Nagoya Auto Trend 2009

Nagoya Auto Trend 2009
Once again the annual Auto Trend show was held over March 6th,7th and 8th at the Port Messe Centre near Nagoya Port.Below you can see a Datsun sportscar that featured in the Datsun Sports Car Club of Japan stand.













Two of the many girls that attracted the camera toting hordes.Not sure which company or products they were promoting.There were numerous companies that had displays of their products including mirror finish mufflers,tv and dvd kits for your car,stereo systems and custom built kits.There were also companies showing off their paint and lacquer finishes.


















Not only four wheeled vehicles were on display.There were three wheel motor trikes and custom built scooters and motorcycles like the one below with its own customised paint job.























Some more models posing beside some upmarket foreign cars that had been given a sporty look with carbon protectors and over fenders.It seems theres a coorelation between the size and type of cameras and the amount of attention one receives from the models.Last year I only had a small pocket digital camera.This year armed with an admittedly level entry SLR digital camera I seemed to have more success.Or maybe I happened to be in the right place at the right time.























There didnt appear just from looking to be a noticeable absence of companies or even smaller crowds than last year which is surprising given the current state of the car industry here in Japan and the Aichi region in particular.But then the locals are known to be fond of their cars.
The shot below shows a custom built truck.Im just not sure how you get into it.Presumably the purchaser receives a free stepladder to enable access to the vehicle.

KitKats...Going Postal

Surprisingly I havent seen these at my local post office.Despite the fact that the pack can be mailed.On the reverse side there is space for a stamp and room to put the name and address of both the receiver and sender.The pack contains four regular single stick kitkats so apart from the packaging the contents are fairly unremarkable.

Now Its Personal

The icy winds of the current economic climate reached me last week with the arrival of two contract renewal offers.
I need to put them into perspective to see what they mean.
Currently as you see below I'm on a salary of 325,000 yen a month.Five days and forty hours a week.Well above the average salary being offered nowadays.However you must factor in that I've been here a while and got some increments.Im fully aware that the economic circumstances now are not good.Some students I instruct are having to do without over-time and even in some cases have gone to a four day working week.
A friend had done a spreadsheet taking into account exhange rates and possible salary changes.My current salary and details are below.













So to the two new contract offers.The first was a four day on,three day off contract with a base rate of 168,000 yen.Topped up with regional and shift allowance it came to the grand total of 226,000 yen a month.
The second contract offers 3 full days and 2 half days a total of 5 days or 34 hours a week as opposed to my current 40 hours.Obviously the base rate(186,320 yen) is lower than Id predicted nor had I factored in a loss of employment hours.These reductions were explained in terms of the poor business situation.
While the regularity allowance has been reduced there is something called a skill allowance included in the new salary structure.
Its also worth noting that there are 37 and 40 hour contracts available but I wasnt offered one.

















The second new contract offer means that Ive lost working hours and around at least 80,000 yen a month.I know I should be grateful.I at least received a contract renewal.On the other hand you have to bear in mind that the salary is less than what I received when I first arrived here and that there are other jobs available offering more in terms of conditions and salary.Hardly a great incentive to remain either in the job or Japan given the reduced economic conditions and the increased competition for the decreasing number of lower paying jobs available.

Book Review..Mort.

Mort .Terry Pratchett.Corgi Books.1987.315 pages.

