Ben's trip
Monday, October 27, 2003
Tokyo 10/28
Tuesday 4:35 pm
The song�@is almost over, so to speak, as I`m sitting in the lounge here at Narita about to come on home. This morning�es meetings went relatively well--Funabashi-san was a bit late, but I was very lucky to see him, Kato-san and Hoshi-san for a quick lunch, all members of Asahi shimbun. It was interesting how different they were. Funabashi-san was very nice--he looks at me as a sort of young foreign protege, I would say, avoiding saying anything serious and talking at length about various topics such as how untrustworthy Kan-san is (the leader of the opposition democratic party in Japan), how Koizumi is perhaps not truly dedicated to reform, and how nationalistic China is becoming. he had just returned from Bangkok, where he said that the smaller countries of southeast asia are disturbed at China`s growing influence, both economic and diplomatic and political, and were eager to keep the U.S. involved in the region. he said that they were somewhat disappointed at Japan`s lack of responsiveness to their concerns, and were now beginning to turn to India (!) in an effort to counterbalance China. a very realpolitik way of describing the way things were. Kato-san, by contrast, was far more voluble, treating me as an equal in a very non-Japanese way, saying very frankly how disappointed he was in U.S. foreign policy and how the U.S.-Japan alliance is in deep trouble because Japan is just the U.S.` ATM. he wondered if the U.S. was even trying to explain why the alliance is good for Japan, saying that the U.S. needs to do a better job of making clear what the value of the alliance is for Japan. he frankly said that Japan should appease North Korea, saying that stability there is most important and adding that the U.S. is being too aggressive and that bribery is the only way to prevent disaster. I argued some, but couldn`t persuade him. he insisted that North Korea wanted the U.S. to be involved in the region, and wanted a deal, unlike al-qaeda which wanted to destroy the U.S. he also told an interesting anecdote about a senior chinese scholar who, at a closed meeting in Japan, told the audience that iraq was a disaster for the U.S. policy towards North Korea, because either U.S. intelligence about WMD is not trustworthy as there still hasn`t been any found in Iraq; or, even worse, the U.S. manipulated intelligence about WMD in Iraq solely in order to justify the invasion. either way, he said, China could not therefore trust U.S. claims of WMD in Iraq.
finally, i had lunch with Hoshi-san. he was very nice, but unlike the other two who are more focused on foreign news, insisted on speaking in Japanese. so i didn`t understand quite everything, but he said some interesting things about Japanese domestic politics. he predicted the LDP would win, but would perhaps lose 15-20 seats, but said that the democrats were growing and more powerful. to sum up quickly, he also said that Koizmi was in fact not pushing reforms as hard now, ironically because he had defeated the older, anti-reform dinosaurs in the LDP party. thus, he didn`t need to talk about reform as much anymore to gain public support and backing, as they had been defeated. now, he is dealing with the various faction leaders and power-brokers to retain and increase his political influence, and thus reluctant to do as much reform. Hoshi-san said that the only true reformer, ironically, is Ozawa, the notoriously rude member of the democratic party who is not trusted by many in that party becuase he favors a more independent, more self-reliant Japan, especially in terms of security policy.
anyway, lots of babbling on my part. Let me just say finally that one thing i am particularly noticing here at the airport is the unbelievable difference between the way foreigners and Japanese dress. it`s affected me, for sure, i remain in slacks and a dress shirt simply because everyone else is always dressed up here. sunday morning, on my way to Sengakuji, the vast majority of Japanese on the subway were in suits with matching handkerchiefs and spotless shoes. and the women! in stockings and six-inch heels (only slightly exaggerating) despite the endless staircase after staircase they have to climb in the subway/train system. I really don`t know how they do it...make up too, and the men are impeccably shaved. basically, as i`ve mentioned, they are all thin too, so i`ve truly felt like a schlub most of my time here. one key exception--a few nights, when i`ve gone out to drink, and the drunk salarymen are staggering around with ties unbuttoned and red-faced exclamations pouring from their glazed eyes.
THE END!!!!!
Tokyo 10/28
Tuesday, 9:08 am
The last day in Tokyo. I must say, it's appropriate out given my impending departure--a sort of misty, hazy rain that blocks the view from the window in my 29th floor hotel room and is a mild stimulant to head on out home....Let me just say for the record (and for people like Sean and Davey, and probably my brother), that my hotel room's bathroom here in Japan DID have an...er...funky, ultra-modern Japanese toilet in it, and yes, I undertook the bravery to use it, prompted not only by the ultra-polite Japanese used to describe some pretty unspeakable bodily functions but also due to the....somewhat excessively graphic pictures used to demonstrate how it functioned to those of us who are less than fluent at written Japanese.
So last night I went out to dinner with a couple of people from the embassy. we had some good yakitori, and the funny thing is that of the 3 of us I undertook to translate from the menu and order. Although everyone here gets Japanese-language training, most embassy people live in the embassy compound (everything in English) and work in the embassy (everything in English) and just out of ease and comfort go to many english-language social situations. not to mention that reading Japanese, at least, is something that many foreigners simply don't even attempt to do. it's understandable--most foreign services officers will spend only 2-3 years here, and then head out for another post, so taking the time to learn 2 alphabets plus over 1900 Chinese-based characters is just not worth it. even after years and years of study, I remain stuck at around a 7th or 8th-grade reading level here, and usually need a dictionary for complicated things, though basic things like menus and directions I can survive.
anyway, the weirdest thing we ate last night was probably the satsuma-age, a sort of deep-fried fishcake served with little bits of green pepper baked in. that was pretty neat, as was the deep-fried cheese wrapped in a sort of chicken/fish batter. yummy, but again as usual, not quite enough for me! I don't know if i've been giving too much insulin or just not used to the small portion sizes, but after dinner i had to wimp out and get a big ol' sweet red bean paste rice doughnut at a convenience store aroudn the corner. my friends were also kind enough to take me to a specialized Hello, Kitty! store which sold all sorts of weird stuff, where i was able to purchase some souveniers. regrettably, these didn't include the padded hello, kitty! decorated toilet seat-a bit too expensive.
talking more about yesterday, I should add that in my meetings the people I talked to were quite emphatic about certain things--such as, in countries such as Japan, the amount of coverage of things in the U.S. is quite extensive, almost unbelievable, and thus things that any important person says are widely covered. so when bush and/or Rumsfeld and/or Gephardt talk about protectionism, or pre-emptive strikes, etc., it immediately makes headlines here, making the job of public diplomacy difficult. people here understand that most american officials are speaking to an American audience, but still feel that Americans are somewhat arrogantly ignoring foreign countries' concerns. a few even told me that they wished they could vote in the U.S. election, because the results affect their lives far more than their local election!
this morning, i woke up relatively early and tried to pack up. I'm still unsure if evertything will fit--i didn't think i bought that many souveniers, but there is still a serious increase in weight and bulk of my stuff. I just hope i got enough stuff for everyone--well, don't take it personally if i neglected to bring anything for you! :) also this morning, i finally visited this hotel's fitness room, which not only was the smallest and least well-equipped of any in the three hotels i've visited so far but also had a 1000 yen (about $9) service charge! unbelievable. so i took a 25-minute bike ride while watching CNN and gazing out at the rainy Tokyo skyline. i guess part of it is the space issue--Seoul and Beijing are also crowded, but nowhere near as crowded as Tokyo, especially here in downtown Tokyo, where space is truly at a miraculously high premium.
I should end by saying that I wasted 30 minutes before going to bed last night watching Fuji TV, which had a special celebratory reshowing of a classic 1995 Godzilla movie. a true piece of nostalgia--those who grew up in WAshington will remember lazy rainy weekend days in the late '70s and early '80's where Captain 20 (from channel 20) would show Godzilla movie marathons. fortunately for all of us fans, there will be a new Godzilla movie coming out this december--the 50th anniversary of Godzilla!--that will also star famous sidekicks Mothra and mecha-godzilla.
well, my next note will probably be from the Tokyo airport. i have three more meetings this morning--with old Asahi reporter friends--so i'll get a good leftist point of view before i leave!
Tokyo 10/27
5:15 pm Monday
OK, where was I...oh, yes. So anyway, before Colin went off to the movie, I insisted we take a picture of what I believe was the best example of Japanese-English confusion I had seen in Japan so far. It's the best picture of the trip yet--better than the great wall and better than the Sengakuji temple. It was a high-end shop, selling expensive clothes, with a huge neon sign that read, "White Trash Charms Japan."
After that, I headed off to Kichijoji, where my old friend Atena had just given birth to she and her husband's first child, a lovely baby boy! Atena had just given birth a day earlier, Saturday, but was already up and walking around and able to greet me when I visited the hospital. She even showed me to the nursery, where her baby and three others were lined up. apparently, in Japan, the custom is to not let the mother hold the baby or take care of it directly for 2-3 days--I don't know why. Also, Atena said that she went through labor for six hours and received no anesthetic and no painkillers. So I was amazed she was up and walking and so well-recovered, but maybe people just expect mothers to recover quickly in Japan. Atena was in a great mood, happy about the successful birth, and we caught up. Later, her husband and her husband's parents came to see the baby, and everyone was quite ecstatic. Obviously, it was a bit weird to have this wacky gaijin there, but I think Kentaro (her husband) and his parents were impressed by my polite language. if nothing else, they were happy i was there to be able to take a picture of all four of them in front of the nursery where the baby was. the baby remains unnamed; apparently, in Japan, you have two weeks to decide what the name will be.
I left out the fact that on the way to the hospital from Roppongi I got completely lost. I got on the subway OK, boarding the Hibiya line, and successfully transferred at Kasumigaseki to the Marunouchi line. But after arriving at Shinjuku, I was confused about which of the 13 Japan Railways commuter train lines to take. I finally boarded the Chuo line, but realized that it was a special express that didn't stop at Kichijoji station. So i got off at Nakano station, and tried to board the Sobu line train towards Kichijoji. Unfortunately, I got turned around, and ended up taking the Sobu line train all the way back to Shinjuku. So at Shinjuki I got off and boarded a Chuo line normal express, that fortunately did stop at Kichijoji. Yes, the train system is great, but it can get a little complicated.
After seeing Atena and Kentaro and the baby, I headed back into Tokyo to meet my old friend Mika for dinner. She just returned from Australia and was very kind to see me despite having just gotten back and having been bitten pretty badly by mosquitoes in Australia. we had fun talking about old times and she told me about working for a German software company in Japan. She had had a few bad work experiences, though, one of which being that 3 of her co-workers were fired earlier this year for failing to meet sales targets. Everyone was shocked, because in Japan you traditionally didn't get fired in any situation unless you did something seriously wrong. However, things are changing...and this is why so many Japanese, like Mika, are so afraid of reform. Everyone realizes that restructuring and reform are extremely necessary to help Japan modernize and recover economically, but people like Mika hear the word "resutora" (restructuring) and take it to mean losing your job. there are relatively few entrepreneurers here, so for older people, losing your job is a pretty serious problem, because it's quite hard to find a new one. Anyway, this was a theme I heard more today, during my meetings, where a few economic experts told me that although the major papers and experts pretty much all support economic restructuring, it is not clear if Koizumi is sincere about truly trying to do it (as many of the older members of his own party oppose change of any kind) and also many Japanese people simply oppose it as meaning the loss of their job to Chinese or Thai workers.
