Hanaizumi

This is my first spring sake of 2010 and it’s from Fukushima Prefecture, Aizu City, Nango Village.
(“I’m listening to Trevor Morris’ City in a Box as I type this”).
Since it’s spring in Japan you can expect there to be hundreds perhaps thousands of different kinds of sake on the market now, so how do you choose which ones to get? For me, I look for the sake shops with the largest hotel and restaurant clientele . In my city there’s a jizake shop called Kimijimaya which caters to some of the most exclusive hotels and restaurants in Tokyo and Yokohama. This store has the largest selection of sake and wine in Yokohama, and is also one of the most respected and well established in the Kanto region. I take my sake advice from them along with my own experiences and choose the best sake for the season and for my own spiritual and sexual needs.
This time around, they recommended Hanaizumi to me, a Jyunmai Muroka Nama Genshu, in other words, an unfiltered, unpasteurized, full bodied, mammoth of a sake with full flavor profiles. Acid is high which serve to further enhance its sharpness. It’s a snappy sake. I love her. She slaps me in the face. Rice is polished at 65% and locally grown. The tail is pleasantly mild, yet fruity and spring season like. impact has a delicate burst of pink cherry blossom pedals that coat the tongue. I just love homegrown Japanese things. Especially women, like Chiaki Ojima, a personal friend and a Fukushima born beauty.
This sake was made exclusively for Kimijimaya by Hanaizumi Brewery, so like I said in my previous post on Yoshio no Sake, a brewery would have to have a highly coveted partnership in order for them to brew a sake just for you. I wish they’d brew a sake for me. I would call it “Jukujo!” Today’s featured Jukujo is below.

Her name is Anzai Tomoko and she was born in Iwaki City, which I have personally been to. It’s on the Pacific Ocean side of Japan, not the Sea of Japan side.

The reason for selecting Ms. Anzai is because of her dreamy carefree look. I have noticed this pattern in a lot of women from this prefecture. Think less, be more spontaneous. Less inhibitions. Nature made.
Nihonshu, food, onsen, shinto, and Jukujo do go together. Never let anybody tell you any differently. If they do, be careful. They may be spies working for North Korea. And, by the way, Jukujo sweat is nihonshu and you know how much I esteem nihonshu.

Yoshio no Sake

Last week at the office one of my female co-workers handed me a bottle of sake she had been holding onto since last year. She had told me it was given to her at a business gathering somewhere in Tokyo, and that according to them it was very good. Fortunately for me she wasn’t a sake drinker so she decided to give it to me knowing that I wouldn’t waste anytime sampling its essence.

Looking at the label to the right I immediately thought it was some kind of geeky sake association in Tokyo. There is a close-knit association for just about everything here in Japan, so a sake association for geeks like myself wouldn’t surprise me at all. But turning the bottle around I discovered it was from Gifu prefecture in Hashima city, and that it was made by a highly respectable brewery called Chiyogiku and that the name on the bottle bore no association whatsoever to the brewer.

According to the label to the left it says Yoshio no Sake, and on the top right it says Ichiryu 1 Associates, which after careful research was named after a very famous entrepreneur in Osaka named Yoshio Ichiryu. That makes sense now. But why him? And what’s the association between an entrepreneur and a sake brewery?

Digging further I found out that this man, Yoshio Ichiryu, is the most prominent private sector advocate in Japan. So basically he’s an advocate for private business and enterprise and private profits with an emphasis on private businesses and small start-ups. According to several sources he believes that in order for Japan to revitalize its economy it has to move away from public sector economics by encouraging Japanese to become entrepreneurial instead of depending on State run programs to solve the economic problems. Sort of echoes former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s sentiments when he privatized the Postal Service in a move to free up trillions of yen for the economy.

I was intrigued, and since Gifu and Osaka are within a couple of hours reach of each other it also made even more sense as to why an entrepreneur would explore business opportunities there . One reason could be that Gifu has so many micro breweries that could use a financial lift. The neat thing too, is that most of these small breweries still make sake the traditional way with hardly no electricity; just hands, sweat, and song. Small brewery, less overhead, niche market…I get the picture.

But back on topic, this sake and Mr. Ichiryu have some sort of business affiliation, which I haven’t been able to confirm, but it’s highly likely that if a sake brewery puts your name on one of its sake than it’s either because you are a business associate or a celebrity, or a very important person, so I had no doubts in my mind that this sake would taste very good.

Upon opening, my nose was pleasantly ambushed by spring flowers. One of the brewery’s most important ingredients is its use of organic rice grains, which is a strand of rice called Chrysanthemum rice. The water used comes from a well source 128 meters deep and is checked annually by the government for its purity. Everything is made by hand, and pressed using traditional methods that go back hundreds of years.

Gifu has such a special place in my memories. The history; the sake; the mountains; the beautiful snowy fields; the onsen, beautiful women. I visited this prefecture several times and highly recommend it for those who want to get a taste of old Japan. Winter is the best time of year in my opinion. The best sake I ever tasted when I first came to Japan came from this prefecture and is called Uwazumi Brewery( 057-82009).

The nihonshu-do for this sake is +1.0 making it neutral, + 10 would be super super dry whereas, say - 3 would indicate more sweetness. Acidity is around 1.3 which means it has a full spectrum of taste whereas higher acidity would indicate more dryness. Seimai- buai is 58%.

All-in-all, this is a great sake with a very distinguishable tail that leaves a lovely scent leaving the mouth feeling tantalizingly refreshed. Just about anything this brewery puts out is going to taste the way sake should taste, like the Soul of Japan.

The Great Divide

Many of us have come from ethnically rich cultures and societies and have been exposed to a broad range of opinions and influences both naturally and spiritually and because of these experiences we are able to gain a better understanding of other people, but do we really empathize with others or do we just tolerate them?

