Thursday, January 31, 2013

February 28, 1954 A Note to Bonnie's Sister, A Wedding Demonstration and A Honeymoon Destination



Dear Sister & All,

"The kids are in their room resting and B has a bunch of students downstairs so I'll see how far I can get with this.  It is a real spring day.  It is cloudy and misting rain but is so warm I had some of the windows open this morning.  We haven't had any winter yet but just the same I'll be glad when it is officially spring.  It is spring now according to the old Japanese calendar.  All of the snow and real cold missed us completely.  We are protected by the mts. & the sea and it is really a wonderful place to live.

B is going up near Tokyo next week to a Fulbright meeting for a few days.  The Fulbright commission is paying expenses and housing the people in one of the hotels at this honeymoon spot.  I guess it will be safe for me to let B go alone.  I'll have to be satisfied with the pictures he takes.  They say it is a very beautiful place.



We are beginning to think of ships.  We had brief hopes of coming home by way of Europe but shipping lines will not take yen for transportation.  They have to have the unholy American dollar.  Fulbright has special permission from the government to convert enough yen into dollars to get us home the shortest way and on a Japanese boat so that will be the way we'll have to come, I guess.  It would take a lot of yen to go by Europe if they would let us and we'd have to scimp on things we would like to have but we thought it would be worth it.  But it is out of the question now.

A pearl man brought his wares to the house and we bought a string of pearls and a pair of earrings.  Our missionary friends gave us his name and we asked him to come.  I am really thrilled with them.

We haven't taken any long trips lately but seem to be seeing something new all of the time.  We went to see a Noh play on Sunday.  Next Tuesday a Japanese bride is going to model all of her wedding clothes for the Women's Club.  They will explain wedding details as she models.  I'm planning on taking notes and using the camera for the first time.  B usually takes the pictures but he can't go this time.

We still get the Mirror It is always a month behind but we enjoy it.  We get 3 daily papers in English so we keep up with things at home.

Is there anything special you'd like us to bring you from Japan?  Time is going fast and we'll be on our way home before we know it."

               Love,

                  Bonnie  

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

February 27 - 28, 1954 Shopping Kyoto, A Piece of Antique Jade, About Atami and The Hot Springs of Japan

Notecards of Kyoto
Diary Entry:  Feb. 27, 1954

"B & I started to Kobe.  Stubbs asked us to ride to Nishinomiya & then Rachel persuaded me to go to Kyoto with them.  Went to Yamamoto first to look at screens.  Lovely silks, embroidery, old dishes, etc.  Strolled in and out little shops looking at satsuma (porcelain), antiques, etc.  Went to Red Lantern & looked at prints.  Found piece of jade in antique store.  

Jade shown on packet of notecards to show size

Had lunch in car.  Went to Mishimura to see lacquer, Ushida block printing, damascene--saw a beautiful silver  bracelet called smoked silver.  Such lovely silver work is done here.  Got home soon after six.  Telegram from Fulbright inviting children to Atami.  Plans all upset again."


Diary Entry:  Feb. 28, 1954

"B went to see if Jelliffes wanted to change plans & all go to Atami to Fulbright meeting.  No changes so I'll stay home.  He then went to Kobe to check reservations to Atami.  Teruko-san showed me how to draft a pattern--big job.  Yamada-san brought Bob's kimono & showed us how to begin putting it together.  After supper I made sleeves--hard work & lots of sewing."



"In the spring and fall people crowd onto the trains to go to the hot springs.  Since the islands of Japan are part of a volcanic chain of mountains, the hot springs are found throughout the country.

The hottest spring in Japan is at Atami.  Many others are in the area and the nearness of Tokyo has helped make this one of the most famous resort spots in Japan.  

The hot springs contain various minerals which are supposed to be healing for many ailments.  The people bathe in the springs and also drink the special water.  Hot spring bathing has become so popular that the government sets up the rules for them.  Some springs are national resorts so more people can enjoy the baths at a cheaper price."

(Dragon-fly Land:  Japan, by Bonnie Belshe, 1955)

 


NOTE:  The black and white images above are from the book, Japan, which is a series of smaller books, each covering a different topic.

