My lovely wife just told me that our village has “work days” coming up, the 13th and 27th of June. When the weather is accommodating, one member from each household reports at 8:00 am for a work day — it’s always a Sunday — and we do whatever needs to be done to keep our village clean, attractive, and functional.
I can’t begin to tell you how cool I think this is! Despite living in a variety of different cities and towns in four of the fifty states in America, I’ve never encountered anything quite like community work days. The attitude there tends to be “let someone else take care of it” or “the government should do it, since we’re paying out all this money in taxes.” Well, Japanese pay taxes too, but there are still things that need to get done. The local citizens take pride in helping out.
Mind you, the only other country I’ve been in that’s as clean as Japan, is Switzerland. Trust me, it’s very unusual to ever see litter anywhere here, but on the off-chance that a candy wrapper or soda can should get left on the ground, that’s one possible work day assignment, collecting the rare cigarette butt or plastic bag lying around. Since there’s practically nothing to pick up, we usually apply ourselves to other more fruitful tasks.
We each get to take home one of these flower planters, the rest will be distributed throughout the village, along the more frequently traversed lanes.
On the 13th, we’ll be cutting and clearing weeds and bamboo from Noma Village’s shared property — that not owned by individuals — then planting flowers around the community center (photo at top of this article) where we meet for various activities. For example, see Annual Neighborhood Barbecue and Annual Neighborhood Curry and Bingo Party). Finally, more flower planting in portable boxes which will decorate the area.
On the 27th, we’ll be cleaning up the grounds for our local shrine. This will mostly consist of hacking away at weeds, clearing overgrown brush, cutting vines from the trees. Here I am last year with my neighbor Yamamoto-san doing exactly this.
The other big set of duties for work day get-togethers is maintenance of water irrigation ditches and pathways, vital for keeping our crops growing. 95% of what we grow is rice and soybeans, the other 5% is vegetables of different sorts.
I guess there might be naysayers and cynics out there who because they haven’t grown up in Japan, don’t understand this type of community spirit. But from what I’ve personally seen, the locals love it! Not only are we doing something useful and beneficial for ourselves and our neighbors, but it’s a chance to spend three or four hours together. The social aspect is just as important as its functional contribution.
Hey! If you happen to come visit me and it’s a work day, I’ll bring you along. You can see for yourself what it’s all about, make yourself useful, and as a bonus, get a free bottle of tea and a pastry when we take a short break at the halfway mark. It’s a win-win!
I can’t believe Tom Cruise didn’t put me in his movie!
Have you seen the James Bond film You Only Live Twice? At one point 007 was being given ninja training and those particular scenes were filmed at one of the most famous castles in Japan, Himeji Castle. It’s also known as the ‘White Egret Castle’ because its intensely white walls and majestic architecture apparently makes many folks think of a huge bird taking flight.
More recently, Himeji is associated with the Tom Cruise movie The Last Samurai, but that was actually shot at the nearby Engyoji Temple and Daikodo, a mountain village once used for training of priests.
In any event, the castle is almost seven centuries old, dating back to 1333 CE. I won’t begin to attempt summarizing its long, glorious history. I will, however, offer a few interesting facts and highlights.
Himeji Castle is the largest castle in Japan, its architecture is prototypical of all such castles, it is made of stone and wood, has extensive fortifications dating to Japan’s feudal times. From Wikipedia: “The castle complex comprises a network of 83 buildings such as storehouses, gates, corridors, and turrets (櫓, yagara). Of these 83 buildings, 74 are designated as Important Cultural Assets: 11 corridors, 16 turrets, 15 gates, and 32 earthen walls.” Registered December 1993, Himeji Castle was one of the first locations designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan.
It has been remodeled and rebuilt a number of times. Significantly, however, it survived the massive firebombing campaign of WWII, which leveled the entire surrounding town. A firebomb actually landed on the top floor but failed to detonate. It also survived the Great Hanshin Earthquake — aka Kobe Earthquake — of 1995. Himeji is only 50 km (31 miles) west of Kobe.