Let me add briefly a few words about the situation of foreign men in Japan. it is an unfortunate stereotype here that if you are a foreign man in Japan, you will marry a Japanese woman. here at the embassy, and even among the U.S. embassy employees in Beijing, many have Japanese wives. for some reason, especially if you speak some Japanese, foreigners are seen as particularly attractive by some Japanese women. I am unsure as to why this is, and although there is often ribald and inappropriate speculation, there is no clear reason why this is. generally, the stereotype is that foreigners are taller, richer, and perhaps most importantly more modern in terms of letting their wives work and live and not be so obedient and subservient. Certainly, equality of the sexes has come a long way here but has a long way to go. For example, while talking to Colin, I mentioned that one of our former Japanese classmates had come to Japan, married a Japanese woman who was a researcher in a lab here, but was ecsatic to come back to the U.S. because "she was sick of serving tea to her male co-workers in Japan and in the U.S. was finally able to do some research of her own." Anyway, a sensitive topic...
today was pretty busy, with several meetings at Asahi and also some other people, and some presentations and meetings here at the embassy. I was particularly honored to be allowed to sit in at the morning meeting with the Ambassador, who seemed very nice. The general consensus both here and outside the embassy is that the LDP and Koizumi will win the general election, but it still is unclear what is going to happen after that. For example, in a by-election over the weekend, the LDP candiate won--after only 27 percent of eligible voters turned out to vote. This level is pretty horrific, and is perhaps the clearest example yet of how many Japanese just don't care and see both major parties--the LDP and the DPJ--as incapable or unwilling to do very much of anything to improve the economic situation. On a brighter side, many people here at the embassy were emphatic in saying that the situation is much improved economically, and that the over ten years of economic depression are ending.
I should also add that I spoke to a senior person here about possibly applying for the analyst job open here in Tokyo, and he encouraged me to do so. He was very kind in saying that I should consider it, and that he thought it was a great idea, but that I don't need to decide for sure yet. So we'll see what happens, though the more I think about it, the more I am considering it. I mean, unless you are Buddhist, you only live once, and 3 years in Tokyo would not be the end of my life or anything...But we'll see.
OK, off to dinner with a bunch of embassy types. i can't believe i leave tomorrow. Literally, "what a long, strange trip it's been..."
Sunday, October 26, 2003
Tokyo 10/27
Monday 2:45 pm
Whew, just back from another meeting and what I feared most is happening--I'm falling behind in this little diary! Anyway, yesterday, after Sengakuji, I came back to my hotel to try to plan the rest of my day. Colin Butnick, who I knew last some 11 years ago from Japanese class at Haverford, came by the hotel and we hung out for a couple of hours in Roppongi before he had to leave to appear (in tuxedo, no less) at the Japanese premiere of Kill Bill. he is a big-shot financial dude, who travels a lot trying to figure out where to invest in Japan, and southeast ASia. he told some funny stories about trying to figure out how to sell his fund's stake in a Tapioca factory in northeast Thailand--the negotiations were particularly dicey because he didn't speak Thai at all and noone there spoke Japanese or English. So he isn't sure, still, how much money the stake was sold for! anyway, we wandered around Roppongi to the new Mori Building complex, which he said is still half-empty because although large companies keep building new office buildings, noone is there to rent them. we had some coffee and caught up; he's truly lived the dream, being one of the hotshot young financiers who has worked in Singapore, Hong Kong and now Japan but is apprently ready to come on home. he also said some interesting stuff about how Tokyo is the be-all and end-all of Japan--unlike America, where there are a number of cities which people are happy to live in, in Japan it appears that Tokyo is really the only place where it is at.
well, another meeting! i'll write more later about Japanese maternity hospitals, my friend who just gave birth, dinner with my old friend Mika and male-female relations in Japan...
10/27 Tokyo
Monday 11:15 am
Well, for the first time during my little jaunt to Asia I didn't write in this little journal--I totally blew off yesterday. I certainly did a lot, and today is also busy, along with tomorrow, even though i leave tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 pm on the bus to Narita airport. Anyway, let me first talk a bit about the one sightseeing thing i did--at Sengakuji.
Sengaku-ji is a temple in the south of Tokyo which is very well-known for the people who are buried there--the 47 ronin, who are famous in the story of Chuushingura. In 1703, after their lord had been unfairly executed due to the connivings of a rival lord, they banded together and survived 2 years of unemployment and abandonment only to eventually join together and assault the evil lord, Kira. they cut off his head and officially presented it at the grave of their beloved lord, Asano, who had been forced to commit seppuku (hara-kiri) by the Shogun of that time. i'm not doing a good job of explaining this, but it's a very very famous story in Japan that really exemplifies what one expert called Japan's "nobility of failure" culture, i.e., to try something impossible and fail gloriously (or succeed, and then be forced to commit hara-kiri like the 47 ronin), is seen as extremely noble and honorable and praiseworthy. there are many other examples--Saigo Takamori, a well-known samurai who fought against the modernization instituted by the restored Emperor Meiji's government in 1878 or so; and Emperor Go-DAigo, who tried and failed to take back power from the shogun for the emperor in the 14th century. anyway, the temple was beautiful, and quite crowded, with various visitors burning incense at the graves of the 47 ronin who are beloved for their loyalty and sacrifice and determination. there was also a small museum, recently restored and rebuilt, that showed that the story is still extremely popular and well-known in Japan. there were even some macabre points, such as the well where the ronin washed the decapitated head of their enemy, Kira, before presenting it to the grave of their dead lord Asano, and the "blood-stained rock," the rock which was stained with the blood of the youngest of the 47 ronin when he committed hara-kiri. anyway, off to more meetings, but more later.
