Love in Tokyo and a Totem Pole

Jay and I just got back from a short stay in Tokyo. He was remembering a 1966 Indian film called, 'Love in Toyko'. As most Bollywood films, there are numerous musical numbers. He cast it from YouTube on the computer to our TV. Singing in a park was not usual for films of that era. However, one set in Japan was rare, of course. In it, I noticed a totem pole and it made me wonder where the segment was shot. 

I typed this question for my AI: I just noticed a totem pole in 1966 Bollywood movie filmed in Japan. Explain this.

 

That visual anomaly in the 1966 Hindi classic Love in Tokyo is actually a fascinating bit of "Hurd-spec" history connecting your current home in British Columbia to the "Land of the Rising Sun." 

The park you saw is Shiba Park (Shiba-Koen) in Minato, Tokyo. It is the iconic setting for many of the film's most famous sequences, including the title track and the song "Sayonara Sayonara," primarily because it sits in the direct shadow of the Tokyo Tower (completed just eight years prior in 1958). 

The totem pole in the background was a very real landmark with a direct link to your own backyard:

The Origin: It was a gift to the city of Tokyo from the Government of British Columbia. 

The Occasion: Presented in 1961 by the then-Premier of B.C., W.A.C. Bennett, during a major trade mission to Japan. It was intended as a gesture of friendship and a symbolic "welcome" to the international community as Tokyo prepared for the 1964 Olympics. 

The Artist: The pole was carved by the renowned Doug Cranmer, a master Kwakwaka'wakw artist (and a frequent collaborator with Bill Reid). 

Seeing a piece of west coast First Nations art standing amidst the cherry blossoms and mid-century Tokyo architecture is a jarring, high-fidelity collision of cultures. For a resident of New Westminster like yourself, it’s a peculiar digital "easter egg"—a 1960s Bollywood lens capturing a 1961 B.C. artifact in a Japanese park. 

The pole stood in Shiba Park for several decades as a symbol of the Vancouver-Tokyo connection before it was eventually removed due to natural deterioration. In the 1960s, however, it was a "must-see" for any tourist—or any film crew looking for a unique, international vibe for their romantic musical. 

Sayonara Sayonara from Love in Tokyo 

This musical number features the vibrant atmosphere of mid-60s Tokyo, where the Shiba Park scenery—including the Tokyo Tower and the gift from B.C.—served as the backdrop for one of Bollywood's most enduring hits.

India During the Summer of 1994

Today, I did get to a stack of old snapshots. They were fading images from 27 years in the past. I'm putting them online at a time when the country is being ravaged by a variant of the COVID virus. It is sad to see the news but much sweeter to remember travelling there during a pre-Internet era. Each of the 76 images added today has the following caption.

"One summer while at Dubai Men's College, we chose to spend about 6 weeks of the summer in India. We first flew into New Delhi and were on a private escorted tour of Agra and Jaipur. We continued for the next five weeks travelling by ourselves. We took the train to Bihar for the Buddhist things, and Varanasi. We continued down to Calcutta and then Bhubaneswar. After we flew to Madras and went to a Jain temple in the Bangalore area. We flew to Goa for a short stay. Finally, we travelled overland to Bombay (called at the time) and returned to the UAE from there."

I love the power of an image to help prompt memories. I'll choose just five from different parts of India to include here today.

 

The Start of the Ganges

When I was a youngster at our dinner table, my parents would ask what I'd learned that day in school. This wasn't on a rare occasion, but rather quite frequently. I hated the question and always maintained that I had not learned a thing. Of course, that could not have been true.

Though now, as a retired educator I would like to think people continue to learn throughout their lives. I've never really convinced myself of the truth of that premise for some I've met, but it makes for a nice, tidy philosophy.

In fact much like my parents' annoying mealtime banter, I should probably set aside time each day to think of the concrete, new things I've learned. Our world is enormous and it's all right here in front of our collective faces. Perhaps you should close this page in your Internet browser (as soon as you finish this post) and think of a question you've never asked. With a tiny bit of effort, we all can end our day with a few new insights.

We were watching a documentary on the wildlife of India last night. Hardly a show about the geography of India could be produced without the mention of the Ganges River. I was not a stranger to information on that sacred river and have, in fact, seen it, on a long-ago trip, flowing through the city of Varanasi. I also knew that its headwaters were in the north of India in the western Himalayas. I did not know, however, at what point it took on its name.