Though it’s only about a 1 1/2 hour drive from my home here to Himeji, I’ve only visited the castle twice. It’s spectacular and deserves greater attention, for sure. Here are a few photos I took my first visit, then more recently when a friend from the Netherlands visited.
Dan Kovalik’s latest is a much-needed, laudable enterprise, courageously sounding the alarm about a tyranny being perpetrated in the name of moral and social renewal. Similar to genocide, it is cultural cleansing, a systematic destruction of what its proponents singularly deem uncomfortable, unsavory, perhaps threatening to them and their adherents. Cancel culture is militantly aggressive, unforgiving, ruthless, aimed at vilification and final extirpation of anyone who disagrees with or in any way resists its unbending, non-negotiable agenda. Its stormtroopers are the PC Police, what I prefer to call the Woke SS. They answer only to themselves, respecting no other authority. Outside opinion, body of law, history, revered traditions, honored social practices and norms are irrelevant. Attempts to introduce any of these into conversations with them results in brutal retaliation. Their chosen battlegrounds include mainstream and alternative media, social media, the boards and HR departments of both corporations and academic institutions, and more recently the production studios for both TV and cinema.
What authority the woke mob claims is based on an inversion of the mechanism which has underpinned moral imperatives in the rich philosophical traditions of both East and West. Traditionally, after rigorous and thorough dialectic, we did what we did because it was the right thing to do. By inverting this, all that is done in the name of woke activism is right because it’s what they do. The woke have dispensed with the cumbersome process of arriving at moral truths by free, open, and constructive conversations, then respectfully and judiciously soliciting consensus and compliance. By unilaterally deciding they are on the right side of history and all important issues, their actions are deemed a priori correct and unassailable. It’s remindful of the German nation being led to believe in the 1930s that they were a super race of ascendant humans, thus their actions could not be evaluated and judged by external standards. Super men and women were only capable of superior and unchallengeable action.
As Dan Kovalik illustrates eloquently and in great detail, providing excellent support and documentation throughout, the woke search-and-destroy cultural scourge has precedents and parallels in other areas of social and political life. Hypocrisy and self-sabotage are equally evident.
The U.S. has anointed itself as the exceptional, indispensable nation, chosen by history, consecrated by destiny to lead the world. Thus …
We wage war on nations to establish peace. We overthrow democratically-elected governments to promote democracy. We destroy functioning governments, kill innocent men, women and children, and create massive refugee crises, to promote and protect women’s rights, seed and nurture freedom. In our never-ending struggle against racism and ultra-nationalism, we malign China, fuel hatred of Russia, embargo and sanction Islamic countries like Syria, Iran, destroy Libya. In our embrace of multiculturalism, we suffocate the economies of Cuba and Venezuela, separate brown children from their parents and put them in cages. In our respect for and devotion to human rights, we arm and support Israeli apartheid of Palestine, the callous destruction of a whole people.
Now don’t get the wrong impression. It’s all good. You see, we’re America and everything we do is good.
This, of course, is the exact same mentality we see unfolding now in our own country. Woke is R2P on our own soil.
From its initial appearance on the American scene, the entire woke movement struck me personally as humorless, oppressive, facile, misguided, an anathema to creativity and free expression. Since those early days, it has become dangerous and frightening. Woke is turning the culture and politics of our nation into a huge snuff film.
I genuinely fear for the safety of this brilliant author. I’ve read and reviewed several of his other books. His scholarship is impeccable and his presentation highly inspiring. I especially loved the conversational tone which generously populates Cancel This Book. But all his works are powerful, accessible, readable. Author Kovalik has taken controversial positions in the past. But taking on the goon squads of cancel culture is his boldest and most admirable effort. Without free discourse from all possible sources, the dystopia of woke is exactly what you get. Maybe the members of the woke thug battalions get their thrills from turning America into a wasteland. I personally don’t see much of a future in it.
