Over A Hedge

eReading Murakami

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:32:00 +0000

I finally bought an eReader a couple weeks ago, fulfilling the first of three New Year's resolutions. After spending some time with it, I can say it was the right move. Based on my experience, eReaders complement traditional books without threatening to make the former obsolete (just less widely used).

eReader Advantages	Book Advantages
Small form factor	No batteries required
Adjustable text size, font, and spacing	Paper colour offers better background contrast
Easier to sneak in a quick read	Easier to navigate
Displays pdfs	Authors can sign copies
On-demand book buying	Look good on a shelf

As a parent with two attention seeking boys and a full time job, finding time to read has just been a tremendous challenge. To wit, last Thanksgiving I flew up to visit my parents on my own. On the return flight, I began Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes. Between the flight and the train ride home, I enjoyed 200 hundred pages.

Didn’t touch the book again for nearly three months.

After buying the Kobo, I bought Haruki Murakami’s Sputnik Sweetheart and polished the book off in a week. Even if it was unable to crack my personal Top 5 list of Murakami novels, it was still an engaging read. Carrying that little eReader around in my pocket, I was able to read chapters while making pancakes and waiting for my son to get ready for bed. Before I knew it, I was on the last chapter and keeping the TV shut off so that I could finish it. Having regained some reading momentum, I have returned to The Book of Negroes, but even then, can only find time to read after the kids are in bed. The portability and compactness of the eReader really make that much of a difference.

As for the Kobo itself, I have been more impressed with it in daily usage than I was in the store. The screen refresh between page turns is closer to seamless than I thought possible. Having read up on it, I can only assume that the delayed refreshes in the store were due to low battery power or a change in the page refresh settings. While some reviewers have been unimpressed with the quilted back of the Kobo, I see it as more than a fashion statement. It makes it easier to find a grip on the reader, and I suspect that the series of diagonal lines would accommodate a variety of hand sizes.

Although I’m glad I have it, I don’t regret not buying one sooner. For me, it was worth the wait for touch screen technology and E Ink Pearl. With the prices of eReaders hovering around $100 and the widespread implementation of the colour E Ink Triton on the horizon, the adoption of eReaders is likely to continue at exponential rates.

Be it Resolved, 2012 Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:37:00 +0000

I’m a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions, even though I rarely announce them publicly. By the end of December, 9 times out of 10 I have fulfilled them even when I wasn’t consciously thinking about the goals. In 2011, I resolved to get in better shape and ended up working out consistently 3-4 times a week with plenty of visits to the pool thrown in as a bonus. Since 2012’s resolutions are more blog/website related and susceptible to procrastination, I’m going to announce them here in the hope that the fear of public embarrassment serves as a motivator. Advice and recommendations are welcome, too.

With Apple phasing out MobileMe and iWeb, I need to transfer my website to a new host and select a new site creation tool to bring its look into the twenty-first century. Now that the blog has a clean, new look, the website suffers in comparison. Ideally, I’d get back to Kyoto this year to update my photos of Shisendo and shoot new video, but unless I win a free trip to Japan that likely won’t happen.
Buy an e-reader. Sounds simple, I know, but the array of imperfect choices on the market have me suffering from paralysis by analysis. Nearly every review site ranks the Kindle #1, but I’m a little wary of committing to their proprietary format when the Nook and Kobo both support the epub format. Haven’t handled a Nook since the summer, but I like the feel of the Kobo, even if its page refresh looked a little choppy during the store demo. Then there’s the whole e-ink versus colour issue that I hope I can save $100 avoiding. Right, and can any of them display Japanese novels?
Why am I spilling so much virtual ink and angst on a choice of e-reader? Because whichever one I settle on will determine the format I select when I publish The Samurai Poet as an e-book. Of course I could release it on more than one platform, but unless I can preview the text on a reader first, I’m reluctant to go that route for quality control reasons.

Having written this down, I realize one thing. I need to make some decisions and live with them knowing that there is no perfect option. Better to keep the website on-line and get the book published than do nothing at all. 2012 is the year.

2012

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:50:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

あけましておめでとう！

All the best in 2012 from Over a Hedge.

Reflections on a Belated Apology

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:00:00 +0000

When I heard the news at the beginning of the month that the Japanese government had apologized to Canadian soldiers for their mistreatment after the fall of Hong Kong in 1941, I immediately thought of my Uncle Reg.

As a young boy with an interest in war history, it was not long before I started asking my parents if any of our family members had served in the First or Second World Wars. Both of my grandfathers had been excused for understandable reasons (one was needed on the farm, the other had a medical condition), but they each had brothers who served. While all the brothers served in Europe, my maternal grandfather's close friend and brother-in-law had the misfortune to be in Hong Kong in 1941.