Saturday, October 25, 2003
10/25 Saturday
Tokyo 10:45 pm
Wow. pretty much my whole day has been conducted in Japanese, so i'm pretty wiped. I guess when last I left my loyal audience, i was off to meet my old frisbee buddies for dinner and drinks last night. so i met up with Inagaki-san, my old friend who arranged the dinner, at his swanky offices in downtown Tokyo, at Tokyo station, at Bloomberg. the office was hyper-modern--free food and drinks, weird lights and wide-open workspaces, massive windows looking out over downtown Tokyo, and even aquariums (aquaria?) with lots of beautful fish. so I admired his cubicle, and then we headed on out to Roppongi to meet up with whoever would come. as it turned out, there were 8 people including me and Inagaki-san, which was quite nice. dinner was not so great--crepes and cheese and french stuff at a french restaurant--but it was oh so terrific to see people i hadn't seen for four years (since the last time i was in Japan) and in some cases 10 years (since i left my year abroad). none of them were still playing frisbee, and i think most were already married; Inagaki-san's wife had their first child earlier this year, and Sachiko-san had her first baby earlier this year too. Aki-san's wedding was just last week, so i missed it, but saw some great pictures. they were all doing really well, it appeared, though as is standard here in tokyo they all were living far away from downtown Tokyo because it's simply standard practice--it's too expensive to live near to the main city (where my hotel is, for instance) and a hour-long commute is standard.
anyway, i understood about half of what was going on, but everyone was quite friendly as they caught up with each other and with me. the wine probably helped, but there were some interesting stories. Jyo-san works for his grandmother's home-weaving business and often visits a handicrafts NGO in WAshington, so hopefully I'll see him in a few months. and Chika-san, who i had a massive crush on back 10 years ago, has come back from two years teaching Japanese in the Philippines. she told some disturbing stories of being the only woman in this factory compound on a Philippine island and visiting local bars and seeing embarrased Japanese male managers scurry up and around when she entered so that she would not notice the Filipina "waitresses" they were...ah...negotiating with. she also said that the moths in the Philippines were far bigger than a human being's head, and thus terrifying.
anyway, it was lots of fun to hang out with them again, and Hamao-san (who also got married two years ago) said perhaps the nicest thing; loosely translated, "some other gaijin (foreigners) played Ultimate with our team, but only Ben made an effort to really be social and successfully join our 'nakama,'" which kind of means our "in-group." so i felt good about that. they all of course said that i should come to Japan and work at the embassy, but of course i remain unsure whether i should even apply.
emotionally, it was kind of strange to try to reestablish friendships after so long. i mean, it was great to see them, and i did feel part of their group (we went drinking afterwards a bit; i had a beer which was more than enough for me), but it's kind of sad to think about all the good times from 10 years ago here in japan and realize how long it's been.
anyway, yesterday and today i rode the subway and local train system quite a bit and let me tell you, the Japanese public transportation system is, no question, the best in the world bar none. subway and/or train stations everywhere that are spotless, trains that stop at the same place every time perfectly so that people line up on the platform in front of where the doors are going to open before the train even comes; electronic signs that tell you in both English and Japanese when the next train will come; crazy commuter labyrinths at places like Shinjuki and Yotsuya with dozens of platforms for subways, buses, train lines, express lines, etc., and a massive underground infrastructure that cannot be believed. for instance, the exit near my hotel opens to two seprate stations that you can walk between underground for almost a kilometer! and while you're walking, there are occasional signs that appear to say "Marunouchi line, 800 meters...Ginza line, 550 meters....Nanboku line, 450 meters" etc. so that you even know how far you have left to walk! absolutely unbelievable, and also unbelievable is how on-time the trains are. today was saturday, and in about 5 separate trips with numerous transfers i didn't have to wait more than 4 minutes at any stop. it was almost enough (ALMOST enough), to make me give up biking.
Anyway, the first thing i did today was decide to visit the Edo Tokyo History museum east of downtown, in Ryogoku over the Sumida river. it was an incredibly modern museum, with almost every sign bilingual, that had massive displays on the development and history of Tokyo (originally Edo). it was founded as the capital by shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was the basis for the more-or-less true story of the movie and book Shogun, and had over 1 million people as early as the 1700's. what was perhaps most amazing in the museum (aside from the old maps and dioramas and models and examples of books and currency and statistics) is how inventive and brilliant the merchants and townspeople of that period were. despite all the crap and oppression from the clueless samurai class, they had a flourishing publishing industry, had advanced trade and credit relations all over Japan, a flourishing rice and wheat market, and an incredibly organized (one might say, tyrannical) government, where each unit of ten families formed an administrative unit that had to be registered and supervised by officials all the way up to the Shogun. anyway, i got some nice tchotchkes and took a few pictures....
After that, i rushed to the train to schlep all the way to meet my host family from ten years ago for lunch in Musashi-sakai station. getting on the good old orange Chuo-line train sparked the nostalgia to a great degree. i had lunch with the parents, the Hirotas, and enjoyed some excellent barbecued eel as well as eggplant and pumpkin ice cream. Their son, Tetsushi, joined us a bit later after he biked all the way from Machida (about 25 kilometers) where he had had a tennis match. so i talked to Tetsushi about his biking adventures in Japan, which is anything but bike-friendly. I talked to the Hirotas for hours, so i can't say everything, but two quick things--
1. the father, Koichi, five years ago was transferred to a different Subaru factory, one about 2 hours north In Gumma prefecture. their daughter, Yukiho, joined him but the wife, Sayuri, and Tetsushi stayed in Musashi-sakai so that he could go to a better high school (i.e., one closer to Tokyo) and so that she could work at her job. so they see each other every other weekend or so. it's tough, but it's not too uncommon here--called "Tanshin Funin" and it's usually due to the fact that a father is transferred away from a city (i.e. Tokyo) but doesn't want to move his family to a worse environment educationally, culturally, etc. it just reflects how important one's job is here--though that too, like many other things, might be changing. I was told that the traditional polite language is dying out, with almost no young people using it even in the office.