However, many of us are drawn to the very things that we also hate like in the case of the foreigner who falls in love with Japan's largely mono-cultural, mono-racial, and mono-linguistic and religious elements, and is amazed at the level of harmony and natural balance that can be achieved by people of the same racial stock. It's what drew me here to Japan! I think the concept of oneness and homogeneity is beautiful while others may totally disagree with me.

On one hand, some Westerners here feel that they are entitled to the same things as Japanese and should be treated as equal or better. On the other hand, the way the Japanese society is structured limits what a foreigner can do and constrains the foreigner from becoming to overly ambitious – that’s the hate part. Western minds want to seize opportunity and run with it, whereas Japanese seek a consensus first, and then make a collective move second. The two paradigms are wholly inconsistent with each other, so in such a case it’s a good thing that foreigners are limited to what they can do here. The mold is best in order to preserve the natural order and balance of things here in Japan. Things are done better collectively not individually in this country.

Multiculturalism was founded on the notion that people from a variety of different backgrounds and religions could live and work together, and under a set of unifying principles such as Democracy and freedom and justice for all; one nation indivisible, e pluribus Unum, and so on and so forth. Nonetheless, never have I seen such a divided nation such as North America, people are so full of hate and indifference to others. Principles only bind us together when we are truly equal, not when the super rich minority represent the working poor majority and the disenfranchised. Subsequently, in the end, multiculturalism almost always trumps on the head of the American negro no matter where he/she may live in the world. Not Japan, though, thank goodness. Here in Japan the working foreigner who has a legitimate status is far from poor.

America, since the Civil Rights era has programmed its society to believe that some how people of various origins could live equally and be treated fairly by just courts, and that somehow the guarantee of Constitutional Rights and the representation of elected officials from various racial and cultural backgrounds would make us look beyond the scope of race and indifference, and beyond the pattern of racial disparity. Nothing could be further from the truth , especially in terms of equal distribution of wealth and opportunity and fair legal recourse for the poor ethnic majority.

In one instance, we have had both Negro and Latino politicians working in the highest echelons of the U.S. government, and none have made any difference nor have any of them improved the conditions of the working ethnic poor, which make up roughly about 80% of the these two racial groups. We've had negro politicians working in the White House since before and after emancipation, like in the case of George Ruby, and none have made any significant strides in the advancement of minority rights both institutionally and economically. Is it him proving that he was able to work together almost exclusively alongside Whites in the New World? Was it more important than representing the people, all ethnic peoples, across ethnically racial lines? Matt Gaines was a better example of a right thinking man for the new America.

Being a Gaijin in Japan, I know what's expected of me because here there are only two races, the Japanese and the non-Japanese. America used to be the same in terms of “white” and “blacks.” Whites were the dominant class and blacks were the oppressed predominant peasant class, and then there were other minorities groups somewhere scattered in between. The difference here is that one was by design and other was by design and force. If YOU choose to live and work in a society that’s 90% homogeneous in every way, and you are that minority you must conform! Here in Japan all non-Japanese must conform, including Whites! For them it’s more of a personal struggle because they’ve never been at the receiving end of any kind of blatant discriminatory policies both at home and abroad.

In America, you have to learn what's expected of you from the top down, and from a variety of different stereotypes. President Obama is no exception to this either. He wears several hats and has several faces because he has to, not necessarily because he wants to. Black elected officials are not supposed be opinionated especially if their opinions empower their minority base. Like in the case of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's incendiary comments about Americans being a nation of cowards and when it comes to dealing with and talking about race related issues. He was rebuked by President Obama for telling an unpleasant truth. Had Mr. Holder been anybody other than an elected official he probably would've been branded a terrorist by the religious Right.

In North America, Bananas(Northern California term for Asian on the outside and white on the inside), Apples( native American on the outside and white on the inside), and Oreos(black outside and white inside) are expected to tow the line, as long as their attitude and thinking is in line with the white corporate culture power structure in America. And then, having to work alongside people with whom you really have very little in common with and having to deal with their own indifferences, all while stabbing each other in the back and fighting our way up the corporate ladder just to sit next to the Man.

Sort of reminds me of my short stint with Aetna Insurance in Torrance and how that played out. It was disgusting seeing how the office ladies there were giving massages to the directors in the middle of the day and laying all over their desks like whores. And these directors got to pick and choose according to race and other preferential treatment while us poor working class guys were busy hustling our asses and seeing this abuse of power going on. One of the directors even had his daughter working in the same company in the adjacent office next door. Nepotism at its finest. Truly disgusting.

The analogy about there being only two races in Japan is merely a metaphor for how Japanese view non-Japanese in terms of social status. In Japan, all foreigners, even the ones with Japanese nationality, are considered foreigner by Japanese standards. You could even come from the upper crust of Western society, or be a vagabond from a deprived Indian or African country, you are still a foreigner and you are held in contempt no matter what you do, especially when a foreigner commits a crime against a Japanese. The implications are wide spreading. (“If one foreigner commits a crime , then it’s highly probably that other foreigners have been committing crimes too and therefore let’s cast aspersions on each and every foreigner’s honesty with a smile on our faces”).

Even still, the fact that the Japanese don’t class its foreigner community according to race, nationality and sex is beautiful, in reality. Just last week a foreigner teacher was accused of molesting young Japanese girls for over a decade. His name, nationality, and race were never released to the public, just his status as ' foreigner' was. The same can't be said in countries through out South East Asia and Europe, especially in North America, where racial profiling and race baiting are and have been the bywords of the day for centuries.

President Obama is the subject of constant race baiting almost everyday and yet he holds the highest office in the Land, not even he is exempt from the constant harassment due to his race. I suspect, though, that as Japan continues to inherit Western ideals and Western ways, this subtle racial categorization will begin to creep in, slowly, namely through mixed bred children and overly liberal Japanese politicians who fail to find quick fixes for Japan's ailing and failing population, instead they contend that by opening the flood gates for foreigners to come here and by granting long term residents the chance to vote will some how correct the population problem is merely an experiment in absurdity.

