Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

A story of Japanese woman who experienced Bauhaus art and love romance in Berlin, early 1930's when Nazis came to power.

 

Please read introduction first.

On next day, when she was going out to have lunch after morning class was over, she met Peter at the entrance of school building.
"Hallo, Peter" she greeted.
Peter smiled to her holding a rose in his hand. He stood beside a black car wearing uniform and swastika.
"I just came here to invite you to a dinner party held at Nazi Berlin office."
Peter said handing her the rose. Peter was very pleased with the rose.
"Danke schonn. I am free tonight. I'd love to go. What kind of dinner party is it going to be?" asked Masako.
"You can meet high ranking people of our Storm Troopers (SA) and Nazis. You can persuade them to continue studying at this school."
Peter replied with confidence.
"How sweet of you. Yes, I am sure I can persuade them."
Peter was confident, too.
"I will pick you up tonight around 8 o'clock. Meet here and I'll take you."
Peter went back to the black car.
"You shouldn't be there tonight. Nazis wouldn't treat you so well."
Marcus Weiss suddenly spoke standing just next to her. She was surprised he saw the two talking.
"Meister, I can help this school. I will ask them not to disturb us any more" said Masako.
"I don't think you can. They are racist and dangerous. They wouldn't listen to people like you."
"I mean, Japanese woman?" Masako asked.
"Well, we, Bauhausler. They hate us. They are the people of intolerance" said Marcus.
"Believe me, Meister. I can make a magic" said Masako looking at him fiercely.
"Well, do what you want. It is free country. But be careful."
Marcus said worryingly.
"Don't worry. I will be careful" said Masako.
"Please tell me how the party is later. I want to know what they are thinking."
"Of course. I will inform you to help this school."

After school Masako bought a dress on the main street and took a shower at her apartment.
She dressed up as she does as a upper class girl. She put make-up and wore a neckless and earings. She was very excited being with Peter and seeing Nazi people.

Masako went to the school entrance around 8 o'clock. Peter was already there. The two got in the car and drove to Nazi Party Building. Nazi Party was largest political entity in Deutcheland under Weimar Republic.

The dinner party, attended by Masako, Peter, some of SA officials including Captain Ernst Rohm and Nazi officials including Chairman of the Parliament Hermann Goring started with soft atmosphere.

"Guten Abend, everyone. Tonight we invited a very beautiful lady from far east. Fraulien Masako Chikano. She is a daughter of Baron Chikano in Japan. She is now studying as a Bauhaus student here in Berlin. Tonight if we are lucky, our fuhrer would visit this place. He is coming back here from nationwide speech campaign trip" said Goring.
She was delighted being at the table. People looked at her smilingly. She sat next to Peter and in front of Goring and Captain Rohm. Goring and Rohm looked very powerful middle age gentlemen to her. She felt very excited. Rohm said he came here from Munchen, where SA headquarter is.
"I do not understand why such a beautiful peer lady like you came here all the way from Japan to study that nonsense art. You have many other things to learn here in this country" said Rohm drinking beer.
"I agree with you, Captain. Germany has many wonderful things to learn. My family admires German culture science, philosophy and all other things. My father studied in Bonne University. I learned German since I was small by a German tutor at home. I enjoy German opera such as Lohengrin and Parsifal. Japan acquired so many things from Germany such as imperial constitution and military expertise. I would like to learn any sort of things from Germany."
Masako replied very gently and politely.
"Surprised. Your country is so far away from our land. How come you can be interested in us. We don't have things in common, do we. Are we bonded together somehow?" said Goring curiosly.
"Well,"
Masako thought of how to respond to his question for a while and then she looked at Nazi flag, Swastika hanged on the wall.

"Maybe that flag can explain how we are common" said Masako.
"Flag, Swastika?" said Goring looking at her strangely.
"Yes, that flag reminds me of our nation" said Masako.
"Interesting. Explain that to us" said Goring. All of attendees at the table looked at her curiosly.
Masako explained in confidence.
"The flag has white circle in red. Our flage is opposite, red circle in white. But the same shape. Plus that crossing of two bent lines is familiar to us. It is used as symbol of Budhist temples, called "Manji." You can find anywhere in Japanese towns or cities. I am attracted to that flag just as Germans here are."

