An oasis of silence

Tokyo city life is really busy and stressful, thousands of people everywhere, crammed trains and queues everywhere. So the need for a little break from it would be a natural reaction. And there are some places that exude an atmosphere of silence even in the middle of this huge city. One of them is Meiji Jingu near Harajuku, a large park with a shrine dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and his wife who are both buried there.
A huge Tori (shrine entrance) marks the access to the park that is next to the a bit less serene but lively Yoyogi park. Rows of sake barrels line the path right after the entrance. They have been donated to the shrine by various companies and individuals. There are barrels with French red wine as well, donated by French wineries. A group of French tourists commented it with delight of course. It may seem a little bit humerous to us, this combination of a sacred place with alcohol. But that is the usual lighthearted, natural combination of the earthly and the heavenly here in Japan. I feel that religion here is somehow a bit less pretentious and detached than back home, say more natural.
The park in front of the temple is really quite big and makes for a nice walk without the usual city noise. The shrine itself is composed of a circle of outer and inner buildings, the former Emperor and his wife being buried within. The Emperor Meiji died in 1912, his wife 1914 and the shrine was completed in 1920. During US bombings of Tokyo during WWII, the shrine was destroyed. It was then rebuilt by thousands of volunteers.
When I visited the shrine there was a traditional Shinto wedding, with the bride wearing the big white cape that is part of the traditional costume (see here for a picture: http://image40.webshots.com/41/4/53/37/318645337TMrsIP_ph.jpg). Meiji Jingu is obviously a popular spot for weddings, for those who do not go for the fake Christian wedding ministers (see previous posts), but for a traditional Japanese wedding. I found the dresses really beautiful.
The temple area also features the usual little shops that sell charms to protect you from any kind of harm or bring you good luck for exams and alike. As said before, this seems to be a rather practical approach (as opposed to elitist). People also write their wished on little wooden tables or buy little papers with wishes for good luck that they tie around metal strings in front of the temple. My illusions about the paper hanging until the wind would carry it away got destroyed when I watched a garbage man at another temple shoveling the paper into a trashbin...

Hip H(ip)&M

One of the latest international clothes chain that opened a branch in Japan is H&M. Not surprising that this is a highly interesting consumer market for international fashion companies. Japan is THE super fashion-conscious nation and you certainly do not want to miss out on Japanese consumers. Numerous international chains have branches here, from the very high end to casual clothes like GAP, Banana Republic or Zara.
The stories about Japanese women spending the night in front of the new Louis Vuitton flagship store have made it to world news already. This brand is iconic here, the name has made it to literary fame even like hip young author Hitomi Kanehara`s heroine Lui ("Snakes and Earrings", Hitomi Kanehara, 2005) who is named after Louis Vuitton. Questionable as it is to spend the night in front of a store that sells products that you can, well, get for a fraction of the price and in millions of copies from China... But queing in front of H&M?!
H&M opened it`s first shop in Japan last October in the high end shopping area of Ginza in Tokyo. There were endless queues in front of the store in October obviously. I went there in late November, having heard about the phenomenon and still had to queue to get inside. 15 minutes, but it seemed absurd to do that to have a look at mass ware from China and India. The second shop was opened this spring in trendy Harajuku.
Both shops look decidedly more upscale than those in Europe. Despite selling the same cheap clothes, the interior design of the stores and the fact that clothes are not so much crammed into the shelves makes it look much more boutique. H&M certainly did not save on interior and exterior design and on rental cost, considering the expensive locations those shops are at.
An article from the Japan Marketing site that was issued before the opening of the first shop predicted H&M would fail here: http://www.japanmarketingnews.com/2006/12/in_japan_the_bi.html Japan is an attractive, but difficult market as consumers are quality concious and hyper fashion sensitive. The article also points out that the expensive locations will make it difficult for a narrow margin brand as H&M to make profits. It remains to be seen. I have so far neither heard that they are behind expectations nor that they plan to open new stores, so remains to be observec. Regarding the quality issue I would say that Zara should face the tougher situation. From personal experience I have to say that their clothes are lower quality generally than H&Ms and by far more pricey, so should be less attractive to the Japanese customer even. And they do have numerous branches here, so seem to be faring well with the customers. They have to starting advantages: they are new and foreign, that sells.

