On Communication

For this pod-casting project, I expect to learn how to make a movie, how to say some things in Japanese that I have wanted to know how to say for a while, and finally how creative we can be with our limited Japanese vocabulary.

Communication is a difficult concept. When I approach the topic, the writings of Martin Buber (マルティーン・ブーバー) (Hebrew: מרטין בובר). His Book "I and Thou" (In Japanese, it is translated as 「我－それ」), discusses the difficulty of connecting with those around us. This difficulty has only be exacerbated in the modern world, where print media and technological developments have lessened the need for true human interaction. 

Communication thus is best expressed as the ability for two people not simply to sympathize, but rather to emphasize, about the trials and tribulations of life. Often times communication takes verbal forms but it does not always. This tanka by Machi Tawara [寒いね] と話しかければ「寒いね」と答える人のいるあたたかさ sums up the simplicity of communication very well: ‎"Isn't it cold?" I ask. The person who responds "It is cold" provides the warmth." As seen in the poem, communication can be achieved during times of hardship with a simple prayer or thoughtful words or during times of relaxation, such as hanging out with friends over games of chess and drinking strong alcohol under the ethos of a Tang Dynasty poem. (蘇軾's two Song-dynasty essays about his travels to Red Cliff 赤壁賦 come to mind) Communication is also often achieved during times of departing : saying good-bye has been and remains some of the most sincere words that many men speak in the course of their lives. 

Many people might ask in regards to our podcast project: "Why horror?" It's a good question. But the truth is: horror films - when done right - are films that are primarily about communication - or rather, the inability to communicate. In horror films, characters confront the trials and turmoil of human existence and come face to face with their own mortality. Japanese films in my opinion have displayed the "art" of horror against the consequences of modernity better than most. One of the greatest horror films ever made - 着信アリ- "One Missed Call" plays with the idea of "communication" as it relates to human existence as well as it relates to "Self-Communication" - the (in)ability to communicate with oneself - a theme that will be addressed again at the conclusion of this essay.

In making our podcast, we fully realize that it is important to be respectful and to keep our audience in mind. It is only out of our profound love of Japanese movies that we desire to imitate some of the greatest Japanese directors. For the sections of our film that may be difficult for English speakers - for instance, the 辞世 quotations - we will provide subtitles. 

I will end with last point about communication as it relates to my love of Japanese. I very much enjoy Japanese food, sake, Japanese history, and all the rest. I am required to study Japanese to fulfill my graduate school requirements. Yet I studied Japanese - and want to continue to study Japanese because of my profound love for Japanese culture. I remember when I was a boy and read Soseki's 

吾輩は猫である for the first time. I remember when I first read 島崎 藤村's novel Haru. For me, these were life-changing experiences. One of the reasons why I have always enjoyed the readings of Mishima Yukio so much is because I learned from him that we should not forget or neglect our history but rather embrace it. 

Being true to ourselves is the first step in true communication. 
I am ashamed I originally forgot to include this poem for the heart: 
A Poem by Wang Wei


下马饮君酒
问君何所之
君言不得意
归卧南山垂
但去莫复问
白云无尽时


Dismounting from my horse, I offer my friend a cup of wine,
I ask where he is headed to.
He says he has not achieved his aims,
and is returning to the southern hills.
Now go, and never ask of me again,
White clouds will drift on forever.
(My translation)