Lost In Translation

Death In The Andes

Death In The Andes (1993) is another fascinating novel by Peruvian master Mario Vargas Llosa. Llosa recounts several stories at once, the main overall story is the mysterious death of three people in a remote Andean village that is investigated by Peruvian Army corporal Lituma and his love struck deputy Tomas. Each night Tomas tells his story of his lost love, the beautiful and illusive Mercedes--who it turns out was from Lituma's hometown and the subject of yet another story. There is danger all around from nature, the terrorist, and possibly from evil spirits that the simple mountain villagers still fear. Death can come at the hands of terrorists using rocks to kill. This episode is told through the eyes of the terrified French travelers. There's a mute who witnesses the mutilation of a herd of alpacas and undergoes torture by the police in an attempt to get information on the terrorists. But perhaps there are more terrifying ways to die when true believers try to quell the spirits of the Andes, the "apus." And we also hear the tale of Dionisio and his wife Dona Adriana who provide alcohol and a place for the workers of the highway to unwind and be regaled with tales of the super natural. It is a virtuoso telling of an epic account with multiple characters with their own distinctive and compelling stories told economically and powerfully.

In And Around Ebisu

This is the simple and elegant outside design of a hidden restaurant in the back of my apartment on Ebisu Shimbashi Yokocho dori.

A healthy lunch of mabo dofu and jasmine rice with two kinds of salad at Granduo deli at Ebisu Garden Place.

A local shrine in Ebisu.

Lanterns at the station, there will be a big Odori festival from this Friday that I will miss since I'll be in Peru for 10 days from Friday.

Statues in front of Mai Thai on Ebisu Shimbashi Gourmet dori-there are many other kinds: Chinese, Korean, Jamaican, French, Italian, etc.

This is the sad little Furukawa River near Meiji dori.

Thai food at the Mango Tree in Atre-easy access.

Cold Fish

Cold Fish (2010) is Sion Sone's latest film. This is the second Sone film I've watched and I'm starting to see that he has some recurring themes or motifs in his films (Christian religious most notably). This film was based on a true life case of a pet store serial killer and his accomplice, his girlfriend. I found the cinematography more artful in this film, but I find his characters somewhat unbelievable. Like, Love Connection, there is an ineffectual repressed male who has an incredibly sexy woman drawn to his with a rebellious teen thrown into the mix. I can really say that I am so impressed with his haphazard story lines. It seems as though he is trying to hard to make "a statement." It turns out that according to the accompanying interview that Sone is a former poet, which might have something to do with his overt, obvious handling of his themes.

Hilton Peruvian Food And Culture Fair

There has been a Peruvian Food And Cultrue Fair going on at the Shinjuku Hilton this month. Apparently, the hotel often invites a Peruvian Chef to come and create a Peruvian menu for the fair. I went with a new Peruvian-Japanese friend and his wife and some others for an introduction to Peruvian food culture earlier this week. Next Friday I will travel to Peru for a conference and visit Macchu Pichu. This is the seafood section shown above.

I should have taken notes, there were name cards with the dishes in English and Japanese. I believe these dishes were made from potatoes and various ingredients and was somewhat like a puree.

More tomatoes in a mildly spicy sauce.

Stewed beef, there were many other dishes, but I didn't take photos of everything. It seems Peruvians have their own take on ceviche and steak and fries among other dishes.

