Jean Pearce - The Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE

May 7, 2000

Here is good news for all Kenny Endo fans, and if you aren't a fan you will be once you attend one of his performances. Kenny is a master of the taiko. Most of you know that taiko is drum, and then there is "odaiko," a huge drum. In general, taiko is to drum like the tea ceremony is to a tea bag. It is something special, moving, primitive, exciting and beautiful to watch as any of you who have seen the exquisitely choreographed performances of the Kodo drummers of Sado well know. Then there is Samul Nori from South Korea with phenomenal endurance and a way of getting outdoor audiences up on their feet in a dance celebration around the blazing fire. Kenny is in good company. He excels in combining instruments and musical influences, but he is at his best addressing the huge odaiko. A program once billed him as a performer of Edo festival music. That's a nice image, but those "Edo-ko" never knew music like Kenny's.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE

May 3, 2000

Following old paths

Last Sunday we considered flowers -- peonies, azaleas and wisteria -- and the best places to see them during our Golden Week holidays. Here is one more outing to add to your flower calendar. The Tokyo Garden Show 2000 is being held through May 7 in the large open space in front of the picture gallery at the Meiji Shrine outer garden. Closest subway stop is Gaienmae. People arriving for the first time in Tokyo often remark about how green the city is. Here color becomes the theme. Do choose the garden show as one of your destinations as you enjoy Japan's annual spring vacation.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE

Apr 30, 2000

Creating memories

Recently, in California, I was sitting next to an elderly woman on a bus. We exchanged a few words, and then I asked if she had always lived there. She said yes, but that she had traveled all over the world. She began counting the places and the list seemed endless. Among them was Japan. She paused when she was through, smiled, and then said, "I saw Mount Fuji." Nothing more, but no more was necessary. It was a statement needing no elaboration. Then she stood up. It was her stop. The woman sitting across the aisle also got up and took her hand. Then I realized that she was blind. And I thought how wonderful it is she has all these memories from her sighted days, and how fortunate that what she sees most often is Mount Fuji. It is sublime, and viewing it on clear days against blue skies -- and especially in the winter with a covering of snow -- it is a memory for a lifetime.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE

Apr 23, 2000

On to Hawaii -- maybe

It is not surprising that I often become quite involved with readers and their problems. Take June Wong, who grew up in Hawaii but had to come to Japan to learn the hula. She was impressed by a group of Japanese women dancers and joined them. "I love my teacher and every one of my hula sisters," she wrote. Her teacher, who in turn loved Hawaii and the hula, hoped to share her enthusiasm with anyone who wanted to learn. It was an unknown and carefree group until this year when they entered the King Kamehameha Hula Competition in Okinawa. The winner would qualify for the finals in Honolulu in June. Although they had no expectation whatsoever of winning, they did.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE

Apr 19, 2000

The first to go

The outlook for the economy may be brightening, but the glow is not apparent among museums. First to close was Seibu's museum in Ikebukuro, followed by the Roppongi Arts and Crafts Museum in 1998 and Mitsukoshi's Shinjuku museum which closed last year. Next will be Tobu's Ikebukuro museum, which will close next March. It is true that for the most part this reflects the dismal outlook for department stores, but it is disappointing that cutbacks usually affect cultural programs first. Over the years, department stores have sponsored many excellent exhibitions and it is sad to note their passing. While nothing can take their place, there are still many museums throughout the country. Watch for announcements of their shows and support them when you can. For example, the outstanding Art Tower Mito is celebrating its 10th anniversary with an exhibition called "Seeing, Wearing, Transcending -- Two Centuries Moved by Fashion" along with a special Hanae Mori display, "Meeting of East and West." Fashion shows with leading world designers are also being featured. Check www.arttowermito.or.jp/ for more information, or call (029) 227-8111. Mito, famous for plum blossoms, is a little over an hour from Ueno by JR limited express. If you want to know departure times, call JR's English-language information number, (03) 3423-0111.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE

Apr 16, 2000

The season

Last week I made a pilgrimage to my favorite places for "ohanami," cherry-blossom viewing. They were late this year. The cold weather and rain were enough to make us all but give up, but that day the sun came out and so did the blossoms. Once in a rare while, when they bloom while it is still cold, there will be snow, breathtaking white flakes settling on the delicate pink petals. I hope that some season you can have that experience.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE

Apr 12, 2000

Sweeter dreams

I wrote recently of the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, and the instant Westernization it prompted. The government encouraged efforts to make foreigners feel at home. One was directed toward ryokan and many of them installed Western-style toilets and created a few rooms with Western beds. The beds were rarely the tourist's choice. They wanted to try the Japanese way with futon, but this was balanced by some Japanese who at that time had never slept on a bed and wanted a Western experience. I remember one room that I saw with a bed. Actually, a guest would have to crawl in because it completely filled the small space allotted to it. I don't know how anyone tucked in the sheets or smoothed the bedspread, but the ryokan owner was pleased, feeling it was a good investment in promoting international relations.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE

Apr 9, 2000

At the top

There is little need to write what a wonderful city San Francisco is, how much there is to do. On the day I arrived, I could have joined a ghost hunt, had a tour of a teddy bear factory, heard a lecture explaining how California once was an island, seen an exhibition of Japanese "shibori" fabrics at the airport museum, and attended any number of music, dance and theater performances. There are also many well-known hotels, but generally when I consider great hotels, I think of Europe with its centuries of quality and tradition or the Orient with its exotic images and dedicated service. Sometimes you will find a combination. Recently, after giving a lecture in Kobe, I stayed overnight at the Osaka Ritz-Carlton, surprised at the rich furnishings, the heavy silken draperies, the general sense of opulence that is rarely found in Japan. It even passed the ultimate test: In the lobby I met friends I hadn't seen for years who were making a nostalgic trip to Japan.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE

Apr 2, 2000

Time traveling

There have been many observations about nostalgia. Nostalgia's not what it used to be, There's no "stalgia" like nostalgia -- but nostalgia is where I am today. I have just returned from three weeks in California, and it is a nostalgia mix, what I have left behind, what I have gained, from living so many years in Japan. During my drive from Narita to Tokyo, and seeing everywhere the changes that have occurred, I remembered 1964, the year of the Tokyo Olympics, the year I began writing this column. The games were a showplace for the world to see what Japan had accomplished in the short span of time since World War II ended catastrophically in complete surrender.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 29, 2000

Very little help

A foreign woman married to a Japanese is concerned about her son who refuses to go to school, a problem that is shared by a lot of other families today. Many kids are revolting against Japan's education system. It could be an indication that they are getting smarter, but unfortunately it doesn't make them better educated.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 26, 2000

Once around again

Except for a few well-seasoned apartment buildings, the street I moved to 10 years ago was lined with old-style houses. Now only one remains. It is still a quiet street in an upscale neighborhood, but nearby are several small industry suppliers engaged in cutting, shaping and shipping metal forms. They stay busy in spite of the recession. One has a coal stove that sits on the sidewalk alongside a busy thoroughfare -- Sakurada Dori -- that provides a few seconds of warmth for people walking by. A kettle on top heats water for tea, though I have never seen any of the workers stop long enough to have any. There is a neighborhood temple and a shrine to watch over our spiritual requirements and an assortment of shops assuring that any need can be filled within a few blocks. In other words, it is like any other neighborhood just about anywhere in Japan.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 22, 2000

NTT then and now

Last week's column dealt with NHK's fees and why we should pay them. Similarly, there are complaints from readers about paying the initial 72,000 yen plus 2,184 yen consumption tax and 800 yen contract charge to NTT for the standard telephone installation fee. None of this amount is refundable although a subscriber can sell his line independently to another person for around 30,000-40,000 yen when he no longer needs it. Purchasers of these lines should be sure to register the transfer at their NTT office, being certain the ownership name is changed on the contract. Otherwise, it will not be possible to sell the rights when that person leaves. There is only one exception. It is for those who want an ISDN line. Then there is no initial charge except for the 800 yen for contract registration. However, the person must buy a terminal adapter for 20,000-40,000 yen and pay a slightly higher basic monthly charge. For other telephone information in English, call (0120) 364463.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 19, 2000

