Doshisha Days

Strolling down the Philosphers Path, a quaint single lane street along a small stream flanked by the mountains that comprise Kyoto's eastern border, one can imgine contemplating the myriad existential questions that confound mankind. I say imagine because there would hardly be a worse spot to contemplate these things than when standing in line at an amusent park ride, which is what the Philopshper's Path devolves into every spring when the cherry blossoms bloom and the frenzied crowds dash to celebrate the fleeting beauty of these delicate white pink flowers.

It is the fourth time that I have witnessed this spectacle and every year I hear the same superlative commentary, while drinking the same type of beer while sitting on the same blue plastic tarp. Whether it is on the banks of the Kamo River, in Maruyama Park or on the Path of Philosophy, you'll get the picture. And still, people keep coming back for more year in and year out. I asked some of my friends what they thought about the whole affair. My one friend lamented that the true meaning of sakura has been obscured and is little more than a pretext to drink outdoors - not that an sort of excuse should be a pre-requisite. Another friend disagreed, she thought the trees in bloom was a sight worth celebrating.

I started this inquiry when I was comissioned to write about Sakura-themed tunes for the Japan Times. Of course such sentiments are nothing to Japan, only the mediums have changed. Junichiro Tanizaki’s most famous work, "The Makioka Sisters", has the Japanese title of Sasame Yuki, which refers to lightly falling snow. Most astute Japanese, however, will tell you that it really refers to the falling cherry blossoms, which in turn symbolizes the fragility of youth -and perhaps more ironically now, Japan’s fading traditional culture. These current pop songs are in some ways the descendants of the haiku, wood block prints and of the works of writers such as Tanizaki, all of which used sakura and hanami as an inspiration. One wonders how Tanizaki would feel about Hanami today, along with its cooption and commercialization. The thing is that while the blossoms appear only briefly, they always return the following spring. And thus the tradition of celebrating continues apace as well, only the means by with it is celebrated changes. When Mario and Zelda start having annual hanami outings, then we will know that the symbolic torch, and the more literal buck, has been passed on.

I am going to skip over the part where I bemoan the fact that I have not posted a single word on this feeble little website for six months and jump right into an update on what exactly has been going on in my world since I last took the time to sit down and write something significant.

In the scant past six months, an entrance exam was passed, a romance was forged, a move to the big city was completed, a prodigal son returned home, a rival was bested in a thrilling four-lapper, and now a new school year awaits.

Cryptic enough for ya?

I stand now at the brink of a new term, my first as an "Emu-ichi" which is to say a first year masters student. It is my second time in graduate school, my first in a foreign language and likely my last on both counts. I came here as a research student and I am now going for a degree I already have. Still, this is Japan and as the saying goes "出る釘は打たれる" (deru kui ha utareru" or the "nail that sticks up gets hammered down" so I am just going with the flow.

The blustery northern winds blowing off Mt. Hie have finally subsided and the winter has officially come to a close. The evenings are still brisk, but it has not deterred people from heading down the Kamo River to fraternize and imbibe various fermented beverages. The sakura, or cherry blossoms, are now out in force, and the cacophonous crowds have started to descend in droves on the glens of Yoshino, and parks such as Maruyama in Kyoto and Ueno in Tokyo.

The season's sentiments have even been expressed in song, a tradition that is as annual as the festivities that they celebrate. Check out the article I wrote for the Japan Times detailing this year's hits...

In other news, my friend the Dries, aka Drizzle, has begun is own blog as well. He has been a bit more diligent than I as of late, and it may be worth a peak as our sagas tend to overlap quite a lot...

My friend Yang yang has also some web-related news, launching the beta version of his website Lang-8, which aims to bring people together through language exchange. Using his site, which uses a similar template as the hit Japanese site Mixi, friends can write diaries in the language they are studying and then see comments and edits that have been made by native speakers. A perfect site for those wishing to improve their language writing skills.

I don't have enough time for a sly sign off note at the moment, perhaps next post...