2. The Hirotas are long-time supporters of the Japanese Communist Party, and i got the feeling that Sayuri especially disapproved of me working for the State Dept. of course, she didn't say anything, she just remained quiet while her husband, Koichi, was talking to me about how both major political partes in Japan (the LDP and the democratic Party) are the same in terms of supporting the status quo and being backed by large companies and how the mass media is purposefully ignoring the smaller parties (i.e. the socialists, the communists and the conservatives) so as to boost the prospects of the LDP and the democrats. he was against both Koizumi and Kan, and called for a more peaceful, more UN-based form of diplomacy that didn't use war. well, i disagreed, but politely, as at least they are sincere, if completely and excessively pacifistic. he fully agreed, though, that the communists will lose at least several of their 21 seats (out of 480) in the coming election.
the Hirotas also took me around my old university, ICU (International Christian University), which has changed in some ways but not in others. I felt very nostalgic, and we took several pictures in front of the main building there. i have to add, though, that it was a little spookier now that i knew more the history than when i first started there at the start of my year abroad in August 1993. next to ICU is a Subaru heavy machinery factory, where Koichi used to work. Before and during World War II, both complexes together formed part of the Nakajima aircraft company, which built Japanese Zero fighter planes and other military items at the factory. in fact, even now the entrance to ICU is called the "Kassoro," or runway, because planes used to take off there. there are all sorts of stories of hidden tunnels, mistreatment of Korean slave labor, and secret machinery hidden underneath the university--centering on several mysterious hills in front of the main university building. but after the war, Nakajima was forced out of business and changed into Subaru, which makes cars, and a christian group bought half of their factory and turned it into ICU, now a sort of oasis of greenery and trees and beauty in the middle of Mitaka's sprawling suburbs, full of well-meaning internationally-minded Japanese and foreigners who want to learn Japanese, like me, in a very Utopian and idealistic environment. Truly ironic...
anyway, an interlude:
Scene from Tokyo #1--Ben, meeting a very esteemed news producer, proudly produces his business card. before visiting Japan, Ben laboriously took the time to make Japanese-language labels of his title and paste them to the back of some of his cards. after looking at the card, with English on the front and Ben's Japanese translation on the back, the esteemed media expert asks, "oh, you are...an analyst in Asia-Atlantic news coverage?" Confused, Ben asks what he is talking about. it turns out that in his rush to get the cards ready, Ben mistranslated one character in the translation of "Asia-Pacific Analyst," so that it reads instead "Asia-Atlantic analyst." Ben was appalled, embarrased and lost a whole mess of face. safe to say that those cards are now safely in the garbage.
scene from Tokyo #2--at a lunch with prominent news editorialists, Ben was about to enter the traditional Japanese restaurant when he was distracted by trying to understand what one of them was saying to the other. Ben succeeded in remember to take off his shoes before entering the restaurant, but made the fatal mistake of putting on the guest slippers lying on the floor (designed for temporary use and intended to be worn when you leave the private part of the restaruant and go to the restroom). shocked and appalled, the waitress yelled at Ben to not wear the slippers after Ben stepped into the restaurant's private section. Again, Ben lost lots of face and immediately halted and took off the slippers. fortunately, there were no holes in Ben's socks for this meeting.
scene from Tokyo #3--i was reminded by my frisbee friends that the day they drove me to the airport when i left 10 years ago, there was a right-wing sponsored black truck loudly broadcasting screeds against foreingers on the way. these trucks are pretty common in Tokyo because, although everyone hates them and they are extremely loud and annoying, the police are reluctant to stop them from loudly broadcasting their pro-emperor, anti-China, nationalistic claptrap. why? one reason is that the Yakuza gangsters support these nationalist groups. a second reason is that the police are so terrified of challenging the right to free speech, in a sort of overreaction to criticism of their fascist tyranny during World War II, that they go too far in allowing annoying craziness that is basically a public nuisance to be broadcast freely. anyway, so on our way to the airport, the trucks were calling for all Gaijin (foreigners) to be expelled. so my friend Kinji opened the window of the car and yelled loudly, "yes, that's what we're doing! we're driving Ben the foreigner to the airport so he can leave! congratulate us!" quite funny.
scene from Tokyo #4--as i'm walking back to the hotel, in front of a bunch of bamboo trees in front of a modenistic scuplture just outside the subway stop, i see a woman in a traditional japanese kimono, with bright shining white Obi belt, yelling into a cell phone. another perfect image of modern Japan--though the kimono's influence is being swamped by the cell phone's in general, i would say, as traditions are disappearing (i.e. wearing kimonos, polite language, traditional sports like Sumo and Kendo)
scene from Tokyo #5--reflecting the almost pathological safety concern, as i was jogging i stopped at a red light. a truck was turning left, and i heard a woman's voice saying loudly in polite Japanese, "be careful! this truck is turning left! be careful! this truck is turning left!" i looked around, and realized that the voice was coming from the truck--it was an automatic recorded warning to be broadcast whenever it turned, because later on down the street i heard the same thing from a truck turning right. amazing.
finally, back to my day. the Hirotas put me on a bus to SEngawa, where i met up with my old friend Ryo and also our old friend Maruo-san. i met Ryo's girlfriend, who as they are living together is basically his fiancee and was charmed. for some reason the japanese was flowing pretty freely, so i think she was kind of scared and shocked at this chunky foreigner who was joking around and teasing her boyfriend and his friend Maruo. it was great to see them--we went to a sort of pan-asian restaurant near his house with nice rooftop dining so we could gaze out onto the city and had some good food, including some braised chicken, some beef soup and some rice cakes. i'm pretty tired, so i can't really go into all of the stuff we talked about, but they also said that i should apply for the job at the embassy because i'm young enough that i should focus on my career. but i'm still unsure. Ryo was in particular fine form--openly admitting he doesn't trust China and basically saying the exact opposite of the pacifist, communist Hirotas. anyway, i'll write more later about the dinner, though it was nice hearing about Maruo's twins and teasing each other about how old we are, about how interesting (or not interesting) our jobs are, and about how eventually, things work out for the best in every situation (Ryo hated his job, but found a better one at amazon Japan; Maruo was worried when he got his girlfriend pregnant five years ago, but they were able to get married relatively quickly and now he's pretty happy with her and their cute twins; and I...well, I was happy to be in Japan and see them for the first time in four years.) I should add at the very end that the owner of the restaurant, i learned, is Pakistani, and as we were leaving he asked me where i was from. he then asked, "boy, you speak japanese well...i've been here seven years...are you Arab?" ha-ha. i said i was American, and left amused that even in Japan, I can occasionally pass for anything...
