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Some people claim that 2023 is the summer of “Barbenheimer.” This “mashup” word was created by studio marketing wizards to express the incredible success that these two movies which were released on the same day have created. Barbie and Oppenheimer are both big-budget films. Both are huge hits. Both are excellent. They represent the best of Hollywood filmmaking and audiences have been moved by both…but for very different reasons. Barbie Rated: PG-13 Stars: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu and many, many others Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure Director: Greta Gerwig Writer: Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach When Greta Gerwig wrote the script for this movie with her real-life partner, Noah Baumbach, I’m sure neither one of them could have envisioned the success this movie (about a famous doll) would create. Being known and admired writers, they were able to gain a hefty budget for the film that was about $145 million to create. Incredibly, after only a month in the theaters, the movie has already taken in $1.077 BILLION! Why? How? Having a stellar cast and a good budget, the movie created a lot of hype before it was released which certainly was partly due to its early success. But I think it is more than that. We live in such a serious world. I think we all just need a laugh. Also, something nostalgic from our childhood, like a beloved doll, was certainly a way to capture hearts. And Barbie does just that…at least at first. As the movie progresses, it also reminds us of issues that women (and men) have faced in the past and today. The film is a perfect balance between satire and humanity. There are many laughs to be had as well as points to ponder as Barbie takes a journey from her Barbie World into the very real world we live in today. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBk4NYhWNMM Oppenheimer “Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. For this he was chained to a rock and tortured for eternity.” Rated: R Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh and many others Genre: Drama, Biography, History Director: Christopher Nolan Writer: Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin The film begins with this ominous quote and sets the tone for this dramatic biography. It is based on the book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin who also co-wrote the movie’s script with Christopher Nolan. The movie focuses on Oppenheimer’s adult life, including his role in the Manhattan Project where he served as director of a clandestine weapons lab built in a near Los Alamos, in New Mexico, where he and many other of the era’s most dazzling scientific minds puzzled through how to harness nuclear reactions for the weapons that killed tens of thousands instantly, and ended the war in the Pacific. What surprised me when viewing this movie was how much I ended up caring about “The Father of the Atomic Bomb.” I admit that I knew very little about Oppenheimer, the person, before seeing this film. I only knew the horror he was instrumental in creating. Now I have a very different understanding of him after seeing the personal and external pressures that were placed upon him that were portrayed so skillfully in this movie. Oppenheimer is three-hours long, so it is difficult to go into great detail about the various topics it covered. However, for me, it was a perfect film. Cillian Murphy, who portrays Oppenheimer deserves special credit. He is amazing in the title role, and not only does he look like Oppenheimer, but he also has the intensity and humanity needed to play the part. The entire movie, including the stellar cast, realistic sets and costumes and effective soundtrack are all as good as it gets. One thing that sets Christopher Nolan apart from most film directors is that he doesn’t rely on special effects. He gets what he wants in camera. His mastery is evident in each frame. When I think about the striking success Barbie and Oppenheimer have enjoyed, even though they are vastly different from one another, I am struck by the importance of what makes them the same: people need to remember the PAST. Remembering the good and bad that has happened to us can be the best teacher to help us become better humans. Barbenheimer has touched our humanity. Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYPbbksJxIg

It's bit strange to send the titled email when you are in Japan, but I feel like it's paired with my previous photos of “Weeping Cherry Blossoms in Maruyama Park, Kyoto” so I'm sending it to you. At last, I was able to put into practice what I had planned to see at Hikone Castle during the cherry blossom season. Yesterday, I was blessed with fine weather, and I went out on a two-hour train ride. Hikone Castle is designated as a National Treasure along with Himeji, Matsumoto, Inuyama and Matsue because of its beautiful appearance and excellent military function, which is the castle's original function. We saw beautiful scenery here and there that matched the cherry blossoms.

I went to see the weeping cherry blossom in Maruyama Park in Kyoto. The current large trees are the second generation, and the first generation died in 1947 when the trees were 220 years old. The cherry blossoms, carefully nurtured from the first seeds, have grown into large trees that are about 80 years old now. I wanted to see them under good weather when they were in full bloom, but it didn't come true due to the COVID-19 disaster. Today I finally got to see them and enjoyed myself!

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.