Zen in Action (2)

When I got New Window fitted in my flat, apparently builders has made a lot of mess which

has not been cleared.   Those mess, wood chips, fragments of concrete pieces etc. went into

the drain pipe and blocked the rain water then created a puddle on the balcony.

= I’ve tried to unblock the drain pipe by a 2m rod without success therefore I contacted them.

[]

So, I’m waiting them to come and clear the problem.

Though, I’m not expecting everything rosy and perfect.   Their men might be prepare to

deal with drain pipe blockage —– but may not anticipating the 3” deep water which could

cause a mess to my floor. => I prepared a cardboard and a door-mat on the floor.

This is the Zen in action.   (You believe or not — read further and see)

[]

Zen is a way to respond the situation on front.   Which is directly relevant

to our life.   Get upset or angry is very remote from the Zen.  It’s need a cool

detached mind, and never imagine or expect others do more than reasonable.

(though, drain blockage is their responsibility and it is beyond my capability).

Still, their wet boots will cause dirty foot-marks inside of my flat = is definitely my problem.

Anticipating the situation down to a detail = is the Mindfulness of the Zen.

And give an insight what those people most likely do, in real situation. 

Therefore, expecting too much is nothing but a Selfish Ego and the Greed.  

And to expect others too-much will creates only a frustration =  better not.

This is the way to have trouble-free life and the peace of mind.

= Zen is neither escape into imaginary world and indulging a useless puzzle, 

but to live a real LIFE in a better way.

Samurai Sword was created by the Psychological Vector = endless aim to get

the job done better and stronger, by one step further, which took hundred of

years to reach to the level of the strongest sword in the human history.

So, they come —– but they did most of the work from the other end of the drain pipe.   😀

= Suddenly, within few minutes, all the water has gone !

Grateful to the professionals who knows better than me. = I’m humbled.   🙂

—– You see, this is the Zen = in Action.  Peace of mind has to come from the

peace in trouble-free Life, not by escaping into imaginary green forest kind.

Neither, it is a way to curb mind-set and blur the vision, but take tangible action.

If the Zen was just sitting and talk abstract,  the Zen quality Japanese products, 

let alone  Samurai Sward were never be created. 

The reason why Zen has been misconceived in the west was, that it was taught by 

monks who got no skill to do anything but just sitting, yet able to speak in English. 

Zen is to DO and to LIVE, not for a subject for a talking shop or spiritual fantasy.

Convinced ?  —– Have a tangible nice day.

___/\___    🙂

[]

Chichibu yo-matsuri / Zen Ethos

Those are the Photos I found in a photo blog Tokyobling.

Tokyobling is reporting from Japan very actively with quite vivid nice photos

and those are from Chichibu yo-matsuri (秩父夜祭) of Saitama (埼玉) =

next north to Tokyo.

Virtually all the traditional festival in Japan is for the local Shinto God.

Hence, Chichibu Yo-matsri is for the Guardian God / Chichibu Daimyojin (秩父大明神) who

said to be the abater of the wolf in Chichibu mountain.

Because of the Wolf God, the festival held in the night, hence Yo-matsuri

( yo or yoru mean night)

Being as a Mountain God, Chichibu Daimyojin is the guardian of the mountain people /

Matagi (またぎ) and Sanka (山窩) all over Japan, who’s occupation was hunting and

wood-crafts, and their descendants too. (Matagi and Sanka remained only in the legend now

still, all the shoe makers and leather crafts men said to be originated from the Yoshino (吉野)

mountain, behind the Nara city.  As they’ve been the supplier of the foot-ware and the parts

of armories to the Nobles and Samurai alike thousand of years as a tradition.

When I did (or helped) a research of the Industrial Sociology study, I met a group of the

construction workers who was the Sanka from Chichibu mountain.   In the site, they live

according to their religion, wearing their own white uniform and praying their God everyday

= they had their own shrine of the Chichibu Daimyojin brought with them ! )

In this stone-age, I have no idea how many people is worshiping

Chichibu Daimyojin now, still in the photographs, I found pretty strong Ethos

is clearly remaining and prevailing.

See the head band of the grandfather holding a baby in the photo.

