About judithornot
Hi! I live in a small, Northern California beach town, am happily married, am environmentally conscious, I read tarot, knit, and am a night person. I was working toward my Masters in Counseling, but did not graduate. (I completed the classes and the intern work, but not the thesis.) I am now looking for ways to make a living using this training, and am currently working at a rape crisis center.
January 9, 2008 at 6:26 am |
Thank you for all your great posts in Comparative Tarot, it inspires me to look at my tarot cards with new eyes!
February 2, 2008 at 6:09 pm |
Hi, Judith, This is Fumio writing from Japan. I read your blog and USA people’s reply on many subject. I learn the variety of opinion among U.S.A. people. Indeed, I feel the diversity of the world and aware of other cultures.
You wrote the letter, dated December 2, 1981. I excerpt a part of it as follows. Almost 26 years has passed since 1981. “Time flies like an arrow.” The world around us was changing and you are here. We say our thanks for being alive in gratitude.
In addition, my friend, who is French, said that “Now young people receive much more information than we got and it is more difficult for them to find their place. They do care about the world around them but they have to much to care about (environmental issues, Iraq, Africa, emigrants, jobless, education) and they can’t in a way ‘prioritize’. My daughter was telling me that and explained to me that that was one reason for her sometimes to become a kind of fashion addict. They fell they are powerless and without (nice) future.”
Excerpt from Judith’s letter, dated December 2, 1981.
“Your comments and questions about the 1960’s and early 1970’s opened a lot of memories for me. It was a very “aware” time. Students were aware of and concerned about so many things: Vietnam, racial injustice, inequality of any kind, the environment, all sorts of things. All this awareness was depressing. And we were idealistic: We are the generation who was going to right all wrongs. A lot of good was accomplished, but we began to realize we might not do it all. And that was depressing. A lot of people turned to drugs, the occult, anything that offered an answer or a way out. And a lot of people turned to Jesus, sometimes after they tried everything else. Bob Dylan, who was a spokesman and symbol of our generation, became a Christian a few years ago. What finally happened to a majority of those who protested and rebelled, is that they became a part of the back-to-the-land movement. They live in groups or individual families, in cabins, on farms, away from the cities. They grow their food, use windmills for power, and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. So they are still rebelling, it on a quiet day-to-day basis. I write “they” because my husband and I are somewhere in-between “the establishment” and the “counter-culture”. We are a little of each, and not totally comfortable in either.
I remember seeing Japanese students rioting, too, via television. And now the campuses are calm, with people studying with hopes for a good job. It is like that here too, Fumio. Sometimes I wonder about the younger generations. My era as a student was violent and often depressing, but at least we cared about the world around us.”
Thank you, Judith, for the correspondence over the years since 1980.
February 3, 2008 at 2:37 pm |
Fumio, of all the people reading this blog, you’ve known me the longest.
We’ve seen each other go through a lot of changes, and I will always appreciate your friendship.
February 16, 2008 at 10:34 pm |
Hi Judith, I quote another comment on the early 1960’s from your letter, dated January 7, 1984, as follows. Actually, letters are written on a private basis, however it sometimes reflects an atmosphere in those days and it is a record of history. Please allow me to quote a part of it. Also I think this area is about Judith.
“You asked about the nostalgia the people of the U.S. feel for the early 1960’s. I think it was a good time. We felt strong, successful, and were blissfully ignorant of all that was wrong in that era (pollution, starvation, exploitation, etc
. When we did look at what was wrong, we still felt confident we would find a quick solution. John F. Kennedy symbolized that era. He and his family were good looking, young, intelligent, cultured, admired, full of “good works”… We wanted to be like them. Of course, things often look better in retrospect. Perhaps we can be more candid about Kennedy’s presidency, in retrospect, but it is hard. He was such a hero to so many of us, we hesitate to look for his mistakes. It disturbs me that J.F.K. was the one who escalated our involvement in Vietnam. I was only 11 years old when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. For a long time people talked about what they were doing when they heard the news. (I was home from school with a sore throat.) I think Robert Kennedy’s assassination (1968) had more impact on me. I had stayed up late that night to hear the California primary election results. I still was not old enough to vote, but so many of us were eager for Bobby Kennedy to become president. When they announced he had been shot, and then that he was dead, I cried for hours. It seemed as though all the hero were being killed ….What would happen to the United States now? (I still wonder what is happening to the United States.) “
Yes, U.S.A. in early 1960’s was brightened to the eyes of Japanese boys in those days, generally.
Incidentally, I remember the day of J.F.K. assassination when I was 9 years old. I went out to a nearby sightseeing place with family on the day. And the radio broadcasted the news simultaneously at sightseeing place. Maybe, I did not understand the news well. I rather remember my father’s explanation to me that U.S. president was shot and was dead.
Also it was the first day of satelliting broadcasting on TV between U.S.A. and Japan. The U.S. president’s speech for Japan was planned on the day. In the effect, the first TV satellite broadcasting from U.S.A. to Japan was the shocking news on J.F.K. and we were impressed by the simultaneous of TV.
Time flies. Now it is 2008 and just the time for the election of the U.S. president. Not only U.S.A. but also all the world watch the result and its effect in future.
November 2, 2008 at 12:04 am |
Hi Judith, I quote Japanese wisdom, as a memory of our correspondence.
I quote them from English text book for Japanese high school, which my daughters used. I am afraid that high school students are not enough in age to appreciate the wisdom well, however, I admit that young people should learn and appreciate classic. I rather can say that I appreciate them, thanks to our age or experience. (smile)
Quotation from English text book:
“People who hate death should love life. How is it possible for men not to rejoice each day over the pleasure of being alive? Foolish men, forgetting this pleasure, laboriously seek others; forgetting the wealth they possess, they risk their lives in their greed for new wealth. But their desires are never satisfied. While they live, they do not rejoice in life, but when faced with death, they fear it –what could be illogical?
