Works Directly And Indirectly Referencing The Story of Momotaro: How Folk Tales Are Manipulated For Achieving Different Goals

Momotaro, the Peach Boy, is a famous traditional teenage warrior figure in Japanese culture. His story depicts Momotaro, a divine creature who jumped out from a big peach found by an old lady, goes to fight the Ogres(Oni’s) with the help of his dog, monkey and pheasant fellows that he gathered along the way. In the end of the story, Momotaro returns with victory. The story of Momotaro is ubiquitously famous in Japan, and because of the popularity of Momotaro’s story, the image of Momotaro has been integrated, directly and indirectly, into various works. By comparing the animated film Momotaro’s Sea Eagles and the documentary film Minamata: The Victims and Their World to the national version of Momotaro’s story written by Iwaya Sazanami, we can understand how folk tales can be manipulated to serve different political purposes by making audiences gain empathy toward the issues in discussion, and therefore gaining support and agreement from the audiences. Specifically, The folkloric characteristics of the story of Momotaro, such as ambiguous time period,  ambiguous identity of characters, and inevitability of the presence of food and thus the impact of food, are important aspects for achieving this goal.

As a folkloric story, Momotaro doesn’t happen at a specific historical time; instead it is presented to happen merely “very, very long ago”. Even though this lack of specific time was certainly unintentional when the story was created, however, thanks to this ambiguity in time, later works can fit the Momotaro motif into any time period. In Momotaro’s Sea Eagles, the story of Momotaro is fitted into the time period of World War II – more specifically, the Pearl Harbor Attack. By fitting in the Momotaro figure straightly into the animation, audience is tricked to think that since the battle of Momotaro is a glorious battle, then the battle in the animation, directly featuring Momotaro as the leader of the army, is also a glorious battle. The ambiguous identity of characters also play a role, enabling the anime makers to transform the small army into a large national army, while changing Momotaro’s image from a chunky, friendly boy to a solemn political leader. Because of the ambiguity of the characters’ identity in the original folk story, nobody would question the new enforced identities presented in the animation. Though the identity of the enemies, or the Oni’s, remain obscure, there are bold images and descriptions that indicate the enemy to be United States. For example, the enemy’s flag consists of stripes and stars on the left upper corner, which is incredibly similar to the national flag of United States; the enemy soldiers are all white figures, resembling Caucasian race; even the image of the island and the battleships are strikingly similar to Pearl Harbor and the ships there. What’s more, there are lines, such as “Blue demon, red demon, chase them all”, describing the American soldiers as the evil Oni’s, while

Scene in which the background music sings the line “Blue demon, red demon, chase them all”.

promoting how righteous Momotaro and his army are. By directly putting Momotaro’s story in the World War II setting, Momotaro’s Sea Eagles serves as a propaganda, educating Japanese citizens that the attack of Japan on Pearl Harbor is a righteous act.

Minamata the documentary movie, on the other side, fits the Momotaro motif indirectly into the time period in which Minamata disease wreaked havoc. In the movie, though none of the explicit Momotaro figure, the dog, monkey and pheasant soldiers are present, the spirit of the Momotaro story is subtly integrated, as the victims of Minamata gathers and goes on a quest fighting against the Chisso Corporation, the company whose factory mercury release contaminated food. The united victims resemble Momotaro and his army, and the Chisso Corporation resembles the Oni’s. A part of the movie records how victims go on a march to where Chisso Corporation locates, protesting and fighting for a responsible solution. This march represents the journey Momotaro has, and his fighting against the Oni’s in Sazanami’s Momotaro story. In fact, the Chisso Corporation is directly associated with the Oni’s, as one speaker during the march announces: “We have arrived in the land where the blue and red ogres dwell”. However, in Minamata, the allusion to Momotaro is not a filming technique, nor a technique for creating political propaganda, but a real-life application of the story since the film is a documentary. By making allusion to Momotaro’s story, the victims of the Minamata gain tremendous empathy and support from bystanders who are of course very familiar with the story of Momotaro, and these bystanders then join the march, or the “army of Momotaro”, to keep on fighting. In conclusion, by fitting the motif of Momotaro into different historical time periods and onto different characters and persons, different goals can be achieved, depending on the issue in discussion.

