in search of slowness

and updates from Kamikatsu

Hello reader, thanks for being here! I’m Kana and this is the Sunday edition of Tending Gardens, which you can read about here.
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attempts at slow living

These past weeks I’ve been hurrying from one place to the next. After a two month hiatus for coronavirus safety measures, we recently re-opened our program and invited domestic guest from Japan to the village. It’s been a joy to welcome people to Kamikatsu but it’s been a personal adjustment to manage time.

I chose to live in the countryside in pursuit of slow(er) living, but changing your environment doesn’t change you. It’s a step but it takes more than one choice to change your lifestyle. Habits of the mind don’t change easily and as creatures of habit, we fall into what we know and what is routine. So even in the midst of mountains and an abundance of nature, I experienced busyness that made life felt hectic and overwhelming.

Last Sunday I experienced intense back pain. What started as sore muscles in a couple of hours became sharp stabbing pain around my shoulder blades. It was scary to not be able to move my arms and only find a bit of relief from curling up in a ball. The pain would run up and down my back and took about a week to fully heal.

My back pain was a reminder to slow down. In the days of recovery, I had to physically move slower and deliberately say yes to rest. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what we give up or lose in the search for speed, efficiency, money, and progress.

Kamikatsu in the spring

I know very clearly what it feels like to quickly grow impatient from waiting for something or how easy it is to be agitated by “wasted” time. And perhaps more damaging than the agitation from waiting is the “need” to spend each minute being as productive as possible.

In the past, I’ve experienced a work environment where “urgent” was so commonplace that only “very urgent” seemed to have any effect. Each “urgent” is a demand to respond or take action immediately—each situation seemingly more urgent than the last. Would everything fall apart if I didn’t respond to an email?

“I frequently worry that being productive is the surest way to lull ourselves into a trance of passivity and busyness the greatest distraction from living, as we coast through our lives day after day, showing up for our obligations but being absent from our selves, mistaking the doing for the being.”
Maria Popova, author of Brain Pickings

This week I decided to write about slow living because my body forced me to re-examine it.

lessons in slowing down

I started to think about what slow living looks like in Kamikatsu. I realize that so much of my inspiration for slow living comes from a long term Kamikatsu resident, Nakamura-san. When I spend time with Nakamura-san, I’m reminded of the ways we can live more consciously, intentionally, and in connection with ourselves and those around us. Nothing is disposable and everything is purposeful.

Nakamura-san

Slow living is not moving slowly, though I learned from a back injury that it does help to physically move slow. Nakamura-san is a man that makes nearly everything from scratch and spends most of his time making art purely for the joy of creating. He cuts his own wood for cooking and he only walks to the places he needs to go. There’s so much more I could say about his life and lifestyle, but more for another day.

From Nakamura-san, I understand that slow living is gaining time by doing the things that are most important to you—it’s about knowing what we love and what we value, and designing our lives to spend the most time enjoying those things.

On a recent visit to Nakamura-san, he shared with us how much he enjoys watching the seasons change from the tree outside his home. Spending time in nature is a reminder that there is no need to hurry—what will grow will grow, what will bloom will bloom, in time. We should enjoy the process and the journey because if we slow down and choose to see beauty, we can.

budding leaves on a tree outside Nakamura-san’s home

Slowing down also looks like taking time to prepare real food—cooking with mindfulness and not rushing the process for the result.

In slowing down we connect to ourselves. We find a way to listen to our inner voice or our inner selves. There is a lot to be (re)gained through the act of turning inwards and embracing slowness. Slowing down allows us to explore and dream—to imagine possibilities and to chase curiosity. Studies show, time and time again, that creativity thrives on unstructured time. There are things we simply can’t find if we’re in a hurry.

afternoon tea and homemade banana bread outside with friends

To live intentionally, we need to find grounding in what’s most important and to know what’s most important, we need to give ourselves space, solitude, and the freedom for personal reflection.

Do you remember the last time you felt the kind of slowness and quiet that allowed your mind to wander in peace?

spending some time on a farm

In the book Praise of Wasting Time, the author says, “there is simply the needed replenishment of mind that comes from doing nothing in particular, from taking long mental walks without destination, from finding a few moments of quiet away from the noise of the world. The mind needs to rest. The mind needs periods of calm.”

I hope you find slowness in your life. I think we could all live with more intention, as Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” I think slow living starts by re-evaluating how we spend our time, energy, and effort.

updates from Kamikatsu

Things have been tense this past week for the tiny village of Kamikatsu. Today was the election day for Kamikatu’s mayor. This election was a big deal for the village because it’s been 28 years since the last election. Two candidates contested for mayor this term and the days leading up to today were particularly tense. I never imagined getting wrapped up in local politics but it was an eye-opening experience to see everything from the campaigning to the day of the election.

What was perhaps most inaka (countryside) about the election was how the final result was delivered through the village’s speaker announcement system. No radios, no TV’s, just a speaker announcement that declared the final tally. In the end, the mayor who went for a second term was re-elected. I wonder how this changes things… if it does, I hope for the better.

On a separate note, the sakura (cherry blossom) flowers are nearly finished. It was a beautiful time to be in Kamikatsu. Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) is nearly over as well. Apparently, this year was the earliest full blooming date since 812 due to climate change. Cherry blossoms are meant to symbolize fleeting beauty—a short but beautiful life.

感じるということ。To feel.
心が動いた。To have your heart moved.

That’s it for this week! Thank you for your patience with me the past couple of weeks when I took some time for rest. Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

Take care,
Kana

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I’d love for you to think of me as your penpal—sharing a note from a tiny village in Japan. With Tending Gardens, I want to bring you a small joy in the form of a newsletter. If you like it and want more like it in your inbox, consider subscribing.