Japan's Democratic Party - new era?

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has retained Prime Minister Naoto Kan as the party leader, leaving faction heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa in the cold. This is old news. The party last week had a party meeting to test the popularity of each leader in the party, and Kan retained his winning lead, largely due to the lost credibility of Ozawa, in response to corruption links.

Just yesterday, Kan announced that he had appointed a new cabinet, which included 10 new faces among the 17 members. It is noteworthy that the new team will result in a weakening of Ozawa's power in the cabinet. It will of course mean a fresh start for Kan, and possibly the start of a new era if he can restore confidence in the party.

Refer to the Japan Times for the full story.

Recently we reported on a different path to reform in the Liberal Democratic Party. The LDP has experienced an increase of MPs migrating to new parties. This break up of old political ties is destined to create all manner of new relationships, both with the main LDP party, and perhaps even with the DPJ. This could see some of these smaller parties controlling the balance of power. It should assist the Japanese parliament find some new leadership talent.

Japan's Miss Universe candidate

Last year I surveyed the Miss Universe candidates because one really does get a sense of national values from the candidates that each countries put forward, particularly those from larger countries with more entrants. Perhaps the most disappointing candidate this year comes from Japan. I believe she got the lowest score at 1.9/5. This does not just reflect on the girl, but on the Japanese judges who assessed her to be the best candidate. In any respect, you can hear her response to questions.

Japanese man put-down

Its interesting dealing with Japanese men; though I can't say I have strictly had any relationship with any. I've shared an apartment with one, talked to heaps, but with the exception of a few old men I've met with overseas experience, I can't say I'd want to be friends with them. One Aussie girl I used to work with had a pretty cool Japanese BF. My brother recently married a Japanese girl in Japan, and I was surprised that all her brother's friends were really cool! Having been married to a Japanese girl myself at some point, this was not the first wedding I went to without some form of prejudice. Usually its older arrogant men from the countryside. But if I was to sum up the attitudes I have crossed, its the following:
1. Cultural put down: Many Japanese guys like to put down my country because we are a small population. It does like this... 'Really..you are from Australia? Oh. Kangaroo, koala..he he. Really amusing when it happens several times in the same bar.
2. Nice guy put down: This is when strangers want to do nice things for you. e.g. A Japanese person is at a vending machine before you. He decides to give you a free drink. Maybe you are thinking..nice guy. Nope, arrogant dick. He did it because generosity is a sign of superiority in Japan. Older men treat younger men & women to drinks because they are arrogantly superior. The young Japanese employees or girls just like to get free drinks and take off, unless they feel compelled to be polite. One Japanese guy told me he had to pour his bosses drinks all night, at every session of weekly Friday drinks, but he was pleased to get free drinks none the less.
3. Runnaway Dave: These are the ones that wait until they pass you before they have their snickering joke with their disabled mates.
4. Throw Up Tom: These are the guys who carry on all the time and get excessively drunk, or pretend to, and then drop up anyway just to prove they are men. When he gets older, he is likely to require a loan from his parents to pay for the damage he did to your apartment because he drank & drove, drank more and fell asleep smoking a cigarette. Oh, and you had to drive him to the hospital to sew his burnt hand back on.
5. Silent Sam: This is the type of Japanese guy who is very quiet and just wants to take-take-take. Mummer's boy to be sure. Very insular, so very hard to relate or get humour from these guys. They are generally honest though.
6. Sly Stud: Stud is the guy who charms the lady and has a lot of confidence. He is usually successful in business and plays around with married women.
7. Working Jay: Jay is a son of the company president. He feels a great sense of obligation, so he feels obliged to work as hard as his father. He eats and drinks at the bars, often by himself. He has dates organised by his mother because she is concerned he doesn't eat well, and he needs to settle down. He probably has the most tragic sense of life.
8. Prancing Pete: Pet also has wealthy parents, but Pete can't stand to be around his parents because they are so pushy about him being a real man and facing up to his responsibilities. Instead he works a part time job selling cell phones in the city, or goes abroad and works in a Japanese call centre. He is gay or close enough, which is just another element of his 'tough dad's disappointment.
9. Korean Ken: Those tough minded men which remind you of tough-minded Korean men, through whom ideas will just not permeate. Ken is this type of man that Pete wants to escape. He is often a farmer, construction worker, lumberjack or real estate agent.