People fail to enjoy life because they do not fear death. No, it is not that they have no fear of death, rather they forget how close it is.”
“Essays in Idleness” by Yoshida Kenko, translated by Donald Keene
“The passing days and months are eternal travelers in time. The years that come and go are travelers too.” by Matsuo Basho
“Ceaselessly the river flows, and yet the water is never the same.”
Hojo- Ki” by Kamono Chomei
“Even a good man is reborn in the Pure land, and how much more so a wicked man.” by Shinran
Incidentally, I quote the priest Ryokan (1758-1831) from “Japan the beautiful and myself” by Yasunari Kawabata, who is Japanese and received the Novel Prize in literature in 1968. “Japan the beautiful and myself” is a small book, based on his speech on Japanese culture at reception at Nobel Prize.
Yasunari Kawabata mentioned Ryokan as a Japanese heart in his speech.
Quotation from “Japan the beautiful and myself” by Yasunari kawabata:
“What shall we be my legacy?
The blossoms of spring,
The cuckoo in the hills,
The leaves of autumn”
“A long misty day in spring:
I saw it to a close, playing ball
with the children”
“The breeze is fresh,
The moon is clear.
Together let us dance the night
away, in what is left of old age.”
“It is not what I wish to have none
of the world,
It is what I am better at the
Pleasure enjoyed alone.”
“I wondered and wondered when
She would come.
And now we are together.
What thoughts need I have?”
“The priest Ryokan, who shook off the modern vulgarity of his day, who was immersed in the elegance of earlier centuries, and whose poetry and calligraphy are much admired in Japan today- he lived in the sprit of these poems, a wanderer down country paths, a grass hut for shelter, rags for clothes, farmers to talk to. The profundity of religion and literature was not for him, in the abstruse. He rather pursued literature and belief in the benign sprit summarized in the Buddhist phrase “a smiling face and gentle words.” In his last poem he offered nothing as a legacy. He but hoped that after his death, nature would remain beautiful. That could be his bequest. One feels in the poem the emotion of old Japan, and the heart of religious faith as well.
“Ryokan died at the age of seventy-four. He was born in the province of Echigo, the present Niigata prefecture and the setting for my novel ‘Snow Country’ a northerly region on what is known as the reverse side of Japan, where cold winds come down across the Japan Sea from Shiberia. He lived his whole life in the snow country, and to his “eyes in their last extremity,” when he was old and tried and knew that death was near. and had attained enlightenment, the snow county, as we see in his last poem, was yet more beautiful, I should imagine.”
January 2, 2009 at 8:45 am |
Hi, Judith, I quote a portion from your letter, written on September 25, 1981, as a memory of correspondence.
Excerpt from Judith’s letter, dated September 25, 1981
”Your comment, ‘Heaven helps him, who helps himself,’ made me smile. My mother always used to say that. But that saying is not in the Bible, Fumio. (Smile)
In fact, the whole basis for Christianity is that we are unable to help ourselves. Good deeds will not get us into heaven. It is only when we admit that we are sinners, and accept the free gift of redemption that Jesus paid for with His blood, that we become part of God’s family and He can really help us. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8, 9) This very thing is what makes it hard for most people to accept Christ. They feel like they have to “clean up their act” first. Of course, God wants us to do good things. Elsewhere in the Bible it talks about our good deeds proving our faith. And it is often when we attempt to do something that God will make it happen. Pardon me for going on and on about a simple phrase.” (Smile)
I heard it so much when I was a child, that when I realized it was not biblical I was amazed.”
Your comment on “we are not unable to help ourselves” reminds me of the same concept, ”Tariki” in Buddhism.
I am interested in Buddhism as Japanese, however, I am not so religious person.
I respect philosophy in Buddhism. Also, I was thinking about “Tariki” or other power for years.
Incidentally, I introduce a portion from Tariki by Hiroyuki Ituski, who is a Japanese novelist and has written many essay. I like his books, which encourage us to live in our world today. Now he is very popular among Japanese people. He published the book, titled “Tariki” in English at New York, which was awarded as “book of the year” in 2001 in spiritual category.
Excerpt from “TARIKI” by Hiroyuki Ituski,
Translated by Joseph Robert, published by Kodansha
“ Tariki is the Japanese word for Other Power. Tariki is one of the most important concepts in Japanese Buddhism, one which first emerged during a period of tremendous upheaval and suffering in Japan, a time that called into question humanity’s efforts to control its destiny. Tariki stands in contrast to “Self Power,” or jiriki. Since its beginnings in India, Buddhism has taught a long and arduous path of practice to reach enlightenment. This personal effort made to achieve enlightenment is a manifestation of Self Power. Tariki, on the other hand, is the recognition of the great, all-encompassing power of the Other— in this case, the Buddha and his ability to enlighten us—and the simultaneous recognition of the individual’s utter powerlessness in the face of the realities of the human condition. It is, in my opinion, a more realistic, more mature, and more quintessentially modern philosophy that can be a great source of strength to live in our world today.
————
—“The Invisible Power That Supports Our Lives”—
We do not exist solely on the material plane. We are also spiritual beings, and our souls require sustenance.
We need love.
We need a purpose in life.
We need friendship.
We need the challenge of work.
We need to feel connected to family and relations.
I think just living the first week of life is an amazing accomplishment. Then we go on to live ten months, three years, ten years, twenty years—-what a vast, invisible support system keeps us alive! How hard our life works to support our existence!
Some people may be blessed with superior strengths or abilities. There are those who possess wonderful natural athletic abilities. Others are brilliant mathematicians. Others may tremendous physical energy and courage. Still others may be marvelously creative. Others may be strong willed.