Foreigner men know that in order to ensure a smooth transition from foreigner to “long term resident foreigner” would require them to take Japanese wives, mate with them and produce offspring who in turn will grow up to be the future leaders of Japan, before they were just 'hafu'(half breed), but this label is fading quickly because of the steadily growing diversity of Japan's demographic and lack of Japanese men. I suspect that in ten to twenty years, Japan will be a very racially diverse country where every foreigner will be classed into a profile based exclusively on race and background, like in North America.

At some point, Japanese, will have to protect their racial identity through instituting race profiling, especially as more and more non-Japanese gain citizenship and take on more demanding roles in Japan's society. A racially diverse Japan is inconsistent with Japanese logic and ideology. A racially diverse Japan isn't and wouldn't be Japan in my opinion, either. If I wanted to be a part of diversity I would return back to my own country. I didn’t come to Japan for that.

When a white kid with a white mother and a white father is born in Japan, then I’m required to call him a Japanese and gesture with a bow? A Japanese black or a Japanese/white? Are you kidding? Much like the cold blue eyed Afrikaners who tries to shake my hand and convince me that he is more African than me is truly sickening, even though it’s true, turns my stomach still.

(“you were a part of that murderous class of Europeans who killed black Africans you moron! You don’t even deserve to be called an African”).

Reminds me of when I was in Greece many years ago. This hairy beast of man with poor fair skin sneered at me with that arrogant look of condescension that a lot of Southern Europeans have, smeared across his face, and telling me he was from the continent of Africa. Like he deserved some respect. I almost spit on him.

Every year in America, State and local officials conduct a consensus on the population. Residents are asked to identify their race and background and in turn the Federal government is supposed to determine how much money each State is supposed to receive based off of this consensus, which supposedly measures population density based on a number of different factors, race is one of them. America has entertained the notion of eliminating race categories all together, but that never happened. It's not natural and it's illogical because we are not all the same and we do not all embrace the same set of ideals, morals, and principles, and so on.

It's almost like arguing whether Communism was bad, or was the human too imperfect for Communism to work. Or, is the concept of equality perfect, and that it's the human being that lacks perfection. Or even better, maybe equality and Communism would be synonymous with each other and are concepts that are centuries ahead of our Time. One is a social concept and the other is a social structure.

The great experiments with Communism during the last century have failed and I wonder if this great experiment with equality will also fail??? To suggest that Communism failed wouldn't be entirely an accurate statement, perhaps people failed Communism much like the concept of equality will eventually fail in North America. This is partly because Communism taught us that it was illegal to be selfish and equality only sounded good on paper because it gave minorities the incentive to try to out do the dominant culture which eventually pitted all minorities against each other and not the dominant race, thus the pyramid.

Back in Japan, non-Japanese have to conform to the standards and norms established by the dominant race. The Japanese race. This again I say is a beautiful thing. “Why” you say? It’s easier and the harmony of races flow much more naturally than in any other country in the world. I guess when the time comes, maybe I can go to China or Korea and maybe Germany and assert my equal Rights over there alongside the majority !? What less Japan? No way!

The French, the Negro, the Italian, the Chinese, the Koreans, and so on, can now sit at the same table and break bread, why? Because we are one race in the Japanese eyes! And we are all bound by the same limitations and advantages both linguistically and economically. If I can’t speak French and that French can’t speak English, then we could at least speak in Japanese together, and even relate on the same level with each other and, yet we are worlds apart in ideology. Amazing! A far cry from him spitting on Africans in downtown Paris, now are equals.

Nobody is fighting and hating each other here. No bickering, no racist epithets, no nepotism, no race selection, no race baiting, no nothing of the sort. Just a smooth functioning, smooth flowing society free from racist ideology. Everyone knows what’s expected of them; the Japanese and the non-Japanese and we are all one big happy family.

Sekihan The Menarche

It’s pronounced (muh-nahr-kee), and it’s the first menstrual period or the establishment of menstruation for young women in Japan.

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Sekihan, is a red bean rice made by steaming glutinous rice( especially sticky variety) together with red beans which turn the rice red, go figure! Sekihan is also served on other special occasions like weddings and birthdays but more so for the celebration of young Japanese women's Menarche.

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I had acquired my red wings decades ago, but to have a celebratory traditional food dish named for it is extremely rare in the world. This is one of the reasons I love Japan so much. So much emphasis is placed on natural things and attention to details about the every day things that non-Japanese take for granted.

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I have never had an aversion to this natural process a woman goes through. I think it’s beautiful. Around March 26th, almost like clock work, all day today I had women coming in and complaining to me about cramping and lower back pain, I smiled. I am so used to seeing these signs on women here. I’m always kind and supportive and tell them that what they’re experiencing in quite natural and that there’s nothing to be ashamed about.

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At least by their admission of this tells me that they trust me and that they feel very comfortable around me. I have seen and heard just about everything under sun, so nothing surprises anymore. I’m a good listener. In the Western world the topic of menstruation is a taboo, and is generally one that’s reserved for women only.

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According to Judeo-Christian religions this time of the month for women is regarded as a time of impurity and women are to be separated and barred from entering into so called holy places. Nothing could be stupider! But, like I said, nothing surprises me anymore. (“ We must ban you because you bleed naturally lest you defile our holy clay build blood stained alters”).

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This brings me to a another NSFW episode in my past where I had to teach a 21 y.o. Japanese girl what a tampon was and even how to use one. What the hell she was doing prior to this is beyond me. This all happened before I came to Japan by the way. Atsuko, if you are reading this you owe me!

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Anyway, it’s nice to commemorate the beginning of something, especially something as natural and beautiful as the development of a Japanese woman's body. Spring is in the air.

Rasuta!

5 minute walk from Hiyoshi station there's a ramen shop. It came highly recommended by a friend and a few other s who love the taste of thick ramen soup and noodles. This is my new top fav now. If u eat here you won't be disappointed!

