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Beate Sirota Gordon is one of the drafters of the current Japanese constitution. At the time, she was 22 years old and had just graduated from college. Born in Austria, Beate moved to Japan before the war when her father, Leo Sirota, a well-established musician (pianist), decided to teach in Japan. Famous musicians from overseas gathered at their house, and she lived a rich life. Then she went to the U.S. alone to study just before the World War II. She spent the war time at Mills College in California. Four months after the end of the war, on Christmas Eve in 1945, she returned to Japan and was reunited with her parents, who had evacuated to Nagano. The photograph above is my father's book by Beate Gordon (which he gave me) with full of his notes and highlights. My father also had two notebooks with his notes. At that time, Beate saw Tokyo as a burnt-out ruin, except the Imperial Palace. Since there were few people who could speak both Japanese and English then, and she had an acquaintance at GHQ (General Headquarters) of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, she was hired as a staff member in the Civil Welfare Bureau. She was then appointed to the important role of writing a draft of the Constitution of Japan in two months, which would turn Japan a democratic nation. While she was living in Japan until her high-school years, gender equality did not exist then. The new constitution was aimed at focusing on changing the nation’s long customs and laws that women were expected to put up with inequality. Day and night, she worked side by side with veteran legal colleagues. So far so smooth, but veteran men read her drafts and mostly deleted them because her draft was too progressive, and the U.S. in 1945, too, there was no "perfect and essential gender equality". Beate was in tears of frustration, but it was convenient to be able to provide her parents, who were malnourished during her evacuation, with the money and goods she worked for at GHQ. Finally, in 1946, a new constitution was promulgated. The book club held a New Year's party, and the discussion lasted for two and a half hours. Below is an excerpt of the comments. “There were surprisingly few pages about drafting the constitution in the book, but her feelings for Japanese women were reflected in her subsequent activities in the Japan Society and other organizations. It is admirable that she lived positively even though she regretted for many years later that she could not convince her male colleagues her ideas on "equality" in her draft of the constitution. Apparently, there were some criticisms about a women (non-legal expert) been hired to draft the constitution, but I am afraid what would have happened if that did not happen. ”I didn't know that a young woman with high aspirations joined men and drafted the Japanese Constitution right after the war. Then I understood the meaning of the original title of the book; "Christmas 1945: An Autobiography of the Woman Who Wrote "Gender Equality" in the Constitution of Japan. “The book was so interesting that I finished reading it in two days. I wondered how Beate lived a 'rich' life (not in a financial sense) before the WWII time in Japan. In addition, I realized that there were Russian Jews who survived with making great sacrifices to their lives while being tossed about by the time of the war." The "gender equality" in the Constitution of Japan was to be focused, and I wondered how the GHQ's draft became the Constitution in the end in that regard. Separately, I went to a seminar titled "Constitution Cafe" sponsored by the group called Association to Protect Article 9 of the Constitution, and some material was given at the seminar regarding "gender equality." So, I read the book while comparing it with the material given at the seminar. I haven't studied enough yet and I'm neither a constitutional revisionist nor a constitutionalist, but honestly when I saw this LDP’s (Liberal Democratic Party) proposal, I wondered why they changed everything so much. The U.S.'s (and other developed nations') constitutions have changed "gradually" through revisions over years. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know that the current Japanese Constitution was written from such a background until I read the book. I think that this book is a book that both constitutional revisionist and constitutionalist (conservatives) should read. A long time ago, I heard a phrase from a constitutional scholar who said, "The constitution is an ideal idea." If that is the purpose, I thought deeply about what kind of philosophy we would build from now on. “I heard that there was an exhibition of Ms. Beate Sirota last year at the National Women's Education Center. Looking at this, I think you can get a sense of what it was like back then. https://www.nwec.jp/event/archivecenter/Beate_online.html

On January 23rd, I had the opportunity to go to Akira Fuse's live tour concert held in Chofu City. As soon as my wife found it, I made a reservation. As the theme of the concert was "Reviving the Passion of the Old Days" I expected that there would be many songs that we had often heard before, but it had a wider repertoire. Few songs I knew were "Smell of Cyclamen" and "Lake Mashu in Fog", and "My Way" (in Japanese lyrics). The ending number was "Time to Say Goodbye" in Italian. I enjoyed and spent two hours with a certain sense of security. Personally, I was expecting a wider selection of songs (including jazz numbers) in addition to his own songs, but apart from that, his overwhelming voice and the volume were just a word of surprise. It was also truly a surprise that in two years, 60 years after his debut, he would become a late-stage elderly of 75-years old. Recently, many singers of my generation are retiring, and I sometimes see them sing at their farewell shows and concerts. So, I may have felt that way about Fuse in particular. I didn't know that he was originally from Mitaka City and attended a local junior high school in Fuchu City where I live close by. However, as the story progresses with a good sense of humor, it struck me that he himself was worried about the current state of Japan and that he hoped for the revival of the good old days of our times. He was married to an English woman and probably lived in New York（or Hollywood) for a long time thus perhaps came up with the theme of the concert this time. It's still too early for him to retire. I went home with a rich feeling and was sending my all the best to the singer in the coming years.

I returned home for the first time in three years by intending to avoid the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in Silicon Valley. Although I have a helper who airs and runs the water in my apartment in Tokyo on a monthly basis, I was still concerned about an unpredictable accident related to the plumbing, so returning home at this timing was the correct answer. I could also replace a water heater at this time. Hats off to the service of Tokyo Gas. Also, Amazon Japan’s home delivery service was extremely helpful. There are many convenient communication tools available now, including Zoom and Skype, but “face-to-face” communication is still exceptionally effective. The overall effect is even greater when playing an ensemble. Although the original purpose of my return to Japan was to commemorate the 13th anniversary of my mother's death, it was a busy but enjoyable six weeks of playing ensembles, going to the theaters with friends, catching up with cousins and the family over lunches and dinners. However, what I especially felt this time was the decline in my physical strength, probably because I had stayed in the United States for three years and refrained from traveling long distances because of COVID-19. Before the COVID-19 crisis, I was able to adjust to the jet lag and the fatigue from long trips more quickly as I was traveling overseas much more often, but this time, the jet lag and the fatigue remained forever throughout the stay. Maintaining and boosting physical strength is a new year’s resolution for 2023. What made me extremely happy this time was I met new players to play ensembles. They are mainly from the APA in Japan, who are the residents near the Chuo Line, Tokyo. I had the opportunity to practice with a new cellist (experienced and a very good player) and a flutist. I may be able to play ensembles with them at the upcoming International Music Festival in April 2023 in Tokyo. In the United States, Norm, who I and our cellist, Steffen, played with at the concert in February 2022, was unable to continue due to his severe wrist pain. Although we are very sad about the fact, it seems we will be able to resume practicing Mendelssohn's piano trio (OP49) from the middle of this month with a young pianist, Andrew. Talking about the current affairs in Japan, which I saw and heard during my stay, is very similar to that in the rest of the world. First of all, the public's distrust of politics and politicians is conspicuous in the mountains of problems such as increasing defense budget, restarting nuclear power plants, rising prices, the recession, increasing unemployment rate, expansion of the poor, political and social scandals relating to religious cult; the Family Federation for World Peace（日本統一教会 or 世界平和統一家庭連合) and so forth. With the declining birthrate and increasing aging population of the nation, the policies to improve the economy are not clear. While the prospects for the Japanese economy were unclear or pessimistic, in the media, there seemed to be many critics who quibbled as anti-establishment without stating any directions or constructive opinions. Seventy-eight years have passed since the end of World War II, and Japan is currently in a period of transition in every aspects, including politics, economy, society, and values. Although the nation faces various problems, Japan is yet a very safe, clean, and well-mannered "paradise" in addition to its superb food. I often hear the opinion that the Japanese people have a high degree of "public morals or cultural standard" (民度), but it is difficult to speak optimistically about how to steer a country that can develop (independently) in the long term while maintaining that high level of unique standard. I very much appreciate hearing about any of readers' opinions on this matter. Out with the old, in with the new: may you be happy the whole year through. Happy New Year! 1/9/2023 Comments by Takaaki Iida 1/12/2023 Comments by Yuki T.

