Vestiges of the Totalitarianism

Any person that has studied the Japanese language gets frustrated by the amount of English (and other languages) that have seamlessly been brought into the language. I once spend time flipping through my dictionary for the word "franchise" only to find out that they commonly used their syllabic version of it "Fu-ra-n-cha-i-zu." However, when you really think about it, it is exactly the same as Americans calling a kimono a kimono instead of trying to create an "american" word for something that was not created in America.

However, it was not always like that in Japan. Prior to and during WWII, the Japanese government tried to create a totalitarian regime in Japan. In order to glorify Japan, they had to wipe out outside influences on "Japanese things" like language. This came up in class a couple of weeks ago as we read from an excerpt. The word seidouki came up in the passage. If you don't know Japanese, don't bother remembering this word (I unfortunately have...) because no one will understand you if you say it. Instead, use the syllabic form of the word break, "bu-re-ki." During this period they wiped out such words as "break" and made Japanese words such as seidouki which breaks down to sei (can mean "restrain"), dou ("movement"), and ki (machine), if you look at the characters that make up the word.

This is what the teacher said, but it is natural to ask if there weren't anything that resembled a break in Japan before the West came knocking on its door.

To make the point clearer, you have to look at Japanese baseball. Japanese baseball was introduced to Japan through America (it would be amazing if they created the same game independently). They call strikes "su-to-ra-i-ku" and balls "bo-ru" in the same fashion as they call breaks "bu-re-ki," but during the war period it became yoshi for strikes and dame for balls. First base became ichirui and you couldn't call the pitcher anything but toushu (throwing hand/person). I'm not an expert on Japanese baseball terminology, so I don't know exactly what was there before and changed into "pure" Japanese during the period, so I can't really say how much of the changes still remain; yet it is still interesting to see the power and importance of language....and hell, I thought it would make an interesting post.

Blame it on the Mountains

Those of you from Cincinnati know that we have a favorite phrase to describe the weather: if you don't like, wait five minutes. The whole idea is that the weather in Cincinnati is unpredictable, you're liable to have a day go from extremely cold to extremely hot. When I was younger, I thought that was a Cincinnati phrase that people in the US knew. Then as I got older and met people from different parts of the country, I found out Cincinnati wasn't famous for the phrase. In fact, I was shocked to hear someone from Colorado say, "We have a phrase in Colorado: if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." It seems that no matter where you live, you complain about the weather.

The case is the same over here in Japan where they manage to have long summers and long winters depending on what time of year you are talking to a Japanese person. However, one common phrase I hear is that the mountains are to blame for the extreme weather. In the winter everyone blames the mountain wind for how cold it is. In the summer they blame the mountains for keeping all of the hot air stagnant and just hot.

Now there is science to the weather effects of mountains, but here in Kyoto they act as if Kyoto is famous for having this kind of weather. However, I am more native to the Gunma area of Japan having worked there for most of my time in Japan. In Gunma, they always blamed Mt. Akagi for the cold winters and the hot summers. At that time, all of my friends who had spent time in Kyoto said that Kyoto is famous for its cold winters and hot summers because of the mountains. When I asked them about whether Gunma was famous, they asked me where Gunma was again.

When you have a mountainous terrain like Japan, granted the mountains will play a role in the weather from day-to-day, but no single region can really claim to be the only one affected. You might offend the entire population of Gunma.

Accepting Modernity

Never before has mankind been so connected, and yet so alone. As I get ready for my oral comps (to be administered in written form since I am out of the US), I'm reading up on the classics such as Robert Putnam and his Bowling Alone material. Back in 1995 he wrote that the rise of the television took us away from engaging each other as the tube took more and more of our leisure time starting around the 60s. I haven't read anything of his past the 90s, so I don't know his opinion on the internet's effect on what he calls social capital. What I do know is that society is constantly changing for better or worse; accepting change is always tough for people though.

I got a little Japanese taste of this the other day on the way home. I've written in the past about how maiko-san (like geisha) who adorn the streets of Kyoto now use taxis to get from teahouse to teahouse. To everyone I know, there is nothing wrong with that at all. I've never heard anyone complain they should be taking rickshaw or walking from place to place.

However, maiko-san used to use their beautiful sleeves to keep necessary belongings such as coin purses and the like. Nowadays, though, cellphone have entered their sleeves.

The other day as I rode my bike home from dinner, I passed by a cab with clients in the back and a maiko-san in the front. As I approached, I was drawn to this girl's beauty. Now in all honesty, people have a fear of clowns, and although I don't fear them, I don't really see the beauty in all of that white paint on their faces.

Yet, this girl looked like a manikin in her beauty. The makeup accented the almost perfect features of her face, or perhaps hid the faults. Her kimono was gold with a majestic pattern. At that moment I felt like I understood why maiko-san have stood the test of time and continued to this day. The way she sat in the front seat of the cab unflinching as she looked down only added to the appearance of a manikin. As I thought, "is this real?" I slowly gained ground on the cab and peered more inside.

Yes, it was real. Nevermind the clients in the backseat of the cab, she was busy texting on her cellphone possibly about her favorite SMAP singer Kusanagi being arrested for exposing himself in a Tokyo park in the wee hours of the morning. The beautiful creature wasn't a piece of old Japan time-warped into the present for our pleasure, but rather the future of the past (which equals the present or modern) doing what all idle girls do here in Japan.

