Kamakura and the Earthquake

This is a photograph of me on Kamakura Beach, where Tony and I went last weekend. A 45 minute train ride south from Tokyo, it is an interesting seaside town (a little bit touristy, but then who were we to complain?) with a number of surfers trying out the waves on a cool and windy day. It used to be the capital of Japan of the Shogunate. There are a number of wonderful Buddhist temples such as Engaku-ji there and also the 44 foot high Amida Buddha statue (below). For me, the most interesting part of being in Kamakura is that on September 1st, 1923, this is where my father was when the massive 1923 earthquake, known as the Great Kanto Earthquake, hit Tokyo. He was there with my grandfather, brother and sister to celebrate his sister's birthday. His mother and eldest brother were in Germany. My grandfather then departed to return to Tokyo, where he was serving as German ambassador, leaving the children with their Japanese nanny, as they were planning to stay some while longer on vacation. When the massive earthquake struck, the nanny had the good sense to take the children with her, moving inland in time to avoid the powerful tsunami that engulfed the beach. They escaped to a bamboo forest and then to a nearby village until their father was able to ensure their safe return to Tokyo. The earthquake caused devastating damage to Tokyo, Yokohama and Kamakura. When it struck, people were cooking lunch over open fires which then swept through the town, driving many to be burned to death or drowned as they leaped into the harbor to escape the flames. It was estimated that between 100,000 and 142,000 died in the earthquake, tsunami and fires. 1.9 million were left homeless.  But looking at that beach on a sunny March day, with the cherry and magnolia blossoms just beginning to emerge, it was difficult to imagine what it must have been like 87 years ago on that day. I did like to think I was in the same spot as my then 8 year old father and wondered what he must have felt when all this occurred. I just wish we had talked about it and so many other extraordinary times in his life....

Kabuki Theater

Last night we attended a play at the Kabuki-Za Theater in Ginza, pictured on the left. In about 6 weeks time, the theater will be pulled down and rebuilt. Apparently, it does not comply with current earthquake building codes. It is quite a landmark and so many people were outside taking photographs and watching the large clock count down the time until its demolition. Extra performances are being put on so that many people have a chance to attend as there will no doubt be a gap in time while the rebuilding takes place.

Kabuki is a traditional Japanese form of theater with its origins in the Edo period. In contrast to the older Japanese art forms such as Noh,  Kabuki was the popular culture of the common townspeople and not of the higher social classes. Kabuki plays are about historical events, moral conflicts and love relationships. The actors use an old fashioned language which is difficult to understand even for some Japanese people. Actors speak in monotonous voices accompanied by traditional Japanese instruments. In the early years, both men and women acted in Kabuki plays. Later during the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate forbade women from acting, a restriction that survives to the present day. Several male kabuki actors are therefore specialists in playing female roles. One actor we saw last night was an eighty year old man known as a Living National Treasure and he was acting with his 9 year-old son. There was also another father/son pair of actors, the son playing a major female role and the father the main male role in the play. The story was the final act in a three-part play, parts one and two having been performed earlier in the day. Kabuki Theater is extremely stylized and the actors move very slowly and deliberately with minimal facial expression. Clues to their character are in their costume, hair and make up. The 'bad guy' has an orange/red face and the more elaborate the hairstyle and a beautifully embroidered red kimono on a 'female' character shows that they are high born. The actors entered and exited along a catwalk to one side of the theater and their exit was very slow, with specific moves, and particularly significant. We were fortunate to have the wife of one of Tony's work colleagues with us and as a lifelong fan of Kabuki, she explained many of the nuances to us. We also had radio earpieces and were able to understand the (very complicated) story through an excellent narration. The performance was 3 hours long..... Kabuki is not to be rushed. However, once we became accustomed to the very slow and deliberate pacing, it was a truly fascinating experience. Oh yes-thank you, Henry, for the reminder (see posting below), Tony bought peanuts in the intermission that, to his great surprise, were liberally sprinkled with small, whole, dried fish. Such was his hunger (dinner was still a long way off) he actually ate them.....

Seoul moment

Well, I am finally back from the UK, where I spent 10 days. My main purpose of flying to England was to attend the funeral of my uncle. The memorial service was very special with readings by two of my cousins and a wonderful eulogy by the third. The poignant moment for me was when my uncle's 10-day old grandson was brought into the church by his father. He was born just hours before my uncle died, so a bittersweet moment for all of us.

I had a good time with Tony's mother and we even celebrated Mother's Day together with his sister, 3 of her children and a fiancee. A jolly lunch before I disappeared to Heathrow to catch my flight back to Tokyo.

My journey home was on Asiana, a Korean airline and hence my route took me via Seoul, South Korea, where I spent two interesting hours before my onward flight to Tokyo. Since I had been sitting for approximately 12 hours, I decided that walking was my best option for filling the time between flights. A little light window shopping at the duty free stores, but mostly I was people-watching. I am, after all, my mother's daughter! What fascinated me the most was that as I looked at young couples (of which there appeared to be many), I noticed that the majority of them were dressed alike. They looked like pairs of twins. Alike in every way, shirt, jacket, pants and shoes. The only variation might be if one was wearing a blue-and-white striped shirt and the partner was wearing red-and-white stripes. I have no idea if they were all heading for a "Dress Like Me" convention, or whether this is the popular dress code of the moment in Seoul. When I asked Tony about this, he had yet to notice it on his trips there! The people-watcher gene has passed him by, it seems. I would love to know the reason for this fashion, but may never find out......if anybody can enlighten me, I would love to hear from them.

Well, it had to happen

This is just a brief posting. Today, I was exploring different areas that we are thinking of for places to live. As I cast my eyes about me, I saw a Starbucks coffee shop that was advertising Cherry Blossom flavored frappuccino. A perfect blend of flavors and cultures. I have not savored it yet, but it is probably quite distinctive!

I will be away from Tokyo for 10 days from March 4th, so no posting for a little while.

Love to all,

Julie and Tony