List of Hollywood movies about Japan

1.  Gung Ho starring Michael Keaton
2.  Mr. Baseball starring Tom Selleck and Ken Takakura
3.  Rising Sun starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes
4.  Karate Kid parts I and II staring Ralph Machio and Pat Morita
5.  Black Rain starring Michael Douglas and Ken Takakura
6.  The Yakuza starring Robert Mitchum and Ken Takakura
7.  The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe
8.  Rhapsody in August starring Richard Gere

Do you know of any movies about Japan that were produced in Hollywood?  If so, please let me know!

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-11

My beloved Japan: Kawaisou

In the weeks that have followed what the U.S. Geological Survey said was a magnitude 8.9, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s, and one of the biggest ever recorded in the world, I've been on the other side of the world in my native homeland busy accomplish goals and chasing my dreams.  Being forever connected with Japan by marriage, my past experiences with the US military and international education and by my love of the Japanese culture and it's people, I am quite disappointed in myself for not taking a more active role locally to help raise money for the Japanese people in their time of need. 

One common thought that has crossed my mind since the big earthquake was the Japanese word, Kawaisou.  This word means poor, pitiful, sad, sorrowful, miserable.  I first learned this word from my mother-in-law.  She was talking to my wife back in 1999 and feeling sorry for me since at that time was a complete novice when it came to the Japanese language and customs.  I got turned around at the Shinjuku train station and didn't have a cell phone and some how got back to her home about three hours after dinner.  Of course, everyone was worried about me. 

With this being said, I will help by using this tragedy as a teachable moment and highlight the silver lining.  That is, not once has there been a report regarding looting which is a testiment to the Japanese people and its culture.  Furthermore, there has been strong support domestically and internationally as well as preserverence from the Japanese people once the dust settled and smoke cleared. 
"Why don't Japanese loot? Because it's not in their culture. How is that culture defined? An absence of looting."

First, in the days and weeks that followed, Japanese people formed lines outside supermarkets.  Supermarkets would close in the early hours of the afternoon due to running out of stock then reopen the next morning with a line of people patiently waiting.  Unlike those undisciplined thieves in post-Katrina New Orleans and post-earthquake Haiti, the Japanese will still wait in line for groceries.  It is important to understand that the Japanese culture values the group over the individual.   

A better explanation to why the Japanese don't loot may be structural factors such as a robust system of laws that reinforce honesty, a strong police presence, and, ironically, active crime organizations.  More on the yakuza's roll in the reason why Japanese don't loot.   

Next, "Operation Tomodachi" is a United States Armed Forces assistance operation to support Japan in disaster relief following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.  As the US threatens to temporarily close its own government due to a lack of funds, tough decisions must be made by the US government regarding being First World countries such as Japan's primary military support and the associated costs that come with having a forward deployed military on the other side of the world.  As of 29 March 2011, the operation, including relief supplies provided to victims of the disaster, was expected to cost a total of $80 million.

In the days that follow the Earthquake and Tsunami, there are signs of hope in the affected area of Tohoku. One bit of good news is that the construction of regular relocation facilities has begun and 30,000 houses will be completed in two months. There are also plans to build 2,800 more.  Furthermore, other prefectures such as Tokyo, Saitama and Hyogo have announced that they will take in refugees from the area. For example, Hyogo Prefecture is willing to take in 10,000 people and so is Osaka. As Hyogo( its capital is Kobe) was hit by the Great Earthquake in 1995 and received a lot of support from other prefectures then, it is very keen to help the people in Tohoku.

In closing, these days, American Rock legend, Jon Bon Jovi asks, "What do you got (if you ain't got love?)"

Japan, never give up hope.  Many people around the world love your culture and people and will do what we can to be there for you in your time of need.  
DJS
Dublin, Ohio, USA
April 16th, 2011

Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-11

Getting paid to play a game

Tom Selleck, better known for his character on the 1980s TV show, Magnum PI went on to star in a baseball movie, Mr. Baseball. This movie is of an aging American player spending the twilight years of his career in Japan. Halfway through the movie, he manages to establish a relationship with his Japanese manager, Ken Takakura. Selleck shows up at Takakura's house unannounced with a bottle of whiskey and a cigar and informs Takakura that he just learned a Japanese custom of the subordinate being able to tell the boss what is on his mind and none of it will be held against him. Selleck goes on to tell his Japanese manager that instead of coercing the players into doing well, he should loosen up and take some risks. He finishes by stating, "Baseball is a game and games are suppose to be fun. We are getting paid to play a game."

Last week, on my lunch break, I was listening to the radio in the car and was flipping the channels between Rush "Limbo" and Jim Rome. After getting fed up of listening to how Obama's pastor has a big mouth on Rush's show, I actually picked up something on the Romes's show that was more than some out of work college grads playing around with a karaoke machine and rapping to a Prince song. Rome mentioned that the Red Sox were threatening to boycott the season opener in Japan against the Athletics. Their reason? The coaches and players were making $40K for the game but the staff and administration that were slated to make the trip were not.

While it is comforting that the players and coaches are looking out for someone besides themselves, I simply can not relate to how pathetic and greedy professional sports have become in the United States. The biggest culprit is pro baseball. With the home run slugger and pitching ace of our generation being questioned for using steroids to the 1994 season when the only championship was played in Japan. Their is nothing more contradicting that seeing some fat and disgusting baseball player (David Wells, Goose Gossage and Irabu) who consider themselves athletes. Then when those who have some pride in their appearance realize, "Hey, I'm a ball player." decides to get in shape, they cheat with steroids.

