ラストサムライ - 三島由紀夫の1970不運なクーデター

クーデターが行くように、日本は本当に最後の400年かそこらでその多くを経験していません。1868年のさえ内戦は天皇自身を交換するよりも、天皇を表すことになるかについて以上でした。ポスト第二次世界大戦の政治は多くの内部深夜のお取引と首相の突然の交換、全国の制御で名目上内定者を見ているが、いくつか実際には、実際に最後の30年間に本当の力を振るっています。確かに、この期間中に残りは、平均して、むしろ失望15ヶ月個々に管理するように、それらの間の10年間の電力にオン開催された2人の主任のトップ椅子の18乗員を、がありました。なぜクーデターがありますか？ウェールズの天気のように、それはとにかく変更します半時間を待ちます。

このためにはしかし一人の男は単純に待つことができませんでした。三島由紀夫は日本で最も影響力の戦後小説家の一人として国際的に有名になりました。ノーベル文学賞にノミネート三回は、彼の急進右翼ビューは、その後の人生で彼を排除することでした。1950年代に彼は簡単にラブコール美智子正田、後でより広くとして知られている裕福な実業家の娘、美智子皇后に1959年に結婚、次の皇太子明仁、今の日本の天皇を。三島の作品自体は3ダース小説以上4ダースの再生を含め、多作でした。彼はまた、最終的には、民間の軍隊の創設者で俳優、監督としての時間を発見し、楯の会古いの概念神天皇の回復に専念し、。

1970年11月25日で、その日は彼がの閉鎖の章の最後の原稿手渡し天使の崩壊を、彼は東京都心軍の市ヶ谷兵舎に楯の会の4のメンバーと一緒に旅、彼の翻訳者に。司令官を圧倒、彼は、彼らが一日の腐敗した政治確立を転覆し、非常に中心に天皇を返すためにクーデターにまで上昇しなければならないという信念をexhorting、バルコニーに出てき以下軍人に演説を行いました政治権力の。収集群衆は以下笑いました。そして、彼らはjeered。彼はひざまずいと切腹をコミット内部に、昔の武士の儀式の自殺をステッピング、その応答によりUnsurprisedと動じません。45時、三島は死んでいました。日本の民主主義の力はによって目撃やや驚き、少し混乱の一握り、自衛隊の新兵されています。

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JMジェームズ - 丘を平らに男

ジョン・マシューズジェームズは目に見えない手が、それは東京の景観上の足跡だ残っているこれらの興味深い文字の一つです。1839年にイギリスで生まれ、彼は現代のことがその後1868年に内戦の時にインドと中国を経由して29歳の時に日本に到着したアーネスト・サトウ・ジェームズがより頻繁に参照されるのとほぼ同じ時刻に到着し、 JMように、むしろ彼のキリスト教の名前で、彼は、彼らはしばしばオリエンタルホテルで一緒に食事をすることになる記録時に英国大使として彼の遅い時間から日本にサトウの日記を通して表示されます。

ジェームズは当初熊本細川家によって採用されたとすぐに新しい明治政府ためにクルーザーを伴うために戻ってイギリスに発送しました。彼の海上経験で、ジャーディン・マセソンとの時間を通して戻ってインドの彼の日とに遡る、彼は灯台明治丸の船長として1882年に任命され、最終的には、その後の後に大臣、駆け出しの日本への顧問となり、海軍。 

しかし、ジェームズは二つの問題がありました。まず、19世紀後半には、いない多くの日本人は、これまで外国人に会ったし、少ないまだ英語を話すことができ、結果として彼の名前は「発音されることになるZemusu」。彼の他の問題は、彼が（今日品川パシフィックホテルで何の根拠で一度に）英国代表団の近くに住んでいた丘でした。そこで彼は丘を平らにして、しばらくの間停止し、JMジェームズに少し感謝しZemusu坂通り店で動作するように快適な歩行で自分自身を見つける場合がありました。山梨県で1907年に埋もれて、彼は個人的にそれを支払いました。

J.M. James - the man who flattened a hill

John Mathews James is one of those interesting characters who's invisible hand left it's indelible mark on the landscape of Tokyo. Born in England in 1839 he arrived in Japan at the age of 29 via India and China at the time of the civil war in 1868. Later to be a contemporary of Ernest Satow, who arrived at much the same time, James is more often referred to as JM rather by his christian name, and appears throughout Satow's diaries from his later time as the British Ambassador to Japan when he recorded they would often dine together at the Oriental Hotel.

