Friday, June 13, 2003
Went out to Kichijoji today for a free language lesson. It was pretty easy, more of a probing to see what level I was. Too bad I couldn't have discovered this place earlier--they are really nice and it was good to finally get some practice. Apparently it's a master teacher and several student teachers. Afterwards, I wandered the streets, looking at all the stores. I was hungry so stopped in the basements of the department stores, taking some of their samples, lingering with the bakery smells, and buying some stuff to munch on. People in class are already planning what their first few meals will be when they get back to the U.S.--I definitely am as well. Not that there's not plenty of comfort food with all the western?@chains, but there's something about being able to read the menu and have affordable options aside from McDonalds. At least most places have a picture menu and plastic displays.
Found a great Hello Kitty store. It had Hello Kitty stuff from all the different regions in Japan. What a fun way to find out about regional differences. Amazingly I didn't buy anything--everything was so cute that I couldn't decide. Since I ended up not getting a cell phone, don't have use for the cell-phone trinkets anyway.
Other stores--several Indian/Indonesian clothing stores, a Latin/Native American store, and several "vintage" used 60s and 70s clothing stores. One of the clothing stores had a whole sweatshirt section for different universities and I quickly found one for North Carolina State--a well-worn puke-colored sweatshirt selling for 9800 yen--almost $90! I didn't think that could be right, but got it on film.
Class was a little disturbing today since we watched all these programs with guys getting beaten up and then smoking together afterwards. Fab commented on this male bonding as being a novel concept since the emphasis would normally be on male-female bonding, but I wasn't so sure. It seems like bonding through adversity is a pretty common theme in war/concentration camp movies and the whole idea of friendship enduring even as male-female relationships fizzle out has been present in a lot of movies too. I guess lately I can more easily think of the female bonding movies like "Waiting to Exhale" and "Thelma and Louise". With the guys I've known, it seems as if male bonding is usually stronger than female bonding. And that's with American guys--it seems like the rest of the world has less taboos about same-sex friendships than we do.
Found a great Hello Kitty store. It had Hello Kitty stuff from all the different regions in Japan. What a fun way to find out about regional differences. Amazingly I didn't buy anything--everything was so cute that I couldn't decide. Since I ended up not getting a cell phone, don't have use for the cell-phone trinkets anyway.
Other stores--several Indian/Indonesian clothing stores, a Latin/Native American store, and several "vintage" used 60s and 70s clothing stores. One of the clothing stores had a whole sweatshirt section for different universities and I quickly found one for North Carolina State--a well-worn puke-colored sweatshirt selling for 9800 yen--almost $90! I didn't think that could be right, but got it on film.
Class was a little disturbing today since we watched all these programs with guys getting beaten up and then smoking together afterwards. Fab commented on this male bonding as being a novel concept since the emphasis would normally be on male-female bonding, but I wasn't so sure. It seems like bonding through adversity is a pretty common theme in war/concentration camp movies and the whole idea of friendship enduring even as male-female relationships fizzle out has been present in a lot of movies too. I guess lately I can more easily think of the female bonding movies like "Waiting to Exhale" and "Thelma and Louise". With the guys I've known, it seems as if male bonding is usually stronger than female bonding. And that's with American guys--it seems like the rest of the world has less taboos about same-sex friendships than we do.
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Still trying to flesh out my proposal--found some movies related to keitai and internet use so that's another possible angle. Today I went to TEPIA, hoping to use their library on Japanese technology, but it's mainly company videos, very few of which are in English. Their exhibit on the Next Generation IT Home with all this new and developing technology was really great. It reminded me of the Aware Home going on at Tech, so hopefully I can learn a little more about that. Some of it was familiar, like the makeover program where you could change the model's hair and eye shadow color. The funniest: Bowlingual, a special dog collar which "translates" your dog's barks into Japanese phrases such as "I want to be a hero" or "Gambate!" Some were very definitely aimed at women with the colors and ad fliers, but it wasn't necessarily clear they would succeed on the market. For example, one computer program would allow you to enter each item as you put it in the refrigerator which would take it off your "to buy" list, but then you would have to enter when you finished it, so would actually be more work rather than less. Another program would allow you to check a vegetable's bar code so you could get information about its age, what farm it came from, the farmer, and so on. Considering that farmers are not known for being high-tech and that Japan imports a lot of produce, I didn't think this would be practical.
Last night, I went to Tokyo Disneyland with Frances Wu, her sister and a few of her other friends. Small splurge of time and money, but it was fun. We got there around 6:30 because the rates go down after 6, so it was a bit rushed. Still got on a lot of rides and got to see the electrical parade. All the people characters on the floats, like Snow White and Pete, spoke English while the costume characters like Buzz Lightyear and Tigger spoke Japanese. During the parade I was approached by 4 junior-high school boys who had an assignment to ask tourists questions about Japan in order to practice English. Other than the narrations and a Bonsai tree, it seemed pretty much like the American version, down to the costumes and restaurants. Though here even the cleaning staff?@were friendly and fully bilingual.