Such people may attempt and achieve great things, winning the applause of their fellow human beings, but they should by no means pride themselves on their accomplishment. Rather, they should be humble and grateful that they have been blessed with more energy, more good fortune than others.
I believe that all people, even if they accomplish nothing in their lives, or appear to be accomplishing nothing, are engaged in a tremendous struggle simply to be.
I also believe that every person born into this world, even an evil one, is here because he has a role to play in life. It was Shakespeare who said, ”The world’s a stage.“ On a stage there are heroes and there are irredeemable villains, there are faithful friends and there are traitors.
No matter what we do, no matter what our dreams, how much love we have to give, or how creative or clever we are, no matter how much we devote ourselves to others, our lives here on Earth are limited. In that time we inevitably age, we fall ill, and we die. All that is determined from the start, at the very moment we are born.
We are all travelers who, from our first wail at birth, are making a journey, one step at time, toward death. Knowing life’s end, how meaningless it is to compare oneself to others, and harboring feelings of either inferiority or superiority.
Although we know what fate awaits us, we do not succumb to despair but dare to live. Given the circumstances, what a great and important feat that is! “
May 5, 2009 at 3:03 am |
Hi Judith, May 5 is a national holiday, called “Children’s Day” in Japan.
I quote some comments on hometown from your letters, as a memory of correspondence. Time flies, and it remains only as a memory.
“All grown-ups were once children- although few of them remember it.”
(“The Little Prince”, written by Saint –Exupery)
Letter, dated March 7, 1981
“I have found several more books about your beautiful country, and so was able to identify the battledore in the little girl’s hand. We have a game much like battledore and shuttlecock, called badminton. The major difference is that we hit the shuttlecock over a net. When I was a little girl, my neighbors had a net set up in their backyard during most of the summer, and many children would come and play badminton. In the evening and weekends, the adults would often join us, and we would have teams.”
Letter, dated January 8, 1982
“I am also enclosing a post card I found when I was in San Diego. Eucalyptus trees and Southern California always go together in my mind, although the trees are not native to the area. (I think Southern California’s only native tree is the scrub oak.) A California man first imported the trees from Australia, before the turn of century. He intended to “firm” them for their lumber, but found no buyers. Farmers and ranchers began planting the giant blue gums (one type of eucalyptus) as a windbreak. The trees thrive in Southern California’s climate, so eventually they were widely used as ornamentals. Eucalyptus oil is used as an antiseptic, expectorant, and insect repellant. When I was a little girl, there were eucalyptus trees around our house (the one you visited). But when the orange trees groves were cleared for more houses. The eucalyptus trees where chopped down, too. Several years ago I bought a little bottle of eucalyptus oil. Whenever I smell it, it reminds me of happy times as a child.”
Letter, dated March 14, 1986
“Thinking of large cities, we recently returned from a visit to the Loss Angels area. We stayed with my mom, and enjoyed spending time with her. We also visited friends, went to shopping, and visited Knott’s Berry farm (an amusement park) and the Los Angels County Zoo. Several old buildings in my mother’s neighborhood had been torn down，and were being replaced by apartments and condominiums. I was especially sad not to see the old, gray warehouse where they once loaded oranges and avocados from the surrounding orchards onto the train. When I was a girl the trains still came along that track, about half a mile from our house. I loved its long, mournful whistle as it prepared to cross the road. Now even the tracks are gone.”
May 7, 2009 at 8:11 am |
Hi Judith, I quote some comments on “whaling” from your letters as a memory. I have learned a variety of opinions. In fact, whaling gave us an opportunity to think of food, the diversity of the world and tolerance for different Cultures.
Fumio’s comment, dated December 1980.
“British and American people blame Japanese people for killing whales and eat them. They say that Japanese people are cruel to animals.
1) I am reminded of the Biblical story.
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. In our Law Moses commanded that such a woman must be stoned to death. Now, what do you say?” They said this to trap Jesus, so that they could accuse him. But he bent over and wrote on the ground with his finger. As they stood there asking him questions, he straightened up and said to them,”Whichever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her.”
If British and American people depended on vegetables, they would seem to be in the right. They killed animals such as cattle and other animals not only for food, but also for their amusement, such as shooting birds and animals, and they blame Japanese for killing whales for food. Also, it is said that whales were killed mainly for its oil, not for food in West.
2) Due to the influence of Buddhism in Japan, the eating of meat was forbidden for over a thousand years. Japanese people didn’t eat animal and people depended on rice, vegetable, fish until the onset of Westernization in the Meiji period (1868-1912). It is one of the reason Japanese cuisines such as sushi is gaining popularity abroad as a healthy food. Traditionally, Japanese didn’t eat meat, and sukiyaki became popular only after the onset of Westernization. And it seemed that whales were regarded as a kind of fish, not animal. Incidentally, I remember there were some whale- dishes at school lunch when I was an elementary school pupil, because it was cheap, compared with beef and pork in those days.
