A guide for Japan

The History of The Jago's - Home

2010-04-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

Working in Japan

2009-06-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

The economic boom in English-speaking countries like the US and Ireland together with the stagnation of the Japanese economy has made Japan a less popular working location in recent years. The chances of meeting a wealthy Japanese person in a bar or on the train who is willing to give you wads of cash just to sit and chat in a cofee shop are not what they used to be. But the obsession with learning English continues and the fact that it's still possible to get a reasonable, or better, working wage simply by virtue of being a native speaker of a foreign language continues to bring new faces to the country every year.

And many people see Japan as a land of future opportunities. Changes to the economic landscape are being wrought by deregulation and the Internet and more foreign companies than ever are expanding into this, the world's second-largest market. Language and cultural barriers have long been embedded in the distinct Japanese style of doing business, but even this is beginning to change. There is hope for a higher English fluency rate in the not-too-distant future but teachers will always be needed.

Long-standing cornerstones of business practice, such as guaranteed lifetime employment and rigid keiretsu corporate affiliations are being undermined. Foreigners have been brought in to make some painful changes, such as the massive cuts at Nissan, that local managers just can't seem to bring themselves to carry out. So whether you're interested in making some yen to finance a back-packing trip around Southeast Asia or taking over the helm at a future multinational corporation, we hope we can be of some assistance.

Teaching
Teaching, and in particular English teaching, is by far the most popular form of employment for westerners in Japan. It can be a short-term or a long-term thing, with a professional or casual basis, and the major eikaiwa (English conversation) schools offer short training periods and don't expect most teachers to stay beyond their one or two-year contract. For those hoping to come to Japan to teach, things took a turn for the worse when the country's biggest chain school Nova went bust in 2007.

Read our guide to teaching in Japan.

Other Jobs
While teaching is an ideal job for someone in the country only temporarily, there are several other options available. Visa restrictions make some of them more suitable as a 'moonlighting' option while others provide sponsorship and various benefits.

Bar & restaurant work
The 90's saw a high level of internationalisation in Japan and one obvious result was the increase in the number of western bars and restaurants. The latter half of the decade saw a veritable boom in Irish and British pubs as well as various sports and other theme bars. Most have at least one 'authentic' foreign barman (the job's not popular among foreign women). Italian, Indian and various other world cuisines continue to be popular and some restaurants employ foreign staff. Hourly pay rates (usually around 1,200 yen) are around the lower end of what you could expect to make teaching.

Acting/modelling
These are two areas that can be very lucrative and surprisingly easy to get into, though the work doesn't usually just fall into your lap and some effort is required to get started. The number of foreigners in Japan is now such that we don't stand out as much as even ten years ago and you'll have to actually do some legwork to get hired. If you've already been in the business at home, you have a definite head-start in Japan and will most likely find the agencies very welcoming. But there is enough demand for foreign faces on TV shows, commercials, music videos, movies etc that you'll most likely find some work easily enough. The hard part for a new arrival is knowing who to contact. There are a few foreigners with experience in the business who've put together "info packs" with all the details you need to get started. You can find this through their websites (see below).

Entertainment
Hostessing used to have a similar aura to English teaching in terms of the potential to make a lot of money in a short period of time. The main source of this money was also the same - wealthy businessmen getting ever wealthier in the bubble economy. For these nouveau riche, hanging out with a foreigner, whether it was an English teacher or a beautiful woman, was part of the game. The economy took a nosedive in the 90's and with it went extravagant pay rates. Hostessing still pays more on average than teaching but the hours are usually late and the company can be as unsavoury as ever. Sexism is still the norm in Japan and women are often judged on their appearance - this is particularly so in hostessing and is often directly related to one's rate of pay.

Computer work
These days, fast-changing IT and financial companies compete with each other in a search for the right staff and recruitment companies also advertise regularly for professional and managerial staff. Contract work has become more common, especially in the areas of networks, DTP and multimedia. There are several companies that specialize in finding and placing foreign staff.

Translation/rewriting
Another area open to native speakers is translation/rewriting, and of course the right background and experience go a long way. Qualifications in things like engineering, medicine and law are useful for rewriting work, while Japanese language ability is obviously a major factor in getting translation work. Most companies want someone with experience and having a portfolio and references is a good idea.

JET Program
The JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program is usually thought of as being for teaching English only. In fact, it also provides positions for SEA's (Sports Exchange Advisors) and CIR's (Coordinators for International Relations) who work at local governments around the country. The latter have been very useful in the creation of official English-language Web sites for various cities and prefectures. They also promote international exchange events and provide translation and interpretation services.

Pachinko

2009-06-25T21:27:00.001-07:00

How big is the pachinko business in Japan? Well, it employs a third of a million people, three times more than the steel industry; it commands 40 percent of Japan's leisure industry, including restaurants and bars; and with 30 million regular enthusiasts coughing up more 30 trillion yen a year (a higher turnover than the car industry), it's very big business indeed. So big, that foreign businesses are getting in on the act. While much of the pachinko industry has long been controlled by residents of Korean descent, in early 2001 British company BS Group bought a stake in Tokyo Plaza, who run about 20 parlors in Japan, and have also opened parlors in the UK.

If you want to play pachinko, you won't have to look very hard to find a parlor. There's usually at least one near every train station and where there is no station (ie in the countryside) just look out for the gariest, ugliest building you can find. That's it - the big silver box in the middle of nowhere covered in neon signs and flashing lights. As soon as you step up to the electric doors and they slide open, the noise - and usually the smell - hits you. This is not a place for casual conversation or requests for the no-smoking section. The wall of noise might seem unpleasant to the newcomer but it seems to help the serious gamblers, or pachi-puro, to concentrate or perhaps to just switch off as they sit in silence in front of their chosen machines. Sometimes they're there all day - it's common to see people lining up outside a parlor first thing in the morning, waiting to get the machine they think is going to pay up and almost as common to see them come out in the afternoon or evening having won - or lost a day's pay or more.

A typical pachinko machine. The balls are fed into the machine using the green handle on the bottom right. A close-up of the playing area of a digital machine. This one is called "Go-go Akko-chan" and is named after Wada Akiko, a popular TV personality. The entrance to a small urban pachinko parlor in Saitama Prefecture. Parlors in rural areas can be many times larger and garier. Signboards outside announce the arrival of new machines or promo campaigns.
The first thing you do is use cash or these days increasingly a prepaid card to buy a tray of what this game is all about - balls. Small steel balls, resembling ball bearings, to be exact (you can often spot the pachi-puro by the ball or 100 yen coin forgetfully left wedged in their ear). You'll pay about 4 yen per ball and while you can buy just 100 yen's worth, no serious gambler would start by spending less than a few thousand yen. A variation on pachinko that has become very popular recently is pachislo, which is a combination of pachinko and slot machine and uses coin-like coupons.

Pachinko is played on what looks like a vertical pinball machine. The steel balls are released into the machine and fall through a maze of nail-like pins. The idea is to get the balls to fall into slots where they accumulate and to aim for jackpots, which pay out thousands more balls. There are three main types of machines with different levels of skill required. In the oldest style of machine, the positioning of the pins greatly affected the payout so they would be tapped into minutely different locations by specialists each night after closing - hence the morning queues for the best machines. These days the more popular deji-pachi (digital pachinko) machines have an LCD display in the center showing colorful animations that indicate your jackpot, or "fever". The noisy animations often feature popular cartoon characters or hentai (erotic) anime. Computer settings are only adjusted every few days so the pros watch out for the big payers. The winnings that you're aiming for are actually the same balls that you put in, hopefully multiplied a few times. They usually have a cash value of about 2.5 yen each.

Though the win ratios are set by the government, parlors are believed to often manipulate them such as by increasing jackpots on busy days to draw people back again. On the other hand, resourceful players resort to using ingenious electronic or magnetic devices to try and hotwire the digital machines into making big payouts. Parlors are not legally allowed to actually pay out cash. So you take your trays of balls and exchange them for prizes like washing powder, cigarettes and brand goods or tokens that can be cashed in at a nearby hole-in-the-wall. Similar to cashing in your chips at a casino except for the fact that it's a flagrant manipulation of the law. These places then sell the tokens back to the parlor, with their cut on top.

The long economic downturn has not stopped people from playing pachinko. Indeed economic desperation has forced many to turn to gambling as a last resort. But changing attitudes and lifestyles have eroded the customer base and forced companies to try to attract new kinds of customers. Leading machine maker Sankyo has employed Hollywood star Nicholas Cage to appear in a series of TV commercials where he played a pachinko freak. Parlors with bars and cafes, women-only sections, fountains and luxury furniture are just some of the other ideas for bringing this Japanese way of life into the 21st century.

Ryoko

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Yonekura Ryoko (Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, 1975- )
These days, former ballerina Yonekura Ryoko is one of the most visible women on TV and in fashion. She and her most obvious rival Kikukawa Rei have dominated the world of glamour, appearing in dozens of TV commercials and gracing the covers of countless magazines. They are both members of the Oscar Productions agency, which represents many of Japan's most beautiful stars. Yonekura has won a slew of (admittedly meaningless) awards with titles such as Miss Brilliant, Jewellry Best Dresser, Nail Queen, and Best Leather-nist!

Yonekura made her move into the fashion world at the age of 17 when she was awarded a consolation prize at the National Young Beauty contest in 1992. Over the next seven years she built up quite a reputation as a fashion model, campaign girl and in TV commercials. In 1999 she announced her intention of getting into acting. She made her debut the following year in the TBS drama Koi no Kamisama (God of Love) and has since appeared in one drama after another almost non-stop.

She made her movie debut in Damboru Hausu Garu (Homeless Girl) and in 2002 she co-starred with Kikukawa in Gun Crazy. The duo played a pair of "gun-toting killer babes". Enough said. Her 2002 drama series Seikei Bijin (Artificial Beauty) also aired in the US. The series dealt with the curently hot topic of cosmetic surgery.

Click photos to see larger version.

Yonekura maintains her interest in ballet and other forms of dance, such as bossa nova and salsa. These certainly seem to suit her bubbly and dynamic personality and she seems to be making this kind of acting role her niche. She may not win any awards for acting but she's always got that Best Jeanist trophy to put on the mantelpiece.

Pop

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Think about it - Sony Music Entertainment is one of the biggest record companies in the world; Yamaha is the largest manufacturer of musical instruments in the world; Japan has the sixth-largest population in the world; the music industry generates billions and billions of dollars worldwide every year. Yet how many Japanese artists have had a No. 1 hit in the US or European charts? One. Yes, one - and that was way back in 1963 (Sukiyaki by Sakamoto Kyu).
Related content: check out our many profiles of Japan's top pop artists.

So what's the problem with Japan? Several things - record companies are happy with the huge domestic sales racked up by the bands under their control (literally); the language barrier is a problem, with few Japanese feeling comfortable speaking or singing in English; and the fact that there is no market for the vast majority of Japanese pop music outside of Asia (other Asian countries have a strange admiration for all things Japanese, including the music).

There have been a few bright spots over the years but they're few and far between. Bands with musical talent, like Southern All Stars, Chage and Aska or Dreams Come True turn out records with some songs that stay with you but nothing that would break them in the US or Europe. In the 90's, other bands, like Shonen Knife, Pizzicato Five, Cibo Matto and Buffalo Daughter have a cult following abroad but little commercial success.

The Japanese music scene 1958~1990
The pop/rock music scene has gone through a few different stages over the years. The rockabilly sounds of the late 50's became popular in the cities of Japan just after they revolutionised the US music scene. Young guys and gals flocked to see the stars of the day do their best impersonations of Elvis and Gene Vincent at the Western Festival in Tokyo in Februaury 1958.

In the 60's, it was the Beatles and the Rolling Stones who inspired the imitation of local groups. Ereki (electric) guitar music was the in sound of what became known as the Group Sounds phenomenon. The best known local bands of the decade include the Tigers and the Spiders. The Tigers were the first band to play the Budokan, then the biggest indoor arena in the country. 1965 saw the first successful tour by US surf-sound band the Ventures, who have retained their huge popularity to this day. Record industry overkill finished off the Group Sounds era and the seventies saw the arrival of New Rock and the Idols.

Chage and Aska
Pizzicato Five
Aidoru (idol) was the word used to describe cute, girl-next-door singers who were designed, controlled and marketed just like any other product. In fact, for the talent agencies, having these starlets chosen to be the face of a candy bar or instant noodles in a TV commercial was as much part of the plan as selling records. The 70's and 80's saw hundreds of these idols come and go, such as Pink Lady, Yamaguchi Momoe, Tanokin Trio and The Candies. Pink Lady had nine No.1 hits in a row between 1976 and 1978 before disappearing without trace.

The 80's saw a degree of international success for the techno-pop of YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra). Band member Sakamoto Ryuichi went on to become the best known Japanese musician in the world but with little commercial success outside of movie soundtracks. The decade also saw the peak of so-called New Music, a fusion of folk, rock and pop typified by singer/songwriter Matsutoya Yumi, or Yuming. The top rock bands of the 80's included Southern All Stars, Kome Kome Club, Checkers and Princess Princess.

Get the latest J-Pop CDs, videos and more at the best prices at YesAsia.com

The 1990's and beyond
Although the heyday of the idols was in the 80's, the musical artists of the Johnny's Jimusho talent agency such as SMAP, V6 and Kinki Kids have ruled the airwaves for the best part of the decade. Having their own TV shows keeps them in the public eye even when they're between singles or tours. Together with artists 'created' by producer Komuro Tetsuya, they have ensured that bland pop music by youngsters who can't sing or play has been the hallmark of the genre known as J-pop. The mid-90's saw Komuro make it as an artist with the groups TM Network and globe. He then moved up a gear to exploit aspiring singers and fans alike to become one of the richest men in Japan. In his breakthrough year, 1995, Komuro's music made some 27 billion yen and the following year he had 5 of the top ten singles. His many creations include the Avex Trax label and artists trf, Amuro Namie and Kahala Tomomi.

Another former musician turned producer is Tsunku. He 'temporarily' retired from his position as frontman for the group Sharan-Q to become an 'idol-maker'. Few expected the huge success he pulled off with Morning Musume. This ever-evolving girl group literally took the J-Pop scene by storm following their TV creation in 1997. The 'Tsunku family' has continued to grow into a financial and promotional monster, with the Musumes and gaggles of other young starlets in what is called the Hello! Project constantly changing places, forming new offshoot groups and advertising everything under the sun. The sheer money-making capacity of this operation ensures that it will be with us for some time to come.

Hamasaki Ayumi was something of a new breed in the late 1990s - a young female singer with drive and ambition... and a good nose for marketing. This reputed ego-centric diva caught the fancy of the all-important high-school girl market, and became their unofficial fashion leader. This coupled with the income from her royalties - she writes her own material - helped her establish her position of power in the industry. In recent years, that position has been largely usurped by Koda Kumi, ironically also on Ayu's Avex label. She made good use of her sexy image and bubbly Kansai personality and rose from being a club singer to the country's biggest selling artist in 2006 and 2007.

V6
Glay
Utada Hikaru
Lest you think that Japanese popular music is all commercialism and void of any artistic merit, I should mention that there are some the more talented artists who have made the big time. 1999 saw the group Glay play to a crowd of 200,000, surely some kind of record. The 4-man group from Hokkaido play fairly standard J-Rock but they've built their succes through hard work and a solid 'rock n roll' image. The late 90's also saw some more western-style artists, such as Dragon Ash and Utada Hikaru explode onto the scene. Dragon Ash play a mixture of rap and rock and show that - at least when they manage to turn out a good single - Japanese can rap with the best of them.

Born in New York, the 16-year old Utada debuted in 1999 and though she looked just like another idol, she was clearly something completely new. She wrote and sang her own songs with a soulfulness beyond her years. Her good looks didn't do any harm and 'First Love' became the best-selling Japanese debut album, with almost 8 million copies sold. Like other artists, there were immediate tie-ins with commercials and TV appearances but Utada's experience of life outside the Japanese music scene helped her to rise above it. At the age of just 18, she became the youngest artist to appear on MTV's Unplugged show. Utada's success plus the growing power wielded by Hamasaki Ayumi paved the way for other independent-minded young women, such as Koyanagi Yuki and Shiina Ringo to get their break into the big time.

