Culture of Nagano "One Haiku for the Olympics" Program Greeting the people of the world through Japanese culture One of Nagano Prefecture's proud distinctions is Issa Kobayashi, the famous master of haiku. Although Issa was born and lived in Nagano about two centuries ago, he is still world-renowned for his haiku, poems of three verses with five, seven, and then five syllables. As a rule, haiku is characterized by the theme of harmony with nature, similiar to one of the main goals for the Nagano games. Nowadays, people around the world still compose haiku, which are used sometimes as greetings on special occasions. In honor of the Nagano Games, residents of Nagano Prefecture have written haiku to greet Olympic visitors through a program called "One Haiku for the Olympics," sponsored by the Nagano Prefecture International Relations Department, the Haiku Poets' Association of Nagano Prefecture, and ANPIE (Association of Nagano Prefecture for International Exchange). Since May 5, 1997, over 1,600 haiku have been submitted for this purpose, out of which one hundred were selected and translated into French and English. The one hundred haiku were then printed on 7,500 small flags to decorate local shops, information centers, and other business's during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The flags are intended to give a hearty welcome to visitors from around the world. NAOC, who is also eager to greet the world in traditional Nagano style, has selected some of these haiku and is proud to introduce them on the official Nagano Olympic Web Site. (Program coordinator and translator, Laurent Mabesoone, poses with a sketch of Issa Kobayashi) Selected 100 entries The snow is waiting, I am waiting for new friends, Dreaming of the Games! Yoshiko Yamaura - Komoro City Le bouddha en pierre Avec son chapeau de neige, Que veut-il me dire ? Mitsu Kanazawa - Ueda A peaceful river, Whispering, shows me the way To the Olympics. Michiko Maruya - Omachi City The sky of Nagano Is everything I possess, Jumping on my skis! Tokusuke Fujii - Nagano City Being together, The coldness of the snow Changes into warmth. Miyo Hasegawa - Toyoshina City Le champion échange Un sourire furtif avec Le bonhomme de neige ! Kikuko Kaneko - Nagano Crossing the ski course In the twinkling of an eye: The morning squirrel! Kazuko Ohyama - Shinano Town Myriad of flags waving, Giving colour to the breeze: The spring is coming! Shuichi Shiojima - Matsumoto City Plateau de Shiga : Comme un éclair sort des nuages, Un skieur fend l'air ! Kazuo Nagasawa - Nagano Standing here by you, Gazing at the Milky Way: So far and so near! Seiho Ogihara - Chino City Cimes enneigées Protégeant avec amour Le temple Zenkoji ! Seisho Sugai - Préfecture de Miyagi Rice of the New Year, With the official chopsticks Of the Olympics! Osamu Okuhara - Kiso Village A flower of snow On your shoulder seems to say: Welcome to Nagano! Keiko Yoshida - Nagano City Winter Olympics: The bell of the temple rings And the world is one. Michio Uchibori - Nagano City Two arms in the snow Can be stronger than two legs: Chair-skiing in Nagano! Yoshiko Nakamura - Nagano City The Olympic Torch Is blowing in Nagano, The snow seems to blush! Tadao Nakazawa - Koshoku City Un verre de saké Entre amis du monde entier : Source thermale enneigée . Tadanori Yanagisawa - Shimosuwa Des lunettes noires aux yeux, Et sur le coeur Une médaille d'or en laque ! Tadao Sakurai - Komoro In the blue heavens A skier is taking off Faster than his shadow! Misao Tokutake - Nagano City It's warm in my heart When I see the white forest: The snow is not cold! Yuka Kobayashi - Yamanouchi Town Au fond des montagnes, Un drapeau s'agite au loin : La queue d'un renard ! Kitoko Sanoyama - Ueda In the blue heavens Skiers jumping over our heads Showing us Peace Signs Tadashi Nakayama - Suwa City Le biathlonien Voit sa chasse récompensée D'un thé vert japonais ! Chikayo Miyasaka - Suwa Dazzled by the snow, We are competing together On the