This Is It

Yo fellas! guess who is that guy on the rock? ... uh? ... YEAH thats me par excellence!
at that time l was around 2~3 yrs old and l was already climbing in the mountains?! yes l'm a mountain boy and l love more the mountain than the sea ... l mean l love both for its different qualities but the mountain ... ... ... ... ... ... ok so l better finish with this trip and l feel this post is the last one, about the south japan odyssey of course, what will happen with this blog afterward l dunno ... lets see ... l'm also curious heheeee but l never thought that l would finishing it exactly at the end of the year! it is just too marvelous!!! ALAS read on:

So after my pizza and lunch and a good farewell to everyones, with a friend that was there with us, actually he was living down on the coast and so he offered to bring me to the station near by his place to catch the train and so we were gone!
You know, l told u that l had a special ticket and so l was planning to catch the night train but needed to reserve the seat and so l went to reserve the seat (yes at the last minute and l'm not ideot 'cos it had to happen like this) but the station master told me that it was full!!! what a fuck?
a did a little italian drama pleasing him to let me at least stand in the between the compartments ... nain, impossible ... and what to do? the friend that brought me to the station was telling me some suggestions and one was such as to go back to pizza people ... nonono gone is gone there is no going back ... and it was not possible to stop at his place and ok ... and what l did? l just took the train and went on anyway ... at the most l would stop somewhere in the middle in some hotel for the night, also because my special ticket had tha last 2 possible trip and therefore it was perfectly ok ... and so while traveling back and l saw that in just a mere 2 hours l would reach in Kobe and so like a flash it came to me to ask to one friend, that l met when l was in Kobe, if l could stop at her place just to sleep and that l would pay her a good dinner outside and then in the following morning l would take the first train ... and so l sent a mail on her cellular and for quite a good 1 hour l got no answer and l knew that she was working but was going to finish soon and funny thing is ... l was feeling sooooo in a letting go with the river of the train on the railroad bringing me on the right spot at the right time without any worries of any kind ... in fact she mailed me back just half an hour before l reached to the station that l had to change the train ... fiuuuuuuu just in time uh?! and YES she said ... cool!
We met around dinner time and she told me that she had a plan to meet a couple of sannyasins female friends to eat out and my sudden coming was just more than perfect for the situation and so we went to eat out with everyone in one restaurant in a nice corner outside on the "terrace" ... and wonder of wonders, just after then another 2 sannyasins came just next to our table and it was just a pure coincidence ... 'cos one of them was the one that rented to me the room when l was in Kobe ... WOOOW we never thought to meet in such situation and she was with a friend that we knew each other because of pune in ashram ... in fact she told me "l feel like to be in ashram LOL!!!!" ... yeah amazing.
But the most beautiful thing is yet to come ... hehe ... when everybody went home and it was time to go to sleep ... l asked to pass by to the JR station that was a little bit of walk to check about the next morning first train and so we went there and got the info ... before l go on l must tell u that when l went in the room of Purna, the one with the YES, her room was like my room ... l mean even worse ... just imagine u go in and as u close the door what u see is just a 70 cm of corridor and fat 50cm with the bathroom on the right (forget the kitchen ... almost inexistent) and then the bed (always on the right side) and so where l would sleep? of course on the floor but with nothing of nothing (l would have arranged with my things anyway) and it was already great that she allowed me to stay there and l was also happy to meet her again 'cos we could stay well together ... l mean we could understand each other and so what happened after we checked the time for the first train? while going back to her place going by the other way ... on the left we found a brand new mattress!!! the one that cost even 400$ and it was BRAND NEW!!! we could not believe ours eyes!!! and also with under mattress iron structure bed ... and it was garbage.
but we checked very very very good and without doubt it was really new and never used ...
WOW still now l cannot believe it!!!! can you? think about it: suddenly l ask to a friend to stop for an overnight sleep and she said YES knowing perfectly well that she had nothing to make me comfortable and in such small room (actually the smallest l ever saw) and ... l get the new mattress to sleep comfy? TELL ME IF IT IS TRUE!!!!
We looked around to understand how it was possible and we found that near by there was a model room show (the ones they build just to show to the potential clients what the replica of the building, house, rooms ect might be) and therefore they threw away this bed that wasn't needed anymore 'cos the show room was finished (but hey, they paid to throw it away ... meaning that they called the garbage people to pick it up the next day ...) and we got it before them LOLOLOL
... WOW and the funniest thing was that the mattress was fitting perfectly well on the floor (actually occupied all the space available) and l slept well! you bet!
Existence really take care if we are in a letting go ;)

