Apathy vs. insanity

I know that saying I am apathetic towards politics is not the most sophisticated thing to say, but at least it's honest.

I live in a hamlet. My TV isn't plugged in. The only news that reaches my eyes are the headlines on yahoo.com. (I can't believe there are over 1200 calories in a sandwich!). It is not that I am actively AVOIDING the news, it is simply that I am not pursuing it.

Today, however, I ventured in to the realm of self-awakening and followed through with a suggestion to read up on the much heated debate over Japan's new foreigner identification law: "requiring the majority of foreigners entering Japan to be fingerprinted and photographed."

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20071120a1.htm

Reading this Japan Time's article was like trying to muster an A out a first-year college paper I had once written. In other words, it was daunting.

I wish to summarize the words written by "a high-ranking Ministry of Injustice official closely involved in the planning and implementation of the measure... who wishes to remain anonymous [for good reason, as you are about to see]."

1. He argues that many foreigners come to Japan to teach English. They come to teach English because Japanese people want to be able to communicate with foriegners who come for "pleasure or business." So foreigners are coming to help Japanese people help foreigners. You with me?

BUT: this "new law will significantly reduce this number [of foreigns] so the need for foreign language teachers will decline sharply"

this is good BECAUSE: "it is highly unlikely there will be a repeat of the Nova fiasco."

[** Nova is a private English teaching company that has recently gone bankrupt, leaving thousands of foreigners without jobs]

Here is where I am confused (yes, already): So they implement a new law that is likely to reduce the number of foreigners coming to Japan (they will be too offended by the new law to want to come, just in case you were wondering). No foreign travelers mean no need for foreign teachers. Because the teachers sole purpose, of course, is only to teach people how to talk to travelers.

THUS: with no foreign teachers, no jobs can be lost (I am dusting my hands off, just so you get the picture)


Am I missing something?


2. This new law is not only great for getting teachers out of the country, but it will keep other Asians out too! What he means by this, is that "the new law will reduce the number of foreigners in Japan, and the benefits of this will be felt throughout Asia as countries' brightest brains choose to stay and work in the land of their birth."


No redundant teachers lying around, and "no more brain drain" in Asian countries that are feeling the effects of sending their "brightest brains" to Japan... where they are making lots of money... and sending it home... a home not in Japan...


I feel like I am getting it now!


3. Here is where it gets good: because Japan has been kind enough to put this new law in effect, countries are going to relocate elsewhere and give other countries a chance "spread the benefits of globalization and free markets as widely as possible."

"As it has done in the past, the generosity of the Japanese government will allow other countries to develop economically and socially. Japan is a rich nation, but not a greedy one..."

uh...

I am just going to forge ahead here:

4. Finally, without all those white people teaching English, all those brown people taking up job space, and all those green (these are the capitalists) people spilling money into other parts of the globe, there will be "more jobs for Japanese and this may go some way toward combating the growing income gap in Japan."


AND IN CONCLUSION: [this part was impossible to paraphrase...]

"the pressure to learn English will be reduced, and this will allow Japanese people to spend more time studying their own country's history, traditions and culture. English will become an optional language for those who really want to study it, and there will still be enough foreigners here to meet the reduced demand. But, as I outlined above, the main benefits will be felt internationally, as Japan steps back slightly on the world stage and graciously allows some other countries the chance to shine."


...

... Someone seriously didn't get enough stickers in English class...

...


According to all the other news on the subject: This new law was put in place to protect foreigners and to protect Japanese citizens. It will produce a feeling of security and consideration for the greater well being of people everywhere, and it will bring Japan into the modern age of airport security measures.

Oh, and that stuff that high-ranking guy wrote...




Apathetic?

Can you blame me?











"In hindsight, his choice of words was perhaps inappropriate, but the truth in what he said is undeniable. The simple fact is that this law will make Japan a safer country by tightening its borders and preventing would-be terrorists from entering."

