“Profound Truths” About The Japanese Culture

Each culture has its own peculiarities and the Japanese culture is not an exemption. I am sure that many Japanese do not see these things as peculiar. However, it is quite interesting is how people from other cultures perceive these as idiosyncrasies. I ran across a blog called The Russian Bear’s Diaries. He wrote a post called “Ten Profounds Truths About the Japanese Culture.” Let us take a look at some of those truths.

The Japanese have a thing about their toilets. First, there are a lot of them, unlike in major US or Russian cities. They are all free. Most toilets in decent places have seat wormers; some also have built-in bidets, which will wash and spray your bottom at a push of a button. Wasteful? Not at all. Like Europeans, the Japanese figure that if you wash only the certain parts of your body often and on demand, you’re less likely to take many showers a day and conserve water. However, besides the luxurious warm toilets, they also have the squat toilets, if you prefer that. The trick is to figure out in which direction to sit on those, because they are located with your side to the door.

I have tried those squat toilets and let me tell you, they provide quite an interesting experience! I’d prefer to stick with the “modern” ones. Still, the idea that there are toilets plentiful wherever you go is a comforting one, especially if you have a sensitive stomach.

(to be continued)

Maid Cafes Enter The U.S.

Remember the post we had a while back on maid cafes in Japan? I thought that the idea was novel and quirky at the same time. Well, those of you who are in the United States and who are not about to visit Japan in the near future will have the chance to visit one of these maid cafes. A firm has introduced the American version of maid cafes in California, with the aim of sharing the experience across the oceans.

Japan Times reports:

Royal/T maid cafe, shop and art space debuts the “cosplay” (costume play) restaurant idea to U.S. audiences hungry for a taste of the latest in Japanese trends.

Launched this spring, Royal/T in Culver City, Calif., offers not only the maid cafe experience made popular in Akihabara, Tokyo, but imports and introduces “Japanese cool” in the form of art, music, fashion and cuisine.

Susan Hancock, owner of Royal/T, fell in love with Japanese artists like Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara while a collector in New York and wanted to create a space to exhibit her passion for modern Japan.

There are certain differences from the original cosplays in Japan though:

While the cafe certainly caters to the anime and cosplay niche market, the venue equally emphasizes the art space and shop, thus veering from traditional genre cafes in Japan. And, unlike its Tokyo counterparts, Royal/T downplays the fetish aspect that Americans sometimes associate with cosplay restaurants.

Indeed, maids at this cafe will not blow on customers’ food or call them “master.” They will, however, eagerly chat about their favorite anime show and discuss the art collection.

Fun!

Japan C – All Things Japanese

There is some good news for people in Manhattan (and its surrounding areas) who have an affinity for Japan, its people, and its culture. Come the 16th of August, there will be a festival of contemporary Japanese culture in midtown Manhattan. Dubbed Japan C, this festival will run till the 1st of November. The specific venue will be the Felissimo Design House – a legend in itself.

So what can you expect from Japan C? Dexigner describes the event as:

Spanning home and fashion accessories to gadgets, food, beauty and pop-culture products, Japan C will be part design exhibition, part bazaar, part trade fair, highlighting over 70 diverse Japanese firms who will be presenting and demonstrating their wares.

Discover the benefits of skin creams made from fermented rice by leading sake makers, or join the Japanese fad for collectible ‘keitai’ cell phone straps.

Featuring robots of every shape, size and color, alongside all manner of zakka knickknacks, everything from kawaii anime characters, fine stationery and contemporary furniture to high-tech rice cookers promising the perfect bowl of rice, Japan C will represent all that Japan is today: Cool, Cute, Clever and Creative.

And how about the purpose of the festival? Aside from the obvious aim of introducing the culture of Japan to the residents of Manhattan, the festival specifically aims to attract buyers, manufacturers, and distributors. You can say that there is a business slant to the festival but the general public is encouraged to attend as well.

If I were anywhere near Manhattan, you bet I’d be there.

20th Century Boys

Manga is something that many people outside of Japan have come to love and the 20th Century Boys is a manga series that has captured the interest of countless people. This manga was created by Naoki Urawasa and is, in fact, a science fiction mystery. 20th Century Boys has won many awards, including:

-2001 Kodansha Manga Award in the General category
-an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival
-the 2003 Shogakukan Manga Award in the General category.

