The Real Deal

Okay, so it's very annoying that I have to bend my neck every time I pass through a door, and that my bathroom mirror comes up to my chest if I stand normally. But honestly speaking, the practical inconveniences of Japan end right about there. In almost everything related to daily life, Japan is extremely convenient for anyone living here: public transport, public safety, supply of consumer goods (from apartments to second-hand clothes to electronics to books to 24/7 food), the cellphone system, etc.

Despite these luxuries, I am quite sure I won't live my whole life here. Of course my desire to see as many different corners of the world as possible is a major factor in that feeling. But there are other issues. And today, they seem quite heavy. So heavy, in fact, that it seems impossible to overcome them without sacrificing some things that lie quite close to the core of my being. On the other hand, I love a good challenge, and there will be goods and bads wherever you set foot in the world. Japan might not be that bad. For now, I'll leave things as they are and keep on living my life - a strategy which has proven itself often in times of philosophical impasse or other complicated situations. Personal conclusions and related important decisions are still a while away, and we will discuss the issues at hand many, many times before that, I'm sure.

So which issues, you ask? Here you go.

The above website gives a very good layout of what culture shock is like for most Western foreigners coming to Japan. In my first year in Japan (I had several parties this week to celebrate the one-year anniversary, by the way! You can look forward to the next blog entry), I've had to deal with many, but not all, of the issues the author describes, and it was a refreshing read for me; reminded me of where I'm standing right now. Though I doubt anyone can understand those issues without being in Japan for a long time, hopefully it'll help you to bring your (probably way-off) image of Japan a bit closer to reality. Hopefully it'll turn you on, rather than off, and stimulate your curiosity. Hopefully it'll motivate you to shake loose of the usual confinements of your world and stride into the wild universe out there.

To stimulate your curiosity even further, let me give you a teaser of what's to come on this blog. Just the other day, I mentioned I should start making a list of the small cultural differences between Japan and Holland so I can show it to people whenever they ask that dreaded question. Well, here it is! A beginning of the list of things that are strikingly different in Japan than in Holland (I keep using that country because I don't want to generalize to 'the Western world', though in many cases it might be just as appropriate...if I speak about languages the contrast is usually between Japanese and English, not Dutch). Compared to the being-'of-the-same-age'-if-you're-equally-old-on-April-1 quirk, the following things are kind of deep...but here goes!

• The meaning of love
• The rhythm and melody of language
• Music
• The concept of normality, or of absurdity
• The concept of quality
• Rationality
• Justice and its value
• Interpersonal relationships
  
• Sarcasm

Dear blog, dear readers: we have a lot to talk about.

Finallies Scattered Across Autumn

YES! I finally got it! That spine-tingling feeling running through all my neurons, muscles and veins at once! Though it’s never been gone, the move to my new place as well as dance and music have been sucking it out of me recently. I’ve been waiting for weeks for it to arrive at a time like this, knowing that it should arrive at some point, and here it is, FINALLY enabling me to write again! Of course I’m talking about INSPIRATION! That great evasive power which moves me to do the things that make life worthwhile... one of the elementary forces in my own circle of life: the cause and the effect, the product and the creator, the black and the white and all the colors you’ve never seen, the essence of my life force, and something that has a fascinating link to the concept of living in the NOW!

I was planning to give you a short list of contributing factors to the “why now (and not a week ago)?” issue, but after 208 words and realizing that I wasn’t even halfway, I figured I’d make it into the theme of this entry … so here we go!

Three days ago. I went to FrancFranc to buy a present for Nonchan’s birthday, and was extremely relieved to see that the 100.000-yen sofa of my dreams (one of those corner models that fits like 4 people) was still available despite being taken out of the internet catalogue. Even better, they tripled the amount of available colors, so, until my creditcard arrives, I’m stuck with the pleasant problem of which color best matches my apartment.

Three days ago. I finished my part of the choreography for Heartbeat Collective’s show at the university festival later this month, and it’s FUNKY! Can’t wait to have 6 people executing my movements. In 11 days, we need to show it to a judge of dance circle senpais in an effort to be selected to perform for the real thing on the 24th. Only half of the teams will pass the test, so tomorrow is a very important practice day. For the dance music heads out there, I went with that haughty naughty track called “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” – for which I believe I owe Alexander Groot one.

