Japanese Wisdom
Speaking about houses, I cannot help but to record down what a friend told me last night. Now I haven't met my friend Pauline for some time now, and when we bumped into each other, we just sat down for tea and did a lot of catching up (like who's gotten a new car, or a new job, or asthma, and who's getting a divorce and other depressing things like that...) But the most amusing thing she told me was about her trip to Nagoya/Aichi Expo this June. The theme of the Expo was "Nature's Wisdom"; fair enough and extremely timely. She had to queue for most of the pavilions and she was glad to see that the Singapore Pavilion attracted a queue too, though not as long as those for the European pavilions, where the queues can be 1.5 hour long at the least. But the most amazing pavilion, one that was booked 3 to 4 months in advance, was a replica of a house from an animation movie!! Remember the animation "Totoro" by Miyazaki? If not here's a reminder:
"My Neighbor Totoro" (1988)
Production by Studio Ghibli. Original Story, Screenplay and Direction by Hayao Miyazaki. A 1988 feature-length animation production by director Hayao Miyazaki whose film "Spirited Away" won the 75th Academy Award for Best Feature Animation. Set in the Japanese hilly countryside in the mid to late 1950s, the film vividly and humourously depicts the wonderfully strange experiences of a 6th grader Satsuki and her 4-year old sister Mei when they encounter a magical creature "Totoro". One of the most charming scene from the movie was when Totoro appears from out of nowhere to stand beside the sisters carrying an umbrella in the rain. One of those "LOL" moments. But I digress...

Now this is what the Expo website wrote about the house: "A replica of the Kusakabe residence, a house of the 1950s in which the lead characters of Studio Ghibli's 1988 animated feature "My Neighbor Totoro" lived, will be built within the woods of the Expo site. It will be constructed using techniques of the early Showa era and will undergo artificial aging. The furnishings will also be made to reflect the movie as faithfully as possible. This pavilion, however, will not focus on amusement; the old-fashioned Japanese house itself is the highlight of this plan. Visitors will be able to freely explore the house, looking inside closets and chests and touching things, just like the heroines Satsuki and Mei did when they first arrived at the house."
I swear, this can only happen in Japan! For one, this means that Miyazaki's animation is really detailed and realistic (But this we already knew from watching "Spirited Away") For another, it shows just how crazy the Japanese are over this cute movie. In fact, the internet bookings were only opened to the locals. Those without reservations are thoughtfully guided to other paths in the garden where they can view the house from afar. They have thought of everything, and I can well imagine that had Lini and Cindy been there, they would've been at the queue towards the garden path. But above all this, there's also a high degree of appropriateness to this, don't you think? This 1950s house does fit the theme of a house build to respect "Nature's Wisdom." My hats off to the Japanese!

Chup