Other than the ambiguity in time and identity of characters, the ubiquitous presence of food in stories also show how folk stories, the story of Momotaro in this case, can be manipulated. First of all, food exists in every story. No matter if it’s a folk tale, a prose, or any other genre, as long as there is a storyline, there exists food. The ubiquitous existence of food makes the impact of food tremendously important in all stories. In this case, food serves as a power that unites people in all three stories.

Food in both Sazanami’s Momotaro story and the Momotaro’s Sea Eagles unite people by giving them strength, faith and making them loyal to Momotaro. In both stories, the millet dumplings are the food Momotaro gives to his animal fellows. In Sazanami’s Momotaro story, by sharing millet dumplings, Momotaro makes friends with dog, monkey and pheasant, and he resolves conflicts between them using millet dumplings as well. By using millet dumplings, Momotaro is able to create his small army, with his fellows respecting and admiring him, willing to fight for him. In Momotaro’s Sea Eagles, millet dumplings also serve similar purpose, uniting the army together as Momotaro’s soldiers.

However, the detailed indication of food is different between the Sazanami’s Momotaro story and the Momotaro’s Sea Eagles. In Sazanami’s Momotaro story, millet dumplings build a rather intimate connection – friendship, and loyalty due to admiration and respect. The monkey, the dog, and the pheasant and Momotaro are more like brothers than merely a political leader and followers, in the sense that they develop intimate relationship with each other, and the animals all respect Momotaro. Millet dumplings also resemble kinship in Sazanami’s story: when Momotaro is leaving home, the Old Man and the Old Woman, who take care of Momotaro as parents, carefully prepare the millet dumplings for Momotaro.This symbolistically indicates that the millet dumplings contain the power of love, and that’s why the millet dumplings can have such a cohesive force that binds the fellows together. With the power of love and kinship coming from the millet dumplings, Momotaro and the animal fellows become brothers and fight together. This brother-like relationship between the dog, the monkey and the pheasant is carried on in Momotaro’s Sea Eagle, however with a new layer of meaning and indication, as the millet dumplings also posses a new layer of meaning. In Momotaro’s Sea Eagle, the soldiers are also united by the millet dumplings like brothers, but not brothers in an intimate way, but rather in the sense that they are all sons of Japan, the motherland, and they all fight for their motherland patriotically. Instead of showing kinship and friendship, the millet dumplings in the animation represents nationalism, which is the power that ties all the soldiers of the army

A monkey soldier happily eats a millet dumpling ration

together. What’s more, the millet dumplings shows great literal dietary support, contrasting with the terrible diets of the enemy: the army of Momotaro is energetic, passionate and brave eating the millet dumplings, while the enemies, drinking alcohol, are sluggish and cowardly, only able to run away. In one scene, a monkey soldier becomes ultra-muscular after eating millet dumplings – the allusion of Popeye the Sailor here is integrated to exaggerate the literal dietary power of millet dumplings. Meanwhile, one captain from the enemy side is

A drunk, fat enemy general struggling on the ground, but unable to get up and run. There are alcohol bottles scattering around him on the ground.

presented to be obese and drunk, unable to get up from the floor, with several alcohol bottles lying by him, indicating his drunkenness, and thus reflecting on the terrible diets of the enemy’s army. By giving a contrast between the diets of the two sides, Momotaro’s Sea Eagle advocates Japan as the righteous side while bashing the Oni’s – United States, in this case.

While food positively unite people together in both stories that directly reference to Momotaro, food, or contaminated food in specific, unites people negatively in Minamata: The Victims and Their World: victims suffered from Minamata disease the contaminated food unite to fight against Chisso Corporation. Even though food in Minamata is a negative factor, it still unites the protagonists in the story just like millet dumplings unite protagonists in the other two stories, and the protagonists go on a quest fighting against the “evil Ogres”.

