Takashi Yanase, creator of Japanese superhero Anpanman, died this month October, 2013, at age 94.  Today’s post  honors this great visionary, whose work was at one time, rejected.
In American pop culture superheroes have long had their place,  from  humble beginnings in their appearances  in comic books to muti-million dollar making motion-pictures.  Superheroes make  for great entertainment, they are strong, powerful and nearly invincible if it were not for their ” kryptonite”,  an invisible weakness.  What  draws children as well as adults to these superheroes?  Is it that somewhere inside every one of us is the desire to fight injustice and be stronger than our struggles?   Superheroes such as Batman, Superman,  Spiderman, and Iron Man, all have one thing in common, an  obligation to save while hiding their vulnerability.

How does this relate to a children’s animation character and Mr. Takashi Yanase? Mr. Takashi Yanase, managed to break his character Anpanman, free of the expected  hero-role. Years ahead of his time, Mr. Yanase created a character that was as equally vulnerable and giving as he was powerful.  Anpanman, whose head is made of traditional Japanese bread stuffed with read bean paste, will allow any starving creature to eat part of his head.  The mere thought of this being shown to young children, explains the initial rejection Mr. Yanase, received. What would provoke anyone to create such a seemingly gruesome concept and direct it towards young children? It was Mr. Yanase’s strong belief that true injustice stemmed from greed.

Having lived through World War II, Mr. Yanase, felt that even in the midst of war, one should reach out to those in need, regardless of nationality. Anpanman, was born as a desire to instill in children such message.

Having been initially rejected, Mr. Yanase’s Anpanman picture books, were nonetheless shelved in local libraries,  were librarians noticed a common trend, Anpanman comics would fly off the shelves, the pages worn and withered from the many tiny-eager readers. Today, Anpanman, “holds a place in The Guinness World , Records for the largest number of characters at more than 1,700″- The Washington Post Takashi Yanase, creator of popular Japan cartoon character Anpanman, dies at 94 – The Washington Post

The anime adaptation of Anpanman, is one of the most popular anime series amongst young children in Japan, and has remained the most popular fictional character for children ages 0-12 years old in Japan for 10 consecutive years.

Anpanman – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So here is to a novel idea with humble beginnings from a self-sacrificing man who was ahead of his time- Mr. Takashi Yanase, creator of Anpanman. May you find some inspiration.

-Elsa Takaoka

やなせたかし先生、あなたが僕のアンパンマンでした。 – 琥珀色の戯言

by

We have stormy weather out here, the wind is blowing, the trees are shaking, and the weather is chill.

Perfect to huddle under a blanket and read books. Tonight’s books were a real treat too… It is great to rediscover books, tonight’s two favorites were

The Marriage of the Young Mouse Girl, text by Kerry Muir, K. Haruta, U. Inui and   The True Story of The 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka

Yumi, giggled throughout  the entire reading of The True Story of  The  3 Little Pigs! , when she really likes a book she will ask for it to be read “AGAIN!” as soon as the last page is finished, tonight she BEGGED!

The True Story of The Three Little Pigs, is such a brilliant book, the rhythm and word choice are perfect. Easily one of the best books for both adults and children, I have read.

Our second favorite tonight, The Marriage of the Young Mouse Girl, this is a retelling of Japanese Folk Tale. What a fresh read, a story not often heard with a message that is unexpected, enjoyable and strong.

The story begins with Mr. Mouse and Mrs. Mouse, proudly holding their newborn baby girl. Baby mouse girl, grows up to be both beautiful and clever. Her parents are very proud, and set out to find her the greatest man in the world  for her to marry, as Mr.and Mrs. Mouse put it …

“Our daughter is the best in all Japan. We must give her to the greatest man in the world.”

They set out to find the greatest man in the world, Mr. Sun, for “No one is greater than he.”

So Mr. Mouse sets out to ask Mr. Sun, to marry his daughter Mr. Mouse says

“I have come to give my most important daughter to the greatest man in the world. Since you are the greatest man in the world, please accept my daughter.” However Mr. Sun, tells Mr. Mouse there is someone

greater than he, Mr. Cloud for “when the clouds come out, I have to give up. I cannot compete with the clouds.”

Mr. Mouse goes to Mr. Clouds,

who directs him to Mr. Wind.

Mr.Wind send him off to find Mr. Wall

and Mr. Wall, wise and strong,

gives Mr. Mouse a new point of view, that both humbles and empowers Mr. Mouse

Who does the finest mouse in all Japan, marry?

Find out, pick up this book and learn a bit of the a culture that is both amazingly complex and at the same time, humbling and simple.

This book may take you a bit of treasure hunting, but if you do find it, you won’t be disappointed.

Now to enjoy this Typhoon, under a blanket.

Good Morning, and Good Night.

by

Today was library day. Our favorite day of the week, and today as I was looking at the amazing amount of children’s books in our local library, I felt blessed. Yes, blessed. Being a foreigner in Japan, is not easy.  Seven years ago, when I came here for the first time, I marveled at the beauty of the culture and the land. A peaceful, kind, polite culture. That was before two children, when our marriage was new, and I was young(er) and just NEWER in life. Nowadays, all I see is hAZARdS, “Oh, no the baby is going to fall into that KOI pond,” “Oh, no we have to WALK, like out in Nature?” “Oh, no, that park is a law-suit waiting to happen!” “Oh, no there are bicycles, and cars, and pedestrians, Yumi and Emi, are going to become roadkill!”

So, yes, that’s pretty much all I was able to see up until recently. After I stared this blog, which was initially to establish myself as a writer, something great happened… as I share bits and pieces of my life in Japan, I am rediscovering the excitement that comes with living abroad, of being a “Gaijin” (short for foreigner). Suddenly, the koi pond is exciting, I want to go on walks, I want to snap pictures, I want to SHARE, the beauty of this country with anyone who will listen… so thank you, anyone and everyone who has ever stopped by my blog and made a comment, it truly has made a change, not in a way I had expected either… I am happier.

And so I share with you, our trip to the library …

And the well-known “foreign” books that are translated. Someday, I will have enough time, to give you a full tour of the library here, I honestly think you would be Floored, in AWE. The Japanese, they spare no detail… from having a breastfeeding room filled with baby board books, to having handmade felt books, handmade aprons for your kids to wear, handmade stuffed toys, and books, books like you have no idea! Cute, beautiful, quirky…

I thank you, for stoping by…from the bottom of my little heart… DOMO ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU.

Also, if you are an inspiring writer take a moment to read Janet W. Butler’s interview below, how often do we get a one-on-one with an editor?

p.s for all of you writers out there who sometimes become discouraged- DON’T, the beauty of writing is we can all become a little better each day.

by