Hokkaido Dream

Alexei Postnikov
(Institute of the History of Natural Sciences and Technology, RAS, Russia, Foreign Visiting Fellow, SRC, 1998-99)



My father, Vladimir Mikhailovich Konstantinov (1903-1968), told me a lot about Japan. He had spent nearly fifteen years (throughout 1920s and 1930s) in Tokyo, graduated from Wasada University and won for himself a prominent name in the field of Japanese Linguistics. He knew and deeply loved the country and her people. When I was seventeen years old, I became acquainted with my father, who at that time had been rehabilitated and released from Stalin's Khabarovsk camp, where he had spent eighteen years of his life. He told me a lot about Japan's enchanted nature, her fascinating history and ancient culture.
From the 1960s onward, Japan, his beloved country, became my fond dream, which I never imagined would be fulfilled. Now that my dream has been fulfilled I find that my father's infatuation with Japan was very well grounded; as the Russian proverb says It is better one time to see than hundred times to hear.
Although my wife Valentina and I thought ourselves to be well prepared for Japan's wonders, our first days here demonstrated how scanty and incomplete our knowledge was. We first discovered this when we met Japanese people. During our first hours on Japanese soil, and while flying from Tokyo to Sapporo, we "discovered" the unique amalgamation of self-esteem, civility and traditional courtesy, which is implanted in Japanese employees at all levels. Their bows of greeting and thanking reminded us of the civility which had been typical in a by-gone Russia.
We were lucky to get here in the early summer with the luxuriant blossom of flowers, birds' songs and two June festivals which demonstrated devotion to old tradition, music and dance. We derived great pleasure in experiencing ancient and exotic culture and tradition. Japanese dances, theatre and national festivals are extremely colorful. Their music has very much in common with our melodious and sad Russian songs, so it was not a surprise, that they were very fond of Russian folk songs and classical music.
Being a geographer I could not fail to be deeply impressed by the Japanese love for nature and for profiting in working to keep the land as beautiful as possible. It is fascinating to follow their efforts to keep Sapporo's streets flowered in all seasons, with flowers constantly replaced so that even different light-poles, walls around construction sites, garden fences and so on are always fully in bloom. Japanese Ikebana is known all over the world, but we did not imagine, that it was possible to create such magnificent blossoming compositions on the scale we saw in Odori Park, where a symphony of flowers was complemented by beautiful fountains. Even temporary markets and exhibitions (for instance, beer gardens) could not spoil the effect. Regarding business and advertising, in Sapporo these activities are also positively influenced by embedded Japanese culture. Even TV commercials here are not as annoying as in many other countries (including Russia), and in many cases they are quite nice and entertaining. We were also pleasantly surprised to find small kitchen gardens near many of Sapporo's houses (including our International Guest House), a familiar sight for Russians having dachas. Urban environment notwithstanding, the owners of these gardens labor devote each free moment on them and are rewarded with an abundant harvest.
The main treasure of Japan is her industrious, sensitive, romantic and family-loving citizens. The only reality we are reluctant to accept is the reckless, sometimes dangerous, style of bicycle riding which is typical of Sapporo's high school students.
We learned Hokkaido is very different from the rest of Japan. It is more like Russia in its nature and climate, and bears some traces of Ainu culture. Living here and working at the Slavic Research Center has been pleasant and productive for us. The Center is an outstanding collection of persons wholly dedicated to science, helping us in our studies and everyday life with all their might.
Upon his release from imprisonment my father published his major monograph Orossiakoku Suymudan (Dreams about Russia), a translation from Japanese, complete with commentaries and historical background about the adventures of some Japanese fishermen who were shipwrecked in Russia in the late eighteenth century.* The Japanese fishing boat "Sinse-maru" had foundered in the North Pacific when its crew was saved by Russians. After spending many years in Russia, the crew returned to their native land with pleasant dreams about their host country, which had been virtually unknown at that time in Japan. I am sure, that when we return to Moscow, our experiences in Sapporo, Hokkaido and Japan will have a prominent and treasured place in our memories and dreams.

*See: Konstantinov V.M. (text editing, translation and commentaries) Orosiiakoku Suymudan (sny o Rossii) [Dreams about Russia]. Memorials of Literature of Peoples of the East. The small series. XI (Moscow, 1961); Konstantinov V.M. "Svedeniia ob ekipazhe korablia ." [Data on the crew of the ship], Problemy vostokovedeniia, #3 (1959).

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