Thursday, June 29, 2017

Yumi Arai - Hikoukigumo


     Today, I listened to this song, Hikoukigumo (ひこうき雲) by Yumi Arai (荒井 由美), whose name is now Yumi Matsutoya (松任谷 由美). Did you know that this song was released in Japan in 1973? I have known this song because it is the theme song of The Wind Rises (風たちぬ), which is one of Hayao Miyazaki's animation films. I haven't watched this movie yet, but I would like to watch it someday because this movie is about old Japan (Taisho through early Showa era). My grandparents who I lived with in Japan until my age 18 were born in Taisho era. I really loved my grandparents, but I don't really know how Japan was like when they were very young.



       The song, Hikoukigumo, also reminded me of Mao Kobayashi. Last week, Mao Kobayashi, who was a Japanese newscaster and was named one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2016, died at age 34.
       She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, and her husband, Ebizo Ichikawa, the heir to the prestigious Ichikawa clan of kabuki actors, announced her condition at a press conference last summer. It was very shocking new to me because I used to watch her TV show in Japan many years ago. After the announcement, I started reading her husband's blog. (I didn't use to read Japanese celebrities' blogs before that.) Soon after, Mao Kobayashi also started her own blog and shared her thoughts and conditions through the blog. I've checked her blog almost every day for a year. When her husband announced that she had passed away on June 22, I was very sad. Because I read her blog every day, I think I felt like as if I were her family member or a very close friend. I think so many Japanese people felt the same way. When I listened to Hikoukigumo, I remembered that she sometimes shared photos of sky through her blog. I miss her so much.



     My entries related to Japan can be seen here.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/Japan

    This is my entries related to my favorite songs.
http://itisapieceofcake2011.blogspot.com/search/label/songs


      

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