As was typical of my grandfathers' generation, all of my great uncles were reluctant to speak of their war experiences and stoic when asked about the suffering they endured. When I asked my mother about Uncle Reg, she recalled a family gathering when he had spoken about his experiences leading up to the fall of Hong Kong, but refused to elaborate about anything that happened after that point. The more I researched the experience of POWs in Japanese camps and learned about the privations they endured, the more I realized that it would be wrong to ask Uncle Reg to revisit these experiences.

Recently, I learned that Uncle Reg had a confidante with whom he could share his war experiences, Reverend Ken Moffat, the man who presided over his marriage ceremony and delivered the eulogy at his funeral. Rev. Moffat's eulogy was reprinted in the local newspaper, providing a fuller picture of his life. In it, I learned that he had enlisted underage at 17. Then after a tour of duty guarding German prisoners in Jamaica, he was sent to Hong Kong, only to be taken prisoner less than three weeks after arriving. In the end, he spent 3 years and 8 months as a POW in Hong Kong and Japan.

The last time I saw Uncle Reg before he died was at my parents' 40th anniversary celebration in 2010. Although age and illness were robbing him of the impressive strength I always remembered him for, he still carried himself with a quiet dignity as he received well wishers. In my faulty memory, I pictured him wearing a dark blazer decorated with medals, only to review video of the event to discover he sported a plaid shirt and red suspenders that day.

I cannot say if he would have accepted the apology had he lived to hear it. According to one editorial I read, some of the survivors have, some have not. Either way, it would have been his prerogative. Speaking as a distant relative, I can say that the apology does mean something to me, since every official apology contains not only an acknowledgement of the wrong, but an implied promise that similar behaviour will never be sanctioned again. Knowing that Uncle Reg and his fellow soldiers have finally been acknowledged helps me come to terms with the self doubt I have experienced at times when I weigh my regard for Japan beside my sense of family history in Canada.

Although this gesture is an important one, there are still more to make. The Japanese government has yet to resolve other longstanding issues from the war, such as compensation for the Korean "comfort" women. Hopefully, they will take measures while there are still survivors left to acknowledge the attempt at reconciliation.

Further Reading

Apology ends era of pain : The Winnipeg Free Press
We're sorry, Japanese government tells Canadian POWs : The Globe and Mail
Canadian PoW unimpressed by Japanese apology : The Province
Uncle Reg's Obituary: The Chronicle-Journal

Fall for Tatami Curling

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:30:00 +0000

What's not to like about an Otoshi Daruma? This toy features a hammer and a tower just begging to be knocked over. Once the pieces fall down, you can use them for a new game (more on that later). Otoshi means “fall” and Daruma is a reference to the Bodhidharma--the Father of Zen Buddhism, so the name speaks for itself (bonus fact, Yuki Daruma is the equivalent of “snowman” in Japanese). It is composed of five coloured pieces with a heavier Daruma head on top. The goal is to knock all the coloured pieces out without making the tower fall over. The trick with this game is to start at the bottom so the weight keeps the remaining pieces stable as one is removed.

I’m not very good at keeping the tower perfectly straight, but I can still manage to knock one block out at a time until only the Daruma’s head is sitting on the ground. I found that it’s possible to cheat a bit by sweeping the hammer through the block rather than tapping it, but it really takes the fun out of the game. If you watch the videos, you'll notice that I cheated most of the way through because I was trying to finish the demonstration in a hurry.

Variation: Tatami Curling. Although others have probably done this before me, I’ll take credit for inventing Tatami Curling about ten years ago when I received an Otoshi Daruma as a Christmas present (no references to it on Google when I searched today, so I'll claim the patent!). Soon after receiving it, I discovered that if I slid the circular pieces on our tatami mat with a bit of spin they reacted like shuffleboard pieces. I christened the game Tatami Curling to honour its Japanese and Canadian origins and persuaded my wife to play with me that day. Sure, we tired of the game after a week or so, but if others carry on the tradition we started, perhaps we will be inspired to try it again ourselves.

A parting tip: If you go shopping for an Otoshi Daruma of your own, go for a version where each disc is fully painted to reduce friction. Of the two toys shown in the video, the smaller one works much better because of its paint job.

Ninja vs Ninja: Game Review

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:26:00 +0000

I’m a fan of Japanese themed board games (surprise!) and can rarely resist the siren call of a new offering. Review sites abound that cover every game I own in great detail, from Reiner Knizia’s Samurai to Dylan Kirk's Genji, so I've never felt compelled to blog about a game until now. I bought a fun family game this summer called Ninja versus Ninja that is worth a look if you are shopping for a short, easy to play game.

