“The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country. The earth lay white under the night sky.” Kawabata, transl. Seidensticker (英語の後に日本語が続きます。) A nice and sunny day in Kanto. Typical late autumn weather. I was on my way to Joetsu by car on the Kanetsu Expressway. Beautiful colours of the changing leaves in …
The GOZE of TAKADA
英語の後に日本が続きます。 The goze of Takada formed a unique aspect of Joetsu cultural history. Goze (瞽女) were visually-impaired, female musicians traveling through the countryside, performing narrative songs, accompanying themselves on the three-stringed shamisen. The birth of a visually-impaired child imposed a large burden on a family and these children were therefore often trained to be music …
The sculptures of Takada Park
英語の後に日本が続きます。 Was this story going to be about the sculptures of the caged women of Takada? Caged in bamboo and wood contraptions ("yukitsuri") during the winter months to protect them from the abundant Niigata snowfall. Or was it going to be about the bronzes of Iwano Yuzo, in a dedicated corner in Takada Park? Iwano …
TAKADA-TERAMACHI part 2 Towards a new business model for Teramachi?
英語の後に日本が続きます。 Teramachi is an integral part of Takada's rich 400-year history. It has helped shape the city's character and identity. With its potential for promoting Takada, Teramachi remains largely undiscovered, overlooked rather than neglected. It is truly a hidden gem. What strategies can be implemented to bring Teramachi into the spotlight? Shinshuji My previous post …
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TAKADA-TERAMACHI part 1
Development of the castle and Teramachi 英語の後に日本が続きます。 It all started in 1614. Matsudaira Tadateru, the 6th son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, had been appointed as daimyo of the Takada Domain in 1610, replacing Hori Tadatoshi who had ruled the domain from Fukushima Castle in Naoetsu. However, Tadateru found Naoetsu not a suitable location and decided to …
Master craftsman and poet
Does the craft inspire the poetry, or the poetry the craft? (英語の後に日本が続きます。) Where is the connection between craftmanship and poetry? Russell Jokela combines his woodcraft with writing of poetry and essays. In his poetry you find an appreciation of nature that is characteristic for his approach to his craft. From long experience, his skills …
THE IMAGE OF JOETSU, or the lack thereof
英語の後に日本語が続きます。 What better place to inform arriving tourists about major Joetsu attractions, such as the Takada cherry blossom festival, the Takada Park lotus festival, Kenshin Sake Matsuri than the local, i.e. Takada railway station. Show the world we are proud of these events, proud of our city. However, what does the plaza in front of …
Chiang Kai-Shek and Japan — his military and social experiences in Takada (Joetsu)
(英語の後に日本語が続きます。) It is well-known that Chiang Kai-Shek -- the later Chairman of the Nationalist Government of China (1943-1948), and President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) -- as a young man wished to pursue a career in the military. Less well known is the fact that he spent a number of his formative years studying …
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THEODOR VON LERCH – The spy who introduced skiing to Japan and made Niseko famous
(英語の後に日本語が続きます。) On a snowy day in January, 1911, the command “Mettre ski” sounded across the slopes of Mount Kanaya. Eleven selected officers from the 58th regiment of the Imperial Japanese Army put on their skis. A little awkward at first but more easily and quickly over the next few days, and weeks. The Austrian Major …
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The COWRA BREAKOUT
(英語の後に日本語が続きます。) War time events in Australia and Japan brought about an otherwise unlikely connection between Joetsu and Cowra, NSW, Australia. In 2003, the mayors of Cowra and Joetsu signed a Peace and Friendship Agreement. I have described the Naoetsu side of the relationship in “The Naoetsu POW Camp”, and development of the relations between the …
The PEACE MEMORIAL PARK – Naoetsu
Statues of Peace and Friendship (英語の後に日本語が続きます。) Tokyo POW Camp #4 branch, Naoetsu could have easily turned into “the camp that never was” – a fate suffered by almost all of the POW camps located in Japan -- had it not been for the initiative of a small group of Naoetsu citizens who conducted their efforts …
JOETSU STORIES 