The pure maiko-san has gone to the pasture just like bowling leagues (from Putnam). This is just something we have to accept.

However, as technology changes and old forms of association change into different forms, have we become more alone than our predecessors? Would it be more valuable for that girl to put away her cellphone and draw up conversation with her clients in the backseat?

Chicken or Egg?

In my first entry since hell month ended a week and a half ago, I was pondering which topic I wanted to hit in this next post. I have a few ideas, but decided it would be nice to have some pictures to go along with them, so I'm going to my fall back idea, etymology.

Etymology, or the study of words, is extremely interesting because it not only gives an insight into people may have interacted in the past, but also words and cultures have developed within themself. This little entry is more about the former than the latter, but when you think about the former, you also have to think about the latter because interaction has had an effect on cultural development. Through my readings, I've found that it was apparently popular to show the Persian influence on Japanese culture via the silk road throughout the 80's as a number of books were produced on the topic; haven't heard much about that since but....

This is more of a question of phraseology than etymology, but I can't help but ask the questions in this blog...even if they are chicken and egg questions. In English, the phrase "long time no see" comes from a direct translation of a chinese phrase, hence the odd grammatical structure. How about the phrase "to kill two birds with one stone"? There are equivalent Chinese and Japanese phrases (isseki nicho: literally 1 stone, 2 birds; I guess we're supposed to get the idea from that), but where did the phrase originate? The other day, my teacher used the word "blood fest" (chi matsuri) much to my surprise (Japanese teachers don't typically use such phrases....).

How about common expressions? In Japanese, the concept of being dizzy is literally "eyes going in circles" (me ga mawatteiru) which does not really translate literally into English, but "to draw a blank" in Japanese is literally "mind turns white (blank)" (atama ga masshiro). When you think about it, to present the same concepts in similar words is a miracle in itself. How can English and Japanese produce the same general phrases even though they are in other ways polar opposites in structure and grammar?

It would take a detailed study of ancient texts to really find the answer to this question, but it is an interesting one that makes you think about what you are really saying, for example when you "take a shower" (Where are you taking it to?) or when you "have breakfast" (you have it, but will you eat it?).

Or maybe it is only interesting to me, the language freak...

PC: Japanese Style

If you looked at the title and thought I was talking about the personal computer, the whole concept of political correctness has failed. OK, I'm bound to have critics hounding me for making such a broad statement on such little evidence, but I see that as evidence of PC's failure in America and beyond. That is not to say that women's rights have not made progress in recent history. One group recently wrote a paper for President Obama to show the areas where progress needs to be made. I'm all over the concept of pay based on merit and not on sex, color, or political affiliation.

With that ode to women's rights out of the way, it's time for some PC bashing (not the kind that happened in the movie Office Space of a fax machine). PC is about altering the structures that inhibit the thought process through words. For example: the word "chairman" automatically includes the meaning that women cannot attain that position. To me, this is absurd because before PC activists drew attention to the concept, I associated the word with mankind a.k.a. human beings. It didn't matter if a woman became chairman because women are humans too.

However, English isn't the only language to experience this. Discriminatory (sabetsuteki) words are often avoided; I am usually corrected if I use one. Examples of this include chieokure (retarded); gaijin (foreigner, but literally outsider); and the reason I thought of this topic, shikimo (color blind). The correct words are shogai no aru hito (handicapped), gaikokujin (literally outside country person), and shikijyaku (color deficient). As you can see, it is very similar to the way words were changed in English to be less "discriminatory" toward people of certain conditions. As a colorblind person.....color-deficient person, I am supposed to take offense at the implication that I cannot see color, when I really can, just not the same way you can. However, do two people really see the same color? That's like asking how many licks it takes to eat a tootsie roll pop (that owl bites it in the commercial, so it is not 3!).

To put a Japanese spin on PC, you first have to understand the writing system. In Japan, they have a syllabic alphabet they use in conjunction with Chinese characters that were imported into Japan I believe during the Tang Dynasty of China. All of the Chinese characters have pronunciations that can be written in the Japanese syllabic alphabet. Chinese characters themselves are made up of "radicals" or different parts that you see often. One such radical is "river" represented as three lines (like a picture of a river). Words that have something to do with water or flowing usually have this radical in them. In fact, the character for flow as the river radical in it. However, the character for the verb "to decide" also has it (because ideas flow? The idea character doesn't have it though!). I always point to the word "to be troubled" as a perfect example of a character that doesn't make sense. It is made up of the "tree" radical and the "mouth/entrance" radical. For sure, a tree in the mouth is troubling, but I have proposed having the "person" radical above the "fire" radical because that is troubling.

This all relates to PC because there is a "man" radical and a "female" radical. One recent blog I read had a "study" in it which concluded that most of the almost 800 characters that contain the "female" radical have negative connotations while there are no characters that use the "man" radical. Right off the bat, I can think of a character that uses the "man" radical: yuki (bravery). Also, when I think of characters that contain the "female" radical I think of characters like suki (like) and sakura (cherry blossoms). However, to really think that these radicals affect connotations of women, I am highly skeptical. These may be vestiges of misogynistic ages past, but to say it affects connotations is like believing Hiroshima (literally broad island, but is located on the main island of Japan) really is an island because it says so.