The game features a board with parquet floors (instead of tatami mats) representing each dojo and a tile roof marking the neutral territory between them. Based on the familiar game dynamics of Capture the Flag, it is easy to learn yet fun to play because of the variety of strategies a player can select. Best of all, the rules can be simplified for game play with children if you just race to see who can get their ninja to the other side of the board fastest.

All of the game pieces are well designed and show attention to detail. The playing pieces are made of durable rubberized plastic and feature comic-looking ninja along with two stereotypical wizened masters. The four-sided number cubes are inventive as well. Rather than using a pyramid die familiar to role playing gamers, Out of the Box invented their own rectangular prism impaled by a sword that can double as a spinner. The die's colours mimic a culturally appropriate red and black lacquer--a nice finishing touch.

I also appreciate that the rules are available in a variety of languages. If you happen to be in a bicultural marriage, this feature can be a boon so that one partner can’t accuse the other of having an advantage because they understand the rules better. Whether you read English, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish, you can find the rules at OTB's website.

Recently, the game has been gaining wider distribution outside of hobby stores to mall shops like Calendar Club. If you can find a copy, it would make a good Christmas present for that special someone in your life who appreciates a tongue in cheek ninja adventure.

How Many Ways Can You Catch a Ball?

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:08:00 +0000

The Kendama is just as famous among Japanese learners for the trouble it can get you in if you slightly mispronounce it (something to do with male anatomy), as it is for the seemingly impossible task of catching the ball on the spike. The way I was taught to play, there are five progressively difficult ways to catch the ball. If you really want to master the kendama though, try the British Kendama Association website to see what you're in for.

Beginner: Catch the ball in the large scoop.
Intermediate: Catch the ball in the small scoop.
Intermediate: Catch the ball in the scoop at the bottom of the handle.
Advanced: Catch the ball on the neck. (With some kendama, like the one in the video, the neck:ball ratio is too small for this trick.)
Expert: Catch the ball on the spike.

The first four are relatively easy, since they require little more than practice and the ability to dip your hand slightly as a shock absorber as the ball hits the target. The last challenge is well nigh impossible unless you know the trick.

SPOILER ALERT: I am about to reveal the trick that will make your path to kendama mastery much easier. If you prefer to solve the problem for yourself, stop reading now. Don't watch the video. It's not too late!

And the trick is . . . First off, to those of you who figured it out for yourself and are only now returning just to make sure our answers match, congratulations. To my more impatient readers seeking the shortcut on the path to enlightenment, you will find no judgement here. Some good soul taught me the trick after watching me struggle with it for a while.

Sorry about that digression. The trick is simple. Spin the ball. Spinning the ball creates enough force to keep the hole at the bottom while you toss the ball into the air, giving you a much better chance of catching it on the spike. There’s no guarantee you’ll catch it every time, but you’ll get it soon enough to impress anyone watching.

Random Kendama Fact: The character Yatterman uses a kendama as his main weapon in the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom video game.

Japanese Customer Service in the U.S.A.

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:43:00 +0000

It’s not every day that I recommend a business on the pages of Over A Hedge. In fact, this is my first time. Since I’m as quick as the next person to complain about bad customer service though, it only seems right to recognize impressive customer service.

Last June, I was looking for a special gift for my wife on our tenth anniversary. At a loss for ideas, I looked up the traditional gift ideas and discovered that aluminum was associated with a decade of marriage. At first, such a pedestrian material did not seem to offer many possibilities. An expensive saucepan would have been a welcome gift, but it didn’t quite represent the celebration of love for which I was aiming. What could I say, "It's hot, like you!"? An iPad seemed like a clever take on the aluminum theme, but again, the obsolescence cycle of electronic gadgetry didn’t succeed as an enduring symbol of love.

A bit of brainstorming led me to consider a bird bath (love birds?). While scanning aluminum models I happened upon a rather ugly example that was supported by two cranes. Cranes. Images of lifetime pair bonds, longevity, and Japan began to do an awkward, yet graceful dance in my head. A bit more searching later and I found the perfect gift--aluminum crane garden ornaments.

I searched every garden centre in my area to no avail. Not a single Canadian retailer offered them on-line either, so I took a chance on Japanese Style. Sure they offered one of the lowest prices, but as a Minnesota-based husband and wife owned business, they also seemed like my safest option.

The cranes arrived in good time, but when we opened them up, we discovered a flaw on one of them. There was a crease in the metal that exposed the fiberglass mould underneath. We were crestfallen. Had it not been an anniversary present, we probably would have just shrugged our shoulders and stuck them in the backyard, flaw pointed to the fence. Before long, I had snapped a couple pictures and sent an e-mail off to Japanese Style asking what our options were.