I'm not too au-fait with what's going on in current Japanese alternative, indie and club music. But some of the artists that I've been impressed with are: Thee Michelle Gun Elephant (a kind of Japanese Ramones), The Mad Capsule Markets, Buffalo Daughter, Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her, Boom Boom Satellites and Captain Funk.

Royal Family

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The Japanese Imperial family is the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world. The family's lineage dates back to the sixth century BC, though the title of Tenno (emperor) or Sumera-Mikoto (heavenly sovereign) was assumed by rulers in the sixth or seventh century and has been used since. The family crest (above) is the kiku, or chrysanthemum.

The role of the Emperor (and occasionally the Empress - there have been 8 to date) has varied in importance. Considered a divine being until the end of World War II, the postwar Constitution made him the "Symbol of the state". He plays a largely ceremonial part in the life of the nation.

Origins and early history
According to the historical chronicles of ancient Japan, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters, AD712) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of Japan, AD720), the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami presented the sanshu no jingi or Imperial Regalia to her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto. He in turn passed them on to his descendants, the emperors, the first of whom was Emperor Jimmu. The regalia, a mirror, a sword and a curved jewel are symbols of the legitimacy and authority of the emperor. These creation myths also form the foundations of the indigenous Shinto faith.

The emperor was thought to possess magical powers and to converse with the gods. It was therefore considered beneath him to become involved in the day-to-day running of the country. This was left to ministers and advisors. An exception was the period between the 7th and 8th centuries during which several emperors tried to bring the regional clans under central Imperial control. The first emperor to establish such direct imperial rule, modelled after the Chinese Tang dynasty, was Emperor Tenji who ruled between 661 and 672. Later during the Nara Period (710~794) Prince Shotoku, son of the Empress Suiko, created Japan's first constitution and established Buddhism as the country's dominant religion.

At the beginning of the Heian Period (794~1185), Emperor Kammu established a new capital in Kyoto, a city designed based on the Chinese capital. A combination of efforts to free the emperor from the web of entrenched bureaucracy and the court's increasing preoccupation with the pursuit of the arts and literature led to a situation where the real power was held by those occupying the posts of regent, for emperors not yet of age, and chief advisor. These posts were dominated by the Fujiwara and later the Taira families. While making no claim to the emperor's title or ritual role, the clans basically ruled in his name for several centuries.

Except for a period during the 14th century when the Emperor Godaigo briefly restored imperial rule, for almost the next 700 years, Japan was ruled by a succession of Shoguns, or military leaders. It wasn't until Tokugawa Ieyasu became Shogun of the recently reunited Japan at the beginning of the Edo Period (1600~1868) that the imperial institution regained some of its former glory, if not its power. While the Tokugawa's ruled from Edo (now Tokyo), the imperial court was in Kyoto and performed duties that, while important to the shogunate, were mostly religious rituals.

Early modern period
During the Edo Period, a time of great cultural advancement but also of almost total isolation, a school of intellectuals known as kinno-ha, or imperial loyalists, developed their concept of Japanese identity with the emperor at its symbolic center. Faced with foreign pressure to 'open up' the country to foreign trade and diplomacy following the arrival of US Commodore Matthew C. Perry's 'Black Ships' in 1853, this concept was adopted as a rallying cry to defenders from the foreign threat. By 1868, they had succeeded in toppling the Tokugawa shogunate and establishing a new national government under direct imperial rule - the Meiji Restoration (analogies to this period of revolutionary change are often made by today's radical politicians).

The Meiji leaders spent the next twenty years experimenting with the imperial system before creating the Constitution of the Empire of Japan in 1889. The emperor was 'sacred and inviolable' and sovereignty rested with him as the Head of the Empire. He commanded the armed forces, declared war and concluded treaties. All laws required the his sanction and enforcement. And yet he had no real political power; his main role was to ratify and give the imperial stamp of approval to decisions made by his ministers.

Post World War II
Following Japan's defeat in World War II, the occupation forces carried out radical reforms of the country's government and imperial systems. While there were calls for the emperor to stand trial at the 1946 Tokyo Tribunal and for the imperial system to be completely abolished, a more moderate approach was taken. The emperor had no political powers and under Article 1 of the new 'Showa' constitution he became 'the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power'. His role was purely symbolic and his functions subject to cabinet approval. The emperor himself declared in a New Year's Day radio broadcast that he was 'not divine'.

During the postwar period, efforts were made to bring the imperial family closer to the people, no longer his 'subjects' but citizens. Certainly there is great affection among Japanese people for their 'royals' as could be seen at the funeral of Emperor Hirohito in 1989 or the marriage of Crown Prince Naruhito to Princess Masako in 1993. The eagerly anticipated birth of a male heir to the Crown Prince was even thought of in terms of an event that could spark Japan's economic revival. The fact that his and Masako's first child was a girl (Aiko) and Masako was reaching an age where another child was increasingly unlikely, there were renewed moves to revise the Imperial House Law to allow female members of the family to ascend to the throne. This was proposed on the grounds of sexual equality and the fact that there have been 8 women on the throne in the past. The birth of a son to Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko in September 2006 may have put this issue on the shelf for another generation.

UKiyo-e

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Waitress Okita from the Naniwaya Tearoom - Utamaro
The name of this art form literally means pictures of the floating world. The term 'floating world' refers to a generally hedonistic way of life, and was often used as a euphemism for the bars and houses of ill-repute which were so popular among artists and literary types in pre-war Japan. Ukiyo-e wood-block prints first appeared early in the Edo Period (1600~1868) and depicted stories set in this after-hours world. Flashy kabuki actors and stylish courtesans were the most popular subjects. Later artists started depicting scenes from nature and works such as Hokusai's views of Mt. Fuji (see below) are among the most famous today.

The prints were a collaboration between artist, publisher, wood-block carver and printer although they are almost always accredited to the artist and publisher only.

Ukiyo-e were often used for book illustrations but really came into their own as single-sheet prints. They played a role much like modern-day pulp fiction and thanks to a rapidly increasing level of literacy, became extremely popular among the middle class. Another role was that of posters for the kabuki theater, which was also rapidly gaining in popularity. Ukiyo-e also played their part in the development of Western art in the late 19th century, influencing such important artists as Van Gogh, Monet, Degas and Klimt.

In the mid-18th century, techniques were developed to allow full-color printing and the ukiyo-e which we see reproduced today on post cards and calendars date from this period on. Utamaro and Hokusai are the big names from this period, and other prominent artists include Hiroshige and Sharaku.

Kitagawa Utamaro (1753~1806) is famous for his depictions of beautiful women from the tearooms (above), shops and pleasure quarters of Edo. He also designed some of the most beautifully illustrated books in the history of ukiyo-e.

Katsushika Hokusai (1760~1849) is best known for his nature scenes and his series 'Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji'. This series started a whole new style of landscape ukiyo-e. The famous illustration of a giant wave engulfing fishing boats, with Mt. Fuji merely a background detail (top right), is one of the most familiar Japanese works of art.

Ukiyo-e remain part of the Japanese cultural identity today and elements of the more famous works are often incorporated into modern art and design. Reproductions can be picked up for a very reasonable price in souvenir shops. They make excellent souveniers for anyone who wants to take home something quintessentially Japanese (and light!).

Beneath the Waves off Kanagawa (from the series '36 Views of Mt. Fuji', 1831) - Hokusai

Kambara (from the series '53 Stations of the Tokaido Road', 1833~4) - Hiroshige
For a good, and entertaining, read about what remained of the Edo entertainment districts in the first half of this century, you could do worse than check out Kazuo Ishiguro's novel 'Artist of the Floating World', short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1986. The writer grew up in the UK and writes in English.

Sado

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There are several schools of Sado, or Japanese tea ceremony, also known as Chanoyu. Tea, in this case O-cha (green tea), is as integral to culture in Japan as coffee is in the US (more so, in fact) or 'a cuppa' is in the UK. Also, its health benefits are widely touted and generally accepted worldwide. And study of the tea ceremony is still considered part of the 'proper' education of any aspiring young 'lady'. All these factors ensure that this ancient art form thrives even in modern-day Japan.

Sen no Rikyu

The Shokintei teahouse
The earliest rituals involving tea came to Japan as a part of Buddhist meditation in the 6th century. Later, in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), a Japanese priest named Eisai introduced tea seeds which became the source of much of the tea grown in Japan today. A century later the priest Eizon and the monk Ikkyu further promoted the tea ceremony. Shuko, a pupil of Ikkyu, became tea master to the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa at whose villa (now known as Ginkakuji or the 'Temple of the Siver Pavillion' in Kyoto) the first purpose made tea room in Japan was built.

The roots of today's major schools can be traced to tea master Sen No Rikyu (1522-1591). Over the course of later generations, the tea ceremony was refined and acquired a more Japanese rather than Chinese aesthetic. The sons of Rikyu's grandson Sotan founded their own schools: Ura Senke for commoners, Omote Senke for aristocrats and Mushanokoji Senke, which highly values the principle of wabi. (Wabi can be described as a moral and aesthetic principle which emphasises a quiet life free of worldly concerns). The Ura Senke school continues to thrive today and encourages cultural exchange abroad through the tea ceremony.

The chaji, or tea ceremony is usually held in a cha-shitsu (tea-room). In grander times, this would have consisted of a seperate, small building set in a picturesque and tranquil corner of a traditional garden. These structures can most often be seen today in parks or castle and temple gardens. The Shokintei teahouse at the Katsura Detached Palace in Kyoto is a good example.

Guests enter the tea-room through the nijiriguchi, a tiny door which forces them to crouch, thereby foregoing their worldly status. In a formal chaji many factors are considered to celebrate the uniqueness of the moment: the guests invited, the season, the calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall, the flowers on display, the utensils, the food served before the tea and so on. The chaji itself has several stages, each with a depth of meaning difficult for the outsider to grasp but ultimately based on a reverance for nature and the creation of a perfect moment in time.

The following is a message from Sen Soshitsu, Ura Senke Grand Tea Master XV:

"Chado, the Way Of Tea, is based upon the simple act of boiling water, making tea, offering it to others, and drinking of it ourselves. Served with a respectful heart and received with gratitude, a bowl of tea satisfies both physical and spiritual thirst.

The frenzied world and our myriad dilemmas leave our bodies and minds exhausted. It is then that we seek out a place where we can have a moment of peace and tranquillity. In the discipline of Chado such a place can be found. The four principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility, codified almost four hundred years ago, are timeless guides to the practice of Chado. Incorporating them into daily life helps one to find that unassailable place of tranquility that is within each of us.

As a representative of this unbroken Japanese tradition of four hundred years, I am pleased to see that many non-Japanese are welcoming the chance to pursue its study. This growing interest in Chado among peoples of all nations leads me to strive even harder to make it possible for more people to enter the Way of Tea."

A celebrant of the tea ceremony holds a chasen (bamboo brush) used to stir and mix the tea.

Other utensils used during the ceremony include: the cha-ire, a ceramic container used for the powdered tea; the kama (kettle) used for boiling water over a charcoal fire; hashi (chopsticks) made of cedar wood used for eating the simple food; the cha-wan (tea bowls) and many others.

Koicha (thick tea) is served first and later usucha (thin tea). During the course of the ceremony, a kaiseki light meal, sake and higashi (dry sweets) are also served.

On another note, one of the key indicators of Japan's progress (or lack thereof) in the field of gender relations is whether office ladies (OL's) are required by a given employer to make and do the rounds with the tea during the working day. It is the cause of probably the most often voiced grievance among the long list of sexist behavior engrained into Japanese corporate society.

Geisha

2009-06-25T21:14:00.001-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a woman who was once the No.1 geisha in Japan. She's a wonderful lady, funny, warm and kind. She was once a favorite of my wife's grandfather who, with his many business and social connections, helped her find sponsors and make her name. He died many years back and more recently his wife - my wife's grandmother - also passed away. This lady unassumingly took control of all the everyday things at home - cooking, cleaning, child-minding - so that the family could grieve and deal with the multitude of funeral related matters. In the evening she regaled us with geisha tales and parlor tricks. Some of the jokes and songs were surprisingly risque, but related with such grace and skill that no one could really be offended. She is well into middle age but I could see how, in her time, she must have drawn men to her like moths to a flame.

Arthur Golden's 1998 novel Memoirs of a Geisha revived interest in an aspect of Japan that is so intrinsic to the Western stereotype and yet so far removed from the reality of daily life here. Geisha do still exist and ply their trade, of course. But the role they play in modern society is minor and, except for the attention they get from camera-wielding tourists, largely unseen. In fact, most of the women captured on film are either maiko (apprentice geisha) or tourists themselves, done up for a few hours of faux sophistication and attention seeking.

But like their male counterpart the samurai, the geisha and her world continue to fascinate people around the world as part of their image of a mysterious and timeless Japan. Prostitution is of course referred to as the "oldest profession," and the history of the geisha stretches back several centuries. But while many people assume that geisha is just a Japanese word for a prostitute, the somewhat more romantic word 'courtesan' is probably closer in nuance, though even that is misleading when you consider their history. The word geisha itself literally means 'person of the arts' - indeed the earliest geisha were men - and it is as performers of dance, music and poetry that they actually spend most of their working time.

The two most famous hanamichi (geisha quarters) can be found in the capital cities of today and yesteryear, Tokyo and Kyoto. Medieval Edo, as Tokyo was formerly known, had the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters, where kabuki actors and artists would mingle with the evolving merchant class. The Edo period (1600-1868) was a time when Japan was largely closed to the outside world and also an era of great cultural development. Actors, sumo wrestlers and geisha were often the subjects of colorful ukiyo-e, woodblock prints whose name literally means 'pictures of the floating world,' a wonderful euphemism for the world of carnal desires.

In the case of Kyoto, entertainment was to be found in the Shimabara district. Even today, geiko, as they are referred to in Kyoto, and maiko entertain customers in traditional teahouses.

History of geisha
Geisha have their roots in female entertainers such as the Saburuko of the 7th century and the Shirabyoshi, who emerged around the early 13th century. They would perform for the nobility and some even became concubines to the emperor. It was in the late 16th century that the first walled-in pleasure quarters were built in Japan. Like so many aspects of Japanese culture, they were modelled after those of Ming Dynasty China. After they were relocated in the mid-1600s, they became known as Shimabara (after a fortress in Kyushu).

Meanwhile a marshy patch of land (Yoshi-wara) in Edo had been designated as the site for a brothel district under the auspices of the Tokugawa shogunate. Brothels and the like were not allowed to operate outside the district and strict rules were applied. Included among these were that no customers were allowed to stay in a brothel more than 24 hours; courtesans were to wear simple dyed kimonos; and any suspicious or unknown visitors were to be reported to the Office of the City Governor.

With Japan enjoying a long-awaited period of peace following centuries of civil war, many samurai found that society no longer had such need of their services. It's thought that many daughters of these formerly noble families became courtesans, with the result that quarters such as Yoshiwara and Shimabara were places of refinement and culture. Peace also brought an increase in prosperity and the rise of the merchant class, or chonin. Add that to the presence of artists and an atmosphere free of the strictures of the outside world, and it truly was something of an adult amusement park, with culture thrown in for good measure.

Within the hanamichi there were many different classes of courtesans, and over the decades the hierarchy and the standards expected of them changed many times, not always for the better. The situation deteriorated in the mid-18th century to the extent that a new form of entertainer emerged in Kyoto and Osaka. The earliest geiko were men, while the first females, who appeared shortly after, were odoriko (dancers) or played the shamisen. Female geisha soon became popular enough to be able to steal clients from the courtesans, and in the case of Yoshiwara it was decided to start a kenban, or registration system, to keep them under control and force them to pay taxes. It strictly controlled their dress, behaviour and movements and was considered so successful that it quickly became the norm at hanamichi across Japan.

These strict rules in fact allowed the geisha to flourish as artists and entertainers. Though more simply dressed than the courtesans, they became regarded as fashion leaders. But many aspects of the lifestyle itself were less glamorous. Young girls were sold into the geisha life by their families until the mid-20th century and were often subject to the ritual of 'mizu-age,' whereby their virginity was sold to the highest bidder. Such practices were eradicated after World War II and the geisha profession went into a steady decline. Today, if geisha are hired to entertain at a private party outside the upper eschelons of society, they are most likely to be seasoned veterans, more akin to your favorite aunt or even grandmother than the girl next door.

