Month: September 2002

Loud Loud Loud

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Yes, it’s true. Americans are loud. And nowhere is that more noticeable than in Japan.
I spent a summer in Germany during high school, and I can clearly remember my first moment of shame at being in any way connected to America. It was on a bus that was filled with the inane booming of an older American couple who were oblivious to their surroundings and to the effect they were having on every other passenger on the bus. And Germans aren’t shrinking violets.

Here in Japan, I’m constantly amazed at how loud Westerners can be, and in the most inappropriate situations. (To be fair, it’s not only Americans — many Canadians, Brits and Aussies can crank up the volume, especially after a few drinks.) Several other foreign teachers live nearby, and there are many nights were I can hear one or more approaching from more than a block away. The neighbors can’t be happy.

Featured Food — Protein & Aminos

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food_supps.jpg

It’s a bit of a stretch to call either of these food; they belong more in the “probably-not-necessary-sustenance” category. But somehow I’ve gotten hooked, especially on the protein supplement shown on the left above.

I’ve been worrying about getting enough protein. I’m not really eating any meat or chicken, so my protein intake comes mostly from fish and beans (not a bad thing, I’m just concerned that I’m not getting enough). So one day last summer before going swimming, I tried the Protein In Body Make (or whatever it’s called). To say it’s strange is putting it mildly. The container is soft with a built-in straw, through which you suck the “liquid” protein. The texture is a mixture of not-quite-jelled Jell-O and tapioca pudding. Yum!
The Amino Supli is a Gatorade-style drink — basically lightly sweetened water. And it includes 1000mg of eight essential amino acids. Wow! It’s much better than one of it’s competitors, the tantalizingly-named “Pocari Sweat.”

It’s Time to Free the Mouse

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You may have noticed the “Free the Mouse” button on this page. It links to a site maintained by the plaintiffs in the Eldred v. Ashcroft case. Opening arguments in this important case will be heard before the Supreme Court later this month.

At issue is whether Congress has overstepped its Constitutional authority in extending the length of copyrights, giving corporate copyright holders additional profits at the expense of the public good.

From an article in the San Francisco Chronicle:

The original decision made more than 200 years ago to limit the length of copyrights was deliberate and carefully considered. The goal, which was expressed at the time in letters written by Thomas Jefferson and others, was to allow newcomers to build on and improve works produced by others, but only after the original creators of those works were compensated fairly for their efforts. The reason: Human progress builds upon itself.

Creativity doesn’t flourish in a world of closed and locked ideas. Throughout history, artists have used and built upon the creations of others. The most famous case in point provides the “Free the Mouse” slogan: Walt Disney “borrowed” the idea for Mickey Mouse from another animated character. In fact, much of the content created over the years by the Walt Disney corporation has not been original (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Magician’s Apprentice, Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast, etc…). And yet it is Disney who pushed for the most recent extension of copyrights, in order to prevent Mickey Mouse from entering the public domain. Apparently, it’s OK for Disney to draw upon a rich pool of public domain ideas, but they wouldn’t dream of contributing to that pool after a reasonable period of compensation.

The outcome of this case will indicate whether our society is more interested in protecting the profits of large business, or in promoting the free exchange of ideas.

Danger Season

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In a country as outwardly obsessive about safety as Japan, it’s interesting to hear stories of life on the edge. In recent weeks students have described festivals with elements of danger.

One such festival took place a couple weeks ago in Kishiwada-shi, near Osaka. The highlight of the Danjiri Festival is a high-speed “parade” of intricately-carved, incredibly beautiful wooden floats, which are pulled through the streets by dozens of men via long ropes. At intersections, the teams must execute 90 degree turns, while still racing along at high speed. All the while, a man is balancing on top of the float as if riding a surfboard. This is the honored position of daiku-gata. Every year, my students tell me, people are killed during this parade, usually during a crash or when the daiku-gata is flung from the top of the float during a turn. And this year, with two deaths, was no exception.

Closer to Nagano, a festival last Saturday featured almost two hours of low-level fireworks. One student who attended described two hours of rushing from one viewing location to another to escape burning embers falling from the sky. Local fire authorities were on hand to extinguish the many trees that caught on fire. I’m sorry to have missed this one.

Danger, as with so many other things here, is acceptable in the appropriate situation and circumstance.

Two Days in the Mountains

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mountains.jpg
I had an amazing two days in the Northern Alps. I’d planned to stay for two nights and three days, but the forecast called for rain Sunday night and Monday, so I returned a day early. And sure enough, as I write this (Sunday evening), it’s just started to rain here in Nagano.

I’ve posted pictures from the trip — lots of beautiful fall colors starting to emerge in the mountains.

I left early Saturday morning, catching an 8:30 bus from Nagano station for the hour and a half trip to Ougisawa. The weather was perfect.

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