Ok guys this is it.
ln the next morning l took the first train and l arrived in TYO back to home in the afternoon and oh, l forgot to tell u a thing ... l noticed an amazing thing: traveling in the trains wherever you are, it might give u a glimpse of how the local people are and l saw a very funny thing, literally true, coming from the south japan l could see that the southernmost place people were more relaxed and more in tune with nature and coming upper, lets say in between Kyushu and Tokyo, alias Osaka, l found people still with something of the south mixed with its original local behavior (wild) and something of the city ... and while l was approaching Tokyo ... amazing ... how easy to see the differences ... l found more and more stiff and serious people with nothing of the joy of the south and with nothing of the wilderness of Osaka ... aaaaaaahh aahh how l saw it so clear hahaaaaaaaa ... anyway ... thank you for enjoying my Odyssey ... l'm grateful to you, my beloved reader, for allowing me to share something that l never thought possible and that made me aware of many things that otherwise l could have missed and for the joy in making this blog and certainly l will go on with who know what hehe ... a special thanks to my Mama and Chamki for inviting me to share my south unforgettable story ... and thank you to all the fellows travelers that l met on the way as well in the web ... BOW TO YOU WITH LOVE!


Yes l was happily fat and Happy New Year! (^o^)/

Creative Food

Ok now l'm on my last day of the South Japan Odyssey, in fact l had to catch the train in the afternoon to travel in the night to be back to Tokyo the next day ... and so in the morning l had to prepare the pizza for lunch 'cos Vatya & Nartana wanted to try my pizza of course!!!
And so l was entirely busy all the morning in the kitchen, preparing the lunch while Nartana was ...


... yep he was playing the sitar and he is quite good at it, in fact that last morning he was playing together with the baul but a nice thing l saw while l stayed in his place ... it is his meditation to play every morning for half an hour or whatsoever the time ... this l liked and so one morning l just went at his back to steal and freeze the moment while he was playing ... l like that picture!!!
He had different flours for making pizzas and strangely enough l choose to use a mixture of a light flour with a a kind of wholewheat flour that at the end it tasted more like a bio pizza and it was good! .... kinda of chapati if u ever eat it ... may be because there was the baul there that made me use that flour (also because l like to experiment eh ;) and the big news for them was the topping l was making ... 'cos the guest was vegetarian and so l had the idea to grill first on the iron plate the zucchini (this was a big yellow zucchina) and the eggplant and few green pepper ... they loved it! u can see right away my little creation:


lt was really yummy and everybody appreciated it and l was happy to show them this kind of topping that is so perfect for vegetarians!!! l hope they'll use it for selling in the festivals (^0^) ... and also there was lot of grilled veggies that of course it wasn't possible to use all for pizzas and so while l was busy with pizza, a girl asked me "what about the left over veggies?" and l said "to lay the veggies together on a plate to marinate with parsley and olive oil and garlic ..." but then l added "... but do as you like, don't ask me, just create it" ... and WOW look what she made:

Osho on Bauls


ln the previous post l gave u a link of who the Bauls are in Wikpedia and ok ... but l'd love to tell you that there are 2 volumes 0sho talks about the Bauls and it is far more beautiful to read from Him ... click on the "book" to read clearly ... and also a beautiful introduction of this book u can read here ... enjoy.

The Baul

Hi Hi how are you?
l know l know that l slowed down a lot with blogger but alas l never thought that it would take so long to share my odyssey and l mean it was such a pleasure to share it and l'm thankful to you, my beloved reader, for the patience in coming back to read and enjoy my blog ... so we are almost done with this 1 month and + of my South Japan Odyssey ... just few more posts ;)
Ok here l am, writing in the morning, actually it is almost lunch but l just had breakfast and l decided to go on NOW otherwise who knows what it might postpone again ... ok ok ok enough said.

Hey-ya today l'm going to introduce u the Baul but first, l forgot to introduce, the Green Guy, look how sweet he is ....

lt was the previous night, when everybody was going to sleep and l was in the kitchen to wash my teeth and suddenly out of the blue, with the tail of my eye l got someone jumping around like a crazy kangaroo! ooohhh he was such a small sweetie with this alive geen ... well he was jumping (may be asking himself "where the fuck l am?) and sometime it would stop, looking at me and make some pose for a great shot (such the one u just saw) but then l asked him what about a little bit of action? ... YEAAAAH why not?! put the light on, come on! and VIA have a moment of Animal Planet



lt was such fun ... at the end l took him and bring it out in the wild where he belongs ... u had to see how happy he was to find the exit!

You have to know that these pizza people sometimes organize concert in their house and so this time there was a Baul concert ... WOW it seems that my trip was bringing me to the right spot at the right time ... 3 days l've stayed in Shobara and so much happened, from selling pizza in a very unique way to see a Baul concert that, by the way, the indian music is the only one that can touch me at the deepest point in my being , of course there are few exceptions, but only the indian music is able to make me lost and so ... for me it was a kind of gift that existence was giving me because actually it was my last night before going back to tokyo and so l took it very symbolically that at the end of my odyssey a night of celebration!!!
Here down u'll see the simple instruments he brought, with his japanese wife (she can speak very good Bengali) and l love the indian instruments ... ok u got it, l'm really lost with it.