With the national version of Momotaro’s story by Iwaya Sazanami as an original story to refer to, the animated video Momotaro’s Sea Eagles, and the documentary film Minamata: The Victims and Their World both manipulates the story of Momotaro by playing with the ambiguity of time and characters, and inevitability of the presence of food and thus the impact of food as a uniting power. By playing with these characteristics of the story of Momotaro, folk tales – not just the story of Momotaro, but all folk tales in general – can be manipulated to serve different purposes by making audiences gain empathy toward the issues in discussion, and therefore gaining support and agreement from the audiences.

Tampopo: A Ramen Western

Tampopo, a Japanese food comedy with a twist on the classic, Spaghetti Western, is a light-hearted story about a single working-class mother striving to perfect her ramen recipe and revive her ramen shop. The director, Juzo Itami, utilizes food as a way of connecting issues occurring in late 1980s Japan. In particular, he focuses on ramen and overturning conventions. Ramen normally is seen as a comfort food, mostly eaten on cold, winter nights alone. However, Itami shows that ramen can also promote a sense of community and home. With ramen, he brings together the protagonist, Tampopo and Goro, along with his friend, Gun. Although, Gun and Goro are constantly traveling in their truck, they stop to teach Tampopo the art of making the perfect ramen.

This scene, in which Goro and Gun encounter Tampopo and her son for the first time and start a fight with a group of men, is the scene that I think is the most important. Not only because it starts the relationship between the protagonists, but also because of the fight scene that exemplifies Tampopo to be a self-proclaimed, ramen western.

Goro and Gun on their long journey.

In the scene, Goro and Gun stop by Tampopo’s ramen shop after their long journey on the road for a bite to eat. Elements of old Western films are seen as Gun seems to act as Goro’s sidekick and the fact that they are on the road, however not on horses like in traditional western films, but in a truck. The medium shot that is shown in the screen shot above depicts Goro and Gun through their heavily rained- on truck window. The book that Gun holds could mean that they have been traveling for quite a long time. From their attire, they appear to be of lower class and the hat that Goro wears is also symbolic of the West.

 

The gang leader is hit in the face by a naruto.

The scene continues as the duo enters Tampopo’s ramen shop and encounters a group of men who harass Tampopo. The leader of the group, as shown above, irritates Goro to the point where Goro flicks a piece of naruto (cured fish often served in ramen) at his face. The close-up shot of this at a somewhat low angle shows the emotional approach of the action. It makes the scene a lot more emphasized as well as comedic and dramatic, especially when the piece of naruto is stuck on his face. Goro demonstrates heroism in this scene, another element in Western movies, when they choose to start a fight with the harassers soon after.

Tampopo and her son watch the fight from their ramen shop.

The fight is taken outside the ramen shop where in this shot, Tampopo and her son are huddled together watching the fight from their shop. It is interesting how the main action was not shown and the director wanted to focus on the emotions of Tampopo and her son instead. Itami probably wanted to illustrate the importance of family and community as a sort of precursor to the audience in the beginning of the movie.

United States and Japan Relationship: New Visions of Japan Annual Forum

The Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies at UCLA has just hosted the twentieth anniversary event for New Visions of Japan. This is an annual forum in which the political, economic, and social relationships between the United States and Japan are discussed in depth. This year’s forum features three very distinguished speakers. The first is Daniel K. Inouye, United States Senator and Senate President Pro Tempore, State of Hawai’i. The second speaker is James P. Zumwalt, EAP Deputy Assistant Secretary for Japan and Korea. Lastly, the third speaker is Tsuneo Nishida, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations.

Through its recent history, Japan has established itself as the Western equivalent in the Asia-Pacific region and without doubt can be considered a fully developed nation. The events that, though not limited to, have truly an international impact can be pinpointed to the beginnings of its imperial aggression towards East Asia, World War I, World War II, and the March 11, 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Through the progression, evolution, and passing of these events, we see the complexities behind the Japan-U.S. relationship. Specifically, it is throughout the Occupation years that a new constitution has been drafted and implemented in Japan. Yet from the past imperial aggressions of Japan and its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, “the most important bi-relationship is with Japan, or none” today, according to Inouye.

