Becoming a monk in Laos

I met a young man who was just about to becoming a monk when I was walking around a temple in Vientiane.  A 29 year old man named Tony was busy setting up his ceremony, but noticed me and invited me to join his important ritual.  Cool!  It was a great experience for me.

According to some data, about 90% of people in Laos are Buddhists.  They are very faithful and most of men in Laos become a monk at least once in a lifetime.  The period varies from about a week to several years.

Becoming a monk means accumulating good deeds and a way of expressing their devotions to their parents in Laos.  I thought that staying in a temple is harsh for young people who are accustomed to the modern life style.  However, as long as I know, they seem to be very happy and proud of themselves.

In cities like Vientiane, the period is relatively short and Tony said that he was staying in the temple for a week.  However, people in older generation used to spend more time.  In rural areas, it’s even longer and some of them spend several years.  Temples used to be nursing homes and schools as well and children from poor families grew up there with enough food and good education.

Tony had his hair cut and changed his clothes from T-shirts to the white attire for the ceremony while his family members were decorating his closet with ornaments and offerings.  Food for a feast was already ready.  Tony and his leading monk moved forward just in front the main Buddha statue.

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Where do we come from?

Where do we come from?  What are we?  Where are we going to?

It’s a title of Paul Gauguin’s great masterpiece, but people must have thought the same thing when they were teenagers, or they do even now as an adult.  It seems to be an eternal theme of the human beings.

I still don’t have the foggiest idea about it, but I think that there might be something related to in and around the area I often visit.  Laos is one of my favorite countries and I think that the reason why I’m hooked on the nation is my nostalgia for something we Japanese already had lost.  However, there might be more to it than that.

There is a theory in cultural anthropology called “East Asian evergreen forest culture theory” that Kansuke Nakao and Koumei Sasaki advocated more than 45 years ago.  It explains that the major elements of Japanese traditional life and culture are also seen in Yunnan province and its adjacent areas, Eastern India, Nepal, Thai, Laos, Southern China and Taiwan.  In this theory, the area is called East Asian evergreen zone.

People in the zone share many customs and habits, for example, eating sticky rice, fermented foods such as natto and a kind of sushi, using urushi lacquer and growing cocoons for silk weaving.  And also, we can see some similariies in housing, clothing and more.

The more I get to know the theory, the more I’m interested in the area.  What I have seen in the villages of Laos is not just nostalgia, but it might be the things that have the same roots. 

photo: Laos Japan research & consulting

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Would Lao textiles become a savior for the kimono industry?

The other day, NHK broadcast a documentary film titled “Lao textiles for the Japanese kimono” in the news show “World Network.” It was a well-edited story that showed the whole process how people blaze a trail for Lao silk textiles in Japan.

I’m very happy to know that Japanese people have an opportunity to get to know wonderful Lao silk textiles. It seems that the effort made by people who were involved in the Kimono Project, a Japanese governmental organization set up, to boost exporting Lao textiles into Japan is paying off.

The kimono industry is like endangered spices. Nowadays, young women seldom wear a kimono and the number of manufactures is decreasing as well. Both demand and supply have been shrinking. In this critical situation, traditional Lao textiles are highlighted as a savior for Japan.

The characteristics of Lao textiles are delicate and elaborated patterns 100% handmade. The quality is very high and it would surely satisfy Japanese consumers’ demand. And, needless to say, their lower labor prices are attractive, too.

A kimono fan said; “The patterns of Lao textiles look exotic and I think it’s interesting to coordinate them with what I already have.” The textiles form Laos have already started attracting people. I hope that Lao textiles and the Japanese kimono industry have a happy win-win relationship.

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Lao Kimono exhibition in Kyoto

I went to Kyoto to see the Lao Kimono project exhibition.

It was held by a Japanese governmental organization to promote Lao hand weaved silk textiles and other handicraft items exporting to Japan.

Laos is well known for its delicate and elaborate handicraft and it is one of Laos’ leading industries. However, it still doesn’t seem to be strong enough in terms of targeting overseas markets, especially Japan. The exhibition aimed to find out if there is any possibility of Lao handicraft to be accepted in Japan.

The companies that joined the project had been improving their products to satisfy the fastidious market demands. For example, when it comes to textiles for Kimono, they gave them more tension to make fabric stronger because Japanese people always sit on their knees and Kimono fabric is required to have some toughness.

It’s obvious that Lao people did very well. They are not only beautiful but also have something exotic that comes from both Lao and Japanese traditional background.