A funny coincidence happened that l need to tell ya ... few years back, in tokyo l met an australian girl who knew how to speak spanish and l met her in the meditation program where l usually participate 3 times a week, 'cos l'm also a helper, and so one day she invited me to go to see a Baul concert (and she was a helper in organizing the concert) and it was held in a shrine and so many people came and they were a group of indians and japanese playing together ... ok it wasn't all the time fantastic but few songs did it!
And the coincidence is that that night in Shobara it was the same baul to play!!! ...amazing.
l thought l would never see again this baul group and ... the world is really small!!!!
But this time it wasn't the whole group, only he with his wife ... and l was amazed how 1 man can play and make music with 3 instruments simultaneously + voice ... and l must say that his voice was quite powerful and l like the melody .... devotional.
l took few clips 'cos Nartana asked me to make movies for him and so here l made a short movie, just few glimpses ... l hope u enjoy it, go have a look!



lt was very nice, very much different than the concert he did 2 or 3 yrs ago`, 'cos at that time they were a group of may be 7~10 peoples to play ... and this time it was only he with his wife and therefore it was more "intimate" and more penetrating ... in fact at the end l approached him and l told him of this coincidence and he remebered it! not of me of course but of that particular concert because at the end they stood up with the drums and walked/danced in the middle of the peoples inviting everyones to stand and dance ... that particular moment was really beautiful and he couldn't forget it and so we both were amazed about this ... then later on he showed few videos of his recent concerts in Tyo and l saw for instance that at the end of the concert, he was telling to the people to cool down with the cheering clapping hands ... as l saw this l said: RIGHT!!! 'cos l also feel that after a devotional song, to clap and saying bravo isn't very nice ... actually l myself don't like to clap in a usual way when some concert is finished ... but of course it depends of what kind of genre it is ... l remember when Prem Joshua played in Buddha Hall in Pune at the end there was such clapping and in that contest it was perfectly in tune! but with devotional baul songs at the end only silence is the best way to say BRAVO! (but not even this)
and he confirmed what l just said .... ok now l go to have some lunch then do some business and l'll be back soon to finish the story .... thank you & see you! (^o^)/

Shobara

The house in the center of the picture is the Vatya & Nartana's place where l've been for 3 days only... as l said before, they wanted me to stay longer such as 2 months!!! l'd really loved 'cos such peaceful land and clean air and playing with pizzas ... l mean country side life and l had 2 main reasons to move on instead to remain there ... one was that, before l left to travel around the grandfather, and he was also the boss, of the buddhist family where l use to work in the temple whenever they need (work such as: cleaning, cooking, carpentry and so on a little bit of all but nothing to do with their practice of buddhism ... and l dont care 'cos l do not have a so-called religion ... and l like there 'cos nobody speak english and so it is very good for me and moreover they're sweet people ... ) and so the boss was in the hospital 'cos of old age and passing his last days ... and when l was in Yakushima, suddenly it came to me to contact to my japanese roommate to ask her what l have to say properly, in japanese, to the family in case the boss would have popped out ... well as l said, it was difficult to get the antenna connection in the island but that time l went to the spot and got lots of messages, one of them was my roommate's telling me that, just the day l thought about asking her the proper phrase, ... the boss was "gone". He was a sweet man and therefore l felt it was better to be present at the ceremony that was on saturday of the week l was staying in Shobara ... and the other reason, the main one, was that deep down l felt that the "purpose" of this Odyssey was over and it was really time to move back to TYO .
Ok so here down you'll see a typical japanese room ... and l loved tremendously ... facing the garden with hills view ... aaaaaaahhh what a feeling ...

And here u can see a bit of Shobara land ... isn't beautiful?! all that green u see around is nothing but rice!!!

And so the next day, after the festival, was the holiday so we went to have a public bath, do some shopping and to see a couple that builded the House by themselves and made it an lndian restaurant ... it was a very very nice place and well made and they were also nice people that we invited to come over to eat fresh pasta l was going to make for dinner .... also because Nartana wanted to see how to make it and so l made them happy (and made myself too happy ;)