Kanji drill

Well, besides job hunting I am of course still studying Japanese intensively. I can surely notice the difference in my abilities to last year. The structure and logic of Japanese sentences (that is really different from ours) does not seem completely uncomprehensible anymore. I feel much more confident speaking Japanese now and I have a broader vocabulary of course. And I write Kana and the Kanji that I learned so far pretty fast now.
Still, I am nowhere near super fluent or near native as some people seem to think I should. I sometimes get a little bit annoyed about the expectations that people who never studied an Asian language have. Show me the person who becomes fluent in one of them in a few month, I`d be extremely impressed... Consider that learning languages such as English, French etc. does take years (and many people still suck at it then), so a language with quite a different logic and a whole new writing system that is by far more difficult than the latin letters can not be learned that fast. I know I should be understanding, but sometimes I feel like screaming at people asking me whether I am fluent by now, screaming "go the hell and try to study it yourself!".
But anyway, while learning Japanese in the beginning was a major pain and not much else, it has become much more fun because I have a certain feel for the language now. I can actually see that I am progressing and do not feel that my brain empties itself over night.
I am now very keen to learn more kanji fast as well. Learning kanji (the Chinese letters) is really boring actually. Remember primary school when you had to write endless rows of the same letter? Now imagine the same, but instead of two dozen or so signs it`s thousands to learn. Well, supposedly around 2000 should get you to read newspapers and stuff. And it`s not just learning how to "draw" the signs, they have between 1 and 5 or 6 different readings (pronounciations), depending on which other kanji they are combined with. And those combined meanings have to be learned as well. It really isn`t that much fun. BUT, it seems to be the most tangible learning success for me, I can feel best that I am progressing there and able to read more and more.
I changed my approach. I was really perfectionist with the kanji in the beginning and thought I should only move on to the next series of kanji when I knew readings of those currently learned and would be able to draw them perfectly, etc. I gave this up, it`s too frustrating. Now I learn them much faster and a bit more superficially. It`s ok to know just 1-2 readings and a few combinations and not to be able to perfectly handwrite them. Even Japanese people these days are not so good at handwriting them anymore because everyone uses the computer these days. And with the conversion method you use when writing on computer or mobiles you just need to recognize the right kanji combination, not actively write it. So passive knowledge is by far more useful and eventually I will also learn how to draw them exactly and all readings. I now should really focus on being able to read and write on the computer better, so I focus more on passive kanji knowledge.

Favourite read (- or the modern samurai)

... is a Japanes men`s magazine. Why the hell would I want to read a magazine that is destined to men and which texts I can`t entirely understand? Well, maybe because this magazine is a mirror of a phenomenon on Japanese streets that amazes, amuses, baffles me over and over again. It`s the gyaru otoko which translates to "girl man". This is a funny expression, but right smack on the money... They are also called "Centaa Guys" which stands for "Shibuya Center Guys". That`s because Shibuya is their Mekka, that`s where you find them in the greatest density and where their favorite stores are located, like the 109 shopping mall at Shibuya crossing.
Shibuya is the absolutely, unchallengedly best place for people watching I`ve ever been to. For someone who is not yet used to Japanese style, it would probably be a visual overkill... I sometimes fo to Shibuya for studying Japanese. There`s a nice cafe with tables along the window, a perfect spot to study in peace and quiet and still be able to have some fun when you get a little tired of grammar exercises. The parading Shibuya fashion crowd is the best possible break from studies.
But back to the magazine for the modern samurai... It`s content? 90% Fashion, fashion, fashion, hairstyles, accessories and cosmetics. Besides a few pictures of hot chicks in bikinis to prove that the magazine is not destined at gays as one might suspect. And street style pictures from, yes Shibuya to demonstrate that the looks in the fashion pictures are not magazine fiction, but coming directly from the streets. The magazine is completed with adds from fashion brands of course, beauty treatements and plastic surgery to top it. I sent a copy of the magazine to my sister as a gift and she found it hilarious despite not understanding a written word. I am somewhat used to that style, so it`s less shocking to see those pictures, but still very funny.
It`s a certain age group (students) that shows those styles, because applying for any white collar job you would much probably be refused for displaying those " `80s rockstar" hairstyles. Although I know guys who had to cut their hair and dye it back to black for the office, but still maintain the rest of the "bling" when being off work. Bling meaning the over-lenght shoes with sharp toes pointed upwards, supertight, preferably torn trousers, prints being an asset, fur lines short jackets, over-sized sunglasses (day and night), bracelets, piercings, rings, armrings, big girls handbags, etc... Try walking around like that at night in certain European cities and you can be sure that you will get beaten up from some homophobes.
Not that the Centaa guys are gay, appearances are very misleading here. They are usually the ones who do "Nampa" as well, a kind of random pick-up on the streets. The technique is the following: Gather a couple of friends who look equally hot as you around you and stand next to a place that attracts lots of girls. Shoe shops, accessory shops, etc. Whenever a reasonable looking girl approaches you quickly decide which one of you attacks and your candidate then steps out to get her number. Talk to as many girls as possible, don`t be picky. Nampa is success through mass not class, it`s the mass mailing of flirt techniques. Needless to say that watching Nampa from a distance is quite hilarious. I gave up thinking that the girly guys are gay after being asked by one of them early in my Japan stay last year whether I wanted to play some sex games...
In Japan the men`s hairstyling business could be equally profitable as the women`s. I mean the Japanese do have really good thick hair and they have lots of cool looking hairstyles. But there is definitely a too much. That fringy long blond dyed hair, sticking out to all sides due to massive amounts of styling foam worn over a "trying hard to be lascive" facial expression is somewhat on the edge... "Gatsby" the most popular hair styling products brand is represented by the omnipresent Kimutaku (see Post "The talented Mr Kimura), Samourai shows a more target group face - the modern samurai is obviously looking nothing like those warrior types as seen in the movies. The modern samurai however is daring as well, daring by wearing that metro look with pride...
That look seems to be rather popular with Japanese women though. Most popstars have at least some of those attributes, younger tv stars as well. And in the "rent-a-boy" industry, the host clubs - according to the large adds and the groups of hosts you sometimes see in Shinjuku, this is the look that "sells".
In all fairness I have to say that this is not the look of the majority of young Japanese. But they are certainly one of the phenomen that you notice first and gasp at even after a longer stay here. While the stereotype of Japanese back home is that they are all wearing business suits, have the same hair cut and look plain - or the nutsy tourist type wearing sandals for a mountain treck, you quickly notice that people here are extremely fashion concious. Actually like nowhere else I`ve been before. Saying that Japan is the most fashionable nation on the planet probably holds true. Very daring, very fashion-forward and a lot of really, really cool styles. So the excesses shall be forgiven...