slope of peace! Yohko Kiyota - Iida City The snow-covered land Is like a sleeping beauty, So pure and so bright! Tomoaki Miyashita - Matsukawa Town On a sunny day A gold is shining More than the white snow! Miyoko Miyajima - Matsukawa Town A never-ending sound Echoes in the moountains: The woodpecker's welcome! Kazuhiko Yokomae - Matsukawa Town Fresh air and pure water Is everything one could need, We have it in Nagano! Saeko Suzuki - Matsukawa Town Winter Olympics: Waving the flag of a country That used to be a stranger! Yoshiko Imai - Nagano City Traversant les mers, Jusqu'aux neiges éternelles : Le feu de l'Olympe ! Getsuyu Shionoiri - Sakaki On the jumping hill Traces of battle remain, Under the full moon. Noboru Kihara - Nagano City Waiting for the Games, I am knitting hats for all Of my family! Mitsu Nishijo - Koshoku City To welcome the spring To Nagano you will come From a thousand miles away! Fumiyoshi Nishikawa - Tobu Town Comme un arc de neige Décochant des flèches d'argent : La piste de luge ! Miho Oshida - Nagano In a cloud of snow A skier is drawing an arc, Jumping to the skies! Keiko Shimizu - Ueda City «La neige est ma demeure», Disait le poète Issa Deux cents ans avant les Jeux ! Akiyoshi Kobayashi - Nagano Les pigeons implorent Pour quelques graines Et sous la neige le temple dort . Tetsu Shimizu - Shinano Town Swallowed by the storm And propelled straight forward, The jumper like a rocket! Norihide Nakamura - Hakuba Village Rinsing canola flowers, The mountains pure and white Reflecting in the river. Yukiko Suzuki - Shimosuwa Town Un ciel bleu d'hiver De tout handicap libère, Champions des Paralympiques ! Masako Ikeda - Koshoku On the hero's heart, A disc of Kiso laquer glitters: The Olympic Medal! Miyuki Nakayama - Nagano City An ice pillar marks The starting point of the track As the luger shivers. Fuyuko Matsuzawa - Nagano City Waiting for the Games, Even the apples in the trees Appear to blush! Ryuho Tokutake - Yamanouchi Town Saut à ski : L'air dans lequel je pénètre, C'est mon avenir ! Toshio Wada - Togura Gate after gate, Your face widens into a grin As your chair-ski wins! Kanzan Shiratori - Nagano City Hakuba village Echoes with thousands of cheers In a hundred languages! Totoshi Mesuda - Matsumoto City Nagano Olympics Resound all over the world, The murmur of the snow! Miho Isshiki - Mure Village Even though it's cold, It feels warm when you support A team with your heart! Asuka Kayanuma - Mure Village Nagano Olympics: The snowflakes multiply Like my dreams! Yumi Nakamura - Samizu Village Kiso lacquer and gold Brought together in harmony: The Olympic Medal! Matsuko Maejima - Nagano City Up hill and down dale, The fresh snow reflects the flame Of Nagano's Games! Takeshi Yamada - Shinano Town La Voie lactée cet hiver Semble infinie et si proche, Au tournant du millènaire Misako Tominaga - Kamiyama In the depth of winter, The temple town opens up Like the Olympic flower! Kesayuki Takizawa - Kamiyama Town Aux Jeux Olympiques Leur seule arme, c'est la danse Sur un miroir de glace . Hideo Tanaka - Nagano The sky is so deep, After the critical point Jumping has no limit! Hisao Kobayashi - Nagano Town Face au monde entier Un village entre l'azur Et la neige immaculée . Tadashi Masuda - Matsumoto City Rinsing in the river Radish flowers mixed with herbs, So cool is the white water! Suzue Yamaoka - Okaya City Little by little A girl becomes a flower Spinning on the ice! Nobuko Agata - Nagano City As I ski, The slope of my dreams changes to Millions of shooting stars! Yukihiro Kurata - Hiraya Village Dans le ciel d'hiver Je vois des lutins blancs qui tombent : C'est la neige ! Shiori Maruyama - Hiraya Watching the curling, For a moment we stop breathing, Hoping the stone will stop! Hiroyuki Mizuide - Ueda City Dans un paradis blanc La neige de Hakuba Chante sous mes pas ! Masaki Suenaga - Sakaki Along the jump hill The Olympic Flags are chanting In the winter wind! Yukei Matsumura - Iida City La neige immaculée