Head-band was extremely neatly tied.  —–Then, see the other’s.   Not as neat as the

grandfather, still, all of them tied their band in the same style. = All the people sharing the

same Ethos therefore even a cheeky computer-gamer start to behave in a discipline of a

traditional young man without him even noticing it.  (It’s a spirit of the Matsuri.  🙂 )

(Hence, Carl Jung called it Collective Unconsciousness)

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To tie a head-band in THE occasion, is a strong Japanese tradition.

It is not only tie a hair or stop the sweat getting to eyes, it is to tie the MIND.

For a determination or concentration of the SELF, but also to declare or display it to others.

We tie a head-band with the Determination to go with the fate.

In this reason, even the Sward Master Musashi Miyamoto (said to be) tied

a head-band when he fought with his arch rival Kojiro Sasaki. (and Musashi won)

Because of its Samurai and Military connotation, western people has a kind of fear toward

Japanese tie their head-band though, it is not so far from a Hindu people tie a string on

their wrist. —– Normally, a head-band was tied on one’s back to prevent its loose-end

sagging down to block eyes.   So that, tie it up on front may be a Shinto tradition

( in a Matsuri, it is always on front) though, what grandfather’s head-band impressed me

was, its neatness.    Functionally, it may be the same though, as it got to be tied in anyway,

do the better.   It wouldn’t take more than extra one minute yet the difference is clear.

This is the mind set of the Zen.  (Zen is a Mind-set to concentrate and DO the

task better, what ever it may occur in the Life, its mean any body’s any Life,

regardless whether it was a Shinto practice or Christian’s job.

DO the things better and achieve better Life is the Universal Aim of the man.

This is the reason why Zen was often regarded to be Atheist or Non-religion.)

(And this is the reason why Japanese products were often over quality and hard to

compete with cheap copy in its price.  😀 )

[]

What so ever the life, you live and die.   In anyway, it would be more or

less the same.   STILL, aiming the better and do the best, regardless whether

it makes any difference or not, is the way of the Zen.   DO it and DO the BEST.

(down to the minute details, keep DOING its best, this Mind-set is the matter,

not necessary the result, since it is a Pathway to aim the goal =

but not the goal itself — goal / Nirvana would BE given by the Fate or Dharma)

By doing so, you wouldn’t loose a bit.   Since, you couldn’t possibly loose anything because,

you yourself is not exists in the first place.   Hence, you don’t need to afraid of ANYTHING,

even a death. The person lives here isn’t you but the Darma (Rule of the Universe),

hence you can live with full confidence to be the Dharma or a part of it.

This is what [Selfless] really mean (not sacrifice the self  by own idea) and What

Lord Buddha taught. —– or What he revealed,  What the Dharma is.

___/\___

[]

Plum (?) Flower

Well,  whether this one is Plum or Apricot is a difficult question.   Never the less, to my eyes,

this flower is the closest to the Japanese Ume 梅.    Cherry,  Plum,  Apricot,  Peach are all in the

same  Rosaseae family.  And as  Plum, Apricot, Peach belong to the same genus  Prunus, so they

are very close and easy to cross between.  Adding to this,  many more garden varieties exists.

So, here, I just call this flower as plum.  (Ume 梅 said to be called  Japanese Apricot  though  🙂 )

What makes this flower distinctive  (against  Cherry or Peach) is,  not only it blooms earliest

(in February) among the Prunus,  when flower opens,  the leaves starts to shoots as well. 

And something notable about  Ume is,  despite Cherry is the National flower,  when Japanese

select  Tree of Distinction,  they are 松,竹,梅 = Pine, Bamboo and Ume, Ume was regarded above  

Cherry. (I haven’t found the reason why)  In comparison to the Cherry,  Ume is giving rather

sombre impression,  so, if we say the Cherry is Yang,  Ume is Yin and influences where to plant.

Like Sakura (Cherry) spot,  there are many places to see Ume = Kitano Tenman-gu in Kyoto is

the most famous place to visit.  (In there,  Pink  variety as well, which called Kou-bai / 紅梅)

— (This close-up was taken by Canon Fish-eye Lens, while lens was held away from the mount)

Japanese makes Ume fruits to a notorious pickles = Ume-boshi (梅干し) which is only edible to

the Japanese because of its almost poisonously sour and salty taste．（I don’t miss it at all  😀 )

So that, if you put it in Onigiri (おにぎり = Sea-weed wrapped rice ball) it wouldn’t go bad for days. 

