Rockin' Japanese Heritage

His name is Jero.

He is from Pittsburg, PA, USA.

http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/jero/

He became an Enka* singer in Japan and is rising.

Personally, I am not sure about his music video.
However, he, sure, is a unique one with talents.

*Enka is a genre of music in Japan, equivalent to country music in North America.

A Parcel from Tokyo

A Parcel from Tokyo arrived last week.

My friend in Tokyo sent me something. It was a Christmas/Birthday gift for me. It contains a small box, a booklet of a Movie, that I wanted to see but I couldn't because I left Japan before starting, 3 DVDs, and a card. I haven't opened the small box yet, leaving it for Christmas day to open.

The 3 DVDs are all recent Japanese movies, one of them is "日本沈没" = "Japan Sinks" that I wanted to watch as well.

Recent Japanese movies are very Hollywoodnized that it is quite easy to watch. Thanks to the CG technology that they can modify the scenes to be unrealistically realistic. "日本沈没" = "Japan Sinks" was made in the 70s first time and remade in 2006.

The entire Japanese islands sink into the Pacific Ocean because of volcano eruptions, earthquake, and movements of plate techtonics. It is a great science fiction and sometimes as silly as "Day After Tomorrow" or "Armageddon."

When Japanese loses its own islands to live, we will be forced to be refugees and drifted around the world.

It runs through my hometown.

La Turbo

I was browsing iTunes Store last night.

I noticed that the iTunes Canada started to sell music from around the world. It, of course, includes Japanese music.

There were not many selections, but it is far better than visiting any HMV stores in town.

It is sad but a truth that shopping in Toronto is not as exciting as it used to be before any more. (Please do something, merchants and business operators in Canada! lol)

Off track.

I found a band called "La Turbo."
Their music is quite traditional Bossa Nova, but the lyrics are in Japanese. The sound is very transparent yet vibrant. The music is good for a sunny, quiet afternoon.

I really liked them, so I downloaded a couple of songs.

I kinda sensed this, but I found that they are from Osaka when I browsed their website and myspace.com.

NEET

NEET
In Japan, the classification comprises people aged between 15 and 34 who are unemployed, unmarried, not enrolled in school or engaged in housework, and not seeking work or the technical training needed for work. The ‘NEET group’ is not a uniform set of individuals but consists of those who will be NEET for a short time while essentially testing out a variety of opportunities, and those who have major/multiple issues and are at long term risk of remaining disengaged. (Source: Wikipedia)

I feel like that I have become one of those NEETs, but I am not.

終戦記念日 | Memorial Day for the End of the War

今日は終戦記念日。

日本人の僕として、戦後教育を受けたものとして、毎年いつも平和について思う日。

戦時中を知っていた祖父母はもうすでに他界し、僕の直接の家族の中に戦前に生まれた人はもういない。

もう戦争が終わってから６２年経過した。６２年というのはけっして短くもなく長くもなく。

いろんなものが移り変わり生まれ変わる。

***

Today is Memorial Day for the End of the War, at least, it is called in Japan.

As a Japanese who was educated in the post-war educational system, it is the day when I thank for what we have and wish for a peace.

My grandparents, who knew the wartime, had already passed away. There is no one who was born in the pre-war era.

62 years has been passed since the war ended. The length of 62 years is not short but not long, either.

Many things has been changed, reformed, and reborn.

How Old Was I?

A photo of my parents' room.

My picture is now (finally!) framed.
I don't remember how I painted/drew this picture. According to my mom, I drew it at the child care centre and the picture is awarded and exhibited somewhere in my hometown.

Beside it, there is a photo of my sis and myself. I don't remember how old I was.

There is an oshi-ire (a closet) and the fusuma (a sliding door) down the picture and the photo is a little open, because my cat is sleeping inside of it.

Atomic Bomb Day in Nagasaki

11:02 AM, August 9, 1945, the second atomic bomb was used in Nagasaki, Japan.

One wasn't enough?

Over 140,000 people were killed and severely injured and radiated.

People remember a picture of mushroom-shape cloud, but we should remember suffered, severely burnt people and totally collapsed houses and buildings.

Atomic Bomb Day in Hiroshima

8:15 AM, August 6, 1945.

As a human being's first nuclear arm, the atomic bomb was used in Hiroshima, Japan. Just a bomb, the bomb took over 140,000 people's lives, whether he or she was children, young people, seniors, military people, or just civilians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

黙とう。

Osaka Kansai International Airport (KIX)

Tokyo – 1 night, 2 days

I took Kodama Shinkansen to go to Tokyo on June 12. Kodama is a local train for Tokaido Shinkansen line, so the train stops at each station. It took 4 hours to get to Tokyo. I was expecting to receive a phone call from a friend of mine, so I wandered around JR Tokyo station, underground paths, and one of the newest redeveloped building in Tokyo, Tokyo Maru Building. The area around Tokyo station is such an office and business oriented neighbourhood. After 30 minuets, my friend didn't call, so I decided to leave. But, to where? I have neither a plan, a map, nor a guide book of Tokyo. Luckily, I remembered a subway station name that is close to a historical site where I wanted to visit. I pick up a copy of Tokyo Metro map and got on the subway to Kudanshita. The order of the photos (following) is periodical.

Yasukuni Shrine – one of controversial places to visit for people from around the world who know modern world history. Whether you are for- or anti- war, you will realise that the shrine's rightwingy ways of description for their signs.

As a Japanese, I could feel that this shrine is not an ordinary one.





I think this building was a national museum of ceramics, located in Kitanomaru National Park (a ruin of Tokugawa era's Edo Castle).








An expressway crossing a fosse of the Edo Castle.




















Kasumigaseki – an office/business district near the National Diet.









The National Diet









As you see the pictures, I walked a lot while I was in Tokyo. I walked from Kudanshita to Sakurada-mon and I took subway to Ikebukuro where my hotel was located. After taking shower to refresh at the hotel, I went to see my friend at Shinjuku station. I re-realised that the size of the city of Tokyo. It is huge and so dense. I met my friends at a restaurant. One of my friend and her friend left earlier because she got too drunk, but the rest of us went to the 2-chome area, but I was only a gay man. We found a small bar with a couple of tables on a narrow street. We had a few more drinks and talked.

Day 2 in Tokyo, I continued to be a tourist. I went to Tokyo Midtown re-developed area. The building and the stores inside were just okay, but I liked the building's huge garden.

I went to see a chocolate-themed exhibition (directed by Naoto Fukazawa) at 21_21 Design Site (the photo). It was a good exhibition. I usually buy a t-shirt at a design/art museum, but I gave up because a t-shirt cost about 6,000 yen.


































After Tokyo Midtown, I went to Kichijoji to see my friends. She was as fine as 6 years ago. We could have good time at the Inogashira Park with a good music performer. I took a Keio line to go to Shibuya where another friend waiting for me. I was exhausted with my heavy backpack. I went there anyway, too many people, so we started to walk toward Harajuku. There were many cute shops and flapship shops of chained fashion stores that I used to go when I lived in Osaka. I just passed by and did window shopping really. I was too sweaty and tired to shop anyway.

When I got on Nozomi Shinkansen, I fell asleep right away. When I got up, it was already Nagoya. Tokyo is too big, but it would be interesting to live there someday.