JAPANTODAY’S PREMIER ENGLISH DIGITAL WEEKLY MAGAZINE
ISSUE 07 / VOLUME 01 / SEPTEMBER 2012
TRAVEL TORO: DIGGING INTO JAPAN’S ANCIENT PAST
Step back in time to a Yayoi period farm village in Shizuoka. Read the review on INSIGHT: TRAVEL
ENTERTAINMENT OPINION
Zombies, mutants, the paranormal and Jammin’ for ‘Q’
Roles of wives in politics, Japanese rice, and Japan’s Nuclear issues
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INSIGHT ISSUE 7
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TRAVEL
TORO: DIGGING INTO JAPAN’S ANCIENT PAST BY VICKI L. BEYER
The word archeology makes most of us think of dusty digs in the Middle East or the adventures of Indiana Jones, but there’s plenty of archeological history available in Japan, too.
to determine that what they had found was in fact paddy fields,
The Toro site in the city of Shizuoka is a fine example of
The ground floor of the museum includes an interactive
the Yayoi period people living in Japan shifted from
huts and try their hand at planting rice, chopping wood,
a Yayoi period (300 BC to 300 AD) farm village. During
hunting/gathering to cultivating crops and storing food, making it a significant period developmentally.
other artifacts recovered at the site, as well as a documentary film and other information on how the digs of the site have
been conducted and what has been learned about the lives of the people of the period. Many of the tools are made of iron or bronze; the Yayoi period is regarded as Japan’s Iron Age. area where children can enter replica houses and storage weaving cloth and even playing the musical instruments of
the day. Even for adults this area can be an interesting one.
First uncovered in 1943, during excavations for the purpose of
On a clear day, Mt. Fuji can be seen from the roof-
and contains the remains of several pit houses, as well as
affords a bird’s eye view of the entire Toro site. It is
constructing a munitions plant, the current site is 33 hectares
several reconstructed pit houses and a number of paddy fields. There is an excellent museum on the edge of the site as well. Toro is actually the first Yayoi period site in Japan where the
remains of paddy fields were discovered. Inside the museum is a display of the wooden palings that enabled the archeologists
4
as well as to carbon date the site. Also on display are tools and
INSIGHT ISSUE 7
top observation platform of the museum, which also interesting to think that during the Yayoi period, Mt.
Fuji’s famous silhouette would not have been visible to the villagers, simply because it wasn’t there yet.
In the village area of the site, many ring-shaped mounds can be seen, the excavated foundations of pit houses. A few pit
TRAVEL
houses have been reconstructed on their original foundations,
and fattened them for slaughter. It is interesting to note that
that the roofs of the storehouses are peaked in a way that
floor of the one house where rice is cooked regularly is hard
along with some of the storehouses. It’s interesting to note is similar to that of many thatched structures of southeast
Asia. Many archeologists theorize that the Japanese of today migrated from southeast Asia to the Japanese archipelago and slowly supplanted the indigenous Ainu people. While it’s not possible to enter the storehouse, the
houses can be entered. Every morning in the summer,
each house is filled with smoke using ancient methods as a means to keep mosquitoes and vermin at bay.
while the floors of most of the pit houses seem damp, the
and dry. This phenomena makes it easier to understand how and why the “pit” architecture was effective in its time.
Visitors can also wander among the 30 excavated and restored
paddy fields, some of which are actually hand planted with rice
every spring by volunteers and local school children. A number of the water canals that carried water through the site and into the paddies have also been restored and run with water most of the year. The sites of two wells have also been excavated.
On week-ends, volunteers in traditional Yayoi period clothing also demonstrate how to light a fire (similar to the way
children in Scouts are taught) and how rice was cooked, as
well as providing detailed explanations of what is known—
and not known—about the lives of the people of the village. For instance, while much is known about their agrarian
practices, the arrangements of their houses and the tools they used, and it is believed they had domesticated chickens, it
is not clear whether they had domesticated pigs or whether they simply captured the local wild boar from time to time
General Information Site admission: Free
Museum admission: ¥200 The museum is open from 9 am to
4:30 am every day except Mondays and the year-end holidays. Getting there: Bus #22 outside the south exit of
Shizuoka Station terminates at “Toro Iseki”, about a 20 minute ride.
By car – from the Shizuoka exit of the Tomei Expressway, turn right and follow the signs for
“Toro Ruins”; about 5 minutes.
