Banzai Three Cheers

 My parents hated banzai three cheers. They had memories of WW2. Many Japanese died saying banzai. My parents didn’t have a good impression of banzai three cheers. Some Japanese liberal people tend to hate banzai three cheers.

 Some people love banzai three cheers. However, I don’t see people doing banzai three cheers these days. When I was a child, I saw banzai three cheers in my town, at places like railway stations, or on TV.

 Sometimes it has political meaning. So, I am very careful to say banzai in a public place.

 One day, when Japan started the Reiwa era, my wife and I visited my wife’s parents’ house. We married two years before that day. I had built a good relationship with her parents. But I didn’t know them very well. 

The TV showed us the ceremony to celebrate the beginning of the Reiwa era. We ignored the TV and were chatting. But the ceremony had an atmosphere suggesting that they would start banzai three cheers soon.

 I felt a shudder. I had never talked with her parents about politics. I couldn’t guess whether they would do banzai three cheers with the people on TV or ignore them. Marriage is not just between husband and wife. I have to keep a good relationship with her parents. If I made a mistake in those kinds of fields, the mistake could cause serious problems.

 A person on TV screamed, “Banzai three cheers!” I recognized that both of her parents were ready for the banzai movement. Then my wife’s father, mother, and I said, “Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!” while raising our hands.

My wife was surprised at us and said, “What are you? I am scared.” My wife was not interested in banzai.

I thought I had a narrow escape. My parents-in-law love banzai three cheers. At that time, my father had already passed away. My mother already had Alzheimer’s disease. There was no need to care about their political ideas.

 I recognize that banzai three cheers is a kind of old call and response. I think it is the same as a singer saying, “Are you ready?” and the audience saying, “Yeah!” at a concert. Someone says, “Banzai three cheers!” and the other people say, “Banzai,” three times with their hands raised. It is said that the very first banzai three cheers were started by some students in 1889. Some students started it with a college vibe. I think it did not have a strong political meaning in the beginning.

 Banzai spread quickly. It has a long history. Now, some people hate it and some people love it. Maybe it is too old. Someone will invent a new type of call and response in the future.

 Japanese

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Picture by TKM