Nanpa ナンパ

Today's post will be an attempt at promulgating a working theory on "nanpology"…e.g. the study of how to attract young Japanese women through sweet talking. The subjects used were all under 25 years old, single, and Japanese. All of them are relatively attractive and come from different backgrounds and all have jobs. This is not a definitive guide to getting young Japanese girl, however, you can use this information to sort of gage how things work here in Japan.

According to Wiki, Nanpa tends to occur on busy streets and other places. Young men stand at the edge of the street and watch passing women. When a woman strikes a man's fancy, he typically invites her to a café or karaoke bar. The evening may finish with a visit to a love hotel, or at least the promise for a second rendezvous. Although it is rare in practice, nanpa is socially acceptable in Japan, and tolerated as a natural youthful indiscretion.

To begin with, I think that the art of sweet talking is a myth. I also believe that young nubile Japanese women do date old men. In all of my time here in Japan I have had both successes and failures with Japanese women. 90% of them I got through direct engagement e.g. stopping them on the streets, talking them down for their phone numbers. Tactics like these have produced positive results, and of course some negative results also, but is there really such a thing as sweet talking? I mean…Is asking for a girls number really sweet talking?

Let's define a couple of terms here: The first is called " ' KY' or Kuuki Yomenai" which is a term widely used by Japanese girls under twenty five who are into the Harajuku, Akihabara sub-culture. This figurative connotation means " can't read the air." In other words, a person who can't take a hint or get the big picture or a person who can't pick up on subtle cues. There is no specific kanji listing in any dictionary for this phrase, it's like a type of urban slang where if you are not young and "in" so to speak, you wouldn't know what it means, I guess.

Often times when a Western male approaches a young Japanese female, he tries to go for the number as quickly as possible. While there have been successes with this method, J-girls on average don't like this aggressive male tactic, which could explain why some or many may not return your phone calls or e-mails. It's generally because they lack the initial defense mechanism tactics to ward off unwanted male advances, so they just smile and follow. As soon as they part company with you chances are they'll forget you. It happens.

The next term is called "oseji or お世辞” which a lot of foreigners make the mistake of doing all too often. Incessant praise and adulation. " You are so cute! You are so young! " kind of compliments, which the Japanese interpret as insincere flattery. A lot of Japanese women smile on the surface, but inside they dislike it, because all foreigners say the same things to them. Again, there are some exception here depending on each woman's mood. I would use the compliments sparingly. I think no matter where a Japapnese woman travels, regardless of her age, people from other countries will generally comment on how young Japanese women look, so I guess it gets old after while.

What is the best way to meet Japanese women....? One is either through " コンパ" conpa - a company get-together. Office romances are very common here in Japan. Lots of people have met their spouses at work. Another is called a ごうコン(hiragana and Katakana) where Japanese can meet other single Japanese. As strange as this may sound, it is by far the easiest way to meet, greet, and bed(uwaki = うわき） a young Japanese lady. Friend of a friend, word of mouth has also been the best way to meet Japanese women, and still is.

Old men can also meet and date young ladies, even if the man is "batsu-ichi" or, was once married. This all dependent on whether these older men have a personal magnetism or charm, which is called "miriyoukuteki" or a charming person. From personal experience I have both experienced and have witness old men with much younger girls on both sides, so while the most common stereotypes about age may be popular, they're unfounded. Same goes with the " Japanese girls don't like blacks" argument. This is not true, either. However, it could be said that "most blacks don't like blacks or most foreigners don’t like other foreigners in Japan" could be more of a fact than "most Japanese don't like blacks." We have to apply the standard to ourselves first before we apply it to others.

Once you've done all the wrong things you can start to do the opposite and see how that works...e.g. send an e-mail once or twice a week instead of everyday, don't use money to buy her attention like for meals and dinners, let her pay her own way. Chances are that if you have approached an attractive Japanese woman in the past and failed to get to first and second base, then it's because you probably used the same come-on lines and tactics as the next guy.

There is never a shortage of attention for attractive Japanese women, so ordinary lines don't always work. Another negative point would be using Japanese too casually and carelessly. Speaking Japanese mean that you've been around, and know too much, so while they may smile and compliment you on your fluency, it doesn't always work in your favor. Sex on the first,second or third dates are common in Japan; happens almost everyday. I think the fastest ever recorded for me was five minutes flat from meet & greet to bedmate.

In the West, women have a long list of prerequisites that have to be satisfied first before even thinking about any kind of intimacy...i.e. ( job, looks, status, car) and in this exact order too. Japanese girls put a premium on situation, timing, and mood than material possessions. If the mood is right, yet you lack the material assets then no problem, intimacy can be achieved - you were just in the right place at the right time. This is partly why I say "nanpa" is a myth in as much as just having good timing and being in the right place at the right time, or being introduced by a friend of a friend. It's widely known that if a Japanese girl tells her girlfriend that it's OK to be with you, then chances are you get the " prize" if you know what I mean, no further questions asked. However, this trend has been changing recently, though, as most Japanese women are becoming more independent thinking whereby they no longer take the word or advice of a friend on who to be with.

I remember sending a young spry Japanese girl over to New York awhile ago to meet one of my best friends! I hyped him up and told her he was my GOoood friend, and that it would be nice if she could…you know….break him off something proper, just a little. After she arrived at JKF, my buddy was there to pick her up with his Beamer, and I think in a matter of days they were in the sack. Vinny, if you are reading this, we are even!

As Japanese women get up in age they grow out of this phase of having to be told who to sleep with. I remember when I had first came to Japan, all I had to do was hang out with a guy who had a girlfriend, and as long as his girlfriend liked me, she was bound to introduce me to one of her friends, and from then there was a least a 90% chance of scoring.

This “ fuck him by word of mouth “ society has lead me to search for women who are more interested in anonymous and more discreet relationships, non-social types, which for me is better than the types who need approval from close friends. Even if my girlfriends friend approves me, intimate details of our relationship become her information too. I'm just not interested in women who need approval or validation for every single decision they make about their body's. This is one of the appeals of the Jukujo I believe; no drama, no gossip, and most often times anonymous. If a young Japanese girl likes you, and her friend disapproves of you then chances are she will lose interest in you unless your relationship is firmly rooted.

