さすが曖昧な日本語だ！

言語の微妙な違い！だれにこまらせていないの？　＞＿＜

"あっ"と"えっ"と、どちのほうが驚く？　“えっ”だよ！知らなかった意味があるんだ。

（一方、例：あっ！携帯を忘れちゃった！）

“たくさん”と“いっぱい”と、どちのほうがおおい？“いっぱい″は満たすっていう意味だけど、“たくさん”のほうは無限という意味があるので、“たくさん”のほうがおおいだよ！分からなかったでしょう！

＜えっ！たくさん驚きがあるね！＞

Memoirs of a Geisha

Much of the appeal this book had for me was the thought that I was reading through pages taken from the life of a real geisha, Sayuri. Reading the book made me feel as if I was treading the path she had once taken and that I was revisiting the glitzy Gion in Kyoto back in early 20^th century with the “legendary” geisha as she recounts her story, in what I would imagine to be a tone that is gentle and elegant, thus befitting the image of a geisha in my mind, but also perhaps one that hints of world-weariness; yet at the same time, there might be an overlay of excitement in revealing her life story to the masses, making it seem as though Sayuri was once again catapulted into limelight.

You can imagine my disappointment when I realised that the book is but a work of fiction. In my research, I realised that I was far from being the only one who was misled. Apparently, what is misleading is the “translator’s note” at the beginning of the book. It makes it seem as though the book is a biography that reveals the secret life of a geisha. I did notice that the “translator’s” name is different from that of the author, but I did not stop to think that the note was merely a literary device used to involve the reader. My doubts only surfaced when I got to the end of the book, where the author states that the whole story about Sayuri is fabricated, although the “facts” of the lifestyle pertaining to geishas are real. The interesting thing is that, when I told my American colleague (he read the book long ago) about this, he simply refused to believe that the story is fabricated, and from what he said, you can be sure that he will be one of those ardent fans of Sayuri, eagerly buying tickets when the movie hits theatres eventually, having been passed from one director to another for a pretty decent length of time already.

After recovering from the momentary disappointment, I decided that the book no longer enthralled me due to the “authenticity” of the account, but that it only continues to impress me due to the superb writing in which the facts are presented through the compelling portrayals of the ravishing but evil Hatsumomo, the not-as-ravishing but still compellingly attractive and exceedingly successful Mameha, and of course, Nitta Sayuri herself, as she metamorphosed from a simple village girl to a troubled slave girl who couldn’t fathom how her predicament had turned out to be so different from what she imagined it to be. Of course, the change in fortunes was only to be more dramatic when she became a geisha, as rich and powerful men came to feature prominently in her life, in peace and in war. I appreciate the Golden’s writing especially because he is no native Japanese speaker, but yet, the idioms and expressions he uses sounded so much like what a competent Japanese speaker of English would use. And overall, his writing is detailed and careful, deliberate and natural. Especially due to the subtleties he conveys in his writing, it was all the more convincing that those were the words of a real geisha. Perhaps, indeed, many of them could have been, as he did talk to Iwasaki Mineko, (again) a legendary retired geisha for research purposes. And when I tried to establish certain links between what is said in the book and what it is in real life, there do seem to be parallels, although the author could have deliberately created such historical “coincidences”.

Perhaps it is just as well that the story is fictional. As a friend put it, you can’t make it as interesting if you only stick to facts. Look at Iwasaki Mineko’s “Geisha, a Life”, the reaction to Golden’s “betrayal” of the anonymity promise and “lopsided” portrayal of geishas that results in the furtherance of the mixup between prostitutes and geishas. That is supposed to be more “true” and “accurate” compared to “Memoirs”. But how many have read it, or even heard of it? It is an irony, but while most of us want to read something “real”, we don’t often find the “real” thing entertaining enough. Over-romanticizations can be irritating but understated writing isn’t exactly gonna bring in the bucks! One can be sure that when the movie version is released (with an almost all-Chinese cast playing the roles of the main geisha characters (!!!)), there will be a barrage of complaints about inaccuracies and perpetuations of untruths; but at the end of the day, it is just what it is, a movie - not even a film.

歌舞伎町 - 完结篇

Now, it’s time for a continuation of the story on Kabuki-cho.