Regarding your declining physical strength mentioned in your blog (1/4/2023), my physical therapist at the gym told me that if I do not do physical activities to the point I perspire at least once a day, that means that I am not doing enough cardio exercises and I will not be able to maintain and eventually lose my physical and muscle strengths. I do squats and push-ups 50 times each, and Russian twists 100 time every day, those alone make me perspire. And on days when I can't exercise, I do those before going to bed. When I walk outdoor, I walk fast until I start perspiring. Hope this will be helpful.

Your impression of Japan after a three-year absence is very helpful (Editor’s 1/4/2023 Blog). In short, I live my life with the same feeling. How can we revive Japan, where prices are rising, the birth rate is declining, and technological development and productivity are declining? I feel that politics is advancing day by day without showing any definite path. The issues and problems, including declining and inherently low food self-sufficiency rate, external dependence on energy, the number of natural disasters and the gradual expansion of the scale of disasters, all of which cannot be solved unless establishing fundamental strategies and directions to solve the problems in the next 30 to 50 years. Politicians are most likely not thinking about the main cause of inflation. The current inflation in Japan started a little before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the yen has been depreciating rapidly since then, so I believe that a causal relationship can be clarified by analysis. Without that, it is extremely irresponsible for the government to say that wages should exceed the inflation rate. Only a very small number of large companies can continue to raise wages without predicting what will happen to inflation in the future.

When I catch a glimpse of recent music programs, I often get special interests in pianist Kyohei Sorita’s* (28 years old) point of views and the breadth of music related activities. Needless to say, Mr. Kyohei Sorita is a Chopinist (Chopin pianist) who won the 2nd prize at the 18th Chopin Competition in 2021. Therefore, I believe that his concerts must be tightly organized in Japan and all over the world after winning the competition. However, the scope of his activities that I have seen on TV recently is far beyond my imagination, and I am fascinated by the fact that he seems to be doing all of them very casually and naturally. At the annual Vienna New Year's Concert, he was in the Vienna Music Society, where he listened from rehearsal to performance as an audience, while going back and forth between the venue and the special room as a commentator for NHK's live broadcast. From his comments in the program, I could understand why he has said on various occasions that he is interested in thinking about music from the standpoint of a conductor. The broadcast also featured his home in Vienna. Like in Vienna, it has long been known that he is expanding his music related activities in Nara Prefecture, Japan. I became more interested in his activities in Nara when they were introduced in the Japanese TV program "Untitled Concert" the other day. I knew that a horn was an instrument used by aristocrats to hunt deer in the middle ages in Europe. Sorita wanted to experiment, and the scene where the deer in Nara Park (the park is known for its dear) gathered by a sound of horn was broadcasted. Furthermore, it has been known that the long-established Nara Hotel has a piano played by Einstein in 1922. It was also shown in the program that Sorita played Chopin on this piano. Neither of these things is new, but I find it particularly refreshing to see how quickly he has done something that no one has ever done before, and how interesting his point of views and ability to take actions are. Nara Prefecture is said to have fewer tourists than Kyoto due to the inconvenience of transportation, the narrowness of roads, and the lack of lodging facilities, despite its high and long historical values. However, I think that initiatives like his are excellent to convey the original charm of Nara Prefecture to the outside world. Sorita founded Japan National Orchestra Co., Ltd. (JNO). Established with the investment of DMG Mori Co., Ltd., a major machine tool company, and realized through investment by the Mori Manufacturing Research and Technology Foundation, which provides endowments and supports in variety of fields both in Japan and overseas, and NEXUS (music agency which Sorita founded in 2008 and serves as the representative). Sorita and Akihiko Kawashima, Senior Managing Executive Officer of DMG Mori, serve as representatives of JNO. JNO consists of Sorita and 17 other soloists. Based in Nara, the birthplace of DMG Mori, JNO aims to create a music academy in the future while carrying out sustainable and progressive musical activities. New York Harrington upright piano played by Einstein in 1922 manufactured around 1900) There are many promising young musicians in Japan today, but among them, Kyohei Sorita is unique and particularly noteworthy because he has interesting ideas, and his ability to act upon them. I am interested in his potentials. * Profile: Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and raised in Tokyo. He graduated from Toho Gakuen University and entered the Moscow Conservatory. Sorita currently studies under Piotr Paleczny at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. He previously studied with Mikhail Voskresensky at the Moscow Conservatory. He won the 2nd prize at the 18th Chopin International Competition. He is married to Aimi Kobayashi (27 years old pianist, 4th prize at the 18th Chopin International Competition) in January 1, 2023. Last November (2022), I went to listen to Aimi Kobayashi’s Piano Recital (@Izumi Hall Osaka).

