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By Michelle | August 14, 2008

Just a quick update on some of the events that have been happening around the big wide world lately (most will sound familiar unless you’ve buried yourself in a hole for the past week or so):

Georgia/Russia: As expected, “ceasefire” never really means ceasefire, and the saga continues. On the one hand I wonder what the heck Georgia was thinking when it somehow decided to pit itself up against the Russian military machine. On the other hand I also realize that this crisis has been a long time in the making, and and it was probably only a matter of time before the two sides concluded that slinging words at each other wasn’t enough and decided to send in the tanks as well.

Of course, as horrible as the situation is for the Georgians who’ve had to deal with the fighting firsthand, the conflict also brings into question the future of the world’s current international regimes — especially NATO, theUNSC, and even the G8. Whether Georgia’s bid to join NATO is dead on its feet is, of course, a question important to the Georgian Government, but a threat to future NATO has broader reaching consequences. The collapse of NATO would have both symbolic and practical effects on the US security posture and its alliances in Europe. Meanwhile minister from the G7 (that’s the G8 minus Russia) warned Russia it would face a strong reaction from the international community if it tried to effect a change of leadership in Georgia.

Pakistan: The rising tension in the Caucasus has stolen the spotlight from the ongoing political confusion in Pakistan where, on Pakistan’s Independence Day, rumors are circling that Musharraf will resign within days. Of course, this is Pakistan, and no one knows for sure when Musharraf will step down or whether (in fact) he will step down at all. While some media say he’ll be gone “in days,” while others simply state the timing as “soon,” and still others don’t guess at the timing at all. Of course, it’s no surprise that media predict Musharraf’s resignation would only add to the country’s confusion and disorder.

Topics: In the News | No Comments »
Words: 354 | Gunning-Fog: 17.3 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 15; 47.51%

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Repurpose

By Michelle | August 11, 2008

Repurpose: to give a new purpose or use to (Pronunciation: rē-ˈpər-pəs)

I saw this word online and thought, huh that’s a new one. Actually (if you hadn’t already noticed), I’m kind of a geek, and I love encountering new words. Japan’s version of this concept is encapsulated in their 3R initiative, but somehow (at face value) the “reuse” part of the 3R’s just doesn’t convey the same meaning as “repurpose” — because use can reuse something in the same capacity (for example, reusing plastic utensils), but to repurpose an object is to use it in a different capacity.

At the beginning of the new year it’s impossible to avoid the endless parade of lists — the best x of the past year, the worst x of the year, what’s in, what’s out, etc. etc. But although all this listing usually makes me want to tune out of mass media for the first half of January, I do really like taking a glance at the various words of the year.

I have to admit, the American Dialect Society put forth some pretty odd nominations for 2007. I mean, really. Who in their right mind would ever use the phrase “connectile dysfunction” (inability to gain or maintain an [internet] connection)? Or how about “earmarxist” (a congressman or senator who adds earmarks)? It’s as though they combed the year’s magazines and blogs and plucked out some of the most outlandish terms that people coined to be linguistically “cute.” But sometimes they’re not as bad. “Lifehack,” “sudoku,” and “podcast” all made it into the 2005 nomination list.

At then end of the day, records of words of the year give insight into the development of technology, popular political jargon, and current slang. Another one that’s more useful than anything the American Dialect Society’s come up with: Crapware (that’s of course the crap software that infects and slows down your PC).

Topics: Japan | No Comments »
Words: 318 | Gunning-Fog: 14.3 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 10; 60.01%

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Moving on…

By Michelle | August 6, 2008

(You won’t get the title unless you read the blog post referenced) There was a time about six years back when I was completely obsessed with personality types — I tend to delve into these sorts of obsessions for a day, a week, a month then set them aside for years and revisit them every now and then when the mood strikes. I’ve received mixed reactions when bringing up the topic among acquaintances… mostly I do it because I’ve formulated my own theory about their type, and I want to see if I can goad them into telling me what type they think they are.

When I really think about it, I think I like personality types because it helps my brain group the people I know (loosely) into a matrix of pre-defined categories, and it helps me predict what they’re thinking and how they’re going to react to any given situation. There are other things I’d rather expend brain cells on, so simplifying the world of human reaction is definitely a plus. Plus, I like the guessing game — I’ve a pretty good track record (or something like that).

