I received a text message from my friend which said, “Sorry! I have to work so I’ll be an hour late. Can you wait for me somewhere close by?” Things like this often happen although Japanese people are considered to be “punctual.” Anyhow, I decided to wait for my friend at a café nearby.

It seems that places called “XX cafés” are becoming more common these days. Even if you visit bookstores, you see many café-related books such as Tokyo café guidebooks and café menu recipes.

I’ve been using the stylish term “café,” but what I mean is “coffee shop.” At old-fashioned coffee shops, only basic drinks like coffee and tea and a number of food menus are available. These places are visited by those who go there to read books, hold meetings, or for other various purposes. However, people never really used to stay there for long. How about cafés nowadays? Café menus are attracting so much attention that recipes are being published. Plus, it is quite common that you’d have to wait about half an hour in line to get a table at popular cafés. Therefore, the café (coffee shop) business has also evolved in accordance with people’s needs.

 

 

 

 

Today in Japan, there are many different types of cafés. They are no longer places where you go to kill time. Rather, the concept of “going to a café with a purpose and spending time there leisurely to relax” is becoming mainstream. The well-known “maid cafés” are not only visited by Otaku men called “Akiba-kei” but also by women and foreign tourists. Inside such cafés are cute decorations and maids (employees) greet you by saying, “Welcome home, master (lady).” Customers go there to enjoy spending time with them.

Other than maid cafés, there also are “Shitsuji (butler) cafés” and “Megane&Suit (glasses and suit) cafés.” “Shitsuji cafés,” as the name suggests, are where good-looking butlers serve you tea and cakes. Spending time there makes you feel as if you are a child of a wealthy family. As for “Megane&Suit cafés,” employees wearing glasses and suits who look like businessmen let you experience the feeling of “falling in love at the workplace.” These cafés are popular among women. There also are “gallery cafés” with small galleries where private exhibitions can be held as well as “book cafés” where you can read books. These types aim to create a comfortable atmosphere for the customers.

Other popular cafés are “dog cafés” where you can go with your dogs and “cat cafés” where you can play with cats that are there. Since dog cafés have food for dogs and spaces where they can run around freely, your pets will be happy, too. As for cat cafés, you can enjoy a nice time surrounded by many adorable cats. Although you cannot bring your pets with you, cat cafés are places perfect for cat-lovers.

 

 

 

In Tokyo, there are more than 10 cat cafés. Not only are they popular among the Japanese but also among foreigners and are visited often by tourists from overseas. Ms. Nagai of “Neko JaLaLa,” a cat café in Akihabara, says, “Even customers who look a bit tired when they get here go home with happy faces. Playing with cats makes you really understand how adorable they are. I think that customers can relax while having some tea and spending time leisurely with cats. There are so many who mention that they can forget about bad things immediately once they see the cute cats.” In the recent past, dogs played the role of guarding the house while cats were kept to catch mice. However, in Japan today, pets are considered as people’s partners and live with them as family members. Perhaps, the change in the relationship between us and dogs/cats may be the reason behind this dog/cat café boom.

 

 

 

In all, cafés are now changing into places that satisfy our desires while also providing relaxation. It can be said that the role they fulfill has also changed together with society. So, how about spending a nice and relaxing time at your favorite café this weekend?

 

 

Neko JaLaLa　 http://www.nekojalala.com/ (In Japanese Only)

 

 

 

Written by Naomi Shima

 

 

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The Flute-Playing Traveling Entertainers
There are many different types of traveling entertainers in the world. Gypsies (Romani people) are one of the well-known in the West.
At one time, there were many traveling entertainers in Japan as well. They sang, danced, and played instruments to receive money and rice. Flute-playing traveling entertainers were found many centuries ago in this country who could be characterized by the three “-less.”
(1) Homeless: These people did not have permanent homes nor did they return every night to the same accommodations. They were extremely poor and thus were discriminated.
(2) Borderless: Back then, the common people were not allowed to travel freely. However, it was a different story for these entertainers who even crossed borders to move here and there.
(3) Faceless: They were from all walks of life. Some were former Samurai while there also were criminals and outlaws. They wore baskets over their heads in public to hide their faces.

 

 

Traveling Entertainers’ Songs
Tony Gatlif, a movie director whose mother is a Romani, says, “Simply speaking, what’s so attractive about the gypsy culture is the freedom they have. Gypsies live freely and their music is free, too. Since they don’t have musical scores nor do they rehearse, they play as they like. They can deliberately play the wrong notes and even can improvise. Gypsy music conjugates many things in terms of rhythms and musical scales and those are what create fullness.”
The words of this director can also be applied to Japanese flute-playing traveling entertainers.
Their songs, just like dialects and folk ballads, were filled with local characteristics. Moreover, such songs were performed solo with much freedom and were passed on orally from one individual to another.
The flute-playing traveling entertainers no longer exist (Nowadays, some people enjoy dressing up in a similar fashion). Today however, their songs still are sung as valuable inheritance from the memory keepers.

 

 

 

Two Types of Shakuhachi
Shakuhachi is a traditional flute made from bamboos.
There are two types of Shakuhachi – old-fashioned and modern.
The traveling entertainers used the old-fashioned type which was a very simple instrument made by hollowing out a piece of bamboo but leaving the many joints that were inside. Because the joints blocked air from passing through completely, no sound would come out if it was not blown by breathing in and out deeply. Indeed, the old-fashioned Shakuhachi was an instrument that attached great importance to sound quality and breathing.
On the other hand, the modern Shakuhachi is played by today’s performers.
The inside of the tube is coated thickly with a paste and is very smooth like a water pipe. One does not have to blow with full force since sound can be made easily. The inner diameter is fixed and it is easy to play at the same pitch with other instruments. The modern Shakuhachi is played by valuing pitch and volume.
Currently, most of the Shakuhachi found in Japan are this type.