As with William Gibson,I was aware of Terry Pratchett and his Discworld novels but never heard or read any of them.
Once again thanks to the BBC Comedy 7 channel I was able to listen to a few of the abridged Discworld novels last month.There was a short Terry Pratchett season during which Mort,Wyrd Sisters,Guards!Guards! and Small Gods were read.
I found Mort a very entertaining listen and bought the book after the readings finished.As I expected the book has more detail,twists and turns than time allowed for on the radio.
The story centers on Mort,a young farm lad,who becomes Death's apprentice.There are lots of bad jokes,adventures and fun with the English language.As an example you only have to look at the boys name to see he's eminently suited to such work.Matters such as death and reincarnation were lightly touched on leaving me to ponder about them later.
I also enjoyed the Wyrd Sisters,Guards!Guards! and Small Gods readings.The "Guards" readings were usually prefaced with the announcement that listeners should be aware of the "fruity" language in the episode to follow.Not really fruity more bawdy and hardly offensive given what one hears on the streets or reads.
I found the Small Gods story a little deeper than the Wryd Sisters,(a nod to Shakespeares witches)with its story underpinned by an examination of religious issues such as the need for gods,faith and religion.
While all the DiscWorld books can be read as stand-alone,independent books there is a sequence in which the books can be read.Thus Mort is the start of one series,Guards!Guards! another and the Wryd Sisters and Small Gods likewise parts of other series which sometimes overlap or run parallel with the other books.
The easiest way to work out how you want to approach the books is to google and search for one of the numerous pages and guides such as the following link below..
www.scribd.com/doc/3229035/The-Discworld-Reading-Order-Guide-15

So if you like fantasy writing that doesnt at times seem that far from reality with a mix of intelligent,thoughtful irony then Id recommend the Discworld series.

Your's Army World ??

Apart from the odd grammar Im also at a loss as to what happens within the walls of this otherwise nondescript building near Kanayama in Nagoya.The poles outside the building also bear signs with the same name.

KitKats..White and Yellow Peach mini pack

Just in time for the Spring comes this mini pack of white peach and yellow peach mini kitkat bars.Interestingly my friends and I tried a blindfold test and couldnt always tell which peach flavour we were nibbling on.On a positive note they smell rather more fruity and less artifical than other types.

Book Review...Pattern Recognition

Pattern Recognition.William Gibson.2003.Berkley Publishing.367pages.























About six months ago I stumbled across the BBC Comedy 7 website.It plays a selection of old and new comedy series such as The Goons as well as dramas and serialised book readings.Well worth listening to.Theres usually at least one show or reading that catches my attention during the week.
In recent months Ive listened to a variety of readings including "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson and "Jaws" by Peter Benchley.Both books have been adapted and made into movies.Its interesting to listen and compare how the books stand up against the movies.Certainly the latest"I Am Legend" movie with Will Smith is a pale imitation of the novel.
Although most of the book readings are somewhat abridged they give you a good idea of what to expect should you want to go out and purchase the original hard copy.
My interest was piqued late last month and I purchased a copy of "Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson after hearing the abridged version.
Im not a big fan of science fiction and didnt like the earlier reading of his novel "Burning Chrome".I just couldnt connect to the computer jargon or what seemed to me the unsympathetic protaganists.I also found myself pushing the pause button while I tried to make sense of his overly long "Woolfish" sentences.

While I also had similar problems in listening to "Pattern Recogntion" in terms of its grammar,I found it easier to follow.So I persevered.This may have been due to the fact that the story is set in the present rather than the future so the book is more thriller rather science fiction.Or due to the fact that the radio adaptation was read by a woman.Or that the main character is a woman.























As to the book itself "Pattern Recognition" deals with a number of themes including history,globalisation,commerce versus art and its creation.It also examines our natural wont to clarify and organise events hence the title of the novel.
I found the idea of what history is and what it means intriguing.I was also reading "The Black Swan..The Impact of the Highly Improbable"(Penguin Books 2007) by Nassim Taleb at the same time and trying to square off and understand his ideas on random events and history.
Taleb writes"History and societies do not crawl.They make jumps.They go from fracture to fracture,with a few vibrations in between.Yet we(and historians)like to believe in the predictable,small incremental progression."(pg 11).

The main storyline of the novel revolves around the efforts of the principal character,Cayce Pollard,to find the origin of video clips or"footage"that have taken the Internet by storm.As a back story she is also trying to piece together the events that led to her fathers disappearance on September 11,2001.Her job as a "coolhunter" who is employed to spot the latest trends and fashions lets the author introduce ideas on such things as brand awareness,labels and globalisation while Cayce tracks down the "footage" in London,Tokyo and finally Russia.
While I found at times the over elaborate description of products and the constant name dropping of brands annoying you cant deny the effort that is displayed.Its not enough to describe a lamp as a lamp.Its an Italian floor lamp with a switch that makes a different click.(pg 9).
Then again he can sum up why a relationship doesnt work in a few words.
"Their boy-girl Lego doesnt click,he would say".(p2).The description reminded me of the Lego people on the cover of Douglas Couplands JPod book and I thought it would be a phrase he'd probably use.Gibson credits Coupland with his insights into Tokyo at the back of the book.Incidentally both authors live in Vancouver,Canada.