   

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

February 25 - 26, 1954 Margaret Turns Five, The Ringing Doorbell and Bonnie Selects Pearls

This is Margaret
Diary Entry:  Feb. 25, 1954

"A lovely, sunny & warm day.  Margaret Bray had a birthday luncheon.  Ann wore a dress--she was so thrilled & has grown so much her dress was too short. Margaret is 5 and about same size as Ann. A beautiful child."


Margaret and Ann with Becky Teele


Diary Entry:  Feb. 26, 1954

"Workmen working on the flush boxes.  Door bell ringing--another day of confusion.  Mr. Ono brought his pearls to show us.  He is an exporter.  After long deliberation we selected a string of cream matched pearls & earrings to match.  25,000 yen ($70) for pearls and 5,000 yen ($14) for the earrings.  My birthday gift from B."

  

Monday, January 28, 2013

February 22 - 24, 1954 'Tis True the Eggs are Fresh, The Craftsmen and The Doctor


Diary Entry:  Feb. 22, 1954

"Sukuda-san came to wash.  Hope to give Teruko-san more time to sew.  Talked with Rachel Stubbs a bit.  Woman brought her eggs.  Rachel had been to buy eggs.  Woman had more.  Told Rachel she'd have to wait.  Hens were cackling as Rachel left & woman brought warm eggs.  Sign on store advertizes eggs so fresh they are still warm--'tis true. Stores close 3 days each month--some 2,12,22 and choose days with same number as 8,18,28."

Diary Entry:  Feb. 23, 1954

"B took Kita-san and went to Kyoto to take pictures of making damascene, cloisonne, lacquer & block printing.  Came home convinced they are sweat shops.  Each individual finishes his own piece of damascene.  Lacquer work is mostly done in homes.  Only a few workers to show process."


Diary Entry:  Feb. 24, 1954

"Painting class met here.  Had planned to meet with Jane but she is sick so they came here. As soon as lunch was over I bathed Ann then Bob to go for a check-up with Dr. Carey in Kobe.  She is a '45 graduate of Yale.  Nice clinic, took shoes off, left in lockers & used felt slippers.  She checked children, gave us all skin test for T.B. Bob was 47 2/3 inches tall, weighed 49 9/10 lbs.  Ann was 37 2/10 inches tall, 34 7/10 lbs." 


Sunday, January 27, 2013

February 20 - 21, 1954 A Bit of Fire, A Basket, A Vase, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Biscuits and Potato Candy





Diary Entry:  Feb. 20, 1954

"Started getting ready to go to Osaka.  House full of smoke.  Floor in study on fire under stove.  B pulled out stove.  Hole in floor.  After fire out we went on.  Bob went to school.  Jimmy came home to lunch with him.  Got my flower shears and a small bread basket.

Traditional Japanese flower shears

Diary Entry:  Feb. 21, 1954

"Left children to rest after lunch and went to Kitaguchi.  Promised to make them potato candy but could not find powdered sugar.  Got a vase and bamboo basket for flower arranging class.  Made a pineapple unside down cake for supper.  Teruko-san made beautiful biscuits for supper.  She learns so fast."


NOTES:  If interested, use the link for the Pineapple Upside Down Cake recipe:http://annbkennedy.blogspot.com/2012/07/february-18-and-26-1950-coal-shortage.html

For biscuit recipes:  http://annbkennedy.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-12-1944-still-studying-laundry.html

http://annbkennedy.blogspot.com/2012/01/march-22-1943-dames-get-good-press.html
 
Easy Potato Candy

Boil, peel and mash a small potato, about the size of your fist.  When cool, gradually add powdered sugar until a firm dough is formed.  Knead until very smooth.  On a sugared surface, roll out into a thin rectangle.  Spread with peanut butter and roll up jelly-roll style.  Slice into rounds.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

February 19, 1954 A February Letter, The Robe, Images of Noh and Sewing


Dear Mother & Daddy,

"Yesterday was such a busy day that I didn't get my letter written.  We went to see The Robe with our friends from Kobe College and were gone most of the day.  They have a little girl smaller than Ann and a baby so the children all stayed at their house with the maids and made a party out of the day.  They had a good time and so did we.  I liked the movie very much and it was well done but it didn't make as big an impression as the book did. It was in English with sub-titles in Japanese and there has been some criticism from Japanese Christians that the translations left out a lot of the important points.  The pictures in themselves should teach a lot and the Japanese are swarming to see it.  All of us on the row sent our maids together to see it and they were impressed.