It seems to me that it is not reasonable at all. It’s just an emotional problem. What do you think of this problem, Judith? ”
Judith’s answer, dated, January 29, 1981
“Thank you for sharing with us your thoughts about the killing of whales and the resulting world opinion. As I read your letter aloud, my husband commented that you obviously feel very strongly about it. I have thought much about what you wrote, and will try to respond as honestly and fairly as I can. I agree that the United States and other Western nations have done a lot of wrong things in regard to animals (and in other ways, too, but let us not get into a universal guilt trip (smile).) Perhaps it is because our ancestors and we ourselves have made so many mistakes, that we hope to encourage others not to make them. But perhaps you misunderstand why most Americans are in favor of the ban, not because we feel it is wrong to kill animals, but because the whales are threatened with extinction. If whales could be raised commercially, as chickens and even fish are, most of us would not object to “harvesting” them. But because whales are wild, and because their numbers are becoming so few that they can not reproduce fast enough to keep up, eventually there may be no more whales. Here in the United States that happened with several varieties of animals, and almost happened with the buffalo and others. But because these animals are now protected by law, they are beginning to grow in numbers and will survive. Whereas the view that all animals have a right to live is a very valid one (I was a vegetarian for a while), that is not the primary reason for the ban on killing whales. (By the way – though many people still hunt animals for food and sport, it has never in my lifetime been as popular as games such as football and baseball. And even hunting is controlled with limits.) I agree with you that most reaction to this issue is emotional, and not always based on reason. When I discussed this with my friends, most of their primary answers were of the emotional variety. I hope I have logically shared some of the reason I favor the temporary ban on killing of whales.”
Judith’s answer, dated October 14, 1982
“Whaling: I read the various clippings concerning whaling, and have given them much thought. I even went to the library to try to find another version of what happened during the conference at Brighton, but was unable to find anything. (One of the frustrations of living in a rural area with an inadequate library) So I can make no comment in regard to Takeshi Nakamura’s accusations of fascism. However, I feel he is over-reacting when he suggests that Japan is despised. The moratorium was not an attempt to hurt Japan, but to preserve the whales. This whole thing has become an emotional issue, for both the pro-whalers and anti-whalers. I am concerned for the people who will lose their livelihoods as the result of the moratorium. (Salmon fishing is threatened by conservation measures here in the U.S. so we do identify with those who will be out of work in the whaling industry.) I appreciated (as you did, Fumio) the article by Clifford Ueda. And perhaps a letter from “Readers in Council”, by Gillian Donaldson-Moriuchi sums up my feelings best:
The imminent danger lies where people fail to recognize that the future of the world food supply must take precedence over the loss of jobs in the whaling industry. People currently employed in this particular industry will just have to do what other people in now obsolete professions have been doing for centuries: look in new fields for their livelihood.
It is a hard thing, where any decision would hurt someone or something.
I hope this moratorium was the right decision. “
Thank you for your honest and fair answers to the controversial subject.
May 17, 2009 at 2:10 am |
Hi, Judith, we exchanged a lot of view between U.S.A and Japan in retrospect. Bit by bit, we asked questions and gave answers to get to know each other’s culture better, during first stage of correspondence, which was in early 1980’s. Over a quarter of century has already passed. I quote your comments on gun-control in those days from your letters.
Excerpt from Judith’s letter, dated December, 1980
“I was also shocked by John Lennon’s murder (December 8, 1980). He was my favorite member of the Beatles. But I heard some comments from people of other countries (mostly England), which made me angry. They said it happened because America is a lawless country, without gun control laws. I felt that was very unfair. All countries have crime and murders, not matter how the laws are written,”
Excerpt from Judith’s letter, dated April 30, 1981
“ I really enjoy our correspondence, Fumio. I enjoy learning about you and your ideas, and learning about Japan in general. I also enjoy it because you are not afraid to ask about controversial subjects, such as gun control. It makes me really think about many issues, in a way, which I have seldom done since college.
We were quite distressed about the attempt on President Reagan’s life (March 30,1981). We rejoice at his rapid recovery, and of the recoveries of the other three men who were shot. The press secretary received a head wound, and though he sustained some brain damage, his recovery is “near miraculous” according to the doctors. Reagan has never been in favor of gun control, and I did not imagine his opinion would change, even after the assassination attempt. Gun control is a very touchy subject here in the United States. There is some gun control, but it is on a local basis rather than nationwide. You mentioned that people protecting themselves on an individual basis is a nice ideal (it is at least understandable, not ideal), “but ideal is just ideal”. Unfortunately the same might be said for gun control. It is a nice idea, but impossible to enforce. Even if we ban or severely control the sales of guns, what about the millions of guns all ready in existence in the U.S.? There is no way people will voluntarily give them up. And it would create an even larger black market in guns. There is a saying among anti-gun control people: “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” Unfortunately there is some logic to that. As I mentioned earlier, I am a pacifist at heart. Yet something about the idea of gun control bothers me. I do not like giving the government more control over our lives. They all ready have enough rules and regulations about everything to sink an aircraft carrier. I do not remember who said it (Thomas Jefferson?) but there is a quote I like: That government, which governs least, governs best. So on that basis I guess I am not in favor of gun control. Please tell me about gun control in Japan, Fumio. How effective is it? “
May 31, 2009 at 6:25 am |
Hi Judith, your comment on gun control reminds me of article 9, Japanese Constitution. I excerpt the article 9 as follows.
CHAPTER Ⅱ: RENUNCIATION OF WAR in Japanese Constitution
Article 9.
1) Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes.
2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.
We learned at school that Japanese constitution is an ideal constitution, called peace constitution, which we proud of, to the world, when I was a pupil in 1960’s.
It was enforced in 1947, just after Japan lost World WarⅡ, by sacrificing more than 3 million Japanese died and the more foreign people died involved the war. Japan owed responsibility. Nowadays Japan is existed on sacrifice of many young people, who died for their country at war, even if the government policy was wrong in those days.
It was not easy for pupil to understand ideal constitution at school. But it is more difficult to adjust Japan into nowadays realities among the world. There is constant debate over the interpretation of the Constitution and its possible revision. Something about the revision of article 9 bothers me. It seems to me that Japanese opinion is completely divided into half among pro and anti revision.
For example, Kenzaburo Oe, who is novelist and received novel prize for literature in 1994, respects article 9 highly and he is against revision of article 9. He wrote Hiroshima and Okinawa Note.