Last night, I went to Tokyo Disneyland with Frances Wu, her sister and a few of her other friends. Small splurge of time and money, but it was fun. We got there around 6:30 because the rates go down after 6, so it was a bit rushed. Still got on a lot of rides and got to see the electrical parade. All the people characters on the floats, like Snow White and Pete, spoke English while the costume characters like Buzz Lightyear and Tigger spoke Japanese. During the parade I was approached by 4 junior-high school boys who had an assignment to ask tourists questions about Japan in order to practice English. Other than the narrations and a Bonsai tree, it seemed pretty much like the American version, down to the costumes and restaurants. Though here even the cleaning staff?@were friendly and fully bilingual.
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Another rushed blog since I'm rushing back to the Short Shorts Festival. Yesterday I went to see the Japan shorts. The most powerful one was the last one, "Tanaka" about a guy who goes to Austrailia to collect the ashes of his uncle, who lived there for 30 years. It turns out the uncle, who supposedly had married there, was actually gay and wanted to be buried in Austrailia so the main character has to figure out how to deal with the unexpected situation.
After the movie, I went to a lecture on women and the economics surrounding marriage and their position in the workplace. I felt painfully underdressed since everyone had just come from work so was suited up while I was wearing shorts. It was a little too hard-core sociology for me so I left early.
Yet another crosstown scramble for the Tokyo User's Group executive board meeting at Palm's Cafe. I was late, but it was a casual, chatty group and I was there more to meet people rather to discuss club business anyway. All were Americans who had been working in Tokyo for a while, except for a Japanese girl who I later found out was just there to practice her English a bit. They had helpful suggestions for my project--toilet technology, eye tracking technology for ads and websites, phone usage for girls who exchange sex with middle-aged salarymen for pocket money. Random tidbit--your seal is used instead of signature or notary service here. You have a special set of Kanji characters which is registered with your ward and if you lose it you are in big trouble.
After the movie, I went to a lecture on women and the economics surrounding marriage and their position in the workplace. I felt painfully underdressed since everyone had just come from work so was suited up while I was wearing shorts. It was a little too hard-core sociology for me so I left early.
Yet another crosstown scramble for the Tokyo User's Group executive board meeting at Palm's Cafe. I was late, but it was a casual, chatty group and I was there more to meet people rather to discuss club business anyway. All were Americans who had been working in Tokyo for a while, except for a Japanese girl who I later found out was just there to practice her English a bit. They had helpful suggestions for my project--toilet technology, eye tracking technology for ads and websites, phone usage for girls who exchange sex with middle-aged salarymen for pocket money. Random tidbit--your seal is used instead of signature or notary service here. You have a special set of Kanji characters which is registered with your ward and if you lose it you are in big trouble.
Monday, June 09, 2003
Stopped back by the Starbucks/Yahoo Internet Cafe last night to see if I could think up some more angles on my project, but the few Japanese I talked to didn't speak English. It's pretty evenly divided between Japanese and gaijin. I guess maybeYahoo sees it as a marketing ploy for getting people hooked on broadband since they are always passing out marketing paraphanalia in Roppongi and Shibuya. Certainly Starbucks gets more customers and the Mexican tourism bureau must be in on it as well since there are big Mexican travel posters and video screens up as well as Mexican sounding music in the background.
I spent the day in Ometesando and Harajuku. I got a yukata set with a big bow and sandals at the Oriental bazaar--the saleslady assured me that it was something Japanese people could wear outside and not just the bathrobes made as souvenirs for foreigners, but I wasn't sure if I believed her. Fun souvenir of the day--a cell phone charm with Hello Kitty decked out in a black goth/punk outfit representing that area of Tokyo. It was fun. As soon as I walked in front of the Gap, I started seeing the funkily dressed girls. Most of them were dressed in black, many with black makeup around their eyes and some with face piercing or bright pink or yellow hair. Others had little girl or French maid outfits with tiaras. The biggest headturner--a black leather kimono. The cutest--a little three year old in a long black goth/punk dress matching her mom. At least ten people, both gaijin tourists and Japanese stood there taking her picture and even the other Japanese punk girls squealed "Kawaii" and started taking pictures of her.
Behind the park, I found the Meijin Shrine. You could give 500 yen to write your wish on an ema, a small wooden board, which was hung up around a sacred tree. There were hundreds of ema in all different languages, asking all sorts of things, but mostly peace and health from the ones I was able to read.
