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Title:  Daily meditation: An integral part of aging gracefully

Presenter: Chris Ruddenlau

Time & Day: 8 PM-9 PM, Thursday, February 22, 2024

Zoom Link: Please email Amanda here.

 

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Outline: Daily meditation practice is an integral part of aging gracefully and accepting with ease of mind the
changes we are all facing. I have always had a passion for the concept of meditation but it was not
until I read a book on mindfulness and discovered a simple course starting with 1 minute meditations
and slowly building up over time, that I discovered techniques that worked and stuck. Since then, the
daily practice has extended from 1 minute to 30 minutes to an hour, and moved from lying on my
bed to seated with the help of cushions in a half lotus. 

 

Slowly, I now feel much better equipped to face the uncertainties of life and its endless problems. Now I feel

more able to observe and watch as problems come and go by. Seated still on my stage in the middle of the river of life I feel able to watch the drama flow past. I have often wondered where the resilience and depth of mindful kindness, plus the culture of maintaining and creating beauty in human relationships, ever present in Thailand and Laos, my second home, have come from. Of course there is kindness in our own countries, be it Japan or Western countries. But in Laos it is at a different level, it is a culturally conditioned part of daily life. It is deeply moving and not just moving emotionally. The kindness is very obvious and you experience it all the time in all, human interactions. While Laos is not a perfect society, these elements that are lived and are based
on Lao people’s Buddhist practices make the country a mindfully kind place to be. 
 

My journey has taken me to become the moderator for the Armadale Meditation Group, part of the
Buddhist Society of Western Australia. This group, led by Ajahn Brahm, a warm-hearted English
man, follows the teachings of Ajahn Chah in the Thai/Lao forest monk tradition. The beauty of these
teachings is that they are simple and practical. The Monks welcome and make a place for all
religions and all people without seeking converts, only looking to be truly and deeply mindfully kind.
In this talk I will open with chanting and reflections, move on to a brief guided meditation that can be
done seated, standing, walking, or even lying down before opening to questions.

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Title: Yoga to Banish the Winter Blues on Zoom

Presenter: Eleanor (Ellie) Smith

Date & Time: 9-10 pm, January 24, 2024

Zoom Link: Please email Amanda here.

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Outline: January can often be a bleak time of the year for many of us. The cold means we may not get out as much as we'd like, and the lack of sunshine can impact our mood. All that can culminate in feeling quite glum as we sideline our well-intentioned New Year's Resolutions and crawl back under the Kotatsu. 

In this workshop/discussion, I'll talk about how yoga can be an anecdote to all that, helping us to stay mobile and perhaps even cheerful, without needing to leave the comfort of our home. I'll cover three main components of yoga including asana (poses), pranayama (breathwork), and dhyana (meditation). In particular, I'll be talking about some common misconceptions that might deter us from even starting yoga, how to modify yoga to suit your unique needs, and the benefits it can bring that aren't often advertised. I'll provide a 10-minute practice that you can take with you wherever you are, seated, no yoga mat needed. 

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2023.20.12 Counterpoint  Online Year End Get-Together

Day: Wednesday

Time: 8PM-9PM

Zoom Link: Please email Amanda here.

We are planning 2 breakout room sessions. The first will be for people to meet others in their region of Japan.

Here are our suggestions for the rooms:

 

1. Hokkaido and Tohoku

2. Kanto

3. Kansai

4. Chubu and Shikoku

5. Kyushu and Okinawa

 

The second breakout session will be for people to join a discussion on what they would like help with and/or how they can contribute to the Counterpoint network. We will have rooms for the following topics:

1. Technical support (helping members with technical questions and helping with work on the website)

2. Topics and speakers for future meetings

3. Other activities, both face-to-face and online (e.g. more hiking, starting a book club, music-related activities, film/movie club, etc.)

4. Future long term goals and directions and a slogan for Counterpoint

This will be followed by feedback and announcements for our January and February activities.

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2023.11.19  Counterpoint Fall Hike

 

What: A gentle hike along the Yamanobe-no-michi trail ' (山辺の道) from Tenri in Nara to Omiwa Shrine. 

This is an easy trail to walk (no mountains to climb) and it passes through pretty villages and miles of countryside. Please see the link for more details.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4189.html

Where and when to meet: By the 7-Eleven convenience store in the plaza space outside Tenri station at 10:00.