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ENTERTAINMENT
ZOMBIES, MUTANTS AND THE PARANORMAL PHOTO BY JUN SATO
Tokyo was host to three movie stars earlier this month – all in the same week, which is unusual. Milla Jovovich, Kiefer Sutherland and Hugh Jackman were out and about. Jovovich, 36, got the biggest reception
a former Umbrella security agent and
Meanwhile, Sutherland, 46, said he also
Paul W. S. Anderson attended the Japan
outbreak. As the virus threatens to make
where he has an enormous following
when she and her film director husband premiere for their latest horror film
“Resident Evil: Retribution,” the 5th in the
series. They were amused when they were joined on stage by Japanese comedians Miyuki Torii and Yoshio Kojima,
dressed like flesh-eating zombies. Jovovich has been battling the flesh-
every human being undead, Alice must kick zombie butt and elude Umbrella goons in her quest for justice and
salvation. The last film was particularly amusing for Tokyoites since it had
hordes of zombies overrunning Shibuya crossing (no salaryman jokes, please).
eating zombies for the past 10
Born in Kiev, Jovovich moved to California
(titled “Biohazard” for Japan). “The
did some modeling as a child for Revlon
years in the “Resident Evil” movies zombies are almost part of the family now,” she joked. “The character has become a big part of my life.”
“Resident Evil” debuted as a game
for Sony’s PlayStation in 1996. Since
then, it has become a media franchise, consisting of a video and PC game
series, comic books, novellas, action figures and, of course, five films –
“Resident Evil” (2002), “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” (2004), “Resident Evil: Extinction” in 2007, “Resident Evil:
Afterlife” in 2010, and now “Retribution,” which open sin Japan this weekend.
The films deal with the desperate struggle of a small band of humans to battle a
mutant virus accidentally unleashed by
the sinister Umbrella Corp that threatens to turn the whole world into flesh-
eating zombies. Jovovich plays Alice, 6
one of the few survivors of the virus
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with her family when she was five. She and tried her hand at professional
singing before making her film debut
in “Return to the Blue Lagoon” (1991). She joined the ranks of action heroes
in 1997 with “The Fifth Element,” and
then followed that with “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” (1999) and
“Zoolander” (2001), before starting the “Resident Evil” series, all four of which have been produced by her husband.
“These movies are so much fun. We’re
all like big kids at an amusement park with monsters and explosions.”
“I love Japan,” Jovovich told fans. “I’ve been coming here since I was a child
and bringing this movie here feels like I am coming home. I think we have
raised the bar with this film and we
really put our heart and soul into it.”
felt at home during his visit to Japan
after his eight years as counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer in the TV series “24.”
“Japanese fans have been great in their support for me ever since I began ‘24.’ In fact, I get called Jack Bauer more than my own name,” he admitted.
However, Sutherland has put Bauer aside for awhile to concentrate on his new
TV series “Touch,” which begins airing
on WOWOW on Oct 5. Blending science, spirituality and emotion, the series
follows seemingly unrelated people all over the world whose lives affect each
other in ways seen and unseen, known
and unknown. Sutherland plays a widower and single father, haunted by an inability to connect to his emotionally challenged 11-year-old son who has the ability
to predict events before they happen through his fixation with numbers.
Sutherland attended a talk show event for about 240 fans in Tokyo and said that he hadn’t planned to do another
TV series so soon after finishing “24.” “But every so often, you get a script
that you can’t say no to. It is a father and son story that really struck a
chord with me. Plus, my character is very different from Jack Bauer.”
ENTERTAINMENT
There are no such differences for
Australian actor Jackman, 43, as he
reprises his role of Logan, the mutant and future X-Man, in “The Wolverine.”
Thestory sees Logan going to Japan train with a samurai warrior. While
there, he begins a forbidden romance and must face a mysterious figure from his past in an epic battle.
“The Wolverine” was supposed to be
filmed in Japan last year, but the March 11 disaster and the August typhoons
forced the plan to be abandoned. Then
Jackman went off to Europe to film “Les
Miserables.” Production finally got under way a few months ago in Australia.
A few lucky visitors to Tokyo’s Zozoji Temple caught a glimpse of the cast and crew filming a funeral scene on a tightly restricted set. Afterwards,
Jackman went for his first ride on Tokyo’s subway and tweeted about it. Then
production moved to Hiroshima. “The
Wolverine” is set for a July 2013 release. INSIGHT ISSUE 7
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ENTERTAINMENT
Q
JAMMIN’ FOR Ex-pat musicians rally for one of their own.
