Kato, you’re in Japan enjoying the fire festival, aren’t you?
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Yes, I am in Gyoda—my birthplace—right now, but the festival was held in last spring.
So you missed it, huh?
Unfortunately, I didn’t see it myself, but a friend of mine showed me the above video.
How come you didn’t take part in the festival?
Well… I wasn’t in Gyoda at the time. The fire festival is held in May every year. I usually take a pre-Christmas vacation in October or November to visit my mother and brothers.
I see… Tell me about the couple in the video. They seem to wear old Japanese costumes.
Yes, they do… The festival is about Konohanasakuya-hime and her husband.
Who is Konohanasakuya-hime?
She is a famous character in Japanese mythology.
Konohanasakuya-hime
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Konohanasakuya-hime (木花咲耶姫) is the blossom-princess and symbol of delicate earthly life.
She is the daughter of the mountain god Ohoyamatsumi.
She is often considered an avatar of Japanese life, especially since her symbol is the sakura (cherry blossom).
Kono-hana is also the goddess of Mount Fuji and all volcanoes.
Kono-hana-hime is the wife of the god Ninigi.
She met him on the seashore and they fell in love.
Ninigi asked Oho-Yama, the father of Kono-hana-hime for her hand in marriage.
Oho-Yama proposed his older daughter, Iwa-Naga-hime, instead, but Ninigi had his heart set on Kono-hana because Iwa-Naga-hime was ugly.
Oho-Yama reluctantly agreed and Ninigi and Ko-no-hana married.
Because Ninigi refused Iwa-Naga-hime, the rock-princess, human lives are said to be short and fleeting, like the sakura blossoms, instead of enduring and long lasting, like stones.
Kono-hana became pregnant in just one night, causing suspicion in Ninigi.
He wondered if this was the child of another kami.
Kono-hana was enraged at Ninigi’s accusation and entered a doorless hut, which she then set fire to, declaring that the child would not be hurt if it were truly the offspring of Ninigi.
Inside the hut, Ko-no-hana had three sons, Hoderi, Hosuseri and Hoori.
Shrines have been built on Mount Fuji for Konohanasakuya-hime.
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It is believed that she will keep Mount Fuji from erupting, but shrines to her at Kirishima have been repeatedly destroyed by volcanic eruptions.
She is also known for having tore up the Yatsugatake Mountains, because it was higher than Mount Fuji.
SOURCE: “Konohanasakuya-hime” from Wikipedia
I see… Quite interesting… But, Kato, how come you’re telling me about this festival?
Diane, have you ever heard that the Japanese emperor was believed to be a living god before the second world war?
Yes, I have. But I can hardly believe that.
Anyway, according to the mythology, the third son or Hoori is supposed to be the ancestor of the current emperor.
Kato, do you believe that?
No, I don’t, but my mother used to believe it before the second world war.
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【Himiko’s Monologue】
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Canada extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres (3.85 million square miles) in total, making it the world’s second-largest country by total area and the fourth-largest country by land area.
Canada’s common border with the United States forms the world’s longest land border.
Naturally, many wild animals live in the vast land—especially in the northern part of the country.
Some of these animals are shown in this documentary called “Snow Babies,” which depicts the first year of baby animals and their families originally broadcast on television as individual episodes in 1996.
Prepare for your heart to melt as the “BBC Eath” program brings you an in-deapth look at adorable baby animals in the beautiful but harsh world of ice and snow.
It is a fascinating and entertaining documentary.
Please take a look at the following trailer.
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In any case, I hope Kato will write another interesting article soon.
Kato watched “The Arabian Nights” or “One Thousand and One Nights” as his 1001th movie.
You might just as well want to view it.
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The stories in “the Arabian Nights” were collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across West, Central, and South Asia and North Africa.
The tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Egyptian and Mesopotamian folklore and literature.
In particular, many tales were originally folk stories from the Caliphate era, while others, especially the frame story, are most probably drawn from the Pahlavi Persian work Hazār Afsān which in turn relied partly on Indian elements.
What is common throughout all the editions of the Nights is the initial frame story of the ruler Shahryār and his wife Scheherazade and the framing device incorporated throughout the tales themselves.
The stories proceed from this original tale.
Some are framed within other tales, while others begin and end of their own accord.
Some editions contain only a few hundred nights, while others include 1,001 or more.
