Most of my life I have been striving to become a specialist of European classical singing. It is fascinating music but when I study deeper and deeper I see how profound this music is. There is truly much to study! I could say that good teachers are really necessary and also time and diligence are required as well as continuous studies.
An interesting aspect of this music is, that one studies the same piece for many years. The very first opera aria I ever studied, I am still sometimes studying it. I think that as long as I am able to sing, I will probably often sing some of the the same pieces and I will try to improve.
There are some pieces that I especially love. Therefore I want to master those pieces. Some are quite difficult to sing and many times I had almost given up on them and was thinking that those pieces do not fit with me. In classical singing it is very important that those pieces are a good match with the singer. If there is truly a mismatch one should really leave them be. For this reason I thought many times “This piece is not a match for me!” and wanted to give up on it. But when my vocal technique changes and improves through studying, one day suddenly it becomes possible to approach such a piece. That joy is indescribable! Then I get a feeling that I am being loved by that piece.
That is a big plant in a flower bucket. Starting this year it was put in front of a house. Since June, blossoms have appeared one by one and now it is in full bloom. Recently when I passed by in the evening, I noticed that all the blossoms were closed. I pass by every day and I thought it could not be that all blossoms were withering. I thought “They are sleeping!”. And really the next day during daytime they were back in full bloom. How sweet! Do you know the name of this tree?
Starting about mid-July my husband and I are temporarily taking care of seven cats. They belong to a family we are friends with but interestingly we got to know those people through their cats. This family has a house in the countryside where they went to spend the summer. Since we live very close to their apartment in Vienna, we decided to volunteer as cat-sitters for the summer.
We got to know these cats because they often sit at the window and we especially befriended one of those cats. I was a little worried that I might give preferential treatment to that cat and seem unfair to the others. However when we started taking care of them we immediately felt that the situation is totally different from just passing by their window outside. We feel that the cats need us and we want to make an effort to provide the best possible care for every one of them. This situation developed because we are friends with one of those cats and to him we should maybe show a little more affection so that his pride will not get hurt. That is not so simple however.
It is really nice to spend time with them. Every cat is unique. Character, preference, behaviour, etc… The differences between them are quite astonishing. Day after day we get to know them better and we also see the relationships between those cats.
There are two very shy ones and they even do not let the owners touch them. One of those two in the beginning was hiding from us and we rarely ever saw it. We worried that this shy one would not eat properly . But soon we realized that some time after feeding it slowly comes out to eat the leftover food. We asked ourselves why that was so and then we saw that a bigger cat was bullying the shy one. We wanted to help this cat and at feeding time we started to put food in one spot and while they are eating we put food for a shy one in a different remote spot for it to eat in peace. That one is clumsy and eats slowly. Therefore sometimes other cats already finished their food and come to eat the shy cat’s food as well. When feeding I try to be close to the shy cat so others will not bother it. We think this method works well and we feel that the shy cat shows a little more trust toward us. When we start feeding, it comes out and from a distance looks at us in anticipation. Also it allows us to come much closer than before.
Shy, bully, courageous, lovely… Each cat has its own character and many aspects to it and they show a different side every day. It is so nice to spend time with them and I feel that they enrich my soul. Thank you cats! We will be coming to you soon!
He is huge but quite lovely! 甘えん坊な巨大猫A bully going his own way. “Don’t touch me!”. 我が道を行く意地悪猫。「さわらないで!」The shy and fearful one. 臆病な猫Two shy cats with small bodies but constant appetite (when bully cat are not close by). しょっ中つまみ食いしてる小柄で臆病な2匹(意地悪猫が傍にいない時だけ)The humorous cat. Clumsy but lovely. ひょうきんな猫。おっちょこちょいで甘えん坊Hello! ばあっ!
Pictures by Yuka Simeno (except the pictures with me in them taken by my husband), Vienna 2020
Vienna State Opera viewed from Albertina アルベルティーナから見たウィーン国立歌劇場
2020 marks 75 years since the end of the Second World War. I was born after the war but my parents’ generation suffered greatly because of it. I heard many terrifying stories about that war from my parents and other older people when I was growing up. Surely there is an immense difference between just hearing about it and actually experiencing it.
