My introduction to Japanese culture

 My introduction to Japanese culture

My relationship with Japanese culture dates back to early childhood. In retrospect, it is neither random nor surprising.

I grew up on Japanese cartoons, which were a dramatic improvement over depressing socialist television Poland had to offer in the 1970s.

As I write this in 2026, my three daughters also love watching Japanese cartoons.
The kawaii 可愛いかわいい culture is even stronger now than it was in 1990s Japan. The boy heroes are still swinging katana swords.

When I was a teenager, I practiced a very traditional Shotokan karate; Japanese culture was as important to us as the physical training.

I remember that when I was young, I watched the TV series Shogun, which exposed me to the nuances of Japanese culture.

Consequently, I left Poland, joined my already established family in America, enlisted in the U.S. Marines, and, at my own request, was sent to Okinawa, Japan, where I lived (mostly off-base) for three very formative years.

I studied "Cultural Anthropology of East Asia" in the Asian division of the University of Maryland with professors who were absolutely dedicated to their subject.

The word "culture" would later become a life's passion in the context of Japanese, East Asian, Slavic, and Proto-Indo-European (PIE) studies.

The word "Anthropology", in other words, means a "Behavioral Science" of humans.

Borders

 Interslavic:

Dnešnje granicy i silno vynuždene nacionalne jezyky često škodjat našemu razuměnju, kto my vpravdě jesmo i odkud naše kultura prěhodi. Kogda gledamo istoriju, vidimo, že ljudi v Karpatah i na Dunaju ne žili v izolaciji, no peremešavali se stolěti.

Na primer, górale v Poljši prinesli soboju slova i običaje iz južnych Karpatov. Slovo bryndza za ovčij syr ide prěmo od tamtych pastuhov, ktory nosili svoji tradiciji na sever.

Slavjanska migracija silno povplyvala na ljude v Rumuniji, potomki Trakijcev i Dakov. Oni prějeli mnogi slavjanski slova, običaje i toponyma, tako že dnešnja rumun’ska kultura jest směšanica romanskogo i slavjanskogo.

Bolgarska zemja pokazuje to ešče silněje. Tam slavjanska migracija ne lishko dodala, no faktično izměnila jezyk i identitet narodny, tako že stary Trakijci potonuli v slavjanskom morju.

Kogda granicy i nacionalne ideologije zatvarjajut oči na to, gubimo istinsko razuměnje. Kulturna istina jest v peremešavanju, ne v sztucnoj čistoći.

English:

Today’s borders and enforced national languages often damage our understanding of who we truly are and where our culture really comes from. When we look at history, we see that people in the Carpathians and Danube region did not live in isolation but mixed for centuries.

For example, the Polish highlanders, the Górale, brought words and customs from the southern Carpathians northwards. The word bryndza for sheep cheese comes directly from shepherds who carried their Romanian traditions into the mountains of Poland.

Slavic migration deeply influenced the people of Romania, descendants of Thracians and Dacians. They adopted many Slavic words, customs, and place names, so modern Romanian culture is a blend of Romance and Slavic.

Bulgaria shows this even more strongly. There, Slavic migration not only added but essentially transformed the language and national identity, with the old Thracian population merging into the Slavic culture.

When borders and national ideologies blind us to this, we lose the true understanding. Cultural truth lies in mixing, not in artificial purity.

Română:

Granițele de astăzi și limbile naționale impuse adesea ne rănesc înțelegerea despre cine suntem cu adevărat și de unde vine cultura noastră. Dacă privim istoria, vedem că oamenii din Carpați și de pe Dunăre nu au trăit izolați, ci s-au amestecat timp de secole.

De exemplu, goralii din Polonia au adus cu ei cuvinte și obiceiuri din Carpații de sud spre nord. Cuvântul brânză pentru cașul de oaie vine direct de la acei păstori care și-au purtat tradițiile până în munții Poloniei.

Migrația slavă a influențat profund poporul României, urmașii tracilor și dacilor. Ei au preluat multe cuvinte, obiceiuri și toponime slave, astfel încât cultura românească de azi este un amestec de elemente romanice și slave.