When musicians arrive in Japan they immediately seek out fellow musicians to get information, play with, and strike up friendships within a tightly knit community where everyone certainly knows each other. Certain musicians are the guys who are band leaders, the guys who get people and events
together and create the lifeblood of the Ex-pat and session musician scene here in Tokyo.
Herb ‘Q’ Kendricks is one of those people; a singer,
songwriter, session musician actor and entertainer, Q came to Japan 8 years, originally from North Carolina in the U.S.
Q quickly established himself as one of the great front men on the Tokyo music scene, fronting bands such as The
Conductors and Q theory, featuring regularly around Tokyo live houses, clubs and all big social events on the ex-pat calendar graced by his soulful, cheerful and wonderfully
unique voice. He also appeared numerous times acting on Japanese TV and voiceovers and performances for radio. In July this year, Q suffered a serious and almost life threatening accident when he fell from his 3rd story
apartment. He broke two bones in his neck, bruised a lung, broke his shoulder, two ribs and fractured his lower back,
was in hospital for 5 weeks. The good news is the doctors say Q will make a slow but full recovery. To show support for their friend and to help with his extensive medical
costs, the cream of Tokyo’s music scene will gather on
Monday September 17th at What the Dickens to hold a a
benefit gig for Q: ‘Jammin for Q’. Among the performers
will be The conductors, Kinlay, the Spazmatics, Gray area and Stuart O (Who will be hosting) as well as plethora
of individuals, small sets will start from 5pm all the way
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INSIGHT ISSUE 7
ENTERTAINMENT
til`midnight finishing with a monster Jam at the end
which promises to be the local music event of the year. This will be intimate while electrifying and a whole lot of
fun - not to be missed. There is a ¥1,000 cover charge at the door, and various T-Shirts designed by Q will be on
sale as well as a raffle, all proceeds will be presented to Q, so if you’re looking for a happening event this bank
holiday Monday and want to support the kind and worthy soul that is Q, please head down to What the Dickens.
Special tribute should also be paid to ‘What the Dickens’ who will open their doors on what is normally the staff’s
day off! A corner stone of expat life in Tokyo and also for its musicians who perform there. We wish Q a speedy recovery and can’t wait to see him back on stage were he belongs! Check out more info at the following event page on facebook and the ‘what the dickens’ website. www.facebook.com/events/363421093727180/ www.whatthedickens.jp
Live Music Schedule: Sep 14: The Dirty T’s Sep 15: Disco Inferno Sep 16: Pirates of Tokyo Bay (Comedy Show Y1,500 with 1 drink) Sep 17: Jammin for Q
Benefit Concert & Party
Sep 18: Derek Short Jazz Funk Trio Sep 19: Rock-Star open Mic
sujis.net
Sep 20: Delta blues project INSIGHT ISSUE 7
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OPINIONS
OPINIONS Politics: The role of American wives vs Japanese wives in their husbands’ campaigns
Japan without rice is not Japan
BY MAKOTO REXRODE
It was almost 5,000 years
mimic dropping seeds into
proclaimed there would
his help with past harvests
Blogger at East Meets West (www.eastmeetswestblog.com) Recently, I was watching a
part of the GOP convention in
Florida and saw Ann Romney’s speech. How impressive it
was. She stood in front of the podium and made a speech “for her husband.” Yes, I
admit she could talk more about policies or what her husband could do for the
country instead of talking
about how he has risen to the level where he is now. I always admire those
ladies who stand with their husband and support him
for his political career. You know, politics is a very
tough place and as all we know, many politician’s
wives, especially first ladies, take an enormous amount of heat from the public.
This is the big difference I have noticed between
American wives and Japanese wives. I never saw prime
ministers’ wives when I lived in Japan. They may be seen on TV, accompanying their husbands a few times but they never take an active
role to show their support
for their husbands in front of the nation. In Japan, a man’s job and his wife’s
supportive role are clearly
divided: a wife is supposed to take care of the home while he is out there working his 10
INSIGHT ISSUE 7
butt off. A man’s workplace is not a wife’s place.
As for the emperor’s wife, she accompanies her husband when he attends events. I
BY JUSTIN VELGUS
Professional writer and blogger of Japanese culture
ago when a Chinese emperor forever be 5 sacred grains.