Apart from his descriptive ability I also liked the attention and time spent on minor characters.They seemed fleshed out and rounded.
I swear Ive met people like Taki,the extreme example of Japanese geek culture.."He blinks earnestly,through dandruffed-dusted lenses..."pg153.
While I felt the conclusion of the story was a little empty and drawn out considering what proceeded it,the effort getting to that point was more than worth it.I'll certainly read more of his work if he continues to write in a similar style and about the near present.Recommended.

Friday Flash..Valentines Day 09

Once again the shelves of convenience stores,department stores and supermarkets are loaded with chocolate confectionery prior to Valentines Day this Saturday.Because it falls on a Saturday as opposed to a regular working week day there is less need to buy so-called "giri" or duty chocolate for ones colleagues.
According to various news reports and surveys despite the economic downturn chocolate sales dont seem to be suffering.
Above you can see a couple of Hello Kitty bags on sale for Valentines Day.

Andrew Wyeth:Emotion and Creation

Currently on show at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art on the 10th floor in Sakae,Nagoya is an exhibition by Andrew Wyeth entitled Emotion and Creation.
I knew little about this American painter except for his well known painting "Christina's World" and the fact that he died January 16th aged 91.The exhibition provided me with the chance to learn a little more about the man and his works.

There are some 150 pieces on display that range from preliminary pen and paper studies and sketches to watercolours and tempera paintings which are the end product of these earlier studies and sketches.
Its interesting to see the detail in the early sketches such as the crab in Flint or the studies of hands,hair and lanterns in some of the other preparatory sketches and then see the progression and changes in the final pieces.You could read the notes he wrote in some of the sketches referring to such things as shading,dust in the water of buckets or colours to be used in the final works.

The exhibition was also refreshing for me being so different to the Impressionist exhibitions Ive seen recently.
Not only are the styles different..Impressionism versus Realist regionalism but so are the medium.While oil paints are part and parcel of the Impressionists apparently Wyeth used mainly pen,pencil,water colours and tempera.
Wyeth drew on his local environment with many scenes of rural life and used neighbours as subjects of his portraits.
The colours in Wyeths paintings are muted and understated.Many of the pictures in the exhibition are of snowy winter scenes.They convey a sense of desolate isolation and melancholy.The houses and trees stand out like rocks in a hostile environment.
There are 13 tempera paintings included in this collection.Egg tempera in contrast to oil paints has a smooth matte,dull,no gloss finish.I was surprised how much detail and how delicate some of the features in tempera pieces were.With the portraits a small speck of white in the eyeballs somehow gives it animation while small flecks of white in one scene do look like snow flurries suspended in midair.Very subtle compared to the excesses of Impressionist artists such as Signac who rendered paintings in luminous blues and yellows and greens.

Mention must be made also of the paintings frames.Some looked like they were weathered and old,grey,bleached wood taken from fence posts and so complimented and added to the paintings.I presume this was the intention and in the case of the German helmet filled with pine cones was very effective.

The exhibition has helpful notes in English under the Japanese ones which provide information on the painter and the works among other things.
I'd recommend visiting this exhibition,not only to gain an insight into how a painters creative process works but also to remind oneself Impressionism and oil paints arent the only way to go.
The exhibition ends March 8th,closed Mondays and admission is 1200yen for adults.

Rainbow Rolls and Other Treats

A couple of recent food purchases.The rainbow rolls below contain avocado and cream cheese among other ingredients.














This lunchbox contains a small green salad on the left hand side.On the right are some spicy chicken knuckles while above these are three salmon rolls containing cream cheese and lettuce.

