“I am a poet”. What does this mean to you if somebody says it to you?
Is it possible to make a living as a poet? Under what circumstances?
Poetry as tourism inducer.
About Nakahara Chuya … There is the usual information about him on Wikipedia, but here is his memorial museum in Yamaguchi city. There is an English pamphlet.
And given the “cool Japan” treatment …
There is also a film about his life and a love triangle from his early adulthood: ゆきてかへらぬ.
An example of “serendipitous contents tourism”. Three years ago after we taught this class I went here. I thought, “this is the place from Chuya’s poem”, and it immediately became my image of 輝く波の美しさ。Chuya’s poem does not give the location of the waves that reminded him of his father … I will not give you this location … or who it reminds me of … that would spoil it … but it has become a “sacred site” with meaning for me …
In early 2023 I set this poem to music. It was first performed on 29 July 2024. I have a recording, but cannot share it just yet … It will be recorded professionally in August 2026 and released on CD in 2027!
And in 2025 I actually went to Chuya sites in Yamaguchi: 20251106 Chuya