Beside The Empty Seat*

A Somewhat Personal & Very Non-objective View of Life In Japan

Don't forget to check out the Gaijin's Tip of the Month & Where-to-Go!

Well, politicians here continue to do a very good impression of Nero fiddling while Rome apocryphally burns. Here we have the world's 2nd largest economy, going downhill towards the cesspool real fast, & what do the politicians do? They try & work out who is the nastiest & most corrupt. Although there is enough sleaze here to keep any newspaper happy, the main scandal of March involved a certain member of the ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party -- which is not liberal, not democratic & almost not a party. Having ruled Japan in one way or another since soon after the days of General Macarthur (with two short breaks), the LDP often seems to look upon power as its birthright, to be used as it see fit. Of course, not all LDP folk are like that & when the 'trendy' Mr Koizumi moved into the Prime Minister's residence, many folk hoped/feared that things were changing. Then a cabinet minister (& a woman, to boot!) tried to act like a cabinet minister, thereby upsetting the all-powerful civil servants. They complained to one of their political friends in the LDP's old guard & before you could say 'to hell with reform,' the minister was gone. Not long after that, however, the party kingmaker responsible came under attack from another lady politician belonging to a smaller party, although you certainly don't have to be female to find him repulsive. However, as if to make sure the natural scheme of things wasn't upset, the lady herself has now had to resign over a scandal concerning her use of a secretarial allowance. Confusing? Yes, it can be. But basically, it all boils down to the fact that you shouldn't dare to criticise the LDP unless your past is cleaner than a new born babe's!

On the lighter side, Tokyo is still enthralled by the idea of Irish Pubs, or at least replicas of the same. Not too long ago, there were only a couple but now they're all over the place. (Click HERE  for a list of them.) Now these bars vary in their 'Irishness' from the stage Irish places that are actually completely Japanese to those which bear a slight resemblance to the ones found in Ireland. I was at the opening of another one in Ebisu at the beginning of April (the Innishmore, worth a visit) & I wish it well, especially as it is within staggering distance of my home. Now you may be wondering why the Japanese should be so interested in drinking their lager in something that is allegedly Irish. Well, don't forget that Tokyo has a fairly large Irish community & even has it's own St Patrick's Day parade, & no matter whether they're authentic or not, some of these places are a welcome escape from Japan. When Japanese Salarymen (=white collar workers) want to get drunk (which they do with consummate ease), they go to places called 'Izakaya,' which is more like a casual licensed restaurant. That's the rub -- you have to order food! At least a man can just have a beer if he so pleases in these Irish oases! Why spoil a good drink with food? Sadly, this is hard to explain to the ladies, so why even try!

Interesting Headline:

'Koizumi disapproval rating at 44%'
&
'New Police Squad Launched to Protect PM's Residence'

Could there be a connection, I ask myself . . .

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Japan's radical, reformist Prime Minister is one of too many Japanese who refuse to admit, even to themselves, that Japan did wrong  in World War 2. What's more, the dinosaurs in the Ministry of Education (who approve the well-censored history text books that somehow forget to deal with 'embarrassing' historical facts) seem to think that preserving historical myths is more important than the forthcoming World Cup. They recently approved a controversial high-school textbook & not surprisingly, this has upset South Korea just weeks before they co-host the world's number 1 sporting event. A South Korean foreign ministry spokesman said the book did not correctly describe history, as if this were something new. The last time the Ministry approved a school text book, most of Japan's Asian neighbours (not that Japan is Asian, of course) said it attempted to justify Japan's wartime aggression. The latest text book was written by the same group of nationalist historians. The latest book adds to the usual historical adjustments by claiming that a small uninhabited island claimed by South Korea & Japan is historically part of Japan. South Korea doesn't agree & even keeps a small detachment of police officers on the island, known as Tok-do in Korean & Takeshima in Japanese. This is a bit like the usual maps of Japan that show certain Russian islands as being Japanese. Seems the Ministry of Education has trouble with geography as well as history.

Talking of the great reformer, I just read that while he was giving a speech to some students at Waseda University, he was heckled -- not something Japanese PMs are used to. What's more, our beloved hairstyler didn't like it, & tried to lecture the audience on the importance of listening. Now let's get this straight. Here he is, a guy who listens to the LDP dinosaurs too much, telling a bunch of people who are facing imminent unemployment, that they should listen to him. Maybe if he said something worth listening to, people might do what he says. Fat chance!

Gaijin's Tip:

'A haircut at a Japanese barbershop may seem expensive but it often includes a shampoo, shave & a shoulder massage, & there's no tip.'
(Taken from the 'Gaijin's Guide to Living in Japan')

&

Gaijin's Where-to-Go

Just in case you feel energetic with Golden Week coming up, why not try the  IMPERIAL PALACE CYCLING COURSE. It's a 3km route open every day with free bikes available on Sundays between 10-3pm. Nearest subway is Nijubashimae (Chiyoda line) but Tokyo JR is just a short walk away. For more information, call 5572-6412 (weekdays), 3211-5020 (Sun)
(Taken from the 'Gaijin's Guide to Enjoying Tokyo')

Well that's it for this month. Check in around the middle of May for the next enthralling view of Tokyo as seen from where I'm at. Until then, take care & don't let the sons-of-bachelors get you down.

The Gaijin