"We are all wanderers on this earth...our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams." ~ Gypsy proverb

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

What we remember

This past weekend there was a Japanese heritage festival in town. My mother was so excited to go as these festivals are rare around here. Taiko drumming was the first thing we enjoyed before the rain came...If you have never seen Taiko drumming, take a minute here...the energy is incredible.

The first 7 years of my life was Japan. I remember sitting on my knees in traditional Japanese style at my grandmother's low, square table, blanketed with the delicious staples of a Japanese meal. A large rice cooker filled to the brim with steaming hot, white sticky rice, homemade miso soups, fresh caught fish, and pickled radishes were on the table nearly every meal. I spoke Japanese as fluently and as naturally as any other then, it seems so long ago now...

It's amazing the things our memory keeps and holds onto, our senses being the gateway to the threads of our past. As I walked through that festival and listened to the twangy, languid sounds of Japanese music, smelled the salt and steam from the foods such as yakisoba and yakitori, and watched the distinctive mannerisms of politeness and bowing, bittersweet emotions of fondness and mourning simultaneously erupted for what I had known to be my world as a child. I realize that 7 is still so so young, and I look at my children wondering what they will remember.

I look forward to sharing that part of me with them sometime, I probably already have in many little ways. But for now, I will wake every day knowing that with our own daily rituals, they are building sensory maps of their own, and they will remember, just as I have, where they came from and how far they had come :).

much love
xoxo

23 comments:

  1. Oh I LOVE taiko! I'd take classes here if I could make the time (how awesome that I have the option to take such a class?!?). I'm so happy that you had a chance to take that "trip". And I do hope you'll share more of your life in Japan with your kids (and maybe even us). Blessings to you.

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  2. love this post! sensory maps. so cool. the other night i woke up, lay awake for an hour around 4:00 a.m. and finally got up because i had to write the memories down. i spent my summers in germany with my grandparents from the age of 6 and up. my brother and i went alone for a month each summer and then it was just me. i have so many memories of those summers in their home, of germany, the culture. they're both dead now and i visit them often in my dreams. it has happened to me more than once that i lay awake and the stories are being written out in my head. i got up and started writing the other day. one day i'll polish them up for my children to read. i can't forget these wonderful things i wish i could show them.

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  3. I do hope you share more of your life in Japan. Japan was one of my father's favorite places to stay,tour,eat. I grew up eating most of the food you mentioned and to this day, when I don't feel well, miso soup is what I crave.
    xx

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  4. Oh beautiful MJ -- "sensory maps" is such a wonderful way to describe what it is that we are creating each day for our children.

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  5. This is beautiful MJ. It doesn't matter how young the memory is formed, it's the joy and grace the memory holds. I am so glad I got to share this moment of memories with you, my friend!

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  6. I find myself telling my children more and more stories of me, and their grandparents...trying to keep history alive. The festival is a beautiful way for you to remember your past and share it with your children :)

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  7. BEAUTIFUL creative shot through the sun glasses- what a smart lady you are!
    Did not know you lived in Japan- what a fabulous thing to be able to share with your children - mine just love learning about mine & hearing stories from the past - "sensory maps" YES!

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  8. Sensory maps yes indeed - I remember moments as a child that hang on through smell - my grandmother - taste - all our dutch foods. My boys have already mentioned memories through their senses - it is an amazing thing. Great post and shots MJ

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  9. mj, you are such a beautiful writer, i am pausing here to take in this gorgeous post, your photos too are just so lovely. i think it's so wonderful that you share your heritage with your children, now that my mama is gone there is so much more i want to know about her.

    i'm sorry i missed your last post too, your first photo (well all) is just fantastic. LOVE it. well done. :)

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  10. What an amazing festival - I'm going to check out the Taiko now...

    p.s. I often wonder the same thing about what my children will remember. Mostly I just hope they remember a warm, loving, and patient mama.... I can dream, right? ;D

    xo
    cortnie

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  11. I had no idea that you spent your first 7 years in Japan, how amazing that must be and the memories must be lovely. I like the way you write about "sensory maps", that really puts everything we see/learn/feel etc. over the years into two perfect words. Great post. Love from London xo

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  12. Beautiful, beautiful photos! It's such a strange thing to look back on our past selves, and know that a little piece of them is still in there. I love that you were able to experience this festival with your mom. Between the two of you, I'm sure M and E will grow up with a deep sense of where they came from.

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  13. Awesome post!! Japanese culture has found its way into our lives by way of our son. He is in year 3 of Japanese in school and (god willing) will be traveling to Japan in February on an exchange trip. We may also be hosting a Japanese student. It is very exciting to have the opportunity to experience other cultures. It enriches our lives and makes for wonderful memories :)

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  14. beautiful post mj. i bet you have shared much more of that part of your life/memory/heritage with them than you realize.

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  15. I can't remember if we have talked about Japan before. I lived in Okinawa for three years in my early teens and just totally adored every moment. They are some of my fondest moments and I know that a lot of things Japanese are ingrained in who I am. People are still amazing that I can use chopsticks ... then I start speaking Japanese and it really blows them away. Amazing you were able to engolf yourself in the culture for a day!!

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  16. Looks like a fantastic festival. These memories are always so fun. I'm sure that your children are going to have the most amazing memories of young life with you!

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  17. i'm so glad that your mother, and you, got to experience that festival. what a delight.

    it must be an enormous shift no? to live in such different worlds?
    i was only 3.5yrs old when i left my country, so have no real sense of living there.

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  18. your story is amazing! how good for you to experience that festival...
    culture is what keep us united. what gives us respect for eachother : )

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  19. Was JUST wondering aloud to my hubby this morning if you were part Japanese (after we got your care package with the rice ball maker things).
    What a wonderful culture to have in your DNA and memories...

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  20. i really enjoyed the photos of the japanese festival + hearing a snippet about your childhood in japan~ we used to go to the japanese festival as kids in the bay area when i lived there. my childhood babysitter (who was one of my best friend's mom) was from japan + was very much like a second mom to us. so i can't wait to hear all about you time in japan. as always too, stunning photos mj! :)

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  21. Beautiful words and images, as always MJ. My mom and younger sister were part of a Taiko drumming group for a couple years and yes, you are right..the energy is something else! Everytime I watch Taiko, I just want to get up there and do it myself! What a wild adventure life is, especially in our modern world where travel is so frequent and cultures are interspersed. What an interesting tapestry your children's heritage is.

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  22. Such a beautiful post about the power of childhood memories. Stunning photos (as usual). Whenever I get stressed about messes, rooms in a constant state of "unfinished", and meals of ramen noodles because I don't have time to cook, I feel a prompting telling me that my kids don't care, or remember my perceived short comings as a Mother and homemaker. They will remember just being together and sharing joy and laughter.
    Thanks for the reminder.
    Cheers,
    Leah

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  23. I go off and on trying to learn Japanese the past ten years. the language is so beautiful.
    the colors of those kimonos are gorgeous!

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw