Jéré

mie

Sou

teyr

at fo

r Z

oom

Japa

n

www.zoomjapan.info

Free

num

ber

1 -

May

201

2DVDDon’t missRoujin Z p. 11

LITERATUREDial C forCrime p. 12

TRAVELMiyajima ma belle p. 16

welcome

You have Zoom Japan in your hands, a newfree monthly newspaper that aspires to giveyou an original, if not complete, outlook onJapan. We call ourselves “new”, but that isn’treally the case. Zoom Japan is an English ver-sion of Zoom Japon that was created twoyears ago in France, in response to the gro-wing interest the French are showing towardsthe archipelago. Its success has encouragedus to launch Zoom Japan. Each issue will pre-sent you with a main topic of focus, travelideas, cooking tips as well as cultural news.This first issue focuses on the notion of“Made in Japan” that is currently evolving,and it will also invite you to a wonderful jour-ney during which you will discover Miyajima.And because a newspaper is meant to be read,we encourage you to contact us in order tohelp us improve it. Enjoy your read!

THE EDITORIAL TEAMinfo@zoomjapan.info

news

SOCIETY The nationalanthem is no jokeIn Ôsaka, a 61-year-old teacher was

dismissed from his functions. He refused to

stand when the national anthem was

played during a diploma ceremony. It’s not

the first time that teachers have been

punished for lacking respect to Kimigayo.

For the past few years, a few people have

been criticising it as a synonym of the

country’s past at war.

ECONOMY privatising thepostal services an agreement relating the privatisation of the

postal services is on its way. This public service,

that is incidentally the biggest bank in the

world, could be privatised after a law was

passed in 2005. It hasn’t yet been so, in the

absence of any political agreement. It now

seems possible, because the sums of money

collected will be used to pay the reconstruction

of a large part of the northeast of the country.

japanese are in

favour of a

nuclear pull-out according to a poll by the

Tôkyô Shimbun that was published on on

march the 11th. nevertheless, they are

69 % to accept that certain reactors be

restarted in order to avoid the power cuts

that are predicted for the summer.

79,6 %

A DAY IN JAPAN by Eric Rechsteiner

Spring is back. It’s the season that everybody awaits in Japan, if only to see the Japanese Cherry Blossom. Many Japa-nese, like those Tôkyô University students playing baseball, spend time in parks where they can enjoy the treeswhile they flower. Whether with family, friends or work colleagues, they get together and celebrate the fleetingmoment during which the trees are in blossom.

april 4th 2012, University of Tôkyô, in Tôkyô

© Eric

Rec

hsteiner

Front page picture by Jérémie Souteyrat

2 zoom japan number 1 may 2012

news

For months, the government has been tryingto clarify the role of their defence forces withregard to public opinion. With no success.

w e now know. The North Koreans failedtheir attempted missile launch last April13th. Considered by the Americans and

their allies as a long-range missile, the rocket explo-ded right after being launched,thus avoiding problems throu-ghout the region. Most of thecountries concerned, Japan first,had warned that the NorthKorean device would be des-troyed if it came anywhere closeto the Japanese territory. Autho-rities had deployed Patriot anti-missile missiles on the rocket’sestimated trajectory in Okinawaand in several cities, in order toreassure the population that hadbeen hearing about the next mis-sile launch over the previous days. It’s the second timethat such measures have been deployed in Japan. Theyare without doubt a response to the defence of theterritory, but also a way of increasingly legitimisingthe presence of defence forces whose role is still quiteobscure to many Japanese. It’s all the more importantas the archipelago’s geostrategic environment hasevolved a lot over the past two decades. Althoughthe Soviet Union was the main enemy during thecold war, the Japanese didn’t worry about it much asthe American atomic umbrella insured their terri-tory’s defence. The end of the cold war blurred thesituation. Russia isn’t the country that Japanese are

most scared of anymore. For that matter, the Japa-nese strategists can’t even imagine their territorybeing menaced by the Northeast, meaning Hok-kaidô. Their eyes have turned South, towards Oki-nawa, the zones facing Popular China. So oneshouldn’t be surprised at Japan’s will to cooperatewith its Asian neighbours, who are also scared ofChina’s hegemonic objectives. Prime Minister NODA