Our customer service rep, Monica, went right to work. She contacted the supplier and arranged to have a replacement shipped to us free of charge. Not only that, but she maintained e-mail contact with us along the way to provide status updates. It was that rarest thing one encounters nowadays, perfect customer service (manufacturer SPI Home deserves a nod here too).

We haven’t had the need to buy anything from Japanese Style since then, but if you're looking for Japanese products and don’t have a shop in your area, I heartily recommend them. If you live in the United States, you won’t even have to worry about duties or international shipping rates like I do.

At the risk of sounding like a total shill (honestly, I’m not on commission here!) they are offering 20% off of everything this (U.S.) Thanksgiving weekend if you use the code Thanksgiving2011. If you’re coming across this post after Thanksgiving and before December 31, 2011, I have a 10% coupon code that I can offer to the first person who e-mails me. Oh, and did I mention that they’ll give you a gift card on your birthday if you register an account with them? Hard to resist a place working this hard for your business.

http://www.japanesestyle.com/

2X Top 10 Reasons to Follow Me on Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:19:00 +0000

I have to admit that when I signed up for a Twitter account a couple years ago, it was simply to get my name. I had no idea what to do with it, so for the longest time it was just there to announce blog posts. Since then, I've come to appreciate Twitter's unique ability to let someone share a link or an impression. Now that I have a new blog look with no "Follow Me on Twitter" button, I'm going to stoop to asking for your attention.

So here it is, not one, but two Top Ten reasons to follow me on Twitter:

I fire off the occasional zinger. To wit,

#Facebook pulls plug on ‘threatening’ testicular cancer ad -healthzone.ca/health/yourhea… Guess they'd rather you die of cancer than risk offence.
Son of N. Korea leader raps succession plan - MDNhttp://bit.ly/cTMmys - Tokugawa Tadanaga didn't like his family's succession plans either. [Admittedly obscure, but if you knew who Tokugawa Tadanaga was, boy, would you be laughing right now!]
In response to a friend's tweet that his 3 year old had just used the word 'deconstruction': "Are you reading her Derrida at bedtime?"
Hey, there's a guy sitting behind home plate at the Blue Jays game wearing a classic Lotte uniform! And it's not me. #chibalotte
Weeds are growing like the Dallas Mavericks in my backyard. They beat the heat. #pileon
Are the Seattle Mariners on a losing streak or is it simply a market correction? #mlb
Saw the commit2befit SUV speeding down Adelaide this AM and nearly hit a couple on a tandem bike. #irony
@BlueJays - Brad Mills is singing for the Jr. Jays today? That sounds like a changeup. #funnytypo
Saw a Snooki Polizzi novel at the bookshop on the same day my novel received its last rejection letter. Why do I feel like I'm being mocked?
RT @TopsyRT: AppleInsider | Japanese sumo wrestlers find iPad best for large fingers http://bit.ly/aULkpz - makes online gambling easier too [this was in the middle of a big gambling scandal in the sumo world]

Once in a great while, I even share a pseudo-profundity: "Why is experience the best teacher? It's impossible to write down everything you know, and even if you did, no one would read it all anyway."
I rarely tweet, so I won't pollute your feed.
Sure I get political from time to time, but not often enough to turn your stomach if you disagree with me. "Rich seeing #Rangers fans cheer W's 1st pitch after his group took Arlington taxpayers for $130+ million. See Baseball Prospectus 08."
If you follow me, I might follow you back. Please note I do tend to avoid a) compulsive tweeters, b) mundane tweeters "I just stepped out of the shower!", and c) business promoters. [That said, if I don't follow you back, it doesn't necessarily mean I put you in one of those 3 categories.]
I can use Twitter as well as the next person to complain: "What's the point of putting giant LCD TVs in hotel rooms without HD cable feeds?"
I share crazy driving stories (after I get home): "At red light today, guy 20ft behind me texting & wearing earbuds. To my left, there's a woman eating chicken out of a dish with her fork!"
I tweet about stuff you won't see on TV when at live events: "BDO Canadian Open - Friday's Funniest Moment: Jeff Stoughton mocking a talkative Kevin Martin behind his back."
I will be grateful.
You might never miss an OAH blog post again!

If you're still reading now, I must have convinced you. Now you can follow me @travisbelrose

OAH Tries a New Look

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:53:00 +0000

I'm trying out a new look for Over A Hedge this month with Blogger's Dynamic Views. The best part is if you don't like the Timeslide view I've chosen, you can choose from six other views in the header.

Advantages:

I can customize the theme instead of relying on someone else's design.
New readers might be more inclined to explore and read more than one post.
It offers a cleaner, more contemporary look.