With China being the dominant superpower for centuries,
all other nations were left in the dust playing catch up.
the ground praise Inari for
and show that humans still recognize we need to be one with nature and the
natural gods in order to live our own lives in harmony.
have seen her talking in front
For anyone who has studied
Rice or saké are common
seen her standing in public
undoubtedly know how
Shinto shrines, or for relatives
of cameras, but I have never
and making a speech “for her husband.” It was more like
she always stood a few steps behind her husband, smiled and nodded when needed.
Before I moved to the U.S., I always had an image of
about Japan, you will
much Japan borrowed from China, often via Korea, to
build and enhance their own empire. Although wheat,
barley, soybeans, and millet were important to Japan,
rice was the game changer.
American women being very
Agriculture changed to
their own career going
Rice was consumed with
independent and having on separately from their
husbands. So it was a surprise for me to see those political
leaders’ wives totally involved in a supportive role. It’s like a
full-time job to be someone’s wife: hosting luncheons,
getting involved with charities,
going on a campaign tour, etc. It’s admirable to see a
husband and a wife working
accommodate rice paddies. nearly every meal. In fact,
the word for rice in Japanese,
“gohan” or “meshi” translates as both rice and meal. Rice
is food for the poor and the
rich. Ground up up rice flour could be made into crackers
or noodles, and fermented rice
will produce the tasty rice wine saké. But rice is so much more than a foodstuff in Japan.
together as a team. But I don’t
Rice has cemented itself into
be defined as only someone’s
Shintoism and Buddhism.
know if I want my identity to
wife. I enjoy sharing life with
my husband and I respect him for what he does. But I enjoy
our life together more by his bringing life, my bringing life, and our children’s
bringing life into the family.
Japanese religion in both
Inari is the god of rice and is still honored today through Kagura. This ancient form
of Japanese theater involves a slow dance bound with
symbolic clothes and hats
made of rice straw. Sweeping feet and movements that
offerings at Buddhist temples, who have passed away. Perhaps it was the near
living gods of the Tokugawa period that solidified rice into Japan’s history.
The shogun and daimyo of
feudal Japan were the rulers
of kingdoms large and small. Each maintained their own
armies, paying the soldiers in rice. In fact, rice was the currency of the day. Taxes
were in rice, payment was in
rice, and wealth was calculated by how many sacks of rice you owned; assets were
noted in the number of rice fields under your control.
And today, the government still holds rice as sacred.
The Japanese government subsidizes rice, paying
farmers to ensure that their
aging population cranks out more rice. Akita Prefecture
even produces its own special rice because of a unique
mix of soil, clean water, and coastal location. It is quite
OPINIONS
tasty and once you have had the “komachi” brand, you’ll never be satisfied with regular rice.
In reality, though, with rice eaten on a daily basis by the majority of the population, the Japanese cannot produce enough rice for
themselves. Even my home California exports rice to Japan. And
the rice diet is not likely to change, though more imports may be necessary as fewer generations are willing to take up the risky business of rice farming.
So enjoy your rice in Japan. It takes a while to learn to eat
with chopsticks, but you’ll get the hang of it. You’ll see rice
referenced in festivals, in art, and on your dinner plate. And if you have some time, be sure to check out Hirosaki’s (Aomori
Prefecture) rice field art (pictured above) which has new designs every year.
The road ahead – will Japan really make it to zero-nuclear by 2030?
Social Democratic Party was
The average age in Japan is
in the establishment. Now,
supporting old age pensioners
considered ludicrous by most it looks like the protesters
BY JOHN MATTHEWS
that walked politely down
Show (thejapanshow.com)
off by police and watched
Note: As of this editorial’s
may be getting their wish.
National Public Radio (NPR) Reporter and creator of The Japan
writing, Mainichi Shimbun
had just quoted anonymous government insider sources as saying Prime Minister
Yoshihiko Noda is to aim for zero nuclear reliance
sometime in the 2030s. It
assumes that the weekend
announcement will happen.
The story so far The landscape of Japanese politics when it comes to nuclear policy has been
leveled since last year’s
disaster. A largely popular
proposal designed to send nuclear power’s share of
energy provision up past fifty
percent now looks like one of the most gung-ho ideas of
the past decade. Government and utility spokespeople, including Prime Minister
Yoshihiko Noda, continue to
push the claim that as long as nuclear power exists in Japan, it will be made as safe as can be reasonably expected.
However, an underlying apathy towards politics amplified
one lane of traffic cordoned by public security officers
by a blunder-filled disaster response has kept a large portion of the populace
Economic precipice
skeptical of the party line.