Ok, so let me identify the positive experiences with Japanese men:
1. Teddybear Ben: There are those old Japanese men who are soft, gentle and friendly. Nice people, often educated, often engineers.
2. Countryfolk: I have had some very positive experiences with Japanese country people. A lot of them have not had much interaction with foreigners, so they won't speak much English, but you can have a lot of fun over a few beers.
3. Suicide Joe: This is the guy who tells you his life story, how unhappy he is, how lucky you are, and just appreciates that you spent 30 minutes talking to him.
4. Downsyndromes: These ones tend to be confined to the outskirts of the cities, I guess where its cheaper and less possibility of a drive-by. All types of weird people on trains in Japan. Never had an experience like it. They are included in the census so we include them here. Not among my friends but good to observe.
5. Tecky Ted: Ted is the guy who wishes he was an American, or might be properly be identified as one. These are the types who are the most interesting to talk to because they don't possess the collectivist identity that maligns other Japanese men. They account for the creative, conceptual genius behind Japan, and highlight the point that if you have a population of 95 milliob people, you are bound to get a few hundred thousand ones like Ted. Great for a chat, and the only typecast I can respect.
6. Bureaucrat Bob: Bob is a very rigid fellow, very shy, no chance in hell of getting a girlfriend. He wants to be a computer programmer but spends only 1 hour a day studying compared to 8 hours for a housewife. He speaks like an android and wears all his buttons up, and he runs to the station at 5am so he's not late for work. And he liked Japanese history and literature. He just loves Japan because there are rules that he can count on. He'll never leave the country unless its to find a wife in the Philippines.

Well I wish I was joking, but this is the summary of the types of men I have met in Japan. Am I missing anyone?

Japanese man's perspective on Japan

I had an interesting conversation with a Japanese man last night. It was special because I very seldom meet a Japanese man as insightful, intelligent and open. A true gentleman, and very honest. He was explaining that during WWII Japanese men studying at university were forced to enlist in the military. After the war these people had no money, and were living in very basic apartments with shared toilets, no heating, and bad drafts. It was typical for the parents to direct them into university. He wanted to make Japanese noodles. This was commonplace so its not surprising that he should begrudgingly accept his parents wishes. His account highlights the fact that it was parental expectations that their children should have an opportunity to study that many of them missed out on. I dare say many parents were living vicariously through their children, but I'm sure many other parents who didn't want their children to get a university education still wanted to cajoule their children towards prosperity because they were so poor.
He made the point that Koreans and Chinese people are so much like Japanese. I agree with that. Its particularly evident when you go to the Japanese countryside and you meet Japanese farmers who are just like Koreans. Mind you the educated elite in Korea are like city Japanese, and the same for the Chinese elite.
I disagreed with him on the next topic. He suggested that Japanese children today are obliged to go to extra-curricular activities in order to be competitive. I don't think that in itself is bad. One of Japanese strengths is that it is a highly organised society. The problem is two-fold:
1. Japanese kids are sometimes forced to do this. But often they enjoy the extra time with friends. I learned this from the daughter of my ex-GF.
2. Japanese children are given the same rot learning as western kids, just its more intense, and there is less respect for the kid's wishes, though that is changing.
3. Japanese kids are very innocent compared to Western kids. They really lack external experience. Outside of Japan is really a hostile world for them. They are so sheltered or protected. I readily saw the difference when I met 2 13yo NZ exchange students in Japan. Japanese would be inclined to talk about dolls, cute dogs, other frivilous matters, whereas the NZ'ers could have adult conversations. No wonder Japanese are perceived as being racist. Mostly I think its from intimidation and insecurity. The Japanese guy I met had no hint of racism or arrogance, maybe a little national pride, but not in an assertive sense. Only because he neglected to realise that his observations about Korean thinking was also true of Japan. He readily stood corrected. Its one of the nice qualities in Japan, mainly from the women because they don't feel the need to beat their chest. The problem I had with Japanese is the lack of ambition.

