VS The Asiatic Society

My friend invited me to the meeting of The Asiatic Society of Japan, which is one of the oldest society for the foreigners living in Japan, established 137 years ago. Originally the society was for foreigners, but now many Japanese joins it.
I am not the member of the society, but I could participate in the meeting in Shibuya as a guest.

The day's meeting was for the photography in Edo era. The topic is so academic that I couldn't understand it in English, but I could enjoy it, thanks to the help of many visual images.
It is known that there were many foreign photographers visiting Japan from the late Edo period to the early Meiji period, and many Japanese photographers were born influenced by the foreigners. But the study of the "old" photography is not active in Japan, because the study of photography itself is minor here.
So, the meeting seemed to be impressive for the most audiences.

After the meeting, after some Q&As, drinking time started soon!
I can understand very well that drinking is good for our mind after listening to hard topic.

The next day after the meeting, I went to a museum with the friend in order to sell some old photos of Kabuki acter. They were very beautiful photos, found out in Europe. Now my customer is thinking about buying it. I hope for my business success.

VS Playing Sepak Takraw

What is Sepak Takraw?
When I said "I played Sepak Takraw.", five to ten people gave me the question.
Another five people could know it is a sport. But, even they could not describe it exactly. "I know we use our foots to play it. And, . . . That's all I know!"

Sepak Takraw is the sprot like valley ball. But, we don't use our hand, but our foots. The court size is as same as badminton. One team is three players.
The ball was originally made by bamboo, but now by plastic. So, it is a little hard.
I played the minor sport recently in Atsugi for the first time.

One guy is working in Atsugi, and manage the only one Atsugi Sepak Takraw team. And he is the only one player in the team. He always practices alone!
But, recently, by chance, Aeon student Akira introduced me and other friends to the team (or, him). So, I could have the chance to play.

As you imagine easily, it is very difficult to control a ball on your foot. The ball size is smaller than a soccer ball, so we tend to fail to kick the center of the ball. In addition, as I mentioned above, the ball is hard. So, my ankle was damaged when I played, because my kicking-point was not good.
However, even though our playing-level was low, the game was exciting and interesting. I don't know why, but we like to maneuver something by foot. So, when I could kick the ball well, I felt happy.

Spring is the good season to start something new. I started this season with a new sport I've never experienced.

VS New School

Endless working days are continueing on me. This month, I am very busy for my work. Actually I am always busy. But, this month is special.
Now I am working for a new-born school which is open from this April. The school's major is the oriental medcine. Now the school is rushing to prepare for their opening.
I sold them a huge number of books, magazines, book-shelves and so on. They need their library in the school. So, they bought many things related to library. It's good for them, and good for my business.
Unfortunately, and every so often, there is no librarian there, even though they made a library. In Japan, librarians have been a difficult job to be, since before starting this economical recession. The job of librarian is one of victims in a cost-cut strom in schools.

I sold a large number of books to a new library.
But, there is no people there.
And, there is empty book-shelves there.
Who have to set up the many books on it?

My customer told me, "You are professional. I trust you."
Oh my God. It means the setting-up is my job!

Medical books might be an unfamilier type of book for you.
The character for the content is that the book is for medcine.
The character for the physicality is that it is large and heavy!
So, it is a very taugh work to carry a lot of medical books. In addition, the books in a library have to be categorised. It is also taugh to sort books I can't understand.

Anyway, I finished the work without taking holidays in this month.
The people in the school look happy to the new, beautiful library.
But I worry about who manages the library after this April? I cat't ask them when looking at their happy face, though.

VS Mobile Culture

Today I made my mobile blog. By chance, I found the mobile blog service in Google.
Honestly, I don't have to use it. But, I will use it for a while because it is good that I am familier with a new technology.

When it comes to my business, book-sales, mobiles novels are becoming popular among the young people in Japan. The market is becoming larger every year. The comparison with the old publishing market in Japan (it's shrinking now.) is interesting.
I read some mobile novels recently. To be precise, I tried to read some.
For me, they were boring.
The sentences in the novels are short, to fit them to the mobile's small screen. So, the novels are actually easy to read. But, I thought the novels don't have the depth of language expresson.

However, I wouldn't deny the new genre. The sentence shortage can be the energy for new arts. In fact, Japanese culture has two traditional styles of short wards poem, Waka (within 31 characters) and Haiku (17 characters). Limited usage of words can be an advantage.

I have to add my practical problem at last. Because I don't have a televison and a computer, I relay on my mobile very much to get informations in this world. So, I have to master my mobile to survive...

