Diving into the present

Dawn.

The dark night is breaking through and morning is beginning to emerge.

Various kinds of birds sing in their own way, their voices overlapping in a great chorus.

It's so noisy that I've been waking up to it lately.

Outside our window is a landscape of rice fields, and with the arrival of spring, living things suddenly become more active.

Hardworking old men work diligently on the farm, and the scenery changes every day.

The rice fields are now filled with water, and frogs can be heard croaking loudly at night.

The other day I went to help a friend who is a farmer.

It just so happened that at Utsushiki, a learning opportunity planned by Kaori and led by Goto Kentaro and Goto Masaru was being held.

The content was so appealing that my mind was drawn to it, but I set off for the fields of Karatsu in Saga Prefecture.

He will post his thoughts on the Utsushiki website "Rakugaku" at a later date, so I am looking forward to basking in the afterglow myself.

We are planning to hold another learning opportunity for the two of them in July.

Please look forward to the next opportunity, and even if you gave up this time, please look forward to it.

Well, this is my first farm work in a while, and I'm planting chili pepper seedlings that I've grown from small seeds and which have now grown roots.

These seedlings are carefully cultivated, inherited from the seeds of native species for generations.

She was raised in the traditional way that was passed down in her family.

No matter how much the cultivation volume increases, it is all done carefully by hand.

We carefully plant the delicate seedlings, which will quickly lose water if we are not careful.

It was a monotonous task, but it took two days from start to finish.

Strangely enough, I found myself treating the seedlings with the same feelings.

To me, even if there are hundreds or thousands of them in a row, the life of a single species is only once.

Will the next person be able to pass the baton only if they overcome difficulties and grow up healthy?

I guess I felt this somewhere in my body.

When I'm touching the soil, I feel a sense of immersion and everything is focused on what is in front of me.

It's also fun to move different parts of my body than usual and get sore muscles all over my body.

Throw away the cell phone you usually have by your side,

Although I was disappointed that I wasn't able to capture the beautiful scenery of the lush greenery in photos,

I used all my five senses to experience a time that I never want to forget and let it soak into my body.

Recently, I have been spending more time with plants.

Every moment changes as we grow,

I have become more aware of the changes that occur in response to my surroundings.

Naturally, the "now" is fluid and a new "now" will arrive in the next moment.

When I think about it, I feel like it's a waste to have been so focused on the past and the future.

I wanted to fully enjoy the present moment in front of me.

On June 10th there will be a concert by Harusame, a unit led by Ota Miho.

This is a new activity that he has started with Shunji Mori, his partner both in private and public life.

Since Miho held her first solo concert at Utsushiki in June 2018,

The art expands expression in a variety of ways.

Cells change because they continue to function every day and are alive.

The world that Miho creates excites and draws us in with each change.

Let's all enjoy this unique time together.

Spring Rain ( Shunji Mori x Miho Ota ) Concert

Miho's partner, Mori, has been performing under the name "NATURAL CALAMITY" since the 1990s. Their "quiet and melancholic" musical style has been called a "dreamy sound" and they have gained immense popularity among music fans around the world.

≪Date and time≫ 6/10 (Sat) 18:00 Doors open 18:30 Start ⁡
Price: Advance ticket 4,000 yen, same-day ticket 4,500 yen Reservations: Reservations can be made by phone or email during business hours.
If you are sending an email, please write the name of the event you would like to attend in the subject line.
Please let us know your phone number above by emailing info@utusiki.com

So, I hope you can enjoy today's unique scenery to the fullest today as well.

Saori Konishi