夫（ピアーズ）は、銃を構えて、「フリーズ（Freeze 日本語で「動くな」の意）」と言った。。。服部君はピアーズに対し「パーティーに来たんです（We’re here for the party.）」と説明しながら車庫の中に入り勝手口に近づいた。。。動くな、と言ったのに、無視してやって来たので夫は銃を発砲した。。。弾丸は服部君の左肺を貫いた。。。救急車が呼ばれたが、服部君は出血多量により搬送中に死亡したのです。。。
それに応じてピアーズは寝室からレーザースコープ付きのスミス&ウェッソン社製.44マグナム拳銃を持ち出し勝手口へと向かい、2人に向け構え、「フリーズ（Freeze 日本語で「動くな」の意）」と警告した。
だが被害者はピアーズに対し「パーティーに来たんです（We’re here for the party.）」と説明しながら車庫の中に入り勝手口に近づいた。
中国系アメリカ人の女性映画監督クリスティン・チョイは『世界に轟いた銃声』（原題:The Shot Heard Around the World）というドキュメンタリー映画を製作した。
この映画では民事訴訟におけるピアーズの様子のほか、被害者の母親も出演している。
そこで彼女は息子を射殺した男性もまたアメリカの銃社会の被害者かも知れないと発言している。
At least nine people have reportedly choked to death on New Year’s rice cakes in Japan, and officials are urging people to chew slowly on the treats.
Sticky rice cakes or “mochi” are an essential part of the Japanese New Year’s menu.
But the glutinous mochi, grilled or cooked in broth or with sweet beans, can get stuck in people’s throats.
The Yomiuri newspaper reported Friday that at least 128 people were rushed to hospitals after choking on mochi, with nine dying.
The Tokyo Fire Department said Monday that 18 people were taken to city hospitals during the first three days of the year and three males died.
The department advised people to cut mochi in small pieces, chew slowly and learn first aid.
In addition to the Tokyo deaths, three people died in Chiba prefecture, while one each died in Osaka, Aomori and Nagasaki prefectures, the newspaper reported.
In the Nagasaki case, an 80-year-old man choked on a mochi that was in sweet bean soup served for free at a Shinto shrine.
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Japanese customarily visit shrines and temples to welcome the new year, and mochi, sake and other treats are sold or given out.
Kato, I wonder if any of your family in your hometown of Japan has ever chocked to death.
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Oh no, nobody! As far as I know, none of my family have ever choked on mochi before because all the members have been quite slow in eating mochi. Slow-eating is one of my family traits, I suppose.
I’m glad to hear that. By the way, Kato, did you eat some mochi on the New Year’s Day?
Yes, I did. To tell you the truth, I ate four pieces of mochi for the first time in 30 years.
Why is that?
Well… As you know, Mayumi’s dream has come true and now she is in Vancouver. So Mayumi and I celebrated her new life in Vancouver while eating mochi on the New Year’s Day.
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How did you eat mochi?
Actually, I wrote about it the other day.
How to make Zenzai or
“mochi in sweet red-bean soup”
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Zenzai hasn’t changed a bit for long, and it is a staple snack of cold season.
In good old days, Zenzai used to wait for you to be eaten on the stove in your living room while you were preoccupied with other things.
But it doesn’t seem to go quite so these days.
If you ever want to make Zenzai over the gas stove, you might just as well make a delicious Zenzai.
Boil and make the red beans completely soft.
After throwing out the water, you add 250 ml of water and 200 grams of suger to make a delicious Zenzai
I’ll teach you how to boil the red beans and make a Zenzai with an elegant sweetness.
【Ingredients of Zenzai】
• red beans … 250g
• sugar … 200g
• water added at the last sweetening process … 250ml
• a pinch of salt
1) Selection of red beans
for making delicious Zenzai
The basics of make Zenzai
① Tannins or bitterness can be removed by boiling twice.
When this is done, you boil it for the third time and cook for an hour.
② After throwing out the water, you add 250 ml of water and 200 grams of sugar and then boil it.
NOTE: Before the removal of tannins, take a close look at the red beans placed in a pot.
When you find discolored red beans, please remove them.
2) Removal of tannins or astringency
Wash red beans in a pot, and add one litre of water.
Then put it on fire.
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Note: 1) The red beans do not need to be in water before boiling.
It is okay to place the pot on fire as soon as the beans and water come together in the pot.
2) In the first removal of tannins, add a plenty of water, instead of a little bit of water.
Once it boils, throw out the water and then add a plenty of water for the second boiling.
Even after the second boiling, the red beans are still hard.
The red beans become tender in the next step.
3) The basics of boiling red beans
Once it boils for the third time, don’t discard the water.
You cook the red beans until they become tender.
You cook them in low heat for at least an hour.
NOTE: 1) While being cooked, the water gets less.
Please add some water so that the red beans always remain under water.
In about an hour, the red beans will become tender so that you could feel the softness with your fingers.
However, if the red beans are fresh, you could make them tender in less than one hour.
Please cook them carefully while checking the softness.
As the red beans become soft, proceed to the next step.
When I made the Zenzai using the fresh red beans, they became soft in about 40 minutes.