If you don't catch what I'm saying, you can sum it up this way: languages are dynamic and changing and the meaning of words comes from socialization, not from etymology. The word sinister etymologically comes from the Latin word for "left-handed" but I don't associate left-handedness with evil because I was educated to the modern definition as evil. Similarly, Japanese people do not look for horses when they go to Gunma Prefecture (Gunma= herding horses). Drawing attention to the words make actually do harm because it draws awareness to discrimination that wasn't discrimination until it was deemed as such. No woman was denied a chairmanship because the title was chairman, it was socialization that attached being a man with the position and not the word; and this needs to be stopped! I hope there are lots of female chairmen in the future that earned the position in an egalitarian workplace!

Why the Obsession with Walking Robots?

Last spring, I worked on a project for a class measuring the risk of building an assembly plant in Southeast Asian countries for the Honda Robotics robot Asimo. In the process, I began to appreciate the robot that could walk, push carts, climb steps, and as it turns out, calculate its own path and determine if someone is going to walk in front of him so he can stop. It's amazing how much the little guy that measures somewhere in the 4 feet tall range can do.

But now this article in the Japan Times talks about how Japan plans to send a walking robot to the moon. Why a walking robot? The ones on wheels aren't good enough? The article says they are sending it to show how their technology can be applied, but I take that to mean they are showing it off to legitimize the time and money they have applied to developing it.

Why is there a need to have a robot with legs walking around in space. Humans had no control over their shape, but if they had, would they have chosen legs? Are legs the most efficient way to get around? There may be a study out there called "Legs are the Most Efficient Method of Moving," but I haven't read it. If it is so efficient and agile, why don't we replace the wheels on cars with legs? OK, I'm going overboard now, but you see my point. I respect the work they are doing with robots and think there might be some psychological reasoning for creating robots in our image; yet I don't think we need to send them to the moon because we can. For that, we should focus on the most efficient model for the task out hand whether it be sifting through moon dust or collecting rocks. Hey, isn't that Mars robot doing just fine?

Japan Gives Immigrants Money....to go home

Some of you may have read this story in the BBC about the Japanese government paying immigrants of Japanese decent to go back to their homes in Latin America. I read this story yesterday in either the Japan Times or Japan Today, and attached to the article was a comment section for people to voice their opinions. One common thread in the comments was that it was just another example of the Japanese government descriminating against foreigners. I for one wish that the government would pass a law outlawing blatant descrimination e.g. not being able to rent an apartment because I am foreign, but this is a little more complex than it may appear on the surface.

Japan's labor system prides itself on providing permanent jobs for its Japanese employees. This means that when it is time to trim fat during a recession, it is the temporary workers (usually foreign) that lose their jobs. The problem is compounded by the fact that the employer provides housing, thus creating a situation where one day you are working, and the next you are on the street. Having lots of people living on the street is not good regardless of their nationality.

So, the Japanese invented a way of getting rid of this problem by exporting laborers back to their country, right? Well, this is actually more of a common practice than one my think. Spain started doing this in July of last year to give agriculture jobs back to Spanish people. Malaysia has a tendency to round up Indonesians and send them home without a cash bonus, although it is more lax on these measures when there is a need for more labor (as in 2005).

I haven't drawn any correlations on the numbers, but I'm willing to bet that countries expel more immigrants when times are rough than they do during boom periods. It is quite interesting that the Japanese have chosen this method to send immigrants back home, but it isn't just another case of Japanese descrimination; they are emulating practices of other countries' attempts to stabilize the labor market. They target it at immigrants because Japan can't send Japanese home to some place that isn't Japan. Though, immigrants of non-Japanese decent will be sent home without the money putting Japan somewhere between Spain and Malaysia in their policy.

Sakura

With the advent of Spring come the blossoms as Japan enjoys its rebirth. Spring to me is symbolic of the beginning of life, and each successive season passes until you fall into a wintry death. This is why I conject that the Japanese word for all seasons is Spring Summer Fall Winter shunkashuto, but it could have to do with an old calendar system here in Japan. If my last sentence confused you, I'm sorry. It's difficult to understand how Japanese can take polar opposite words (e.g. many and few) and create a single word e.g. manyfew (tasho) which means both the many and the few. My first encounter was the word morningevening, but that is a whole different road I've already wandered down to far.

So to get back to the sakura or cherry blossoms, Kyoto is approaching full bloom this week just as the blossoms are in DC right now. The only difference is that it is legal to sit and drink under the blossoms here in Japan whereas you have to stand in a designated area to do so in DC.

Why drink under the cherry blossoms? I can only conjecture on this question as well since I've never read an answer. I have heard though that cherry blossoms are significant to Japanese culture because they symbolize how life is fleeting. The cherry blossoms bloom into very beautiful flowers only soon to wither and fall from their tree (usually after a storm). People too are born, blossom into adulthood, and soon wither and die. The fact that you can see all of this in a matter of a week or two may bring you to drinking if you think like that.

However, it is more about making the best of the time you have, especially with the ones you care about (hopefully you are drinking under the blossoms with them!). I will be drinking with my colleagues this Wednesday after I go get a checkup (don't want to screw with my health before that....). I'll be drinking to life and the fact that I still have one. Cheers!

