After a Christmas and New Year break, it's not pleasant to have to return to reality. Assuming there is such a thing as reality in this Japan as opposed to the one of myth.

Debito Arudou wrote Arudou's Alien Almanac in the Japan Times which, to me, indicates how the atmosphere for non-Japanese has improved since the early-mid 2000s. Ishihara (I understand from other sources that people should focus more on what the possibly misunderstood fellow says than just his more outrageous statements), the LDP under Koizumi and others, and the media seems to have reduced their campaign to villainize all non-Japanese. Not to worry though, the media hasn't changed and there are other politicians ready to up the fight when the opportunity arises.

The Japan Times published a piece in which 3 long-term residents of Japan: a former sumo star, a foreign talent (commentator/musicologist) whom I often see on TV, and a foreign born member of the Diet give advice on how to deal with being a forever outsider in Japan. Despite the title which included the likely-to-get-you-an-ass-whuppin' phrase, Get over it*, I found the advice reasonable. Not much to argue about. Besides, there are problems for immigrants in foreign countries too. Experiencing discrimination may actually be a good thing as it can make one reflect on how minorities are treated in ones own country, should one be so shallow as to never have done so before. Moreover, even Japanese have problems in Japan.**

Speaking of Japanese having problems in Japan, an acquaintance who is living Japan to take care of her mother while her American husband works in the US, is having problems with her daughter's school. It seems the young girl is being bullied by one boy to the extent that she no longer wants to go to school. At least one incident occurred right in front of the home room teacher who did nothing. The principal has done nothing. The school has done nothing to stop it, except to try to hide it from the school board. Right now her time is almost entirely consumed trying to solve this problem and it appears (the last I heard) she is fighting alone. I don't know if there are any organizations in Japan that can effectively help and the idea of hiring an attorney just ain't gonna fly. She did refer to this December 16 Japan Times opinion piece as an example:

After some thought, I may be able to suggest a solution to the problem of bullied schoolkids and the school authorities and education boards who refuse to do anything to investigate or prevent such incidents....Japan Times

I don't want to put words in her mouth, but it seems she has little hope that the elite class so beloved by Masahiko Fujiwara will ever be able to do much other than preserve their own image.

*I realize that the title, like many newspaper headlines can be read at least two ways.

**Sarcasm alert on those three sentences---related to the article.

3:12pm: Edited to correct spelling and add **.

Chatting with the neighbor lady

About 2 months ago, an elderly lady moved in with her family about two houses down from me. I knew something was different about her, because I always see her on the street in front of her house, greeting everyone who passes by. She always has a good morning, a good afternoon, or a good evening for me and sometimes gives me friendly advice, such as "Be careful walking by the intersection, it's very dangerous." She doesn't duck away or ignore me because I am not Japanese. This sort of thing isn't very common in Tokyo. In fact, I don't believe I have ever seen anyone else like her here.

This morning as I was coming home for an early lunch, I met her again, and exchanged good mornings. But today she stopped me, crossed the street to where I was, and began by apologizing for being out on the street so often. While I considered whether or not to forgive her, she did another very un-Tokyo-like thing and began talking to me as if I were something other than a Special Person from Afar. She wasn't using her grade school English nor her half-Japanese/half-katakana English, but rattling off in regular Japanese just throwing in an occasional "wakaru?"

I'll admit, I didn't catch 100% of everything that she said, but I learned that she was outside everyday walking up and down the street for exercise. She seemed a bit proud of how far she walked, pointing to the intersection with Kanpachi-dori 2 blocks away and the one in the other direction about 1/2 a block away. In fact, she showed me 3 times.

She was ill, she said, with a bad heart, but she (perhaps un-Tokyo-like) enjoyed exercise. She had done a lot of sports when she was in school, and especially loved running. Now she was walking up and down the street to get well again.

A few minutes into the conversation, she mentioned that she was 86 years old and from Hiroshima. She had been there when the bomb was dropped killing 6 of the 9 people in her family, who as I understood it were sake brewers. Only she, her mother, and her younger sister survived. "The war was terrible for Japan," she said, and I did not disagree.

"Where is your family from," she asked. "The US," I replied. After inquiring about my age, she assured me that I was too young to remember the war. "I am 86 years old," she said.

"After the bomb [how long after I did not get] we moved to Tokyo." "Six people in my family died, and only 3 lived." "The war was terrible." "My son now teaches at Keio. Do you know Keio?"

"Yes..."

"It's a university.... I am 86 years old.... I became sick with a bad heart, so I come out here everyday for exercise. I liked to run when I was young... It's not good that I come out dressed in a robe. I'm sorry."

"Well, you'd better go, it's getting cold. I'm sorry for bothering you. Be careful of the intersection, it's dangerous."

I always remember (and value) when these types of things happen in Japan, since they are so very, very, rare. And it's almost always old people.

I wish I had brought a recorder...

Of course, I could not remember or write everything we discussed. We talked for 10-15 minutes...a record for me in this sort of encounter.

Window cleaning, Jiyugaoka. Gotta say that this year there is no doubt that fall has really arrived. Now if only tree leaves changed colors before late November/early December...