週刊NY生活

2019年（令和元年）10月19日（土）VOICES From

THE NEW YORKERSNew York State of Mindby Dan McDonald
Anothersummer in theb o o k s .
Another season of trips tothe beach, visiting familyand travelingthe country.
In my experience, visiting
other parts of the country makes
me reflect on what it means to be aNew Yorker.
On the last official weekend ofsummer, I traveled out of statewith a group of old friends towatch a college football game.
Fans of the opposing team invitedus to their tailgates in the vast
parking lot, took pictures of ourgroup decked out in our college
colors and even directed us to thebest places to sit in the cavernous,
yet nearly empty, football stadium.
Coming from New York, I was
pleasantly surprised by the kindness, hospitality and openness ofthe opposing team’s fans. Perhaps
all these years in the Big Apple
mean that my guard goes up whenever a stranger approaches me.
On the ride home, the noise ofrowdy, cheering fans gently faded
away. “So, what does it mean to bea New Yorker?” I thought. First, it
certainly isn’t defined by one’s
nationality, native language, ethnicity or religious views. I can’t
recall the last time I heard a New
York accent on the streets ofAstoria. Perhaps we do suspect themotives of strangers who strike up
a conversation. We have the world
at our fingertips, but frequently
long to escape. We echo the sentiment of columnist Jimmy Breslin
when he called New York “Thecity that I love and hate bothequally.” And don’t forget, New
Yorkers know you probably can’t
get a decent bagel anywhere outside of the five boroughs.
Another summer has come andgone, taking with it the stories ofthe 8.6 million people who callthis city home.
(Dan McDonald is a newspaper
columnist, editor and Japanesetranslator. Interested readers cancontact him at dan9605@hotmail.com)

THE

SHUKAN NEW YORK SEIKATSU

JAPAN VOICECOOL JAPAN from New Yorkers’ Viewpoints[English Edition］(20)

Agata as a man who is still searching for
Sato Keiko, who was his former teacher
in life, but is his eternal teacher in spirit.
The live show had the feel of a radio
talk show, as if host Jun Suenaga had
invited Agata Morio on as a guest.
Agata played “The Teacher Sato Keikois a Cruel Person” and seven othersongs. For his encore, he played twosongs, including “Red Colored Elegy.”“I had a vague way of thinking [ofhow the show would go], which led to avague execution.” said Agata. “In Japan,
it would be easy to set up, but here, to behonest, I had some trouble. But the trou-

https://www.yomiuri-info.jp/daily_yomiuri/nys/

Agata Morio sings as scenes from the movie “Looking for Sato Keiko” are projected behind him.

Red Colored Elegy
Sachiko’s happiness found even in New York

Morio Agata Motion Picture Show
Performance and Talk
Agata Morio, the accomplishedsinger-songwriter of the 1972 debut
song “Red Colored Elegy”, which
sent shockwaves throughout Japan
upon its release, gave two live performances with accompanying talks
on September 29 at the Producers
Club Grand Theater in Manhattan.
Two years ago, Agata createdand screened parts of his documentary, “Looking for Sato Keiko” inan attempt to tell the story of his 45year long relationship with music.

In the documentary, Agata, driven
by his natural curiosity, persistentlypursues his first-grade homeroom
teacher, whom he both envies andreveres. The teacher, in just twoyears’ time, exposes the young boy toan astonishing new way to see theworld, and plants a seed of desire forself expression in his heart.
Even now, inspiration from histeacher, Sato Keiko, flows throughout
Agata’s creative works.
The movie passionately portrays

Red Colored Elegy(1970-1971/GARO)
by Seiichi Hayashi

THE JAPAN VOICE is the English Edition of SHUKAN NY SEIKATSU
NEW YORK SEIKATSU PRESS, INC., 71 W 47 St, Suite 307 New York, NY 10036 USAEditor in Chief: Ryoichi Miura, Associate Editor: Tiff Ferentini, Kaoru Komi
Advertise Here! Contact 212-213-6069 info@nyseikatsu.com

ble made for a wonderful realization: I
thought that my beloved Bob Dylan andI were secretly the fathers of Inagaki
Taruho. Inagaki Taruho has a nihilistic
way of thinking, and although he looks
happy on the outside, he’s dead inside. I
have a composure and a kind of idea ofthe power of love when looking at life
now. This is something we have in common.”“Red Colored Elegy” was a manga
created by Seichi Hayashi, in which theyoung Sachiko and Ichiro move toTokyo and live together as they pursue
their dream of becoming “painters”(what we now call “animators”) for acompany like Toei Animation.
Agata was moved by the manga tocreate the song of the same name.
A journalist from Shukan NY Seikatsu
asked Agata, “fifty years have passed
since then and the times have changed.
But there are still many Sachikos andIchiros in New York today. Please say a
few words to them, anything you would
like to tell them.”“I felt so alive. I probably came here
hoping to meet such people: a Sachikoand Ichiro living in New York, with nomoney or insurance for the future, but
who were still trying hard. I want to tellthem, ‘Hey guys, it’s difficult, but it’s
not too bad.’ Even if things go well, allsorts of things will happen. You, whoarereading this newspaper article rightnow, and I could meet somewhere someday. I came here today hoping to meet
people, so I’m very happy.” said Agataearnestly, a stream of tears running
down his cheek.
(Article and Photograph by Ryoichi
Miura / Translated by Marie Calloway)

You can read the whole layout of the newspaperon the website!

www.nyseikatsu.com
And the back numbers, too!!
New York Seikatsu Press, Inc.