Two days ago. I finished reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. After all these years of wondering what the hell that title meant, I now know that it was just waiting for the perfect time to drop into my life and help me further develop my own philosophy. There are two important things I got from this book. The first is a long-sought connection with someone else who shares my ideas about rationality, science and the union of the “classic” and the “romantic” perspective. The fact that that person, being fictional, wouldn’t qualify as “real” by all the classically thinking people doesn’t make much of a difference, as evidenced by this article about Japanese people who are serious about marrying manga characters. (Doesn’t it sound catchy though? "Come on, lose the 3D world already .. that’s so 21st-century!" - once again, Japan is on top of its game of pioneering the future and doing ridiculous crazy shit, and my growing sense of identity with this country allows me to say I’M PROUD OF IT!). Furthermore, in a fateful plot twist, I’m quite unconcerned with the insanity that that kind of deep thinking apparently tends to lead to (the main character completely loses it once and gets very close to a second disaster, but then there’s a sudden happy end), since I’ve gathered from various people that my old man had some serious brain discrepancies of his own, which fit beautifully into the picture.

The second thing I got from ZATAOMM (if my second band’s name wouldn’t already be Mindshaft Spirit Boots – making metal with Ari, Benkei and a Japanese chap called Taro since a month ago – I would probably make it this) is a decision to get my motorcycle license as soon as I can afford it. Cowabunga! From what I hear, it’s very cheap. Take this, for example. Something I’ve recently become aware of. Yet another advantage of living in Japan…did you think of this one yet? Here it is. ALL MOTORCYCLES COME FROM JAPAN. Well, almost. Anyway, they’re dirt cheap and there’s a terrific bike culture going on. Though I briefly wondered whether I should reconsider my idea that “bikers = coolness” after noticing that every other granny rides one here, I decided that it’s more entertaining to stick with the old thought…The Japanese are so cool! Honestly though, I already have a couple of friends that would be more than willing to go on long bike trips with me, and this is one temptation I’m eager to give in to.

Two days ago. I met up with Ikeyan and Nonchan for lunch, and to my very pleasant surprise we went to the most romantic café I’ve been to so far. Ikeyan found it online while looking for “good bread and coffee”. There’s no sign whatsoever on the outside, and even on looking through the undecorated windows I thought that it was just some family-run cardboard-box-selling business like the one next to my apartment. But no! Thou shalt look farther than thy eye beholdeth. It is in fact a bagel shop with exactly one employee, introspective music, photograph books about Tokyo in the 70s, the odd reference to French culture, a second floor with large windows letting in large doses of warm autumn sunlight, and delicious bagels (I went with fried pineapple/cream cheese, fried pork/cream cheese and something like peanut butter but made from something Japanese that is not peanuts). The specialty herbal tea (named after nearby Shimogamo shrine) was a delight, and I think I’ll have some good relaxed afternoons there this winter. Come to think of it, it reminds me a lot of winters a couple of years ago at my aunt Syl’s place. Same peace, same warmth.

Yesterday. Decided on the arrangement for the Jungle Mic song next in line for recording (starting on the 15th), and it’s getting groovier every time. Hung out at the studio for a couple of hours after practice finished – great atmosphere.

Today. Mail. I got a letter from my ISP today announcing the day – Wednesday next week - that my internet will FINALLY be connected. Despite 3 failed attempts at registrations and engineering works so far, I am kind of confident that this one will come through successfully. I also got mail from the University of Amsterdam – three copies of the monthly physics/math student magazine, this time containing an interview with me about studying in Japan. The effect of receiving an envelope with the UvA logo on it was very strong, and I could vividly imagine the NSA office and all the usual hustle and bustle back in Amsterdam. Reading that Wout and Joeri won the freshman-weekend beer competition also gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Today. I finished my Anki revisions in the afternoon for once, instead of at 2 am like every day lately.

Today. I just finished watching the last episode of Great Teacher Onizuka, an anime that has done a lot for me recently, most notably helping me to feel at home in my new place since I moved about a month ago, but also filling me in on what it means to be a teacher, what it means to be a teacher in Japan, and the coolness of motorbikes. The trigger for writing this entry…Highly recommended!