Drama/Music Rated: R for language and brief nudity Stars: Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Noémie Merlant, Sophie Kauer Director: Todd Field Writer: Todd Field Set in the international world of Western classical music, this film centers on Lydia Tár, considered to be one of the greatest living composer/conductors. She also just became the first woman to head a Berlin symphony orchestra. This incredible combination gives Lydia POWER. Something very unusual in the classical music world for a woman. Lydia’s exceptionally sensitive hearing often distracts and disturbs her. Anything like a doorbell, a woman screaming, or the sound of a drip of water can overwhelm her and ultimately this gift leads to her down a destructive emotional path. I really enjoy classical music, but I can’t play an instrument or even read sheet music. I know nothing about the world of how it feels to be a classically trained musician. But this film was very enlightening to me. I never considered that the art of classical music could also be as competitive and political as any other business. This film is more about power than music. Power can be used for good or evil. It doesn’t matter if it’s for profit or art. Power is an incredible ability that can be a weapon or tool. There is a lot in this movie that is sometimes hard to understand. It is intense. It can be brutal. It is sometimes confusing. But because it is from the mind of a disturbed human, it is a challenge to relate to from a rational state of mind. However, the film makes a strong statement about who is in charge and how they use their power. Cate Blanchett is one of my favorite actresses and this is one of the best performances she has ever given. In this film, Blanchett is at the top of her creativity. If nothing else, it’s worth going to see this movie to witness a woman at the top of her profession. There is a scene early in the film where her character, Lydia, is teaching a class at Julliard. It is intense, brutal, and filled with difficult dialogue. Blanchett does the 5-minute scene non-stop, no cuts. She is remarkable. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na6gA1RehsU

An exhibition of a Western-style painter (introduced in August 2021 on this blog) was again held at the Hankyu Department Store of Umeda main store in Osaka City in September 2022 for the first time in two years. I visited the exhibition several times including the first day of the exhibition accompanying friends and acquaintances as a guide. The theme of the exhibition was "landscapes with stories", and about 40 paintings were exhibited, including paintings in which cute bears and cats appear. It is said that the painter admired the style of the American landscape painter Robert Wood, which was displayed at the entrance hall of her childhood house when she was an elementary school girl. She then began painting landscapes with an influence of Wood’s style. It seems; however, she has added her own mysterious aspect to it, and it is gaining popularity among the general public in Japan. About two months before her exhibition, the Nichiyo-kai exhibition, "Nichiyo-ten", was held at the Takarazuka City Cultural Arts Center in Hyogo Prefecture. Each of the works exhibited by each artist was large, about 100 in size (1620 cm x 1300 cm or 1620 cm c 970 cm), thus all of them had a certain dynamics and power due to its size. A painting by this artist exhibited at the "Nichiyo-ten" held during the COVID-19 crisis titled "When I think of calm days" The painter is Ms. Mari Ariga.

