Field Notes from My Master's Project in Japan 1997: Week 2

Week Two
Saturday, July 26, 1997 - Tokyo, Japan
Can't get much better than this.

I made it to Tokyo. I had a great flight. There were only 60 passengers on a 747 that could hold 420. My friend and United Employee, Bob Smolenski, who gave me the ticket, put me in business class. I drank some sake, ate a bento (Japanese lunch) and read several of my books on Japan.

Immigration was a breeze. I got the 90-day visa from an immigration officer who looked like one of my Japanese junior high students. In fact all of the immigrations officers except one looked about 16. I walked through customs as well with no major incident. Waiting on the other side of the gate was Mr. Nishi, the Rafiner's driver, who was holding up a sign that said "Miss Jennifer Loomis" in the squiggly Japanese font I had almost forgot about.

The Rafiner's live in a huge house in the middle of Tokyo. It has air conditioning, a fridge stocked with American food, and a cat and dog to make it complete. I almost feel like I am in America, which strikes me as odd. Nancy Rafiner, the wife, is a nice hostess, making everything available to me. I wish I could spend more time with the Rafiners, I feel bad that I am not going to be around much. Tom seems to travel a lot and keeps to himself quite a bit, but Nancy is quite fun.

While on the airplane, I read a book that had an anthropologist’s essay on a Japanese nursing home in Hokkaido, which is the island north of Honshu, the main island. This essay discussed daily life in this nursing home as members tried to adapt to being apart from their families. I thought that this might be a good idea for a story if I can find a nursing home. I also thought about going over to Todai, the Harvard or Stanford of Japan, and see if I can't meet some college student who has a story to tell.

I went to Todai and was shocked because it looked more like a rundown community college in the ghetto. There was trash everywhere, no such thing as landscaping, and the dense foliage grew wild.

Monday, July 28, 1997 - Tokyo, Japan
Lucky

I am exhausted, still have jet lag, but am excited about what has happened over the last few days. There is no such thing as daylight savings here so the sun rises at 4:45. That combined with jet lag makes me a morning person. I started out my day early by walking to a nearby park around 6 am. As I was walking around, small groups of older people began to gather around small transistor radios sitting on different colored towels all tuned to the same station. I began talking to one of the friendlier looking ladies in Japanese and before I knew it I was participating in "Radio Taiso," radio exercise. For 20 minutes each morning all over Japan, people, usually senior citizens and young children, gather and participate in exercises that are broadcast over the radio. Everyone flaps their arms and hops to marching-band music played full volume from tiny transistor radios. I participated much to their delight, although I felt very goofy and was challenged even by the simplest moves. After the 20 minutes was over, I walked with some of the older ladies toward home and, upon saying good-bye, they handed me two nice large peaches.

Back to being exhausted. After my morning exercises, I made an attempt to contact some of the photographers and editors in Tokyo to set up some meetings. The last phone call I made was to Fusako Sei, the head of the Japanese Midwife Association who also runs, Baby Health Mirai, one of the few birth centers in Japan. I wanted to tell her about the work I had done in Missouri with midwives and ask if I could photograph her at the birth center. She was very friendly and welcomed me right away. She urged me to come to the birth center that day because a woman in labor was scheduled to arrive. Thinking I would return in the evening, I rushed to get there, not realizing that I was in for a two and half hour journey to the neighboring prefecture. Three days and two nights later, I am back in Tokyo writing this.

I photographed three natural births attended by midwives. My access was/is excellent. Fusako Sei, the head midwife, insisted that I stay and continue photographing for all three births. I shared a room with the young midwives, who loaned me clothes and a toothbrush. For three days, I photographed birth and families with new babies, mothers nursing, check-ups, night rounds, and home visits. I had total freedom to roam anywhere in the center. In addition to photographing, I helped cook, clean, and do laundry. My Japanese was rusty, but it really helped me get along. This has been a great way to start my trip. Had I not gone immediately to the center after she told me, and not been able to speak some Japanese, I don't think the access would have been what it was.

Although this was not really in my plans for my project, the topic of birth could play nicely into the idea I had about looking at the older Japanese and younger ones.

Tuesday July 29, 1997 - Tokyo
Bob Kirshenbaum, Torin Boyd, Jim Lagier, Jeanne Fogler

I met with Bob Kirshenbaum yesterday. He gave me a few good suggestions about the birth story and told me that Japan has a birth rate of 1.3, which has caused much discussion about how there will be too small of a tax base to support the increasing aging population. This information plays nicely into the idea that I have of looking at the older Japanese and the younger Japanese. Although this is not new news, it is interesting that the average number of children of families at the birth center was about 2.

He gave me a nice tour of the facility of Pacific Press Service (PPS) and proudly showed me all of the exhibitions PPS has sponsored in Japan. He mentioned many people that I knew, and everyone I mentioned he acknowledged with some kind of anecdote. In short, he is very well connected, and he wants me to know it. Torin Boyd, a photographer whom I met because he e-mailed me during the Missouri Photo Workshop about the site, said that anytime any project comes to Japan related to photography, Kirshenbaum has a hand it. Boyd suggested that I contact Steve Gardiner, who runs the Tokyo Photojournalism Workshop, for actual input into my project. I have tried to contact him, but I think he is out of town.

Jim Lagier is the bureau chief of Associated Press in Japan. He is the one who was in charge of the committee at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Tokyo that awarded me the scholarship. According to Lagier, this is the first time the scholarship has been given out since the early ‘80s. He was friendly and helpful, giving me a guest membership at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Tokyo and the name of someone at AP who can help me with processing my film. He was very appreciative of the thank you note that I sent for the scholarship. We plan on getting together when I come back to Tokyo.

Jeanne Fogler does layout and feature writing for the Asahi Evening News, an English version of the Japanese daily Asahi Shinbun. She is an MU Journalism grad who came to Japan six years ago and never left. She is also very friendly and mentioned that possibly I could get my film processed at the newspaper. We also plan on getting together when I come back to Tokyo.

Tokyo really is starting to shape up as the place to do my work. I have contacts and a place to stay that is stressfree and VERY comfortable (huge American-style house with a/c--rent is $13,000 a month!). The time I spend in Akita will depend on how the access shapes up. Takahashi, my main contact in Kawabe Machi where I will do the bulk of my project, called me last night unsure if I had made it to Japan. I gave them flight information, which I thought was enough of a confirmation. No big deal. I have no idea where I will be staying. This adds to the fun I guess. My Japanese is understandable but by no means can I communicate fluently. Most of the conversations at the birth center were in Japanese, and I estimate that aside from all of the simple daily stuff, which I understand 100 percent, I could grasp about 30 50 percent. It will only get better.

I feel like I have gotten off to a great start. I am planning on keeping the momentum rolling; however, it is easy to get stuck trying to get simple things done. Establishing this e-mail connection took hours and I could never have done it without the help of a Japanese friend, Nobuko, whom I met through that ad I placed in the Tokyo Bulletin looking for a homestay. I gave her my credit-card number; let’s hope she does not like Chanel clothes. Actually, I think the Japanese are so trustworthy, I would trust most of them with my first born child, Martin (my cat). She is actually a very cool 30-year-old and wears hiking boots to work. She likes to snowboard, ski, backpack, and surf the net. Wow. Nice match sans the snowboarding.

The ideas for my project are slowly morphing as I try to think where the access will be, and as I gradually narrow down what is possible and what is not. Access is the biggest issue. Akita access has yet to be told. I leave for Akita today.

I will talk to you next week. Please just send me a response so that I know my e-mail is actually working. I can read my mail, but was having trouble sending it.

over and out.

jenifasan.