Author: Iris

The Price of Rice II

The new rice harvest has arrived and – the prices are now around 4200 yen and beyond (tax not included). Given the price hikes over the last year, I would have been very surprised if rice had become any cheaper, but still, this is a surprise.

However, there were and still are essentially two options of buying cheaper rice. One of them is Calrose rice, rice imported from California. In all the years I spent in Japan, I have never seen foreign rice sold anywhere (except specialty rice like Basmati or Risotto rice in small quantities), so this is definitely new. Generally, Japanese people don’t buy foreign rice (as the country is self-sufficient) and I have heard that, even though this is marketed as “Japanese rice grown in the US”, it is not really up to scratch for Japanese cuisine. I’m not a gourmet, so I probably wouldn’t notice even if I tried.

The other option is the surplus rice from the government. The first I’ve seen arrived in Kyoto only about two months after the official announcement, but it was sold out so quickly, my supermarket had to opt for the “one bag per household” limit. They reappeared sporadically over summer, and I finally managed to get hold of a 5 kg sack a few weeks ago, for the old price of 1980 yen (plus taxes).

I’m glad that rice is just one of the staple foods I eat, I’ve always been a pasta girl, and potatoes and especially bread are on the menu regularly as well. Therefore, I hope that this sack of rice will last me over winter. I guess by then, the government rice will have sold out, and the prices for conventional rice will stay where they are for good. Oh well, can’t be helped.

Out in the Cold

Today, I was giving a tour to a lovely Austrian couple. And, all morning, while we were out and about around Kiyomizudera, it was raining. Of course, now that I’m home, it stopped, but it’s too late: I’m wet and cold through and through.

So, no bigger post today, just a hot shower and then off to bed with tea and books. And Pumpkin. Well, he’ll find me on his own.

Blast From the Past

Last week, I got a surprise email from somebody I lived with at Ebisu’s – all the way back when I first moved to Japan. So, we decided to meet up and as Monday was a holiday with a special free event sponsored by Kyoto Prefecture going on in the Botanical Gardens, this is where we went.

It was lovely to reminiscence a little and talk about the old days and what the future might bring too (maybe she’ll be back in Japan soon?) All the while, we were taking in the scenery. I love the Botanical Gardens!

And, I got a lovely present: Chocolates! I’m not a big fan of dark chocolate, it’s too bitter for me in general. However, there is this exception: Le Daniel Chocolates from Rennes. I have no idea what they are doing, but their chocolates are fabulous, super smooth, not bitter at all, and the fillings… absolutely scrumptious!

And for once, I even managed not to eat the whole box in one go. It seems I’m getting better at restraining myself. Finally.

Hotel Iris

Yoko Ogawa

The little family-owned Hotel Iris and the little seaside town it’s located in have seen better days, but this is all that 17-year-old receptionist Mari knows. One evening, there is a commotion between an elderly man and a prostitute, and while Mari’s mother is keen to evict them quickly, Mari feels inexplicably drawn to the man’s commandeering voice. By chance, they meet in town, and soon a passionate affair begins between the unequal couple. Mari is pulled into a maelstrom of pleasure and pain, but things come to a head when her mother finds out about the affair – with tragic consequences.

I felt much compassion for Mari, ever under the thumb of her domineering mother (her father had died years earlier). Mari believes herself in love with the 50-odd years older “translator” whose name we never learn. Naive and inexperienced as she is, she goes along with his sexual demands. No kink shaming here, but not being able to say no is not the same as consenting.

To me, the translator was a manipulative predator, who knew exactly what he needed to tell her and didn’t care about his victim (who, given the scene at the very beginning of the book, could’ve been anyone, really.) And Mari was a victim, because narcissists like him know how to make you think that whatever you do or endure, it’s voluntary and out of love.

Yoko Ogawa was born in 1962, studied at Waseda university, and became a medical university secretary. After her marriage, she quit her job and began writing, at first in secret. She won the Kaien Literary Prize for her debut novel in 1988, and has since won many more prestigious literary prizes, among them the Japanese Akutagawa, Yomiuri, and Tanizaki Prize, as well as international awards.

Ogawa’s description of their sexual encounters have just enough detail to make the reader understand without being too (porno-) graphic. I am not sure if I would recommend this book unreservedly, but it has become a classic of modern Japanese literature. Make up your own mind with a copy from amazon.

Still Here…

No worries, I haven’t thrown in the towel, I’m still here – although my current mood fluctuates heavily between abject despair and “I’ll show y’all!”.

I guess the most pressing need to make more money to at least try and show immigration that I’m, well, trying. I’ve heard that the foreign business managers of Kyoto are planning measures – whatever they may look like – and it seems that even international media has gotten wind of the issue. And since they aren’t beating about the bush, why should I?

The reason for the new law regarding the business manager visa is twofold. First, there is a growing anti-foreigner sentiment in Japan. It might be an expression of a worldwide political shift towards the right, or the fact that Japan has seen (too?) many tourists who behave, let’s say: less than respectfully towards their host country. Sadly, this kind of behaviour affects the tourists less than the foreign residents – and Western people especially are easy to make out in the crowds.

