Thanks to Vipassana
Rose kindly sent a postcard after completing her most recent Vipassana course in Kyoto.
“I met a woman there from Peru, who moved to Japan with her husband and kids three months ago. When I asked her how she found about the meditation, she said through your newspaper.”
It seems that the reader had been feeling very stressed out, and the suggestion that it might be a great way to start the New Year had inspired her to sign up.
“She was extremely happy with the course, saying it helped her tremendously.
“Thank you very, very much for helping to point people in such a positive and rewarding direction.”
For readers that missed that particular column, here is the course Web site: www.dharma.org
You can read Australian author Sarah MacDonald’s day-by-day account of such a course in India, in her hilarious best-selling novel “Poor Cow!”
Sumo fan
Greg Hardesty (formerly with this paper and now a staff writer in California with the Orange County Register) is wondering if the wrestler Terao is still active in sumo?
“He was my fave when I lived in Japan 1989-95,” writes Greg.
Thanks to sumo critic and broadcaster David Shapiro, I can tell you that Terao retired after the September tournament of 2001 and less than a year ago opened his own stable under the name Shikoroyama, handling a number of young trainees.
David, by the way, looks after the English language version of Nihon Sumo Kyokai’s Web page.
Check it out on www.sumo.or.jp/eng/index.html
It offers information on upcoming tournaments, a list of champions and even a beginner’s guide to sumo.
Body work
On the subject of physiotherapy, reader Gordon writes in to recommend American Charlie Badenhop, a New Yorker and long time resident in Nogata on the Seibu Shinjuku line in Tokyo.
He practices “Noguchi Sei Tai,” as created by Haruchika Noguchi.
“Sei Tai” basically means “properly ordered body” and Charlie’s body work is excellent.
He also has a very useful, bi-weekly newsletter on healing and self that you can access at www.seishindo.org/newsletter.html
Also online is Charlie’s Web site at www.seishindo.org
Good work by the Tokyo American Club
We’d like to draw readers’ attention to some sterling fundraising work achieved by the Tokyo American Club, with proceeds going to benefit victims of the recent Niigata earthquakes and South Asian tsunamis.
Late last month, the club presented large contributions to two separate relief funds operated by the Japan Red Cross.
The Club’s Women’s Group contributed 200,000 yen from its charities fund to aid the victims of last year’s Niigata earthquake.
In addition, the Tokyo American Club donated 2,943,646 yen to the Sumatra Tsunami Relief Fund.
The money was raised from the many generous contributions made by club members.
Tatsuya Aoki and Shiro Takano from the Japan Red Cross accepted the checks from Michael Bumgardner, Tokyo American Club general manager, and Amy Spangler, Women’s Group president.
The donations were, according to Dan Thomas, Tokyo American Club president, examples of the many ways in which the Tokyo American Club is working to improve international relations.