Bulgaria arată acest lucru și mai clar. Acolo migrația slavă nu doar a adăugat, ci a transformat esențial limba și identitatea națională, iar vechii traci au dispărut în marea slavă.

Când granițele și ideologiile naționale ne închid ochii la acest lucru, pierdem adevărata înțelegere. Adevărul cultural se află în amestec, nu în puritate artificială.

vardlokkur: the prologue

This story is about the last days of the great human culture. I am writing this from the perspective of 71 thousand years later, hence, I will use the terminology understood by my readers. 

That culture had its roots in the events much earlier, when 125 thousands years ago the temperatures were about 4 degrees warmer than today, and the droughts in central Africa pushed humans in search of the new lands. 

In the following 20 thousands years humans colonized much of the Eurasia, they were competing with other hominids and great mammals, but they became successful never-the-less. Eventually they developed a great oral culture, arts, poetry, they lived of the land and they mostly spoke the similar languages. They colonized Europe all the way from Ural Mountains to Scandinavia and British Isles. 

When 105 thousand years ago the climate started to cool down to about 3 degrees less than today, and the glaciers returned to the Northern Europe, the human population was already established and thriving.

At the time of the story, 71 thousand years ago, there were well over 150 thousand humans spread across Africa, Europe and Southern Asia.

That is when the disaster came and wiped out humanity. 

The explosion of Indonesian volcano Toba was not unusual in the history of the Earth, in fact gigantic caldera explosions happens at least every 100 thousand years. 

Yet, the 750 cubic miles of ash thrown into the atmosphere by Toba was a thousand times stronger any volcanic explosion in the modern times, including the 1982 eruption of Mt. St. Helen. In comparison tiny explosion of Philippine's  Krakatoa in 536 AD darkened  the sun for eighteen months, and the explosion of Mount Tambor in 1816  caused the "Year without a summer" resulting the widespread famine and related diseases which wiped out 200,000 people, or one-third of Europe.

The explosion of Toba in Sumatra was absolutely devastating, the ashes suspended in the stratosphere caused a six-year volcanic winter, with the crop failures and caused the already cold temperatures to plummet another several degrees. The whole world fell in one of the deepest ice ages. About 90 percent of the humanity starved to death, the remaining 15 thousand or so, were too small of the gene pool to rebound and for all practical purposes disappeared for the next 60 thousand years.

Okinawan Karate

Prolog

I should have written about Okinawan Karate (琉球空手, Ryūkyū karate) years ago, right after returning after 3 years in Okinawa, but I let life flow on, often without enough reflection. However, Okinawan practice is a personal and family affair (kizuna, 絆), practiced in out-of-sight courtyards (agariya 上り屋), and it requires personal touch.

English-Japanese vocabulary

I am using Japanese vocabulary because it is the default language in all traditional Karate, Kobudo, Aikido, etc., schools, and it creates a bridge of understanding among international students. 

I use rōmaji, kanji, and hiragana, e.g. karate, 空手 (からて) meaning "empty hand".

- Rōmaji is Japanese pronunciation written in the Latin (Roman) alphabet, not English pronunciation.

- Kanji are Chinese and Japanese word symbols

- Hiragana is the Japanese script for the most accurate pronunciation 

For example, "karate" is pronounced か ka ら ra て te, where te is pronounced as "television", not the drink tea. It is highly worthwhile to learn Hiragana.

Introduction

My adopted adult name is Uki, 宇氣 (うき), which means "universe-space energy." I grew up studying Shotokan karate (松涛館) under (hard core) Józef Rączka Sensei, 7 dan (先生, 七段), in Poland. After I moved to the USA and joined the USMC, I was introduced to the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP). While in the USMC, for 3 years, I lived in Okinawa, Japan, much of that time outside of the base, where I was exposed to Japanese and Okinawan Ryukyu (琉球) culture.

While the above resume looks very martial, I am primarily interested in karate's physical and mental health, cultural, and personal betterment aspects.

I studied the cultural anthropology of East Asia while in Japan. After leaving the service, I studied Aikido (合気道) while staying fit by practicing karate. Since returning, I have read and studied a library-worth of works on Japanese culture, human behaviour, and history. 

Okinawa is designated a "blue zone," so I learned about the lifestyle, longevity, and diet of its people.

