A Week of All Sorts (No.46)
12/12/2016
Last time, I gave my letter the title “Towards the Finale”, but there are actually still a number
of events going on. Even only this week, the following events took place.
We are YOSHIDA Brothers!
First of all, on December 6, the immensely popular young musicians known as the “Yoshida Brothers” playing
the Tsugaru shamisen performed at Flagey. Actually, originally they were supposed to have performed during
the spring of this year, as part of their tour through Belgium and the Netherlands but because of the
terrorist attacks in March the visit was cancelled. I am therefore deeply grateful to them for their
great determination to visit Brussels again and perform, notwithstanding their very busy schedule.
This was also thanks to the celebration of 150 Years of Friendship between Japan and Belgium. This year,
on the foundations of our long history together, cooperation in a various new fields has been
strengthened and a new era has started. Actually, I feel the same about the Yoshida brothers’ Tsugaru
shamisen concert. The shamisen itself is a musical instrument with a long history, having been introduced
to Japan in the 16th century from China. While playing traditional songs like “jongara”, they also
compose many new songs of their own, introducing a fresh wind in the world of Tsugaru shamisen.
There were 2 performances on the same day at Flagey, each concert requiring almost an hour of
continuous playing. The strong, at times melancholic performance captivated the audience. For me as well,
it was the first time to have the opportunity to attend their concert and I was truly moved by it. I am
sincerely grateful to the Yoshida Brothers and the Team Yoshida Brothers’.
What Sister Cities Should Be Like; Durbuy
On December 8, I took part in the closing ceremony of the Japan Year in the small town of Durbuy,
located about one hour and a half by car from Brussels. For more than 20 years, since 1994, Durbuy has
been the sister city of Hanyu, in Saitama prefecture. What is more important though, is that this sister
city relationship is a very active one.
Having been invited, I attended the opening ceremony of the Japan Year in March 2016. Thereafter, in the
course of 9 months, many cultural exchanges seem to have taken place. In November a delegation from Durbuy
visited Hanyu, where many events took place. One of these events was sculpture making. Durbuy is a
beautiful city in a valley with a river running through, but is also known as a production area for
stones used in sculpting. Actually, in 2015 an International Sculpture Competition was held, which I also
visited. The sculptor Kazuyoshi Hirai came from Japan to participate there. This year, on the occasion of
the visit of officials from Durbuy to Hanyu, the accompanying Belgian sculptor Mr. William Livermore and
Mr. Hirai each made a sculpture as a symbol of their respective cities. The Japanese one represents
“Mujinamon”, the mascot of Hanyu, whereas the Belgian sculpture represents a baby wild boar, as Durbuy is
famous for its game dishes with wild boar. The cute-looking statue takes its name, “Duribo”, from the
contraction of the Japanese word “uribo”, meaning wild boar piglet, and Durbuy.
Also, I heard that youngsters from Hanyu are planning to visit Durbuy. Hearing this, I am confident
that the Sister City-relationship will actively continue to progress. The reason is that for a sister
city relationship to be active, it is surely necessary to have someone paving the way and at the same
time, it is also essential to encourage exchanges between the next generation.
On a side note, Durbuy is also very well known for its small, but beautiful Christmas Market. The
market, which is located on a square under an old stone bridge in the town, is a very enjoyable place,
with a skate-rink and stalls selling food and Christmas goods. Also, I was served the locally invented
delicious and popular snack, “Foie Gras Potato”. It’s a boiled potato cut in half, covered with a generous
slice of Foie Gras and a pinch of natural salt. It does sound delicious, don’t you think?
New Nello and Patrasche Location
Finally, on December 10, I was invited to the unveiling ceremony of the new sculpture of “A Dog of
Flanders”, in Antwerp, north of Brussels. The story of Nello and Patrasche is incredibly well-known in
Japan. 10 minutes by car from Antwerp, in Hoboken, the city where Nello and Patrasche were born and
raised, there is already a bronze statue of them. So far, there was a small commemorative plaque in front
of the cathedral of Antwerp, where Nello and Patrasche went to heaven, but this time it was decided to
create a new big marble statue.
As you know, even though the story of “A Dog of Flanders” takes place in the Flemish Region of Belgium,
it is not widely known there. However, this unveiling ceremony took place together with the opening
ceremony of the Christmas Market so there was quite a turnout, with many citizens and the press attending.
To tell you the truth, this new sculpture is magnificent but, without reference it is perhaps
difficult to imagine what kind of story it tells. It is said that the creator intended for more people to
take interest in the story by looking at the sculpture. Dearest Japanese and Belgian friends, when you
visit Antwerp, please do not forget to visit this new statue. It is beautiful and lends itself easily for
taking pictures.
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