(I’m sure,  no germ could survive in such environment  😀 ) 

What I’m wondering more is,  why no genuine Ume was imported and planted in this country ?    

In comparison to have many types of Cherry here,  Ume-like tree is only this type. 

I don’t know why. —– So,  if  anybody knowledgeable there,  please let me know.

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Funny Invention — Creativity or Tradition ?

A toy and the Computer-game manufacturer Bandai

announced a new product called [Smart Pants] a day

or two ago in Japan. It is a cover to protect

the Home-key on iPhone.

As the photo shows, they are the small pants to put on

an iPhone —– I don’t know if Apple says it is an insult.

Ha ha ha. 😀

It is a simple item, you don’t need to use any of your

brain to figure out what it is.

[]

A sort of stereotype, you might think Japanese is a serious decent people though,

don’t forget they are the creator of many notorious Anime Characters or gaming

figure such as Pokemon too !

So that a kind of people who interested in such as Zen culture, and the fan of Japanese Comics /

Manga has been having completely different perception toward them.

—– And then, when those people visited there, they utterly amazed by the mixture of their

real face. —– So, in certain extent, even a monk in a temple speaks like a character

in a comics or to say they resort to the colloquial expression what the people speak.

—– in fact even a son of priest grown up with those comics and the games when

he was a child. 😀

[]

So, if you are knowledgeable to The Zen culture or Japanese tradition, you are rightly to say,

what on earth, how the same Japanese able to conceive and created such outrageous characters.

= it is because your study has been one-sided, ignoring such as the popular culture

among the population, even in the Shogun era = Edo period.

(You might have seen hugely exaggerated Pornographic Utamaro printing, which has been mass

produced and widely circulated right under the nose of Samurai Authority  🙂 )

Heavily Buddhist’s Feudal Society didn’t exclude or suppressed the creativity of the people.

In fact, the ruling class, even some of the local Lords were showing off and enjoying their

extravagance, such as Lord Date was famous of his extremely flashy colourful Kimono and

organizing extravagant parties even attended by the Shogun.

= hence the word Date was established to describe Flashy fashion and such a person.

[]

Well known Kabuki Theatre, the word Kabuki originated from a word Kabuku

= incline (or even twisted) —– extreme costume, the exaggerated make-up

and the special way of voicing created a kind of caricature on the stage.

= utterly unrealistic still realistic in symbolic way.

This kind of double meaning and the double context is always in the Japanese culture such as

in the Poetry and in Haiku.

The more talking about the full blossom of Cherry, it is in fact emphasizing

the fragility of human existences.

So, while producing something serious, in the same time giving a hint of mocking

was seen as a wit or humour and often it was used as satire against the authority.

[]

In this long tradition,  Japanese are pretty good to conceive utterly outrageous fun.

The design of Humanoid Robot was started in this context. And the pretty outrageous but

utterly useless Chin-Hatsumei / 珍発明 (Funny invention) is to name but few of

those example. 😀

So, when Bandai got a project to design a protective cover for iPhone, to conceive a pants

wasn’t a big leap for them. (I know, they are pants  :-D)

You might say, it is not in a good taste or very decent etc etc —– but, otherwise it didn’t

create a stir nor took your attention. = (Otherwise you didn’t even notice it !)

Whether I would buy or not (before considering it, I have to see, I don’t have iPhone 😀 )

still, it seems a fun.    Why not.    (They are sold about £2 each, but may be only in Japan)

—– strangely you may noticed, a joke or metaphor of Zen Master is often very

direct and bad taste too. 😀    (He might say, such consideration came from

timid small fear)     Why do we need to afraid of PANTS.

I like it. (but except your pants)

___/\___

[]

Orchids Photos of Sing Lee

I received beautiful photos of Orchids from my friend,  Sing Lee of China.

Sing Lee  used to be a quite unique Chinese Blogger who showed impressive photos of

their Shang-tang mountain and many beautiful flowers there until his blog/ WordPress

altogether were blocked by their authority.

So, on behalf of him,  I put his photos here,  for the people of the world to see.

As he wrote before, those Orchids were found deep in the Shang-tang mountain,  and

brought to the city,  they could be very rare  new variety or even new species though, 

I don’t have the eyes to tell its name.  —– So,  just enjoy its beauty ! 