Anyway, it would be one thing if the coaches and players were making $40K a year. I'll admit, the trip to Japan is nothing more than a spectacle and the organizations (Red Sox and A's) are the cute little dogs and ponies making it happen. But these guys are filthy rich. Are they talented and gifted? Sure they are. They signed up for this and are making plenty of money. If those who were not receiving any stipend from this event felt that they were unjustly being left out, then the coaches and players should have passed a collection plate around like they did in the Russell Crowe movie, Cinderella Man. But, this isn't the Great Depression and they aren't some struggling boxer in the 1920s.

Evidently, they managed to sort this thing out and the game is on. But, you will never find me driving down to Atlanta to watch a game of overpaid bums who do not live in the same world as I do. For all of you that are suffering from insomnia, watch a few innings of baseball. You'll be out like a light.

Are you like me and feeling the crunch at the gas pump? These guys are the ones that actually like the gas prices so that when they drive their un-green SUVs, there will be less people on the roads.

Imported American slugger, Randy Bass, found fame in Japan in the 1980s. He challenged the Japanese season homerun record (55). He's with 1/2 of the show "Utaban" Ishibashi. If you are familar with the Major League trilogy, Ishibashi was in parts 2 and 3.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

My two cents on politicians

In May 2007, it seems that I was getting worn out with Japan's style of political elections. Unlike in the US, these local Japanese politician would ride around in their area in a van with a bull horn attached to the top. They would say things like how the voter should vote for them instead of their opponent. If you were on the 9th floor of your apartment, this type of noise pollution became a nuisance since the loud noise travels and you could be picking up static from across town. I remember once I was on the street walking to the local city hall office to get my alien registration card extended till my contract was completed and one female political hopeful was riding around waving to everyone. Everybody else was carrying on as business as usual. I decided to wave back and did so which got a chuckle out of the woman.

Anyway, for nearly two months, I would commute to and from Warabi Station. It seems like every time I commuted, I saw the same guy greeting everyone and shaking hands. I got so sick of seeing this political hopeful and deliberately ignored him when he spoke in my direction in broken English one morning. I was getting so fed up with all of the political hype.

Then in June my mother-in-law was at our place visiting and she heard that a big minister from the federal level was going to be in Warabi to help the current mayor get re-elected. This dog and pony show consisted of the big wig, two mayors of neighboring cities and the governor of Saitama. Secret service types were noted standing watch on the top of nearby buildings. The following day was the election and the people decided. They went with Mr. Handshake instead of Mr. Hype. The guy who was out hustling votes one handshake at a time the months prior to the election beat the former mayor by 309 votes. Once I learned this, I felt bad for snubbing him on the street that one morning. I later learned that he worked full-time and before and after work he worked the crowds near Warabi Station.

Prior to this election, I remember seeing some senior citizen types hustling up some signature for a petition. I noticed the katakana on the sign on their desk which read "Elevator". Having been commuting out of that station for 2+ years, I was disappointed that their was no elevator. All those trips that my wife had to make the first year to the US when her US residency was not finalized. It would have came in handy when she was toting her suitcase to have a elevator instead of dragging her suitcase down two flights of stairs. In the late part of 2006, an elderly woman fainted while riding the escalator and collapsed onto my mother-in-law. Had it not been for my wife's quick actions to press the emergency stop button, my mother-in-law would have been banged up worse as the escalator met the top floor. I was not with my wife and mother-in-law when this happened. My mother-in-law was in bad shape for 10 minutes and she finally came to only to stagger down the flights of steps as the ambulance waited to take them to the hospital.

Apparently, the city of Warabi and Japan Rail feel that the other should put in an elevator at the station. Maybe Mr. Handshake can make things happen.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japanese Street Fashion

Japanese Street Fashion- Courtesy of Youtube.com

Here's a site that you may find interesting. http://www.japanesestreets.com/




The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Traded to Japan

Traded to Japan- Courtesy of youtube.com

Major League pitcher is traded to Japan for the hot dog eating champion. This could never happen, not because of the hot dog champion but trades are only done within the MLB system. If Major League player goes to Japan, it's because the Japanese team wanted them but would not send a Japanese player in their place.

Many people do not know this, but in the 1964, the first Japanese player played in the Major Leagues. Masanori Murakami pitched in nine games for the San Francisco Giants.

Source- "The Samurai Way of Baseball", by Robert Whiting




The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

McDonald's Japan

This evening, my wife and I were watching TV and a Wendy's commercial reminded her of when she was a student attending a private school in Tokyo's Hiro-o District which is known for the several embassies and the foreigners associated with those embassies.

It was around 1983 when my wife's parents divorced and my mother-in-law became a single mom and was the bread winner running various Japanese pubs (izakaya's) near the emperor's palace frequented by bureaucrats and other politicians.

Private schools may have been the supreme school in comparison to their counterparts, public schools. But, the public schools had a good system in terms of supplying the schools a hot and nutritious meal whereas the private schools did what they could internally with no support from the outside. The results were disastrous according to my wife and as a result, nearly everyone brought lunch from home.

Having said this, my mother-in-law was busy and once every two months or so, didn't have time to make my wife or her older sister's lunch. So, at their nearby station, Shimokitazawa, they would stop off at McDonald's and get a to-go order (mochikaeride) and would bring that for lunch. My wife would become the envy of her classmates at lunch when they would have to eat their tired and ordinary Japanese meals while my wife ate a cheeseburger and fries.

Today's video is a Japanese commercial of McDonald's from 1977. "McDonald's is a word of the world."

