Natsukashi Nihon (Missing Japan)

A telephone call from a Japanese friend temporarily based in the U.S. could not have come at a more auspicious time. Both of us were feeling terribly natsukashii Nihon (homesick). We utterly miss Japan, specifically chaotic Tokyo, a mega-forest of ultra-modern skyscrapers and hyper-energy. Manila’s languorous pace is aggravating this affliction.

Mad, wild, and frantic Tokyo is where I spent 10 years of my life learning Nihongo, working on my doctorate in sociology, teaching part-time at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and advancing my career as a journalist by becoming the first Southeast Asian in charge of the Asia-Pacific desk of a big Japanese wire agency and publishing a book in Japanese. Half of my tumultuous life is intertwined with Japan. Hence, this unbearable natsukashii not soothed by my regular Sunday dose of NHK’s fare of sumo wrestling, samurai drama and Tokyo love stories.

This natsukashii Nihon intensifies this time of the year because it is ski season in the Land of the Rising Sun. The best and the finest snow fall from late January to late February, and the whole country goes gaga over skiing. My Japanese ski-mate and I would fly to Hokkaido or hop on a shinkansen (bullet train) to Niigata to ski, wrestle in the snow and afterward soak our naked bodies in a rotenburo (outdoor bath filled with almost-boiling water). We always looked forward with great anticipation to these annual outings as a fleeting escape from Japan’s corporate jungle.

Mercifully, the barrage of Nipponica currently flooding Manila and select cities via the almost two-month celebration of the 16th Philippines-Japan Festival 2003 and the ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year will momentarily tame my searing natsukashii.

The festival started quietly yesterday with the final week-end showing of Rhythm Method (Kung Kailan Ka Pwede), a co-production of the Japan Foundation-Manila and Tanghalang Pilipino, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The play is a humorous take on the life of Dr. Ogino Kyusaku, the Japanese obstetrician who was the first to unravel the timing of women’s ovulation. This medical discovery was presented in a comic but true-to-life dramatization that tackles pregnancy, women’s health and contraception.

"This year’s Philippines-Japan Festival is very special as we also mark the centennial of Japanese immigration to the Philippines," says Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kojiro Takano. "The ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year seeks to promote exchanges, increase mutual understanding and strengthen friendly relations among neighboring countries through intensified, collective efforts throughout the year."

The idea of holding an ASEAN-Japan Exchange Year in 2003 was proposed by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in January 2002 in Singapore. It was formally adopted in November 2002 during the ASEAN-Japan summit meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with the theme "Acting together, advancing together."

In advocating the one-year regional exchange, Koizumi believes that it would be "useful to strengthen networks that link research institutions in Japan and ASEAN countries," notably intellectual and cultural. The Japanese prime minister had also hoped that, in order for the Asian region to rise to the global challenges, it "must play a role in linking our region to the world" that is intended to promote cooperation on a broad range of areas that ensures prosperity and stability.

"It is a privilege to discover the unique culture of each nation through artistic performances and exhibitions, as we learn and relate to other nations’ history, socio-economic situation and dreams that reflect our respective values, awareness and hopes," the ambassador says, adding that the challenges and opportunities offered by the Exchange Year should thrust countries in the region to explore cultures that showcase qualities distinct to each people. "Doing so will give us pride as a community of nations, as we realize that though we are diverse, we can be united."

Second Secretary Shuhei Ogawa, an official at the Japan Information and Culture Center in charge of media relations, tells Starweek that the annual Philippines-Japan Festival aims to foster genuine two-way people-to-people cultural exchange down to the grassroots level.

"Cultural exchange is a very long process with no immediate returns. But we have to do it hoping that it will better our future," says Ogawa, who spent a year as an exchange student at the Ateneo. "In these times of terrorism and wars, we need more mutual understanding. To initiate meaningful friendships, we need deeper understanding. And to make the Philippines-Japan exchange a success, we need the vigorous participation of the Filipino people."

In a bold but tactful move, Ogawa expresses high hopes that the Filipino people’s prejudice toward Japan would disappear in the very near future, alluding to the memories of World War II, as well as the reminiscences of Filipina enter-tainers who went to Japan during the Bubble Years of the 1980s.

But perhaps the 35-year-old Ogawa, an international law graduate of the eminent Sophia University, might see his aspirations realized sooner than expected. Not only in the Philippines but also in the region a young, dynamic and cosmopolitan population has given rise to middle-level political and business leaders who are more welcoming and understanding of post-World War II Japan. Most of these youthful leaders both in the public and private sectors have grown up nourished by Japanese products and ideas in an environment where Japan can stand side by side with other nations.

