Iris – goinggaijin.com

Up to Tokyo

So, two weekends ago, I was in Tokyo. This is only the third time I left Kyoto after the pandemic – the second time to Tokyo. I’ve seen a friend and we did some sightseeing.

I went to Tokyo using the night bus from Kyoto, and it was a mixed bag. Since I chose the cheapest option, there were four seats in a row, so there wasn’t much space to lie down. The seats did recline fairly well and the rows had lots of space between them, but my hip was very painful for some reason, so I couldn’t sleep. I arrived in Shinjuku just before 8 in the morning, and my friend picked me up. On the way to her place, I experienced Tokyo’s rush hour for the first time: it wasn’t quite as bad as I had expected, but maybe we were just lucky.

After lunch at a nice Italian restaurant, we went to the Okamoto Taro museum near Omotesando, Okamoto is the artist who created the “Tower of the Sun” for the Osaka EXPO in 1975. He was obviously way ahead of his time, with many colorful sculptures and paintings. It’s nice to know that he gained some recognition at the end. I was considering buying a small Tower of the Sun, but they didn’t have any small-scale sculptures, so there’s that.

We concluded the evening in a fantastic little place serving Hokkaido seafood and we ate enough for a week or two: oysters, shrimp, sea urchin, several other types of fish, potatoes… all accompanied by excellent sake. A perfect ending to Day 1.

On Day 2 we went to the Asakura Museum of Sculpture, dedicated to the works of Asakura Fumio (1883–1965). It is an interesting building with the part that was his former studio made from concrete, a large 3-storey building with a roof garden. Attached to it is the private home, a traditional Japanese house with a central garden. This part also had a little library with bookshelves all the way to the top. I’m so envious! He made a lot of sculptures of his 10+ cats, life-sized and really cute. I bought all the postcards they had.

This time, and because we had very late breakfast, we only ate sandwiches in the late afternoon, because we had plans for the evening: A BATI-HOLIC concert in Kawasaki… Yes, two of my outings since the pandemic were for BATI-HOLIC concerts, and I don’t regret it.

To be perfectly honest, my friend was less enthusiastic about the music. She likes drums but is not a rock fan, and it was too loud for her even though she sat somewhere in the back. I stood in the first row, of course, and my friend was kind enough to take lots of photos.

First was the BATI-HOLIC concert, and while the next band (Aragehonzi) set up, there was a floor concert with more traditional drums. Three of “my boys” played there too, it was fun. Since it was too noisy for my friend, we left before the second band and sat down outside and chatted. I had to get to the night bus anyway, and this time, I could sleep much better – probably because I was so tired. I arrived back in Kyoto at 6 in the morning.

Before you’re asking: A friend of mine took care of Pumpkin, and surprisingly, he wasn’t quite as angry as I had feared. I do notice that he likes to sleep near me right now, so maybe that’s his way of telling me to “stay home”? Anyway, here are a few concert photos, courtesy of my friend:

Visa Woes

Sorry for going AWOL again, I’ve been busy with my latest visa application. We’ve officially applied last week Friday, but we don’t know how long it will take this time.

Unfortunately, there is not much reason to be optimistic. The Japan Times, the country’s largest and oldest English-language newspaper has a whole new section just about immigration, with many reports on the business manager visa. And the reports are not good.

This article is about the owner of a small restaurant with 2 employees, who has just been denied an extension of his visa. He has been in the country for 18 years, has a wife and two kids who grew up here and don’t speak any other language than Japanese.

The major hurdle is, as I predicted, the new capital requirement of 30 million yen, and it’s prohibitive: only 9% of Japanese-owned companies have that much capital. From a Japanese point of view, the new requirements for business manager visa seem to work – applications are down 96% in some areas! Note that the total number of such visas is just over 46,000 (end of 2025), obviously a major source for governmental pain right now…

Anyway, I don’t like complaining too much… Doesn’t help with anything and takes time away from more important things. I’ll keep you posted, I’m just not sure how regularly.

The Last Ritual Suicide

I’ve been fascinated with Japanese author Yukio Mishima for quite a while now.

On the one hand, he’s an amazing author, who is able to draw vivid images in the minds of his readers. He was nominated for a Nobel Prize five times in the 1960s and is now considered one of the leading writers of the 20th century, both in Japan and abroad.