There are a lot of smug, self-righteous folks out there — I hope not but maybe some right here reading this — who like to look down their noses at what they call “sheeple”.
Tellingly, if we are really honest with ourselves, at one time or another and to a greater or lesser degree, we’ve all been sheeple. We’ve gone with the flow. Gone along to get along. Yes, I’m embarrassed to say, I have too.
What am I supposed to take from that?
The hardest thing for me, as a very smart person, with a smart mouth, and a smart aleck attitude, to learn and fully internalize has been this:
Don’t judge.
Of course, there are situations and people all of the time which require a “judgment call”. Should I trust this person? Is that guy over there yelling at the top of his lungs about UFOs dangerous? Is this politician focused on getting my vote telling the truth or blowing smoke?
What I mean by ‘don’t judge’ is simple. Don’t make final declarations which cut you off from any further understanding or appreciation, whether it’s about a person or a circumstance.
Sheeple, for example.
The idiom implies that such people are incapable of thinking for themselves, that they purely are followers. The herd sleeps, they sleep. The herd chews on grass, they chew on grass. The herd runs into the chute to their slaughter, they run into the chute to their slaughter.
There’s some truth to that. But the fact is, we all do this. Anybody out there wearing their pants backwards or answering the phone by reciting Shakespearean couplets? Any of you celebrate your last birthday by playing the drum solo from In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida naked at the bottom of an empty swimming pool?
We all do a lot of things in concert with others. We go to concerts and sing along with the chorus to our favorite songs. By the millions we watch the same TV shows, laugh at the same jokes, cry at the same tragedies, sit like hypnotized lumps taking in the daily news, then say the same things everyone else is saying about the same scandals.
And the undeniable truth is, sometimes it feels great being part of some “community” of people doing the same thing. Is anyone going to tell me that tens of thousands of people packing into a stadium or millions of people glued to the boob tube, watching grown men — very big grown men — battle to cart what looks like a leather melon to the end of a grassy rectangle, that’s asserting individuality and true independent thinking?
Rah rah rah. More beer! Yay!
Don’t judge.
Let me take this to another level.
‘Useful idiot’ is another phrase I’ve been giving serious thought to.
I watched a couple videos the other day, then shared them with a few trusted friends. They were appalled. They’re not speaking to me now.
Okay, what could be so offensive other than a porn movie featuring Trump, his daughter Ivanka, and a freshly disemboweled chimpanzee?
If you think you can handle it, here are two of a whole series of YouTube videos by a minor-genius video blogger by the name of Mark Dice.
Okay . . . if I don’t judge, what then? What exactly do I do?
First, some perspective.
Our heralded democratic system is a great leveler. Every person in those videos, the ones who didn’t know why we celebrate the 4th of July and those who don’t know what country Mount Rushmore is in, has the right to vote. And here’s a truly sobering fact . . . EACH OF THEIR VOTES counts exactly the same as EACH OF OUR VOTES.
Hey, it’s right there in the Constitution! One person, one vote. This is democracy in action, folks! Equality in the voting booth is the oxygen of our amazing political system! Ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between, this is SO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL . . . I can’t stop crying!
[ 42 minutes later: It’s taken a while, but I’ve finally gotten a grip and will now continue with my touching essay. ]
Political activists are always asking: how can we get people involved, how can we get them engaged, how can we get them to vote, be a part of the solution instead of a part of the problem? That means everyone! Even the sheeple in the videos deserve to have a voice, right?
I’m simplifying but . . .
“Dude! I got some great reefer! If you vote for Bernie Sanders, man I’ll get you so high, you’ll meet Jim Morrison.”
“Hey, you are one fine-looking babe! Listen, do you mind me asking you something?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Did you get a tax refund last year? You know, money back from the government?”
“Not a dime. I should be so lucky.”
“Well, we just found out the government actually owes everyone over $18,000. It has to do with the wars and crazy spending on the military. Do you want hear about it?”
“If you buy me a beer.”