"In this year’s festival, one of the ways in which mutual exchange between the peoples of the Philippines and Japan will be manifested is when Japanese students of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies render Philippine folk dances, while Filipino actors mount the Kabuki-Kanjincho," Ogawa points out.

Events in this particular festival were chosen to show world-class acts such as the opening concert of jazz vocalist Shigeko Suzuki and her four-man band. Suzuki became the first Japanese vocalist to conquer the Blue Note jazz club in New York in 1995.

"Ms. Suzuki’s concert is a rare treat that one should not miss," Ogawa says.

Suzuki’s two-night appearance at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino on Feb. 12 and 13 opens her first major concert in Southeast Asia. Joining Suzuki in a concert of well-known contemporary pieces and original Japanese compositions are Toyoji Kuriyama, percussion; Yoshiteru Ito, guitar; Kazuki Watanabe, piano; and Nobuaki Kobayashi, bass.

Another must-see in this festival is the Kabuki-Kanjincho which was mounted by the Dulaang UP, the professional performing arts arm of the University of the Philippines. Trained by Kabuki Buyo master Toyohiro Fujima and Nagauta teacher-musician Takinojo Mochizuki, talents of the Dulaang UP introduce the performance techniques of the Kabuki and its dance music in Kanjincho, a classic Kabuki play that manifests the complexity of loyalty, love and courage.

The play features Yoshitsune’s strongman-bodyguard Benkei, who saves his master and his attendants from a life-and-death situation through his quick wit and courage. It is a constant Japanese favorite because it captures fully enduring sentiments such as loyalty, compassion to the lowly and the feudal-style ethics among denizens of the period, traits that are slowly vanishing in post-modern Japan.

Kabuki-Kanjincho was translated into Filipino by Jerry Respeto and directed by Tony Mabesa. Kabuki-Kanjincho is showing at the University of the Philippines-Diliman campus on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m., and March 1 and 2 at 3 p.m. It goes to the CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo on March 14 at 8 p.m. and March 15 and 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Among the other highlights of the festival are:

• Bon-Odori, a dance colorfully performed in many towns and villages during the summer season. It originated as a ritual to communicate with the dead, usually accompanied by the beating of the taiko drum and traditional musical instruments. Bon-Odori will be held at the Manila Japanese School on March 8.

• Eigasai 2003 (Japanese film festival and film review contest) shows a series of films by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, noted for his psycho-horror and action movies, such the hit Cure in 1997. Venues and dates of the Eigasai are the Shangri-la Plaza Mall from Feb. 26 to March 4, the CCP on March 11-14 and UP Film Center on March 17-21.

• From Feb. 27 to March 2, master bonsai artists and stone lovers from the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan and Europe will assemble at the Megatrade Center of SM Megamall to showcase their splendid creations at the bonsai and suiseki exhibition. Masahiko Kimura, known as the "Bonsai Magician", will be among the artists participating in the display of miniature trees and stones.

• Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement practiced by more than 10,000 people in more than 50 countries, takes center stage at the Shangri-la Plaza on Feb. 28-March 2.

• The World of Kokeshi Dolls introduces the special form and techniques involved in making Japan’s most famous dolls from the Tohoku region in the northern part of the country. Japanese children have played with Kokeshi dolls for centuries. Kokeshi dolls will be displayed at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall from March 5 to 26.

• The festival will not be complete without a Kimono show, which will be held in Baguio City on Feb. 24 to commemorate the 100th year of migration of Japanese to that city. Kimono, a masterful and perfect merger of art and fashion, is the Japanese traditional costume in varied styles and materials ranging from wedding dresses made of heavy silk called Uchikake to Yukata, originally a bathing apparel but which has since been transformed into comfortable summer wear. At present, not many Japanese wear kimono in their daily lives, but it is still revered as the national costume.

• Japanese Prof. Kentaro Serita of Kobe University will discuss Japan’s Official Development Aid with special focus on the framework of international cooperation on Feb. 18 at 3:00 pm at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel.

• The Philippines-Japan Society will hold a testimonial dinner on Feb. 28 at Hotel Inter-Continental to honor and express gratitude to businessman Enrique Zobel for his work in the promotion of relations between the two countries. Select public and private organizations and individuals will also be honored for their assistance in the promotion of Philippine-Japan ties.

It is hoped that the festival, with its wide-ranging activities, will be a giant step in fostering better understanding of a culture rich in traditions, and enable those of us who have lived the traditions to once again revel in its splendor.

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For inquiries about the 16th Philippines-Japan Festival, please call The Embassy of Japan 551-7814; Japan Foundation-Manila Office 811-6155 or Cultural Center of the Philippines 832-1125.