"When she disappeared, the city landscape changed completely.”
January 9, 2018 7:15 PM   Subscribe

A lost figure from a bygone era: Yokohama Mary
"An enigmatic woman wearing a frilly white dress stands silently outside Matsuzakaya department store in Yokohama’s Isezakicho district during a local festival. Her face is caked in white makeup and her eyes are lined in black."
Yokohama Mary lived on the streets of Yokohama for something like fifty years, until times changed and the neighborhood was no longer a welcome place for her.

A recent documentary provides a window into this figure of Isezakicho history.
posted by mustard seeds (6 comments total) 36 users marked this as a favorite
 
Fascinating. Thank you.
posted by egypturnash at 9:05 PM on January 9, 2018


Beautiful and sad. It is always so good to see the basic decency and compassion of the many people who loved her and tried to help her in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Reminded me again that most people are basically good. Something I sometimes loose track of in this more turbulent and hateful era.
posted by seasparrow at 9:58 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]


That was a good article, thank you. It's good to be reminded that it's people who make up a place and when they move away, or die, or are driven away, the spirit of the place also changes. Those of us who've walked into a home after losing a loved one know this, but it's true even of the faces one sees walking down a street, even of the ones that are not caked in white makeup.
posted by tavegyl at 10:01 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]


Reminded me again that most people are basically good.

I got a bit different vibe, this idea that people who do not share her context of the war started to lose their compassion and empathy. It seems to be happening all over the place - too long without direct experience of how shit things can be, and people start getting stupid again...
posted by Meatbomb at 12:08 AM on January 10, 2018 [17 favorites]


So very sad. Is bizarre makeup a symptom of some kinds of mental illness? Asking because we have a schizophrenic woman famous locally called the Mud Lady, because for years she has worn heavy brown makeup (she is white) while wandering around town. Numerous people and groups have tried to help her get off the streets, but she keeps coming back. I see her at the soup kitchen where I volunteer sometimes, and she has gone downhill in recent years. There have been articles about her in the local paper and other publications. When she was young she was extremely beautiful even with the makeup. She had a family once but I guess they gave up on her.
posted by mermayd at 6:34 AM on January 10, 2018


Is bizarre makeup a symptom of some kinds of mental illness?
It's a symptom of liking bizarre makeup.
posted by inconstant at 7:14 AM on January 10, 2018 [2 favorites]


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