Today. My keyboard bricked out on me again and I’m waiting for instructions from the distributor on how to ship it back for repairs once more, freeing me from the sense of responsibility to organize performances for Jungle Mic. I was very aware of the risk involved with an attempted firmware update, almost assuming it to go wrong, so the disappointment was much less than last time. But with a riverside gig on Saturday, a club gig on the 14th, and recording on the 15th, time is more pressing this time. Fortunately, my man in Tokyo seems to be on it.

So you see, as long as you have about twenty awesome things happening in three days, you'll be sure to find inspiration enough to write another blog entry. Let's hope the next one will be shorter in the coming.



P.S. For those of you wondering how best to hold on to inspiration once you’ve got it: If you care to tell me how you do it, I’d be very happy, since I think it’s a very useful skill for anyone involved in any way with creative work, art, performance, expression and so on. I can tell you how I did it this time (I actually use this method quite a lot), but I’m convinced everyone has their own way, so the disclaimer reads “I cannot take any responsibility for the sense of loss and boredom you get after trying the following. However, if you do achieve success by these means, you are required to send 2.5 kg of homemade brownies to me by next-day delivery express mail.” Haven’t had brownies in ages.

Finally, then, the magic formula that enabled me to continue writing more than one paragraph…

*drumroll*


Listen to Cowboy Bebop and Naruto soundtracks.

Alrighty, I’m off to give Misa her Jordanian bath salt! Have a GRRRRRREAT Tuesday night!

P.P.S. You can check out Jungle Mic’s site-under-construction (check out the blog! Japanese, but with pix) here.

Fire in the hills, a Samoan BBQ and the countryside

I apologize for the excess of "uninteresting" vacation posts lately, but you'll have to bear with them just a little longer. There are plenty of awesome other things going on in my head, and they'll find their way here in due time. Hakuna matata.

A week or so ago, the hills around Kyoto were lit up with bonfires in the shape of the characters representing "great", "excellent law" (referring to Buddhist teachings), "the shape of a boat", and "the shape of the entrance to a (Shinto) shrine". This event marks the end of the annual O-Bon festival, which is all about honoring one's ancestors; the week during which it is held is one of the only weeks in which many Japanese have a couple of days off. Anyway, the bonfires can be seen from various places inside the city, so I met up with a couple of friends and was able to see two of the fires as well. The streets were crowded, as usual with these things, and the fires lost their spectacularity after half an hour or so, but it was still a strong I-live-in-Kyoto moment. Identity formation!



Two days later, there was a BBQ party in Osaka, organized by members of the tight-knit Samoan community there. Since I know one Samoan girl who's here in the same situation as me, she invited all of her friends to crash the party, and so we did. Met a bunch of new people, ate and drank to my heart's content, and even got a chance to dance to the music of a group of Osakans who occasionally perform in the park the party was at. A very summery day indeed.









From Monday to Wednesday, I was in Shizuoka with Misa, two of her friends, and Jesus. We crashed at her folks' place (they were very friendly, more than usual according to M) and went around a bit, enjoying beaches (the dunes reminded me a lot of Holland) and forests with pleasantly cool rivers, and walking around a bit in Hamamatsu. I found out yesterday that the whole of Shizuoka prefecture goes completely unmentioned in my Japan Lonely Planet, which is an indication of the fact that it's not as interesting, to most people, as much of the rest of Japan. Still, it was great to see where Misa grew up, and to see another new side of Japanese family life and a bit of the countryside life. Plus, I am always very happy when surrounded by nature, especially if I can't hear any traffic noise. The only foreigners we encountered were a Dutch(!) couple with a kid, on the first beach we went to. That was kinda weird.
























Between now and the next trip (to a beautiful onsen, with Misa, next Monday) - by the way yes, I will indeed be unable to buy more than a fridge and a stove at the time of my move, but hey, I'm having a terrific time, so why care? -, it's more of the usual: chilling with friends, going out with Misa & her friends, and, in the hours I find myself at home, gaining knowledge and energy from music, dance, science, the news, cooking, documentaries, keeping in touch with the world. All is good in the land of Y.