VS Surfing Extra Cold

The season seems to move from winter to spring. But, the move is not smooth. One day is warm, we think spring hascome. Another day becomes cold again, we wear a sweater again.
Depending on days, the air temparature changes. Thanks to this change, strong wind and air pressure are born on the sea. The power of air hit the sea strongly. This is the origine of wave.
The wave born on the Pacific Ocean is very raugh. You can't control your ship there. But, the closer the wave comes to the beach, the milder the shape of the wave becomes. Surfing is the sport to ride on the mild wave.

Last week, I went to Enoshima beach with Akira 1 to surf. It was my first surfing in this year. It was a fine day. The air temparature was over 20. We didn't have any problem to go to the sea. Before going to the sea, I checked the wave information on internet. Good waves were coming now! I rushed to go to Enoshima.

There were many people in the surf shop my board was kept in. Many seemed to come from the early morning. I have the handycap that I have to drink every single night, so I couldn't get up early the day, but anyway I tried to catch up with other surfers. But...

I say to you that enough warming-up must be needed on the winter sea! At the first moment when I went insede the sea, I felt something inside my body stopped.
Although it was a warm day, the water wouldn't catch up with the air. It was still very cold! I was shocked not to the cold water but to the lack of my immagination before going into the sea. I rushed to puddle soon to make my body warm! Don't stop on the cold sea. Move for survival!

Human body is strong. I could saty on the sea for 2 hours and a half the day. I could enjoy surfing very well. I recomend you to give a shock to your body sometimes. You can know the body is taugher than you think. Maybe.

VS The first wind

Today, strong winds blew in Tokyo. We call it "The first wind". It is the sign that Spring is coming. Actually it is 25 degrees in my area. It is alomost like early summer! There are many people walking without their coats.
Of course, the king winter is taugh. He will come back soon in a few days. It is too early for you to bring your coats to a cleaning shop. But, it is the time to start to search for your spring clothes.

Spring is the season for change in Japan. Students graduate from their school. Many start to study or work. Some new people will come to my office.
For book-salesmen, this season is for textbooks. Now, I am preparing for many medical textbooks for a school.

In this season, I have to say good-bye for some. Recently I joined a good-bye party for one of my company's staff. She worked for my company for 15 years. When I stared to work, she had already worked in my company. So, I remembered many things in my old days in the party.

Only hey-fever is annoying in this season. I sometimes sneeze recently. It is also the sign of spring. I had better regard the allergic phenomenon the gift from spring. I will take medcine though.

VS Pauwel Kwak

My trip to the best beer in my life is endless. Thanks to strong yen, I can drink many types of beer from other countries. My weaker salary in this economical recession is a problem though.

I asked a beer pub manager near my company to import a very strange beer from Belgium, and drunk it recently.
The beer is Pauwel Kwak.
The glass for the beer looks very original. The bottom of the glass is not flat, so it can't stand alone. It needs a special wooden stand to stand vertical.
The strange shape of the glass makes it difficult to wash the glass. In addition, it's a little difficult for us to drink the beer.

Long time ago, a crazy beer lover wanted to drink beer when riding a horse. But, there was no place to put a beer galss on his horse. The beer lover was not only crazy but also genius. He invented a special galss to fix on the stirrup ( the place his foot is on when riding a horse).
The bad habit of driving drunk might be started by Pauwel Kwak.

The taste was sweet. But, the alchool percentage is high. Too much drinking is dangerous even when you don't drive.

VS Unversity Goods

Busy days have passed from the beginning of this yaer on me. January is the first month of the last quarter in a fiscal yaer in Japan. For all book-salesmen, everydays in this season must be busy if they want to survive!

I had some meeting recently with my business partners. One is with some librarians from an association in U.S. They developed a very progressive library system. We discussed about the possibiity to apply to Japanese libraries. The topic was very technical, and I had to listen to their talking in English. Although there was an interpreter, it was a taugh situation for me. But, of course, I could enjoy it.
Another meeting was with an American pulisher. She expalined me for their publications. I like to talk with publishers because they are very interesting. But, this time, the American publisher's publications were about Physics. And, I don't know Physics at all. I tried to study Physics very much in my high school days, but I gave up soon. So, the meeting was also taugh for me. However, as you can imagine, I could enjoy the situation.

