The Harvest Before the World Stood Still: My Journey to Japan

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This video has lots of footage from my trip to Japan, 2020

The Harvest Before the World Stood Still

Your support for the Bell Shakuhachi is what made this story possible. It allowed me to fund a pilgrimage to Japan this past winter to harvest my own Madaké bamboo. It was a whirlwind trip, a journey that unfolded over Christmas and my own birthday on New Year’s. I returned in mid-January 2020, and in hindsight, the timing was nothing short of miraculous. Little did I know, I had slipped through a closing door just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world. It would take over a year before the shipping channels cleared enough for my precious harvest to finally reach me.

The mountains demanded a heavy toll. I lost body weight I couldn’t spare, and there were moments of such profound exhaustion that I had to fight just to stay upright. But the experience was raw and unforgettable. I found myself scaling steep hills and navigating anti-erosion walls, my path crossing with venomous centipedes and a surprising confrontation with wild boars.

But for every moment of hardship, there was a greater reward. For every minor injury, there was the profound beauty of the bamboo groves and the deep satisfaction of harvesting perfect culms with my own hands. I left a part of myself in those groves, and I returned with beautiful bamboo and, just as importantly, new friends.

My focus was on the bamboo, not the lens, so the few photos I managed were captured in hurried moments on my phone. They are small glimpses into an incredible adventure. Enjoy, J

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