took advantage of his Bri-tish homologue’s visit,David Cameron, to sign afirst agreement in termsof cooperation anddefence. His governmentintends to reinforce mili-tary dialogue with SouthKorea, the Philippinesand Taiwan in order toallow a better coordina-tion of efforts in case ofcrisis. But the main chal-lenge for the public power

is to clarify the role Defence Forces’ role to the publicopinion. The change in status of the administrationwho deals with it – in 2007, the Defence Agencybecame the Ministry of Defence – was a first step,yet insufficient. The efficient intervention of theArmed Forces after the earthquake on the 11th ofMarch also played in their favour, but more is nee-ded for mentalities to evolve. Having members of theAKB48 band, composed of pretty young ladies inmilitary clothes, on the front-page of Mamor maga-zine is likely to be the kind of thing to bring mindsto evolve. Nothing is more certain.

GABRIEL BERNARD

DEFENCE pitching for thesoldiers

Ready to intercept the North Korean missile.

may 2012 number 1 zoom japan 3

according to its end of year habit, NikkeiBusiness, a magazine specialised in eco-nomy, published the list of the most popu-

lar products in Japan. And it was a surprise to thejournalists when they found out that the Japaneseproducts had gone completely missing from thelist. For the first time in the history of this annualclassification, not one Made in Japan productfigures in it, as if a tsunami had blown everythingaway. The storm didn’t come from the Pacific, butfrom the West, from Korea to be more precise.After having first been seduced by Korean TVshows and pop music, lately the Japanese have fal-len for Made in Korea products. Mobile phones,

drinks, cookies, ramen even: South Korean com-panies have left nothing out, and it looks like theyhave succeeded in seducing Japanese consumerswith the originality, quality and prices of their pro-ducts. Various factors explain whyMade in Japan has disappeared fromthe Nikkei Business list. The 11th ofMarch events are of course not to beneglected. Electronic ware makersfocused on less energy consuming products ratherthan on originality as they did before. This changein the state of mind didn’t help. Many new pro-ducts presented in advertisements were promotedfor their energy saving and their resistance, andthat contributed to blurring the message sent outto the consumers. Many companies also decidedto push back the launching date of new productsbecause they considered the moment wasn’t right

for imposing new tastes and innovations that areonly little adapted to the situation in the archi-pelago. Other than Mother Nature’s deadly storms,yet a worse problem is weighing on Japanese made

products. Over the past forty years,Japanese products have acquired asolid reputation for quality and resis-tance at home and abroad. The follo-wing slogans are good reminders of

the trust in those brands: “My Toyota is fantastic”,and “I dreamt it, Sony did it”.Quality controls andthe zero default guarantee were characteristic ofthe Japanese production system and they insuredall customers’ satisfaction. Fukushima’s nuclearpower plant accident ruined the myth of secu-rity, and underlined weaknesses that may have along-term impact on all of Japanese products. Theconsequences are hard to evaluate, but there is no

solid reputationfor quality andresistance

CHALLENGE Reinventing “made in japan”After a challenging year on all sides, theJapanese population is set to slowly regaintrust in it’s own products.

FocUs

Jérémie Sou

teyrat fo

r Zoo

m Ja

pan

In many shops, such as this electric ware and camera store, being made in Japan has become a sales argument.

4 zoom japan number 1 may 2012

FocUs

doubt that everything Made in Japan is going topay the price. The number of Japanese food pro-ducts that have raised consumers’ suspicion speaksfor itself. Insidiously, alike invisible radioactivity,doubt has spread to other categories of products.Loss of confidence is an illness that needs to berapidly healed before it gets worse. The challengeis even greater for Japan because its industry wasalready hurt with Thailand’s disastrous floods.According to official statistics, more Japanese thanThai companies were hurt in the floods, thus para-lyzing part of their contribution. Needless to saythat the Japanese Industrials can’t be directly bla-med for these situations, but they need to reactquickly in order to regain the consumers hearts,and recover serenity. 2012 will be crucial for eve-

rything “Made inJapan”. Companies andtheir employees willneed to show that theycan meet quality, inno-

