Iris – Page 94 – goinggaijin.com

Kinro Kansha No Hi

Today is the holiday Kinro Kansha no Hi, which means Labour Thanksgiving Day, and I cannot believe I have not written about it before! This national holiday was established in 1948 in order to mark a number of changes in the Japanese constitution, for example the expansion of worker’s rights.

On this day, people are to celebrate labour and production, and to think about the environment, peace, and human rights, which is admittedly a rather interesting combination. Mostly, work is celebrated though, and today many children in Tokyo show their appreciation of the local koban – tiny police boxes located in almost every neighborhood – by bringing drawings to the policemen stationed there.

Of course, the whole thing is just a modern disguise for a much older tradition, called the Niiname-sai. This is an ancient harvest festival, which can be traced back to the Emperor Temmu (around 650 CE), but allegedly has already been celebrated by the Emperor Jimmu (living around 600 BCE and more legend than real). Other scholars trace the festival back almost 2000 years, when rice cultivation was introduced to Japan from China.

Anyway, on this day, the emperor would dedicate and sacrifice some of the newly harvested rice and cereals to the gods, and also taste the new rice for the first time. And even though the name of the festival and its customs have changed, the emperor is still doing that – albeit in a private ceremony.

Haiku

A friend of mine wrote down this (famous?) haiku for me on a restaurant napkin when we went to lunch today. I am not sure whether the translation is accurate (google translate is useless of course), but I like the poem. I can see Mount Hiei – the highest mountain on the chain surrounding 3/4 of Kyoto – from my bedroom window…

此処よりは
比叡尖りて
秋の雁

From the northern part of Kyoto
Mount Hiei looks sharp
autumn’s wild geese

More Filming

Today I spent again at the film set I have talked about before. This time, the location was in an old machiya-style house in Kyoto, and there were scenes with talking involved (not by the extras though).

I could get a bit more insight into how movies are made, which was interesting. For example, every time somebody was speaking, the take was repeated “sound only”, with the speaking person talking straight into a microphone. And that was although during filming the scene, sound was recorded also; I presume that it’s better or easier to cut in the conversation later.

It was also interesting that there was a cameraman to film the scene, and somewhere else somebody else was sitting whose only job it was to focus the camera via remote control. I had no idea the cameraman wouldn’t do that himself, but maybe he’s simply there to make sure the shot is from the right angle and shows the correct cutout.

Also, as my friend remarked, the whole thing ran very smoothly. Nobody needed directions (except the actors, of course), everybody knew exactly what to do, how to do it, and where to do it. I can only speculate as to how this is possible – the crew was quite large – but obviously, those are all professionals.

Of course, once again, the whole thing took hours, mostly of waiting. At least this time, the group of extras was much smaller, and to my mind, also more interesting, so we had some nice conversations going on. What I did not like was that there was no compensation whatever this time. As we were working/waiting over lunchtime, at least paying us a bento would have been a nice move…

ALHL

Hello, I’m back. Kind of… I have overcome my cold from last week, so I am up and running again. Unfortunately, now I have developed ear problems: Especially the right one feels “blocked” somehow – just like when you get water into it. The feeling itself is annoying, and I obviously have problems hearing properly and on top of that, there is some background white noise sound.

Since this condition has now prevailed for more than a week, I decided to see a specialist. As the whole thing started when I had the cold, I thought it would be some sort of sinus infection going awry, and that it could be cured with simple antibiotics or some such.

No such luck: The doctor informed me – after a hearing test – that I had developed ALHL, acute low tone hearing loss, and that there was no fast track cure for this. He had problems determining a cause, as I could rule out the usual suspects of stress and tension in the neck. Listening to loud music might be a factor, but I’ve been doing that for ages now, not fitting the “acute”.

For the coming week, I am on medication: there is one diuretic the usefulness of which I don’t understand (but it is commonly given), and a couple of other things that seem to be more for reassuring the patient rather than doing anything in particular (vitamin B12 anyone?) At least I have found out that the condition may go away just as spontaneously as it has occurred, in about 75% of the patients. That’s something.

I spent all morning at the doctor’s, together with a friend of mine. Looking back I’m not sure it was a good idea to take her along because now I don’t know whether the doctor is actually capable of speaking English and whether I could go there on my own. He carried on his explanations in a breakneck speed Japanese; even my friend whose English is exceptional, gave up translating at some point and only gave me the gist of what he said. Oh well, with a bit of luck I will not have to consult him again any time soon. We’ll see.

Sick

My Austrian friend has not only brought me a whole suitcase full of goodies, but apparently also the latest virus on the loose in the kindergarten of his two children. That means that I am having the first serious cold since I came to Japan, and I feel terrible. Hopefully the pain in my ears does not point to a middle ear infection, that’s the last thing I need right now…

What I really need is some rest, lots of hot tea, and maybe a book or two. The Nutella has been provided, so I should be safe at least on this account. I shall retreat from the blog into my bed for a few days; I hope to be back again soon.