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Clash of the Cultures- A Work in Progress for Man and the World, Lessons Learned

Written on Saturday, November 10, 2007

can remember back when I was nine years old going to the World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee with my father, grandfather and cousin. It was one of those summers when my younger sister and mother opted out and made their annual trek to my maternal grandmother’s home in Arizona. With our home becoming a bachelor’s pad of sorts, my father and I met up with my grandfather and my cousin in Georgia with a trek of our own-a taste of imported culture being brought to our neck of the woods. Twenty-five years later, I was wrapping up a three-year stay in Japan where I experienced differences in opinion, attitude and an overall approach to things and remembering from time to time the lessons learned with their beginnings going as far back as 1982.

The trip to Knoxville was a memorable experience in a lot of ways mainly because the summers back in those days had us going on family outings to Myrtle Beach, SC. It seems that the lessons learned from those beach outing were to:
a) never keep your back to the ocean too long or a big wave will catch you off guard and send you tumbling to the shore;
b) the long lines and pricey dishes for good quality seafood were worth the time and money since you couldn’t get the quality back home even though we resided in the Upstate and
c) it is not wise to ride the centripetal-force spin ride at the main amusement park located along the main drag in Myrtle Beach after a sitting of all-you-can-eat Calabash shrimp since you may be eating it twice as my sister did once by letting the ride get the best of her.

It seemed that this trip to Knoxville was a bonus trip since in addition to visiting the beach; we were now driving through the Smokey Mountains but with my sister and mother being substituted by my grandfather and cousin. The only mishap that I can recall from this trip is me becoming exhausted. The exhaust could have been caused by the heat, drinking too many sodas or the by the trip itself. After our first night in Knoxville, my cousin looked at me while eating dinner at a local steakhouse chain and saying, “Danny, are you OK?!?!? You look awful!” It was one of those rare things in my childhood when I found myself to be the youngest and smallest since my sister wasn’t with us. “I have to be tough.” I told myself since I didn’t have my mother around to look after me. I shrugged it off and gave my best tough look that I could muster and replied, “I’m OK. I was only yawning.”

The following day, we made our way to the main pavilion area where makeshift tent after tent were categorized by geographical location. Tents featuring European countries were to the left, South American countries were in the back, Asian countries were to the right and so on. As we visited each tent, I remember entering the tent called “Saudi Arabia” and becoming a bit scared as if I was entering a haunted house, unable to comprehend the unknown and only going off of what I did know about this mysterious culture which was the latest from NBC Nightly News and seeing pictures of people dressed as the man in the front of the room in our children’s Bible that my dad would read to my sister and I most mornings before leaving for school.

As the Arabic man dressed in traditional dress spoke to the visitors in the room mainly consisting of Southerners who probably have been outside of the Southeast US and may have been outside of the US if they were old enough to serve in the military during one of the conflicts of their generation which in general, seems to be the case when it comes to international travel with Americans. Afterwards, my cousin and I spoke to the man wearing a long white robe, goatee and turban and looking back on that time, I was as curious of him as my Japanese elementary students were of me when they would try to communicate with me. After entertaining us with the need to be somewhere else, the Arab man asked, “Would you like to take a picture?” As my cousin and I posed with the Arab man’s arms around our shoulders, he stops my father for a brief moment and says, “It is impolite to take a picture with your hats on.” and gently removes my cousin’s Atlanta Braves cap and my Olympics cap in time for the picture. At that moment, I felt awkward since I did not mean to be impolite to this grown-up and later realized that he too was wearing a hat but it wasn’t a cap like ours but a traditional turban.

My cousin (far left) and I with our Saudi Arabian exhibitor,

World's Fair, Knoxville, TN, 1982.

Later that day, we went to the tents featuring the countries from the Far East, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. Each time we went, my grandfather would tease us and say, “Ask for Bruce Lee.” Some of the Asian people that my cousin and I would ask would smile at us since they knew that we were being silly asking for the fallen martial arts legend while others would stop what they were doing in their busy schedule and look around for a man with a last name “Lee”. While the person was looking for “Lee” my cousin and I would run off thinking to ourselves, “Oh my God! What have we done!” not expecting this person to fetch a couple of schoolboys a person as famous as Bruce Lee.

After finding my father and grandfather and bursting at the seams with laughter at our mischievous escapades we continued on with our tour of the World’s Fair. Later on in that trip, I had a group of older boys pass by my cousin and I as we entertained ourselves in a arcade area. These boys were a few years older than my cousin and I and were lost. They approached us and one of the boys began speaking rapidly to us in a language that we could not understand. After repeating himself again and getting the same blank look on our faces, he then asked us in slow words spoken deliberately in broken English, “Where’s the food court?” I pointed in the direction of the food court and the two boys went on their way.

As I look back at that trip, I recall learning the lessons that what may seem OK to you may not be OK to someone else, as well as, what may be common knowledge to me may be breaking news to someone else and lastly, not everyone speaks English in the US as a first language. In addition, what I may find as humorous, someone else may find as an insult.

Twenty-five years since that time, the facts are:

 Soon, the number of people who speak English as a Second Language (those whose mother tongue is anything other than English) will overtake Native English speakers. This trend is known as “Borderless Societies”.
 People belonging to a certain group such as sex, race, elderly, handicapped, etc. Everyone is in some sort of minority. This trend is known as Inclusion.
 Lifestyle- Old patterns from work no longer exist. Personal freedom has an uncertain future. We must find new patterns of accomplishing tasks and adjusting our freedoms to fit into that uncertainty.
 Taking the approach by having the “Make a Difference” mentality. More and more people are focus on mending what is terribly wrong. Just this past week, the NBC's “Today” Show had people broadcasting from the Artic Circle, the Equator and the South Pole in an effort to bring attention to the global warming epidemic.
 "Big Brother, Hold My hand” mentality. As we saw first-hand with the fall out of the hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the government in only capable of doing so much. We must live within our means weather it is finances or culture boundaries.
 The aging population is making a significant contribution to society. More and more 60-somethings are hard at work and are valued employees since they are reliable and have the poise to handle testy situations in a professional manner. The gimmick of outsourcing jobs due to the use of technology and sacrificing the quality of service needs to stop. In the US, 1 in 10 jobs to move overseas.
 Change careers several times. Swapping careers in becoming more common.