After my companion headed for the subway, I continued to roam around on my own. It didn’t take long before I saw how certain people started viewing me differently, and as a result, I started viewing the surroundings somewhat differently too. It was as if Kabuki-cho had taken off her alluringly seductive mask, only to reveal the dirt and grime that had been said to be there, but had lain undetected until now. If you are male and are strolling along the streets of Kabuki-cho with a girl, you could very well be just “looking around”. But if you are male and are walking alone along the colourful but dark, and lively but gloomy alleys of Kabuki-cho, you are probably there for just one reason.

Sure enough, pimps came up to me speaking various languages and started soliciting like starved wolves yearning for the last piece of meat. Well-trained they are in identifying my “foreignness”. This is my third time in Japan, and I must say that it is very rare for anyone to identify me as non-Japanese visually. I don’t think I look typically Japanese at all; just that if you are in Japan where “everyone” looks East Asian, people don’t really bother to stop and think whether you are non-Japanese. On occasion, I’ve met Singaporean Japanese wannabes (I ‘m ashamed of you guys really, coz I have hardly come across another East Asian who is as lost in the “wannabe” spirit as much as some of you are) who are just so exhilarated when a Japanese mistakes them as Japanese IN JAPAN. To them, it is testimony to their success in imitating the hairstyle, hair colour or dressing of Japanese. They don’t seem to realise that Japanese, with their already low level of exposure to foreigners, simply do not stop to think whether another yellow-skinned person is Japanese or not IN JAPAN. But anyway, I might just continue with my cynicism for these people in another entry. For now, I just want to say that I was impressed that the pimps – be it Chinese or African-American (not that many of them, but they were there anyway) – could pick out the fact that I wasn’t Japanese. I could tell that from the fact that they approached me in either Mandarin or English. Only when I did not respond, did they start using English. The level of “internationalization” here reminded me once again that what I was seeing was obviously not just a reflection of a perverted nation (indeed, fans of Japanese porn often say that Japanese people are perverted in that sense, but I wonder what that makes of people who enjoy watching them) but a perverted world.

As I walked into other alleys, I saw several video stores selling nothing but pornography. The way in which people walked in and out of the stores made them look like they were just visiting any normal store. The way they rummaged through the video covers made them look like they were just browsing through books. (Yes, I entered the stores to explore, but I assure you that I didn’t buy anything!! *anxious look*) I’ve seen similar stuff in Australia too, and I am sure such stores can exist in most places outside of Singapore, but the collections in these stores were just overwhelming! You basically have about 3 storeys for this particular store, with each store specialising in a particular genre. If I remember correctly, one floor specialises in bdsm, while another in elderly porn and something else etc. Other than the regular pornographic stores, there were also video stores for glbts. It’s interesting that the bulk of gay videos feature effeminate pretty boys, instead of macho hunks with bulging biceps. Maybe it stems from a preconceived notion about glbts that was misguided in the first place.

Other than the earthy depravity, one other thing that struck me was the sight of the old men (and some women) sleeping along the pavements and in the open spaces in Kabuki-cho (or perhaps, an area near Kabuki-cho; don’t really know where it all begins and ends). Just one street away, people were dining in restaurants and having expensive beers in bars. But on this particular street, I saw homeless, elderly people sleeping in public. Such difference in the fortunes of these people! Earlier, I also saw the remnants of the “cardboard families” in areas near the Shinjuku station. I am so glad that Singapore, despite it being 100 percent urbanized, does not have such problems as homeless sleeping in public. I was told by some that there are such people, but the government rids them from the streets. I am not sure how true this is. Anyone who has information on this, post it in the comments section, ok? But in the very least, at that very moment, I felt a little sick seeing these people and was glad that it isn’t a common sight in Singapore as it is here. The last time I came to Tokyo, I saw some homeless people in Ueno Park too. However, it wasn’t as bad, partly because it was daytime when I saw them, I’d guess. But seeing these old folks lying on hard concrete around midnight, having no choice but to sleep through the loud music blasting through the speakers and to endure the flashing lights from the mammoth screen – that just made it a little sad to watch.