Korean Influence

Those that have studied Japan know that Japanese people have positive feelings toward Korea and Koreans even if the favor is not so much returned. Consult my friend's blog on Korea if you want to know more about the situation over there, but Korea is an interesting country trapped between the giant (America) and the dragon (China). From my limited studies, popular sentiment seems to be with the dragon while the elites tend to side with the Americans creating an interesting tension. Japan is associated with the Americans because of the U.S.-Japanese alliance, but they have the added stigma attached to them from their wartime aggression and the whole "comfort women" problem. Never mind the fact that the Korean government has been found to have supported prostitution around American bases along the DMZ.

However, this is a blog about Japan and Japanese feelings are a lot less associated with nationalism and more interested in cultural. Specifically, Japanese housewives (primarily) are in love with Korean "drama" and the K-pop (Korean pop) culture that comes from Korea. I recently went to a small concert of one of these K-pop hits and was surprised by the ratio of middle aged women to younger girls (I was one of two men beyond staff at the concert.....). When I asked why there were so many older women there, the response was that they love K-pop because the young singers remind them of their kids i.e. they're cute.

In a discussion of soft power, that power that countries exert through the power of influence rather than money or might, scholars discuss more the lack of influence Japan has over countries rather than what they do have. J (Japan) -pop has failed to take hold of Asian markets like American movies and music or the way K-pop has in the Japanese market. Part of the reason for this was the restrictive laws placed on Japanese exports in markets where Japan used to be the colonial ruler such as Korea and Taiwan. Singing music in Japanese along with the publication of all newspapers and books in Japanese was a part of this colonialism. People even needed to adopt Japanese names during this period to facilitate the Japanification during the period of colonialism.

Instead, when discussing soft power, states usually look to Japan as the first one to develop into a modern state. One scholar told the story of a man in Singapore in the 1960s who bought his first rice maker from a Japanese maker. Singapore at this time was nothing like it is now serving as a financial hub of Asia. People looked up to Japan, a place where they had machines to cook their rice!

Unfortunately the Japanese have taken a serious hit in this direction as well following the bubble collapse in the early 90s and the Asian Financial Crisis of 97-98. The Official Development Assistance they used to give freely to other Asian countries is also on a steady decline with the stagnation of the Japanese economy.

Manga (Japanese comics) and other such media read all over the world, but they are usually changed to the market they are heading. For this remember Power Rangers with American actors doing the non-action scenes while some of the action scenes were imported.

The Korean influence in Japan is far greater than the influence of Japan in Korea for the reasons listed above. What this has to do with actual policy is far from certain. The Japanese never really were able to turn their influence through the boom years into influence in the region (of course they had the Cold War to deal with), and they don't really seem to know how to use what influence they have left. How Korea can use this influence is also beyond me, but that is partially because I don't really study Korea. Something my friend in Korea can sure help me correct.

According to the cherry blossom forecast, they will be blooming next week. I'll report on this with pictures if I can keep sober enough take them.

Parking

In most big cities around the world, the question of where to park is quite a conundrum. You can't park in DC on the street during the week for more than 2 hours without DC license plates. In cities like Boston, you have to pay for your parking spot in front of your house. Tokyo and Osaka are much the same, but you park in a designated lot somewhere in your neighborhood.

How about for those of us without cars here in Kyoto?

While I lived in the hinterlands of Gunma, I was pretty much able to park freely where I wanted. Next to stores or other places, there almost always was a place to put your bike. If there wasn't, there was always a place nearby to put your motorless Harley with a basket.

Here in Kyoto, I was given a sticker to put on my bike when I got my apartment. Apparently there is also a sticker for school although I never got one and have had no problems. The parking situation came to a head the other day when I parked my bike at an apartment complex to which I had no sticker. "Oh no!" you may be thinking, but if they take away my bike, I have to take a bus down Kyoto Station and walk another 5 minutes to the compound, and then pay a little more than $20 for all of their troubles of putting my bike on their truck and storing it. When I went down to my bike to go back to school, there was a note on it with the message:

"You do not have a sticker.
Please take 500 yen to the apartment complex owner (who lives next door).
Your bike number has been recorded."

This note assumed that I was an attendant of this complex because the 500 yen is to purchase the official sticker; I think of it as a 500 yen fee to join the cool club. It is wrong and subject to penalty if caught, but I joined the cool club to give me the added freedom of parking here. My other option is to park nearby in front of a convenience store and hope the cops don't come by and take my bike to the compound....

Parking in cities is difficult no matter what form of transportation you use.

Trends

Humans are animals and animals travel in packs. If you don’t believe that or you believe that you are different from everyone else, take a hard look at your life and the iPod you own; everyone is less unique than they think. Trends rule our life and guide us in all of our decisions. The financial stimulus being debated in Congress now came from a trend that has (re)arisen lately in the economics world that this type of recession requires a big dose of government spending. That doesn’t mean that those from the anti-tax days won’t put up a fight as they see their trend go to the wayside.

Anytime you worry about Walmart, remember Kmart. Whenever you worry about Google, remember AOL. My only advice to people is to figure out when the trend has peaked and try not to get trampled on the way down. Such foresight would make anyone super-rich.

