Changing Tide In Japan's Imperial Family

Feminism is finally wending its way to my adopted archipelago. Recently, the Japanese Prime Minister has forwarded a bill to make it official and legal for women to ascend the Imperial Throne. There has actually been a lot of debate about this recently, and what tipped the tide was the fact that there have been several female empress in the past, and so, it becomes legit. This is another insight of Japan, really, the value of precedence. You can do anything foreign or modern, if there is a link to the past of someone, somehow in history done something similar. The more things change in Nihon, the more they stay the same.


On a less heavy note, spring is in the air! I can tell, because last week, and especially today, it had that "warm-cold" feeling you get only when the winter is about to be over, and the smell of things beginning to wake up wafted through the breeze. Also, Saturday is the new year's festival, and my Japanese school is having a party, at an Indian restaurant. Sometimes you just do not want to ask questions.

OH, Kyoto

I have had a slight illness the last week, which is why I have been incommunicado.
But, feeling better, and having had made a promise to myself that, after my test on Friday, I would finally go to Kyoto, I took the train to visit Japan;'s old capitol.

The journey there was a little tortuous, because I did not plan it right, and it took too long. Once I got there, however, I could feel the difference from Osaka, right away. I was helped by not just one, but two very nice people getting directions. You would never have that here in O-Town. They would be too busy trying to sell something.
I went, specifically, to go see the National Museum, and I am glad I did. The place is huge, with many buildings to explore, and a great garden that once the spring and summer comes, should be beautiful. I plan to visit often, as membership is only $30, and you can get discounts to a place here in Osaka too. The feel of Kyoto is much different, too. You can really tell that this is a city which has been here more than 1200 years. There might not be deer, but there is much more dear in the city.

Quaterly Report

Fellow investors.....

HA! Well, companies do it, so I figured since it has been three months since I arrived here in Osaka, I should make a three month review, you know, for posterity's sake.

So, while I can dispense with the letter to everyone about how well the company is doing, how much profit, who we squeezed out due to downsizing (I'm sorry, I mean, rightsizing--- whatever the hell that means), you know, the usual corporate blather, I must make a point by point of all the goals I reached by moving the plant to Japan's western shores:
*gotten out of the sink hole that is Baltimore
*seen Japan
*seen deer in Japan
*passed probation at work, found that the job is alright
*been to Tokyo
*found the Magic Store in Osaka, made friends there
*worked hard and have learned a LOT of Japanese
*gotten the approval of my Mom and Dad for being here, as per a
conversation last night about how they really think that, for
the first time in a long time, I am focused on improving myself
*made some really good quality friends here (AB and RM, not to
mention D-Boy)
*have really started to think about the direction of my life, and
it involves linguistics and/or ESL
*have come deeply to understand how much I still need to work on
me
*Realized how wonderful you guys are.

And, like every good company, here are some projections for the next quartile:

*most likely will go again to Tokyo
*arranged to go to Beijing in the Spring, Singapore in February
*Rock on the Japanese test I have Friday,
*Go to Kyoto afterwards, see some museums
*visit Baltimore/Springfield around May 18, 19 for a few weeks
*keep on learning Japanese
*collect more wood-block prints
*sell stuff on E-Bay---oh, yeah, that's right! E-Bay -o- rama!
*meet more Japanese people

Feasible goals, I think.

To sum, the fourth quarter of 2005 was a success, and we hope to find continued opportunities of reward and profit in the first quartile, 2006.

Toka Ebisu

Every year, Osaka has a three-day festival to celebrate one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan, the protector of fishermen, rice farmers, and of commerce. Osaka is nothing but sell, sell, sell, so you can see why the god is so important to the city.
And, every year there is a big parade, which starts early in the morning. I wanted to go see the parade, because I love parades, and this would have been the first parade I have seen, in person, that does not have bagpipers. (Quite a cultural shock for me!)

However, the night before, I was convinced that there was going to be a test at my Japanese language school in the morning. They sprung a test on us about three weeks ago; I did pretty well (85%, most of the errors due to spelling, of course. You wouldn't think a language that has a straightforward sylabary could have ways where you can make spelling mistakes, but, ask any Japanese person. You can. I do.), but I wanted to do better. So, I spent some serious study time going over stuff, and I figured, even if we do not have a test, it is not time ill-spent. So, I woke up late for the parade. I got to class on time, and, guess what! No test. I was relieved, but unhappy that I missed the parade. So, I went to lunch, and got ready for the rest of my day.

Lo, and behold! As I left the restaurant, I heard rumbling mumblings, and someone on a bull horn. I walked over to see what the comotion could be about, and, there they were, not one, but two different groups bearing their supporters, to honour Ebisu.


This group had many beauties on it, and the one above gave the silly gajin a nod and a smile.

These photos above are pictures of the first, real "geishas" I have seen in Japan.
I have seen many women in kimonos, many men, too, for that matter, in traditional clothing, so that is not new. In fact, Kansai-jin probably wear kimonos outside more often than any other area of the country.


I may not have seen the whole parade, but I got a glimpse of it anyway, so I feel I was rewarded for studying hard. This taught me something else important: if you love something, and work at it, it will come to you.

