Feb 06, 2025
Guests:
A'chan, J-san, S-san
Discussion Content:
S arrived first, and I told him that K and M would not be coming today because they are going to a tarot card reading lesson (“tarot” is pronounced the same as “carrot”). When A’chan arrived shortly after, she said that she had recently been to see a fortune-teller, who K had recommended.
The fortune-teller said that in a past life, centuries ago, A’chan had kidnapped a child and began to raise it as her own, but she was found out and punished by being burned at the stake. The fortune-teller said that this has caused A’chan to have feelings of unfulfillment and loss in this life.
Just then, J arrived, and I explained the story to him. He doesn’t believe in fortune-tellers and asked A’chan if she believed 100% what the fortune-teller said, or did she see it as just a form of entertainment. A’chan said she didn’t completely believe everything, but added that this particular fortune-teller is not trying to be famous – in fact, she tries to avoid becoming famous.
However, the fortune-teller was able to know that A’chan’s father had passed away already, and that A’chan had a current problem with her right hip bone.
I told the group that I had a similar experience. Back in Australia, my wife and I went to learn the Japanese healing practice called “Reiki”. The teacher suddenly stopped during the lesson and said that my wife’s mother kept talking to her telepathically. At that time, my wife’s mother was still alive and living in Sasebo, but the Reiki teacher said that she could see my wife’s mother doing some movement with her hands, as if she was knitting or sewing, and my wife explained that her mother was in the Japanese “Tenri” religion, and when they pray the use such hand movements.
Also, the Reiki teacher said that my wife’s mother wanted to tell my wife, “Please keep your feet warm”. Apparently, this is a common expression used in Japan, but was quite unusual for the Australian teacher and me to hear. Western people do not commonly say such a thing to each other, but perhaps because Japanese have a tradition of removing their shoes and living on the floor, that getting cold feet is a common way to get sick.
Speaking of the Tenri religion, J said that he used to live not far from the city of Tenri, and so he would often pass by the Tenri temples and buildings. He said that belief in a religion itself is fine, but often the religious organization itself, or its leaders, will take advantage of its believers. I agreed, and said that my wife felt her parents had been a little brain-washed, and that even though they were a very poor family, her parents would often give a lot of money to the church.
In a separate but related topic, I mentioned that our Danchi (apartment complex) had some very unusual visitors last Sunday, and show the group a video I took of two black vans with loudspeakers driving around the complex. These are members of the Japanese extreme right-wing political groups, and they often do this kind of activity, but I had never seen them in this area before, so it was very interesting for me to see them close up. They stayed within the Danchi for quite a long time, driving around and stopping to give speeches and play World War 2 style music.
I asked the group if they could read the writing on the vans, but the characters they use are quite old-style kanji characters, so they weren’t completely sure, but one of the phrases was demanding the return of the northern islands between Japan and Russia.
Changing the subject, I asked S how his wife’s lower back was - she had fallen and broken her lower back some time last year. He said that actually, she recently broke her foot after falling from a chair, so now she has to get around on crutches as well. How terrible for her to have had yet another separate accident while the previous one has still not completely healed.
Just then, S’s phone made a sound and he said he had to leave. He has to go to a new year’s party in Tokyo.
Useful phrases:
Tarot card
a fortune-teller
a past life
thief/robber
kidnap
centuries ago
She was found out
She doesn’t want to be famous
passed away
To take advantage of someone
brainwash
geographically
right-wing/left-wing
extreme right-wing
Just the tip of the iceberg
pre-war Japan
crutches
a sprained ankle
a broken foot