One of the joys of Japan

[kristopher]

One of the joys of Japan is sitting beneath the cherry blossoms with friends and family sharing a day of relaxation, companionship and the simple pleasures of song, food and drink. You sit on a straw mat on the ground, frequently leaning back to enjoy the contrast of the delicate pink blossoms framed in what is arguably the nicest, bluest skies of the year, while the dieing petal drift down and around your 'clan'.

The brevity, beauty and softness of the blossoms existence has always conjured imagery of bittersweet loss that accompanies too early and tragic death; and when that feeling, from a song or a story is present in the midst of a brief blizzard of falling blossoms it is the rare person that fails to connect to a fundamental sense of identification with humanity as a whole...
The wistful appreciation embodied in 'ohanami' has depth precisely because earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunami, flood and starvation are so integral to existence there. The struggle to rebuild and overcome is embodied in the perennial nature of the blooming while the fleeting joy of life is uniquely captured within the perfection of the petals that fall.

To think of that experience, now polluted with and replaced by the image of death itself drifting from the sky like the blossoms, is nearly too much to bear. It is an irreversible poisoning of a precious elemental core experience within Japanese life that will forever alter the character of the nation.

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Unbelievably heart breaking.

What will it take to stop this madness, I wonder.

[dgauss]

2. What a beautiful description and terrible loss.

[franzia99]

30. So true

so true

[marions ghost]

3. You can't have

a happy spring rejuvenation festival while nukes are spewing and land & plants, animals & people are being poisoned. It's just too big a lie.

thanks kristopher

:cry:

[kristopher]

4. My wife and I were watching NHK coverage of the various scenes of the cherry trees.

Tears started to well up in my eyes and I quickly looked over to see if she had seen my display of masculine weakness. What I saw was that the tears on her face were already dripping from her chin...

[Angry Dragon]

6. 'masculine weakness' ??

It shows nothing less than that the spirit lives within you.................

[kristopher]

10. Thank you for that thought.

I was still in Tokyo when the Kobe quake struck, and the quality of this event is dramatically different in a way that mere difference in scale can't explain. The pall cast by the ongoing disaster at the nuclear plant has added a dimension that brings a completely different sense of loss. Perhaps it would be best analogized to the difference between the after-effects of a horrific crime compared to a sudden severe illness. Both can cause death, disability and scarring, but there is a qualitative difference between the two types of loss.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-kobe-earthquake-great-hanshin-earthquake.html

[Bonobo]

5. The experience is not polluted.

One of the reasons that cherry blossoms are considered as one of the highest points of Japanese aesthetics is their transience, their short and fragile lives. One strong wind will send the cherry blossoms falling and their beauty is inextricably linked to their short-lives.

This disaster only heightens the sense that life is short, precious and fragile and as such, the pleasure of being in the right place at the right time and having the blessing of being able to enjoy the flower-viewing is only enhanced, never reduced by life's dangers.

Impermanence

"Life is fleeting; therefore, life is beautiful."

Mono no Aware

Mono no aware: the Japanese beauty aesthetic

Meaning literally "a sensitivity to things," mono no aware is a concept describing the essence of Japanese culture, invented by the Japanese literary and linguistic scholar scholar Motoori Norinaga in the eighteenth century, and remains the central artistic imperative in Japan to this day. The phrase is derived from the word *aware*, which in Heian Japan meant sensitivity or sadness, and the word mono, meaning things, and describes beauty as an awareness of the transience of all things, and a gentle sadness at their passing. It can also be translated as the "ah-ness" of things, of life, and love.

According to mono no aware, a falling or wilting autumn flower is more beautiful than one in full bloom; a fading sound more beautiful than one clearly heard; the moon partially clouded more appealing than full. The sakura or cherry blossom tree is the epitome of this conception of beauty; the flowers of the most famous variety, somei yoshino, nearly pure white tinged with a subtle pale pink, bloom and then fall within a single week. The subject of a thousand poems and a national icon, the cherry blossom tree embodies beauty as a transient experience.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Mono-No-Aware:-The-Essence-of-Japan&id=435418

[kristopher]

7. For you perhaps.

More so for others.

[Bonobo]

8. And I can say the same to you.

It is different for everyone. But there is no denying that what I wrote about is a major underlying factor, perhaps the defining factor, in Japanese aesthetics, particularly that of the cherry blossom.