On the other hand, he was a staunch nationalist, holding a whole bunch of greatly disturbing ideas. He idealized the martial arts and the old lifestyle of the samurai, detested consumerism and democracy and wanted all power to return to the emperor.

These ideas and ideals led him to commit ritual suicide at the age of 45. Sadly, his life didn’t quite end like he had thought it would… I’ve written about this in a short, free “tidbit” over on Yamato. Enjoy!

https://yamatomagazine.substack.com/p/the-last-seppuku-ritual-suicide

I’m ok

Hi there, it’s me…
… and given the emails I’ve been getting you’re missing me. Thanks!

I’m fine, mostly, just very busy at the moment: I had a number of guided tours in April (exhausting), I’m trying to get my own tours off the ground (fun!), my visa renewal is coming up (yay), I bid for a large writing project (didn’t get it, sadly), I’m working on articles for Yamato twice a week (subscribe!), I’m studying Japanese (JLPT N3) and I go to BATI-HOLIC concerts whenever I can (sorry, no: whenever they play in Kyoto).

It’s quite tiring. I’ll try to be back somewhat more regularly next month, some things should have calmed down by then.

Thanks for worrying about me, I appreciate it.

Health Screening

The Japanese government is very concerned with the wellbeing of their citizens and residents. Some time in April, every household receives invitations for various health checks, most screenings for cancer. These are generally offered at very cheap prices, usually around 2000 yen or even less. If you happen to be of a “certain” age, you even get a free coupon.

Last year, I turned 50 (yes, I’m officially old now), the “certain” age where you’re eligible for a free stomach cancer screening. At first, I didn’t want to go: it involves swallowing a gastric camera, and since I have a very strong gag reflex (ask my dentist), it’s not something I’d volunteer for. Technically, there is the possibility of asking for an anaesthetic to knock you out temporarily, but I don’t know if this is an option in Japan – or how to ask for it. So, I let it sit.

That is, until my doctor told me about the barium solution option and painted the examination in a light that I could not refuse. So, early last month, I had an appointment that led me all the way to Yamashina in the outskirts of Kyoto.

The examination was not at a hospital, but in a bus parked at the ward office. Somewhere in the building, two forlorn looking clerks helped me fill out the required questionnaire (too many kanji, still) and let me to the bus. There, I was asked to exchange my jeans for some jogging pants in ugly green.

Next: the barium. First, I had to take some granules that quite pleasantly reminded me of popping candy. Then, the barium meal, white, tasteless – and very heavy, literally: The paper cup I had to empty weighed as much as metal, I was quite surprised. I was cautioned to keep it down because when you throw up, the stomach constricts, and it defeats the purpose of the examination.

Finally, the fun part I was coming for. I was led to a kind of table that could move in many directions. First, I had to turn around myself three times, probably to make sure the barium meal could coat the entire stomach. From then, the operator did the rest: the table moved left, right, horizontally, I even stood on my head once. Every now and then I had to hold my breath for an X-ray image, but that was the extent of my involvement in the procedure.

When I was finished and dressed again, I received a bottle of water and some laxatives – apparently, the barium solution couldn’t come out naturally again? – with instructions to take two pills right away and “if nothing happens in the next 6 hours, take the other four”. I’ll spare you the details.

The experience lived up to my expectations, it was just as much fun as my doctor promised when he said “this is perfect for you!” Sadly, I couldn’t see the technician’s point of view; according to my doctor, “he can see the liquid sloshing around…” I didn’t even feel any sloshing, so that’s the one slight disappointment here.

The aftermath was swift and happened roughly three weeks after the exam. I received a little postcard (see the image) which, in terse language explained that

Congratulations, you’re fine.
This is the current state of your health and not indicative of the future, so
please have this test regularly once every two years from now on.

So it seems I might have more chances to observe the sloshing myself, perhaps?

Battle Royale

Koshun Takami

Instead of going on a school trip, 42 junior high school students from the small town of Shiroiwa find themselves on a tiny island in Japan’s Inland Sea. There, they are told that they were chosen for “The Program”, an annual competition where they have to fight each other to the death until only one is left alive. Each of them is given rations for a few days and a randomly chosen weapon and sent off, the game starting immediately.