On the other hand, Yukio Mishima who was a writer and killed himself in the base of Self-Defense Force at Ichigaya (Tokyo) in 1970, just in order to looking for the revision of the constitution. He mentioned the revision of article 9, in relationship with Self-Defense Force.
The revision of article 9 is a very touchy subject here in Japan. This is rather the gun control, on a basis of nation, on commitment in constitution, not on individual basis. As for article 9, we have to consider Self- Defense Force and the Security Treaty between the United States and Japan in 1951. I was thinking the dignity of nation in regards to article 9, as the only country, suffered from atomic bomb.
Recently, North Korea will intend to use atomic bomb as the threat to the world. “When atomic bombs are outlawed, only outlaws will have atomic bombs, except countries, playing roll of world police.” Fortunately, the 63 years has passed in peace in Japan since the end of World WarⅡ.
Will Japan survive?
In reference, I excerpt some explanation on article 9 from “Talking Smart about Japan: All you need to know” written by Uchiike Hisataka, published by Japan book.
“The new Constitution of Japan was made public in 1946, the year after World WarⅡ ended, and went into effect the following year. It is highly liberal in content and stands on three basic principles: respect for fundamental human rights, democracy (the sovereignty of the people), and pacifism (the renunciation of war).
However, there is constant debate over the interpretation of the Constitution and its possible revision. One problem is the unusual way in which the Constitution was formulated. The new Constitution was first formulated as a revision of the Meiji constitution by the Japanese government. However, since its proposal was not fundamentally different from the Meiji constitution, the staff of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces (SCAP; or GHQ) created a draft upon which the new Constitution was then based.
The conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has long wanted to revise the Constitution, which it feels was forced upon Japan, and to make a constitution created by the Japanese themselves. Recently, the LDP has begun to move aggressively toward this goal, but in fact there is opposition among the reformist parties, the major point of contention being the pacifistic Article 9. The pro-revision faction wishes to clearly recognize the existence of the Self-Defense Force and to broaden the scope of its permitted activities.
The anti-revision forces argue that the renunciation of war should be maintained as a unique feature of the Constitution.”
“The Japan Self-Defense Force, made up of ground, maritime, and air forces, constitutes the military and defense establishment of Japan. Following World WarⅡJapan was totally disarmed and possessed no military forces. However, with the outbreak of the Korean War and the transfer of many American troops to Korea, GHQ requested that Japan establish a National Police Reserve to replace the transferred troops. In 1954 the Self-Defense Force was established, building on the National Police Reserve.
In other words, Japan had originally formed its war-renouncing constitution under the guidance of the US-dominated GHQ, and now, less than ten years later, it had established a military force at the request of the United States.
While the Self–Defense Force also plays a role in times of natural disaster and in internal peacekeeping, there is no denying that, in reality, it is an army, given this it follows that some people believe that the Self-Defense Force is unconstitutional.
In fact, however, Article 9 reads in part as follows: “the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes,” and “land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained,”
Some argue that since the aim of the Self-Defense Force is the defense of the nation, not aggressive war, it is not unconstitutional.
This interpretation accounts for the actual existence of the Self-Defense Force today. The debate over the interpretation continues without letup, and has given rise to the movement to revise the Constitution and make the Self-Defense Force’s position clearly legitimate.”
Sorry for the long quotation from guidebook. It is a little difficult for me to explain this controversial subject to the point, with my poor English ability. Your comment on gun control reminded me of article 9. I was thinking for recent years the concept of dignity as a nation and I did excerpt here as a memory of correspondence.
As for gun control in Japan, it is severely forbidden to have gun. It is only exception for hunting gun under severe permission. Most people do not have gun fundamentally, however, there are some incident using gun, among yakuza, or gangster.
June 6, 2009 at 6:40 pm |
Hi judith, I quote your comment on Joan Baez concert in 1982. I feel the days in 1980’s like as if it was just yesterday, in retrospect. It seems to me that time flies, and “Ceaselessly the river flows, and yet the water is never the same.”
Judith’s letter, dated October 14, 1982
“You commented that most U.S. movies seemed to be just for entertainment. That is true, at least in the previous 6-8 years. You see, it is part of a cycle. In the 1960’s and early 1970’s, movies were all realism and social commentary. And people got tired of all that “true life”. As entertainment and fantasy films drew bigger crowds, they made more such movies. So now the pendulum has swung in that direction. It is also tied to our economy. When economic conditions are poor, people want to escape into fantasy (as during the Depressions and now). When conditions are good, they have the mental energy to deal with commentary and philosophy.
Did you enjoy the Joan Baez concert? We have seen her on television and in the movie “Woodstock”, but never in person. I admire her music and her personality, if not always her politics. We share the same birthday, along with Richard M. Nixon. I always thought it funny that Baez and Nixon should both be born on the same birthday (because they were political enemies).”
Fumio’s letter, dated October 31, 1982
“I enjoyed the Joan Baez concert at Nagoya in Japan so much. I also admire her music and her personality. She commented, ”I still have my musical career, but the biggest difference is that now I’m a mother of 12- year- old boy, and I’ve become more flexible, and want a decent world for my son to live in.” She also said “I changed my long-hair to short-cut. But my political position did not change.” She sang two Bob Dylan’s songs and commented on him, “I admire Bob Dylan. He made many beautiful songs for us. He was a spokesman and symbol of our generation.” She sang “Donna Donna” “We shall overcome”. Her invoice was beautiful. She told us,” Right or Left in politics is not important to me. Care and aware of our society is just important.” She told us that she went to Germany to have her concert. Many people from younger generation came to her concert. She was surprised at so many young people and she asked them why they joined her concert. They answered that they would be and lived in 1960’s and early 1970’s, instead of 1980’s. She told, “It is in 1980’s now, which is important.” Then, she made songs for “Children in 1980’s”. She said, “We live in 1980’s now. It is dangerous era. We should be care and aware of atomic bomb, pollution, and I will sing songs for Lebanon’s children tonight.” There were many foreign people among Japanese audience at Nagoya concert. It seemed to me that their age is in late twenties and in thirties. I thought they were belonged to the same generation with us. Incidentally, audience expected her to sing old famous songs. But she sang half of them from her new album and I smiled it is just right, because we live in 1980’s. I enjoyed her concert very much. I will send some clippings on her concert at Nagoya.”
