Watercolor Artwork by Calamity
Spring in San Diego always sets in so suddenly. You turn the corner and a flower, which you always took for granted to be perpetually a bud, has burst it’s pale pink and yellow petals out to the delight of bees and passers by. The long awaited rain taps onto mailboxes and into the sleepy grass seeds, who respond by gratefully sending blades up towards the sun. And for some of you, every Sunday morning you ride your bikes to Kalabash and explore the wonderful world of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away with our talented theatre teachers, Miss Nancy, Mr. Andrew, and Miss Natasha!
We wish everyone could join us as we build a magical world here filled with river spirits, dragons, witches, dancing paper and puppetry. Join us as we honor Miyazaki’s delightful world of enchantment and spiritual symbolism. And as we explore what it means to get in touch with the earth, spirituality, and the inner child. Here are a few activities for you to be part of this magical creation, and so we can all honor the emergence of Spring together:
Learn a new Japanese word. Two words that come up often throughout the film are “Yu” and “Me”. These clues can be put together to form the word “Yume” which means “To dream”! Below is that word written in Japanese:
夢
(Try copying that down on a piece of paper!)
Spirited Away was said to be heavily based on Shinto-Buddhism, a tenet of which is the idea of Kami, or that all things in nature such as trees, rocks, rivers, and mountains have spirits attached to them. So maybe take a nature walk and say hello to every Kami spirit you see. Imagine the rocks, hummingbirds, and mushrooms have voices, personalities, hairstyles. Pick up a few pieces of trash you see to clean the houses of your new friends. They might thank you, just like the River Spirit thanks Chihiro!
Another Shinto Buddhist tradition is the Kagura, or music and dance done for the Kami. In folklore, Amaterasu the sun goddess was said to have disappeared into a cave and refused to come out. All of the other gods gathered together and performed a wild and free dance to urge her to emerge. When she did, the sun rose. Can you do a dance in the morning that might make the sun rise? It will have to be one filled with passion and energy...the sun is heavy!
Enjoy the process of honoring spring by yourself or with your loved ones. While you’re at it, why not listen to this Spirited Away playlist we made especially for you? Featuring all manners of magical music to enchant the spirit inside.