Wednesday In Japan... by Tucson

Wednesday In Japan

The Loft (Independent) Theater is running it's second  month long
Studio Ghibli Collection.
In between these collections they showed the newest Studio Ghibli movie
"From Up On Poppy Hill'  Kokuriko-zaka Kara
Goro Miyazaki 2011

 New ad for the collection.

Studio Ghibli has five directors producing animation
with the most known director being Hayao Miyazaki outside of Japan.
This months collection is showing several movies from the other directors.

Number 1... Only Yesterday, Omodie Poro Poro ! 1991
Isao Takahata
The name in Japanese  means "memories come tumbling down" and this is the perfect discription of this movie.  This movie is different (for 1991) in that it is a realistic drama written for adults and particularly female audiences.
The movie center around Taeko a 27 year old unmarried woman who lives and works in 1982, Tokyo. Her last two vacations have been spent on a farm, in the countryside of her sister's in laws family. She has always wanted to visit the countryside ever since she was little girl.
While taking a night train to the farm, she is visited by her 10 years old self. During her stay at the farm forgotten memories are remembered and she makes some choices of what she really wants to do.

I loved the animation and story.
When we are with her 10 years old self  (1966) it is drawn is a more typical stylized style with muted colors. When we are with the 27 year old the colors are more vibrant and realistic.
It is a slice of life movie, lovely to look at, funny and sad with no huge battles with space robots and aliens. Or Godzilla attacking.
A lovely movie.

This movie takes place in the countryside around Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture.  In the beginning of the movie when Taeko is picked up at the train station and then driven to the farm, the drive through the city and then the farmland, reminded me of the trip we took to The Adachi Gardens and Museum, Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture.
Japanese son planned this lovely trip and thank goodness drove. So I was able to look at the countryside. Small curvy roads with barely room for two cars to pass. Miles and miles of fields and flowers growing right up to the road. Barns of slatted, dark wood and high pitched roofs, so close to the road you could almost touch them. And then the soft quiet rain feeding the streams that tiny stone bridges crossed. Then on the edge of the fields in the most unlikely  place this wonderful Museum appears and then a town.
This movie brought back so many memories. All lovely and making me very homesick by the end of the movie.

Here is the first Studio Ghibli collection that I was able to see in January
All the movies at this showing were directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
This was my Birthday gift from daughter and her partner !
Best gift ever.

 

 

.............................
And just because I can
Here is your Wednesday pretty.

It is the beginning of summer with most days where I live at 102 + 
This morning two birds are sitting on the top of the wall, waiting for me to turn on the fountain but what you can't see there is another one sitting in the fountain.
Mrs, Blanding has returned !
All waiting for me to turn on the fountain now.
Please !

memories. . . parsnip
music. . . Ai wa Hana, Kimi wa Sono Tane,  Harumi Miyako