COOL JAPAN from New Yorkers` Viewpoints

（27）
［English Edition］
週刊NY生活　SHUKAN NEW YORK SEIKATSU
VOICES From
NYクール日本
THE NEW YORKERS
That Terrifying Day
Travis Suzaka
From 2010 2011, I worked
as an English
teacher at several elementary
schools in a
rural
town
called Yaita, in
T o c h i g i
Prefecture. Driving through serene
rice paddies below the misty
forests, I learned to appreciate a
simpler life. I enjoyed every
moment until March 11, the day of
the Great Tohoku Disaster.
It is a memory that haunts me
to this day; frantically running to
the middle of a concrete parking
lot with screaming children huddled in front of me as the wave of
wrath came crashing our way. For
around ten minutes we floated up
and down, as if riding an ocean
current, watching the stone walls
around us crumble to the ground.
A few kids even fell seasick.
Driving around town hours after
the disaster, roof tiles had crashed
onto cars, cement walls had fallen
into the streets and the earth continued to rumble throughout the
sleepless night.
The next day, I woke up to a
warm sunny sky and the town had
a solemn silence. I stepped outside
and was surprised to see my
neighbors and students already
cleaning up the fallen bricks, stone
and fallen debris. Everyone was
cooperative and supportive, even
as the earth continued to shake.
We stood in a quiet line, bundled
up in the crisp winter air, as firemen gave out rations of drinking
water and rice balls, our empty
bellies swollen of terror. Slowly
stepping forward, I realized that
all the luxuries I took for granted
just one day before were now
gone, replaced with a worry of
survival. It’s a moment that I’ll
never forget−one that truly put
my life into perspective.
(Travis is a fourth-generation
Japanese American interested in
Japanese culture and art. Contact
him at tsuzaka@gmail.com.)
2015年（平成27年）３月21日（土）
COOL JAPAN from New Yorkers’ Viewpoints
New York Iwate Kenjinkai, said,
“ It’ s not easy, but Iwate
Prefecture will revive.” Masami
Takahashi from Shiogama, who
TABOO:
Ukiyo-e and the Japanese
TATTOO
at RONIN GALLERY
Ronin Gallery, located at 425
Madison Avenue (3rd floor)
opened its exhibition, “TABOO:
Ukiyo-e and the Japanese TATTOO,” earlier this month. In
Japan, irezumi (Japanese tattoo)
gained popularity among the
common class during the Edo
period and it wasn’t uncommon
for hikeshi (firefighters), craftsmen, kyokaku (professional gamblers) and bakuto (gamblers) to
have tattoos as well. Over time,
irezumi became taboo from its
complicated place in Japanese
society. This exhibition explores
the origins of irezumi design and
motifs from the Edo and Meiji
periods through the work of
ukiyo-e masters such as Utagawa
Kuniyoshi, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi,
Utagawa
Kunisada
(aka
Toyokuni III) and Toyohara
Kunichika.
Also on view are original
scroll paintings and drawings by
the acclaimed master of tebori,
Horiyoshi III, photographs by
Masato Sudo and contemporary
mixed-media work by Daniel
Kelly. The gallery is open
Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 6:00
p.m. and Saturday 11a.m. to 4:00
p.m. Free Admission. For more
information, visit the website
www.roningallery.com
(Yukishige Takesue/Translated by
Chikako Iwasaki )
Never Forget:
Great Tohoku Disaster and Tsunami
Memorial Ceremony Held in NY
On the evening of March 8,
Together For 3.11 was held at
First Church of Christ, Scientist,
to observe the fourth anniversary
of the Great Tohoku Disaster and
Tsunami. Around 350 Japanese
expatriates and locals gathered to
pay their respects to the victims.
Chief organizer and singersongwriter
AK
(Akemi
Kakihara) said, “What we can do
from New York is to keep telling
people in the affected area, ‘We
never forgot about you.”
Consul General of Japan in
New York Reiichiro Takahashi,
said, “I feel the strong sense of
the community from seeing so
many people paying tribute.”
After a moment of silence, attendees watched a video message
from chef Toshiyuki Komaba in
Morioka, Iwate Prefecture,
explaining the ongoing recovery
efforts. Koichi Matsuda, who
worked for the Iwate prefectural
government when the earthquake
hit and is a current member of
Ri Koran & Setsuko Hara
Featured in Japan Society’s
Wartime Film Series
The Japan Society film program
(333 East 47th street) will present the
2015 Globus Film series titled “The
Most Beautiful: The War Films of
Shirley Yamaguchi & Setsuko Hara” as
part of the ongoing society-wide series
“Stories from the War,” from March 21
to April 4.
Ri Koran (Shirley Yamaguchi) and
Setsuko Hara, both born in 1920, were
found her deceased mother after
the disaster, said on the stage,
“Those who died from the disaster
wanted to survive, but it was their
destiny to depart from this life. I
felt I have to live, no matter what
happens,” emphasizing the importance of living in a positive way.
Japan Society has collected
$14,000,000 in donations in the
United States since the disaster
that has supported 43 groups and
64 projects. President of Japan
Society Motoatsu Sakurai said,
“Two hundred and thirty thousand
people still live in temporary
housing and can’t return home.
As media interest is fading, victims are worried about being forgotten. I hope they feel that they
are connected to the world
through this memorial in New
York.”
(Ryoichi Miura/Translated by
Makiko Kinoto)
two powerful actresses in Japanese cinema, achieving stardom in the so-called
“national policy” propaganda films.
However, their roles on screen conflicted with their real lives. This series highlights the transitions of their roles
through films produced before, during
and after World War II.
Admission is $12 for non-members
and $9 for members, seniors and students. Tickets are available at the box
office or by phone at (212) 715-1258.
(Yukishige Takesue/Translated by
Etsuko Noda)
Setsuko Hara
©The Pacific War Photos of
Pfc Glenn W. Eve
NY COOL JAPAN is the English Edition of SHUKAN NY SEIKATSU
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Editor in chief: Ryoichi Miura, Associate Editor: Travis Suzaka, Editor: Sayaka Murayama
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