Why I’m Okay With Japan Using Covid Relief Money for a Giant Squid Sculpture

Image from CNN.com

Is a giant squid statue worth all the controversy it’s getting?

If you haven’t heard, in the coastal town of Noto, in Ishikawa, Japan, they spent $230,000 of the $6.2 million received from the government for Covid relief on a 43-foot sculpture of a flying squid. Could they have used their money on something more important — probably?

But I’m not mad.

In fact, I like that they spent some of their relief money on art. Mainly to promote tourism for their small fishing town. Apparently, the area is the center of squid fishing in Japan.

I never visited Noto while living in Japan. Still, now I’m interested in seeing the statue next time I can travel back to one of my favorite countries. Squid is a delicacy in Japan. Even though Americans might not be interested in eating it, it doesn’t mean the statue is a waste of money.

When it was unveiled, Japanese people were surprised by the timing, and so were people on Twitter. Guys, a ton of readers, most likely people who have never been to Japan, were upset about this giant flying squid.

According to this article by CNN news, someone commented, “No matter how you look at it, this is wrong. They have to return that money.”

Really? Is it that serious? Indeed, there are more important matters to get this upset about.

Here’s my take on why this isn’t such a huge deal.

Covid cases are low in Noto, Japan

In a town of around 16,000 residents, there have been fewer than 30 cases of Covid-19. Not that this is okay. It’s still a concern, but why can’t they take this opportunity to do something to put their area on the map?

I’m pretty sure that at the time this statue was approved and sculpted by the artist — most likely a year ago or so — Japan was doing pretty well controlling the virus. They probably thought it would be a positive way to celebrate victory over covid.

Unfortunately, cases have spiked in larger cities like Tokyo and Osaka, and hospitals have trouble keeping up with all the new patients. Scary times right now, for sure, and I’m hoping for the best. The Osaka area is my second home, and I want its citizens to stay healthy and the cases to drop.

Even though the statue’s unveiling timing is abysmal, I think they did what they thought was right when it was being created. Should we punish the town of Noto for that?

They need a way to attract tourism to keep their economy going strong

Even if Japan was doing well-handling covid, the virus was still causing huge dips in tourism. This town found an opportunity to provide funds to local artists and construction workers in this time of economic turmoil.

I bet this statue helped provide much-needed work while also investing in a new piece of fun, publicly accessible art — the perfect socially distanced tourist attraction.

Even I want to go and take a picture in front of it.

Japanese people love squid, and the sculpture will make visitors smile

Art is essential and beautiful. Squid is delicious and well-loved by the people of Japan. If a family visits the town of Noto, you know the kids will laugh and smile while taking pictures. Parents and couples will share their squid photos all over social media.

This statue will bring not only tourists to the area but excitement and joy.

It’s easy for people outside of Japan to hear about this and think it’s ridiculous. Why? Is this an easy way to take a cheap shot at Japan? With all the controversy over the summer Olympics, should we cancel them or not, here’s another reason to be angry at Japan. I say, calm down and let a town beautify itself.

In conclusion

There are plenty of frustrating things about living in Japan and the experiences I went through. I didn’t fully understand why it’s that way. Still, I smiled, and whatever it was, let it go. As a Black man, having middle school students rub my skin to see if the brown would come off, for example, was one of those.

If I compare that to a small town deciding to use the money for a wild, eye-catching work of art to put their area on the map, I say go for it.

I’m confident Noto, Japan is not a corrupt town. If they needed the money to help save lives in their area, they would have used it for that purpose. Japanese people are pretty in tune with the needs of the many. Especially compared to other parts of the world where the culture revolves around thinking more about ourselves.

If I had any issue, it would be with the government giving so much money to an area with so few covid cases. They could have passed some of that on to bigger cities. Or, saved it for emergencies like the spike in cases happening right now.

With all the negativity, fear, and death in the world, let’s try and see the good in a tiny town trying to make the best of it all with the help of art.

3 Creativity Hacks Inspired By Japanese Wood Carvings

What do monkeys; a cat and an elephant have in common?  Believe it or not, inspiration for expanding your creativity!