What to bring: Water and a hot drink if it is chilly.

Also, bring a light lunch to eat on the way and some snacks for energy. 

Expected walking time

If we stop for breaks and lunch on the way, it will take about 5 hours from Tenri to Omiwa Shrine.

If you would like to join, and/or have any questions, please send an email to Amanda.

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2023.11.19  Counterpoint Fall Hike PHOTOS

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2023.09.30-10.01  Living on the Edge Conference 2023

 

We are very excited to announce that the Living on the Edge 2023 conference will take place at the end of this month and that it will be face-to-face for the first time after the coronavirus pandemic. It was at the online conference last year that Counterpoint got underway with a discussion session. This year, we will be giving a presentation with a Q & A session under the title "How Counterpoint has been coming together and goals for the future". The conference will be held at Doshisha Women's University in Kyoto (the Imadaegawa campus) from September 30 – October 1. The Counterpoint presentation is on October 1 in the afternoon. 

 

For information and to register for the conference, please go to this website: https://kyotojalt.org/?p=11316

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2023.07.27   19:30-21:00

Making a Living Will   Living Will/エンディング ノート*(Hybrid event)*

 

* Please go to the Resources page for notes and slides from this event. 

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The topic this time is Making a Living Will. We will share what we learned when a group of us visited the Senior Citizens' Advice and Information Center in Kyoto in April 2023. A Living Will is completely different from a regular will in Japan which deals only with assets, property, and donations. A Living Will deals with your personal wishes for treatment and care in case of an accident, or illness, or when aging and you are not able to express your needs and desires. It informs your family and friends about what you would like to happen to you in such an event and in the case of your unexpected death. This may sound a gloomy document to work on, but once completed, you can rest assured that your wishes will be known and respected. We will outline what information is included, what information you will need to provide, and how to go about making a Living Will of your own. 

 

Date: July 27, 19:30 ~ 21:00

Location: For people who plan to attend in person 

MUZ ART PRODUCE

#202, Miyoi Bldg. 
373,  Karigane-cho 
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
604-8115 
Japan

Tel: +81(0)75-205-5396
Fax: +81(0)75-205-5404

〒604-8115 
京都市中京区雁金町373 
みよいビル202

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2023.06.17 or 06.25 Late Spring Hike in Kyoto

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We will choose the date depending on the weather. If it is raining on the first day, we will try
again on the second day. If it is raining on both days, we will postpone until September.

Plan A June 17 (Sat)
Plan B June 25 (Sun)

Please let us know which route you would prefer this time. (We can do the other route and
many more at a future date.)

Possible routes:
Western Kyoto: Omuro 88 stations Pilgrimage circuit (next to Ninnaji Temple)
This is a fun circuit that is a mini version of the pilgrimage route in Shikoku. There are wonderful
views of Kyoto on the way. It takes about 90 minutes to walk. We can relax in the wonderful
gardens of Ninnaji Temple afterward.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/japan/kyoto/ninna-ji-temple-omuro-pilgrimage
Meeting time and place: 10:30 outside the front entrance to Ninnaji Temple. Bring a light picnic
lunch and plenty of water or other fluids, sunscreen, and insect repellant.
Or
Eastern Kyoto: Higashiyama to Fushimi Inari (on part of the Kyoto Trail)
This is a longer hike but not steep or difficult. We’ll start from the back entrance of Kiyomizu
temple and walk along the Kyoto Trail on Higashiyama and past Senryuji temple to Fushimi.
Then walk up Inari Mountain (the steepest part of the trail through the tunnels of torii) and
down to the main entrance and the train stations. People can return to Kyoto or elsewhere on
the JR and Keihan Lines.

Meeting time and place: 10:30 outside the front entrance to Kiyomizu Temple. (We will walk
through the gardens to the back entrance so no need to pay the entrance fee.) Bring a light
picnic lunch and plenty of water or other fluids, sunscreen, and insect repellant.
This describes the route we will take in reverse (from Fushimi Inari to Higashiyama)
https://kyoto-trail.net/course_higashi1_e.html

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2023. 05.31 Online talk by Bridget Scott

Title: Simple exercises to rebalance and reconnect with our energy/ki

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Bridget Scott trained in Kyoto with shiatsu masters Ryokyu and Mayu Endo from 1992 to 2001. Since qualifying as a shiatsu practitioner, she has been giving shiatsu treatments and teaching shiatsu classes and workshops in Ichijoji, Kyoto. Bridget practices qi gong and performs butoh and traditional Japanese dance. For more information: www.bridgetscott.com

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Outline:

In our modern lives, we spend most of our time using devices, whether working on computers or cell phones. How does this affect our energy/ki, bodies, and posture? There’s a tendency for our ki to get stuck in our heads so that we can lose the sense of ki flowing in our whole body.

