Rogues' Gallery Part XIV
Kaoru Yosano is the current Minister in charge of Economic and Fiscal Policy in the cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso. Yosano was defeated by Aso in the LDP leadership election in September last year after the resignation of Aso's predecessor Yasuo Fukuda.
A graduate of Tokyo University, Yosano has held a number of important government posts and is considered a reliable moderate, who may one day take the top job.
Yosano also took over the Finance portfolio in February this year after the drunken embarressment caused by Shoichi Nakagawa at a G7 conference in Rome.
Yosano is a grandchild of the feminist poet Akiko Yosano (1878-1942).
One thing that always puzzles me about the man, who lists golf, shogi and fishing among his hobbies, is that his hair is always jet black, despite the fact he's in his early 70s.
Can we trust a politician that hides the truth by dyeing his rug and eyebrows? Methinks not. To the tumbrils with him!
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I began the application process for permanent residency in Japan. As a rule of thumb, you should have lived here at least ten years before you apply, although there are exceptions. My present unbroken run in Japan is 13 years, and it was only inertia that kept me from applying earlier.
The night before, I first rang a good Japanese friend of many years standing, who had agreed to be the guarantor for my apartment when I first moved to Tokyo, and asked him if he would be my sponsor for permanent residency, which he kindly assented to.
The following afternoon, I went to the Immigration Office in Tokyo’s Minato ward, a short bus ride from Shinagawa station. I had printed out and filled in the form from the website of the immigration office and submitted it for preliminary approval at a counter on the second floor.
The only bit that required any real thought was the "Reasons for application" bit. I pulled out the "social" and "cultural" stops and crafted a 50-or-so word appeal.
The poor guy I handed it to was extremely polite, but inept at describing what had to be done, and I had to ask him several times to slow down and start again when it came to describing the bit about copying the number that would be entered into my passport onto the front of the envelope that I was given in which to send the documents that would be needed later. (Actually, perhaps it’s no wonder I couldn’t understand the Japanese: it makes for pretty turgid English, too!)
I then went to the main application counter, took a number, 464, and waited my turn, all the way from 322. It took about an hour and a half. Once summoned, the procedure was, again, very polite, explained very lucidly, and I was given all the information I needed in the form of a pamphlet (pictured at top).
The documents that must be submitted include my tax records for the past three years, and a certificate of residency. The next morning, therefore, I went to my local ward office and got those documents – all within the space of half an hour (but 2,100 yen poorer) - and still made it to the office on time.
I now need to get a certificate of employment in the name of the company, and get my sponsor to supply me with an certificate of identification, a certificate of employment, last year’s tax records, and a certificate of residency. Poor guy. My shout this Friday.
Stay tuned for the next move.
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Qing Ming Jie Ancestor Worship Festival. Read an article on the Qing Ming Jie ancestor worship festival which takes place across China in April.
大阪ファションとソープの看板Though prostitution in Japan was formally made illegal in the 1950s, those in the pink industry are very adept at finding loopholes in the statutes.
Government officials rewrite the laws; the brothels alter their modus operandi. A fascinating cat and mouse game.
The industry is often said to comprise 5% of the Japanese GNP - and it is very openly conducted.
You will thus find, in the former red light areas, establishments offering nearly the same services as they did in the "good old days" when it was legal.
One such area can be found in the back streets a short walk from Osaka's Kyobashi Station.
The area is sordid, and a bit depressing. It is the preserve of older men, the jobless, and misfits. Cheap noodle joints, pachinko parlors, and an assortment of raffish shops line the arcades. Just off them, though, you enter a different universe.Kyobashi has none of the verve of Namba or Umeda or Shinsaibashi - where many more brothels are located - but it still is packed in places with multi-story buildings in which every floor has at least one business offering a range of services for men.
The two places pictured here were both in the same ten-story building.
The photo at top is of "Kiss," which is on the 4th floor. And Visa is accepted! The other establishment is on the second floor, and we are not sure about credit cards.
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Date: July 4th, 2009 (1st Saturday)Time: 18:30 - 21:00Place: Imaike Bee House Bldg. 3FImaike 4 Chome 10-16, Chikusa-ku, NagoyaFee: 2500 yen All you can drink!Dress code: Anything (Casual, etc)Reservations: No Reservations Necessary. Just show up to the party!Great local musical talent, poetry, comedy, and artThis is a regular international party with live music!!
Pictures from previous Nagoya Friends Parties.