This changing relationship and partnership between U.S. and Japan is indeed very intriguing. Furthermore, the peace treaties signed by Japan has also demilitarized Japan. Interestingly for a nation with such economic strength, it is difficult to imaging Japan without a fully functional military of its own. Instead, Japan now has what it calls the Japan Self-Defense Forces that focus on maintain peace and self-defense. The situation of massive United States military in Japan also leads one to wonder about the tensions and security of Japan.

Nevertheless, various aids have been given by the United States in the dreadful event of the March 11, 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Furthermore, just as Zumwalt mentions, the student exchanges between Japan and the United States will continue to foster a strong relationship from the grass-root level, reinforcing friendship. He also mentions that President Barack Obama continues to emphasize the importance of the foundation and relationship between the U.S. and Japan, especially because of the close proximity of Japan to the U.S. geographically. There has also been talk about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, in which Japan is seriously considering in participating. The result will be a more integrated market in commerce and trade through a reduction in tariffs and other changes.

Lastly, according to Nishida, Japan will continue to strive for a solution with nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. A transition into green technology, sustainable development, and human rights will continue to serve an important role in the politics of Japan through the United Nations. Unfortunately, in spite of these great ideals and complex relationships, I wonder what the actual benefits are for Japan. I also wonder who will burden the costs and consequences related to the support and advocacy for such ideals and relationships.

Moving Forward: Life after the Great East Japan Earthquake

On Saturday, March 10, 2012, I attended a symposium at the Fowler Museum Auditorium on “Moving Forward: Life after the Great East Japan Earthquake.” It was also an exhibition which documented Japan’s recovery after the catastrophic Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.  March 11^th marked the one-year anniversary since the incident. The earthquake destroyed houses, highways, rice fields, and the lifestyles of over 46,000 inhabitants within the disaster zone. The exhibition not only highlighted the anxiety and suffering it caused in Japan, but also the ongoing mental and physical rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Tohoko region

Numerous key speakers spoke at this event, ranging from two Japanese refugees who arrived the night before to speak to us, to people who have been diligently working on the reconstruction and recovery efforts. By having speakers who were directly affiliated with the recovery program and displaying a series of large-scaled photographs and interview videos from the victims, the symposium effectively portrayed the drastic effect the earthquake has had on Japan and provided listeners with an opportunity to better understand the victims’ perspectives of the hardships they have faced and their hopeful road to recovery.

Although all of the speakers presented powerful speeches based off of their own personal experiences and perspectives, I found one in particular to be very inspirational. Ms. Junko Mabushi, an East Japan Program Officer for Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), informed us about the challenges that Japan was currently facing from nuclear power plants due to long term radiation exposure, physical and mental burden, unknown mental and physical effect of the radiation, and economic insecurity. Furthermore, hundreds of local companies that employed over 150,000 workers in fishing and agriculture industries were closed down due to the fear that their products may have been contaminated.  Ms. Mabushi stressed the importance for victims to send out accurate information regarding their prefecture to abolish prejudice and to support their economy.

The nuclear power plant radiation parallels the situation that occurred in Minamata in the 1950’s. Just as the people living outside the affected region associated “mercury poisoning” with Minamata and refused to buy fish from them, the people of the Tohoku region have been faced with the same fear, resulting in the collapse of the fishery industries in the Minamata and Tohoku regions. Those who were originally dependent on the fish industry and native to those regions have had their life suddenly turned upside down from the disasters.

However, the main difference was the support of the disaster by the government. In Minamata, the government failed to take action until years after the incident. But after the Tohoku Earthquake, the government responded immediately through their support of building transitional housing, assisting local companies by renting out vehicles, and creating projects to boost employment which would lead to livelihood recovery. They helped re-open shops to accommodate everyone’s needs and even assisted fishermen by purchasing necessary items such as fishing nets so that they could revitalize the industry again. In addition to government aid, the Tokohu community demonstrated their generosity and kindness through volunteer service. At one event, there were volunteers serving over 25,000 hot dishes under tents, managing the soup kitchen and distributing clothes to provide warmth and food supplies to the people during the harsh winter. With a great amount of support from the government and people across the country, Tohoku is able to move forward, slowly rebuilding itself to its former glory.