Le destin fabuleux d`Amelie Nothomb

Amelie Nothomb is a well-known and acclaimed French author who has mostly written crime fiction. Less known at least to here suspense fan base is maybe the fact that she has written two authobiographical books about her experiences in Japan, one appeared already in 1999, the second only in 2007, despite both covering her 2-year stay in Japan in the late `80s.
Being a Belgian citizen, Amelie Nothomb spent the first 5 years of here life in Japan already, in the Kansai (Osaka-Kyoto) region, due to her fathers job and lived in China as well. Still retaining some memories of Japan, she returned there 15 years later for her final year of studies and her first year at work, this time to Tokyo.
In "Stupeur et tremblements" (fear and trembling) the counts of her year in a major Japanese company, she recounts the horrors of the Japanese working world. She is hired fresh out of University, in the state obviously many companies prefer to hire their employees, preferably with no higher degree and no work experience or special skills. Makes them more moldable, that is the common thinking. Amelie starts off as a translater at the company that in the book is called "Yumimoto" which is of course not its real name. She mentions though that it`s one of the 7 giantesque company imperiums in Japan, so one of the Misubishi, Sony etc. type. Starting as a fresh graduate full of hopes she quickly gets degraded to archiving tasks due to her "unability to cope with work" as one of her superiors puts it. Despite the fact that other managers do not see her as inadequate and secretly apologize for the treatment she receives, they are obviously unable to address this with her opponent. So she fights a lonely fight, trying to show off at least with her superb execution of distributing the mail. This however is not appreciated either because the superior claims that a foreigner can not possibly be able to read the name signs and there must be something fishy about this. In the end she is demoted to the position of a cleaning lady. The people she encounters during this work are again obviously embarassed about what happened to her, but not able to react and address it with the responsible person.
I remember distinctly that I was quite shocked when I read the book for the first time a few years ago, but it also supported common stereotypes about the Japanese working environment. And certainly I thought I would never want to work in this country... I still had the book in mind when my career counselor asked me last summer whether I would consider working in Japan as well after doing the language training and I answered with a very heartfelt "no". And now what am I doing?... I have since at least heard a lot more direct accounts of working here and see things more differentiated. But we will see if I actually manage to find a job here whether I will have my own portion of "fear and trembling".
The second novel "Ni d`Eve ni d`Adam" recounts her private life during her time in Japan. Amelie Nothomb first came to Tokyo as a student and was looking to make some extra money through teaching French. Her first (and it seems only) student is the student Rinri, a year younger than her and despite majoring in French unable to say anything comprehensible in that language (well, I would judge that very credible after staying here for a while). Her attempt to make him feel more comfortable by giving a little speech in Japanese is greeted with a lot of amusement, he tells her it is the Japanese of a small child. And she confirms it is, the Japanese she learned while spending her early childhood in Kansai.
Soon they skip the language lessons and start going out together and become lovers. She meets his rich and rather peculiar family, none of whose members is too glad to see the son with a foreigner. She is scheduled to meet his friends as well and left alone with them. She starts talking about beer and soon notices that nobody deems it necessary to say anything in return which makes her going silent as well. Being furious about her boyfriends retreat to the kitchen and left alone with his mute friends, she learns later that the guests were not supposed to interrupt her due to rules of politeness and Rinri wanted to leave them alone to make sure they could properly get to know each other. Over and over again she is startled by the seemingly strange behaviours of her lover who eventually becomes her finance as well. Amelie is very resistent to the engagement, but finally gives in when he repeats the question over and over again. In the end which coincides with her being totally exhausted at work as well as feeling cornered in her private life, she decides leaving the country without really telling her fiance. They only meet again years later when her first crime novel is translated into Japanese and she goes back for a promotion tour.
The book is quite funny when you have some first hand experience with Japanese people and behaviour and I read many things that reminded me of behaviours I had observed as well. So I am not sure that Nothomb is correct with her assessment that her fiance was particularly eccentric character. Surely a very entertaining story and it is obvious why this one took her much longer to publish than her accounts of work life in Japan as it`s of a more private nature.