The second reason is, to put it bluntly: Chinese business owners in Japan. Rumour has it that (too?) many of them aren’t managing their business, but instead applying for benefits from the government. Now, as a resident you are entitled to do that, and also, any business can have ups and downs. I’ve been there.

However, it seems that this behaviour has gotten out of hand in certain circles and the government is trying their best to stop it. And since they don’t want to be seen as racist, well, all the other foreign business managers have to pay the price.

Personally, I’m on the government’s side here, strange as it sounds. When I first went abroad to the Netherlands, I received a large sticker in my passport which said something like: “A full recourse to government welfare may have consequences for your residency permit.” That’s perfectly fine. What I am wondering about is why the Japanese government/immigration does not simply revoke the residency permit of such people, or at least deny the next renewal.

I think what will break most foreign-run businesses’ necks is the new capital requirement of 30 million yen, that’s six times the current one. (Fixed assets like buildings or machines etc. do count.) Even businesses that are doing well will have problems raising so much capital, lest in 3 years to boot.

Just to illustrate what that number really means: it’s the price of a new house or apartment in a relatively good neighborhood in Kyoto. And: you’ll have to pay in cash within 3 years. I’m guessing that the vast majority of Japanese business holders wouldn’t be able to do that. Especially Kyoto is dotted with lots of small and medium-sized companies.

Anyway, here I am, with changing moods and hoping for the best – and a change of mind of the government. Giving the global political mood, I’d say the latter is not very likely.

Bad News

The Japanese government is tightening their requirements for holders of Business Manager Visas like mine. And it’s… bad. Even my lawyer who handles my immigration says they were pretty much blindsided. Here’s their webpage about the issue: https://eng.daikou-office.com/info-15/

My visa is up for renewal next year in July (starting the procedure in April or May). Right now, I have no idea how I can possibly manage any, lest all of this.

I need a stiff drink. A good cry. And a miracle. The order is optional.

Hectic…

Oops, it’s been a while… I’m okay, no worries, it’s just a bit hectic around here.

Autumn has arrived and I notice because a) the nights are getting rather cool (but I still sleep with open windows) and b) Pumpkin is so much more active. The other day I had to pick him off the roof and prevent him from exploring the neighbour’s garden…

Obviously, he was quite tired (of me) afterwards. But to be honest, when he looks that cute, I have to forgive him everything.

Shadow Family

Miyuki Miyabe

When a middle-aged company employee is found dead, police soon discover that he frequented where he was the “dad” of an online fantasy family. When the police find evidence that this second family had begun to meet offline as well, the man’s real-life daughter complains of being stalked. Where lies the motive for the murder – on- or offline? Bringing the “shadow family” back together for one last time might be the only way to solve the crime.

The book starts in the middle of the police investigation, and what happened before is told in flashbacks. The novel shows the boundaries between what’s real and what’s fake, and how nowadays, where everybody switches between real life and online persona seamlessly several times a day, the boundaries are less defined than ever.

Miyuki Miyabe was born in Tokyo in 1960 and started writing novels at the age of 23. In 1984, while working at a law office, she began to take writing classes and subsequently made her debut in 1987 with ‘Our Neighbour is a Criminal’, which won several prizes. She writes mysteries and historical fiction, among other genres, and her books were the basis for a number of films.

If you’re in for a psychological murder mystery with a twist that makes you question the whole thing at the end, get this book from amazon.

Local Matsuri

This afternoon, a friend of mine had a taiko performance at a neighborhood festival. The venue was one of those tiny parks/playgrounds surrounded by houses, and the locals had set up booths selling drinks and food (including kakigori) and there were others with games and activities for kids.

A large tarp was set up with 10 taiko drums; the performers were mostly kids from Bati-Holic Kuro-chan’s wadaiko school. They only played three songs, the concert wasn’t perfect, but you could see how everybody had loads of fun, not just the kids playing, but the parents watching too, of course.

I took a few photos and after the concert bumped into another acquaintance whom I met at a Bati-Holic concert. She has now also started up taiko classes and was there as support, as you do here in Japan. We caught up and chatted a bit, and then I went home. On the way, I bumped into my doctor from Kyoto University Hospital. He was wearing his face mask, just like at work (I don’t think I could recognize him without) but he approached me as I waited at a red light.

And finally, I bumped into a sunset, well, I was a bit too late. I usually don’t notice it when I’m working, and from my house it’s difficult to watch it anyway. Things are different down at the river. This time of the year is so beautiful.

Utagawa Kunisada’s Ukiyo-e

Utagawa Kunisada (1786–1865) was one of the most successful designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in the 19th century, even surpassing his contemporaries Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Kuniyoshi.

Interestingly, while Hokusai was always held in high regard by foreign collectors, at the end of the Edo period (1603-1868) the other three were felt to be vastly inferior. However, in the 1930s, Hiroshige was reevalued, and in the 1970s, the works of Kuniyoshi followed and both began to be regarded as masters of the art just like Hokusai. Only Kunisada had to wait until the 1990s, when his reputation in the West was aligned with that of the Japanese.

About 60% of Kunisada’s works are prints of kabuki actors and scenes, another 15% are bijin-ga, images of beautiful women, and for some 15 years, he dominated portraits of sumo wrestlers and effectively a monopoly on scenes from “The Tale of Genji”. Here are some of his prints.