JAPANTODAY’S PREMIER ENGLISH DIGITAL WEEKLY MAGAZINE
ISSUE 09 / VOLUME 01 / SEPTEMBER 2012
Engakuji: One of Kamakura’s Great Zen Temples
TRAVEL LIFESTYLE
100 years of here / Foreigners join the anti-nuclear protest movement
BUSINESS
Cybersecurity is big business
FOOD OPINION
FAMILY
True Taste Tokyo: San Francisco Peaks
Epson Shinagawa water stadium
ENTERTAINMENT
8 is a lucky number for Ayumi
From Japan to Hong Kong / An open letter to Kevin Bacon: Japan needs to get footloose
INSIGHT
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INSIGHT ISSUE 9
3
TRAVEL
ENGAKUJI: ONE OF KAMAKURA’S GREAT ZEN TEMPLES BY VICKI L. BEYER
Engakuji is a complex of temples filling a scenic valley above the JR train tracks near Kita-Kamakura Station. The tracks actually cut through the traditional approach to the temple, leaving the two small ponds in front of the temple on the “wrong side”. Engakuji ranks second of the gozan, five great Zen temples of Kamakura. The temple was founded in 1282 by then-regent Hojo Tokimune, who sent architects and builders to China to learn the building methods needed to construct the various buildings of the
complex. The temple, which was built on the site of Tokimune’s
hermitage, was intended to put to rest the souls of the Japanese and Mongol warriors who died in Japan’s successful repulsion of the attempted Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281.
To enter the temple grounds, climb the broad stairs from the train
tracks and pass through the Somon, outer gate. Follow the walkway up
the stairs to the Sanmon, the two-storied inner gate. Note the beautiful scrolling patterns carved into its enormous cross beams. The large
threshold in the middle of the gate is there to keep evil from rolling in. The Butsuden, the main hall, sits directly behind the Sanmon and is
fronted by beautiful and ancient juniper trees. The 2.6 meter Buddha image inside dates from the first half of the 14th century, but the
building is relatively modern, built in 1964 to replace the Butsuden
destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 (most of the structures in this complex were destroyed or badly damaged by that quake). The
ceiling of the Butsuden is covered with a “clouds and dragon” painting,
a popular ceiling decoration in large Zen halls. Dragons bring rain and, in this context, the “rain” sent by the dragon is Buddhist teaching,
falling on worshipers as they sit in the hall. Zen meditations are held
here every Sunday morning (5:30-6:30 am, April through October and
6:00 am-7:00 am, November through March) and Zen lectures are held on the second and fourth Sundays of every month from 9:00 am.
Descending the stairs of the Butsuden after your peak inside, turn
right. Ahead of you is the Senbutsujo (選仏場), literally the hall where Buddhas are selected. This thatched roof structure was once used
to ordain priests and is now occasionally used as a Zen meditation 4
INSIGHT ISSUE 9
hall. To the right of the Senbutsujo and
in front of the hall. You can also purchase
is the Kojirin, once a fencing practice hall
felt-covered benches while enjoying it and
set back behind a thatched-roofed gate
and now regularly used for Zen meditation that is open to the public on Saturdays.
Follow the laneway up the valley, passing
several private houses on the left. After a
few dozen meters you will see a pond on the left surrounded by a well-tended garden.
tea ceremony green tea here and sit on red admiring the garden. Perched above the garden is a small yellow tea house that was featured in Nobel Prize-winning author Kawabata
Yasunari’s novel “A Thousand Cranes”. While you cannot enter the tea house, usually the door is open and you can look inside.
Particularly striking is the large boulder
If you don’t want to pay to enter Butsunichi-
by a large residence said to belong to the
hall through its central gate. Across from
on the opposite side of the pond topped
chief priest. The pond is called Myokochi,
the pond of the sacred fragrance, and the boulder is known as Tiger’s Head Rock.
Turn left above the pond and walk up to the gateway leading to the Shariden, the oldest
structure in the Engakuji complex and the only
an, you can still look inside at the memorial this gate and a little further up the valley you’ll see Byakurokudo, the White Deer
Cave, a very small indentation in the rock
face. The name derives from a legend that several white deer paused here to listen to the founder of the temple preach.
building in Kamakura designated as a National
Nestled at the back of the valley is Obai-
housed in the Shariden is one of Buddha’s
statue of a thousand-armed Kannon, the
Treasure. It is said that among the treasures
teeth. Usually it is not possible to pass beyond
the gate, but even if viewed only from the gate, the well-tended garden leading to the Shariden makes a lovely scene well worth a photo.
in (黄梅院), a temple said to contain a
goddess of mercy. While this statue is not available for viewing, at the very back of the grounds is a charming small shrine
Return back down the valley. Just after you pass
stairs leading to a small temple dedicated to
you’ll have glimpses of the austere Zen garden
the 36th chief priest of Engakuji, who died in 1369. Instead of going up these stairs, turn left and continuing walking up the valley.
On the left is Butsunichi-an (佛日庵), the former
hermitage of Hojo Tokimune, now his memorial hall. There is an extra charge of JPY100 to
enter this garden, for which you will receive a
lighted incense stick to place in the receptacle
Great Kanto Earthquake. After viewing the “100
Kannon”, exit from the gate
to the left of the front gate to the Hojo and make your way down the hill until you see on the left a cemetery and
signs pointing the way to the
temple bell, which dates from
1301. The belfry sits high atop a hill, guarded by a Shinto
shrine dedicated to Benten, the only female of Japan’s
seven lucky gods. There is
also a small tea house where you can enjoy refreshments
while overlooking the valley below. On a clear day,
there are even views of
Mt. Fuji in the distance. (This article is excerpted from “10 Temples on 2 Wheels: Exploring Kamakura by Bicycle or on Foot”.)
containing a small Kannon statue.