Anyhow, in my re-discovery of this idle pastime I came across this blog entry that is, perhaps, the best description I’ve seen ever of some of my more random traits. Although you can find countless articles online and in books detailing the traits of different personality types in horribly dry detail, this author uses personal anecdotes to bring the words to life. For example (uh, this is hard, since I’d like to just quote the entire piece):

Disappearing is, perhaps, one of the most annoying things some INTJs do that people dislike. I promise you we are not trying to insult you or to hurt your feelings by leaving. We leave, usually without comment, from groups or meetings or parties or get-togethers because we become interested in something else. It’s that simple. We decide to investigate elsewhere. No malice is intended in disappearing. We don’t see it as disappearing. We see it more like, “moving on…” When I get asked later, You said good-bye before you left, right? and I stammer out an Uhh as an answer, I realize my host probably wondered what happened to me.

I remember being at a social function not too long ago and thinking about an hour and a half in that it was time to move on. It wasn’t that I “wasn’t having fun” but rather that I couldn’t shake the thought from my head that there were other ways that I’d rather be spending my time — and I just sort up picked up and left. Yes, I said goodbye to one or two folks but other than that it was just, woosh.

We generally have strongly-held values about right and wrong and “right and wrong” for many of us are defined in a social sense and not necessarily a religious one. We know the world is grey but doing the right thing — the promises we make to each other kind of morality — is important to us because it helps shape the world into the worthy and the unworthy of our involvement. Seeing Justice done is a vital element for us because it carves the right stake in society.

I have a hard time explaining this to other people, especially those who are strongly religious (personally, I find organized religion rather too confining–most religions claim to have all the answers and if you do x, y, and z then everything will be good. Where’s the mystery, the challenge?). It’s entirely possible to have a strong sense of morality without a strong sense of religiosity. I wonder sometimes, why do you need a book to tell you what’s right and wrong? Shouldn’t it just be intuitive?

We are sometimes accused of being disconnected from the rest of society. We aren’t disconnected to the present. Funerals, for me anyway, are a waste of time because we are not our bodies. That thinking, I have learned, is offensive to many people on a plethora of levels.

The gist of the rest of this excerpted paragraph is that INTJ’s tend to be forward-looking, not backward-looking. This combined with a “different” sense of religiosity and a general disdain for energy-wasting social convention means that they’re not huge fans of funerals. I especially don’t get the appeal of open-casket events. Blech.

Topics: Randomness | No Comments »
Words: 735 | Gunning-Fog: 11.8 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 8; 66.37%

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Web 2.0 Selects

By Michelle | August 4, 2008

Since the dawn of web 2.0 (the term was coined in 2004 though the phenomenon it describes has been around for longer) there has been an explosion of internet tools aimed to facilitate information sharing and interaction among end-users. All in all, the choice is amazing.

Unfortunately, it’s not a given that in the end the best tools will prevail. Since web 2.0 is a community-driven concept, any new tool has to reach a critical mass of active users before it become self-sustaining — something sort of like Malcolm Gladwell’s “tipping point.” Therefore, I’ll take this moment to advertise some of the tools I’ve found most useful, innovative, well-designed, or otherwise intriguing.

Flickr: Probably the best online photo-sharing site out there — easy to navigate, endlessly flexible, enough professional-quality photos to make my jaw drop
del.icio.us: Although there are countless social bookmarking sites, the top English-language sites are probably digg, del.icio.us, and StumbleUpon. What choose del.icio.us? It seems to have the most Japanese-language users.
Spicy Elephant: A newcomer to the web 2.0 scene, this site lets users create decks of virtual flashcards and share them with other users. Not an entirely new concept, but the interface is easy to use, and the color scheme is soothing.
Timetoast: Users create interactive timelines to share over the web. There’s a lot of randomness but also some pretty nice submissions.
Forvo: An interesting concerpt still in beta phase, this site is a collection of words spoken in dozens of language by (supposedly) native speakers across the world.

Topics: Internet | 1 Comment »
Words: 256 | Gunning-Fog: 10.9 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 8; 58.21%

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Cabinet for Realizing Peace of Mind

By Michelle | August 2, 2008

After months of foot-tapping and nail-biting (wait, who are we kidding), Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda has finally reshuffled his cabinet — that’s the terms for giving under-performing/unpopular ministers the boot. Media has dubbed the move a “last ditch” effort on Fukuda’s part to improve his public approval ratings, but that is of course assuming that the 72-year old prime minister actually cares what the public thinks of him.