 

 

 

Various Encounters
Getting to know a foreign Shakuhachi player was the reason why I began playing this instrument. As a Japanese, I felt that I should also learn how to. I was also blessed with a wonderful teacher.
My teacher who goes against the general trend highly appreciates the old-fashioned Shakuhachi. Although it is very difficult to play the old-fashioned type, a deep yet clear sound can be created the more you practice. My teacher says, “Practicing without hardship has no meaning.”
I was also lucky to meet an antiques dealer.
Finding an old-fashioned Shakuhachi is almost impossible. However, thanks to this elderly gentleman who understood my passion well, I was able to collect various kinds of old-fashioned Shakuhachi. They are indeed ancient beauties that have been passed on between traveling performers over the generations.
I always use an old-fashioned Shakuhachi when practicing with my teacher. I also bring it with me when I travel.

 

 

 

Instrument of the Mind
The modern Shakuhachi is an instrument to enjoy a variety of melodｙ.
Meanwhile, the old-fashioned Shakuhachi is not something that is played to merely make a sound. It is, at the same time, an instrument of the mind as explained below.
(1) Know yourself: The old-fashioned Shakuhachi sheds light on your mental and physical conditions. Furthermore, it helps you recognize the world and nature.
(2) Train yourself: The performer trains his breathing, polishes his skills, and refines his music to take on a difficult challenge of playing a complicated instrument. There is no end to his training.
(3) Forget yourself: The old-fashioned Shakuhachi invigorates the wild nature hidden inside you. By immersing yourself into the music, you can forget about the world you live in now.

 

 

 

Instruments and Cultures
The relationship between people and instruments differ by culture.
In ancient times, people strived to make different sounds by using instruments. Regardless of the same reason, the paths taken by the western countries and Japan were very opposite.
In the West, the individual’s movements were kept simple since the focus was more on the complicacy of the instruments’ mechanisms. The piano is a good example which has 88 keys.
However, in Japan, the structures of the instruments were not developed too much but more ways were contrived in the use of the body. The old-fashioned Shakuhachi is a typical example.
Long time ago in this country, there was a custom of giving elegant names to one’s favorite instruments, bowls, and/or swords. I, too, have followed this tradition. Tonight, “who” should be my partner? “Yugiri,” or “Kazahana”?

 

Article by Takashi Murakami

 

 

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“Say ‘cheese’!”
I think there are many people whose faces are infused with nervous tension when they hear these words. A decade ago it was a bit of a special scene to take a picture with family or friends on a trip, at a wedding, for graduation photos and such. When I was a child I had my picture taken at a nearby photo studio for Shichi-Go-San (a rite of passage for three and seven year-old girls and five year-old boys). The man at the studio turned the camera towards me wrapped up in a kimono (which I wasn’t used to wearing yet), and when the shoot was over I was completely exhausted. We also went to have a family photo taken when my little brother was born, but the only one not nervous was my baby brother. The rest of us--me and my parents--were nervous.

 

 

 

Speaking of photos, a lot of men’s hobby used to be photography, but young people in my day didn’t have a chance to get their hands on expensive cameras. In the Japanese anime Chibi Maruko-chan, Tama-chan is a friend of the main character and her dad’s hobby is photography. You can see him taking pictures of Maruko and Tama-chan in the show. The setting of Chibi Maruko-chan is a typical family in 1970s Japan (Shizuoka Prefecture). Cameras back then were really expensive, so Tama-chan’s father is very careful when using his. My grandpa, who turns 75 this year, still takes out what seems to be a valuable camera and maintains it.

 

 

 

Recently one can often see people taking photos everywhere in Japan. With the arrival of disposable cameras in the ‘90s, high school girls and other people carried cameras around with them and casually took pictures of scenery and friends. Then, after the huge purikura (a shortened form of “print club,” which is a booth for taking photos and printing them as stickers) trend exploded, taking pictures and having your picture taken became an everyday thing among young Japanese. You can even spot Japanese-made purikura overseas. In addition, with the arrival of compact digital cameras, the troublesome process of loading film into a conventional camera and carrying it around was gone and cameras permeated all generations, not just youth. Then, recently cell phones have been fitted with high-resolution features just like digital cameras. The culture of high school girls walking around with their disposable cameras has changed to a culture spanning all of Japanese society in which people carry around non-disposable cameras and keep records of their daily lives. My 74 year-old grandma also likes to take photos of things like flowers with her cell phone camera and send them in emails. You readers are probably taking pictures of various places while studying in Japan, aren’t you?

 

 

 

 

 

Not just compact digital cameras, but also big and expensive digital single lens reflex cameras have been popular lately. It seems that many are used to take pictures of important events like children’s sports festivals and trips rather than photographing everyday life. A man in his 30s who recently bought a digital single lens reflex camera said, “I read various books and research how to take photos. Someday I want to take magnificent photos of nature like a professional photographer.” Many women also use them. A women in her 20s who bought a digital single lens reflex camera when she was in college said, “I’ve liked photography since I was in college, so I often took pictures of friends and everyday scenery with my digital camera and stuff. I loved the sound of the shutter on my friend’s digital single lens reflex camera, so I wanted one too. I upload photos to my blog and have fun with friends.”

 

 

 

 

“Toy cameras” are also popular. A toy camera is, as the name implies, a toy that is a relatively simply designed camera. Some take film and others are digital, but the film types are popular. Stores handling them have lineups of 10 or more different kinds and their prices are low compared to digital cameras. Unlike advanced digital cameras with their high resolution, toy cameras can take photos with a warm ambience and they can come in cute, retro designs, so they seem to sell pretty well among all age groups and genders. Another reason for their popularity is that they produce nostalgic photos without a high pixel rate. A woman in her 30s who likes to take pictures with a toy camera said, “I like the excitement that my toy camera, a film type, gives me because I don’t know what kind of pictures I’ve taken until they’re developed.” The photos she takes must certainly have an emotional element that regular digital camera photos don’t. High-resolution photos taken with a digital single lens reflex camera are good, but I also recommend a toy camera for anyone who wants to express their individuality.