Judith’s letter, dated December 1, 1982
“It sounds like the Joan Baez concert was very good. I am glad you enjoyed it. I am identified with her urgings to live in the here and now, not wishing to live in another situation and time. Sometimes it is tempting to think the past was somehow better, or to wish we had done things differently. But we ought to live now to the best of our abilities, or in five to ten years we will look back at 1982 with regret. Husband and I chuckled at the audience expecting Joan Baez to sing her old, famous songs. That happens to most famous singers, I think. Ricky Nelson wrote a song, “Garden Party”, about how that happened to him at Madison Square Garden, during a rockn’ roll revival. The crowd booed when he sang new songs. Most entertainers handle it like Joan Baez did, by singing old and new songs.”
June 22, 2009 at 3:22 am |
Hi Judith, I quote my comment on “Letters from Iwo Jima” and the appreciation to Mr. Clint Eastwood, as the memory of correspondence.
Judith’s comment in the letter, dated July 17, 1981
When I first read your comment about foreign people regarding “Japanese as cruel people and killers”, I thought, “No!” But then I remembered one of husband’s cousins. She saw so many war movies and war comics as a child, that she has an unreasoning fear of Asiatic people. She knows it is unfair, but it is a part of her. Racial prejudices are like that. Right now our U.S. Congress is holding hearings to expose the injustices done to Japanese-Americans who were “relocated “to compounds during the second World War. This did not happen to German-Americans or Italian-Americans. There is so much we look back on and at which we shake our heads. If only we can learn from our mistakes. I feel safe in saying that large majority of U.S. people see the Japanese people as being industrious, highly knowledgeable, thrifty, competitive, polite, and good friends to have. Those are still stereotypes, but much more agreeable ones.
Fumio’s comment in the letter, dated January 2, 2007,
I watched the movie “Letters from Iwo Jima” at theater last week.
Clint Eastwood directed “Letters from Iwo Jima”. I felt his respect toward Japanese soldiers, who died for their country at war, not as enemy of evil in his movie. It is very important that Clint Eastwood made the movie, with dignity and fairness, not by Japanese. Many actors in the movie were Japanese. I really appreciate the movie so much as Japanese.
Incidentally, the original book was written in around 2005 by Kumiko Kakehashi, who is Japanese and it became one of best sellers at nonfiction category in Japan and it was translated into English. She was born in 1961, then, she did not know the actual war. Fortunately, she had opportunities in 2003 and 2004 to interview the son and the daughter of Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the General of Iwo Jima. They showed all the letters from their father, who wrote many letters to his family, through all his life. They kept all the letters as valuable and precious memory of their father. They included letters with many splendid pictures, his father draw for his son when he was staying in U.S.A. apart from his family. He knew U.S.A. well and valued the military power and economy of U.S.A. properly. He had friends in U.S.A. through his three-year staying from 1928 till 1930 in U.S.A. as an officer.
It is said that almost twenty thousands Japanese soldiers and seven thousands American soldiers dyed at Iwo Jima. The island, Iwo Jima is only 750 miles south of Tokyo, was strategically vital in those days. Its fall on March 17, 1945, after the battle during thirty-six days, provided a base for U.S. fighters escorting B-29 bombing raids on Japan.
Kumiko Kakehashi wrote the respect and appreciation toward the people, who dyed at Iwo Jima for their next generation. Incidentally, it was a pity that the daughter passed away at 69 in 2004, and the son passed away at 80 in 2005, after the interviews by Kumiko Kakehashi, just before publishing this book. It remained as valuable memory of Japan in the book, by their contribution to this book.
I felt that nowadays Japan exists on the sacrifice of many people at war, even if the government policy was wrong in those days. Japan accepted responsibility of war. Japan apologized to foreign countries and we feel sorry for foreign people, who did fall victim to war. My mother said that young people always fall victim to war, due to the politics, at any times, at any country. In general, Japanese young people nowadays do not know the war at Iwo Jima well. Then, the movie reminded us of those people, dyed for their county, misery and sorrow of war, and the appreciation to peace. Then, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Clint Eastwood, “Thank you very much for the excellent movie with dignity!”
July 28, 2009 at 7:46 am |
Hi Judith, I excerpt a recent comment from my friend, who is French, as follows.
Alix is one of his daughters, who is teenager and she has grown up and lived in Holland.
“It is sad to see what happens in a lot of companies in Japan, in France and all over the world. This evening, Alix told me that she doesn’t expect a pleasant life in ten years time, because of the pollution, the economic crisis and the global warming. I asked her if it was only her own ideas but she replied that there were shared by her friends. They discuss a lot on these topics. They think, for example, that Holland will disappear because of the level of the sea will increase. It was a shock and it is a bit frightening to see young people like her think this way. It is not what our generation wants for its children. Are we failing somewhere? “
Excerpt from Judith’s letter, dated October 23, 1984.
