My Morning in Rural Japan

My mornings in rural Japan are slow and quiet. I wake up on my futon and take a moment to sit up straight in a cross-legged position. I scan my body, notice whether there is any tension or pins and needles, and allow my mind to settle before I start the day.

Once I stand up, I fold the futon and blanket and place them back into the closet next to the tokonoma. Then I slide open the shoji doors that lead to the engawa and pull aside the thick curtains. The white sheer curtains stay closed. I peek through them and take a quick look at the garden and the morning sky.

After a short stop in the toilet, I roll out my yoga mat on the tatami floor beside the tokonoma. This is where I spend the next one and a half to two hours, practicing yoga in complete silence and with my eyes closed. No phone, no television, no noise. It is a clean start to the day without anything invading my space.

When the practice is done, I get dressed and move to the kitchen. I clear the dishes my wife left before going to work, empty the dishwasher from the cycle that finished during the night, and refill it with new dishes. I check the laundry basket, start a wash cycle and clear any cluttered spaces if needed.

On weekdays, Chappie, my beagle buddy, arrives. He joins me in the home office for about one and a half hours. Before settling in, I go outside with him into our garden. We play, run around and let him sniff every corner he wants. Sometimes I prune a few plants or trim the shrubs while he continues exploring. Other times, he lies down on his seat, half asleep, watching me type my blog.

Time moves quickly during these quiet routines. Before I notice it, my mother-in-law returns from the gym to pick up Chappie, and the morning has already disappeared into the early afternoon. That is when I have lunch. I never eat breakfast because my yoga practice must be done on an empty stomach. I eat only twice a day, lunch and dinner.

This is what my mornings look like in rural Japan — slow, structured and without hurry. They set the pace for the rest of the day.