[On a Thundery Day
]
One thundery day, it came to visit us.
It wasn't visible, just a disembodied meow from behind the air-conditioning unit outside. Yes, it was a stray kitten.
It appeared to be around two months old, but I couldn't tell whether it was a male or female.
I tried to catch it and bring it inside from the thunderstorm, but it was too quick, so I gave up. Instead, I left out a box
and put a small cup of milk in it. Early the next morning, I didn't see the kitten around,
and I was relieved that it had gone somewhere else. Later that day, I had to run some errands.
As I was driving, I thought I heard meowing coming from somewhere inside the car and wondered if I was hearing things.
When I got out of the car, the strange sound stopped. Again, I was relieved, and I went off to run my errands.
When I was finished, I drove to my next appointment. Then the strange sound started again, and I realized it must be the kitten
I saw the night before. I immediately canceled my other appointment and rushed to a car dealership.
The mechanics agreed to rescue the kitten, and they soon determined it was in the engine compartment.
Unfortunately, the space was too narrow for them to put their hands in and lift the kitten out, but we could see the poor creature
in there frozen with fear. The mechanics decided to put the car on the rack and then remove the bottom cover
so the kitten could escape. As soon as they did, the kitten leapt out and quickly ran away.
I knew I couldn't take the stray kitten home and keep it as a pet, but I felt a little sad and disappointed that it disappeared so quickly.
I don't know where it went, but I hope it will survive, even though the odds are low for stray cats.
These days, the problem of huge numbers of stray cats and dogs with no one to take care of them is attracting public attention,
and I think the stray kitten must also be a result of someone's selfishness in not neutering their pet and allowing it to wander.
Now I just pray for the kitten and hope that it will find somewhere to live happily.
(Y. Kashio)
Why are all the actors in heavy white makeup? Is there some special meaning for that?"
Long ago at the end of one November, I visited the Kabuki Theater in Ginza in Tokyo along with members of an international exchange program.
Our group took the cheapest seats farthest from the stage. The Indonesian student who'd asked me the question
mused about the actors' "Kabuki white" makeup. "Perhaps we tend to value white skin color," he suggested.
I answered that my grandma had often told me, "White skin hides even the seven faults." And, "Rice and women are better if they are white."
But I knew this was not a very good answer to his question. It's true. Kabuki actors, noh masks, the faces of geisha/maiko performers,
and brides are all still powdered with heavy Shironuri, white makeup. The Kabuki guidebook offers two main reasons why actors wear white makeup.
For one, traditional Kabuki theaters were dark and utilized bonfires and candles to provide light for the stage.
Because it was dim inside the theater, actors wore white makeup to make their facial expressions more visible to the audience.
In addition, white color signifies righteousness and helps the theater goers identify the hero of the drama.
Women characters (also acted by men) are in white-face as well. Black and blue facial markings suggest an evil-doer.
There seems to be a mix of fact and myth when we try to understand why so many cultures find white skin desirable.
For centuries, elite members of society used paints and powders to create smoother, paler appearances, unblemished by illness
and the sun's darkening and roughening effects. Perhaps white skin signified that a woman wasn't required
to work long hours outdoors in the hot sun, and, therefore, must be a member of the upper class.
Many women in many countries have long strived for fair skin.
In a lot of Asian, African, and Caribbean countries there is a big market for skin-whitening cosmetics.
In support of the global Black Lives Matter movement, I applaud major cosmetic makers' latest decision.
Johnson & Johnson, The L'Oreal Group and Unilever removed the words white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening
from all their skin products.
I love their positive message, "Your own unique skin tone, Healthy skin is beautiful skin."
(Kazuyo)
In the depths of World War ll, Japanese militarism pushed the entire nation to the brink of utter destruction,
the generals proclaiming that the endless sacrifices Japan's citizens were expected to make were all for the sake of the country,
and that, in the end, the army and navy would be victorious. However, no light would ever be evident at the end of that long, horrific tunnel,
because the Empire of Japan, by inciting a war they could never win, had been heading in the wrong direction in the first place.
Many of my relatives survived the hardships of that war, and their difficult experiences influence their lives even now.
"I won't ask for anything until I win. Luxury is the enemy." Under such wartime slogans and the draconian laws that enforced them,
people had to live frugally, scrimping and saving to feed their families.
Because my mother grew up that way, she knows the true value of food and avoids wasting it.
For example, she grows her own vegetables, and this time of year, I enjoy her freshly harvested sweet potatoes' chestnut-like-flaky texture.
In the aftermath of the Battle of Midway in 1942, halting Japan's expansion of territory and considered the turning point in the Pacific War,
Japan's domestic food supply was insufficient to feed their citizens. While a food rationing system was established,
the food shortage became so severe that many were forced to eat even sweet potato vines.
The government ordered school playgrounds turned into sweet potato fields.
My uncle was obliged to labor in one, then, instead of attending high school, he was forced to work at a military facility.
He, along with many other youngsters, were unable to pursue an education.
My father-in-law is another who can recall the effects of war on his childhood.
Because he grew up on a family farm, he didn't suffer from hunger so much.
When he became ill, he was allowed to eat the eggs raised on his farm.
A fish vendor from Gogoshima Island regularly visited Kuma village to barter rice for salted mackerel.
In the immediate postwar turmoil, neighbors gathered to slaughter a bull one of the farmers had raised.
Afterwards, they shared the meat among themselves. This was the first time my father-in-law ever tasted beef.
Coal was scarce, and in 1946, he recalls GMC trucks could be seen distributing charcoal house to house for the cold winter months ahead.
The war required great sacrifices of all that experienced it, sacrifices that can never be justified.
I think it's meaningful to preserve the memories of those who can still recall those difficult years
and ensure they are passed down through generations lest we forget the tragedy and commit the same mistakes.
(Miwa N.)
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