Although Fukuda served four years as Chief Cabinet Secretary (内閣官房長官) under former prime minister Junichro Koizumi (2000-04), his political style is quite different from Koizumi — considered a maverick even within his own party, Koizumi relied more on public support than intra-party backing to hold onto power during his tenure. With the nickname “lionheart,” coined out of his “unusual” hairstyle, Koizumi enjoyed public approval ratings of over 80 percent at the hight of his popularity.

So who exactly are the heavyweights who occupy the reshuffled Fukuda cabinet (or as he calls it, the “cabinet for realizing peace of mind”)? Here’s a run-down on some of the new cabinet members:

Topics: In the News, Japan, Politics | No Comments »
Words: 275 | Gunning-Fog: 21.3 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 16; 26.03%

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Second Course

By Michelle | July 30, 2008

Yesterday I wrote on the Takeshima/Dokdo dispute that’s currently driving a wedge between Japan and South Korea. If the US had any sense it would keep the mess at arms-length — but no. Perhaps in response to the ROK’s vehement objection to a decision by the US Board of Geographic Names to change the islands’ listing from South Korean to “nondesignated sovereignty,” President Bush ordered the designation to be reverted back to South Korean territory.


Of course, it’s probably only a calculated gesture to win goodwill before his visit to the ROK and Thailand ahead of the Olympics opening ceremonies in Beijing. This visit to the ROK, originally scheduled to take place after the G8 in July, was postponed in part to the beef riots that filled the streets of Seoul this summer.

On another Japan-related note, rumors abound that prime minister Yasuo Fukuda will finally reshuffle his cabinet on Monday after two ministers return to Japan from the WTO talks in Geneva. There are other rumors that the announcement may come as late as August 18th.

And finally, I’ve rediscovered the wonderful music of Joe Hisaishi (久石 譲) who composed the scores to some of my favorite Miyazai films. He really is amazing.

“Summer” from Kikujiru (菊次郎の夏)

My Neighbor Tottoro (隣のトットロ)

Topics: East Asia, In the News, Japan, Music | No Comments »
Words: 209 | Gunning-Fog: 16.9 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 13; 42.4%

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Much Ado

By Michelle | July 29, 2008

Present-day international relations in NE Asia are inextricably conflated with ongoing history disputes. It really is quite a headache at times. Although China and Japan appear to have placed some of their differences behind them in favor of building friendly atmospherics and strengthening trade (which isn’t to say they’re on the same page — merely that they’re finding it mutually beneficial to pretend to be friends), the latest row is between Japan and South Korea over history textbook guidelines and a few sorry rocks out in the middle of the sea.

Known as Takeshima in Japan, Dokdo/Tokdo in South Korea, and the Liancourt Rocks in the US, the disputed territory consists of two “islets” and a scattering of “rocky outcrops” in the Sea of Japan. While the islands themselves are nothing to write home about, the surrounding sea is rich in fishing and possibly natural gas.

South Korea has physically controlled the territory since July 1954, and there are two permanent Korean citizens, Kim Seong-do and Kim Shin-yeol. The islets are 217 km (135 mi) from mainland Korea and 250 km (150 mi) from mainland Japan.

Of course, the ownership of these rocks has been a persistent irritant in Japan-ROK relations since the end of Japanese colonial rule, but the recent flare-up was sparked by new Japanese middle school curriculum guidelines that say teachers should treat “the northern territories as part of [Japan's] territory,” while also instructing educators “to provide a deeper understanding of [Japan's] territory” by treating the Takeshima islets “in a manner comparable to that used in dealing with the northern territories.” According to Japanese media, the ministry of education initially considered having the manual incorporate the phrase “Takeshima is an integral part of our country” but softened its wording our of “diplomatic consideration for South Korea.” Although the guidelines are not legally binding, they serve as a guideline for the editing of school textbooks by publishers and for classroom teaching.

So I suppose you could say that Tokyo was asking for trouble by publishing the new guidelines — but it’s also true that South Korea has taken the insult and run with it. In addition to recalling its ambassador, the ROK >a href=”http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSSP142224″ target=_new>also dispatched its prime minister on a brief tour of the islands, and the South Korean Navy said it would conduct a joint drill with the Air Force in defense of the islands tomorrow. Japan, in response, has urged the ROK “handle the issue cool-headedly” — a little too late for that, I’ll say.

So the question now is whether this will be simply a flash-in-the-pan that fans dislike on both sides but disappears before too much diplomatic damage occurs or whether it will have lasting negative effects on regional issues, such as the six-party talks and the Japan-ROK-China trilateral meeting scheduled for September. We shall definitely see….

