Residence of the Minister of the Embassy of Japan in Russia

Passing the gallery

A photo: Kirill Ovchinnikov

Interview prepared: Julia Shaginurova

Magazine: N5 (94) 2005

At one time the Turgenevs lived in a mansion in Maly Kislovsky Lane, and Tchaikovsky came here with visits. Now it is a place for informal meetings of politicians, cultural figures, Japanese scientists and amateur ikebana. The house opposite GITIS is the residence of the Minister of the Japanese Embassy in Russia. A temporary haven of Ito’s diplomatic couple - lovers of ballet, classical music, Russian temple architecture and experienced Muscovites. For the minister and his family, this is a stay in Russia - the thirdMr. Ito, how long have you been living here? Mr.Tecowo Ito: We live in this house for two and a half years. I have special feelings for him: besides the fact that living in such an old house with history is in itself an invaluable experience, I have my own emotional attachment to it. In 1977, I completed a one-year Russian language course in Moscow and worked in the office of the embassy, ​​in the political department, which was then located right in this hall. Here I began my diplomatic career, my table stood not far from the place where we are now sitting. About twenty years ago, the office moved to another building, and here they made a residence.SALON: Have you changed anything here? - In fact, this is an old building, any dramatic changes are prohibited here. We brought some furnishings and décor from Japan, but quite a bit. Mostly painting.S: Life in the center of Moscow is becoming more and more fussy, how does it combine with the regularity of diplomatic life? - The only drawback of the center is traffic jams. The rest is very convenient here: just five minutes to the conservatory on foot, near the Kremlin. I love to walk in the center: every day I walk with our dog Beauty. We have three favorite routes with her: to the Kremlin, to Pushkin and to Kropotkinskaya. When it's warm, we walk twice, and when it's cold, she refuses: she can't stand going out into the cold outside. It is necessary to be limited to one walk.S: Perhaps this is not a very diplomatic question, and yet, which of your business trips to Moscow was the most interesting? - It is difficult to say, but probably not to mention the second visit - from the 88th to the 89th year. It was an extremely interesting time: perestroika began, and the Soviet Union had not collapsed. Naturally, I constantly recalled my first experience in Russia and compared what was happening with the stagnant Brezhnev times. Then I just sat in the office, read the "News" and "Truth" and wrote a report in Tokyo. To do, by and large, there was nothing. It was useless to speak with officials. I knew that what they would tell me, I already read in Pravda. In the late 80s, the situation changed enormously: we began to meet with scientists, journalists, politicians. They talked a lot. And then another problem arose: each spoke his own, sounded so many opinions that it was almost impossible to sort out anything.S: The life of a diplomat involves moving around the world. At home, do you have any permanent housing? - There is a house in Tokyo, which I built next to my mother-in-law's house. Of course, it is not as big as this one. My youngest son is living there now.S: Is your house decorated in traditional style or similar to European? - Rather, he has a European style. After World War II, the lifestyle in Japan changed dramatically. Naturally, this affected the interior. Previously, all the rooms in the house were covered with tatami. We have five rooms, and only one of them with tatami is a room where you need to take off your shoes, where you sit on the floor. This is very convenient, especially when guests are in the house, because it can be a living room or a bedroom. In order to arrange a guest for the night, it is enough to get a futon out of the closet. Compared to the European and Moscow houses, the Japanese have another interesting difference: in Tokyo, the winters are not so cold, so we do not have central heating, each room is heated independently. In winter, the day begins with the fact that you need to turn on the heater in the bedroom. Therefore, the first ten minutes is very cold.S: By the way, in your office on the floor I also saw a futon. - It is very convenient: you can relax, take a break from work, and when the “bed” is no longer needed, it can be removed in a few minutes.S: What is your favorite place in a residence? - Of course, my office. The big hall where we sit is the dining room. This is a public space for official events. Yesterday, for example, we conducted a seminar for Japanese scientists here, and there were more than thirty people. For living these rooms are too large, they are good for receptions.S: There are a lot of Japanese paintings. “I was hoping that both Russian and foreign guests would be pleased to see these paintings in the old Russian house: they bring the atmosphere of Japan here. Some of them are property of the Japanese government, some were brought here with my wife. I especially cherish the old scrolls. This is the property of my family, which is passed on from generation to generation. Two scrolls you see hanging on the wall. Another scroll we store separately. I come from Yamagata Prefecture, in northern Japan. This scroll is a gift to my great-great-grandfather from Emperor Meiji, the great-grandfather of our current emperor. Great-grandfather was a rich merchant and received it during the visit of Emperor Meiji to Yamagata as a reward for faithful service. See, at the top, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of the imperial house. You will see the same sign at the entrance to any embassy and to any diplomatic mission of Japan in all parts of the world.S: Mrs. Ito, this is your husband's third trip to Moscow, and, accordingly, you are here for the third time too. Is this arrival different from previous ones?Ms. Yasuko Ito: Before that we came with children. They were then still small, the house was very fun. On the other hand, without children it is possible to live a secular life actively: to go quietly in the evening to visit, to the theater or to a concert. In this sense, our life in Moscow is now more saturated. It became more interesting and easier to communicate with people than in the days of the Soviet Union, when there was no freedom of speech. And although I do not speak Russian very well, now I have a Russian-speaking social circle, which includes my teachers of music and Russian, members of Russian-Japanese society.S: What is the range of your classes in Moscow? - I rarely walk around the city on foot, so in order to keep fit, I do classical ballet. I learn Russian language. I continue to play music - I play the flute. Here we often visit the conservatory, sometimes we go to see churches: I really like Russian temple architecture. Of course, we receive many guests, both Russian and foreign. In addition to official receptions, we invite Russian artists and musicians to perform in front of our colleagues. The spacious living room easily turns into a chamber concert hall. Recently, Yuri Kuklachev gave a performance with us, young talented musicians from the Vladimir Spivakov charity foundation played, folklore singer Valentin Voronin performed. I am engaged in the preparation of such techniques.S: For a diplomat spouse to receive guests - work? - Exactly.S: Do you like her? - I would say that this is not an easy task. But also a great opportunity to communicate with interesting people. An opportunity that compensates for the difficulties involved.S: Do you like this house? - Yes very. It is beautiful, spacious, many people can be invited here, and at the same time it is very cozy. the style in which it is decorated, and we have not changed anything here. Is that hung some painting. From Japan, I brought with me dishes, some of which