I have been living in Vienna for a long time. Through my main activity as classical singer I made the acquaintance of a Viennese professor of music history. He was born in a culture-oriented family and had contact with classical music from an early age on. Especially he often went to the State Opera with great joy to attend performances there. But since he was born a bit before 1940 there was always the looming threat of the ongoing war. In March of 1945 this professor heard the air-raid alarm close to the opera and he and his family fled to one of the the air-raid shelters. After the severe bombing when he could finally come out to look around, there was an unbelieveable sight in front of him. The State Opera’s roof was on fire! He felt his heart burst in shock. I get a strong feeling of compassion for him and I can also imagine how terrifying it must be for a naive child having to observe in flames the building which gave him so much joy and dreams. That is not the whole story. The building next to the one where he was hiding was completely destroyed. All people in that shelter perished.
When I heard that story I could almost not believe it because looking at present-day Vienna it is hard to imagine. But carefully looking at the city, there are many monuments and statues about war to keep the memory alive. I also would like to take those stories of people having witnessed war to heart and cherish them. We must never again wage war.
Always when my husband and I visit my native country Japan, we often want to stay longer than just a short holiday. Always when we are there, we think about a cat living close to our apartment in Vienna. He has beautiful eyes like the colour of Whisky and we have been friends longer than five years.
Some years ago after a longer stay in Japan, we passed by his place filled with joy. It was early Fall and not very cold yet, so we thought he would be at the window and we could pet him through the bars in front of the window. Unfortunately he was not there and we thought maybe he was not in the mood but surely the next day he would come out. Filled with hope to be able to see him we passed by the window every day but he was never at the window. Always only some of the other cats living there were at the window. A few days later we started to take his absence quite seriously because in reality he really likes to be at the window often. These cats belong to a boy and back then he was about 12 years old. Since we also knew his mother, we sent a message to her asking about that cat. She replied that something bad had happened and that the cat didn’t want to be at the window. We then asked whether we could come in to see him and she voluntarily invited us to do so.
Therefore we then went to visit that family. The boy greeted us and showed us where the cat was. In the corner of the kitchen he was lying in a round shape on a stool and we called his name and said “We are here again”. The cat raised his head and it looked like he recognized us. He jumped off the stool and stretched. Then we saw some red marks on his body and I almost screamed out in shock. The cat slowly, in typical cat manner, came to us and rubbed up against us. I kneeled down and carefully looked at him. Around his neck there were some wound-like marks and on the side of his belly there also were some red dots which supposedly were bloody injuries. The cat was in a good mood however and we saw that he was very happy to see us again. The boy said that surely some children did that and that he had found a sharp pencil at the window. That most likely happened while they were not at home. We felt so sorry because that cat was always so friendly and trusting towards people and always giving friendship to people. Someone abusing that trust and mistreating him for no reason made us very sad and deeply affected as humans and we profoundly apologized to the cat. His affection towards people over boundaries of species was very precious. I feel ashamed to be human for that. Those who can do such things to innocent animals do not possess warm-hearted emotion. I cannot forgive that person.
The boy and his family only want to open the window when they are home. Now this cat is doing fine and he always comes to the window, seemingly having forgotten all of it. But I can not forgive this perpetator and I am still sad.
Close to my apartment there is an apartment where many cats live. Previously I mentioned that in the blog post “Animal friends”. My husband and I have especially befriended one of those cats who has beautiful Whisky-coloured eyes. Whenever we call him, quite often he will come to the window.
One fine summer evening we passed by and this cat was sitting by the window. It looked like he was happy to see us. Through the bars we pet him while talking to him. “Good evening!” Suddenly the curtain was opened and a blonde boy showed his face. He is the owner of those cats and back then he was about 12 years old. “I heard your voices”. Because of the cats we got to know each other and have become friends. The cat seemed to have become nervous and quickly went to him and rubbed against him. The very next moment he came back to us and rubbed against the bars in front of the window. When we started to pet him, he again returned to the boy. Several times he went back and forth from us to the boy. We were watching in astonishment and said to the cat “What are you doing?”. Finally he lay down in the middle between us and the boy and seemed to have calmed down. Many people say cats are self-centered but in that instant it seemed like cats also think about the feeling of humans. He did not want to hurt our as well as the boy’s feelings. Or did he want to appeal to everyone for his own benefit?… In any case I think that cats understand a lot and that they are quite intelligent.