Ahead of you as you walk back to the laneway that leads up the valley, you’ll see a flight of
suffered during the 1923
the Myokochi pond on your right, on the left that sits behind the hojo, a large structure
originally used as living quarters for the chief priest and now used to house special guests. Go through the gate in the wall to reach the
front courtyard of this structure. To the right as you enter, you’ll find a collection of sculptures
of Kannon. There were originally 100 sculptures
Getting there: Kita-kamakura Station
is less than an hour on the JR Yokosuka line
from Tokyo, Shimbashi or Shinagawa stations.
Engakuji is only 2 minutes’ walk from the station.
collected here, only about 70 remain. A number show scars and repair marks from damage
INSIGHT ISSUE 9
5
LIFESTYLE
100 YEARS OF HERE
Worshipers pray at Nogi-jinja during the 100th anniversary commemoration of Nogi Maresuke’s ritual suicide.
BY DREUX RICHARD
Nationalist icon Nogi Maresuke committed ritual suicide 100 years ago this month. The first hint of the season’s change had the cicadas alighting.
ideological landscape; whatever one thought of the Meiji
when one landed on the touchscreen and lingered, as if to
in the world, accomplished with alacrity and carefully
Yasuda Saburo was monitoring his email via cell phone
study its reflection, before lifting off. It left behind six dusty footprints, which Yasuda wiped away with the hem of his
shirt. Onstage, the din of the musicians’ warm-up subsided. Yasuda Saburo and son Kenzo had been to Tokyo just once before. This second visit was occasioned by the 100th
anniversary commemoration of General Nogi Maresuke’s ritual suicide. It occurred at Nogi-jinja, erected in 1923
attributed to the emperor’s divinity by Meiji ideocrats. Two
weeks later, Nogi’s suicide (along with wife Shizuko) plunged the nation into a century of ambivalence. In 1970, writer-
celebrity Yukio Mishima’s spectacular suicide at Tokyo SDF
headquarters in Ichigaya occasioned a restaging of the Nogi
debate. Today, Nogi’s life and death remain touchstones for
nationalist zealots and conservative politicians.
on the site of the home where Nogi committed “junshi.”
The orchestra had finished by the time Helen Kenyon of
the orchestra’s koto resounded and the audience quieted,
She browsed the gift shop. Behind her, the audience observed a
Nogi is enshrined there as “kami.” As the first notes of Saburo said, to no one in particular: “Nogi is here.”
For Saburo, print-shop owner and son of an itinerant
calligrapher, General Nogi is the emblem par excellence of the Japanese spirit. In 1912, when the Meiji Emperor
Mutsuhito died, an awed hush descended on Japan’s contested 6
Restoration, it nonetheless represented Japan’s emergence
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Woodbridge, England arrived at the Sept 13 commemoration.
series of ceremonies. Officiants hurriedly donned priestly garb and purified themselves in the shrine’s hallways. Kenyon next
descended a staircase into the small museum that houses Nogi’s personal effects. When she emerged, she fell in at the end of the procession to Aoyama Reien, Nogi’s final resting place. Among
the priests at the front of the procession was Yu. (At least we’ll
LIFESTYLE
call him that; shrine officials declined to name individual priests). He had been selected to direct the graveside ceremonies.
After ritual offerings had been placed and purification ceremonies performed at the
cemetery, attendees were asked to form a line outside the iron fence that delineates
Nogi’s grave. Each visitor (or pair) received a
sakaki branch from Yu. They bowed, clapped, offered Nogi silent praise. Camera shutters
clattered and lens barrels clanked against the bars of the fence as photographers ringed
the gravesite. The humid blur of Aoyama’s skyscrapers punctuated the scene. Saburo
and Kenzo were among the first to worship, Helen among the last. Inside the fence, she solicited confirmation of the proper ritual
gestures from Yu before she performed them. For Kenyon, 29, it was a resonant moment in a sidelong journey through Japanese
culture that has brought her into contact
with the nationalist thinkers who worship
at Nogi’s altar. Nogi was the subject of her
undergraduate thesis, and she’d soon like to return to her research. But she never shared her thesis essay with the Japanese scholars who helped her; she was afraid that Nogi
the man, as she’d come to know him, would have unsettled their attachment to Nogi as “kami.” “I detected some sadness towards
the end of Nogi’s life. A letting go. He must
have felt weak, completely … and helpless.” Kenyon departed the ceremony after making
Across the street from the shrine, one
Top Helen Kenyon at Nogi’s gravesite.
one of two in-house translators for a five-
a discarded bottle near the edge of
Above left Yu explains rites to the crowd gathered at Nogi’s grave.
her praise. Work had been busy lately; she is campus university system and has been asked to develop a database that will facilitate the
hiring of a temp worker to replace her. She is
uncertain of whether she’s long for Japan. On
her last trip home to England, she found herself bowing, thanking and apologizing habitually. When the ceremony concluded, the priests
of the priests leaned down to pick up the sidewalk. The nearby traffic light turned green and the taxi idling on
the other side of the railing raced its
engine. The priest came up sputtering. “Give me a sip of your juice,” he said. “I taste gasoline.” “Otsukare-sama,” said Yu.
loaded the ritual items into a minivan, then
Saburo and Kenzo took photographs
to the shrine. They bought drinks at a pair of
before leaving. They crossed the
paused for a brief rest before walking back vending machines.
“What looks good?” another priest asked Yu. “Beer,” Yu said. Laughter.
Above right Shrine employees observe commemoration events at Nogi-jinja.
in front of the shrine’s main torii street and paused at the base of
a skyscraper, necks craned. They examined the nameplates that
announced the businesses inside.