So is Nanpa what it's really hyped up to be? No, not really. It basically depends on you. Here's a little nugget of truth. Time and opportunity waits on no one. If you sit around and play by the rules thinking that some how you'll be rewarded for good behavior you'll finish last in Japan when it comes to women. In America the age old axiom of “ nice guys finish last” rings true in Japan also. Chance opportunities only come once in a life time.

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Deboning MacArthur

( Old Soldiers Do Die and Fade Away)

Had a fantastic discussion today with students about the former Occupational Authority under then American General Douglas MacArthur. We talked about such things like the family nucleus and at how directives under SCAP affected millions of households in Japan during and after the Occupation.

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We also discussed topics about religion and white worship and about Democracy and how Japanese people have changed over the years from generation to generation. Questions like, what were MacArthur’s real motives and was he genuinely interested in rehabilitating the Japanese people, or was there a much more sinister plot, one that saw Japan as one massive experiment in radioactive fallout, or a Milgram’s style social psychology experiment….? I could probably name a few more plausible conspiracy theories out there, too.

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Some students did acknowledge an inherent white worship, while others were in denial. Some knew absolutely nothing about the breakdown of the family as most have grown up in households where there was either very little communication or none at all, for them this is considered normal. Many parents fail to teach their children anything. I once had a Japanese girlfriend who couldn’t even fry a goddam egg, that’s how dumb she was. She told me her mother never taught her anything and left her to feel her own way through life. Whenever she had got into trouble her mother would throw money at the problem. I felt bad inside knowing how inept and spiritually void these Japanese kids are. They have nothing to believe in, so they channel their energies into learning English and trying to go abroad in hopes of finding some promise land or some rich boyfriend that's going to sweep them off their feet.

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Prior to the Occupation, it was quite common for multi-generations of family members to live together under one roof. The family nucleus was much stronger back then than it is today. Families did things like share meals, bathed, watched television, and listened to radio together. The support network back then amongst family members was strong prior to MacArthur. Now, it's quite rare to see this bond between family members and neighbors, especially in the cities, and amongst Heisei generation.

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Under SCAP directives the family nucleus was broken and disrupted in order to weaken the strong bond shared by family. Young men were directed to start families of their own and to live in their own homes away from parents and grandparents. In actuality, this directive, by MacArthur, was derived from Christian principles, whereby a man is supposed to leave his mother and father's home and take a wife unto himself and the two ‘shall become one flesh, idea,which is wholly inconsistent with Asian culture in general where the children are supposed to take care of their parents regardless of marital status.

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Of course there are certain considerations that need to be taken into account, too, but we now know that through blamestorming the initial blame for the breakdown in the family nucleus had it's early beginnings due to the poison of Christianity and MacArthur. Other things that may have also contributed later on would be decadence and conspicuous consumption after prosperity finally came to the country, and then subsequently over-westernization and the sissy(phication)[herbivore men] of the Japanese man .

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Prior to MacArthur, a Japanese mother could choose her own mid-wife and deliver her own baby in the comfort and safety of her own home. Directives under SCAP forbade mothers from doing this and forced them to deliver their babies in hospitals; not even breastfeeding was permitted. As a result, babies were forced to go on formula further weakening the bond between mother and child through artificial feeding. Everything, from child rearing to education was institutionalized by SCAP, even the most sacred of all institutions including the Shinto faith had to undergo a complete overhaul, not even the dead could be interred properly according to centuries of tradition.

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On the surface, this sounds like a reasonable thing to do from a medical and occupational stand point of view, but culturally, these policies have only proven to be purely divisive and destructive. Japanese mothers have always had mid-wives and power to make the best decisions in her own home.

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Under MacArthur, all vestiges of Japan’s military past had to be tragically uprooted for the sole purpose of, according to MacArthur, the implementing of Democratic principles. For Japan to have a Democratic form of government would mean better representation for the people and voter rights and universal suffrage for women. This may all sound and look good on paper, but in practice hardly any Japanese , save a few hundred or a thousand protesters, push for change in their own government Democratically. Most would rather complain about how corrupt the government is while doing very little to affect change in these institutions. 90% of the Japanese live as if the Meiji era constitution is still in place as evident in society where following the status quo is the norm under a top down system of government where strong leaders get the vote.

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In other words, if Koizumi in his official status were to say ‘ I’m going to visit Yasukuni on the 15th of August then Japanese would scream bloody murder because he violated the separation of church and State clause in the current constitution. These same Japanese people would also claim that Mr. Koizumi was being insensitive to his Asian neighbors and in defiance to international rules and norms. And yet, even with his annual visits to the Shrine and his insensitivity to his neighbors, Koizumi enjoyed and still enjoys the highest approval ratings of any Prime Minister in Japanese history. Even now, years later after leaving office he is still considered the most popular of all prime ministers in Japanese political history. So you see, it has nothing to do with Democracy, Japanese follow the strong man like they followed Emperor Meiji and his directives. I didn’t mention Hirohito because he wasn’t a real leader, plus he shamed the Japanese race when he stood side-by-side with MacArthur, a white devil back then. Of Hirohito’s 73 million subjects, none have ever met his gaze, but MacArthur, stood towering over the son heaven was enough for any Japanese to die. That was very damaging for the Japanese psyche. Emperor Meiji had spine.

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The younger generation is more in tune with Democratic values, but lack interest in the political process as a whole and could probably care less about what direction the country goes in. This “ I can do nothing about it” mentality also stems from MacArthur’s extensive social policies which are now proving to be the worst cultural disaster for the country. Some blame it on technology or Westernization, I hold MacArthur to blame.

