KFC Christmas

KFC = Christmas?

In the U.S., Christmas day is very quiet and the majority of shops are closed. Everyone gets together with family to feast on Turkey or ham and exchange gifts. But in Japan, transportation continues on as normal, shops stay open and everyone goes to work. What is even more interesting is that unlike the 20 pound turkey or ham we, Americans, eat on Christmas with family, most Japanese feast on KFC and Christmas cake. Since arriving in Japan, I have been told time and time again that Kentucky Fried Chicken is a Christmas tradition. I even heard that many make reservations weeks in advance for their KFC Christmas dinner. Now how did they come up with a tradition as unusual as that?

Although it exists, turkey isn’t common in Japan and isn’t even associated with Christmas. Colonel Saunders and the numerous advertising campaigns surrounding KFC has embedded into the minds of most Japanese, that KFC = Christmas. Maybe it’s the fact that Colonel Saunders bears resemblance to the jolly Santa Claus himself. Better yet, it might just be because his statue outside every KFC is decked out in full Santa Claus gear. Whatever the reason may be, KFC has become the image of Christmas, a tradition that I must say, is a Japanese twist to the Christian Christmas tradition of turkey/ham.

Haken Shain

Have you all been watching the news lately?

Haken shain, or irregular workers, have been on a lot recently.
Many companies are trying to cut costs in these bad economic times. One of the first things many companies do is to fire irregular workers. In Japan, though it is still controversial to fire workers, even when a company is not doing well.

Many companies hired iregular workers because it gave them increased flexibility. For example when times were good, companies could hire the extra workers that the needed. When times were bad, they could get rid of these workers and save money.

Recently, times are not so good, and many companies are starting to let workers go. However, the reaction by the Japanese media to the recent fireings of some irregular workers, especially by Canon, is probably very surrpising to big companies. They hire workers on contracts that can be ended at any time, and when they end the contracts, they get in trouble.

It seems to me that the haken shain system is not working. Companies still come under pressure to not fire workers. The media still portrays the big companies as bad guys. And the haken syain, well their lives aren't improved either. In difficult economic times, their lives become very unstable.

To be honest, I am not sure what needs to be done, but one thing seems clear, with the current attitudes of the Japanese media and Japanese people, companies that employ haken shain aren't getting what they bargained for.

If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I'd like to hear what you think!

The Future of Sumo

Howdy all!

I live in Koiwa, in Edogawa ku, on the very edge of Tokyo. Koiwa is not a very famous place, but we have one very famous resident. His name is Tochinishiki. He was one of the most famous sumo wrestlers of all time. He was born in Koiwa in 1925. Though Tochinishiki has been dead for many years, there is a large bronze statue of him, in full sumo pose that greets everyone who comes to Koiwa station.

Everyday I ride the Sobu train line into Tokyo, and eveyday I pass Ryogoku, home of the sumo stadium. When the tournament is being held in Tokyo, it is always fun to watch for sumo wrestlers on the train, and to look at all the brightly colored decorations aorund the sumo stadium. Even though I don't watch sumo often, through the sights I see everyday, I have come to appreciate sumo very much.

I have always though that sumo wrestling is a fantastic piece of Japanes culture that has managed to keep much of its tradition and uniqueness while adapting to modern times and opening to the world.

But sadly, the popularity of sumo is Japan has taken a hit. There have been many scandals involving wrestlers. Sumo greats have been accused of cheating, top-level sumo wrestlers have been accussed of drug use, and many sumo wrestlers don't behave as well as they should both in the ring and outside of it. Many of the best sumo wrestlers are not even from Japan. All of these factors might be reasons for the decline of sumo popularity in Japan.

I really hope that sumo is able to weather this storm and become more popular again. I think there are some encorgaing signs, for example a growing acceptance of foreign wrestlers, the popularity and good looks of Kotooshu, and a growing interest in the culture and traditions of old Japan, both by Japanese and people from other countries.