This cat and the others have all been saved by this boy. They were all stray cats. The one with the Whisky-coloured eyes was very small when he found him and he thought that when left alone he would not survive on his own. Therefore he begged his mother to take the cat home with him. Had he not saved that cat, our friendship would not have developed. That cat enriches our soul and gives us beautiful moments and we give thanks to that boy.
By the way, that boy wanted to give us this cat. Unfortunately we cannot have pets because we sometimes are not here and also because my husband is allergic. The cat with the Whisky-coloured eyes will always stay our favourite.
View from hotel window at Piatra Neamt, Romania 2012 ホテルの窓からの景色 ルーマニアのピアトラ ネアムツ 2012年
In the winter of 2012, my husband and I had concerts close to Piatra Neamt in Romania. I remember that it was very cold, the streets were covered with snow and it was difficult to walk. We wanted to have some hot drinks in our hotel room. My husband prepared some tea in a cup we had brought with us from Vienna. We chose that cup for travel because it was said to be robust against heat and not made from plastic. Nevertheless when my husband passed the cup with hot tea to me, the cup suddenly burst and boiling water spilled onto my right thigh. I immediately removed my clothes and cooled down that spot in the shower. Unfortunately there was a burn injury which hurt very much. We called our Romanian organizer and she came to our room right away to ask whether we needed an ambulance because it was already quite late in the evening. I wanted to wait and see how it would develop and so she went to the nearest pharmacy to buy some bandages.
The next day there was still strong pain and the burnt spot even had a completely different colour. That day I was supposed to sing an aria from “Die Csardasfürstin” by Emmerich Kalman. Since this region of the concert is close to the operetta’s protagonist’s home, I heard that the audience would be happy to hear that aria. There was an interlude when I was supposed to dance a little. But I was in strong pain and it was impossible for me to sing and dance. The announcer made a statement to the audience that I was injured and they should have understanding which was helpful for me. When I entered the stage, I forgot all about my pain and I could perform. This is a beautiful memory. Even afterwards at the party with the locals, I participated in some Romanian dance with them!
The pain increased however and the next day when we departed, it was difficult for me to walk. We thought that we should call for assisance at Vienna airport to take me to a taxi in a wheelchair. This assistant looked at me and asked what the problem might be. The location of my injury was invisible on the thigh and since I was wearing a long coat, it was completely out of sight. I have a feeling that my pain was difficult to estimate because just from seeing me it was maybe impossible to recognize. That assistant took me in wheelchair a long way to the exit but there was still some distance to the taxi stand. Out of consideration I declined to be taken any further and said goodbye to the assistant. With the help of my husband I walked very slowly to the taxi and the pain was very strong.
The burn mark was quite severe and stayed visible for a long time. But without seeing a doctor, it eventually fully healed and now there is even no more trace of that injury.
Today (21st of June) is the Summer Solstice. In Japan there is also a partial Solar eclipse. Unfortunately here in Vienna this time it cannot be observed. Summer solstice and and a solar eclipse (New moon) on the same day, of which some people say that it could mean that something special might be coming. I do not know, I have limited knowledge. All I can see is that it rains every day. I think this may not be very unusual in Vienna.
Now in Japan it is rain season. Once I spoke to a Japanese friend who used to live in Vienna about rain season in Japan and I said that there is no rain season in Vienna which is nice. She replied that in her opinion there is a slightly rainy period in June here in Vienna. I thought that could indeed be the case. It could be said that now there is a “mini rain season” in Vienna now.