It is impossible to overstate that all of the above became the most significant influencers on my life, my body, and my mind. 

I consider my growing up in Poland as "primary education" and my time in the USMC in Okinawa, Japan, as my "formative" years. The rest of my life in the USA, I consider as a long process of "polishing"  (migaki, 磨き) of my character.

The origins of self-defence arts

The spiritual origins of this story date back a few thousand years, but for now, I will have to skip the Vedas, India, Buddha's life, and start with Bodhidharma (達摩, だるま), who, among others,  in the 5th–6th Century brought Hindu-derived Buddhist culture, meditation, concepts of "chi" energy qigong (氣功), and breathing techniques from India to China. 

Chinese Shaolin Kung-Fu

Over time, Buddhism has established itself in China alongside Buddhist monasticism, asceticism, and rigorous Zen practice.

In China's political situation, Buddhist monasteries had to protect themselves, and warrior monks emerged with a strong focus on non-aggression and self-defence. 

The particular place of interest was the Southern Shaolin Temple (南少林, Nán Shàolín) in Fujian Province, China, where warrior monks practiced empty-hand and weapons techniques. 

After the South Shaolin Temple was destroyed, the monks went into hiding, where they practiced their Five Ancestor Kung-Fu in "Incense Shops". 

The Okinawan Shorin-ryū literally means Shaolin tradition.

Okinawan Chinese Hand (唐手)

The original name for "karate" in Okinawa was "ku-wa-t'" in the local Ryukyuan language (琉球語, Ryūkyū-go). Please note that the final letter "t" is soft "tĭ" and barely pronounced, like in American "but."

The kanji for "karate" 空手, meaning "empty hand," is a contemporary term. 

Historically, Okinawans used 唐手, also pronounced "karate" in Japanese, meaning "Chinese hand", but this name was not appealing to imperial authorities in the 1930s.

Sensei Sakugawa Kanga (坂川虎山)

The legend begins at dusk in the Tsurumichi district of Shuri, where a young Sakugawa Kanga practiced beneath the flickering light of shochu lanterns. Few knew then that this son of a humble farmer would become the architect of Shorin-ryū, the system that birthed modern karate.

Sakugawa’s fate turned when he became a retainer to Peichin Takemoto (a peichin was an Okinawan noble, akin to a European baron). Unlike the samurai of Japan, Takemoto rejected rigid hierarchy: "A man’s worth is measured by his character, not his birth."

Under Takemoto, Sakugawa trained in Okinawan ti (手), using tools like the sai, a three-pronged weapon designed to disable an opponent’s sword. Yet something was missing.

In 1760, Sakugawa embarked on a voyage to Fujian, China, where he sought enlightenment at the Southern Shaolin Temple. 

At Shaolin, he found what he sought under Kangryū (康琉), a warrior-monk who taught the fluidity of White Crane Fist (白鶴拳) and the explosive power of the Five Ancestors Style (五祖拳).

Returning to Okinawa, Sakugawa synthesized these arts into a new system.
His kata Niseishi (二十一手) became the first to blend Chinese techniques with Okinawan circular blocks.

He taught Matsumura Sōkon, who would later codify Shorin-ryū. 

Sakugawa died in 1815, his tombstone bearing no grand epitaph, just "The Way of the Karate Man."
His legacy lives on in the Niseishi kata, still practiced today.

Sensei Matsumura Sōkon

Sensei Matsumura Sōkon (松村宗棍, 1809–1896) is the founder of Seito (正統, "the orthodox tradition") and a cornerstone of Okinawan karate. As a shizoku (士族, a warrior class akin to samurai), he served three Ryukyu kings: Shō Kōku (尚灝), Shō Iku (尚育), and Shō Tai (尚泰).

His martial arts pedigree is legendary. After training under Wang Ji (王志, Ōji) at the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian, China, he studied under Sakugawa Kanga (坂川虎山), the originator of Shorin-ryū. Matsumura synthesized these influences into Shuri-te (首里手), a distinctive blend of Shaolin’s linear strikes and Okinawan circular flows.