And I hope his well-being away from the suffocating air pollution. 

[]

THING(S) — 物から事へ

In Japan, a buzzword used over there in these days seems to be

“ The things to Have” to “the Things to Do” = ( 物から事へ ) as I’ve seen many times

in the opinions of many columnists or writers. —– It sounds well observed, well said though,

wait a moment, in reality, this is only a superficial yet another buzzword to the mass,

who wants to be seen cleverer.

[]

On the beginning, the idea was conceived that “Unlike a function, fixed in a

device, the Apps in the latest gadget would be chosen and used by a consumer

= this is the fundamental change of the character to be a device = device

which is [A THING to be] to [A MATTER what to DO with].

To change a consumer as a mere passive user to active Doer.

—– IS IT ?

[]

In reality, this is yet another sales drive of the manufacturer. = Just a buzzword.

Instead to sell a device with the designated, pre-planed function, but selling additional

so-called App is to save a cost to invent and develop the function by themselves but taking

them from the clever developers all over the world.

Hence, such as iPhone can sell App from their App shop, creating even more profit without

spending their developing cost.

And giving a false impression to the user that they are the commander and a

user to use the device which has unique combination of the Apps.

[]

A Thing, which got value in  itself is a precious metal or precious stone, otherwise

something with sentimental, religious value,  which is in fact a value in the mind.

Other than those, everything else are related to our action, what we do with it.

A stone can drive you to throw it, or use it to crack a nut (even chimpanzee does 🙂 )

Even with a mono-functioned Sound-recorder, some are using it to record music, others

using it for news report. What has been recorded, and its variation is never the same to any

other device.   The evidence of what the one DID, a reflection of one’s life.

The matter is not to have a device but what to DO with it. = the situation is always

the same, not happen today in Japan.   And what caused its “What” is all came from one’s

mind-set.

[]

If any changes in the mass tendency in Japan exists, it was not caused by the change of their

philosophy, but simply they got one already (market has been saturated) or

no more spare money left in their pocket.   As simple as that.   😀

And the simple answer is, whether have or have not, if want to DO, JUST DO.

[]

Foreign Notion

 —————-          — Tsurugi-dake 剱岳（富山県) (2999 m high)in Winter.

Among the old members of our Alpine Club, since one of member lost 4 of her friends in

avalanche in the Tsurugi mountain —– some Email conversation has been taking place.

In there, famous words of George Mallory = “Why you go to mountain ?”

“ Because it’s there” quoted again.

Though, the nuance in Japanese is slightly different. = It has been treated somewhat

special philosophical words   🙂

[]

—– If there is a field near house, kids or whoever walk into the field. If a river running,

kids or adults alike may jump into and have a fun, swim or even fishing.

—– Is it anything special ? = Mallory meant exactly the same. He meant,

it is nothing special even goes to mountain is just another activity of the

daily life = why not   🙂

But, when it was translated into Japanese “何故なら,山がそこに在るからだ/ Naze-nara,

Yama ga soko-ni arukara da” it started to have (or misunderstood) something special.

(One of the reason was, as the translator configured the words in formal “Translation style”

and no Japanese says like it in a casual conversation = more likely they say

“Datte, soko-ni aru ja nai ?” or “Soko-ni arukara sa”

—– from its style and a heavy connotation (because, Mallory was a famous man = not

a man on the street) the people took “It should have something heavy extra meaning” 😀

[]

When I read the English translation of [Heart Mantra] in the first time, it

literally astonished me how it was simple and plain.

No ghost, no mambo-jumbo left there at all. —– In certain extent,

Buddhism seemed to have lost its mythical connotation to me.

Japanese read Buddhist’s mantras in Chinese written form (with a lots of unfamiliar

complicated characters :-)) therefore the word itself sound literally foreign, not

mention the vagueness of its meanings => giving very mythical connotation.

[]

The situation is the same in most of the foreign cultures, even in a cooking.

= Western people complains, when Japanese boils pasta, it was over boiled to too soft.

