As the clocked ticked over to 2013 Amy and I turned to each other and said, at the same time, “wow – what a year that was!” And it was quite a year in our household, with more than its share of upheaval, joys, surprises and challenges. While the positives outweighed the negatives by a wide margin, we enter the Year of the Snake hoping for a somewhat more, shall we say, uneventful year.
Perhaps it’s a wish that we can share with the world at large, as upheaval appears to have become the default state across the globe.
This month’s issue features a number of stories that remind me why working on The Bulletin feeds my soul on a monthly basis.
A few months back I interviewed Toronto author Susan Aihoshi about her recently-published book for Scholastic Canada. Torn Apart: The Internment Diary of Mary Kobayashi, is based on her own family’s story and in researching the book Susan gained a new-found appreciation for her family and her own Japanese heritage, so much so that she approached The Bulletin with a series of pieces on her life-changing transformation.
Susanne Tabata and Linda Ohama, two local filmmakers, give us a glimpse—from different perspectives—into the ongoing challenges facing those living in Tohoku after the 2011 triple disasters, specifically focussing on those living near the Fukushima reactors. I urge readers to make a donation to Linda’s planned film in support of the survivors. Large or small, your donations will make a big difference to this worthwhile project. Details can be found on page 34 and donating is as easy as clicking a link on a webpage.
It seems that every month I learn something new as I do research for The Bulletin. This time around I was introduced to the story of Beate Sirota Gordon, the 22-year-old Jewish woman who almost single-handedly wrote equality for women into Japan’s post-war constitution. I’m sure many of our readers know her story already, but for those who don’t, it’s a revelation. You can read about her on page 18. With her death on December 30, the world lost a truly remarkable woman.
On that note, I’d like to wish all our readers, collaborators and advertisers the very best for 2013.