High school student from Kohriyama-Kita Technical High School learned invaluable relationships by going through this Great East Japan Earthquake

The main strength of the symposium was the various speakers who shared their personal experiences. The speakers are analogous to the filmmakers mentioned in Bill Nicholas’ “Why Are Ethical Issues Central to Documentary Filmmaking”, as they serve as representatives for others, displaying a content-oriented desire to convey information, reliance on facts and opinionated points regarding the world we share.

Another memorable speech from the symposium was an interview with a current high school student victim which realistically portrayed the influence of the disaster on victims’ lives and provided a presentation on proactive steps for the country to move forward. Although the interviewer is only a student from the Kohriyama-Kita Technical High School from the Fukushima prefecture who has lost his home and belongings, he is optimistic and does not dwell on the past. While many adults are stressing the topic of monetary compensation, he looks towards the future and the necessary steps for reconstruction. He demonstrates gratitude for having learned how to adapt and the invaluable relationships he has gained due to the earthquake, proving himself to be a worthy role model. For the future direction of Tohoku in Japan, it is necessary for the people to stay positive and to continue moving forward alongside the support of others.

A woman carries an elderly woman while walking away from the distorted site of Manmi-Sanriku-cho City

Through the series of photography depicted at the symposium, the overall message of the event is captured, particularly through the above image. The photo depicts a woman carrying an elderly citizen on her back as they journey towards an unrecognizable city. This illustrates the symbolism of carrying the burden of this disaster with the strength of communal effort, allowing Japan to move forward as a country. Although victims have the individual strength to persevere, the photograph illustrates that through continual support, Japan will be able to overcome the devastation and provide support for each other through the shared hardships and struggles.

It is important for the people to work together, to help and support the young and the old, and to learn to rebuild their lives, moving on from the earthquake. A picture is worth a thousand words, and this image perfectly emulates that statement through its portrayal of a simple moment in reality and its symbolism and hope for the reconstruction and recovery efforts.

This symposium highlighted the efforts in Japan to rebuild and revitalize the lives of the citizens as well as the economy, thanks to the unified support and positive mindsets towards the disaster. The next step for our own country is to assist Japan in their recovery process and to prepare ourselves for any possible future disasters to come. With everyone’s cooperation, we can strengthen the bonds between countries and build an invaluable and synergistic relationship that we will be able to turn to in the face of any hardship or struggle.

The Truth Behind Food: The Cruelty Behind its Aesthetic Outer Appearance

The Cove is a documentary film that focuses on Taiji, Japan’s dolphin industry. In this movie, Ric O’Barry, former dolphin trainer in the 1960s who captured and trained 5 dolphins to play the international popular television series “Flipper”, has come to realize the danger and cruelty of capturing and using dolphins for human entertainment purposes. After a long search of redemption, he came across Taiji, Japan and discovered a shocking secret behind Taiji’s mysteries and playful dolphins industry. On the outside, Taiji seemed to be engaging in a wonderland of dolphin entertainment performances; however, in a more remote cove near Taiji, surrounded by barbed wires and signs that say “keep out” showed a dark and cruel reality. Ric O’Barry discovers that the fishermen of Taiji, motivated by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and illegally selling mercury-tainted dolphin meat, hunt dolphins in the cove during nighttime. Because those fishermen knew the danger and nature of their actions, which is hurting the dolphins and human health, they are willing to do anything to prevent anyone from discovering their darkest secret. Ric O’Barry, upon learning this truth, gathers many colleagues who shared the same passion and goals as himself, and devised many plans to try to rescue the dolphins and expose the dark reality of the Taiji dolphin industry to the public. They are willing to go through great lengths in order to save the dolphins and human lives.