Disadvantages:

Once more bloggers start adopting Dynamic Views, it might not stand out as much.
For the time being at least, I've lost the ability to add some of the gadgets I had on the sidebar.
Some readers might be frustrated by the non-linear nature of the new layout when checking out a series of related blog posts.

For now, it seems the advantages outweigh the disadvantages: 1) If anything, wider adoption of Dynamic Views will make readers more comfortable navigating blogs using this format. 2) I'm sure I'll figure out how to restore my gadgets soon enough. 3) My web stats suggest that few readers sift through older posts to find similar ones to the one they just read--if anything, the non-linear layout will encourage discovery.

So should I revert to the old one in the picture or keep this one? Let me know what you think.

A Dead Ringer for Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:24:00 +0000

OK, so Japanese Ring Toss looks pretty much like Everywhere Else in the World Ring Toss. But check out those rings in the video. They’re made of some kind of woven grass with a colourful wooden bead on each. I think I’ve even seen a major league pitcher wearing one that he had mistaken for a titanium necklace. Then there’s the painted wooden post--it looks so old fashioned and traditional that I just had to include this toy in the series.

Tap Your Way to Sumo Greatness

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:44:00 +0000

For all my talk of the skills Japanese toys impart, I can’t resist starting with one that doesn’t require much effort at all, just because it provides so much accessible fun--Dan Dan Sumo だんだん相撲. The “dan dan” in Dan Dan Sumo is onomatopoeia for the tapping sound the levers make as combatants seek to knock over their opponent’s wooden avatar before their own takes a tumble. The only real trick to the game is to keep your own taps subtle as the over enthusiastic tend to knock down their own piece after the game has barely started. There are other variations of the sumo toy theme than the one shown in the video below. Since this is the only version I have, I can’t say which one is the best. Let me know if you find a good one.

Traditional Japanese Toys

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 01:12:00 +0000

One of the biggest and most delightful revelations I experienced during my time in Japan was seeing the interest Japanese children had in playing with traditional toys. Unlike schools in Canada where the fads usually revolve around the latest commercial product being offered in toy stores, the Japanese school I worked at was populated with children intent on mastering the same toys their grandparents played with. As charming as I found their interest in these time tested wooden toys, I was initially at a loss to understand why the children hadn’t become distracted by the latest plastic plaything or card trading game--after all, many of them were invented by Japanese toy companies.

It was only when I was invited to an in-class origami demonstration that I discovered a possible explanation. The children were divided into small groups. Seated at each group was a random pilot, flight attendant, or tourist that had been pulled in off the street to participate (their recruiting efforts that day had come up a bit short, so, as one of the resident Assistant Language Teachers, I was asked to sit in).

It did not take long for all the guests in the room to express their amazement at the precision with which the children folded the paper to make a variety of creations. While we were able to reproduce rough approximations of the cranes they were teaching us to fold, there was no doubt that their dexterity far exceeded our own. When I thought about some of the other traditional toys they played with, I realized almost all of them shared something with origami--they developed fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. No wonder they enjoyed the toys so much. Not only were they amusing, but they offered a manageable path to satisfaction that only the mastery of a skill can provide.

Over the next few weeks, I intend to introduce a selection of these toys that I have collected in my travels or received as gifts along the way. If you are looking to impress a 6-10 year old child who seems to have everything, one of these might be worth searching out.

This entry will be updated as the posts go live.

Tap Your Way to Sumo Greatness

A Dead Ringer for Fun

How Many Ways Can You Catch a Ball?

Fall for Tatami Curling

Over a Hedge Comes of Age

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:05:00 +0000

I made a small but important change to the blog yesterday when I bought the overahedge.ca domain name for it. When I first started the blog, I still harboured big dreams of becoming a somewhat known novelist, so it seemed like it was important to have my name in the blog's URL. Even when I started reading articles discounting blogs with the word blogspot in their URL, it didn't seem like a significant enough of an issue to attach a different domain name to it.

Over time, Over a Hedge has become more about Japan and less about my adventures in not getting published, and the name of the blog has become more prominent in readers' minds. For these reasons, it seemed like it was time to complete the branding experience and have the domain name match the blog's title.

When I first named the blog, it had nothing to do with riding the coattails of a similarly named children's movie, and everything to do with one of my favourite photos of Shisendo that you can see in the profile picture on the right of the page. Looking over the curve of the hedge yields an interesting perspective of Shisendo, with the roof seeming to be suspended in mid-air. As a Canadian-based blogger, writing about Japan from a physical distance and an increasingly longer temporal distance (it's been twelve years now since I last lived there, and five since I had a chance to visit), I feel like I am writing from the perspective of someone peering over a hedge who can only describe one part of the whole picture. By acknowledging this limitation in the name, hopefully it allows me to maintain credibility with my readers. I appreciate all your visits and hope you continue to follow me by updating your links to my new URL: www.overahedge.ca

Thanks again for reading.