 

The autumn leaves will be coming to Japan soon and it will be the best season for photographing the scenery. Will you be going out with a high-resolution digital camera? Or maybe a toy camera?

 

 

   

Article by Naomi Shima

 

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A 3D boom has arrived in the film industry due to the huge hit movie Avatar. Many of these 3D films are topping the box office rankings in the U.S. (a ranking of the value of theater tickets sold by each movie), helping to bring moviegoers back to the theaters after they had reduced their attendance for a while. This trend isn’t only happening in the film industry: there is no lack of people donning special glasses to view 3D TVs on electronics sales floors in Japan.

 

Meanwhile Nintendo, one of Japan’s major video game companies, surprised the world by announcing a “glasses-free 3D game console.” This new game console, the Nintendo 3DS, was first exhibited at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) held on June 15, 2010 in Los Angeles, California, while many game developers announced 3D games.

 

Although Hollywood has taken the lead in the 3D boom, Japan is opening up a whole new world with video games.

 

In the past there was the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Now game consoles like the Wii and PlayStation3 and portable devices such as the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable (PSP) are loved by gamers across the globe, and what I want to tell you is that all of these are Made in Japan. Japanese games, which have always been on the cutting edge, are raising eyebrows worldwide.

 

 

They are leading not only in hardware but also in developing the games themselves. For example, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, from the popular series published by Square Enix, provided gamers a new kind of enjoyment with the groundbreaking idea of the Chance Encounter mode. In this mode, the portable game console automatically communicates with other players and allows you to exchange all sorts of game-related info with them. By using the Chance Encounter mode in Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, players can exchange Treasure Maps, which are valuable items for game play. It’s also possible to invite other player characters, leading scores of people to walk around the Akihabara area of Tokyo holding their Nintendo DS and communicating with strangers.

 

 

Meanwhile, social games you can enjoy on a PC or mobile social networking service (SNS) are gaining in popularity. The three leading companies in this market are mixi, Gree and DeNA. Other than original games, they have full lineups covering everything from simple and long-loved games like Tetris as well as titles that have been recent hits on home game consoles. This is how games are continuing to evolve to suit people’s lifestyles.

 

 

You can experience the cutting edge for yourself at Tokyo Game Show 2010, the world’s biggest celebration of gaming, on September 18-19 (Sat. & Sun.) at Makuhari Messe. The event, which will be held for the twentieth time this year, has expanded in scope since last year with tons of new areas and projects. You can try out new, as yet unreleased games and see presentations on the latest technologies. There will also be many exhibitions from outside Japan this year, so you may be able to enjoy seeing a game from your home country at the exhibition hall. If you head to Makuhari Messe, you can not only come to understand Japanese culture, but also you’ll undoubtedly be able to experience global entertainment.

 

 

To download a ticket for 50% off admission for international students attending Tokyo Game Show 2010

 

Tokyo Game Show 2010 Overview

 

Event Name: Tokyo Game Show 2010

Theme: “GAME goes to a new chapter”

 

Dates: Sat., Sept. 18 – Sun., Sept. 19, 2010

Venue: Makuhari Messe

Organizer: Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA)

Co-organizer: Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.

Support: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

 

 

Official Site: http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/english/

 

 

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"What are you gonna do with this?" That's what my dad, who's in his 70s, says every time I go back to my parents’ house in Nagoya. He likes to clean up, so he seeks out stuff from when I lived there until high school and pesters me to take it away. He finds things like textbooks, records, clothes I can't wear anymore and books I used to read. Last time he found a bunch of commemorative stamps I'd collected in the '70s and '80s.

 

 

 

Flipping through my books of stamps brought back memories of my elementary school days. When new stamps went on sale, my mother would line up early in the morning at the post office, so I would always look forward to seeing those brand new stamps after coming home from school. I carefully handled them with special tweezers to avoid getting smudges on them. I would look at catalogs while wondering whether the stamps I'd bought had gone up in value or thinking about which ones I would buy next when I had enough allowance.

 

Speaking of stamps, I don't hear about kids collecting them lately. Even in my family we have some elementary-age kids who gazed at the stamp books I brought back like they were some sort of rarity. Of course there are lots of things for kids now that are more fun than stamps. If a kid collects them now, people will think he or she is kind of geeky or an eccentric otaku ("nerd"). My generation got excited about different things, and it was perfectly natural to have stamps.

 

 

 

 

These days boys collect Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dragon Ball cards while girls collect Love and Berry cards. They're like the pro baseball cards we'd get with snacks starting in the '70s. Beyblades, a kind of spinning top you can use to compete with your friends, is so popular that it sells out in toy stores. This is also different from the tops or menko (small cards with characters drawn on them that we'd use to compete with multiple players by slapping them down on the floor) we collected.

 

 

 

“Children don’t collect things very much now,” says Hiroyuki Hayashi, age 65 . He runs Yanagi Stamps & Coins, a stamp and old coin shop in Jimbocho, Tokyo. In a lonely-sounding voice he says, “Once video games came around, they stopped being interested in things that don’t move. Stamp collecting peaked in the ‘80s, with 30 million issued each year . Now they only issue a third as much and fewer people collect them, so prices have dropped to about a tenth of what they were back then.”

Although video games have become a substitute for collecting, the Tomodachi Collection ("Friend Collection") game on the Nintendo DS, a hugely popular title among young people, especially children, is a game in which you collect friends, just as the name implies. There are no set rules for gameplay. You and your real life friends create your characters and play in the house, fall in love, change outfits and exchange special items. Purofu (personal mobile websites) are popular among junior high and high school students, and social networking sites like mixi and GREE have thousands of people signed up who "collect" friends.