Ridiculous? Implausible?
Actually, here’s the deal. Either we get out there and talk to people or someone else will. And then it will look like . . .
“Let’s make America great again! F*ck the Mexicans. F*ck the Muslims. Kill the Chinese. Kill the Russians.”
Make no mistake about it: USEFUL IDIOTS ARE STILL USEFUL!
To really make you understand and appreciate how important this is, here’s my final thought. Someone in some elevated seat of power, someone with the money and resources to completely shape the future of your world, is thinking that very thing . . .
Pandas are not native to Japan. They’re from China. But Japanese people love them, my wife among their biggest fans. And as close as I can determine, there are eleven of these beautiful, fascinating creatures, living here in Japan right now: seven at Adventure World in Wakayama, one in Kobe, three in Tokyo.
A baby panda was just born in Wakayama this past November. At first they thought it was male, but panda experts arrived from Chengdu, China and on closer examination, little 楓浜 — Fuhin is the name given to the baby panda and you can even watch the naming ceremony on YouTube — turned out to be a female.
Why are panda births such newsworthy events?
Aside from all the usual complications and obstacles which impede successful fertilization and full-term pregnancies, then the newborns striving to survive their frailty the first month or so, giant pandas are only fertile in the spring of each calendar year for 12-25 days, and “in the mood” — receptive to mating — for 2-7 of those days.
Thus typically, a giant panda only gets pregnant every two years.
When baby pandas are born, relative to their mothers, they are very tiny, usually around 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces).
Fuhin is now 4 1/2 months old and it’s almost impossible to believe how much she has grown since the above photo, taken soon after she was born. Here is a very recent video.
Anyway, my lovely wife with her unique fascinations, and I, curious and always open to encounters with new species, set out in a joint pursuit of “panda love”, spending a couple days in Wakayama, a splendid area of Japan to the southeast of Osaka. We saw three giant pandas, but not baby Fuhin, who was still safe in her private quarters, not on public view.
Then ten days later, we went to Kobe to visit Tan Tan, who is a mature 25-year-old female — that’s the equivalent of 60-70 in human years — notable for her very short legs. She has been a favorite among panda watchers for over 20 years now!
Let’s see. That leaves three more to see in Tokyo. Then we’ll just have to go directly to Giant Panda headquarters in Chengdu, China. I’m embarrassed to say that I personally was in Chengdu back in 2009 but didn’t visit the panda breeding center there. What can I say? I only had seven days there and Chengdu is a huge city with a host of very interesting attractions and things to do. I did make it to the Great Wall!
Watch for updates. Our new found panda obsession will not be going away soon.
In the forums for our national conversation, there is no earnest discussion of peace and cooperation now … period! I’m not talking lip service or political posturing. I’m talking REAL DISCUSSION, widespread, inclusive, comprehensive discussion. In the media, by our leaders, among everyday people. NONE!
We have a war economy, a war on terror, troops fighting in seven countries (that we know of), over 800 military bases across the planet, countless secret missions and ops, soon weapons in space, and to add more gasoline to the fire are insulting and openly hostile to Russia and China — apparently to provoke them into a war. We the public are to believe the only available options are how much war and who to attack next.
There are no prominent media platforms, no high-visibility celebrities, no folk or pop songs being aired, no TV shows or movies, no major love-ins/teach-ins/sit-ins, no massive demonstrations, promoting peace.
If spectacle is out of the question because of Covid-19 lockdowns and social distancing, an effective peace movement would at bare minimum establish a national conversation about peace with the powerful tools that are available. But the current appeals for peace are a total washout. That’s the reality. There are sparsely-attended Zoom sessions, enthusiastic but isolated and very small clusters of activists, occasional listless street protests, none of which create enough buzz to be news to the greater mass of American citizens. They hear as much about peace now as they hear about powdered wigs.