The dolphin meat that was falsely advertised as expensive whale meat

The Cove’s relation to food is not like any other usual movies or films, which usually illustrate the aesthetic and beauty of food and advertise the deliciousness of the cuisines, instead, this documentary film is not hesitant to publicly demonstrate the food in another angle, its ugly and cruel side. In The Cove, Ric O’Barry and his other colleagues discover the high amount of mercury, which is extremely harmful to human health, is hidden inside the dolphin meat that Taiji fishermen use to sell to other markets in other parts of Japan. Ric

Ric O'Barry interviewed random Tokyo pedestrians to see if they knew dolphin meat was sold

O’Barry and his crew interviewed random pedestrians in Tokyo and asked them whether they knew the meat they eat everyday are actually dolphin meat with dangerous amount of mercury; to many Japanese people’s surprise, they admitted that they have no idea what kind of meat they are consuming. They are not afraid to expose the truth and dark secret behind the delicious looking and aesthetically beautiful Japanese meal. This illustrates that food may look pretty on the outside, but it in fact may be really ugly on the inside.

Another scene that demonstrates the point of food is not always as pretty as it looks is during the short excerpt from the Minamata Disease. Minamata Disease is a neurological syndrome due to extreme mercury poisoning; it can greatly affect the physical appearance and mentality of those who were infected. The release of methylmercury in the industrial wastewater from the Chisso Corporation’s chemical factory was what caused the Minamata Disease in the first place. These

The victims who suffer from the Minamata Disease

extremely toxic chemicals got into the shellfish and sea animals that the people of Minamata consume for survival and thus affected those who came in contact

with the seafood. The Cove incorporated the Minamata Disease excerption into its documentary film to depict the danger and cruelty of underhand selling of mercury filled dolphin meat to other people. This also further shows that the aesthetically appealing food and/or cuisine that people always see may have a dark and cruel side behind it.

The Cove is unlike any other documentary film; it is very educational and informative in terms of exposing the real truth behind the supposedly wonderful dolphin entertainment industry and appetizing seafood. Its method of showing everything to the public make others realize that people may need to think twice before they decide to do anything, including the next time they see good and delicious food because behind its aesthetic outer appearance, the cruel and ugly truth may lie.

Minamata: Influence of Food on Social Relations

Tsuchimoto Noriaki’s documentary, “Minamata: The Victims and Their World,” portrays a social manifesto movement and hardships suffered by patients with the Minamata disease. Minamata disease can impair motor functions and senses in humans and has killed countless living beings through their consumption of mercury-poisoned seafood. Within this documentary, the unrepresented patients are finally given an opportunity to convey the reality of their difficulties through the various footages, interviews and images. It also depicts the significant effect the food holds over the people of Minamata. Japanese people are increasingly dependent on their local food supply, and it is due to this reliance that the widespread suffering from this venomous disease occurred. Through participatory documentation, it effectively captures a web of complex social relations influenced by the local food consumption in Minamata.

Takae discussing her effect of the Minamata disease on her marriage.

Food plays a key role in the relations between the people of Minamata. This first image is a close-up scene of one of the many patients, Takae Sakamoto. She contracted the disease when she was only seventeen. She married her husband and bore a child but was banished from her husband’s home when they discovered her infliction. Despite the devotion and love between the couple, his family heavily opposed the match, fearing it would negatively influence his younger sisters’ marriages. The Minamata disease disrupted family ties, and even love. Close shots of the victim within the intimate setting of her home evoke feelings of sympathy within the audience. With effective use of both strong quotations and imagery, audiences are capable of recognizing her loneliness and gain a greater understanding of the patients’ everyday lives outside the cinema. Through this documentary, viewers are able to relive the hardships alongside the patients as they narrate their experiences. The scene captures the reality of complex issues and is conveyed with a sense of realism; it feels authentic, untouched, with no pretentiousness to be found. This could not be done without the participatory interaction between the filmmaker and his subject. By approaching the subjects with a warm and engaging attitude, the interviewer is able to bring out the patients’ true emotions, providing a sense of intimacy and domesticity for the viewers. 

Establishment of The Tokyo Accusation Committee leads to change in Minamata community

The Minamata disease may have disrupted families and marriages but it has also brought forth unification among the community through their shared hardships. After the outbreak of the epidemic occurred, the small town was forced into a conflict with the Chisso Company, the party ultimately responsible for the mercury poisoning and resulting disease. Through the company’s irresponsible pollution and neglect, the common people’s lives were ruined and as a result, they allied together through one singular cause and established The Tokyo Accusation Committee. This organization consisted of patients, fishermen, and other related members of the community who banded together to strive for compensation and admission of wrongdoing from the government and guilty parties. As they shared the same local food supply, the community watched in horror as their fellow peers and family members were slowly being struck down by the infectious disease. Having experienced this phenomenon together, they gained the strength and courage to voice their opinions and oppositions. This gathering scene is also a symbolism of power and the potential of a community. The sash that the Minamata patients proudly wear brought a small community together and public recognizes of the struggles. It represents a very strong connection among the people of Minamata and places an emphasis on rallying people to find effective ways and opportunities for expressing their concern to the government.