Friday, October 24, 2003
Tokyo 10/24
Friday 5:00 pm
Wow, another day done. Today might have been my busiest yet--6 meetings in one day, and i haven't even gone out yet to meet Inagaki-san (my old frisbee friend from ICU's frisbee team; ICU is the Japanese university where I studied from 1993-1994). anyway, where to start. Perhaps last night, where i was finally able to meet up with Kiichi-san and we caught up while wandering around Roppongi. he took me to a great Korean yakiniku restaruant, which means a place where you take raw meat and vegetables and cook them in an open fire in front of you. very good, except that Kiichi-san is a big fan of tongue and liver and made me at least try them a couple of times. i enjoyed the Marubi sections of beef, though, a lot. the garlic was pungent. anyways, after that we went out to an Irish pub nearby where a bunch of Japanese salarymen--all, of course, in black suits, white shirts and red ties--were toasting each other for some undetermined reason. it was fun to catch up with Kiichi, though i feel bad because he hates his job as a consultant here to the Tokyo city transportation system. he loved living in London--I teased him because his English had acquired a British accent--and wants to go back to be with his girlfriend, who is actually Slovakian. a truly international couple. but he was kind enough to walk me back to the hotel (as even one beer had made me a bit queasy).
this morning i tried to wake up a bit early and go jogging. my body didn't respond well to my first exercise in a few days, but it was worth it not only because i jogged about 2 km to the Imperial palace through Akasaka neighborhood and also the Kasumigaseki government buildings neighborhood, but because i was able to avoid the morning breakfast buffet and save taxpayeres some money and my body some calories by grabbing a few rolls at a bakery instead. the jog was fun, though the japanese going to work were a bit surpirsed by this schvitzing gaijin running through them. the imperial palace was beautiful--it's hard to explain, but it's basically a huge section of land in the middle of Tokyo that noone can really enter, though parks surround it that people can wander through (I did). in fact, i was lucky enough to see some Imperial ducks and some Imperial swans in the moat surrounding the inner castle section where the current emperor and his family abide. jogging back, i noticed something that always surprises me--Japanese people simply do not jaywalk. the street was completely empty outside the national diet building, but i was the only one to cross against the lights. i'm lucky two burly Japanese policemen (without guns, of course) didn't grab me and give me a stern talking-to. probably because i was sweating so much they had no desire to pollute their spotless uniforms.
as for meetings, i spoke to a bunch of people here at the embassy about the various tasks they do. i have to say, compared to Beijing, or even Seoul, this embassy does a lot with lots of resources. they have their own webmaster, for example, and librarians for the resource libraries in Tokyo and other places (Fukuoka, Osaka, etc.). probably the most interesting talk was with the person in the political division here, who gave me a really interesting, detailed and in-depth summary of the politicial situation as it stands just two weeks before the election. one interesting point--though the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will almost certainly win enough seats to form a government, the more liberal, more urban, younger Democratic Party will probably gain seats in the Diet, which may mean that the LDP will dump Prime Minister Koizumi despite his massive popularity. it's very strange--although he is popular, the conservatives and anti-market dinosaurs and old-guard people in the LDP really dislike him, so if the LDP loses seats, they can blame him and put in somebody charisma-less, anonymous and non-controversial. this would probably be a disaster for japan, which needs reform desperately, and for the LDP, which would probably lose more popularity if they get rid of the popular Koizumi, but politics is often anything but logical.
also interesting was an amazing lunch, in which i met with several Japanese editorial writers who talked about anti-Americanism, support for Koizumi and also views of North Korea. it's hard to overstate how huge distrust, anger and hatred of the North is here. the whole kidnapping issue, when North Korean leader Kim Jong-il admitted it last year, just solidified the whole country's belief that they must be tough towards Pyongyang. A few people have said that admission was Japan's 9/11--as in, it changed the whole tone of public debate over security and gave a huge boost to people who favor a more active security policy and more independent, tougher behavior towards the North. I don't blame them--imagine if it came out that Russian submarines and spies had been secretly kidnapping American teenagers off beaches for decades, keeping them in Moscow to train Russian spies in how to pretend to be Japanese. that's what has been happening here.
lunch itself was great--a whole collection of sushi, tempura, oden (pickled vegetables mixed with potatoes), some great miso soup with tofu, and chunks of soy-flavored beef. also interesting was how the reporters were curious about why Americans think there is so much anti-Americanism--i think the Japanese consensus is that the jury is still out as they wonder how the next administration will behave. I.e., has America really changed after 9/11to become more unilateral and aggressive, or is it just the Bush administration. they are certainly unimpressed with any of the Democrats so far, though, for sure. there was some disagreement over Iraq and whether Japan should send troops to help, but most agree that the alliance with the U.S. is vital and important and must remain. This is tied up, in a way i should explain more later in this blog, in how they feel isolated and completely separate from Asia. Given how Chinese and Koreans and even Filipinos, Thais, Indonesians, etc. view them, I have to agree. One TV commentator bluntly said on one of their new popular talk shows -- "Look, we need America! If Japan was on fire, none of our neighbors would even bother to take the time to piss on us to put it out." That also reflects the whole nationalism issue here--they certainly don't feel like they are part of Asia, per se.
well, off to dinner with my old friends at ICU! more later.
