Sendai, Japan Part 1 1995-1998

From Hokaido to Southern Kyushu the temple bells were rung welcoming the New Year. Thousands thronged the Jinjas and the Teras in the snow covered mountains as well in the heart of busy cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai among the famous of them. All dressed in their traditional richly colored kimonos which were further enhance against the whiteness of snow in the back ground. They lined up along the cul de sac leading up to the temple steps full of joy and merriment as inherent in the Japanese nature celebrating any form of festivities. As the temple bells of Mount Haguro in the north and those of the Yamadera mountain temples started tolling at midnight I sat by myself in front of the TV sipping my Umeboshi or plum wine while my wife and children were buried inside their thick blankets fast asleep.

KAMPAI!! I raised my glass to the TV in the darkness and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

GAMBATE! KUDASAI!! YOSHH!! OMEDETTO GOZAIMA'sHTA!!

I was feeling Euphoric a little bit from having downed a good portion of the Plum wine since the evenning and finally having that feeling that i was settled in in this country at least for the time being. The snow covered landscape of the Yasoen was bathed with hues of colored lights shed by the replicas of the Tokyo Towers of the Sendai TV stations which are located atop the hill. The colors changes according to the weather they say. From my living room bay windows on the fifth floor of the Dia Palace Yasoen Verde Condominium the view of this lanscape was a gift as it changes with every season and every time of the day and weather. On clear days i could almost see all the way to the ocean from one corner of the room while from another the panoramic view of the City of Sendai presents itself all the way to the distant low mountains of the Miyagi Prefecture.I have spent alot of time at the roof top the building taking in the views around the whole area and one of the fascinating discovery i made was watching the flight of the crows by the hundreds all flying in one direction in the morning which was towards the ocean while in the evening the same flight of crows heading inland towards the mountians. It reminded me very much of the 'Salary men' who leaves their homes in their black suits in the morning and arriving home late in the evening. The epitomy of the Japanese daily life except the crows never had weekends off.

Christmas came and went for 1996 and as always Saint Nick was generous to the children getting them what they did not need but what is Christmas without the tree and the gifts that comes underneath. Even if most of us think that Christmas has become over commercialized in the West I still enjoy Christmas as it has been one of the few moments in my life that gave me meaning as what it was like to be a member of a family of of the human race where love and warmth and the sharing of joy and happiness made one almost forgot the winter cold outside. My children were fortunate to have been born in the United States where they celebrated Christmas as children and now in Japan as I am sure that if the human mind is what it is, the memory of these few years of Christmas spirit would stay within their psyche for their entire life. Although not a Christian for all those years living in the US I had looked forward to Christmas just like every Christians in the country for me it was a time of purification of my spirit and getting in touch again with humanity as a whole.I had celebrated Christmases in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in Sandpoint, Alaska and in San Francisco, California and now I am celebrating them in Japan, my family and I are blessed for the opportunity to savor these moments as a part our life's experiences.

During the first week of this month I had my first Solo Exhibition in the City of Sendai, Japan and it was quite a success as far as the turnout of friends and supporters as well as selling twelve pieces of my works. The Show entitled 'Bahari No Potpuory' showcased a collection of mixed medias as well as assorted themes of my works including those that I had brought with me from San Francisco. My Japanese friends and fellow artists were receptive to my works and most expressed their positive support for the different styles and techniques that I had shared with them from the show. Importantly, I made allot of new acquaintances through the show artists as well as non artists and I learned too that the Japanese are very appreciative of those who are creative in the arts. The Japanese Government I realized too is very supportive towards the Artists as evidenced by the fact that I was allowed the use of the facility at the Miyagi Muzium of Fine Arts in Sendai where they had an 'Open Studio' policy for the residents of the city. The facility provides fully equipped studios including printmaking as well as sculpture, photography and painting run by qualified instructors who are there to assist anyone seeking help.

With the help and support of the instructors I was able to produce a great amount of printmaking especially mono-prints which has always been my favorite medium in printmaking as it afford me spontaneous execution. I had the opportunity to learn the art of painting Sumi-e using Japanese black ink on hand made paper which is another favorite of mine as I enjoy black on white painting and the Japanese ink was the perfect material for this form of painting. Nihonga is a Japanese form of water color which employs colors in the form of sandy crystals which one has to mix with gum every time in use and it is a very slow and tedious process not for the impatient artist like me. It is also an expensive medium as the pigments of colors are not easy to come by, however in the hand of a master this form of painting can be very beautiful and is said to improve with age. I managed to do one paionting through this medium depicting a group of SUMO wrestlers doing a 'Rumble in the Ring' and it is still in my own personal collection till this day.

Among the regular users of the Open Studio facilty at the Miyagi Muzium were a few foreigners including myself. There was an artist from Brazil who does allot of traveling and was married to a Japanese. Pimenta works with the Nihonga technique and does the study of Tibetan Tankas which he was inspired from his travels to Mongolia. There was also an American Professor from Colorado who does specializes in etchings while he was there and then there was an Australian who had been living in Sendai for sometime and acts likewise towards other foreigners with condescension sometimes outdoing even the Japanese in his arrogance. I hate meeting people with kind of attitude wherever I travel and I can sense them upon introduction. The fact they speak Japanese well makes them automatically superior to you and they are the last for you to expect any assitance from as they avoid you like a plague and you will fortunate if they do not throw a curve ball at you behind your back!

Close by to the Miyagi Muzium of Fine Arts is also the Kokusai or Sendai International Center where allot of internationally related events takes place and it was also a place where one gets to meet foreign students from the various Universities from around the Sendai are. I often stop by the center to watch the CNN news on TV and sometimes met up with the Malaysian students who studied there. The International Center has also a resourceful library where one can read or borrow English literature and read various News papers from around the world. The folks at the center were the most friendly and helpful people I have come across and they always obliging when you need help especially in getting places and looking for the good place to eat. I later donated a few books from Malaysia which included those written by the former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohammad and one written about Tun Daim and one by Dato Sri Anwar Ibrahim.