Haiku today Sept. 23, 2021
By Yuri Kageyama
リストカット
悲鳴をあげるは
彼岸花
wrist cutting syndrome
you can hear the screaming
higanbana
Haiku March 27, 2021 and Sept. 20, 2021 by Yuri Kageyama
Haiku March 27, 2021 by Yuri Kageyama
Give Me That Power
To keep Dreaming My Dream if not just
To Live in My Dreams
ゆめおもう
ゆめをいきるは
夢の中
It was Dr. Martin Luther King, who said: “I have a dream,” those words that spoke years ago that powerful message and legacy of Black Lives Matter. Why has our dream as Asians in America so often and so long been lost? Called foreign, invisible, docile, cheap, expressionless, model minorities, we have been silenced, and we have sometimes turned willingly silent, out of fear and the desire to survive in that American conversation between white and Black. Our story has yet to be fully told, explored or studied, even dreamed.
Haiku Sept. 20, 2021 by Yuri Kageyama
墨田川
jet skiおじさんぶっとばす
松田聖子
These days, I live by the Sumida River, which retains much of its Edo Period character. Some recent elements are jarring, such as the people on blaring jet skis that zip up and down the waters on weekends and holidays. The irony of the old pop music that was playing, “Aitakute” by Seiko Matsudo, juxtaposed with this alleged image of hip defiance, was a true Tokyo haiku moment for me.
Haiku March 24, 2021 by Yuri Kageyama
Haiku March 24, 2021 by Yuri Kageyama
つえをつき
見上げる空に
初桜
Cane in his hand,
He looks up for a long time
First cherry blossoms
The world suddenly looks like a splendid and hopeful place when sakura starts to bloom, right about this time in Tokyo. It happens without fail every year. But it’s so dazzling it feels unexpected. This morning, an old man was gazing up at a tree, probably the first cherry blossom tree he saw on his walk. His eyes, behind the glasses, I knew had seen so much, and was seeing all of that, again, in the flowers.
3.11 ON OUR MINDS My AP Stories over the last decade
3.11 ON OUR MINDS I’m going to share, if I may, some of my stories I did for The Associated Press, covering the tsunami, earthquake and nuclear disasters that slammed Japan in 2011, and my followup stories over subsequent years. I am grateful to all the sources who spoke with AP, to The AP for this experience that has shaped me, and to journalism. Here goes:
My AP Exclusive Story May 27, 2011 on how the Fukushima tsunami plan was just a single page.
My AP Impact Story May 1, 2011 on the ties between the Japanese nuclear industry and its regulators.
My AP Exclusive Story Dec. 7, 2012 on how Japanese scientists took utility money.
My AP Story May 23, 2013 on this: “Keeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant’s operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many expect to worsen and hamper progress in the decades-long effort to safely decommission it.”
My AP Story July 10, 2014 on how stigmatized nuclear workers are quitting.
My AP Story March 10, 2010 on soy sauce’s miracle “comeback.” “RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan (AP) _ When the tsunami warning sounded, workers at the two-centuries-old soy sauce maker in northeastern Japan ran up a nearby hill to a shrine for safety, and watched in disbelief as towering waters swallowed their factory.”
MAGIC a poem by YURI KAGEYAMA
Why do We Write?
More Mysterious,
Why do We Read What we Write?
Why are there Chants, Prayers, Songs?
Poems?
Words are There To Be Spoken.
Words are There To Be Heard.
Magic of The Word.
Magic
Of
The
Word.
Hitsuzen a poem by Yuri Kageyama
偶然
どころか
全ては
必然
うまれる
まえから
宇宙の
はてまで
つながる
目の前の
永遠
見逃さない
耳目心
偶然では
絶対
ない
My poem FUKUSHIMA with Music by Darrell Craig Harris
Talented, intelligent and kind musician Darrell Craig Harris and I collaborate online on my poem “Fukushima.”
The poem is part of my theater piece and film NEWS FROM FUKUSHIMA: Meditation on an Under-Reported Catastrophe by a Poet.
FUKUSHIMA a poem by Yuri Kageyama
It’s a Meltdown nation
Since Three-Eleven
Covered in the fear
Of unseen radiation
But don’t you expect
Any revolution
All you will find
Is fear and contamination.
Here in Fukushima
It rhymes with Hiroshima
Instead of a holler
Hear just a whimper
They say it is safe
The kids like Chernobyl
Are coming down sick
With Thyroid cancer.