Now I do. Look at the photos! Damn, here's a new place to which I want to say I've been.

Neither Here Nor There

This is already the beginning of one of those in-between moments for me. It is coming much earlier than usual. Sometimes this feeling doesn't occur until I'm sitting on an airplane.

I'm trying to describe the state I enter when I'm emotionally between two levels of existence. Already, my normal life has screeched to a halt but the away life hasn't yet arrived. Of course, I'm feeling this earlier as we're about to embark on a trip of a fairly substantial duration. This dictates there's been more to wrap up on this end as well as more unknown on the other side. I have to admit I thrive on this emotional cliff. Otherwise, I'd be forced to see life as nothing but an inevitable slide into physical and mental decrepitude.

As a couple, we're the type to do things simply because they can be done. Unlike others I see, we don't live in an enormous and profound rut. I'm proud of that. For us, experiencing life means getting out of grooves of a familiar little track.



To help me with my in-between-ness, I've uploaded some files today. I wanted to see if I could point to a specific spot in very old personal video. This was taken in India when we were touring one summer. We'd boarded a train leaving from Varnarsi. It's part of a large, unedited YouTube video that originated on a camcorder the size of a kitchen toaster. I haven't the inclination to cut and polish these scenes. As a first step, I want to get an enormous number of a/v files in a stable and share-able online format.

Pushkar or Bust?

While stumbling around on the Internet this morning, I accidentally fell upon another thing I want to witness with my own two eyes. I had to reluctantly add it to my Pinterest board called, I've Not Seen That Yet!

I feel a little blue as the number of pins there keeps growing. It was added after I'd already started putting some of my Flickr photos to the area entitled, I've Already Seen That! The problem with starting to think about places I've not seen, is that I fear they could grow too numerous.

I am suddenly frightened by the fact I am not going to have enough time to do everything I want during my lifetime. In this case, I simply added a picture from the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India. Yet that Pinterest photo represents an unfilled desire to visit it.


Photo by Figsbury.

We spent one whole summer in India in the 1990's and did make into the historic desert region. Yet, we got neither to the far north nor south of India. Of all travel previous destinations, India ended up ranking highly as a life-altering experience. One should always return a different person if a journey can be considered a success.

So, I was brainstorming that if we happen to be in Sri Lanka for the upcoming winter, then we'd be practically in the neighbourhood! The event occurs near the end of November this year.

From Dreams to Reality

I've always thought that the genre of science fiction is essential for a leading technological society. Some of what comes to pass, is ripped directly from the childhood exposure to a fictitious future. As a prime example, I strongly believe the United States wouldn't have led the world in aeronautics and the exploration of the moon had it not been for cheesy 1950's sci-fi. Furthermore, in a different vein, I think the iPad exists today because in the 1980's we saw such devices in the movies.

Clearly, any technology must be dreamed up before it can be created.

It is very interesting to see science fiction films coming out of Bollywood now. That's why I am going to see an Indian film today called Ra.One starring Shah Rukh Khan. I want to witness the awakening this genre in a different country. It wasn't long ago that I'd never heard of a Bollywood sci-fi flick. Then, Koi... Mil Gaya was made about eight years ago. To me this signifies a change in the industry from looking at India's broad and sweeping past towards a future. I wonder if these films and their success bode well for a continued technological development of Indian society.

It also poses a new question: Does China have any history of science fiction in films?

One Fifth of Humanity

I have an app on my phone that simply lists the newest shows and movies from the US Netflix site. I noticed there was a documentary about India's Kumbh Mela and queued it when at school this morning.

We're watching it now. I had to figure out when the next Puma Kumbh Mela will take place. I am not sure why I wanted to know; it's not as if we're going to attend. Yet, another long trip to India would be interesting.


Jay and I flew into New Delhi in 1994.

After a visit, even after a whole summer, we left feeling as if we didn't have much more than a glimpse. Our view of that country needs refreshing, especially since the summer of our visit was 17 long years ago. India is a rising power and along with China will continue to gain importance on the world stage for the remainder of my life. It is a return to global importance as the power of societies rise and fall over time. Whereas democracy in India seems to be what hinders rapid progress, it is its very ingrained ideals that will, in the longer run, allow it to prosper over China. We do have to go back just to look around again.