Friday Flash...Early Spring Flowers

The traditional start of Spring was marked on February 3.Setsubun which translates as "a division of the seasons" is the day before "risshun" which is the first day of Spring.This year risshun fell on Tuesday and as I was working I didnt get to the traditional bean throwing ceremony as I did last year.
Although its still cold at the moment there are the odd signs of Spring appearing as in the photo above.

Yamachan Restaurant Chain

Yamachan is a restaurant chain in Nagoya.There are three such restaurants in close proximity to each other behind the JR Kanayama Station.
By the entrance you can see the company logo a half-man/half bird-like creature with feathers and avian like feet.It also adorns many of the plates and the menu.
The restaurant has the usual things on the menu you'd expect such as potato fries or fried potato and various noddle dishes.


















Also on the menu are examples of typical Nagoya fare such as misokushikatsu (below) which is breaded and deep fried pork dipped in miso sauce.Its a bit of an acquired taste being somewhat chewy and some people find the miso sauce a little overpowering and strong.

















The signature dish of the chain though is tebasaki or grilled seasoned,spicy chicken wings.
A local breed of chicken,the Nagoya kochin, is used to produce this crisp,crunchy fare.You can see an example in the shot below.



















The photo below shows the picture menu which contains photos of the dishes available.The picture menu is useful if you lack sufficent Japanese when ordering dishes.As the front page helpfully suggests you can just point to the dishes if you are language challenged.The menu also provides entertainment while you await your order.There are numerous spelling and grammar mistakes such as "you can also"choise" and the word "plane" instead of plain.
Yamachan provides reasonable food at a reasonable price while also giving locals and visitors alike a chance to eat some of the areas distinct fare.

Friday Flash...Still More KitKats

None of the three KitKat flavours Ive posted here are new to me.Its really just a case of "old wine in new bottles".The packaging is new or in the case of the blueberry and strawberry kitkats available in a bigger number.


















Above you can see the blueberry kitkats and its contents.Below you can see a new designed lemon flavoured kitkat box specially in time for Valentines Day.
The Valentines box is designed so you can write a message to the recipient.I just wonder why the lemon flavour was chosen instead of one that conveys a sweeter image for this occasion.

Show me the Monet

Claude Monet..Impression,Sunrise..

Currently showing at the Nagoya City Art Museum until February 8th is an exhibition entitled Claude Monet..Impression,Sunrise.To celebrate 150 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and France the Nagoya City Art Museum has on display Monets painting "Impression,Sunrise" from the Musee Marmottan in Paris which gave rise to the term "Impressionism".
An art critic of the time,Louis Leroy on viewing the painting at an exhibition in 1874 branded all pictures that "focused on shimmering water and flooding light "Impressionism" to mock them".(Art for Dummies pg 152.)
The term had been intended as a negative description not only of one picture on display but a central aspect of the style in general.


In fact as the introduction notes at the gallery make clear and what I tend to forget is that Monet and other painters of this era were regarded as revolutionaries.
What now seems fairly tame and the stuff of chocolate box lids,parasols and cards was seen as forming an opposition to the conservative art world.
Artists such as Monet,Renoir,Degas,Sisley and Pissarro had to organise their own exhibitions as they were excluded from the annual ones held by the French Academy of Art.(Impressionism..Karin H. Grimme p6).


As to the exhibition itself there are 35 paintings in total on display.The ground floor has a selection of works by Monets contemporaries such as Sisley,Cezanne and Pissaro.In total there are 17 works downstairs.Pride of place is taken by Monets Impression:Sunrise, a delicate harbour scene of boats at dawn complete with an orange sun and shimmering light.The painting is accompanied with its own bored looking security guard.
On the second floor there are 18 paintings by Monet.As with the paintings downstairs with the exception of Impression:Sunrise all seem to have come from various Japanese institutions and companies.I noted that the Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts,Asahi Breweries and the Bridgestone Museum of Art all had contributed some Monet works to this exhibition.
My attention was caught by a painting of Charing Cross Bridge,one of a series Monet painted while another colourful one depicting a boat at low tide on loan from the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum also stood out.
While there are only 35 paintings in total on display this lack of quantity doesnt necessairly mean a lack of quality.I hadnt seen the majority of the Monet works on display and it was interesting to see the range available within Japan.
I presume most of the works had been purchased during the so-called bubble era and wondered if any would be sold given the current economic situation.