Magome and Tsumago: Following the footsteps

2009-06-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Magome and Tsumago: Following the footsteps

All roads lead to Tokyo. Anyone who has traveled in Japan will have heard of the Tokaido, even if they didn’t know the significance of the word. The eastern sea road ran between the emperor’s court in Kyoto and the Shogun’s capital in Edo (Tokyo). Now it’s the name given to the shinkansen line that follows the same route.

Less well known is the Nakasendo, which began and ended at the same two points of power in feudal Japan, but followed a different path, winding through the mountainous interior. Like the Tokaido, most of it has either been modernized or obliterated. Some sections however are well preserved. The stretch between Magome-juku and Tsumago-juku, crossing the border of Gifu and Nagano, is probably the most famous.

In the latter quarter of the last century, residents of the two former post towns (stopping places on the road) got together to fight both progress and apathy, and restored the area to its former appearance. They did a splendid job. Although modernity creeps in, and the architectural free-for-all that blights all Japanese towns is never more than a street or two away, enclaves of Edo era beauty have been created, catering now for the tourist trade rather than passing travelers with business in the big cities.

Although the crowds and the numerous car parks and coach tours testify otherwise, traditional houses, shops and streets aren’t the only draw. For those, like myself, who enjoy their nature wild yet peaceful, the 8-km walk between the two towns holds more attraction, and more pleasing photo opportunities.

The train from Nagoya took us to Nakatsugawa where we caught a tourist-friendly bus to Magome. From the west, this is the easiest way if you don’t have access to a car or intend walking. The stretch of Nakasendo here reaches an elevation of 800 meters. Starting at Magome makes the walk a little easier, as Magome sits higher than Tsumago. From the bus stop, follow the human chain back and left, up through the perfectly preserved streets.

The route is well signposted in English, Japanese and Korean, and walking on the stone surface is a pleasure made all the more obvious by the few sections of tarmac that jarred my knees and destroyed my samurai daydreams. This is the Japan of the photos, of the prints, of Kurosawa and Basho. Tall bamboo forests, terraced rice fields, carp ponds and wooden waterwheels vie for space on your memory card. Clouds drift through the patchwork green mountains towering on all sides. There was a light drizzle on the day we were there, and so we had the world to ourselves.

A little over halfway, two waterfalls of the clearest water cascade. This spot is a touch busier, as those who drive from one town to the next stop off here to check the falls off their to do lists. There are benches and the thundering water has opened the area out, making it a decent place to take a break.

Of the two towns, Magome is more picture-esque, benefiting from its elevated position and lack of space in which to sprawl. There is more in Tsumago, making it a better destination should you be tiring and in need of refreshment. Lining this lively stretch of the road are shops, restaurants, museums, a post office and a tourist information office. There are also much more people, a factor that contributed heavily to our decision to continue through the town and out the other side. When you reach Tsumago is it possible to take a bus or taxi back to Magome, or to either Nagiso or Nakatsugawa stations.

It’s even possible to turn around and walk back, should you have the energy. We were still in the mood for movement and not for other people, so the 3.5-km walk to Nagiso station was agreed upon without a word. The route winds on in much the same rustic vein as before but, since few tourists come this way, the signage drops off, though not enough to induce confusion.

From Nagiso, the local train returns you to Nakatsugawa from where, for better or for worse, you are once more in contact with 21st century Japan.

Naha: A place in the sun

2009-06-25T21:07:00.001-07:00

Naha: A place in the sun

NAHA —
When arriving in Naha, Okinawa, you will immediately feel there is something different about the place and about the people from mainland Japan. In fact, Okinawa today is a mix of Chinese, Japanese, and a sprinkle of American culture all thrown in together.

However, Okinawa was once known as the Kingdome of Ryuku, and was its own separate country, with kings and princesses sitting on their thrones at Shuri-jo castle (now a World Heritage site), and surrounded by statues of shiisa lions to ward off evil spirits and bring in good luck. The Ryuku kings ruled from Shuri-jo from around the 15th century to 1879.

However, Ryuku or Okinawa, as we now know it, not only feels separated from mainland Japan because of history, but also because of economy. Okinawa remains Japan’s poorest region, despite the Japanese government donating millions of yen to turn Okinawa into a vacation paradise.

However, things aren’t too bad for the Okinawan people. They live next to the beach, eat lots of goya, and live long lives. In fact, Okinawan people are said to have the longest life span in the world. It has to be the goya.

This bitter cucumber-like gourd can be found in everything, from goya beer, to goya tea, to goya ice cream. Even goya burgers. The most famous use of goya however, is its appearance in goya champuru (or champo for short), a popular food eaten by Okinawans. Goya champuru is made from tofu, egg, pork (another Okinawan favorite food), and of course, goya. Some other popular foods in Okinawa that should not be missed are umi-budo (seaweed that look similar to tiny grapes that burst in your mouth like fish eggs), Okinawa soba or Soki soba (the stock of which is made from boiling pork ribs until the meat falls off the bones and the noodles of which are made from pure, wheat flour rather than buckwheat flour, making the noodles lighter in color and thicker), jimamedofu (tofu made from peanuts), and awamori tofu (tofu made from the extremely strong awamori liquor-think of it as a food that makes you really drunk).

To wash all of this down, you will need sanpin-cha (ice cold jasmine tea), Orion beer (the local Okinawan beer that is not popular anywhere but Okinawa), awamori shochu (very strong Japanese vodka made from black malted rice), or if you’re feeling really adventurous, you can try habu-shochu (awamori shochu with a big, dead habu pit viper snake coiled at the bottom of the bottle, which supposedly gives you a lot of “power”).

For dessert you can try Blue Seal Ice Cream (a popular American ice cream), sand cookies made from Okinawa’s unique bright purple yams, a variety of exotic fruits, like dragon fruit or pineapple, or black sugar shaved ice.

You can find any of this and more at one of the many restaurants located on Naha’s main strip, Kokusai-dori. If possible, try to go to one that also offers a live show featuring Ryuku court dance shows or just live music. Songs like Shima-Uta and Nada So So have even reached mainland Japan and the island beats will have you ordering another shot of awamori shochu.

Many people use Naha just as a jump off point for other various destinations in the Okinawan islands such as Miyakojima or Ishigaki island which are further south but don’t overlook Naha as a destination in itself. There are plenty of nice beaches and things to do such as…

1. Dai-Ichi Kosetsu Ichiba. Come here to see all the various pork products being sold, including dried pigs’ faces, internal organs, and so on. There are also tons of snake supplements for sale but it will cost you an arm and a leg. If you don’t like the thought of butchered pork and snake, you can also find a variety of brightly colored exotic fruits and multi-colored fish on sale.

2. Nago Pineapple Park. Ride pineapple pods through fields of pineapple (which take several years to grow into a full one) or just walk (next door is also a tropical bird park). Be sure to get enough walking in because you will be given the opportunity to consume as much pineapple as possible after finishing the tour. You can also sample pineapple wine, pineapple vinegar (good for health and cleansing the blood), pineapple cookies, cakes, and so on.

3. Take a ferry to the Kerama Islands. They are only about an hour away. Here you can swim in crystal clear ocean waters and go snorkeling or scuba-diving, where you might catch a glimpse of Nemo, the colorful clownfish. If it’s the right time of year, you can also see whales.

4. See a festival. In early May, you can watch colorful dragon boats race through the harbor as a prayer for safety and prosperity of local fisherman. Or wait until August 10th, when Naha has its annual city festival with a game of Giant Tug of War, using the biggest handmade rope in the world (as documented by Guiness Book of World Records).

So even if you’re not a beach person and hate pork, it doesn’t matter. There is truly something for everyone in Naha. So grab your cell phone and get that ticket booked.

Courtesy of Mitaka Forest Ghibli Museum

2009-06-25T21:05:00.001-07:00

Hayao Miyazaki is regarded as Japan’s greatest living animation director, and his Studio Ghibli holds most of the country’s box office records. Seen the movies? Then step into his world at the charming Ghibli Museum in Mitaka City, just outside of downtown Tokyo.

The Mitaka Forest Ghibli Museum opened in 2001 in Inokashira Park, one of the metropolitan area’s best-loved recreation spots. While the museum functions as both a showcase of fine art and a commercial theme park, it doesn’t follow the basic rules one might expect. In fact, it is designed with children in mind, and boasts a playful, sprawling and mazelike structure. The exterior features the beautiful European architecture characteristic of Miyazaki’s works, but once inside, all bets are off. There is no set path or viewing order. A winding spiral staircase dominates the central hall, but does not lead to all levels; some doors are child-sized; getting from one place to another often requires imagination and exploration.

In short, it is like the anti-Disneyland—a place to get lost and enjoy freely. A romantic notion, but problems with crowd control and pedestrian flow would seem the natural outcome. Fear not—the number of people allowed into the 4,000-square-meter complex at any one time is limited to around 600. Spots are on a reservation basis, with entry times set at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Note that while the staff won’t make you leave after you enter, if you are 30 minutes late for your entry time, you won’t get in. Tickets can be obtained at travel agents overseas or at Lawson’s ticket machines in Japan.

The basement floor offers an exhibition of the history and science of animation. One highlight is an ingenious 3D zoetrope that uses a table of Ghibli character models like Totoro, which when spun and put to synchronized strobe lighting appear to be moving. It is a truly magical experience, especially for kids, and demonstrates well the concept behind frames. After this, it’s a real treat to check out the extremely detailed animation studio populated by statuary pigs (classic Miyazaki—there’s even one that represents him) and filled with sketches, storyboards and reference materials. The process of making animation is illuminated in adjacent halls.

At the higher levels can be found a play area for kids (12 and under) dominated by a stuffed “Catbus,” and a staircase to a rooftop garden dominated by a giant copper robot soldier from “Laputa: Castle in the Sky.” This is a good place to take pictures, as photography is not allowed inside. The Straw Hat Cafe offers organic food, though the price and selection leave something to be desired. There is also a museum bookstore (mostly juvenile literature chosen by Miyazaki, and some by him or involving his characters) and a gift shop.

The museum’s rotating exhibits always include a show about animation (currently “Gake no Ue No Ponyo”), and the Saturn Theatre screens short films that can only be seen here. The movies, which rotate by month, have such titles as “Koro’s Big Day Out,” “Mom Mon the Water Spider” and “The Whale Hunt.” They are typically very high quality and sometimes experimental. Guests to the museum get one ticket to the theater per visit.

Adults: 1,000 yen; children under 12: 400 yen. 1-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka City (inside Inokashira Park). Entry by reservation only. Closed Tue. Nearest station: Mitaka (JR Chuo or Sobu line), then bus or 15 minutes’ walk.

Michael Jackson dies of reported cardiac arrest at 50

2009-06-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson dies of reported cardiac arrest at 50
Friday 26th June, 09:51 AM JST

LOS ANGELES —
Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the “King of Pop” and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday. He was 50.

Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center after being stricken at his rented home in Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his home for nearly three-quarters of an hour, then rushed him to the hospital, where doctors continued to work on him.

“It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known,” his brother Jermaine said. Police said they were investigating, standard procedure in high-profile cases.

Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.

His 1982 album “Thriller“—which included the blockbuster hits “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller“—is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.

At the time of his death, Jackson was rehearsing hard for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13.

As word of his death spread, MTV switched its programming to play videos from Jackson’s heyday. Radio stations began playing marathons of his hits. Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital. In New York’s Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.

“No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow,” Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend had sent him. “It’s like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died.”

The public first knew him as a boy in the late 1960s, when he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the singing group he formed with his four older brothers out of Gary, Indiana. Among their No. 1 hits were “I Want You Back,” “ABC” and “I’ll Be There.”

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing, punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks, as was his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

“For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words,” said Quincy Jones, who produced “Thriller.” “He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”

Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music’s biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie, and Jackson’s death immediately evoked comparisons to that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.

As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure _ a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He often wore a germ mask while traveling, kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions, and surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, a storybook playland filled with toys, rides and animals. The tabloids dubbed him “Wacko Jacko.”

“It seemed to me that his internal essence was at war with the norms of the world. It’s as if he was trying to defy gravity,” said Michael Levine, a Hollywood publicist who represented Jackson in the early 1990s. He called Jackson a “disciple of P.T. Barnum” and said the star appeared fragile at the time but was “much more cunning and shrewd about the industry than anyone knew.”

Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.

In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children.

The case followed years of rumors about Jackson and young boys. In a TV documentary, he acknowledged sharing his bed with children, a practice he described as sweet and not at all sexual.

Despite the acquittal, the lurid allegations that came out in court took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.

Jackson was 4 years old when he began singing with his brothers—Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie and Tito—in the Jackson 5. After his early success with bubblegum soul, he struck out on his own, generating innovative, explosive, unstoppable music.

The album “Thriller” alone mixed the dark, serpentine bass and drums and synthesizer approach of “Billie Jean,” the grinding Eddie Van Halen solo on “Beat It,” and the hiccups and falsettos on “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.”

The peak may have come in 1983, when Motown celebrated its 25th anniversary with an all-star televised concert and Jackson moonwalked off with the show, joining his brothers for a medley of old hits and then leaving them behind with a pointing, crouching, high-kicking, splay-footed, crotch-grabbing run through “Billie Jean.”

The audience stood and roared. Jackson raised his fist.

By then he had cemented his place in pop culture. He got the plum Scarecrow role in the 1978 movie musical “The Wiz,” a pop-R&B version of “The Wizard of Oz,” that starred Diana Ross as Dorothy.

During production of a 1984 Pepsi commercial, Jackson’s scalp sustains burns when an explosion sets his hair on fire.

He had strong follow-up albums with 1987’s “Bad” and 1991’s “Dangerous,” but his career began to collapse in 1993 after he was accused of molesting a boy who often stayed at his home. The singer denied any wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the boy’s family, reported to be $20 million, and criminal charges were never filed.

Jackson’s expressed anger over the allegations on the 1995 album “HIStory,” which sold more than 2.4 million copies, but by then, the popularity of Jackson’s music was clearly waning, even as public fascination with his increasingly erratic behavior was growing.

Cardiac arrest is an abnormal heart rhythm that stops the heart from pumping blood to the body. It can occur after a heart attack or be caused by other heart problems.

Billboard magazine editorial director Bill Werde said Jackson’s star power was unmatched. “The world just lost the biggest pop star in history, no matter how you cut it,” Werde said. “He’s literally the king of pop.”

Jackson’s 13 No. 1 one hits on the Billboard charts put him behind only Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Mariah Carey, Werde said.

“He was on the eve of potentially redeeming his career a little bit,” he said. “People might have started to think of him again in a different light.”

Nice one son we mananged to get rid of our last big items

2009-06-24T04:15:00.001-07:00

A man came around yesterday and will take our Fridge, Sofa and some other items. That is very good, I don't think we have much left now. That is real good. So all going good, Kai is still a little ill so not so good there. I will try to get the top things out of the way before we leave Japan but if not then I am sure we will be back in Japan sometime in the future. I have been a little down the last few days but I will be so glad when we are living in Hong Kong with tennis courts, A Gym, Swimming pool and Beach for the kids. lol.

Last TV show before I leave Japan

2009-06-23T07:30:00.001-07:00

This Saturday will be my last TV appearance in Japan before leaving Japan for Hong Kong. I will be sure to put it online, well that is if I can get there this time with my little boy Kai being sick. The TV show will have Helen on it again. David and I and some other guests not sure if they will be the same as the people on the show before.
Maybe I can be a famous Gaijin lol, its going to be funny when we leave Japan as my wife and I will both me Gaijin's.

If you are a Gaijin reading this I would recommend trying to get on TV in Japan its quite fun.

My other recomendations never buy anything new as its almost impossible to sell it, Look at Gaijinpot, Metropolis, TheBlackship and so on to see if you can get good things for free or very cheap.

Shopping, go on Wednesday and Sunday's about 8 or 9pm you will get allot of things half price, we went the other day to max value part of the Aeon chain and got nice Japanese beef for 1300 yen for 2 so cheap.

Things to do before i leave Japan

2009-06-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

One last Gaijin smash, I once read a website called Gaijin smash it was so funny the guy tells you things that only Gaijin in Japan can get a way with.

I guess maybe I will do the last tube smash that is buy the cheapest ticket and go to the ticket desk and say ticket not work they always let you through lol.

The Prison Pub in Shibuya I really want to go it sounds very good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjWOVLMYMw

go to another onsen/spa

Put fears of public nudity aside and dip into a steaming-hot pool at a communal bath. These are known as sento or onsen – the latter uses water from hot springs. Japanese traditionally bathe in the evening, but communal baths are open for several hours in the morning as well.

