European Shakuhachi Summer School 2024 in Finland

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This year the European Shakuhachi Summer School were held in Finland at Friendship Inn near Salo right in the middle between Turku and Helsinki.

Here we did the group photo.
I took the train to Copenhagen, then to Stockholm. Slept near Gunnar Jinmei’s home with Naoko Kikuchi, the koto/shamisen player and singer. The handsome Sari – one of Gunnar’s students – picked us up and drive us to the Ferry. Here Gunnar and Sari are waiting for the ESS to send them a helikopter. But it never came!
Naoko and I on board of the Ferry to Turku.
Meal on board the ferry.
We arrived at Friendship Inn and this view met us. Jumping into the water was first priority!
We have had Summer Schools before where we lived togther. Vejle was like that. But having sauna every night and a Lake to jump in together was very special for the community. It kind of shaker us together even more than we already are. It was absolutely WONDERFUL ! ! ! Question is: Can we have a European Shakuhachi Summer School again without sauna?
Breakfast followed by robuki.
ROBUKI !
More robuki
And even more ROBUKI
The Myōan gang at the Summer School: Tassos, me and Daniel.
Daniel and Tassos played Myoan Shika no Tone at the Open Mic Night the first evening.
Listening!
Just a scene from the Friendship Inn…
Naoko Kikuchi and Tani Yasunori playing together.
Selfie with Tani Yasunori, who is an amazing Ueda-ryū player. I was also impressed by how he taught. He was very detailled, had thought a lot and was brilliant at pasning his knowledge on.
From the student concert the last night.
After the Summer School Otto Eskelinen, a brilliant shakuhachi player and Multi-instrumentalist from Finland Took me to the grave of the legendary Tempo Repo. I was happy to be there.
Now on the Ferry from Helsinki to Tallin in Estonia. I will visit my good friend Anti, who organised a wonderful stay and concert for me in Estonia 2 years ago.
Here is Anti – my very good friend – in his wonderful garden. He always serves the best tea and we play together.
This Little sauna Cottage is in Anti’s garden and becomes my house during my stay. I am so happy!
Anti Took me to the Arvo Pärt Center. This quote by Paul Hillier had quite an impact on me.
Arvo Pärt had a spiritual teacher in Athos. Somehow it touches me very much.
We went walking in a raised bog called Marimetsa. It is Marimetsa Nature Reserve. It was an amazing area. We don’t have much raised bog left in Denmark as beat has been digged up and areas like this drained for farming. I was very impressed by the nature there.
Maybe a rhodrodendron, maybe cranberry….
Drosera rotundifolia – one of the few insect consuming plants in the far north.
The path through the raised bog area Took us to a lake. Nice red and soft water to swim in.
Love Estonia!

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