James was initially employed by the Hosokawa family in Kumamoto and was soon despatched back to Britain to accompany a cruiser on order for the new Meiji government. With his maritime experience, dating back to his days in India and on through time with Jardine Matheson, he was appointed in 1882 as the captain of the lightship Meiji Maru and eventually became an advisor to, and then later a Minister of, the fledgling Japanese navy. 

But James had two problems. Firstly, in the late 19th Century, not many Japanese had ever met a foreigner and fewer still could speak English and as a result his name would be pronounced 'Zemusu'. His other problem was the hill where he lived near the British delegation (at the time in the grounds of what is today the Pacific Hotel in Shinagawa). So he had the hill flattened and if you find yourself with a comfortable walk to work on Zemusu-zaka-dori stop for a moment and give a little thanks to JM James. Buried in 1907 in Yamanashi Prefecture, he paid for it personally.

The especially confusing re-entry status of Japan

There was a time when returning through Narita Airport was actually easier for a foreigner than a Japanese national. Note I mention "returning" as those foreigners coming home to Japan had a re-entry permit stamped into their passports (though they did have to go to the trouble of getting one in the first place) which allowed them to choose either the foreigners' passport desks or those of the Japanese nationals. This used to somewhat annoy my wife, who is Japanese, as I could duck into the shortest queue available.

Today though the rules have been simplified. To an extent. Gone are the days when everyone had to complete and embarkation card on exit, foreigner and Japanese alike, and the lines would stretch halfway back to Tokyo, but these days foreigners get an automatic one year re-entry pass as they leave the country. Much simpler though rather confusingly referred to as a "special re-entry permit", is a box that requires ticking on the exit card, directly next to the "re-entry permit" box. And as all foreigners now must hold "special re-entry status", I'm really not sure what the other check box is for. 

Which leads to the next question. Although in principle holders of a residence card can no longer avail themselves of the "Japan Passports" desks, these channels do have an additional sign saying "Special Re-entry Permits" which would seem to apply to almost all of us these days living legally in Japan these days. But if you try to use it you will be politely re-directed to the "Re-entry" channel. Confused? Then again, at Haneda Airport, there used to be an overflow channel for foreigners if the queue was too long. But as the sign for this was in Japanese, not that many used it.

Ford and the ambidextrous ticket barriers of Japan

So Ford has decided to follow Citibank, Virgin Atlantic, DKNY, French Connection and a fair few more over the years, and bailed from Japan. Struggling since inception, Ford was selling something in the order of 5,000 units a year. Compare that to Toyota Tokyo which sells something around 60,000 per month. The are no import tariffs and the days of parking signs saying "No Foreign Cars" are long long behind us. There's no reason to fail short of actually trying.

Ford had simply decided not to address the market. Presenting left-hand drive cars in a right-hand drive market was never going to be a highly successful strategy. With a market leading UK right-hand drive range, it only imported from the US. Added to this, the minimal dealer footprint and near invisible marketing really didn't generate confidence (or buzz) in the country. Essentially there just wasn't the customer satisfaction to build a viable business or attract an independent dealer network.

Compare this to the customer service of a Japanese carpark where you can pay on exit at the barrier, or you can pay before the barrier, or you can pay the chap who is there to help, or you can pay on the right, or on the left (for those Ford owners with the wheel on the wrong side) or your ticket can be optically linked to your number plate so that you don't even need to stop at the barrier. I actually like Ford, the GT40 being one of the greatest machines of all time, but if a humble ticket barrier can do it, why is it that an engineering empire can't?  

