Taro's Travels

Greetings and welcome to the newly renovated TaroGold.com. We opened this new site on the first day of Spring this year, and since then I’ve been giving a lot of thought to changes, particularly beginnings and endings.

Thankful to say hello to Spring last month, I thought I could soon say goodbye to the string of cold weather in Tokyo. Not to be – it was so cold last weekend if it had rained I felt like it would snow! The seasonal cycle of hello goodbye stretched out a bit longer.

Around the same time that Spring officially began, my grandmother fell ill, and another kind of hello goodbye began for me. When grandma was first admitted to the hospital, her doctors said she would live only a few days. Family members rushed to say goodbye. That was almost two months ago now. Although goodbye will come, no one knows exactly when. Today, grandma is still smiling, still laughing, telling us she doesn’t know either. One thing we do know, we have to make the most of our time between each hello and goodbye. Isn’t that the most rewarding knowledge of all?

Beginnings and endings – punctuation marks, dotting the paragraphs that make up the story of our lives. Let the punctuation marks do their job, but focus on creating the best life in between. A script filled with happiness, sadness, ups, downs, lots of questions, not so many answers… all leading to growth, openness, hope. Everything worth remembering from yesterday, doing today, and dreaming for tomorrow.

The eternal cycle of hello goodbye reminds me to create my own lines, weaving colorful words through whatever punctuation points comes along in life. Joy is not found in the stops and starts of hello goodbye. Joy is in the middle, the flow, the now. That is the sweet and simple secret every hello goodbye hides inside.

Sunset at Moonlight State Beach

Sitting by the wide blue ocean near my grandma’s home at Moonlight Beach, the sun said goodbye again today. Then the moon said hello. How can I be sad that the radiant sun has said goodbye when the shining moon says hello? So goes the flow of hello goodbye, forever perfect in glorious detail.

By the time you read this, I’ll be watching the sun and moon over Brazil, where the Portuguese-language edition of my book Open Your Mind, Open Your Life (Abra Sua Mente, Abra Sua Vida) is now available at bookstore chains in the grand cities of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia. If you enjoy the good fortune to have a Brazilian friend, then you know how Brazilian people savor each moment of life, celebrating every hello and goodbye as if it was their first and their last, cherishing every moment in between. Viva Brasil!

Cover image, Brazilian edition of Open Your Mind, Open Your Life

Many friends around the world have encouraged me to spend more time in Brazil for that very reason, and I am looking forward to doing so. After Brazil, it’s on to Mexico, then back to beloved Tokyo and collaborating with great minds for the upcoming special-editions of my books in Japanese. Until my next post here, my next online hello goodbye, may you live always in the sublime light and power of your unique now. Ciao!

Since my last post I’ve enjoyed a magical three weeks in Mexico rejuvenating with 18 members of my extended family, then to Tokyo, then the Sundance film festival, Tokyo again, and probably by the time you read this Israel as well, then back to Tokyo as usual! I must have brought the snow with me from Sundance to Tokyo because it rarely snows here but has snowed 4 times already this year. Speaking of snow, this photo I took at Sundance gives the feeling - it was the coldest weather I’ve ever experienced (low one night was -25C) but also spectacularly beautiful, as always. I was delighted to attend this year, and had the honor to do so as a Patron Circle member for the first time.

I’ve noticed that the more I travel and the more my work progresses around the globe, the more I feel that a joyful life is a true state of being beyond thinking and feeling, beyond possessions and wants. Joy is the undercurrent of life, the universal identity we all share beneath superficial differences. I believe this is why some of the folks I have met in materially impoverished neighborhoods around the world are some of the most spiritually wealthy people I’ve ever met. Not to say that possessions and worldy success necessarily hinder spiritual growth. As Deepak Chopra says, he’s not only a prophet, he’s also a profit. Funny!

As I celebrate the latest expansion of my work with my friends in Israel (this is the cover of my book “Open Your Mind, Open Your Life” in its new Hebrew edition) I also feel a sense of urgency to help increase the common awareness of humanity that you and I and everyone are noble students of joy in this cosmic boarding school called Life. Some of us like to study harder than others, true! Still I feel we are all in this together for some greater purpose, and I hope we all make the most of our lives each day with a smile. Give, breath, calm the mind, awake… open up and let the still space between thoughts whisper hints of our true mission, essential purpose. Compassion, joy.