Fukushima
Fukushima
Fukushima
Y’all, it’s no hallucination
The refugees’ life
No compensation
No resolution
Just nuclear explosions
Get your dosimeter
Cesium in the water
Lost Imagination
Here in Fukushima
It rhymes with Hiroshima
The radiated Brothers
Faces are hidden
Goggles and masks
Like an astronaut
From head to toe
The Invisible workers
Fukushima
Fukushima
Fukushima
Premature aging
Nerve cells dying
Sterility, deformity
Unborn baby
Blood count dissipation
Leukemia debilitation
DNA radiation
Godzilla’s affliction
Tsunami Demolition
God’s DeCreation
Genetic Devastation
Our next Generation.
Here in Fukushima
It rhymes with Hiroshima
No-go zones forever
The World must remember.
Fukushima
Fukushima
Fukushima
My AP Stories in 2020
I do stories and sometimes photos and video for The Associated Press, the world’s biggest and most trusted news organization. The link to all my stories in 2019 and 2018, and I’m starting anew here with all my AP Stories in 2020, the Year of the Mouse:
My AP Story Dec. 11, 2020 about Dentsu and the corporate sponsors behind the Tokyo Olympics.
My AP Story Nov. 16, 2020 about Walmart selling majority of its stake in Seiyu, retaining 15%.
My AP Story Nov. 16, 2020 on Japan’s pandemic-hit economy returning to growth.
My AP Story Nov. 13, 2020, a co-byline, on the growing skepticism about going ahead with the Tokyo Olympics. My AP Photo below:
My AP Story Nov. 13, 2020 on Nissan’s damages case against an absent Ghosn starting in Japan.
My AP Story Nov. 9, 2020 on actors playing the young and old Hokusai in the closing film of the Tokyo International Film Festival.
My AP Story Oct. 28, 2020 on my interview with Masaharu Take, the director of “Underdog,” the Tokyo film festival’s opening film.
My AP Story Oct. 23, 2020 about a Japanese youngster’s online message counseling.
My AP Story Oct. 14, 2020 on Japanese director known for single shots releasing Zoom film.
My AP Story Oct. 9, 2020 on judo in Japan getting scrutiny over abuse and violence.
My AP Story Oct. 23, 2020 on Japan, Britain signing a post-Brexit free trade deal.
My AP Story Sept. 25, 2020 about a civil lawsuit demanding damages from a Roman Catholic priest, bishop and the diocese in northeastern Japan.
My AP Story Oct. 19, 2020, about Japan’s trade data.
My AP Story Oct. 10, 2020 about a storm swerving to the south of Japan.
My AP Story Sept. 24, 2020 on the tiny Rubik’s Cube going on sale in Japan.
My AP Story Sept. 14, 2020 on Naomi Osaka, who just won the U.S. Open, and her Japanese corporate sponsors.
MY COVERAGE OF THE TRIAL OF GREG KELLY AND NISSAN:
My AP Story Nov. 11, 2020 on the defense starting to cross-examine the key prosecution witness.
My AP Story Sept. 29, 2020 about a Nissan employee testifying against Greg Kelly.
My AP Story Sept. 15, 2020 on the trial of Greg Kelly and Nissan opening in Tokyo.
My AP Story Sept. 6, 2020 on Nissan former executive Greg Kelly’s trial.
My AP Story Sept. 13, 2020 that’s a Q&A on the upcoming trial.
My AP Story Nov. 12, 2020, on Nissan reporting losses amid pandemic and the Carlos Ghosn scandal.
My AP Story Aug. 20, 2020 on reports about Carlos Ghosn’s undeclared personal income.
My AP Story July 30, 2020 about Greg Kelly’s trial set to start without Carlos Ghosn.
My AP Story Sept. 4, 2020 on Nissan’s new production technology to make
carbon fiber reinforced plastic, or CFRP, components, faster and better.
My AP Story Aug. 31, 2020, an obit on Osamu Masuko who used to head Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
My AP Story Aug. 28, 2020 on Japan’s “flying car” taking off with a person on board.
My “One Good Thing” AP Story Aug. 20, 2020 on how a museum portrays the pandemic through everyday things.
My AP Story Aug. 10, 2020 on Japan legacy of forced labor.
My storytelling out of Tokyo is a part of this global AP Story July 14, 2020 on how small businesses are struggling to survive amid the pandemic.
My AP Story Sept. 17, 2020 on Netflix trying to grow in Japan.
My AP Story Sept. 8, 2020 on Japan’s economy shrinking in the April-June quarter even worse than initially estimated.
My AP Story Sept. 5, 2020 on Typhoon Haishen approaching.
