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| "Women's Life and Health" is the interview series that features active professional women about their health, lifestyle and career. |
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| Interview
vol.6 |
Natsu Shimamura -Part2 |
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| Could you please tell us what a typical day is like for you? |
| Actually, I don’t know if there is one (laughs). When I am in Japan, I make breakfast for my child. I then send her off to school. I try to do as much work as possible in the morning, and my concentration usually runs out toward the evening, so I go shopping in the evening or play with my daughter. Once she goes to sleep, I start writing again. Though once every three days, we are usually sleeping together, both of us dribbling a bit (laughs). |
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| I see. |
| I also often go for walks. I can think about a lot of things when I walk. It is a different kind of enjoyment when I a walk with my child. Looking at things from down there, she describes the world from her point of view. It is a pleasure to have someone next to me who sees things totally differently. Also, reading my favorite books in a coffee shop or similar places, as a sort of coffee break, is bliss for me (laughs). |
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| Are you still researching material on food in Italy? |
| Another theme that is becoming one of my life works concerns saints. I am thinking about writing a book on the subject in the near future. Saints are a fascinating subjects. I know people say Christianity is monotheistic, whereas Japanese religion is by nature polytheistic, or animistic. But religions in both Italy and Russia have animistic origins as well. What lies at the roots of their religions are natural deities, though there may not be the vast number of gods like in Japan. Catholicism has somewhat forcibly tried to encompass all those elements in its religion, so from my standpoint, one outcome of this is the notion of saints. For instance, Saint Francesco or Saint Rocco are paired with dogs and wolves. Even though dogs are not originally allowed in the church, a shaman who can talk with dogs has been included. Saints can incorporate such matters associated with the folklore of ancient times that usually represent earthy, human-like qualities. |
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| Is saint culture still deeply rooted in everyday life? |
| Oh, yes, very much so. That is what localism is all about. Take people in Padova for example. No matter what other people say, they love Saint Anthony; for them he is the best in the world. Whereas people in Siena may hold Saint Catherine the dearest. Surprisingly, people in Sicily, including the mafia, worship Saint Rosalia who, as well as being a virgin, is not really a strong figure (laughs). |
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| Really? It’s not just Saint Maria, is it? |
| No. That’s what we Japanese and Italians have in common. Italy has mountains, valleys, and islands. But let’s not forget Italy is a peninsula. They have got toughness that has developed through fighting along the border, unlike Japan that has got more gentleness. |
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| Is that what’s interesting about your work, meeting people and cultures of various kinds? |
| Oh, for sure. There are lots of things we kind of assume, but such preconceptions always get turned upside down. I find it interesting that people are not as simple as we suppose. |
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| Ah, yes, that is fascinating. |
| Actually, this, in turn, has an affect on us as well. Some people might think negatively, “What can we do? It’s the state policy”; “Older men are never going to change”; or “The company makes us work like this.” There are things that might discourage us. But, if we get tied down to such ideas, we would be making ourselves less free. People create a number of restrictions in their heads. But, we sometimes meet a person who is living outside of those boundaries. When you meet someone like that and say “Uh-huh. This way of life is okay, too,” then you free up your own mind a little. That will increase your tolerance. If you can say “Yeah, this is possible, and that’s possible, too,” then you can probably smile at most of the people you meet. It is likely that you will get less angry or less worried. In many ways, this will have a positive effect on you. |
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