Things to do in Japan: #3, take a communal bath

Don’t worry about soap and shampoo – these items are always provided, along with moisturizing lotion, cotton swabs, and hair dryers. Just be sure to first wash yourself at a shower surrounding the bath, rinsing all the soap off your body before getting in.

Soaking in steaming hot water is relaxing, meditative, and a great way to immerse yourself in Japanese culture. Communal bathing is a tradition that goes all the way back to AD 700.

Go back to the geek town one last time that is Akihabara

Things to do in Japan: #6, people watch

No matter what city you happen to be, there will be shopping districts. And that always makes for good people watching, especially in Japan where teenage fashion is so varied and extreme. Find a coffee shop or restaurant with a good view to while away a few hours. This is especially fun on a weekend in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, or any day of the week above Shibuya’s famous Hachiko crossing.

There’s a Starbucks with a great view of the crossing, with hundreds of pedestrians weaving in all directions at once in a mesmerizing stop-go-stop dance timed to the traffic lights. This type of crosswalk is called ‘scramble crossing’ and while there are about 300 in Japan, this one is the busiest, as it’s located right in front of the busiest train station in the world, Shibuya Station.

Gaze upon Tokyo from the 52nd floor

If you’ve seen the film Lost in Translation, you’ll know the view from the “New York Bar” in Tokyo’s Park Hyatt Hotel. It’s spectacular, and well worth shelling out the 20-odd dollars for a cocktail. From 750 feet in the sky, the immensity of Tokyo is a sight to behold, especially when the city is lit up a night, full of red blinking lights that make it seem as if the city was breathing. And from here, you can actually see the curvature of the Earth.

Things to do in Japan: #9, check out the view over Tokyo

If you’re only interested in the view, it’s best to get here in the late afternoon/early evening to avoid the nightly $20 cover charge for live music (the cover charge starts at 8 pm). The bar also offers a casual dining menu, and includes a $60 hamburger.

A rather good weekend

2009-06-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a rather busy one, We needed to sell a lot of our things as we are moving to Hong Kong in a few weeks We managed to get rid of a lot of crap which was nice, we gave most away free, Japan is very hard to get rid of second hand things, Maybe a good idea for a business would be to set up and storage place for people to store things or for gaijin to pick up unwanted items. The think with Japan the cost of moving is very high and even to chuck things away.

We have a Sofa, Fridge and some other big things that are almost new and we had trouble selling I have decieded now to put them on for free and still I have had no offers. :(. I really hope to sell them soon. lol.

Well we also had a real nice night out yesterday, My wife Hiroko and I and our 2 kids and Simon and his wife went to a themed resturant in Tsunashima, It was a shame as we did not get any pictures. The resturant was set in a fishing boat and you could catch what you wanted to eat. If you caught it you could get the fish half price. The funny thing was they auctioned a tuna head half way throught the night, Simons wife was trying to buy the head that was funny we were all thinking what would you do with that. lol.

My son Kaito really loved the fish and was so excited meeting other people at there tables. We managed to catch 2 snappers and 1 other type fish that was very nice.

The resturant is just opposite justco in tsunashima you can get the 51 bus there towards kawasake I would really recomend it.

take a trip on the Namboku or Mita line from tokyo to hiyoshi and change there 1 stop to tsunashima or you can take the hibiya line all the way there, however, some times you will need to change at Naka-Meguro. The catch the bus.

Please go its worth it. :) I can't remember the resturants name but you can't miss it. :)

2009-06-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

SVJEN起業家トークセッションひさみをめぐる冒険 2005年4月14日（木）

Tokyo Travel Log: Akihabara (Akiba)

Akihabara (often abbreviated to Akiba) is an up and coming part of Tokyo, Japan. It is barely mentioned by current editions of most guidebooks, but is an essential visit for anyone with more than a vague interest in Japanese geek "otaku" culture (computers, electronics, manga, animé, computer games etc.). Akihabara is easily reached from most parts of Tokyo, being on the Yamanote line between Ueno and Tokyo stations, and on the Chuo line from Shinjuku. Even if you're not into geek stuff, there are more than enough wacky things going on to warrant a visit or two. Alongside Harajuku, Akihabara is one of the best places to people watch in Tokyo.

Akihabara started off as a district of electronics shops (cameras, televisions, etc.) but shifted focus to computers and consumer electronics (particularly mobile phones). Now the emphasis seems to be shifting to entertainment such as DVDs, animé, manga, Gundam robots, Godzilla memorabilia and unidentified goods. If you are interested in anime, manga or Gundam you will not fail to spend a lot of money in one of the many 7 storey stores that sell such goods along the main Chuo Dori thoroughfare. It is great to see manga and animé characters everywhere - they are even used on advertising billboards:

One of the many manga and animé stores in Akihabara:

Akihabara is also spawning its own popular culture. Since the first maid café opened in 2000, it has spawned a host of imitations. Maid services have also spread to other areas including opticians, foot massages and beauty parlours. Maids are also to be found posing and advertising a wide range of other otaku goods and services. They instil a general feeling of Moé in the Otaku, which encourages them to spend money.

Akihabara's station Electric Town exit is the best place to look for maids:

Further up the street towards Chuo Dori were more maids:

This maid was attracting a lot of attention outside Akihabara station's Electric Town exit:

There are a huge number of maid cafés in Akihabara. Not all of them are staffed by maids. The St. Gracecourt café featured cute nuns instead of maids:

I should have visited this café!

On Sunday afternoons the Akihabara maids and other assorted promotional girls (and some men) seemed to really enjoy the attention from photographers, although they were a bit shy the rest of the week. I didn't summon up the courage to visit a maid café though. They're not actually very easy to find as most are on the upper floors of buildings and not all have English signs. This probably explains why there is the need to despatch a maid or two to Akihabara station to find more customers.

Not all of the girls were dressed as maids. Many Otaku love girls wearing glasses (Meganekko) and wearing cat's ears (Neko), so few Otaku will be able to resist this girl:

Sadly, like the rest of Tokyo (and perhaps Japan), the shopkeepers don't like photographs being taken inside their stores. So to see the incredible array of manga, anime, figures and robots on offer you'll have to go there yourself. The range of animé, manga and computer games on sale in Japan is far wider than that available in the West. Still, there were plenty of interesting things to photograph on the streets:

Kawaii!!! This was one of the cutest things I saw in Japan!

If you've never been to Japan then you won't be able appreciate just how noisy the place is. Akihabara is no exception. Not only do stores have to have music blaring, video screens full of advertising jingles and half a dozen different DVDs playing, they have to put salespeople outside the shop with microphones so they can get their message across in all the din:

Be sure to visit Akihabara several times during your visit to Tokyo, as you will have a greater chance of seeing something wacky going on. If you are interested in Tokyo's Otaku culture, it may also be worth visiting Ikebukuro and Nakano Broadway.

maids

2009-06-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

maids

Today we went to the hospital as Kaito is a bit Sick.

2009-06-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

Kaito was sick today, he has some virus in his ass poor little bugger makes it very hard and he crys when we change his nappy.

But to chear him up we took him to Karaoke, he likes it and was head banging to the music. It was quite funny. wish I would have got a picture, he got the mic too and was singing. I will miss the karaoke in Japan, its very good. Only another 4 more weeks and then I will be in Hong Kong. Hiroko, Ted and Kaito will follow in Aug.

After 2 long whole years here in Japan I guess I will be saying goodbye soon

2009-06-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

My last day in Japan will be the 6th of July, Wow how sad I have enjoyed my time here but the economy is no longer stable and no jobs for me. I have found a job in Hong Kong and will be moving there from about the 31st of July after a 3 week stint in London. Maybe I can make a Hong Kong Guide and blog. :) I will try to continue here when I can and also leave pics of the kids and family.

Ted

Were all going to the Zoo tomorrow, Well guess that should be been yesterday.

2009-06-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

This is my wife with Ted in the park after seeing the animals in the park, Ted and Kai loved the animals esp the pengins.

The park we went to was in Kawasaki and the Zoo there was very nice a free. We live in Yokohama but it was very easy to get to. we got the bus from tsunashima the number 51 too kawasaki station and then the number 86 bus to the park but there are a number of ways you can even get the train to shin kawasaki station.

They have Moose, Pengiuns, Deer's, Monkeys, Kai, Aloy and Ted all loved the park. the Zoo was called Yumemigasaki Zoo

Off to the Sushi resturant after Odaiba

2009-06-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

We get the train to Yokohama where we change for the blue line Yokohama line and get off at Kita-shin Yokohama station. There is a really cheap and nice sushi place there everything is 120 yen

Its funny watching Ken and my sister eat sushi, Ken is one of thouse guys that wont touch fish unless its crap like capt birdseye, all crap the worst bits of the fish in bread crumbs.

I love Sushi its what I will miss if I ever leave Japan.

I love the Sushi shop too as it has a order bit and when you order a few mins later a shinkansen comes around and gives you your food its way cool.

Sushi

2009-06-06T17:01:00.001-07:00

SushiSushi

Sushi is one of the typical Japanese dishes well known throughout the world.
Nigirizushi is a bite-size Sushi with fresh seafood or cooked ingredients placed on top of the rice.
The rice used is called Sumeshi (vinegared rice) which is made by adding vinegar to the rice. Depending on the type of Sushi, a dab of Wasabi is added between the rice and ingredient and made into a bite-size lump.

Other than Nigirizushi, there are Oshizushi (pressed Sushi made by layering vinegared rice and fish in a wooden mold and pressing it by placing a weight on top to form its shape) and Makizushi (rolled Sushi made by flattening some rice on a sheet of dried laver, adding some ingredients, and rolled into a cylindrical shape). Both types of Sushi are equally popular.

Sushi restaurants called “Kaitenzushi (conveyor-belt sushi)” where plates of Sushi on a rotating conveyor belt allowing customers to freely choose the ones they like to eat are popular because of such casual style and inexpensive pricing.

The Rainbow Bridge

2009-06-06T16:53:00.001-07:00

Rainbow Bridge

The Rainbow Bridge is the longest bridge in the greater Tokyo Area. Its tower is 120 meters tall while the bridge itself is approximately 800 meters long.

This bridge was constructed as a major route connecting the Tokyo Rinkai area with its city center. Having a two-tiered structure, Route 11 of the Metropolitan Expressway runs on the upper deck while a general road and the Yurikamome (automated transit system) run on the lower deck. There is also a walkway on the lower deck that allows you to cross the bridge and an observatory can be found en route to the other side. It would be a good idea to enjoy walking on this bridge on a nice day.

The view of the long, suspension-type Rainbow Bridge with Tokyo Bay's horizon and the cityscape created by the high-rise buildings in the background is indeed a symbol of the Tokyo Bay. When this bridge is lit up at night, it is a sight worth seeing.

Tokyo Big Sight

2009-06-06T16:47:00.001-07:00

Tokyo Big Sight

The Tokyo Big Sight is a general convention center in Ariake, Tokyo, symbolized by the inverted triangular silhouette of the building's top portion.

Made up of a conference wing and exhibition wings to the east and west, this venue also has an international convention center that can seat 1,000 persons as well as 22 big and small conference rooms, 10 exhibition halls, rooftop/outdoor show spaces, and a restaurant zone. Inside, you will find a dynamic blow-by and glass ceiling as well as pieces of artwork such as "Saw Sawing" and "White Puffy Clouds" displayed here and there. Indeed, this is a venue with exterior and interior designs that are well thought out.

Transportation to and from the Tokyo Big Sight is extremely convenient since it is directly connected to a number of transportation facilities such as the Yurikamome with also the water bus terminal nearby.

In terms of both the size and number of exhibitions/visitors, it is by far the most outstanding among all the exhibition venues nationwide. Indeed, this venue becomes pack with people whenever events are held.

VenusFort

2009-06-06T16:46:00.001-07:00

VenusFort

Located in Palette Town, VenusFort is a shopping mall whose landmark is its Ferris wheel.

A medieval European cityscape has been reproduced in a vast space where approximately 160 stores from popular accessory and jewelry stores to fashion and cosmetic stores as well as restaurants can be found. There also are others based on themes of relaxation and beauty, offering an area where women can really have an enjoyable time polishing up their styles.

The ceiling above the main street and 5 plazas depicts the changing skies approximately every 2 hours, turning from a clear blue sky to an evening sunset and finally the dark sky at night.

Name	VenusFort
Japanese Pronunciation	VenusFort
Address	1 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Phone Number	03-3599-0700
Access	0 minute from Yurikamome Aomi Station; Approximately 3 minutes on foot from Tokyo Teleport Station on the Rinkai Line.
Price
URL	http://www.venusfort.co.jp/multi/index_e.html

Going to Odaiba

2009-06-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

Its a very nice day and we wanted to rest our legs, I read about a beach in Odaiba This is what Odaiba has to offer.

Odaiba

Odaiba is a land that was made by filling a part of the Tokyo Bay. Its constr

uction was conducted through the 1960s and 1970s. With the opening of high

ways and railway

s, access to O

daiba became more convenient thus lea

ding to its further development. In recent years, major hotels, commercial facil

ities, and companies expanding to this area consequently transformed it into a big city. Many facilities that may strike your interest are gathe

red here such as Tokyo Joypolis (indoor amusement park), Fuji TV headquarters, Cinema Mediage

offering seats for couples, Palette Town's giant Ferris wheel that lets you en

joy a

romantic night view, and the Oedo-Onsen-Monogatari with its natural hot springs gushing out from 1,400 meters below ground. Aqua City and the Museum of Maritime Science can be enjoyed as great venues for dating o

r bringing your family. If you take the Yurikamome which runs above Odaiba, you can pretty much tour

around the entire area. The Rainbow Bridge and

Tokyo Tower can be seen from Odaiba and its illuminated nightscape

is especially beautiful which lures many people to take its picture.

While we were there we went to the Shell Museum, The beach, we had a nice rest saw some cool and nasty sites.

Nasty site of a man in a pink thong. :(

I took Kai, Dave,

Claire, Ken and Mr Jay, it was very nice we had a nice rest by the sea and watched the fish jump out of the water, The

rainbow bridge looked nice as it was a very clear day, The rainbow bridge is biggest bridge in Tokyo and was named by a 6 year old girl in a compotition to name the bridge.

The statue of liberty given to Japan and France buy the USA for Peace.

It was a very nice place to walk around seeing all the nice space age buildings, the only draw about to going to Odaiba was the 450 train fare each

way. :(

Kai loved playing in the water, a cute moment captured with him

and his car splashing around.

My brother Dave also thought he was some kind of super

man as he

removed a jellyfish from the water, it was one nice day of having a few beers and sitting by the sea playing with the kids.

A Japanese lady below getting married and the a Racing car from the shell museum.

DisneyLand Japan

2009-06-06T04:19:00.000-07:00

We went to Disney as it was my sisters birthday in Japan and she wanted to see it. We have been to all of the Disneys now apart from the on in Hong Kong but I guess in a month or so I will be living near it so we will go and see that one too. :)

The Disney in Japan is the only one not owned by the ones in the USA.

Tokyo Disney is in Chiba and you can either get there from Tokyo station by tr

ain or you can get the bus from Yokohama station from the bus terminal section C stop number 17 it costs about 1200 yen for the bus oneway.

I would recommend staying all day and staying for the light show I have never done it before and it was very good.

The rides are the same as the one in CA, Space Mountian, Splash mountian, Big thunder mountian. So on.

However, the Japanese Disney is a must I have never seen anything like it before the men ware ears the girls dress up like princeses and no I mean women over 20.

Its a real experiance but a good one too.

Money

2009-06-06T04:18:00.001-07:00

1,000 yen 10,000yen

Currently, there are six kinds of coins and four kinds of bank notes for a total of ten forms of money are issued in Japan.
All currencies are issued by the Bank of Japan, the only central bank in Japan.

In Japan, there are not that many opportunities to exchange money at places other than exchange counters at airports, bank counters, and respective hotels' front desks.
Therefore, we recommend that you exchange your money at the airport upon arrival in this country.
Additionally, it would be convenient to carry some cash with you since some stores do not accept credit cards.

For your reference, please take a look at "Useful Tools" on the right-hand side of the Japan-i website which contains a function that helps convert your country's currency into Japanese yen.

