WIT Life #204: Enka Sensation Jero
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I never thought I would say this, but last night I was captivated by the strains of enka. However this was not your typical enka, it was this style of Japanese music performed by none other than Pittsburgh-born singer Jero. This 30-year old celebrity in Japan learned enka thanks to his maternal Japanese grandmother. As early as five he began singing ballads to entertain her, and from this young age he had a dream of becoming an enka singer. He has achieved this success in spades, debuting with his hit single 「海雪」 (Umiyuki, or Ocean Snow) four years ago. He went on to create numerous other hits, including an original one dedicated to his mother who raised him on her own.
The event I attended took place at Japan Society and was entitled “Let’s Enka! with Jero.” It began with an interview where Jero shared how his childhood dream had became a reality, including how at one point he contemplated Read More
WIT Life #203: Super Cool Biz/Cool Share
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
As early summer heats up in Japan, the country is trying to figure out how it will satisfy its energy needs now that all 50 of its nuclear reactors have been taken offline to be checked. With expected cutbacks in electricity consumption, some supermarkets have adjusted their operating hours to open two hours early for consumers who want to shop in the cooler morning hours.
Another idea is the implementation of Super Cool Biz, building on Japan’s previous Cool Biz boom. This fashion trend was created in response to the decreased use of air conditioning in Japanese offices for the purpose of energy conservation, and enabled employees to eschew ties and jackets. However, Super Cool Biz takes it a step further and also allows them to wear things like polo and Hawaiian shirts, chino pants and sneakers. The icon on the right also suggests beating the heat with things like fans and sun umbrellas.
Building on this concept is Cool Share, an idea that took shape in Saitama. “Share” refers to Read More
WIT LIfe #202: I Wish (奇跡)
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Over the weekend I finally got to see I Wish (奇跡), the newest English release from my favorite Japanese director, Hirokazu Kore-eda (是枝裕和). This movie is set in Kyushu, and tells the story of two brothers separated due to their parents’ divorce (one up north in Fukuoka, one down south in Kagoshima). Now that all of Kyushu is connected by bullet train, the older brother had heard it said that if you are there at the moment when two shinkansen cross (in Kumamoto, where I was a JET), you can make a wish and it will come true.
The brothers (the talented Maeda siblings, pictured here with Kore-eda) come up with wishes of their own and are accompanied by friends when they make the journey for this purpose. The original Japanese title can also be translated as “miracle”, and for many of these wishes to be realized Read More
WIT Life #201: Comfort Women (慰安婦) Controversy
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
A few days ago the New York Times featured an article about a monument in Palisades Park, New Jersey, an area populated largely by Korean Americans, dedicated to comfort women. The amount is disputed, but “comfort women” (慰安婦 or ianfu) refers to the at least tens of thousands of women and girls, many Korean, who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers before and during World War II (Some counts put their numbers as high as 410,000).
The Palisades Park monument, built in 2010, is the only known tribute in the United States to the comfort women (Last year one was erected in Seoul, South Korea, in front of the Japanese Embassy). This picture shows three Korean Congressman who placed bouquets of white chrysanthemums at the stone monument last week.
According to the article, a delegation of four officials from Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party recently visited Palisades Park Mayor James Rotundo in order to urge him to get rid of the memorial. During this meeting they disputed Read More
WIT Life #200: Panama Hotel
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I’m here in Seattle wrapping up the last leg of my ACYPL interpreting trip. After recently reading Jamie Ford’s “Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet”, I was compelled to visit the Panama Hotel which plays a pivotal role in the book. Located in the International District close to the Japanese supermarket Uwajima and bookstore Kinokuniya, this hotel with a rich history is still operating today.
It contains the only remaining Japanese public bathhouse (sento) intact in the U.S. In addition, the basement where the baths are located also houses Read More
WIT Life #199: Young Japanese Politician Power
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I am currently in DC interpreting for a six-person delegation that is here on a two-week program with the American Council for Young Political Leaders (ACYPL). Group members represent both the DPJ and LDP, as well as one participant from the New Komeito Party. Our other destinations are Tennessee and Washington State, so despite their short stay my group will have the opportunity to experience different parts of the U.S.
Speaking of young politicians, last week the New York Times profiled Japan’s youngest mayor, 31-year old Naomichi Suzuki of Yubari, Hokkaido. Yubari is known for Read More
WIT Life #198: Japan’s Economic Woes
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Today’s New York Times features two article regarding Japan’s economic doldrums. The one from Martin Fackler talks about Japan’s decline as a manufacturer, and what direction the new course the country should take will be. The other by Hiroko Tabuchi discusses the fate of one of the manufacturers mentioned in Fackler’s article, Sony. Kazuo Hirai joined as the new CEO at the beginning of this month, and it remains to be seen what path he is planning to take the company on. Many commentators throughout say that Sony has failed to differentiate itself, and the article closes with the quote, “The tarnish on their brand has definitely begun.” Happy reading!
WIT Life #197: DC Sakura Matsuri, Part 2
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Today is the big parade to celebrate the centennial sakura matsuri, but unfortunately all the blooms are long gone. However, the festival goes through the end of the month, so for those who find themselves in DC there are plenty of Japan-related activities to keep you entertained. I had a chance to sample many of them this week, the first of which I’d recommend being the National Geographic Museum’s samurai exhibit running through early September.
