Literary Reflections - Vol. 2

This is a reflection on the book My Postwar Life: New Writings from Japan and Okinawa, composed by Elizabeth Mckenzie in 2012. It remains an engaging anthology of short fiction, essays, poetry, and photography that illuminates the interconnected past of the U.S. and Japan, from WWII up to 2011's earthquake.

Nagasaki. And Scattered Islets of Time by Ryuta Imafuku & Shomei Tomatsu

What truly makes a single moment acquire meaning, be it a stopped watch or a photo, is the person who is interpreting the item. It allows us, as empathetic creatures, to revisit instantaneously a moment in time. The images evoke every detail with stark reality and nostalgic grief, sometimes happiness.

Tomatsu’s pictures have to be considered with the atomic blast because it lets the viewer transcend to a different understanding when they know the full story.

Technology allowed Tomatsu to transpose images of present day Nagasaki to those he took of the city in 1961. That duality connects that span of years and brings Nagasaki together in a never-before-seen way.

The war severely crippled the self-esteem of Japan. In effect, it created a “sibling-like relationship with the US…immediately following the war.” America would have an ongoing ally from that point onward. It’s devastating to a culture with such strong ties to honor and pride.

To many who lived through the atomic bomb, poisoned by the psychological defeat to the U.S., Japan became America’s little brother in many regards. Many of the stories reflect a bitter subservience to a nation that would go on to become the most formidable superpower after WWII.

The United States’ pop culture also cast a very large shadow over the Japanese. Having 45K troops stationed throughout the island only sped up the process. America’s favorite past time, baseball, achieved critical acclaim and devotion in Japan to this very day.

Brand names like Coca-Cola and Levi's, musical genres like Rock and Roll and Jazz, copy cat architecture like that found in Tokyo, influence permeates through time. Pop culture was consumed voraciously and some Japanese loved it, some despised it.

One thread I found interesting was that of Japan slowly bucking trends by its younger generation, who become the new torch bearers of culture as Japan ages. Over the decades, with the proliferation of anime, video games, manufacturing, social media, and engineering prowess, America and the rest of the world now look to Japan for imitation. Thus completes the cultural circle.