Jap Happy!

Two things have been on my mind lately and can be summed up in one word—Passion.

passion (noun)
1. A powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger.
2. a. Ardent love. b. Strong sexual desire; lust. c. The object of such love or desire.
3. a. Boundless enthusiasm: His skills as a player don't quite match his passion for the game. b. The object of such enthusiasm: Soccer is her passion.

Thoughts of these two things have been consuming me on an hourly basis, in both wakefulness and sleep. No, not that, those with a one-track mind! :P

One has been about blogging. To blog or not to blog is the question I have been pondering/battling/wringing my hands over since eons now. You might wonder what is the big deal? Like friends and Nike said, ‘Just do it, man!’. And you might ask why starting a blog of all things should be such a dilemma that should haunt anyone. (Sigh…being a perfectionist is rough and tough and causes too much wear and tear, I swear.) Then again, blogging has turned into such drama, so becoming a dramebaaz blogger has to kinda go with the territory.

Reading (in the old days—books, and today—blogs) has been an all-consuming pastime since childhood. Reading blogs in particular has taken up a lot of my time in the past one year. It’s been a long while since my first love—reading (a book). And to some extent, it was computers and blogging that kept me away from fine print. Had forgotten the soothing effect of a book’s scent on the olfactory nerves. Only a book lover can appreciate not just the content and writing style of a book, but also its look, touch, feel, and smell. Books are truly a feast as well as a thirst quencher for the hungry and parched reader’s soul.

This connects to the other thing occupying my mind lately—this book—Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden. Golden words by an author indeed! Such lucid and elegant prose! This book has captivated and enthralled me with its story and the way it has been told. Yes, I say told, rather than written, because of its charming first person narrative. It’s almost like being a child again and listening to a story session. I now understand why this book has come to mean something so special to me. It has brought back one of my childhood emotions and passions in a flood—the joy of reading. And it has actually spurred me to finally start reading and writing in…err…write earnest!

Memoirs of a Geisha has all the trappings of a great book—innocence, awe, treachery, mystery, betrayal, passion, oppression, jealousy, cruelty, misery, and beauty and one could go on adjective nauseum. The book is a real treasure. It transports the reader into the strange and unbelievable world of an earlier era swiftly and easily. It compels the reader to ponder not just about its subject, but there are many questions raised in the course of the story that deal with human emotions.

gei•sha
n., pl. geisha or -shas.
A class of women in Japan trained from girlhood in conversation, dancing, and singing in order to entertain professional or social gatherings of men.

Some fascinating Japanese customs and exotic words elaborated upon in the book that linger on long after reading it...

- Gion
- Okiya
- Tatami mats
- Bowing down
- Tea ceremony
- Tea houses
- Kimono and obi
- Shamisen
- Dances of the Old Capital
- Mizuage
- Danna

They have been dealt with at length, in beautiful, elegant prose, rousing the curiosity of the reader, and heightening interest in the whole story.

Whereas, popular culture relegates a non-Japanese’s interest in Japanese culture to Ikebana, Origami, Bonsai, Sayonara, Sushi, Samurai warriors, Sumo wrestlers, Sake, not to mention Pokemon!

Useless fact of the day: Madonna, the singer (what were you thinking, heathens!), dressed in geisha garb in her music video ‘Nothing Really Matters’ in 1999.

A few images to visually represent the book’s subject...

Calligraphy for the word ‘Geisha’ (pronounced “gay-shuh”) meaning ‘a person of the arts’


Maiko (apprentice geisha) in Kyoto


A Japanese postage stamp depicting a geisha in a kimono with obi—-the traditional costume of men and women in Japan.


Painting of a geisha playing the shamisen, a traditional Japanese musical instrument.


A leap from the 1920s to the 2000s! Picture of musician Chie Hanawa playing the shamisen at the Penang Island Jazz Festival 2005


A geisha shielding her makeup from sunlight with a traditional Japanese fan



Two li'l Maikos posing outside Heian Jingu Shrine, Kyoto

Am eager to watch the movie ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’. Have heard and read reviews that the novel’s adaptation to the silver screen does not do justice to the book. For those presuming it’s a women’s novel only, do keep in mind that the author is a man. Sigh…there is something incredibly riveting about this book and its representation of Japanese old world culture. It evokes a feeling of wonderment in the reader’s mind. It reads like reality and fantasy at the same time.

Yes, the book is full of contradictions. Just like life itself.