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In America, if we were to compare, we took prayer out of the schools in order to draw a clear line between god and society, now to what affect it has had on society is left up to speculation, but for sure it hasn’t enhanced American society. Young Japanese are starting to refuse singing of the national anthem of Japan citing constitutional reasons, which is really bullshit because so many have no real reason to refuse singing their own national anthem in the first place, other than what their lefty teachers tell them. Most probably have no idea what’s in their current constitution, so why would they refuse singing it based off some weak assumption that “ it violates my freedom of thought” if there’s no thought to begin with? How would they know if they have no concern and knowledge whatsoever about their own society and country?

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In North America, Democracy has never served the interest and the needs of the poor, then and now. The disenfranchised working poor might have the right to vote, but their votes rarely ever count as evident through-out history, and in many more instances in North American history where minorities were taxed without representation. Instead, Government subsidized education, welfare, and medicine is not representation – just a bandage and a temporary fix to a long term problem.

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On the religious front, because we have to have both Christian and Democratic ideals meshed together in order to proceed, according MacArthur, who invited U.S. Christian missionaries to Japan in the hopes that Christianity could make major inroads against the traditional Japanese religions of Shinto and Buddhism. It failed, thankfully. This failure weakened Democracy internally in Japan, and this is why Japanese have so many weak leaders who are largely ineffective when it comes to making real policy changes. Weak Democracy is because of weak citizens who lack the will to make a difference in their society.

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If we were to use Haiti for example, not North America because despite this being the de facto Democracy of the world, it is still largely controlled by the wealthy regardless of who’s in power. In Haiti’s case under former politician John Bertrand Aristide who was the nation’s first Democratically elected president, and who was also a Roman Catholic priest, who made Democracy his major platform, we can get a pretty good understanding of where Japan would’ve been had it went down the traditional route paved by its former captures through Western religion and Democracy.

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Mr. Aristide had all the trappings of an ideal leader for the West. He was educated, he embraced Western religions, he stood for Democratic principles, he enjoyed warm relations with the the United States under former president Bill Clinton. Haiti had a thriving Democracy and the people loved him for it. The U.S. loved him for it too, until he started pushing for better economic conditions for his own people; until he started demanding reparations from France, the country’s former colonizer. Haiti is such a small island with no leverage economically at all against the bulwark of American economic hegemony all across the Carribean and the Atlantic. America was no longer happy with its little experiment in Democracy with Aristide, but not because he was unDemocratic, he was too Democratic. He was becoming too popular and difficult to control. He was removed from power on baseless corruption charges.

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There’s never a shortage of Christianity and Catholicism in poor and needy countries that have lost wars that were either initiated or instigated by the West. In every expansionist policy initiated by the West since the 14th century, the spread of Christianity has preceded it. Missionaries would come baring gifts and god in one hand, and in the other a dagger of deceit, making them more spy than saint. Funny how the Atheist prosper...?

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Author and journalist John Gunther wrote that MacArthur and the Pope were the two most important people affecting religion in the world at mid-century.^[12] MacArthur later remarked that he wanted to be remembered by history not for the many battles he fought, but for, in his view, "the solace and hope and faith of Christian morals" he gave Japan.

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And all the while, as countries through-out Asia were being carved and doled out by the West, Japan kept a watchful eye as millions of Chinese and Southeast Asians willfully sat back and allowed Western nations to take control of their precious resources. We remember both Arrow Affairs years before. We also remember how the missionaries came, like when they initially came to the African continent bearing gifts and smiles and promises of a better way of life through their gods and their language, while all the while they were merely plotting the downfall for generations of Asians and Africans through the guise of charity and a free meal, like today. Yet, Asians and Africans have to be grateful and show gratitude to our former colonizers, and we are not supposed to be bitter and resentful because of the prosperity some of us have received while the vast majority of us have still not found our place in the world.

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MacArthur and his minions bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they bombed Tokyo which was made up of a much larger swath of land then than what you see today. After the smoke settled the Japanese rebuilt Tokyo from the ground up with American blood money, which eventually ushered in a new era of prosperity for the Japanese. The Japanese in turn are supposed to be grateful to the Americans for this, and they are supposed to forgive the Americans for killing millions of innocent Japanese people, and the firebombings as well….. Japanese have simply moved on, forgive, no. How can you forgive the unforgivable. It would be unthinkable.

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In contrast, in North America, the American negro is supposed to be grateful for having a half American negro half white president because he was elected as the first non-Anglo president, American negro are supposed to be forgiving of the negro Holocaust perpetuated at home and abroad by men who came in the cloth. The American negro is supposed to forgive and forget, which is another Christian principle that serves to weaken the minds of good and sensible peoples. All of Asia and Africa is supposed to be forgiving of Western atrocities because of so-called Christian values and show gratitude for receiving a Democracy and an English education and some prosperity, how arrogant.

On a side note, Just because I was born in America as a free man doesn't mean I have to be in cahoots with its foreign policy, then and now. We had negro soldiers during WW2 who weren't as fortunate. They were born free but without rights, and equality without quality education and representation as they had to attend segregated schools. It wasn't until 1941 that Roosevelt signed executive order 8802 into law prohibiting racial discrimination in the national defense industry - we now know that this had nothing to do with the human dignity of the American negro, but more to do with the legitimized murder of misguided negro; just more bodies for the war machine, more bodies for the meat grinder, in the Pacific Theater.

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Moreover, racial segregation in the American armed forced continued on up until 1948, which is ironic to me because according to Japan's new constitution under SCAP racism was completely eliminated in Japan before it was eliminated in America, yet there were still negro soldiers fighting for America in the Pacific in limited capacity; cooks and dishwashers. Desegregation of the armed services ended in the fifties, contrary to what Harry Truman signed into law by 1948.

