THE GOLDEN WEEK TSUNAMI CLEAN UP, MIYAGI: PART 2

Day 3 was a larger job but with too many things going on, we left one team to rip up the floor and dig out the mud. We moved onto an old ladies house,here the chest of drawers were still full of sludgy and wet clothes, mold was growing on the backs of pieces of furniture. She wanted the floor taken out, the mud removed, the floor relayed and then all the wet stuff put back where it was. The team left the job that night talking about her needing some kind of counselling. Luckily we returned the next morning to find the husband had been galvanized by our presence and put his foot down; all the wet stuff had to go and the team was more than happy to oblige, we had gained her trust as we cleaned the immaculate porch steps. Last jobs were a vegetable patch and mud at the back of a house that unfortunately we couldn't finish.

So why is it important to to get rid of the sludge? Well for one thing it smells and this is starting to have a psychological effect on residents. One lady we met who lives with her mother had bought her own crowbar and was in the process of ripping up the tatami floor when we arrived (This is unheard of in Japan where D.I.Y is a relatively new concept that has only been embraced by working class men, most handyman jobs about the house are left to paid specialists) Also the sludge isn't drying out properly in the under floor spaces and at almost two months after the tsunami it doesn't have much prospect of doing so before the rainy season in June when the temperature and humidity will shoot up and remains so until September. Once this happens the small patches of mold that we were already seeing will quickly become a runaway health issue that if left unchecked will also eventually affect the integrity of the building.

                                                                            

                                                                              
              

                                                                                   


The meteorological conditions we experienced over the four days were appropiately extreme and odd. Day one, cloud changing to rain. Day two, a spate of medium sized earthquakes offshore that we didn't feel. Day three, gale force winds that kept us awake most of the small hours, and then pelted us with dust all day long. Day four rainbow and sunburn. There were some sore muscles, blisters, headaches and one hammer injury, we also had one guy feeling sick, so I made everyone wear masks with the mud as I had seen some mold. Steel boots or insoles a must, lots of nails!

Most nights were spent driving back to the area where  we were staying and yes I did see the devastation, it will haunt me forever but it was a good reality check and a remainder as to why we were doing what we were doing and that what I felt was irrelevant, they had lived it, there is no comparison. You could feel their loss but they didn't want to talk about it so we didn't ask, just smiled, worked and kept it real.

At the camp ground we exchanged stories, had a fire going on the last 2 nights, a well deserved beer and some laughs, until we could try and get some sleep on the hardest tatami I have ever slept on. We worked for 4 days. It was long enough to get the to know the area well and be effective and productive. It was short enough that we maintained momentum and didn't start to get on each other's nerves too much.

Over the 4 days there had been many tearful moments on the part of the householders but on the last day as we were leaving the main co-ordinator spoke to Toshi, one of our Japanese volunteers. With tears in his eyes he told how the owners of the houses we had cleaned had praised our kindness and how we had worked hard with smiles and a positive energy which they now felt too.

In general terms there are of course cultural differences in the national character, expectation and abilities of Japanese people and Westerners. The Japanese world is very structured with many preconceived ideas of how things should be, often leading to prioritizing form over substance, where as Westerners tend to focus on substance over form and are comfortable ad libbing. I have to say that in the post-disaster Japan where there is little or no convention about what or how things have to be done, with the right communication and assessment of needs, the Western way of focusing on the net result and making it up as we go along came into it's own in a way that I had  not even dared dream of. There is now a small neighbourhood in a small town in northern east Japan where we have won the hearts and under floor spaces of the local residents.

On the 16 hour drive back to our captain's tour, we drove through the mountains and stopped at the lake, it's famous, the edge of the walkways had sunk 1m into the ground due to the earthquake but the cherry blossom were still out and people were enjoying the holiday. It was beautiful. I would love to go back north it still has beautiful places to visit, please continue to be a friend to Japan and visit sometime, you are most welcome.

by Louise Kate Young.

                                                                            

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                

                                                                              

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

                                                                                  

                                                                                  

THE GOLDEN WEEK TSUNAMI CLEAN UP, MIYAGI:PART 1

Japan has been a part of my life since I was 5 years old, thanks to my parents I can't imagine my life without Japan in it. My father was my Judo sensei and I shared my mother's passion for Japanese textiles, especially kimono design. I clearly remembered the red sun as I landed at Kansai, it has been over 5 years now and fortunately I was able to witness the same red sun going down over Miyagi last week.

