 |
| The Consul-General of Japan, Mr. Ikuhiko Ono |
We were invited officially by the Consul-General of Japan and Mrs. Ikuhiko Ono.
As we all know that March 11th was the one year memorial day for this disaster in Tohoku area of Japan.
We were both honored that the Consulate General of Japan had selected the Mitchell Hall of the Denver Botanic Gardens for this reception, for the interior of the great hall has been graced by the photography of late-William Corey (late-husband of Reimi Corey). William would have been very pleased for this honor, for he had loved the people and the beauty of Japan. Two of the 6 images displayed are from Yamagata prefecture, and fortunately Yamagata was spared of the disaster even though it is located in the Northeastern part of the main island.
http://www.williamcorey.com/
http://www.williamcorey.com/
 |
| You can see two of William's photos on the wall. |
The State of Colorado and the various organizations within the state (especially of Denver) have been actively raising the funds and donating the large sums of money to the victims in the affected areas. This reception was held to express gratitude towards the people in America (especially of Colorado) for their kind hearts and the generosity.
One of the highlights of the event was the Taiko (traditional Japanese drumming) performance given by the world-renowned Kyogaku Drummers, The Matsukawa Kyogaku Taiko Drummers. The group had come all the way from Japan to express gratitude for the American people through their US Arigatou "Thank you" tour. It was very impressive performances.
The terrific sound, precise rhythms, and the vibration along with the "heat" generated by the concentration and the passion welling up from each performer were, in the way, echoing the nature's tremble via earthquake. Yet, it was much more than that. It was showing of the vitality of another nature, the Human Nature, to overcome the difficulty and to rise up like the sacred Phoenix from its ashes!
The terrific sound, precise rhythms, and the vibration along with the "heat" generated by the concentration and the passion welling up from each performer were, in the way, echoing the nature's tremble via earthquake. Yet, it was much more than that. It was showing of the vitality of another nature, the Human Nature, to overcome the difficulty and to rise up like the sacred Phoenix from its ashes!
It is needless to say that we must always respect, honor, and serve the nature, for there could have been no human civilization without the patient support extended by the Mother Nature.
On the lighter note, the guests were given the souvenirs from Aizu-Wakamatsu of Fukushima prefecture.
It is a self-righting Aizu Hariko doll (会津張り子). The self righting doll keeps standing up when it is pushed and/or falls. It is a symbolic representation of the spirits of people in Fukushima.
Furthermore, as I have written before in my blog, the radiation is the byproduct of the "self-righting (stabilizing)" nature inherit within the nucleus of an atom.
May the self-stabilizing nature of atoms in us correct us not in the way of emitting the devastating radiation but by radiating our inner light towards the world around us.