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Tokyo 10/23
6:00 pm Thursday
Well, what a busy day. I have my schedule in front of me but can't really go appointment-by-appointment through it because 1. I didn't take enough notes to do it accurately and, 2. i'm just too tired. i also am meeting one of my friends here for dinner in about 45 minutes, so i have to hurry up and get cooking on this blog. unfortunately, my schedule is kind of up in the air still in some ways--though i'm completely busy and fully scheduled throughout the rest of my time here, i just found out that one of my good friends had to go down to Shizuoka because her pregnant sister-in-law lost consciousness due to some sort of blood clot in her brain. truly tragic, and so i feel quite insignificant in saying i'll be disappointed if she stays down there and i don't get to see her. but everything else is going well.
i had a nice surprise this morning when i went over to the Tokyo American center, where they do various outreach efforts and seminars and talks to build cultural and political and economic exchange between Americans and Japanese. it turns out that also at the center is my old Asahi colleague Kathy EAgan, who joined the foreign service a couple of years ago. so that was good--we caught up and hung out a bit and she showed off their center's view of Zosoji temple. speaking parenthetically, i realize that i'm not doing as much sightseeing here. i think there are several main reasons. one is, i've seen the most important stuff here in my previoius visits. Second is, well, i've got so little time and a lot has to do with work and so i'm focusing as much as possible on seeing people and colleagues and friends.
it didnt' work last night, though. for some reason i am having trouble dialing cell phones here, so i never caught up with anyone and instead had a vaguely dream-like experience wandering up to Roppongi to withdraw money from an ATM that takes VISA and seeing the craziness in that ultra-hip, foreigner-infested blade-runner-esque modernistic place. so many bars, restaurants, elevated highways, massive karaoke joints, and beautiful people wandering around. let me add--after almost two weeks here in East Asia, i feel....
incredibly fat. i mean, really. everyone here is so thin! the women especially--not to mention that all the women here are, if possible, even more fashionably dressed than in Seoul. high-heeled leather boots up to the shins (or higher) seems to be de rigeur, though not as many women are dyeing their hair red or blonde these days as far as i can tell.
anyway, back to my meetings. i am coming to several conclusions. one is that Prime Minister Koizumi is, despite the perception that he is sucking up to America, incredibly popular. thus, his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) (as a great analyst once said, it's not liberal [very conservative and in favor of old-line companies and farmers], nor democratic [most posts are decided through negotiations through factions and the members don't really get to vote for party leaders], nor really a party [rather, a loose collection of constantly clashing factions]) will likely win the 11/9 elections that are upcoming. I was confused by this, but many have told me that people here in Japan WANT to suck up to the U.S., even to the point of sending troops and funds to help out in Iraq (although virtually everyone thinks the war was a bad idea and that the U.S. military was too hard on the civilian population), so that we will back Japan up against North Korea. one person here used the term "McCarthyism" to describe the mass hatred of North Korea. there is a real sense of fear and loathing so to speak, of the North and in general anyone who says anything vaguely positive about the North, or even sympathetic and conciliatory, is strongly attacked by the government and the right-wing and more or less shut up.
in addition, another major trend here, everyone says, is a swing rightward politically. even my old employer, the Asahi newspaper, is seen now as more centrist and less beholden to what one person here called its old "leftist fundamentalism," defined as anti-america, pro-pacifism, and focusing on economics. Many japanese, especially the younger ones, are increasingly nationalistic--worried about North Korea and the rise of China and willing to do more security-wise. This would include: buy planes to do in-flight refueling or even talk openly about pre-emptive strikes against North Korea or even send troops to Iraq in a clear quid pro quo so that the U.S. will help if something happens with North Korea.
That said, this growing nationalism is linked to a growing sense of anti-americanism, especially among the more rightwing people like Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara and the Sankei newspaper. virtually everyone opposed the war in Iraq, apparently, and most see the U.S. as more aggressive and bullying and unilateralistic than ever. But, they still want us around due to China and North Korea.
Thus, although the opposition Minshutou (Democratic Party) is running on a more leftist, more anti-American stance, as well as a stance calling for an end to the corruption and scandals and failied economic policies of the LDP (i.e. keeping banks and large companies solvent by using public money due to fears of massive layoffs and economic shock), which is popular among many in the cities. the LDP will probably win overwhelmingly again because people are worried about North Korea and don't trust the Minshuto. interestingly, one person at Japan's largest broadcaster, NHK, said that the Japanese media are INCREASING their foreign presence, with more reporters abroad and more staff focusing on foreign news. NHK has almost doubled its staff abroad in the last two years. this could reflect a new maturity among Japanese, but more likely, he said, it's because "japan is reliant on other countries and markets for its economics and security." this comment, i think, however true it might be, more indicates a lack of confidence and fear for the future here, rather than newfound maturity.
anyways, i'm off to meet Kiichi-san. i'm pretty tired, but hopefully i'll get back into it. i should talk about last night--after wandering through Roppongi bedazzled by everything, i finally staggered back to the hotel and had some italian food for dinner. when i tested, i was a bit low, which explains partly why i was wandering so aimlessly. but i actually had a great italian meal here of pumpkin soup, fried fish with tomatoes and green beans and of course Oolong tea to finish. for lunch today, some FSNs here took me out, and i enjoyed a typically japanese meal of karaage (tempura-fried chicken in a lettuce sauce) as well as udon and tempura soup. also amazing, though i don't know why, is how much better the rice here is. it's really noticeable, but it may be more that i don't know how to cook it!!!!
oh, i forgot. at lunch, a couple of the FSNs asked me, quietly, if it were true that i were replacing the ten-year veteran here who sort of supervises the media analysis job. He was incredibly bright (i met him today) and omniscent about things Japan, but he had mentioned he is retiring soon and going back to DC and thus they were looking for a replacement but hadn't found one. after our talk, he was impressed enough to say i should apply. so at lunch, coincidentally, the two senior FSNs asked if i were to be the successor! when i said no, and added that i knew nothing about it, they urged me to apply, saying that although they hardly knew me they were impressed by my Japanese and hoped i would. I was of course very complimented, and amazed by the invitation. it would be the perfect job for me--becoming more of an expert on the japanese media and focusing more on stuff for the embassy and japanese politics, media environment, etc. the only problem would be, it'd be for at least 3 years and it'd be here in Tokyo. so i'm thinking about it, but it would be a major, life-changing commitment, so i don't know....if you have any advice, email me at atanimir@yahoo.com! i then joked that i need to find a wife, and 3 years would be a long time to wait. one said that of course i could find a wife here in Tokyo! apparently, many Americans do...I then said, half-jokingly, well, it would be hard to find a Jewish wife here! without hestiation, one then said that he knows a japanese person who works at the Israeli embassy and he would find some Jewish women for me. i had to laugh....
well, more tomorrow. i got to go meet Kiichi-san!