They entered the building, stood in
the lobby, and took the elevator up.
“But never on the clock,” said Yu. He bought peach nectar.
INSIGHT ISSUE 9
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LIFESTYLE
FOREIGNERS JOIN THE ANTINUCLEAR PROTEST MOVEMENT BY DREUX RICHARD
Twenty-two foreigners attended the Sept 14 protest against nuclear energy. Who are they and why were they there? American expatriate Peter Q and his wife, Naoko, were
disappointed: the sidewalk leading to the prime minister’s residence had been bisected by traffic cones; protesters
over his corrective lenses. He brought a surgical mask to cover his thick, white beard. He ducked away from my
camera when I turned it toward the crowd. Minutes later, he was gone. Before he left, he professed no surprise at
the sudden burst of Japanese civic engagement. “Creators and defenders of good have their limit,” he said.
on one side, the other a travel lane for commuters and
Justin Berti, a yoga teacher and New York native, shared Naoko’s
than four abreast. The line they formed snaked for several
and I saw these protesters, I would laugh at them,” said Berti.
passersby. On their side, demonstrators stood no more blocks, and enthusiasm varied by location: distance from the Kantei, from the nearest loudspeaker.
“Please report that we’re upset to be boxed in, and told
– over and over again by megaphone – not to bother the
pedestrians,” said Naoko. “This isn’t a protest. Think of the ‘60s. Here, tonight, this is just a game we’re playing.”
Peter, the first visible Westerner to arrive at the protest, has
lived in Japan since 1982. He works as a salaryman. He believes the severity of the earthquake has been exaggerated (from
roughly 7 to 9 on the Richter Scale) to soft-pedal the avoidability of the Fukushima disaster. He would like to start an English-
language talk group to discuss this and other revelations from alternative news sources; he has discovered that Japanese
environmentalists are often preoccupied with beer and beef. As he held Naoko’s hand behind the traffic cones, he was concerned that he would be photographed by police and
deported. “I dressed as much like a tourist as I could.” (Slacks, 8
blue dress shirt, ball cap). He wore large, dark sunglasses
INSIGHT ISSUE 9
opinion of the protest. “If I were in control of nuclear power
On his list of complaints: the protest’s serpentine layout, the crowd’s polite weekly dispersal at 8 p.m., the predictability of protester behavior. “Does somebody have to throw a
bottle? It’s sad to say, but every great protest movement –
Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King – someone has to die.” Berti calls himself The Yoga Terminator. He teaches at Kike
Yamakawa’s FAB academy, a dance and entertainment space in
Azabudai where, according to Berti, “everything is a production.” His web presence features the slogan “We don’t meditate, we terminate!” Above it he poses, his bare muscles glistening, in pink spandex compression sleeves and fitness shorts,
holding water pistols. He is a graduate of Columbia University. He speaks Japanese well, and wants people to know it.
Berti, along with friends Dean Newcombe and Jessica H, was a popular target for Japanese media photographers. Jessica
posed holding a sign declaring solidarity with the unfolding protests in Kudankulam, where thousands of Indian women
LIFESTYLE
from the nearby village of Idinthakarai have gathered at a nuclear generating station to prevent the loading of fuel.
Jessica works in human resources for a machinery corporation’s conveyance subsidiary. She has lived in Tokyo for 24 years. Asked if she feels it’s important for foreigners to make themselves visible at the protests, she replied, “I don’t
consider myself not Japanese.” Part time, she’s a life coach. Her self-developed coaching philosophy proclaims the
primacy of life’s “transition” moments. She is working to
self-publish a book, “In Transit.” It will teach readers how
to monitor their progress along a “transition timeline.” She isn’t certain she wants her real name used – visa anxiety.
An essay she authored alludes to past nervous breakdowns,
Left Freelance photographer Damon Coulter
Right Jessica interviews with the Japanese press
subsequent sojourns, a decision to live “on the soul track.”
Dean Newcombe is a British model and actor. He is the founder
The Kanagawa public schools his children
movement.” He says he has raised 41 million yen for 3/11
and septic. But he also wondered aloud
of Intrepid Model Adventures, which he describes as a “global relief efforts. The organization’s web materials include a
blog of Dean’s volunteer work in Tohoku, a case study of his
campaign to help his mother lose weight, a promotional video
for a Sanyo handicam that finds Dean wandering a low-budget digital landscape, his playlist (Coldplay, Black Eyed Peas, The Internationale). Also: The Meaning of Life. On this night, he attended the protests for the fifth time. “We’re not against
anything,” he said. “We’re about what we want. That’s better for our spiritual energy.” About the role expatriates should play in the protests: “We’ll keep coming. I’ll keep posting pictures.”
Twelve visible Westerners attended as members of the press. Foreign news agencies skewed European: representatives of the Swedish, German, Dutch and French media.
Damon Coulter is a freelance photographer. “Tonight is just for fun,” he said. When the Friday protests began, he was able to
sell photos of them. They don’t sell anymore. He nonetheless attends and photographs weekly. The organizers recognize
him, are glad for his reliable presence, diligence. An hour after the protest ended, his phone rang; an agency had heard there
would have to attend are bare-walled
how much of the public health care and
decent schooling Britain offers will vanish before his children reach adulthood. Everywhere seems on the brink.
British photojournalist Tony McNicol’s
current project brings him to the protests regularly: black and white portraits of protesters. Tony works in color, but
wanted the simplest pictures possible; fill flash disembodies his subjects
from the unfolding demonstration.