My AP Story Sept. 2, 2020 that updates on the typhoon story.
My AP Story Sept. 1, 2020 on Typhoon Maysak bringing rain and wind to southern Japan.
My AP Story Aug. 17, 2020 on Japan’s economy shrinking at a record rate, slammed by the pandemic.
My AP Story Aug. 19, 2020 on Japan’s exports plunging amid crush from pandemic.
My AP Story Aug 19, 2020 on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying he just went for a checkup.
My AP Story Aug. 17, 2020 about Japan’s prime minister visiting a hospital, setting off speculation about his health.
My AP Story Aug. 4, 2020 on Sony’s profits up as people staying home play video games.
My AP Story Aug. 6, 2020 on Toyota’s profit plunging as pandemic halves sales.
My AP Story Aug. 5, 2020 on Honda reporting loss as virus hits sales.
My AP Story July 15, 2020, on Nissan showing its first all-new major model, an electric crossover, since getting embroiled in the Carlos Ghosn scandal.
My “One Good Thing” series AP Story June 22, 2020 on how high school baseball players will be getting Koshien Stadium dirt in a memento from the professional Hanshin Tigers.
My AP Story June 14, 2020 on the Black Lives Matter march in Tokyo.
The Japan bit for this AP Story Aug. 1, 2020 is by yours truly.
The Japan bit for this AP Story July 31, 2020 is by yours truly.
I’m a contributor to this July 31, 2020 AP Story on the Tokyo Olympics by my colleague.
My AP Story July 1, 2020 on a Bank of Japan survey showing companies’ sentiments at lowest in more than a decade.
I contribute the Japan material for this AP Story July 28, 2020 on “whitening creams” around the world.
My AP Story July 28, 2020 on Nissan expecting second straight year of red ink amid outbreak fallout.
My AP Story July 27, 2020 on Mitsubishi Motors racking up losses on the pandemic pain.
My AP Story June 29, 2020 on Nissan executives facing angry shareholders after fiscal losses and the Carlos Ghosn scandal.
My AP Story July 29, 2020 on the commander of the U.S. Forces in Japan affirms U.S. support for Japan on China dispute.
My AP Story June 25, 2020 on SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son leaving the board of Alibaba.
My AP Story June 19, 2020 on the economy reopening cautiously, balancing health risks.
My AP Story July 3, 2020 on Japan formally filing the extradition request with the U.S. on two Americans arrested in Massachusetts and accused in his escape.
My AP Story June 11, 2020 as the saga of Carlos Ghosn returns as Japan seeks the extradition of two Americans, recently arrested in the U.S., and wanted in Japan on suspicion of having helped a criminal escape, meaning that extraordinary flight of Ghosn to Lebanon hiding in a box.
My AP Story June 12, 2020 on the high court upholding a lower court conviction on data manipulation for Mark Karpeles, who headed a Tokyo bitcoin exchange that collapsed.
My AP Story May 28, 2020 on how Nissan is closing auto plants, in Spain and in Indonesia, as it sinks into losses for the first time in 11 years.
My AP Story April 26, 2020 on how Japan is low-tech and challenged
My AP Story May 23, 2020 on the virus outbreak today.
My AP Story May 22, 2020 on the Bank of Japan helping provide lending to small and medium-size businesses amid pandemic hardships.
My AP Story April 11, 2020, an obit on Nobuhiko Obayashi, who devoted his works to depicting war’s horrors and singing the eternal power of movies.
My AP Story Jan. 23, 2020 with AP Photos by my colleague Jae C. Hong on the homeless of Tokyo and how they fear removal as the Olympics approach.
My AP Story May 6, 2020 on a 16-year-old who cared enough to come up with a free iPhone app to help people record their whereabouts to track possible virus infection.
My AP Story June 18, 2020 on money-losing Mitsubishi says executives will take pay cuts.
My AP Story May 18, 2020 on Japan sinking into a recession amid the pandemic.
My AP Story May 21, 2020 on how exports are plunging for recession-hit Japan in their worst fall in a decade.
My AP Story May 7, 2020 on how Nintendo profits rose as people stay home and play video games amid the pandemic.
My AP Story April 10, 2020 on Toyota Chief Executive Akio Toyoda promising the Japanese auto industry will save jobs.
My AP Story April 2, 2020 on the workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
My AP Story April 3, 2020 on how the Athletes Village for the Tokyo Olympics could house virus patients.
My AP Story April 3, 2020 with My AP Photos on a paternity harassment case in Japan.
My AP Story April 2, 2020 on SoftBank ending its tender offer on WeWork.