B took Bob to see Conquest of Everest and thought it was wonderful.  That was sort of a bribe to get him to go to the barber shop.  He hates to waste the time.  Every day he comes from school with his pockets crammed with all sorts of things.  He collects anything that is loose, bright or unusual--in fact, anything.  Although the Japanese keep their own yards spotless they throw their trash in the sewer, on vacant lots or any available spot outside their wall.  There are several such places near the kindergarten and Bobby gleans most every day.  His is all boy.

This is examination time all over Japan.  Students are taking final exams to get out of one school and entrance exams to get in another.  They even give little ones exams before they accept them in kindergarten.  This is the one time of the year when the students really get down to business.  This could be a great nation if all students worked as hard all year as they do before exams.  They admit they don't study much the rest of the time.  If they can pass a final exam in a course they get credit for it even if they have never been to class.  It doesn't make sense to us.  We feel sorry for the professors who see how wrong it is but they can't do much about it.  The students pay to take entrance exams and if they fail they lose that fee and have to take another exam at another school and pay for it too.  On registration day over here the place was alive with women.  I was told that they were there to persuade someone to let their child register since he had probably failed the exam. 

B and I have just finished "Sayonara Means Goodbye" and we enjoyed it since it takes place in this area.  All the places in the story were very familiar to us.  I think the writer is trying to teach us a lot but I don't think a foreigner could get the point at all unless he had seen how the Japanese live or had been a student of Japanese life.


We saw our first Buddhist funeral procession the other day.  We were walking in the country and heard the clang of cymbals and people chanting before we finally saw the long procession of black kimonoed mourners, priests in brocaded robes, men carrying baskets of flowers and the coffin draped with a gold brocade cloth.   In front were men carrying long poles with white paper streamers.  The names of friends and relatives of the dead man were written on these.  They were walking to the shrine to pay homage and then the body would be cremated.  Some of the men were carrying gifts of food for the dead man's spirit--rice cake, oranges and vegetables.  These were arranged beautifully on little wooden stands something like a cake stand.  We had the camera and started to take pictures before we realized it was a funeral.  We didn't have the nerve to take any more after we saw what it was.  It seemed disrespectful and I'm sure those in the group would have resented it.

A neighbor gave a Valentine party for the children last Saturday.  She had made pink ice cream and big heart cookies.  They had a Valentine box and all took Valentines.  They played games and had some children's movies.  It was a nice party.


Last Sunday B and I went with some friends to see a Noh play.  It is the oldest form of Japanese theater and stems from Buddhism--as everything here does.  Our friend told us what was happening all the time and we enjoyed it in spite of the cold.  The big building had no heat except little charcoal bowls and it was a cold rainy day.


I have had one lesson in flower arranging but it so inconvenient to get there that I think I'll join another class and may not get started in it for awhile.  Every painting lesson is a picture but it is a formal Japanese picture.  B asked me the other day when we were going to paint some real pictures and almost insulted me.  I really enjoy my lessons.



I finally finished my silk tweed suit but haven't worn it yet.  There were enough scraps left to make Ann a jumper and it is almost done.  We have plenty of clothes except maybe shoes, to take us through this year but we hope to get enough new ones so we won't have to buy hardly anything next year.

The children talk about all of you so much and they will talk your ears off when we get home."

                  Love to all,

                         Bonnie


NOTE:  The black and white images are from Japanese Theatre in Highlight, by Francis Haar, text by Earle Ernst.  Tuttle-Tokyo, 1952.  Image of flower arrangement is from Flower Arrangements of the Ohara School, featured in an earlier post.