vation and security, further more, that if there wereto be a major catastrophe, most Japanese productswould resist. Fukushima’s power plant events havedarkened certain realities. Very few people raisedthe fact that none of the regular fast trains bet-ween Tokyo and the Northeast of the Archipelagoderailed despite the strength of the tremor, yetapproximately twelve of them were running onthe 11th of March at 2:46 pm. And only fewunderlined that most buildings, such as Sendai'sbeautiful multimedia library, resisted the earth-quake, thus boasting Japanese know-how. Otherexamples can be listed, but it seems like anythingeven relatively close to the industrial sector isstricken my Fukushima's curse. The Made in Japannotion needs to be reinvented and extended toother sectors such as services and the craft indus-try, two strong areas that conserve a good imagewhether inside or outside the country. Tourism isalso an obvious area, which is still largely unex-ploited in the archipelago. Over the past few years,efforts have been made in attracting foreign tou-rists, mainly Asian, but yet a lot can be done. Japa-nese craftsmen’s skills needn't be proven, and theirproducts are still very popular. Those are just a fewfundamental areas that can help Made in Japanproducts retrieve prestige while trust is regainedin other fields. Japanese should remember that lessthan a century ago, their products were conside-red down-market. Decades were needed todemonstrate the opposite. Today, if they make useof their past experience and dare explore new hori-zons, they could go further still with Japanese qua-lity. Since March 2011, awareness is felt. Thereis just one step left, and by Nikkei Business' nextcharts, Made in Japan products may just have regai-ned the top of the list.

ODAIRA NAMIHEI

How do you evaluate themeaning of “made in Japan”today ?HARA Kenya : I think that the “madein Japan” label, that goes back to af-ter the Second World World, has nomore reason to be nowadays. Indus-trially speaking, the production andconception of exportable productsisn’t adapted anymore because allthe other Asian countries are doingthe same thing. Basically, I thinkwe’re experiencing the end of theafter war “made in Japan”. That iswhy it is necessary to try and definea new concept of what “made in Ja-pan” is. We’re at a very importanttime between two eras.

How should that take form ?H. K. : Until now, at the industriallevel, Japan privileged mass pro-duction that was characterized byhigh quality. Nevertheless, the restof the world is now producingaccording to these norms, andJapan doesn’t have the means tocompete with the same productsat lower costs. Thus the new“made in Japan” needs to developaccording to other criteria, such asaesthetics. Japanese culture isancient. And it depends on ahomogenous and millenary history.It’s an important asset from whichan original concept, turnedtowards the future, could rise. Weneed to forget about televisions,fridges, and turn towards living,the sense of welcome, tourism, oreven medical assistance that areimportant fields for the archipe-lago’s future.

And what is your role in definingthe concept ?H. K. : As a designer and an artist,I offer clues for the future and tryto imagine what could happen.

Could you develop your concept ?H. K. : Culture is related to quite alimited territory. It can be linked toa local vision of things. But we canalso ask ourselves if Japanese cul-ture can bring a contribution to therest of the world. During peakgrowth years, the Japanese nevertried to project their culture furtherthan their borders. All they werethinking about was money and cir-culation. Culture, in its aestheticdimension, was completely neglec-ted. But that isn’t the case any-more. We are now in an era of

maturing of the Japanese culture.Take housing as an example. In thepast, the house was considered abelonging only, of commercialvalue like others. It wasn’t thoughtof as a space in an environment.Japan was nothing but a wide fac-tory. The whole territory was cove-red with factories because every-thing was seen from an economicangle. But all of that has changed.We have attained a new maturity.We are now capable of consideringnature under a new light, and seizeall of its beauty. If we add our qua-lity requirement to that, I think thatit will now be possible to promotelocal tourism. By putting that touse and remembering that Wester-ners were able to export their cul-ture of hotels in the past, I thinkthat the Japanese can do the samething. In Japan, there is that senseof welcome and hospitality that wecan make use of to imagine a newexportable made in Japan product.On the other hand, it is still maybetoo early to start launching ourconcept of housing, because there

are cultural obstacles to overcome.Nevertheless, there are many pos-sibilities relating to aesthetics. Ourfirst objective has to be Asia. In thepast, we focused only on the Uni-ted States and Europe marketwise,with electric ware and cars. Now,we need to look towards the Asiancontinent where local culture,without being Japanese, has a baseto which we can add new elementsfrom our own culture, yet that areadapted to the local needs. Wecannot consider exporting Japa-nese housing to China or Indone-sia yet, because it wouldn’t be verywell perceived. Thus, we need tomove forward progressively andmelt into the local culture. I wouldreally like to contribute to thatreflection.

