Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR 2000-03) presents WIT Life, a periodic series about aspects of Japanese culture such as art, film, food and language. She also shares her interpreting adventures and the interesting things she has encountered in the course of her work.
I can’t believe half a year has passed since my last entry, but here we are in early fall. Since that time I’ve been to Japan twice to interpret for FDA inspections at factories in Chiba, Ibaraki, Gunma and Toyama. It was my first time in Toyama and I went to visit the neighboring prefecture of Gifu to see the historical village of Shirakawa-go with its thatched roof houses. I’ve wanted to go to this UNESCO World Heritage Site for a long time, and it did not disappoint. I also got to enjoy the abundance of fall sweets that began to hit shelves during my second trip and found an amazing lineup of pumpkin (かぼちゃ), sweet potato (さつまいも) and chestnut (くり) goods! Yet to be determined if any of these oishii Muji treats will be making their way to NY stores…
In local news, director and writer Josef Kubota Wladyka of Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty (はーちゃん、ブギウギ) has recently been making the rounds promoting his film. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it won for Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic. During post-screening Q&As, Wladyka shared some behind the scenes stories about his latest work (he has made two prior films). He started writing it during the pandemic, and described it as a tribute to his mother who raised him and his two older brothers on her own. It’s not biographical, but captures her spirit of using ballroom dancing to get through difficult times (in real life she’s 82 and still competing!).
The film begins with main character Haru played by Rinko Kikuchi (who Wladyka previously worked with on Tokyo Vice) losing her Mexican husband and dancing partner (Alejandro Edda) and falling into a deep depression. For me one of the film’s highlights was her various flights of fancy, such as being visited by her late husband in the form of a cute crow (かわいいカラス). Haru is helped out of her grief by her sister played by Yoh Yoshida and her cousin played by YOU, who urge her to return to the dance studio to start feeling better. The multi-cultural cast is rounded out by Cuban actor Alberto Guerra, who plays the dance instructor with whom Haru becomes romantically involved and is instrumental in her emotional journey.
Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty is playing at both the Angelika/Alamo Theaters so check it out while you can!
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