Friends

Japan is a dangerous country, it has this tendency of sucking you in and never letting you go again. This week alone I have heard from two friends whom I have met at my old house and who want to see me again. One of them returns to Japan every two years or so for a month or two; the other was my housemate at Ebisu’s, who returned to his country after five years in Japan. Both of them are in Kyoto right now, and I think both of them will keep returning here for the rest of their lives, unless they finally give in and settle here for good. I am curious to see them again, and as they will stay for at least a month, there will be ample opportunity to catch up.

Another friend of mine – who had stayed in Kobe for a year – has also returned to Japan, but only for a two-week business trip. As he is Austrian, and he had mentioned that he would travel with an essentially empty suitcase, I took the liberty of giving him a long list of things that are hard or impossible to get in Japan. The list of goodies he unpacked this morning on my kitchen table comprised the usual jar of Nutella and other sweets; special bakery goods from Austria including Lebkuchen, a type of gingerbread; and some odds and ends like my favourite Austrian wine, a small bottle of Kernoel (pumpkin seed oil), and other delicacies essential for (Austrian) cooking. I had a hard time deciding which sweets to eat first – and I settled on a bit of Lebkuchen, it’s the right season, after all.

And then, when I was already elated about all the nice things I had received and was busy putting them away, a postman brought a large and heavy parcel from another friend in Austria, with two more bottles of my favourite wine, and three enormous jars of Nutella. And a very sweet letter on top of it.

I am an introvert, I have troubles meeting people, and being surrounded by too many strangers – at parties for example – stresses me out. As such a person, when living abroad where even basic communication is difficult, it is easy to feel alone and unloved sometimes.

Not today though. Thank you so much. I love you too!

Extra

Yesterday I spent a very long day in Osaka. A friend of mine and me did another friend of mine a favour, and this is how we two ended up as extras in a Japanese movie…

I am not sure whether I am allowed to reveal which movie it is, but it is the film adaptation of a well-known Japanese novel (so, not another remake of Godzilla). The scenes that were filmed yesterday required a large audience of about 100 non-Japanese, and this is how my friend and I got considered in the first place.

Getting the job was relatively straightforward: Our friend gave us an internet link where we signed up, we received a request for a photo, and afterwards a phone call telling us that we had been chosen and were expected in Osaka on Tuesday morning. About half the people present came through this route, but the other half had apparently signed up with some film or model agency; it seems that acting or modeling is one of the few professions that foreigners can do in Japan that requires no knowledge of Japanese and is still quite well paid.

The whole experience was interesting. We met at about 8 am in Osaka and the film crew brought us to the filming location, a very nicely decorated reception room with high ceiling and large windows in an otherwise empty building, which was designated either for renovation or demolition. The plan was to shoot three different scenes where we were to watch the performance of different Japanese arts and act as the enraptured spectators. So far so good.

In the course of yesterday, I have learnt quite a bit about how to make a movie. For once, I was not aware that every different camera angle requires a repetition of the whole scene, from beginning to end. One performance was shot from three different angles, so it had to be done three times from beginning to end, plus one time for a detailed close up, plus two extra repetitions because something went wrong and somebody did not turn off his phone. Not to forget the rehearsal in the very beginning. Hence, what will end up in the movie as a well-cut sequence of a few minutes at most, required us to stand there on the same spot for 1.5 hours.

I was surprised that nobody really cared about our outfit or makeup etc. While the performers were professionally made up and styled, and their clothes received a quick brush or tuck between each take, all we had was the instruction to come in “formal clothing”, which, to my surprise, some people took rather loosely. After all, we were just people somewhere in the back, warm bodies to fill the void.

I was also unprepared for the extreme wait between the scenes, while the room was set up again for the next shot. We could relax in a nearby room, but unless you brought something with you to read or do, nobody cared what you did between the shots, as long as you were available when they needed you. Tea and coffee were provided, as well as cup noodles and senbei crackers as afternoon snack, but besides that you were on your own. We also had to be very quiet at times because apparently, something else was filmed, or at least set up, at those times. And if you were not needed for a particular scene, you had to sit through that one as well.

Interestingly, although the waiting time was considerable, people did not talk much to each other. Some of those that had come through an agency knew each other and quickly formed groups, but the others remained alone, staring into space or onto their mobiles. To be honest though, with a single exception, there was nobody there I would have liked to get to know more closely anyway.

Altogether the experience took 13 hours (including travel time to Osaka); I had to be there for two of the scenes which in total took less than 2 hours, and the final end product will probably be not more than 5-10 minutes overall. We received a bento box for lunch and dinner, a compensation for travel expenses, and a small souvenir; and I took home an important realisation: I am not patient enough to be a movie star…

Tidying

As you know, I have received all my things from Europe – 42 boxes – a month ago. Today, I finally finished tidying and putting away and cleaning things! All my rooms are clean again, the things I don’t want out at this point are put away, and I even had some energy left to go through some of the paperwork I brought and which needed to be sorted.

