The Weight and Depth of Japan一年ぶりの日本の空気

In mid-June, I landed at Narita Airport. From the sky, Japan somehow felt quiet, almost tense, carrying a touch of loneliness. The airport was hushed, people lined up politely, and the trains were so silent it felt possible to meditate. It was comforting, yet tinged with a kind of melancholy. On television, there were predictions of an earthquake on July 5, talk of elections, more earthquake and tsunami forecasts—an atmosphere of tension standing in stark contrast to the usual vibrancy of summer. It left me with a complicated feeling, as if something was out of place, even deceptive. Marking 80 years since the war’s end, I had the opportunity to visit Hiroshima for a kimono-dressing lesson, and I was also fortunate enough to feel the land of Hiroshima beneath my feet and to pay my respects at Itsukushima Shrine.

Looking down at Japan’s land from the airplane, I felt that this country is filled with great beauty, yet also wrapped in deep sorrow. The history this land has witnessed carries an indescribable energy, and compared to the clear, light energy I feel upon returning to America, there is a weight to it that cannot be ignored. Japan truly is an extraordinary country. And the performing arts that have taken root here possess a profound depth that could only have grown from such a place.

6月の半ばに成田空港に降り立った。日本の空からは何故か寂しく、張りつめたものを感じた。静寂な空港、礼儀正しく列に並ぶ日本人、瞑想できるくらい静かな電車。ホッとすると同時にどこか憂鬱なものも感じた。テレビでは、7月5日の地震予知、選挙、地震、津波予報、様々な緊張感が夏の活気や賑わいとは対照的に存在し、何かに騙されているような複雑な気持ちがした。戦後80年、今回着付けの稽古で広島に訪れる機会があり、広島の地を肌で感じ、厳島神社を参拝させていただく機会にも恵まれた。

飛行機から、日本の大地を見下ろしたとき、この国には沢山の美しさがあり、沢山の悲しみに包まれている気がした。この大地が見てきた歴史には言葉にならないエネルギーがあり、アメリカに帰ってきたときのカラッとしたエネルギーと比べると、やはり重みが違う。日本は本当に大した国ですね。この地に根付いてきた芸能は、やはり奥が深いのです。