The photocopy of “Japan’s aimless generation” in “Newsweek” is very interesting. Thank you for sending it, Fumio. Actually, I see this rebellion as having two factions: Those who are committed, and those who do not care. The committed ones are starting low pressure business, and creating communes. They dislike what they see and are making an effort to improve their lives. I can well understand how their efforts (which I find admirable) would worry their “workaholic elders”. These people remind me of the back–to–the–land movement here in the U.S. during the 1970’s. The other faction dislikes what they see, but do not appear willing to make constructive changes. They remind me of “punkers” here in the U.S. I see them as useless.
Japan must realize that it is easier to work toward being #1 in anything, than it is to stay there. Your nation achieved great things in the previous 30 years, and you all have much of which to be proud. Japan’s success has generated much admiration and envy. Yet being #1 tends to promote complacency, and unwillingness to try new things. (We have become the best by doing it this way, why risk something different that might not work?”) This can start a downward slide (in any endeavor) which is difficult to halt. I speak from experience, on both a personal and national level. The U.S. was #1 back in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. At least, we thought we were. (smile) And we received both admiration and hate because of it. But it went to our heads, and by the time we realized it, it was too late. I would hope that other nations have the boldness and determination not to make the same mistakes we did. Yet history is full of lessons which are ignored.
Actually, what is so great about being #1? Is the price paid worth it? The “Newsweek” article mentioned that, too. Many people decide that they want a quality life, rather one of quantity. That is what my husband and I have chosen. The important thing is not to waste that relaxation in front of televisions, or spacing out on drugs, or over–eating, or whatever. We need to use that time with our families, or in healthy activity, or helping others, et cetera. “Wasting time” occasionally is necessary, but it can become a bad habit.”
Incidentally, Japan enjoyed prosperity in 1980’s.The bubble economy started in 1986, but when the bubble burst in 1991, the economy entered a serious recession. The recession continued over ten years, which we call “lost decade” and young people, who graduated from school faced difficulty to find job. They were called “lost generation”. in Japan.
The world is changing. Everything is impermanent and passing.
October 28, 2009 at 5:59 am |
Hi Judith, I was thinking of those who died with war.
And I found the book, which title is “Contemporary Japanese History: since 1945” written by James M. Vardaman. His view toward history was insightful for me. He was born in 1947 at Tennessee and he came to Japan in 1976 and has taught at university more than three decades and he is the professor at Waseda University in Japan now, according to the notice in his book.
Regrettably, I have to admit his comment that “Japanese today do not seem to have an overall understanding of their own contemporary history.”
I almost did not learn contemporary history at school, in retrospect. Until visiting the Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona Memorial in l990, when I was 35 years old, I had not known Japan’s contemporary history so well. I’m afraid I did not know well what was the Pacific war, and why so many people had to die with war.
I quote “preface” from “Contemporary Japanese History: since 1945” as follows.
“This volume is intended for the general reader to give an overview of the flow of Japanese history since 1945. It is motivated by a feeling, evolved over more than three decades of teaching university students and discussing recent history with friends and colleagues, that Japanese today do not seem to have an overall understanding of their own contemporary history. While high school students and university examinees may be well versed in the events, people and dates of, say, the Kamakura period, they seem to have little knowledge of the period in which they live and in which their own parents lived. Perhaps this lack is inevitable given the subjects of university entrance exams, but it is distressing when one considers that unless a person is particularly interested in our own times, he or she may never read about it after high school. It is hoped that this volume will help to fill the gap for those who want to know more about their own recent history.
It is commonly held that if we do not learn from the mistakes of the past, we are destined to repeat them. An even more important reason for learning history is to more adequately understand the present. History is not static but dynamic and if we are to gain perspective on where we are and where we seem to be going, we need some grasp of where we are in the flow of time.
We can do this only if we realize that events do not just “happen” in a historical vacuum. They occur because someone made choices and acted upon them. It is important for us to try to grasp why those people did what they did, if we are to understand why we do what we do.
It is my fundamental stance here that there is no single “correct” view of history. As Kurosawa Akira’s 1950 film Rashomon suggests, virtually all “fact” are “relative.” To cling to a conservative, revisionist, liberal, masochistic or idealistic view of history is to over-simplify.
In the same vein, to pull together all the “loose ends” of history in some neat chain of events is to ignore the general chaos in which events take place and focus on only those things that fit neatly in one’s perspective. Instead, I contend that there are multiple views of history and that we do better service to the reader by showing different views and refraining from attempting to tie the “loose ends” together. Conscious effort has been made to place contemporary Japanese history in the international context, especially describing foreign views which differ from Japanese views and showing how the Japanese situation compares with similar situations abroad.
…………….
Perhaps the most symbolic of all the immediate postwar films was Kurosawa Akira’s Rashomon, 1950, because with its multiple perspectives it showed that there is little that one can depend on as factual. Virtually everything depends upon one’s point of view.”
In addition, I quote “War Responsibility” from the same book.
“There is a particular difference in points of view between Japan and the rest of the world regarding Japan’s role in the 15-year period from 1931 to 1945. The rest of the world –especially the nations of East Asia and Southeast Asia-has generally viewed Japan as the “aggressor” in the conflicts. Many Chinese, Koreans and Southeast Asians have felt that Japan never adequately expressed remorse for its actions in their countries. This charge is repeated in connection with a number of issues. ———
In contrast to the outside world’s view, a common perception within Japan has been that Japan was a victim of the war. First, the Japanese people saw themselves as victim of militarism. Second, they felt uniquely victimized as the target of extensive firebombing and two atomic bombs. For many Japanese, Hiroshima and Nagasaki became symbolic of the catastrophe of World WarⅡ, and they focused on the unique suffering of the Japanese. The memorial services on the anniversaries of these bombings became a way of remembering Japanese suffering while forgetting the suffering that Japanese had caused on other peoples during the war.