Shabu shabu - the veritable winter warmer

It's cold. Not as cold as the east coast of the US granted, but colder than the very surprised Hong Kong which is experiencing its lowest temperatures since the 1950s. Tokyo was -2C this morning and the population is well wrapped up in their winter warmers however this temperature is better than the -16C of Karuizawa, some two hours drive away in the mountains. Strangely

there, at around 3,000ft, the air is so dry you can still walk outside in a t-shirt and drink a coffee; people even hang their washing out to dry in the freezing temperatures.

So it's time to put the sushi away and bring out the boiling pot. Japan's secret weapon when the temperature drops are the boiling waters of the shabu shabu cooked by hand in a nabe (pronounced nah-bay, the general phrase for a "pot") in the middle of the table. Thin slices of beef are gently wafted back and forth for a few seconds until cooked through and then dipped in a soy or sesame source and eaten whilst still steaming; warms you through on a cold winter's day. The name, by the way, derives from the wafting motion, one shabu for each wave of the meat.

The pot will be filled with vegetable too and a useful flat ladle provided to skim off the surface as it becomes coated from the contents. And finally a plate of thick kishime noodle will poured in and cooked in the now flavoured soup-like liquid. On the whole, a great way to fill up and warm up. But don't forget those little bowls of source, known as ponsu, it can be painful putting boiling food straight into you mouth. As a friend of mine demonstrated to me once.

The Digital Trickle of Tokyo

Japan has a global reputation for highly innovative, cutting edge technology demonstrating quality standards second to none. Which in a sense is true however this masks a number interesting hold-outs from yesteryear. Physical newspaper circulation remains above 50 million compared to, for example, the UK, where Japan has twice the population but 600% more newspapers and the UK number is declining fast as the digital wave sweeps all before it where as Japan is in a mere slow decline.

Fax machines remain firmly entrenched as a standard tool of business communication with many small companies not even possessing email capabilities. But then again, writing a quick kanji note and sending it is actually quite convenient. And after many years of development for the local market requirements, the Kindle in Japan boasts a fraction of the titles available in the US and it's rare to see a tablet on a train but commonplace to see the paperback with its brown paper wrapping still attached. Publishers remain nervous of the new world.

And then there's the CD market; pretty much the only one left in the world. We even still have a six story Tower Records in Tokyo (US count: 0). With an 89% market share, J-Pop is holding out convincingly. Indeed, if you buy a CD you often receive benefits such as voting for your favourite starlet to ensure she's on stage at the next show. So although Japan exports cutting edge technology, it couldn't necessarily be described as always adopting it. Then again, I enjoy a good paperback. And it's nice to see Technics bringing back their iconic turntable for vinyl. Of which I have the old one.

The Big Mac Index and the Price of a Tuna Fish

The Economist magazine provides an annual, slightly tongue in cheek, index of relative currency strengths known as The Big Mac index where they compare the price of the veritable Bic Mac across the world. The principle being that the ingredients are the same in each country and so the difference in prices compared to the 'official' global FX rates is an indicator of whether a currency is over or under valued. Sadly this cannot be repeated with the great bluefin tuna as their simply aren't enough left.

Some 80% of global tuna consumption is claimed by the Japanese consumer and, as tastes changed in the 1960s and 70s, and fishing the fish became industrialised, the catch skyrocketed and stocks crashed, now down some 96% since records began. Although Japan reduced its catch by a reported 50% in 2014, this only related to immature fish; the big ones remaining in trouble. There are six whaling ships on the oceans but thousands of fishing boats so change will only come slowly. 

There is light on the horizon though. The plunge in the price of the (ceremonial) New Year's Day tuna auction from $1.7m for a fine fish in 2014 to a mere $70,000 in 2015 was a reflection of the public becoming more aware of the catastrophe and also looking at the 2014 excesses as being somewhat distasteful. But the final fish at Tsukiji will soon be sold as the famous market is relocated across Tokyo Bay later in 2016. If you're in town for a tour, the market starts around 5.00am. Enjoy it while you can.

Two steps forward - Stadiums and Swastikas

Following the scrapping of the Zaha Hadid design for a new National Stadium the new contender has been finally selected. In a burst of what must rank as some of the most intense creativity by an architect ever, plans for the latest incarnation were developed within fourteen weeks which is a significant improvement over the two+ years taken to create the previous ones. There is, however, some debate in the popular press as to whether there was a photocopier involved.  