[kristopher]

9. Thank you.

It's unfortunate I didn't appreciate that when I wrote of my feelings.

One of the joys of Japan is sitting beneath the cherry blossoms with friends and family sharing a day of relaxation, companionship and the simple pleasures of song, food and drink. You sit on a straw mat on the ground, frequently leaning back to enjoy the contrast of the delicate pink blossoms framed in what is arguably the nicest, bluest skies of the year, while the dieing petal drift down and around your 'clan'.

The brevity, beauty and softness of the blossoms existence has always conjured imagery of bittersweet loss that accompanies too early and tragic death; and when that feeling, from a song or a story is present in the midst of a brief blizzard of falling blossoms it is the rare person that fails to connect to a fundamental sense of identification with humanity as a whole...
The wistful appreciation embodied in 'ohanami' has depth precisely because earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunami, flood and starvation are so integral to existence there. The struggle to rebuild and overcome is embodied in the perennial nature of the blooming while the fleeting joy of life is uniquely captured within the perfection of the petals that fall.

To think of that experience, now polluted with and replaced by the image of death itself drifting from the sky like the blossoms, is nearly too much to bear. It is an irreversible poisoning of a precious elemental core experience within Japanese life that will forever alter the character of the nation.

[Art_from_Ark]

11. I went to a "cherry tree party" last night

100 miles from Dai-ichi. It was a little chilly, but other than that, it was just like any other cherry tree party.

[kristopher]

12. A "cherry tree party"?

That's an odd term. Certainly never one I heard in 30+ years of integrating with the culture.

Is there a reason that both you and Bonobo seem to feel the need to try and deny what I, my wife and all of our many Japanese friends and relatives are feeling?

If you feel differently that speaks to your system of beliefs and has no relevance to the sense of loss and violation we feel.

[Bonobo]

14. Seems like a fine term when speaking English.

Naturally in Japan, people speak Japanese so would not use the term.

I did want to correct you on your claim that people sit on straw mats. They don't. They mostly sit on plastic blue tarps. Straw mats are for IN the home and tend to get dirty and wet when placed on the ground.

Also, if you were just expressing your own personal feelings it might have been fine, but here is what you said, in what seemed to me a pathetically overstated gush of melodrama:

"It is an irreversible poisoning of a precious elemental core experience within Japanese life that will forever alter the character of the nation."

I can see how, living in America, and subject to the media pornographication of this disaster might get you deep in the blues, but please don't make such ridiculous statements as saying that the Japanese cherry blossom viewing is poisoned.

Art and I live here and Art is much closer to the scene than I am.

If you think that Japanese people are being as insufferably melodramatic as what you wrote, you don't know Japanese people very well.

[kristopher]

15. That is not a term anyone familiar with Japan would use.

And while you may use a tarp, we always preferred folding straw mats that we kept specifically for the purpose of outdoor parties.

My belief from what you've written is that you are far more intent on protecting the nuclear industry than in providing actual insight into the effects of the disaster. Why else would you feel such an obvious need to piss on this thread?

[Bonobo]

16. Think whatever you like but I can't see your point.

How could my statements be interpreted as "protecting the nuclear industry". You are being ridiculous.

I piss on your threads when they piss on Japan. Claiming that Japan is eternally poisoned or that their spirits are ruined is what pissed me off.

It sounds like whiny, Japan fan-boy crap.

Thank god the Japanese have more "konjou" than some others.

In Japanese, they just say "hanami ni iku".

tokoro de, Art ha anata yori haruka ni nihon no koto wo shitteiru no deanmari jiman shinai hou ga ii.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Hannah Bell]

36. no, art's not familiar with japan. he's just lived & done business there for many years,

reads & speaks japanese & has a japanese family.

plus he lives within 100 miles of fukushima daiichi.

where the hell do you get off accusing permanent residents of "protecting the nuclear industry" just because they don't buy into your death porn?

[Mojorabbit]

28. A lot has changed then

Years ago when I lived there we brought mats and also blankets to sit on as did everyone else but that was 30 yrs ago. I have lots of photos in albums somewhere in this house.I am glad there were no ugly blue tarps back then.

[Art_from_Ark]

31. The tarps might be "ugly"

but they do prevent the wetness or dirtiness of the ground from soiling or soaking through clothing. And tarps are much easier to clean than mats.

[Hannah Bell]

33. there were plastic mats then, imitating rice straw, folding mats or rolled.

