Now I'm writing this blog excited. Today I went to Leah Dizon's first memorial historical great super live in Roppongi. Maybe because my behaiver is good everyday, I could get the very rare ticket which the only limited people can get.
As you know (if you are Japanese.), she is becoming popular in Japan now. She started with a gravier model, and now she is a singer. She released her first songs recently. So, we can sometimes watch her singing on TV.
However, when it comes to me, I've never watched her on TV because I have only a broken television. So, the live was my first time to watch moving and singing Leah Dizon.
The live space was surrounded by a kind of enthusiasm.
It was her first live. Nobody had never watched her live.
I think it is very easy for you to understand the very special situtation. Everybody looked excited.
Especially, the girl sitting next to my seat looked very excited. Before the live, she looked not to wait for Leah's coming in front of us.
Then, at last, her live started with her new song.
My first impression was this.
"Gash. She is moving."
All audiences seemed to look at her moving and singing very carefully. We wouldn't miss anything in front of us in the live.
The girl next to me had repeated "Kawaii, Kawaii" many times. I agree with her. I also repeated it in my mind.
After some songs and her talk, the lot corner started.
Only five audieces could get the chance to take pictures with Leah Dizon on the stage.
Don't be surprised. I got it.
Again. I got it.
My seat number was called, and I was ordered to come to the stage.
If I express the feeling at the moment by one word, it was "guilty". Of courese I was very happy at the moment, but I knew the girl next to me was a super fan, so I couldn't look at the girl at the moment.
But, anyway, I was on the stage, very close to Leah Dizon. I could get a picture with her, and shaked hands with her.
I was required to say a comment on the stage, but I couldn't say anything special. At the moment, I was the sandwitch of Guilty and Happiness. There was no comment fitted to my feeling at the moment.
After the live, my friends told me that I finished to use all fortunes in this year. I think so too. But the fortune deserves one year. So, I'm satisfied with it. Cheers.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
VS Kojima Usui
Kojima Usui. He was a banker in Meiji period. He worked for a bank all through his life.
But he had other unique aspects. He loved climbing and loved literature. So, he published a magazine to focus on nature writing. In addition, he was a great collecter of art works.
Now we can watch his great collection in Yokohama Museum of Art. I went to the museum with my customer recently.
I didn't know him before going to watch the exhibition. As everyone could do so, I realised soon his scale-wide world when watching the collection. He was interested in many genres of art, so his collection is huge.
At first, he collected a lot of Japanese pictures which went abroad. When he worked for foreign branches of his bank, he bought many Japanese pictures there.
Why did he buy them not in Japan but in foreign countries?
Japanese didn't understand the value of Japanese art at first, so many important Japanese art works were bought by foreigners in Meiji period. It meaned that Japanese lost their own estates.
Kojima Usui was the one of the first Japanese to understand the significance of Japanese art, so he tried to collect them in foreign countries. In the exhibition, we can watch many famous Japanese pictures by Hiroshige, Hokusai and others.
Not only Japanese works but also Westeners' were the target of his collection. Millet, Manet, Hugo, Degas, Renoir, Gogh, Picasso and many others are included. We can watch these big names at the same time in the exhibition. I think it's great.
In addition of these great art works, he collected strange things like advertisements. Maybe in the eara when he lived, people didn't see them art. But, now, from our viewpoints, these strange things look a kind of art.
I had the chance to talk with the professinal in the museum.
He told me that Usui's world was very big, so even for the professionals, it was very difficult to study him fully.
I heard that there are about 900 works in Usui's collection.
But we can watch only 200 works in the exhibition, because the museum doesn't have enough space to show all his collection. If you have a chance, I can recommend you to watch the huge collection in the museum.
But he had other unique aspects. He loved climbing and loved literature. So, he published a magazine to focus on nature writing. In addition, he was a great collecter of art works.
Now we can watch his great collection in Yokohama Museum of Art. I went to the museum with my customer recently.
I didn't know him before going to watch the exhibition. As everyone could do so, I realised soon his scale-wide world when watching the collection. He was interested in many genres of art, so his collection is huge.
At first, he collected a lot of Japanese pictures which went abroad. When he worked for foreign branches of his bank, he bought many Japanese pictures there.
Why did he buy them not in Japan but in foreign countries?
Japanese didn't understand the value of Japanese art at first, so many important Japanese art works were bought by foreigners in Meiji period. It meaned that Japanese lost their own estates.
Kojima Usui was the one of the first Japanese to understand the significance of Japanese art, so he tried to collect them in foreign countries. In the exhibition, we can watch many famous Japanese pictures by Hiroshige, Hokusai and others.