Even if the epidemic has ended, the victims’ suffering prevails and the fight for Minamata still continues on. A central theme of the documentary is the responsibility of survivors to retell the horrors of their experiences, allowing the struggle against inaction to live on. As viewers of the film, we carry this burden as well. As a result of this disease, people have lost parents, children, family, marriage, love, and more. So now is the time to provide the neglected areas of Japan with our attention and unbiased minds. Food can bring unification, separation and suffering, creating a complicated and slightly paradoxical influence on social relations. However, the most important factor in unifying at social movement is community. With one, little change can be done but through strength in numbers, people are granted with a voice, power, and the ability to make necessary and just changes to society. The future is shaped by the actions and the voices of the present.

Making a Difference Today for a Better Tomorrow

On February 6, I attended the film showing of Hitomi Kamanaka’s “Ashes to Honey.” This documentary film explores on global nuclear issue and focuses on Iwaishima, an island off of Seto inland sea, and the sustainable practices of Sweden. For 27 years, the residents of Iwaishima have been fighting against the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kaminoseki. The devotion of their activism on the island comes from their love for their island. For some, such as Takashi Yamato, it is the place where he wants to live and stay forever. Nuclear power plant, however, threatens biodiversity and fresh water surrounding the island. Fishing industry and agriculture especially would be hugely affected from the construction because the power plant warms the seas and changes the temperature.

Takashi growing Japanese medlar in Iwaishima, illustrating that agriculture plays a significant role in providing food to the people of the island.

In this scene, Takashi carefully grows the famous Japanese “biwa” or medlar. It zooms in on the passionate face of Takahashi and the ripe fruit. In the background, you can see the island being surround by the beautiful ocean and trees. In order to grow them, it needs to be under a certain condition and it needs the perfect combination of the conditions of the island. It is solely grown by the sun, with no use of technology. This emphasizes that with the power plant, it takes away the chance of being sustainable. With the agriculture and fishing industries, people on the island can live off with just the cultivation of food on the island. By seeing the practice of sustainability of Sweden, it gives Iwaishima and even Japan, on a larger scale, to slowly drift away from the use of nuclear power to clean “eco-labeled power” source such as solar, wind, and biomass. Instead of spending money to build nuclear power plants and killing the agriculture, power can be constructed without disturbing the produce of food. They can self-sustain with agriculture by raising cows and pigs and reusing leftover scraps from food to feed them. It becomes a positive self-sustaining cycle.

Food is a necessity to all of us human beings in order to live. Thus, our priority should be finding solutions to sustain agriculture and think about the future energy. The problem that the island faces today directly influences us as well. Nuclear power plant could be built anywhere. And if we do not stop now, our life is on risk. The angle of the film is from Kamanaka’s perspective and it is recorded from a traveling camera. It is from the angle of the people of Iwaishima Island, protesting against nuclear power plant. Since it is a travel journey genre, Kamanaka travels to places for hints and ultimately tries to find answers to the problem. Her conclusion? We must learn to live together with nature and find new energy sources that will blend both nature and new technology. If there is the smallest and slightest possibilities and chance, we should never give up. From the interviews and even the selections of the songs, this film expresses her passion and motivation for change. The difference that the small island of Iwaishima make today can make a huge change in the future globally. The fight still continues and this problem has become a transnational problem that must be solved, not later, but soon. As the lyric of the song says, “words we speak, electricity we use, food we eat, they are all energy.” We can make a difference with synergy.

