I used to be a fan of manga drawings that directed me to even try drawing it myself until I bought a manga drawing books. The books consist of manga drawing techniques starting from the beginning. With that guidance, I was able to make my own manga drawing though it’s still far from perfection. Back then, there was no smartphone at all, so the only thing we could use to keep a memory of something was by using a camera. I was not a well-organized kid in the past that made me loose my stuff including the manga drawings I made 😦
My liking to Japanese stuff didn’t stop there as I also liked reading manga (comics) and novels. What is still vivid on my mind is a Japanese kid novel entitled “Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window”. As a kid, I really enjoyed reading this novel for its classic pictures inside out. Not too many pictures inside but it’s just enough to represent the story. Written by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, this novel tells about a little girl named Totto-Chan who studied at Tomoe Gakuen, a Tokyo elementary school founded by educator Sosaku Kobayashi during World War II.
Tomoe Gakuen was not just an ordinary school in general. It provides students with practical interesting subjects in which students could join any classes. Freedom of expression was well imposed in the story. It encouraged people to acknowledge kids’ talents and interest which might be different from one another.
After sharing all of these, I just realized that I was once a fan of Japanese stuff. I use the word ‘once’ because I change my preference to other regions like Thailand, China and Korea. I am not into Japanese stuff with no exact reason why this time. I think the other countries mentioned have more influenced in their movies now than before. However, it doesn’t mean that Japanese is off circle in mass media. Its culture heritage and beautiful scenery never fail to attract tourist each season especially during cherry blossom aka Sakura worldwide.
I know it feels so random for me to share all of this thought today, but this got me thinking how extraordinary each country is as it has its uniqueness and beauty. Let’s embrace the world more with respect and love!
Meko 