It would be a shame if sumo continues to get less and less popular. Then the crowds outside Ryogoku station would be smaller, and there would be fewer colorful banners outside the stadium. I would have a harder time finding sumo wrestlers on the train, and less and less people who know who the famous statue of the Sumo wrestler at Koiwa station represents. My commute would get less interesting, and Japan would lose an important part of its tradition.

Presidential Election

Hello Everyone!

Today, Tuesday, November 4th, is a big day. Today Americans decide on their next president. This year, John McCain, a Republican, is running against Barack Obama, a Democrat. The race this year is very close, but the candidates are very different. Mr. Obama is a young senator from Illinois, a state in the middle of the country. He does not have so much experience, but he is very popular because many people think he can help change America. John McCain is a much older man from Arizona, a desert state in the American Southwest. Mr. Mccain has served in American government for many, many years. He is seen as a very experinced politician, but many people think that he will not be able to make as many changes as Mr. Obama.

The race for president is still close, and though Barack Obama is ahead, Mr. McCain could still win the election. Whoever wins it will be a historic election. If Mr. Obama is the next presdient, he will be the first non-white person to ave that job. If Mr. McCain wins, he will be the oldest presdient ever, and also the first president wiht a woman vice-president.

By Tomorrow morning, we should know who the next president will be. It could be a very close and exciting race. I think I might even stay up all night waiting to see what will happen. Just like a kid at Christmas, I can't wait to see what will happen in the morning!

Autumn in Japan, Soon it will be Winter

Well everyone, it is starting to get colcer. It seems like just yesterday that everyday was hot and humid. Now the humidity is gone, and I wear a jacket everyday. It is amazing how much the weather can change in just over one month!
I am from a very cold place. Minnesota is the coldest place in America outside of Alaska. Even though Minnesota winters are very, very cold (our record temperature is -51 degrees celcius!) winters in Minnesota are very comfortable. We have central heating, which we use 24 hours a day, our houses have thick insulation, we drink lots of hot beverages, like tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, and wear very thick coats outside. When I first moved to Tokyo, I thought winter here was horrible! People don't use heat at night, only blankets, houses usually do not have thick insulation, and Japanese winter coats are not very thick. Even though Tokyo is much warmer than Minnesota, I still liked Minnesota winter much more! Now I am a little more used to Tokyo winters, but I still wish my house had central heating. Every time I go outside recently I think about how it will soon be winter. To someone from Minnesota, winter in Tokyo is scary!

Fuji-san Conquered!

On September 6, 2008, I climbed Mt. Fuji. Because my friend was visiting from the States, it was the one and only thing she wished to do during her stay. At 11 p.m. from 5th station, we started our climb up the mountain. Though at first we were practically running up the path, the steep steps slowed us down almost immediately. Since we started our climb so late in the evening, we were a bit worried that we might miss the sunrise and therefore, rushed up the mountain. Despite the steep steps, we charged up the mountain with much determination, taking a break only after reaching 7th station. Even then, we merely stopped for 5 minutes before battling the mountain again. Rushing however, proved to be a bad idea. By the time we had reached 8th station, my friend became very sick from the altitude change and decided to rest for awhile. After 30 minutes and food, we began the hike again. As we came close to the summit, our hike slowed down once again. Masses of people were lined up, all rushing to get to the top without much success. Because the climb had slowed down so much right about the time when the sunrise was supposed to begin, we stepped off the path and situated ourselves comfortably on the side of the mountain to watch the sunrise. Despite the arduous climb, witnessing the sunrise made it all worth it. It was truly a sight to see and I recommend everyone to attempt it at least once.

The iPhone Craze

The iPhone Craze

The iPhone has finally reached the public of Japan. The first-generation iPhone was never sold in Japan. I remember, however, when it first came out in the U.S. Thousands of people camped out in front of Mac Stores across California as they awaited the opening of the store to rest their hands on the then "new" iPhone. Now that the iPhone 3G has finally been released in Japan, I can only begin to imagine the craze that has swept over Japan. Yet, it isn't only the consumer who has become caught up in the hype of the iPhone. Although Softbank Mobile is presently the only service provider to offer the iPhone in Japan, other providers are scrambling to make deals with Apple so that they too, can join in the profiting business of Mac electronics.