Not only Japanese works but also Westeners' were the target of his collection. Millet, Manet, Hugo, Degas, Renoir, Gogh, Picasso and many others are included. We can watch these big names at the same time in the exhibition. I think it's great.
In addition of these great art works, he collected strange things like advertisements. Maybe in the eara when he lived, people didn't see them art. But, now, from our viewpoints, these strange things look a kind of art.
I had the chance to talk with the professinal in the museum.
He told me that Usui's world was very big, so even for the professionals, it was very difficult to study him fully.
I heard that there are about 900 works in Usui's collection.
But we can watch only 200 works in the exhibition, because the museum doesn't have enough space to show all his collection. If you have a chance, I can recommend you to watch the huge collection in the museum.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
VS St.Patrick's day
Now it doesn't deserve to be compared with Christmas day and even with Halloween day, but St.Patrck's day actually and steadily seems to become popular in Japan.
March 17th is the day. Irish people celebrate St.Patrick, who was the first person brought Christianity into Ireland.
I heard that everybody have to drink Irish beer Guiness all through the day on this weekend.
So, I went to Irish pub in Machida last night.
I went to the pub soon after it was open, because I wanted to drink in a happy hour. But, the day was special. All time was a happy hour.
When I went to the pub, there was only one customer drinking beer. But most seats had already been reserved.
And soon the pub became full.
I started with,of course, Guiness. The pub was decorated by green, Irish color, and Celt music sounded there. I don't know why, but a wolf man movie was on the TV screen in the pub. I thought it was fitted to the Irish festival mood.
I could enjoy the day fully, but the only one thing I don't know remains. How does St.Patrick's religious matter relate to the beer drinking? I read the explanation for the day in the pub, but I couldn't get enough information.
In Japan, the new year day has a religious meaning the most. Japanese drink sake in a temple or a shrine. The sake has a religious meaning then. People think it makes us clean.
I don't know Guiness beer has such a meaning, but the relationship of Religion and Alcohol is understandable, and even in the case that they have no relationship, I still continue to drink. Happy St.Patrick's day.
March 17th is the day. Irish people celebrate St.Patrick, who was the first person brought Christianity into Ireland.
I heard that everybody have to drink Irish beer Guiness all through the day on this weekend.
So, I went to Irish pub in Machida last night.
I went to the pub soon after it was open, because I wanted to drink in a happy hour. But, the day was special. All time was a happy hour.
When I went to the pub, there was only one customer drinking beer. But most seats had already been reserved.
And soon the pub became full.
I started with,of course, Guiness. The pub was decorated by green, Irish color, and Celt music sounded there. I don't know why, but a wolf man movie was on the TV screen in the pub. I thought it was fitted to the Irish festival mood.
I could enjoy the day fully, but the only one thing I don't know remains. How does St.Patrick's religious matter relate to the beer drinking? I read the explanation for the day in the pub, but I couldn't get enough information.
In Japan, the new year day has a religious meaning the most. Japanese drink sake in a temple or a shrine. The sake has a religious meaning then. People think it makes us clean.
I don't know Guiness beer has such a meaning, but the relationship of Religion and Alcohol is understandable, and even in the case that they have no relationship, I still continue to drink. Happy St.Patrick's day.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
VS Sketch of Conversation
I listened to a very small part of a conversation between two ladies in a train by chance.
"You know? Even though she is a one-year-grade worker, she weared a cardigan today."
"Really?"
I didn't know the context of the conversation.
So, I couldn't understand what it exactly meant.
But, fortunately or unfortunately, I could supplement the lack parts, guess the exact meanig, and think the conversation was understandable or "natural". Because I am Japanese.
If you can understand the conversation easily, you are Japanese or japanised.
"You know? Even though she is a one-year-grade worker, she weared a cardigan today."
"Really?"
I didn't know the context of the conversation.
So, I couldn't understand what it exactly meant.
But, fortunately or unfortunately, I could supplement the lack parts, guess the exact meanig, and think the conversation was understandable or "natural". Because I am Japanese.
If you can understand the conversation easily, you are Japanese or japanised.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
VS Okinawa bar
I found a new bar in Atsugi today. The bar name is Froggs. It is an Okinawa-style bar.
I've been to Okinawa a few times. It is a very relaxing place. For me, Okinawa is like a hometown, even though I don't have my relatives there. I can be peaceful there very much.
In the bar, we could drink Orion draft beer.
Orion beer is a popular Okinawa beer, but its draft beer is rare. So, when I drunk it in the bar, I was very surprised.