With that in mind, the stereotype of Japanese people is a group of people that move in packs. If you go out with a group of Japanese people, you’ll notice that they usually defer to the next person when asked where they want to go or what they want to do. This “group” identity is seen as a unique characteristic of Japanese people.

I bet in similar situations, you the reader defer to the group unless you had something really in mind.

Well, in case you were wondering, the trend right now in Japan for girls is to wear boots, tights, and some sort of shorts or shirt. The comparatively mild weather over here in Japan allows people to look fashionable outside of a sweater.

One combination that is dying off right now is the jean shorts with sheep-skin trim (and tights/boots see pic). I went from seeing at least three or four girls every time I went out wearing those shorts to one or two times a week. It seems that the trend is on the way out. That doesn’t mean that the tights and boots have gone with those shorts. I’ve seen jean shorts without trim and the ever popular brown or gray shorts that are always accompanied by tights and boots.

Kintama still prefers his jeans/T shirt combo that he has been sporting, well, his entire life. It costs money to hop on and off trends like trains on your way across Japan; money I can’t spare on some fleeting moment in time. The decline of these shorts will happen just as comedy stars such as hard gay (HG see youtube video) have become distant memories.



However, people around the world love the heat of that fleeting moment and as long as time goes on, people will be hopping on and off that train; it doesn’t matter if you’re in Japan, Europe, China or the U.S.

Kaitenzushi

Happy Groundhogs Day (I'm a bit early) from over here in Japan. I hope the fury of Winter weather softens into a nice mild Spring.

The title of today's venture is Kaitenzushi which refers to the best low-quality sushi you can find in Japan. Kaiten means revolving and zushi is sushi with the first letter changed because of the n preceding it. Yes, Japanese is a crazy language much like English; and the more you learn, the less you find you actually know.

When I was in training, they gave us a sample lesson in Japanese to give us the feeling of the students learning in our English class. The lesson was actually a great tool to give us humility and show us our challenges through our own ignorance.

During that lesson, we "went" to a Kaitenzushi restaurant and ordered sushi. Making orders in Japanese was the target of the lesson. The funny thing is that you actually don't have to speak at kaitenzushi restaurants (they translated it as conveyor belt sushi). If you look at the picture above, you can see that there are plates on a belt revolving around. This concept couldn't work in the States because our Food Safety groups would go ape-s**t over raw fish sitting out of refrigeration.

Before passing judgement on these restaurants, I would like to draw your attention to the computer screen at the top of the picture. It gives you a taste of the future of fast food dining allowing you to place an order by selecting food items (pictures included). The food is then shipped out on a bullet train and you then push the button currently lit in the picture to send the train back. If you notice, the sushi is still on the train in the picture. My date was so involved in getting the picture, she forgot to take the food before sending the train back. The chef in the back sent it out with the rest of the order we had made.

I didn't go to these restaurants when I lived in Gunma because there wasn't one within biking distance. Now that I live in Kyoto, I make trips at least once per month to enjoy mouth-watering sushi and free hot tea. The best part of it all is that each plate at this particular restaurant is roughly a dollar (a little more now with the weak dollar).

I highly recommend going to one of these places when you hit Japan. There aren't any california rolls, just good (cheap) fish, rice, and seaweed at an affordable price.

Buraku

Touching on the subject of race is a touchy subject that must be handled with kids gloves; however, I will attempt to attack the subject of race relations within the Japanese population. I am referring to the burakumin or buraku people whom the Japanese still segregate against in the 21st century. This comes from a story published by the International Herald Tribue on January 16 (read here). The current Prime Minister of Japan, Taro Aso (whose last name sounds similar to a body part below the waste that also serves as a good description of his personality), was against having a buraku as Prime Minister simply because the man was a buraku.

As the article briefly mentions, no one really knows the origins of the buraku since they are ethnically Japanese, but it is believed that they were the old butcher class in feudal Japan. Buddhist beliefs deemed anyone who dealt in the trades of the flesh "unpure" and thus all of them and their descendants have been deemed unpure by society. This legacy is carried on into the 21st century through the registry that all Japanese citizens belong to that trace their history and their "status."

Prior to a law passed similar to the 13th Amendmant in the U.S., it was common for companies and fathers to check the "status" of their future employees or, in the case of the fathers, son or daughter-in-law. This remains important to some such as Taro Aso, and some fathers that will still hire someone to look into the status of their child's love interest. How depressing would it be to have your family line merged into the descrimination that has followed the buraku for centuries!

The author chose the momentious occasion of Obama's election as the reason for bringing this topic to light. I still don't see the Japanese as being open enough to follow the example of America on this issue though. Especially when considering the fact that they just passed a law recognizing the natives of their land, the Ainu (which look just like our Native Americans), as a race separate from the Japanese race and recognizing that they still exist in Japan (mostly in the northern island of Hokkaido). This is after a long campaign of trying to assimilate them into Japanese culture/society. It's a sad case, but honestly, there isn't much left of Ainu culture in the 21st century. Even if they wanted to give them reservations like America gave to Native Americans, it is way too little and way too late.

But it's not too late to elect a buraku to the role of Prime Ministership. If America can elect a burakku (the word black put into the Japanese syllabic alphabet) President, Japan can elect a buraku Prime Minister, right? Here's looking forward to the day when everyone has a fair and equal chance to achieve their dreams and we just won't divide people by race, sex, Phish-listeners, or any other way we tend to divide instead of unite.