I also wondered why all the works were under glass.Id previously seen Impression:Sunrise in Paris at the Musee Marmottan.As I recall then it wasnt under glass and one could also get closer to it.With the paintings sealed behind glass it seems to me that the paintings are "trapped" as it were.The glass seems to nullify the effect of the raised oil paint and the patterns and textures the artist produces.
The almost 3 dimensional effect Monet produces in his waterlilly paintings is all but lost behind the glare and reflection of the glass.

To sum up then,its worth a visit to see some less well known Monet works and compare them with the other Impressionist painters on display.
The exhibition runs through to Feb 8th.Admission is 1,300 yen for adults and its closed on Mondays.

Best American Short Stories 2008

The Best American Short Stories 2008
Editor..Salman Rushdie
Series Editor..Heidi Pitlor. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Meh.Disappointing.And then some.I struggled to finish all the stories in this volume selected by guest editor Salman Rushdie.
Nothing stood out.One story bore me.Steven Millhauser's 29 page diary like marathon failed to capture my interest.In the contributors notes at the back he writes of the origin.."an idle thought,of no particular interest in itself".Unfortunately the same could be said of this piece.

Rushdie notes in his introduction that many short stories today have "that flat polished sameness of tone".Unhappily there are many examples of this within this tome.What Rushdie says he "expected and perhaps feared:a widespread humorless bloodless competence" pervades these pages.

None are to my mind particularly strong or original.Kate Chases effort reminds me of Margaret Atwoods HandMaid's Tale while the characters in Allegra Goodman's "Closely Held" wouldnt seem out of place in a Douglas Coupland novel.Minus the humor and insight.

This sense of weary deja vu is further exacerbated with the inclusion of a Karen Russell story for the second year running.Quite apart from the fact there must surely be other noteworthy writers deserving of their first appearance it is another vampire story.Fangs but no thanks.Im so over vampires.Vampire overkill.Bloodless competence indeed.

Rushdie also includes contributions by a former guest editor Tobias Wolff and another by Alice Munro who also featured in last years volume.I have no objection to their being here on the basis they are well known writers.I do wonder if there were commercial considerations involved as their actual offerings seem very pedestrian and merely workperson like.

Other reviews Ive read have noted that Rushdie isnt an American,while others suggest stories about Pakistani electricians have no place in an American anthology.Both these matters are addressed adequately by Rushdie in his introduction as though he foresaw these objections.

Rushdie lists six authors(whose work didnt make the final cut)in his introduction who should feel "aggrieved".Its a pity he didnt extend his apology to this reader.
However he shouldnt have to shoulder all the blame for this lack lustre collection.Some fault must fall at the feet of the series editor Heidi Pitlor in her second year on the job.Strike two as far as Im concerned.

On an unrelated point,not only is the quality of writing dropping to my mind but so is the actual physical construction of the book.The covers are of a thinner card than last years edition.Bending and distorting easily.The pages paper quality also seems inferior and coarser.More susceptible to marks,dust and grubby fingerprints.
Definitely not a keeper.

Its all a bit Mickey Mouse really...

Two of the "schools" I worked at last week were without their regular Japanese office staff.I had to scramble about and check that the schedules were firstly available and also that they were accurate.Nothing like preparing for a lesson without knowing who is going to turn up.
Apparently its going to be a regular occurrence in at least one of these "schools" as the staff there only works part-time.Management havent figured out that the busiest day of the week probably isnt the best day to be without staff.
So not only do I get the responsibility of opening up the school,print out the schedule,I also have to check the class attendance.
Bear in mind that there are 10 minutes between classes to write up notes for a possible five students,find another five files and prepare for the next one.Time is already short without the extra task of taking the roll.
The students naturally raised their eyebrows at the lack of staff.They couldnt book a lesson at the time,pay money,arrange counselling or talk to the staff about changes in their courses.
The other thing I discovered is that in these "schools" there is no clock chime to remind you when the classes start and finish.
At one branch there are three clocks.All of course showing different times.
I choose to go by the Mickey Mouse clock which you see above.Somewhat apt given the circumstances.Even more ironic later in the day it stopped and I had to replace the battery.

