I am, of course, *loving* how US conservatives are going crazy over Obama’s bowing to the Japanese Emperor. How dare he show respect to the titular leader of a foreign country?! Never mind how W walked hand-in-hand with the Saudi Arabian royal petro dealers or cozied up perched on their arm rests.
Obama playing nice in Japan and currying favor in Chinese signals a shift from the aggressive unilateralism into a new era where the US must please and satisfy the purchasers of our ballooning Treasury debt. The sexual undertones add to the political realignment of new roles and possibilities.
As others have noted, Obama was poorly prepared for his meeting with Japanese leaders. You do not bow while hand-shaking. It is either/or, or at the least bow-then-shake.
Our friends Bryan and Thy visited Tokyo last weekend, and stopped by the pottery studio to make chopstick rests. Bryan surprised the teachers and me by saying he wanted his to be in the shape of severed fingers, as an homage to Japanese yakuza. The teachers helped him create his first ever pottery, a full set of severed fingers.
Thy, like some readers of this blog, did not realize that the idea is that yakuza who have made a “mistake” chop their own finger to show remorse to their bosses. I am glad they both had fun making ceramics.
BTW, the student ceramic show begins this Saturday for five days. I’ll be there on Sunday and Wednesday.
Tokyo based Danny Choo, global otaku extraordinaire, brings his Dance Trooper to Singapore. The little island will never be the same. Two notable parts of this amazing dance video: wiping the sweat from his helmet, and the prominent crotch. If such flamboyant male heterosexuality spreads, world peace will surely follow.
One of the joys of November in Japan is the release of the top 60 new slang and trends of the year. Publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha provides the list, and fortunately Pink Tentacle provides excellent translations of each term (with explanations for those who may be less familiar with pop culture, politics and notorious crimes in Japan).
Next month 10 finalists are selected. I will start introducing some terms on my blog. You can read the full list of 60 new slang of 2009 on Pink Tentacle.
Above is sekushii buchō (セクスィー部長, or sexy department chief), a character with exaggerated masculine sex appeal from the NHK sketch-comedy show “Salaryman NEO.”
I want to see this movie “The Sun” about Emperor Hirohito just before and after his surrender to the US military. Released in 2005, it is opening in New York City today. We’ll have to rent it on DVD in Tokyo.
Apparently the film, like Sokurov’s earlier ones on Hitler and Lenin, focus on tyrants “confronting personal tragedies.”
Hilarious blog post about “how to pick koreans from other asians just by looking at them.” One of the indicators, of course, is the shaggy men’s hair-do. Although I must stay that looks like many young Japanese men’s fashion. And probably Taiwanese too (^_-)
Former Miss America contestant Carrie Prejean’s boobs are full of faith, according to E! Online.
Outspoken homophobe with pageant-bought boobs explains, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting breast implants as a Christian. I think it’s a personal decision. I don’t see anywhere in the Bible where it says you shouldn’t get breast implants.”
Nothing says Jesus loves me more than a full-figured tanned body in a bright white bikini.
Kabukicho is now full of ads for this new (?) host club called Smappa!, which seems a blatant rip-off of SMAP, the boy band now entering middle-age. The Smappa ad for Shun-kun above hilariously promises 夜のロハス, night-time lohas.
Lohas means Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, and applies to a 30 something female demographic. What has made hairspray and men’s make-up sustainable? I think actually, like the club name, it is a blatant attempt to connect with larger pop culture themes (like a bad porn title that mimics a Hollywood blockbuster).
From their incredibly complete Smappa! website, I have borrowed these staff images. Scroll to the bottom to see their onsen/ryoukan holiday. These boys are well-documented. Check their Smappa website for more!
Could this be true? Tokyo police used duct tape to seal vending machines in order to prevent terrorism during Obama’s visit to Japan. And via JapanProbe, a video of security in action.
Finally a modern Mexican restaurant has opened in Tokyo. It’s called Frijoles, and it’s in Azabu Juban. After eating at the atrocious El Torito (hello, SoCal from the 1980s) and the mediocre El Derio! mini-chain, I was excited to see this slick concrete and brushed metal restaurant open. The food was fresh and carnitas well flavored.
Unfortunately, the owner, who lived in San Diego for 5 years, serves his tacos on flour tortillas. The Mexican cook and I both suggested a corn tortilla option. The menu also includes burritos, and the overall effect is like a slightly upscale El Chipolte.
Tokyo is so funny: a chic “industrial” style space is created in a 1960s building.
