"Way of Blue Sky"

今回、英語ですみません

I watched an interesting Japanese movie yesterday, called "Way of Blue Sky", starring Takuya Nakayama (中山タクヤ) as Takahashi, a boy in his last year of Junior high who announces to his class that he'll be immigrating to America in one week. He's the president of the basketball club, and there's a girl he likes but could never express his feelings to and there are five girls who like him. The plot unfolds as the romantic tension builds between Takahashi and his many girl friends (friends who are girls, not necessarily girls he is in love with).



I found this movie particularly interesting, because I have a lot of friends who are Asian American (some of them immigrants themselves and some of them who's parents immigrated to America), and I have even taken classes on Asian American immigration or Asian American cultural neighborhoods in Chicago (where I live). None of these classes have revealed to me, however, just what it is like emotionally to move away from your country to a new home, and for some reason I haven't discussed this with my friends either. If you've read my earlier posts, you know that I intend to study abroad in Japan next year, so I will also be leaving my home for a new country.

My friends, teachers and anyone else that I talk to have always emphasized the hardships after arrival in America (education, finding a job, language barriers, etc) but never have we discussed what it's like to part from friends and family.

"Way of Blue Sky", however, showed me the opposite side of this. Takahashi is never even seen in America in the movie, we don't see him get on the airplane, we don't even see the photo that he text messages to one of the girls after arrival. The story is much more about his friends and how they cope with him leaving. Some of his friends respond to him angrily, refusing to talk to him, hang out with him, and some even go so far as to critisize him outright: "Takahashi, have you even stopped to think about how your friends feel about this?". Of course, Takahashi doesn't have control of the situation, his dad is being tranferred for work, but it gives a little bit of insight into how the friends of an immigrant can react to the situation.



It is also apparent that Takahashi doesn't really want to leave, because there is a running theme throughout the movie that he seems to be packing his belongings incredibly slowly, agonizing over every item. I've moved a few times, and I know that packing makes the whole thing real, once you've packed, there's no going back. Takahashi doesn't want to pack. I think the conclusion is obvious.



One more interesting issue in this movie is sexual orientation. When Takahashi finally confesses his love to the girl he's liked all through junior high, she doesn't respond but doesn't give a reason. Later in the movie, she confesses her love to a girl in their class. All the while, Takahashi's best friend likes the girl that Takahashi likes, and he confesses his love for her every year on her birthday, she always rejects him and won't give a reason. Takahashi and his friend are both in love with a girl who is in love with a girl (who happens to be one of the five who are in love with Takahashi), creating an impossible love pentagon (and I'm leaving out the other four girls in this equation). This girl becomes friends, reluctantly, with all the girls who like Takahashi, but any real internal resolution to her conflict with society and homosexuality is left to interpretation.

Homosexuality is a somewhat taboo subject in Japan, I thought it worth noting that it was addressed in this movie.

Finally, how will I deal with the issues of separation when I move to Japan next year? I'm concered, considering that I am very close with my parents, I'm an only child and I have trouble being away from them sometimes, but they support my efforts to study abroad and want me to succeed. I'm sure it'll be an overly joyful experience to finally get on the plane and take off for Japan, and I'm sure I'll be more than elated when I finally arrive, but once that wears off and normal life kicks in, how will I react to homesickness and the non existance of family in Japan?

I have a very good friend who lives near Ritsumeikan University, Kazuma, who is currently working in the US. I've been hanging out with him a lot, helping him enjoy his time in Chicago, and I hope he'll do the same for me when I go to Japan. It'll make my transition a little bit easier to already know someone when I get there.

Anyway, if you have any thoughts on any of this rediculously long post, please, be my guest.

感想があったら、コメントお願いします。

シカゴの小さな東京

今日、ジャレッドっていう友達と色々な日本的な場所へ見に行ったよ。

天気はちょっと寒かったし、雨がちょっと降っていたし、あまり晴れていなかったので家だけで勉強していた。つまらないと言えるから、ジャレッドに電話した。

新しい場所を見に行きたかったので、Googleに「Japan + Chicago」を入れて、「J. Toguri Mercantile」が現れた。二人で車で行って、見つけた。



たくさん日本の産物をゆっくり見た。本がほしがったら、日本語、空手道、折紙、人気がある雑誌、料理などがある。すみ絵もいっぱいあったから、あまり高くなかったです。それで、空手の征服や着物も買えるから、本当に希世な店だと思う。シカゴ中、どこで探してもそんな産物が売っている店を見付けられないと思うよ。アーリントンハイツのミツワマーケットプレースもあるけど、伝統的な物をどうしても買えない。ミツワで本屋、フードコート、マーケット、パン屋、旅行会社などの店あるから、多分シカゴで一番人気な日本文化センターだろう。「J. Toguri」はあまり知られていなくて、大きな店じゃないので、特別な見付けと思う。



面白いことに、J. Toguri はシカゴの古い小さな東京（Little Tokyo)にあるから、その近くにたくさん日本料理屋も訪ねる。だけど、Little Tokyoは１９００年代の近所なので、まう日本人住んでいなくて、日本料理屋で働いていない。現在的な日本人はシカゴの北や西の近所に住んでいて、大きな会社員だろう。



J. Oguri を訪ねる後、おれたちはミツワの近くの三九という人気があるレストランで食べた。本当に日本の活動をいっぱいしたね。つまらない日はやっぱり面白くならせたね。

このブログについて

はじめまして。名前はエリオット。よろしくお願いします。ちょっと自己紹介しようか。

今シカゴに住んでるけど、シカゴ的な生活あまりしていない。おれの生活は、やっぱり、日本的なのかもしれない。実は、大学で専攻は日本研究。それも困ることかもしれない。大学生だけど、現在授業受けてない。その代わりに父チャンとコンピュータ会社を始まってるんだ。とにかく、日本が大好きで、いろいろな日本人友達と遊びに行って、日本の番組を見て、いつも日本語や日本文化勉強してるほどだ。

今年の八月から来年の六月まで立命館大学で留学するつもりだ。このブログはそうするための準備、習いたてこと、それに面白い経験、自分の感想などについて書いてある。

ゆっくりでどうぞ。読んでくれてありがとう

My name's Elliott, nice to meet you.  Let me introduce myself a little bit.

I'm currently living in Chicago, but I'm not living a Chicago life.  My life, as expected, is a might be Japanese one.  Actually, my major in college is Japanese Studies, which is also a little bit of a confusing issue.  I'm a college student, but these days I'm not taking any classes.  Instead, I'm starting a computer company with my dad.  Anyway, I love Japan so much that I hang out with Japanese friends, watch Japanese TV and I'm always studying Japanese language and culture. 

Next year I plan to study at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan.  This blog is about my preparation to study abroad, what I learn in the process, any interesting experiences I might have, and some of my own thoughts.

Please enjoy at your leisure.  Thanks for reading.