I stopped by La Foret to check out the Short Shorts Film Festival, but the last program of the evening had already started. I didn't really feel like leaving, so read a magazine (Reese Weatherspoon on Legally Blonde:"It has a great message for young women. You can be frivolous and love clothes and be girly but still have dreams and want to succeed and get the job done") in the store downstairs. Then I went back to talk to one of the movie workers. It turns out she is Korean and is a student volunteer for the festival. I asked if she had seen any of the films and if she recommended any. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a yellow ticket flutter down from upstairs and land near our feet. When another worker asked about it a little later, I said it wasn't mine but asked if I could use it. So I got to see the last two shorts of the evening, a
sad one about two brothers in Mexico and a very cute animation about an alien. The latter, "The Chubb-Chubbs" had several references to Star Trek with Darth Vader and Yoda arm-wrestling and Jar-Jar warning the alien about the Chubb-Chubbs before passing out.
Afterwards, I talked with the Korean girl again, but I couldn't remember any Korean or Japanese and she was clearly struggling with English. We still exchanged emails, so maybe there's another potential language exchange.
Fun article in Japanzine on Japanese emoticons with examples:
(^_^) Basic Smiley Face (egao)
(-_-)zz...I'm tired (nemui)
(;_;) Crying Face (naki)
(*_*) Surprise or Shock
(^_^)b Thumbs Up
(^0^) Happiness
(^3^) Kiss (chu)
(^_^)V Peace/good news(niko)
(^_^)/~ Bye Bye (bai bai) slash & tilde=arm waving hankie
p(^^)q Good luck/Go for it (gambatte) p & q are clenched fists in front of you
I spent the day in Ometesando and Harajuku. I got a yukata set with a big bow and sandals at the Oriental bazaar--the saleslady assured me that it was something Japanese people could wear outside and not just the bathrobes made as souvenirs for foreigners, but I wasn't sure if I believed her. Fun souvenir of the day--a cell phone charm with Hello Kitty decked out in a black goth/punk outfit representing that area of Tokyo. It was fun. As soon as I walked in front of the Gap, I started seeing the funkily dressed girls. Most of them were dressed in black, many with black makeup around their eyes and some with face piercing or bright pink or yellow hair. Others had little girl or French maid outfits with tiaras. The biggest headturner--a black leather kimono. The cutest--a little three year old in a long black goth/punk dress matching her mom. At least ten people, both gaijin tourists and Japanese stood there taking her picture and even the other Japanese punk girls squealed "Kawaii" and started taking pictures of her.
Behind the park, I found the Meijin Shrine. You could give 500 yen to write your wish on an ema, a small wooden board, which was hung up around a sacred tree. There were hundreds of ema in all different languages, asking all sorts of things, but mostly peace and health from the ones I was able to read.
I stopped by La Foret to check out the Short Shorts Film Festival, but the last program of the evening had already started. I didn't really feel like leaving, so read a magazine (Reese Weatherspoon on Legally Blonde:"It has a great message for young women. You can be frivolous and love clothes and be girly but still have dreams and want to succeed and get the job done") in the store downstairs. Then I went back to talk to one of the movie workers. It turns out she is Korean and is a student volunteer for the festival. I asked if she had seen any of the films and if she recommended any. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a yellow ticket flutter down from upstairs and land near our feet. When another worker asked about it a little later, I said it wasn't mine but asked if I could use it. So I got to see the last two shorts of the evening, a
sad one about two brothers in Mexico and a very cute animation about an alien. The latter, "The Chubb-Chubbs" had several references to Star Trek with Darth Vader and Yoda arm-wrestling and Jar-Jar warning the alien about the Chubb-Chubbs before passing out.
Afterwards, I talked with the Korean girl again, but I couldn't remember any Korean or Japanese and she was clearly struggling with English. We still exchanged emails, so maybe there's another potential language exchange.
Fun article in Japanzine on Japanese emoticons with examples:
(^_^) Basic Smiley Face (egao)
(-_-)zz...I'm tired (nemui)
(;_;) Crying Face (naki)
(*_*) Surprise or Shock
(^_^)b Thumbs Up
(^0^) Happiness
(^3^) Kiss (chu)
(^_^)V Peace/good news(niko)
(^_^)/~ Bye Bye (bai bai) slash & tilde=arm waving hankie
p(^^)q Good luck/Go for it (gambatte) p & q are clenched fists in front of you
Sunday, June 08, 2003
Writing from Starbucks/Yahoo Broadband Cafe in Ometesando--free internet cafe.Stopped by Tokyo Union Church just as the service ended and the preacher and his wife were incredibly nice, giving me their card in case I needed any help.