In this workshop, I will introduce some simple and practical exercises to help us to rebalance and reconnect with ki flowing in our whole body. There will be three parts to the workshop:
1. A grounding exercise.  
2. An exercise rotating the joints in the body.  
3. Face shiatsu.

Make sure you have space around you to stand up and move your limbs. Also, you will be pressing points on your face, so have clean hands and short fingernails! Face shiatsu can be done sitting at your desk or lying down just listening and following my instructions. Please prepare your space as you like.

Hopefully, after this workshop, you will feel refreshed, relaxed, and ready for a good night’s sleep!
 

2023 April meeting plans (field trip date and online meeting date to be announced)

Title: Field trip to Kyoto’s 高齢者情報相談センターand online reporting about what we learned

 

Outline: In April, we are planning a short field trip to the government office in Kyoto that offers support for the aging community in Kyoto. It is called the 高齢者情報相談センター

(京都府民のための安心相談窓口) (Senior Citizen Information Consultation Center

(Peace of Mind Consultation Desk for Kyoto Residents). When Rebecca visited recently, they were very excited because she was the first non-Japanese resident to inquire about their service. It seems they haven't considered the needs of people like the Counterpoint community. Among things, they offer a pamphlet titled エンディングノートわたしからあなたへwhich is a guide to making something like what we might call A Living Will. This is not a legal document but a personal document to help others know your wishes.  The center is run by the prefecture. The 京都SKYセンター075 221 1265 at Marutamachi / Karasuma. If you live in Kyoto and would like to join the small group of Counterpoint members who visit this office, please let me know. We will report our findings at the April online meeting. If people living in other cities know of such offices and services in their area, please also pay them a visit and report back to the group.

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2023. 03. 22 Online Zoom discussions in breakout rooms

Title: Getting to know each other and finding out what we want to do together

 

Outline: We'll meet on Zoom and go quickly into random breakout rooms for 5 minutes to get to meet new people and catch up with old friends. We will repeat this with different random rooms. Then we will create breakout rooms where your suggested topics will be discussed for 15 minutes. You can move freely from room to room during those 15 minutes if you wish. This will be repeated so people can join a new discussion or return to the same room. We will end with general feedback comments from anyone who wishes to share them.

 

The topics you sent in are:

1. Exchange information on how we can get help with the administrative paperwork needed if our Japanese partner dies first (e.g., financial planning, insurance advice, and other kinds of administrative support). 

2. Suggestions for good medical practitioners (dentists, gynecologists, skincare, etc.)
3. Starting a choir
4. Pottery classes
5. Hula dance lessons
6. Walking and hiking in the Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Kobe area
7. Starting a book circle 
8. Sharing films and TV series that we can recommend

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2023. 02.23 Online talk by Nathalie

Title: Why and how people who are retired or retiring this year should fill in a tax return 

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Outline:

Nathalie is a post-graduate with diplomas in three majors: mathematics, applied to social science, computer science applied to company management, and bank and finance. She has worked and lived in Japan for more than 30 years, but currently, her main occupation focuses on two main projects: 

• Improving the quality of care and access to the medical system in Japan for foreigners,

• Providing relevant information and support for any administrative issue through the site Infos Locales au Japon (Local information in Japan).

 

The goal of Infos Locales au Japon (https://www.infoslocalesaujapon.org) is to translate into French the relevant administrative documents that exist in Japanese. English speakers can click on the flag at the top left of the screen and select English to read it.

This site exists so that foreign residents who cannot read, understand, and speak Japanese

• know about all the paperwork, 

• understand and fulfill their rights and duties,

• find help to get to the right administration or support group, and provide help resources for people who do not know where to find help.

The support center is open in French mostly, but Nathalie does answer to English speakers if necessary. The service is free of charge, so that, for all and mainly for the individuals in Japan, it is offered as if it were a public service.