1 Yen Aluminum Coin

Design: young tree
Material: 100% aluminum
Diameter: 20.0mm

5 Yen Brass Coin

Design: ears of rice, gearwheel and water
Material: 60-70% copper, 30-40% zinc
Diameter: 22.0mm

10 Yen Bronze Coin

Design: Phoenix Hall of the Byodo-in Temple (Byodo-in Hoo-do)
Material: 95% copper, 3-4% zinc, 1-2% tin
Diameter: 23.5mm

50 Yen Nickel Coin

Design: Chrysanthemum
Material: 75% copper, 25% nickel
Diameter: 21.0mm

100 Yen Nickel Coin

Design: Cherry blossom
Material: 75% copper, 25% nickel
Diameter: 22.6mm

500 Yen Nickel Brass Coin

Design: Paulownia
Material: approximately 7:1:2 ratio of copper : nickel : zinc
Diameter: 26.5mm

1,000 Yen Bill

Size: 76x150mm
Portrait: Hideyo Noguchi
Design: Mt. Fuji and cherry blossom

2,000 Yen Bill

Size: 76x154mm
Design: "Shurei-mon" gate (in Okinawa)
Design: "Illustrated Handscroll Tale of Genji" and "Illustrated Diary of Lady Murasaki"

5,000 Yen Bill

Size: 76x156mm
Portrait: Ichiyo Higuchi
Design: "The Irises" (by Ogata Korin)

10,000 Yen Bill

Size: 76x160mm
Portrait: Yukichi Fukuzawa
Design: Phoenix Statues (Byodo-in Temple)

Subways

2009-06-06T04:16:00.000-07:00

Subways

Large Japanese cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai and Fukuoka have subway networks. Many subways use the same standards as railroads above ground, so their cars able to run on each other's tracks, though some have rubber tires instead of steel wheels and use snow shields when above ground like the subway in Sapporo, while others use linear motors like the Toei Oedo Line. There are many railroad lines that have the same standards for tracks and rail cars as subways, so they are able to run on each other's tracks.

Each line is represented by a color, and stations are numbered, so you can rely on these if you are unable to read a station's name. Trains typically run in 3 to 10-minute intervals. Unlike above-ground railways, most subway stations do not have ground-level station buildings or rotaries, and some entrances lead straight into office buildings. Each region has its own uniquely-named IC card that uses electronic money to access their public transportation networks--which include above-ground railways and buses in addition to subways--conveniently eliminating the need to purchase individual tickets.

There are 13 Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines in downtown Tokyo that distributed along fairly complex routes. The two networks are run by different operators, so changing between their lines incurs separate fares, increasing the total amount. Just like the above-ground trains, some subway lines become so jam-packed during the morning rush that riders can't even move. The Toei Oedo Line was constructed relatively recently, so it runs deeper underground than the existing lines, with some station requiring long escalators running from their platforms that take more than 5 minutes to the top.

http://www.tokyometro.jp/global/kr/service/pdf/routemap_en.pdf
http://www.tokyometro.jp/global/
http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/english/index.html

Hot Spring

2009-06-06T04:15:00.001-07:00

Hot Spring

"Hot spring" can be indicated as a phenomenon as well as the areas where water (hot water) gushes out from deep within the earth. In Japan, it is customary to enjoy "dipping yourself in a hot spring."

The land of Japan sits right on a volcanic belt and this geographic characteristic allows many volcanic hot springs to emerge out from its earth. It is said that there are over 3,000 hot spring locations nationwide.

Since the old times, the Japanese people used hot springs for medical reasons such as to nurse their wounds or cure various diseases. This soon was given the name "Toji," or therapeutic bathing. In therapeutic bathing, people stay at a certain hot spring resort over a long period of time for regular bathing and taking plenty of time to conduct hot spring therapy. Therefore, it is considered to be very different from enjoying hot springs for tourism purposes.

There is also a law called the Hot Spring Law in Japan that sets certain standards. Only those that can meet these standards can be called hot springs. Additionally, the water temperature, elements contained, and effects vary depending on each hot spring resort. Therefore, it is advised that you choose the right hot spring resort that suits your needs. The typical way to bathe in a hot spring is to soak your entire body in it. However, there are other ways such as "Ashiyu" (dipping the feet only) and "Insen" (drinking the hot spring water).

Nowadays, hot springs are mainly used for relieving everyday stress or for purposes that has to do with tourism. Additionally, hot-spring hotels are considered as a space offering extraordinary experiences where people can leisurely enjoy bathing and dining. Japanese people indeed see it as a luxurious way to spend their time.

Nara

2009-06-06T04:11:00.000-07:00

Nara

Mii temple Deer

Located in the center of the Kii Peninsula, Nara is an inland prefecture with no sea around. Although mild overall, the region's typical basin type climate makes summers very hot and humid while the winters get cold with chills from the northern mountainous area continuing until March.

As the eastern end of the Silk Road in ancient times, Nara was a land that deepened exchanges with Asia and Europe and prospered as the capital for some time until it was relocated to Heian-kyo of Kyoto in 794. Therefore, there are many temples and shrines as well as ancient tombs in Nara's basin area and its surroundings.

Moreover, in these premises, many of the trees are protected and left in their natural state. The mountain ridges in Nara's basin area have natural forests that seem to continue forever, combining with the rustic scenery and many World Heritage sites found here and there to create a beautiful natural environment.

Currently, Nara is well known as a tourist region where many visitors come to. Its nature that changes according to the seasons indeed is held dearly in the hearts of the Japanese people.

To-ji Temple

2009-06-06T04:10:00.000-07:00

To-ji Temple Ko-do (lecture hall) and Kon-do (the main hall)

To-ji Temple is formally known as Kyo-o-gokoku-ji Temple. Its five story pagoda which you can view from the Shinkansen bullet train platform in Kyoto Station is one of the famous sites of Kyoto.
The temple was established in 796, two years after the capital moved to Heian-kyo. In 823, the temple was handed over to kukai, the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, then temple construction began. The construction continued even after Kukai's death, and in 883, the five story pagoda in the current form was completed. Though the pagoda was destroyed several times by lightning, earthquakes, and fighting, it was rebuilt each time.
There are also other temple buildings such as Kon-do (the main hall), Ko-do (lecture hall), and Daishi-do (residence of the priest kobo-daishi), visitors are allowed to enter Kon-do and Ko-do. The Main Hall (Kon-do) contains statues of the Yakushi Trinity (Yakushi-nyorai-zazo, the principal image of To-ji, in its center and Nikko and Gakko Bosatsu on both sides). Inside Ko-do (lecture hall), located near the reception area, there are 21 Buddhist images centered on Dainichi Nyorai statues, they are considered as a Mandara (Buddhism picture) representing Kukai's precept. The present five story pagoda, which is a symbol of this temple, was rebuilt in 1644 and is now the highest (55 meters) pagoda in Japan. There is a small garden in front of the pagoda surrounding Hyotan Pond, creating beautiful contrast with seasonal flowers.

Kinkakuji (Rokuonji)

2009-06-06T04:06:00.001-07:00

Kinkakuji (Rokuonji)
Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion Temple) is officially called Rokuonji (Deer Garden Temple). Belonging to the Rinzai-Shokokuji sect, this temple stands in a scenic area at the foot of the northern mountain of the mountain range extending in a northwestern direction in Kyoto's basin with Mt. Kinugasa to the west and the left Daimonji mountain in the back. The vacation house of the nobleman, Saionji Kintsune, in the Kamakura era was passed on to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third general of the Muromachi Shogunate, who constructed the "Kitayamaden" (Kinkakuji). Although initially built as a mountain villa, it was turned into a temple after the death of Yoshimitsu. Kinkakuji's roof is thatched with thin wood shingles (Kokera-buki) and it is a Shariden (building enshrining the Buddha) with three floors. The first floor on ground level is the Hosuiin built in the Shinden style from the Fujiwara period where the statue of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is kept. The second floor is the Choondo built in the Buke style while the third floor is the Kukicho (Chinese-style Buddha hall). Gold-leaf coating has been applied to the second and third floors. A large garden surrounds Kinkakuji and its appearance of standing at the northern side of the Kyoko-chi (literally, "mirror pond") is extremely beautiful. Going through the tile-roofed Somon (gate) and passing by the priests' quarters will bring you to the spot where Kinkakuji can be seen across the pond. Indeed, this is where many visitors take a break to enjoy the breathtaking view.

Shibuya, Harajuku, olympic park and Shibuya Koen

2009-06-06T03:26:00.000-07:00

What to see

Shibuya

Known as the town for young people, Shibuya is a powerful source of fashion and culture where many department stores, specialty stores, and restaurants are located.

Also found here are the Scramble Crossing often shown on TV and the Hachiko Statue, a popular meeting spot. The well-known area featuring 109 and Center-Gai is always crowded with people. Many trends indeed have been born from this town such as "Ganguro" and "Yamanba" (faces tanned at tanning salons, or one of the "gyaru (girl)" fashions of applying dark foundation with heavy makeup).

In addition to the many fashion buildings, there are also a number of cultural facilities such as movie theaters and the Bunkamura. Furthermore, a number of classy restaurants has been opened on Koen Street and Spain-zaka. Shibuya certainly is turning into a town enjoyable for both young people and adults.

Harajuku/Omotesando/Aoyama

Harajuku, Omotesando, and Aoyama are areas where the latest fashion and arts gather. Stores offering street fashion items for young people can be found in Harajuku while stylish cafes are located in Omotesando. In Aoyama, there are many luxury brand stores and museums.

The Takeshita Street east of JR Harajuku Station is a busy spot with many youth-oriented stores mainly for teenagers to those in their early 20s. At the same time however, its western part that holds Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine is filled with a tranquil atmosphere with many trees. Omotesando and Aoyama both are completely stylish towns and the Omotesando Hills is gathering lots of attention as the new feature of Omotesando. Although Meiji Shrine's Gaien (outer precinct/garden) famous for its zelkova trees is a quiet and tranquil place, the area suddenly turns busy with many people when sport events are held at the National Stadium and Jingu Baseball Stadium.

our trip around was a very long day we set out in the morning to do it all 3 ku's in a day alot to see and a very tired day as the day before was all walking too. Around Akihabara. We walked from shibuya to Harajuku and then to Yoyogi Park and Shibuya goen. alot to see on the way we came accross the 1966 olympic park. It was a very nice day

The Strange Side of Japan, Cosplay, Maids, Akihabara

2009-06-06T03:00:00.001-07:00

We all went to Akihabara, Akihabara is well known on a worldwide level as an electronics town where a great number of electronics retail stores and those selling a variety of electronic parts can be found.

Meanwhile, it is also a city of subcultures where people obsessed with Anime (Japanese animation) and PCs gather while maid cafes are born. Indeed, Akihabara is an area with a variety of unique cultures. Many diehard fans of various categories visit this attractive city which has begun revealing its feature as a sightseeing spot as well.

What to do while you are in Aki, Well first we will start with the Maid Cafes.

Maid Cafe

In Akihabara, there are many cafes where waitresses dressed as French maids serve their customers. Maid cafes and Cosplay (costume play) cafes are coffeehouses that have begun appearing as Akihabara transformed from an electronics town to a "city of Otaku (people with obsessive interests, particularly in Anime and Manga)." Those working at such venues (mostly females) dress as characters from Anime/games or French maids, or wear various types of uniforms and serve their customers by calling them, "Goshujin-sama (master)." Additionally, game events and photo shoots are conducted while in some cases, customers can even get autographs from the waitresses. Indeed, such services that go beyond the scope of a dining establishment are offered.

Although Akihabara is known as an electronics town, its unique culture as a mecca for Otaku also has been deeply rooted and stores such as those mentioned above are being opened one after another.

2nd the high tech shops

Akihabara Electrical Town

Walking out of Akihabara Station's Denkigai Exit, you will see Japan's largest electronics town with over 500 stores spreading before your eyes. The Akihabara Electrical Town is famous as a place where anything that has to do with electronics from home electric appliances to

electronic parts can be purchased at low prices. Duty-free shops are also found here and this area is often included in the sightseeing tours for overseas visitors. In recent years, many of the so-called "Otaku," or people obsessed with Anime (Japanese animation)

and/or games have begun coming to this area. As a result, the number of stores specializing in plastic models and figures

is on the increase.

Because Akihabara is often featured by the media, it has received a lot of publicity on a worldwide level. Called "Akiba" for short, it has become a popular sightseeing spot f

or foreign tourists as well.

Dave, Ken and claire arrive in Japan

2009-06-06T02:34:00.001-07:00

Dave at the shrine near my house for children that have died.

Coming to Japan, the flight from the UK takes anywhere from 11 hrs and 30mins to 13hrs.

They came direct by Virgin they said it was nice and they all got a good meal. Getting from the airport to Tokyo or Yokohama.

I would recommed the bus there is no changing trains and it takes you all the way to the nearst station to your home. unless you are staying in Ueno, tokyo station, Shinjuku or Yokohama station then I would not take the train.

I told them to get the bus to Center Minimi this is very close to my house and the bus goes all the way there from stop number 9. they found there way to my house by about 1:30pm and we had a little rest before going out for dinner. I told them not to sleep as it will hinder there trip I find the best way to get over jet lag is to stay up and go to bed at the nearest time to your bed time in your own country.

We went to gratzi Garden its quite a nice chain itallian I know why did we go there they are in Japan eat sushi or some thing Japanese. Well Ken is a little fussy and even there he did not eat much lol.

on the way back from the resturant we came accross a temple and stopped there it was for kids that had died a little sad but a nice temple and shrine.

Well Blog a few weeks to catchup on where shall one start

2009-06-06T02:06:00.000-07:00

Oh Last time I wrote my brother and Sister came to visit, Also a mate called Jay.

Jay came a few days before my family, I met Jay on his first day and we had a few crafty beers in Zest, This is one cool bar in Roppongi its very hard to find as its not on the main street but a happy hour that lasts from 11:30 till 7pm is nothing to be laughted at its a must for a couple of brits. At 200 yen for a beer you cant go wrong. esp when the avg beer in Roppongi is 1200 yen lol.
the next day I met Jay at my work, the building is just above Roppongi-I-chome station and is a must see if you are on a budget as you can get about the same veiw as the Tokyo Tower for free. :) Dont say I told you to go up the building if Security stop you lol.

Jay with Baby Ted in Yokohama

Jay went off on an nice trip, He spent 1 week doing Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Nigata. before meeting up with all of us again in Tokyo.

Jay's recomendations of what to see in the south of Japan.

Jay go the Train from Tokyo down Nigata first he just went there to meed a friend not really that much to see, he took the train from there to Kyoto, Jay was not as impressed with Kyoto as he knows like me that its all a reconstion, however, he did like Gion and the Golden temple they are worth seeing.

his next step Nara, This is worth the travel so many nice temples and the park on a nice day its worth taking the whole day to gaze around and see the city a lot to do. From feeding the deers to picnics in the park or even just playing in the arcade and taking a trip round the local shops.

Down to Hiroshima, A nice city full of Army at night though so not nice to go out, but well worth seeing the peace museum. A little sickening in some places but you get to know when the Americans dropped the bombs on negisaki and Hiroshima. It was because the water was so deep in those parts so if the bombs missed they would have dropped in the water and they would have been hard to recover and reverse engineer. If you believe that you will believe anything. lol.

Back to Tokyo, if your a tourist and doing this trip then I would recomend a Japan rail pass as a return trip to Nara to Tokyo will cost the same.

Friends and Family coming to Japan

2009-05-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

My Brother and Sister and a few other friends are coming to Japan tomorrow. So I have be planning a trip for them and will give me a little excuse to write a little plan to tour Japan or atlest as much as you can in a week.

Tomorrow they arrive so they will be tired however, I will take them to Yokohama once they have had dropped there bags around my house no uses wasting time with you are only around for a week.

We will go and see Chu ku gai or ChinaTown.
and go grap something to eat taking pics and maybe a trip up to motomachi and the old embassy's.

An early night and off to mount fuji the next day, you can get the bus there from shibuya station for around 1500 to 2000 yen and takes 1hr and 30mins this is far the best way to get to Fuji, The train is more expensive and takes longer.

I think we will spend the whole day there taking pictures and having a walk up it and to rest the legs get in an onsen(Spa).