Shravanabelagola

Shravanabelagola is one of the most important Jain pilgrim centers. It is about 150 km from Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka. I was standing near the famous statue of Gomatheswara dating from 978-993 AD. The photo is looking back at the Chandragiri Hills and Tank. It was taken in July of 1994 during a two month journey that Jay and I took through India.



I did spend quite a bit of time thinking of a topic today. I have added quite a variety of things to my eJournal and images over the years. I reckon that if you're reading this at the blog, then you're looking at just one of approximately 2650 days of eclectic text and images. That is approaching the size of a hefty novel, isn't it? One good thing about creating electronic musings is there needn't be any particularly structured or well-thought-out format. It is possible to create an organization after the fact.

Today's photo gave me the encouragement to add a new tag. I will be adding a "tourist shots" pages. This entry will turn up as the very top today as it's the most recent. Many other pages will follow as I apply this tag to the previously-written entries.

A Trip's Always on the Back Burner

Okay, I'm just being plain lazy today. Trolling Flickr for a picture to upload prevents me from having to come up with any new idea for today's entry. I found this one. Jay and I spent the summer of 1994 in India. Sixteen years is a long time; it's time to make a return visit.

I'm always racking my brain for travel itineraries. In some ways, I fear not being able see all the parts of the world I want. I mean even though we most always take around eight weeks of vacation a year, that doesn't seem like it will be enough. We've never travelled south of Mexico and there are other, entire continents we've so far missed.

Rather than getting all depressed, I guess it would be better to think about just one break at a time. I hope we have the chance to go away for a couple of weeks in May. We've been doing a lot of research on Costa Rica. Still, I bet it's more likely that we will hit Puerto Vallarta for a few days, then spend a week or so in Guadalajara, and finally go back to the coast for a return flight. This would be new territory for an adventure. After all, we only spent one day in Puerto Vallarta when our cruise ship docked there.

A trip to Mexico can be classed as local. We usually manage several shorter vacations somewhere in North America each year. I don't have a clue yet as to where we might go for the big, yearly overseas sojourn.

YouTube But Really Big!

I've had a graphics card with 1080p output for awhile. I have gone to specific sites to stream video but we never spent much time looking at YouTube clips on the television. When many are scaled up on a 42" LCD, they don't look so hot. It's hard to remember how very bad VHS tapes used to be though. If there's something which can be seen no other way, it's surprising how one can put up a poor quality image. To keep things in perspective, I grew up without cable in an area that was 100 miles from the Boston. Massachusetts. I thought 'snow' was a part of the television viewing experience.

Last night we went to YouTube to see what sort of old clips were available from Sinhala movies. Sri Lanka has always been greatly affected by Bollywood (Indian cinema) too, so surfing through some of those was a pleasant enough diversion. I really do see a time when physical media will disappear. Yet, I'm more interested in how copyright law will deal with some content currently restricted. After less time than is presently allowed, materials should probably fall into public domain. I'd say thirty years after release, a movie forms part of a common heritage and should belong to all.


Umrao Jaan (1981) - Dil Cheez Kya Hai

Stop Overs and Side Trips

I can completely understand why the average Joe has a fairly poor grasp of geography. It's easiest learning about direct influences. I mean without a possibility to actually travel to a far-away location, there's little incentive to study it. People learn best about ideas which directly impact them. Sadly, as far as I'm concerned, this means some people will never have the good fortune to know much about the world beyond their own little neighbourhood.

There may be differences in inherent curiosity that I'm not taking into account though. I've always been interested in the world of maps. One of my most prized toys as a small child was a real globe. I guess, in fact, I was interested in geography even before ever getting on an airplane. My parents, for their part, did a fair job of imparting a love of journeying too. For example, I was a few days late starting first grade as my mother and father drove from New Hampshire to Alaska and back in a modest, old Volkswagen bus.

Nowadays, I am so thankful for the advent of Internet for travel planning. I don't think the little town library where I grew up had much in the way of travel guides. Even now through inter-library loan, it'd be pretty hard to do spontaneous research. For example, as were considering a trip back to Sri Lanka this autumn, I cannot help but consider possible stop-overs on either the way there or back. From Vancouver it is almost equal distance and price to go east through Europe, or west through Asia.


