Luke Michio de la Peña

 Growing up, I distinctly remember my mom reading this book to me. Granted it was one of the only Japanese folklore books we had, and it was in English. But regardless the whole story line has been engraved in my head till this day. The story goes, ももたろう (Momotaro) was born from a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The couple named him Momotaro, from Momo (peach) and taro (eldest son in the family). When he was just five years old, he was able to cut a big tree with just an old knife When he matured into adolescence, Momotaro left his parents to fight a band of おに Oni (demons or ogres) who marauded over their land, by seeking them out in the distant island where they dwelled a place called おにがしま (Onigashima) or "Demon Island". On the way, Momotaro met and befriended a talking dog, monkey and pheasant, who agreed ...

  わたしの　しゅみは おのがい にいる　 すきです 。うみ にいるも　 すきです 。 カヌーパドリング  (Canoe paddling) も　 すきです 。つ りとフリーダイビング  (Fishing and Freediving)　 だいきです！    わたしも ともだちと　 かぞく　いっしょ に いる  すきです 。 げ の がぞう わ ごらん ください! じたく で  きょうこく で はいきんが　(Hiking in a canyon back home) ともだちと　つりは　する　(Fishing with Friends) がるふれんどと　およぐ　(Swimming/diving with Girlfriend) ともだちと  カヌーパドリング わこぐ　(Canoe Paddling with Friends)

 The more I watch these brief Japanese videos on some of the many traditions of Japan, the more I notice a sort of trend. From sushi making to fish printing, and now mochi pounding. I've noticed that these crafts are more of an art than anything else, and those doing it are highly skilled at what they do, and are regarded as masters since they spend most of their lives devoted to their work. Nakatani-san is no different, he started mochi making as a first grader in his home town of Kamikitayama in the Yoshino district. His dream of sharing his mochi with others lead him to open his own mochi store in the city, where both locals and visitors alike come to watch his craftsmanship. Mochi pounding is tiring and strenuous work, and Nakatani-san's little store produces 30-40 batches per-day. However, when asked if he ever thought about quitting, Nakatani-san was quick to answer saying it never even crossed his mind. Nakatani-san is very proud of his work and technique, and while on i...

          The reason I chose this video, was because one of my earliest memories is going to a festival at one of the Hongwanji on the island, and learning how to gyotaku. Gyotaku is literally translated to "fish impression". Gyotaku is a traditional form of Japanese art that began over 100 years ago as a way for fishermen to keep a record of the fish they caught. They would apply sumi ink to one side of a freshly caught fish, then cover the fish with rice paper and rub it to create an exact image of the fish. In Hawai'i, this art form is particularly popular and artists there demonstrate incredible skill and detail when they color over the initial print to really bring the fish back to life. Back home you know you walked into a fisherman's house when they had prints of their trophy catches decorating the walls. When I got into fishing more, I would sometimes attempt to print some of my own catches, which were nowhere near the same quality as the masters, b...