It shares the history of how the now legendary cherry trees made their way to DC, as well as displays unique items such as swords and armor that were gifted from Read More
WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting
tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I’m down in DC to begin a new business trip, and was thrilled when I found out my assignment would coincide with the famous Sakura Matsuri. This year is extra special as it marks the 100th anniversary since the 3000+ trees were gifted from Japan to the U.S. Even the Metro gets into the spirit, as you can see with their turnstile decorations. Due to the warm weather it is doubtful that the blossoms will last until the conclusion of the festival at the end of the month, but I’m hoping to do some hanami while I’m here.
On another Japa
n-related note, today I went to see an interesting exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery entitled “Asian American Portraits of Encounter.” It features several different Asian American artists, including three Japanese. One is Satomi Shirai based in New York, the second is Shizu Saldamando based in California, and the last is Roger Shimomura based in Read More
WIT Life #195: Jiro Dreams of Sushi
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
This weekend I finally had the chance to see the much-hyped documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It made a splash at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival and had been on my radar ever since, so I was happy to see it playing at local theaters (currently at IFC Center, Lincoln Plaza Cinema and Kew Gardens Cinema). Director David Gelb is a New Yorker who has loved sushi since he was a kid, and his film faithfully follows 85-year-old sushi chef Jiro Ono, proprietor of the renowned restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro. Its humble location inside the Ginza subway station belies Read More
WIT Life #194: L’Arc en Ciel MSG Debut!
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Last night I had fun rocking out at the concert of L’Arc en Ciel, one of Japan’s most popular bands. They were the first Japanese group to perform at Madison Square Garden, and they put on an amazing show! For me it was largely natsukashii, as I discovered L’Arc (or ラルク) as an exchange student in Kyoto my first time in Japan. During the weekly karaoke outings that I used to work on my kanji, ラルク soon became a regular part of my repertoire and for a while their song Honey was my #18 (specialty or favorite).
So I was super excited when I heard ラルク front man Hyde belt out the first 「ずっと」 that begins the song, and was happy to find that I still remembered most of the lyrics. I enjoyed other old favorites like Read More
WIT Life #193: Spending Time in Ichiro-Land, aka Seattle
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I am wrapping up a business trip here in Seattle, where the Japanese influence is huge. Not only do they have great Japanese shopping centers like Uwajimaya, located in the International District area, but they have Ichiro! The man himself is not here at the moment, having headed to Japan with the Mariners to play two exhibition games against Japanese teams before opening up the Major League season in two games against the Oakland A’s. All four games will be played in Tokyo. Today’s Seattle Times features an article highlighting Read More
WIT Life #192: New York Boom in Japan
Food & Drink, Translating/Interpreting, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #192: New York Boom in Japan
WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
I am heading home after spending two glorious weeks in Japan enjoying delicious food, soakin
g in multiple onsens, meeting up with natsukashii friends and running two marathons! Needless to say I feel a bit sabishii about leaving, but I am already looking forward to my annual visit next year.
One thing I noticed more than before was an increase in advertising that utilizes the concept of “New York” to appeal to customers. In many cases this seemed to be a very loose correlation, but nonetheless effective. I first spotted the “Big America” burger being advertised at McDonalds. Pictured here, you can see that in katakana it says “Broadway Burger.” I’m not sure what qualifi
es it as such, but the size is definitely larger than your standard Japanese burger.
My next sighting was at Burger King, which is offering the NY Sundae (BK New York Style Sweets). This sundae, which comes in regular and raspberry, features crunchy French toast with ice cream on top. I don’t know what about this sundae makes it “New York Style” and didn’t have a chance to sample it, but I could see that being a delicious combination. I love how they put a mini Statue of Liberty in the middle of the product name to enhance its authenticity. 
However, I will take Japanese style sweets over New York ones any day, and certainly enjoyed my share of wagashi on a daily basis during this trip. I am always sure to leave Japan with some of its various KitKat flavors, and this time I found both green tea and cherry blossom green tea (limited edition for sakura season) at the airport. I also searched for azuki which is one of my favorites, but didn’t have any luck. I saw wasabi but opted to pass on that one…
WIT Life #191: Multiple marathons and Honolulu highlights
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Tomorrow I head to Kumamoto, my home for three years during JET, to participate in the inaugural Kumamoto Marathon which will be held next weekend. The following weekend I will go up to Tokyo to participate for the fifth time in their amazing marathon. I’m looking forward to not only the running, but catching up with natsukashii friends, eating oishii food and most of all onsen!!!
Speaking of oishii food, 
I recently enjoyed the Hawaiian version of wagashi at my favorite shop in Honolulu, Kansai Yamato. This small stall in the food court of the fantastic Ala Moana mall sells handmade mochi in funky flavors like Kona coffee, mango and Oreo as well as Read More
WIT Life #190: Air Kei’s Historic Run to Australian Quarters!
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Kudos t
o 22-year old tennis pro Kei Nishikori for being the first Japanese man in 80 years to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open! Unfortunately, once there he was vanquished in straight sets by Scot Andy Murray, but his impressive showing in his previous five-set win over France’s Jo-Wilfred Tsonga bumps his world ranking up to 20 from 26.
Nishikori, who currently lives and trains in Florida, is known as “Air Kei” for his leaping groundstrokes. I can attest to the fact that watching his play is thrilling. A few years ago I caught a match of his at the US Open that turned into a nail-biting five-setter, and was hooked.
Here’s hoping he can build on this impressive showing in Australia and have further success in 2012!
