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寿ぎ | Celebrating

Celebrating Life

This book is about celebrating life, celebrating the everyday ceremonies of life—the quiet miracle of the sun’s rising in the morning, its more spectacular setting, the new beginnings, new chances we are blessed with each day.

The opening of the shoji/curtains to greet the day; the first good morning; the first cup of tea, coffee, the first knee bend or stretch, a ritual sweep of the kitchen, reading the newspaper, watering the plants—the myriad moments that are part of the daily litany of life.

Think of them. They are a source of wonder, a reason for gratitude.

This book is about the little things that make our days flow. Our teacups, our towels, our toothbrushes, our dreams. Our families, our dogs, cats, bikes, our husbands, wives, friends, gardens, teachers, bus drivers, grocers, our itches, our pains.

This book seeks to honor the unsung everyday events of life and celebrate how they give our life shape and direction. While Otafuku smiles.

100 Faces of Otafuku

Life in Japan has taught me—among many other things—to believe in good fortune and bad and to see the wisdom in age-old beliefs that some call superstitions. I take Lady Luck seriously now and treat her with respect. When I first came to Tokyo in 1962, however, I was a cynical young thing in charge of my own destiny, thank you. So it was disconcerting to find myself in a world where traditional ways and beliefs were still largely intact.

In those days, I often encountered the image of a chubby lady in the entrances of houses, in corners of rooms, on packages, and on fortune papers at Shinto shrines. I was told that her name was Otafuku or Okame. Other than laughing at her silly face and noticing that she came in a host of shapes and attitudes—charming, coquettish, vulgar, cutesy, and downright ugly—I paid her little attention.

But as my years in Japan sped past, I began to see that there was more to the ancient rituals than meets the eye. Japan’s native system of belief, with its devotion to gods and spirits and ancient ritual, gave order to the course of daily life. Forces of evil were quelled by regular ministrations to the forces of good. And these forces, always present but needing assuagement, were charged with bringing good fortune and happiness.

Otafuku has been part of this scene for a long time. She is not so much invoked as always there, overseeing the ups and downs of our everyday lives. Her smiling face takes away worry and brings joy. Her chubby cheeks and tiny red mouth suggest robust health and earthy simplicity. She makes us smile when we see her, even as she assures us that she has been watching over us and that everything is all right.

During my early years in Japan, I noted her presence. Now, I can feel her even before I see her. It happened when a friend introduced me to a new restaurant. I liked everything about the place—the design, the food, the presentation. Then, on the way out, a trip to the bathroom…and hanging over a small window in the door, there she was, harbinger of good, a quirky little Otafuku mask. She has become a real friend.

This book has been brewing in my soul for a long time. Years ago, as an innocent—and ignorant—young college graduate, I came to Japan unaware of how radically my life would be changed. I have lived here now for longer than in my own country and have been the beneficiary of uncountable kindnesses as well as profound lessons in living. Like Alice, I entered a wonderland where people opened their lives and hearts and let me come in and feel at home. When I think of this, I suspect that certain forces have been steering me in the right direction, keeping me from harm’s way. And that the lady in charge of it all has been Otafuku.

Who Is Otafuku?

She’s not much to look at. She tends to be plump and frumpy, but something about Otafuku makes her the one you want to come home to. She’s always there, waiting, with a smile and warmth in her heart. She brings jollity to any occasion and greets each new situation with laughter and bright-heartedness. She’s fun and playful and open.

I love her. I have been drawn to her for 25 years! Somehow she has been beckoning, inviting me into Japan. Come explore the home and the hearth and the everyday life of the heart, she has been telling me. Come inside and play with me. Drink, eat with me, if you will. Let’s chat and gossip. Open up and have a good time. Let’s enjoy our lives.

I have always been drawn by interesting people. Hair out of place, maybe, hat askew, button forgotten, a twinkle of eye, a flashing smile. Someone different and warm and content with one’s self and ready to laugh at the world and, most of all, flow with it.

My creed of imperfection, of enjoying human foibles and originality seems to be best embodied in Otafuku. She is my passport to the side of Japan that is not formal or ordered. She is different things to different people, but to me she is warm, cozy, loving, accepting. Her joyful attitude toward life is one we could all espouse and one that I aspire to myself. She is a universal goddess who bids us all know what is amusing in life and in other people. She is a fount of generosity, of sharing her own abundance.