footnotes

First, Place

Posted by Joe Grant on Apr 17, 2013 in Blog | 6 comments

Even with the best of intentions it is difficult to master the way under unfavorable conditions; living in a quiet place in the bosom of nature is the most conducive for practice. It is better to rely, at first, on the place rather than the mind. Saichō Kyoto. Mt. Hiei, home to the marathon monks. Running with Shogo Aoyagi, Yuki Nakatsuji, Susshi, Sho, Kentaro, Tetsuro, Koichi, Kawata. Kyoto: Fushimi-Inari Shrine, Sumire Matsuda’s Cacao Magic, Neighbor. Tokyo. Hakone group run Odakyu Romance-Car express trail...

Of Mind and Body

Posted by Joe Grant on Apr 15, 2013 in Blog | 8 comments

From the beginning I cherished the high peaks. Kūkai Running the Choishi trail from Kudosan Station to Koyasan Temple (21km) with Taku (SkyHigh Mountain Works), Kawata, Tetsuro, Koichi, Kentaro and Susshi (Neighbor – coffee and running shop). Stayed the night at Muryokoin, a temple in Koyasan, followed by a day of running on the Kohechi trail (70km) from Koyasan to Kumano-Hongu Shrine for which we were joined by Nobu and Sho Fujimaki. New friends, new trails, new perspectives. Blessed and deeply thankful for the...