Lost In Translation

Bright Future

Bright Future (2002) is one of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa's best films. It is a fable about the young aimless youths of Japan that seemingly have no direction, no social network or ambition. Tadanobu Asano plays another character who is a mystery to those around him and leaves behind him a legacy that will compel his companion Joe Ogadiri on in life. The Asano character's father is played by veteran actor Tatsuya Fuji (In the Realm of the Senses), and he becomes a sort of father/mentor to the Ogadiri character. Many of Kurosawa's films seem to focus on alienation and people coming to terms with living outside of society. This film is less of a horror film and more a modern fable. The poisonous red jellyfish plays a major role in the film and is captured in all of it's beauty with the digital video that Kuroswa employed in the film that gives it a murky sort of veneer. This is one of the more arresting visual films of Kuroswawa's that I've seen.

Itaemon Sushi Edo

I won a free dinner for two with a group from The Weekender magazine at Itaemon Sushi Edo and got treated to some good food and drinks. Although I think it is geared more for a tourist experience than a fine dinning experience.

Part of the restaurant has counter service with fresh fish on display.

Sushi tower.

Hokkaido crab.

Nimono, beef over simmered vegetables.

The tuna volcano cooking method.

The final product.

The Collected Stories Of Eudora Welty

While I was in New Orleans it occurred to me via Paul Theroux's musing on Southern literature in Deep South that I haven't really explored the work of Eudora Welty. Since most of her stories take place in Mississippi and New Orleans I decided to read The Collected Stories Of Eudora Welty (1982). The book contains the short story collections A Curtain of Green, The Wide Net, The Golden Apples, and The Bride of the Innisfallen, as well as previously uncollected ones. These forty-one stories show the virtuosity in which Welty can inhabit people of all ages, gender, and walks of life. A Curtain of Green is most notable for containing her most anthologized short story, "A Well Worn Path," which I can remember reading in high school and college. I was surprised to see some Southern Gothic in"Petrified Man" and "Keela, the Outcast Indian Maiden." I found that two of her more comic stories were among my favorites: "Lily Dew and the Ladies" and "Why I Live at the P.O." The title story of her collection The Wide Net was the standout story of a small rural community and the distinctive types of personalities that peopled a small Mississippi town. I was also entertained by the crime-noir atmosphere of "The Purple Hat." The first story "First Love" is notable for being historical fiction where a deaf mute witnesses meeting between Aaron Burr and Harman Blennerhassett. The next collection, Golden Apples, has a list of Main Families in Morgana, Mississippi and a note explaining that it is a fictional place. This suggests the influence of William Faulkner, who has created his own imaginary Mississippi as well. Generally speaking, these stories were denser and more allusive than her earlier stories. The stories are interconnected by recurring characters and events. There is a sense of solemnity in the stories and my favorite in this collection was "Moon Lake," which recounts the drowning and saving of a young girl. My favorite collection in this book might be The Bride of Innisfallen. The title story recounts a group of people traveling from London to Fishguard where they will take a boat to Cork. Welty lets the characters reveal themselves in the conversation that take place on the way. In another standout story, "The Burning" is her only story about the Civil War and how two women are told that there house will be burnt down by Sherman's men. This event haunts the two women and brings to the surface a family secret that they unwilling to face. "No Place for You, My Love" is a love story that unfolds slowly and results in the realization that it must be unrequited. "Going to Naples" is another charming traveling piece that gives Welty an opportunity to gather several different characters together for an ocean long voyage from New York to Italy. There are there are two uncollected stories ("Where Is the Voice Coming From?" and "The Demonstrators") that were written in the 60s and confront the changes that were coming to the South as the Civil Rights movement that was wrecking havoc all over. This collection felt like a chore at times, but it clearly shows that Welty is a masterful short story writer and worthy to be in the canon of great American authors.

French Curry Spoon

French Curry Spoon boasts 13 roughly cut spices in its curry as well as 13 types of rice grains that is garnished with tender beef boiled in wine. I went with the French curry with an onsen egg topping for ¥1090.

Pulse

I have seen several Kiyoshi Kurosawa films in the past and I am trying to get up to speed with his oeuvre and the most recent one I saw was Pulse (2001) another horror dystopian fable. However, I didn't find this one as compelling as his earlier film Cure. It may be because some of the themes were somewhat vague and didn't quite make sense. He does a good job of creating a menacing mood throughout the film. Somehow I couldn't really buy Koyuki as a computer programmer wither, but pretty faces get people to the theater I suspect. Perhaps, he was trying to recapture the success of that film since there are some similarities between the two films. I was surprised to learn that there was a Hollywood remake starring Kirsten Bell, but I really shouldn't have been since Japanese horror films were at a premium in the 00s.

