Under other circumstances, by coming to Japan
in
search of chrysanthemums, gorgeous sunsets, Zen Buddhism, or other
enchanted existent and non-existent romantic tropes, I might have made
a perfect tourist. Yet there is something else that attracts me
in Sapporo, which reduces my interactions with local landscapes and
cultural landmarks to a minimum. These pleasant attractions,
which fascinate and lure me more than anything else, are the wonderful
resources of the Slavic Research Center (SRC) and Hokkaido University
Library Special Collections, the ideal setting to pursue my project
that deals with indigenous shamanism in northern Eurasia.
Specifically, I am interested in how Russian and Western writers,
ethnographers, missionaries, and travelers reflected on indigenous
spirituality in Siberia. SRC/Hokkaido University collections have
marvelous books on Siberia and indigenous religions of Asia in various
languages. There is also a large microfilm collection of Russian
newspapers and magazines, including some obscure periodicals, which are
hard to find in other libraries. The first week of my stay I
spent learning about the library system and picking up the books, which
I could not get in the States because they were "hidden" in rare book
collections. I lovingly fondled the pages of some old editions
and happily breathed in their musty smell. Much of the literature
I work with was published in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries. I was pleasantly stunned that the university library
allows me to check out German and Russian books published as early as
the eighteenth-century! The third day of my stay in Sapporo I fell
asleep in my bed holding the 1774 Russian edition of Descriptions of All Nations of Russian
Empire by
Johann Georgi, a famous Enlightenment observer of Siberia.
"Traveling" through the Hokkaido University book and microfilm
collections, I feel like a child in a candy store.
By the time of my arrival to Sapporo, I still had
two unfinished book projects, which are also related to my SRC project
and which are under contract with publishers: Shamanism in
Siberia and a three-volume anthology Shamanism:
Critical Concepts in Sociology. I came to Sapporo with
a desire to make the most of my time here, but I was torn apart with a
dilemma of what to start with: with researching the university Siberian
collections or finishing the book projects. Eventually, I had to
reconcile myself to the idea that I would have to simultaneously work
in both directions. Thus, until now my day usually starts at
8:30AM and ends at 10PM with a one-hour interlude for jogging and
exercising to warm my "rusty" body. Each day when I leave for
home at night, I still see lights in some offices. Nice to know
that I am not the last one. In fact, some of my Japanese
colleagues at the center prefer to work at night. Indeed, this is
a reasonable option: nothing and nobody distracts you from work at
night. Although this "night" solution looks appealing to me, I
still have to consult my wife about this.
Although I
accomplished a lot in the past five
months (Shamanism in Siberia
is scheduled to be
published this December, an article was submitted to American
Historical Review, and three nineteenth-century Siberian
periodicals are completely seeded for all relevant information on
shamanism), I come to a realization that nine months might not be
enough to go through the rest of the Siberian-related book and
microfilm collections. Yet deep inside there is also a
realization that no matter how much time one will get, it will never be
enough. This time anxiety most probably comes from the nature of
my work back in the States. I teach on a daily basis at a
four-year metropolitan university. My normal teaching load is
four courses per semester. This does not usually leave too much
time for reading and writing. When you do try to pursue research,
your family has to make large sacrifices. That is why I view
these nine months of the fellowship bestowed on me by SCR as a
blessing. Think about it: nine months of a totally free time for
reading and writing! To me this sounds like a dream. Who knows
--- I might not get again such a luxurious opportunity in the
future. I feel that I am turning into a self-control freak
constantly asking myself at the end of a day, "How much did you do
today," and when it seems I did not do enough I feel depressed.
My wife and son save me from going insane. Saturdays and
occasionally Sundays are reserved for the family. That is when I
take my black and white snapshots I mentioned in my "decorative"
introduction. Although I did not see too much of Japan outside of
Sapporo, I did have several brief memorable encounters with the
country. One was during my recent conference trip to Osaka, when
I had a chance to peruse old Zen and Shinto temple architecture.
Another took place during my trip to Ainu villages in the company of
Professor Koichi Inoue, the Senior Ethnologist at SRC. The third
one was a trip to Otaru hosted by Professor Osamu Ieda, our
Director. It is too early at this point to unfold the whole
canvas of my impressions of Japan. I am still absorbing and
digesting them. For example, next week I plan to visit Japanese
traditional shamans, itako,
which incidentally is
also related to my SRC major project. I am sure that this venture
will bring bright new impressions. So the full assessment of what
I learned and saw will surely come later, after I return to the States
and gradually process my observations. Then I will be able to
compose some generalized picture where truth and imagination, fact and
fiction will be freely intertwined as usually happens in all travelers'
tales.
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