 

If you think about it, it seems that people's habit of collecting things hasn't changed between now and the past. It's just transferred from the real world to the virtual, where it attracts the audience even more simply because it's not real. In Tomodachi Collection, you can even control your friends' personalities. In The Collector, a 1965 film directed by William Wyler, a lonely bank employee named Freddie collects butterflies as a hobby. He kidnaps Miranda, a women he likes, and locks her up in his cellar...

 

Commemorative stamps are apparently enjoying a quiet boom, mainly among retirees. According to Mr. Hayashi, “Many people who had no special hobbies when they devoted themselves to their work say they start because they ‘can now get valuable commemorative stamps that they couldn’t before for relatively cheap.’” The trick seems to be to not grab everything here and there, but to gradually collect stamps one at a time with certain themes, like the National Parks or Stamp Collecting Week series. A man in his 60s shopping at the store joined the conversation, adding, “Don’t let your wife find them. Otherwise you’ll be in trouble!”

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Article by Mitsuhiro Asada

 

 

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What does the word “summer” bring to mind for you? In Japan, many people think of fun summer things like summer festivals, swimming at the beach and camping. Summer has a lot to offer, but I think we can say that big, colorful fireworks shooting up into the night sky is a representative summer scene.

 

 

It is said that fireworks’ roots go way back to when they were used as signals such as warnings of an enemy attack. Later in the 14th century they were used for entertainment at religious events in Europe. Fireworks first came to Japan in the early 17th century. The earliest records we have indicate that Tokugawa Ieyasu was first shown fireworks when an emissary of King James I of England visited Sunpu Castle in present-day Shizuoka Prefecture. In the 18th century, fireworks had become commonplace among the public and the first fireworks show, the Ryogoku Fireworks Festival, was held. The show is now known as the Sumida River Fireworks Festival and is scheduled to be held on July 31, 2010.

 

 

In the Meiji Period (1868 – 1912), fireworks became more artistic with imports from other countries such as chemicals. Single-color fireworks became kaleidoscopic displays that captured the hearts of the people more and more. Following World War II (1945 onwards), Japan had the production capacity and skill to export fireworks overseas. Pyrotechnicians (craftsmen who make fireworks) worked not in large factories, but rather in workshops of 10 to 20 workers. Young apprentices would learn the techniques from skilled pyrotechnicians. Just like traditional performing arts like rakugo (comedic story telling) and traditional craftwork such as Arita ceramics, older pyrotechnicians have passed on their skills to the younger generation to produce today’s fireworks.

 

 

Japanese fireworks are made one by one with a certain theme and imbued with the passion of their makers. In other countries, many fireworks have musical accompaniments to put on a show, but Japanese fireworks are not just part of a show: they ARE the show. Recently, fireworks can create hearts, faces and more. How did all you international students in Japan feel when you first saw fireworks here? It’s fun think about the pyrotechnician’s anticipation and excitement before each burst or to create your own images in your mind, isn’t it?

 

Fireworks displays in Japan are called “hanabi taikai.” There are several of these events in every part of the country, as well as competitive events where pyrotechnicians from across Japan gather. Competitions that many people from throughout Japan come to see are big shows supported by the national government and municipalities and marketed as city or town events. There is also a large event where fireworks receive an award from the prime minister. Fireworks are judged on their height, size and structure, as well as by category. Pyrotechnicians diligently research new fireworks for these competitions. Among the numerous fireworks competitions, the Omagarai Fireworks in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, which is scheduled for August 28, 2010 and is now celebrating its 100th year, allows you to see a technique that is hard to find elsewhere: the hiru-hanabi (“day fireworks”). Just as the name implies, the hiru-hanabi are fireworks that are shot up in the daytime. Unlike fireworks at night, they produce displays using smoke and bright flashes of light. It’s so interesting to see the colorful smoke from these fireworks shift into various shapes.

 

Fireworks aren’t always big ones that shoot up into the night sky. I enjoyed playing with fireworks on summer nights with my family when I was little. I was only allowed to hold small ones, but when my parents let me hold a bigger firework than usual, I felt a little like I’d become an adult. Did you know that you can even buy fireworks to enjoy with the family at the convenience store? There are also several fireworks wholesale stores lined up since long ago near JR Asakusabashi Station that sell their goods at discount prices to all customers in summer. There are lots of shops, but they all let you buy cheap at 30% to 50% offer regular prices.

 

This is how the custom of enjoying fireworks has taken root among children and adults in Japan. There are still and will continue to be Japanese fireworks enthusiasts who get excited when they think about a fireworks show.

 

 

Article by Naomi Shima

 

 

Book for Reference: Hanabi Nyumon (Fireworks for Beginners). Japan Pyrotechnics Association.

Interview/Research Support: Japan Pyrotechnics Association, Ryogoku Fireworks Museum.

 

 

 

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When living overseas, you sometimes want to compare that country’s culture to Japan’s and critique it. But when you look at the rapid economic growth in what are often called developing countries today, it is much like what happened in Japan, and the fact is that sometimes you can feel something that Japanese people have forgotten. The reason why I will always be in love with the country I live in, the Philippines, is that it has relieved me of the stress caused by comparing it to home, even if there are some inconveniences.

 

 

 

I’ve lived in the Philippines for seven years. I still can’t forget my first visit ten years ago. I could see the orange glow on the congested streets of Manila from the window on my red-eye flight and could already feel the sultry heat that topped 30 degrees from inside the plane, even though it was December. The tropical air enveloped me when I deboarded and I soon began to sweat under my T-shirt. The cleaning lady in the restroom extorted a tip out of me, so I didn’t laugh at immigration when they joked, “Give us a Christmas present!” I recall being stunned speechless at having to wait half an hour for my checked luggage. The “lobby” was outdoors, and the other side of the wire fence was swarming with people, from children to adults, who were looking towards me. I tried not to make eye contact with any of them searched for Lin Lin, who was supposed to pick me up.

