Blog / Culture
The beauty of the Japanese language never fails to take the breath away.
Historically, tattoos in Japan were associated with the yakuza (Japanese mafia), and, therefore, when the common citizens of Japan see people with tattoos, the red flags go up immediately, and caution mode is invoked.
Along my merry way in my neighborhood, I am always entreated by these Deities guarding the traveler. And indeed, for the thoughtfulness of the ones who created and set up these in order to "guard and protect" the wary travelers on the way.
There was something that burned inside of him that compelled him forward, no matter what. Even after one of the most devastating blows one could endure in old age, he got back up. Not only did he get back up, but he never lost his sense of humour throughout his many ordeals, which included growing up in poverty.
Coming from Zen Buddhism, this is a state where two parties need not language spoken or written to communicate between their heart for mutually unspoken understanding. i shin den shin is still a fundamentally unknown concept in the west, however, it is an ingrained Japanese cultural phenomena unparalleled anywhere else, it’s woven into the Japanese DNA, I don't doubt it.
