1936. In the 1940s a bomb dropped in his yard but it did not explode. He has led a difficult life when young. He introduced me to Japan.
I read a great book called “Memories of Silk and Straw” which was a collection of essays of people who made their living in traditional ways at the start of the 20th century. I loved reading how a person who made paper would go select the tree to cut down in one season and come back several months later to do the chopping in a different season. People who made tatami mats, or paper. It was so interesting.
When I was in Tokyo, I saw an exhibit of artwork made from tiny scraps of paper, made so real looking that it could have been a photo. Each tiny leaf waste flower was a separate piece of special handmade pattern. The artist, designated as a Living National Treasure, was present at the exhibit. I wished I could have bought a real one, but I only got prints. It was the only time in my life I ever truly wanted to buy a piece of original art.
I walked in Hokkaido on 1/1/2000. I fell in love with a bamboo forest, and made pottery with my son in a little town near Nagasaki. I ate fried shrimp heads and stayed in a place with a hot springs running through the bathroom. I truly love Japan.
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