 

"Really? That crossing of bent lines, Hakenkreuz represents Aryan. We are Aryan, not Budhist or others. We preserve tradition. That is our way of living. All the Germans should follow. I do not think Bauhaus is part of such tradition."
Goring turned to be unfriendly. The atomosphere changed.
Masako didn't know how to react.

 
"Don't push her too hard, Goring. She is frightened. She is our guest. Jasper invited her as our welcome guest. Her explanation makes sense. The root of Aryan was India. That is where Budhism was born That is what she meant, isn't it" said Rohm. 
"Yes, Captain. That is what I mean. We are connected throught India" said Masako delightedly. She was relieved that an stubborn-type guy Ernst Rohm helped her. 

 
Goring smiled to her and the atmosphere changed.
"Well, I support your argument. Your attraction to our nation should be real one. I still don't get why you are studying Bauhaus but your being in this country certainly benefits us. I could witness a world's most stubborn guy turned to be a big lady lover. You did a great job" he said.
 

Some of the attendees laughed. She did not understand what was funny. She looked at Rohm. He looked embarassed. Then she looked at Peter sitting next to her. He looked embarrassed as well. She found out Captain Rohm did not try to help her but Peter.  
"Oh, no again!" she shouted in her mind.

To be continued to Chapter 4.

Japanese woman who experienced Bauhaus art and turmoil in 1930's Germany.

 

Please read from introdcution first.

She woke up and found herself lying on a sofa in a small room. The young man was in front of her watching her worriedly. She remembered after she collapsed, this man lifted her in his arms and took her body to this room. She really felt comfortable in his arms.
"Are you alright?" said the young man.
"Yeah, I am fine. I am sorry I lost conscious" Masako responded.
"Ich bin (I am) Peter Jasper. I am the leader of Storm Troopers Berlin Branch. Did you faint because of me and my subordinates coming into the classroom?"
The young man said apologetically.
"Mein name ist Masako Chikano. I am a student from Japan. Well, I was really shocked because my dream was almost breaking down."
"Your dream?" said Peter.
"Yes, it is to learn great art of Germany, this Bauhaus" said Masako.
"Bauhaus isn't German art. This is art of inmorality" said Jasper laughingly.
"I came all the way from Japan to start a new life here in Berlin" said Masako putting her hand on his shoulder.
"A beautiful woman like you can find something better than Bauhaus" said Jasper.
"But that is the only thing I can get. My final choice was here." Masako looked at Jasper very sadly. Jasper's face turned very apologetic.
"I don't want to see a sad face of such a beautiful woman like you. I guess our team can stay away from this school for the moment. Maybe I can do something to help you."
Jasper said smilingly. Masako was stunned. She trapped one German guy. She was delighted.
"Oh, Vier Danke! Peter. I am so glad. I owe you a lot. I can continue making my dream come true."
"But just one condition. This is temporary measure. Plus, I need something for return" said Jasper.
"Oh, what is it?" Masako asked.
"Why don't we have a date? Meet somewhere else alone later" said Jasper.
"Sure. Let's do that. I'd love to." Masako said that delightedly. She was really delighted. She made sure she got a new life here in Berlin.

Backside of the door of the room which the couple was in. Meister Marcus Weiss overhead the conversation between the two. Marcus was relieved and glad what she did.

Next day, at school, Meister Weiss spoke to the class.
"Today, we would like to show you a thing that can represent Bauhaus concept. Unification of art and technology. See this."
He showed Japanese fan. It was folded. Weiss looked at Masako. Masako was surprised to see it. Far away from Japan, she saw Japanese traditional good as very modern art prodcut. She wondered what he was trying to tell.
 
"This Japanese fan is very functional. It is folded compact but it can be open like this." Marcus opened the fan as he said that.
The students in the class were surprised to look at beautiful drawing of the fan. The drawing was traditional Japanese artwork.
Then Marcus said, "You not only enjoy the beauty of a fan but you can use it to blow the air."
He waved the fan to his face and said "How nice to use it in hot summer!"
Masako stood up from a chair and came up to Marcus. 
"Meister, I can show you other way to use this fan. Please hand this to me."
Marcus handed the fan to her. She took it and suddenly danced holding the fan in her hand.
That was traditional Japanese dance, Nichibu, usually done wearing in kimono. She wore a western casual clothe like other students but danced as she did in kimono. Flipping the fan, turning around like batterfly.
The class and Marcus were stunned to view her dancing. She knew how to dance since she was a child as part of upper class education.
After a few minutes, she stopped dancing, everyone in the classroom clapped their hands.
"Beautiful, Masako" said Marcus smiling.

