English | Japanese
Generations from both of my parents' families fought each other on opposite sides of the war. In 1944, my paternal Grandfather was sent to train British soldiers in the jungle in colonial India, whilst members of my Mother’s family fought for the Japanese in the Battle of Imphal in northeast India that same year. My Mother recites her fond memories of her great Uncle who survived the war and returned with a love for mangoes and pineapples, which he later taught my Mother and Aunt how to peel.
My parents met in Covent Garden in the 90s where my Dad used to busk with the Gutter Brothers (band) and other performers. It’s always felt a little peculiar going back to the square now and watching all of the entertainers, picturing that that would have once been my Dad. Although my parents had entirely contrasting cultural experiences of childhood they both were accustomed to country life, whether their evenings were accompanied by the hum of cicadas in the paddy fields or the cooing of owls in the woods. Whilst having fond memories in both peaceful places, the bustling of Brick Lane market and the sound of sirens at night was what I remember growing up.
My Mum grew up watching the Ghibli films in Japan and was 19 years old when she first saw Grave of the Fireflies, a film she knew that she would one day show her children. The animation set in Kobe follows a semi-autobiographical story of two siblings who struggle to survive after becoming separated from their parents during the American bombings in the final months of the war. Years later, I asked why that film was so important to her and she said that the sheer human cost of war is something that we cannot let happen again. Her vehemence for this was in particular reference to the use of nuclear weapons, an attitude that I later inherited after visiting both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That was the first time I noticed how firmly rooted this was in Japanese schools, something I’ve felt which my education here has slightly missed, it seems to be rather glorified.
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