4) How to make it sweet
Place the softened red beans in a pot with 250 ml of water and 200 grams of suger as well as a pinch of salt.
The amount of water at this time is 250 ml—no more, no less.
Once it boils, you cook them about 10 minutes in low heat.
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Bake enough pieces of mochi in a toaster or an oven.
Serve a bowl of sweet red-bean soup with two pieces of mochi.
Source: “Zenzai@Overseas” （お汁粉@海外）
The Original in Japanese
(Photos from Denman library)
Ummmm… looks delicious… Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve been delighted to have some mochi with Mayumi.
I thought you were not accustomed to sticky mochi. If you had eaten a piece of mochi, you might have gone to Heaven. So I dared not call you.
Nonsense! I know how to eat mochi. Anyway, do you think, Kato, those people who choked to death on mochi went to Heaven?
Of course, they did because Japanese customarily visit shrines and temples to welcome the new year. So those who died with mochi naturally welcome the new year in Heaven.
No kidding!
Anyway, Diane, I’ve got something for you to experience a heavenly feeling.
So, you jotted down your comment after viewing it on January 9, huh?
Yes, I did. Galia, a young woman from Jerusalem, got almost killed by the terrorist attack. The bus she rode exploded and she stopped breathing for 7 minutes when she was rescued from the inflamed bus.
Then what happened to Galia?
Well… she wandered in Heaven during those seven minutes.
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It is a thought-provoking film about the soul and body. I’m sure you would like it.
So, you jotted down your comment after viewing it on January 7, huh?
Yes, I did. It’s about Cary Scott, a well-to-do widow, and Ron Kirby, a much younger gardener. Both fall in love. Cary is an affluent widow in suburban New England, whose social life involves her country club peers, college-age children, and a few men vying for her affection.
I see… seems interesting.
Yes, it is. Cary becomes interested in Ron, who turns out an intelligent, down-to-earth and respectful yet passionate younger man.
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Then what happens?
Ron introduces Cary to people who seem to have no need for wealth and status and she responds positively.
Then what follows?
Cary accepts his proposal of marriage, but becomes distressed when her friends and college-age children get angry. Her daughter and son look down upon Ron and his friends, and both children reject their mother for this socially unacceptable arrangement.
Well… it’s understandable.
Eventually, bowing to this pressure, Cary breaks off the engagement.
Then what?
When Ron has a life-threatening accident, however, Cary realizes how wrong she had been to allow other people’s opinions and superficial social conventions dictate her life choices.
I see… so both reunite, don’t they?
Sort of… In those days back in 1955, Cary must have received a lot of pressure and tons of prejudice, I suppose. In any case, it is a fascinating and thought-provoking romance. Diane, this film is your cup of tea.
I think I’ll book the DVD. But, Kato, where does Heaven come in?
Well… Ron has a life-threatening accident… So he wanders in Heaven while he’s recovering.
Really…?
Well… you might as well wander in Heaven while watching the above movie. I paste here the full movie for you.
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【Himiko’s Monologue】
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Wow! What fascinating movies they are!
I’d like to meet a guy like Ron.
What about you?
Rock Hudson was so handsome.
I wish I could meet someone like him in the near future.
Oh, well… there are some other interesting movies.
For example, look at Number 649 in the above list.
It is called “The Shawshank Redemption.”
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【Trailer】
Kato jotted down his comment as follows:
This is a 1994 epic American drama written and directed by Frank Darabont.
Adapted from the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the film tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Prison for the murder of his wife and her lover despite his claims of innocence.
During his time at the prison, he befriends a fellow inmate, Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding, and finds himself protected by the guards after the warden begins using him in his money laundering operation.
I think this is one of the greatest movies, in which you could feel, as if in realty, that maintaining one’s feeling of self-worth is quite important even when placed in a hopeless position.
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This film clearly shows how you can be free, even in prison, or unfree, even in freedom, based on one’s outlook on life.
The above comment sounds quite interesting, doesn’t it?
In any case, I hope Kato will write another interesting article soon.
I enjoyed watching the above “All That Heaven Allows”, too.
Another interesting movie is Number 652 in the above list, which is called “Séraphine.”
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Kato jotted down his comment:
This is a 2008 French-Belgian film directed by Martin Provost.
It shows the life of Séraphine Louis (1864–1942), who is a French painter in the naïve style.
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Self-taught, she is inspired by her religious faith and by stained-glass church windows and other religious art.
The intensity of her images, both in color and in replicative designs, are sometimes interpreted as a reflection of her own psyche because she walks a tightrope between ecstasy and mental illness.
If Wilhelm Uhde (German art collector and noted art critic) hadn’t happened to come up with one of her paintings, she might have remained unnoticed, led a normal life and died as a poor yet religious housekeeper.
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