Recently sometimes the rain noise wakes me up during the night. This morning I woke up and was surprised that already around 4 AM the twilight started to illuminate the sky somewhat. Today is New Moon and also rain which means it should be quite dark. However Vienna is at a latitude where the daylight hours in summer are longer. But starting tomorrow, the days will get shorter every day and so maybe I can sleep better.
Now is the season for cherries and they are offered at Viennese supermarkets. I think cherries are fruits that are mostly harvested in regions with a cooler climate. In Japan, cherries from Yamagata in northern Japan are well known. Every year, one of my mother’s friends living in the north, sent us a box of Yamagata cherries. They are much lighter in colour than those in the picture above and quite expensive. Since cherries are seasonal fruits, they can only be enjoyed for a short time. I remember that those cherries in the box sparkled like jewels to my eyes.
Austria is situated northerly enough and there are many cherry trees, also in many private gardens of houses and those owners can harvest beautiful cherries from their own trees. But often there are white worms inside the cherries. In Japan, cherries are special delicacies and it is wondrous to me that people can just pick them from their own trees and I had never seen worms in them. Austrian friends said worms are a sign of naturalness and of not using pesticides. If you leave cherries in water overnight, those worms will come out and you can enjoy those cherries worm-free. If you should swallow a worm, that is actually no problem and Austrians say that they consist mostly of protein.
Still to me it is unusual to eat cherries with worms and so for many years I decided not to buy any cherries in Austria. But the cherries are so beautiful and in their season there is the opportunity to buy them at a reasonable price. One time, more than 15 years ago, I gathered the courage and went to a market to buy some cherries. I asked the vendor whether his cherries had worms in them. He replied proudly “none of my cherries have any worms, see for yourself!”. He opened one cherry with his fingers and we both saw a white worm moving inside. Both of us could not speak any more and I left the stand without cherries.
Now in Austria however, there are cherries from many different countries. Recently I bought some from Greece, the ones in the picture above are from Italy. My Austrian husband always tells me that nowadays in supermarkets they don’t sell cherries with worms. And he says” If the unlikely case should occur, who really cares? It is mostly protein!” That is why I started buying cherries in Austria, they all taste quite good, no matter where they come from. Still to this day I need a little courage to eat cherries .
Yesterday was Father’s Day. If I had called my father on the phone in Japan, he would have been very happy about it. Sadly, I could not do that because he passed away at old age in 2013.
He was a high school teacher. There were some students who were close to him and every year some of them came our house at New Year to visit, even when he grew older. He gave them a warm welcome and served food and drinks. From a young age, I always had to greet those people or other guests when they arrived and again when they left. I was quite shy and it was hard for me but I think that as a teacher and father he did the right thing.
My father wanted to become a lawyer and studied law at Chuō University in Tokyo. Unfortunately because of the Second World War he could not pass the law exam. He taught poltitics, economics, ethics, world history and Japanese history . At home he used to read a lot and always continued studying. His spirit of studying had a strong impact on me and I really respect it.
He did not only study by himself but also spoke a lot to his family about his studies. Because of my father’s decision, at home it was almost only allowed to watch the news on TV. He always gave critical remarks and an analysis of the news to us. Thereby as a small child I could listen to his words. I could be said that he was teaching his own family every day. Especially during the summer holidays he made plans for me and I had to study all day under his watch.
This diligent motivation for study was well known among his relatives but he was infamous for forcing relatives’ children to study. However I am sure that those relatives did not know my father’s funny side. He was a wonderful teller of fairy tales. About dogs and cats he could invent funny stories and I really liked to listen. Also surely I was the only person who could do insolent things to him. For example combing his hair or sitting on his shoulder (of course as a small child). If relatives had seen that, they would surely have been amazed because my father was known as a strict person.
He lived to be over 90 years old. Sadly he developed dementia late in life and so what he said was no longer fully reasonable. That made me said. But what he taught me, especially ethics and politics, I do value and cherish a lot. Furthermore he was a motivated singer! Over about 80 years old he studied Japanese Noh theater singing. Because I chose the path of specialised classical singer, he spoke for hours about vocal technique. Surley his relatives do not know that. I know that he wishes for me to walk this path ever more deeply and become a good voice teacher.
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