I ate some Okinawa original food there.
Tofu-yo was one of them.
Tofu-yo sounds like Tofu, but is diffrent.
It is like a cheese and has a strong smell. The taste is salty.
When we eat it, we can use a toothpick.
We don't pick it up with the toothpick. We just dig it a little with the head of the toothpick, and lick it.
As you can easily imagine, it takes a long time to eat Tofu-yo.
We can eat Gurukun, the fish popular and cheap in Okinawa, in the bar. The taste is not special. Honestly speaking, the quality of fish food in Okinawa is low. We can eat better fish foods in other areas in Japan.
However, because Gurukun is related to the memory of my Okinawa trip, it was very happy for me to find the fish in the bar. I've never seen the restaurants to use it around here.
KuuSuu should be drunk. So, I drunk it there.
KuuSuu means an old Sake in Okinawa language.
I don't know how to express the taste. "It is round on my tangue." I hope this explanation works well.
The bar has some types of KuuSuu.
New restaurants and bars are increasing recently in Atsugi.
I thought this city was dying before, but now it is getting alive again.
I've been to Okinawa a few times. It is a very relaxing place. For me, Okinawa is like a hometown, even though I don't have my relatives there. I can be peaceful there very much.
In the bar, we could drink Orion draft beer.
Orion beer is a popular Okinawa beer, but its draft beer is rare. So, when I drunk it in the bar, I was very surprised.
I ate some Okinawa original food there.
Tofu-yo was one of them.
Tofu-yo sounds like Tofu, but is diffrent.
It is like a cheese and has a strong smell. The taste is salty.
When we eat it, we can use a toothpick.
We don't pick it up with the toothpick. We just dig it a little with the head of the toothpick, and lick it.
As you can easily imagine, it takes a long time to eat Tofu-yo.
We can eat Gurukun, the fish popular and cheap in Okinawa, in the bar. The taste is not special. Honestly speaking, the quality of fish food in Okinawa is low. We can eat better fish foods in other areas in Japan.
However, because Gurukun is related to the memory of my Okinawa trip, it was very happy for me to find the fish in the bar. I've never seen the restaurants to use it around here.
KuuSuu should be drunk. So, I drunk it there.
KuuSuu means an old Sake in Okinawa language.
I don't know how to express the taste. "It is round on my tangue." I hope this explanation works well.
The bar has some types of KuuSuu.
New restaurants and bars are increasing recently in Atsugi.
I thought this city was dying before, but now it is getting alive again.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
VS Foreign Settlement
It was strange that I took part in an academic workshop by chance last week. It was the gathering of scholars to study foreign settlements in Asia.
There were a lot of foreign settlements in Asia including Japan. Three big settlements in Japan were Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki.
But, the workshop's interest was not for the study foreign settlements in Japan but for the study of Japanese settlement in Asia, especially in China.
Some particepants are studying it from the view point of China-Japan relationship. Some are interested in it as the case-study of the company management in foreign countries. And, some focus on the culture in the settlements.
Each person had their own interest in the workshop.
When it comes to me, my interset was, needless to say, book-sales. This study is very young. Many books and documents will be published in the future. That's why I joined the workshop, even though I didn't have any knowledge for it. I thought I could get the hint for my business there.
For the people who study foreign settlements in China, Shanghai is a special city. It was the city which had foreign settlements most then. Therefore, Shanghai became very international. And, now a huge amount of documents for the settlements are preserved in Shanghai. So, it is the city easy to study.
In the workshop, it was said that Shanghai is focusd on too much for the easy-study condition, but other cities in China should be studied more. But, because I even didn't know that there were Japanese settlements in Shanghai, I thought the gap between professinals and ordinary people was big
. I think, most Japanese don't know at all where Japanese settlements were in China, except for Manchuria, the country made by Japanese government before the war and located in the northen China. Or, there is the possibility that even Manchuria is forgotten.
A chinese scholar joined the workshop, and he introduced us to some recent studies for foreign settlements in China. He spoke Chinese. He looked like a humorous man, and actually said a joke sometimes. Some participants laughed very much. I could understand it later by translation, but it was bad for me to lose the timing to laugh.
He told us for the universities in China.
From March 5th this year (Tomorrow), the university students in China are going to be oblidged to study official-history written by Chinese government. He studies history and he has his own opinion for history, which is diffrent from the official-history. But, he is oblidged to teach it to his students. He talked about it to us with smile. I couldn't judge at the time whether I should also simle, or not.