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Tokyo 10/22
6:15 pm
Well, I am pretty bushed after a day of meetings, all business-like and interesting at the embassy and with prominent Japanese journalism types. I should add that things are going well, though the hotel is kind of cramped and not as nice as the other two i have stayed in. that said, the bathroom is extremely high-tech, and the flat-screen television in the room as well as the view out the window of Roppongi are both quite nice.
not much to say--i got into the hotel ok last night, and though exhausted unpacked and ventured down to the cafe level for a snack. it is going to be harder here for me to keep this online diary, mainly becuase the business center closes down at 9:00 pm and the fitness room shuts down at 9:00 pm too. but, the hotel is a five-minute walk from the embassy, which is very convenient, and the path there goes right past the, you guessed it, japan bicycle culture hall. i`ll have to stop in there at some point and check out what`s up inside. gotta support internatinoal biking solidarity!
i must say that the scenery around the hotel and the U.S. embassy is very strange...hyper-urban, even more than seoul, and certainly more than the suburban japanese life i was used to in Mitaka when i lived there 10 years ago. huge towering skyscrapers and almost no room to walk between alleys where cars squeeze by. but the people are nice so far, especially after i start to try to speak japanese. the people at the embassy who are japanese were actually quite impressed and said some very nice compliments after our briefing today, though my twisted and feeble efforts at using polite language no doubt appalled them. the other meetings went well too; met with a top television commentator who talked about growing public distrust of the media here and a desire for more discipline to stop feeding frenzies, and a journalism professor who talked about a sort of "new maturity" among the japanese people who have sort of "grown up" in terms of knowledge about internatinoal affairs, the importance of security and the U.S.-japan relationship, etc. one did say, however, an interesting joke about how leftists are calling Prime Minister Koizumi "geta no yuki" (literally, the snow that sticks to your shoes) given the way he follows whatever President Bush does and says (i.e. he is the snow on Bush`s boots). they also bemoaned the growing popularity of celebrity and entertainment-based news and talk shows that don`t really provide useful news, but rather just gossip and scandal and yelling. sounds familiar...one also said that young people don`t read newspapers or magazines as much, expressing worry about the state of the country`s intellectuals.
anyway, my old haverford classmate Colin blew me off tonight because i never called him back about tonight (too many meetings today; we`re going to meet next sunday). so hopefully, i will get in touch with my friend Ryo or Kiichi and see if they are busy. otherwise, i`ll walk around some, maybe hit the exercise cetner, adn go to sleep early, given how tired i am. oh, lunch! get this--for lunch, my very kind and proudly minnesotan control officer met our professor at a chinese restaurant with awesome braised shrimp and tofu in black bean sauce. and who runs this chinese restaurant, in akasaka just behind the national diet? famed iron chef chinese Chen Kenichi!!!!! i was so happy, and the food was so good....
ok, off i go.
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Tokyo 7:45 pm
tuesday, october 21
Well, i just arrived at Tokyo airport and my bus to my hotel doesn't leave for another 40 minutes--i just missed one, i guess. the welcome to Japan was quite typical--plenty of signs reading "Welcome to Japan" in English but the ones in Japanese say "Welcome back to Japan!" so right away, you know where you stand as a foreigner. of course, we figured that out ourselves in the line to go through customs--japanese passport holders only had to wait about 10 minutes each, whereas foreigners were stuck in a long, hardly-moving line that took about 25 minutes to get through. the worst of all national stereotypes were confirmed--British stood in the queue humorously complaining, chinese kept looking around to see how they could find a quicker way, koreans just looked scared to be in Japan, Americans just kvetched loudly, Germans stood in stoic indifference, while one french woman looked around, walked over the rope fence, and skipped the line, going over to one of the bored clerks in the Japanese passport section and loudly proclaiming she didn't speak Japanese and begging to allow her to go through. they did, to the disgust of the rest of the foreigners.
the flight was fine, i must say, with good fish and excellent service. problem was, the plane was half-empty--i would have thought that the flights from BEijing to Tokyo would be mobbed, but i guess not. it's possible that the SARS scare has ended most tourism from japan. it's also true that the Zhuhai incident might have stopped lots of travel too. many of the Chinese reporters we spoke to mentioned the Zhuhai incident as a key news story that the official media didn't cover at all but the new popular tabloid and Internet media did. AT zhuhai, a booming city in the southern special investement zone of shenzhen, a huge bunch of Japanese construction workers basically hired a bunch of chinese prostitutes and had a huge party--most Chinese called it an "orgy"--on the anniversary of the Nanjing massacre. not very smart public relations, and just the latest little problem in the sino-japanese relationship.
anyway, i'm pretty tired and start a full schedule of meetings tomorrow and won't get to the hotel until 10:00 pm, best case, so i'm a bit ticked off. but i think the airport bus is still faster than the train, as the train only takes you to Tokyo station and you have to take the subway from there with all of your baggage. the cost is the same, so i'm just sucking it up. and it gives me the chance to do this diary tonight and maybe save time at the hotel and not do it later. 100 yen for 10 minutes on broadband--not too bad.
Anyway, it's good to be in Japan, and i'm looking forward to seeing all of my friends from Asahi and playing ultimate frisbee here 10 years ago at ICU university during my year abroad and some other people. i'm just bushed, and kind of sick of hotel living. on a ridiculous note, i also desperately need to cut my fingernails and i don't know how to do it! guess i'll buy a little pair of scissors and just donate them to the U.S. embassy--somehow. also, though i'm diabetically doing ok, i was very high just before dinner and i can't figure out why, as i had a small lunch. well, better be careful, so i'm not going to give too much, at least until i'm in the hotel and in a more secure and food-rich environment. i dont' know, though, if the ANA hotel here will provide the fresh fruit--kiwis galore--like the Chinese hotel did. well, i'll write more tomorrow...