In this economical recesion, fortunately, my business is ok. I can spend busy days on my business. But, in general, book-sales in Japan is growing down, due to decreasing population. My company is also on this trend.
Recently my company's store in Shinjyuku has an event to display and sell many goods made by universities all over Japan. Now, most of Japanese universities are producing their own original goods; for example, mag cup, sake, beer, wine, soup, sweets, T-shirts, rice and so on. The aim of this event is to gather the people into the bookstore. For the students of each university, the goods are not rare, but for most people, they are unknown goods. So, it seems that many people are coming to our store.
Book store can't survive without selling new things except books. I am living in a funny era.

VS Gaza

We are enjoying a happy new year enough well in Japan, but there are many people far from happiness in Gaza. Neither Israel nor Hamas can stop fighting. They don't listen to UN call for cease-fire. Only we can do is to watch their battle on TV with drinking beer. But it is less exciting than watching K-1 fighting match. So, we will change the channel and watch a comedy program.

For Israel and Hamas, what is their new year's destination? To kill their enemy? If such a destination could be achieved, nobody can fell happy. They will continue to worry about the revenge from somebody.
I know they have thier own aim to fight. I can't understand it, though. But, I don't think they imagine the result after the war. They don't know how to end their conflict.

Compared with their sad situation, Japan starts this year with a very peaceful condition. Economy is not good, but not too bad. The weather is fine from the beginning. I feel the air is clean. It's due to Japanese environment technology? I am not sure.
When thinking about the people in Gaza, I can't complain for anything in Japan. I must be happier than them. Although it was the coldest day in this year in Tokyo, I felt warm.

VS Year End

It's the peak of year end parties now in Japan. Shibuya on last weekend was filled with more people. I had a year end party with my coworkers in a crowded restaurant. 20 people shared a table for 15. The unmovable condition could make our relationship tight. It was a good party.
This month, I have many year end parties. Although I don't arrange the parties, many people ask me to have a drink to celebrate the end of this year.
Why do we celebrate it so much?
To be correct, we don't celebrate. We try to forget it.
Year end party is "Bounenkai" in Japanese. The meaning is the gathering for forgetting the year.

I got a Christmas card recently. It says "Merry Christmas, and a happy new year." For the west, The end of this year and the beginning of that new year are seamless. But, for Japanese, it is important to decide the end, to forget the past.
After the Christmas day, we try to clean up everything about Christmas, and prepare for the coming new year. Christmas tree in a town has gone to somewhere. We might look to try to forget the existence of the Christmas.

For Christmas party, this year's party in Aeon was held in the school. It was a nice idea. In this season, all restaurant are crowded and noizy. If we don't refuse to clean up the room after the party, the school is the good place to have a party.
Aeon staff prepared for foods, and we brougt the drinks by ourselves.
I think we had better bring something we can share, for example the bottle of wine, in this kind of party. But, many brought the drinks for themselves. It was okey, but we had better a little know what the party is for.

Back to year end parties, I don't have anything I have to forget. Maybe because this year was the good one for me. Or, everyday's day end parties make me forget everything? I hope it's not true.

VS Microfilm

Most people might have no oppotunity to use microfilms. But, for book-salesmen, they are one of the comodities to sell. A huge numer of books, journals and manuscripts are made microfilms, by publishers or libraries.
To read microfilms, we need a special machine, Microfilm reader. Most people don't have such a machine. That's why we don't have the chance to read microfilms.

Recently, I sold two microflms to my customers.
One is the big collection of Japanese newspapers published from 1945 to 1949. During this periods, GHQ had collected all publications in Japan. And, University of Maryland preserved them in their library.
Now, the newspapers are made microfilms by American company, and we can buy it.
But! The price is very high.
Instead of the microfilms, we can buy a house in Tokyo!
Because an university really really wants them, I sold them. Tokyo lost one house.

Another customer will buy the microfilms of many manuscripts in Arabic countries. This microfilms are not as expensive as the collection of Japanese newspapers. But, the price is as same as the house in Atsugi.
I think the value of the Arabic microfilms is higher. Because, there are no libraries or institutes with them in Japan.
Because my company opened a new shop in Dubai, it might be becoming popular to study Arabic culture in Japan.
Anyway, Atsugi lost one house.

VS Surfer Tetsu

The surfer sergeant Tetsu, around 45, was a professional surfing trainer based on Enoshima beach. Recently he quited his job, and went to Italy to know modern Italian cuisine. He will start Italian restaurant business next year.

When I surfed for the first time, I learned it from him. I joined a surfing school, and got his lesson. The keeping my balance on a board was very difficult for me then, but it is an easy job now. Long time has passed since then.