Youth Hostels in Japan

Another great way to travel around Japan on the cheap is by staying at youth hostels. My experiences with youth hostels has mostly been in other countries, eg. Canada, NZ, Australia. In fact I have only stayed at a youth hostel once in Japan and that was in Nagoya. The reason I didn't like it was because this place has a 11pm curfew, so after clubbing until 2AM in the morning, I was unable to go to bed. Instead I was forced to walk around the city for 3 hours to keep warm. I dont know why I was unaware of the curfew. Maybe such information was in Japanese or staff neglected to tell me. Can't recall.
Youth Hostels are a cheap option and I would recommend them, particularly in the smaller cities and countryside where ryokans tend to be expensive and capsule hotels are absent. See www.jyh.or.jp/english/index.html for more information. I prefer capsule hotels in the city because I love a hot bath before and after going out, and also they have the advantage of being 24 hours and they are conveniently located close to entertainment areas (bars) in the cities, so I dont need to get an expensive taxi. Capsule hotels are similarly priced to youth hostels.

I guess both options should be tried as an experience. Capsule hotels are really only suitable for single men. There are a few I believe that cater to women, but they are rare. There are no private baths to my knowledge, so be prepared to flaunt you penis. I'm sure you'll put on a great show. The towels don't offer much shelter if you are not well endowed. But rest assured there will not be any Japanese walking around laughing at you in any language you understand. :)

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Travelling in Japan

The best advice I can give you if you want to travel around Japan is not to live there. The Japanese government for years has been fighting the perception that their country is an expensive place to live and travel. As a result they have for many years been offering foreign tourists a very attractive concession pass for travel on Japan Rail's network. The Japan Rail pass is only available to foreigners travelling on a tourist visa, so my advice is finish any work visa before you travel around Japan. Thus if you are based in Japan, you are better off to see neighbouring countries. I would cancel your working visa so that you can freely travel back (from say Pusan or Seoul, Korea) with a Japan Rail pass & tourist visa. Its a requirement that you purchase the visa outside the country.
My strategy was to get a pass for 1 or two weeks and to travel as much as possible. I would planeach trip at night using www.hyperdia.com, trying to maximise the number of lines I could travel on, but always attempting to return to a large city by nightfall so I could find cheaper accommodation. In the larger cities (Tokyo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka) I knew I could find capsule hotels for Y3500-4500/night, often with a concession attached to the 2nd night. They obliged when I asked if I could store my large locked case in their backoffice.
In the smaller regional cities on the west coast I was having to mostly stay in business hotels, though they were not so bad at around Y4500-5000. Occasionally I would come across an inn which was cheaper. The trick is to make use of the shinkansen fast trains to get to remote outposts before you get local trains. If I left Tokyo on the first train I might expect to be in Fukushima by 8:30AM, so I can get a local train inland, maybe spending just one night in the mountains or on the west coast. I found that the train timetables in the alpine areas were not so helpful if you were transferring to another line. You need to plan the trip before you head inland. The staff were always very helpful telling me the connections. Sometimes (say around Miyoshi, near Okayama), a line might just have 2 or 3 trains a day. This poses a slight inconvenience since you can always take a different line as I often did. On occasion the train services in remote areas has been replaced by buses.
I have used a Japan Rail Pass 4 times now - the standard pass 3 times (7 & 14 day passes) and the 5-day flexible pass (gives you 5 days in a month) offered by JR East. Each has its merits. The standard pass suits people in Japan with a fixed agenda, the 5-day pass suits people who want to travel out on variable occasions, or who might want to use it on weekends.
For more info on the Japan Rail pass - see my Global Rail Travel blog.