Friday, March 10, 2006

   Japan's Parks - Acceptance of Nature
While I was in Tokyo (Feb-Jul 2000), I went on a picnic with some of my co-workers. When we got to the park, I was surprised that the grass was all brown. I commented on the color of the grass & their response was "of course the grass is brown - it's winter." This was accompanied by a look as if I had just stated that the sun was bright. I got a lot of those looks while I was there.

I noticed that the Japanese approach to nature is different in many ways. Accepting nature as it was & finding beauty in it is not necessarily a dominant american trait. The local parks and golf courses here are watered regularly so that they stay green year round. Green is prettier than brown, so it will be green - regardless of what nature wants. Kind of arrogant when you think about it. Even with Japanese flower arranging, they focus on the natural & make sure that the arrangements are not symmetrical or look man-made.

I looked through my pictures from Japan & apparently, I was feeling like an American at the time and didn't take any pictures of the brown grass. I did take pictures of a couple of things at a park near the office. One is a of a stylish basketball hoop with a spiral basket & the other is a reflexology walking path. It had different textures & rocks that would stimulate the reflexology points on your feet as you walk over them. Kinda cool, but I didn't feel like taking my shoes off to try it out.



Coming attractions: I believe my next post will be on bathrooms. Trust me - it will be an exciting topic.

Until next time - bunraku
Comments (10) | Permalink

Tuesday, March 7, 2006

   Full Metal Panic - Reviews & comparison /*Spoiler Alert*/
I am straying from the educational track for a moment. I just finished watching Full Metal Panic - The Second Raid. If you are confused, don't worry - it hasn't been released yet in the U.S. I have watched all 3 series and read the manga and had a sudden urge to do a comparison.

First off, the manga. Don't bother. There are a total of 2-3 pages in the 7 volumes that I felt added something to the anime series. A little more information on the Whispered. They start hearing whispered voices when they get older & those voices tell them about the technology. The second was a single frame where they mentioned that Sagura and the Lt. Commander Kalinin were being harbored by some Islamic militants because they were both on the run from the KGB. And the third - well, kinda silly actually. They mentioned that they tripped the override switch on the microwave when they were trying to deactivate the transmitter without surgery. That bugged me in the anime series. A microwave doesn't work with the door open. There, now you don't have to read the manga. It was a mix of storylines seen in the original anime series and storylines from Fumoffu, so it had an uneven feel to it. They also do not have the desert storyline which is such an integral part of the first anime series. Overall, not as entertaining as any of the anime series.

My second favorite series is the original anime series. I think that this has a good storyline with interesting characters, even if I did get tired of seeing Gauron. I like the interaction between Sousuke and Chidori & Chidori and Tessa. Not as much growth in the characters as I would like to see, but a very nice mix of lighthearted episodes and serious action episodes.

Next on the list, and unfortunately my least favorite of the anime series - Fumoffu. They decided to go all out humor on this one - and they did succeed in a number of episodes. Episode 4 where Sousuke first dresses in the Bonta-kun outfit had me laughing out loud. The episode with the art field trip was also very amusing, but mostly because I have listened to enough artists to be highly amused by the art teacher. The rest of the episodes are mostly slapstick and jiggle humor. Amusing, but nothing I would go out of my way to see.

And finally - The Second Raid. Wow. This one exceeded my expectations. This is a complete 180 from Fumoffu & I would have to say an 'R' rating if it were released in the U.S. This is a very serious series examining the characters and watching them grow, or at least change. Sousuke breaks the mold of the "perfect" soldier always following orders. The biggest shock was probably when he picks up a hooker in Hong Kong while walking around with a bottle of Scotch after abandoning a mission. Yeah... this series is a little different. My one complaint of the series, is that they added some unnecessary sexual deviancy to some of the villains. Specifically, for those of you have seen it, a scene with the 2 chinese sisters and the scene where Dr. Gates is watching the film with the cute critters. My favorite scenes were 1) Sousuke's thoughts while in the salon as well as his conversation with Chidori following the incident. 2) Sousuke's conversation with "sensei" (serious mind games) & 3) Sousuke's conversation with Tessa near the end. I know - all my favorite scenes in an action series are conversations, but that's how it goes.

I hope they come out with another series (or spinoff series). I am interested in seeing more of Leonard. I also think it would be interesting to see Sousuke try to start a real relationship.

Well, I am interested in hearing other people's opinions of the different series. Until next time...
Comments (1) | Permalink

Saturday, March 4, 2006

   Japanese Emperor a God until 1946
Today is going to be a brief, somewhat random history lesson related to Japan. Specifically, a 1946 radio broadcast known as "Ningen-sengen" that had a large impact on Japanese politics and religion. Emperor Hirohito made a radio broadcast in which he declared that he was not a manifestation of a god (that is a compromise between several translations I looked at). The Emperor of Japan before that speech was considered to be a divine being. He was a direct descendant of the most important God in the Shinto religion - Amaterasu Omikami. The Emperor Jinmu, the first emperor of Japan (660 BCE), was the great-great grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu. Hirohito was a direct descendant of the first emperor.

After that announcement, Hirohito continued as a ceremonial emperor of Japan, but was not responsible for governing the country. He made many public appearances, met with foreign dignitaries, etc. I believe the function is very similar to the Queen of England's role today. One of his duties is to make an annual trip to the shrine dedicated to Amatersu (Ise Shrine).

The Shinto religion still exists in Japan today & many Japanese follow Shinto practices at the same time as following other practices, the most common being Buddhism. I went to a few Shinto shrines while I was in Tokyo. The one that was most memorable was near where I was staying in Akasaka. Sorry, don't remember the name of the shrine, but it was at a large intersection and had escalators that would take you up to the shrine. If you decided to take the stairs, don't worry, there is a vending machine at the top so you can get something to drink. I got to see a ceremony where a couple was having their car "blessed", for lack of a better word. The Shinto priest was performing a ritual to protect the car from bad spirits.

Here are some related links:
A video in english on the official Ise shrine web site - A simple animation talking about Shinto & Ise Shrine. Broadband recommended.
A site with info on Shinto beliefs and practices
A site about the shrine dedicated to Amaterasu
Wikipedia site about Ningen-sengen

A couple of pix of a Shinto shrine in Tokyo (the escalator is to the right of the large white gate):




Comments (6) | Permalink