At the end of this month, on August 30, manga fans in Japan will be treated to the movie version of 20th Century Boys. Considered to have a big budget, the movie is adapted from the original manga
series described previously. Lunapark reports:

“20th Century Boys” will come out as a three part trilogy and cost a reported $60 million to make. The film stars Toshiaki Karasawa, Toyokawa, Etsushi, Takako Tokiwa. The film also features a large cast of supporting actors that will total over 300 by the conclusion of the trilogy.

The movie itself deals with a doomsday scenario, with a group of men battling the devil himself to prevent the end of the world. More specifically, a group of boys in the 1960’s wrote the “Book of Prophecy,” envisioning a doomsday scenario with the boys fighting evil forces to save the world. Years later, their predictions start to come to fruition and those boys, who are now adults, band together to fight the mysterious cult figure known as “Friend.” The movie takes place over a 40 year period and has been filmed in many locations throughout the world.

Hiroshima Remembered

The younger generation may not remember Hiroshima and what occurred there decades ago but those of us who are old enough to remember would know the significance of this place. On the 6th of August 63 years ago, this southwestern Japanese city was bombed by the United States. The atomic bomb brought on a disaster that lasted for many years after.

Today, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda attended a memorial ceremony to remember those that perished and suffered due to the bombing. Though it has been more than half a century since then, we cannot afford to forget what happened. It is a lesson that all people of the world should learn.

As such, Hiroshima mayor Tadatoshi Akiba is calling for the support of the United States on a proposed ban on nuclear weapons. According to the Associated Press:

Hiroshima’s mayor on Wednesday urged the next U.S. president to support a proposed ban on nuclear weapons, as Japan marked the 63rd anniversary of the atomic blast that obliterated this city and killed 140,000 people.

In a ceremony, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba also announced the launch of a two-year study to gauge the psychological toll of the Aug. 6, 1945, attack in the closing days of World War II.
Japan submitted a resolution in the U.N. last year calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Akiba said that 170 nations supported the resolution, while the U.S. was one of only three countries to oppose it.

“We can only hope that the U.S. president elected this November will listen conscientiously to the majority,” Akiba told a crowd of 45,000 gathered beneath at the spot where the bomb detonated.
A moment of silence was observed at 8:15 a.m., the time of the blast. An estimated 140,000 people were killed instantly or died within a few months after the bombing. Japan’s official death toll of nearly 260,000 includes injured who have died in the decades since.

Regrets have been expressed. Ideologies have changed. Hopefully, something like this would never happen again.

Wingtip: Segway Killer

Toyota Motor of Japan announced a new gadget yesterday and it is said to be the Segway killer. The Segway was introduced some years ago and has become a popular means of transporting one’s self around easily.

The Winglet, as the new electronic scooter is called, can be controlled by shifting your body weight. By doing so, the rider can go forward, backward, and turn left or right.

So just how fast can the Winglet go? A smooth 6 kilometers per hour. I don’t know if people like me would like to go that fast, though. What I like about the Winglet is its cool design, as compared to the Segway.

Wired.com gives more information on the Winglet:

Called the Winglet because of its fleet nature, it is the first gadget to duplicate the celebrated, and often mocked, navigation system of Dean Kamen’s Segway Transporter: self-balancing through gyroscopic sensors detecting the gentle directional tilts of a rider.

According to Toyota, they will begin testing three different models at a few Japanese airports later this year, as well as some popular malls. The feedback received from customers will help determine whether Toyota will mass-market the gadget for sales everywhere else.

Come to think of it, though, the Winglet would not stand a chance if it were to be pitted against the Segway in a race. The Segway looks sturdier and IS probably sturdier. So why do they call it the Segway killer? I honestly don’t know – perhaps it has more features. Has anyone tried this?

Making Music With The Koto

The Japanese culture is rife with musical influences. Indeed, one of the richest aspects of their culture is their music. Though not everyone may be familiar with the terms and technical aspects of Japanese music, I am sure that many are at least familiar with the looks and sounds of their instruments.

One of the most important of the Japanese traditional musical instruments is the koto. The koto is a traditional string instrument which actually has its roots in the Chinese zither. In fact, the koto is considered to be the national instrument of Japan.

What are the origins of the koto? According to one legend, this instrument was formed in the shape of a dragon, which we know is a mythical creature held in reverence in the east. On the more practical side, though, the koto was introduced to Japan by traveling Chinese and Korean musicians in the 7th century. In the beginning, the koto was only used for royal audiences but by the 15th century, it was widely used to entertain the common people as well.