I seldom wear Kimono, it’s a shame though. If I can get such nice textiles with a low price, I may feel like putting it on quite often.

I think that the project will bring benefits both Lao suppliers who want to widen the market and Japanese Kimono industry people who are facing a serious problem of shrinking the market.

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Salt field in Laos

Laos is surrounded by some countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and China. It means that Laos is a landlocked country and there are no seas around it. However, they produce salt. The fact arises my curiosity a lot.

“Where does the salt come from?” I asked a friend of mine.

“Here!” He pointed at the ground.

Was Laos once in an ocean? I don’t know its prehistoric background well but I immediately headed for the village called Ban Bo, which is located an hour drive from Vientiane to see a salt field.

The process of making salt is very simple. They draw up subterranean water from a layer that has collected salt water. Next, they pour it on a big iron plate and boil it until only salt is left after water being vaporized. It’s not complicated but it’s amazing that people do it by manually through the whole process.

When I visited the site, some women were scooping salt from iron plates and put it in bamboo baskets in order to dry it. I bought some hot salt that has just been made.

Lao salt tastes mild and a tad sweet compared to Japanese salt.

It would be good for both using as food and using in a both. If you put it in your bath, you can enjoy thalassotherapy at home.

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A privileged experience at Sinouk coffee resort in Laos

Laos used to be a French colony and you can find its influence everywhere, not to mention in their food, too. It may come as a surprise but French baguette sandwich is one of typical Lao breakfast item. Coffee was also introduced to Laos during the French colonial days.

When I visited Laos last week, I dropped by Pakse, the second largest city and stayed at Sinouk coffee resort, which is located 80km from Pakse.

Sinouk coffee resort is an agritourism destination. It has a comfortable guesthouse, a beautiful garden with a small river and waterfalls as well as plantation. You will have a unique experience with fresh coffee there.

During our stay, we were the only guests because it was the rainy season. Fortunately and unexpectedly, we had privilege to occupy the guesthouse as if it was our private house. We enjoyed a late breakfast in the garden and walked around the coffee farm in the afternoon.

At night, we always sat down and opened a Las textbook in the dining room because some staff members offered us a special Lao lesson. It was very fun but torturing at the same time because my Lao teacher, Nyon, was very strict with me and never allowed me to step forward unless I mastered what I was being taught.

It was not a coffee harvest season in there but my great harvest was that I leaned to distinguish the two sounds “nun” and “nung” that are very hard for Japanese. Cop chai lai lai, Nyon!

Minority groups in Golden Triangle

I attended a seminar on minority groups in Thailand.

Karen, Hmong, Akha, Lafu, Mien, Lisu are the 6 major groups. They are living in highland around the borders of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. They wear colorful and fashionable costume decorated with embroidery and silver. Each tribe’s costume is so different from others that you can recognize what tribes they are by their unique and characteristic attire.

I’m really into their ethnic fashion made with dexterous hand skills and what fascinates me is not just that. I think that their borderless living style is a kind of fantasy in this era of globalization and homogenization.

However, the reality is harsh.

Many people in minority groups don’t have nationality because traditionally they have been living in the mountains isolated from the plains where Thai people inhabit.

The Thai government used to ignore the minority groups but it has urged them to settle down in lower places.

As a result, they gave up their traditional slash-and-burn farming and headed for towns for jobs. Some of them were forced to work in very bad conditions and some of them had to sell their daughters for a living. And what is worse, some people went back to illegal drug business as they used to produce opium.

One of the solutions is that the government should give them nationality quickly. People need to receive equal opportunity in education, medical services, social welfare and such until they adapt to their new environment.
It’s not enough, though.


photo: from thailandsworld.com

The way to Vientiane

One of the most exciting events this year will be a trip to Laos.
It will be my forth visit and this time, I’m going with one of my best friends.

Since she lived in Laos for two years when she worked as a volunteer on a health and hygiene program, she knows a lot about Laos.
In fact, she has made a wonderful plan for our trip.

My final destination is Vientiane but before reaching Laos, we are going to drop by Pakxe, the second largest city in the country.
I have no idea exactly what the city is like but I expect to see another aspect of Laos such as the influence of Khmer culture, handicraft products made of cotton and coffee farms as well.
Do you know that Lao coffee is proud of its high quality? When I think of it, I can easily remember its fine aroma.

I hope that the trip widens my knowledge and experience in Laos.
I can’t wait to see my old friends who are working in the handicraft industry and make new friends.