Lost In Translation

Elite Company

The Ambassador of Zambia lives right down the street from me.

In The Dark

There's another interesting feature in Metropolis this week about the lack of AIDS awareness in Japan, where infected rates are low, but a lot of people are uninformed and having unprotected sex.

Enter Here

This is the doorway to an "adult products" shop in Roppongi.

Man About Town

The Metropolis' feature story this week is on Donald Ritchie, one of my favorite Japanologists. He has a shrewd critical eye and has been here forever. I particullarly like his essays in which he has written about a variety of subjects. The Donald Ritchie Reader is a good overview of his work.

Moomin II

This is the Toyo poster I was talking about that is all over the JR trains in Tokyo.

Japan is safe but...

There are still some problems reflected by this quote from Japan Today:

"Police still don't want to deal with rape cases and prosecutors aren't keen to go ahead with them because neither think rape is that serious a crime."
Lawyer Yukiko Tsunoda, criticizing Japan's lax laws on rape. (Yomiuri?Weekly)

I think because of these attitudes and the stigma associated with being the vicitim, some women won't report rapes.

Toys

This is a toy store near my old apartment in Harajuku, note the Chrsitmas Homer below, it was part of the store's decorations.

Spike Jonz

I went to a digital movie festival, Resfest at LaForet in Harajuku yesterday and saw a special selection by Spike Jonz. It wasn't all that impressive, basically some videos and a documnetary. it included a failed Oasis project, the video for "Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim had a commentary by Christopher Walken and "Five Stop Mother Superior Rain" by The Flaming Lips, both of which I'd never seen it in it's entirity since I don't have cable, Big Train by Mike Watt, and a documentrary on the guys who danced in Roman Coppola's Fatboy Slim video "Pray," that I almost thought was a parody. Enjoyable but a bit overepriced at about $13, but that's Tokyo. Some of the other showings looked pretty cool, perhaps it would have been cool to get a day pass and see more of the selections.

Takeshite dori

I was in Harajuku this weeknd since Brendan got a place a block from my old apartment. This is the famous Takeshita dori, where all the junior high school and high school kids like to hang on the weekends, it is always teeming with people. It was something I got a little tired of after three years of living in the area.

Friends

From left to right, Brendan, Kathy and Bob. Brendan is an old JET friend from Koshigaya who has moved back to Tokyo from Toronto to be with his American girlfriend Jen, who is going to be working here. It's good to have him back. Bob and Kathy are also feinds from Saitama and have been very instamantal in helping me get jobs at universities. They both now work at Hesei International University, which is one of my part time jobs.