Over the years, many spent freelance,
Tony’s primary patrons have been inflight magazines. He now earns the lion’s share of his income working in communications for Nissan. He
feels fortunate to have accomplished
what many would like: a career spent writing and photographing in Japan.
was a demonstration. Could he cover? It’s already over, he told
He said as much on the following
expatriate photographers and journalists in Shibuya. He talked
FCCJ’s 20th floor lounge. It afforded
them – I was there. By then he was having drinks with other
about taking the family he has started in Japan back to England. Here, he can’t afford the kind of education he’d like his children to have, and is apprehensive about submitting them to a high
school system he calls “salaryma training.” He recalled how, on a
Monday, from a corner table in the
a view of the world’s largest city, if
not the energy that coursed through
it, nor the reactors whose names are audible each Friday in Nagatacho.
visit to Yokohoma International School, he discovered that every flat surface in the classrooms had been thoughtfully adorned.
INSIGHT ISSUE 9
9
BUSINESS
CYBERSECURITY IS BIG BUSINESS Wherever law and technology collide, interesting issues like cybersecurity, intellectual property protection and digital evidence abound. Those issues make legal consultants such as Scott Warren very much in demand. An attorney by trade, Warren worked as a litigator in LA for 8 years before moving
to Japan in 1993 to work with a business consultancy company. During that time, he wrote the “Japan Employers Handbook.” Then he worked for 7 years for Sega Corp,
handling their international commercial, litigation and anti-piracy issues, ending as General Counsel in 2001. That was followed by a stint at Microsoft legal to help get the Xbox launched in Japan and other Asian countries. He did all the licensing work
for that as well as the anti-piracy work for Xbox worldwide, and led Microsoft’s anticounterfeiting work for all of its products for north Asia. He also headed a project
called, Internet Safety, designed to help protect people from Internet-related risks. In 2006, Warren joined Kroll as managing director of its intellectual property practice
in Asia as well as working on computer forensics and eDiscovery services. He became SCOTT WARREN President of Warren Associates International
the head of Kroll Japan’s investigative unit in 2008. In late 2009, he became regional managing director of Kroll’s legal technology group, Kroll Ontrack, charged with
turning around the operations. In his tenure, he led the organization to 40% revenue growth in 2010, while reducing expenses, 400% revenue growth in FY2011, and was setting the pace for 50% additional revenue growth in the 6 months of FY2012. In May, Warren left Kroll to setup his own company, Warren Associates International. Japan Today catches up with him to learn more.
Why did you decide to start your own company? I thought now would be a good time
for me to form a company that I could
use as a platform to do all the things I
have learned over the years. There is a lot of growth in my areas of expertise
– wherever law and technology collide.
and computer forensics services, after I put a team and technology together.
Since you have just started your company, how are you marketing yourself? I have a network of people whom I’ve
For example, how do you get money
speaking engagements. That gets the
and value out of your IP portfolio? Or
when you create some new technology, how do you license, market, sell, and protect it throughout Asia?
What services do you offer?
worked with for 20 years and I often do buzz out pretty quickly. People know
you and they trust you. That’s the way business is done here. I have been
identifying where I have the support
needed to really drive things forward. The best way to grow a business is
Consulting on issues such as intellectual
to take the opportunity you have
border legal issues, cybersecurity,
repeat customers and positive word-
property licensing and protection, cross-
and knock it out of the park, getting
anti-counterfeiting investigations,
of-mouth. So you better do it right.
internal investigations, U.S. litigation INSIGHT ISSUE 9
In the future, I plan to add eDiscovery
That is certainly true in cybersecurity and intellectual property brokering.
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and international regulatory services.
BUSINESS
What’s happening in the world of cybersecurity?
What’s going on with hackers?
How big is eDiscovery?
The biggest issues currently seem to
There are two things that have changed in the hacking community. One is that
There is great growth of eDiscovery in
15-20 years ago, hackers were, in
you identify relevant documents within
surround social network sites, which people increasingly use to connect
with others. What happens with private information? Does it get protected in a good way or is it left exposed so that
user IDs, credit card numbers and other personal information get out? That’s
more than just a straight technology question. It’s not just a question of
how you store such data on a separate server with encryption, though that is
a good start. It requires a whole, wellconceived policy. If you’re a 12-year-
old girl and someone propositions you on the social network site, who do you
report it to? How does that get handled by the company running the site? If
someone is getting stalked or there is
abusive language, how will a corporation
protect the users of their network? If user data is stolen, is the company ready to investigate and stop the leak? Are they in a position to effectively work with
law enforcement, perhaps worldwide, to thwart the loss and punish the hackers? It is important that the solutions are contemplated globally given that is
often where users, and abusers, are.
Why do you find IP so interesting? The fun thing about intellectual property law is that it is constantly changing and evolving as new technology turns it on its head. Other areas of the law tend
to have a pretty solid structure, but IP
law changed almost overnight since the
computer and now the Internet. With the advent of computers, we had to start
asking questions like: is it illegal to copy
all or a part of someone’s program in only the memory of a computer. The Internet raises all sorts of questions about what is “breaking and entering” someone’s
property. For example, there was recently
a case where a criminal claimed his house had been illegally searched because
the stolen iPad he had sent out a signal locating it to its user. He lost, but just
the argument itself is interesting. There
are all sorts of new questions about how we should deal with digital evidence,
and so forth. It’s a fascinating area of the law in which to be practicing.
general, pimple-faced kids who did it
for status with their friends. You would know you got hacked and corporations
would take steps to protect themselves. Now, hackers are incredibly quiet in
the way they get in. Corporations don’t know that they are in. They’ve been
in for two years watching everything
that’s going on. It’s what we call APTs
(Advanced Persistent Threats). Google China got hit with that, for example.
The people behind this are no longer doing it for fun. They are doing it for
profit and that has changed the nature of cybercrime and cybersecurity.