March 11th I felt dizzy and my mansion shook, even in Osaka I knew something terrible had happened. I watched the reports and the biblical tsunami live from my computer. You all know about the overwhelming loss of life and the devastation that the earthquake and the tsunami caused, so I would like to dedicate this blog to the positivity that is being created from such bad times. I have finally had the chance to give something back to a country that had given me so much in my life. It was a small effort and a step in the right direction for those affected.


'The Golden Week Tsunami Clean Up' was organized by a great guy who made our volunteering possible with 'Tsunami Lists, Protocols and Info' to communicate all the details including : Schedule & Route, Personal Questionaire, Cost List, Protocols, Kit List, Website List, Bank Details and Volunteer Insurance. This is so important if you want to volunteer as some centres were inundated with people, wanting to help, but they couldn't accommodate them.

There were 30 of us from all the world including 3 Japanese, 7 Americans, 6 Canadians, 6 Brits , 2 Kiwis, an Italian , a Turk, an Irishman, a Frenchman, an Australian and a Romanian. Including the native speakers a third were fluent in Japanese. We were a motley crew including a cosmetic salesman, an artist, a marine corp captain, a retiree, a farmer, a couple of graduates, a sound engineer, a chef, and of course every ilk of langauge teacher you can imagine. Most importantly eighteen of us have building experience.

                                                                               

                                                                                

         

Friday the 29th of April: The Beginning of Golden Week

We travelled in 7 cars and rented a 1.5 tonne truck, 2 drivers to each vehicle, we had already purchased the important tools for the job  before we set off. It took 13 hours to get there and we stayed in 2 6 berth and 2 10 berth  cabins. The accommadation was cheap, 800 yen a night for simple tatami mats and light only. Of course I was apprehensive about the work we would be doing and hoped nobody got seriously injured.

I woke early the first morning to be greeted by a vista of sakura cherry blossom backed by snow covered peaks. We left our vehicles at the Volunteer Centre which was located at the Japan Agriculture Office in Higashi Matshushima situated in the Miyagi prefecture. We were escorted into our first clean up locations. In this area the tsunami had been a meter or so deep, cars floated away and every house was flooded.

My team's first job was the removal of mud from a car park, moving an abandoned car - how many foreigners does it take to move a car? 8 I think, then we limed it but everyone was getting carried away with lime powder, so masks back on and goggles. Our next job was a bit of a shock actually, it was much more challenging and set a benchmark for how far we were prepared to go. We arrived at  the job to find the owner and two university students in the under floor crawslspace ferrying out the semi-dried sludge on two plastic sleds. The team zipped up, masked up and went in. I went in as I am small but didn't have the man power for what needed to be dug out and felt uncomfortable with only one way in and out. I pulled out and the boys went in. Our organizer arrived to check how we were getting on, I found it reminiscent of a scene from The Great Escape with half a dozen of them under the house and the rest unloading the sleds and bagging the sludge outside.

We were supposed to finish the job at 3.30pm but it was already 4 pm we said we wanted to finish it especially as we were almost done and mudded up to the neck, the co-coordinator of the VC agreed and beamed with a smile that went from ear to ear the whole time we were there. The dad was pretty pleased that it was done as it would have taken him another day or two.

Day 2 required us to work on 4 rental suites, rip up a floor, dig out the mud, wash the bathrooms and kitchen floors, clear the garden and paths and yes move another car. You could still see the water marks on the side of the houses and the slimy mud that was still inside the wet car. The son and owner and wife had the odd joke with us, as he fell to the floor as we pushed the car, the big boys were stronger than he thought, and we laughed. The son helped even though the shovel was too big for him, he joined the team photo and got shouted at by his mum for not studying English enough.

                                                                  
                                                                    

  
                                                                         

TAKASHI MIIKE UP FOR THE PALME D'OR

Big news for Takashi Miike this week as his latest film Hara-Kiri : Death Of A Samurai  (3D) is in competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes film festival. It is the first time a 3D film has ever been nominated for such a prize and I'm sure it's raised a few eyebrows in the process. Ostensibly a remake of the brooding samurai film from Masaki Kobayashi made in 1962 and featuring a stunning performance by Tatsuya Nakadai, bad boy japanese actor Ebizu Ichikawa takes the lead in a more mainstream Miike film than hardcore fans are probably used to:

"Seeking an honourable end, poverty stricken samurai Hanshiro requests to commit hara- kiri in the courtyard of feudal lord Kageyu's estate. Trying to dismiss Hanshiro's wife to save face, Kageyu recounts the tragic story of a similiar plea years ago from young ronin Motome, but the arrogant lord is unaware of vengeful Hanshiro's bond with Motome..."