Added to this there are now reports of disputes over payments and contract details and copyright infringements  for the work completed to date. At the same time the latest iteration of the official Olympic logo is in process of selection following the unfortunate withdrawal of the first version under a cloud of allegations regarding quite how authentic the design actually was. The several thousand entries have been whittled down to a handful and we should see it for ourselves relatively soon.

Meanwhile, other preparations for the 2020 Games continue to progress. One interesting question has arisen as to whether the symbol used for a temple should be updated on new maps to avoid a few raised eyebrows. An ancient Buddhist mark, it was unfortunately borrowed by the Nazis in the 1930s, inverted and rebranded "the Swastika". It's a fair point; the unsuspecting tourist could be forgiven for being surprised as to how many Third Reich branch-offices there appear to be around the country.

The interesting contractions of Japan

'Amazing in Motion' would appear to be the new tag line for Lexus, the high-end brand of Toyota. And as with Tokyo Gas 'My Life, My Gas', although the English works, somehow the concept just doesn't quite and a native speaker would find it almost impossible to create the idea. However, I actually quite enjoy the slightly bizarre usage of the world's default language because nowhere else could craft it in quite the same way.

For example, 'Samantha Thavasa', the Japanese accessories brand popular with young women derives its name from the founder's love of the 1960's series 'Bewitched' (think about it) and 'Uniqlo', the brand name of Fast Retailing, derives from a contraction of 'Unique Clothing'. And if you were wondering AKB48 is actually a contraction of Akihabara - 48 but that's a native Japanese word so not particularly relevant to this discussion.

Indeed, Japan is quite adept at taking an English word and finding new ways to simplify it. Air-conditioner becomes 'air-con' and car navigation becomes 'navi'. But there are the occasional examples of this in reverse. Here you don't come down with 'flu' but influenza and a ladies inner garment isn't a bra but a brassiere, both words screaming to be shortened. And then of course there are the near misses. Whilst drinking a refreshing can of Calpis or even Pocari Sweat, you have to quietly ponder to yourself "what on earth were they thinking?".

The curious apologies of Japan

An apology in Japan is a curious affair. A thirty-one year old single, female, TV presenter begins a relationship with a singer she didn't know was married and has to hold a tearful press conference to apologise for her behaviour. He, himself was nowhere to be seen (possibly hiding from a rather annoyed wife?) but he would appear to be the party whom could be seen to be some what in the wrong. And yes, it is possible to be secretly married in Japan, you just sign on the dotted line at the local government office but an apology doesn't seem in any sense merited here, but is the custom.

In another instance a member of the all girl supergroup AKB48 went as far as shaving her head in contrition for having a boyfriend in 2013 and, again, tearfully apologised in a viral YouTube video. She was single and so was he but in this case it's more to do with economics than culture. Her contract stipulated no boyfriends if she wants to be part of the band, a clause to maintain the image of squeaky clean innocence. And she probably still did want to be a member of the super successful troup so no option but to go completely over the top.

And then there's a friend of mine, detained, in his own words, for shouting at a taxi driver one evening after a few beers. Pleading innocence that he'd done no wrong he was held by the local constabulary for three days before his release. The police were apparently very reasonable and asked why he hadn't just apologised in the first place, saving himself the incarceration. Still proclaiming his innocence of any transgression of reasonable laws, the officers showed him the in-car video. He had to admit that drunkenly jumping up and down on the hood of the taxi until the police pulled him off probably did merit an apology after all. Sometimes it's a good idea.

SMAP - the ultimate forty-something boy band

UPDATE: looks like the papers called the shot a little early. SMAP are staying together but in the most unusual of fashions. Calling a press conference they appear to be more apologising than celebrating.

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SMAP are that very rare creature, a boy band that has increased in popularity with time. And it's been quite some time. Formed as a six piece backing dance, rather than singing, group for the formulated acts of Johnnys (a juggernaut talent agency, curiously spelt without an apostrophe) in the closing days of the 1980's, they didn't really hit their stride until the early 1990s. But when they did there was no stopping them. Some fifty singles and twenty albums later they are still churning out the hits.

