © by Christopher Pelham

Ishinomaki Reborn (April 12, 2024)

This large sign, emblazoned with the words がんばろう!石巻 meaning Let's Go, Ishinomaki, was found placed in the ruins of downtown Ishinomaki just beyond the seashore shortly after the disaster to rally the community. It was preserved and is now displayed in the Kadonowaki...

Nikko (April 11, 2024)Photo © by Christopher Pelham

Nikko (April 11, 2024)

The dragon fountain in front of Rinnouji Temple Since the founding of Shihonryuji Temple (which later became Nikkosan Rinnoji Temple) by the Buddhist monk Shodo in 766, Nikko, a small town about 90 miles north of Tokyo in Tochigi Prefecture, became known as a sacred...