Fast-forward eighteen months
government-level investigative
only a year and a half past
Confirmation by a recent
panel that information was widely suppressed in the
aftermath of Fukushima only adds to the mistrust of “the man.” Being blamed for a
lack of safety protocols at
nuclear plants, TEPCO and by extension other utilities have
little reputation in the eyes of
the people. Major broadcasters keeping quiet on anti-nuclear
or anti-utility talk immediately
post-disaster for fear of losing valuable sponsorship money only added fuel to the fire.
The social unrest that grew out of 3.11 has slowly
stoked a new fire among the grassroots, one that
the powers that be are now struggling to deal with.
Only a year ago, the idea
of permanently shuttering all of the nation’s nuclear plants within a couple of
to September 2012. Still
a nation-defining moment,
Japan is still cobbling together a plan for what it wants to do with its lost innocence. The
Japanese public consciousness is drifting steadily toward an anti-nuclear stance largely founded on the premise of public safety as business
and utility lobbies fight to spread the message that
Japan is doomed without
atomic energy. In all fairness, bigwigs at the Keidanren, or Japan Business Federation,
do have a lot to worry about; Japan’s export-led economy has continued to bear the
brunt of a painfully strong yen (remember that we’ve
been below 90 JPY/USD for
still extraordinarily high and is putting a major drag on the nation’s finances that
is extremely unpopular to
remove. Many fear that an
increase in power costs from the lack of what was Japan’s
only hope for cheap electricity before 2011 will be the nail
in the coffin for Japan’s post3.11 recovery, leading to as
many lost decades as you can count. The Keidanren is not
shy about emphasizing that
Japan currently has no costeffective option outside of
nuclear energy due to lack of available natural resources. Although the anti-nuclear camp points to this past
summer’s lack of blackouts,
utilities like TEPCO have had to restart gas turbines using
largely imported fuel to keep Tokyo safe. Energy reliance and pollution issues aside,
trillions of yen in sunk costs are lying fallow across the
nation as older turbines run
at relatively inefficient levels.
→
two years now and below
80 for one year), and taxes are set to increase to help
pay for this costly disaster.
decades as espoused by the INSIGHT ISSUE 7
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OPINIONS
Where to now, Yoshi? Prime Minister Yoshihiko
Noda and the DPJ have been presented with a quandary
with enormous implications. Either they can show tough love to the grassroots and
preserve a significant portion of the nation’s nuclear
reactors, or throw caution to the wind and make a stand for a nuclear-free Japan.
Neither option is particularly
appealing; even only limiting nuclear will not delay a loss
to the conservative LDP and
its coalition or even to a camp led by rising but untested star Toru Hashimoto. Eradicating nuclear completely, as Noda and company have chosen,
risks an immediate and harsh backlash from domestic
me quite a bit at first) is
the decision. Unfortunately,
old historical disputes and
economically as a result of
achieving non-reliance will be
tough to achieve and maintain over the short to medium term. Business lobbies
will doubtlessly continue
to lobby hard against the
decision; if the DPJ buckles or another party takes over and
nullifies the policy, what little faith is left in the Japanese
government would doubtlessly crumble. The bitter pill of
Noda’s tax hike is proving to be a hard one to swallow for all parties involved, but the coming years will see if the
DPJ and Japan by extension
can handle such an ambitious energy policy.
businesses looking to counter
In for a penny, in for a pound
jobs overseas. The economic
The goal of ending nuclear
free Japan may not be well-
changed to “in the 2030s”
rising energy costs by moving implications of a nuclearquantified, but they are
certainly not insignificant. The solution politically for
the DPJ is clear. Taking Japan nuclear-free is the only way
to maintain enough popularity to survive the next election
and potentially restore some faith on the ground floor in the political process,
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whether or not Japan suffers
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reliance “by 2030” being
is the first sign that the DPJ
may not be fully committed to more than moving the goal posts at this stage.
Unfortunately, there are very
few viable options in the eyes of anti-nuclear proponents.
The Liberal Democratic Party (the relatively conservative party here in Japan, which as an American confused
largely mired in decades-
sticks more closely to farm and corporate interests.
Questionably wacky Osaka
Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s new Japan Restoration Party is
poised to field hundreds of
candidates nationwide, but his policies and performance as a major mover are untested
to say the very least. Even if it
manages to drive the Japanese economy into the ground, the DPJ has now been charged
with restoring Japan’s faith in the system.