I took the picture above near the house of Jay's family. What really struck my fancy last night was the possibility of taking an extra side trip to travel around Kerela for a week. It's tropical too and amazingly close by. We did spend one summer seeing a great number of cities in India but sort of missed the far south. By all accounts the geography of Kerala sounds immensely interesting.

Being Ready to Learn

As an educator, I often consider the best methods for fostering skills and sharing information. Of course there are various levels of understanding. In middle school I remember having to memorize all the countries on the continent of Africa. Unfortunately, that did little to help me understand it. I might mention that much of that information is also now obsolete. Yet, I do recall taking part in a model UN group. The class was divided into groups where we had to 'take on' the role as spokespersons from particular African countries. That gave additional incentive to research thoroughly. Still, I can hardly compare those experiences to the time our plane actually touched down on the continent in Kenya. Assuredly, actual personal contact allows the most dynamic means of learning.

There's a completely different aspect of learning that I confront during every class I teach; namely, it's the readiness of a learner. The exposure to the same stimulus will provide differing results depending on the previous exposure to similar topics. We have to be 'ready' for the things we are about to learn.

All this introduction is just to express my delight in a series of programs airing on PBS. The Story of India is divided into six parts and so far we've seen just two. The programs started at the dawn of civilization explaining the migration out of Africa. The two episodes we've seen were filled with beautiful cinematography in striking high definition. It was great at showcasing 'the big picture' of the ebb and flow of time. It seemed as if the programs were tailored specifically for me. They provided much insight into complex global relationships. Of course, it might be my personal experience and visits to many parts of the world which piqued my interest. I'm not sure whether you'd be able to get so much out of it. You may click on the graphic to visit the PBS website.

How to Run an Empire

We don't go to the movies near as often as we once did. As today was a free day, we went to the Strawberry Hill Cinemas. Because that section of Surrey / Delta has a big Indo-Canadian population, a 12-screen Cineplex-Odeon always runs several, big-budget Bollywood Blockbusters there.

I can't think of a better way to spend a grey afternoon, than in front of a screen showing a bigger-than-life colourful Bollywood movie. This was a bit of an epic film called Jodhaa Akbar. It was set in the sixteenth century with Moghul emperors, a Rajput princess, and thousands on the battlefields.

This film was more historical than typically histrionic. Still, I wasn't disappointed that it had only several musical numbers. There was enough intrigue and drama to satisfy. And clocking in at 3 hours and 30 minutes, Jodhaa Akbar was surely worth the cost of a ticket.

Video Evidence from the Taj

There are some places on earth that are considered a must for seasoned travellers. There simply have to be the obligatory photos taken while standing and smiling in front of some important sites. For example, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the harbour in Hong Kong, and the Acropolis in Greece probably make the list.

After a quick blog search, I discovered I have only once mentioned staring at India's Taj Mahal, and even that reference in October of 2003 was a fair time ago. So, I just cut this one minute and twenty second clip to post here. The quality might not be stunning from a 1994 Sony camcorder, but it does show we were there.

How Far Back is 6,000 Years?

I now find myself interested in the topic I mentioned yesterday. Studying the ebb and flow of civilizations does not really make much sense as a youngster. For one thing, the geography involved is pretty meaningless until one has done a lot of traveling. I suppose this means that regardless of age, homebodies may never be able to fathom the concepts even with an expensive globe at hand. Secondly, there is an enormous problem with the whole idea of time.

This quote was pulled from the 11/16/05 entry of this blog:

"Initially, children do not have any real concept of history. They cannot distinguish between yesterday and eons ago. Everything that isn't right now becomes compartmentalized as past. At this stage, last evening's dinner occupies the same cognitive niche as last summer's time at the beach.

Later, as kids learn about things that may have happened before their own birth, there's not much separation between those things that happened last year and those which occurred during the last millennium. Supposedly, we get a handle on these time things as adults."

Rather recently I'm interested in studying the four ancient river civilizations that invented forms of writing. As well as the two societies mentioned yesterday, there were the Indus Valley in the Indian Subcontinent and Yellow River valley in China.