Tuesday go and see Harajuku, Shinjuku and Tokyo, This is easy to do you can get on the Yamanote like this is the circle line that goes around all of the main parts of Tky get off go see a palace and get back on and see the next.
Harajuku is famous for gothlo or gothic lalitas these girls like to dress like dolls. You also see alot of cosplay in this trendy part of town.

Alot of western food here if you want to eat that. Pizza Express is very good.

Disney is a must wednesday will be Disney day. It looks and feels the Same as the one is the US, but the Japanese love to dressup and take part. Lots of costume caldded girls esp if you go on Halloween.

Thursday will be a rest day and maybe go to other parts of yokohama maybe the noodle museum and the football ground.

Friday we will take a day trip to Kyoto, get up around 4:30am get the first train down to kyoto about 2 and a half hours later were in Kyoto take the train to Nara and see todaiji temple this is famous for the budduh, next we will get the train back to kyoto and see the golden temple and toji and then go to see the Geisha in Gion. Before having a spot of dinner and then the train back to TKY.

Saturday shopping and suday they fly home rest for ted before going back to work. lol

Back from Goldenweek and back to work in Roppongi

2009-05-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Japan and Working, it really sucks sometimes to work in Japan, Japan seems to do everything to keep the normal man down. For example, its really humid now and the summer or rainny season is almost here. However, the train company refuse to turn on the aircon as its not summer. Japan has really strange rules. Another one the outside swimming pools are not open as its not summer never mind it was 33c the other day. In my native England it can be 20c out side and everyone will be flocking to the beach or the outside pools in Tooting and Brixton.

I have to travel about 1hr to work everyday in extream heat I almost passed out the other day as the train fans or aircon was not on. Its funny Japan is the only country where you go to a hotel and it says keep the aircon at 27c in the summer. My god I sweat.

Well enough of my ranting about the bad things in Japan. On a good note my brother will come over from England in 2 weeks time so more planning and travel I can write about.

I think this time he comes over We will do the districts of Tokyo that we did not get to see. I will also take him to see Mount Fuji and Maybe we will take a trip to Osaka, Nara and Kyoto. I will put some information up on what to do in these places nearer the time also on how to get there.

にほんブログ村

Travel in Akita a number of times.

2009-05-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

Getting to Akita:
Akita is quite a ride from Tokyo and the best way to get there is either via a plane from Hanada Airport takes around 1hr or via the Shinkansen which takes around 4 hrs you can get this from either Tokyo station or Ueno station. Cost around 26,000 yen the same for the flight.
If you have time then for around 10,000 yen you can get a week rail pass this is a nice way to see the country, However, you can only use Local trains so the fastest train you can use is the limited express.

Things to do in Akita:

Yoshinobu Satake`s Castle
Oga
Libabry
Alive Building
Senshu Koen
chokaisan

Food to try
Rice Akita is very famous for rice
kiritanmpo

My Travels:
While I was travelling in Akita over golden week and a few other times of coming to Akita, I went with my wife and kids to the park, we also took a trip to Oga, Oga is very famous for the namaagaie a monster pictured above This monster comes out at night if the children don't sleep and kidnaps them or something its old Japanese folk law and every town has something smilier. I wrote about this monster earlier in my blogs.

I would spend a few days in Akita city before going to see some of the other attractions of Akita, there are a number of sites to see here in the town, Senshu Koen, is one of them and you can see some of this in the pictures in this blog. Senshu Koen is also famous has it has one of the famous budduh`s there are a number of these spread out around Japan and the most famous is in Nara in Todaiji temple.

There are some off the famous Akita festival this happens in the summer and in the festival they carry lanterns with one arm this depicts the rice. The park we went to also houses one of the most famous buddhus in Japan there are a number of these budduhs the most famous being in Todaiji temple Nara Japan.

Times to come to Akita, Akita is very cold in the winter so I would probably avoid this time unless you love skiing. There are a few mountain areas and they are also famous for some of the best onsen`s in Japan(spa pools) One of the spa`s we like to go to is called the boon its more of a kids swimming pool with a outside onsen in the mountains just out side of the city. They have a free bus that comes to pick you up in the town which is really good.

I would go to Akita around May to Aug, Aug is a very nice time to come as they have a festival for the rice, its really nice to see the men are trained to carry lanterns with one hand not sure how they do it these things are about 40kgs.

The alive building the new home of NHK Akita, This is a very nice building it has a science museum in it and also has a really nice view of Akita from the 14th floor. I would recommend a trip up there and the restaurant is nice all you can eat buffett for about 980 yen you can`t go wrong.

Yoshinobu`s castle is a must see I dont have any pictures at this time but I will put some up later.

It is very famous and he was a famous daimo(lord

of the Edo period.

The Dutch came to Akita during this period and there is a form of art called Akita Ranga this is a must see.

Getting to Oga, The best way is to get the train from Akita Station, Oga has a number of nice places to see

and you must try the ice cream from the oba chans the old women in Japan. Its about 200 yen but well worth

it its more like homemade ice cream. Very nice.

Oba also has a very nice hill or mount that you can go up this has very nice views of the Akita Prefecture.

There is also a museum to the travel of the north pole this was quite cool I have been there before in my blog there are a number of pictures of the times I have been to Akita. I have added some pictures of earlier visits

to Akita, It has a few nice things for the kids and you can take a simulation trip in a ice car and also see some of the ships and things they used in there explorations of the north pole. There are also a number of Arctic stamps from different countries.

chokaisan or Akita Fuji is the tallest mount in Akita, and I think in northern Japan, This is a very nice trip around some of Akita`s famous countryside, I would really recommend it, you can get either the bus or the train there I would recommend a guided trip. They have a cable car for the lazy to get up the mountain and you can walk down.

Food

Everywhere in Japan says I have the best this and the best that. Akita is very famous for rice and a stew called kiritanmpo. Akita is so famous for rice that the shinkansen to Akita is called Komachi which means rice.

Girls

Akita is also famous for its beautiful girls called akita bidjin or beauty`s they are a must see I would recommed Akita girls :)

We did nothing today a little lazy

2009-05-03T02:56:00.000-07:00

We did however, go for a drive around Akita, It looked real nice we also went to see my other halfs auntie and uncle. I took a few videos of Kai and Eita and the family, I will share with you.

Tomorrow I will defiently go on a trip and take some pictures we will have a little guided tour of Akita for the folk that would like a little guide from a Gaijin living here.

first day in Akita:

2009-05-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

Akita Japan, I came down today a few days after my wife the reason for this I could not take holiday. Today for me is the first day of golden week. I will enjoy this break.My day started with waking up at 4am, I had to catch the plane at 7:45 and thought there will be allot of people leaving Tokyo today. I could have got the Shinkansen but Akita is about 5hrs plus from where we live in Yokohama.

Well Akita looked fantastic when I flow in it still had snow on the mountains, I thought here we go northen Japan its going to be freezing but it was very nice today. My son Kai was there to great me off the plane how I missed his cheeky smile.

We did not do too much today after we got back and dropped my bags off we went for a trip to yaki ni ku, This is Japanese BBQ. I love the stuff. However, it was few hot to be eating BBQ inside with no Aircon on. After that we took Kai to the park, It was very funny I had so many people looking at me. I guess there are not many of us gaijins in Akita, I am a novelty lol.

It was too funny taking Kai on the slide he loves it and laughs we also took him in the sand pit where I am now still digging the sand out of my pants.

Well blog more tomorrow We will do some travel tomorrow maybe to Akita Fuji, I will write more then and add some pictures.

nite.

Looking forwad to my golden week :)

2009-04-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

Its been really strange latley with out my Kaito here, I guess its been good in some ways as I have finally be able to work on my sites and my blogs. I have a site about my name its called http://www.jagosofcornwall.com/ this site is very important to me and I spend every bit of time I can doing it. However, I relise with my work and my hobbie's this site sybase-help.blogspot.com sql2005ted.blogspot.com I have kind of neglited my kids. What a bad dad one might say :( feel sad that this has been the case. I have always thought of myself as a good father, so that is why I am looking forward to seeing my Kai again i miss him too much. It's wired last year we did not do anything for boys day as Kai was too small and this year I wanted to do something and Kai is away and Ted is too small :(. I guess there will be next year if we are still in Japan.

Thats another story for later.

Well lets get back to golden week. What will one do. Well my wife Hiroko and I and Little Ted will go to Akita my wife is from there and that is where Kai is now. So we will go and pick him up and give us a well deserved break.

Akita one might ask what the hell is there to do in Akita. Well my wife once told me Akita means boring. :) but not really Akita is a nice place and it has a lot of history, Akita Ranga for one. Yoshinobu satake's castle. Akita Fuji and Namahage. A strange moster that take's your kids if they dont sleep at night or something like that.

"Namahage is a Japanese ritual which is observed throughout Oga Peninsula, Akita Prefecture in northern Honshū, Japan. It is said[citation needed] to have originated as a ritual for cleansing people's souls, and for blessing the new year. It is a kind of toshigami.
On New Year's Eve, a group of young men dressed up as fierce demons or bogeymen, Namahage, visit each house in the village, shouting: "any misbehaving kids live here?" They then scare children in the houses, telling them not to be lazy or cry, though little children often do burst into tears. Then the parents will assure the Namahage that there is no bad child in their house, and give food or traditional Japanese alcoholic beverages to the demons.
An obvious purpose of the festival is to encourage young children to obey their parents and to behave, important qualities in Japan's heavily structured society.
Similar traditions in other regions are called:
Amamehagi in Hokuriku.
Amaburakosagi in Shikoku.
Suneka, Anmo, Nagomi or Nagomihakuri in northern Iwate prefecture. "

From Wikipedia Namahagewa Kawaii ne hehe not scary. :)

We whats more I am relishing the time off work I have not had a break now for around a year. Last time I had a holiday was last year back to the UK for 1 week for my brothers wedding This being I come from a country where anything less than 3 weeks holiday is a joke. You need that time to enjoy yourself.

I am really going to love May. :) More for later Sayonara.

にほんブログ村

I've not wrote on here for a while now

2009-04-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

A while back I added some videos of me in a tv show, I was offered to do this again but I have been very busy, I was a little nervious on that show and its was funny when the guy said he liked me. I went as red as my shirt. We whats new in this gaijins life.

Well my son Kai has been at his grand mum and dads house in Akita he has been there now for a few weeks Its kind of sad him being away, So I am really looking forward to him being back, a while back we went to the park and seeing his cute face and laughing on the slide makes me want to take him there everyweekend once his back.

Ted my other little boy is very noisy latley I guess his teething he is very funny now though when we pick him up and play walky round the garden he laughs too much.
I am sure when we go to Akita next week he will be spoilt so much.

My wife and I had a very relaxing weekend this week and had a little home from home.
My wife made nice roast dinner, roast potatos, Beef All that was missing were the Yorkshire puds, :( maybe next time.

Top picture is a new one of kai and the one on the right is Eita(Ted)

にほんブログ村

Ted on TV, With Kawaii Japanese girl hehe

2009-04-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

The Video above shows me on TV I was a judge in a show that was meant to sell Japanese game show concepts to the world there were judges from all over the world. The host I belive was half French and the Half French Half British guy was in love with her.

Below and to the right shows me a little embarised as the Japanese guy either said he loves me or likes me in a strong way. Being on TV in Japan is very cool. This Gaijin cannot speak much Japanese other than Gaijin smash when I walk out of the train station without paying my fair. :) That was a joke. :) My wife would kill me.

This was the second time I was on TV in Japan the first I was on a show about JK rowling the creator of Harry Potter. I played a few Charaters one a japanese publisher, how the hell did a blonde haired blue eyed chap from the UK get away with that one might ask. Well to answer the bastards cut my head off lol. I was so bigging myself up to my family and in-laws haha only to find they had cut my head off. :(

Lets hope the next time on TV will be good and I can be one of the few famous Gaijins. :)

にほんブログ村

にほんブログ村

2009-04-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

Japan Information and History

Japan, a country of islands, extends along the Pacific coast of Asia. The main island is Honshu, and the country has three other large islands—Hokkaido to the north and Shikoku and Kyushu to the south. More than 4,000 smaller islands surround the four largest. A modern transportation system connects the main islands, including the Seikan Tunnel linking Honshu to Hokkaido—the world's longest railroad tunnel at 54 kilometers (33 miles). Japan's high-speed trains (known as shinkansen, or bullet trains) connect major urban areas.

About 73 percent of Japan is mountainous, and all its major cities, except the ancient capital of Kyoto, cling to narrow coastal plains. Only an estimated 18 percent of Japan's territory is suitable for settlement—so Japan's cities are large and densely populated. Tokyo, the capital, is the planet's largest urbanized area at 36 million. However, Tokyo has a worrisome environmental history of destructive earthquakes and tsunamis (seismic sea waves). A major earthquake in 1923 killed an estimated 143,000 people.

One of the most traditional and isolated societies on Earth when Commodore Matthew C. Perry sailed an American fleet into Tokyo Bay in 1853, Japan is democratic and outward-looking today. Among the top three exporters of manufactured goods, the nation has the second largest economy after that of the U.S.

Aggressive expansion across the Pacific led to war with the U.S. in 1941. Defeat ended Japan's dream of ruling Asia, and the U.S. occupation imposed a parliamentary constitution, free labor unions, and stringent land reform. Despite a lack of raw materials, the economy was revived with the help of U.S. grants, high rates of labor productivity, personal savings, and capital investment.

Emperor Hirohito's death in 1989 marked the start of an era in which Japan faces the challenges of an aging population, rising inequality of wealth, the changing role of women in society, and growing concern about security and the environment. However, Japan痴 economy has been experiencing continued growth after the financial crisis of the 1990s. A global powerhouse, Japan takes its place as the world痴 second largest economy.

Relations with North Korea are tense because of that country's nuclear weapons program and its abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. Japan's ties with Russia are hampered because of some small islands east of Hokkaido known as the Northern Territories—the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunishiri, and Etorofu (called Iturup by Russia). Japan still claims these Russian-held islands that were taken at the end of World War II.

ECONOMY

Industry: motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals.
Agriculture: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork; fish.
Exports: motor vehicles, semiconductors, office machinery, chemicals.

kai walking finally

2009-04-04T05:43:00.000-07:00

I thought i would share these videos with you all Kai my son finally walking after all this time.

What a special moment he is very happy too.

Location Yokohama, Japan

What was the appeal of kabuki? Argue your answer with reference to visual culture.

2009-03-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Traditional belief is that kabuki was founded in 1603 by the Shinto priestess Okuni. Her troupe, composed mainly of women, performed provocative dance and comic sketches on a temporary stage by Kyoto’s River Kamogawa. The word is usually written with three middle Chinese characters – ka (songs), bu (dance) and ki (skills/arts) (Matsuda 1998), however the Japanese verb kabuki is associated with acting dissolutely. During the Edo period (1603 to 1868) it established itself as a popular type of theatre aimed at lower social classes.

Kabuki’s early history is mainly associated with prostitution with performances which enacted scenes showing revelry in brothels and how prostitutes snared their clients. This period in Kabuki’s history is called onna kabuki (women’s kabuki), homosexual male prostitutes were part of these performances and in the topsy-turvy world of kabuki the women dressed as men and the men dress as women. The popularity of kabuki during this early period is recorded by Shively (1955, p 328) who quotes from a 17th century book: “Although there are many different things which are popular in Edo now, there is nothing to compare with the kabuki women of Yoshiwara-cho”. The onna kabuki phenomenon is also captured in a Kyoto guidebook from 1658 where it is said that the kabuki woman “captivated hearts by appealing to their six senses. Men threw away their wealth, some forgot their fathers and mothers, others did no care if they mothers of their children were jealous.” (Shively 1955, p329). The influence of kabuki was not confined to the lower classes, court ladies were influenced by their style.

Governmental fear of social disorder and the worry that the Samurai were being reduced to a sloth like class resulted in women kabuki performers being banned in 1628, however it appears the ban had little effect for it was reissued in 1630, 1640, 1645 and 1646. The imprisoning of a theatre manager in 1647 resulted in an almost total ban for the next 250 years (Shively 1955, p330).