As the world evolved to take on these changes it is important to step back to reflect on our progress. If we were to honestly give ourselves a progress report, I’d have to say that there is much more room for improvement in the areas of cultural sensitivity. The early 2007 incident of the Islamic teacher in the UK refusing to remove her headscarf and how the authorities dealt with the issue coupled by the 2006 incident of the Dutch cartoons that offended Arabs are the same as the my cousin and I attempting to wear our hats in a picture with the Arab man in Tennessee as well as us causing havoc and being mischievous at the expense of satisfying our petty quest to find the great Bruce Lee, but only on a much larger scale.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Kirin Lemon/Subway Sandwich in Japan/Nezumi tori/”Poki” sausage

Yesterday, we visited my favorite sandwich shop, Substation II. Ever since 1988, when I was a bagger for the now defunct supermarket, Winn Dixie, I would spend my lunch break at this place. With multiple locations in South Carolina, I usually stick to the #4 which is the salami, pepperoni and provolone cheese smothered in lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, olives, banana peppers and drizzled in oil and vinegar with a touch of mayo. Basically, when you pick that bad boy up, you hold on tight and don't let go!! At our most recent outing, we went to the shop closest to our current residence and the staff there was very friendly but loaded it down the oo much and since it was eaten at home, I basically stood over the kitchen sink with both sleeves rolled up. My wife still thinks that the Subway Sandwich shops of Japan are ideal with their sandwiches with eggs in them and as a result was suffering from heartburn from her #12 (all cheese sandwich).



Later that day, we were at Costco loading up on cheap gas at $3.50 a gallon and a 36-pak of bottled water and then the hard part of finding a dollar bill to feed the vending machine for a soft drink to get my wife to belch so her heartburn would go away. She ended up with a Sprite which reminded her of the days in Japan when Kirin would lead the way in this sort of drink with their version, Kirin Lemon.



From Costco, we headed into town for the Oktoberfest and went through a stretch of road known for police pulling people over for speeding, even if you are doing 50mph in a 45mph zone. I put the car on cruise control since driving that slow drives me nuts. My wife then enlightened me of this sort of practice in Japan known as Nezumi tori (Mice Trap). In the US, this is known as a speed trap. I guess the Japanese think of the police as cats chasing the mice.



At the festival, I was very pleased with the turn out and received several pats on the back for the favorable results for the Dedication Gala and Ceremony Luncheon. More importantly, this came from people that I would guess were standoffish towards me since I was an outsider and a unknown this time last year. Now, I'm a part o the "In" crowd which came at a price since I have forgotten more Nihongo (Japanese Language) than many foreigners will ever learn. But as my wife stood back with a sense of pride for all of the praise, she realized that this had to be done. We rewarded ourselves in the VIP area and drank German beers made by Spaten and ate brats marinated in beer. My wife commented that the Japanese sausages are much better. I reminded her that these sausages are made by Americans who had to come off their menu to fit the occasion so they are not familiar with this sort of thing. I got her to chuckle by saying, "At least they are not the kind that Jimmy Dean makes!" since she can't stand eating sausage that is soft. To the Japanese, it has to be "link" sausage and when you bite into it or cut it, it has to make that snapping sound as if you hear "Po-ki". One of my favorite snacks are the cracker sticks called Pokkie.

Today's videos are 1- a fellow gaijin eating at a Subway Sandwich shop in Japan, 2- Kirin Lemon commerical in Japanese, and 3- Japanese police conducting motocycle training.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Katatataki- Getting Fired the Japanese Way

My wife was telling me of an interesting story that took place at her work yesterday. She is a translator for a Japanese textile company. The plant comprises of a combination of white and blue-collar Americans who either reside in the countryside between Greenville/Spartanburg, SC or Charlotte, NC or commute about 30-45 minutes from those places.

This company is going through a transition with two new American vice presidents being gradually brought up to speed by Japanese managers from the company's home office in Osaka. Of course with any transition, you will have high turn over which is no surprise here.

The lead Japanese manager was speaking off the cuff to my wife about the sort of practice when you are fired or laid off in Japan. This is referred to as katatataki (a tap on the shoulder of an employee from behind from management.)

Imagine that the buzz in the air is that the company will be laying off people and the talk in the break area is that people from various departments are being let go. You return to your work station resume working and you are interupted with a tap on the shoulder from management. You turn around and management says, "Do you have a second? We need to talk." The man telling this to my wife said the phrase, "ka-ta-ta-ta-ki" while motioning the pat in the air.

My father, an old-school kind of person who has done better when refering to Japanese since his daughter-in-law is one, because he use to be known to say, "Jap". In the 1980s, he saw the comedy, "Gung Ho", starring Michael Keaton.

Today's video is of the movie, "Gung Ho".


The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Does the sempai-kohai relationship impede conversational interaction in an ESL setting?

The sempai-kohai relationship, the relationship unique to Japan between upperclassmen/seniors and underclassmen/juniors has been examined from many angles. I was recently asked, "Does the sempai-kohai relationship impede conversational interaction in an ESL setting?"