I received a great gift, a reminder of the glorious wonder of Being, while playing on the beach in Mexico with my dog. Last month was the season of baby sea turtles hatching, struggling to find their way out to the wide ocean to begin their long lives. As I ran past a little dark patch in the sand, at first glimpse a rock, I saw it moving! There on its little back mightily fighting to right itself was a beautiful baby sea turtle. I called my friends to see, carefully scooping this tiny treasure of nature into my hands to help find the way down to the waiting blue waves. If you look closely, seems my friend was smiling at me, what do you think? I am told sea turtles live to be 100 years old, so perhaps long after I’m gone from this existence my little sea turtle friend will return to that beach one day and recall the joy of our meeting that fine sunny morning.

Soon after attending the celebration at Oprah’s home, I returned to Tokyo to enjoy meetings with top creative leaders at media companies regarding my music. Everything progressed well through the month of October. Then, as we all know, some of the worst fires in California history swept through San Diego County and Malibu. My hometown of Del Mar, which is by the ocean and has never before been threatened by fires, was also evacuated. My mother, who was also babysitting my beloved dog at the time, had to flee from her home. I was on the phone with her from Tokyo as she literally drove through flames on her way to safety in Nevada. I returned immediately from Tokyo to help out.

It was surreal enough to watch from afar on the news, let alone to be there or to lose something to the fires. Fortunately, all of my friends and family members escaped harm, and all of our properties in San Diego County were safe from damage. A friend in Malibu, however, awoke to the sound of sirens one night and within minutes had to escape her home with her husband and animals in tow. Their entire property was lost in the same fire that destroyed the famous castle and church in Malibu. When I saw her in LA a bit later, she was most appreciative to be safe… as for everything else: “Everything else, just stuff,” she said with a sincere smile. I will remember the strength and wisdom of that moment forever.

When I visited San Diego after the fires had calmed, I took this photo. I felt the beautiful mix of color from the sunset and swirling clouds of the night sky were healing the ground below.

In November I returned to Tokyo and happily resumed my talks with music company folks regarding plans for 2008. My team working with Taro Gold Music, Inc. have already opened a “backstage area” that will progressively grow along with the project. You can see it now at www.myspace.com/tarogoldmusic and you can hear several of my new songs there. We will also have www.tarogold.jp up and running soon as well as a refreshed and renovated new tarogold.com in the new year.

On a different but mysteriously related note, when I was at my dentist’s office for a check up, my hygienist asked if I knew Angela Aki, another part-Japanese part-Western singer songwriter who is popular in Japan. I know of her, but had never met her. “I went to high school with Angela in Hawaii” my dental pro commented, “and I have a feeling you are going to meet her soon.” One week later, I was at Sony Music Studios in Tokyo to finish recording details on a few of my songs, and the screen below is what greeted me in the studio that day.

The bottom of the screen shows my session as Taro G, and the one above shows who is in the room next to me, in Japanese writing it reads “Angela Aki.” So there we were. How fun is that?

Speaking of fun, I hope you and yours enjoy a happy, healthy and joyous end of this year. As we celebrate the holidays and look forward to the coming new year, I wish for each of our lives to be filled with blessings and appreciation. If something not-so-fun happens to come along, may we all have the grace to focus on what is most truly important in our lives and remember that everything else… “everything else, just stuff.”

I feel blessed to have been invited to Oprah Winfrey’s home this month for the party she hosted in honor of Barack Obama. The day was filled with light and peace, a mystical experience that at once felt simple yet profound. The causal atmosphere that Oprah and her team created was the best. It felt like a relaxing family funciton or happy neighborhood picnic.

By some happy streak of good fortune, Oprah came out with Barack and Michelle Obama to stand directly in front of me and speak to the crowd as they kicked off the “official” activities of the day. As they stood several feet from me and took turns speaking for about an hour, the experience gave me an even deeper sense of their personalities. The intangible quality you can sense when you look directly into a person’s eyes as they speak with you. It was quite a moving experience for me.

