Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
June 10, 2024 at 14:41 JST
“What if I hadn’t come across that book at that time” is the thought that always comes to my mind when I think about one book.
I read “Haremu no atsui hibi” (Hot days in Harlem) by Ruiko Yoshida during the summer vacation of my second year of junior high school.
The book encapsulates the 10 eventful and pivotal years after Yoshida moved to the United States in 1961. It is an excellent piece of reportage as well as a record of her youth.
During her graduate studies at Columbia University, she met a white activist and later married him and lived in a housing complex for low-income families in Harlem, New York, which was then synonymous with the city’s black community.
It was an era marked by burgeoning opposition to the Vietnam War and a surging civil rights movement demanding an end to racial discrimination against black people. Eventually, she divorced and established herself as an independent photojournalist.
Her book offered a refreshingly intriguing perspective, vividly portraying the turbulent era through the experiences of African-Americans. I remember being struck by the realization that “such a Japanese woman exists.”
As I attended her lectures, I developed an interest in photojournalism. I felt a growing urge to communicate the diverse realities existing outside my own limited sphere.
Her writing and photographs resonated with touching authenticity, a testament to the deep trust she established with her subjects.
Even in conflict zones in Asia and the Middle East, she waited until people opened their hearts to her. Her images of women working in the markets and children playing innocently have stayed with me.
She also had bitter experiences during the Vietnam War. Drawn to the stark contrast between a tired mother taking refuge crouching down and her soundly sleeping baby, Yoshida was about to click the shutter. At the moment, the mother covered the baby’s face with her hand.
Though she initially blamed herself for not capturing the scene, she later came to think it was for the best.
Yoshida recently passed away at the age of 89. She believed that if everyone understood the fact that “we are all the same human beings,” there would be no discrimination or war.
That’s why she continued to take photos. Her conviction never wavered.
--The Asahi Shimbun, June 9
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Japanese knuckleball pitcher Eri Yoshida plays on her own 'Field of Dreams'
May 31, 2023
Ex-TV director revisits show on suicide attack speedboat at war’s end
February 23, 2020
War in Ukraine elevates defense issue in run-up to Upper House poll
July 7, 2022
Serbia’s tragedy as told through recipes during a brutal war
December 15, 2019
Picture book shows history of Christians in Nagasaki
November 22, 2019
Stories about memories of cherry blossoms solicited from readers
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series on the death of a Japanese woman that sparked a debate about criminal justice policy in the United States
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Ruiko Yoshida in 2007 (Photo by Takashi Mizumura)