Only a 30 second teaser trailer is available at the moment and I can't tell you how the 3D has been used, perhaps in a more subtle manner than big budget Hollywood fare. It might be a simple case of enhancing swordfights with actors and swords close to the camera so that the duelling blades protude toward us. Even Quentin Tarantino confesses if he had known 3D would have made a comeback he may have shot Kill Bill as a 3D film - it certainly would have worked well with the "Master of the Flying Guiilotine" inspired weapon that Go Go Yubari wields against the bride at the end of Kill Bill part 1 (as well as the Crazy 88 fight scene of course) Arthouse directors are now utilising 3D in unexpected ways - Werner Herzog has shot a cave painting movie in 3D and Wim Wenders recently released a 3D film about dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. So the stigma of 3D might be over in the same way talkies were considered a gimmick back in the early days of cinema.

Does Miike have a chance of winning? well look who he is up against - Pedro Almodovar, Lars Von Trier, Nicholas Winding Refn, Paolo Sorrentino, The Dardenne Brothers, Nanni Morreti, Aki Kaurismaki, Lynne Ramsey and Terence Malick (with only the fifth movie of his career) and a whole bunch of less well known directors : Bertrand Bonello, Alain Cavelier, Joseph Cedar, Michel Hazanavicius, Julia Leigh, Maiwenn, Radu Mihaileanu, Markus Schleinzer and Naomi Kawase (the other Japanese director in competition) that's a lot of arthouse muscle. If there is more of a political dimension to Hara-Kiri than some of the other films then it's possible the cinema gods may shine their light upon Mr Miike. If it's existential angst that will clinch it, it may still have a chance though if Terence Malick's Tree of Life is the new 2001 then perhaps not.

Should it have taken this long  for Takashi Miike to be universally acknowledged in this way? Should his 1999 film Audition been nominated? that certainly would have raised a few eyebrows even though in it's own way it's as feminist a film as anything made by Claire Denis or Catherine Breillat.
I guess post Hara-Kiri and 13 Assassins (made in 2010, check the five star review on Timeout's film review page and the 8.0 score on IMDB and the 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes.com) Miike could concentrate on chanbara films and just make one film a year or  become even more prolific if he wanted to (84 titles and counting according to IMDB) whatever happens it's great that he's got a bigger audience now thanks to these "traditional" swordplay movies hopefully coming soon to a cinema near you.

47 RONIN KISSHOJI TEMPLE OSAKA

When visiting Japan, one of my favourite walks from my daughter's mansion on Tanimachi Sugi, is to Osaka's largest temple Shitennoji, especially of course on the 21st of the month when they hold the temple market. But on the way is another favorite, Kisshoji Temple, with huge red wooden doors, large Mon known to most Westerners and black and white zigzag pattern, painted walls, it stands out as a memorial to Lord Asano and the 47 Ronin (Chushingura Tale). In fact, as the doors are usually ajar, one can see the kneeling stone statue of Lord Asano with tanto, preparing to commit 'seppuku'.

The temple walls are lined, on the inside, with large cherry trees which makes cherry blossom season the perfect time to visit this memorial. There are 47 stone statues each representing one of the 47 Ronin and Oishi Yuranosuke can be easily recognised beating his drum thus starting the attack on Kira's castle. The original statues were carved from wood but these were destroyed during WW11 In 2002 it was decided to rebuild the statues in stone and on 14th December there is a celebration at the temple and 47 small boys dress-up as the famous 47. 
               

The graves of Lord Asano and his loyal Ronin lie in Sengaku-ji temple in Tokyo (Edo) but it is thought that the hair and nails were buried here. The reason, Lord Asano was the friend of the Head Buddhist Monk of Kisshoji temple and he often visited on his way home from the court at Edo. After the revenge attack by the 47 on Lord Kira and his castle, these loyal samurai were ordered by the emperor to commit 'seppuku' and afterwards the Monk asked if some part of the bodies could be buried at his temple as a memorial, it is thought his wish was granted. 