She trapped two guys in Berlin.

To be continued to Chapter 3.
 

Japanese woman who experienced Bauhaus art and turmoil in 1930's Germany.

 

Please read introdcution first.

   

Th Bauhaus School was established by an architect Walter Gropius in Weimar, 1919. It was the first year of first democratic government in Germany. Then the school moved to Dessau in 1925. From 1925 to summer of this year, 1932, the school had been managed in glass-window wall and simple shaped building that symbolized Bauhaus's own architecture style.

 

But this year Dessau city council made a resolution to stop funding Bauhaus. Bauhaus had to relocate its base to Steglitz, Berlin as private school.

 

Director of the school, Herr Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 46 year-old man spoke to 31 freshman students including Masako Chikano in the orientation on the first day of Winter Semester.

 

The school offered the courses such as art, architect, interior design, photograph and textile. In order to get a diploma, the students had to pass 3 levels of the curriculums. First level was to study basic concept of Bauhaus art. 

 

The very concept of Bauhaus was "unification of art and technology."

 

Masako could not understand that concept. How come art could be united with technology? She thought they should have been separate things. However, it did not matter to her. She just decided to enjoy life in Berlin, the most liberal city in the world. She wondered if she could be acquinted with better man than her ex-husband or his sworn brother. 

 

But at first she wanted to make good friends.
 
The school gathered students from all over the Europe. As days pass by, she made a lot of friends. They were nice and very friendly. One of the reason why she could make friends so easily was she was richest student among poor students. 

 

She lived in nice and big comfortalbe room in the apartment house near the school. She always wore very nice and expensive clothes which she brought from her home in Japan and bought in Berlin. 

 

One day she and her 3 classmates went to the cafe near the school. She ordered a cup of coffee. But they did not order anything although they were sitting at the same table. When the coffee came to the table, they took a spoon and dipper a spoon of coffee from the cup and blended in block sugar from the pot. 

 
She was suprised to see what they were doing. She said to them, "why don't you order anything?"
Each of them said "That's enough for us, Masako. You know we cannot afford."
Then she asked waitress to bring coffee for everyone. They were really pleased.

 

Her generousity attracted other more studens. She was always surrounded by sevearal classmates at school cafeteria, cafe, or restaurant. She sometimes hold a party for her friends.
She became a popular idol of the school. Actually not just because of her generousity but her beauty and cheerful character like she had been in Japan.

  

However, she was never a good student at school. She was not so serious about school work. She always thought art was just fun things. Not a thing to practice and get into like literature or mathematics. In fact she did not have ambition to become a great artist or craftman. All she wanted to was to spend a few years in Berlin and return home. The school days were like vacation for her. She knew the school would not kick her out because of her lazy attitude because her family was one of the biggest donor to the school.

 

One day in drawing class, the class drew the object, which was ball and vase. She was drawing an instructor, a man with black hair and glasses, tall thin, at the age of late 20's. He was Meister Marcus Weiss. His specialty was interior design but he teaches basic art to freshman students.
She drew his face like cartoon figure. She always did such things when she was a school girl in Japan. Drawing just lines of the objects seemed to her, very boring. She could not concentrate on doing that.

 

"Hallo, Fraulein, what are you doing?" Herr Weiss came to her seat and said to her.
"An art, Meister" she said laughingly.
"This isn't funny. Are you serious about doing this work?" Meister looked very upset.
She responded very arrogantly.
"Well, I thought this object seemed more artistic."
"I cannot tolerate such act of yours just because your family gave so much money to this school."
Herr Weiss shouted in the classroom. All of the classmates turned attention to her and their instructor.
Masako suddenly got shocked to see his angry face and very straightforward comment.

He embarrassed her in class. She was so ashamed.
"Oh, what am I going to do?" she got frightened.

 

Suddenly a big cracking noise was heard. Several men seemed to rush into school building.
What happened? She wondered and looked at Meister.

 

Meister Marcus Weiss said "Here they came again."

 

Then the door of the classroom opened. Several men in yellow-brown uniform got in.