His legacy extends through his students, notably Ankō Asato (糸洲安恒), after whom the Ankō-ryū style is named. Matsumura also created foundational kata like Seisan (十三手, "Thirteen Hands"), which emphasized practical combat techniques. Other kata such as Hakkaku (八角, "Eight Corners") and Chintō (鎮東, "Pacify the East") became pillars of modern karate.

Matsumura’s disciplined approach earned him the moniker "Bushi Matsumura"—a title reflecting his samurai-like rigor, uncommon among Okinawan warriors of his time.

Ankō Asato: The Merchant Warrior

The year was 1850 when a young Okinawan merchant named Ankō Asato (糸洲安恒) knelt before Matsumura Sōkon in the dim light of a Shuri dojo. Unlike other students, Asato wasn’t born to Okinawan nobility or the warrior class. His family traded silk and herbs between Okinawa and Fujian, China—a life of privilege that left him restless.

Matsumura saw something in the merchant’s son. Asato trained relentlessly, but his approach was different: "Fighting is not only for samurai," he often said. His kata Seipai (十八手) became legendary for its close-range strikes, designed to neutralize an opponent quickly—useful in the crowded streets of Naha.

Asato’s innovations didn’t end there. He developed breathing techniques that harmonized Shaolin’s qi (氣) with Okinawan circular motions. His students called this "the way of breathing"—a precursor to modern ki (気) training. One such student was Chōjun Miyagi, who later founded Goju-ryū (剛柔流). Under Asato’s guidance, Miyagi mastered the Sanchin (三戦) kata, which became Goju-ryū’s cornerstone.

Asato’s legacy extended beyond kata. He taught that karate should be "a way of life," not just a combat technique. His philosophy resonated with Okinawan commoners, who saw martial arts as a means of self-betterment rather than as a means of battlefield dominance. Even today, his Ankō-ryū style lives on at the Shōrinji Temple in Naha, where his disciples have preserved his teachings.

When Asato died in 1906, his grave bore a simple inscription: "The way of karate is endless."

Sensei Chōjun Miyagi

The year was 1895 when a young Chōjun Miyagi first entered Ankō Asato’s dojo in Naha. He wasn’t like the other students—no warrior blood ran through his veins, just the quiet determination of a merchant’s son. Asato saw something in Miyagi and took him under his wing.

Under Asato, Miyagi mastered Sanchin, not as a physical exercise but as a meditation. The kata’s slow, deliberate motions taught him that karate was a way of life, not just combat. When Asato died in 1906, Miyagi felt a hole open inside him—but he knew his path wasn’t finished.

At 20, he sailed for Fujian, China, where the monks of the White Crane Fist school recognized his potential. "Your fists carry Okinawa’s spirit," they told him, "but your heart is Chinese." The monks taught him to harmonize harsh strikes with fluid circular motions—a balance he’d later call Goju (剛柔, "hard-soft").

Returning to Okinawa, Miyagi synthesized his knowledge into Goju-ryū. His system wasn’t just about fighting; it was about breathing (ibuki), balance, and the flow of life energy. He taught that karate should be a philosophy, not just a sport.

In 1928, Miyagi made history by demonstrating karate in Tokyo—a move that brought Okinawan martial arts to the Japanese mainland. Yet fame never interested him.

Miyagi’s final years were spent refining his teachings. He emphasized the dantō (段当, "right path")—a way of life rooted in discipline and harmony. When he passed away in 1953, his students carried on his vision.

Today, Goju-ryū stands as a testament to Miyagi’s belief: "Karate is not just a martial art. It is the way of life."

vardlokkur: the prologue

This is a story about the last days of the great human culture. 

I am writing this story from the perspective of 71 thousand years later. The story is based on the findings in anthropology, geology, genetics of human migrations, bone and other artifacts.

The described culture had its roots in the events much earlier when 125 thousands years ago the temperatures were about 4 degrees warmer than today, and the droughts in central Africa pushed humans in search of the new lands. 

In the following 20 thousands years humans colonized much of the Eurasia. They became successful despite the fact that they were competing with other hominids and great mammals.

Eventually they developed a great oral culture with poetry, history and medicine, they mostly spoke the similar languages and they had deep understanding of their environment. They colonized Europe all the way from Ural Mountains to Scandinavia and British Isles. 