Now a quintet of ageing forty-somethings, this "boy" band may be about to hang up their microphones and dancing shoes but it is hard to overstate their mass appeal in Japan. Even hardcore fans recognise their somewhat limited vocal abilities with their success being based more on their characters, acting appearances and multiple TV talent shows rather than close harmonies and soaring melodies. But you have to be impressed they've kept it going for over twenty five years. 

35 millions units later, the closest western equivalent would be The Back Street Boys or New Kids On The Block in their heydays. Being considered virtual cultural icons, the shock in Japan of a break-up will be similar to the news of the demise of Take That when they went their separate ways the first time back in the 1990s. And you never know, if only they could sing and speak a little English you might just have heard of Japan's most successful boy band ever. But they can't and you probably haven't.

Oishii Tokyo - the tasty way to see the town

Tokyo, in recent years, has famously become the most Michelin starred city in the world and guide books abound of the gastronomic delights available to the nascent visitor. The cost of an evening on the town can comfortably range from a few dollars to a few thousand and the range can be exquisite though in some cases a little surprising to those new to Japanese foods. You won't find whale at at every restaurant, but you just might find something still alive.

But if you'd like an experience a little out of the ordinary, something off the beaten tourist track, it has traditionally been somewhat problematic to find. The average visitor to Tokyo simply doesn't know where to go and if they stumble across a local experience they are often confronted with the immovable wall of the Japanese language barrier. Pointing at the food on the next table and giving the thumbs up helps but is only going to get you so far, what you really need is a food guide for an evening.

And now you have one. Oishii Tokyo (Tasty Tokyo) is a fluently bilingual wonderful new start up that takes the unsuspecting guest in town to locations where the Japanese themselves will go rather than just the tourists. Not just somewhere in a travel book, your guides will spend an evening introducing local backstreets and the food and atmosphere to be found there, talking about the contents of your plate and life in Japan in general. And a guest of theirs was recently seen carrying a copy of one of my books. Though I'm sure the great food and interesting conversation made up for that....

The interesting architecture of Japan

There is a Zen garden in Kyoto composed of nothing but a sea of pebbles and fifteen rocks, which are placed in such a way that only fourteen can be seen at any one time. And this begs the question whether there are actually only fourteen rocks and to enhance the experience, the story as grown with history of the additional elusive individual. But Japanese architecture is not all Zen and temples, fine as many of these examples may be.

Residential housing is typically constructed with the intention of a mere thirty year life span before being razed and replaced. Even many of the temples themselves are often demolished and rebuilt on a regular rotating basis, few remaining long enough to become the equivalent of a national treasure. Given the country's paucity to typhoons, fires and earthquakes, this could be considered somewhat unsurprising; why build for the millennium when mother nature will reclaim the work in a few short years?

Asahi Beer's head quarters in Asakusa - hmmm

Some of the more modern architecture can be of quite some interest though. The new Hikarie Building in Shibuya is an example of the work of someone schooled in 1960's London and what the discussion was at Asahi Beer, when they reviewed Philippe Stark's plans for their new "poop" building, is anyone's guess. But my favourite is the Aoyama Technical College. Constructed to resemble what is clearly a Transformers fetish and located in the backstreets of Shibuya half way to Daikanyama, it always leaves you wondering, just what is in the bubble on the top? Still, I guess I prefer a world of imagination to one of concrete high rise blocks. Like London. In the 1960's.

Aoyama Techinical College - good Indonesian next door

The Japanese elevators of North Carolina

Having recently stumbled across Steve Wozniak, an incredibly gracious gentleman, at the intro to the new Japan ComiCon, I have to admit I was a little surprised walking into my hotel in North Carolina (after a twenty-two hour door to door train/plane/train/plane/car journey) to be met by a six foot fox. And then a polar bear. By the time I checked-in and got to the elevator, which was offering free hugs, I was actually feeling quite at home. Ichibancon 2016 was, by pure chance, exploding around me.

