New Years
Each New Year's Eve NHK, the Japanese television network, would broadcast a special produced by a different director. In 1992 our friend Jin Tatsumura was selected. Susan met Jin when he asked her to record "Ave Maria" for one of his films in the wonderful "Gaia Symphony" series.
On this occasion Jin wanted to bring his crew to Orcas Island to film Susan and the community in the Chapel. We were to decorate the Chapel as if for the Christmas Concert (It was actually thanksgiving so there was more pumpkin than tinsel).
The special was made up of sections featuring different people around the world, such as Daphne Sheldrake who rescued elephants in Africa, and Susan's voice was woven in amongst others such as Enya and Nóirín Ní Riain.
We were in the studio for the broadcast and afterwards at midnight went to a temple crowded with people and walked through the giant straw hoop into the new year, burnt up all our mistakes of the old year, and had a chance at better luck next time.
I guess our little chapel was as exotic to them as their big temple, gongs, kimonos, and new year arrows were to us. At the end of the clip our group wishes the Japanese audience a happy new year saying: "akemashite omedeto gozaimasu!" meaning 'big opening, good luck! Which is how you say Happy New Years in Japan (but only on the 1st or after).
Enjoy these New Year clips from the olden days. Some of these community pals have passed on, as has Jin. And the babies are having babies of their own! Yikes!
Susan loved to quote Steven Hawking: "Time is an elephant on roller skates".
Enjoy the New Year and let's make the best of it. One thing we can be sure of: it's a big opening, so - good luck!
-David
"Come Celebrate Life" -Susan Osborn
Come celebrate life
Come celebrate wildness
All over the world
Together in peace
Come celebrate love
With music and laughter
All over the world
Together on peace
Day after day living our lives
Apart from each other, sisters and brothers
And now we have come to join in the sun and sing...
Come celebrate earth
The healing of nations
All over the world
Together in peace
Come celebrate us
The whole human family
All over the world
Together in peace
“At The Shore” Japanese lyrics ‘translated’ /rewritten by Susan Osborn
Jin Tatsumura
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