To sum up my impression of Barack, he’s the one for me. I pray that he and his lovely wife will be in the White House in the near future. As for Oprah, as far as I’m concerned she’s an enlightened little angel of a lady. I couldn’t believe how tiny she is! After Barack and Oprah finished their respective kick-off chats, Stevie Wonder performed for us, followed by a most moving and inspirational ballad by BeBe Winans titled “Born for This.”

As I watched BeBe singing his heartfelt song for Barack and I looked out over the beautiful gathering of humanity that had come from far and wide to celebrate, I couldn’t help but cry tears of joy at the sight of everyone. Although the evening ended well after sundown and the sky was dark, there was great light surrounding the collection of humanity that had come together to unite behind a noble cause that day. For the sake of humanity I pray everyone across the globe can experience in their lives that kind of light, the light of hope and progress and freedom, now and forever.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re very busy you can get much more done than when you have free time? Just when I think I’m as busy as I can be, my schedule become fuller… and yet mysteriously I accomplish more. It’s awesome. I’ve realized that if I focus on the now, whatever’s right in front of me, I can glide through loads of tasks and my creativity and energy grow.

A key to reaping the greatest benefit from each moment has been to play with my sense of time, actually to pay little attention to time – create a feeling that I have all the time in the world, appreciate the time I’m spending on something right now, and still look to finish whatever I’m doing as soon as possible.

Taro on a clifftop photo shoot, Kauai

When time dictates your day, your life, it can mess with your sense of accomplishment and joy. I find when I practice “timelessness” and give myself all the time I could ever need (at least in my heart and mind), then somehow that translates into reality, and I can accomplish even more than I would expect to achieve in a minute, an hour, a day.

Especially since I travel so much, freeing myself from limitations of time awareness has been greatly helpful. Since my last post I enjoyed two busy trips through Japan (finished 14 songs for my album and am mastering them in NYC now), I visited Mexico, more photo shoots in Hawaii, and flew across the US from LA to Miami to NYC and back again. No wonder I started believing in “timelessness” – I can barely remember what time zone I’m in anymore!

Stayed next to Grand Central Station, NYC

Enjoyed a beautiful summer day in Central Park

More than ever, something I wrote in my first book Open Your Mind, Open Your Life rings true to me: “Enjoy the here and now, for there is only here and now.” May you always enjoy your here and now, savor a sense of timelessness, and appreciate yourself and the path that life unfolds before you.

Taro at a Spanish Harlem tunnel, by Central Park

There’s something special about Paris in the Spring. It’s not really cold but it’s not really warm. The green lawns and trees are back from their slumber, and flowers are starting to bloom again. The sky is a certain kind of deep, clear black with a little purple at night and in day it’s a pale, bright blue with a little grey. Magical!

After working hard to finish all the final songs on my album project, I jaunted off to Paris, Geneva and Montreux again for a little break. If you have never seen the Eiffel Tower, or haven’t seen it in a while, it now lights up at night every hour on the hour with a thousand bright sparkling white lights. I took a shot when it was all lit up as you can see here, looking across the River Seine near the Alexander III Bridge. Enjoyed a great French meal at an organic restaurant next to the Seine that night with some dear Parisian friends. Merci Marie et Jonathan!

My favorite hotel in Paris is near the Arc de Triumph, and everyone knows what the arc looks like from a distance, but who ever shows you the view when you’re standing right under it and look up? So here you go.

And finally, a shot from inside my hotel room. Just kidding. This is part of Napoleon’s apartment in Paris.

After Paris I went to my favorite place in the world for vegan cuisine, Montreux, Switzerland. The folks at the La Prairie sure know how to do it up right! Whenever I’m there I never want to leave. Their master chefs prepare 2 gourmet meals plus 2 snacks per day, all made specially to fit each guest’s exact dietary wishes and needs, in my case pure vegan. Every single dish they create is so good, I always find myself eating more than I’ve ever eaten before and I gain about 4 pounds by the end of the week, which for anyone who knows me is a very good thing for me. I can’t wait to go back again. But next I’m off to Mexico, then to Japan for more fun with my music. We’ll get some music samples online here or on my Japanese website soon for you to enjoy. Ciao!

