VS Dog House

As usual, I took part in Aeon's Halloween Party last weekend. Altough Halloween becomes pupular in Japan, the costume party still makes us nervous a little more than relaxed. In the party, we have to be in strange. However, we don't like to be seen strange. So, we tend to weaken our strangeness even in Halloween party. But, we know weak strangeness mekes us boring, and bored. That's why we have to break something in my mind before the party. Therefore, we become nervous. And, I was nervous then.

Recently it becomes easy to find and buy costumes for Halloween. For example, we can buy them in Tokyu Hands, which has a special selling area for it. But, it is risky to buy our costume there. Because, other people can easily buy their coustume there. Same Costume. It is a fatal mistake not only in Halloween party. Even if the costume is a great one, when we find others in the same one, it loses uniqueness. In Halloween, we have to be the only one. It makes us nervous more.

Without a good costume idea, the party day had come. My friend told me to wear a surfer's costume, but I refused. Now it's not a costume for me. It's my uniform. Halloween party is not an uniform party. So, I can't wear it.
When I walked around a home center, I found a small dog house. I checked it.
It was light, and I thought I could make a hole on the bottom.
I thought I could wear the dog house.

Fortunately nobody weared a dog house in the party. I could be an only one.
It was confortable to stay in the dog house, but inconvenient to drink, eat and chat with others in the party. So, I kept my head out of the house from the entrance. I understood the feeling of dogs to want to take a walk.

Also as usual, the party continued until midnight.
The last stage was a Sushi restaurant. Halloween and Sushi must be an unique combination. Compared with other Halloween parties, our party could be original.

VS Turkey

When I checked my blog, I found I wrote 99 articles here, and this article becomes No.100. It is not a surprising thing because some people are writing more. But certainly it must be a memorial one for myself.
In this memorial article, I want to write something memorial. Have I? Yes. I had something memorial last weekend.

It might be the sign of the memorial thing coming. Last week, Orhan Pamuk, a famous turkish novelist, got Novel prize of literature. When I got the news, soon I took the list of his works and tried to sell them to my customers. "He made it! Buy for him!" Any prize can be a business chance for booksales. Of course, the effect of Novel prize is best of best.
Some Japanese novel lovers expected Haruki Murakami to get the prize this time, but he couldn't. However, we can use the fact that he failed to get the prize. I tried to sell Haruki's books too. "He lost! Buy for him!"

Who is Orhan Pamuk?
I want to cite an introduction of him.
"who in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures"

I've never been to Turkey. I don't know about Turkey at all. But, for a long time, the country has existed in the center of my interest. Why? I don't know the exact reason. Maybe I am interested in their exotic atomosphere. (And, the exotic women.) So, I had a desire to see Turkish for a long time.

Back to my something memorial.
At last, my desire was achieved last weekend.
The last weekend, after English discussion class (The topic was about Japanese emperor system and the new-born baby.), after buying a photo book of an American gravure model (She is a half of French and Philipina.), after eating Ramen (Yokohama style), after surfing (Good size wave effected by typhoon), I went to Takadanobaba in Tokyo, in order to listen to a rock band.
The band was three players; British man(vocal & guiter), Japanese girl(drums) and Turkish lady(vocal & bass).
Needless to say, my aim was to see the turkish lady.

To be honest, I would have fallen in love with her in a second after seeing her, unless I heared that she has a boy friend, the british guiterist. Fortunately, love affair is not my business. So, I could contact her as a gentleman.
I enjoyed the conversation with her. I could know about Turkey from her. It was nice.
However, now I think she was diffrent from my imaginary Turkish. It has no bad meaning at all. What I want to say is that I could see real Turkish. Before meeting her, my image of Turkish was both extremely passional and extremely polite. (I'm not sure where this image came from.) I can say I met an ordinary person like me then.

This memorial contact with the Turkish woman I met first in my life is making me being more interested in the country more and more. Now I am reading a cheap tour guide to Turkey. Someday I will visit there. By Turkish, I am seen the same as their imaginary Japanese?

VS Election

Today, the ticket to vote was sent to my house by mail. I knew an election would be held in my prefectue this month.

