By MARY UYEMATSU KAO
As my husband and I are moving into the second half of our 70s, facing mortality becomes more apparent in big and little ways every day. We are trying to prepare for our future of aging in place — which means doing necessary changes to our house with that in mind. The task of renovating is not only daunting, but we are now physically confronted with — “What is the real meaning of mottainai?”
I vaguely remember seeing a music video by Nobuko Miyamoto, where thousands of hashi were coming out of everywhere to accompany her song “Mottainai.” At the time, I was horrified to see the waste of all the disposable hashi. But now, faced with my own collection of mottainai — I wonder if I missed the point. I have also been confronted with hoards of hashi, seemingly coming out of everywhere. Was the sarcasm intended?
I donated two large boxes full of plastic cutlery from years of take-outs to a food give-away program.
As I started emptying my closets which have been neatly stuffed with everything imaginable, I have had to acknowledge the fact that we are hoarders. I resorted to asking Google AI: “When does mottainai become hoarding?”
AI gave a great chart on differentiating “True Mottainai (Active) versus Mottainai Hoarding (Passive).(See screenshot of the chart)
On further research, I found a deep-dive article by Chris Komai titled “Too Much Mottainai?” His best revelation was: “Allowing one’s home to fill with clutter would be the height of mottainai.” Hello?!!! He explains how the context of American culture’s “never too much of a good thing” allows for excess, which contradicts the true meaning of mottainai. (© 2015 Chris Komai, https://discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2015/5/26/too-much-mottainai/)
The struggle over parting with things that have “family heirloom” value, and what we want to save for future use, is not an easy one for hoarders. Deliberating over what to keep and what to give away, especially when we (my husband and I) are both guilty, makes the process even slower.
My mental disarray has been underscored by my computer of 15+ years going caput. A virtual death of part of myself serves as my excuse for missing my last Rafu deadline. And with it, another realization how dependent we are on tech/AI, as it takes over of our lives. The time’s they are a-changing, mostly not of our choice.
And what is to be done? At this stage of the game, survival seems to require the ability to roll with the punches, and all for the better, with a good sense of humor.
I’m finally recognizing where I need to turn the corner, at least on the mottainai front. The search for hope and the meaning of the “good life” in the belly of the monster continues on.
Good news is the opening of a new exhibit on the history of Descanso Gardens, which includes a significant portion on the contributions of Japanese American flower growers — especially F.M. Uyematsu (Star Nurseries) and Fred Waiichi Yoshimura (Mission aka San Gabriel Nursery). At the “mercy” of Executive Order 9066, Uyematsu and Yoshimura were forced to sell most of their flower stock to the then owner of Rancho del Descanso, E. Manchester Boddy.
As former Descanso Gardens CEO David R. Brown (2005-2017) has said: “This beautiful garden has special significance to me because it is tangible, enduring recognition of the role/contribution of Japanese Americans in the very existence of Descanso. If Mr. Boddy had not purchased those camellias from the Uyematsu and Yoshimura families, there would in all likelihood not be a Descanso Gardens for the public to enjoy today.” (https://discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2015/2/24/descanso-gardens-camellias/)
There will be a free public opening reception for the “L.A.’s Garden” exhibit, curated by Rosten Woo, on Friday, July 17, 5 to 7 p.m. at Descanso Gardens Boddy House.
Mary Uyematsu Kao is the former publications coordinator for the. UCLA Asian American Studies Center (1987-2018); MA Asian American Studies, 2007. She is the author/photographer of “Rockin’ the Boat: Flashbacks of the 1970s Asian Movement” (now in its second edition). She welcomes comments, criticisms, and other feedback on her opinions: uyematsu72@gmail.com. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo.