The Love We Share Without Knowing

Here is a gift idea for your friends or family members who love to read and who are into the Japanese culture. Author Chris Barzak is launching his second book today. Titled “The Love We Share Without Knowing,” the book was built on his experiences when living in Japan.

It is actually a collection of short stories revolving around the lives of the Japanese natives, visitors, and supernatural beings. In a feature article at Valley 24, the book is described as:

The short stories are inter-connected, each one picking up indirectly where another left off. His beautiful use of words and descriptions paint vivid pictures of both wonderful and devastating images. Barzak meticulously addresses taboo issues in Japanese culture, such as suicide and homosexuality. Amid fairy tale references and unlikely circumstances, Barzak lifts the proverbial veil and brings these subjects to light in thoughtful and emotional ways.

Near the beginning of the novel, four friends create a suicide pact. Barzak says in America, people tend to commit suicide on their own, suicide groups have been a trend in Japanese culture.

I found this particularly interesting as I had just read reviews of Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire. I actually wrote a post on this recently. Barzak’s book, however, seems to offer a more realistic concept of the Japanese culture. The stories, however, focus strongly on love – not solely romantic love but love that can exist between people: life partners, family members, friends, and even for one’s self.

If you want to get a copy, try looking at Amazon. I found it for a little less than $10.

Shop Straight From Japan

Japanese items have long since held a certain attraction for many people outside of Japan. Indeed, you will see a lot of Japanese goods – mostly kawaii items – on sale in various online stores. You can even find these on sale on Ebay. But wouldn’t you like it if you can actually get these things straight from Japan?

With Jzool-Agent, an online service recently offered by Jzool.com Co., Ltd., anyone from anywhere in the world can directly purchase items from the best online stores in Japan. This is indeed welcome news for those who love all things Japanese! In their press release, they state:

Jzool-Agent (http://agent.jzool.com) is primarily a service that buys domestic Japanese products on your behalf. It will handle orders in English and sends products to most locations in the world.

All sites linked from this directory is automatically translated to English, French, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Russian and Arabic by making use of Google’s translator API, so most users will be able to get most if not all of the product’s details and explanations in their own language.

I like this last feature – translation into the language of the buyer. That is in fact one of the most common “complaints” that I hear when talking about online Japanese stores. I don’t know too many people who can read Japanese so this will definitely make the shopping experience better. Head on over to Jzool now, won’t you?

Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire

Hara-kiri? I am sure that you have heard of – or even used – this term before. This term is actually more formally known as seppuku, which referred to “a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai honor code, seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies, as a form of capital punishment for samurai who have committed serious offenses, and for reasons that shamed them. Seppuku is performed by plunging a sword into the abdomen and moving the sword left to right in a slicing motion.” (Source: Wikipedia)

In his book, Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire, however, David Mura, dramatizes something else. He showcases the life of sansei, or third generation Japanese American. The main character is Ben Ohara, a sansei who is mired deep in a quest to find out what really happened to his father who died and his only brother’s disappearance. The Chicago Tribune has a review which narrates:

For Ohara, suicide begins at home. His father, interned during World War II, held his own shame as one of the so-called “No-No Boys,” a nisei (second generation Japanese American) who refused to join the American army and went to jail instead. That shame eventually led him to take his own life. Ohara’s brother, an astrophysicist with a drug habit, walks out into the Western desert, never to be seen again.

If you are interested in reading this book, you can get it from Coffee House Press for $14.95. It might be a good gift this Christmas.

Japan Car at the Science Museum in London

Are you a car enthusiast? What excites you when it comes to cars? Good old American muscle cars? Sleek and sexy sports cars? How about tranquil and compact Japanese cars?

If you lean towards the last group, then you would be interested in what Shigeru Ban and Kenya Hara are doing. These two Japanese nationals are trying to change the perception of the rest of world with regard to modern Japan. One of their activities that has gotten a lot of attention is the Japan Car show. This show is actually part of the efforts of their group called Design Platform Japan.

Hara explains their ideology:

We wanted to introduce Japanese industrial culture to the world. We Japanese are not very good at explaining what is happening in Japan right now properly. Although Japanese subcultures such as anime or manga are becoming well known, when Japan is introduced it tends to be in terms of tea ceremonies or kimonos. Our industrial, mainstream culture just isn’t represented.

And they are currently tapping the strong interest in cars to showcase modern Japan. There are 14 models on display but not all of them are available in the market. More so, not all the cars might appeal to the average car enthusiast – especially the more “exotic” designs. Their aim, however, is to give viewers a glimpse of the future that Japan might be able to bring about through a fusion of their technology and culture. That is interesting, to say the least.

Japanese Christian Martyrs To Honored

When we speak of Japan and religion, the faiths that normally come to mind are Shintoism and Buddhism. After all, these are the religions that are most practiced in the country (and many other Eastern countries). A less known fact is that there is a strong Christian community in Japan and that the country has long history relating to this major world religion.

As a testament to this, the Roman Catholic Church is beatifying Japanese Christian martyrs. What you may not know – and to be honest, I didn’t know this either – is that many Japanese people were persecuted because of their Christian faith in the 1600s. These people came from all walks of life. Some were samurais, some were housewives, some were even children!

On Monday, the Roman Catholic Church is going to hold a ceremony honoring these people. According to the tenets of this religion, this kind of ceremony is going to bestow the people an honor one step below sainthood. More than the beatification of the martyrs, however, the ceremony means a lot to the relatively small number of Christians in the country. For them, it is a show of strength, a testament to the existence of their faith in a country dominated by other religions.

Another interesting piece of trivia for you: did you know that Japan currently has a Roman Catholic Prime Minister in Taro Aso? He actually holds the distinction of being the first ever Catholic PM of the country!

The Ghibli Museum

If you find yourself in Japan and you want to visit a place that will offer you one of the best kawaii experiences, I suggest heading over to the Ghibli Museum. Located right smack in the middle of a residential area about 30 minutes from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, the Ghibli Museum provides a one of a kind experience. Its director, Hayao Miyazaki, expresses his sentiments about the museum and describes it as:

A museum that is interesting and which relaxes the soul
A museum where much can be discovered
A museum based on a clear and consistent philosophy
A museum where those seeking enjoyment can enjoy, those seeking to ponder can ponder, and those seeking to feel can feel
A museum that makes you feel more enriched when you leave than when you entered!

I have not have the chance to personally pay the Ghibli Museum a visit yet but from what I have heard and read, it is rife with kawaii – just like many other places in Japan. You will be in for a treat of cuteness at this place. They are open on all days of the week except for Tuesday, from 10:00 in the morning to 6:00 in the evening. They also have a café, dubbed the Straw Hat Café, which is open from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. However, if you want to enter the café, do so before 6:00 pm as that is the latest that they allow people to go in.

The Ghibli Museum is very popular and they only sell admission tickets in advance so if you are planning on a trip there, make sure you buy your tickets beforehand. Do visit their web site for more information.

Kawaii For The Holidays?

Christmas is only a little more than a month away. Have you gotten started on your Christmas shopping yet? I know some people who are finished with their lists. In fact, they finished months ago. But if you are like me, then you are probably the type who waits till the last minute to get gifts for everyone. Good thing for us, there is such a thing as online shopping. Whoever first thought of online shopping should be awarded some great prize! I mean, I do not even have to go anywhere to get gifts. They will be delivered right to my doorstep – or the recipient’s doorstep!

Speaking of online shopping, did you know that there are great places online where you could find kawaii items? If you do not know what I am talking about, then you should read my previous post about kawaii, or cute things (loose translation). Kawaii has been around for decades and I am sure that most everyone is aware of it although perhaps not by name.

Anyhow, I found a great article on online stores featuring kawaii items.

Sweet Kitty the Anime Store is located in Kent, Washington. You can visit the store in person at 18111 E. Valley HWY S. #103; otherwise, you can purchase items directly from the store at: SweetKittyAnime.com. The store specializes in Japanese items, and it carries brands from Harajuku Lovers to Hello Kitty. The store has the best selection of Sanrio products in Washington State. The owners love their customers and encourage visitors to come to the store. Below are some of the hot items that are in-demand.

ShopKawaii.com is the web store for both Kawaii Gifts and Kawaii Avenue since April of 2006. However, ShopKawaii.com is dedicated to our imported gifts. You can visit the stores personally at Kawaii Gifts, located at 5413-B Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232. Kawaii Avenue is located at 5413-A Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232.

Thanks to Katrina-Kasey Wheeler for these wonderful pieces of information.

Kawaii: All Things Cute

Disclaimer: For those who are averse to cuteness or anything related to it, I suggest NOT reading this post. Then again, the Japanese concept of cuteness is quite interesting so you might as well go ahead and read about it.

So, what is kawaii all about? It is the idea of being cute in all respects – from pop culture to entertainment to clothes to accessories. Even the big businesses in Japan make use of the concept of kawaii. It is actually a bit hard to exactly explain it but let me give you examples, which will concretize the idea.

Wikipedia gives a very good list:

• Pikachu, a character from Pokémon, adorns the side of three All Nippon Airways passenger jets.
• Asahi Bank used Miffy (Nijntje), a character from a Dutch series of children’s picture books, on some of its ATM and credit cards.
• Monkichi, a cute monkey character, can be found on the packaging for a line of condoms[4]
• All 47 prefectures have cute mascot characters
• The Japan Post “YÅ«-Pack” mascot is a stylized mailbox.[5]
• The Japan Post also uses other cute mascot characters, for example, on stamps.
• Some police forces in Japan have their own moe mascots, which sometimes adorn the front of koban (police boxes).
• Hello Kitty

They do have a propensity for mascots, don’t they? Anyhow, if you ask the Japanese what they think of kawaii, you might get various reactions. A good majority, however, will tell you that it stems from the inherent peaceful and calm nature of the Japanese culture. There are some skeptics, however, who think that it is a mentality that makes for non-assertiveness.

Whichever way they think, it cannot be denied that the concept of kawaii has spread to other countries and is in fact one of the most intriguing things about the Japanese culture.

Experience Japan With Your Senses

What do you do when you visit a foreign country? Do you merely drink in the sights and sounds or do you prefer to be a hands on traveler? I would like to categorize myself under the latter group. Seeing and hearing is most definitely part of any travel experience of mine but actually tasting, touching, and living the local culture raises the experience to a whole new level.

Japan is definitely on the top of the list of worldwide tourist destinations and what better place to experience its culture than Kyoto? This city is arguably the best place to experience the “real” Japan. Jane Singer actually wrote a very inspiring article about this. She shares:

For these travelers, visiting Kyoto, the 1,200-year-old cultural heart of Japan, without experiencing the culture is too much of a virtual experience. Why restrict yourself to the sights alone when you can feel the smooth embrace of silk kimono, taste the bitter froth after whisking up a cup of powdered green tea, or hear the reverberation when you pound on a taiko drum?

For these experiential travelers, Kyoto offers a growing menu of taiken hands-on tours in English, and I recently sampled a few. The first was at Shunkoin temple, one of 48 sub-temples in the sprawling Myoshinji Buddhist temple complex in western Kyoto, where the affable young English-speaking vice abbot, Takafumi Kawakami, leads a tour of the temple and gardens and two 15-minute sessions of Rinzai Zen meditation.

The next time you plan on going to this part of the world, you should try what she tried. Even if it is not your first visit, you just might return home with something new.

The Toilet Fixation

Many s first time Western visitor to the rural areas of Japan has been surprised about the toilet facilities, where there usually is no “conventional” toilet bowl. Japan – like some other Asian countries – does not really traditionally make use of the toilet seat as Western countries do. Instead, they have fixtures which are akin to holes in the ground.

All this has changed in the recent decades, however. And indeed, the Japanese has outdone many other Western countries when it comes to advanced toilets. Only in Japan can you find hotels which advertise a certain kind of toilet in an effort to attract more people.

ABC News recently published a very interesting feature article on this topic and I found out that there are so many choices when it comes to commodes! The author even likened buying a commode to buying a car – the options are virtually limitless. Imagine this, you can choose based on features such as self-opening and closing toilet seats, strength of the water flow, accompanying music, lights, warmth of the seat, and so on. It does not end there, however. Consumers also have other options such as built-in deodorizers and fake sounds to cover the sound of doing your business in the bathroom. In keeping with the Japanese tradition of not harming the environment, commode makers also ensure that their products are environment friendly. In fact, one of the biggest things going for their products is the fact that one would not need toilet paper any more.

So how much does a commode set one back? Anywhere from $750 to $5000. Whew!