海の見える街

This is another one of those random isn't-Japanese-culture-cool posts. Waaaay back around February I went to the Tokyo-Edo Museum with a friend's mom who I'm fond of. If you like Japanese history or replicas at all, it's definitely worth a stop. The museum's claim to fame is this huge (read: true to size) replica of 日本橋, the wooden bridge around which the mercantile district of the same name grew during the Edo period. (FYI 日本橋 is now a major business/financial district.) I know, I read wikipedia too much for my own good.

Pfft, bridge- whatever, right? But the 日本橋 district was where Japan saw it's first department store and the precursor to Tsukiji fish market. I don't know about you, but I love a good "before" and "after" comparison, so it's pretty cool to see what Tokyo looked like in bygone eras compared to now.

Another reason I really dug the museum is because they had an exhibit on the development of 浮世絵 (ukiyo-e, woodblock prints). While the kind of traditional paintings you'll find in other museums are pretty and all, ukiyo-e are especially interesting because they give you a little insight into everyday life in the Edo period. Since the prints were made for the masses, the subjects range from scenic beauty to naughtier subjects like so-called pleasure districts.

The museum also had a little section on Hokusai. Chances are you've seen one of his woodblock prints from his series called Thiry-six Views of Mt. Fuji (富嶽三十六景). Of those prints, the most famous one is called The Great Wave (look up).

I think what I like best about Hokusai is how eternal his works are. Nowadays you can find his works on everything from cell phone decals to the JR Rail passes. Not only that, but people are always recreating this classic image. Below are a few of the cooler portrayals I found. There's even a bible-themed one here.

The Wave of the Future made for an IBM users group.

Cover of issue 28 of Giant Robot Magazine done by kozyndan

Viva La Vida

While visiting Wilma, one of my old suities at Yale, I had the good fortune of being treated to a nice dinner by members of the Light Fellowship Committee. I had already left for Okayama by the time they arrived in Tokyo for a site visit, but I was lucky enough to catch them on my way back through Kansai. We all know there's no such thing as a "free meal" so part of the dinner included being gently grilled about our experiences in Asia and what we wanted to do in the future. One of the subjects that came up in convo was what impact being able to do a bit of extra travel (generously provided for in our fellowship) had on our overall experience in Japan.

My first reaction was to reply, "Well it lets me make my obligatory round of visits to old host families," but I knew that wouldn't fly, so I think mumbled something about it giving me a chance to think about Japan and my studies from a different perspective. The truth is I didn't want to admit that traveling to new places in Japan doesn't give me the same sense of awe that it did when I was a kid. Without boasting, I can say that I've been most to most major tourist sites in Japan... more than once. Once you've seen one shrine, you've seen them all. Or maybe not.

One of the places I visited in Kyoto was Fushinami Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社). Wilma told me there were a lot of cool statues of foxes, so I thought maybe I would be able to pick up some cool fox-shaped souvenirs. Also, I figured I might as well make a trip of it since I've already been to the other major Kyoto sites: Kiyomizudera, Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji, the Imperial Palace, Sanjusan Gendo, etc.

The shrine is dedicated to Inari, the Japanese god for wealth (particularly fertility, agriculture, and worldly success.) As for the foxes, besides being cute, they are believed to be Inari's messengers. If given tasty offerings like fried tofu, you can expect them to entreat Inari on your behalf. I prayed that I might cram enough into my head to successfully pass the JLPT １級 ~in a way asking for a "wealth" of knowledge, but I didn't think to bring fried tofu (>.<)~#$%^ so we'll see...
Having spent the better part of the day power-walking around downtown Kyoto, I arrived at the shrine around dusk when most shops had already closed down and more people were leaving the shrine than entering it. In other words, the place had this eerie tranquility about it that made me wish I hadn't watched Friday the 13th before I left on my trip.


As I started ascending the mountain on which the shrine is situated, I was delighted to realize that although it was my first time visiting Fushinami, it wasn't the first time I had seen the shrine. I remember it quite vividly from the end of the movie Memoirs of a Geisha where the main character runs through the famous 鳥居 (torii - gate) as a child. I'm not a huge fan of the movie for its storyline, but in any case, the cinematography is beautiful and the ending scene made a strong impression on me.

Also--> flashback to freshmen year. Second semester I watched a lot of videos for French class, one of which was about Jean-Claude and Christo -two famous environmental artists- who created a piece called The Gates in Central Park a few years back. For coming from two totally different sources, I think it's cool how they look so similar~ but then again I'm no art buff. Jean-Claude and Christo also did a piece here in Japan, but it was back in 1984... alas I was but a fetus.



It's hard to describe, but seeing the shrine was like going back to an old haunt that you can almost hear whisper to you. To someone who's seen loads of shrines, it might be said that Inari is not all that different. But that's just it- it was familiar and so, kind of comforting. Paltry as it may seem, I think what I got out of this trip is that seeing, doing something interesting doesn't necessarily have to equate to doing something new. In fact, it's just as fun and profound when you find things that are somehow related to previous experience or knowledge. Over the years, I think it's those kind of connections that have kept me studying Japanese. I never really connected with the culture of other languages I studied, so it was that much easier to quit.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that getting to explore Japan (or East Asia) is a lot more than just buying cool souvenirs (though I do love getting the cool cell phone keychains!) It really is a chance to take a breather from the book learnin' and just think.