The Invisible Bridge

I first encountered Rick Perlstein when I read the second installment of his trilogy, Nixonland, about the rise of the conservative Republican party. I was so impressed with that book that I went back and read the first installment about Barry Goldwater's failure and the foundations of the movement, After The Storm. So it seems fitting that in 2016, an election year, I should finish the trilogy and read The Invisible Bridge: The Fall Of Nixon And The Rise Of Reagan (2014).  In the first chapter, "Small and Suspicious Circles," Perlstein focuses on the division of America-mainly due to Richard Nixon's inept handling of the Vietnam War, and more tellingly the lies that he used to justify that war and the lies that resulted in the Wartergate scandal that followed. At this time Regan came on the scene as a booster for the Republican party as California's governor. "Stories," Chapter Two, takes a look at the mythology and story telling prowess of Regan as an young man that would be central in his approach to win over people throughout his life. Unsurprisingly many of these stories are far from fact: "Ronald Reagan was an athlete of the imagination, a master at turning complexity and confusion and doubt into simplicity and stout-hearted certainty." The next chapter, "Let Them Eat Brains," was fascinating for me, since I was too young to remember the meat price crisis that preceded Watergate in which people began to boycott meat in protest. Also at this time Reagan was caught not paying taxes-but the story never gained traction and was forgotten. The next few chapters ("Executive Privilege," "A Whale of a Good Cheerleader", "Sam Ervin," "John Dean," "Nostalgia," "The Year Without Christmas.") continue to chart Nixon's inevitable fall from grace as he hides behind "executive privilege" and nearly disobeys laws to avoid getting embroiled in the Watergate scandal, Perlstein checks in on Reagan who dismisses charges against those in his party and gain more and more support form his party while cultural changes are occurring all over America and the world. The following two chapters, "That Thing Upstairs Isn't My Daughter"(Chapter 10) and "Hank Aaron"(Chapter 11) are notable for the way that Perlstein is able to chronicle the cultural and societal temperature at a given moment or time and how it reflected in the politics of the time. The Exorcist tapped into a nationwide fear of the occult and-the uncontrollable nightmares that were happening to the Hearst family where their daughter was kidnapped and brainwashed into becoming a member of the Symbian Liberation Army-which wanted a violent revolution. As Aaron approached Babe Ruth's seemingly "untouchable " record the hate threats rolled in to show America has not progressed as far as it had hoped with the civil rights movement. As the book progresses, Perstein relays how Nixon faced impeachment, then resigned, and was pardoned by his successor, Gerald Ford. The facts were then evaluated from the point of view of the media and general public, Reagan, and the stalwart far right who have slowly been gaining a foothold in the GOP since Goldwater's bid to become president. Chapter 17, "Star" is an important chapter, since this is where Perlstein explains how Reagan moved from the left (Democrat) to the right (Republican) and made the transition form entertainment into politics. Along the way he was dumped by Jane Wyman and joined forces with Nancy Davis. The Ford presidency has its honeymoon and then quickly spirals downward after the pardoning of Nixon. Ford fights for his political life to gain the GOP nomination. It was a close battle and in many ways shows how the party has once again moved right on a socially faith-based conservative platform that was pro-life, book banning, anti-ERA, anti-gun control, etc. I am supposing that Perlstein's next book will tackle the Ford-carter election as well as Carter's administration and the rise of Reagan with what I guess would be a book on his presidency as well. It will be interesting to see where Perlstein goes in future books. Once again he did an excellent job of using a variety of sources to show how the country and politics reflected one another.

ZenVita: Rikugien

My latest blog post, Rikugien, for ZenVita.

Secret Sunshine

South Korean director Chang-dong Lee's film Secret Sunshine (2007) relies on the powerful performance of lead actress Do-yeon Jeon as a woman struggling with grief. It is an outstanding performance that won an award at Cannes in 2007, and Lee may have spent too much time building  up to the breaking point-perhaps the one flaw of the film is that it is overlong. It also takes a frank view at the evangelical aspect of Korean society in which many people seek the solace of religion in their daily lives. It was a insightful film and like his latest masterpiece Poetry, makes me want to see his other previous films.

Asagaya Jazz Streets 2016

Asagaya Jazz Streets 2016 was held October 21st and 22nd at various locations around Asagaya station. There were passes available that would get you into the indoor venues, but there were several locations where free outdoor concerts were held-that's the route I took on the second day.

An early start on the street near my apartment.

Waseda student New Orleans jazz band club members.

The Dandy Cats jazz orchestra in front of the Ward Office.

Sweet Bird Of Youth (Film)

I guess it's inevitable that the film adaptations of Tennessee Williams plays are going to feel stilted and reserved. The risque material he was exploring on stage was still too much for mainstream America at the time. Sweet Bird Of Youth (1962) is no exception-it has the two main stars from the Broadway production-Paul Newman as the fading golden boy Chance Wayne and Geraldine Page as the fading movie star Alexandra Del Lago. Director Richard Brooks' main contributions include unnecessary flashbacks giving context and motivation for Chance. The film lacks the power of the play, but it was a good chance to see Paul Newman in his prime.