[Bonobo]

34. That makes sense.

Most Japanese people would cringe at the idea of laying a blanket on the dirty ground without some special backing because they would have to wash it in the machine which would become filthy too. I know my wife would...

As for straw mats, they would have to be forever consigned to the fate of being used only outdoors.

I have been going to hanami for decades and I can't remember anything other than plastic. Either blue or clear or white. But always some kind of camping-ish tarp.

The star of the show is, in order: Cherry blossoms, beer or sake and then food. Or is it the reverse? Oh and karaoke too lots of times.

People love to barbecue also. The children playing ball, the smell of yakiniku, chicken and wieners and the sheer joy of the event is intoxicating.

[Art_from_Ark]

17. Why is that an odd term?

Am I, as a native English speaker, somehow not allowed to use the term "cherry tree party", especially in quotations, to describe the type of party that I attended last night?

[Bonobo]

18. I guess you need to 'integrate' more!

:o

[Art_from_Ark]

26. I guess so

:)

[Hannah Bell]

32. they're not denying what you feel. they're saying that they & *their*

japanese wives, families & friends feel a bit differently.

japan is not monolithic, japan isn't a museum, & the japanese aren't clones.

and orientalism is the bunk.

[XemaSab]

35. You're not on FJ are you?

:shrug:

[Hannah Bell]

37. i have no idea what FJ is, so i must not be on it.

[XemaSab]

38. Ok

Something in your post put me in mind of a post I read elsewhere about 5 minutes earlier. :D

Have a good evening! :D

[Bonobo]

13. Beer, sake or shochu? nt

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bonobo]

21. Actually THIS screed is from someone claiming to speak for Japan.

"To think of that experience, now polluted with and replaced by the image of death itself drifting from the sky like the blossoms, is nearly too much to bear. It is an irreversible poisoning of a precious elemental core experience within Japanese life that will forever alter the character of the nation."

[kristopher]

22. We are grateful you've shown us your deep understanding...

Stigmatized, by no fault of their own

Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki share an affliction and a story. They also share a name.
The 227,565 people recognized by the Japanese government are hibakusha, a name that literally means “explosion-affected people.”
Generations ago the term was regarded by the Japanese as a mark of shame, a sign that one was potentially damaged. Impure by no fault of one’s own.
Now, with radiation leaking from the Fukushima plant, some question whether the next generation will apply the term to the potentially tens of thousands affected or take a more modern approach to those emerging from one of the worst nuclear disasters in history.

“Hibakusha is simply alive in Japan today..."

http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=4460858&sponsor=

[Bonobo]

23. Just another example of the dangers of a little knowledge.

To claim that Japanese are discriminating against Japanese people that have been exposed is an insulting bit of propoganda and you read into it what YOU wanted to suit your own agenda without even really reading it. Here is the last paragraph but I guess you just like the headlines of this type of thing.

"“Survivors of the current crisis will not face the same type of social stigma that met atomic bomb survivors after the war,” he said. “Japan, however, is going to have to find a new way to talk about radiation and its risks as it moves forward in order to come to terms with the present crisis.”"

[kristopher]

24. An insulting bit of propaganda?

That isn't how my mentor at university there felt about it when he introduced me to the effect. At the time he was waiting to die from leukemia and assorted other illnesses that were attributed to his having been in Nagasaki one day long ago...

[Bonobo]

25. I refer to your intimation that the Japanese are doing it now.

But you knew that.

And thanks for confirming that your knowledge is largely based on ancient history.

But then again, I already knew that too.

[kristopher]

27. Ancient history is current belief

I've had enough of your posturing but I'll leave my side of this with two things.

My friend, who led me through 5 years of study on Japanese culture, finally died in 1997; and he fought the idea of discrimination until the end even though he knew it was an unavoidable part of the worldview of the Japanese.

Here is a snip from the body of that article, I'd urge people to read the entire thing for themself and then revisit the OP. I'm not saying the same effect will follow from Fukushima, but the sense of poisoning is going to have a profound impact on the national consciousness - it certainly is on me and those around me.

"The response to survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki stems from a traditional Japanese value of misogi, or all-encompassing purity, he said. The Shinto religion holds moral, spiritual and physical purity as one of the most treasured traits in people and so it was thought that those exposed to harmful radioactive chemicals could not achieve that purity."