In my experiences, I found the basic conversations a bit drab and decided to push the envelope by leading the conversation into debatable territory. The results were mixed as advanced level ESL speakers spoke but were hesitant since voicing their opinion was uncommon. One older ESL speaker asked that I not encourage them to discuss matters such as, "Should the American military be based in Japan?" etc. This was not because of the sempai-kohai relationship but the Japanese tendency to not make waves. This is one example of conversational interaction in an ESL setting that was hindered.

On the other hand, I believe that ESL conversations are not impeded since it is likely that one of the members, the lead member, is not Japanese. In order for the sempai-kohai relationship to be carried out, all must be Japanese. The Japanese do not expect non-Japanese to follow the rules of the sempai-kohai relationship.

Furthermore, as a ESL teacher and one of your students is older, they sempai-kohai relationship doesn't apply since you are being utilized for your expertise. Having a younger expert correct an older student is fine since the teacher is likely to be a foreigner.

I once experienced a Japanese girl of elementary age who was called on to assist in communicating when a group of us ESL teachers visited her school. She lived most of her young life in the U.S. before returning to Japan. Once the translation chore was out of the way, the girl stayed with us and ate the snacks that were provided to us. The principal of the school scolded the girl for doing this but lightened up since she was sitting with us ESL teachers. My thinking was, "The girl should be rewarded for covering your sorry butt and its six years of compulsory English which can not be demonstrated." One can only imagine how the girl was disciplined once we all left.

Lastly, if there is any student, regardless of age who has any ability to speak English will be hesitant to do so for the fear of standing out among their peers. I've often wondered what the Japanese educational system does with the gifted Japanese students since they can not be advanced above their school year since they will then at the level of their sempai.

I guess you could say that a kohai who can speak better English than their sempai in a business setting could be awkward since the role of the sempai is to take the lead when carrying out English duties when the truth is, the kohai can do it more effortlessly. This was the situation with my wife for the three years that we were in Japan.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Hito No Me

“People are watching you.”

The Japanese word, “Saiaku” means “the worst”. A Japanese Teacher of English told me this phrase and gave the example of “You are leaving school and as soon as you get down the street, it begins to rain and you don’t have an umbrella.” A good example considering how much it rains in Japan. I later heard this word when my sister-in-law told my wife and I of her recent business trip from Japan to Italy that required a transfer at Paris’s Charles de Gaul (misspelled but since it is French…). She was so frustrated because she would use the common language of English, not her native tongue of Japanese or the language of French or Italian, and the locals would not help her.

Before living in Japan, I worked for a Japanese importer and distributor of Japanese food and beverage products. I’ve touched on this period in my professional career and thought about those days while watching CNN recently. They were discussing the latest trend in “Paid Time Off”. While at my Japanese employer, in the People’s Republic of California, guess how many days I had off in 14 months? Aside from the American national holidays which are a fraction of what there is in Japan, and the office closure the last three days in December and three days in January, I took three days off without pay. One day was for my graduation from college and another was the day before my graduation entertaining family and friends visiting from out-of-town and one was a sick day to attend an interview which became my employer after the Japanese employer. After five months with the American company that followed the Japanese company, I accrued three days off which allowed enough time for my wife and I to return to South Carolina for Christmas.

Also, while at this Japanese employer, I experienced my first taste of “Hito no Me” (in the eyes of others). My boss was the president’s daughter and was more like a Junior High teacher who felt the need to tell me things as if I were a child and would spring into action when others were around us and out of nowhere would start correcting me and this sort of thing. I picked up on it and realized that she was putting on a show for the others. Her flunky was a Japanese man about eight years older than me and also an undergrad degree holder from a college in the US. He had only been with the company six months longer than me. If I asked him questions he couldn’t tell me because he didn’t know himself. But, he would pick up where my boss would leave off and would tell me silly things like, “People are watching you.” It was really hard not to laugh at this sort of thing and he opened himself up to a lot of negative thoughts by coming into work late, hung-over and speaking English with a really thick accent. The manager of a fancy hotel on the Sunset Strip called me into his office when I was making my Friday sales calls to help him understand a message that my colleague left for him. I was so embarrassed. One other time, an account was past due and the guy in charge of accounting wouldn’t cooperate with my colleague on settling the bill and I had to step in and was so furious with my colleague for not having the ability to do his job. Anyway, back on point, early on with this job, I would come in early. The Los Angelese morning traffic didn`t suck as bad. I’m talking about 5:30AM just to help this knucklehead with one of his accounts when I had to manage the company’s largest account along with new business with the military without any help or guidance from anyone else. At one particular morning, we were so early that we had to wait in the parking lot for the VP to come in with the key. When the VP finally showed up, He told me in Japanese, “Hayai desu ne!” with a big grin on his face. My colleague saw that and immediately bursted into action, “Daniel do this, Daniel do that!” Prior to that, he was sleeping in his car. For the next hour, he kept saying, “We were early today.”, as if we accomplished something. Since I came in early, did I get to leave work early? Overtime? The Japanese are like the Navy when it comes to getting blood from a beet. I never told others about how "Saiaku”and sorry this guy was as a worker until now, but as worthless as he may have been, I bet he is considered an asset to the company since he would stay in the office and sit at his desk and basically "Jack off" until 9PM.

Picture- courtesy of "Meet the Parents". I am watching you. I am watching your every move.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

The Japanese and Their Obligations

Burmese Harp


Earlier this year, Cyclone Nargis made landfall and either killed or displaced 130,000 Burmese while the outside world watched in horror due to the military junta ruling the country keeping help away.

