The Japan Journals by Donald Richie

Author:Donald Richie
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Stone Bridge Press
Published: 2011-11-15T05:00:00+00:00

With Jim Jarmusch, 1990. UNIFRANCE FILM

17 AUGUST 1990. In any event, all other concerns eclipsed in the press by Iraq. What timing. Just when the U.S.A. had lost its evil empire, the USSR, and badly needed a new one. Had tried Japan on for size but something was lacking. This one has everything: military threat, innocent hostages, rape of stewardesses, looting, a lone ten-year-old-girl at peril, and behind it all greed, greed, greed. And, of course, the Threat is Real.

Of a consequence Japan is backed off the front page; carping is forgotten. As another consequence President Bush is off the domestic hook and balancing on the foreign one. The biggest relief for him must be the new and “vital” role for the military establishment, which must have thought it was going to lose a lot of money due to the collapse of the USSR. Now they will get more money than ever and Bully Boy can meet Bully Boy. Just like in a real war.

26 AUGUST 1990. To Kawakita Kazuko’s, a party for Jim Jarmusch. Takemitsu Toru there as well. I ask him for a school to which to give the Donald Richie Commemorative Collection of Stringed Chamber Music. He shakes his head. Tells me that he had wanted to give his score collection to the Toho Music School. And they refused. “Just no more space in Japan,” says Toru.

2 SEPTEMBER 1990. Learned a very interesting idiomatic difference. It came about this way: I was getting a cold drink at the machine, and a young tobishoku in tabi and cummerbund flashed a broad, white smile and said, in Japanese, “I’m not Japanese, either.” Well, the big, dazzling smile directed at a complete unknown had already indicated that.

He was Korean, from Pusan, and was working high on one of the scaffoldings of the buildings going up around here. Now he was off for the day and thought he would go sit in the park, enjoying what cool the twilight would offer. While this was not issued as an invitation, I took it as such and joined him.

Strong, young (twenty-five, he told me), and with that courtly politeness of the Koreans among strangers. Handsome, blunt, very Korean features; big, hard Korean body, sitting there in the dusk with his legs open. Much taken, I held up my end of the conversation until it was practically perpendicular. But this was also necessary, because his Japanese was not all that good. Mine is much better, and so I kept trying different words until I hit upon one he knew.

He was, I learned, bumming around Asia. He would go to a country broke, work, get some money, and go on. He did not know where he would go next or for how long he would be in Japan. Had been in Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Philippines. Always somehow made out. Smiled at this. Big, wide, smile. I could see why he always made out.

Then, seeing my interest in him, he interpreted it in the simplest possible way and decided I wanted to hear about the girls in all these foreign places.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.