Recently, a Japanese companyopened a traditional Japanesehostel in Taïwan where every-thing is traditionally Japanese,the service included. Do youconsider that as being a goodexample of what should bedone ?H. K. : That’s not really my idea.What has been done in Taïwan iswhat I consider a kind of exoticism,meaning that it doesn’t really cor-respond to any local need. A Japa-nese model was exported withouttaking in account the local ways,that’s all. In traditional Japanesehostels, service is sometimes quiterigid. For example, I’m thinking ofdiner that is served quite early. Thatdoesn’t necessarily correspond towhat customers are expecting inother countries. On the otherhand, service fundamentals such aspoliteness, simplicity, care and deli-cacy should be highlighted andadapted. What I mean is that in itspost-growth version, “made inJapan” needs to be linked to a dif-ferent way of thinking. It relates tothe idea that culture, in it’s gene-ral meaning, is an essential ingre-dient for developing on other mar-kets, as long as the local needs areconsidered. The Japanese couldcreate very original hotels in Asiaby offering service fundamentals,but also by allowing the customersto take advantage of them at theirown rythm. It’s not any more com-plicated than that, but there areconstraints that should be respec-ted.

INTERVIEW BY O. N.

change is Hara Kenya’s dream

I NTERVIEW

Born in 1958, HARA Kenya is artdirector of Muji since 2001 anddesigned the opening andclosing ceremony programs ofthe Nagano Winter OlympicGames 1998. He has published“Designing Design”, in which heelaborates on the importance of“emptiness” in both the visualand philosophical traditions ofJapan, and its application todesign. In 2008, Hara partneredwith fashion label Kenzo for thelaunch of its men's fragranceKenzo Power. He is considered aleading design personality inJapan and in 2000 had his ownexhibition “Re-Design: The DailyProducts of the 21st Century”.

Oda

ira N

amihei

may 2012 number 1 zoom japan 5

Tourism is alsoobviouslyunexploited

FocUs

In the field of aeronautics, the Japanese have acqui-red a solid reputation with their famous hunterZero made by Mitsubishi in the late thirties. It’s

reliance and maneuverability allowed the Japanesepilots to take control of the sky for months. After theSecond World War, the American occupation forcesforbade Japan from owning any planes, dismantledcompanies specialized in aeronautics and bannedJapanese Universities from teaching any class relatedto aviation. The San Francisco treaty was signed inSeptember 1951 and lead to the end of the Ameri-can occupation in 1952. Practically immediately after,a blueprint law was voted for the reconstitution of anational aeronautic industry. In the space of a fewyears, the Japanese recreated a sector worthy of itsname, and by the end of the fifties when the growthwas at it’s peak and the objectives relating to thereconstruction were met, under the impulse of Shin-meiwa (the company), the authorities started thin-king up a civilian plane called the YS-11. It was meantto become a symbol of Japan’s capacity to innovatein a sector considered to be strategic. By deciding totransport the Olympic Flame to Tokyo aboard a YS-11, in 1964, the Japanese authorities seized the oppor-tunity to show the world the made in Japan reliance.

At the same time, the Japanese were inaugurating thefirst Shinkansen rail line, a high-speed train, betweenTokyo and Osaka.Nevertheless, the YS-11, a national pride, did notget the commercial success that had been anticipa-ted for it. Despite 82 orders placed from abroad,only 182 planes in total were ever built because oftheir high cost on the international market. To callit a commercial failure would however be exaggera-ted because the YS-11 accomplished the mission ofbeing the ambassador of Japanese technologicalknow-how. During the following years, with the massdevelopment of tourism, including abroad, Japaneseair companies called upon American technology totransport their passengers. The first delivery of a 747to Japan Airlines in 1970 was a key moment. TheJapanese abandoned the production of YS-11 in1974, but they continued their research in aeronau-tics. In addition, over the decades, Japanese indus-trials showed their master of composite material,which currently allows them to play an importantrole in the development and the construction of thelatest new born in the Boeing family: the 787. Theparticipation of Japanese companies in its construc-tion inspired an original and interesting advertise-ment campaign by the American airplane companyduring the seven years required to build it. That iswhere the expression “Made with Japan” came from,replacing the famous “Made in Japan”. A semantic