The response to date has been a stark contrast to what I saw in 1995 after the Kobe quake, and that difference has little to do with scale, and everything to do with the ongoing emission of poisons from multiple meltdowns of as yet undetermined severity.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-kobe-earthquake-great-hanshin-earthquake.html

For another model of what I'm talking about you can investigate the national reaction to mercury poisoning in the village of Minamata in the mid 60s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihFkyPv1jtU

[Bonobo]

29. So we can put your claims that the cherry blossom viewing is unalterably poisoned to rest?

Good.

Because if you lived here, you would see that people are still continuing to enjoy the beauty of this great time and are not, like you, wallowing solely in the apocalyptic and frankly pornographic claims of blood-sucking mass media 24-hour news stores.

The fate of hundreds of thousands left homeless and the 20,000 plus dead are yet to be fully mourned as self-righteous foreigners continue to use the current nuclear situation as fodder for their own narrow political agendas while pretending deep sympathy and oneness with the Japanese people.

Meanwhile life is continuing and the April winds will one day bring a sakura fubuki that will herald the end of cherry blossom viewing.

[AsahinaKimi]

39. picture of the day ..(Japan Today)

Crowds enjoy the cherry blossoms at Shinjuku Gyoen park.

~ななころびやおき~~ 頑張れ日本 !!

[Bonobo]

40. Meccha ii!

That's a great picture!

Hi Asahina! Wish you were here!

[AsahinaKimi]

42. arigatou!!

Watashi mo!

[Hannah Bell]

41. i see they are all on their straw mats with their "clan" looking at the soft blossoms

& musing on the "imagery of bittersweet loss that accompanies too early and tragic death".

not.

[marions ghost]

43. OK I have read the comments here

I don't have the direct exposure to Japan that some do here, but do have some connections through art (ceramics)and lifelong study of Japanese martial arts. A good friend of mine has been there many times. I feel connected in spirit.

So I am trying to understand what is going on here in this thread. Why are people fighting over mats vs tarps? Why are people arguing with the essence of what kristopher is saying?

The Japanese connection to nature is embodied in the cherry blossom festival (or whatever you want to call it). Since people generally live in cities in Japan now, they don't live close to nature, so rituals like this are important.

It seems to me that all kristopher is saying is that there is a cloud, a toxic radioactive cloud, over this joyous spring festival. (This is a cloud in the literal and psychological sense). There is also sadness for the earthquake victims. People must push the nuclear disaster out of the mind in order to feel the joys of spring. And that leads to some cognitive dissonance:

Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance. They do this by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and actions.<2> Dissonance is also reduced by justifying, blaming, and denying. It is one of the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology. (Wiki)

At the same time I do understand the need to believe that these problems will be overcome and life will go on--ie. the need to be optimistic in the face of an ongoing crisis. People MUST hope for the best. I understand why people with deep connections to Japan are hyper-sensitive right now. But I think you must allow kristopher to say how he sees it. It doesn't have to be one way or the other, there can be differing points of view. Fine to give the other side, but allow him his right to say how he sees it. People react to crises in different ways and both can be valid. To see the Fukushima situation as a huge loss to be mourned rather than a temporary obstacle--is not ridiculous at all. At the very least one must grieve for the loss of a sizable chunk of precious Japanese farmland for generations. And there will be effects on the people most exposed. And there will be complex questions about the future of nuclear power. This is reality. This is a stage of mourning. Many people must mourn before "moving on." Allow for that.

What I see in this exchange is great stress, but also great concern and love for Japan in general.

So can we all get along?

[Bonobo]

44. One of the problems is that some see my calls for hope and optimism

as the defense of the nuclear industry and how ridiculous is that?

Similarly, I admit that I am defensive about those who are mourning prematurely for the death of Japan.

We here in Japan are alive and looking towards rebuilding, looking with hope -and some here seem not to want to hear that but can only see it as "downplaying the tragedy".

Well, can you blame us for feeling like "fuck off" to claims that our cherry blossom enjoyment is somehow a denial of the brutal reality of our own death? Can you blame us if we don't wnt to hear that from someone sitting in their homes 5,000 miles away?

Fine. Write an OP about how sad you are but not some bullshit about how the cherry blossoms are falling with toxic radiation or some such bullshit.

It pissed me off, yes. And it further pisses me off that my optimism is called out as "shilling for the nuke industry". A big FU for that.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

45. Wakatte iru hito wa wakarimasu yo ne.

:)

[Bonobo]

46. Lydia-san...Sasuga.

Hisashiburi! Demo itumo Lydiasan no OP wo yomu to aratamete ii hito da na to omottekuru.