Other interesting experiences on this visit include the capsule hotel and the beautiful sights of Yokohama. I might have been lucky but the capsule hotel really isn’t as bad as what my colleagues made it sound to be! It might have felt like a mortuary all right, but the bathing facilities (open bath) and the facilities (radio, TV, alarm clock, mattress, pillow, blanket (what is the generic term for these sleeping stuff?) etc) were really beyond reproach for the kind of price that one pays.

As for Yokohama, I visited Minato Mirai and I must say that the buildings were ugly but charming. A paradox, it may seem, but really, I would hardly find those buildings with the weird shapes cut out of them beautiful. But at the same time, they did look futuristic, the effect that the builders had wanted to achieve; and there was a strange, inexpressible charm about them that made me want to look at them a few times more. As for Chinatown (THE place to visit in Yokohama), I didn’t have enough time to look around that much, but once again, I observed that people could tell that I was non-Japanese just by looking at me, and that was interesting. (Japanese wannabes: this time, the Japanese in Chinatown were also plainly dressed like me, so, let your fantasies burn away!) The shops were a little too narrowly built for my liking, but hey, I imagine this to be a more realistic sight of real Chinatowns! The one in Singapore is just too contrived and … well-planned.

a short article I wrote for a local newsletter..

SINGAPORE: The Lion City

Legend has it that once upon a time, a prince called Sang Nila Utama spotted a magnificent beast when he landed on the sandy white shores of an island then known as Temasek. He was told that the beast was a lion, and when he came to rule the island eventually, he renamed Temasek “Singapura”. The name “Singapura” is derived from the Malay word “singa” (lion) and the Sanskrit word “pura” (city). This was how Singapore got her name and it is also the reason why it is sometimes referred to as the “Lion City”.

Singapore is found at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. We are neighbours to Muslim countries, namely Malaysia and Indonesia. Sheltered from the seas by large land masses such as the islands of Java and Sumatra, Singapore is unaffected by disasters like tsunamis. In fact, Singapore is free from all natural disasters and it is a safe and sunny island/ city all year round.

The land area of this tropical city-state stands at a paltry 692.7 km². This makes it to be just about half the size of Iwaki City (1,231.13 km²). However, we house a population of 4,425,720 and yet remain free of congestion, a serious problem in many big cities.

Singaporeans mainly belong to one of the three major ethnic groups: Chinese, Malay and Indian. People of all ethnic and religious backgrounds live side by side with each other. Such integration promotes understanding of other cultures, including the festivals and cuisines that are associated with each ethnic and religious group.

All three ethnic groups have generally retained the use of their respective official mother tongues. The official mother tongue for Chinese Singaporeans is Mandarin. For Malay and Indian Singaporeans, it is Malay and Tamil respectively. English is the language of administration and medium of instruction. Everyone has to study English and one other official language in school. Due to the extremely successful language policies of the government, language habits of Singaporeans have changed to the point where it is no longer uncommon to have English spoken as a home language. Singaporeans are now generally known to be bilingual. In fact, it is probably one of the very few Asian countries in the world with English as the dominant language.

The common use of English and the portrayal of Singapore as a multi-cultural and cosmopolitan city-state have helped make tourism a vibrant industry. Tourist attractions are just too many to name but it is probably worth mentioning that Night Safari is easily the favourite among Japanese tourists. Night Safari comprises a 40-hectare jungle reserve and it consists of over 1200 nocturnal animals that come from various regions in the world. Sentosa, an island just minutes away from the mainland of Singapore, also boasts of many attractions such as the clean beaches and calm sea, one of Southeast Asia’s best aquariums called the Underwater World and, of course, the Merlion, something that has come to be known as a symbol of Singapore internationally. Visitors to Singapore are also encouraged to make time for Orchard Road, the shopper’s paradise in the city.

So, this is Singapore in brief. As the Chinese saying goes, “travelling a thousand miles beats reading a thousand books”. The best way to know Singapore is to experience it for yourself. Have fun!

tape rolling...