In case you couldn’t tell from my last post date (way back in December) I’ve been extremely busy! During the past few months I have seen some of the most rewarding, full and productive days of my life. First, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to earn my pilot’s license. The plane I’ve had on order from Cirrus Aviation was finally born at the beginning of the year. Here’s a snowy photo of it from the factory on the day it was delivered.

I’ll get some better photos of me flying it eventually, but now I have to finish earning my pilot’s license. Until then, I must have a professional co-pilot fly for me. (Thank you to my pilot Jason!)

From the snow of the Midwest to the snow of Park City, Utah - I also enjoyed 10 fantastic days at the Sundance Film Festival where, as usual, I had the delight to watch some of the greatest films I’ve ever seen. Enjoyed some of great skiing there, too. (Sorry about crashing into you sweet Beth! Glad Orlando was there to make your day.)

I spent a few weeks in the studio working on my CD, which we’ll finish next month after a few more weeks in the studio. I can’t wait. My personal publishing company has also gained the rights to my entire book collection for Japan and Asia, so as my music CD is released we’ll be able to publish my books in conjunction with my music. I have an idea to package one of my love song single CDs in the back of my book “What Is Love?” for starters, and create some other new gift ideas for the market in Japan.

For a few Artist’s conferences and book-related events I also visited both coasts of the US. My book “Living Wabi Sabi” was featured in a few national magazines this month, which unexpectedly sent it back into the limelight. I’m also proud to report that my first book “Open Your Mind, Open Your Life” is being re-released in Israel next month (in Hebrew). I hope it will become a best-seller once again there.

From snow to tropical beaches, one of my dreams to have a vacation home in Mexico has come true. Here is a photo from the living room and from one of the balconies.

I plan to spend many days songwriting and philosophizing here. One of my literary and spiritual guides, Deepak Chopra, has a vacation home in the same neighborhood as mine, so perhaps I can soak up his enlightened energy by osmosis.

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has written to me lately. I always enjoy hearing from readers, so please keep the love coming. Especially since the new wave of interest in “Living Wabi Sabi” – and also to all my friends and fans in India who are enjoying “Open Your Mind, Open Your Life” there.

In the next two months I’ll be happily working away in the studio again, then on to my beloved Paris and Geneva with my family for some well-earned relaxation and rejuvenation. If you don’t hear from me sooner, Happy Spring!

Love and Light to you,

Taro

Jumping in (the dark spots are stingrays)

Fortunately I was able to take 2 whole weeks out of my full schedule to share a family vacation with 16 members of my extended family in the Bahamas and Cayman Islands. Sitting on the peaceful, sun-drenched beaches listening to the ocean waves, some profound feelings of appreciation welled up within me. The people with whom we share our lives, I thought, greatly influence the direction, quality and value of our journey.

My journey has been adorned with the greatest treasures of all – treasures of the heart. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has helped me grow, learn and become joyful. Throughout the world, past and present, thank you from the core of my being. The list of those whom I’d especially like to shower praise upon is simply too difficult to compile. # 1 on the list, however, is easy. “The Best” is my mom. She’s always been there for me as unshakable and steadfast as a mountain, under any circumstance. She’s been my best teacher, my best fan, my best influence, my best confidante. She continues to shine as a great example, a great inspiration, and a great lighthouse for my life.

View from my room in Grand Cayman

During our vacation, my cousin Alex captured a candid photo of me in which my mom appears in the background. I particularly enjoy this image because I did not realize she was standing so close behind me when he took the photo. It reflects the reality that throughout my life my mother has always been there, proudly sustaining and watching out for me even when I don’t realize it. Thanks mom! Two other favorite photos are from my room in the Caymans, and from a magical experience I had swimming with wild stingrays in the Caribbean Sea – a life-changing experience. After playing with the stingrays, I kissed one good-bye, and my sense of appreciation and wonder for this life became heightened evermore.

Taro and Mom at the Bahamian Club