28 June 94 Tue (Reminder: write about -- News Shows, Samurai show, "Diet" show -- all the talk shows...) News shows -- things I've noticed: Not big w/ all the computer graphics, etc. displays one sees on U.S. News -- just captions. puts captions on side and bottom -- cometimes comments, sometimes identification, sometimes translation. Often shows the same clip over and over again in same program. Like having placards w/ lists on them that one can point to and reveal at will, crude photography of newspaper articles -- "Fun" shows -- often have dolls representing figures in the news. It seems that there's a female anchor that's mainly superfluous -- there to look pretty. She only seems to comment once in a while. I've also noticed some of the people don't seem "all Japanese" to me -- parent could be gaijin or something. Then again, I've noticed a real variety in people here, as homogeneous as they're said to be... some of the school girls -- middle school to high school age -- are really tall and chunky -- the oriental "petite" may be more from diet than from genetics... the way to find out is to compare Asian-American heights (2nd generation at least -- so that the diet is more "American") -- it really doesn't matter. The older generation =is= really short and have horrible bone problems it seems. Many of the older generation walk around in kimonos -- some just for special occasions. On Sunday night we had gone to a sushi place - called Yasuke -- and a lady came in a kimono. This was the "cheap" kind of sushi place -- little conveyor belt going around - each item indicates the cost -- there was Y100, Y150, Y220 (I think), and Y400 dishes. Yesterday the dollar went down to 99.50 yen -- and that's not even the rate I'd get! What a shitty time in Japan -- the lowest rate ever (so far.) It really sucks lemon rinds. Actually, since the American economy is doing well compared to other countries, the calue of the dollar =should= go up -- but it's been allowed to slide as policy -- sort of. Consider: this way foreign goods are more expensive in America and American goods are relatively cheaper in foreign countries due to a crappy exchange rate. This would help the trade deficit - =maybe= for in some areas people =have= to buy foreign products - like some electronics. Are there American TV companies anymore? (for manufacture) Our best exports are in the nonessentials (and many times, the detrimentals) -- entertainment, culture, cigarettes... Hata had resigned so there's no prime minister now (I think, perhaps resignation goes in effect when a new prime minister is elected.) You know -- I really understand the Chinese curse - "may you live in interesting times." And all this stuff isn't of the interest to make history (or at least popular history) -- Just imagine if I were living in one of the countries going through change of historical importance -- Germany (still recovering), South Africa, the Balkans -- Russia... so much One weekend news discussion shows is a kind of round-table though it's more like a line of people -- the person farthest away from the hosts is American-looking (at least non-Asian) and he speaks Japanese pretty well. I think he's there for the "American" point of view. But he's in the lowest position there... hmmm... interesting dynamics (hosts want to be as far away from gaijin as possible) Back to sushi. there's otya tea bags and hot water spigots (I drank alot of tea to try to make some things more chewable, some to wash away the taste of wasabe - a hot mustard that clears the sinuses) Well, a Japanese lady sitting next to me kept scraping off the wasabe so I did too. Sushi really has no taste of its own -- only the texture really varies -- the taste is too subtle for my American taste buds -- in any case, one is supposed to take the whole roll of rice & fish & dip it into soya and stick the whole thing in your mouth (it's difficult to bite off a bit) The only taste is wasabe and soya. Really tea has very little taste too. Every thing has to be seasoned -- but Japanese season way too much, in my opinion -- I often do not like their sauces and other stuff Samurai Show: there's a show on at night about some kind of traveling samurai who helps people in distress against some "bad" samurai (usually) There are interesting habitual elements to the show -- at the beginning, the appearance of the guy and an explanation of part of the problem. There are a couple of fights - but in the ultimate one, a no win situation is presented (the bad guy has a sword against the neck of some lady) and this little brass ball knocks [?] weapon or something from enemy -- it comes from the samurai's lady partner (seems to be a ninja - especially since she likes the night and comes from nowhere.) Also, when enemies attack - he withdraws his right arm and opens his robe to reveal a tattoo covering his entire shoulder. Of course he wins the battle. At the end he is in full getp lecturing the bad guys to mend their ways. They say something, or ask a question, then totally start rationalizing their last position or at least go against what he is saying. He drops down his fan, looks around at them, opens the robe again and then gets immediate obedience (I have yet to figure out why they react so violently to that tattoo.) The guy who plays the samurai shows almost no expression at all the entire time - expression is very limited (this is true of most male serious roles, it seems.) There are literally goons who are so ridiculous physically - kind of like the Jerry Lewis kind of stupid. That's enough analysis/description for now -- except for the tea ceremony which I have yet to explain... We kind of did it today, but very hurried... very nonZen-like I guess -- I mean even Japanese have to take weeks of classes to learn it. There's an interesting cultural chauvinism alive in Japan -- partly because their traditions have lasted so long, I guess, and because they have been successful in the world, I suppose. For example, my host ma was going on about how Japanese food is good for the body and American food can kill you. But the truth is -- Japanese drink alot more and alot more regularly (the younger ones, at least) when they eat "western foods" -- it's eggs or sausage or really fatty cuts of meat, and they really don't eat fruits that often. But Japanese have been living for long life spans, but the stress they've put on their lives from school times is simply tremendous. Also, I notice that okaasan has to do almost everything for otoosan -- get him more tea, get his food, pick up his plates, start the bath, get him a snack -- it's like he can't do it himself. She always has to move out of his way, etc. However, she =might= (I don't know) like doing these things for him for if he did it himself -- what use would she be? Also, it's only okaasan who goes places w/ me (like Kabuki & Welcome party) Otoosan just doesn't have the time or is not to be bothered by these things. It's really Mrs. Terai who is my host and not Mr. Terai -- he probably allows this yearly because he doesn't have to do anything. It's just as well, I suppose.