As for our spokespersons at a federal level, all they officially talk about is “defending our national interest” — whatever that means — and the need for bigger, more powerful, more exotic, more expensive weapons. This salivating for a bigger badder military is bipartisan. Apparently blowing things up, creating animosity, and making more refugees are the only items the Democrats and Republicans can agree on.
But here’s the wrench in the gears of this doomsday machine: The simple, obvious truth is, all of the current talk about the urgent need to extend and expand our military is predicated on completely flawed thinking and a deceptive premise, one that we’re hearing belched out with teeth-gritting hysteria more and more these days.
Here it is:
“We can’t win a war against China or Russia, much less both at the same time.”
Actually yes! This is completely accurate.
BUT THE REAL TRUTH IS, THIS SHOULD BE A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION. Because THEY can’t win a war against us either! It’s a perfect standoff. No one wins. No one loses. Why bother?
What a relief! There will be no war. Right?
Wrong.
Instead, it’s the basis of the further absurd claim that since we can’t beat Russia or China, we are militarily weak, vulnerable, lacking the necessary hardware and fire power. It’s used to promote expanding the military even more.
Where’s the deception? The deception is the wording. It should be: We currently can’t win a war of AGGRESSION against them, attacking them on THEIR soil. The need for the pivot to Asia. Putting NATO troops and missiles on Russia’s borders. Our never-ending wars in the Middle East. Expansion of our military footprint in Africa. Our secret ops everywhere. All of this projection of power “over there” to confront and defeat our “enemies” on their soil, in their waters, in their skies, requires bigger and better weapons, more ships and planes, trillions more dollars to float the bloat.
This sprawl of U.S. fighting forces is predicated false assumption is that WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DEFEAT ANYONE, ANYWHERE, AT ANY TIME.
Who voted for this? Did you? I sure didn’t.
This mindset, this thinking comprises the essential core of exceptionalist madness. It’s the sort of delusion and arrogance that brings every empire down. And it obvious that it’s bankrupting our country . . . socially, morally, and economically. The self-sabotaging assumption that the U.S. should rule the planet is at the root of all of our geo-political machinations, misadventures, miscalculations. It’s making us the pariah of the world community and ultimately will destroy our unacknowledged empire from within. We will collapse from the weight of our hubris and recklessness. If we don’t push our adversaries too hard and too fast, ending up with a humiliating defeat on the battlefield, then eventually the waste of so much of our national resources on the pursuit of world empire will eviscerate America from within. We already see the shocking signs disintegration, the destruction of a functioning society every time we turn on the news. Some folks only need to look out their window.
THE BIG PICTURE, THE SOBERING REALITY.
Nothing will change, this self-destructive addiction to a failing world view and foreign policy will not go away, with the incentives now in place to perpetuate war, perpetuate empire, perpetuate the MISCM complex. NOTHING WILL STOP THE MADNESS! Yes, there will be minor adjustments, tinkering, fine-tuning. But it will always be tinkering and fine-tuning an out-of-control military, putting a pretty face on a thuggish foreign policy, and disguising our blood-drenched ham-fisted attempts at world conquest as a visit by the Democracy Fairy.
Most importantly, the policies that have resulted in endless wars, rivers of bloodshed, mountains of corpses, and nation-shattering chaos across the world are choices that the vast majority of everyday citizens NEVER APPROVED OF, NOR WOULD THEY EVER if they truly understood what was happening.
Without a genuine national conversation which at bare minimum focuses on reducing our military footprint and ending our wanton aggression, redefining the role of the military, promoting real peace, seeking genuine partnerships on a whole host of issues that require international cooperation, reaching out (as both China and Russia both do) to create win-win situations based on mutual respect and shared values, our current trajectory — a high-risk flirtation with nuclear war and other epic disasters — will continue unabated.
How do we begin a national conversation which seriously promotes peace?
How do we begin a national conversation which marginalizes or axes the warmongers?
How do we the people insert ourselves into making the decisions that impact our lives and future?
