I live in America. My motto is, “Ichigo ichie” in Japanese or roughly, “Every moment is unique and should be cherished as such.” So my nickname is “Ichigo,” which also means strawberry in Japanese. I wish to talk about modern society and history through movies.
After a battle with cancer, Ichigo, the blog master of this site, passed away in 2013. She kept watching movies, one of many things she loved, and wrote about them until her health no longer allowed her to do so. By writing about movies, she reflected on her life, bravely faced her death, and hoped to leave something valuable to those she loved.
We have translated all of her original writings into English on this blog. To continue Ichigo’s spirit of writing about history and people through films, different members of Ichigo’s family will periodically post on this blog about films they have watched. The posts will primarily be in English.
Ichigo’s Family
Contributing Authors:
Nasu
Sakuranbo
Yuzu
Akiko will always be our heart. We ‘ve cherished her smile and optimism. We first met Akiko in the mid 1990s when Manabu & Steve worked in the lab together at UC Davis. Our two families went out to sushi one night; it was a joy to watch baby Natsuki scarfing down sashimi. Akiko was feeding the baby and herself while watching her older children. Her smile and optimism was infectious; she was full of life. The summer before her diagnosis, she was telling us about auditioning for a small role in a community opera Madame Butterfly. I hadn’t known that she sang opera. It turned out that she hadn’t sung opera but was fearless in embracing new opportunities. Our last visit was at her home in San Jose before moving back to Illinois. I stood outside the home not knowing how she would be from the ravage of the chemo. When Akiko opened the front door, she greeted us with sunshine in her eternal smile. She was fearless, hopeful and yet pragmatic. Akiko’s courageous journey has inspired us to live a meaningful life. We see her in her children, her husband, and be reminded of her when we listen to Madame Butterfly, admire a beautiful Ikebana arrangement and watch the morning sun.