In 1957, 12 years after the end of World War II, the Japanese movie classic Burmese Harp was released. This was five years before the military junta took power in 1962. This movie is about the final months of World War II when the Japanese were at battle with the US's right hand ally, Great Britain. Throughout this movie, the main character, a Japanese soldier named Mizushima, plays the harp in an effort to increase morale of his crew. Early on, the Japanese find themselves being ambushed by the Brits. They sing their way out of the situation and as they sneak away out of harms way, they hear their song being sung off in the distance. As it turns out, the Brits and local Burmese are arm in arm singing. The war had ended three days prior.

The surrendering Japanese are sent to a distant prison camp. Mizushima has one last job to do at the request of his captain. He is to inform a stranded group of Japanese soldiers on the top of a mountain that the war is over and encourage them to surrender.

Mizushima carries out his last order for his captain but along the way has a life changing event which displays one of the backbones of Japanese culture. This is the way the Japanese carry out their obligations. The Japanese have two forms of obligations which are "On" and "Giri". "On" is the stronger of the two and is the type of obligation that is everlasting. The best way to remember it is that it goes on, on and on. "Giri" is to meet the obligation equally. The best way to remember it is how the Japanese celebrate Valentine's Day. In Japan, the women give the men chocolates on February 14th. In return, Japanese men give their female friends who gave them chocolates a gift on the manufactured holiday, "White Day" on March 14th.

This Christmas, we did our form of "Giri" to friends who have gone above and beyond for us. This year was our first full-calendar year back in the US after being in Japan for three years. Furthermore, it was my first full year back home since 1992. Along the way, I've had to do what was needed to do but at the same time reflect as to where I want the future to take me. Just as my past entries have indicated, this year has not been about "sunshine and rainbows". It has been about regrouping and moving forward with the momentum that I've created "out there". In short, my good friend who has been my "Consigliere" from my days in California, Japan and even now. Also, when we first got back home, my wife was working part-time at the library near my childhood home. Our family friends from the neighborhood would spend their days as retirees checking out material and chatting with my wife. This was very helpful since the transition for my wife was more than we could have ever imagined. Even my "Consigliere" couldn't see things our way which is understandable since he had never lived outside a 50-mile radius from where we grew up. Then my sister's in-laws were very interested in my time in Japan and things Japanese would always chat whenever we met. At my nephew's baptism, they picked up the tab on our lunch which caught us by surprise.

Other little things like the time I had to shell out $50 for locking my keys in the company car. As predicted, having a set of spare keys or being prepared didn't quite add up with that bunch. Then a week later, I did it again and never carried out my intentions of getting a set of spare keys made. I called up my dad's friend who works for a lock company that responds to calls from knuckleheads that lock themselves out of their home, business or car. He popped the lock for free and talked to me about the transition. At that time, we had to move from my hometown to the next county over since my wife upgraded her library job to a full-time job with benefits as a translator for a Japanese textile company. I'll never forget him saying, "It is not about what you want to do, it is what you need to do." He and my dad have been volunteering for decades at a local university working a home football games. It is a hobby that has been time consuming but gives my pops structure to his week during from late summer to early winter every year. As it turned out, my dad's friend needed to fill a vacancy at the first game of the season and since he helped me out with locking my keys in the car, I graciously agreed to help. Furthermore, I was able to create a memory of doing what my dad did since I was five years old, at least for a day.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japan in Pictures, Volume 6 & 7: Places in Japan, Lake Hakone and Miyajima

Today's Picture #1- Family Trip, April 2005
Story behind the picture:

April 2, 2005 in Tokyo's Ebisu District, my wife and I had our wedding with both of our families at the ceremony. Since this was my family's first time outside the U.S., we showed them around the Kanto area with a visit to Lake Hakone located at the base of Mt. Fuji in Kanagawa Prefecture. As seen in the previous First Friday Foto installment, the orange gateway (torii) pictured from across the way is now seen up close with a middle-age woman in a kimono pouring bottles of water. I assume that she is performing a ritual and is cleansing the area, but am not certain.

How to get there:

Ebisu, located on Tokyo's Yamanote Line is located next to Shibuya and Roppongi. Since Yamanote travels Tokyo's perimiter, getting to the Yamanote Line and to Ebisu is convenient.

Lake Hakone, , known for its view of Mount Fuji, onsens and soba noodle restaurants is best traveled by taking the Romance Train from Tokyo's Shinjuku Station.


Today's Picture #2- Miyajima Trip, April 2006
Story behind the picture:

Spring break, my wife and I hopped a plane from Tokyo's Haneda Airport and flew down to Hiroshima. Hiroshima translated means "Wide Island". In Hiroshima, is the scenic Miyajima Town meaning "Shrine Island". Miyajima has several deer that coexist among the droves of tourist (foreign and Japanese) that flock to this attraction. Here, a deer drinks from a stream under cherry blossoms not quite in full bloom.

How to get there:


Having visited Hiroshima twice, both times were by air from Tokyo's domestic airport, Haneda. The second time, the plane was diverted to Fukuoka, Kyushu due to the inclement weather and we were then forced to travel to our final destination via bullet train. Miyajima, located off the coast of Hiroshima can be reached by ferry.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japan in Pictures, Volume 4 & 5: Places in Japan, Lake Hakone and Kawaguchi, Saitama

Today's Picture #1- Day Trip to Hakone, January 2005

Story behind the picture:

With life in Japan on hiatus due to Shougatsu (New Year's Holiday), my wife and I found ourselves with a free day and decided to make the commute from Saitama to Hakone located in Kanagawa, south of Tokyo. Shougatsu usually is the last three days of December and the first three days of January and even the hard-working Japanese will take this time off to spend with family where they dine as if it were Thanksgiving and go to the temples.