 

 

Lin Lin lived in the northern Manila metropolitan area and was born in Bulacan Province. After she graduated from a university in Manila, she studied at a graduate school in Japan. We originally met each other for a language exchange. She had gone home to spend time with her family during the New Year’s holidays and I was coming to visit them.

 

 

 

The car ride from the airport took over two hours. We didn’t go to the house in Manila where her parents and little sister lived. Instead we would ring in the New Year with her relatives at the family home in Bulacan. Including her relatives, there were twelve people riding in a nine-passenger minivan, seven of whom were children. Lin Lin was amused when she talked about how the neighborhood kids had heard she was going to the airport and jumped in the car with her. By the way, minivans like these sell better than sedans in the Philippines. Relatives and neighbors come along no matter where you go. It has to do with familism in the Philippines. It’s something you don’t see in Japan anymore, where the nuclear family is the norm, don’t you think?

 

There were about three times as many people at the family home in Bulacan. The children gazed at me attentively, but it was different from the airport in that they were all smiling. The adults were having fun with loud karaoke music. I wondered whether all the neighbors had come to welcome me, but actually it’s like this because it’s near Christmas and everyday in December is festive.

 

At Lin Lin’s request I had brought some Japanese nikuman (a steamed bun stuffed with minced meat) as a present. According to her, the Filipino version, called a siopao, is sweeter than the Japanese. She thought the best food in Japanese was the nikuman. (How unusual!) She bought jumbo size four-packs of her favorite brand at the supermarket and ate one every morning. She brought some back as a souvenir once and they were a big hit, so the kids were really looking forward to them. Now I understood why all the kids were smiling at me: it was the nikuman, not me! I soon began to gradually understand the way Filipinos think.

 

I couldn’t escape from the ring of children that surrounded me. I wanted to see their happy faces too, so I took out the nikuman. I had four of Lin Lin’s favorite nikuman four-packs. Then, I don’t know when, but the number of children suddenly grew to around twenty. Four packages wouldn’t be enough. If only I had bought more...

 

What would Japanese kids do in a situation like this? Think about it a bit. They’d probably start doing paper-rock-scissors, right? That would make it more exciting, but four kids wouldn’t be able to eat any. Although some might split their nikuman with the losers.

 

The leader of the twenty kids, Teten, said they would cut each nikuman in half before heating them up. The children remained calm and agreed. According to Lin Lin’s interpretation, by cutting them in half, some kids would eat two halves while one half would be enough for those that weren’t so hungry or who couldn’t eat a whole jumbo size nikuman. In the end, all twenty kids were happy.

 

Aren’t you impressed at how well Teten thought things through? I was surprised, but Lin Lin said, “That’s natural.” She said the nikuman wouldn’t taste good if somebody couldn’t eat one.

 

Sharing is a virtue in the Philippines. You can particularly see that spirit when it comes to food, in my opinion. People eat from large plates heaped with food and share them among everyone (because dividing them among separate small plates would leave some without any or not enough). They make sure to bring something to drink when they visit somewhere like a company during their work (and even recommend taking food at times). When you visit a friend’s home, the first thing your friend will say, even before greeting you, is, “Have you eaten?” They are not at all selfish and unconcerned about other people.

 

My air conditioner is out again today because of a power outage. It’s far from stressful though because my neighbor said, “Well then, let’s go to the pool!” If this sort of behavior has disappeared in Japan lately, then just what will we lose 30 years from now? I live every day thinking whether I want to go back to a Japan like that or give up on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text: Machiko Ikeno / Philippines

 

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Nowadays, if you write the word “manga,” everyone in the world knows what you’re talking about. It has crossed races and borders among the many young people who are deeply fascinated by it. Manga is representative of modern Japanese culture.

 

So when did manga first appear? It is said that its roots are in a series of picture scrolls called the Choju-giga (often rendered in English as Scrolls of Frolicking Humans and Animals) at Kozan Temple in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto. The scenes of rabbits, frogs and other animals wrestling and playing in the water are drawn in a comical fashion. Some say this technique has been passed on to modern manga. The Choju-giga were drawn 800 years ago, in the 12th century.

 

 

 

In general, when we use the word “manga,” we are referring to the art form that started about 200 years ago with the Hokusai Manga drawn by Hokusai Katsushika, an artist from the late Edo period. His 4,000 “manga” sketches of people and everyday life were used as packaging materials for Arita-yaki ceramics, a major Japanese export of the time, and thus crossed over to Europe. The Europeans then were amazed at Hokusai’s detailed portrayals. In a manner of speaking, you could say that this was the first step for Japan’s manga export industry, a market that is now worth 500 billion yen.

 

 

 

 

 

When I was a kid, I was often scolded for reading manga. “Don’t just read manga. You should study some, too.” But my mom loved manga, which are written for teenage girls, so my grandfather scolded her. And my grandpa liked Norakuro. Basically, Japanese people have liked manga since long ago. Incidentally, my two daughters love Doraemon.

 

 

 

 

Suiho Tagawa / Kodansha

 

So why do Japanese like manga so much? Anyone can be the main character in a manga. It can be an invincible martial arts expert or a professional baseball star. The story can be whatever you like: a date with a cute girl or the development of a unique friendship. It’s a limitless world where anything goes (although there has been some shock by people around the world when artists sometimes take things too far). When a kid is tired of studying for a test or a businessman is feeling down because he messed up at work, they can read their favorite manga to get back the energy they need to face the next day. In the stressful society of Japan, manga is an irreplaceable virtual oasis for any Japanese person.

 

 

These manga are enjoying huge global popularity now. There are more and more young people starting to learn Japanese because of manga. The Japan Expo is held every year in France, where manga fans from across Europe gather. There the young fans dress up in cosplay outfits and become manga characters. The freedom manga provides allows you to enter a fantasy world. Manga has various themes and genres in which diverse characters appear. This world is not simply about good vs. evil. Heroes have their weaknesses, and villains have some kindness in their hearts. I think that this multitude of values has led to manga being so widely accepted worldwide.