When 105 thousand years ago the climate started to cool down to about 3 degrees less than today, and the glaciers returned to the Northern Europe, the human population was already established and thriving.

At the time of the story, 71 thousand years ago, there were well over 150 thousand humans spread across Africa, Europe and Southern Asia.

This is when the disaster came and wiped out humanity. 

The explosion of Indonesian volcano Toba was not unusual in the history of the Earth; in fact gigantic caldera explosions happens at least every 100 thousand years (1). 

Yet, the 750 cubic miles of ash thrown into the atmosphere by Toba was a thousand times stronger than any other volcanic explosion in the modern times, including the 1982 eruption of Mt. St. Helen. In comparison tiny explosion of Philippine's  Krakatoa in 536 AD darkened  the sun for eighteen months, and the explosion of Mount Tambor in 1816  caused the "Year without a summer" resulting the widespread famine and related diseases which wiped out 200,000 people, or one-third of Europe.

The explosion of Toba in Sumatra was absolutely devastating, the ashes suspended in the stratosphere caused a six-year volcanic winter with the crop failures, and caused the already cold temperatures to plummet another several degrees. The whole world fell in one of the deepest ice ages. About 90 percent of the humanity starved to death, the remaining 15,000 or so, were too small of the gene pool to rebound and for all practical purposes disappeared for the next 60 thousand years.

ad1) The Yellowstone caldera is 30 x 50 miles wide and it is considered to be active, its pending explosion will have similar effects on humanity as the described explosion of Toba. Or, rather, it will be magnified by the magnitude of density of the modern human population. 

Borders

 Interslavic:

Dnešnje granicy i silno vynuždene nacionalne jezyky često škodjat našemu razuměnju, kto my vpravdě jesmo i odkud naše kultura prěhodi. Kogda gledamo istoriju, vidimo, že ljudi v Karpatah i na Dunaju ne žili v izolaciji, no peremešavali se stolěti.

Na primer, górale v Poljši prinesli soboju slova i običaje iz južnych Karpatov. Slovo bryndza za ovčij syr ide prěmo od tamtych pastuhov, ktory nosili svoji tradiciji na sever.

Slavjanska migracija silno povplyvala na ljude v Rumuniji, potomki Trakijcev i Dakov. Oni prějeli mnogi slavjanski slova, običaje i toponyma, tako že dnešnja rumun’ska kultura jest směšanica romanskogo i slavjanskogo.

Bolgarska zemja pokazuje to ešče silněje. Tam slavjanska migracija ne lishko dodala, no faktično izměnila jezyk i identitet narodny, tako že stary Trakijci potonuli v slavjanskom morju.

Kogda granicy i nacionalne ideologije zatvarjajut oči na to, gubimo istinsko razuměnje. Kulturna istina jest v peremešavanju, ne v sztucnoj čistoći.

English:

Today’s borders and enforced national languages often damage our understanding of who we truly are and where our culture really comes from. When we look at history, we see that people in the Carpathians and Danube region did not live in isolation but mixed for centuries.

For example, the Polish highlanders, the Górale, brought words and customs from the southern Carpathians northwards. The word bryndza for sheep cheese comes directly from shepherds who carried their Romanian traditions into the mountains of Poland.

Slavic migration deeply influenced the people of Romania, descendants of Thracians and Dacians. They adopted many Slavic words, customs, and place names, so modern Romanian culture is a blend of Romance and Slavic.

Bulgaria shows this even more strongly. There, Slavic migration not only added but essentially transformed the language and national identity, with the old Thracian population merging into the Slavic culture.

When borders and national ideologies blind us to this, we lose the true understanding. Cultural truth lies in mixing, not in artificial purity.

Română:

Granițele de astăzi și limbile naționale impuse adesea ne rănesc înțelegerea despre cine suntem cu adevărat și de unde vine cultura noastră. Dacă privim istoria, vedem că oamenii din Carpați și de pe Dunăre nu au trăit izolați, ci s-au amestecat timp de secole.

De exemplu, goralii din Polonia au adus cu ei cuvinte și obiceiuri din Carpații de sud spre nord. Cuvântul brânză pentru cașul de oaie vine direct de la acei păstori care și-au purtat tradițiile până în munții Poloniei.