What surprised me was that, with one exception, I will not need any new storage items. Although the apartment is small and the layout seems a bit unpractical, I could put away all of my things somewhere. Especially the kitchen cabinets proved to be quite large, there is even one which is still empty (okay, this one is so high that I can’t reach it anyway, but still). Some of the things I have no use for right now have been stored away in those large closets that are usually used for futons, but everything I need is accessible rightaway.

Interestingly, I have not regretted bringing anything, although I regret throwing so many things away in Germany. I should not have sold all my wine glasses or given away all my vases; and let’s not start talking about my hundreds of books that went to the library please…

The books that remain are the only thing I have not touched yet. They fill six boxes that are piled in one corner of my living room, and I have not yet decided where to put them. I always wanted a large library, but this apartment does not lend itself to it. The only three walls that would be suitable for a room high bookshelf are in my bedroom and in my designated guest room, and just in case there is an earthquake, it’s probably better not to get buried under books. Hence, I have to find another solution. A friend of mine gave me an idea, but I’ll still have to see if this is feasible. In any case, until I become a real rich person who can afford a decent library in a decent place, I shall dream of – or shall I say: drool over – The Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination…

Hobby

Between all the work for setting up the company and moving and unpacking, I had time to pick up a new hobby: For the last two months or so I have been playing Contract Bridge. For all of you who don’t know what that is: It is a card game for four players – playing together in two pairs across the table – originally adopted from a Russian game by the British.

What is interesting about it is that it is not so much about luck and not at all about bluffing your way through it, but that all four players have a rough idea about the hands of the others and from there, with elaborate guesswork, each pair tries to take more “tricks” than the other. In the beginning you have to say how many tricks you think you can win, and if you can, you get a number of points, and if you lose, your opponents get points, very roughly speaking.

I find the game intriguing, there are many rules how to tell your partner about your hand, and how far to go in this “bidding” step. It is rather difficult and overwhelming at the beginning, and there are lots of exceptions and special meanings to certain bids; and even playing a certain card later on may tell your partner something about your hand and help him in deciding how to play himself.

The group I am playing with is essentially a bunch of (mostly) old Japanese ladies, who meet in a home in my neighbourhood. Many of them have lived abroad, in countries as different as Canada, the US, China, Myanmar, Australia … and all of them are decidedly un-Japanese in their behaviour and attitude. They are loud and boisterous and funny and open and although I am an introvert and don’t cherish being amongst people very much, I feel very welcome and accepted.

I think I was allowed to actually play the third time I came; I have now played once a week for about two months, and I feel like an idiot, as there is so much to know and learn and I keep forgetting stuff. Still, although I make many mistakes, my partners are very polite and kind and keep praising my efforts a lot. Hence, I shall keep going for the time being and see how long I can learn something. So far, I’m having great fun.

Cynical

I went to Osaka today to meet a friend of mine I hadn’t seen in a while. He’s also Austrian and has been in Japan for 5 years now. It was very interesting to see him again, I remembered him as a lighthearted and fun person, and while he is still outgoing and philosophical in all the wrong places, he has changed quite a bit.

He seemed very tired and exhausted; the last time I met him he was working for a brand new little Japanese start-up, but because there were discrepancies in their views on how to conduct work (something much more grave than simply working hours), he quit. Since then he has opened up his own company with quite a lofty idea behind it, but because this is not a product that can be sold, but is more a way to build a community, he has troubles getting people interested.

All these experiences have made him quite cynical, and he even admits that. He told me a few stories, and a large complaint of his is that the Japanese are not friendly at all. Apparently, in a business setting, they expect you to fit in perfectly, without making any mistakes. This is of course impossible, and the fact that nobody tells you that you have just overstepped a line is not conducive to learning how to do it better the next time.

As to my objection that as an obvious – meaning: non-Asian – foreigner, there is always a certain bonus you have and people must realise that you cannot understand every single nuance, he said that was not true. The Japanese accept a number of mistakes, but if you have made one too many, they simply cut you off without further explanation or apology. Yes, even if that means they are losing business.

He is right, I have seen that with the very first real estate agent I went to this year when I looked for a new apartment. I am not aware of a mistake on my side (other than refusing to get a mobile phone), but at some point he apparently thought I was more trouble than I was worth and he stopped responding to my inquiries altogether.

I am very sad that my friend has become so cynical and negative, and I hope that’s just a phase and that it will be better once he finds acceptance with his new line of work. But as there is another friend of mine who has had similar experiences as a foreigner in Japan, I wonder what I will have to say once I have been here as long as they have. I have been a cynical asshole for long enough, I would really not like having to go back to that stage of my life…