It starts with emptying the seats of those now in power. Then filling them with individuals who are not captured by the psychosis of American exceptionalism, not beholden to the military-industrial-congressional-media complex, committed to representing the interests and promoting the general welfare of all citizens, determined to restore the proper balance of the branches of government as required by the Constitution, and invested in promoting cooperation and peace among the nations of the world community.
For that, we need the full support of at least 150 million everyday citizens, who demand to be heard and treated with dignity and fairness. Enlisting and engaging these individuals is the central goal of the Peace Dividend Project.
Here’s a challenge. Can anyone out there guess what this is?
I always say that here in Japan, almost every day I get some new, interesting surprise.
So?
You’ve probably figured out by now this is a vending machine. But what kind of vending machine? What does it vend?
Admittedly, I haven’t lived in the U.S. for over 14 years.
But I can still say with 100% confidence that a vending machine like this DOES NOT EXIST anywhere in the States. Of course, they have vending machines for many items: candy, chips, cookies, coffee, cigarettes, condoms, crackers, Coke, Pepsi and Sprite.
But notthis!
Okay, here’s another photographic clue, a close-up of the photo on the machine below the selection buttons.
Does this help? Are you getting closer?
Whoa! I’m as fidgety as a canary on Monster Zero Ultra. Frankly . . . I can’t stand the suspense any longer.
So here it is. This is a vending machine for . . .
[ Drum roll ]
OYSTERS!
Yes, my patient and dedicated readers . . . fresh oysters is what comes out, after you plop some money in.
Now I’m not an oyster fan. The texture is fine. That slippery, slimy, mucousy vibe is not a problem for me. Nor is the oceanic salinity or organic rawness. I love squid and octopus, sushi and sashimi, seaweed and kelp. I just don’t especially like the flavor of oysters. There was even a world-class oyster bar in Portland, Oregon — my last permanent home in the U.S. — and I never went.
On the other hand, my wife Masumi loves oysters!
How convenient, eh? It’s 3:00 am and wham! she gets an oyster craving. No stores open? Not a problem. Just drive over to the OYSTER VENDING MACHINE!
Unfortunately, this particular one isn’t very convenient. It’s about 2 1/2 hours away in a town called Ayabeyama Bairin, famous at this time of year for the 20,000 plum trees in its Tatsuno Gardens. We went there to enjoy the early-flowering blossoms. Ayabeyama Bairin is right on the coast and fishing is one of the main industries. We discovered the vending machine at a fresh oyster stand as we left the area to head home.
Of course, no way could we leave the area without Masumi stocking up. Here she is in the final stage of buying some of the slimy taste delights.
No one likes being stopped by the police for running a stop sign or failing to wear a seat belt. That’s true everywhere. Such interactions with enforcement officers mean a ticket and a fine. At the same time, if you were in violation of the law, regardless of how minor the infraction, they’re just doing their job, there’s no reason to resent, hate, or fear them.
The other side of the coin is that on rare occasions, calling the police yourself is the best option in handling a situation. It’s certainly quite helpful to be able to request professional assistance. A stranger is wandering around in your back yard. A stray dog is foaming at the mouth, leaping in the air, apparently infected with rabies. A person has just crashed their car into a tree and is slumped over unconscious behind the wheel. You do what you have to do and a trained, concerned, professional police officer is an obvious place to start when dealing with many emergencies.
In over twelve years, I’ve only had three interactions with the police here in Japan. All were fine, not in the least unpleasant.
One time early in the evening, I was driving down the main street here in town, came to a stop at a T-intersection, and two officers stepped up to my car. They didn’t even ask me for identification. They simply wanted to know if I’d been drinking. I replied, “I don’t drink.” They thanked me and I went on my way.
Another occasion I wrote about in the article Life In Japan: Koban. That was a very intense situation with the police helping a disoriented lady I found laying on the side of the road, who miraculously hadn’t been run over before I walked her to the police station. The officer was extremely polite and highly professional, asked questions and took a lot of notes for his report on the incident. He got the lady safely back to the retirement facility she had wandered away from.
