Ken Valvur’s Sake and Sushi mission

VINCENT TEETSOV

Estonia and Japan have more in common than you might expect. A reverence for nature is mutual. “Forest bathing” is a cultural phenomenon in both places, as practitioners seek a calming physiological effect by being surrounded by trees.

There is an awareness of transience in life, as demonstrated by the seasons. In Japan, that awareness is called aware, and is reinforced by the yearly growth and release of cherry blossoms. In Estonia, sunlight is transient. In summer, it’s bountiful. In winter, it is scarce.

BBC reported that 50 percent of Estonians “believe in a spirit or life force.” That belief may connect to nature or our ancestors. In the Shinto faith of Japan, kami are the spirits of aspects of nature and sometimes those who are deceased.

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Photo: Ontario Spring Water Sake Company