"Kabuki groupies"

When I walk from my house to Jujo station or vice versa in the later afternoon, there is often a funny spectacle to be observed. In the narrow shopping street leading down to the station there is a theater. As an amateur I would have said it is a kabuki theater. I have seen heavily made up actors smoking outside often. All with heavy white make up, red lipstick and darkly painted eyes. Wearing traditional Japanese clothes and some of the male only actors disguised as women.
At certain times it is really hard to pass the narrow alley. Crowds of usually middle-aged women gather there with cameras and autograph booklets. They wait for their stars, the sometimes a bit transvestite looking actors (sorry for the culturally insensitive transgression). You can just feel the excitement and they crowd around the actors who come from the show like pigeons around bread crumbs, all with their cameras held above theirr head to shoot pictures. The actors patiently have pictures taken with all of them, sign the booklets and chat with their fans. It seems that they are the local superstar attraction.
My housemate Rinko told me that it is not actually kabuki which is kind of a posh theater and very ritualised. This is more a local theater playing historical drama, obviously every day almost. She suggested we go there some time. I am not sure how much I will be able to understand, but it should still be fun to watch! And maybe I will be queing afterwards as well (?).

Fake priests

Last weekend my housemate Rinko was invited to a wedding. She told me that it had been really nice, except for the church part. Her friend who got married had decided to get married Western, Christian style. Rinko had been to a wedding in a proper Catholic church before, so she could tell something about the sermon was not quite right.
Well, I knew the answer... Only about 1% of the Japanese population is Christian. Still, Western style Christian weddings have gained enormous popularity. With a small Christian population, obviously there are not that many jobs for Christian priests either, so demand by far surpasses supply.
How to overcome that? Well, you just hire random foreigners to do the job. Below is a job advert for fake clergymen as found on a popular job site for foreigners. As you can see the requirements are non-existent except for native level English and some sort of Japanese (although the sermon is done in English only) and you need to be a man. Great job opportunity, isn`t it? Making bucks pretending to be a priest, for anyone into cosplay that is a dream-come-true. Ok, it might look a little bit strange on your CV when you want to change career. Just wonder what the real Christian priests here say about that...
Rinko was quite surprised to see the job advert, but my other housemate Tomoko said it did not matter. They were not really knowledgable about Christian sermons anyway, so it just needed to be Western style with a Western priest - whether fake or not did not matter as the religious content was not relevant. Flexible they are! Too bad I am not eligible for the job as a woman...
Looking for a clergyman for wedding ceremony.
*work days : Saturday and Sunday(exceptionally, we’ll ask you to work on weekdays.)
You need to arrive at the hotel 1 hour before the ceremony begins.
You don’t need experience.
Work Type: Part Time
Salary: ¥7,000/Hour
English: Native level
Japanese: Conversational level
https://jobs.gaijinpot.com/index/view/job_id/30915