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

St. Valentine's day. A day that the aroma of cacao turns on our heart. A day that had been always special for us. Bright and luxurious, specially dressed chocolates grant this weekend before spring, an important meaning. The fulfilled time that the theobroma brings. The story begins from the Valentine Eve.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Japan does indeed celebrate Valentine's Day. Unlike in the U.S. however, the gentler sex gets kind of shafted February 14th in that guys aren't obligated to do anything... say what? Traditionally, it's a day where girls "confess" their love by giving gifts, which in turn are reciprocated on March 14th (White Day). The gift of choice is chocolate, so much so that (うわさで) the week before Valentine's Day accounts for more than 10% of annual chocolate sales in Japan. Homemade chocolates are especially thoughtful... even more so when they turn out well. On the plus side, I've heard that when guys reciprocate, it's expected that they will buy more expensive gifts than what they were given. (Seriously, I'm not making this up!)

It's worth mentioning that not all chocolates are equal... While it may be tempting to think that you're Mr. Popular after getting loads of chocolates, chances are that you have been 義理チョコ'd. 義理チョコ (giri choko) aka "obligatory chocolate" is the chocolate that women give to their friends, bosses, or other male acquantainces to whom they might feel somehow indebted or want to be nice. When it comes to admitting your feelings, 本命チョコ (true love chocolate) is the real deal. I've been 義理チョコ'd myself... it's a sad business, but in the end at least you come out with some sweets, right?

If you plan on taking the plunge and getting some chocolate for that special someone, I highly recommend Vosges' Black Pearl Bar. It's dark chocolate with traces of wasabi, ginger, and black sesame seeds- making it crazy delicious and giving it a distinctively Japanese taste. I suppose it sounds kind of off-putting at first, but it actually tastes amazing- not spicy in the traditional sense, but the kind of piquant that makes all other chocolate seem plain and mediocre in comparison. I was hoping to find something similar here, but besides 抹茶 and イチゴ chocolate, milk chocolate seems to be the チョコ of choice. 残念 (*´ο`*)=3

The stories behind Valentine's Day and White Day are pretty interesting commercialism success stories. Check it out here.

In other not as delicious-sounding news, I finally decided on a project for the last quarter of IUC: the development of child health-related public health laws/policies. [crickets chirping] Yeah I'm still figuring things out. I think I will probably end up tweaking what I focus on as I do more research. I half thought of just copping out and doing something like the history of vending machines in Japan. Perhaps not.

Cigarettes And Chocolate Milk

So I figured what better way to impart wisdom about Japan than through cookies. However, these are no ordinary cookies; they are shaped like koalas and have dozens of different pictures printed on them. You might be familiar with them as Koala Yummies, but here in Japan they are called コアラのマーチ(Koala's March).

Besides being yummy, what makes them so great is that the pictures printed on them are themed and often have to do with landmarks or culture-related stuff specific to Japan. There are also limited edition versions made for the different seasons (like Halloween and Winter Koala's March). My former host sister, Natsuko, brought me a big family pack with pictures related to the Kansai region so that's how I got the cookie/Japan tour idea.

Why the koalas you ask? Lotte Group, the company that makes the cookies, supports the Australian Koala Foundation. And while I'm all for saving the animals, like cigarettes (and to a lesser extent) chocolate milk, Koala's March are unfortunately not very healthy... they are loaded with trans fats and were recently recalled in the U.S. because of the whole milk-melamine scare. Alas. Anyways, that doesn't take away from their usefulness as edutainment, so on I go.

This week's featured koala is #11桃太郎 (Momotaro). Momotaro, aka Peach Boy, hails from Okayama prefecture (where I did my homestay in high school!). When I was in Okayama I often heard the story of Peach Boy, which goes something like this:

Once upon a time there was a poor, childless couple. One day, the wife goes to the river to wash clothes when she sees a huge, delicious-looking peach floating down the river. She quickly fishes it out of the river and carries it home on her back. Just when she's about to cut it open... a little boy pops out! The couple names him Momotaro since "momo" means peach and "taro" means eldest son. They raise him, and he grows up to be a strong, kind lad. One day, he decides to go to 鬼ヶ島 (Demon Island) to put a stop to the demons and monsters that had been terrorizing and stealing from the locals. OBVIOUSLY, one can't fight on an empty stomach, so his mom makes him some millet dumplings -apparently the most delicious in all of Japan. On the way, he meets and befriends a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant. They agree to join him on his quest after he gives them some of the tasty dumplings. He and his friends have a showdown with the ogres in which some pretty ugly words are said... Momotaro even goes so far as to say, "Bad ogre, get my punch!" Anyways, Momotaro and his friends defeat the ogres and then return home with loads of treasure. The end.

The fairytale is very popular and often referenced in J-pop culture. There's even a Mario and Princess Peach version of Momotaro that was made into a movie! My guess as to why the story originates in Okayama is because Okayama has some DELISH peaches. True story.

Wake You Up

I came to the sad realization that, seriously, 98% of Japanese tv shows are in some way or another centered around food. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE food- talking about it, making it, and especially eating it... but when it comes to tv, I tend to prefer watching about non-cuisine related stuff like offices, hospitals, and fashion magazine companies (The Office, Grey's Anatomy, and Ugly Betty respectively). But that's the thing,... the Japanese tv networks somehow manage to take every show and relate it back to food. Take for instance this variety show I happened to turn on randomly. It started out like a documentary on rural life by the sea...

Or so I thought...

It quickly turned into a contest between the various hosts to see who could capture the most seafood, which was then cooked and served up to said hosts. How I rooted for those little octopuses... poor little guys.

Anyways, that put me off food tv shows for a while, which led me to stumble on this gem of Japanese tv shows... ケイタイ捜査官７(Keitai Sousakan 7). It's about a walking cellphone... a walking, talking cellphone that fights against cyber crimes no less. The cellphones are called Phone Bravers. The star of the show is Phone Braver 07 who is owned by this punky high school kid, with the main villain being Phone Braver 01... who I'm guessing has some sad sob story on how he lost his "buddy" (aka owner).

The theme song was just too hilarious (and ridiculous) to pass up- please take a gander.