Genki de ne.

Arigatou.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

48. Maa, sonna...

:blush:

Arigatou. Bonobo-san ga Nihon ni seikatsu dekiru to omou to, urayamashii wa.

[marions ghost]

47. Trying a reply

Look--can you see that on an anonymous message board, calls for hope & optimism right now might be easily interpreted as nuclear industry whitewash. We have witnessed how various industry failures and political corruption have led to environmental degradation all over the world. We have seen how the nuclear industry has become one of the most notorious corporate bullies on the planet. While I understand how you might be insulted, can we agree that it is not an unreasonable suspicion to throw out, especially as the OP is being attacked for his POV?

I don't think people are mourning for the "death of Japan" so much as mourning, once again, for the idea that government has a responsibility to keep citizens safe from preventable (in this case, irreversible) harm. Fukushima represents a huge betrayal of the public trust. And this is what we have seen also in the US just about everywhere you look, from oil rigs to food inspection. So there is a resonance that goes beyond just being a sympathetic onlooker to this disaster. We are ALL involved-- and the implications for the future of ALL of us are PROFOUND. Can you see that?

The cherry blossoms are indeed falling with some low level radiation, but that's not really the point. The point is that the cloud of uncertainty hangs heavy over Japan & the world, because we do NOT know where this thing is going to end. There is still a lot of fear--both expressed and denied--around this. There will be fallout of all kinds, not only the physical kind.

It. Is. Not. Over.

You have a point and kristopher has a point. Both are based on deep feelings (I am imagining that you are both sincere). Yes, there has to be a strong will to overcome this, but also there has to be time for mourning the losses already --particularly the large areas of contaminated land and water--and mourning the loss of faith in governments. Many would not mourn the loss of the technological miracle that has turned out to be such a foolish loser--nuclear power. So we should not be too quick to shovel over this tragedy, no matter how much you want things to remain normal. Consider this, in the wake of the greatest tragedy, it is very human for many people NOT to see it, NOT to feel it. There is a kind of protective walling off that occurs until a person can absorb it bit by bit. We are in that stage now. Some will mourn more and sooner than others.

No matter how much you want for everything to remain "normal"--you must come to accept that Things Are Not Normal. (At least I hope that we do NOT start thinking of these huge betrayals by govt and industry as normal). The face of the farmer from Fukushima who said on the video, "They told us it was safe..." as he broke down in tears a day or so afterwards, sticks in my mind. Do we turn away from the obscene exploitation that this one cry in the wilderness represents? There is death to be mourned.

Taking time for expressing feelings of loss and sadness at this point is just as valid as the urge to move on. You're just not seeing the other point of view, but that's OK. Nobody has to be "right" here--it's all OK in the face of this ongoing crisis. Celebrating the cherry blossoms can feel bittersweet, to say the least, this year. I can understand crying as they fall.

:grouphug: everyone who cares about this situation, no matter how expressed.

[MoonRiver]

49. I am truly sorry about what has happened to the Japanese, but,

their barbaric slaughter of whales and dolphins is horrific. I don't believe in karma, except in the eyes of the believer, but the statement 'what goes round comes round' is difficult to ignore.

[AsahinaKimi]

50. oh thats rich.....

Yeah, God's revenge, thanks a lot. shinjirarenai.. kawaisou.

[MoonRiver]

51. Just curious, do you think whaling and murdering dolphins is ok?

Also, I never used the words "God's revenge." I don't believe God is mean.

[AsahinaKimi]

52. Do you think blaming the entire Japanese population

for whale and dolphin slaughter is okay? SO they ALL deserved this? Unbelievable.

Tell that to these kids...

[MoonRiver]

53. NO, I do not think that.

But you have not answered my question.

[AsahinaKimi]

54. Kuso!!

Is Killing Dolphins and Whales wrong? OF COURSE it is and I have said so on multiple postings about whaling, but to THINK gee, SOMEONE, SOMETHING, SOME FATE must be punishing the entire Japanese population for this act...IS FUCKING STUPID AND HEARTLESS.

Thanks for your concern,... meh!!

[MoonRiver]

56. I told you I am not happy they are suffering. It's terrible what is happening in Japan.

I also love and want to protect the most sentient beings on earth, possibly including humans. Is that wrong?

[AsahinaKimi]

55. dupe