 

Manga is now exported globally. Turn on a TV in a hotel abroad, and you’ll often find a dubbed version of Japanese anime. The words may be in English or Chinese, but the world that unfolds and the moral values are the same as in Japan. If the children of the world can, at some time, adopt a peace-loving mindset, cherish their friends or recognize the value of hard work through manga, then it can make a positive contribution to the world and be a wonderful Japanese export, don’t you think?

 

Text: Shinji Joko / a professional writer

 

References:

 

Kato, Hidetoshi and Isao Kumakura. Gaikokugo ni natta nihongo no jiten (Dictionary of Loanwords from Japanese). Iwanami Shoten, 1999.

Shimizu, Isao. Zusetsu: manga no rekishi (An Illustrated History of Manga). Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1999.

Japan Expo (Paris, France)

Website: http://www.eurojapancomic.com/fr/japanexpo.shtml

 

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A lady from Japan once told me “Until I came to U.S., I thought the door was supposed to close right on your nose.”  I had to ask what she meant, thinking most doors in public buildings in Japan are automatic nowadays.  “Men in U.S. keep the door open for the ladies who come in after them.  They do it for strangers, too.  Even ladies hold the door for you if you are coming right after them.”

 

 

“Home is where you reminisce when you are far away.” –Saisei Muro

As I reside in U.S., I think of Japan often.  However, when I actually go there, I sometimes encounter the things I say, “Is this Japan that I know?”  Here are some examples.

 

 

At Narita International Airport.  A Japanese lady who looks very pregnant came on a shuttle bus with a toddler girl.  When the shuttle arrives at her terminal, she and this little girl wait for everyone else to get off the bus.  She is carrying a backpack on her back.  She is holding her daughter’s hand with one hand, and a folding baby stroller with another hand.  As they try to go down the steps, the stroller gets caught, and the little girl is scared to go down a rather deep shuttle steps.  They are just about to lose their balance, and having a tough time to get off the shuttle.  The only person besides these mother and daughter in the bus is the driver.  He does not move 1 inch.  He stares at his front windshield, waiting patiently for this mother and daughter to get off his shuttle bus, who are about to fall off the steps.  What is wrong with this picture?

 

 

At Shinagawa Station in Tokyo.  Rather loud noise comes from the descending escalator.  One cane comes down with no owner.  The owner, who is apparently needs that cane to walk, dropped the cane when he got on the escalator.  He comes down with his whole upper body lean on the side rail but cannot pick his cane up with the escalator moving.  It is not during the rush hour, but it is always busy at Shinagawa Station.  There are quite a few business people waiting for the trains to come, but none of them even tries to help this gentleman.  They are either looking at different directions, or busy talking on the cell phone.

 

 

 

Japanese are often said to be reserved.  When I was growing up, I was often told, “Don’t do it, it is embarrassing,”  “Be moderate,” and “Be patient.”  Volunteering when doing something, not giving too much thought to the others was considered to be “attention drawing” and “self centered.”  There is a famous Japanese proverb; “The stake that sticks up will be leveled.” As I became older, I tended to “Go with the flow.”  We do have volunteer spirit.  We do want to help one another.  Our hearts are in the right place, but it is not easy to practice.  If I try to resolve the problem now, I will be late for my appointment.  If I cannot keep my appointment, it will cause problems to “others.”  They will probably tell me, “You should not have been involved.”  I am not saying all the Japanese would act as same as written above.  I believe that there are many Japanese people who are willing to help, but what I witness is also true.

 

 

Americans are often called “Individualists.”  But, if “I think it is a right thing to do, no matter what the other people think” spirit is been used to help the weak and under privileged, I am all for the ‘Individualism.”  If the pregnant mother and the little girl were at an airport in U.S., there would be at least some people who try to help them get off the bus first.  Someone would try to help this gentleman with a cane.  If you explain to your colleagues why you were late, everyone would understand.  Of course all Americans are not like this, but seeing people helping other people is pretty common in U.S..  And they seem to react without giving it a deep thought.  Children who grow up observing this type of act by adults will eventually do the same when they become adults.

 

I am not here to judge the value that Japanese weighs.  It is quite understandable why our nation has become “the Japan who cannot say ‘No’,” if you study this country through before and after the war to where we currently stand.  However, am I the only one who would like to come home where you do not think anything special to offer a hand to someone who is needing your hand?

 

 

Text: Michiyo Letterman / Arizona USA

 

 

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One of the things that amazes international students arriving in Japan may be our extensive railway network. Trains on the Yamanote Line come punctually at two to three minute intervals. The Tokyo subway lines crisscross practically every inch of the city center. And the shinkansen, or bullet train, takes passengers from Honshu to Kyushu at speeds topping 200 kilometers per hour. Our safest and most reliable mode of transportation, the railway is indispensable to life in Japan. Those of us who use the system everyday tend to take it for granted, only to realize its convenience anew when we travel overseas. Particularly in urban areas of Japan, multiple systems such as Japan Railways, private railways and subways are interlaced like a spider web; their stations interconnected like a jigsaw puzzle. Tokyo’s subway is so complex that only after one masters transferring from one line to another is he considered a full-fledged metropolitan.

 

 

Japan’s first railway line opened between Shimbashi and Yokohama (currently Sakuragicho) in 1872. The Tokaido Main Line was completed in 1889, the Yamanote Line in 1925, and our first subway (the Ginza Line) only two years later, in 1927. As such, the nationwide railway network in service today was almost entirely laid out in the half-century following the Meiji Restoration. And with the inauguration of the Tokaido Shinkansen in 1964, speed and technology continued to progress.

 

 

There was a time when the more maneuverable automobile and the faster, farther-flying airplane threatened to overtake the era of the train. But today, railways are making a global comeback. Industrialized countries are focusing on a modal shift in freight transportation from air and road to rail in an aim to reduce serious burdens on the environment, and developing countries with expanding populations are seeing a rapid increase in demand for railway infrastructures (Reuters Japan , January 26, 2010).

