Thursday 9 May 2013

Masahiko Shimura's Exhibition in 2012 "All About Youth" ~ Chime at 5 pm, Resound Into The Sky - Report 2

23rd December 2012
It was a bright sunny day in Fujiyoshida City.
Mt. Fuji kept a watch on us with hanging over snow smoke in a freezing cold air.

Since the day before the Exhibition, a lot of preparation had been taken in Shimo-Yoshida Club (a cafe opened for travelers) in Shimo-Yoshida Station on the Fujikyuko Line.

Here, his friends took ... Shimura kun's motor bike that he actually rode in Tokyo!

The motor bike was shown also in the exhibition in 2011.
It was a warm thoughtfulness of his friends for the fans who missed it two years ago.


It was still as shiny as before, and that shows how much his family takes care of it. This time, his bicycle was also displayed.

When imagining these are the bikes which actually took Shimura kun to a supermarket or his office, it was quite moving... Thank you, Bikes, for carrying Shimura kun and supporting him in his everyday life!

Many of his pictures were displayed on the day in Shimo-Yoshida Club.


Some of you might remember that there were high school students' and their teacher's writings displayed on the wall at the stair hall at the exhibition in 2011, and they met with an enthusiastic reception from the guests at that time.

This time, in 2012, a reading space for the writings was specially set up at Shimo-Yoshida Club on the 23rd, and at Fuji Goko Cultural Centre on the 24th. A male fan was interviewed by CATV Fuji Goko, a local TV station, and said, "High school students' writings got to my heart. I felt love.".
It was just so... moving!

Mr. Kazuyuki Kobayashi, a Japanese language teacher at Yamanashi Prefectural Josai High School in Kofu City, took up the lyrics written by Masahiko Shimura as a topic in  his writing class, and his attempt was highly evaluated and has been reported in the local newspaper, Yamanashi Daily Newspaper in June 2011.

Today, please let me introduce you one of the fascinating students' writings about the lyrics.


Something Warm With Life         By Hikari Kondo 

Any of Fujifabric's songs are highly attractive by somehow.  It is probably because we can smoothly overlap our regrets and feelings left in the past with the songs written by Masahiko Shimura.
'The Shimmer Of Heat' ('Kagero' in Japanese. English translation of the lyrics is available in Page in this blog.) is the song which vividly reminds me the scene of a hot summer day.
When I heard the song for the first time, the part of the lyrics

"Surely, there might be many things lost by now
Surely, even though, That person is passing with no change"

left a great impression.

Not only memories of a fun boyhood, but also Sadness, in which those moments cannot be gained back any more, can be felt from the song.

In my opinion, "many things lost by now" are the feelings towards someone or scenes in old days.
In this song, I could feel Sadness towards something, which existed there and was taken for granted, eventually goes away at the end when time passes by, and I could also feel nostalgia, longing for himself in childhood.

'All About Youth' (' Wakamono No Subete' in Japanese) is my favourite song of all which stroke my heart the most. Every time it gets darker in the evening and I hear the chime at 5 pm, I remember this song nowadays.
This is my opinion that the person, whom 'I' want to bring some words to,  and the one who repeatedly appears in the lyrics, might be not only a partner or friends but also 'myself' in the past.

I, myself, receive courage from its gentle melody and the lyrics of this song. It is because not only Sadness towards the past, which never comes back any more, but also dedicated strength to the coming future, seem to be embedded in the part, "I quietly and gently start to walk on".

Mr. Mashaiko Shimura makes a form of his own memories and traces by singing songs. I think that is why any song of Fujifabric's become alive brings us warmness, and it, somewhere, possesses strength which gives a supportive push forward to listeners. It was my feeling that many of Fujifabric's songs talk to teenagers, like  us, the importance of living dearly every moment of our life. I could have met a big power of songs from here, I feel.

Thank you to you, Miss. Hikari Kondo, for allowing me to translate your lovely writings into English. It was my real pleasure. Knowing that teenagers read the lyrics of Shimura kun with a profound insights was just so great. I was also very glad that such attempts have been made in Yamanashi Prefecture, Shimura kun's home.
Wishing more young people enjoy the world of Fujifabric all over the world!

After ten years of time, if these students will be given an opportunity to write about a song of Fujifabric's again, what would they write...I wondered. It must be very interesting to see as they will be at about the same age as Shimura  kun when he passed away. What would they write after climbing several steps up stairs of life ?

Will be continued to the next report!

Today's song is, of course, 'All About Youth'.


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