The koto has 13 strings, all of which are stretched along the length of the soundboard, which is about 2 meters long. The soundboard is made of wood while the strings are made of synthetic material (these days, at least). In the old days, the strings were made of silk. The strings are tuned by bridges which can be moved, made of ivory or plastic.

Today, the koto is still used to play music and many music schools in fact offer classes on how to play the koto.

Photo courtesy of Marshall Astor

63 Japanese Set For Space Burial

At the end of this month, 63 Japanese will be “buried” in space. The ceremonial burial is in fact going to include people from all over the world. This service is provided by Celestis, Inc, a company from the United States.

Celestis has been providing this service since 1997. According to a spokesman, since the space burial service was launched, the Japanese has become their second most numerous customers, the first being Americans. So what exactly is a space burial anyway?

The first step is for the deceased to be cremated here on Earth. The ashes which result from the cremation are then placed into capsules – or rather, a small amount of the ashes. The capsules range from 1 gram to 14 grams, depending on the person. The capsules containing the ashes of the deceased are the placed in a satellite, which will eventually be launched into space. Once launched, the satellite will be orbiting the Earth for several years, after which it will burn out in space.

How much will a space burial set you back? Celestis advertises different services in their web site and based on the information given there, you can spend anywhere from USD695 to USD12,500. The services range from Earth Rise Service, Earth Orbit Service, Luna Service, and Voyager Service, respectively.

For more information – whether you are merely curious or you want to make plans for your future – visit the Celestis web site.

Gake no Ue no Ponyo

Anime lovers will be thrilled to know that there is another big anime movie that has just been released. Gake no Ue no Ponyo, which is literally translated to English as Ponyo on the Cliff, is the brainchild of Hayao Mizayaki.

Hayao Mizayaki is not a stranger to anime fans. In fact, he is considered to be the king of Japanese anime. With his countless successful works, this is not a surprise. Just to name a few of his creations:

• Majo no Takkyubin (Kiki’s Delivery Service)
• Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away)
• Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke)
• Howl no Ugoku Shiro (Howl’s Moving Castle)
• Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro)

His latest, Gake no Ue no Ponyo, is no less than a hit as well. With more than 1.25 million people watching it on its opening weekend, the movie earned almost 1.6 billion yen!

So what is this about? The Japan Times narrates:

The title character, Ponyo (voice by Yuria Nara), is a girl fish with a human face who decides one day to leave her underwater home — and her school of smaller sisters — to see what lies on the surface. Riding on the back of a jellyfish, she is nearly trapped by a drift net, but escapes — with her head stuck in a glass jar. Sosuke (Hiroki Doi), a boy who lives on a house on a seaside cliff, spots Ponyo in the shallows and rescues her. He is delighted with his new pet — and Ponyo is delighted to be in the human world at last. She says her first words, to Sosuke’s astonishment — and begins a transformation from half-fish to human.

I’ll stop there in case you haven’t watched it yet. My question is: when will this be released in other countries?

For Expecting Mothers Only

As if carrying a child inside one’s self is not hard enough already, pregnant women can actually encounter difficulties when availing of other services – well, at least in Japan. Come to think of it, though, not all establishments are equipped with pregnant women-friendly services. That is why Ryoko Tsukuda thought of creating the “Maternity Plan,” which is a program geared towards making life comfortable for those who are with child.

Her brainchild is the product of a personal experience. When she was pregnant, she tried to make reservations at a hot spring resort for herself and her mother. However, when the management found out that she was pregnant, she was informed that she could not use the common bath. As she was working for Kinki Nippon Tourist Co, she thought of coming up with a travel plan for mothers-to-be like herself. Her company bought the idea easily and launched the program February of last year.

What Ryoko Tsukuda did was to visit inns, hotels, and other establishments that have facilities that are suitable for pregnant women. To date, the travel plan is experiencing continued success.

There are also other establishments like Hiromaru Taxi Co which cater to pregnant women. In April of this year, they launched a program called Jintsu 119. The idea is to have women register their home address and hospital in advance. When the time comes to give birth, a taxi will be sent immediately to take the woman to the hospital.

Interesting concepts, don’t you think?

Photo courtesy of Robert Whitlock