In the same time, eastern people complains “Why westerner cook noodle so soft and

make it soggy” —– as they didn’t know what it should be in the original form, they

tend to think “If it was still raw, it must be awful, so that it is safer to cook longer”

and end-up eating quite unlikely food   😀 

Mimic the action is easy though, to know where to stop the action needs

to be grown-up in its culture. 

(I’ve learned this while clapping the hand in the Flamenco-dance Music  😀 )

[]

On the time of Lord Buddha, I don’t think the most of his followers were literate. And

Lord Buddha didn’t teach them in sophisticated Sanskrit but in colloquial Pari.

And, I don’t think it was a complicated philosophical or mythical thought but more likely

plain wisdom in the daily life. —– it’s mean, when the teachings were written down

after 200 years lapse, it is easy to guess, the teachings were much more formalized and

glorified by the person who were well educated (hence familiar with Sanskrit = Vedic

notions) while following the Sanskrit literature and its notions as a model.

This must be the reason why even in the earliest scriptures still having many

contradictory descriptions especially in the point,

Lord Buddha has denied the existence of the perpetual soul (Atman in Vedic belief) why

the past or future life exists = Mix-up with Brahmanism (Hindu) occurred in very early stage.

[]

It happens even within the same culture, it would be inevitable between foreign culture.

To drink a tea with different mix of formula, such as in India, garlic in a tea believed to be

good to cure the cold.   Chinese treat the tea as a herbal drink, though to make it as a level

of Ceremony seems to be an over-boiled pasta 😀

So, I wouldn’t go to the idea if Mallory believed that the mountain has

a holy spirit.—– “It’s just there” 

(The reason why the Buddhists treat the Dharma mythical is because

the most of it is unknowable and invisible to our humble eyes.)

___/\___

[]

Nattou (納豆) = Japanese food, others dread !

 

(Photo left ;  Nattou I found in a Japanese food shop = £1.5 for 3~4 packages. 

It comes with light colored soy-source and mustard. 

Photo right ; Mixed all together with added spring onion = just in a minute, it’s ready to eat  )

You know, Nattou is the most popular food in Japan —– still, so far, I never seen

any westerner ever eat,  let alone liked it.  😀

Nattou is a fermented soy-bean.  To make it, soy-bean was just boiled and placed between a

straw-mat and kept overnight, that’s all, nothing else.   No trick, no additive, even no need to put

yeast kind of bacteria = in fact, the bacteria  [Bactillus Subtilis var. natto] naturally comes from the

straw or any kind of dried grass hence fermentation will be naturally taking place.

( —– though, today the production was automatized in the factory where no straw

in sight = using cultivated pure bacteria instead, still some enthusiast making it

in traditional way   )

[]

In nature, bacteria are everywhere, include inside of our body and some are doing pretty good

job helping digestion etc, but others are not necessary so, and cause illness.

Some are working to decompose the milk to make it a cheese, or to make a wine etc etc =

as long as it works useful to us, it is called fermentation otherwise called rotten.

So, fermented soy-bean is = to Japanese, it is a great fermentation but to rest of

the world, it is nothing but rotten. 😀

Rotten, because it smells like rotten and the bean became covered with sticky slime.

(In the same context, many of cheese here smells nothing but awfully rotten to the Japanese)

[]

To eat Nattou, Japanese are mixing it with soy-source, generally with mustard

and finely chopped spring onion — some people even prefer to add raw egg-yolk

to make it more slimy. (how delicious !  😀 )

As the protein of soy-bean has been decomposed by the bacteria, it is much more digestible and

nutritional value is much higher than just boiled soy-bean. = Hence, Nattou is an indispensable

part of healthier Japanese food life.

And an interesting point is, as Japanese are familiar with slimy Nattou, they also

eat many slimy food such as Okra, name but few.

—– You may not think,  Okra is slimy food because you eat them boiled.

But, Japanese eat it raw by cutting it into thin slices and mixed with dried fish flaks and drip of

soy-source = if you cut, you will notice, it got slimy mucilage =this texture is what

Japanese are after.   ( I’ll write about this kind of cooking more on a coming post 🙂

[]

Incidentally, Okra is a sister of Hollyhock or Marshmallow, and a cousin of

Hibiscus = all in the same Malvaceae family hence if you clash those plant between your

fingers you will feel it has slimy texture inside = using this slimy mucilage property,

a soft sweets  [Marshmallow] was originally created, as its name suggests.