The political scene in Japan looks to become boring after the prime minister Koizumi left the government. He had very well directed an interesting political show for five years. I think his show was a B-class drama, but it was certainly interesting. Altough I don't support him, for now I miss him a little.
It must be an unlucky thing to be compared with Koizumi. Anybody looks less attractive than he. So, our new prime minister Abe will have a difficulty of appealing himself. I am not sure he has any appealing points, though.

During the five years, The Democratic Party in opposition had been weakend by the magic of Koizumi. After his leaving, altough now is the chance to get power again for them, their shadow looks still thin. They also don't have an enough appealing point. I think our political show is going into a new stage without main characters.

Looking at the world politics, I guess the president Bush feels lonely now.
Because, Koizumi finished his job happily and had gone. Blair wouldn't be happy, but he will be able to escape from a heavy duty soon.
However, Bush have to continue to stand alone more for a while. As we know, it is fashionable to come late to a party. And in addition, I think it is also true that early getting out of the party is cool.
For Bush, the cool way was difficult to choose.

Back to our new prime minister Abe, he will go to China and Korea tomorrow. I don't know why the two countries agreed with meeting him. I think his visiting has no more the meaning of saying-hello. I don't expect for any honest conversation among them in his visit. Only typical political performance will go.

I am not sure I will go to the election because this month I am very busy not only for business but also for barbecue, surfing, Halloween party and so many attractive events on.
I hope the candidates will give me the motivation to the election.

VS World Travel Fair (2)

I thought Korea and China booth was aggressive to the passangers in the fair, and I thought that was a good thing. When I walked by their booth, they always tried to talk to me,or give me some pamphlets. Of course, it was welcome for me. I could easily get many informations and chances to communicate with them.
They understood very well the reason why they were there; they did come to Japan and join the fair, in order to introduce their country's charming points to Japanese.
I think they made their mission completely.
On the other hand, as I wrote in the last article, the Arabic booths were not exciting. I was looking forward to an exciting conversation in Iran booth, but I couldn't have a chance to talk with the stuffs. They looked not to have the interest in Japanese customers. Or, they might lack the passion of their business, even though their booths were very gorgeous.

* When I talked about this experience and my impression
to my English teacher Sudhan, in my discussion class, he
said it's natural for them. Not only Arabic people but also
South Asian seem to have not so strong interest in unknown
other people, even in such a business fair. But, I heard from
Sudhan, they seem to be very passionate in a private
situation.

The conversatin in Belgium booth was good. Although I didn't ask the stuff for alcholic matter, she started soon to explain Belgian beer. I don't know why. I might have alcholic smell at the time.
Anyway, if you can drink beer but haven't taste Belgian beer yet, I can say it's a tragedy. Belgian beer is Art, the art of liquid. Like French respects their wine, Belgian respects their beer. It has its history, variety and unique taste. Honestly speaking, I know nothing for Belgium but the beer. My opinion is that drinking can break the barrier of language. So, I know I can share the same perspective of this world with Belgian, even though I don't have Belgian friends.

Many African countries had their own booths in the fair.
For Japanese, African countries are the most unfamilier ones. Maybe same for all people in the world but African.
Africa is the forgotten area.
So, I was a little surprised when finding many African booths.
I could have the oppotunity of talking with the stuff in Uganda booth. However, she was not African. She was just a representative of African tour company.
What is the appealing point of the tour in Africa? I didn't have any idea. She recommend me of Mountain Gorilla watching tour. In Africa, Mountain Gorilla lives near the human. She said they are very peaceful, not dangerous, so we can even touch them.
Compared with other countries, African countries have less resources for tourism. It might be taugh for them to compete with other develping and developed countries in a business exhibition.
I had complex feelings to listen to the Mountain Gorilla tour from her. The image of Africa is certainly fitted to the Gorilla plan. However, Gorilla is really only one resource for their tourism? Or, they are trying to adjust their business to our stereotype image of Africa?
In the booth, I became to want to know Africa more.

Travel fair must be a good oppotunity to compare with many countries' culture. On the day, Tokyo Game show was held in other place, but if you want unexpected surprise and finding, Travel fair must be better.