Sunday, November 18, 2018

Writing my First Japanese Haiku in Ojika, Nagasaki



I went to the Ojika Arts and Culture festival thinking I'd be seeing a few performances and looking at some art, but little did I know, I'd be using Japanese in a way I'd never even realised I could. Haiku are Japanese poems that are organised in a '5, 7, 5' syllable structure that aim to capture an image of a moment in time with vivid yet simple descriptions. Throughout my life I've written a lot of haiku in English, but even after a year or two of study it seemed a bit daunting to write one in Japanese.  So, when I was helped along by a few locals with the specificities and a theme (the fall season, apples, leaves, etc.) I dived into the creative process of writing a haiku in Japanese. We wrote them on long strips of paper, in pencil and then pen to make sure we didn't make any mistakes. 



My first inspiration was the apple! Apple, or りんご "Ringo" in Japanese reminded me immediately of a quirky cat here who is named after the fruit, and happens to not have a top lip. So, my first haiku played off the cat, and his namesake.

黒い猫 "Black cat" 
りんごとりんご "Apple and Apple" 
美味しいよ "So delicious" 

Then, I was assisted by a local man and woman who explained that it's best in a haiku to focus on colors, images, vivid ideas that contrast, and have some motion. The man told me it would be smart to have the cat interacting with the apple! So, as a result, this haiku was my second creation:

あさひかり "Bright morning"
りんごとあそぶ "Playing with an apple"
くろいねこ "Black cat"

This haiku really inspired me, because it helped me understand the basic idea behind writing haiku in Japan. That in such a short collection of words, you can truly conjure up a scene that the reader can see inside their minds. So, on the walk home with my friend Megumi I told her that I was thinking about writing these poems more often to practice my Japanese. I thought of the transition to winter and the colors and ideas that create the idea of this chilly season in my head. I thought of the color grey, crisp cold air, clouds, and as a result thought of another funny cat here in Ojika who I've lovingly named "Grumpy." 

This is because, at first I thought he was a bit gruff and scary and not friendly due to his rather grumpy looking expression. However, after coming up a few times to say hello to him I realised that he just looks that way and is actually quite a friendly and cuddly fellow! So, I ended up writing a third haiku on our walk home.

さむいかぜ "Cold wind"
ガラムピのかお "Grumpy face"
くもってる "Cloudy"

So, after a short while of learning about the art of creating haiku in Japan, I'm thoroughly inspired. I find that writing a haiku about a moment I want to remember is a beautiful way to vividly capture a memory that can later be experienced through all my senses, and take me right back to the time it was happening. This 'grey' haiku about the transition to winter for example, will always be there to transport me back to my morning walks to the Ojika Shimayado Inn featuring many head pats for Grumpy the cat. 

Now, I'm finding myself thinking up haiku about sudden lovely moments in my day. I'm sure it will help me in my Japanese learning journey, and create a fantastic bank of memories for me to look back on for years to come. 



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