Topics: East Asia, In the News, Japan | No Comments »
Words: 479 | Gunning-Fog: 16.6 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 13; 43.35%

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Yaris 5 Door

By Michelle | July 12, 2008

There are rumors afoot that the 2009 Yaris lineup in the US will include the 5-door hatchback that both Japan and Europe are currently enjoying. That’s probably enough to make any 3-door owner jealous… and now that it looks like Toyota is going to scale back its SUV lineup here in the States, I think making the Yaris more user-friendly for non-entry level US buyers is a smart move on Toyota’s part. With amble experience in the sky-high gas price landscape of Japanland, Toyota appears well-positioned for weathering the slumping US economy… or at least better-positioned than Detroit.

Topics: East Asia, In the News | No Comments »
Words: 97 | Gunning-Fog: 8.8 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 7; 65.94%

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Japanese PR

By Michelle | July 11, 2008


The 2008 Toyako G8 Summit (hosted by Japan in Hokkaido) came and went without incident, but what else is to be expected of an archaic Cold War institution whose members reflect a late 20th century balance of power and whose non-binding statements don’t even hold the signatories accountable for the agreements reached? The Economist, in its usual glib style summed it up in the words: “A mountain-top gabfest provided a spectacular show and a long guest list but few answers to the woes of the world” (July 10).

At any rate, as the event’s host, the biggest task for Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda’s was to not screw things up, and if the avoidance of failure is held as the bar for success, it does appear as though he made the mark — whatever that means for Japanese politics. Predictions that Fukuda may reshuffle his cabinet after the summit have flown back and forth around Japanese media for months, but cabinet reshuffles in Japan are generally calculated PR moves, and who knows when the Kantei will decide that the time is right to get the most out of the announcement?

As far as Japanese PR in general goes, the next G8 summit in Japan won’t occur until 2016, so the country has more than enough time to ponder their next theme…. How about asking world leaders to do a little Yatta?

Or if they find that too difficult, maybe the MDSF could help them out…

Topics: East Asia, In the News, Randomness | No Comments »
Words: 241 | Gunning-Fog: 13.3 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 10; 61.83%

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Sony Rolly

By Michelle | June 26, 2008

I stumbled across another one of those pointless but nonetheless fantastic Japanese inventions: the Rolly by Sony. The video above shows the device in action, the video below is mostly an interview with one of its creators. I’d first heard about the Rolly concept about a year ago and though to myself, ‘Why would anyone want a music player that rolls?!’ But I have to admit that after watching the video clips, it is indeed pretty cute…. I just love the way they programmed it to mimic animals!

Topics: Japan, Randomness | No Comments »
Words: 89 | Gunning-Fog: 7.6 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 6; 69.42%

Love at First Sight

By Michelle | June 22, 2008

After years of stubbornly avoiding the DSLR market (though at one point in my life I actually did use a conventional SLR as my primary camera), I’ve finally decided to take the plunge into photography-geekdom. And now that I’ve decided to bite the proverbial bullet, it seems that Canon somehow read my mind. According to word on the grapevine, it looks as though the new Canon Digital Rebel XS / 1000D, entry-level cousin of the Canon XSi, will be hitting the US market this summer.

Lately I’ve become quite a fan of Sony electronics, but when it comes to digital cameras I’m a loyal Canon-user through and through. Serious digital photographers probably roll their eyes when I pull out my trusty second-hand Powershot S60 and take aim, but honestly, the thing takes better macro photography than almost any other point-and-shoot camera I’ve seen out there (scout around Flickr and browse by camera if you want to see for yourself).

So why make the jump for the Rebel XS? One of the main reasons I’ve shied away from DSLR’s until now is the size and the weight — after semi-retiring the S60 last year, I picked up a Powershot TX1 to use as my main digital workhorse. Though it’s received mixed reviews, it has great optical zoom and video capabilities — two worthwhile features that go well hand-in-hand — and I particularly like the flip-out LCD display and the vertical design.

For a camera-camcorder hybrid, it’s a scant 3.5″ x 2.4″ x 1.1″ — just 9.2 cubic-inches (like a chunky cousin to the Canon PowerShot SD750). And although the position of the controls (especially the shutter button) was a little confusing at first, I’ve become so used to the design that it almost feels strange to go back to the S60’s more “standard” setup. Unfortunately, I’ve been frustrated with its performance in low-light and action shooting situations — essentially because it lacks certain manual controls that would allow me to minimize the blur in these two scenarios.

