Episode 127 - Food, Inns and Tradition

This photo shows part of a full Japanese traditional dinner set my family had during our 2003 Hokkaido journey.

Japanese hotels or ryokans usually provide dinners to their guests. At the time a reservation is made, a guest will be asked whether he wishes to have 1. "pure staying" - means a guest room only; or 2. "one stay one eating" - means a guest room plus dinner; or 3. "one stay two eatings" - means a guest room plus dinner and breakfast.

In western style hotels, dinners or breakfasts are usually served, in the form of buffets, in the main restaurants of the hotels. However, in traditional Japanese ryokans or hotels with Japanese style rooms, the dinners as provided can be very special.

1. The dinner time is decided by the guest;
2. It is served inside the room of the guest.
3. As you can see from the photo, a traditional dinner set is really great and you can enjoy the best food of the season in one go.

A dinner set like this is quite expensive but it is worth trying if you have not had one before.

Traditional Japanese breakfast is, however, not very much impressive, unless you love to have rice in the morning.

Episode 126 - Bridge of Love

These photos were taken at the Fishermen's Wharf at Danshui, Taipei.

Danshui is an old town in Taipei. If you take the subway at downtown Taipei, you will arrive here within half an hour's time. Danshui is the terminal station of the subway line so you will not miss the station.

The Fishermen's Wharf is not located at the town centre. However, it's worth taking a leisure walk in the Danshui Old Town, tasting the delicious local food before boarding a bus or a steamboat to the Fishermen's Wharf.

The Fishermen's Wharf features a beautiful white bridge and a long boardwalk (see photos) along the coastal line.

Whilst lovers like to walk along the boardwalk to enjoy the beautiful sunset of Danshui, the "Just Married" couples like to take photos on the white bridge.

Episode 125 - Fish from the Sea

This photo was taken in Tai O in 2003.

A hawker was selling "sea fish" near the footbridge.

I did not verify the position on that day, but the "sea fish" as sold by hawkers in circumstances like this is usually a little bit tricky.

The fish as sold is sea water fish. There is no doubt of it.

What is misleading is that the "sea fish" on sale is, in most circumstances like this, raised up in a fish farm, instead of caught by fishermen in the open sea.

If you have ever tasted a fish caught in the open sea, you will not enjoy eating a farm fish again. The meat of a farm fish is simply dry and tasteless.

Having said that, it should be noted that the selling price of a farm "sea fish" is competitive - the selling price of a fish caught in the open sea is much much higher.

Episode 124 - Artefact in Time

This is another exhibit in the Clock Hall of the Forbidden City at Beijing.

When the minute hand of the clock reaches twelve, the doll will wave her fan. When I visited the Clock Hall in 2005, this doll clock was placed at the demonstration corner. The demonstrator turned it on together with other beautiful clocks at the designated time slot and the clocks sang together like a musical symphony.

Episode 123 - The Four Corners

The Four Square Forces are the four main forces in the Taiji martial art system.

Some contemporary writers consider that the Four Square Forces can only be used in 4 straight forward directions. Hence, according to these writers, the Four Corner Forces were introduced to make up the balance such that a practitioner can deal with his opponents from all directions. Such view is not attractive and is a departure from what has been set out in various Taiji classics.

Four Square Forces can be applied in a circular manner. There is no difference between a "Square" force and a "Circular" force, if you know how to do it. Likewise, there is no such distinction between a "Square Form" and a "Circular Form" if you know the essence of the art. Hence, there is no need to introduce to the system "new " measures to "make up the balance".

What then are the Four Corner Forces?

According to "On the Art of Taiji", the Four Square Forces provides a Taiji practitioner the ammunition required in action. However, a practitioner, unless extremely skillful, will inevitably alter his best positioning in action. What can he do then? The answer is in the Four Corner Forces.

The Four Corner Forces are remedial tools available to a Taiji practitioner when he loses his optimum position. Hence, they are supplemental to the Four Square Forces and the practitioner should recover back to the Four Squares after regaining the optimum position. When a practitioner uses the Four Corner Forces, he is in the recovery mode.

The Four Corner Forces are not higher level forces.