From 1612 another branch of kabuki was evolving, wakashu kabuki (youth’s kabuki) but as with womens’ kabuki it was a front for male prostitution. The bakufu employed various tactics to curtail the popularity of these troupes. This included banning female impersonators, closing kabuki theatres and an outright ban on youth kabuki, which was eventually lifted with the devising of an agreement which saw kabuki evolve into yaro kabuki (Fellow’s kabuki). The bakufu changed tactics by devising restrictions designed to impair the attractiveness of the actors. One tactic was the have those acting female roles had to shave off their forelocks. In a society obsessed with hairstyles the immediate effect was to make the actors seem less attractive, however, in the long term this change had little effect. On their part the actors resorted to using cloth covers, caps, pieces of silk and later on copper cones covered with hair – a form of wig. Edicts governing the performance of kabuki and conduct of the actors in Edo were often extended to include Osaka and Kyoto, however, implementation was often at a much later date.

Shively (1955, p336) notes that it was not until the end of the seventeenth century that art triumphed over sex in kabuki.

Kabuki was not the only style of theatre in Edo. It existed alongside No and Kyogen theatre styles, which were aimed at the higher social classes. No theatre enjoyed government sponsorship (Groemer 1998, p117), had a longer history and was a more codified school of theatre. However, Kabuki would often draw on No and Kyogen themes and stories. It also explored Buddhist concepts of nemesis as well as Confucian traditions of duty and obligation (Matsuda 1998). Kabuki contrasted with the formal style of No theatre by being flamboyant with extravagant make-up and costumes along with an exaggerated acting style which resulted in a spectacular visual feast. However, because it was theatre for the common man many sumptuary laws were introduced to stop kabuki using expensive costumes, the fear being that the upper class samurai may become envious of the common merchant classes whose wealth was increasing (Shively 1955, p345).

New techniques in weaving and dyeing had stimulated a passionate interest in fine clothes and the flamboyant nature of kabuki costume influenced dress styles. In No theatre costumes with lavish silks and brocade were an essential part of the drama, they exuded luxury and elegance, but No theatre was not easily accessible to the lower classes. The laws did not only govern Kabuki performances and kabuki actors on stage, there were restrictions governing day to day living which included dress and restrictions of movement. In 1636 one theatre manager and an actor were jailed for using costumes that were deemed to extravagant. However, as with many laws governing kabuki, the kabuki theatres continually push the boundaries resulting in these laws being restated in 1649, 1650, 1655, 1662 etc. By 1668 concessions were made in the third month of that year:
“1. The shows in Sakai-cho and Kobiki-cho must not be extravagant. In general the actors may wear cloths of silk, pongee, and cotton, and on the stage, they may wear costumes of hirashima, habutae, silk and pongee. Goods dyed to order, purple linings, red linings, purple caps, and embroidered articles are prohibited.” (Shively 1955, p345)

The infusion of Kabuki with No themes and stories probably contributed to official tolerance of the art form, for although No had blatant ideological messages, these were more subtly portrayed in Kabuki. Towards the end of the Edo period a hybrid theatre style called Teriha Kyogen developed which was a combination of Kabuki and No (Groemer 1998, p 130). The Bakufu also tolerated kabuki because, like prostitution, it was a necessary evil that ensured people were not diverted towards more mischievous ends.

Kabuki provided an outlet which enabled criticism of the feudal system. Techniques like mitate enabled current events to be dramatized using past events and changing character names. For example, Kanadehon Chushingura, a play about revenge and loyalty set in fourteenth century Kamakura, takes its theme from the vendetta carried out by the 47 ronin in 1703 (Matsuda 1998). It became common knowledge to theatre patrons that characters called Hojo Tokimasa, who lived from 1138 to 1215, was being used to represent Tokugawa Ieyasu, (1542 to 1616) and that Kamakura was used instead of Edo (Shiveley 1955, p352). Such subversion, though tolerated, was subject to regulation, censorship and licensing for fear of social upheaval. Kabuki theatres were confined to the pleasure areas of Kyoto, Osaka and Edo (Tokyo). There were style differences in each of the three cities. Gerstle (1998, p35) quotes the author of the 1801 book Sakusha Shijo Kezairoku (Treasury of rules for playwrights) who describes Kyoto kabuki as a ‘beautiful woman’, Osaka kabuki as a ‘dandy’ and Edo kabuki as ‘samurai. The distinctly Edo aragoto style probably developed because it was under the closer scrutiny of the bakufu and samurai. Gerstle (1989, p36) goes as far as to say that “the essence of aragoto is defiance toward the samurai.” This tension comes across in floating world art, particularly in the Torii masters work which is discussed later in this essay.

There are other areas of Edo culture where it could be argued kabuki exercised influence. Government painting was divided into two schools, Kano and Tosa. Tosa was responsible for paintings with literary or emotional themes for the shunjo’s court. Kano painters painted in the form of narratives or of auspicious flora and fauna. Kano painters did not sell their work or accept commissions, they were under a hereditary obligation to a daimyo or to the shogunate and received a fixed income. They were deemed to be eshi or ‘samurai in painting’ (Screech 2000, p129). A full Kano training was 21 years and mainly consisted of the replication of existing works. However, deviations from the norm did occur an example being Kano Sosen Kagenobu’s painting of a young woman, probably a prostitute, laid reclined and playing with a ball. Many artists also left the school probably finding the restrictions of painting ‘real painting’ too much.

The Takegawa branch of the Kano school was taken over by the ambitious Eisen-in who developed a close and powerful relationship with Ieharu, the result of this was that the school was re-established in the Kobikicho and area renowned for its kabuki theatres. This was an unusual location to establish a Kano school because the ideologies of each art are incompatible. Kano is concerned with themes of kingship and the samurai, whereas kabuki was for the pleasure of the commoners. The evidence suggests that the school was unable to re-enforce traditional Kano forms. Artist left the school and the desires and political agenda of artists started to permeate works.

Chobusai Eishi, a pupil of the school, established a close relationship with Ieharu via Eisen-in. Chobuai Eishi abandoned the Kano style to produce Ukiyo-E, pictures of the Floating World, a world associated with kabuki and which the author Asai Ryoi defined in his 1661 novel ‘Tales of the Floating World’ (Ukiyo-monogatari) as: "Living only for the moment, savoring the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms and the maple leaves, singing songs, loving sake, women and poetry, letting oneself drift, buoyant and carefree, like a gourd carried along with the river current.", this utopian definition, however, masks the social strains between commoner and higher classes, a chink was appearing which was “steeping the shogunal space in low-life revelry and eroticism” (Screech 2000, p 138).

"The Courtesan Nakagawa
of the Matsubaya Teahouse", 1796
by Chobunsai Eishi

Kabuki also gave birth to its own school of art pioneered by the Torii Masters. Torii Shobei Kiyonobu (1664-1729) moved from Osaka to Edo with his actor father. He assumed the name Kiyonobu and by 1700 at around age 36 he appears to have achieved status as an artist (Link 1977, p8)

He adopted two styles, his main style of composition was quiet and decorated, probably drawn from his experiences in Kamigata. Below is the
onnagata in the play Kanto Koroku. In the role of Tsuyu no Mae, the actor is performing a lunatic dance before the Tadasu Shrine. Fluid contours and rounded forms portray elegance. It seems almost perverse, and an example of womens’ oppression, that the onnagata influenced hair fashion, kimono design, style of walking and
defined femininity.

This style was not only confined to kabuki works but could also be seen in his courtesans works. Adjacent
is a black and white sheet of a Courtesan painting a screen whilst watched by her lover, produced around 1711. The work is cleanly produced but the full bodied figures give the work a sedate elegance. His other style was reserved for the depiction of swashbuckling Edo actors and was more energetic. Below is an example of this style.

This work entitled Yamanaka Heikuro and Ichikawa Danjuro II illustrates his energetic style. Light ochre is used to colour the figure, particularly the belly. The effect is to accentuate it, making the character appear enraged and literally fit to burst.

Such was the success of Kiyonobu’s work that it was often pirated and his works could also be found as

votive offerings in Shinto shrines (Link 1977, p9).

The actors performing these roles were held in an almost god-like esteem. Prints of actors often performing a role they were famous for, ensured their names and image were spread beyond Edo into rural areas. They were used to promote kimono patterns, hair styles, even candy. In many respects this give legitimacy to Gerstle’s (1989, pXII) comment “that most art was a commodity produced for a price”. However, in some respects Gerstle’s comment is too general and cynical for as he comments later in his book:
“The contemporary Danjuro’s view (and sources support it) is that ‘Danjuro’ was considered a deity for the Edo chonin (townsman, a god whose fierce look – like that of the guardian god Fudo Myoo at a temple, could exorcise evil and cure sickness. Danjuro was super-hero above the samurai, even above the Shogun himself.” (Gerstle 1989, p36-37)

This raises the interesting prospect that art featuring kabuki actors being religious iconography or even a talisman.

The torii artists held the monopoly in the production of playbills, programs and billboards which were a lucrative business, however, others imitated their style an example being the mysterious Kiyomasu who worked around the same time as Kiyonobu, but cannot be identified. There is speculation
that he may have come from a different branch of the Torii family. This work shows Ichikawa Danjûrô in the role of Soga "Takenuki" Gorô, from the play "Tsuwamono Gongen Soga", which was performed at the Nakamuraza in 1697. These two artist were to significantly influence the style of those who followed them.

The introduction of commercial printing transformed seventeenth century Edo, for the first time ordinary people had affordable access to culture which previously had only been available to the upper classes.

This essay has given a potted history of kabuki to illustrate its foundations and attempted to illustrate that despite government legislation it was a very adaptive artform. In its early days it was almost a front for prostitution before becoming a challenging and dynamic artform. In some respects kabuki could be considered the catalyst for many artistic and social changes, for example the oppression of women and influences in fashion. But it could also be argued that other areas of artistic endeavor, for example some Kano painters, were also rebelling against samurai tradition and constraint. Despite constant regulation, government attempts to curb Kabuki failed. The popularity of the art among common and upper classes inevitably led to concessions which by the nineteenth century meant that kabuki now had the elaborate theatre and staging as well as luxurious wigs and costumes. Even women from the Shoguns castle were being openly sent to the kabuki theatres to learn kabuki dances.

Bibliography

Gerstle C. (1989). 18th Century Japan, Culture and Society. Curzon. Richmond.

Groemer G. (1998). No at the Crossroads: Commoner Performance during the Edo Period. Asian Theatre Journal, Vol. 15, No. 1. (Spring, 1998), pp. 117-141.

Groemer G. (1998). Elite Culture for Common Audiences: Machiiri Nō and Kanjin Nō in the City of Edo. Asian Theatre Journal, Vol. 15, No. 2. (Autumn, 1998), pp. 230-252.

Link H. (1977). The Theatrical Prints of the Torii Masters. Riccar Art Museum. Honolulu.

Matsuda R (1998). An Introduction to Kabuki. http://www.indiana.edu/~japan/kabuki-pfv.html

Shively D. (1955).Bakufu Versus Kabuki. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 18, No. 3/4. (Dec., 1955), pp. 326-356.

Screech T. (2000). The Shogun’s Painted Culture. Reaktion Books. London

More on the parks in Yokohama

2009-03-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

I took Kai and Eita with my Wife to a park the otherday here is a little video of kai on the slide with my wife he loves the slide too much.

It was nice and warm again

japanese ghost stories

2009-03-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

Bancho Sarayashiki (The Story of Okiku)
Okiku works as a maid at the home of the samurai Tessan Aoyama. One day while cleaning a collection of ten precious ceramic plates--a family treasure--she accidentally breaks one of them. The outraged Aoyama kills her and throws the corpse into an old well. Every night afterwards, Okiku's ghost rises from the well, counts slowly to nine and then breaks into heartrending sobs, over and over and over again, tormenting the samurai. Finally, vengeance is wrought when Aoyama goes insane. (In an alternate version, Aoyama wishes Okiku to become his mistress, and falsely accuses her of breaking a plate so that he can offer forgiveness in exchange for her love. When she refuses, he kills her.)

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, The Ghost of Okiku(The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO

Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan (The Ghost Story of Tokaido Yotsuya)
The masterless samurai Iyemon has fallen upon hard times. It is a constant struggle to support his beautiful but ailing wife Oiwa and their newborn child, and he grows increasingly resentful of her. He finally succumbs to temptation when the granddaughter of a well-to-do neighbor falls in love with him. Encouraged by the grandfather, who wants Iyemon as a son-in-law, he poisons Oiwa with a supposedly "medicinal" drink. She becomes horribly disfigured from the poison and dies a brutal death.
To justify his murder of Oiwa, Iyemon fabricates the story that she was having an affair with his servant, Kobotoke Kohei. He then murders Kohei, nails the two bodies to opposing sides of a door, and throws the door into a river.
Now Iyemon is free to enjoy his wedding rites.

Shunkosai Hokuei, The Latern Ghost of Oiwa(Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Gift of H. Lee Turner)
Flush with joy, he lifts his bride's veil to kiss her--but alas, he is confronted by the terrifying visage of Oiwa instead. In a panic he cuts off her head, only to find that he has really just killed his new wife. He rushes off in horror to confess to the grandfather, but his path is blocked by the appearance of Kohei's ghost. Again he slashes off its head, this time to find that he has killed the grandfather.
Wherever Iyemon goes, he encounters the grisly spirits of those he has murdered. One day he goes fishing to seek solace, only to reel in the door with the corpses of Oiwa and Kohei attached. Terrified, he escapes to a mountain cottage, where he is continually tormented by frightening images, such as that of Oiwa's face emerging from a lantern that swings over his head. Finally Iyemon is put out of his misery when Oiwa's brother arrives at the cottage to take vengeance for his sister's death.

Parks in Yokohama

2009-03-02T06:21:00.000-08:00

I took Kai to the park the other day it was 23c that is very warm for this time of year considering this week it is meant to snow.
the park is called kishine koen it is about 20 mins from my house by car. it has a duck pond and sand pit and other things for kids to do and an adventure playground.

This was me being stupid as Kojima

2009-01-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kO7B4Hc6Sko

a guide to travel in Japan

2009-01-23T19:46:00.001-08:00

OK now you know some Japanese and a little bit of a background to the history.

I guess I should suggest a few things to do and planing a trip to Japan.

OK so you have planned your trip or decided to come to Japan, you maybe asking yourself when is the best time to come to Japan.
Well let me give you some pointers about nice times in Japan and small things about Japan.

I am going to start with getting money

The Yen is the currency of Japan. Japan has 4 types of bill. these are (10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, 2000, yen this is very hard to find so if you do you might want to keep it, and a 1,000 yen. there are also coins these come in 500 yen, yen, 50 yen, 10 yen 5 yen and last but not least 1 yen.)

I would recommend bringing currency with you as its quite hard to find a ATM that will take a foreigner ATM card, However, I would recommend if you are in big cities using a credit card to pay for things such as hotels and restaurant bills but remember to always carry cash as some places do not take cards. Japan is very much a cash society.

There are a few places where you can change money the best place is the Airport most of you will come in from Narita International airport so if you did not change money before hand this is a good time.

Other than that if you are in Tokyo then you can try Roppongi hills, Akihabra just outside of Yodabashi Camera there is a travelex however the rates are very bad there. Some post offices but they mainly will only change US$

http://www.theblackship.com/forum/bl...tms-japan.html
go to
www.xe.com for uptodate exchange rates.

deciding when to come to Japan, Japan is nice as it really does have 4 seasons.

these seasons are
Spring months are March, April, and May. Summer months are June, July, and August. Autumn months are September, October, and November. Winter months are December, January, and February. Summer is hot and humid in general. During the winter, it snows a lot on the Sea of Japan side, and it is dry on the Pacific Ocean side.

I would recommend coming to Japan around March to May its not cold or too hot
Also there are many festivals from the Japanese Plum Festival to the Sakura bloom and festivals
click here to find out more about festivals in Japan Coming soon.
there is a very popular holiday called golden week so its very busy so maybe you might want to avoid this too if you don't like crowds.

Summer

The summers are really hot and humid in Japan and it rains allot the rainy season in Japan starts from the Begining of jun and lasts until the end of July.
I would avoid this season however, this might be a nice time to visit northern japan, Hokkaido has no rainy season.

Autumn
September to November

This maybe another good time I would say just as good as Spring, this is the festival time of year its again not too hot but not cold so a must.
Click here for a list of festivals coming soon

Winter
December to February

Winter in Japan is very cold However Tokyo is not too bad this is a good time to go to the northern parts of Japan like Akita, Iwate, Hokkaido. Skiing or Snowboarding.
Click here for some skiing info and also on xmas and new years in Japan.
I will just say a few words about Xmas and new years in Japan
Christmas is celebrated on the 24th the day before than in the west Xmas cake is made of cream and has strawberries on the top, Japanese have Chicken instead of Turkey and allot of people go to KFC for Xmas dinner.