Food as a Link to Characterization, Propaganda, Strength and Victory

Momotaro is a well-known folk tale that has been around Japan for a long time. In the original tale, Momotaro is a brave hero who fights ogres to defend Japan and bring back all their treasures. In “Momotaro’s Sea Eagle,” a history on display, Momotaro is about a naval commander emperor sending his monkeys, dogs, and pheasants on a mission to defeat the demons, the Western colonialist aggressors. This nationalistic film is used as propaganda and depicts the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Although subtle, food plays a significant role in characterizing Momotaro and is a key to success in winning against the Western aggressors.

Momotaro, when translated, means Peach Boy. Often in the scenes, there appears a Japan is Number 1 flag with a symbol of peach. Peach symbolizes piety and longevity. Viewers already have an attachment to Momotaro and thus he is illustrated as a charismatic hero. He successfully leads a group of human-like animals to victory, but does not necessary seem inspiring as he is just commanding directions. However, viewers watch this film with background knowledge of his faithful, well-liked character from the folk tale. Thus, they are attracted to the familiar, recognizable Momotaro and the cute, round, simple, and small figures of the animals who have adopted the human behavior such as the pheasant flying the plane, which makes it more acceptable and justified for people from all ages to watch without the fear of war. Momotaro’s voice in the animation sounds like a very young boy, unthreatening and relatable. They are able to promote the war through the goofy, happy, and playful sound effects as well even though there are violent scenes of bombing. This film is propaganda for nationalism as it shows the justified, relatable culture. Propaganda can be cultivated through nonthreatening scenes and likeable characters. Momotaro gets all the glory and is an already established leader through his name, Peach Boy. Thus food plays a significant role in establishing his character, using him as propaganda for war, and depicting relationships.

After eating the millet dumpling, monkey now has a new source of power, showing off his muscles.

As seen in this scene, millet dumplings are given as a source of strength, a gift for substance. The monkey and the dog’s physical appearance change drastically after eating them. The camera gives a close up of their muscles and the background music is cheerful. Although there are few dialogues in the film, people young and old, can enjoy this animation and really focus to details of the images. The millet dumpling is also a link to their home country and is a rich symbolic marker of different relationships in the story. It is a link to the folk tale, to parents, piety devotion, and propaganda.

Monkey takes out the "millet dumpling" bag to help the baby eagle stop crying. Surprisingly, it has an airplane toy instead of food.

For instance, this scene depicts the relationship between the monkey and the eagle, which is a key factor in their victory. Monkey thinks of an idea to help the baby eagle stop crying. Therefore, the camera zooms in on his white bag. It is labeled in big black bold letters, “Millet dumpling-kibidango” in Japanese, but instead, the monkey takes out an airplane toy and successfully rescues and gives power to the baby eagle. Towards the end of the film, when their airplane almost crashed, the mother eagle saves them from drowning. Thus, the “millet dumplings’” eventually led to the victory and success of the war. It also shows that Japan have grown into a country with not only agriculture but also developing technology. Japan is depicted as a fast developing country throughout this film and therefore, the millet dumpling bag is a source to show off, in a sense, of the power Japan holds. Food in this animation is a link that connects everything from the source of strength to the victory to success to the propaganda of war.

Food Day–local edition

This LA Times (and later Huffington Post, etc.) article is a year old, but I am posting it today because I found it rather inspiring. It’s about an engineering student who put together an informal food pantry on campus for fellow students; it’s called the Food Closet. Apparently it works on the honor system…

Many on the Westwood campus are unaware of the Food Closet, as it is known. But for those students who are cash-strapped or homeless, it has become an indispensable feature of campus life. The door is always open, and 40 to 50 students drop by each day. Microwaves, plates and utensils are located in a student lounge across the hall.

After the newly organized student-run service group Swipes for the Homeless learned of the pantry, it seemed like a natural fit. Students helping students.

Founder Bryan Pezeshki said he heard about the pantry during a food drive a few months ago. Students had been collecting food for homeless shelters downtown, but they also took about 40 sandwiches to the campus pantry. When Pezeshki returned a few hours later, all of the sandwiches were gone.

“I did a little more research, and we decided to focus our drive this quarter on getting UCLA students’ help,” Pezeshki, 20, said. “Students really wanted to help other students out, especially during these tough times.”