Getting away

A gentleman asks about shipping a four-wheel-drive car to Namibia on the southwest coast of Africa. The most appealing way would be to ship it first to Cape Town and then drive it to Namibia. I remember a visit to Cape Town a number of years ago, where a former Tokyo resident told me of the elephants who, roaming through the countryside, occasionally paused to have a good back rub against a house, creating an earthquake-like rumble and shake. On the way, he could visit the legendary Cape of Good Hope and imagine sailing ships fighting storms as they struggled to round the southernmost tip of Africa. On his drive to Namibia he would pass near fabulous diamond mines but he would not see them since they are tightly secured. Certainly an interesting trip, but the efficient way is to ship it to Walvis Bay in Namibia. He can choose either a shipping agent who will handle the arrangements directly with the shipping company or an international moving company for door-to-door service. He has the necessary information to make a choice.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 15, 2000

No way out

Sometimes it seems my mailbox is a place for complaints. Today it is NHK fees. Wednesday's column will consider NTT's high initial charge for phone service. Don't look for ways to avoid the inevitable; your daily life entails certain obligations.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 12, 2000

Day of reckoning

The question of sexual harassment -- "seku hara" -- has, after years of neglect, become one of the hottest media topics. Not that suddenly men are beginning to harass women. It is that women are making accusations while before many tended to view it as inevitable, something that went along with employment or riding on public transportation. Until recently, no governor would be forced to resign over his carelessness in where he put his hand -- no woman would report it -- nor would we read about the doctor who, wearing women's clothes, entered a ladies' dressing room. His explanation won him no leniency. He said he had only gone in to put on makeup. Credit for the change is with the women who have defied tradition to speak out and many men must be facing sleepless nights as they wonder when they might face charges for past indiscretions.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 8, 2000

Where it counts

People would often like to take their vacations in Japan to learn more of the history and culture, but when they start checking, they discover the price is too high and end up in other Asian countries that offer multi-bargains. A reader has heard of the new low fares soon to be available within Japan and wonders how he can travel to other prefectures instead of other countries without making a major investment.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 5, 2000

The arts

A woman who first came to Japan some 40 years ago remembers that in those days there were many dinner clubs that featured dancing and floor shows. One act she has never forgotten: A Chinese family sat in a row at a table with the grandmother in the middle and the youngest at the two ends. They were dressed in gorgeous Chinese robes and headdresses. To begin, the grandmother raised her hands and a jet of water suddenly appeared at the tip of each forefinger. They were passed to those at her right and left. Immediately, other jets appeared and were passed along the table. When they reached the end, they were passed back again until the performers created a wondrous fountain. All the while their facial expressions did not change. Except for their rapidly moving hands, there was no motion. It was a popular act but after a year or so, it disappeared. She wonders if there is any place where it can be seen now.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 1, 2000

Always more

In recent columns I explored purchasing English-friendly computers in Japan. Here is a little more information submitted by a reader who thinks it will be useful for those needing extended language capabilities for their computers, but first he has something to say about agreements, both local and international, that limit a borderless flow of trade.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Feb 27, 2000

Saint days

I wonder how many of you know what famous man was brought up in Henfynyw in Ceredigion, the kingdom of Ceredig. Any Welshman would tell you it was David, patron saint of Wales, who is closely associated with spreading the faith of the Celtic Christian Church. His sermons emphasized joy, faith and discipline. Gradually he emerged as one of the figures of the British heroic age, rather like King Arthur. The leek was carried as his symbol because at one time he survived on only stream water and wild leeks. According to Shakespeare, King Henry V wore a leek on St. David's Day in honor of his Welsh ancestry. Recently the daffodil, known as Peter's leek in Welsh (cennin Pedr), has become a more popular symbol. He died on March 1, probably in 585, and that date has become a time for Welshmen everywhere to celebrate the blessings of their heritage.

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Feb 23, 2000

Local variations

With the new animal welfare law about to be enforced, several readers have asked how they should report examples of cruelty they have seen. One woman was repulsed by a game she saw recently. Players tried to catch live lobsters crowded into an aquarium with a cranelike tool operated by remote control. She sent along a sketch but it wasn't necessary. The Japan Times carried a photo of a boy attempting to catch one, 300 yen a try, two for 500 yen. We were told that while people may try many times, very few leave with a lobster.

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