Migrația slavă a influențat profund poporul României, urmașii tracilor și dacilor. Ei au preluat multe cuvinte, obiceiuri și toponime slave, astfel încât cultura românească de azi este un amestec de elemente romanice și slave.

Bulgaria arată acest lucru și mai clar. Acolo migrația slavă nu doar a adăugat, ci a transformat esențial limba și identitatea națională, iar vechii traci au dispărut în marea slavă.

Când granițele și ideologiile naționale ne închid ochii la acest lucru, pierdem adevărata înțelegere. Adevărul cultural se află în amestec, nu în puritate artificială.

Islamica

Today, I have been reading the Magazine "Islamica" to learn the the
enlightened voices of muslims that otherwise may be muffled by the
images of war in the blood-thirsty mass media.

The magazine started with the article stating pretty much the same as
the latter part of the previous sentence, plus the fact that there are
very few muslim who are able, or willing, to communicate to the
western world the more beautiful aspects of their culture. I though,
the page was objective, even if somewhat academic and pointless.

The following were the news snippets that I thought were right on,
good starting.

Next came the article about corruption involving muslim in Trinidad
and Tobago, It was interesting, I thought, even if the sources
opposing the corruption were unnamed "prominent muslims" which I grew
to expect - this idea goes back to the first article.

The funny picture caricature of VP Dick Chaney (I presume) defying the
global warming, that was an interesting choice since most of the
muslim world is oblivious to the ecological issues in North Africa,
Arab peninsula, Indonesia, or elsewhere. In fact the symbol of
progress in arab world - Dubai - is a totally ecological-defying
creation. I hope that was precisely the point, by laughing at others
we can understand that we are wrong ourselves.

Then came a couple of articles which are pure anti-USA propaganda. My
stomach cramped, I have seen so much of that in my life in my 18 years
I have lived in the socialist Poland influenced by Russian communism.
Even until very recently, I had some Polish relatives calling America
rotten names, straight of the communist repertoire. Propaganda that
brings hatred and not a thinnest thread of possibility for the
reconciliation, or cooperation.

I am really sorry and disappointed, dear "Islamica", I will try to
finish the magazine and find valuable and good points about your
culture, but I am not sure if you are doing yourselves a favor by
adding the oil to the fire.

Five Caves with Maui Diving SCUBA Center, Hawai’i

All images and videos were taken by Uki, the author.

At this point, I could only export raw movie footage from today's dive.

In the future, I might edit the movie to add names of the animals and slow down some scenes. At this moment, I do not have time to do it.

https://youtu.be/mESGH2XzqX4

Mitologia Słowiańska by Aleksander Brückner

The author starts the book by ripping apart anyone who has ever dared to write anything, before him, about Slavic culture. The level of hubris is simply revulsive.

Wikipedia

Aleksander Brückner was a Polish scholar of Slavic languages and literatures, philologist, lexicographer and historian of literature. He is among the most notable Slavicists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the first to prepare complete monographs on the history of Polish language and culture. 

Born: January 29, 1856, Berezhany, Ukraine

Active retirement plans

Either because of the stress or because of some unknown to me heart condition, I have felt stinging in my heart for the last few days. I think it is just stress because otherwise, I have been recently extreme double-diamond skiing and hiking mountains without issues. 

Nevertheless, I have been contemplating the possibility of kicking the bucket early and whether I will be able to live long enough to enjoy an active retirement. I will be approaching the retirement age in a decade when kids reach college age.

It is an ongoing inside joke with Natalia that I have a thousand and one plans for retirement. 

It is true, I have considered many options including a few locations abroad. 

One of the obvious locations would be right on my ancestral land in mountains of Poland I wanted to build a small log cabin not unlike the one on Maciejowa mountain nearby. Living in what we call “bacøwka” was always my dream. The place is biking distance (Kajtek did it) from Krakøw, a center of Poland’s culture which is very important. The problems with Poland are multiple; Natalia and kids do not speak the language and would feel out of place there, especialy that country life can be rough around the edges. 

Another place, which actually will never happen is Madeira island. I would love to visit Madeira for months at the time. I was joking that if I ever disappear without any sign, I probaby will rent a room in the red terrracota roofed house, eat the best sea and steak food in the world in the nearby restaurant, write books and hike “levadas”.

