And so, it begins. ART PICNIC Vol. 5

A celebratory event for the Dictionary Club's first anniversary.

It feels as though a joyful atmosphere surrounds me every day.

Was that red hat a signal for the age I was bracing myself for?

Speaking of red! Red! Red!

He says he sees the image of his late daughter in a red raincoat.

For a moment, I recalled the intense impact of 'Don't Look Now,' which I saw in London,

though of course, I remember absolutely nothing of the story.

I remember Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie's superb performances,

and being frozen in the darkness of the cinema by the presence of the dwarf-like old woman.

That's a different story.

Yes, I'm different. I'm not Japanese. I am not Japanese.

You see,

a figurine of Jomon pottery made by the Jomon people and an American-made arrangement figurine

are whispering to each other in the corner of my desk, creating a strange scene.
The climate and environment of the Jomon period, about 16,500 years ago,

saw the Japanese archipelago completely separated from the continent, becoming an island nation. Initially, the temperature was about 2 degrees Celsius lower than today, and sea levels were about 30 meters lower. Afterward, sea levels rose again.

While I can't quite imagine it,
I have an image of a long period of peace.

Kanto
The characteristic of this cultural sphere was its reliance on plant-based food from evergreen broadleaf forests and marine resources from inner bays. Approximately 60% of all shell mounds in the Japanese archipelago belong to this cultural sphere. For terrestrial animal food, deer and wild boar were central. From the sea, they gathered clams and ark shells, and also consumed a lot of sea bass and black porgy. These marine products were caught in inner bays, and fishing was conducted using nets weighted with pottery.

Perhaps it was a reasonably good life.

And then, 66 years after the war? Influenced by American culture and its propaganda,

I'm different. Not Japanese.

When asked, 'Are you Japanese?' abroad,

I'm different. Not Japanese.

I feel like I might instinctively shout this, reflecting a state of mind,

and we live amidst new Japanese people and the culture they have created.

It doesn't mesh. Isn't that only natural?

Even I have had moments where I almost blurted it out.

What future awaits us, subtly and quietly thrown off balance?

If you played all summer, then play all winter too.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

When the grasshopper asked, 'Since I sang all summer, won't you let me dance this winter?' she was refused,

and the grasshopper starved to death.

So, let's all dance our way through life. Come on. Come on. Come on.

← Diary-T 93–98