One other twist is the use of governmentsponsored hackers. One example was
the complete shutdown of the country
of Georgia’s network at the same time
Russia invaded several years back. More
recently, the Stuxnet computer worm was a very focused attack on a particular Iran uranium enrichment facility. The hack
was so sophisticated that many experts believe it to be government sponsored. Those types of attacks are increasing
against societal infrastructure, including water treatment plants, reservoirs, etc.
What are you doing in the field of IP brokering? Let’s say you have a U.S. patent. If you want to enforce that patent against an infringer, you likely have to spend $5 million to take it to court in the U.S.
Now, Japanese companies often have an aversion to litigation in the first place,
and they come to a point where they say, “Are we really using this technology?
If not, then I don’t necessarily want to pay to continue holding it.” They let it
expire when there may be companies that are willing to buy it and who will even
Japan -- how to use technology to help people’s hard drivers or a corporate
network when a company gets sued in the U.S. for patent infringement, for example. Something that has hit Japan quite hard
in the past 18 months has been anti-trust cases against the auto parts industry.
The U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission have brought
many suits against Japanese auto parts
makers. Banks have been hit as well for
allegedly fixing exchange rates. Because of this, lots of Japanese companies are facing eDiscovery for the first time.
In Japan, when you sue somebody, if you’ve got 5 documents going into
that case, you probably end up with 5
documents coming out. In U.S. litigation,
or international anti-trust investigations, the party suing you is required to
produce anything that is relevant to the
litigation. In the latest Apple v. Samsung IP case, court documents indicate
Samsung had some 2700 employees that were potentially relevant to the case.
We’re talking millions and millions of
documents which if you were to print
them out, would fill this office several
times over. How do you actually analyze and get that data down to something that is relevant to the case? A good
eDiscovery platform will unify all the
various types of digital documents on a
person’s computer (e.g. Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, etc) into
something that is searchable. It then
provides tools, like keyword searching,
date filters and e-mail string condensers, that allow you to filter down to a likely
subset of relevant. This can then more effectively be reviewed and prepared for production to the other side.
→
license back the right to the company to continue using it. So IP brokering offers a method of monetizing a company’s IP to the benefit of the corporate bottom
line. This is growing in popularity in the U.S. and Japanese companies, with their often large portfolio of patents, have a great opportunity participate as well.
INSIGHT ISSUE 9
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BUSINESS
How tough is it to convince companies of the need for cybersecurity? It’s tough for any company to properly see and assess risk unless they feel it. If you don’t feel it, there is so much competition for management’s time, money and energy within a corporation that often they’ll run forward with creating a social gaming
network site, for example, and expanding it throughout the
world without thinking how to deal with it if something happens
in the U.S. Are they going to be compliant with local laws? Those questions don’t get asked near enough of people qualified to work across borders. That is experience I have gained over
the years in the region and which can be leveraged as I team up with trusted experts I have worked with in the past.
As you put your team together, what sort of people are you looking for? There are some good people out there with many of the essential skill sets mentioned above. I have found the most effective
people are hungry for the truth (they kind of smell out when
an answer given is not right and are willing to dig for the real answer) and are relentlessly focused on client-satisfaction.
When you are not working, how do you like to relax? I play trombone in a funk band and am in an amateur jazz big band headed for Australia next week for
the Manly Jazz Festival. Otherwise, exercise and my 3 boys tend to keep me active on weekends. For more information visit: www.warren-ai.com
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INSIGHT ISSUE 9
FAMILY
EPSON SHINAGAWA WATER STADIUM
Conveniently located in central Tokyo at the back of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel (opposite JR Shinagawa Station) is the Epson water stadium. There is no better place to spend a few hours with the children on a rainy day. The aquarium, although small, is very well laid out. One very interesting feature just as you enter is a tunnel through their largest tank which has tuna, large reef fish, a black tip reef shark, very large manta rays and a rare sawfish all swimming around you.
A must is the interactive plans: kids and parents can touch the dolphins, pose for photos, feed and help the dolphins. Make sure to book these plans at reception desk as you enter the aquarium, as they are hugely popular and have limited space.
The indoor facility also features an impressive penguin enclosure with four varieties including the large king penguin. The “Penguin continent” on the visitors’ side is completely glass with the water well over head height when standing next to it, which gives a wonderful view of the graceful underwater movements of these birds. Children run alongside the swimming penguins in front of the tank and feeding times are a bustle of activity with the penguins feeding below the surface as well as on dry land.
If you would like to spend boasts other attractions in cinema, live music venue, restaurants with, of course,
The sea lion pool is also very entertaining. This smaller arena seats about 300 and it fills up very fast, so be sure to check the times of the performances, and allow for 30 minutes before showtime to get a seat (or just employ the convenient trick of leaving personal items on the seats you want). The highlight of the aquarium however is the dolphin show. The dolphin pool occupies the majority of the aquarium and can seat 1,350 people. The shows are held four times a day, and featuring four Pacific white-sided dolphins, two Atlantic bottle nose dolphins and a very large false killer whale, all performing harmoniously together. The show itself is very entertaining with unbelievable dolphin acrobatics and flashes of speed (particularly from the smaller Pacific white-sided dolphin). The trainers themselves perform some impressive moves such as dolphin surfing and ridiculously high jumps propelled by the dolphins below them. A large part of the show is devoted to “splash” time, where the dolphins (and sometime trainers) take large jumps next to the pool edge, sending walls of water over the first few rows. Disposable rain jackets are available to buy for ¥100 each and assistants are on hand with towels for splashed guests. The splash seats are clearly marked with red and yellow tape, but of course there are always a few unsuspecting first-timers who get a little more than they bargained for from the playful dolphins.
the whole day there, the venue also the same building complex, such as bowling alley, amusement park and the hotel amenities available too.
