Anime All Star Version of “Flowers Will Bloom” is Gorgeous!

NHK released the new version of 311 earthquake recovery support song, “hana ha saku” or “Flowers will bloom” in March.  They call it “anime all star version” and the anime characters, which are very popular among Japanese almost all generations appeared in it.  For example, “Space Cruiser Yamato,” “Pocket Monster,” “Lupin the third,” “Astro Boy,” “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” and such.  It’s incredibly star-studded cast.

When I watched the video, I re-recognized that we are closely and deeply related to the anime and manga culture and it is along with our lives anytime.

I don’t know how much the characters encourage us to stand up again when we are in a harsh time.  At least for me, this new version of support song is touching. 

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Takashi Murakami’s Superflat Collection

I went to the Yokohama Museum to see “Takashi Murakami’s Superflat Collection.”  You might think it’s the art work of Takashi Murakami, one of the most successful artists in contemporary art, but it’s the display of Murakami’s private collection as an energetic art collector.  It was mind-boggling and incredibly overwhelming.

The collection is assembled based on the artist’s unique eye and aesthetic.  From contemporary art to antiques, from Japan and other countries, it includes more than 5,000 items.  I think it’s more than a private collection in scale.  It seems to be collected just by his instinct and I felt as if I saw inside of his head. 

Murakami is one of my favorite artists.  Especially, I like what he is thinking and saying rather than what he is drawing.  He is a great concept maker and an eloquent speaker as well.  I remember his “declaration” for the exhibition “Super Flat Declaration” that he curated in 2001.   It starts with this phrase, “Japan might be the future of the world.  And the Japan of today is SUPER FLAT.”  So cool, isn’t it?

The declaration continues, “…everything from society and public morals to art and culture is super two dimensional.”  He says “Super Flat” is a new concept to understand Japanese original culture.  Now, Japanese students learn perspective and Western art at school.  The two dimensional structure has been disregarded since Japan modernized in the Meiji era.  However, Murakami indicated that sense of two dimensional structure have been handed down through games, manga, and animation culture.

In this exhibition, Murakami expanded the definition of the concept “Superflat.”  Everything in here seems to be equal in value.  There is no historical period, no genre, no hierarchies, and no logic in his collection.  It’s the chaotic world, which is a mixture of good and bad, valuable and invaluable. 

 Why has he been collecting so many art items?  He explains it is to find the answer “what is art?”  And he concludes that art is the crystallization of culture; that is, the social circumstances, human relationships, and ephemera of the era in which we live. 

As I expected, what he is thinking is still super interesting!

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Working As a Guide Interpreter

Last month, I received a letter confirming that I passed the test to be a government licensed guide interpreter.  It’s a qualification that enables you to guide foreign tourists with a monetary reward.  I took this exam just for a challenge, but I never imagined working as a guide interpreter up to now. 

In 2015, the total number of tourists visiting Japan was 19,730,000.  It was a 47.1% increase from the previous year.  Tourism is one of the highest growing industries in Japan and the government is aiming to increase it.  It’s surprising to know that the government is setting the goal of gaining 30,000,000 tourists by 2030. 

It must be interesting to be involved in the tourism industry.  However, what should I do with this license that is so hard to come by?  What can I do for people coming to Japan?  I have been thinking about it since I passed the exam.

As for me, I’m a lazy traveler.  I like to sip drinks while viewing nice scenery for as long as I want rather than to visit many places.  Besides, I’d like to find something that is not listed in guidebooks.  A package tour or a group tour is convenient, especially for the first time or the first day in a country.  But I don’t feel up to joining it because the schedule is always filled with events and we need to be punctual.

I haven’t come up with any plans yet but at least I can say I will target people like me, lazy adventurers.  I hope I can help foreign visitors someday in the near future.

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