I heard that he was a chef before. He will come back to his old job. I thought the restaurant business is very very taugh now because of economical recession. But fortunately he seems to have a good sponsor. I hope of his success.

During summer time, many people come to Enoshima beach, but in other seasons, the beach is calm. His new restaurant might bring more people there.

VS Noge

I went to Pacifico Yokohama to watch a exhibition for librarians this week. Not only librarians but also book-salesmen were interested in the exhibition.
After that, I visited Noge area for drinking.

Noge is an old-fashioned area in Yokohama. It was the great night sopt before, but now many popular places emerges in Yokohama. Noge has became unpopular. In addition, the area's image became bad due to the existence of many prostitues around there.
But recently, some people in Yokohama is trying to change the area's image. They invites young film makers there to make the area cultural.

At the night, I went to an old drinking place (60 year old) with my coworkers. I drunk hot sake with the fin of globefish, Hirezake in Japanese. Thanks to either the alchool or the poison, I was drunk very much. After the place, we moved to a pub where only one grandmother is working. We ordered Whisky, but she refused it and made Shochu for us. We were a little hungry, so ordered spagetti, but she rufused again. She didn't want to cook then, so she brought a meal for her dinner to us. We thought we were in our house.

Noge is the area you have to visit.

VS Business Blog

Do you know the term, Business Blog?
It is the blog used for the communication in a company, which is becoming popular now. Blog itself has already been popular yet in our society. And now, people start to use it for their business.
I know the benefit of blog very well. It make me keep in touch with friends living far away easily. And, writing something in public makes my thinking clear. So, when I knew the existence of business blog system, soon I agreed with introducing it into my company. I thought it must be useful for our working, and interesting because we can know each other more.
However, I realised soon it is not welcome for everybody. Some dislike such a system. My boss is one of them.

Blog is the communication tool in public. Any communication becomes public even though the issue is private. Some bosses hate it, because they want to enclose what they say just in their division. Of course, comfidential things must be enclosed in the division. Private things is too. But, the things about everyday's job should be open to everybody, I think. Who makes the decision? How do I treat the matter? What is the result? They must be checked by others. However, some like to hide what they do. Such people don't like the system for open-communication.
When one of my bosses tried to stop the use of business blog, I wrote a long report for its benefit, to boss's boss. In addition, I advertised the blog to my coworkers everywhere in my company, in order to get my supporters. I don't like this kind of "political" action, but unfortunately I am good at it. My action workd very well.

However, it isn't the only one problem. The bigger problem exists.
There are many people who are not interested in others.
They don't care for other's job, other's remarks and others themselves.
They don't check blog. Of course, they don't wirte anything.
Even if the blig is useful for their job, they aren't interested in it.
I can't enforce them to use the blog. It's their working style. But, I can't understand what is interesting for them in their job if they can't be interested in the people working together.
I like to know what other sales-person is doing in Okinawa. I like to read what the person in a technical division is writing.

Although there are many resisters against open-communication, I am optimistic. I think a business blog system will change Japanese companies' culture. The book store based on the philosophy of freedom of expression have to change the company's culture at first.

VS Street Performance

Next Atsugi News.

CHANGE is the key word of Atusgi, as known well all over the world.
We need something new. We need fresh perspective.
We have to change.
We wouldn't stop changing.
When we stop changing, it means we come to death.
Living people is always changing.
And, living city is also changing.
Atsugi city is not dead. This city is an undead city.

The 1st international street performance festival in Atsugi is held now. 44 street performamce groups is coming to Atsugi now, and they show us thier great works. Magic, acrobat, pantomime, comedy and so on.
I had thoght they were amaturer's works, but I knew their level is very high. I enjoyed watching them very much.

This event will be able to a new every-year's event in Atsugi.
Actually, street performance is fitted to Atsugi, I think.
Atsugi has many narrow roads, and the corners on the street. Small show is just fitted to such places.
Imagine the street performance on the big street in Tokyo. Nobody stop in front of the show, because they don't care for it.
Atsugi is the best place for street performers.

This event will last untill tomorrow.

VS Shiro Koro

I have to report for my town Atsugi's great work. In B-1 grandprix, which is the competition for B-calss food all over the Japan, held recently in Fukuoka prefecture, Atsugi's Shiro Koro won No.1.
Shiro Koro is a brand name of pork innards( Horumon in Japanese). I can eat it soon in Yakiniku restaurant in Atsugi.
I don't know the definition of B-class food, yet it's a great thing for Atsugi to be popular. My friend emailed me soon after the grandprix to say that he will eat Siro Koro at his next visit of Atsugi. The gathering of all pork lovers will make Atsugi's economy better.