General Information Adults (16 and up) ¥1,800 Children (7-15) ¥1,000 Kids (4-6) ¥600 Free for children under 4 Rooftop car park has plenty of space, but is expensive. A 3-hour complimentary parking stamp is available if you spend over 5,000 yen, but you need to present your receipts to the ticket counter for validation. Web www.princehotels.co.jp/shinagawa/aquastadium/e/aquastadium
Did you know? Dolphins have to be conscious to breath. This means that they cannot go into a full deep sleep, because then they would suffocate. Dolphins have “solved” that by letting one half of their brain sleep at a time. This has been determined by doing EEG studies on dolphins. Dolphins sleep about 8 hours day in this fashion.
INSIGHT ISSUE 9
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TRUE TASTE TOKYO TRUE TASTE TOKYO VOL.5
BY LAUREN SHANNON
FOOD
At TTT we love back street, small, independent joints – and this week we have a new one for you! Right downtown in Harajuku. One of the really special talents in the
add ons, like fried and raw onions, sauer
comfort food item and make it extra
wash it all down with a broad range beer
food world is to be able to take a simple fantastic. The new folks at San Francisco Peaks in Harajuku have just done that.
They call themselves a Hot Dog place but really they are so much more than
that. They serve an awesome American style breakfast menu all day long, with waffles, fresh fruit and more.
And the dogs?! Well they are really more like homemade sausages on a delicious bun. All sorts of flavors are available.
They create these tasty hot dogs in more
kraut, gourmet mustard and a you can
selection including great bottle beers and more than twelve beers on tap. There
are additional outside seats upstairs and down, and this spot sports a truly funky
décor, including a large communal table on the second floor.
In addition to the shabby-chic café space there is a small second hand boutique of a sort of 70’s – 80’s wood cabin décor
feeling. Truly unique offerings and a fun browse after your meal.
than ten styles with base ingredients
This is really a great usa-style restaurant/
the apple and cinnamon pork sausage
side of Harauku.
of pork, beef, chicken, or lamb. I tried and it was sublime. There are amazing
San Francisco Peaks 3-28-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (03) 5775-5707
Open daily 11:30 am-11:00 pm Harajuku (Yamanote Line) and Meiji-
Jingumae (Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines). Food menu from ¥950. Beer from ¥650/ half pint (275 ml).
English menu available. http://sf-peaks.com
café and well worth a visit to the back
Photo courtesy of: ROMP PHOTOGRAPHY Genevieve Sawtelle www.rompphotography.com INSIGHT ISSUE 9
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ENTERTAINMENT
8 IS A LUCKY NUMBER FOR AYUMI Pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki, 33, is declaring the 8th of each month “Ayu Day.” Starting from November, she will release new songs on the 8th day of each month until next April, which marks the 15th anniversary of her showbiz debut. For Nov 8, Hamasaki is planning to release a deluxe mini album titled “LOVE,” which includes 12 new songs with such titles as “ong 4 u,” “Melody” and “Missing.”
“I am planning to release many new songs, as well as to launch more projects. This is how I thank my fans and their unflagging support,” Hamasaki said on her blog. “Please look forward to it.”
On Aug 28, Hamasaki finished a six-month nationwide tour titled “HOTEL Love songs.” She gave 28 performances in 12 cities.
The tour featured Hamasaki on a stage set up as a fictitious hotel, with the singer performing as a hotel employee. Her costumes
included a maid and lobby employee. It was her first tour since she
divorced her ex-husband of one year, Austrian actor Manuel Schwarz, 31, in January.
Hamasaki told fans at the time that she had initiated the split,
explaining that she felt unable to keep the promise she made to
Schwarz, who lives in Los Angeles, that the pair would live together in America. “Since the Tohoku disaster, I have had the feeling that
I don’t want to be apart from Japan,” she wrote. “As a result I have
been spending more and more days away from him. We spoke about this and we thought we could maintain our relationship by traveling to see each other, but at some point, physical distance becomes
emotional distance. When I thought about our future, I realized I
couldn’t see myself returning to the state of mind I was in when I agreed to live in America.”
Hamasaki said her nationwide tour and desire to create more music for Ayu Day has brought her closer to her fans in Japan. Photo credit: fanpop.com
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ENTERTAINMENT INSIGHT ISSUE 9
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OPINIONS
OPINIONS From Japan to Hong Kong BY BRENT BOWERS
I just traveled from Japan to Hong Kong and back. Recently, Japanese and Chinese media are full of stories related to island disputes and mass demonstrations of discontent. Here’s what I saw. A collection of newsfeeds reached my phone over the past few weeks, each with increasing urgency concerned the gravity of the situation concerning the Senkaku/Diaoyu island conflict between China and Japan. First it was a few fishing vessels organized by independent activists. Next it was a pair of Chinese “marine surveillance” vessels. Then it was another 30 fishing ships. Then 100. It seemed necessary by part of local media sources to make each report sound more dire than the last. The rumor mill grew amid protests exploding across Japanese and Chinese consulates, corporate offices, electronic
“Those people don’t represent the majority,” Ethan, a local Hong Kong friend told me as we made our way down nearby Hennessy Road. “They may not agree with the nationalization of the islands, but normal people don’t care about it that much.” boutiques, sushi restaurants, and factories. Decades of a shaky-if-uncomfortable détente of discontent, moderated by a healthy dose of economic interdependence, seemingly discarded in just a few weeks over a set of uninhabited islands. As these tensions were beginning to heat up earlier this month, I was in Kyoto together with a Japanese friend making a small day trip to Jishu Shrine and Kiyomizu Temple – one of Kyoto’s most iconic landmarks. What startled us both was the volume of Chinese visitors to the city, accompanied and ushered along by Mandarin-speaking tour guides barking about facts to huddled masses of tourists. Some of them were even clad in traditional Japanese attire, supplied by the many boutiques that offer yukata or kimono. They laughed, traded jokes and snapped photos against the many beautiful sights of the city. Everyone talks big about their little islands, but at the end of the day, everyone’s still taking vacations in each other’s country. I find it hard to believe any of those visitors would be inclined to return to China and start burning cars or flags.