Friday, January 25, 2013

February 17 - 19, 1954 Painting Orchids, Seeing "The Robe" and Kimono Material

Diary Entry:  Feb. 17, 1954

"Ann is getting brave.  B needed to go to Osaka.  My painting lesson day, so we asked Ann to stay with Teruko-san.  She said o.k. and we went off with her very happy.  Painted Chinese orchid today--a wild flower.

Children went to Teele's to play after naps so I cut Ann a jumper.  Bob brought Xmas play picture from kindergarten."



Diary Entry:  Feb. 18, 1954

"Went to Kotoen to shop in morning.  Got material for Bob & Ann each a kimono and Ann some slips.  Spent afternoon sewing on Ann's slips and a jumper."



Diary Entry:  Feb. 19, 1954

"Took children & Teruko-san to Jelliffe's.  Left them there to have lunch and went with Jelliffes into Osaka to see "The Robe".  Lovely, huge theater--even had boxes.  After movie went to Takashimaya and ate lunch.  Got children some comics for 5 yen--must be p.x. discards.  Came back for children.  Had coffee & cookies at Jelliffes & on home.  Station meeting at Outerbridges." 

     

Thursday, January 24, 2013

February 16, 1954 A Flower Arranging Class and Visiting Youth Facilities

Diary Entry:  Feb. 16, 1954

"Jane Teele & I went to first flower arranging class.  Took palm leaves, plum blossoms, narcissus & camellias.  Mrs. Yamauchi is the teacher of OHARA school.  She made various arrangements with our materials.  We took apart and made again.  She criticized.  Had coffee and cookies.  
Lunch at PX with Mrs. Grotejohn (Consulate).  Met Women's Club group at K.U. Church to go to see Youth Center--sort of a community center for young people.


Built by Methodist mission board, supported by 10 boards.  8 denominations.  New building composed of supervisor's apt., office, kitchen, hall with stage & sliding partition, reading room, prayer room, 2 large tatami rooms for o'night groups.  For group meetings, bring own leader, must have Christian leader or minister's recommendation, prepare own food & plan own program.  Plan tennis court & build a recreation area and landscape.  First 3 mos. period used by 770 young people.  Kitchen will feed 20 at a time.  Have army surplus chairs & tea cups so can accommodate about 150 for tea. Plot is 449 Suebo. (suebo = 2 tatami, tatami 3x6).


Left here and went to School for Feeble Minded in Mikage.  Dr. runs it, 90 children, 60 in dorms because live far off or family doesn't want them at home.  Very clean. Teach children a trade.  Gov't. says child must leave school at 18.  Often not ready.  Daily program like public school only go slower.  Group according to mental age.  Excellent art.  A 10 yr. old drew only chickens.  Only interest. Forgets school if sees one on way to school." 


NOTE:  The Japanese unit of measure for area is the tsubo, spelled phonetically in the diary.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

February 14 - 15, 1954 To Osaka for a Noh Play


Diary Entry:  Feb. 14, 1954

"Rain mixed with snow.  Bob and Ann went to Winnie's with a dozen red carnations for her & spent the morning there.  We left house at 10:30 with Roy Teele--met Jelliffes and went to Osaka to see a Noh play.  Very ordinary building but inside was a lovely theater.  Noh stage built like house without walls.  Back wall has pine painted on it--no other furnishings.  A lecture.  Talked an hour.  Play "Tadanori"--great warrior poet who was a rebel & died in battle.  Poems printed anonymously in court anthology.  Reincarnated warrior tells wandering priest of his grief over this.  Asks priest to tell new rulers of his sorrow.  Noh is part singing.  Orchestra composed of flute, 2 drums & drummer "howl" really sounded like snoring & howling dogs.  Dance is very slow.  See from only one eye in mask.  Sits center pillar to keep bearings.  Chorus singing very beautiful.  2 prop men to pick up what actors lay down--cane, etc."


Diary Entry:  Feb. 15, 1954

"Finally finished tweed suit." 