(But today’s Marshmallow is an almost artificial sponge made by substitute) 

And using its slimy substance as a fiber-bonding glue, Malveceae plants has been used for the

paper making —– you believe or not 🙂 )   As a matter of fact, lots of food such as cheap

Ice-cream couldn’t keep its soft creamy texture without having those slimy additives.  

So, you may read a name of  Zantan-gum on a food packages, it’s a slime created

by the rotten Cabbage ! —– horrified ?  — Or you accept your unavoidable fate,

and start eating Nattou ? 😀

[]

—– thanks to its pure vegetarian contents, Nattou is very popular in the

Buddhist’s temple menu hence if any westerner had a chance to stay in a temple

= it would be a real dread as well, to face Nattou.  😀

But, I know, to get know to eat Nattou would be rewarded by really healthy life.

To open your mind (and the Mouth), it is the Zen —– ? —– really ?

Yah, —– may be. —- Ha ha ha 😀

___/\___

[]

Sushi Party

Me and the Artists friends, who also being involved in education, training program to the

disadvantaged people had a Sushi Party at a flat where those two are living.  I prepared some

in my place and brought up to their flat. —– I used to have a Sushi party in my place though,

my flat runs out of the space to receive the guests  😀 —– Preparation for Temaki Sushi is just

cut the material to a stick shape, other than the shoppings  🙂  —– So, cutting is very easy, but

the hardest part I always found was = to get the best Avocado, = matured still not too soft  😀

(So, all the ingredients were prepared and cut into a stick shape for roll-up.

Photo left = Cucumber, Seafood Stick and the front three were  Cooked Kombu (Kelp seaweed),

Cooked fried Tofu ( Soybean Curd) and Cooked Shiitake mushroom = those three were

boiled together in one hour or so, then Soy-sauce, a bit of sugar, vinegar were added = they

were the improvisation and the substitute  of cooked Japanese Kanpyo (Dried Marlow) = as

Kombu and the Shiitake act as Dashi (taste base) no other Dashi was needed.

Photo middle = Salmon and front left was a substitute of Shime Saba (marinated Mackerel)

= Herring Rollmop and dark colored one was Tuna.

Photo right = Avocado, Cucumber and the front = Flied Egg and the Cheddar Cheese. )

So, I did some cooking and brought those to their flat in a big logistic operation and 

I made famous Miso soup as well.  😉

To cook Sushi-rice to ideal condition is the most tricky part of Sushi making = Rice had to be

washed and soaked in the water over-night though, bring a big pan with soaked rice in water is

too awkward = so, next day, I drained the water and measured its amount ( for five or six people

I put 3 cups ( 1 cup = 250 ml ) of rice into a pan, and after washed, the water was completely

drained, then I put 4 cups of water for over-night soaking.    Next day the water I drained was 

3.5  cup = so, I added back the same amount of water in their kitchen,  then put it on fire.

= When the rice started to boil vigorously,  put the fire down to very small, and made it to

shimmer another 10 minutes. 

Then change the cooked rice to a big bowl and let it cool down, and to add the Vinegar and

Sugar though this time I mixed the rice with Sushi Powder.  (Sushi powder was made with

dried vinegar hence it prevent the rice become soggy —– but I found, it was a bit too sweet) 

Photo middle was prepared Prawn for Nigiri Sushi (My friend Alberto was very keen to it  🙂 )

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Temaki Sushi is, to take some amount of rice on a piece of  Nori (1/4 cut of the Nori sheet) then

put any ingredient(S) which was dripped in the Soy-sorce with Wasabi — then role it and eat  🙂

—–Every body try to use chop-stick  (it was not obligatory though  😀 ) some were well

managed but some were not.  As sushi has been well adapted in the west, the matter to cook it

by ourself is, where to get material or how improvised. = Instead to stick with traditional

ingredients, such as use of Avocado was  invented in California — may be use Herring Rollmop

was my invention still they quite liked it   🙂 

The party was a good success as everybody eat to the full or even over   😀

(Second round was requested )

[]

Happy New Year 2013

Happy New Year to all those who is visiting and supported my blog. 

I hope it would inspire and cause more active and fulfilling life

on the 2013 and ahead for you. 🙂 

Yoshizen  aka  Kinetorori

___/\___