We headed out early and took local Japan Rail lines from Saitama's Warabi Station to Shinjuku Station. Due to the holiday, loads of salary men and office ladies were light therefore, we managed to sit most of the way. At Shinjuku Station, we transfered to the Odakyuu Line and took their limited express service and arrived at our final destination by mid-morning.

In Hakone, there are many things to do ranging from eating eggs boiled in a geyser of sulfer turning the shell to black to viewing Mt. Fuji on a clear day. There are many hotels such as the oldest Western hotel in Japan, Fujiya.

After spending the day in Hakone, we returned to Shinjuku Station on the Okakyu Line. Along the way, we stopped for dinner at the Shimokitakazawa Station, an area for young people and trendy shops. We ate at an Indian restaurant then returned to Saitama.



Today's Picture #2- Coming of Age Day in Kawaguchi, January 2005

Story behind the picture:

Seijin no Hi (Coming of Age Day) is the right of passage that a young person in Japan takes on their 20th year. Initially held on January 15th, this day is now recognized on the third Monday of January. Young people turn of age wear lovely long-sleeved kimonos for the ladies and suits for the men.

These two young women were out at the Sogo department store at Kawaguchi Station in Saitama. Their parents (not in the picture) had taken them out to lunch at one of the nicer sushi restaurants in Kawaguchi. My wife and I were out eating sushi and the pictures shows these two girls in their best kimonos getting ready to dine on some moriawase nigiri sushi. This is an assortment of raw seafood packed over small handfuls of vinegar-flavored rice with a dab of wasabi between the seafood and rice. This dish can be eaten by hand or chopsticks and is dipped in soy sauce. The soy sauce can have a dab of wasabi added to spice things up. Between the different kinds of nigiri sushi it is recommended to eat the side of gari (thin slices of ginger) to rinse the mouth to savor the next piece of washoku (Japanese cuisine).

Which would you rather have, a plate full of sushi or a pair of 20-year old Japanese girls?

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japan in Pictures, Volume 3, Bullet Trains and Public Transportation

Today's Picture- Weekend Trip to Niigata, July 2006

Story behind the picture:

As the billboard in Los Angeles read when I was a working class university student commuting between my work shift at the LAX Airport and classes at Cal State-Dominguez Hills, "Life sucks with a car.", courtesy of a local insurance company in an effort to crack down on the recent law requiring drivers to have insurance to operate a vehicle.

One of the biggest differences between Japan and the US are the cost of gas and the convenience of traveling without your own personal car. With gas selling under $2.00 a gallon in my home state of South Carolina as I write, it was a few short months ago that gas around here was selling for twice that this. Even then, gas was roughly half the price than found in Japan at that time. This is a rough estimate since buying gas was not part of my monthly budget when I lived there due to the easy of travel without a car. Of course this line item was replaced with "bus/train fare".

For three years, I traveled to work by either train, bus or bicycle or a combination of train and bus with the most frequent being train and a relative short walk. The downside to this is with inclement weather. These were the days that I wish I had a car but as we all know, cars are not a disposable item therefore you just sucked it up and prepared accordingly. This mentality was acquired from years of playing football, working in less than ideal conditions on two different warships in the US Navy, working my way through college three time zones away from the nearest family member and being the only hakujin (Caucasian, white person) working in a old-fashion traditional Japanese company in the Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles. Just as the one-star Admiral explained to us when we had an awards banquet of sorts when I was junior enlisted E-3 sailor serving as ship's company on board the 35-year-old aircraft carrier, USS Independence, "The Navy life is hard. I don't expect you to totally accept this lifestyle, I expect you to adjust." Then he went on to say that since you are receiving an award that indicated you are meeting and exceeding my expectations. In other words, going to Japan and doing without a car for three years was a personal decision that I endured but made possible due to the Japanese's approach and understanding that a personal vehicle is a luxury item than can not be afforded to everyone.

Aside from traveling to work and pursuing my hobby for improving my Japanese at a local university requiring travel by train meaning two transfers and a 20-minute walk, I also traveled from Japan's most northern island, Hokkaido and most southern region, Okinawa and the other regions in between. This was all done without a car. With the rare exception of going to Mount Fuji and Gunma-ken via a rented van when my mother came to visit or when my father-in-law visited Tokyo from his native Kyushu or visa versa, we always traveled by public transportation.

Today's picture was taken on our return from Niigata back to Tokyo in July 2006. For a weekend trip, my wife and I commuted from Warabi Station in Saitama's southern region to Tokyo station (about a 30-minute commute) and met my mother-in-law and sister-in-law and via bullet train arrived in Niigata by lunch time. From there, we checked our baggage into a long-term locker at the train station and did a walking tour and visited the nearby mountains and rode the sky tram up the mountain and road a bob-sled down the mountain until our hotel-ryokan was available. Here, we dined "viking-style" on regional Japanese cuisine and bathed multiple times in the facility's hot spring baths.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japan in Pictures, Volume 2,The 3rd Most Scenic Place in Japan

Today's Picture- Miyajima, Hiroshima-ken, Japan, April 2006

Story behind the picture:

In April 2006, my wife and I traveled to Hiroshima to visit the place where one of the atomic bombings that ended World War II took place. We later returned in February 2007 where we visited one of Japan's largest Naval bases, Kure.

Aside from Hiroshima (Wide Island) being historic as a modern day city that emphasizes being passivized and police for nuclear weapons, nearby is Japan's third most scenic sightseeing place, Miyajima. I've had some interesting things happen at this place. One time, I went to the nearby mountain by cable car and at the top too a picture of a monkey that nearly attacked me. They inform visitors to not aggravate the monkeys. I wanted the monkey to look at me for a picture and when I whistled at it, it began to charge me. Another thing to note is that Hiroshima's famous food is oysters and okonomiyaki.