Friday Flash...More KitKats

Some recent different KitKats Ive seen on the shelves.The apple and strawberry flavours appear to be re-released in different packages.
Clockwise from the apple kitkats in the centre is the candied sweet potato flavoured or daigakumio kitkats.To the right of these is shiruko or sweet red bean soup flavoured kitkats.
Below the shiruko box is a pack of ajiwai strawberry flavour kitkats.Finally to the left of those strawberry kitkats is a box of cookies and kitkats flavour.

Toyota Shock....The 2009 Problem

Two terms recently bandied about in the local media are "Toyota shock" and "the 2009 problem".
"Toyota shock" refers to the sudden slump and reversal in profits of Toyota Motor Corp.There are predictions of a huge fall in operating profits.The group earnings forecast anticipate an operating loss of 150 billion yen in the fiscal year through March 2010.Apparently it will be the first time Toyota has reported an unconsolidated operating loss on a full year basis since fiscal 1949.

The principal reasons given are the slump in global car sales and the yens strength against the U.S dollar.
Toyota sells a third of its vehicles in the North America market which has fallen away due to the U.S financial crisis.Toyota's U.S sales nosed dived 33.9% in November while its overall global sales dropped 23.8%.

Other car makers such as Nissan,Honda and Mazda also posted falls in sales for November.The picture isnt any brighter locally as the domestic car sales market fell in November to a 39 year low.
The Impact
Apart from the obvious layoffs and cutbacks there are less apparent downstream results.
Aichi Prefecture's corporate tax revenue will be down some 20% or some 20 billion yen due to the Toyota shock.Things like new public buildings,road and river maintenance and building earthquake resistance programmes may need to be revised or reviewed or put on hold.
Advertising,expense and travel accounts get cut.Workers are laid off so rental housing becomes vacant.Restaurants,taxi drivers and real estate firms feel the impact of belt tightening and less demand for their services.


The 2009 Problem
Part time workers,contract workers,outsourced hires,dispatch workers,seasonal fixed term employees,non regular workers.There seem a myriad of names.
In 2004 government deregulation allowed the entry of dispatch workers into the manufacturing industry.Back then the contract period was limited to no more than one year.
However the contract period was extended to a maximum of three years in March 2007.Companies that took up the three year extended contracts started hiring in 2006.
Now three years later in 2009 these contracts will expire some time this year.
If the companies continue to employ these workers beyond the initial three year contract they have to convert them into regular workers or other types of outsourced hires.
Given the worsening economic climate and the "very severe" employment conditions there is a fear that a large number of these workers will lose their jobs hence the term "the 2009 problem".
To make matters worse if these non regular workers do lose their jobs they could also find themselves homeless as they are told to vacate their company owned residences by their former employers.
According to a Health,Labor and Welfare Ministry report an estimated 85,000 non regular workers will lose or will have lost their jobs by March this year.
(Sources...Daily Yomiuri,The Japan Times newspapers,Kyodo News ).

Friday Flash...Yet more food photos

A typical lower end bento thats available year round.In the top left is a black mass of pickled eggplant and is surprisngly tasty.

















The photos above and below show some handmade sweets.Of the two I found the apple ones had a more appealing taste than the bitter lemons.

















The final shot is of a bento available over the New Years break.At the bottom you can see shredded salmon pieces on rice.The centre contains a small portion of chicken and a crunchy shrimp together with a baby potato and a small slab of omelette by way of contrast.

Happy Moo Year

2009 is the year of the ox according to the traditional Chinese calendar.Ox are regarded as a sign of prosperity gained through hard work and fortitude.The ox is hard working and methodical.The postive attributes of an ox include being strong minded and intelligent.On the other hand an ox's faults include being intolerant,gullible and stubborn.















The shot above shows some of the nengajo or New Year greeting cards that were available this year.