The piano class's annual recital (summer concert) was held on August 6th (at Takarazuka Bunka Sozokan - the former Takarazuka Music School building). It has already been four years since I've taken piano accompaniment lessons on the saxophone in this piano class, which is mainly for children up to the lower grades of elementary school. This time, during the break time after the 24 piano students performed, three adults, including me, and a female vocal and violin teachers, played pieces with piano accompaniment. Although it was a year during the corona misfortune, I felt the exhilaration of playing saxophone. The piece I played was Suwanee by Gershwin. Rehearsal Performance

Mystery/Thriller PG-13 Stars: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, David Strathairn Director: Olivia Newman Writers: Delia Owens (based upon the novel by her) Lucy Alibar (the screenplay) Book or movie? Once I’ve read a book that has been made into a movie, I often have to ask myself which one I liked best? This can be difficult because they are different vehicles with their own strengths and weaknesses. I read the award-winning novel about three years ago and enjoyed it so much I thought it would make a wonderful movie because there was so much of the story I could actually visualize. So, when I heard Hollywood was making a movie of the story, I couldn’t wait to see it and I wasn’t disappointed when I saw it a few days ago. The film is true to the book in the telling of the story. However, one of the big differences is that the book goes deeper into some of the character’s backgrounds and experiences. This is a shortcoming of the movie and for someone who hasn’t read the book, it might make the decisions the cast make seem abrupt and confusing. However, the movie does offers beautiful scenes of the swamp land of North Carolina and is still an engaging story. After I saw the film, I read some of the professional reviews and I was surprised at how negative some of them were. It made me wonder if the people doing the reviews actually read the book. The one thing they seemed to agree on was the strong performance by Daisy Edgar-Jones who plays Kya, the young “Marsh Girl” who is the center of the film. Edgar-Jones is actually British, so it is to her credit that she gives a very realistic portrayal of the shy, uneducated, Southern girl. The professional reviewers said the film lacked “substance or suspense” it was “tepid and lacked suspense.” Perhaps it’s because I read the book that my mind let me fill in the suspense, but I enjoyed the movie. I did notice that on “Rotten Tomatoes” the film critics gave the movie a 35 but the movie fans that went to see the film gave it a 96. That is a big difference!!!! Since the movie got very little promotion, I suspect the big difference in the numbers might be that the people who went to see the movie were people who also read the book. That is just my guess. Book or movie? You be the judge. Official Trailer for Where The Crawdads Sing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY3808Iq0Tg

Musical/Drama Rated: PG-13 Stars: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge Director: Baz Luhrmann Writers: Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce Showcasing the period from his childhood to becoming a rock legend in the 1950’s, this biographically accurate movie is the masterwork of Baz Luhrmann. The majority of the movie depicts how the young, Mississippi, boy became a world known star and it showcases the complex relationship he had with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (played by an unrecognizable Tom Hanks). Austin Butler is the charismatic young man who plays Elvis. He is in almost every frame of this movie, and he is spellbinding. He has the looks, the moves, and the voice to make you believe for a few hours you are witnessing “The King” of rock and roll. Butler does the singing in the vast majority of the film and is remarkable. Growing up, I knew Tom Parker was Elvis’ manager and the person who created the star, but he was mysterious to me. I don’t even remember what he looked like. This film reveals why that is. I won’t list many details to not give away the many interesting things that are discovered. However, the one fact that might say it all is: Colonel Tom Parker wasn’t a Colonel, and he wasn’t Tom Parker. He was born Andreas Cornelis Dries van Kuljk in the Netherlands! Baz Luhrmann has always been one of my favorite movie directors. His style is unique. From the opening credits, a Luhrmann movie has a look that is unmistakable. His skill at blending the art of lighting, music, set, and costume design is unlike any other film director. You might have seen some of his other works which include Australia, Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby to name just a few. Elvis has been approved by Priscilla Presley and the entire Presley family for its honest portrayal of the man and the people who shaped his life. Do yourself a favor, and find the biggest movie screen available to you and see this while it is still in theaters. It is a visual treat. For those of you who can’t get to a theater, I have heard that it will be out on HBO/Max in about three months. Austin Butler as Elvis　　　　　　　　You know who this is!