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According to the VOA, African-American soldiers played a significant role in World War II. More than half a million served in Europe. Despite the numbers they faced racial discrimination: prior to the war the military maintained a racially segregated force. In studies by the military, blacks were often classified as unfit for combat and were not allowed on the front lines. They were mostly given support duties, and were not allowed in units with white soldiers

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Back on topic,

The reason I presented this element into my essay is because it highlights a pattern among many former colonies through out Asia and Africa, and negro in the Diaspora. When Western expansionist policies become firmly supplanted into a society where sacred institutions such as the indigenous religion of the people become subjugated, the victim nation looses sight of his/her moral compass and starts to fight for the victor in wars that have absolutely nothing to do with the original victims of the War that made them victims in the first place.

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The American negro fought to prove that he could be a competent slave all over again, but this time with a gun, and for some respect through the killing of innocent people abroad. He had to prove that he could fight alongside his former slave owners descendants in order to be considered worthy to be called American, the four hundred years of free slave labor their ancestors faced wasn’t enough for their descendants even be called an American, they had to kill for Uncle Sam instead. This is despicable at best and a shameful legacy of the negro race. The negro could've stood up like Mohammad Ali. But I guess that falls beyond the scope of pure reasoning; my enemy's enemy is my enemy logic, because my enemy told me that if I fight his enemy, then my enemy will consider me his friend and give me a cookie. Way to go Bubba Gump.

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In Japan’s case, The Japanese didn't have to stoop so low as to take up arms for its enemy for international recognition on the war front. But I suspect had Christianity took root in Japan, and had the Emperor converted to Christianity like MacArthur had contemplated, then Japan as we know it today wouldn't even exist in the same way that has charmed those of us who live and work here, and for the rest of the millions of others who admire and love Japanese culture and traditions. Chances are this country would've been sectarian, remained dirt poor, and dependent on Western powers, much like Afro-Caribbean countries, had the Catholics and Protestants had their way here! We should bring back Nero, this way the Christian problem would be completely eliminated from the whole world! Christianity brings oppression and economic dependency to non-Western and non-Anglo aligning nations that only serve the rich and influential at the expense of the poor and indigent.

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I don't pay homage to MacArthur. I don't acknowledge him as a great leader nor as a soldier of valor. MacArthur was a politician, and frankly speaking, lost his wits when he advocated using the atomic bomb again on another country. He was nothing more than a warmongering religious zealot with an over-sized ego who did more harm than good to Japan. Maybe some day the Japanese can be a proud nation again without the legacy of a dead American general as an influence.

Yuzo Senjyaku No Yu

The day-use experience can be just as refreshing as an overnight stay at a Japanese onsen ryoukan, that’s if you plan it correctly, and plan it correctly I did, even with the slight misunderstanding we had at the counter at the Yuzo Senjyaku No Yu Hotel.
I had a free day, Wed, to do whatever I wanted to do, so doing what I do best – onsen, sake, Jukujo – I headed to one of my old favorites with one of my old favorites to Hakone via the Tokaido Line – I don’t see why anybody coming from Yokohama would pay a few thousand yen more just to have a window seat, and for such a short ride in my opinion – from Tokyo okay.
Day-use onsen is great for the traveler who has limited time and budget. In my case, I had plenty of both, but Maza had time constraints and needed to be back on the same day, so I gave up travelling solo today – I was planning on heading up to Niigata. Instead I booked a special guest room for five hours with a lunch and onsen for a little under 5000 yen all together for the both of us at this hotel.
For starters, the hotel was clean upon entering the main complex. You pay up front for everything plus lunch which we had to choose from this long menu list. There were about ten different entrees at different prices ranging from 780 yen to 6000 yen. After you pay, the front hands you your key and you are escorted up to your special guest room.
Our room was very nice – no futon and no toilet – just a special guest room for day – use only. The sliding door was equipped with a lock, so privacy wasn’t an issue. We had this very large room all to ourselves. I made sure to bring along my own sake and snacks, plus I was already slightly drunk from a the beer breakfast I had on the way to the station.
Lunch was to be served 30 minutes after check-in and we were hungry, so we snacked off of ume-chips and nigori sake until our meals came. For those of you who may not already know, it is rumored that Hakone is famous for delicious soba. I totally agree. I enjoyed a nice soba with sake and tempura. Maza had a nice fish set with yuba and some pickles. The soba was long and firm with a nice texture. The tempura was nice also and worked perfectly with the sake we were drinking.

( Taken with my iphone)
And after we finished up our meals we took a quick power nap for twenty minutes , woke up, sang some songs together and headed down to the bath. I have mentioned before in a previous post that I look for the registered onsen sign whenever I am searching for an onsen online. This hotel had it, and the water was great! Perfect temperature and clean, and most of all, not crowded. The outdoor bath was very comfortable to sit in. One could easily recline or sit up very comfortably.


300 meters deep is where this water springs from

This whole afternoon went very well. We had about two 30 minute onsen sessions each. We had time to nap again, eat more snacks, look goo-goo eyed at each other incessantly.
Getting here is easy. From Hakone Yumuto Station it’s a ten minute walk up a gentle slope passed several manjyuu shops on your right hand side. Keep walking and you’ll see it off to your right. Make sure you clarify exactly what you want and what you are paying for. All-in-All, it was fantastic and do plan to return very soon.
www.u-zo.co.jp/

Christmas Cakes & Cougars

I have a devil who lives in North or South Carolina, Columbus Ohio,  Clemson University, somewhere who once commented that his girlfriend at the time, now wife, didn’t like to take it in the face. OK. So fair enough. I don’t blame her for not wanting his spunkiness all over her caked up face, then again, what’s wrong with a little spunkiness…?



It all started in class one day over a discussion about Tiger Woods’ infidelity. A certain news article mentioned that day of a term referring to women over forty. The term is called “ cougar,” and in the dictionary a cougar is referred to as a mountain lion that preys on young meat, namely rabbit. The cougar is a fairly small and agile creature that has a very keen sense of smell and very quick; I had to explain this a bit to a group of students in order to give them a sense of what was happening with Tiger Woods according to media reports.