Kagura Festival at Nisho-jinja

In Japan, it is in the most unassuming places that I find myself breathless with wonder. Ono-sensei drove Monica, Miyuki and I into the mountains for the annual Kagura Festival this past Thursday. The small, twisty roads cut in along the mountain cliffs, barely hugging the ridges of the ravine. The higher we drove the more peril it became, making me think that part of the effect of reclusive Shinto shrines was that you arrived with a better appreciation for your life, having fared the journey. And then the space abruptly opens up, and there before us is a tiny hamlet, rising up along the slope and down the length of the river. Monica and I marvel at the village as we pass though, wondering how- long ago- someone had stumbled onto this narrow vista and decided to settle. In the mountains, green tea field terrace the cleared away forests and rice fields line the river, barely leaving room for the houses in between. This is made uncomfortably apparent as our minivan squeezes onto the edge of the road in order to allow another car to pass, giving us an intimate close-up of every molecule of dust that lays on the window between our prying eyes and someone’s living-room. The van stops alongside a diminutive dam that should be embarrassed to even be there. Sure enough, a steady but meager jet of water is being compressed through it while the surrounding stream looks on, a bit disgruntled about the whole thing. The surrounding trees are the colour of burnt sand and cardinal. And it is here, on this completely unassuming and random strip of road, that we park and make our way to the festival. I look around for any signs of a shrine, but there are only the remnants of an old farm lining the roadway. We cross a rusty bridge in front of the dam and come to a converging path that leads up in both directions. Never would I have assumed that this was the entrance to such a reverent place. And it truly is reverent. A torii gate stands ahead of us on the path marking the entrance to Nisho-jinja (shrine). The stone steps leading up the mountain are gradual and wide, which makes the carpet of green moss shrouding them all the more spectacular. It is like stepping into a mythical world. There is something truly breathtaking about the path we follow to the shrine. The forests in Japan have an almost incongruous was of growing: neither dense nor sparse, neither dark nor light; cedars and oaks dot the forest, but little underbrush grows, leaving rocks and roots exposed. The jutting rocks make the path before us calmingly enclosed, as though they are tucking everything in neatly. We are so mesmerized by the scene that we can barely walk two steps without taking a picture or inspecting something. Ono looks like a proud parent, stopping to read the Kanji from the grey slabs that line the final steps ahead of us. “These are all the people who have made donations to the shrine,” he tells us, and even though the words are meaningless, the sheer volume of names etched into the stones leave us with little doubt of the value of this place. Music comes suddenly from above us and we hurry on, stopping to nod and bow to various individuals along the way. We take off our shoes at the base of the shrine and ascend, squeezing past a group of Oba-chans (elderly ladies/grandmothers), nodding and bowing again, "Sumimasen... ohaiyo gozaimasu... sumimasen" and are barely seated before a tiny warm cup of Sake is pressed into our hands. In Japan, Sake is synonymous with “happy occasions” and there is barely ever an excuse not to receive at least a small cup. Even Monica takes a quick (though singular) drink- the first I have seen in a year! Within the small shrine, the atmosphere is so jovial that I can hardly believe we are in a sacred place. Along two sides of the room- lined with thin and heavily worn tatami mats- people are gathered behind low tables- crouching, kneeling and lounging amidst platters of sashimi, fruit, dried fish and bottle and bottles of sake. As I gaze around the room I realize we are- by far- the youngest people to have come. In the center of the room, a man is dancing with measured and unhurried steps, facing east and bowing, facing west and bowing, moving to each edge of the tatami, his face serious with either concentration or adulation. I recognize him as the father of one of my students (Sumida san), who I had the pleasure of meeting at the last enkai. To see him so serious now, in complete contrast to the jovial man I knew him to be, was remarkable.
Behind him are the musician, padding away on small drums and clanking cymbals. The space in which the dancing takes place is small enough that I could take three giant steps across it. The effect of this panoptic space is that everyone observes everyone else while simultaneously observing the dance before them. I sit poised with my camera in one hand and my sake cup in the other, told over and over to “drink up” so that it can be refilled again. If I chance to have a hand free, more food is pressed into it or I am asked to pose for a picture. “Shinto is very exciting!” I proclaim sometime into the fervent activity. By now, those who may have been too shy to approach us before a glass of sake are more than willing to strike up a conversation. Even the dancers are laughing to one another as they circle around the room. It is as though they are sharing a private joke in the midst of their dance. Their laughter is contagious.“Nihongo wakarimasu ka?” A man wobbles towards me and kneels close by, leaning into me enthusiastically. I tell him that I only speak a smidge of Japanese (and that is actually exaggerating), which invites him to dictate the entire history of the shrine and the festival. I, meanwhile, nod politely and smile, glancing helplessly to Ono-san who obligingly translates. “This shrine is very old. And this festival started at this very place over 700 years ago.” The shrine itself is perhaps 500 years old (possibly more). I'm amazed, to say the least, asking question after question. But above the clamor of cymbals and drums it is difficult to understand. I make a note to quiz them on a more composed occasion. What I did learn, though, was that after the dance and the festival first originated here- inspired by the local Shinto priests- it spread throughout the region and is now widely practiced at various shrines. Less religious than frivolous, the festival is a chance for some twelve or fourteen specified Shinto devotees (not exactly priests, from what I gathered…there was a great deal of difficulty in articulating what their title might be) to pay homage to the local spirits through song and dance. Oh, and Sake. Paper “kami” are strung throughout the shrine and often through the village as a representation of these spirits. The festival is also a celebration of the seasons, this one in particular marking a bountiful fall harvest (as noted by the bountiful harvest before us!). Shinto is said to be the more unruly sister of Buddhism (note: Shinto Shrines, Buddhist temples). From what I understand, it is very much a regional religion, heavily influenced, if not modified by, Buddhism and Confucianism. In addition to the observance of traditional customs and ceremonies, Shinto is far less religious than its predecessors. The result is an eclectic mix of venerated spirits that are taken directly from any given local: in the mountains, for instance, the central celebrations revolve around agriculture spirits; near the sea, fishing spirits, and so on. In Wakayama Prefecture, Nachi no Taki (the largest waterfall in Japan) is venerated as a divine Shinto spirit. This is not to say that spirits are limited to local. There is an infamous shrine in Kagawa prefecture, way a top the mountain, that reveres divers. Whatever the cause for celebration, these festivals have one thing in common: a sense of community fueled by convivial revelry. More than anything, these festivals offer a glimpse of the true Japanese spirit as, each autumn, the community gathers to reign in a bountiful year and settle in for the oncoming winter.

