2021 retrospective, 2022 prospects.
I started to make monthly notes on my blog this autumn.
A sudden desire came to me last week, and writing Decembers’ note in English.
It’s my first challenge but feel like it is a prophecy.
Switching language makes me think different.
Language divides me.
I often enjoy this division, inner conversation, code-switching, temporary schizophrenia, happening inside me.
I reside in Japanese today and might reside in Korean tomorrow.
Regardless of territory, language takes us anywhere we want to go.
A Japanese novelist of Taiwanese descent, Yuju Wen, described this as “We LIVE in language”.
Language could be the only vehicle roaming around the world beyond borders in this pandemic world.
Language is mobility.
A Berlin-based writer Yoko Tawada in her Essay introduced the German term “Exophony”, which means the state outside of their mother tongue.
I don’t find myself discomfort when being outside of my first language.
Rather, I enjoy its psychological migration from here to there.
Travelling without moving.
This is a joy of cross-cultural communication.
Moving around this difference to another difference.
This might be what I want to achieve throughout BABELO work.
I wish I could create more joy in cross-cultural communication in 2022.
Here is a quick review for my life-changing year of 2021, and my vision for the coming year of 2022.
2021 retrospective
So much has happened this year. 2021 would be absolutely the busiest year in my life. I might add that it was the most dramatic year in my life.
Winter. The harshest winter.
It was lockdown-ed, freezing, sometimes snowy, nursery-closed and social distanced winter.
It was a depressing and grim winter, however, in some sense, the warmest winter.
Families united, and neighbours supported each other.
There were lots of struggles as well as improvements to make everyday cheerful and fun despite the 4 pm darkness in London.
I found the wisdom, I saw the wisdom that people can overcome no matter how difficult they confront, so long as we stay humble and brave enough to help each other.
I recall that it seemed a tiny discovery but brought a massive change for my life.
Spring. The last chapter in London.
Memories in Mews life.
I couldn’t stop my tears falling when had last hugs with my dearest neighbors.
Families have been together for over a year raising kids amid pandemic.
I am convinced that my family wasn’t able to survive without their help.
In the cul-de-sac mews life, I felt our relationship has been “fermented”.
As time flew, the friendship altered and ended up repressed to kinship-like relationships.
There was the principle of communal living in mews life.
I never forget how much Aiko burst into tears next to me in taxi heading for the airport after saying goodbye to mews family on the last day.
Two-years-old little son was also sobbing.
He learned the emotion “sadness” on that day.
His first sentiment in separation.
Summer. Six days Jail like isolation.
It was the longest journey home.
It sounds dramatic. Yes, it was, but, poorly dramatic.
Followed by constant PCR tests before and after arrival, six days hotel quarantine and eight days home self-isolation was imposed.
I had considered lots of options but there were no alternatives for government regulation.
It was a horrible experience being packed in the window-closed panopticon-like hotel for total of six days.
Spreading toys in the room, Aiko and I invented loads of plays on how to make my son feel calm and fun.
Pseudo-prisoner, semi refugee life taught me a lot.
Luckily, I was able to stay hopeful, but I assume the hope sat right next to hopelessness.
I vividly recall the emotion I have got on the first day in bed.
Laying down, staring at the ceiling, I reckoned there is no point to think about solutions but just letting time flows.
I appreciate all my friends who cheered us up during the prison life!!
Autumn. A remote study from Tokyo.
It was my partner, Aiko, who has been encouraging me to study.
Every time I got awkward in studying, she pulled me back because she knew I need to achieve it.
She is the person who made me brave, sane, straightforward, visionary and calm.
Eventually, I was successful in launching the public photography award Portrait of Japan and completing the final thesis for the University of Bristol.
My short report from my thesis has been selected for Japan Association for Migration Policy studies and made a presentation at their winter conference in last week.
2022 prospects
While I belong to a Think Tank in Dentsu Inc. as a researcher, I parallel to advance BABELO for further practices.
Korean Japanese Translation
Firstly, I expect to achieve more Korean-Japanese translations.
An ongoing translation is for publishing “HOUSE VISION Korea” organised by Kenya Hara, the graphic designer and art director for MUJI.
Launched the first event in 2013, HOUSE VISION has been held in Tokyo twice and once in Beijing.
For the third country in its expansion, creators, designers, researchers and architects from Korea who resonates HOUSE VISION will demonstrate suggestions for future housing and discuss about our way of living.
I have once conducted an interview interpretation for Kenya Hara two years ago, and Kenya Hara Institute asked me for help in Korean Japanese translation since its book translation need a mediator who is bright in two countries cultural background.
I partner with a critique writer based in Seoul and am working for translation.
The book will be published in both Korean and Japanese.
HOUSE VISION Korea will be a study platform that visualises debates over future lifestyles from Asia amongst passionate scholars and practitioners from both countries.
I am glad to be part of this ambitious project and look forward to bridging words between two languages.
English Japanese Translation
Secondly, I am eager to work on English -Japanese translation,
A translation rights negotiation is a work in progress for North London born art critique John Berger, a well-known art critique for “Ways of seeing”.
Due to immigration control legislative change in a couple of years in Japan, the debates over migration topics are getting heated in Japan.
As a researcher in migration and mobility studies, I became to think that I want to transfer the knowledge what western society experienced through global migration in past decades.
His book “A Seventh Man” is a classic critique and visual textbook telling the reality of European labour migration.
I believe what Berger described in this book is universal.
Since I see it has lots of implications for future migrant issues in Japan, I started a conversation with the copyrights agent.
I wish that the agent understand what this work means for Japanese society, and hope to move this project forward.
Cultural Enterprise Clinic
Another practice is to open a “Clinic”.
A clinic for those who are struggling in arts and culture-related sectors.
I was reading a book titled “Clinic and Words” by Hayao Kawai, known as the founder of Japanese Analytical and Clinical Psychology and Kiyokazu Washida, a Japanese philosopher, specializing in clinical philosophy and ethics.
This book compiled hundreds of episodes of two authors clinical practices.
The stance of “clinical” somewhat corresponds what I wanted to adopt in business.
It could be replaced by the term “consulting” but what “consulting” indicates in a contemporary manner is more for those who seek further growth.
The reason why I feature the term “Clinic” is that it has the nuance of cure, care, heal and the act for overcoming pains, not in growth.
As growing social awareness in mental health, well-being and whatever the term implies our happiness, I wanted to position my work in a clinical context.
Then, I come up with the idea of setting up a tiny little clinic for those who need help in creative and cultural industries.
DIY toolkit, which I translated into Japanese, could be one of the prescriptions.
Bringing all the knowledge and experience throughout 15 years career in the advertising and culture industries in Tokyo, I wish I could empower independents whose who need lateral actions.
A friend of mine, Yusuke Nagai from Vacant Centre, is helping to shape the whole design for clinic. Thank you Yusuke-kun!!
Vacant Centre @ Tokyo
One last announcement.
I am looking for new members to join BABELO.
BABELO welcomes multilingual folks who have any specialities and passion for culture.
If any of you, or anybody around you show interest in BABELO, please feel free to contact me.
Currently, there is a spare desk in the BABELO lab at Vacant Centre.
The three years sabbatical from 2019 is now over.
2022 will be the beginning of the new chapter of Tokyo's life.
I wish you all have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful happy new year.