Mr. Inomata

I had carried around his New Year's card for 15 years, meaning to call him next time I was in Japan. I thought about writing to him but I never got around to it. 22 years ago Mr. Inomata of Japan had come to Peavine to talk to me about a business idea he had and for several years we had stayed in touch and he hosted me to lunch on a couple of my trips to Japan, but the contact dropped off after the company I worked for was sold off. In his last correspondence he told me about an invention he had patented. It was called a home bread-making machine. But a few years after we stopped communicating I bumped into him on a street in Tokyo during a brief business trip to Japan. Do you know what the chances of that are? Especially because he was not living in this city of 15-million people. He too was on a business trip to the city. We promised to stay in touch and meet next time I was in Japan. We didn't.

When I moved to Tokyo a few months ago I brought the card with me and I kept thinking I'd go to his home city and look him up. I finally found a phone number for his small company on the Internet - I had been looking for several years. I called the number today. The lady that answered the phone told me Mr. Inomata had passed away three years ago. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that", I said. Too late again.

Politicians Behaving Badly

"Things just aren't like they used to be" is a common theme of cafe chats and pundits alike, and always has been. But this story from my favorite journalist, James Fallows, is one worth pondering. When is the last time you heard of a powerful politician saying, "throw the book at me"?

Elections in Tokyo

Tokyo has a governor instead of a mayor and there were elections this last weekend. I must admit that I was barely aware of the election except for the public billboards that were erected in each neighborhood with numbered spaces for the candidates to place their campaign posters. Each numbered space is the same size so each candidate got equal space. I'm not sure if they have to pay for the space but since the billboards were exactly the same throughout the city it seems to be regulated by the government. I didn't see any billboards or advertising on television. I only saw one of the usual campaign sound trucks that the politicians park at busy intersections and scream speeches over super-powered bullhorns. I understand that because of the recent disaster that most of the candidates thought it would be inappropriate to carry on in the regular way.

The winner of the Governorship was Shintaro Ishihara, the same guy that has held the office since 1999. He is, to say the least, a colorful character that has garnered a lot of international attention over the years for the often controversial things he sometimes says. He is a far-right politician known for his nationalism and anti-foreigner statements. I was rooting for the young guy with the pointy hair just because he has pointy hair.

Hooch 'n Hanami in Ueno

On Sunday we braved the crowds at Tokyo’s Ueno Park to do the traditional “hanami” or cherry blossom-viewing. The wide walkway that leads from the park entrance to the zoo is lined with cherry trees and attracts a huge crowd during the week or two that the blossoms are at their height. Japanese arrive early with tarps and stake out ground under the trees for group hanami parties. It appears that drinking and eating are the primary pursuit but I guess they may look at a few blossoms when they collapse on their back red-faced and soused. Meanwhile thousands of other people walk slowly up and down the walkway admiring the riot of pinkish-white cherry blossoms overhead and glancing warily at the rowdy party people off to the sides.

It is quite an experience shuffling along in an enormous crowd under the trees. The throng of people are almost as eye-catching as the cherry trees. But the humans don’t look as happy as the flowers do. Almost all of the elderly wear frowns and only a few of the younger ones are actually wearing a pleasant look. Many are busier taking pictures with their phone cameras than they are just admiring the overhead beauty.

One pass-through was enough for us and off to a side exit we went. Past the train station and past Ameyoko we went to a favorite little Chinese restaurant called “Mr. Wang’s Kitchen” where we had good but expensive (in Tokyo there is no other kind) food cooked by Mr. Wang (of Zhejiang) himself and served by his friendly Japanese wife. Brazilian jazz in the background and only one other family in the tiny second-floor retreat. 4300 yen (about $50) and we headed home on the Hibiya line.

Sorry if this causes you any inconvenience

Just today, in the span of a couple of hours, I received notices from three sources that my personal information had been stolen by hackers. My medical information and SSN was stolen from my employer and unknown amounts of personal information was stolen from an online travel portal and from a retailer. Sorry they all say, it was the fault of a rogue employee at a supplier we outsource your data to. We suggest you order copies of your credit reports (at your own expense) and monitor the situation they advise. "Sorry if this causes you any inconvenience."

Discover Shitamachi

Using a book called "Discover Shitamachi" that I bought in 1985 I explored the Kanda portion of old Tokyo this weekend. Starting at Yushima on Saturday I made my way through the Yushima Shrine, the Kanda Shrine and the Confucius Temple to Ochanomizu. Today, I continued the journey by starting at the other end, Kanda and working my way back to Ochanomizu, which literally means "Tea Water". This area was part of the original city of Edo, which eventually came to be called Tokyo. Today, it is home to many universities, used book stores and music stores, as well as shrines.

I found that much of the walking tour described in my book is no longer there. The old wooden buildings described in this 1980s book are no longer standing, having been razed for skyscrapers that are still under construction near the Manseibashi (Thousand Year Bridge) between Kanda and Ochanomizu. Too late yet again.

The most interesting part of my journey this weekend was witnessing two Shinto weddings, one at Yushima Shrine and the other at Kanda Shrine. The sight of the brides wearing high white hoods to hide their horns of jealousy were striking. When one removed the hood to get into a van I saw that they do indeed wear wooden "horns" under the hood. I wish I could describe the Shinto music that accompanied the weddings - but it was quintessentially Japanese - I'll have to leave it at that and hope you get a chance to hear it for yourself.