Tsuchi's "Taiko Kidan" Part 13 | Events of a busy summer and the uneasy feeling behind it

Hello everyone reading the JPC newsletter.
The time has come for the familiar Taiko story.
By the time this issue is published, it will already be October, and there will still be some summer heat left. Or are the signs of deepening autumn reflected in the sky?
I am writing this manuscript on the 5th of September, which is actually the deadline specified by Mr. Nishio.
That's right, I was so busy in the summer that I forgot about the deadline. It's embarrassing. Moreover, today I had a drinking party with my juniors. After drinking quite a lot, I got home, sobered up, had a fresh head, and started writing! ! !

But you're right, it's not good to be chased by busyness. Today, I made two stupid mistakes on my way home from the nearest station. First, get off the station and go to the convenience store.
I took the items to the cash register to buy barley tea and chocolate, and after paying, the clerk said, ``Thank you very much!'' and I replied, ``Thank you for the meal.''
Then, feeling unsteady on my feet, I got into a taxi and headed to my house.
Once again, I paid and the driver said ``Thank you very much,'' and I said ``Thank you for the meal.''
I've done something stupid twice, and I'm currently typing this manuscript in the depths of despair.

On a different note, in our industry, summer means summer festivals.
The summer festivals I attended this year were...
In Hokkaido, JOIN ALIVE in Iwamizawa City, FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL in Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata Prefecture, Summer Sonic held simultaneously in Tokyo and Osaka, RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL in Ishikari in Hokkaido, SWEET LOVE SHOWER in Lake Yamanaka, and WORLD in Yumenoshima Park in Tokyo. HAPPINESS, Kishidan Expo in Chiba, and finally Asagiri JAM in Asagiri Plateau.
All of the festivals were a lot of fun, and I sometimes worked as the local crew, and sometimes as a crew member with a band.
When I went there, I met a lot of people I knew and reaffirmed various connections, and I had many conversations with people I hadn't seen in a long time and friends I see often, and I was able to make a lot of memories.
He was so active that I wondered why he was so active, holding live shows with his band 254soulfood on July 30th and September 3rd between summer festivals.

I was exposed to completely different music from day to day, acting as backup support, and sometimes even expressing myself, which made me feel dizzy, but thanks to the joy of music and being drawn to the connections between people, I managed to get through the summer.
Thank you very much. I vaguely wonder how many years it will be before I can make a living being involved in music like this. However, I don't think anyone knows what will happen in the future, so I think I have no choice but to keep my mind set and move forward.