50s Movie said Sayonara to at least one "ism"

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:21:00 +0000

I recently finished watching Sayonara, a 1957 romance starring Marlon Brando that took four of the ten Oscars for which it was nominated. I rented the movie after catching a few minutes on television, so I only had some idea of what to expect. Had I known that it was based on a James Michener novel, I might have been less surprised at the overall quality of the story, but given the era in which it was produced, I did start watching it with some trepidation.

The movie is not without its flaws, starting with the celebrated lead actor himself. At the beginning of the movie, Brando is at his method acting worst, struggling to emote about the horrors of war and slurring his southern drawl to the point of unintelligibility. While his dialogue becomes more clear over time, the lack of English subtitles on the DVD is missed. This quibble aside, Brando ably carries the movie, and the transformation of his character’s attitudes about Americans marrying Japanese is conveyed in a believable manner, not to mention the growth in his appreciation of Japanese culture.

Various aspects of Japanese culture receive generous amounts of screen time, but the novelty value of seeing bunraku, kabuki, and tea ceremony performances from the fifties is mitigated by how they bring the story to a standstill for a few minutes at a time. It's almost as if the Japanese Travel Bureau bankrolled the movie in exchange for a series of "product" placements.

My only other complaint is not having Ricardo Montalban playing a Japanese character, but the occasional scenes that are carried almost completely by dialogue when the plot could have been dramatized in other ways. For example, Brando’s love interest, Hana-ogi (Miiko Taka), goes from hating to loving American men in a single monologue that could have been better handled by showing Brando’s character winning her over during a date or something similar. Set the aforementioned complaints aside, and you end up with a movie well worth watching.

Although the typical staple of a Hollywood romance, the love triangle, can be found in Sayonara, here it serves as a convenient way to introduce enough characters to examine how lingering post-war hostility combined with racism threatened the marriages of American servicemen to Japanese women. The frankness in which the subject is handled may surprise some twenty-first century viewers who think of the fifties as a time strictly devoted to wholesome family entertainment, and it lends the movie enough gravitas to satisfy an audience in 2011.

As much credit as Sayonara deserves for its treatment of racism, it dates itself with its unabashed sexism. Joe Kelly’s (Red Buttons) marriage to Katsumi (Miyoshi Umeki) is portrayed in terms bordering on male fantasy. She happily scrubs his back while he bathes, feeds him, pours his sake, and considers the latest methods in plastic surgery all in an effort to please her man. To Kelly’s credit, he tells Katsumi not to get the surgery to make her eyes look more American, because he loves his "stupid dame" just the way she is. Of course, this profession of love comes after he emphatically repeats he will “kill her” if she ever thinks of going under the knife again.

So, the movie is by no means perfect, and in some aspects it hasn’t aged well. Yet as an artifact of Japanese-American relations in the late fifties it makes for a fascinating document. After watching it, seek out Yasujiro Ozu’s own 1957 offering, Tokyo Twilight, for a gritty, realistic portrait of a Japanese woman struggling against more challenges than any human should have to bear. Ozu’s movie will shatter any illusions of idealized Japanese femininity that Sayonara seeks to create and serve as a fitting companion piece.

9.11

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 10:29:00 +0000

Is it possible for a traditional form of Japanese music to respond to a recent tragedy like

September 11? I asked myself that question upon first encountering 9.11 by Kakushin Nishihara. Even knowing that 9.11 was a composition for the biwa--a lute that produces the muscular sounds of songs dedicated to fallen warriors in battles that were fought almost a millennia ago--it seemed like an anachronism.

The best known biwa compositions were inspired by the events of the Gempei War as recorded in The Tale of Heike. The war was fought between the Minamoto (Genji) and the Taira (Heishi), and is sometimes referred to as Japan’s War of the Roses due to the white and red banners the respective sides fought under. The compositions are notable not only for their dramatic musical passages, but for the attention given to the tragic losses suffered by the vanquished. While it is axiomatic that “winners write the history books,” the Heike songs tend toward the elegiac, so it is possible to understand why a contemporary biwa player would seek to memorialize the victims. But given that the attacks of September 11 were conducted by terrorists and the victims were civilians, it was difficult to see how 9.11 would speak to that tradition.

