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Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey
Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey | Marie Mutsuki Mockett
7 posts | 7 read | 16 to read
“Read it. You will be uplifted.”—Ruth Ozeki, Zen priest, author of A Tale for the Time Being Marie Mutsuki Mockett's family owns a Buddhist temple 25 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In March 2011, after the earthquake and tsunami, radiation levels prohibited the burial of her Japanese grandfather's bones. As Japan mourned thousands of people lost in the disaster, Mockett also grieved for her American father, who had died unexpectedly. Seeking consolation, Mockett is guided by a colorful cast of Zen priests and ordinary Japanese who perform rituals that disturb, haunt, and finally uplift her. Her journey leads her into the radiation zone in an intricate white hazmat suit; to Eiheiji, a school for Zen Buddhist monks; on a visit to a Crab Lady and Fuzzy-Headed Priest’s temple on Mount Doom; and into the "thick dark" of the subterranean labyrinth under Kiyomizu temple, among other twists and turns. From the ecstasy of a cherry blossom festival in the radiation zone to the ghosts inhabiting chopsticks, Mockett writes of both the earthly and the sublime with extraordinary sensitivity. Her unpretentious and engaging voice makes her the kind of companion a reader wants to stay with wherever she goes, even into the heart of grief itself.
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jlhammar
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A fascinating and moving look at Japanese culture and spirituality in relation to grief following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Really good.

#OminousOctober #Dead
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Looks good!! 2y
Eggs Beautiful 🧡 2y
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mhillis
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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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#TBRtemptation I saw this on the shelves of an #indie bookstore this week. It gets great reviews and involves Japan's prefecture Fukushima. You know that area b/c of the tsunami and nuclear plant. We know it because it's where my husband's ancestral home lies.

alanacristin This sounds fascinating! Thanks for sharing 🌸 fyi, my husband is also Japanese but from the south 🎌 8y
Dvmheather I loved that one! 8y
BellaBookNook Oh Barbara this one sounds like it must land on my TBR. 8y
See All 9 Comments
BarbaraTheBibliophage @alanacristin You're welcome! My husband is actually second generation Japanese American (nesei). But he is still in touch with family in Japan - given the language barrier. 8y
Laalaleighh Have you read A tale for the time being. It touches on Fukushima a bit. 8y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Dvmheather Well, heck, that's all the endorsement I need! 8y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @BellaBookNook Glad to be able to share! 8y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Laalaleighh No, I haven't. Thanks 8y
Laalaleighh You're welcome! 8y
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alysonimagines
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As a biracial American with Japanese heritage, I appreciate Marie Mutsuki Mockett's insightful memoir. Her geographic journey across her mother's home country Japan after the Fukushima nuclear disaster is also a spiritual journey in which she explores death rituals in Japanese religion and culture as a way of coming to terms with her own grief. Mockett's beautifully articulate observations enable me to appreciate Japan in greater depth.

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alisonrose
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Now reading - I have a feeling this is gonna tear me up inside...

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Tonton
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Just started this now. I like her thoughtful style and her family's connection with Zen temple and Tohoku gives a new calm perspective from the extremes of Japan analysis. Aside from very minor quibble overall, she drew me in and I've lived in Japan years.

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MiraPtacin
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Pickpick

This is the kind of book where you ask pretty please to stay in the car to read while your partner does the grocery shopping. It's solid and stoic and excellent.

BookishFeminist My partner and I frequently make library/grocery store trips. I'm always asking him to do the grocery shopping while I stay in the car to dive into my new book haul. 😂 9y
shawnmooney This is on my list! Looks so good… 9y
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