Jay and I visited Nalanda near Patna, India. It is considered one
of the world's first universities. That was only 1,000 to 1,500
years ago which is a far cry from the earliest writings from the
area. We were there in 1994.

I wish I could find a comparison chart showing major differences between the four cultures I've mentioned. The criteria could include various aspects of human endeavor. For example, mathematics would be one category. Did you know that we get our sixty minute hour and 360 degree circle from ancient Mesopotamians!

Umrao Jaan (2006)

On Saturday evening we went with friends to see a newly-released Bollywood movie. As it was in limited release, we had to drive to a multiplex in Richmond, BC to see the screening of Umrao Jaan.

We've been around Indian movies enough to know what we were getting into. It had a runtime of three hours and felt it although I didn't find myself checking my watch even once. In this story of a famous courtesan, I was expecting lots of music. If anything, I was surprised it took so long to get to the first song. The movie didn't disappoint with stunning backdrops and amazing costumes. As expected, Aishwarya Rai was drop-dead gorgeous although she was crying in most every scene. I did hope on one or two occasions that another character would slap her and tell her to just get over it. Circumstances weren't kind to Umrao but millions of others suffered to a much larger extent during those years.

This epic was based on 1905 Urdu novel and was previously made into a movie in 1981. We've not seen that but have checked it off on www.zip.ca to see on DVD. Today, modern Indian cinema can put out higher quality visuals and sound than 25-years ago. I like how the camera now frames very tight shots and can linger on a single face for an extended time. Whether these techniques lead to better storytelling can remain a point of argument.

I found the movie was a positive experience. Internet bloggers are not being very kind in their reaction, but why should we believe any of them? When all is said and done, we really only take the time to see classical dramas and not the general, run-of-the-mill slop that Bollywood can generate. This film was worthy of our attention.

Contine to Be Noticed

If one uploads to Flickr and ensures the photo is kept public, it could show up just about anywhere.

Even India!

Getting Kaalu

If you can find a copy of Deepa Mehta's, Water on DVD, then get it. This film was stunning in the theatre and is worthy of viewing on a small screen too. I've years of watching international film with subtitles, so it's not distracting for me. The film is in Hindi. The DTS version sounds great if you've got a home theatre system.

The movie takes place in the 1930's struggle for independence in India. It involves the story of a child bride who's forced by circumstance to live in a 'widows temple' (ashram). Cast and religion are questioned but in a respectful way. It's a shame it was banned in places where it'd make the largest impact. In fact, it had to be shot in Sri Lanka after insurgency kept it from being filmed in India.

It's another reason the celebrate Canadian cinema. Mehta's first two of the trilogy, Fire and Earth, are also visually stunning and thought provoking.

Thinking Inside the Box

A bit to my right, there's a whole shelf of souvenirs that we've collected during world travels. I thought it'd be clever to begin to document them here. We've known friends who've lost items to fire or theft. Even if something were to damage these items, we'd be able to see the photo and remember the situation by which they came to be with us.



This 9 x 6 1/2 x 3 cm box is made from marble. The stone inside of the box has been hollowed out by hand. The inlay design of this particular box is rather simple but was made using the same techniques as during the construction of the Taj Mahal. This item successfully made a number of moves but one corner of the cover was damaged during shipping to Canada.

We picked this up on an independent, summer tour of India during 1994. We chose fairly small souvenirs because we always travel lightly.

It's About Time

Occasionally, I find it hard to tell if I'm a fully-functioning adult.

Initially, children do not have any real concept of history. They cannot distinguish between yesterday and eons ago. Everything that isn't right now becomes compartmentalized as past. At this stage, last evening's dinner occupies the same cognitive niche as last summer's time at the beach.

Later, as kids learn about things that may have happened before their own birth, there's not much separation between those things that happened last year and those which occurred during the last millennium. Supposedly, we get a handle on these time things as adults. Yet, I'm not sure my mental timeline is fully developed.

I am including a scanned image from 1994. It's a bit difficult for me to place this correctly in my own history. Let's see, it was well before I came to live in Canada; however, it was well after Michael Jackson's Thriller album. It was after the first Gulf War, but before most people had experienced the Internet. I'm not quite sure how it relates to development of European power or the advent of agriculture.

I guess I still have growing up to do.