Together again with Mari in Tokyo at her mom’s place. Got the broadband hooked up (thanks, Mari!). Got a little folding desk to work on (thanks, Mari’s sister!). Been keeping the dog at cats at bay with mean looks and conscientious door-closing.
An auntie visited for lunch the other day and shared a pretty box of intensely sweet red-bean confections. Mari brought out old family photos, going back to when her mom was a baby.
A digital slideshow piped into the TV with a custom mp3 soundtrack is all good, but you can’t beat the really old-school, silvery bronze, fading, paper-smelling prints from so long ago that they might as well be from another planet. Actually, the photos of Mari’s mom as a Tokyo teenager standing with her overcoated co-workers looked like a Yasujiro Ozu film. We stared into the pictures and compared the mother’s and father’s faces to the children’s.
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5 responses to “okashi and old photos”
Those photos are wonderful…
Ozu Yasujiro Rocks. No opportunity to see more old photos? I love that kind of stuff. Since You’re in Tokyo, did You know that Ozu Yasujiro’s grave is just south of You in Kita Kamakura at Engakuji? Dunno if You’d be interested in visiting, but it’s a nice place…
Back in Kyoto now, but maybe I can share more of those old photos with you sometime. Mari just moved a bunch of old albums here, but the furthest they go back is the 70’s.
Azim, yes, I remember seeing an actor take a trip to Ozu’s grave in the supplementary materials for Tokyo Story. I think I need to watch more of his films before I can justify such a pilgrimage. I’ve only seen the handful that are on the Criterion Collection.
And I would love to know enough Japanese to fully appreciate one of these Ozu DVD boxed sets.
That actor was probably Chishu Ryu–He’s Great, as far as I’m concerned. Kamakura is like Kyoto and Nara–Beautiful and FULL of Temples. I’m an Unofficial Henro… and I Love Visiting Ryouanji, Kiyomizudera, Ginkakuji, Kinkakuji, etc. whilst visiting Kyoto. Do You study Japanese? (and sorry for the long comment)
That was him, Chishu Ryu.
Yes, so many beautiful places to visit in Japan.
Unfortunately, I am not currently studying Japanese.