And after that long detour, onto the Rebel XS — one of the most appealing specs for this camera is its 17.7 oz weight, which makes it the lightest ever Canon DSLR. It retains most of the appealing aspects of the Rebel XSi (and after all this I might just get the XSi anyway), and perhaps most importantly in my mind, it is backed by Canon’s reputation and technology.

Topics: Technology | No Comments »
Words: 400 | Gunning-Fog: 14.9 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 11; 53.78%

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Desire

By Michelle | June 11, 2008

We all have things we dream of — those little bits and piece of life that never fail to stir somewhere deep inside our hearts and minds the subtle pull of desire. Each to their own vices, I guess you could say. I love onsen. Or rather, it doesn’t even have to be a full-blown, all-the-bells-and-whistles hot spring. I simply love Japanese-style baths.

In Japan, the most simple kind of public bathing facility– you know, your on-the-corner, mom-and-pop bath house — is called a sento (that’s 銭湯). Once fairly common, now increasingly less so, in a society where everyone bathed regularly but most dwellings lacked private bathing facilities, they were an essential part of traditional Japanese urban life. Although the popularity of sento declined in the Meiji, pre-WWII period, sento culture experienced a revival in post-war Japan when many apartment complexes were constructed without baths (to save money, perhaps?).

Today, the future of these bath houses is unclear. Obviously, everyone has indoor plumbing, and some young people today are embarrassed by the idea of communal bathing. Perhaps I’m just a sentimental foreigner, but personally I’d hate to see this integral part of Japanese culture disappear.

And now for some eye candy… check out these facilities at the Kasuga Hotel in Nara. If only someone in Washington DC would simply get with the program and build something like this…

Topics: Japan | No Comments »
Words: 227 | Gunning-Fog: 10.8 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 8; 59.05%

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…And Now For Something Completely Different

By Michelle | June 1, 2008

Two DC-related but otherwise completely different topics for today: The National Cathedral Greenhouse and Spa World.

If you haven’t heard the recent news, the National Cathedral has, to the dismay of many long-time locals, decided to close its greenhouse. Of course, I oppose the decision. Do I ever shop at the greenhouse? …well, no. But it’s an institution, and the Cathedral close just won’t be quite the same without it. The truth of the matter is, though, if the Cathedral wants to shut the greenhouse, can the neighborhood residents really do anything to stop it?

And if the thought of losing a neighborhood institution stresses you out, how about trying a trip to the new Korean sauna Spa World? Of course, the traffic along the drive from DC all the way out to Centerville could perhaps just add to your stress level… but hey, what would you do for a foot-ball field’s worth of Asian sauna experience? The truth is, though, I don’t really like all the glitz and whatnot of this type of of Korean bathhouse. What I’d really love is a nice little Arlington sento — definitely one of my favorite aspects of Japanese culture!

Topics: DC, Randomness | 1 Comment »
Words: 230 | Gunning-Fog: 10.6 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 7; 70.25%

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Run, Run, Run

By Michelle | May 22, 2008

Things Younger Than McCain: Well, perhaps the site’s a little tongue-in-cheek (not that that’s a bad thing), but I think the whole thing says at least a few things about this year’s presidential race and American society at large. The most obvious is that our country has changed quite a lot over the past seventy years. The US without zipcodes? Without minimum wage? Without velcro? Without Scrabble? There’s certainly potential about getting silly about this — but the bare truth is that the US seventy years ago was quite a different place.

The next conclusion to draw from this site is that McCain is fairly old. Of course there’s one thing that you couldn’t add to that site: Yasuo Fukuda, who was born a little more than a month before the Senator. Should the fact that the prime minister of the world’s second largest economy is a septuagenarian inspire us across the Pacific to elect one ourselves? I wouldn’t think so… after all, if Fukuda’s abysmal support ratings are anything to go by, it’s unlikely that his administration will be long-lived.

Topics: In the News, Randomness | No Comments »
Words: 181 | Gunning-Fog: 10.3 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 7; 67.98%

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懐かしい

By Michelle | May 12, 2008

These bring back so many memories! Actually, while I was in Tokyo I didn’t really pay that much attention to the train jingles, but listening to them one after another, I think I could even tell you which lines some of them belong to without looking at the video’s descriptions :-). Of course, there are others I’ve never heard before…

Topics: Japan | 1 Comment »
Words: 60 | Gunning-Fog: 8.8 years | Flesch-Kincaid: Grade 6; 76.22%


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