 

An example of the concrete steps being taken is the export of one of Japan’s prided railway systems: the shinkansen. The high-speed rail technology has already been introduced to Taiwan and the UK, and there has been wide news coverage about Japan proactively conducting sales talks with countries such as China, Vietnam and the U.S.
Last summer, a friend of mine visited some hight-school friends and host family in Salt Lake City and Phoenix after 15 years since his last visit. Both cities had installed light rail transit systems; the cars used in Phoenix were made in Japan.
The full-blown use of linear motor cars, for which research has been conducted for many years, is also gathering attention as a new means of transportation in the 21st century.

 

 

Though railway technology continues to advance, trains evoke a certain nostalgia in the Japanese people. Traveling to Tokyo to enter university and seeing the grand view of Mt. Fuji from the shinkansen window… Visiting the countryside during summer vacation and feeling the warmth of the people on the local train… The railway is closely linked with memories of the various turning points in our lives.

 

 

And perhaps because of this, Japan has always had devoted railway fans. Some like the trains themselves, some shoot and collect railway photographs, some create elaborate railway models, and some even research and admire timetables. Many fans often gather at terminal stations and bid farewell to a sleeper train (“Blue Train”) whose services will be discontinued. Sometimes the ceremony reaches such a large scale that it appears in the news.

 

 

The Railway Museum in Saitama City is popular with visitors of all age groups, with an easy-to-understand exhibit on the history and technologies of Japanese and global railway systems as well as many trains and materials. Hands-on simulators are also available for visitors to operate a nostalgic steam locomotive and a high-tech shinkansen. This is a recommended spot where you can experience the past, present, and future of railways.

The world’s rail systems are entering a new era in the 21st century. Let’s keep our eyes open for the technologies of Japan – a leading kingdom of railways – and the contributions it will make.

 

Text: Rie KUROSAKI

 

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It wasn't that long ago that Rakugo enjoyed an unprecedented boom in popularity. Now the boom seems to be over, but tickets to solo performances by popular Rakugo comedians still sell out in no time. Rakugo performances by young comedians also attract a large audience, so it seems that Rakugo remains popular. With or without the boom, Rakugo is still one of Japan’s classical performing arts. Without a doubt, the reason it continues today is that it is entertaining. It would be a pity to miss an opportunity to see it. So, the topic of this article is “Rakugo.” You might even be able to find the essence of Japaneseness in Rakugo.

 

 

“Rakugo” is a performance in which a comedian sits alone in front of the audience, tells an amusing story, and makes them laugh. That's it; it is a very simple storytelling art. At the end of the story, there is a punch line called the “Ochi (a drop),” from which the name “Rakugo (fallen words)” comes. An amusing story could be a scary Kaidanbanashi (ghost story), or a touching, tear-jerking Ninjoubanashi (a story about life and the emotions of ordinary people). Funny stories are called Kokkeibanashi (comical story). Some of the stories have been created recently, but most of them are classical Rakugo tales that were written during the Edo and Meiji eras. Just by talking, Rakugo comedians entertain, make people laugh, and sometimes move people to tears. But Rakugo isn’t actually that sophisticated. The characters in the stories are not quite the smartest people. It is better not to think about it too hard, but rather just laugh when you think it is funny. When you listen to Rakugo, you can feel a bit reassured and a bit cheered up.

 

 

The appeal of Rakugo depends entirely on how the audience feels about the performance. So, you just have to listen to a performance. You might be worried about not being able to understand the old words, but most Japanese people don't understand them either. If it really bothers you, you can look them up later. Some people who listen to a performance might still find it difficult to enjoy. That would be unfortunate, but there's nothing that can be done about it. But unless you try, you will never know. So, here are some ways you can listen to Rakugo.

 

 

Internet
The most convenient way to listen to Rakugo is on the Internet. There are many Rakugo performances on YouTube, but I recommend getting podcasts. If you download the recorded performances and carry them on a portable audio player you can listen to them anytime.

- Odaiba Yose (Yose is the theater where Rakugo is performed)
Good performances, from valuable, old recordings, to young Rakugo comedians, are available for download.

- E-fron-tei Pod Yose
This site has recordings of young Rakugo storytellers available for download.

 

Television
Although not exclusively Rakugo, the following television programs are broadcast by NHK.
-Nihon no Wagei (Japanese storytelling): One performer per episode, although there are episodes that focus on Kodan (another form of storytelling).
-Okonomi Yose (Yose of your preference): Broadcasts a variety of performances including Rakugo.
-Kamigata Engei Hall (Entertainment Hall of the Kansai area): Broadcasts comic performances, such as Manzai (comical dialogue) and Rakugo, from the Kansai area.
Please visit the NHK website for broadcast schedules and other information.

 

CD/DVDs
CDs and DVDs are also very convenient. The music industry is struggling with declining CD sales, and it seems they have high expectations for Rakugo. Apparently, even a special record label for Rakugo has been launched.

But all in all, the best way to enjoy Rakugo is to go to a live Rakugo performance. If you find it interesting after listening to it on the Internet, I suggest that you go see a live performance.

 

If you want to see live Rakugo, go to a Yose. Rakugo is performed all day at a Yose. You can go whenever you feel like it, and come out when you want to. However, Yoses are only located in Tokyo and Osaka, and a Yose is best enjoyed by visiting it frequently. Some people say that visiting a Yose is difficult for beginners. This might sound a bit intimidating, but don’t get scared off. Give it a try. A Yose is an enjoyable place, and you will be able to understand what's so good about live Rakugo.