There have been many Kabuki plays, Japanese films and TV productions about the  tale of the 47 Ronin known in Japan as Chushingura each with it's own version of events and with such an interest from the West, Hollywood has turned it's attention to the tale. The 47 Ronin (in 3D) is being filmed at the moment, due for release in November 2012 and starring Keanu Reeves. I'm sure it will have it's own slant on the famous story with some fantasy elements.

                                                        

DISPLAYING JAPANESE COLLECTABLES

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

THE ART OF JAPANESE STYLE

The Japanese have a real flair for display, this never ceases to impress me, on my visits to Japan. Most of the people I meet are of course interested in vintage and antique items and whether they live in a roomy minimal house or a tiny appartment (in Japan called mansions!) there is always a display of interesting items to catch the eye. Some are pared back to basics and they know instinctively where to put that vase, scroll or welcoming flower display, others have their collections on every surface, some serious, some just for fun.

If you have an interest in Japanalia and would like to create displays with an oriential theme, these can still blend very well in western interiors. Feedback from some of our customers shows wonderful innovation giving vintage and antique items a new lease of life. Given the same object the individual is going to display it in different ways, adding their own character to the theme. I would love to hear from customers how they have displayed or used items bought from the website in a western setting.

Probably the most well known item for display is the kimono, it can be a richly embroidered wedding kimono for that wow factor or a humble indigo kimono from the countryside, handspun, dyed and handwoven, for a more subtle effect. For the smaller house or appartment, children's kimono are the perfect answer. The miyamairi kimono, which is similar to our christening robe, used when the baby is taken to a Shinto shrine to be named, is definitely an art piece. It can be richly embroidered, handpainted sumi style or exquisitely dyed and designs include cranes, hawks, carp, samurai and flowers. The obi is also perfect for use in interior design, as a luxurious table or furniture runner and is the obvious choice as a wallhanging in high stairwells because of it's length. Both modern vibrant obi and the more subtle antique ones from the Meiji and Taisho Eras, make wonderful interior design statements each creating their own atmosphere.

There are many other Japanese textiles and garments which can be used to create a decorative display. Kamishimo with their fine komon pattern, worn by samurai in the Edo and Meiji Eras, make wonderful display items and are very popular with customers. Another favorite is the nobori, a Japanese flag for festival events such as Boy's (now Children's) Day. The nobori are handpainted in a colourful folklore tradition, usually with famous samurai and historical events and come in a variety of sizes. In Japan they are usually hung from poles outside the house but would be equally at home as a wallhanging say in a stairwell or over an old fireplace.

Noren are used in Japan as door curtains both in shops and in private houses but in Western interiors they can have a variety of uses such as room dividers (indigo futonji can also be useful for this purpose) wallhangings and as window dressings, some noren are indigo dyed, others use shibori or sumi painting technique for decoration. They can be works of art. With a little lateral thinking many items no longer used for their purpose can get a new lease of life. Japanese outdoor items such as stone lanterns, buddhas, temple lanterns and ornate roof tiles, can make interesting displays on natural stripped wooden furniture. Collections with a theme make quirky displays, for example Japanese footwear, snow boots, geta and childrens decorative zori or collections from a certain area such as Kyushu or Hokkaido. These displays give a homely feel to a room as well as being interesting to a visitor and becoming a talking point.

When walking around the temple markets in Japan, my companions always find it very amusing when I spot a great find at 1000 paces, amongst the piles of stock, and know the precise place I want to display it. I'm hoping after reading this blog, I will have inspired you to create some oriental displays yourself but I warn you it can become highly addictive.

AINU MUSEUM AND COUNTRYSIDE HOKKAIDO 2010

On the second day of our trip to Hokkaido, we rose early, a full itinerary ahead. Breakfast in the hotel was a concoction of Japanese and English choices, scrambled eggs, cauliflower and eel? (mmm my favorite). Donning even more layers of clothing than the previous evening and looking like Eskimos, we made our way to the train station. The snow had stopped but the skies cloudy with a promise of showers later in the day.