Last night,I went out with Frances Wu, Bryn Mawr '94, in Roppongi Hills. I doubt I would have recognized her,but she said I still looked the same. She has been in Tokyo for three years, working at an American advertising agency (though with Japanese norms like working until 2 am and going out to drink with your colleagues). We chatted about a lot of different things--Bryn Mawr, culture shock, the start-up craze/internet boom, 9/11. She even offered me a place to stay once her sister left from her visit since she has an extra room in her company-paid apartment, but of course I'm already paid up for the month.
Apparently Fran does technical stuff as well as advertising. She showed me some of the wireless sites she had worked on--for Northwest, Lipton, and Citibank among others. Lipton's was the one she was most proud of. The emphasis was that Lipton's was refreshing for mind as well as body, so had a section based on different personality types. I asked her about the text messaging thing, but it turns out that SMS doesn't exist in Japan like the rest of Asia; it is all done through e-mail. She brought up a usability problem--apparently every kind of phone has its own type of browser, not all of which her company can test on, and it didn't work on the client's browser. She actually had the same browser on her phone, but was in New York at the time so didn't test it. She was very interested in the class and the research I wanted to do. She had actually found Mimi Ito's web page and was considering going back for a master's in communications at Annenburg, where Ito is on sabbatical. Fran's company was trying to do research on what 30-40 yr old women were interested in since they didn't seem to respond much to their keitai sites. She is thinking about going home within the year.
After dinner, we wandered around Roppongi. We passed an ad for an upcoming Roberto Mirabel concert (famous Native American performer) as well as poster for a new TV series which had a doctor decked in a feather headdress and warpoint. Frances said that American Indians are really in with the Japanese right now even though their own natives, the Ainu are ignored. As we walked along the block,she pointed out the Citibank as well as her favorite salsa place and a lot of clubs and bars. The place was mobbed and I saw more gaijin than I have seen anywhere else. Another Mawrtyr, Susan Poon, was standing on a corner which was pretty bizarre. I wasn't tired at all, just taking in the sites, until I realized it was almost midnight. The trains here stop running sometime between 12 and 1 depending on the line and I would have to go through at least 3 different lines to get home. Luckily, I was only one stop from the Hazemon/Denen-toshi so got back on the next to last train. Fran invited me to hang out with her and her sister in the coming weeks, so it will be nice to have a friend to hang out with.
Last night,I went out with Frances Wu, Bryn Mawr '94, in Roppongi Hills. I doubt I would have recognized her,but she said I still looked the same. She has been in Tokyo for three years, working at an American advertising agency (though with Japanese norms like working until 2 am and going out to drink with your colleagues). We chatted about a lot of different things--Bryn Mawr, culture shock, the start-up craze/internet boom, 9/11. She even offered me a place to stay once her sister left from her visit since she has an extra room in her company-paid apartment, but of course I'm already paid up for the month.
Apparently Fran does technical stuff as well as advertising. She showed me some of the wireless sites she had worked on--for Northwest, Lipton, and Citibank among others. Lipton's was the one she was most proud of. The emphasis was that Lipton's was refreshing for mind as well as body, so had a section based on different personality types. I asked her about the text messaging thing, but it turns out that SMS doesn't exist in Japan like the rest of Asia; it is all done through e-mail. She brought up a usability problem--apparently every kind of phone has its own type of browser, not all of which her company can test on, and it didn't work on the client's browser. She actually had the same browser on her phone, but was in New York at the time so didn't test it. She was very interested in the class and the research I wanted to do. She had actually found Mimi Ito's web page and was considering going back for a master's in communications at Annenburg, where Ito is on sabbatical. Fran's company was trying to do research on what 30-40 yr old women were interested in since they didn't seem to respond much to their keitai sites. She is thinking about going home within the year.
After dinner, we wandered around Roppongi. We passed an ad for an upcoming Roberto Mirabel concert (famous Native American performer) as well as poster for a new TV series which had a doctor decked in a feather headdress and warpoint. Frances said that American Indians are really in with the Japanese right now even though their own natives, the Ainu are ignored. As we walked along the block,she pointed out the Citibank as well as her favorite salsa place and a lot of clubs and bars. The place was mobbed and I saw more gaijin than I have seen anywhere else. Another Mawrtyr, Susan Poon, was standing on a corner which was pretty bizarre. I wasn't tired at all, just taking in the sites, until I realized it was almost midnight. The trains here stop running sometime between 12 and 1 depending on the line and I would have to go through at least 3 different lines to get home. Luckily, I was only one stop from the Hazemon/Denen-toshi so got back on the next to last train. Fran invited me to hang out with her and her sister in the coming weeks, so it will be nice to have a friend to hang out with.
