Kasama, its beauty and friends

In contrast to October where we had only few days of sunshine, November was very dry. I would often wake up at night with a sky full of bright stars. Early in the morning the sky would become dark red announcing the wake of the day. My place sitting on a small hill was a perfect place to witness the sunrise. I decided each day to go for very early morning walks. Getting up at 4:30 AM I would normally leave the house an hour later. It would be still dark when I was walking through the small hamlet, yet sometimes some old woman would already be working in her field. I chose a regular walk route that took me along small rivers where I could see waterfowl and sometimes I could spot salmons. I walked along a golf course (yes indeed), passed by rice fields not yet prepared for next year’s planting or neatly tilled vegetable plots. It was cold but very peaceful. I often stopped to soak it all in. I enjoyed the calm of the morning. The rising daylight would make me feel aware of the magnificent scenery that I was fortunate to experience.

The raise of the morning sun was a spectacle. The sunrays would come through some trees in the distance while I was walking between rice fields. There was fog rising over the rivers and small ponds. The fog transformed the scenery into a calm and quiet scenery. Sometimes a rooster would announce himself and a dog would bark, but most of the time only my clogs made a sound. I couldn’t help to feel very privileged. I constantly reminded myself that my time here is limited but very unique and that I needed to treasure these moments. I knew I would miss my walks once I would be back in LA. Needless to say, starting a day with my walks set the tone for the rest of the day.

Kasama is not well known outside Japan and often even Japanese do not know much about this pottery town. There was a pottery festival on Kasama Hill in October. There were many potters who presented their ware, mainly functional pots for everyday use. A great variety and many of my potter friends had an exhibition stall. So I wandered through the alleys and learned much about the community of potters. I introduced myself as a newcomer and it seemed that many already were aware that I had come from far away to establish my little shop in Kasama.

I was very fortunate to have incredible potter friends that I met in early spring and they all were eager to help me so that I would be successful with my project. I felt very much being welcomed by everyone. It made me happy as I experienced the incredible spirit of a Japanese community, missing in Los Angeles. Here I could be carefree, I could trust people that they would mean well and I enjoyed just being myself.

I would go later in the afternoon for a cup of tea with Okudasan and we had many insightful discussions about various topics, not just pottery, but also our personal experiences. Theses meaningful discussions were very uplifting as I was still a bit weary about my project. Okudasan has the ability to welcome everyone and just let them enjoy his environment. Needless to say that I deeply appreciated this time and I hope he did so too.

Time went quickly and before I realized I needed to make arrangements for my departure. It was getting colder and I was very happy with my new heater. The studio needed to be prepared for winter as it may freeze. I stored away the wet clay so that it would not freeze and I cleaned one last time the floor of the place. On my last day, the windshield of my car was frozen, the first frost of the upcoming winter. Yet the sun was up and warmed the studio very quickly. I knew that when I get back in late February next year I would need a heater for the studio. I packed the car with my bags and drove off to say goodbye to Okudasan. He was standing in the sun to warm up, we talked a bit about the next steps to be taken and then I drove to Narita airport to drop of my car.

Looking back it was an exceptional time and I also realized how much I accomplished in a very short time. The place looks very nice now, I am sure that the residents of the small hamlet are pleased. I showed them that I am serious about living in their neighborhood and that I care about them as they do for me. When Mr. Nakamura, the district chief came to say goodbye I gave him a spare key to the house and I know that he felt really happy that I trusted him with this. Now back in LA, I look at the pictures I took about the cleanup process and I am amazed what kind of transformation I did with the property. I am very grateful to Okudasan who understood the value (not in a materialistic sense) of the property. He saw the surroundings and special situation but he also knew that I would enjoy and value the characteristics of the place. He knew that I would enjoy the scenery, the sunrise and sunset, the people of the hamlet, not to mention the pottery studio and kilns. He also understood that if I wanted to really engage in pottery in Japan I would need my own place, my own wood fire kiln and learn the Japanese way of becoming a craftsmen. I am not there yet, but I understand that I made my first steps into this direction. However, reaching this goal is not the main objective. The journey to get there is important to me.