New, uneasy alliances are forged and old friendships are broken as each one of the 15-year-olds struggles with their conscience, their fear, and raw survival instinct. But who will make it out – the smartest, the most ruthless, or those who can fly under the radar until the end?

This is a fast-paced thriller where I never knew what to expect next. I was worried of losing track of the students’ names, but the author’s choice of introducing them only when they become relevant (i.e., when they get into their first fight) helps to avoid confusion. He also describes the thought processes of the students in realistic terms, with all their juvenile flaws and misplaced confidence and flashes of both brilliant insight and childish ignorance. The deaths were all described in bloody detail, but overall, this didn’t bother me too much, and the twist at the end is satisfying.

What I found most interesting was the setting in a dystopian Japan. While depictions of authoritarian governments in fiction are nothing new, the author lets Japan fall from the Edo period (and the opening of the country) straight into a totalitarian system. Set in modern times when the kids have mobile phones and computers, unfettered access to information, in particular from abroad, is forbidden, just like free travel or rock music. In some ways, it reminded me of the situation in countries like China (in particular Hong Kong) or Iran: As long as you stay within the government-approved mould, you’ll be just fine. Quite worrisome, somehow…

Koshun Takami was born in 1969 in Amagasaki and grew up in Shikoku. After obtaining a degree in literature from Osaka University, he worked as a reporter for the Shikoku Shimbun for five years. Battle Royale, published in 1999 is his first, and so far only novel. Although its violent premise caused it to lose out on a literature prize, the controversy surrounding it made it an instant bestseller. It was adapted into manga and film.

Given the number of dead people in the end, I wouldn’t call this “light reading” or “enjoyable” by any stretch, but it’s a book worth reading. Get it from amazon in many different versions.

The Last Empress of Japan

As it is well known, the imperial house of Japan is (still) facing a succession crisis. With male heirs to the throne in short supply for many years, the entire burden of producing a son is currently resting on a single youth, currently 20 years of age.

While there is no imminent pressure to reproduce for the young prince, the burden might be lessened quite a bit if the Succession Law were to be changed to absolute primogeniture, and women were allowed to ascend to the throne.

There are powerful arguments on both sides, and on the opposing one, one famous story is cited over and over again: That of Shōtoku, the 6th and last “real” Empress of Japan, and her involvement with a certain monk called Dōkyō.

Read the story, which is really nothing more than a juicy 8th century palace intrigue, over on Yamato, it’s a freebie!

Weekend Project # 9

Spring is approaching (with a few setbacks, it rained all day today) and on the warmer days I don’t need to heat anymore. Meaning: I’m free(er) to move around the house instead of hunkering down at my desk.

And one of the things I have waited for all winter – or, to be precise: ever since I got my sewing machine repaired – is to do some sewing projects. I’ve already fixed the pocket of my favourite jacket for spring and a few pants that needed hemming, which I’m going to wear at home soon. Two of my beloved jinbei also need repairs, but since these are real summer outfits, that can still wait a little.

In a sense the biggest project took all Sunday afternoon: I made a new mouse pad for my office. It’s three old T-shirts sewn together strategically, with a fourth for the back and some red piping all around. Even though I still don’t really know how to work with bias tape, it turned out all right methinks. Pumpkin seems to approve at least. And if you remember my last weekend project, you may recognize the colors.

Anyway, on to the next project!

Stranger Cats

It’s an exciting week: a friend of mine is on vacation and has allowed me to help with catsitting. She has two cats, Tora and Ko-chan (short for Kotora, little Tora), and I visit them once a day.

Ko-chan is very friendly, she needed just a few minutes (and a few treats) to warm up to me. She now purrs and sits next to me, even gives little head butts and makes biscuits… Lovely little one.

Tora on the other hand is quite suspicious of me. He runs upstairs when I come, but eventually peers in from the door to check on what’s going on with Ko-chan. Today he even came into the livingroom for a bit, but he did not stray far from the door, just to stay safe.

It’s a fun thing to do, and my friend is very generous – she even left treats for me on her kitchen table. I’m happy to do this any time again!

Busy Again

Sorry for not writing, I’m quite busy again, with writing for elsewhere…

However, I’m taking some time off tonight for – you guessed it – a BATI-HOLIC concert. This time, it’s with two bands visiting from Australia. I’m expecting great music and a lot of fun. I do need the mood-lift…