Music as Identity

During my whole stay here so far, I've been examining myself and the people around me to see how they define themselves (whether consciously or not) and how they come across to others (whether consciously or not). I also have discussions with friends (Japanese and non-) about the existence of a non-bodily soul (which I don't believe in) and the formation of identity. It's a theme that's been on my mind a lot for the past couple of years for sure, but this time in my life is providing me with a wonderfully interesting new light in which to view the evidence.

When I got off the plane on April 2, I wondered how my identity would change while being here. As a more practical matter, I wondered how I would come across to other people. And I was sure that I didn't want to lose touch with the identity, the life that I'd had before (as if that's possible at all - yeah, it was a major change in my life, so there you go). Since day 1, I realized that the main way in which I'm consciously trying to shape and maintain my identity is by music. Of course, that's how things were back in Holland as well, and I remember that I first wrote a list of "songs that are important to me" (sometimes adding the "why") back in late 2003, while I was traveling through Ecuador by myself.

I noticed that I've become more expressive in certain ways during the past two years as a result of focusing on expression through music and dance. I also tend to be attracted to people who have a similar sense of self-expression - in music and dance, of course, but also in other art forms or more down-to-earth things that allow expression, like cooking (unprofessionally), room decoration and clothing (though other priorities restrict my own self-expression in these latter two aspects...a reminder that the person I used to be, and who makes up a big part of my identity, is a true nerd! Awesome).

I guess that for professional musicians, or at least those who have the liberty to create the music they really want to, this is a very common issue, since all they really do is express who they are through their music - I'd love to have some discussion about this with pro musicians though, to see how conscious they are about what they're expressing. In particular, I am wondering about the sense of identity pro musicians - on the road and in the studio 300+ days per year - have. From the rare occasions I've had to speak with them, two contrasting standpoints emerged: the "I can't be bothered to deal with music outside my work - I need a break sometimes" and the "just like anyone else - grab my ipod as soon as the concert [I just performed] is over" way of doing things. Either way, they must certainly have a different attitude towards music than anyone not in their boat. The main thing that's keeping me from creating the dream of a full-fledged professional musician for myself is the fear that, compared to being an amateur musician and dancer who's having a BLAST with music in different settings and with different people, the cons outweigh the pros. We'll see, we'll see...(hell, fundamental physics is just as awesome).

Okay, my laundry's about done and I need to get cooking, so here's a list of music that's important to me right now:

• Tower of Power. Excellent for locking, great balance between mellow soul and fast funk, fun compositions.
• Chiclete de Banana. Party music if I've ever heard it. Having never been to Brazil, the abundance of this kind of music makes me think the Brazilian people have really managed to accomplish something spectacular in the ongoing human quest for how to have the best party. Plus it reminds me of Nice and Maputo, where I've had some great times with Brazilians and their music.
• Marcus Miller. Somehow the coolest sound around. Funky, street-wise arrangements with hip-hop beats and that low-end sound with the dopest attitude...add in the occasional uncommon instrument, and I cannot but think this guy has some major chilling experience.
  
• Kerri Chandler & Dennis Ferrer. Amazing fusion of African (and occasionally Brazilian) sounds with underground club electronics, resulting in some fabulous house music. My favourite dance tunes were created by these guys.
• Ozric Tentacles. A world of inspiration for my synthesizing endeavours. I love listening to their medley of rock, reggae, psychedelia and fast electronic stuff.
• Masters at Work. Would be classified with Kerri & Dennis, but these guys have a slightly more disco edge, and African is replaced by Middle- and South-American. I would recommend their Nuyorican Soul to anyone. In fact, it's speedrocketing (why does Google only give me 4 results on that word? Hmm...) up my list of favorite albums discovered this year (believe me, that number is huge), partially due to the fact that it's really an ALBUM. It's very satisfying to hear so many musicians and styles come together to create something that sounds so consistent, and I really think it attests to their producing mastery.
  
• Tool. Slightly gloomy, unforgivingly genius rock. Together with Hiromi's Martin Valihora, this drummer takes the #1 spot.
• Count Basie. Pure goodness, exciting me for my future jazz bar project with F.
  

Laundry, laundry...