[July Changes
]
There is some evidence in the news of the quarantine's positive impact on nature.
The canal water in Venice, for example, is becoming clear again and creatures like swans and dolphins,animals that were rarely observed
before the lockdown measures, are returning as well. The government has put forward a "New Lifestyle" in order to combat spread of the virus,
but people's reactions to the guidelines vary. For example, hot and humid summer weather has returned, and wearing a face mask in such sweltering weather
is an uncomfortable annoyance and may replace the possibility of contracting the virus with the risk of a heatstroke.
Some are too cautious and are afraid to step outside their homes, and others are too bold, carrying on just as they did before the pandemic.
Faced with the disparities between other people's sense of responsibility and strategies for remaining healthy and my own,I decided to discard my excessive anxieties,
divorce some of my fixed ideas, and marry flexibility. Because I fear lockdown measures may cause human relationships to erode, I have decided to rethink my priorities.
In my childhood, I would often chase and catch fireflies, whispering a song, "Hotaru Koi" to attract them.
Indeed, the light of fireflies both fascinates and touches the hearts of Japanese.
Their luminescence strikes us as something nostalgic, transitory, and visionary. The other night, I went out to see fireflies in Tobe.
It was only about a 20-minute-drive from the city, but the air smelled thick with summer grass.
A woman in the neighborhood said she'd been seeing a greater number of fireflies than usual this year.
I guess that since the coronavirus outbreak, there's fewer people and cars passing nearby, and that probably promotes a better environment
for the insects to grow. As I walked the path beside the stream, a firefly appeared close to me and flitted about in the air. Led by their glow,
I looked down in the pitch-black water and saw the glowing insects wink a hundred times.
I felt as if I were part of the poetry of the moment. I realize again that nature had also hit the reset button in me.
That night the fireflies distracted me from my stay-at-home stress and healed me a lot indeed.
(Miwa N.)
Early one morning, I put on my backpack and was taken somewhere with my younger brother.
Our parents did not accompany us.
We had just transferred to a new elementary school, and it was our first summer vacation in this new place.
The local dialect was still unfamiliar to us, so we felt a little lonely while waiting for the tour bus to arrive.
There were other children there we didn't know also waiting for the bus.
With my father's repeated job transfers, my parents wanted us to have many different experiences, hoping that no matter where we found ourselves,
we would grow up with strong minds.That first mountain camping trip was one summer present from them.
On arriving at the Hiruzen-kogen Plateau camping site in Daisen National Park, the children were divided into groups
and instructed on how to set up their tents. After that, we moved to the task of making our own forks and spoons out of wood.
In the evening, under the supervision of the adults, we cooked curry and white rice.
Maybe the curry was a bit watery, but it still tasted delicious.
The cozy atmosphere in front of the campfire helped me to relax and make friends with the other children.
Night in the forest was dark and silent. No television, no manga and no games.
This was a first for me, and when I looked up at the night sky, I was amazed to find it full of stars, something I had never realized before.
The beautiful night sky made me want to reach out for those stars.
I love seeing the night sky even now, and I think it stems from that childhood experience.
My parents' one summer present lives on in my memory.
(Y. Kashio)
Prince Rogers Nelson (1975-2016) was a multi-talented singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, actor, and filmmaker.
You can take a self-guided tour of 'Prince's Minneapolis', starting at his childhood home,
stopping off at the First Avenue night club and finishing up at his Paisley Park Studio in the downtown Twin Cities.
Prince pioneered the Minneapolis sound, an amalgam of funk, R&B, synth-pop and hip-hop influences in the late 70's.
Solo and with his backup band The Revolution, Prince racked up 47 entries on the Billboard Hot 100,
including 19 top 10s -- with five of those going all the way to No. 1, huge smashes like "Purple Rain," "Kiss" and "When Doves Cry".
Perhaps Minneapolis was an unlikely place to launch a pioneering band like The Revolution, but people were open there. Liberal and calm.
So, when I saw on YouTube a man killed by a police officer while watched by three other officers,
as he knelt on his neck for almost 9 minutes, I could hardly believe it.
Since his death, civil rights protests have spread across the U.S. and crossed the ocean to spark demonstrations in Europe, South America and even Japan.
Our daughter, studying to be a doctor with a minor in Global Human Resource Development, has remained in quarantine for more than three months.
The Institute of GHR Development encourages her to join off campus online activities.
On Friday afternoons, she attends an online English discussion caf? sponsored by the U.S. Consulate in Osaka.
On June 12th, 170 students, most of them currently living in Japan, participated in a discussion with American diplomats on "Race in the U.S."
The following Friday, on Juneteenth, about 1,000 students via Zoom and Facebook, attended a #BlackLivesMatter event
with a Japanese professor and an African American Japan Times columnist.
My girl complained to me the panel discussion was too short because of the number of questions asked by the students.
As I stand by our young girl and follow this new movement for social justice,I will keep in mind how Terrence Floyd, George Floyd's younger brother,
called on the people of Minneapolis and everyone else interested in building a better world.
"Educate yourself for peaceful protest!"
(Kazuyo)
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