Clearing Some Brain Debris, Japan On My Mind and more...

I would like to take one more opportunity to reference Japan, in the aftermath of the recent earthquake. Japan has the world's third largest economy and Tokyo currently ranks at the very top of the most populated cities in the world. The small country of Japan is certainly a global player and was regularly in the news, long before the constant coverage since the devastating tsunami--with death toll stats, aftershocks, radiation levels etc. following the 9.0 quake of March 11.

But ever since Japan's disaster trifecta it seems that Japan is on my mind and in my life more than usual--some sort of confluence of events that seems beyond normal.

First of all, in the week following the earthquake, I attended an artist series concert of a Japanese chorus and orchestra--a performance of J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor--thought by many to be the greatest work of Bach and thought by some Bachophiles to be the greatest work ever composed. I had performed it as a Soprano II in 2005 and was delighted to hear this magnificent work performed by this professional group.

My soloist-signed Bach score

A large majority of this touring group which specializes in the performance of works of  Bach were Japanese, and a few tears were apparent as they sang Dona Nobis Pacem. Having flown out of Japan days after the quake, I'm sure they were deeply impacted by the event. Think of how we all felt after 9-11, losing three thousand to the terrorist attacks. Their 3-11 death count is rising--likely in the tens of thousands.

I was glad that an offering was gathered at the door for the Red Cross. I had a spare $5 bill to toss in the plate, so I felt like I participated in some small way.

This past Sunday after church we attended a potluck and then a presentation by a missionary couple from Tokyo. They had been in their high rise apartment in central Tokyo during the earthquake and subsequent frequent aftershocks. They thought they were prepared for an earthquake--all glassware safely tucked into lower cabinets. At a level of 9.0, this was different from anything they were prepared for, with glass crashing all around them. The mother grabbed her twin baby girls and took refuge under the table. Their building swayed for what seemed an impossibly long time, but they were uninjured. I intend to get their email address and let them know how much their story affected me.

Hearing a first person account was enlightening. They didn't personally suffer any significant loss, but were deeply impacted by the events and had mixed feelings about being in the states while their fellow church members were involved in relief efforts, such as distributing food and blankets.

Again, it seemed to me that a more than normal amount of Japan-related events were occurring in my life. Purely coincidental?

I recently completed a post on collections and reflected that my only antique of any possible value is a Noritake tea set, hand-painted in Japan.

As a gardener, I recognize many cultivars that have been developed in Japan. It seems that there is a Japanese maple on every block in this city. They are very popular. I have a 'Bloodgood' Japanese red maple in my yard. Martha Stewart has recently planted a whole forest (of course) of little Japanese maples as an understory in a section of her Bedford farm. I have a pieris japonica shrub, Japanese iris, Japanese anemones and more.  This recognition of Japan-in-my-life is normal.

My red maple last fall

As someone who enjoys food magazines and blogs, I notice the popularity of Asian-inspired dishes, including things that are uniquely Japanese--lots of soba (buckwheat) noodles lately. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of Japanese food and I don't eat any kind of pasta. I do like edamame (usually have some in the freezer) but have never had any as good as in Japan--freshly picked from the garden, boiled, salted and popped out of their shells into my mouth while sitting at my hostess Hireko's table in her compact Tokyo kitchen. I suppose I would love Kobe beef if I could afford it--as long as I could prepare it my way! So Japanese food is not a part of my life.

So I suppose it was really just those two events that were unusual--the Bach thing and the missionary potluck. That particular performance group with that particular Bach work in my city--a once in a lifetime. And I haven't been to a missionary potluck event in years, certainly not one about Japan. Two unusual events directly following the earthquake--more than pure coincidence, I contend.

I am very thankful to live in a section of the Midwest not subject to frequent devastation. Cold winters, wind, snow, yes--but nothing compared with Japan. We could lose parts of the left coast (as I call it) one of these days. I think I'll stay here in Michigan and spend a few winter months in Florida--avoiding the hurricane season if possible.

As far as the recurrence phenomenon (as I am calling it), I'm sure you've  had a similar experience. When I buy a new car I suddenly notice more of that model. When I learn a new word, I hear or read it all the time and wonder where in the world the word (or my brain) was previously.

When we named our first daughter Rebecca we thought it was more unique than the other old, biblical but trendy names like Sarah and Rachel. Much to my husband's dismay, we subsequently noticed baby Rebeccas everywhere!

One other recent example of the "phenomenon" happened when I learned more about Machu Picchu in Peru. My brother had emailed me a link to some photos his friends had taken on a trip to South America. He mentioned his interest in and desire to (climb??) explore Machu Picchu someday. I didn't know what he was talking about, so I did a little research. Then it seemed I was seeing Machu Picchu everywhere!

Machu Picchu, Peru

First, I ran into my daughter Marissa's former church youth leader who had persuaded her group to climb a mountain in Colorado--an event that became cold and rainy and resulted in her contracting a cold that had her crying all the way home in the plane. I mentioned to him how much she had grumbled about that experience. He defended his decision and in the course of the conversation he elaborated on his great love of mountain climbing and what he would do with more time and money and a possible world in which he was not married with children. In the course of the discussion...Machu Picchu!

Also, we had been watching a series on the Science Channel, An Idiot Abroad. In these episodes Ricky Gervais sends his friend Karl Pilkington on a trip to see the modern wonders of the world. This is an hilarious travelogue with Karl reflecting on and struggling with the hardships and bad hotels he has been set up for in his travels around the world. Anyway, there was Karl at Machu Picchu!--with some stunning overhead shots.

(Maybe it's that Machu Picchu is hard for me to pronounce, but I find the name itself humorous. Karl Pilkington chooses a code word in one episode of An Idiot Abroad that also intrigues me--Congress Tart.
Look it up--it's a real pastry. I laugh just thinking about that episode. For the longest time I thought it was Congress Ta because of his English accent).

Then, a week or so ago we received the April issue of the National Geographic magazine in the mail. What's on the front cover? Machu Picchu! with an image of what it might have looked like 500 years ago, with a feature article, "The Genius of the Inca."

So what do you call this phenomenon when it happens to you? Please tell me I am not too weird and that it could be something at a level above mere coincidence. It must have at least been given some fancy name by someone...