One other time, I was riding my bike and an officer on a motorbike stopped me, looked at the registration tag on my bike to make sure it was current and my bike not on their stolen list. The whole thing took about 30 seconds and I went on my way. Yes, they patrol on motorbikes. And yes, they are meticulous about stopping bicycle theft.
Which brings me to the actual theme of this particular article, the vast difference between policing here and what appears to be going on back in the U.S.
Whereas the police in America are frequently viewed as adversaries, not to be trusted, to be avoided, sought as a last resort in many communities — especially communities of color — here in Japan, they are still viewed as trusted public servants. Being a police officer is a highly-regarded, admired profession. As I was brought up to believe way back in the 20th Century, a police officer is a member of the community and your friend.
The article posted at the top is about a visit by police officers to a local school to show the students a typical police van. The kids were extremely excited and fascinated by the way it was outfitted. And the officers ended up giving the students a ride in the vehicle. That’s the way the police like to be seen and regarded here, by citizens of all ages.
My wife’s daughter, Izumi, teaches kindergarten here locally. The police occasionally are invited by her school to meet with the kids, who regard their visits as a special occasion. Last time they came by, they worked in the school’s garden with the children, harvesting sweet potatoes. Students and police then took the fresh potatoes inside, baked them and had lunch together.
Perhaps nothing sums up how unique the police are here than this story. Here we meet Yemon, a cat which has been recruited to work in Yoro Station in Miyazu, Kyoto.
I have a feeling that being a “cat burglar” is not a very good idea in this police precinct with Yemon on the job.
No, this is not an electron microscope image of a coronavirus.
In fact, it is the best dessert pastry I’ve had in my entire life!
Not that it’s an easy decision here in Japan. The dessert pastries are absolutely incredible! Part of what makes them so delicious is that they’re not as sweet as what I’m used to in the U.S. and other Western countries. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you a little about the whole sweet treat scene here.
Japanese dessert dispensaries are specialized. Yes, we have bakeries. But bakeries only sell bread, rolls, croissants and other dough-based pastries, e.g. what we might call Danishes.
Then there are cake shops. Guess what they sell! And chocolate shops. And there are a very popular staple here in Japan, DUMPLING SHOPS.
Mind you, we have meat and vegetable dumplings which are served as main course items. They are called gyoza, are pan-fried, and are awesomely delicious in their own right. These are served in restaurants and found in great abundance in grocery stores. Some are made industrially or frozen, the really good ones are made fresh.
The dessert dumplings are a whole different genre. They come in various configurations. All of them are filled or covered with some amazing confectionary concoction or fruit. Here are some examples: These are mochi and dango dessert dumplings.
This is the perfect segue to what I just ate because in many ways, it’s so representative of the creativity I’ve experienced. This heavenly treat purchased at a cake shop was actually a hybrid, the exterior not frosting but dumpling!
First, let me make it clear. My comments are not meant to denigrate American pastries. Hey! Lots of sugar and butter! How could anyone complain?
The big difference is Japanese pastries are so DELICIOUSLY COMPLEX. Look at these photos of the inside of my globular sugar bomb.
Yes, the outside of my “cake” was dumpling dough. Oh my, it was so delicate and smooth to the tongue, it literally melted in my mouth. But that was just the deceptively simple sheath inviting the taste buds into a world of wonders.
Honestly, I can’t identify all of the components that went into this masterpiece. Every forkful I took, revealed more delectable surprises. Strawberries, strawberry syrup, whip cream, vanilla chiffon, an amazing cookie crust on the bottom, garnished with caramelized sugar, and something deliciously green, visible in the last photo.
Mind you, even though the final result is sweet tasting, none of these elements individually were especially sweet. Obviously they contained sugar but not at levels that obscured the distinct and delicate flavors of each component. Which now is my criticism of the “cake” and other desserts we eat in America. They are laced with so much sugar! About as subtle as an atomic bomb. Granted, cake in the U.S. is spectacular. As is watching people there go into traction or collapse in a twitching heap from sugar shock.