Eros Plus Massacre

Eros Plus Massacre:An Introduction To The Japanese New Wave Cinema (1988) by David Desser is the only book length look at the Japanese New Wave film movement. The first chapter, "Night And Fog in Japan," takes its name from a 1960 Nagisa Oshima film that focuses on political memory and the interpersonal dynamics of social movements. In this film in particular, this is done by looking at the 1950 and 1960 anti-Ampo Treaty protests and Zengakuren (communist league of students) opposition. Other films are discussed in the context of ideology and narrative. Chapter two, "Cruel Stories of Youth," is also taken from the title of an Oshima film made in 1960 and often draws comparisons the French New Wave film movement due to the use of adolescent criminals as protagonists. However, in chapter three, "Ruined Maps: Identity, Sexuality, and Revolution," draws its title from Hiroshi Teshigahara's 1968 film (based on a Kobe Abe novel) The Ruined Map.These themes pop up in other Teshigahara films such as Ptifall (1962), Woman in the Dunes (1963), and The Face of Another (1966)--which are available as a set from The Criterion Collection. Other films discussed in this chapter include Shohei Imamaura's 1966 film The Pornographers, and two other Oshima films: Pleasures Of The Flesh (1965) and Violence At Noon (1966). Women are the subject of Chapter four, "Insect Women," which draws its title from Imamaura's seminal 1963 film Insect Woman. However, the chapter starts out with a lengthy and merited discussion of Kenji Mizoguchi and the Japanese concept of the "feministo," before discussing Imamura more fully. This includes the aforementioned film, as well as Pigs and Battleships (1961) and Intentions of Murder (1964). Chapter five, "Forest Of Pressure," is a discussion of the Japanese equivalent of the "social problem" film. It begins by discussing films that look at race by Imamura History of Postwar Japan as Told by a Bar Hostess (1970) and Oshima's documentaries about Koreans. Shinsuke Ogawa is also singled out for his documentation of the Sanrizuka incident, where the government displaced farmers in Chiba in order to build a new airport. Another documentary film maker, Noriaki Tsuchimoto, was also singled out for his documentation of the infamous Chisso chemical factory waste dumping that led to human birth defects near the dumping site called Minamata. Chapter six has yet another Oshima film for the inspiration for its title, "Shinjuku Thieves," which is a word play on Oshima's film Diary Of A Shinjuku Thief (1969). This chapter mostly focuses on formal theatrics used in films like Oshima's. Masahiro Shinoda's film Double Suicide (1969) is given much consideration due to the use of traditional bunraku techniques in the film. The final chapter (seven), is "Three Men Who Left Their Will On Film," which is yet another nod to Oshima--The Man Who Left His Will On Film (1969). The other two men are Hani Susumu, The Inferno Of First Love (1968) and Yoshishige Yoshida, Eros Plus Massacre (1969). These films encapsulate almost all of the themes of the New Wave movement according to Desser. This volume is an essential document into understanding recent Japanese film history.

Cave Of Forgotten Dreams

Cave Of Forgotten Dreams (2011) is one of Werner Herzog's latest films. Herzog was given access to Chauvet Cave, a vast archaeological repository located in the south of France, in order to film the 30,000 year old paintings in it. It has some stunning cinematography, but feels overlong at 90 minutes with some unnecessary interviews with various cranks. It ends with a curious coda as well, but an interesting film overall.

Burger Mania (Hiroo)

I expect there will be a lot more food and drink entries coming since i just moved to Ebisu. Hiroo is just around the corner and I heard about Burger Mania's Hiroo branch and decided to stop by. It was very good--with nice homemade buns and fresh hamburger (I believe Japan raised beef) in a nice setting without outdoor seating and ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles. I'll be back.

Mysteries Of Lisbon

I didn't really know much about Mysteries of Lisbon (2011) before seeing it, except that it had been garnering great reviews. Apparently, it a condensed version of a six hour miniseries. As a film it clocks in at 272 minutes in the film version and I watched it in intervals around an hour at a time (I'm from the MTV generation--four hours plus is a bit much for me). It was a wonderful period drama--great costumes and decadent locations, adventure, romance... Perhaps, melodramatic, but in an engaging way. I thought the cinematography was also quite inventive and interesting. I  also found the acting well-done. A very entertaining period drama all in all.

Are You My Mother?

I really enjoyed Alison Bechdel's first graphic memoir, Fun Home, and was looking forward to reading the next installment Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama (2012). However, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting there to be more that connected it to the previous memoir about her father, who was a mystery and lived a double life before checking out. There was much too much about therapists and psychoanalysis--privileged people who think too much. That being said, her mother doesn't come off as a sympathetic or nurturing person and I can imagine that caused some problems for Bechdel and I think we are all injured by our parents for something, but we have the option of getting over it--past it--and can create our own lives. Some of the secondary writing was interesting, but the Winnicot stuff was over done in my opinion. It was a very navel gazing exercise as she recounted whole conversations, therapy sessions, and journal entries. That's not to say that the drawings weren't excellent or that some sections weren't outstanding. As a whole it didn't engage me the way that her previous memoir, Fun Home, about her father did.

New Apartment in Ebisu

Last weekend I moved to a new apartment 7 minutes from Ebisu station in Shibuya-ku. This is the view from my balcony--very urban. But there is room for a couple of chairs and table on the balcony. The picture below is the front side of the building, my apartment in on the 8th floor.

Inside the apartment, it's a one room plus kitchen 43 square meters (13 square metters bigger than the last place).

You can see that he kitchen has a space saving washing machine under the burner. Shower and toilet in separate rooms on the left.

In the main room a new dresser and new desk/chair set. On the left is a big closet and flat screen TV to the right.

Here's the right side of the room with lamp, reading chair, and double bed.