Totto-Chan

Known by its other title, The Little Girl at the Window, Totto­–chan seems to be a collection of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's childhood memories in the Tomoe Gakuen elementary school.

Based on the dates mentioned in the book, the author must have been in first grade in the year 1943. This was a turbulent time as Japan was engaged in world war with Asia and the US. However, the author is able to divert much of the reader's focus to the happenings within the local scenes of her childhood life without entailing too much on the international conflicts. This has helped to preserve the innocence and simplicity that radiate from each chapter, which makes it hard to put down once you start reading (it took just two evenings to complete the 200 or so pages).

I am quite sure that every reader of this book will find chapters that he or she likes, just as it did for me. The ones that touched my heart are The Headmaster, "Put It All Back!", Totto-chan's Name, The Great Adventure, "We Were Only Playing!", The Hair Ribbon, Health Bark, and "Yasuaki­–chan's Dead". Of course, there are chapters that bring a chuckle or smile as you read, such as "Chew It Well!", The School Song, "Look before You Leap!", "And then...Uh...", His Bride, and "Shabby Old School".

All in all, I find reading this book to be a refreshing experience; at the least, it stirs up the childhood memories we all had, and allows us to withdraw (for a moment) into the inner sanctuary of our souls where we once again discover the innocence and simplicity that we seem to have lost as we grow up.

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This is a wonderful book to read, and for reminding us that every child is special. It matters not whether they are born healthy or handicapped, but whether we are willing to accept them and give them room to grow to their potential.

A Prelude to Totto-Chan

Innocence of childhood

Unregrettable youth

Although passes away with time

But those happy times

and valuable friendships

Yet forever locked within one's memory

So fresh and vibrant

Waiting for you and I to rediscover

Chihiro Iwasaki

In case you're wondering, I'm not referring to the fictional character Chihiro Ogino (bet you didn't know her full name) from Miyazaki's Spirited Away. I'm talking about a real person here, an artist who, after nearly twenty years since passing away, continue to impress and speak to those who come into contact with her works.

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Below is an excerpt of her biography from a website dedicated to her:

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"The most remarkable feature of Chihiro Iwasaki is that she was an artist who continued throughout her career to paint children. Even without models, she could accurately draw the differences between a ten month-old baby and a one year old. Using her keen observation and fine sketching skills, Chihiro drew numerous different poses of children in thousands of works. Without a rough sketch, she would pick up a brush, steep it in water, and move it freely across the paper. Thus, she could express children's skin as it was, soft and elastic, lively and fresh. Her pictures are full of life."

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And you'll agree with me she's quite good at depicting children with all their varied expressions (see inset picture). I get to know her through the book Best of Totto-chan, written by Kuroyanagi Tetsuko (she's another interesting person to know; I'll write a little about her next time). Inside are full of Chihiro's illustrations; if you can, get a copy (mine has Japanese text on the left and English on the right). You'll be glad you did.

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Overtime (or Overdued?)

No, I'm not talking about doing overtime in the office. Back when I'm much younger I used to put in extras, both after office hours and during the weekends. Now, I've learned to slow down and put things in proper perspectives (work, after all, isn't everything).

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I'm reminded of a Japanese TV serial titled Overtime whenever I see the Tokyo Tower (see inset picture). I'll have to admit I can't remember the details, but the one thing that propped up quite prominently is this tower that is visible from the lead actress' bedroom window.

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Granted, the Eiffel Tower in Paris is much older (built in 1889) and far more famous as a distinctive landmark, but it should in no way overshadow the architectural wonders of similar achievements in other lands.

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We humans seem to have an obsession to build anything that can reach the skies and light up the night heavens. But how many of us, in turn, are willing to be that tower that'll light up the dark nights of a friend's heart?

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Watashi wa yono hikari de aru. Watashi ni shitagau mono wa kurayami no naka wo aru kazu, inochi no hikari wo motsu. Go figure!

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Kawaii desu ne...

For those who don't know what the title means, I suppose the picture tells it all.

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Oh, alright, if you still can't figure out, it means: so cute...

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Children, no matter of what nationality, almost never fail to display a certain quality of innocence and charm (unless the parents really spoilt them, of course).

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Still, I am aware that there are just as many children in the world who are suffering from hunger, diseases and war. To these our hearts go out to them, and bleed and cry out for the atrocities committed against them at such a young age as a result of the political situations they are found in.

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But frankly, what separates adults from children? Not much. Adults are just children, with more expensive toys to play with, that's all.

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Hashire, Hashire

The city that we were born in

is a place where I don't understand

While the place where I grew up

is now only a distant memory

Ah... the things that we encountered...

Ah... the people who were worthy of our love...

Mingled together

And now everything becomes a blank.

Ever had the feeling of being isolated from life and neglected by people you cared about? Somehow wishing that for once others would take the initiative to call you out for a cup of tea, and just enjoy being in your company, and not just remembering you because they needed somebody to pour their grievances or share their problems?

I guess it's not just the ever-changing landscapes of modernisation that rob us of the memories of our childhood days; even the people we grew up with (and work with presently) are either out of touch or becoming distant and cold. We can be living in a crowded place and yet feel alone; we can have many friends and yet feel forgotten.

Sigh... shikata ga nai ne!