A transformé notre vallée, Fait reculer nos horizons ! Makiko Chigono - Hiyoshi Village The snow of spring falls On us, as we shake hands, Promising to meet again. Shin'ichi Yamaguchi - Nagano City Vainqueurs et perdants Respirant de la même haleine Dans un halo blanc ! Teiji Miyata - Matsumoto City The voices of children Are ringing through the mountains: One school, one country! Morio Takaike - Nagano City She is still a girl Smiling under the make-up, Spinning in the air! Hiroko Sueki - Hiyoshi Village On the sparkling ice, Like each other's shadow: A man and a woman! Masashi Naganuma - Takamori Town Welcoming the world With a heart purer than snow, Warmer than the hearth! Tomoko Shigemori - Iina City Montagnes de Nagano, La Voie lactée pour les Jeux Forme des anneaux ! Seiho Ariga - Hotaka Town The thrill of hockey: Everybody can take part, But playing is hard! Yasushi Shimoda - Nagano City A chaque kilomètre, Les radis japonais aux fenêtres Montrent le chemin des Jeux Junko Fujikura - Ueda City This year's Offering To our mountain Goddess: Fire arriving from Greece! Hiroko Yoda - Koshoku City Atop every mountain Rests a crown of glittering snow: A reward for the Games! Haruko Yoshida - Kiso Village Even the plains and mountains Are Competing for the Games: Each has a white dress! Mue Ohta - Toyoshina Town Blotti sous la neige, sage, Dans la clarté de la lune : Voici mon village ! Kyoko Yonezawa - Koshoku Vent clair de l'été Sombre et noble, Le château de Matsumoto Shozo Yamazaki - Matsumoto City Waiting for the snow, Children wave flags of countries That they hadn't known! Hideo Kobayashi - Yamanouchi Town Three young men in file, With exactly the same smile: Bronze, silver and gold! Takeno Yoshihara - Hiyoshi Village Like the ranks of a choir, The Olympic Flags flutter In the cloudless sky of winter! Miyoko Yamagishi - Sanada Town Like the melting snow People coming together Peace in Nagano! Seifu Shibazaki - Sanada Town Au ciel étoilé Une nouvelle étoile est née : La Flamme Olympique ! Ichiro Kurumisawa - Saku Listening to his guide, The paralympic skier Can see with his mind! Yasuo Emoto - Saku City With the sparkling flakes The snowman powders his face, Waiting for the Games! Masuko Tanaka - Shiojiri City Des Alpes Japonaises Elle fait rougir la neige : La Flamme Olympique ! Tadao Miyazaki - Sanada Town The ume trees blossom Once in a life, you and me, We meet for the Games! Kaoru Ohkusa - Shinano Town The snow is shining; Thousands of cheers for the Games Reach up to the skies! Michiko Yashima - Obuse Town The winter forest Changes into a mosaic, Shivering in the wind! Sakee Usuda - Nagano City The white carpet of mountains Echoes with cheers welcoming This winter's champions Sadaaki Ohta - Matsumoto City Même le chamois Tend le cou, rempli d'émoi : Un skieur s'envole ! Mikio Ikeda - Koshoku Jumping on my skis, It feels there are no frontiers Till the end of the Earth! Megumi Kagehara - Yasuoka Village The snowy mountains Echoing with cheers: The games are here! Yoji Ito - Nagano City As the flame is flickering, Every flag seems to compete With every peak! Hisae Kobayashi - Shinano Town A buddha in stone Is smiling near the ski slope, Having his place in the sun! Shigeo Yanagihara - Omi Village La neige en fondant Dessine des chevaux blancs : Hakuba au printemps ! Fumi Iijima - Koshoku Before the event, We speak different languages, But share the same flame! Tadashi Takagi - Okaya City Sharing the same breath, One, two, three, four young men Together in a bobsleigh Yohko Fujimoto - Saku City Tant de drapeaux différents Le soleil donne des couleurs Aussi aux joues des enfants ! Susumu Okabe - Saku Jumping in the air, The skier looks like a bridge Between sky and earth! Sachiko Kusama - Obuse Town
Samples of haiku flags to decorate Host City Nagano
Program coordinator and translator, Laurent Mabesoone, poses with a sketch of Issa Kobayashi
Link to the Japanese page. / Lien vers la page japonaise.
Le 31 juillet 1998