nihon ga natsukashii

I went to see Memoirs of a Geisha last weekend and although I heard that if you had ever been to Japan you wouldn't like it...and yes, I did know the three main actresses were Chinese, I still enjoyed it. The cinematography was beautiful and because I had read the book so long ago there were only bits and parts that I remembered about the story. My favorite scene is after she first meets the Chairman, when she is running through the red toriis and offers up her prayer to make her a geisha so she could meet him again. I have been to Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto and have offered up my own prayers there as well. I also love the scene where she is under the cherry blossom tree with the Chairman. I never got a chance to experience Hanami while I was there. I would love to go back and get drunk off sake and clouds of pink sakura.

I enjoyed Memoirs mostly because it made me miss Japan very much. It took me back to a place that part of me will always call home. I miss all my wonderful friends that embraced me into their lives while I tumbled through nihon no seekatsu. I miss the way beauty in everything is appreciated, from the luminous neon lights of Tokyo to the frothy bubbles of a bowl of tea. Being in London where the greyness permeates every part of living, I miss the bold strokes and soft flow of color that constanly inspired me to paint and ponder the brillance of a simple life.