Even the second most well known biwa composition, Honnoji, offered little indication of 9.11’s relevance. Honnoji recounts the fiery death of one of Japan’s most polarizing historical figures, Oda Nobunaga, at the eponymous temple in Kyoto. Loved by some for his charisma and tactical brilliance on the battlefield, he is loathed by others for his ruthlessness--epitomized in the Hiei massacre he led in which three thousand men, women, and children lost their lives after he destroyed a temple complex defended by warrior monks. To call his death a tragedy would be a reach, even if it was unquestionably dramatic.

Read against this problematic historical context, it is at first difficult to listen to 9.11 on its own terms. For a listener not fluent in Japanese or attuned to the subtle differences between the various songs in the biwa repertoire, at the beginning it sounds fairly typical of the genre, with strong playing and mournfully intoned verses. Even when it departs from genre expectations and incorporates discordant cello passages played by Gaspar Claus, thoughts of misplaced avant garde experiments enter the mind.

It was only after repeated listenings that the achievement of 9.11 began to reveal itself. For me, it happened when I caught the word “hikoki” and realized that the errant flight of the plane was being described that the harrowing biwa and cello music evoked images of the damaged towers imprinted in my mind. What had once seemed like dubious experiments were transformed into appropriate correlatives of the chaos experienced that day.

For those of us who lack a direct connection to the tragedy, having not lost a loved one during the attacks, the arts sometimes offer a means of responding when an overload of media coverage threatens to induce emotional shutdown as a coping mechanism. By challenging the listener to relive the day's events, Nishihara summons buried feelings in a way public ceremonies sometimes cannot. On this milestone anniversary, may you find your own time to reflect and find meaning in the aftermath.

Japanese (E)Music Post Script

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:13:00 +0000

So, my Seven Japanese Bands in Seven Days series wrapped up a couple weeks ago, and I have to admit that it didn't quite get the response I had hoped for. I wasn't expecting record breaking visits, but I also didn't think that readership would decline throughout the week. Needless to say, none of the bands I featured appear to monitor the use of their names on twitter or blog feeds (not in English at least), so I didn't get a lift from one of them re-tweeting a post about them. If anyone from LM.C, Morning Glory, Nagisa Ni Te, Pistol Valve, The Psycrons, Shonen Knife, or Smorgas is reading this, it's not too late!

Pouting aside, writing the series was worthwhile in more ways than one. Taking the time to track down videos by each band renewed my interest in their music, and their songs were in heavier rotation on my ipod in early June. During my research, I also discovered some new releases from LM.C, Morning Glory, and Shonen Knife that I didn't have yet. In the end, if just a few more listeners buy some of their music after reading my reviews, I'll feel better knowing that their work is being supported.

I'll close today with a lament for a few artists that are no longer available on emusic, but who are definitely worth searching out, especially if you like their influences. (N.B. I don't endorse or financially benefit from any of the commercial links I provide. Just trying to make it a little easier for you to track down the music.)

Sachiko Kanenobu: Her 1972 release, Misora, sounds like Joni Mitchell's missing Japanese language album, yet her voice is so beautiful you wouldn't dare accuse her of being derivative.

Digitalis: Do you miss "Wuthering Heights" era Kate Bush? A fan of Loreena McKennitt's "The Mummer's Dance"? Try Syzygia.

Yanagi: While the thought of 80s-ish power chord driven music doesn't sound appealing on paper, when it is paired with their lead singer's passionate voice all reservations will be thrown out the window once you hear Kotozute. That is, if you can hear Kotozute. I couldn't find any links to a band website or an active retail link after searching in English and Japanese.

Happy listening.

Smorgas (Seven Japanese Bands in Seven Days)

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 10:46:00 +0000

Here it is, the last one of the series!

An aggressive hip hop sound supplemented with thrashing electric guitars sounds more like something I might have banged my head to twenty years ago, but the title tracks on their two EPs, Ride My Bike and Freak Into the Music are just so catchy I can't help but enjoy them in my dotage.

Band Home Page (page takes a while to load, but it's worth the wait)

Out of all the videos I presented this week, Ride My Bike is my favourite. It takes a charming look at the parent-child bond and a couple in the early stages of dating. With Father's Day coming up next week, you could say it is a must see. Enjoy!

Watch this next video at your own risk. Good song, but you just might not be able to get some of the corny images out of your head every time you listen to it.

If you want to spread the word about Smorgas, you can share the link below.

P.S. For those who missed the first six groups of the series, you can go back to the beginning and check out LM.C.

Shonen Knife (Seven Japanese Bands in Seven Days)

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:33:00 +0000

Shonen Knife have been Indie darlings since the 1980's, so they don't need an introduction from me. Why do I suggest Pretty Little Baka Guy out of all the albums available? Short answer: "Public Bath." Long answer: What's not to like about a group that celebrates the joys of bathing at the local sento with such basic lyrics as "I'm looking forward to eat ice cream after my bath time." Simple pleasures indeed.

