日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #38: 芸能人 / Celebrities

Sometimes I think, maybe if I had a celebrity crush, my life would be more interesting. I'd have someone to stalk on the Internet, I could make little squealing sounds when someone got off the plane at the airport, etc., etc. ... But as the underwhelming unfolding of my opportunity to see Satoh Takeru in real life proved, I just can't seem to care much for celebrities. Especially in Japan.

Not counting that embarrassing period in my life when I really wanted to meet Taylor Hanson in person (::sigh::), I can't share in the excitement that people feel over actors, musicians, and other celebrities. Would I be stoked if I got to talk to Lisa Hannigan? Maybe Sam Beam? Throw in a little bit of Harrison Ford for good measure? 

I'm thinking "no". Especially after being in Japan for the last several months, I've become wary of the use (in multiple senses of the word) of celebrities, where people are commodified for their looks and little else. Satoh Takeru is certainly beautiful, but that standardization of "looks" among celebrities (male and female) and the creation of both desires and complexes among consumers disturbs me.

でも「芸能人」って言葉でいいのかな？なんか高級な感じがないな〜。やっぱ「セレブ」とか「有名人」とか？！

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #37: 向田邦子 / Mukōda Kuniko

Mukōda Kuniko should actually not be a discovery in Japan, since she was on my qual exam list at some point until she got de-prioritized for reasons I can no longer remember. Regardless, she as a writer has always had a special place in my heart, since she wrote the screenplay for the TV show with the character after whom I was named, based on a novel by Genji Keita. (That...was a long sentence. Sorry.)

文庫本は電車の中で手軽に読めるからいいんだけど、向田邦子の本は必ずと言っていい程涙で顔がボロボロになるから、公共の場で読むにはちょいと恥ずかしい。今日も帰りの電車の中で目真っ赤にしながら『あ・うん』読んでたし・・・

Mukōda passed away far too young, but even still she in her works (whether essay, novel, or screenplay) pens incisive and sensitive portrayals of a wide range of characters—men and women, young and old. And there's such an honesty and clarity there, something that makes you recognize yourself in those characters, that you can't help but look to the pages for answers to things that you've been struggling with...

さて、『あ・うん』も終わったし、次は中里恒子を読む事にしよう。こっちも電車で読んだらヤバいのだろうか・・・

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #36: 藤布 / Wisteria Fabric

昨日、綺麗な端切れに巡り会った。新宿の京王百貨店でやってる「若手工芸職人展」で、親切なお兄さんが「藤布」について色々と説明してくれた・・・が、結局藤布の帯は買えなくて、小ちゃな端切れで諦めたのだ。

藤布は、藤の蔓の皮から創るそうな。何しろ時間がかかる！と京都の「遊絲舎」ゆーお店の人は教えてくれた。

しかし。あのテのイベントは危険だ。五月の「全国工芸職人展」でも、目が離せなくて鼈甲を買ってしまった。今回は危うく珊瑚のピアスを買いそうになった。アブナイったらありゃしない。次回は財布は家に置いて行こう。

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #35: 心 / Heart

今朝起きたら、何故か日本酒の瓶が空っぽになってた。何故だろう・・・不思議だ。全く身に覚えが無いのに・・・

Today I had coffee with a friend, the same one with whom I stomped around Ginza way back in November. It makes me laugh how so much has changed since we both arrived in Tokyo last fall—and how much hasn't, really. Turns out we both still need to write those pesky dissertations of ours...

今日は新宿に行って久々にポケットティッシュを貰っちゃった。嬉しーなー。なんか、女の子としてまた見られる程、髪の毛が伸びたみたい。頭ボーズにしてから、まるっきしあのテのお兄さん達に無視されてたからな・・・

Right now I have six bottles of wine sitting in the corner of my apartment. Although I've mysteriously finished off the bottle of the sake of my heart (disturbing), I suspect there will be quite a number of opportunities to cook some delicious meals with which to enjoy those wines...

発見 / discoveries: coconut milk and good friends

Well, neither one of those is actually a discovery, but you certainly appreciate them both more when you find yourself far from home—wherever "home" is.

I just returned from visiting Singapore, and I tell you—I have fallen in love with the sweets they kept giving us at tea breaks. I'm a gonna have to learn how to make them...all 318 variations.

Lately I've had the chance to talk with my friends about a recent post from UCHF. It's sad (though not surprising) that so many of us share similar experiences—but it helps to talk with each other about how we can change the situation, a little bit at a time.

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #34: 八百屋さん / More fruits

Today I played the "What Can I Buy With the Change in My Wallet?" game—and lost.

The game is simple: You stand in front of the grocery store (any store, really, but the grocery store is fun because it's big and has a lot of variety) and decide if you want to play the game or not. If you do decide to play, you walk into the store, and then see how much change you have in your wallet. And then you find whatever you can buy with what you've got.

If you can't (or don't) buy anything, you lose. But just because you buy something, doesn't mean you win. There are different points awarded for what and how you buy. If you buy something you actually wanted, that's extra points. If you buy something delicious/healthy, extra points. Something local/organic, extra points. Something discounted/on sale that's originally somewhat pricey, extra points. Sounds like fun, right?

I don't mind losing today, because I'd already bought stuff on my way home from my shamisen lesson. Clementines and apples from Aomori! Plus some abura-age! All for super cheap at 八尾 Cook, a store that sells fresh produce (as well as other things that tend to be expensive at grocery stores because they get imported from far away) and prepared side dishes for generous prices. Now that's a real win.

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #33: メロン / Cantaloupe

I was shocked to receive a cantaloupe in my co-op box this week. (I'm actually not sure if it's a cantaloupe or a honeydew, not that I know the difference—I assume that orange flesh is cantaloupe and green flesh is honeydew.)

I understand that cantaloupes in Japan are really expensive, especially the Yūbari melon. (In my summer gift catalog one Yūbari melon with a sugar level of over 12 degrees goes for ¥6,300, though it does get shipped in a wooden box.) So imagine my surprise when I got an "Andes melon" grown in Ibaraki Prefecture, one apparently considered a "medium" size (though it fits on the palm of my hand). I'm too scared to eat it because I'm afraid that it's supposed to be treasured to the utmost...

Today was a lovely day, with my friend giving me a beautiful bouquet to celebrate a fork in the road. Now, to wait for someone to come home so we can eat a melon...