After the bath of course we were hungry and so l asked whats the speciality of Hiroshima ... OKONOMIYAKI.
So l had the honour to go with them to eat it just the way u see in the left picture ... there was a queue that we had to wait a good half a hour outside 'cos the place was quite famous for its taste ... it is such an experience to sit just in front of the cook and watching (you know...l like to watch silently especially when it is about food)
and there was this boy making these "omelets" with such speed, just like a samurai with a sword ZAK ZAK ZAK and SHUmmm ... amazing!
And there are not chopsticks or fork n knife but just kinda of carpenter spatula 'cos it is not that once the okonomiyaki is ready u eat it from the plate ... nooooo ... it go on cooking slowly and slowly on the ... how to say it?! ... the hot iron plate! so on the bottom forms a crust and with the help of the "spatula" that u can just, cut (as Nartana is doing on my right), separate the piece (cuz u cut the piece that u can put in your mouth only and the rest go on cooking and becoming yummier) and finally cleaning the "plate" just like a carpenter .... well l didn't found so especially yummy although it was spectacular and so here is what l ordered but don't ask me what there is inside 'cos l forgot ;) enjoy!

l'll make it someday, my version of course and l will show u in the food blog (^o^)/ ciao

Pizza Pizza Pizza

YEAH! my next step was Hiroshima ... well, not exactly Hiroshima city but its prefecture Shobara, a town in the hills with an altitude of 300 meters from sea level ... may be l had to balance the trip l was doing, may be l had to pass different phases of the odissey and l mean since l started to travel by leaving the big city ... sorry ... the biggest in all world! with its 34 million and + of peoples (included me) in TYO alone!!! can u believe it? l just discovered it! amazing ... but anyway what l was saying? AH so, leaving TYO to stay in a valley towns and thats means NARA & OSAKA & KYOTO & ARASHIYAMA & Co., then on a small hill facing the sea and thats the area of KOBE then in the south staying in the inland samurai town OBI and then on the seaside NANGO and the wild & beautiful YAKUSHIMA's forest and mountain and now moving in the hills ... to meet pizza peoples!
l left Nango after the sunrise u saw in the previous post and traveled the whole day till 10 PM and Vatya & Nartana had to come to pick me up at the last station 'cos there were no more trains to reach to Shobara .... and so l met for the first time this couple and we liked each other immediately! And the very next day they had to make pizza to sell in a festival that was happening in that town ... and l wanted to be present in that event 'cos the way they were making pizza and selling was really unique!!! not even in ltaly l ever saw this kind of business ... not in this way. OK lets show off what l mean ...

... yeah thats right! thats the shop ... and l helped them to set it up, it was in the ground of a school and the festival was about a town festival ... the name of the shop is "THE OVEN PIZZA 'S KOKOPELI" (it is the japanese pronunciation of KOKOPELLI) ... and on the left side, where u read coca cola, was another shop and it was selling drinking, mostly liquor shakes .... funny things is that although we were also selling drink (pineapple juice only) peoples were asking the juice to the drinking shop LOL ... and a little note about the oven pizza, Nartana made it ... from scratch, from an idea to making a design and to build it! it is beautifully managed and it does very easy 400 degree and thats very good to cook the pizza decently ... but suck lot of gas for making just a pizza a time ... anyway l liked very much the idea to sell pizza in this way and when he introduced the "shop" 2 yrs ago` in the town, made such a new impact that he went even in the newspaper!

yeah thats the oven in the middle of them and there is even the cover so that u can open an put the pizza's cut ... l mean he was selling 1 full pizza and also 1/4 of it, and so when there were spared cut he would then put inside from the top of the oven to make it warm before selling it, interesting uh?! l really liked how they were organized that it made me feel to do it in TYO and l'll do it some day!!! (thats why l'm practicing making pizza once a week here in my home ;)
And now enjoy the action!



it was a beautiful experience ... l'm grateful to them that allowed me to participate in the shop and the amazing thing was, it was the first time he was selling in his own festival's town, so he didn't make lots of pizzas dough, so in the morning he made few kilos and the previous day he made already ready-made pizza's base and kept under freeze in case the fresh ones is finished and so he brought only 50 pizzas in total (it was a small town) and the queue that formed!!! amazing!!!
it was selling so fast and peoples liked it very much!!! hehe ... in the beginning there was a boy that was passing back 'n' forth in front of the shop not knowing what was really going on ... l provoked him! l said YO, this is good pizza ... u gotta stop and try it.
And he escaped .... towards the end he decided (may be after he saw that everybody was buying it) to try it and l pretended to not look at him till when from my back l felt a TIP TIP on my shoulder and it was him with a big smile and with the GOOD thumb sign! l gave him a 5, ... LOL.
very nice .... and look at the proud Nartana!

Do u see the board on the left? do u know what it says? URIKIREMASHITA, GOMENNASAI. (SORRY, SOLD OUT!!!!) and still people were coming to ask it!
Actually a couple of guys, and looked like yakuza guys, asked him to participate at the next town's festival ... and he asked me to help him (actually he wanted me to stay the full month!) and l would have loved but ... later later, ciao.