by Mordechai Altshuler (Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Israel,
Foreign Visiting Fellow, SRC, 1997-98)
I came to Japan not only for academic reasons; to do research I
could
work
in the USA or Israel, which also have extensive libraries of Russian
materials. I wanted to be in Japan in order to experience living in a
different and
unknown way of life and culture. For this reason, a direct link with
the
Japanese people is very important to me.
My wish to make a closer acquaintance with my Japanese colleagues was
partly fulfilled by invitations to my colleague"s homes. The first was
Professor Tabata"s barbecue, which we enjoyed very much. First of all,
we found that it was not just a barbecue but a whole feast. We had an
opportunity to taste rich and tasty Japanese cuisine and found it
delicious. At this party we were able to make new acquaintances and to
deepen older ones. I learned that
the Japanese people were more open and communicative than I had
expected prior
to my arrival in Japan. The party also revealed the singing talent of
Professor
Potulnytskyj, as he sang old Ukrainian songs of his homeland. We left
the
party with a very good feeling, enjoying the friendly atmosphere.
The other invitation was from Professor Ieda for a home concert and a
birthday party. I will concentrate on this evening because it is still
fresh in my memory. First of all I want to mention Professor
Ieda's consideration by preparing chairs for us whereas the
Japanese guests sat on tatami. Later, some of us also enjoyed this
experience. For me the seating arrangements represented the mixture of
the traditional Japanese and the Western modes of life that
characterized this meeting in Professors Ieda"s house. The Western
part of the evening was an excellent concert of classical music played
by
skilled Russian artists. During the concert one could feel the deep
admiration the Japanese people had for Western classical music.
The real fun, however, started after the concert. The first activity
was initiated by the guest artists themselves. They suggested at the
end of the
concert they play a popular Russian song, "Katiusha," and the audience
-
foreign as well as Japanese Ñ responded with enthusiasm. The
Russian artists were joined by two little Japanese girls who played the
song on violin. After this, the atmosphere became more informal, warm
and friendly. All the guests intermingled - foreigners and Japanese,
older and younger, children and adults. Despite the linguistic barriers
we understood each other by the
sparkles in our eyes.
The peak of joy came with the Japanese part of the evening when the
meal was served. There were authentic Japanese delicacies, including
sushi. Even
though we were not used to Japanese cuisine, we enjoyed it. Some of us
tasted
sushi for the first time and found it delicious. The characteristic
mixture
of Japan and the West was reflected here by wines, as well as by the
birthday
cake with candles. Moreover, the birthday itself was an integration
since
the celebration was for a little Japanese girl whose name was written
in
hiragana letters on the celebratory banner, for an Hungarian student
and for
the Russian pianist, whose names were written in Roman letters. This
reflects
to some extent our small world, where people of good-will may
understand each
other.
During the feast, as the atmosphere became more and more lively, the
artist from Moscow played a well known Russian song "Kalinka."
Professor Mironov, a scholar from Saint Petersburg now at the Slavic
research Center, began to
dance the Kozachek and his wife joined him, with all the audience
clapping hands. Later he danced a waltz with a little Japanese girl and
our delight was complete. We sang and sang and for a moment we forgot
that we were far away from our home, friends and family and felt very
close to our new Japanese friends.
I think that this interaction of different cultures contributed to our
good feeling. I believe that it is not unique to this successful party,
but characterizes the Japanese way of life. In the trend towards the
integration
of traditional and modern, national-specific and global-universal, I
find
parallels between Japan and Israel, the country where I am from.
SRC Home
by Mordechai Altshuler