In terms of events other than summer festivals, I guess it will be the Rio Olympics. I didn't really watch Kei Nishikori's matches, but I didn't watch them that much.JapanI watched with bated breath in real time the fierce battle with Nadal for the first tennis medal in 96 years. Other activities include wrestling, gymnastics, judo, table tennis, swimming, and track and field.JapanThe team did a great job.
I take my hat off to him for his mental strength, which was to train hard every day and produce results on such a big stage. I wonder how much pressure there is... It's scary to think about it, and I'm sure I'll run away lol
And then there was the closing ceremony, which became a hot topic...
Ringo Shiina served as music director for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.REMOI think Nee was wonderful. Well, there was one in which the Prime Minister cosplayed as a game character and looked like an idiot...
Also, personally, I think thisREMOThis is related to Nee's story, but it's Shin Godzilla directed by Anno.
I went to see it twice. It was so voluminous that I couldn't watch every detail in one sitting, and it was full of detailed settings and highlights, so I enjoyed it as an entertainment piece.
However, the recent OlympicsREMOIt's true that the name Shin Godzilla didn't quite make sense to me, and although it didn't leave a bad aftertaste, it did leave me with a slightly bittersweet feeling.
It's defenseless.JapanI feel it's a compliment.
The Olympic theme ``Cool Japan''REMOI think the use of shadow puppets, Japanese-style choreography, and high-tech production using projection mapping were also great. Prime Minister Mario, Doraemon, Captain Tsubasa, and Hello Kitty are all good, right?
Even in Shin Godzilla, the activities of the Great Disaster Team, which was formed by bureaucratic misfits, and various ministries were remarkable. I think the frustration within the government was also clearly depicted. Of course, Godzilla himself was also depicted in a frighteningly realistic manner.
What flows at its root isJapanPraise, ``We are amazing,''JapanI felt like this was some kind of blind propaganda that said, ``We can still do it, and if we have patriotism, the country can get back on its feet.''
I think there are many people who would say that this is a naive point of view, and I think there are many people who would say that it is a naive point of view, and I would say more directly, ``Why don't you just accept something that is amazing? JapanDon't you think it can still develop? ”.
As you say. I honestly want to think so too.
However, this "development" is another bottleneck, and when combined with "patriotism", it becomes extremely difficult.
I feel like it's annoying.
So you're not patriotic?JapanDon't you like it? If you ask me, no, no.JapanI love Japan and I have a lot of love for my country. It makes me wonder if we shouldn't be blind to this, and whether it's okay to get excited about such simple nationalism.
For some reason, in this day and age, this situation feels very easy. There is a flood of information, and everything can be done completely automatically. Fully automatic, including laundry, dishwashing, and vacuuming.
There are robots in place of clerks in stores, and if you order online before going to the store, your order will arrive the next day.
You can easily watch and listen to historical masterpieces online.
And it's free.
Of course, I myself have benefited from this, and I am not denying everything, but I can say that I am actively immersing myself in a ``convenient and easy'' lifestyle. However, the moment I buy something online in the morning and it arrives that evening, for some reason I feel guilty.
Get this little box delivered today, and with free shipping.
I wonder how many people are involved and work hard and for low wages to deliver this one box...
A long time ago, it was common knowledge that it would take all day just to send a package from Tokyo to Osaka. If you ship it on Monday, it will arrive on Wednesday morning. Now, within the day. Is it?
I understand in theory that distribution bases have been opened in various places, making it possible to significantly reduce costs and speed up the process, but something doesn't make sense to me. Is it just me?
A nuclear power plant was built in Fukushima to provide electricity to Tokyo, someone was sacrificed for everyone's convenience. Children are forced into harsh labor on cotton farms in India and Bangladesh to produce the fast fashion that people living in cities buy.
In order to give birth to cute puppies and kittens that are housed in glass cases at pet shops, mother dogs and cats are placed in harsh conditions, overwork their bodies, and are ultimately slaughtered like garbage.
``Business is successful because there is a need, and profits are made because there is a need.'' As a result, we are so busy with our daily work and life that we don't have time to think about it...This is the state of being ``busy'' that I wrote about at the beginning. The character ``busy'' is written as ``to lose one's heart.''
I feel like I'm literally ``losing my heart'' right now. The guilt you feel when your package arrives by express train, is it because of you that someone is losing their heart?
And I think that might lead to losing my own heart.
Delusional and blind ideology and nationalism are also ploys to kill people's ability to think for themselves.
A typical example is Nazi Germany, our former wartime ally.
This is a sad example of successful use of the power of propaganda, as the people can be controlled very easily.

currentJapanWhat about it? Another pretty big event this summer was the ``words'' from His Majesty the Emperor.
I was very impressed by the word "family" that His Majesty said when he announced his intention to abdicate before his death.
His Majesty himself said, ``I am not a living god, but a symbolic emperor and a human being.
I felt that he wanted to protect his family with care as a human being.''
The Liberal Democratic Party's constitutional amendment draft clearly rejected the phrase ``with the Emperor as the head of state.''
Don't become paranoid about nationalism, don't be tainted by blind ideology.
Once again, ``This is a country where everyone looks back on their lives as humans, respects nature, is grateful for their daily bread, and where everyone helps each other and works hard with a truly rich heart.''JapanI want you to remember. ” Was it a message from His Majesty? I felt that.
And I feel that this also applies to those of us who play music. Of course, regardless of whether you are a professional or an amateur.
For some reason, this time there aren't many funny stories, and I'm only writing about serious things.
I think of these things because of the fatigue and stress of surviving the harsh summer.
Maybe...
At a time like this, it would be best to soak in a hot spring in Hakone, eat some black eggs from Owakudani, and doze off on a girl's lap, but unfortunately, such luxuries are not allowed yet, and we survive the stormy days like this, and before we know it, we can hear the sound of jingle bells, and in the blink of an eye, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day will be the beginning of 2017.
Don't you feel like time is passing faster?
A long time ago, there was a novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui about how time is moving faster and faster, and people's lives can't keep up with it and it becomes a mess.
At the end, time seemed to be flowing down like a waterfall, and I felt like I ended with just one word, ``That's stupid.''
These are unusual times, but please be careful, and if things get tough, stop, take a deep breath, look up at the sky, and then take a slow step forward.

I'm sorry that this turned into a bit of a preachy episode.
I dared to write this with a sense of self-discipline.
I hope your daily life is wonderful and warm.
See you again on this page.