New years
This holiday is more like Xmas in the west and starts from the 28th of December to the 29th of Jan and is very busy, however, most tend to go back to work of the 5th of Jan. The Japanese tend to have parties in the house on New years eve and eat a special type of noodle at midnight they also have a special new years cake made of sticky rice, there are always about 8 to 10 people die from eating this a year. They also go to the shrine and watch the first sun rise of the year this is very important.

I would avoid this time of year.

Getting to Japan

from the USA
www.jalpak.com/

From the UK
www.Japancentre.com

short guides click here

Basic Japaese

2009-01-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a guide to basic Japanese, Everyday things you might want to know to get by on your visit to Japan.

Yes = Hai
No = iie
OK = Oke
goodbye = sayonara

Hello = Konnichiwa
Oh the ohone = moshi moshi
good morning = ohayo gozaimasu
good evening = Komban wa

Please = onegai shimasu
yes please = hai onegaishimasu
thank you arigato
thank you very much = honto ni arigato gozamau
no thank you = ie kek-ko desu

do you speak english = eigo o hanasemasuka
i dont speak japanese = nihongo wa hanasemasen

desu pronounced des same as masu

Gaijin Card

2008-12-29T15:58:00.000-08:00

Tokyo Living Guide

Immigration and Registration Procedures
All foreigners living in Japan are obliged to register as foreign residents when they enter Japan. All foreign employees should complete their Foreign Resident Registration at their local ward or municipal office, at the Foreign Resident Registration Desk, and receive a registration card.

Foreign Resident Registration Procedures

In applying for initial registration:

When to Apply Application Period Required Items Notes
When entering Japan Within 90 days of entering Japan 1. Passport
2. Two photographs (taken within the past 6 months), 4.5cmx3.5cm, showing full frontal view of the face without a hat.
3. Business card from Company A signature is required. When you apply, you will be informed a time period when the card will be issued, and must pick up the card within this period.
When a child is born in Japan Within 60 days after birth Birth certificate.
Locations of Local/Municipal Offices (Kuyakusho/Shiyakusho):

A few pointers to help you get on in Japan

2008-12-29T15:49:00.000-08:00

Getting Settled

A few pointers that may help in choosing a new home in Japan:

Set a budget
Before looking for a new home, consider how much you are willing to spend for your monthly rent. Housing in Japan, particularly in Tokyo, is very expensive.
Decide on a location
It is important to consider a location that is convenient for your needs, business, environment, transportation, shopping, schools, and recreation. Tokyo is an expansive metropolis, so the proximity to work will be an important factor. Mass transportation is excellent and driving your own car could take as much as twice the time.
Before you settle on a residence
Inspect the premises and common areas
Discuss the term and rental with your agent

Real Estate Agents (Fudousan Chukai Gyosha 不動産仲介業者)
Real estate offices tend to be located near train stations. They are easily spotted with property advertisements pasted on the windows.

Check for Qualified Agents
Real estate agents must be legally licensed by the municipality governor or Minister of Construction, and are required to display their license to show that they are legally certified and how long they have been in the business.
Their license number looks like 「xxx“s’mŽ–(7)‘æxxx号」and the greater the number, the more years of business the agent has been certified
Pointers for checking property
It is important to ask the real estate agent questions until you are totally satisfied with his/her answers. One way to know determine if the realtor is trustworthy or not is to check the property personally and compare your findings with the realtor's explanations.
When Signing a Contract
Make sure that you understand the all of the contents of the rental contract, as some properties may have very demanding conditions.
Normally the rent period is for two years.
At the end of each month, rent for the next month has to be paid.
In addition to monthly rent payments, some properties may require a maintenance fee every month.
Make sure you know the length of period for your contract. In renewing your contract, an increase in rent and renewal fee payment (equivalent to one month's rent specified in the new contract) is required.
If you plan to move to another residence after your contract expires, then it is generally accepted that you notify your real estate agent (or landlord) one or two month(s) in advance before the expiration of the contract.

Money Needed when Signing a Contract
When you rent residential property, the sum of about four to six monthsErent will be necessary at the beginning.

Reikin 礼金(Key Money)

This is non-refundable (about 1-2 monthsErent) paid to the landlord. It is sometimes called kenrikin 権利金(concession money)

Shikikin 敷金(Deposit)

As a security for rent payment, this money is refundable (about 1-2 monthsErent) and paid to the landlord. It will be returned when you move out. However, any unpaid rent and/or repair costs will be deducted from your deposit.

Chukai Ryokin 仲介料金(Agency Fees)

This is paid to the real estate agency for handling. The amount is specified by law as one month's worth of rent or less.

Utilities
Before moving in or moving out to your new residence, you must notify the electric, gas, and telephone company in order to activate the utilities of your residence.

Electricity

After Moving In
Before Moving Out

To use the electricity at your new home, lift the ampere and short circuit breakers. Complete the application postcard for use of electricity and mail the completed postcard to the electric company.
As soon as you decide to move, call the number of the Tokyo Electric Company written on your receipts. Give your address, name, moving date, and other necessary information. On the day of your move, press the ampere breaker down before you leave.

If you use too much electricity, the ampere circuit breaker will automatically shut down and you will not be able to use electricity. When this happens, reduce the number of electrical appliances in use and lift the ampere breaker again.
Gas

After Moving In
Before Moving Out

Contact the local gas office and have the main valve opened Contact the local gas office up to two or three days before your move. Contact the gas company of your new address to notify them of your moving date.

Water

After Moving In
Before Moving Out

Contact Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Waterworks Service Station or the Waterworks Section of the city or municipal office of your new address, or fill out the application form for use of water services and mail the completed form. Failure to notify the water bureau of water usage at your new address will cause billing problems Contact Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Waterworks Service Station or the Waterworks Section/Division of your local city or municipal office, up to three or four days before moving out.
Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Waterworks (03) 5320-6326
Telephone

After Moving In Before Moving Out

You should decide on where you would like to have your telephone connected in advance. You must be present in order to have the line put in. When your moving date is decided, call NTT East (dial 116) to make a reservation to disconnect the phone line.

Cable TV
For information about cable TV services, you can contact
SKY Perfect TV! (http://www.skyperfectv.co.jp/en/)

Internet Access
Cable modem services in Minato-ku (http://www.rosenet.ne.jp/e/index.html)
For ADSL/ISDN services.

Paying Utility Bills

Statement Eyou will receive electric, gas, and telephone (domestic) bills once a month, and waterworks/sewerage bills once every two months.
Payment EBills can be paid at banks, credit associations, post offices or at the business office of the utility company. You can also pay your utility bills at some convenience stores.
If you are late in payment Ea 3% late fee is added to your bill, except for waterworks/sewerage. In the case of your phone bill, contact NTT.
Automatic payment EInstead stepping out to pay your bills each time, there is a more convenient way of paying your bills in which you apply for automatic payment at the bank or post office where you have an account, and have the fees automatically deducted from your account. Every month, you will receive a receipt and notice that gives the amount to be deducted for the next payment and the next payment date.
Address changes should be notified for the following:

Foreign National Registration/VISA Report to the Municipal Office in your new area within 14 days of moving. Post Office To forward mail for one year, fill in the necessary information in the Change of Address forms available at the post office near you.
Bank/Driver's License Notify the change to your bank accounts/ driver's license office
Health Insurance/Transportation Pass
　
Insurance for house & furniture:
You are recommended to buy insurance policy to cover the following damages. Real Estate Agents help you to buy the insurance policy.

A guide to ATMS in Japan

2008-12-29T15:45:00.000-08:00

All you need to know about ATM`S in Japan:

Many of Japans ATM`s do not except overseas credit or debit cards
However, there are exceptions you will find you can use the post office ATMs there are around 20,000 Post office ATMs. That work from around 9:00am till 6:00pm. You will also be able to use some of the ATMs at the 7/11 stores around the country. Tokyo and other big cities you will find Citi-Banks you can use the ATM`S in these banks too.these ATM`s let you uses Credit and debit cards and they including Visa, Plus, MasterCard, Maestro, Cirrus, American Express and JCB cards and provide an English user menu.

A History of Japan

2008-12-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

Early Japan

The Origins of Japan's earliest inhabitants is obscure. there was certainly emigration that occurred via the land bridges that once connected Japan with Siberia and Korea. but it is also thought that seafaring migrants from Polynesia may have landed on Kyushu and Okinawa. it is likely that the Japanese people are a result of immigration from Siberia in the north and china and Korea in the west. and perhaps the Polynesian stock from the south.

the first signs of civilization in Japan were from around 10,000 years ago when the so called jomon period began. there has been discovery of pottery fragments with rope marks. the people at this time lived as hunters and food-gatherers they all so were fishers.

the person was gradually superseded by the Yayoi era, which dates from around 300bc and is named after the site near Tokyo were pottery fragments were found. the yayoi people are considered to have had a strong connection with Korea and their most important developments were the wet cultivation of rice and the use of bronze and iron tools.

Edo Period (1603 - 1867):

basic information Tokugawa Ieyasu was the most powerful man in Japan after Hideyoshi had died in 1598. Against his promises he did not respect Hideyoshi's successor Hideyori because he wanted to become the absolute ruler of Japan. H.I.S. Experience Japan Tours Who Wants to Be a Samurai? Attend a lecture about the Japanese warrior code and ninja and use real weapons. In the battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Ieyasu defeated the Hideyori loyalists and other Western rivals. Hence, he achieved almost unlimited power and wealth. In 1603, Ieyasu was appointed Shogun by the emperor and established his government in Edo (Tokyo). The Tokugawa shoguns continued to rule Japan for a remarkable 250 years. Ieyasu brought the whole country under tight control. He cleverly redistributed the gained land among the daimyo: more loyal vassals (the ones who supported him already before Sekigahara) received strategically more important domains accordingly. Every daimyo was also required to spend every second year in Edo. This meant a huge financial burden for the daimyo and moderated his power at home. Ieyasu continued to promote foreign trade. He established relations with the English and the Dutch. On the other hand, he enforced the suppression and persecution of Christianity from 1614 on. After the destruction of the Toyotomi clan in 1615 when Ieyasu captured Osaka Castle, he and his successors had practically no rivals anymore, and peace prevailed .

The Showa Era 1926-89
The Showa Era began when Emperor Hirohito ascended to the throne in 1926. he travelled extensively around Europe especially Britain an mixed with the European elite and monarchs. he enjoyed the British way of life however, during the 1930s the world fell in to a depression and the rise of nationalism came about. Popular unrest saw the rise of political assassinations and plots to over throw the government. this led to a rise in the popularity of the militarist when approved the invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and the installation of there puppet regime controlled by the Japanese. in 1933 the Japanese withdrew under pressure from the league of nations and in 1937 entered in to a full scale attack on china. as the leader of the new order for Asia. japans signed a tripartite pact with German and Italy and in 1940. the Japanese leaders saw their main opponents to the order for Asia the so called greater east Asia co prosperity sphere in the USA.
This led to the start of WWII and the attack on the USA at pearl harbor in December 1941.
When diplomatic attempts to gain US neutrality failed.
Japan was at first gaining allot of ground in the war in Asia pushing the battle almost to Australia and also to India. however, this led the USA to make an attack at the battle of midway and this opened the us counter attack. puncturing the Japanese naval superiority and turning the tide of the war against Japan. by 1945 exhausted by submarine blockades and aerial bombing , Japan had been driven back on all fronts. in august of the same year the declaration of war by the soviet union and the atomic bomb dropped by the USA on Hiroshima and Nagasaki proved to be the final straw. emperor Hirohito announced unconditional surrender.

Post-war 1945 to 2008
At the end of the war the Japanese Economy was in ruins. Japan was under control from the allied forces who were run by General Douglas Macarthur the allied forces begin by rebuilding Japan by changing the way the country was run. trying war criminals and also starting by the emperor who resigned his divine right to rule this shocked many as it got rid of all of his power and he became a mere figure head. However, it was not until 1952 that occupation was ended and Okinawa was not handed back to Japan until the 1970s. nevertheless, Okinawa is still used as a large US military base today. However a program of loans and restricted imports and encouraged capital investment and personal savings began. by the late 1950s trade flourished and the manufacture of labour-intensified goods such as cameras the Japanese economic miracle spread into virtually every sector of economic activity however, economic recession surfaced in the 1970s and then again in the 1980s leaving many out of work. this was mainly due to the rising costs of imported oil. moreover, despite these setbacks Japan became of the worlds largest exports of goods.
Japan has generated a massive surplus in trade exports and is one of the worlds largest exporters of computers, robotics, technology, Cars and banking.

A guide to obtaining the right visa in Japan

2008-12-29T00:40:00.000-08:00

Well I am not really an expert on this so its a good idea to check out your local Japanese embassy or consulate.
Click here for your countries embassy

Europe
http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/over/europe.html

NORTH AMERICA
http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/over/north_a.html

Below is the link to the Japanese embassy in the UK.
http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/visa/visa-main.html

From my experience it was never that hard to get a visa however, with the change in the global economy I think things are getting harder.

There are a number of visa that allow you to work in Japan
here are a list.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/03.html#categories

Spouse i.e your married to a Japanese man or woman.
a spouse visa is the best to get as there are no restrictions on what you can do.

Work visa this is restricted to what you came to do so if you come in as an English teacher and you leave that job you will have to apply for a change of status you may or may not get it.

Working Holiday visa this is open to only a select few countries and enables you to work and stay for up to 12 months in Japan. The UK is one of the countries that is allowed to apply for this type of visa. It is open to anyone from the ages of 18 to 30.
http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/visa/work_hol.html

In order to get your visa you will also need to fill out a Certificate of eligibility.

This form basically proves you have fulfilled all the requirements to be issued the visa for the industry you wish to work in or you have the right documentation to go a head and get a spouse visa. Once you have this document and everything is in order you will be able to obtain your visa. please click the link below to find out what you need.
http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/visa/visa-certif.html

if you have any other questions about visas please visit

www.theblackship.com/forums

A Guide to working in Japan

2008-12-28T23:58:00.000-08:00

This guide is from my own experience for looking for work in Japan and also helping a friend of mine find a job.

Japan is a very expensive country so make sure you have enough money to at least last you 3 to 6 months. Depending on the type of work you a willing to take depends on the time of year you should come to Japan.

Click here for a budget

If you would like to be an English teacher in a school or an ALT then you need to find out the times in the year when the schools finish and start and start applying for work about 3 months before they start and finish. I.E Term times are normally that of the American school calender from the beginning in late August and concluding in mid June for international schools and for Japanese schools the terms start on April 1 st to mid-July. here are some job websites you may be interested in.

The reason I have talked about becoming an English teacher is that it is far the easiest way to get in to Japan.

JobCube/
GaijinPot

Click here for more information on visas

A guide to Kabuki

2008-12-28T23:46:00.000-08:00

Going to see Kabuki is a must if you ever visit Japan.

You may wonder why I am starting my blog and starting with Kabuki, Well I wanted to be different that's all. Most people go on about Japan and its stats first. I just wanted to do something more cultural.

If you love Japanese culture then I feel Kabuki is a must see, I was reading recently that in Tokyo you can go and see a part of a Kabuki play for as little as 1000 yen about 5 pounds or 8$.

As you may well know Kabuki is a traditional Japanese theater it means sing dance and skill. however, it is said that the Kanji has changed over the years and the old Kanji meant Sing, Dance and Prostitution. As Kabuki started around 1603 and was played but Women.

Kabuki started in the river beds in Tokyo or Edo at that time. The reason for this was that the river beds were not owned by anyone and as such had very little laws. Okuni, maybe a miko was said to be one of the main founders of Kabuki. When she started Dancing and Singing.

However, around 1629 Kabuki had got such a bad reputation, that the government bad women from acting and all the rolls were played by men.

To get an in dept view of Kabuki please read my essay http://www.theblackship.com/forum/ge...erry-jago.html

Going to see Kabuki in the modern day

http://hisexperience.jp/index.php?op...view&Itemid=24

This site can hook you up with some fantastic shows but if you want to go by yourself its more fun feel free to contact me if you would like more details about Kabuki.Here is a nice theater in Ginza.

http://www.shochiku.co.jp/play/kabukiza/theater/ticket-ordering.html