There are four Yoses in Tokyo that are called Rakugo Jyouseki (a permanent Yose where Rakugo is performed all year round). They are, Ueno Suzumoto Engeijou, Shinjuku Suehiro-tei, Asakusa Engei Hall, and Ikebukuro Engeijou. In addition, National Engei Hall, Oedo Nihonbashi-tei, Oedo Uenohirokouji-tei, and Oedo Ryougoku-tei also stage Rakugo performances. The Yose in Osaka is Tenma Tenjin Hanjo-tei. All of them have websites where you can find their locations, ticket prices, and performers.

Besides Yose, you can enjoy live Rakugo at solo performances and other Rakugo performances which are called Hall Rakugo. There are also regional Yoses.
As the name suggests, Hall Rakugo refers to Rakugo performances held in large performance halls. Popular, talented storytellers perform, so it's certain that you will be able to enjoy high-quality Rakugo. If there are any such performances in your area, make sure you don’t miss it. But as I mentioned in the beginning, tickets for popular Rakugo comedians sell fast, so you will have to do your best to get a ticket. Internet sites such as PIA and Yahoo! Ticket offer a convenient way to find out where and when such performances will be held. If you do a search with the keyword “Rakugo,” you'll be able to find a lot of information.

Regional Yose, on the other hand, are small Rakugo performances typically held in local community centers and municipal public halls. Tickets are also inexpensive, and you can get a closer, more familiar feel for Rakugo. You can probably find information on such performances on local bulletin boards and in town magazines. The first live Rakugo performance I ever attended also happened to be a regional Yose that I went to because my friend gave me a ticket.
You don’t have to prepare to go to a Rakugo performance, and there is nothing to be scared about. It's easier if someone takes you there, but I am quite sure you would be fine even on your own.

 

So, have you started to feel that you want to give Rakugo a try? The first step is to listen to it. Even if you think it isn’t funny, try to listen to it a couple of times. You should soon start to understand what's so good about Rakugo, and will come to love it. If you still don’t like it, I apologize; please just laugh it off and forgive me. Well then, I'm off to a Yose!

 

Text: Hiroaki ARAKAWA

 

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Aki no ta no
Kariho no iho no
Toma o arami
Waga koromode wa
Tsuyu ni nure tsutsu

 

Coarse the rush-mat roof
Sheltering the harvest-hut
Of the autumn rice-field
And my sleeves are growing wet
With the moisture dripping through.

 

This is the first poem in the Hyakunin Isshu, by Emperor Tenchi (626 - 671).

 

The Hyakunin Isshu is a collection of a hundred poems that were written between the seventh and thirteenth centuries. Generally, when speaking of the Hyakunin Isshu, this refers to the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu collection of poetry that has been said to have been chosen by Fujiwara no Teika during the Kamakura Period.

 

In Japan, this collection of a hundred poems is used in a card game called “karuta” that is traditionally played during the New Year holiday. This custom became widespread during the Edo period (1603 to 1868).

 

Currently, Hyakunin Isshu karuta tournaments are held at elementary and junior high schools all around Japan, and there is even a competitive tournament held every year to decide who is the fastest player in Japan. The fierce contest for indicated cards between karuta kings and queens plays out so fast that it resembles a sport, and it’s also sort of an art form. The manga comic, "Chihayafuru" (Yuki Suetsugu - Kodansha), is about a girl who is obsessed with the game of karuta, and this comic has helped to tell the world about the wonders of karuta in a way that is easy to understand. This high quality manga was critically acclaimed and won the 2009 Second Annual Manga Taisho (Grand Prize).

 

Now, how is this game of karuta actually played?

Let’s use Emperor Tenchi’s poem written above as an example in this explanation.

 

First, the “yomite” (the reader) reads a card aloud which has the first seventeen syllables (5, 7, 5) of the poem on it. In our case, it’s “Aki no ta no Kariho no iho no Toma o arami.”

 

The other players try to find the card that has the last fourteen syllables (7, 7) of the poem (Waga koromode wa Tsuyu ni nure tsutsu) out of the hundred cards laid out on the floor, and compete to be the first one to take the card, with the player who takes the most cards being the winner. This is the basic premise of the game.

 

In actuality, the decisive moment is when the “yomite” reads the first syllable, and in order to react quickly the player must have memorized all one hundred poems.

 

In recent years, there is a new appreciation for the Hyakunin Isshu because it teaches children fast reflexes and memorization skills, as well as traditional Japanese manners such as bowing and sitting on the floor with legs folded.

 

As a more adult amusement, people like to search for human drama concealed in the Hyakunin Isshu poems. For example, the following poem was written by Ono no Komachi, a woman who is considered in Japan to be one of the three most beautiful women in history alongside Cleopatra and Yang Kwei-Fei.

 

 

Hana no iro wa
Utsuri ni keri na
Itazura ni
Waga mi yo ni furu
Nagame seshi ma ni

 

Color of the flower
Has already faded away,
While in idle thoughts
My life passes vainly by,
As I watch the long rains fall.

(Meaning: The color of the beautiful cherry blossoms faded in the long rains of spring, and my beauty, too, sadly faded while I was lost in thought, emptily passing through this world.)

 

Ono no Komachi, whose beauty is said to have been unparalleled, compared her fading beauty to the fading colors of the cherry blossoms, and perfectly captured that longing feeling that comes with thoughts of the passage of time in just 31 syllables. One thousand years later, this expression of a woman’s wistful heart is just as effective today. In addition, Murasaki Shikibu, writer of The Tale of Genji, and Sei Shonagon, writer of The Pillow Book, as well as other well known people from Japan's history have poems in the Hyakunin Isshu collection.

 

Hyakunin Isshu has a hidden story or drama behind every card. It could even be said that the Hyakunin Isshu is a hundred stories that express the enduring emotions of the Japanese heart. The Japanese language used in the Hyakunin Isshu is very different from today’s language, which makes it hard for people to relate to, but there are many published guides. I hope this will motivate you to try and experience the elegant spirit of Japan.

 

 

Text: Rie KUROSAKI

 

 

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