 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

February 12 - 13, 1954 Valentines and Plum Blossoms

Yellow plum blossoms in the yard
Diary Entry:  Feb. 12, 1954

"B went to culture center & children & I made Valentines.  A wonderful warm day."

Illustration in the spring Kinderbook


Diary Entry:  Feb. 13, 1954



"Children excited.  Harbins are having a Valentine party for the hill.  Dressed Ann in her velveteen dress.  She was so proud & strutted off.  Ann H. came after me to come too so I went & joined in the fun.  Pink ice cream and big heart cookies were refreshments.  Film strips from culture center then games.  Finished Michener's "Sayanara Means Goodbye".  Plum blossoms in the yard.  Lovely, fragrant narcissus too."

Illustration from the Children's Book of Flowers
   

Monday, January 21, 2013

February 10 - 11, 1954 The Funeral and The Robe



Diary Entry:  Feb. 10, 1954

"Painting lesson--bamboo & camellias.  Capacity class of six.  Walked to Kobe College & saw funeral procession on way back.


Could hear drums & cymbals long before procession in sight.  Men in front carried long white paper streamers (about 12"x4'or 5') on pole and Guest book (left side family names, right one friends names).  Men carrying baskets of flowers next, then boxes of food--ricecakes, mikans, colored daicon (good for men's spirit).  Then came priests in beautiful robes.  Two front ones had cymbals which they clanged to chase away evil spirits so man's spirit could go to heaven.  High priests with prayer beads.  Man at sides carrying huge red bamboo umbrellas for priest.  The came casket covered with lovely brocade cloth carried by men in white kimonos.  Chief mourners followed, chanting prayers on beads.  Many strikingly white tabi. Mourners wore brown wooden prayer beads around their necks or carried them."

Tabi

Diary Entry:  Feb. 11, 1954

"Winnie took all the maids to see "The Robe".  We all paid their admission.  Teruko-san changed her yasumi (day off) to Thursday so she can take lessons on her knitting machine.  Gave 6500 yen for it but makes sweaters."

  

Sunday, January 20, 2013

February 6 - 9, 1954 Conquering Everest and Looking for Silver


Diary Entry:  Feb. 6, 1954

"Still weak but getting o.k.  B went to Culture Center."

 

Diary Entry:  Feb. 7, 1954

"B took Bob to Osaka for a haircut & then to a movie--Conquering Everest.  They came back happy after a good time.  Ann and I stayed home and played."

Diary Entry:  Feb. 8, 1954

"Dull day. Children & I went to visit at Harbins awhile.  Winnie making valentine cookies for maid's Bible class."


Diary Entry:  Feb. 9, 1954

Small souvenir from the Bamboo Shop

"Womens' Club day.  Mr. Jelliffe to talk on T.S. Elliot.  Rachel asked me to ride so left house before 11:00 a.m.  Picked up Jelliffes.  All got out at Daimaru.  Mrs. Outerbridge & I killed time in Daimaru & went to Bamboo Shop.  On up Tor Rd. to Silver Shop to inquire about tea sets (teapot, coffee pot, creamer, sugar bowl & tongs) for 164.00.  Tray extra.  Met Rachel at 1:45.  Small group to hear excellent talk.  Bought apples on way home.  Stopped at art shop to buy paper.  Policeman politely asked Rachel never to park there.  Near intersection.  Home for sukiyaki.

Many mothers around K.G.  Trying to register children in college even if they didn't pass exams.  Paid for exams." 

    

Saturday, January 19, 2013

February 5, 1954 Painting, Flower Arranging, Entertaining and A Phone for the Row



Dear Mother & Daddy,

"The last time I wrote you we were getting ready for company.  The people are missionaries who served in China and are very interesting.  They have three children and Bob especially likes the little girl who is his age and the boy that is about 10,  I guess.  We didn't get to visit too long after supper because their children go to a Japanese Sunday School and a teacher comes to their house every Sat. night to go over the hymns and lesson for the next day.  The boy came back to play right after Sunday School and had his little song book and Bible all in Japanese.

