EN - "Ring the Bells!"

Happy New Year!

I create a new blog with a new URL very two years, and this year falls on that year, so here is a new blog. It's quite something to think about the fact that I started writing a blog in the year 2006, which is 8 years ago... At that time, I was often asked what I was up to, and I wished that there was a platform where my family and friends from around the world could access whenever they wanted and see what I was doing. I was researching if there was such thing on Internet, and then I came across with the word, "blog." I was thrilled when I discovered it, thinking, "Yes, this is what I was looking for!!"

I started a new year with yummy mochi made at a local temple here on Maui, and then I headed to my dance teacher's studio. I swept and placed my ghungroo (ankle bells) in the sun. 

I then kneeled down to thank the ghungroo for dancing with me the previous year and the new year.

There is a popular Japanese TV program called "Kouhaku Uta Gassen" on every New Year's eve. I got to watch it some days later here on Maui, and I saw Dreams Come True singing their song, "Sa Kane wo Narase" for the first time. The singer, Miwa Yoshida was singing along with high school children from the Tohoku area where the earthquake and tsunami hit devastatingly. 

My heart and soul were shaken. My eyes welled up with the first line. Feelings that I could not articulate were spoken on behalf of me and many people. It felt freeing. I also felt comfort in knowing that there is someone who understand what we have gone through. And it didn't stop there. It also gave me a strong inspiration to keep going. 

I think that I will keep this song as my cheering song of this year. 

I translated the song from Japanese to English below. 

In English, bells can be big and small. In Japanese, kane means a large bell like the one that is hanging at a church. Suzu is for smaller bells like the ones on Ghungroo. In her song, she is referring to big bells. 

This year, I am going to ring my ghungroo bells from my heart and soul.

Sa Kane wo Narase (Ring the bells!)

Translation by Akari Ueoka

Dreams Come True

Composed by Masato Nakamura, Masao Yagi, Miwa Yoshida

Words by Miwa Yoshida, Masao Yagi

There was no if

There was no once again

There was no rewind

either

Even in a dream, my trembling hands couldn't stop shaking

There were no words

My imagination couldn't keep up

Meetings and separations 

It was something that I had to experience and come to realize on my own

How harder can this get?

Is this what living is all about?

I wanted to give up

Yet, if I could embrace at least this feeling...

Ring the bells! 

Exert last bit of your might

If that's the only way to overcome this day

For now

All we can do is to ring the bells - one day at a time

I was thrust into an unknown place - forever

No matter how hard I screamed or cried

There was no answer

How more unbeatable can this get?

Is this the meaning of life?

Nothing can comfort me

Yet, if I could at least embrace this reality...

Ring the bells! 

Exert last bit of your might

If that's the only way to reach the people we cannot see again

For now

All we can do is to ring the bells - one day at a time

Until the day we can understand

Until the day we can face them all

Until the day we can look back and say, "We made it"

Until we can heal it

Ring the bells! 

Ring them hard!

If that's the only way to walk with this unmanageable feeling

And

Swear that you will continue to live

Ring the bells to show that you'll live

Until we can see each other again

We will keep ringing the bells

We will

Here is a video of Dreams Come True singing the song.