Even so, there’s really no point in trying to identify which is better. They are different approaches to pleasing the palate. Japanese pastries are like a quiet walk on a moonlit beach. American pastries are like a D-Day landing on that same beach accompanied by naval artillery and air power.
Each has its supporters. Each has its place in the world. Each has its cultural roots.
Of course, there are health implications. The obesity rate in Japan among adults is 4.3%. In America it’s 36.2%.
Three days ago, an anonymous old man rode up on a bicycle to this school and two others in Nara-shi, the largest city in Nara Prefecture. This community is about 30 km (18 miles) directly east of Osaka.
He walked into each school, handed a white bag to a staff member. Inside each bag was 10 million yen — approximately $94,000 — and a note which said: Please use it for children.
The City Board of Education responded: 「いただいた厚意を大切にし、各学校の教育活動に活用させていただきます」
Translation: “We will cherish the kindness we received and utilize it in the educational activities of each school.”
I would love to think that this sort of thing happens in communities all over the world.
Whether that’s true or not, I feel very fortunate living in a country where it does happen.
In fact, this story sounds strikingly similar to something that happened June of last year in this same city, when a man fitting this gentleman’s description went to City Hall and gave the staff a bag also containing 30 million yen, a contribution for three specific causes. The city had recently made a public appeal for donations. In the bag were articles cut out of the newspaper identifying three areas he was donating the money for: support for the poor, improving the education system and the health system.
Life In Japan: Working Together
My lovely wife just told me that our village has “work days” coming up, the 13th and 27th of June. When the weather is accommodating, one member from each household reports at 8:00 am for a work day — it’s always a Sunday — and we do whatever needs to be done to keep our village clean, attractive, and functional.
I can’t begin to tell you how cool I think this is! Despite living in a variety of different cities and towns in four of the fifty states in America, I’ve never encountered anything quite like community work days. The attitude there tends to be “let someone else take care of it” or “the government should do it, since we’re paying out all this money in taxes.” Well, Japanese pay taxes too, but there are still things that need to get done. The local citizens take pride in helping out.
Mind you, the only other country I’ve been in that’s as clean as Japan, is Switzerland. Trust me, it’s very unusual to ever see litter anywhere here, but on the off-chance that a candy wrapper or soda can should get left on the ground, that’s one possible work day assignment, collecting the rare cigarette butt or plastic bag lying around. Since there’s practically nothing to pick up, we usually apply ourselves to other more fruitful tasks.
the rest will be distributed throughout the village,
along the more frequently traversed lanes.
On the 13th, we’ll be cutting and clearing weeds and bamboo from Noma Village’s shared property — that not owned by individuals — then planting flowers around the community center (photo at top of this article) where we meet for various activities. For example, see Annual Neighborhood Barbecue and Annual Neighborhood Curry and Bingo Party). Finally, more flower planting in portable boxes which will decorate the area.
On the 27th, we’ll be cleaning up the grounds for our local shrine. This will mostly consist of hacking away at weeds, clearing overgrown brush, cutting vines from the trees. Here I am last year with my neighbor Yamamoto-san doing exactly this.
The other big set of duties for work day get-togethers is maintenance of water irrigation ditches and pathways, vital for keeping our crops growing. 95% of what we grow is rice and soybeans, the other 5% is vegetables of different sorts.
I guess there might be naysayers and cynics out there who because they haven’t grown up in Japan, don’t understand this type of community spirit. But from what I’ve personally seen, the locals love it! Not only are we doing something useful and beneficial for ourselves and our neighbors, but it’s a chance to spend three or four hours together. The social aspect is just as important as its functional contribution.
Hey! If you happen to come visit me and it’s a work day, I’ll bring you along. You can see for yourself what it’s all about, make yourself useful, and as a bonus, get a free bottle of tea and a pastry when we take a short break at the halfway mark. It’s a win-win!