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The following week, I made what has become an annual journey to the city of Hong Kong, where I spent a small part of my college education. It was, in fact, a Hong Kong activist group (with accompanying “Mainland” Chinese nationals bearing both the PRC and Taiwanese flags) that made the first of several recent landings on these disputed islands. Such actions had them promptly deported and drew the attention and ire of their Japanese counterparts. However, arriving in Hong Kong as these mass demonstrations raged across China, I was struck by the subdued nature of the antiJapanese sentiment parked in front of the International Finance Center, the centerpiece landmark and shopping mall above Hong Kong station. A small stereo played a trumpetheavy tune of “patriotic” music, while no more than maybe 15 people sat around some foldout tables bearing images of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda paired with Nazi symbols and banners claiming the islands for China. There was some extreme imagery, for sure, but the whole area was cordoned off by police on all sides. In fact, as I approached the familiar walkways around Hong Kong’s Central district, I had started to believe there was a crime or incident of some kind. I even felt a bit nervous snapping a photo of the visible but silent demonstration as police kept an eye on those who strolled by. “Those people don’t represent the majority,” Ethan, a local Hong Kong friend told me as we made our way down nearby Hennessy Road. “They may not agree with the nationalization of the islands, but normal people don’t care about it that much.” As we continued on, it was evident of Japan’s commercial and cultural power in the neon city. All around Hong Kong were visible impacts of Japanese influence. Billboards everywhere advertised premium-quality sushi restaurants. Convenience stores proudly declared they carried Japanese candies and snacks (I’d estimate nearly 40% of the products within seemed to be of Japanese origin, from tea to beer and snacks). Even the ubiquitous red and green taxis of Hong Kong were Japanese models that bore industrial stickers in the upper corner of the windshield declaring the country of origin. “Much of the discontent is actually about their own government,” another Hong Kong local friend, Carmen, told me during a coffee break. “They’re shouting about Japan but it’s
Of course, this isn’t to say that all the anger isn’t real. Frustration concerning Japan in China is a very real phenomenon. The ruling Communist Party earns much of its legitimacy by touting itself as the ouster of the Japanese occupation, the “savior of the people”. Even the Chinese national anthem is a song about resisting Japan. But modern Chinese history classes do little to offer an image of Japan in a modern context. It is still an island nation of militant oppressors as far as the public can see. It’s an image the ruling officials are comfortable with – it makes them legitimate. By contrast, Hong Kong fights hard to keep its educational practices free, open, and on-balance. Hong Kong prides itself on free speech, free exchanges of ideas, and academic prowess – especially when measured against the Chinese Mainland, which still employs vast programs of censorship. It was hardly only a week ago that education reforms pushed by the pro-Beijing wings of Hong Kong’s legislation and chief executive were struck down by a massive wave of discontent. The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s leading English-language news source, reported that anywhere between 36,00 and 120,000 people took to the streets in front of the lofty and newly-constructed Legislative Council office to demonstrate against the new policies of “patriotic education” in publicly-funded schools. It included courses and textbooks that extolled the virtues of the ruling Chinese Communist Party without mentioning some of the darker parts of its 60+ years of power. They were the same courses taught in the Chinese Mainland. Measuring such numbers demonstrating in support of balanced education versus a small demonstration of 15 people coming out against Japan’s nationalization of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands made me consider that Carmen’s assertion. Hong Kong by no means represents all of China, but then again, Hong Kong too endured under Japanese occupation during World War II. The difference seemed that, with adequate avenues of free expression, such explosions of rage as those seen in Beijing or Shenzhen no longer become necessary. With all the culture capital of Japan has in Hong Kong, the people, though not supportive of
An open letter to Kevin Bacon: Japan needs to get footloose BY JOHN MATTHEWS
National Public Radio
Japan’s actions, understand that moderation is necessary to avert violence and poor decision-making. And then my thoughts returned to those tourists in Kyoto, smiling and laughing as they posed for photos dressed in traditional Japanese attire. Would they participate in such violent demonstrations? In a globalized world, the closer we are, the better we can see each other’s faces. But we are equally more likely we are step on toes and trade a few shoves in the process.
OPINIONS
all frustration directed toward the communist government in China.” Carmen herself had a lengthy record related to Hong Kong’s penchant for political activism – a right scarcely practiced but every bit as ingrained in the culture of China. To posit the demonstrations as an abstraction of rage against the ruling party, though indirect, didn’t seem out of question. An individual in China may not be able to shout at the government directly, but you can rage against the government’s police force as you stage a demonstration against the Japanese embassy.
An open letter to Kevin Bacon: Japan needs to get footloose BY JOHN MATTHEWS
National Public Radio (NPR) Reporter and creator of The Japan Show (thejapanshow.com) Dear Kevin Bacon, Japan’s club scene is dying. From Sapporo to Fukuoka, dance floors in some of the most prominent clubs in Japan are filled with motionless twenty or thirtysomethings, if at all. Club staff make their rounds, interrupting unknowing or rebellious jubilants and pointing to the prominent “No Dancing” signs in major Roppongi clubs (your taste may vary), where they even give out paper warnings that read something like this: PLEASE NO DANCING
It’s prohibited by the Japanese law to dance in any commercial
place in Japan. We don’t allow to dance in this establishment. Thanks for the coperation.