ALAS! The first half of the night’s outing at Kabuki-cho was incredibly disappointing. Yes, the punksters were there… the dodgy people parading in front of the seedy shops were there… BUT there was no yakuza, no mafia, and there were only what seemed like prostitutes but we didn’t even know that for sure. Well, in any case, the young people there (students, working adults etc) make the trendiest Singaporeans look like nerds next to them. Yes, in case there was any room for doubt, I did momentarily feel like a misfit in the midst of a make-believe world that held just too much glamour for me. But the thirst for adventure that night drowned out the discomfort quickly and all I noticed from then on was just how attractive all these people were. I know how the young people in Singapore rave about the good looks of Japanese idols and how kawaii Japanese girls are, but seeing these armies of beautiful people marching around was just a tad overwhelming. I do not exaggerate when I say that a great many of these people can easily come across as being better looking than the Japanese stars we see on TV and magazines. There were so many good-looking people that it was not even funny anymore.

I’m reading “Memoirs of a Geisha” at the moment. In her narration, Sayuri (the protagonist) shows how crucial looking good is to a geisha. It doesn’t matter that when she wakes up, she is just like any other woman: greasy face, untidy hair, plausibly irritable and all. But in front of her audience, she’s always glamorous and faultlessly beautiful; the meaning of “beautiful” in those days (little has changed though) embodying the suggestion of dolling up and dressing to kill (to the point of looking grossly different from the person who wakes up in the morning). Walking along the streets of Kabuki-cho made me feel like I was watching a live fashion show. For that matter, the people walking past looked like they were consciously putting up a show as well, what with the cool hairstyle, heavy makeup (sometimes even for guys), trendier-than-thou clothes and an attitude and walk that screamed for attention, only that everyone else was usually too busy attracting attention themselves to notice. I (and maybe my companion) was probably the only real audience to these “performers”.

All of a sudden, it dawned upon me how much this society values good looks and as a result, how easily temptations can overwhelm the people in it, since they have bought into the idea that good looks are paramount and continue to perpetuate this belief by doing a terrific job living up to it. The presence of all these gorgeous people and the licentious theme the place reeks of brings to mind the strength of the temptations and the weakness of the soul. Naturally, it is not a sin to dress up; but the excessive pursuit for good looks with the implied motive of carnal pleasure cheapens beauty and makes relationships superficial, or even transactionary. This, was what I felt beyond the earthy admiration for the armies of dolls marching past. It seemed like they were almost aimless in their walk, just that everyone else already had a goal in mind, so they might as well just take the same path too. But, nobody knows what for. And just as it is with so many other things, this little corner of Japan doesn’t tell a unique tale. It could very well be a reflection of the world at large; a world that affords its people the luxury to indulge in such puerile pleasures.

first stop: kabuki-cho

To those in the know, the mere mention of “Kabuki-cho” conjures images of the Japanese yakuza, the Chinese mafia, and the infamous licentiousness for which she has earned her place as the main red-light district in Tokyo. For me, her reputation certainly precedes her, given the numerous warnings that we were to keep away from that place during the JET Tokyo orientation at all costs. This, however, was the place that I chose to seek accommodation during this particular visit to Tokyo.

It was amazing how easy it was for me to make the decision of staying at a capsule hotel in Kabuki-cho, considering the foreknowledge of what sort of place that is. Just about 2 months ago, I had never even heard of Kabuki-cho. In fact, had I not been told otherwise, I would have thought that Kabuki-cho was a little town thriving on performing arts, in particular, Kabuki, a traditional Japanese art form. Indeed, Kabuki-cho was so named because of one man’s ambition to turn it into an artsy Kabuki centre. Fortunately or unfortunately, the trade of the flesh triumphed alongside other shady businesses that haunt the alleys of Kabuki-cho today.

Bearing all its notoriety in mind, I told myself repeatedly that I had to leave Yokohama early, as it was probably wiser for a first-timer like me to reach Kabuki-cho (in Shinjuku) before it got dark (it gets pitch dark at about 6.30 pm in autumn), so that I could get my bearings before things got too “complex”. But the futuristic Minato Mirai (along with the roller coaster ride!) and colourful Chinatown in Yokohama kept me and by the time I got out of the Shinjuku station, bright flashy neon lights and shimmering billboards have already replaced the last rays of sunshine. While I was still in the subway, a friend already waiting at an exit of the station sent me a text message, saying that the place was “full of weird people”. As it turned out, spiffy young men and women were crowding the exit of the station and my friend had earlier seen guys approaching girls for what seemed like sexual requests. That gave us a clue as to what to expect when we reach Kabuki-cho itself.