And a Happy New Year to you too

With promises come disappointment, and as Obama reminds everyone that he will save the economy, he also adds that there may be some "false starts." I too will use that excuse in explaining why I have not written a blog entry for my few readers over the past few weeks even though I promised at least one entry per week.

Since I last posted, the world entered 2009, over 1000 people died in Gaza, hundreds of thousands lost jobs in the U.S. alone, and I finally fixed my bike's front break. I'm sorry if I've offended anyone with my attempt at dry humor, but aren't we all guilty of being self-centered and caring more about our daily challenges than the world's problems. In my study of politics, I've found that global affairs can never beat the economy in opinion polls and in the hearts of the people. With that brief editorial on why I'm wasting my life studying something that will never be number one in your heart, I wish the best to all of you around the world and hope 2009 will bear you a first-born son (old English for good fortune).

How did Kintama spend his New Year's Eve is actually the true topic of this entry although I haven't touched it yet in this long commentary on nothing. In order to not break my second promise of keeping my entries short, I will be brief.

As expected, Japanese people have their own way of bringing in the new year. In the case of most of the Japanese people I know, they didn't go to some bar or open public space to countdown, but rather watched the musical competition on NHK, the Japanese equivalent of the British BBC, with their families. They then got dressed up and visited shrines to pray for good luck in 2009. They continue to file into the shrines for a few days after the new year actually begins. I was surprised by the number of people going to Kiyomizu Temple since it is a temple and not a shrine. I'm not sure if this is because they were here in Kyoto and wanted to see it or they actually believed they were going to a shrine when it is called temple.Another tradition is to eat soba on New Year's Eve. This toshikoshi soba (crossing over into the new year soba) is a Japanese favorite.

However, I did not partake in any of this. I spent the day doing work in my one room apartment and slowly crept out and returned to civilization a couple of hours before midnight. In typical western fashion, I attended a gathering at Kyoto station for the countdown. The Japanese people that were there were mostly there for the free live concert by a Japanese band I still don't know the name of (and don't really care to). Following countdown, the band played one more song and everybody dispersed. So much for partying into the new year. I also tried to go to a shrine, but the number of people visiting was actually greater than the suffocating amount that were here in Kyoto during the peak of "red leave viewing" season.

Below is a short video of that NHK program I tuned into from my cellphone. I recorded it to show you what the program was like, but also to show you how advanced my cheapest-I-could-get cellphone is far ahead of the tech in the States. Watching TV is free which is a good thing for someone living a Spartan lifestyle with no internet or TV in my one room "mansion." Happy New Year and enjoy!

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from Kyoto Japan. I hope everyone enjoyed whatever festival they celebrate at this time. I of the breed that celebrates Christmas celebrated a humble Japanese Christmas. What does that mean?

I went to class at one in the afternoon and finished my last class at six in the evening! Christmas in Japan really is like any other day in Japan. I can remember working at AEON and having to request Christmas day off. I usually connected it with the holiday on the 23rd (Emperor's birthday) to make a long holiday. It became longer with the New Year's holiday and weekends attached. I was able to spend a whole 10 days in the U.S.

Of course, everyone else in Japan is doing the same thing at the same time, so plane tickets were more than $1500 at a time when gas was still relatively cheap.

So, this year, Kintama the student did not go home for the holidays. This is the first time I have never taken a trip at this time, but with school work piling up and no income, it makes sense to stay put for once. What will I see in the next couple of days?

There are lots of different traditions carried out during the holidays. One of them is the eating of Osechi. It is a meal consisting of very Japanese looking things including anchovi-sized fish, sweetened egg (similar to the sushi variety), and much more. People used to make it with their families (girls help their moms while dad and brothers rest), but now it is cheaper and simpler to buy it at a supermarket.

After countdown on New Year's Eve, people will be heading to their local shrine to wish for good luck in the new year. I will be taking pictures...or trying to...

Also around this time, little kids are receiving monetary presents from their relatives. I would love to get a monetary present...

Shops offer grab bags. $100 a pop, but the value of the contents is guarenteed to be more than $100. You could luck out and get a lot of things you really wanted or you could be left with things you don't need. You won't know unless you put that $100 down.

Everyone will be relaxing. When I say everyone, I mean everyone. I will not be able to withdraw money from an ATM from the 1st until the 3rd because the banks are not open and no one will be available to maintain the ATMs.

It's a busy time of year, but I hope my first New Year's in Japan goes off well...

Happy New Year to all my few readers.

Mottainai: Purely Japanese?

Before I begin this entry, I would like to note that this is not an anti-Japanese Op/Ed by any means, but rather an examination of a concept that is overly repeated in Japanese society. This story matches quite well with a joke Michael Green, the Japan Chair of CSIS in DC told at a conference.

Three men, an American man, French man, and a Japanese man were asked to write a book about elephants. A year later, the American comes back with a book entitled, "How to Make Money Off Elephants with No Money Down and No Interest." The Frenchman's book was entitled, "How Elephants Make Love." The Japanese man's book was entitled, "What Elephants Think about the Japanese."

In the Japanese language and society, there is a word, mottainai, which roughly translates into the word waste in English. I say roughly translate because waste does not exactly equal this concept.

When Japanese people are young, just like most Americans, their parents make them eat every last bite of food on their plate. In Japan, the parents say that not doing so is mottainai. In America, people of my generation were told that they should eat their food because there were starving children in Africa and China (nobody would include China today...). The meaning of both stories is, "don't waste food."

This concept translates into other aspects of life in Japanese culture whether it is turning off the water when brushing your teeth or turning off the lights when you leave a room. If this sounds familiar to you, then you understand why I question whether this concept is purely Japanese. Our grandparents who lived during the depression reuse paper plates. When I say this to Japanese people, they respond by saying, "yeah, but do you have a single word for it like mottainai?" My response is, "do we need one?"

Upon a closer examination of Japanese lifestyle, there is nothing to be proud about as far as conservation. I don't have statistics, but their per/capita waste is right up with Americans and the rest of the Western "developed" world. That fact is true even though they use a lot of nuclear power which cuts down on CO2 emissions.

However, they have a fascination with individually packaged things. I bought marshmallows that were individually wrapped. When you go out to eat Japanese fastfood, you use disposable wooden chopsticks called waribashi. You walk down a block and you are likely to pass 2-3 convenience stores each stacked with food that will be thrown out at the end of the day. My Japanese development teacher here at school reminds students about that fact. Japan throws out enough food from convenience stores alone that could feed countless people. It's just the same as how bagel shops in the U.S. throw out all the unsold bagels after business hours...

I am not here to criticize Japan and its wasteful practices because, as an American, it would simply be a case of the pot calling the kettle black. It is also true that they have this universal concept wrapped up in one word.

Still, I think it is better to lead by action and not by word. It doesn't matter if you have 10 different words for snow if snow doesn't fall, so does it matter if you have a word for conservation when you don't conserve?

My hope for the next few years is that this latest financial crisis will lead to a new sense of what it means to conserve; that Americans, Japanese, and all of the developed world alike learn the value of each grain of rice or breadcrumb. Global warming and feeding the hungry go hand and hand in this regard. I hope we are able to make headways into each problem through conservation.

This video was a commercial that aired on MTV this year. They made a bad choice in songs (All I Need by Radiohead has nothing to do with child labor!!!), but the commercial is nonetheless touching.

Tako Balls 'till you drop

Yesterday, I took a day trip over to Osaka to do nothing in particular. I've been to Osaka 3 or 4 times in my life and have enjoyed every time I've been there. This time was no exception.

What is different about Osaka from other cities in Japan?

I usually describe the difference between the two places with one word: people. Anyone who has ever been to Tokyo will remember the zombie-like stares from people as they head to their next destination (probably some place related to work if not work). The stand orderly on the left side of the escalator as it carries them to endless humdrum of their life.

The only zombie I saw in Osaka was a crazy man that could speak a little English. He yelled at me as I was rounding the corner in my search for a good place to eat an Osaka favorite, kushi katsu.

Kushi katsu (whatever you like skewered and fried), takoyaki (octopus balls (it's ok to giggle)), okonomiyaki (flour, egg and various ingredients of your choosing) are some of the favorites that people have to eat when they go to Osaka. It is all summed up in the word kuidaore or eat till you drop. Kuidaore symbolizes the love for food that Osaka-ins possess. You're constantly reminded of it as you eat and eat in Osaka until you are about to drop.

I followed in this tradition by eating all the takoyaki I could going from my favorite place in Shin-Saibashi all the way to some place near Namba Station, hitting various places on the way. I topped it off with okonomiyaki from this place that always has a line everytime I go to Osaka. After a few hours of windowshopping, I was looking to cap off my day of Osaka eating with the aforementioned kushi katsu. We ate pork, bacon and asparagus, cheese and potato, cheese and mochi, some sort of fish, and squid. Each one cost around a buck, but the total was increased by the "table charge" since we ultimately chose an izakaya (pub that serves Japanese-style finger foods and the like).

The day was completed with a trip back to Kyoto and some Japanese fastfood. All-you-can eat white rice with a ginger stirfry, miso soup, tofu, and cabbage salad for $6 isn't that bad of a deal.

kouyou and Genteihin

Black Friday has come and gone with only a couple of shopping related deaths. I suppose it was all worth it if the people that took those two lives got the deals they were searching for. In all likelihood, the items they wanted were limited to only 5 products in stock and they were all gone by the time they raced to the back.

On a lighter note, I went off to the mountains that surround Kyoto for a little R&R. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get R&R in the mountains during kouyou or the period of Autumn leaves. As you can see from the picture, last weekend was pretty much the perfect time go see the leaves. Everyone has been piling into Kyoto for the last month waiting for this moment to come. Every weekend someone says it is the "peak" for travelers, but to those who try to navigate the streets of Kyoto or use its mass transit, it doesn't matter so much whether this week or last week was the peak because you are constantly inconvenienced.

This type of mass frenzy over something is very typical in Japan. I believe there might be a list drawn up and taught to kids when they are young about what they are supposed to do during certain times of the year. Just as certain as Japanese are to have a picnic under the Cherry Blossoms (called hanami) in the Spring, they go out in the Fall to check out the leaves.

These are just two of the many things that Japanese people must "enjoy" during the year. Just as you must go see leaves in the Fall, you must eat apples and chestnuts (chestnut fried rice is a common dish).

And if that is not enough for you, you have to indulge in the genteihin or products limited by space or time. Sorry if that sounds like something from Physics class; it's really not that complex. All it means is that you can only get takoyaki flavored snacks in Osaka (or in Ueno if you forget to buy something on your trip for your officemates) or rum-raisin flavored ice cream in the Fall.

For a country like America that wants everything right now, this sort of masochism is hard to comprehend. I for one am in love with kinako mochi. Kinako is a powder made from soy and mochi is almost of dumpling texture made from pounded rice. It may not sound good, but once you have the limited edition, only sold in the Fall, kinako mochi chocolates, you'll never get enough of them.

How can they only be sold in the Fall? What am I supposed to do in the Spring and Summer when I get a kinako mochi chocolate craving?

I guess I'm just going to have to wait. Like Fall leaves and Cherry Blossoms, I can really appreciate kinako mochi chocolates even more after the wait. Maybe there is a lesson to be had in genteihin and kouyou...as well as Cherry Blossoms and everything else....or maybe it is capitalism working at its best by creating frenzies and then marketing off of them. Kyoto can expect a huge payout from the crowds coming in to "see the leaves" and buy up all the genteihin to take back to their schools, offices, family, and/or friends. Not to mention the meibutsu, which is a related topic, but for another time.

Killer Cars: Of Bikes and Men

Well, since you got past the corny title that makes little sense (the name of a Radiohead B-side mixed with a play on a John Steinbeck book title), you deserve a piece of quality writing. That's why I'm suggesting you go now to some place where quality writing actually exists.
If you are still reading this blog, I'll treat you to what I like to call "road wars: battle between bikes and cars." Normal people in Kyoto call it "the daily commute."
Take a look at this video and try to tell me that my night commute home does not contain some risk of injury or death.

As you can see, the cars go pretty much right next to you since there aren't any sidewalks hanging around on these lonesome streets. All the sidewalks are for the big boys like Shijo Dori (street) or Marutamachi Dori. Bikes (as in bicycles) can travel on sidewalks, but you do so at great delay since Japanese people have a knack for walking right in front of you when you try to pass from behind them. Some say they have eyes on the back of their heads; I just say a lot of people can't or don't walk straight.

Regardless, you are left with the option of great delay (sidewalks) or possible death (streets).
As a professor in college once hammered into my head, always look for the third way. In this case, the third way are the side-streets. As mentioned above and shown in the video, they do not have sidewalks; however, they usually don't have as many cars on them as the video made it appear. That street I took that video on is full of taxi cabs picking up and dropping off clientele and maiko-san (geisha) from the different teahouses and upscale dining options that street has to offer.

The third way is convenient in that I can get pretty much anywhere in Kyoto in 20 minutes, much faster and cheaper than public transportation. The downside is that I almost pee my pants when a car honks at me 20 feet away when I'm already moving to the side of the road to let them pass (I constantly look over my shoulder to see what's coming). Those unruly drivers (probably the same people that pick their nose and spit in public....OK, enough stereotyping....although most, if not all, older men in Japan do so, and they are the drivers that honk at me) get welcomed with a little American hospitality....my long middle finger.

Merry Xmas

Merry Xmas from Kintama and the rest of Kyoto. OK, so it's a little early to celebrate Christmas, but that doesn't stop anyone in America or Japan from putting up Christmas decorations. This tree is located in Kyoto Station right near the Mister Donut (with the best donut in the world...the Pon d' Ring). It is already frequented by couples and non-couples who want to "enjoy" the holiday spirit. OK, so there is no holiday spirit in Japan.

What? Who is this bigot that took over the Kintama blog? Well, it's still the same guy, grumpy over the fact that he has two classes on Christmas day. Here's hoping a presentation doesn't get thrown on top of that. That salt would feel great on the wound....

Anyway, how do Japanese celebrate Christmas? They obviously put up decorations.

In Japan, Christmas is more of a dating holiday. Most common travel destinations are not family's homes, but rather Tokyo Disneyland, fancy restaurants, and the like. I would be expected to take my girlfriend to some date joint rather than bringing her home to my family...well, since it is a long commute home...going to see her family (cue scary music).

Instead of getting together on Christmas, people get together with their families around New Year's, a much bigger holiday in Japan (and one in which I don't have classes!). That day, they celebrate by eating osechi and various local variations of dishes. Older people also give younger kids money; and companies give their employees a nice bonus of roughly one month's salary.

It is also a time to get away from Japan and to go to some place warmer. In Japan, you only have 3 designated weeks for vacations. You also have some floating holidays, but it is frowned upon when you take them. It was hard for me to get away from work here in Japan when I had the flu. The doctor told me to take a week off, but I only took four days off; two of them were my "weekend" anyway.

The rush to get away creates airfare rates 3x their norms. I spent $1,500 to go to Thailand the year of the tsunami (Thank God I don't like beaches or I wouldn't be writing this blog today). I spent a third of that with 5 nights at a hotel included in October of 2006. (For those Thai history enthusiasts, you will remember that time as the end of the last coup.)

This time, Kintama will be doing something Japanese and saving up his little cash to visit his friends in Korea in February....Although Thailand is looking ripe for another coup.....