VS LOUIS VUITTON

LOUIS VUITTON City Guide Tokyo was published yesterday. Since 1998, LV has published many countries' guide books. And, at last, Tokyo's version was published for the first time. It reminds me of the first appearence of Michelin Guide Tokyo last year. It must be ture that LV Tokyo is one of the big news in Japanese publishing world this yaar. I don't know why, but my company Kinokuniya is the only one book store to sell the book in Japan.

When I drunk in Soiree, a samll bar with just ten seats, in Shinjyuku, Tokyo, last week, a TV director had negotiated the staff to interview the owner of the bar. From him, I knew that the bar is on the guide book. Nobody, including me and even the staff, thought the bar deserves LV's introduction. So, we were surprised.
The staff refused the TV man's offer, because she didn't know LV is publishing a guide book. But, thanks to the exsitence of a professional book salesman in the bar then, she called the bar owner to come there soon. (The day was his day-off.)
After his coming, the interview started, and TV crews took shooting the bar inside. Of course, I was inside too. Because I was a customer.
The bar owner doesn't know why the bar was choosen by LV. So, he was a little confused. In addition, the guide book writes the bar owner is a woman! From the viewpoint of French, he might look female.

It was unfortune that I couldn't check whether I was on TV or not, because I don't have a television.
Moreover, unfortunately my company is not on the guide book even though other book stores are introduced as nice shops to visit! I don't know why LV choose Kinokuniya as the distributor. LV's selection is certainly unique.
I add that the description in the book is also unique and interesting. We can understand the history of Tokyo well.

VS Strong Yen

While I enjoy some drinking oppotunities, like Hallowen party, and am relaxed this month, I am spending busy days because my business is at one of the peaks in a business year.
I have to contract my customers for import many things from foreign countries.
Just importing is an easy job. But, always, the job is set with price negotiation. As my friends know well, I am a taugh negotiater, but talking about price is certainly annoying even for me.
In my situation, recent strong yen is the main factor of controversy. A month ago, $1 was around 107 yen. But now it's about 95 yen. And last week, it was 90 yen for a short period. In this monetary situation, pricing of imported commodities is very very difficult.
Because I am not trader, but just a book salesman, I am a completely amateur for international money. In addition, and to be worse, my customer is an amateur too. So, our negotiation can't reach the reasonable goal at all. It is a stressful situation.
But I am lucky because I have many drinking oppotunities this month as I wrote above. They softens my tension very well.

For Natto lover Mike, I want to export Natto to the States, but it must be a bad timing now. The cheap food in Japan becomes a very expensive one for celebrity in US. Constructing Natto factory there may be a good solution at this moment.

VS Bug Eating

The topic of the discussion class in Aeon last week was Bug Eating. An article in Japan Times introdued a recent pulished Japanese book about bug cuisine. Based on the article, we discussed about the theme.

This author says that Bug is nutritionally balanced and easy to feed. So, Bug eating can solves the global food shortage. In addition, he says Bug itself is very tasty. Fro him, the taste of Cicadas(Semi, in Japanese) is similar to shrimps.
In the book, he shows us many kinds of his original bug cuisine.

Actually, in some areas and coutries in the world (mainly Asia and Africa), Bug is eaten by the people. Even in Japan, Bug is eaten in some local foods. I also have eaten it in my childhood. The taste? Honestly, for young boy, it was shit! I haven't tried it after that.

However, I can respect the auther's investigation. To make our food life rich, somebody have to explore the world nobody have stood on. For example, Natto is one of the grotesque food in Japan, but now it is popular to the extent taht we can buy it in any super market. Due to an old Japanese challange, we can enjoy it now.
That's why the auther's trial mught be able to deserve Novel Food Prize.

But, to be honest, I am skeptical to the safety of Bug Eating. Even dogs and cats wouldn't eat bugs. If bug is tasty and good for our health, why don't they eat it? Maybe, there is a natural reason there. This author thinks we have't eaten Bugs for our prejudice. But, because dogs and cats are free from prejudice, we had better think of Bug Eating more carefully.

VS Presidential Election

American is funny. While their Presidential Election itseif looks an entertainment, they make related new entertainments too. This site Lance taught me is one of the good examples.

http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=46832&altf=Bljp&altl=Lpcbzbtij