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To understand the soul of another country one should associate with its people. During two years spent in Belarus Minsk branch director of Japanese charity association "Kakehasy into Chenobil" Tatsumi Masako has not only rather grown fond of our traditions but find here her destiny.

Her time is scheduled up to minutes. Tatsumy teaches at the department of international relations in the Byelorussian State University, writes for a magazine in Kioto and participates in public activity. She’s got many interesting ideas. Our conversation with Tatsumy is about them.

— It is my dream to learn Byelorussian language, — she says. — Recently I got married Minsk resident Stepan Bugaichuk and decided to stay at Minsk forever. My husband is a sportsman, an archer. He is extremely interesting and strong person. Of course, I miss my native land and also national food, that I can’t cook here for the lack of essential products. From Byelorussian kitchen I prefer dishes from potatoes, which is incredibly tasty here and differ from that in Japan. My relatives that came from Kioto on my wedding appreciate it too. By the way local wedding ceremony is much more interesting than that in Japan. At my country it passes with more restraint, more officially. For instance, it is considered certain to invite the chief. A fiancee can only treat guests, but she is forbidden to try any dishes. These are the customs, and they are strictly observed in Japan.

— Tatsumy, how you have got into the Belarus?

— After graduating Tokyo university "Keyou" in 1992 I purchased a tour on my own savings and set off to a far trip into Russia — I studied russian language, you see. I have been to Habarovsk, Irkutsk, Moscow, Odessa, St.-Petersburg, Kiev...At that time I liked Minsk most of all, later I wrote about this in the book, issued in Kioto. I was especially amazed by architecture of Troitskoye predmestiye and abundance of squares. In japanese cities there is almost no place for green. In order to see a landscape you should go to mountains or to the sea. Second time I got here thanks to the family with which I was in correspondence for several years. Friendly relations are kept till now. Basically, all people on the earth are similar. All of us got the same concerns, hopes, problems. My family isn’t too rich. My father is employed at a firm, my mother is an cashier in a small shop. They also have much enough problems. Unfortunately we can’t meet frequently, although we are in correspondence and often call each other.

— It would be necessary to learn about activity of association "Kakehasy into Chernobil".

— The name can be translated as "The bridge into Chernobil". The organization was established five year ago in Sapporo for rendering specific help to victims of the catastrophy. Every year approximately 50 Belorussian children from the most polluted areas have a rest in Japan. As usual all of them live in regular families at the Hokkaido island, which climate is resemble to that in Europe. Such contacts help to understand each other better, pull the people together. It is planned to expand the limits of cooperation in future. New program provides help in growing ecologically pure food products and supplying special machinery and equipment for this purpose. Probably other countries will take part in accomplishing of the project. This was being spoked about at the international congress in Denmark, where I was invited as a translator.

— It is sometimes said that moral principles of the nation are bound up with its traditions.

— The proverb about rice, which is considered the symbol of the eastern person, is very popular in Japan. The more corns it has, the lower it bends to the earth. In other words the stronger is a person, the more tolerant and modest he should be. Probably it is the reason of our desire to assist Byelorussian people in their misfortune, to enter into firm friendly relations, that wouldn’t be in the power of time.

Interviewed by Alla Kazakova

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