The last few days

But wait, there's more!
A group of us went to see a great, beginning of the year event in Nara. Every year, there is a great burning of grass on a large hill in Nara, and there is no real consensus on why, but the burnination happens, and it happens big. Big enough that there are many people in Nara who can see it from their homes. But, nevertheless, the
Wakakusayama Grass Burning always draws a large crowd.

Trekking out to the city is great, because throughout the park area and nearby are very tame deer. Much like the deer who live near Goucher College, and they will come up to you, and see if you have food. They have it all figured out; most people will spend 150 yen for deer biscuits, and the animals have no qualms about looking at you with plaintive eyes, hoping for a snack. Those deer have us humans well trained. It is weird to see them just roam about, like we would see squirrels or an occasional critter. Deer are large animals, and they can really get up in you, sniffing through your pockets to see what you got. VZ would love this place.

What is also interesting is the old temple in the area. Curiously enough, it is rather hidden and fairly recessed from the road, you have to know it is there. Nara is like that, unimpressive at first glance, but upon greater inspection a rich treasure of culture. The above gate is the second tallest in Japan. The actual temple of Koofuku-ji was transferred from Kyoto to Nara in 710, and was the main temple of the Fujiwara clan. The origional group of buildings was huge, but due to fire and sword (Japanese as well as American) there are only twelve left. The ones standing were constructed in the 15th century, making them the oldest wooden buildings in Japan too.

We walked around the park, we drank beer, I also found sake. We watched the fireworks, saw the burnination, and left feeling that we had been part of a real event. The sky was perfect tonight, too. We had a very clear shot of the whole mountain, , and, with the half-moon above us, the Morning Star to accompany, and the sun-set framed by fluffy clouds, which parted the red orange hues of the great ball into its various parts, we stood, mesmorized with the whole crowd, waiting for fire. The event was preceded by fireworks, which were awesome. Then, at 6pm, the dry grass was set ablaze, and the whole hill area lit up in a lustrous glow; a large torch of flame dancing and daring us to watch. Sure, most people watched it on TV, and it was cold outside. But, like a good Fourth of July or watching the Ball drop on New Years at Times Square, if you don't do it once, you only cheat yourself.

On the train ride we goofed around, taking silly pictures of each other with our phonecams. A good time was had by all.

Well, the last few days have been eventful. As many of you know, my old email is alive, but inaccessible. I think it has something to do with signing ups with yahoo messenger, and a glitch in the system this way. And, I did not have access to Blogspot for a while, although, as you can see, I have figured out what I was doing wrong with blogger. The former is an annoying, puzzling mystery, the latter just my own foolishness for not entering in the correct user name to log in.

But, so much to report! When I last wrote, I was going to tell you all about my Tokyo adventure. Well, we walked around the temple, and then went back to my friend's house, to eat chanko nabe. This is a delicious stew, made from boiling water, adding vegetables and meat (usually beef) and some soy sauce, and other flavourings as is to your taste. And, oh is it tasty! We ate, laughed, drank much beer sake and wine, and had a grand time of it. On New Years Eve, the general Japanese custom is to gather the clan at the homestead, and eat and drink, and drink and eat, and catch up with each other for the year. I-san and Y-san and I did just that on January 2, and so I think I-san and Y-san got to do it twice, and I got to have a real Japanese experience. Plus, I got to stay in a Japanese house. So, I had many firsts: first stay in a Japanese house, first stayover at a Japanese house, first New Year's in Japan, and my first ride in a Japanese car, as I-san drove me to and from the Shinkansen station and all around Tokyo. My first view of Tokyo was not the typical tourist trap, but rather the city as one lives in it. January 3 saw all three of us motor over to another mutual friend of ours, whom we met at GHCC, for lunch and to catch up. M-san is a wonderful, talented human being, and her English is probably better than mine. She, her husband and their cute-as-a-bug-in-a-rug daughter and I all sat down, and commenced to eat, laugh, and catch up.

I have started this new year very well, thanks to some very good people. I went back on the train back to Osaka, and rested up a bit before I had to go to work. Nova trained a number of us to do a new kind of classes, one designed for students to improve in weak areas.

2006 Is Go!

The last few days have been great. At New Years, I went out to a few bars and clubs, and heard some good jazz at Savanna's. The food was good, better than I had thought, although it is true that the appetisers were a little small. This photo is the band which was playing that night. Later, we went out to a crowded club, which was fun, because I got to dance, but we left after a while, and went back home to rest.


My trip to Tokyo was fantastic! I got to meet with a few friends of mine there, and we went to the oldest Temple in Tokyo, pictured aboves, tanding since the 6th century. There were throngs of people there, and we went into a few courtyards and into some of the foyer areas of the temples, too. I cast a coin, made a wish, which will hopefully come true. I also got my fortune, which was completely terrible. To get your luck projection for the year, you drop your money, pick up a wooden cylander with sticks in it, shake and shuffle, then have one come out of a hole in the top. You check the number, and take your slip of paper from a drawer corresponding to the number on the stick. If your fortune is good, you can keep the piece of paper you get. If bad, you tie it to the Temple wall, in the hope it will reverse. It is a good scam for the temple to make money, especially at 100yen a fortune, and nearly everyone gets one.

More on the trip tomorrow....