Actually, the animals I’m talking about are ornately carved on structures made over 400 years ago at Toshogu Shrine in the city of Nikko, Japan.  The famous shrine and world heritage site is just north of Tokyo, and was built as the final resting place of ruler Tokugawa Ieyasu.  He founded the Tokugawa Shogunate, the final military dynasty in Japan that lasted from 1603-1867.

Even though Japan has been a part of my life for thirteen years I can’t recall hearing about this place until this summer.  My family and I visited Nikko for several days and were quite impressed with the history and colorful beauty of the area.

Not only was it lovely, there were several takeaways I discovered about the creative process just from pondering these wood carved animals at Toshogu Shrine. 

Nemuri-Neko, the sleeping cat, guarding Tokugawa Ieyasu's resting place.

1.    The Sleeping Cat shows us how we can receive inspiration while at rest

Nemuri-Neko, carved by Hidari Jingoro, is of a sleeping cat surrounded by flowers.  It was placed at the entrance of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s grave to ward off mice and has become a famous recognizable symbol to Japanese people.  What fascinates me is that the cat is sleeping and, similar to a real feline, still seems alert!

I’m reminded of how cats take frequent naps but are still aware of their surroundings and can wake quickly when approached.  Just like when we’re trying to get creative inspiration for our projects, thinking hard doesn’t usually get results.  It’s when we’re sleeping, taking a walk or even using the restroom that the great idea pops into our heads!  If you jump right away and make a mental note or write it down, you can catch it like a little mouse.

Learn to fill your mind with images and information from research related to the project you need a great idea for.  Then take a break so that it can all gel in your brain.  When you let go by doing something different and turn your mind away, the answers will come!

The artist carved the elephant on the right without ever seeing a real one.

2.    The Elephant shows that if you commit to taking risks you can create something no one has ever seen before

On top of a building that was used as a warehouse called “Kamijinko” is a carving of an elephant.  The artist never actually saw one in real life and I think it turned out looking pretty accurate.  I assume he was going off of written descriptions of what elephants look like.

There must have been quite a bit of pressure because this was to be done to honor the emperor.  Since there are no elephants in Japan and no cameras at that time, he had to use his imagination to create his own interpretation.  Yes, we could say that no one else had seen real elephants back then either so he could have created whatever crazy animal he wanted, but it looks like he took it seriously.

The artist couldn’t see any references for what he needed to create but still took a risk and made it happen.  I’m sure he sketched plenty of ideas early on (and probably hated all of them) but found something good eventually through continually doing the work.

When you’re coming up with a new idea or design, use what you know and have the courage to put down ideas even if they look or sound awful.  Getting started is the key.  Learning through continually working on and through your ideas by facing fears, taking small risks and trying styles you’ve never taken on before will create something amazing.    

The three monkeys reminding you to hear no evil, speak no evil and see no evil.

3.    The Three Monkeys want you to train your brain and avoid evil

On the sacred horse stable or Shinkyusha are 8 carved boards along the top that depict the life of a monkey and caricature human life.  One of the most famous boards illustrates the famous Buddhist teaching -if we hear no evil, speak no evil and see no evil; we can live a good life.

It’s something we have to train ourselves to do.  I’m sure all of us have times when we get in deep trouble for speaking evil my mistake!  As we grow in life, we learn when to speak up and when to stay quiet.  You can also train yourself to be more creative as long as you understand that it will take time.  It will take less time if you have a purpose.

Just like the monkeys in the carving you can make a point to avoid evil but pay attention to all the inspiration that you hear, say and see in the world.

Read more and make a point to remember one detail that you feel is important.  Look at the work of artists you admire or despise and study what makes their work special.  Learn a new skill.  Spend time with people you think of as creative and talk with them about what inspires you.  Question everything!  The answers will create new inventions, characters and stories.  

The bottom line is to make a point to take inspiration breaks while you work, commit to consistently taking risks and exercising your creative mind with more than just your art, music or writing.  Keep these ideas in your head each day and watch your creative power expand in ways you never thought possible!

Of course, you should also take a trip to Nikko, Japan.  It’s pretty amazing!