@jyokota and I visited Echigo-Yuzawa, a rather well-known small Japanese town known for its skiing and was the setting for Nobel Laureate Yasunari Kawabata's novel, "Yukiguni," or "Snow Country." They reguarly get 4-5 meters of snow each season, and houses one of Junko's favorite antique shops that we've encountered. We missed this man's shop last trip, so at three and a half years since our first visit, we were pleased that the 85-year old owner remembered us.
We spent a lot of time opening wooden boxes and having this sweet man show us his "children." The title of this photograph is a frequent phrase he says when he just can't part with some of his treasures. One that he was able to let go of was a gorgeous dark bamboo tea spoon for the Japanese tea ceremony that has a black lacquer back with whisps of gold. In addition, he was so kind to give me a "present" of a rare mustard-colored tea bowl.
The man spends much of his time seated on a platform at the center of his store among inscripted wooden boxes and artifacts from a time long past. Here he is inspecting the writing on the bottom of a commemorative sake cup.
Sigh. I want to go visit him in his store again. I'm so glad that you took this photo, but also glad you wrote up the story of his visit. He's the age my father would have been . . .
July 29th, 2018
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