I was actually in town for a single day for a series of totally unassociated meetings but it was fascinating to see how far and wide Japanese sub-culture has travelled. Cosplay, short for costume-role-play, is now something to be enjoyed not just with the karaoke microphones of Japan but the restaurants and bars as well. The streets of Akihabara, the old time electronics district of Tokyo, realised in the early 1990's that the geeks of the world not only love gadgets but comics and characters too. Today it is the heart of an alt-lifestyle.

What started in the backstreets of downtown Tokyo appears to have taken the world by enjoyment. The atmosphere was friendly and fun (though I must admit I was a little out of the average age group as I carried my luggage to my room) but there didn't seem to be a tanuki in sight. Maybe next time; but to the organisers of a little part of Japanese culture in the southern states of America, to which I have never been before, and to all the participants, very nicely done. Maybe Japan could learn about an elevator hug in return. Next year perhaps.

Richard Brunton - an accidental lighthouse engineer

Richard Henry Brunton was an unlikely candidate to be the father of the Japanese lighthouse. Born in Scotland in 1841, and with no engineering background in the design of the sea defences, from 1868, in little under a decade, he oversaw the construction of no less than twenty six lighthouses along the eastern coast of Japan whilst in his spare time designing the sewer system of Yokohama and establishing the Lighthouse Keepers Guild of the country to boot. 

Brunton survived into the twentieth century however his time in Japan during the Meiji restoration also saw him returning to England to host the Iwakura Mission, a delegation from the Emperor to experience British technology. Arriving in Liverpool, the forty-something strong group of Japanese representatives would become witness of more than a century of the industrial revolution. The forerunner of the trade delegation, there is a good reason why the first trains in Japan were made half way around the world.

Covering the Pacific coast, Brunton's lighthouses replaced the single story Japanese ventures that had existed to date and were constructed in little over five years from the breaking of ground in Shimoda, south of Tokyo, in 1871, something the British had been pressing both the Shogunate and subsequently the new Meiji government to complete as a priority facilitating trade with Japan. Replaced in purpose by modern satellite based navigation systems, many of Brunton's creations still stand today nearly 150 years later. Not a bad achievement for a man trained as a railway engineer.

The New Year Fukubukuro - the lucky bags of Japan

One of the traditions of retail in Japan is the New Year lucky bag, the slightly difficult to pronounce fukubukuro. A lot of fun for the consumer, retailers use the tradition to clear end of season inventory by offering a closed bag for a fixed price. Inside will be a mix of product that would have cost significantly more had each item been purchased individually. The catch is you don't know what you're getting; no peeking inside. The bags are often sorted into men's, women's and kids to make the decision lightly easier but what's inside is a simple game of chance. 

Occasionally the luck of the draw can fall to the buyer; the bag at an electronics store may contain a computer instead of a hairdryer for example. But there are no guarantees and it is usually the early bird that wins the prize and stores that are known to provide surprise offers will have queues forming from the early hours of the morning. The offers continuing until the final bag is in the hands of the hopeful consumer and the shelves are nearly empty. And it's completely unrelated to the unfortunate Japanese "Sale" sign circulating to hilarity on Facebook.

The Families of New Year's Day

It's the turn of the Monkey and a fine and Happy New Year to you all where ever you may be! Japan's philosophy is to look to the new year without holding regrets of the last and so although I hope 2015 was a good one for you, I believe 2016 will be. This morning will have seen multiple generations breakfasting together and continual television coverage of the wildly popular ekidens (short, marathon style, road relay races) being held across the land. Sake will have been sipped and mochi chewed and chewed (and chewed).

20% of all annual mail will have been delivered on this one single morning, people sending New Year nengajo rather than Christmas cards and Japan Post having stockpiled them for this special day. Traditionally not sent if a close relative has passed away during the year, today's youth sometimes chooses to mark and remember the moment rather than mourn it, sometimes with hilarious but heartfelt imagery. 

Children will have been presented with envelopes containing a few crisp new notes known as otoshi-dama, often specially ordered from a bank to ensure their pristine condition. And then it will be time to visit the ancestors with the family piling into the car and visiting the grave site where their remains will have been interred and memories recalled. And then it's time to spend the remains of the day with friends. As I say, a fine and Happy New Year to you all.