The study of history is sometimes difficult. I can be political. It can be emotional. Even in the scholar's workshop, some looked biased for me. But history could be like that.
There were a lot of foreign settlements in Asia including Japan. Three big settlements in Japan were Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki.
But, the workshop's interest was not for the study foreign settlements in Japan but for the study of Japanese settlement in Asia, especially in China.
Some particepants are studying it from the view point of China-Japan relationship. Some are interested in it as the case-study of the company management in foreign countries. And, some focus on the culture in the settlements.
Each person had their own interest in the workshop.
When it comes to me, my interset was, needless to say, book-sales. This study is very young. Many books and documents will be published in the future. That's why I joined the workshop, even though I didn't have any knowledge for it. I thought I could get the hint for my business there.
For the people who study foreign settlements in China, Shanghai is a special city. It was the city which had foreign settlements most then. Therefore, Shanghai became very international. And, now a huge amount of documents for the settlements are preserved in Shanghai. So, it is the city easy to study.
In the workshop, it was said that Shanghai is focusd on too much for the easy-study condition, but other cities in China should be studied more. But, because I even didn't know that there were Japanese settlements in Shanghai, I thought the gap between professinals and ordinary people was big
. I think, most Japanese don't know at all where Japanese settlements were in China, except for Manchuria, the country made by Japanese government before the war and located in the northen China. Or, there is the possibility that even Manchuria is forgotten.
A chinese scholar joined the workshop, and he introduced us to some recent studies for foreign settlements in China. He spoke Chinese. He looked like a humorous man, and actually said a joke sometimes. Some participants laughed very much. I could understand it later by translation, but it was bad for me to lose the timing to laugh.
He told us for the universities in China.
From March 5th this year (Tomorrow), the university students in China are going to be oblidged to study official-history written by Chinese government. He studies history and he has his own opinion for history, which is diffrent from the official-history. But, he is oblidged to teach it to his students. He talked about it to us with smile. I couldn't judge at the time whether I should also simle, or not.
The study of history is sometimes difficult. I can be political. It can be emotional. Even in the scholar's workshop, some looked biased for me. But history could be like that.
Friday, March 02, 2007
VS Historical Animation
My company has the division to make visual contents. It made recently a DVD collection for the histroy of animation films in the world. I watched it.
The works are very old, made in 1920's or 30's. For example, Walt Disney's very early works are in the collection. They were the ones before Micky Mouse. Young Disney's works were very different from the ones we know as Disney animation. The most famous one was Alice series, in which a young real girl "Alice" acted with animation characters. Real film and animation were combined.
The works of Max and Dave Fleischer II were also impressive. A character they made are a very famous one. Betty Boop is it. Japanese calls it Betty-chan.
Watching some old mono-tone Betty series, I thought they were certainly unique. Even though the animation was for kids and the stories' themes were adventure, friendship or thriller for instance, the existence of Betty reminds us of sexuality. So, I guess that Betty was very exciting for the kids in early 20 centuries.
Very very early animations in 1910's were also interesting and exciting. The oldest clay animation by Willis O'Brien "Swat the fly" was very short (about 3 minutes) but the impact was strong. It enlarged the possibility of expression in animation. And, he made many films of prehistorical story, especially about dinosaurs. Their moving in his films was very realistic. Therefore, his skill of animation-making created one of the most famous monster character, King Kong later.
I sometimes drew pictures on the rims of a textbook in my school days, and made animations. The works would be historical in the future.
The works are very old, made in 1920's or 30's. For example, Walt Disney's very early works are in the collection. They were the ones before Micky Mouse. Young Disney's works were very different from the ones we know as Disney animation. The most famous one was Alice series, in which a young real girl "Alice" acted with animation characters. Real film and animation were combined.
The works of Max and Dave Fleischer II were also impressive. A character they made are a very famous one. Betty Boop is it. Japanese calls it Betty-chan.
Watching some old mono-tone Betty series, I thought they were certainly unique. Even though the animation was for kids and the stories' themes were adventure, friendship or thriller for instance, the existence of Betty reminds us of sexuality. So, I guess that Betty was very exciting for the kids in early 20 centuries.
Very very early animations in 1910's were also interesting and exciting. The oldest clay animation by Willis O'Brien "Swat the fly" was very short (about 3 minutes) but the impact was strong. It enlarged the possibility of expression in animation. And, he made many films of prehistorical story, especially about dinosaurs. Their moving in his films was very realistic. Therefore, his skill of animation-making created one of the most famous monster character, King Kong later.
I sometimes drew pictures on the rims of a textbook in my school days, and made animations. The works would be historical in the future.
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