Poor translation aside, this is the state of Japan now. Some clubs even kick out dancers, although swaying like you’re at a high school dance seems to be acceptable (perhaps out of pity). In Osaka, where the War on Fun began in earnest two years ago, club owners are forced to close at early-bird hours like midnight; centerpieces of Osaka nightlife are becoming nothing less than a modern marvel in corrupt bureaucracy. Meanwhile, escort services are open all night! The law to blame for what is basically the lidocaine shot to the pleasure center of Japan’s youth consciousness is the Fuzoku Eigyo to no Kisei Oyobi Gyomu no Tekiseika-to ni Kansuru Houritsu. Loosely translated, that lovely mouthful is the Law Regarding Entertainment Industry Regulation and Increasing Reasonableness
(NPR) Reporter and
creator of The Japan Show (thejapanshow.com)
Live Music Schedule: Sep 28: The Conductors Sep 29: MINX Marvellous MINX Sep 30: Nature Airiners Oct 02: Open Mic hosted by Kinlay Sep 03: TBD @ WTD Sep 04: Kenji & Manami Sep 05: Cashell
→
sujis.net
INSIGHT ISSUE 9
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OPINIONS
(in the industry). A quick note; although Fuzoku Eigyo translates to “Entertainment Industry,” Fuzoku by itself refers to the sex industry. Connection? I suspect so. The law was penned in Showa 23, according to e-gov.co.jp, which...quick head math...is 1948. It states, in short, that clubs with a floor space less than 66 square meters (710 sq. ft. for my fellow Americans) cannot obtain the proper license to allow customers to dance. There are other specifics to the law meriting a wordy explanation of course but the basic idea is as such, with an amendment in 1984 banning dancing after midnight. That’s right, friend; just as in York, where an Englishman can legally shoot a Scotsman with a longbow on any day but the Sabbath, Japanese police have the right to descend upon a club and crack down on fun-loving folk when the mood strikes. If you’re keeping score with city realty in Japan, you’ve realized it’s quite difficult to pick up that much acreage even while sitting on a reasonable stack of cash. For clubs like ageHa, built out in the port area and currently the biggest one in Asia, you’ve got it made relatively; free shuttle buses into the club from other parts of town, relatively easy (if distant) access if you’re looking to stay out all night, and a bevy of professional dancers to round out the onstage entertainment. For smaller clubs (read: almost all of them) like Arty Farty in Shinjuku’s 2-chome, what was once a thriving hub of the fledgling Tokyo gay scene is stagnating under constant threat of raids. Isao Kawamura, owner of six bars and clubs in the area, was arrested for “violation” of the law and operating “without a license.” Oddly enough, acquiring as many licenses as you can get your hands on still doesn’t make you immune to police; according to a prominent local DJ in Osaka, a handful of major clubs voluntarily closed down until they had acquired either a Live House license or other seemingly appropriate paperwork, re-opened, and then were promptly raided. Even big names like Takkyu Ishino, one of the biggest domestic artists on the scene, are not immune to the Fun Police. On April 14, the house lights came up when police shut down Club O/D in Fukuoka with the man himself on stage, while angry clubgoers were asked to leave the establishment. But the big question is, why? According to music and entertainment writer Ryo Isobe in his book, “Japan: The Country Where You Can’t Dance” (踊ってはいけない国、 日本), he says police were responding to intensifying complaints from nearby residents about loud music persisting through to the morning. Add in sporadic fights and stolen property, and you’ve got what is
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perhaps the most concrete case to call in the Anti-Dancing League. Given that living in close proximity to a club is going to cause you headaches at late hours, the remaining reasons for such a crackdown come down to speculation. One anonymous clubgoer reports police taking her into custody against her will earlier this year during a raid on a popular Tokyo hangout while searching for drugs. Although Japan’s long-running zero-tolerance stance on any form of drugs may seem plausible for increased raids, this doesn’t seem to be a goal the police are vocal about achieving, and they would perhaps do better focusing on not laying out a big thick black-and-blue blanket on Tokyo’s nightlife. A rumor among Osaka locals espoused by some writers in the area is that Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto was looking to manipulate local businesses to drive entertainment to an area where he planned to have casinos built, effectively re-zoning the area through an old, outdated law. Other theories include your standard thoroughfare of ultra-conservative conspiracies, purification efforts (backed up by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s use of the word “purification” in an anti-sex-business purge in Shinjuku’s seedy Kabuki-cho district some years back), and other sundry rumors. In any case, this ancient law is rearing its ugly head through some judicious use by the powers that be. As it stands today, the crackdowns are growing. Club owners are getting skittish, club-goers are beginning to lose their favorite hangouts, and Japan is losing a little bit of its soul in the process. There doesn’t seem to be an out for any party at the current moment, but some groups are fighting for their right to party. Let’s Dance (at http://www.letsdance.jp/) has collected more than 75,000 signatures of their 100,000 goal, looking to take their petition to the Diet. They’re gaining some traction with increased media coverage, but police are still ramping up their efforts to punish violations. That’s where you come in, Mr. Bacon. Japan loves a great Western celebrity, and Celine Dion’s got nothing on you. A good cause needs a good face; put yours out there for the right to dance and have a good time. As a Georgia boy who would’ve suffocated in the ultra-conservative town of Bomont, do me and Japan this very large favor. I’ll buy the sushi.
Note: I’ll be watching this story
for the foreseeable future. If
you or anyone you know has
experience with club raids in any part of Japan, I want to hear from you.
john@thejapanshow.com