One morning I went with a group of women to see a Japanese house that had been made over for Western living.  The woman who owns the house is part Chinese and her husband is English.  The house was lovely but not really unusual.  She had many lovely Japanese things--lamps of bamboo, lamp shades made of lanterns--and things like that but it was very much like any modern American home.  The colors were very bright--red carpets, and it was interesting that the Japanese women did not care for the house.  One of them told me her taste was Chinese but did not actually say she didn't like it.



My painting lessons are coming along fine.  It is certainly lots of fun.  Our last two lessons have been camellias and plum blossoms.  I have been invited to join a flower arrangement class and want to go very much.

Image from Flower Arrangements of the OHARA SCHOOL

The time is a little inconvenient but I think I'll try it and see how it works out.

Last Saturday we had more Fulbright people here all day.  One is an "old maid" from Washington state and then we had the family from Kobe College which is very near here.  We had a good time and almost talked ourselves down.  We all have about the same problems and it is interesting to talk about our experiences.  Miss Kessler, the single woman, lives with a wealthy Japanese family in a fine home.  She is supposed to eat with them but she says they don't eat much.  The woman dresses beautifully, takes all sorts of private lessons and belongs to all sorts of clubs.  Food is simply unimportant to them. 



Last Sunday we waited all day for Bob Shelton to come.  He is B's cousin, Marjorie's son.  He has been here in Japan for the Food and Drug Dept. to inspect the clam industry.  It seems that the U.S. would not import Japanese clams because they were not packed under proper conditions.  The exporters then asked for help from the U.S. to improve their standards.  Bob was part of the team the U.S. sent out here.  He works all over Japan and was going to be in Kyoto for two days.  He hoped to come to see us while he was there but didn't get here.  Every minute of his time was probably planned and he couldn't get away.

Image from a children's Book of Flowers

We have a telephone.  Our number is Nigawa 476.  The missionaries have tried for two years to get a phone in one of these ten houses.  Suddenly the phone company sends word they can have two and since our house is in the middle of the row it was selected to get one of them.  It took nine men to install it.  Don't ask me what they did but they swarmed like bees around here for a little while.  Lunchtime came and they all sat down in the sun with their little tin boxes of rice and asked for tea.  The workmen always ask for tea when they come to do anything.

I took cookies and went with the missionaries to the Rest & Recreation program at the church one night.  About 130 servicemen came and they enjoyed every minute of it.  They started out with a prayer and then sang songs the boys selected.  It was like a revival.  The songs they chose were the old favorites--Old Rugged Cross, Little Brown Church in the Dale and such.  This went on and on.  Then they had a short talk by a minister and a science movie put out by Moody Bible Institute.  After their cookies and coffee they played games.  Some of the boys were off a hospital ship that had just docked in Kobe, others are stationed near Kobe and others are on relief from Korea and have to go back.

The Women's Club had a good program this week.  It was about Japanese products that foreigners could use.  One of the Kobe department stores furnished articles to be shown.  They had a living room all furnished with Japanese furniture and it really was pretty.  Then they had food cooking utensils, knitting machines, fabrics and I don't remember what else.  It was interesting as well as helpful.

This has been our week for mail.  We've had a lot of letters.  I was just bragging about being caught up on my correspondence but we are always happy to have letters.  Bessie wrote that Roger was on his way to Sasebo.  That is near Nagasaki and a long way from here.  It is on another island so he will have to have a good leave before he can come to see us.  I hope we do get to see him.

More neighborhood laundry

Everyone that wrote recently has seemed to think we are deep in snow.  Tokyo and Kyoto are but the ground here has been covered very lightly only once and it was gone long before noon.  Bobby said there wasn't even enough to make a snowball.  We have a few flakes every few days but it is so slight that we still hang the wash out to dry and it gets dry.  We are protected by the mountains and the warm ocean currents.  It is very cold in Tokyo now but not very cold here.

The last day of winter, Setsubun

Yesterday was the first day of spring by the old Japanese calendar.  Plum blossoms are out down the street so maybe it won't be long till spring."

           Love to you all,

                   Bonnie

NOTE:  The letter included the paper below with Bonnie's notation.