Band Home Page
Myspace Page

Here's a video from their 2010 release Free Time. Shonen Knife may only have one original member, but they're still going strong and look like they're having a great time based on the concert footage I've seen.

If you like this song, you can share the link below.

Next Group: Smorgas

The Psycrons (Seven Japanese Bands in Seven Days)

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:30:00 +0000

From the Yellow Submarine cover to the name, there's no doubt that The Psycrons are interested in psychadelic sixties music, but they look and sound more like 1965-1966 Yardbirds than any San Francisco group. Unlike some other revival bands I've heard coming out of Japan lately, they are interested in doing more than entering a time machine and pretending forty years of music didn't happen. Check out On a Voyage. The music is giddy, the group harmonizes well, and the songs are filled with catchy hooks. They're so good that this is the only album my wife asks, "who's that?" every time one of their songs comes on when we're driving. If you're looking for a challenge, see if you can pick out which songs open with reworked riffs from The Who and Jimi Hendrix.

Band Home Page
Myspace Page

If you like this song, you can share the link below.

Next Group: Shonen Knife

Pistol Valve (Seven Japanese Bands in Seven Days)

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:33:00 +0000

If you've ever heard of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, think of Pistol Valve as the female answer with the same brassy, foot stomping sound. Tsunamic Girls From Tokyo is filled with fun loving songs, including a raucous cover of The Who's "My Generation."

Band Home Page
Myspace Page

If you like this song, you can share the link below.

Next Group: The Psycrons

Nagisa Ni Te (Seven Japanese Bands in Seven Days)

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:30:00 +0000

If you're having trouble calming down after listening to Morning Glory's brash sound, try anything by Nagisa Ni Te. A duo based in Osaka, they create songs of deep feeling using spare arrangements and minimal instrumentation. My personal favourite is the stark Feel, but if you like a little more music with your moodscapes, try The Same as a Flower first.

Myspace Page

I had a harder time finding a video for Nagisa Ni Te. Here's some performance footage a fan shot.

If you like this song, you can share the link below.

Next Group: Pistol Valve

Morning Glory (Seven Japanese Bands in Seven Days)

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:55:00 +0000

Morning Glory sounds like they're going for a punky update of a Shonen Knife sound, but with better musicianship. Western music fans will recognize covers of Queen's "Save Me" and a thrashy version of "Tomorrow" from Annie. Just One Way is played at a breakneck pace from start to finish which is sure to energize listeners. They even give their boy drummer a turn on lead vocal.

Band Home Page

N.B. It takes about a minute twenty for the song to start.

If you like this song, you can share the link below.

Next Group: Nagisa Ni Te

LM.C (Seven Japanese Bands in Seven Days)

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 11:05:00 +0000

LM.C mashes up an impressive array of influences to produce a wonderfully riotous sound. All of their albums combine elements of hip hop, heavy metal, techno, and rock with a few cheeky classical music quotations thrown in for good measure. Vocalist Maya can pull off everything from a fairly convincing tough guy rap to soaring vocals on the chorus. They are a prolific band, so it might be hard to know where to start. I'd recommend 2008's Super Glitter Loud Box. If you like that, download them all--you won't be disappointed.

Image-wise, LM.C looks like they escaped from a Marilyn Manson training camp. My advice, close your eyes and focus on the music while the video plays.

Links:

Band Home Page
Myspace Page (Yes, I know many netizens are down on Myspace, but almost every band featured this week has a page there.)

If you like this song, you can share the link below.

Next Group: Morning Glory

Japanese (E)Music Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Belrose) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 14:01:00 +0000

One of the happy byproducts of my somewhat dormant efforts at learning Japanese has been an exposure to an interesting selection of Japanese music. Although I started out with the intent of expanding of my vocabulary and improving my listening comprehension, I have to admit that the real effect has been the enjoyment of a wider variety of music without a whole lot of learning going on. Thanks to emusic (Disclaimer: I do not work for them or receive any financial or equivalent benefit from them. Basically, I just like their indie emphasis and low prices), I have been able to take a chance on a number of groups, a few of my favourites I'd like to recommend over the course of the next seven days.

Each post will include a capsule review, cover art, band links, and a video to give you a sense of the group's sound. It's an eclectic mix, so you're bound to find something of interest.

You can find the links to each post below.

Sunday: LM.C

Monday: Morning Glory

Tuesday: Nagisa Ni Te

Wednesday: Pistol Valve

Thursday: The Psycrons

Friday: Shonen Knife

Saturday: Smorgas