Now for the record, I think it’s highly unfair for Mr. Woods to accept 100% of the blame – it takes two to tango. I’m sure none of his busty bunk mates lost any endorsements over their willful sexticipation! These women knew he was married from the start, and I’m sure some of them were involved in other relationships too at the time.



(“Since the 70s, when American women started asserted their rights the legal system has become so unfair and partial when it comes to legal issues regarding male and females - women always get the favorable ruling. ”)



At any rate, the term cougar has an opposite meaning that refers to Japanese girls under 25 who over emphasize the importance of cosmetic beauty. The term is called “Christmas cake face” because they love to pack the make-up on day after day in layer after layer of chicken grease!  They hate getting kissed or touched by anybody, not just the obvious pervs, not even dad gets a kiss! They can also be some of the most boring women to be around sometimes.



For me, there’s nothing like the natural clean face of a Japanese woman in the morning. The dimly sunlit room early in the dawn lit hours of the early morning, warm blankets and smooth skin, skin shipping. I guess this is why I’m drawn to the natural beauty of Tohoku women. Taut muscles wrapped in smooth creamy tofu like skin.



The Christmas cake vs. Cougar analogy is good to understand because it gives you a sense of what to look for in Japan and that there’s a fetish for everything here which makes this country a virtual paradise for hedonist. What is normal and socially acceptable behavior here in Japan may not be the same in other countries. If you like shallow and artificially based relationships where both man and woman go through the motions then the xmas cake type is the obvious choice. If you want somebody with a little more spontaneity, then the cougar types are the best. .



At any rate, I also had to explain what it is about Japanese girls that attract foreign men , and so knowing me, and my infatuation with the(cougar) Jukujo, and pairing Mr. Woods’ incident with older women, and then having to explain that to semi-fluent young adult English learners was very interesting indeed. A barrage of questions ensued after opening up this discussion. I was fielding questions like a White House press secretary.



Beauty for most young Japanese women has a lot to do with either cosmetic enhancements or drinking collagen. Very little has anything to do with exercise or healthy living. Everything about beauty is either drug or food induced here in Japan, or no food at all for many. Many young women here rarely ever mention the spa or hot spring as being a part of that beauty regiment. I think it’s because many of them are offended by the natural smell of a mineral hot spring and would rather fly to Korea to get a face pack and a mud bath instead. Most Korean and Chinese women would rather fly to Japan and enjoy a nice hot spring instead! Opposites…



(“If there was an over the counter medication called “Beauty” every Jgirls would be all over it in a heart beat. Pop a pill and that’s it. Or, rub this cream on your skin for 3 weeks and “Walla” beautiful, guaranteed results or your money back ”).



Cougars are more sensually appealing for me than Christmas cake types mainly because they have reached the point where they can start to accept who they are and how they look, nobody cares how they look anyways, it’s almost like they get dressed up in vain and become frustrated at the lack of attention they receive on a daily basis. It’s as if in order for them to settle down and be normal they have to be rejected based on their age and looks. The more curvy and sophisticated a Japanese woman looks the more intimidating she is to a weak Japanese man.



I fielded a question from a student about who I liked exactly, like a name of someone famous in Japan. Immediately I said “ Shibata Rie!” The group jeered me right there on the spot! “Asian beauty? Do you really think she’s beautiful?” a girl said to my right.  I said “no,” and I explained to her that her natural features and her complete lack of beauty is what attracts me to her. Her near flawless complexion and lankiness; a plain Jane type with strong Asiatic features – simple and clean looking.



There’s a term in Japanese a friend taught me called (せいそきれい or 清楚きれい/seiso.kirei) which means neat and clean looking woman. These types are literally becoming extinct nowadays as the modern Japanese woman begins to emerge on the scene taking her place in a traditionally all male dominated society. She’s throwing off all the old vestiges of a bygone era where women put a premium on inner beauty as well as exterior beauty through natural means.



Now we have gaudy make-up artist who smear on the grease commuting to work on the trains and other public spaces caring nothing about anybody or anything.  Dressing prim and proper is no longer considered stylish, but rather old and dated. It’s a real pity.



There is no proverbial answer for why foreign men prefer Japanese/Asian women. I assume it was the madam butterfly mystique during General McAuthors(sp?) rule that created this docile and easy to please submissive Japanese woman that we all know now to be completely false. So what’s this attraction…..?



Most Western women claim that men who have small penises prefer Asian women over Western women. I say, nothing could be further from the truth! I think men in general have a special place in their hearts for Asian women period regardless of penis size. The whole entire spectrum of the male species is attracted to Asian women in a general sense for a lot of different reasons, I believe.  My reasoning was the simple beauty model mentioned previously.


In America we used to have the Southern Bell types like Marilyn Monroe and Anna Nicole Smith who used to carry themselves in a similar fashion before they became "Hollyfied" ( Hollywood Drunk) and then  Madonna came along twenty years later and changed everything!  Reinforcing more anti traditions.



The issue surrounding Mr. Woods’ cougar mistress, Theresa Rogers, is one of longevity. She was sexually involved with Tiger before and after he got married, making her the longest fling Mr. Woods has ever had. I don’t blame him either. Older women have a charm about them that make you not want to leave them. This part I can clearly sympathize with Mr. Woods.



In the end, when everything finally comes together we have the aged simple beauty that wins over the Christmas cake face in terms of overall desirability for me. Mr. Woods was just one example, I could probably give a dozen or so more examples of what men choose over vs. what’s perceived by mainstream society. Over the years I have met so many guys who have forsaken the beautiful little cup cake doll face, for the not so attractive, sometimes aged simple homebody types . I have witnessed these relationships stand the test of time many times.



Final note: This devil I mentioned previously at the beginning wouldn’t even exist had it not been for my benevolence and kindness. Had he never met the woman I introduced to him he probably would’ve blown his own brains out binging on a bottle of Jack Daniels - Daniel. Some people will never understand how the world works. This person will forever be in ‘my pocket’ until he squares his soul debt away with me. I will find him again.