My AP Story April 20, 2020 on Japan’s exports in March diving over the pandemic.
My AP Story March 8, 2020 of our daily virus story roundup, focusing on Italy’s quarantine of its northern areas.
My AP Sports Story March 2, 2020 on how the Japanese professional baseball season is in doubt.
My AP Story March 4, 2020 on a minister commenting about the Tokyo Olympics perhaps being postponed until later in the year.
My AP Story Feb. 15, 2020 with yet another photo by Jae C. Hong on how the U.S. Embassy says Americans aboard the quarantined ship will be flown home.
My AP Story Feb. 17, 2020 on 99 new cases confirmed on the Diamond Princess.
My AP Story Feb. 21, 2020 on how the virus outbreak may slash $29 billion from airlines’ revenue.
I’m a Contributor to this AP Story Feb. 17, 2020 on Americans getting flown out, off the cruise ship Diamond Princess.
My AP Story Feb. 17, 2020 on the Japanese economy sinking amid virus fears.
I’m a Contributor to this AP Story Feb. 16, 2020 on the ongoing virus outbreak and reactions from the world, including Japan.
My AP Story Feb. 12, 2020 on how Guinness certifies a Japanese as the oldest man.
And My followup Story Feb. 25, 2020 that he died.
My co-byline AP Story Jan. 29, 2020, on how the new virus poses a threat to a fragile world economy.
I am a contributor to this AP Story Feb. 7, 2020, about how the flow of Chinese tourists has declined after the virus outbreak.
Mario like Mickey? My AP Story Jan. 31, 2020, on how Nintendo is banking on profits from characters.
My AP Story Jan. 30, 2020, on how Toyota’s global vehicle sales for last year trails Volkswagen’s.
My AP Story Feb. 25, 2020 on Japan ordering 20 more Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
My AP Story Jan. 27, 2020 on how Bryant’s death is drawing tributes from Asia.
THE YEAR STARTS OFF WITH MY COVERAGE OF CARLOS GHOSN
My AP Story Jan. 9, 2020 about how Ghosn as fugitive is bringing global attention to Japanese justice.
My AP Story Jan. 30, 2020 on how Japan is seeking the arrest of Ghosn and three Americans who allegedly helped his escape.
My AP Story Jan 4, 2020 on how Ghosn’s lawyer is as outraged by Japan’s legal system as by the escape.
My AP Story Feb. 13, 2020 on Nissan sinking into losses as vehicle sales plummet.
My AP Story Feb. 18, 2020 on Nissan’s shareholders’ meeting where some began shouting angrily about crashing stock prices, zero dividends and quarterly losses after the Ghosn scandal.
My AP Story Feb. 12, 2020 on Nissan suing Ghosn seeking damages.
My AP Story Jan. 12, 2020 how the lawyer tallied the questioning of his client without a lawyer present, found it averaged seven hours a day.
My AP Story Jan. 3, 2020 on what’s known and not known about Ghosn’s case after his escape.
My AP Story Jan. 7, 2020 on arrest warrant for Nissan ex-chair’s wife Carole and Nissan saying Ghosn is still responsible for “serious misconduct.
My AP Story Feb. 28, 2020 on Japan sending justice official to Lebanon.
My AP Story Jan. 5, 2020 on Japan saying Ghosn’s escape was inexcusable, and it has ordered an investigation
My AP Story Jan. 10, 2010 on Ghosn’s lawyer slamming Japanese justice minister’s gaffe about suspects having to “prove” innocence.
My AP Story Jan. 16, 2020 on Hironaka and his team quitting from Ghosn’s defense.
My AP Story Jan. 17, 2020 on Ghosn’s lawyers refuting Nissan’s take on what happened.
My AP Story Jan. 6, 2020 on Justice Minister Masako Mori telling reporters Japan will improve border checks, bail after Ghosn flight.
My AP Story Jan. 3, 2020 on how Ghosn made his escape on a chartered plane, a co-byline with my colleague in Turkey.
My AP Story Jan. 1, 2020 on how by jumping bail, fugitive Carlos Ghosn is burning bridges to Japan.
My AP Story Jan. 2, 2020 on how prosecutors are raiding Ghosn’s Tokyo home.
TOSHINORI KONDO a poem by Yuri Kageyama
Toshinori Kondo
A Poem by Yuri Kageyama
shrieks growls wails moaning jagged cries wire and metal half machine untamed animal bleeding real blood never stops a never-ending pulse guerilla warfare of free music of onomatopoeia like a snake or a frog whose skin is always wet