 

This time’s discussion will tackle the whys and how to fill in a tax return for people who retire within the year or who are retired. And for those who wonder about it, yes, even if you do not have to pay taxes, it may be good to fill in the tax return, because it can bring some money back in some situations, so there will be some explanations about that.

We will also talk about 

• Where and how to fill in the tax return, and who can help for free, which can be very useful when we do not have a large income.

• How to declare the retirement pension we get from our home country, which we absolutely need to declare in Japan.

• How to get a refund of the taxes from the pension in Japan, when it applies, and what factors could make it even better. 

• How to fill and calculate our taxes to know what to expect 

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2023. 01. 26 Online talk by Chikako Ueda

Title: Answers to your questions about the Kaigo Hoken system

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Outline: Chikako is a Kaigo Hoken care manager and a shiatsu and mogusa practitioner. She is eager to answer your questions about the Kaigo Hoken system, how it works, and the kinds of benefits and services it provides. Please send any questions you have about Kaigo Hoken so that Chikako can prepare her answers. 

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2022.12.18 Online members meeting

Title: Plans for the Future of Counterpoint

 

Outline: This time, we will not have a guest speaker. Our network is growing and Shirley Ando has been building our website, so we have a lot to discuss about future plans and directions for our network. Here are the topics we would like to discuss with you in the meeting:

 

1. Future plans for Counterpoint in 2023 and beyond

2. Launching our website

3. Starting in-person events

4. The introduction of a small membership fee to cover the cost of running a website with no advertising.

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2022.11.30 Online talk by Stewart Wachs (with assistance from his wife Etsuko)

Title: A Parkinson’s Patient’s Story of How Japanese Health Insurance Systems Can Help Us Cope with Aging 

 

Outline:

Denial of aging is natural. But as we become older, our chances increase of an illness or injury that could seriously limit our mobility and independence. These situations can lead us to spend a lot of our savings for home nursing care, assistance, and possibly special medical equipment or home modifications. Moreover, we may face financial barriers to very expensive but needed treatments. For those of us who have decided to live the rest of our lives in Japan, however, kaigo hoken can save us some hard-earned money and tokutei shikan can too, while making a significant difference in the quality of our life. A Parkinson’s patient will tell his personal story. 

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2022. 10. 10 Online meeting with Kyoto JALT Social Justice and Language Teaching working group

Title: Starting and Building the Counterpoint support network

 

Outline: 

Counterpoint is a newly formed network that aims to support non-Japanese residents who expect to spend their lives in Japan. The members are not all English speakers or language teachers, but we share Japan as our home with the members of the Kyoto JALT Chapter’s Social Justice and Language Teaching working group (SJ & LT). In this meeting, Counterpoint members will explain to the SL & LT working group how this is informal.

 

2022. 9. 21 Online talk by Namiko Tsuruta 

Title: What International Residents Need Know to Thrive in Japan

 

Outline: Being a returnee in my own country, I have had to learn many things (and often the hard way), after living on my own in my late twenties. Working in eikaiwa as a teacher trainer and a “cultural ambassador” of sorts, and meeting and working with hundreds of English teachers from around the world has given me a unique window into their struggles living in a foreign country. Being fluent in Japanese but not completely literate, I am very sympathetic to the concerns and problems regarding the accessibility of important information from our local communities.

 

I am currently the Program Director of the Global Language Institute and Creative Director of thetokyolife.jp. With my new management position, I have tried in the past few years to be more vocal about our support for our diverse teachers, learners, communities, and businesses in Kanto through our training sessions, interviews, and presentations. But it has mostly been through our website, The Tokyo Life, where we are learning what the needs are and how we can be more helpful in supporting our international communities. 

 

We feature essential information and have hired writers from the international community to share their varied experiences in Japan, i.e. during the pandemic, paternity leave, health care, pension, etc. Information in English is not always accurate, and Japanese links with English support are not always accessible due to poor translation or no language support. 

 

We would like to bridge the gap and hope to continue providing information that can be more easily accessed or understood in English. Moreover, to help newer residents, we have provided Japanese support when necessary, so they can understand and use the proper phrases or vocabulary when communicating with people face to face at city hall, the post office, etc. 

 

While I may not have all the answers, please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions or share your thoughts about what kind of information you would like more access to, or what kind of support you seek in your communities. During our session together, I would like to be of service in any way I can to alleviate your stress and help you thrive in your current environment.