Kansai Window

"Kansai Daisuki!" (I Love Kansai!) is a web page where foreigners living in Kansai talks about the charm of Kansai.

KANSAI!ダイスキ画像

The 7th
The seventh program
Ms. Diane Orrett



		Our seventh 'I love Kansai' guest is Ms. Diane Orrett, originally from Liverpool, England. Diane came to Japan in 1990 and has lived in Osaka ever since. While in Osaka she has studied and gained a deep appreciation for a variety of traditional Japanese arts and cultural forms such as flower arranging, the tea ceremony and the kimono.

March, 2002
Ms. Diane Orrett

More recently, Diane has become known by her stage name 'Diane Kichijitsu' ('lucky day') and makes stage appearances performing 'Rakugo', a traditional form of comic storytelling. Because she performs this stage-art in English as well as Japanese she has been able to bring the charm of Rakugo to many non-Japanese.

Before Japan, Diane had been traveling around the world as a back-packer for about two years. It was during some time in New Zealand that a roommate fascinated her with stories of Japan and prompted her decision to visit for a short while. At least, that was the plan! She had no intention of staying for any serious length of time.

When she first arrived, Diane stayed with a friend as she began to learn the language. At the same time, she was also growing very attached to life in Osaka. Then, 9 years ago, she found a small house, located just off Tanimachi Avenue, where she began to make a base for all her activities and where she has lived ever since. She likes the convenience and pleasant atmosphere of the area and, on her mountain bike, finds it very easy to get to the various places she visits for her work, Rakugo studies, flower arranging and relaxation. While home may be in the middle of a big city, at night it is actually very quiet. She is also within easy walking distance of the natural oasis that has Osaka Castle at its heart.

Diane is also happy to have some great neighbors, kind and friendly people she finds easy to mix and chat with. If she is out, they collect her mail for her. The owner of the neighborhood 'izakaya' (Japanese style public house) knows that she is a vegetarian and always produces his special 'Diane Menu' of tofu (bean curd) and various vegetables when she stops by. Diane herself says that one of her favorite meals is yam and vegetable 'okonomiyaki', a pancake-like dish. On the subject of Japanese cooking, Diane really likes the taste of 'ponzu', a sour sauce made from a special type of orange, which she uses as a dressing for 'tofu' and salad. She even pours it on noodles.

While, we already know that Diane likes Osaka's Tanimachi area, she told us about some of her other favorite spots in Kansai. These include Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto and Todaiji Temple in Nara. She also mentioned the really old town streets that remain in Sannenzaka and Nara-machi. "Those places both leave a lasting impression" she said "but I like all parts of Kansai so much that it is difficult to pick favorites".

When she was in England Diane was a graphic designer. She recalls having seen Japanese ceramics and Kanji (written characters) at that time and being intrigued by them. So when she actually came to Japan, she found herself immediately drawn to Japanese culture and art.

The simplicity of flower arranging and the tea ceremony in Japan is an aesthetic that especially appeals to Diane. 'Flower arts do exist in England, too, but Japanese flower arranging is beautiful for its far simpler form' says Diane. She has similar feelings for the tea ceremony. The ceremony, she says, enhances the quality and depth of the communication due, in part, to the use of minimal space, decor and utensils. Diane believes that the charm of Japanese traditional culture lies in the depth and beauty of such simplicity.

On the other hand, Diane is also in tune with another kind of charm, namely the coexistence of a more modern aesthetic within traditional crafts. For example, both a quiet sensitivity and gorgeous richness can be found together in ceramics or kimono design. "I began to collect kimono with interesting patterns and gradually learned how to make my own for the stage", she told us.

Undoubtedly, it is partly due to her background in graphic design that Diane so sensitively appreciates the multi-faceted aspects of Japanese culture.

The charm of Rakugo may also derive from its subtle depth of simplicity spiced up with various humorous devices. Rakugo is, traditionally, a one-man comedy performance in which the props, a fan and a towel, are used in a variety of ways. Numerous amusing character types and situations can be depicted by the same performer. Diane elaborated. "Even in England, which has a broad and long comic tradition, there is nothing quite like this. Rakugo is utterly unique".When she works on a new comic routine, she records herself practicing on video so that she can check each and every detail. "If you change a gesture ever so slightly, that by itself can change the character or scenery entirely. That aspect of Rakugo is particularly interesting but it is also the most difficult thing about it. When I first started, I often mixed up the direction the characters were facing while speaking".

Through a friend's introduction, Diane first encountered Rakugo when she was helping as an 'ocha-ko' (stage assistant) for an English-language Rakugo show performed by a famous Rakugo master (Mr. Katsura Shijaku). Since then she has been able to master some of the traditional 'sketches' herself such as 'Bird Hunter', 'Samurai' and 'I'm terrified of Sushi', as well as creating her own original pieces. For the traditional routines, she makes appropriate cultural adjustments and adds her own ideas to make the presentation more understandable for translation into English. 'I'm terrified of Sushi' is a good example. The original title did not refer to sushi but to 'manju' (Japanese cakes). Diane thought that 'sushi' would be better for a non-Japanese audience. In such thoughtful ways she has succeeded in mastering traditional Japanese arts and, doubtless, some Japanese people will feel some sense of shame that they don't equally apply themselves to the deep appreciation of their own traditional culture.

Since leaving the United Kingdom, Diane visited 26 countries. "But at last I have found my base, and my base is here in Japan" she told us. "If I ever go back to England, I want to spread and promote the joy I have found in Japanese culture... and of course perform my Rakugo as well. But even if I do go back, a piece of my heart will always be here in Japan".

Diane's activities, spreading and promoting the best elements of Japanese culture, are expanding internationally. Her audience now includes people who live overseas as well as foreign people living in Japan. 'Japan Year 2001' was a cultural event held in England, Diane's home country, last year. Various projects and programs to introduce Japan to the English people were arranged. Several people active and prominent in Japanese culture visited as part of the program. Diane was one of them. On the day she gave an English-language Rakugo performance in London, her parents and sister were among the audience. They were taken aback to see her performing Japanese Rakugo in front of such a large audience.

"I was really shy when I was a little girl. At school I used to feel really nervous when reading out loud in front of my classmates. My Japanese friends don't believe me when I tell them that. They say I must have been a different person. In the same way, my family seems to think I've grown as a person since I've been in Japan. For my part, I don't feel I had found my true self before coming here. I came to Japan, encountered the many aspects of Japanese culture and, by absorbing them, discovered what I really wanted to do. That is how I found my base and I am so happy about that. Maybe I was Japanese in a previous life!"

It seems that whatever the traditional culture or art - Yakimono (ceramics), the Kimono (traditional dress), Ikebana (flower arranging), Sadou (the tea ceremony), or Rakugo - Diane has taken the time and effort to learn and appreciate it. Indeed, she has gained an appreciation that many young Japanese people today rarely experience.

Diane added that it is not so surprising that foreigners have never seen Rakugo, but it seems that a lot of my Japanese friends who come along have not seen Rakugo performed live either, yet they have been to see Yoshimoto comedy shows". But regardless of whether they are Japanese or non-Japanese, Diane is delighted with all her audiences.

So, the 'little English girl', once too shy to speak in front of an audience, came to discover her true self 12 years later when she encountered this country called Japan. It was just expected to be another country she would visit, but she soon found herself captivated by its people, culture and way of life. Diane's stage performances, her lifestyle, and friendly character can help us all discover, or rediscover, the best of Japan, whether we were born here or have come from other lands.