Map & DirectionsContact: 080-5169-1666(Japanese) 080-5469-6317(English)
Get off at Imaike Station (Higashiyama Line[Exit #4 or #5])
Misfits
Imaike Bee House Bldg. 3F
Imaike 4 Chome 10-16, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya
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Adventure Spirit Nagoya Friends
present
4th White Water Rafting - Nagara River one day trip
July 12th, 2009 (SUNDAY)
Central Japan’s Premier Rafting River.
Nagoya Friends proudly presents our 4th Nagara River Rafting trip. For 12,000 yen (tax included in price) you get a full day of white water rafting, a delicious lunch and admission to the onsen at the end of the trip. A thrilling ride not to be missed! Rafting will be held on Sun. July 12th
Experience the adventure, raft the exciting rapids of the natural Nagara River, relax in the calm pools and beautiful scenic mountain environment. Enjoy the outdoor challenge, feel alive!
WHAT ADVENTURE SPIRIT WILL SUPPLY
1. 4 x 8 person inflatable rafts and paddles.
2. Helmets, Life jackets, spray jackets and thermal tops for each member.
3. Professional Instruction from experienced Rafting Guides.
4. Insurance.
5. A delicious lunch
6. Onsen Admission ticket
7. A drink (500ml pet) to be carried down river with us.
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
1. Swimsuit, sunscreen, shorts, sports sandals or wetsuit-boots or sneakers.
2. Full set of dry clothes and extra shoes.
3. Onsen towel and bathroom set.
4. Adventurous spirit!
PRICE
Raft, paddles, safety equipment, insurance and instruction is 12,000 yen per person for a full day rafting.
Minimum 5 customers. Maximum total 28 customers.
Cancellation Fees.
2 weeks before 0%
14-8 days before 30%
7-2 days before 50%
The day before 80%
On the day 100%
TRANSPORTATION
**All customers are reponsible for their own transport to the rafting site. I will be able to mee a few people at Gifu station and take them up to the location, but you will need to assist with gas/highway tolls if you need a ride.**
MEETING TIME AND PLACE
8:30 am Gifu-ken, Minami-mura, Daily Yamazaki store. Right by Minami IC Interchange (Turn left off the Tokai-Hokuriku do on Route 156)
PLAN
8:30 am Meet and welcome at the Minami village Daily Yamazaki Store.
9:15 Issue personal paddling gear.
9:30 Drive to the Nagara river rafting start point.
10:00 Start rafting: complete the morning safety training.
10:30 Enjoy rafting the exciting, refreshing rapids of the Nagara river.
12:00 Relax at a nice beach and eat lunch.
1:00 Raft the bigger rapids of the afternoon section.
3:00 Arrive at the finish point -Kodakara Onsen.
3:30 Relax in the hot spring. (onsen admission fee included)
5:00 Drive back home.
THIS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE RAIN OR SHINE
Reserve HERECONTACTS
Adventure Spirit E-mail: info@adventurespiritjp.com
Fax: 05 8686 2323
Chris090 9949-3495 English/Japanese
Sam: 080-5469-6317 English
Yuka:080-3648-1666 English/Japanese
Adventure Spirit & Nagoya Friends
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One of Japan's most luxurious trains is the Kintetsu Ise Shima Liner which runs from Nagoya and Osaka Namba stations to Kashikojima on the Ise Shima Peninsula in Mie Prefecture.
The train has a European-style "saloon" carriage, a "deluxe" carriage and a trolley service for refreshments.
The train usually stops in Tsu, Uji Yamada, Toba and Kashikojima from Nagoya Station.
Journey time from Namba Station in Osaka to Toba is around 2 hours. From Nagoya the time is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. A special "weekday four" ticket cuts the price to 2,980 yen per adult from Osaka or 2,500 yen from Nagoya if you travel as a group of four people.
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All the major airports and many of the provincial airports have flights to Incheon Airport, just outside Seoul, including Hiroshima.
Just over an hour's flying time away, Seoul offers great food, cheap prices and a vibrant atmosphere.
You can also reach Busan by hydrofoil or ferry from Hakata.
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A Solution to the Whaling Issue? Former MOFA spokesman speaks outJapan Focus
Japanese exports plunge again
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During the recent influenza scare, the Yamaguchi Gumi - Japan's largest organized crime group - distributed 1,000 masks for free to three Kobe day care centers.
Local police however confiscated the masks when word got out about their origins.
Source: Asahi Shinbun
According to estimates, Japan's public pensions will provide recipients with the second lowest payout as a percentage of their salary of any of the OECD member states.
According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, 22 percent of Japanese over 65 had incomes below the OECD poverty level. This is much higher than the 13% average.
Pensions in Japan will provide just 33.9% of salaries. Only Britain is lower.
Source: Yomiuri Shinbun
The number of foreign visitors to Japan declined 34% in May compared with the previous May.
486,100 foreign visitors entered Japan last month, which was the 10th month of decline in a row.
Source: Kyodo News
80% of children either bully or are bullied, according to the National Institute for Policy Research.
Bullying was defined as "being shunned by friends, ignored, or talked about behind one's back."
Source: Kyodo News
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Xian Street Food Shaanxi - see an image of street food from Xian, China's ancient capital in Shaanxi Province.
Hong Kong Area Guides: read guides to Hong Kong areas and outlying areas - Central, Wanchai, Tsui Sha Tsui.
I have been parking my bike across from the office building in Tokyo’s Kojimachi district for the 18 months or so since we moved into the office. I lock it to the railing between the two apartment buildings across the road.
For the first time, about a month ago, as I was leaving the office after a small party – admittedly a little worse for wear – I was accosted by an old codger in his mid-to-late-fifties, the kind who wears a permanent, childishly petulent, grimace. One glance at him and I knew it was trouble, and, sure enough,
“Parking your bike there is a nuisance.” (Soko de tomeru to jama da yo!)
Being slightly tanked I put up a bit of resistance.
“How is it a nuisance?”
“It’s difficult to get past”
… which was patent nonsense. Where it was parked was nowhere near the entrance to his building (the building on the right in the photo), and space left between my bike and the kerb was still considerably wider than the average doorway.
I got on my bike, wished him goodnight, and that was that.
Until today, when I found a police notice stuck to it:
“This vehicle is illegally parked – No parking – Please move [your vehicle] as quickly as possible – Police Department, Kojimachi Police Station”
And, in handwriting, “A complaint was received, 6/25, 14:00”
I have no doubt who made the complaint – old Sour-Face – but I can’t really go against the Law. Although, speaking of which, is it coincidence that I came out of the office only the day before (the 24th) to find that my front tire was flat? Not only flat, but with a deep, half-centimeter cut in it, and, strangely, I thought, no sign of any glass or metal fragment that, for a cut that deep, you’d expect to find embedded there.
Furthermore, is it a coincidence, too, that my front tire suffered a puncture only two weeks ago?
Japanese neighborhoods are delicate terrain. Tread, pedal, and park, carefully.
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The 148km-long JR Hohi Mainline which runs in the Aso caldera region of Kyushu connects Kumamoto, Oita and Beppu, east-west across the island.
Running from Kumamoto, it goes down the slopes via a switchback slowly zigzagging back and forth until it reaches the town of Tateno. At Tateno the JR Hohi Mainline connects with the Takamori Line (高森線) run by Minami Aso Railway. Look out for the long station names on this line, one being "Minami Aso Mizuno Umareru Sato Hakusui Kougen Eki" - probably the longest in the country.
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Listen to podcast mp3 recordings of sounds from everyday life in Japan - a Kyoto lunch stall vendor sings to passersby. The Suicide Diaries :: Japan Visitor
Suicide is relatively common in Japan according to the statistics. Read an article that takes you beyond the statistics to eye witness accounts of suicide in Japan.
I remember several years ago standing in a queue outside a nightclub in London, in a state of great excitement, talking to a Japanese friend in Japanese. Turning a curious ear to my gabbling was the guy - a Brit- just ahead of us, looking slightly askance at me with a slightly puzzled, slightly amused look on his face. He maintained that demeanor until the point when I blurted out a certain phrase: “mecha-kucha,” in the course of my spiel, upon which he burst into a grin and turned away.
“Mecha-kucha” is, I think, one of the most expressive phrases in the Japanese language, and, when producing it, vocal chords, tongue, and lips should be worked with the kind of verve that the meaning of the word deserves.
And that meaning?
as fuck, bog-up, dog's breakfast, ever so, fubar, fucked up beyond all recognition, hash, like you just don't care, mess, muck-up, one's tits off, piss-up, rat's nest, shambles, topsy-turvy, higgledy-piggledy, haywire, harum-scarum, amok, pell-mell, indiscrimate, screwed up, cock up …, the list goes on.
As the above list suggests, mecha-kucha is as grammatical fluid as “fuck” is in English. Some examples:
Kanojo no heya wa mecha-kucha. (Her room is a total mess.)
Seinen-tachi wa ekinai o mecha-kucha ni shita. (The youths trashed the inside of the station.)
Mecha-kucha isogashii. ((I’m) insanely busy.)
Mecha-kucha ii. (Shit hot)
Mecha-kucha warui. (Bad beyond belief.)
So, as an adjective applied to a noun, mecha-kucha means “extraordinarily disorderly,” and as an adverb applied to an adjective, it means “extremely.”
Pronunciation: meh-cha-koo-cha, with an even stress on all syllables. If you really want to bring it home and pull out the superlative stops, pronounce it met-cha-ku-cha, i.e. with a short, definite labial stop between the first and second syllables before careening down the slope of the following three.
Mecha-kucha: don't just say it, spray it!
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The back story of the "Do It At Home" campaign on the Tokyo subway appeared in the Japan Times this weekend.
Since April 2008 a monthly poster has appeared in the 168 Tokyo Metro stations and on the 3,300 train carriages of its nine underground lines.
Previously the posters have featured a young woman applying her make up on the trains and talking on her mobile phone. Other targets have been drunks sprawled over the seats, young people taking up too much room and a commuter shaking their umbrella over fellow travelers on the stairs.
The man responsible for the striking manga-like designs is 35-year-old Bunpei Yorifuji, a fan of American artist Edward Hopper and ukiyo-e master Hokusai. Yorifuji bases his monthly designs on common complaints made to Tokyo Metro's Customer Relations Center (Tel: 03-3941-2030).
Two mainstays of the campaign are a disgruntled man and woman - the pair with large opaque glasses - who represent the average law-abiding Tokyo commuter. Yorifuji refers to them as a married couple: "The glasses obfuscate the emotion and better reflect the discomfort," he adds.
Yorifuji's work is now so popular it is the subject of spoofs such as the one below from hitotoki.
Tokyo Metro has been running its "manner poster" campaign since 1974.
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映画：「靖国」Kyoto's Doshisha University screened the documentary film Yasukuni (2007) last week at its Imadegawa Campus's Hardy Hall. Following the film, Director Li Ying answered questions in a symposium.
Yasukuni Shrine is of course the most controversial place of worship in all of Japan. The reason is that it is the resting place of Japan's war dead, among them fourteen Class A war criminals including Hideki Tojo.
It is where Japan commemorates the end of the war every August 15th - and is a magnet for rightists. It is also a lightning rod for China, the Koreas, and Taiwan, for whom it represents Japan's unrepented past.
The film was released in April 2008 and soon became a cause celebre for nationalists in Japan. Threats of violence caused movie theaters in Tokyo and Osaka to drop the film.
The film received 7.5 million yen from the Japan Arts Council and was made by a mix of Chinese and Japanese staff - but was criticized as being biased, primarily because Li is Chinese.
A lawmaker, Tomomi Inada, even called for a boycott of the movie. The film was however eventually shown without incident.
One wonders though if Inada and the rightists actually saw the film, or if rather they were reflexively opposing a depiction of Yasukuni of any kind by a non-Japanese. Had they seen the film their concerns may have been allayed.
The film begins with 90-year-old swordmaker Naoji Kariya, the maker of the official sword for the Shrine. Director Li Ping weaves interviews with Kariya in with footage of the scene at the shrine on August 15, 2006.
Much of the film is the above interviews or unedited footage of cranks. The usual suspects - rightists, the war dead association, and assorted whack jobs - are out in force.
The most compelling part of the film is a 20-minute sequence in which two young men (one Chinese, one Japanese) who - having interrupted the solemn ceremony following right-wing Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara's speech - are chased away and bloodied by a mob before the police manage to take them to safety.
Otherwise, it is overlong takes - often off angle - of people with a limited grasp of reality. One example is of an American real estate broker who claims to have flown in from Nevada to show his support for then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. He is wearing his realtor uniform - sunglasses, pressed slacks, button down shirt, and tie - and holding a sign in Japanese that says "I support Koizumi" and in his other hand a US flag.
The man is either a paid actor or an absolute nut, and this is a bearded lady at the circus type attraction that adds nothing to a discussion of the issues surrounding the War, memory thereof, and Japan's strained relations with its neighbors more than six decades after the war ended.
The "realtor" speaks no Japanese and arrives in Japan, on August 15th, from Nevada to demonstrate in favor of the right wing Koizumi government? After 15-plus minutes of watching him babble with older Japanese men - some of whom support his stance - he too is escorted off the grounds of the Shrine by the police for his own safety.
The man to my right slumped to sleep at this point.
From there it is back to Kariya's sword studio for more unedited interviews. Embarassingly, the Director - who has lived in Japan for some twenty years - had trouble understanding the taciturn Kariya. Why was this footage left in the film?
Cinema verite?
More realism ensued with scenes filmed with a filthy lens. Again, why were these scenes left in the film?
The film was too long, its message unclear, and unfortunately only adds more confusion to a place that still resonates with many in East Asia. If you doubt that, check back on August 15th.
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裸な東京２００９年！Naked Tokyo is back! This Friday night, one night only!
NAKED TOKYO 2009
Cross cultural eroticism, supercharged sexuality, gender issues, ironic orientalism, political incorrectness, bad taste, and a sense of humour are all highly encouraged!
Theme: Contemporary portraits themed "Naked + Tokyo" Curator: Embutsu Kanji
Exhibit Date/Location: One night only, Friday, June 26, 2009, at Super Deluxe, Tokyo (super-deluxe.com)
Photos Top Right: © Patricia Prada. Below Left: © Benjamin Robins
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Japan unveils world's fastest trainPress TV
Europe to hunt more whales than Japan, figures show
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Only two percent of Japanese researchers plan on working overseas. That news is from a survey conducted by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry.
Two thousand authors of papers published in leading academic journals were sent a questionnaire, of which 1,036 replied. 11% already had had overseas experience; however, a more typical reply was that they "do not have any contact with overseas research institutions."
The US is currently seeing a rise in the number of researchers coming from China and South Korea. While China sent 24,000 researchers to the US in 2007, Japan had just 5,700.
Source: Yomiuri Shinbun
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Tsukiji Fish Market (aka the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market) is the largest marine products market in the world. Japan consumes around 17% of the globe's marine products and a large proportion of that passes through the gates of Tsukiji.
Overall over 700,000 tons of marine products from around 400 species are handled annually at Tsukiji by seven major fish wholesalers.
There has been a fish market in Tokyo since the city's earliest beginnings under Tokugawa Ieyasu in the early 17th century. Tsukiji in its present location dates from 1923 when Tokyo's main fish market was located here after the Great Kanto Earthquake.
Now a major tourist attraction, Tsukiji is open Monday-Saturday (with some weekday closures). Check the official site for the calendar. There are a number of excellent sushi restaurtants to sample fresh seafood around the market.
Access
Tsukiji (English website)
Chuo-ku
Tsukiji 5-2-1
Tel: (03) 3542 1111
Tsukiji Station, Hibiya Line, exit 1, Google Map; Higashi Ginza Station, Hibiya and Asakusa Lines, exit 5; and Tsukiji-ichiba Station, Oedo Line, exit A1.
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Igreja de So Francisco & Capela dos Ossos: read a guide to the macabre Chapel of Bones in Evora, Portugal.
Images of Portugal & Madeira - Camilo Beach Algarve - see a photograph of Camilo Beach in the Algarve. Books on Japan - Japanese Fiction Reviews II :: Japan Visitor
Japanese fiction - read book reviews of Japan-related fiction and reviews of novels on Japan - Banana Yoshimoto, Kazuo Ishiguro, Haruki Murakami, Junichiro Tanazaki et al.
Kermanshah Map: see a map of Kermanshah in Iran showing the major sites and Kermanshah railway station. Zahedan Map :: Iran Visitor
Zahedan map: see a scrollable map of Zahedan in the south east of Iran.
A fun day trip from Nagoya is to ride the rapids on the Kisogawa River in Inuyama.
Take a Meitetsu train from Jingu-mae, Kanayama or Nagoya station to Inuyama-yuen. The boat station is a short 5 minute walk over the railway line. There are shuttle buses from Inuyama Bridge to Ota Bridge (30 minutes) at 9.15am, 10.15am, 11.15am, 12.15pm, 1.15pm, and 2.15pm.
The boats depart from Ota Bridge for Inuyama Bridge at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. There is an additional 4pm departure between July 20-August 31. The whole period of the boat operation is March 10-November 30.
The journey takes about an hour and costs 3,400 yen for an adult and 1,700 yen for children.
Along the way enjoy the rapids, weird rock formations and the plentiful wildlife and flora. There are cormorants and hawks to see on the way down.
If you are making your own way to the launch point the nearest stations are JR Minota Station on the Takayama Line or Meitetsu Nihon Rhein Imawatari Station on the Meitetsu Kanikawa Line.
Reservations
2-6-5 Mikado-cho
Minokamo City
505-0024
Tel: 0574 28 2727
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