The third obvious place would be “Up North” in Hudson, Charlevoix county, Michigan. The place is surrounded by the rolling hills covered by maple trees that delight in the fall. The hearby Great Lakes sailing and the wine country are a bonus. Michigan has hundreds of state parks with geat RV parking facilities surrounded by woods and beautiful lakes.

Life in Michigan after the fall deer hunting season is not very romantic, so some warmer location would have to be included.

Finally, living in PNW would be most wonderful with sea and mountains surrounding us, if we can afford buying a place here. Even if we bounght today, there is no way to pay it off by the time we retire. Having morgage while retired would be a financial risk.

As far as what I want to do when I retire is very simple and it does never change, I want to stay active as long as I can, hike mountains, sail, scuba dive and write books.

I think we have an agreement with Natalia that we do not like big stinky cities. We both like culture and I tollerate small cute towns, in fact, even now, instead of being at home, I am sitting in a cafe in Isaquah Highlands, one of my favorite towns in America. 

Mushin (無心): The Art of Effortless Flow

 

By the time I leave work, my mind feels like a mental battlefield, overloaded and exhausted.

There is such a thing as decision-making overload, and it doesn't matter how big or small those decisions are; you hit your limits.

Slavic people

image from Wikipedia

I took a dive into early history of Slavic people and I have learned few interesting things. 

First to clarify Slavic people name comes from Slavic "slovo" which means "word" and "slavit" which means to "spread the word, worship" It indicates people of the "word" as opposed to people of germanic (Goths) origin "niemec, niemcy" people what do not speak the "word", "mute".

The Chernyakhov culture existed from the 2nd to the 5th centuries, in the territories of modern Ukraine, Moldova and Wallachia (Romania). It is characterized by polished black pottery vessels, fine metal ornaments, and impressive iron tools. It is thought to be a precursor to proto-Slavic culture.

All Slavic people spoke the same Common Slavonic in historic times, its differentiation into those daughter languages only commencing in the 9th century AD. 

Polans were a Slavic tribe between the 6th and the 9th century, which inhabited region of the Dnieper river from southern Bielarus down to Kyiv, Ukraine. Around 9th century Western Polans tribe, among others (Masovians, Vistulans, Silesians and Pomeranians), became Polish (hence the name). The Eastern Polans became integrated in union of about twelve East Slavic tribes into Kievan Rus (present Ukraine).

The main god of slavs was Perun, (Thunder god), which ties up directly with Pro-Indo-European (notice name similarity) Perkwunos , from Sanskrit Parjanya, Prussian Perkuns, Lithuanian Perkūnas, Latvian Pērkons, and Norse Fjörgyn. Fjörgyn was replaced by Thor among the Germanic-speaking peoples. The Celtic hammer god Sucellus (also cf. Taranis "Thunderer") is of the same character, but with an unrelated name.

Okinawa book introduction

The three years I spent in Okinawa, Japan, as a youngster straight out of high school became so important to me that I call them my formative years. During that period, I studied Cultural Anthropology of East Asia with a specialization in Japanese Studies. My studies, after returning to the United States, never ended, and over the last 30 years, I have come to understand many concepts I did not grasp in Okinawa. I have read countless books and written many blog posts on the subject. I strongly feel the spirit of the place and a deep longing for its people, even if today no one around me understands what I mean.

I wrote this book for myself to remember, and for my daughters, if in the future they care to understand me.

Most of all, I write to the place itself. The place is not an abstract idea or just a name. Every coral reef, every mountain, and every waterfall holds a sacred spirit called kami, which I want to respect and celebrate in this book.

Thank you to the people I knew back then. You were the kindest people I have met in my whole life. To the people I did not know, thank you for putting up with us foreigners, and sorry for any trouble we caused.

I want to thank my teacher, Dr. Turner-Sacher, who steered me onto the path of anthropology. You changed my life for the better.

My interest is in native cultural anthropology. I will not write about wars or the terrible Battle of Okinawa, nor about American influence on Japanese culture during the post-war occupation.

I want to capture the delicate nuance and warmth that I feel when I think of the culture of those islands.