We caught the underground train taking us to the outer sprawling suburbs about 45 minutes away. From here it was another 45 minutes by bus to the Ainu Museum. We discovered the buses were very infrequent, whether because it was the winter season or always the case I don't know. About 15 minutes into the journey we were already into the countryside, snow piled 12 feet high on both sides of the road. The hills of Hokkaido giving a very distinct outline, small mounds, snow covered but with dark striations of silver birch trunks, the top of each hill having a darker outline where the trees grew thickest. You will get the idea from the photographs in the next post. I mentioned to Louise the vista would make a wonderful pen and ink drawing.  A few weeks later, at a temple market, looking through a box of Shikishi I found exactly what I had in mind, a great find! (see following photos).

The electronic information sign on the bus was in Kanji and the voice a little fast for us to hear, so as we neared the museum site once again Louise's SatNav took over and we alighted at what we hoped was the right stop. Out in the middle of nowhere, the surroundings were all that we had hoped for, when leaving the bustle of the city behind. The Ainu Museum was about 10 minutes walk sitting next to Hosen Onsen. There was no one in sight and we began to imagine (well I did anyway) that we were explorers of the frozen Northlands! as we walked down the hill towards the museum. We passed a huskie type dog who took exception to us intruding and started barking loudly. Suddenly we heard chanting, similar to Native American Indian singing, echoing in the forests and hills around us, actually it was a little spooky but a good idea from the museum. Obviously when we passed a certain point it triggered the chanting played through speakers high in the trees.

The museum ahead, it was perfect an old Ainu village was set-up around the museum building and I had the impression we had come at the best time of the year, the snow covered huts in the silent landscape, it was beautiful. Suddenly out of the largest hut a group of schoolchildren emerged, chattering and laughing, with pencils and paper at the ready. It was a school trip and apart from them we were the only visitors that day. The children told us they were doing a project at school on Ainu culture and had learnt some words in their language.

A sign said 'photography allowed' great for us! We made our way around the exhibition of Ainu garments and crafts needed to live in harmony with this North island. The museum is actually called 'The Centre for Promotion of Ainu Culture, Pirka Kotan'. The displays were really fascinating and you could tell, like in most ethnic cultures, nothing was wasted ie. salmon was eaten but the outer skins used to make clothing and shoes.

In earlier times the Ainu did not have access to cotton for clothing, so used animal and fish skins, also woven bark, used for the now famous ceremonial costumes (again see the next post for photographs of weaving loom and ceremonial robe). Later the Ainu people traded with the peoples further south for cotton, most clothing was then made of cotton, still with applique designs, footwear made from indigo strengthened with sashiko stitching. Ainu people were traditionally great carvers and the carvings on the weapons and utensils reminded me of Celtic designs. Later around the middle of the 20th century, their culture banned, they survived by carving bears to make a living. These Ainu bears are collectable today and there have been some very famous carvers and fine works. The bear (in Hokkaido large brown bear, known in Japanese as Higuma) was a very important part of Ainu culture, together with the Eagle Owl, these were treated as gods and worshipped. I noticed in the foyer of the museum a Native American Totem pole from the east coast, apparently a gift to the Ainu people, there being many similarities between the two cultures.

The schoolchildren gone, we spent a few hours totally alone, taking many photographs and absorbing as much information as we could. Inside the Ainu dwellings surrounding the museum, we learnt more about Ainu life, in the largest hut, the main focus was a large fireplace used for cooking and warmth, situated directly below a hole in the roof where the smoke could rise. Fish held in nets, over the fire, high in the beams, would be smoked and so last longer in the winter season when hunting may become more difficult (again see in the photo section) As we emerged from the last hut, again as if on cue, it started to snow heavily.

With 45 minutes until our bus was due, we thought about the Onsen next to the museum but with so many layers of clothes and the very cold temperatures we decided against it. I was eager to investigate the surrounding countryside but Louise had had enough! she waited in the tiny bus shelter, taking photos on her mobile and sending to her friends in Osaka, who were green with envy. I walked past a row of small wooden houses, to the woods beyond and into virgin snow, walking becoming a little difficult but my camera at the ready! At the edge of the trees there were rows of plants covered with straw conical shaped cups for protection against the harsh winter conditions, see photo. I'm pretty sure bears of Hokkaido hibernate during the winter months and meeting one didn't cross my mind, but when I returned home I read there are quite a lot of bears in the countryside and tourists have been attacked and occasionally killed. But at that time I walked nonchalantly amongst the trees, covered with falling snow, my feet completely numb. I think it was a Zen moment, a feeling of total peace and contentment sweeping over me.