The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japan in Pictures, Volume 1,Sumo Wrestling

In an effort to remain close to the land that saw me come of age and provided me direction which has allowed success, The first Friday of the month will have a picture and the story behind the picture.

Today's Picture- Sumo Wrestling Tournament, Tokyo, September 2004

Story behind the picture:

In September 2004, my wife and I returned to the Kokugikan (Sumo arena in Tokyo) to attend the sumo matches. In January 2002, I attended my first sumo match and was fortunate enough to sit at the lower level but had to sit Indian-style on a hard floor with only a pillow. This time, we sat in regular seating.

The Sumo season begins in January in Tokyo and rotates to the different regions throughout Japan. While the matches are for a few seconds, the tournaments usually last a month and the winner is determined by the number of matches they won for that month. The more tournaments won determines the rank of the wrestlers.

In years past, the sport of Sumo was Japan's national sport like baseball was America's pastime. Now, with American baseball becoming more and more popular with the Japanese due to the success of their sons Matsui and Ichiro in the top-tier league, The Majors, Sumo may be Japan's pastime but baseball is their passion. More and more Japanese make up the roster of American MLB clubs with last year's World Series having Japanese players on both teams.

While visiting Japan, it is recommended to attend a sumo match. The closest station to Kokugikan is Ryogoku Station. Near the stadium is the Edo Museum which is everything from the era of the samurai. Prior to Tokyo becoming the Eastern Capital (a direct translation of the kanji for Tokyo) of the Asian continent, Tokyo was known as Edo and the culture of this era brought us the most famous dish in Japan, sushi.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Tokyo Dome Beer Girls

Tokyo Baseball Stadium Beer Girls
Uploaded by robpongi. - Sitcom, sketch, and standup comedy videos.

 

Photos were taken at the 2005 NFL preseason game between the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons played at the Tokyo Dome. 

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

The Japanization of Foreigners in Japan- There's Only One Way for Foreigners to Succeed in Japan

Bulgarian Sumo Wrestler, Kotoōshū Katsunori is featured on CNN's Talk Asia Program which aired in Japan in 2006.

In this segment, he talks about the transformation from a Bulgarian teenager to a sumo wrestler in Japan. Initially, the idea to become a sumo wrestler in Bulgaria was as a joke but was chosen because in Sumo you can eat as much as you want but in Wrestling, you have to control your diet to stay within your weight category. Then, he explains how difficult it was when he first arrived in Japan and how he had to adapt to the environment. He then talks about the devotion of Japanese fans, setting goals and how achieving the second tier in four years was not by luck but part of his goal. He also discusses his win against the Grand Champion in Fukuoka which guaranteed his right to become a member of the second tier.



Sumo, a religious right of the Japanese Shinto tradition became a spectator's sport in the 1700s. Japanese war lords of the era kept a stable of sumo wrestlers as a symbol of power and prestige. The rules for Sumo are simple. Two men face off and the first person to throw the other out of the ring or topple his opponent is the winner. Members of the Sumo world must follow a strict code of conduct deep in tradition dating back to the samurai era. Hierarchy is paramount. Members of the Sumo world are separated into two groups, the higher level and the lower level. Basically, the group that serves the other. The differences in Sumo and Wrestling in Bulgaria was extreme as in Bulgaria, members of the amateur national team had proper rehabilitation, doctors, masseurs, etc. But in Japan, Sumo, a professional sport, had none of these things and had to serve the higher level. In Sumo, you are motivated by either being the one that serves or the one who gets served. In Sumo, you prove yourself to the others by hard work and every two months showcase your hard work by winning as many matches as you can in the tournament.

This clip concludes by discussing what the Sumo wrestlers eat. They eat out of a big pot of stew and eat two big meals a day. The size of a Sumo wrestler alone is not enough to win. Quickness and speed is also important. Kotoōshū could run 100m in 11 seconds at the time that he entered Sumo in Japan.



Sumo is currently in the doldrums as a sport in Japan and many believe that until a homegrown Sumo wrestler becomes the Grand Champion, it will stay this way. At the time of this recording, Asashoryu was the one and only Grand Champion (you can have more than one Grand Champion in Sumo) hails from Mongolia. His flawless Japanese is a credit to first coming to Japan as a high school student.

Hawaiians were the first Sumo wrestlers to achieve success in the world of Sumo.
The first foreigner to enter the Sumo world was Jesse Kuhaulua known in the Sumo world as Takamiyama. Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e followed and was not welcomed as a Grand Champion due to traditionalist claiming he lacked dignity. He is better known as Konishiki. Chad Rowan was the first foreigner to win the Grand Championship, Yokozuna. Rowan, better known as Akebono, has a bronze statue of himself in his hometown in the Aloha State. Japanese tourist frequent this statue to this very day. Kotoōshū, the first European Sumo wrestler to achieve success gives Asashoryu a run for his money at the time of this recording.

Kotoōshū discusses the adaptation of Sumo from Wrestling. He later is asked about his celebrity status in Japan and the lack of free time and not being able to go out into public due to his current status. The Japanese American interviewer comments that he is the "David Beckham" of Sumo. Kotoōshū later discusses the future of Sumo by explaining that part of the Sumo world wants to open the sport to the world and make it an Olympic sport whereas the traditionalist want to keep the sport as it currently is. He concludes his interview by giving his advice on how to reach the top of the Sumo world.

The Divine Wind Vault
http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com
(C)2006-10