They were holding bars in their hands.
"You, communists, morale decay!" they shouted.
Everyone stood up and got frightened. A young tall man with blonde hair looked a leader of the group.
Weiss shouted back "Get out here, Stupid! This is no place for Storm Troopers or Nazis."

 
A leader of the men laughed at Weiss and smashed the vase with a bar. A tension grew in the room. A tall blond haired man approached to where Masako and Weiss were. Masako stood and watched the man carefully. He was in yellow uniform with an arm badge which had black cross in white circle on red belt.

 

She looked at his face very carefully. He had very beautiful blue eyes. Very handsome man.
The man found Masako and looked at her surprisignly. They each had very good eye contact.

 

"Oh, my god!" she screamed in her mind. Then she fainted on the floor.

 

 

Continued to Chapter 2.

 

A new novel after 4 American Hostages in Baghdad

A story of Japanese woman who experienced Bauhaus art and love romance in Berlin, early 1930's when Nazis came to power.

Auschwitz Museum in Oswiecim, Poland November 2009

"Ladies and Gentleman. Thank you for gathering today. We are here to honor the biggest contributor to this museum in our history. Late Madam Masako Chikano."

 A man spoke in Polish and English in front of tens of people, mostly journalists gathered in the conference room. The speaker was the head of the museum. Auschwitz-Birkenau, The World Heritage, death camp built by Nazi-Germany.

Late Madam Masako Chikano was called "Hotel Queen".  She died of natural causes last month. She was 98 years old when she died. She established one of world's most biggest hotel chain, Chikano Hotels, which have franchises in most of major cities in Japan and the rest of the world. The chain ranges from high-class to cheap business purpose only style. But all the hotels she owned had one thing in common, every room, lobby, and some of the corridors placed interesting pipe chairs, usually called Wassily Chair. It is one of most symbolic Bauhaus furniture.

 

Some of the hotel buildings were designed in the way of Bauhaus concept. Modern, functional, minimumal ways.

It was one of the mysteries of the hotel queen, why she liked Bauhaus style. She was very mysterious woman.

 

Other mysteries are,

Although she had been known as most energetic business woman in Japan until her retired age 80, she had been single for her life. She dedicated her life to hotel business, but she was actually very beautiful woman that could attract any man. Indeed she was once married when she was 20 to 21. But she never was remarried after the divorce of first marriage.   

The will she left said that she wanted to donate all her fortune to the Auschwitz Museum. That may be a biggest mystery of her. What made her want to do such thing?

 

The speaker held the will in his hand and said,

"To begin with, we have to talk about her connection between this museum and her early life experience. This is the part rarely known about her life. She never wanted to talk about that part in her life. But that was most important part in her life as mentioned in the will. Now let us unveil one of the most important mysteries of this woman."

 

Berlin, Germany, October, 1932

Masako Chikano arrived in Berlin. She came to capital of Germany, Deutcheland all the way from Yokohama, Japan. First by ship, almost 1 month travel to Marseille, France via Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and then  from Marseille to Berlin by train for a few days.

 

She was heart broken after the divorce. Because of the divorce just a year after marriage, she was treated as embarrasment of her family, Baron Chikano, a noble man who rooted from highest rank of samurai clan. Her father, Baron Kozo Chikano was a member of House of Lords and ran business of finance and military equipments. Her family belonged to elite class in Japan.

 

The reason that she got divorce was she had an affair with her husband, Yoshio's best friend Takeshi. Actually Yoshio regarded him as his sworn brother. Both of them belong to Japanese Imperial Navy. Her affair with Takeshi made him angry and kick her out. She could have been prosecuted of adultery but her husband did not because of her family's influence in the society and he did not want to prosecute his sworn brother either. After she came back to her home, her family had to kick her out because of biggest blunder in the family's history. She had dishonored her family's name. They had to hide her until the bad reputation would fade away. Her father ordered her to leave Japan for several years. She had to stay in foreign country where no one knew her.

 

She had good command of English and Germany since she learned those languages from childhood as part of upper class education. She chose to go to Berlin, Germany. She did not have specific reason to choose it. She just prefers learning modern art. She heard good reputation of German born modern art, Bauhaus.

 

Here she was in Berlin. She opened a door to her new life. She believed she could forget about all the mess.

 

Continued to Chapter 1.

 

This novel is copywrighted by this blog's manager, Masagata.