This view attempts to shift all blame onto the shoulders of military and the heads of the government, allowing the people to believe that they were only following along against their will. In actual fact, according to one view, citizens at large eventually supported the war in one way or another, and as a result, they bear responsibility as well.”
Incidentally, I quote your comment on Hiroshima Notes from your letter, dated September 28, 1983.
“I also read Hiroshima Notes, by Kenzabro Oe, though it took quite a few weeks. I would read some of it, then put it down and not want to read it because it was depressing. Mr. Oe made several comments which caught my attention.For instance, his suggestion that an A-bomb would never have been dropped on a developing area such as Leopoldville. (Of course not – that would be like using a shotgun on a mosquito.) He suggested that by reacting as well as they did, the people of Hiroshima “served also to lessen the burden on the consciences of those who had dropped the atomic bomb,” That is an unsettling, and possibly valid, observation.
I felt his metaphor comparing the A-bomb destruction with the Biblical flood is poor. And I disagree with his assessment that it is only people with “dull” eyes who cannot really understand disaster, who will come through. What about those who see, but have strong faith in God which pulls them through? A person is capable of seeing and understanding tragedy, without dwelling on it and magnifying it. I felt sympathetic with his words about a young man who eventually died of Leukemia. A “person of high rank” could not understand why, during a remission, the young man allowed to work (rather that lie in a hospital bed). “Such understanding comes hard to ‘persons of high rank’ who are accustomed to phony life-styles that involve no daily work.” Mr. Oe’s book forced me to think again about the horror the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered, and still suffer. Yet I still know that the A-bomb had to have been dropped somewhere. We, as humans of all nations, must know what such bombs do, so that we will shudder with fear at the thought of them ever being used again. And I think most of the world is aware that if A-bombs are ever used again, there will be no “winners”.
Thank you for sharing these books with us, Fumio.”
Thank you for reading the Hiroshima Notes, by Kenzaburo Oe, and your comment, Judith. Incidentally, Kenzabro Oe received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1994.
Summer in 1945
August 6: Atomic bomb was dropped at Hiroshima.
August 8: The Soviet Union declared war on Japan.
August 9: Atomic bomb was dropped at Nagasaki.
August 10: Japan basically agreed to the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.
August 15: Japan’s surrender was formally announced to the Japanese people by the emperor. August 15 became the anniversary of the end of the war, when we appreciate peace and think about people who passed away.
October 28, 2009 at 2:14 pm |
Fumio, I very much appreciate all the entries you have made here. So do others, because the number of readers of this blog takes a big jump when you post here.
I can understand why a nation would not like to think about the horrors of recent war (and the events surrounding it), whether they see themselves as aggressors or as survivors. I’ve met many people who feel uneasy talking about difficult things in their lives, and who want to get on with a more pleasant life, forgetting the pain of the past. Meanwhile, they forget their children have no real knowledge of what happened, and won’t know unless it is talked about. Studies have shown that people deal with disaster in a more healthy manner when they talk about it . . . it helps them integrate it into their lives, to understand what it means (and doesn’t mean), and how to go on from there.
December 15, 2009 at 6:51 am |
Hi Judith, I quote comments of my friend, Philippe, who is French as follows.
It was in summer of 2006. Hanae stayed at our house in Nagoya for a month during her internship at Japanese company, when she was a student of 19 years old. Philippe came to Japan to trip inside Japan for two weeks with Hanae together, when her internship was over. Then, we had a chance to meet to each other for the first time. They said Japanese cultures, such as food, comic, are cool to French younger generation. Thank you for appreciating Japanese Culture.
Philippe’s mail, dated April 5, 2007
“Thank you for your e-mail on your father, (who was drafted and engaged in for almost 4 years during the Pacific war, and finally had engaged in at defense of Miyako island, in Okinawa for 18 months until the end of war. In December 1945, he came back to his hometown, Nagoya from Miyako island, when he was 24 years old. Incidentally, the security treaty between America and Japan left Okinawa in the hands of the Americans. Okinawa was returned to Japanese sovereignty in 1972.) …….
I have also tried to learn a little bit about what happened there. When I try to learn how was the life of people like my father or yours, it helps me to try to understand what happened, what happens now and to enjoy the life we have compared to them at their time. My father died when I was 18 and I have discovered that I don’t know very much of him. He was not speaking a lot and I can’t remember what he thought about Germany (he had been prisoner of war in Germany for almost 5 years), war, politics, education, etc… I can’t also remember if he said something about my results at school, my studies or what I should do. I can’t imagine now how it is possible to spend more than 7 years in military duties and to be obliged to stop twice studying because of them. I regret sometimes not having tried to know him more.”
Philippe’s mail, dated November 11, 2007
“If my wife and I have only one thing we are trying to transmit to Hanae and Alix, it is curiosity. We always tried them to be interested in what they do and study and to be open-minded. Just to be aware that they are a lot of other countries, other cultures, other ways of thinking is important and try to learn something about some of them brings a lot.”
Philippe’s mail, dated November 30, 2007
“We had a kind of dream, how nice it would be to have the Arakawa family from Japan, the family Philippe from Europe and the family of your pen friend from America together for Christmas and the New Year, one year for example in Europe, the following in America or in Japan and the third year in the third country. It could be very interesting, remembering how it was when we were young, discovering what happens with our relatives and children, etc…May be one day…
Indeed, we belong to the same generation. It is interesting to see that lot of us, European, American and Japanese, were sharing the same concerns when we were young. I think that now, young people receive much more information than we got and it is more difficult for them to find their place. They do care about the world around them but they have too much to care about (environmental issues, lraq, Africa, emigrants, jobless, education) and they can’t in a way ‘prioritize’. Hanae was telling me that and explained to me that that was one reason for her sometimes to become a kind of fashion addict. They fell they are powerless and without (nice) future.”