We have become a technology-dependent world...

Fishermen on Strike!

I'm sure many of our readers have heard about the recent "strikes" by Japanese fishermen hoping to force the government to do something about high diesel prices. The global rise in the cost of oil is affecting the prices of all kinds of fuels made from oil, such as fuel oil, gasoline, and diesel.
The fishermen argue that expensive fuel oil prices makes it harder for them to stay in business. Of course, this is true, but many other businesses are struggling, such as airlines, taxi drivers, bus companies, and delivery companies (among many others). I think it would be very politically dangerous for the government to only help one group of people while not helping others.
So what will happen then?
Unfortunately, in the short term it means that fishery products will become a bit more expensive. But if restaurants, supermarkets, and markets increase fish prices too much, customers will switch to other foods. So it is a very delicate situation.
And Tsukiji may become a little quieter.

Water purification

Water purification
In April, I performed the Shinto ceremony of water purification, for the very first time. It was a very exciting and interesting experience. One of my Aikido instructors had recommended it, as a good bonding activity. Our group consisted of two Canadians, one Swiss, our teacher, who was also Canadian and I.
The place we went to was just outside Tokyo. The path we took was lined with lots of trees and green vegetation. It was very beautiful and serene. It was a nice break from Tokyo’s traffic and high-rise buildings.
On our way there was a small shrine. We decided to have a stop over, and do a prayer. Except for our teacher, who has been living in Japan for the last 5 years, the rest of us had no clue about the Shinto praying procedure. So after we were instructed on how to pray, each of us stood in front of the temple and said our prayers.
In our quest to find a waterfall, to do the water purification ceremony, we kept choosing the wrong path, so it was a relief when we finally found the waterfall. We were all really tired from the long walk, but we soon realized that the walk was the easy part of our journey. You see, because it was April, the water was freezing cold. We were told that the ceremony involved, going under the waterfall three times, and staying under it for 1.5min each time.
It was supposed to be a spiritual and tranquil event. The procedure to cleanse our souls! However the first person who volunteered to do the ceremony, started screaming as soon as he went under the water, because the water was so cold, and the rest of us, who were supposed to be chanting a prayer as encouragement, couldn’t stop laughing. So the event was everything but peaceful. When it was my turn to go under the water, I couldn’t believe how cold the water was, every drop felt like a small ice cube hitting my skin. For the first round, I only lasted 30 seconds under the water. For the second round, I decided that no matter how painful it would be, I would stay for at least one minute under the water. While I was under the water, I came to the realization that if I relax and breath deeply, the water will not feel so cold, and suddenly I felt at peace. It was the strangest experience; it felt as if I was in a different world. The only noise I could hear was the noise of the waterfall. While I was under the water I opened my eyes, and it felt as if everything on the other side of the thin stream of water was an illusion. It was simply amazing!
However the combination of the cold spring waterfall, and the long walk, had made all five of us very hungry. So our next stop was an “all you can eat” restaurant.

A tragic incident

The news about Akihabara`s stabbing incident was very shocking. I went to Akihabara the day after the incident, and I was moved to tears when I saw all the flowers that people had left on the side-walk in the memory of those who lost their lives. there were TV crews and police everywhere. I felt uneasy walking in a place where so many people had lost their lives.
The incident was a wake-up call for me. It reminded me of a conversation I had on my first hanami. My first Hanami was with two Japanese friends. One of them tried to explain to me why cherry blossoms are so important to Japanese people. He said because they are very beautiful but they are short-lived...in a sense they represent life.
Death can be sudden...without any warning. The only option we have, is to live every minute as if it is our last.
I feel for the family of those who were killed and injured. It must be very difficult to realize that the casual goodbye they said to their loved ones in the morning, was the last conversation they had. It makes me re-evaluate my own relationships. Sometimes we hold a grudge against a friend or a family member over something insignificant...and we only regret it when it is too late.
Life can be busy with lots of priorities to joggle. So sometimes we forget about the most important things..like spending time with family and friends.

Elizabeth