Sorry, I'm sure no one knows what a pink kappa is or, more important, why I decided on such an unrelated title. Actually, in my twisted mind it's very related. A kappa is a Japanese turtle-like monster. They lurk in the bottom of lakes and rivers, and in darker versions of the tale they come up from the bottom and rip your insides out! They have a "plate" on their head filled with water. You can defeat them by getting them to bow, thus spilling their water and losing their power. (Yes, I know this is still unrelated to the earthquake. . .)
Anyway, ten years ago I visited Tono City in northern Japan (getting closer!) and was told that while kappa are thought to be green, genuine Tono kappas are red or pink. This summer, I will go back to Tono to volunteer with "Tono Magokoro", a volunteer organization. And I'll be trying to find out how the people up there feel about the earthquake and the world's reaction to it. I'll be trying to divine their real feelings. In order to do that, I will have to pay attention to details that outsiders might not know-- like the fact that local kappas are pink.
So. . .pink kappa. . .Actually, maybe I'm remembering wrong and it was red, not pink at all. Can a person like me really be relied upon to delve into local customs and philosophical questions?
Sigh.
I don't know the answer to any of these questions, but I do know that this idea of viscious bottom-dwelling pink turtles is so outside of the realm of anything I might have imagined you'd encounter this summer. I think the one in your photo looks cute and friendly at least. And like maybe he's got his dish of water upside down already...so that would be why he's not all dangerous?
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