Naked (Chef) Zoe II

I've been cooking lately. Not just cooking... creating! It is nothing short of a miracle either. You need only walk into Restaurant Matisse and ask any individual working there. They will verify this declaration!

They are famous for many things (Matisse), but one of the most temping is Le Gateau Chocolate. It's pure, unadultered melt in your mouth goodness. And so, one fine day in May several years ago, I attempted something both rash and reckless: copying down the recipe (I had to bribe people), I set out to make this glorious cake.

The end result was... tragic actually.

I was devastated. What went wrong? The next chance I had, I asked Chef (see note) what I possibly could have done wrong.

"It was like a deflated cowpie," I cried, looking truly forlorn.

Reading over the receipe I had written down he asked "Did you beat the eggs until white?"

"I beat them," I answered.

"How much did you beat them?"

"Well, it says until they are white... but they are already white... so I didn't really know what that meant... I just beat them a bit... till they were all milky. Milky white!..."

[note: old habits die hard... even after the Queen is not the queen, she will still be the "queen" just as Chef will always be Chef... ]

I am an embarrassment to the kitchen. Food, like music, is one of those things that doesn't need to get adventurous (re: I listen to the same CD over and over until it is rendered completely useless). Once you perfect a dish there is no need to get to crazy perfecting more. I am a whiz a lasagna, having made it for every dinner party, potluck, etc for the last 8 years.


I was meditating over this the other day, absently kneading pizza dough to make calzones.. no wait! Calzones? Since when do can I make Calzones?


And in Japan of all places! Shouldn't I be making sushi? Perfecting the art of slicing Sashimi just so?

Perhaps it is in the absence of all my favourite restaurants and food that I have stumbled upon this new-found passion. Then again, I HAVE been working in the restaurant industry since I was 16...

Whether from bereavement or scarcity, I am a chef!

Wish List

What with the upcoming holidays, and all the fun and madness that ensues, a "wish list" request has been made. So here it goes (from small to big ;) )

- Stickers! Any stickers are great.
The kids love them more than i can even put into words. Especially the really weird ones "Obeika!" (ie. how Western!). But the smiley faces are a raging success as well as Christmas themed ones for the upcoming season :)

- Smarties and other lovely Canadian candies - especially Jelly Beans! oh, and oh henry!
(Monica and I are making Gingerbread houses, so the more fun stuff the merrier!)

- Denman Island dark chocolate

- Tazu Tea

- Tim Horton's hot chocolate mix! mmmm

- chocolate chips!!! (they just dont make em here like they do back home!)

- "Decadent" cookies or Chunks Ahoy

- long sleeved t-shirts (size M), sweaters, or anything!

- magazines- anything from teen mags to cooking would be great!

-on the heavier end of things... Books! English books pleaseeeeeee!
- Sophies World
- Time Travelers Wife
- Bill Bryson literature
- The art of motorcycle maintenance
- the last harry potter
- Abe Kobo literature (The ruined map, the face of another)
- Salinger's, Zooey and Franny


- movies- especially animation for the junior high kids, new movies that we cant get here yet; The red violin, A Christmas story, Home Alone.... Shrek


I can't think of anything else now, but will keep an update on the list!


THANK YOU!

Autumn

I've uploaded some new photos from all the fall activities that have been going on to http://zoesen.spaces.live.com.

Taiko Drumming:

Halloween

Cosmos Festival in Ochi

Undokai in Niyodogawa

And....

Cooking Class in Agawa