TRENDS From “made in” to “made with”In aeronautics, the Japanese are betting oninternational cooperation to establish theirtechnology.

evolution with an importance of its own as it trans-lates the change in mentalities on both sides of thePacific. The Japanese companies are far from havingjust a side role. Their contribution in the concep-tion of the wings, the breaks, and even the cabinshow how important the collaboration was in thisindustrial operation. Its symbolic dimension is alsovery important. One shouldn’t be surprised that itwas ANA, a Japanese company, that was the firstto reception a 787. The event, nothing less to theJapanese, was widely covered by the Japanese mediaduring the fall of 2011. The departure from theUSA and the arrival in Japan was broadcast on tele-vision and in newspapers, and many articles high-lighted “made with Japan” and its importance forthe future of the country, as Japanese high techno-logy was thus promoted through a commonly well-exported product.This allows for other developments to be consi-dered in the sector of aeronautics. While the 787was ready for take-off, Mitshubishi was already laun-ching the a medium-haul airliner reminding of theYS-11. With MRJ (Mitsubishi Regional Jet), theJapanese company that contributed to the 787 ishoping to update made in Japan aeronautics. Alreadyvery implicated in developing the 787, ANA has pla-ced a few orders to MRJ that should be operationalby 2015.

O. N.

Last-born in the Boeing family, the 787 Dreamliner is the result of strong cooperation between the American aircraft manufacturer and Japanese companies.

Boeing

6 zoom japan number 1 may 2012

FocUs

T he car industry was the motor of our economyfor several decades. It is time to turn a page,and evolve towards something new. This

something is robots.” TOMIDA Shigeru, Calio’s mana-ger, is positive. According to him, the next growingcluster in Japan is robotics. His company experi-ments with them a lot, and encourages young resear-chers to let their imagination off the leash in thisrapidly evolving sector. Car constructors have appa-rently understood that things are changing and thatthey need to adapt to the new order. It is not surpri-sing that Honda and Toyota are first in line in thisJapanese field of excellence. Asimo, which was pre-sented for the first time in 2000, is Honda’s greatpride. In eleven years of existence, this robot whosefirst steps astonished us all, has made extraordinaryprogress. Now it can run fast, including on unevenground, it has learned to avoid obstacles and behavesautonomously in certain situations. On it’s own side,Toyota has also been working on humanoids, but itis now focusing on machines that are capable of hel-ping people with reduced mobility. Last fall, it laun-ched two “nurse” robots that caused a sensation. Thefirst one of them helps people with articulation pro-blems walk. The second one helps someone sick withgoing from his bed to the toilets without needing

Whether for the future of their economy, orin everyday life, Japanese rely on robots.

anybody else’s presence. The car-builder’sintentions are understandable, what with pro-

blems related to the population’s fast ageing, andthe announcement of a shortage in medical assis-tance. Although Japan is already confronted to suchproblems, many industrialized countries willencounter the same fate in the coming years. Andwhen that time comes, Toyota’s made in Japan robotswill be first in line. Other companies, big and small,as well as research centers, are mobilizing to pro-gress in this growing sector. At Tokyo’s technologyinstitute, HASEGAWA Osamu has developed a sys-tem allowing robots to project themselves in the sur-rounding environment, and thus adapt to it. Hesimply explains, “It’s an attempt to build a relationbetween robots and the real world”. If there is stillmuch to be done, everyone is aware that this is afield in which “made in Japan” can gain popula-rity, maybe even rise to peaks.

O. N.

Asimo is 11 years old. He knows how to do many things.

Hon

da

TECHNOLOGY Robots will make the difference

japan has reached peak heights inmany fields, and it owes it partly tocapacity of powerful computers’ to

calculate and help scientists in their re-search” they say Fujitsu. For years, thecomputing company that has been wor-king on developing a new machine thatis capable of solving extremely complexequations at an incredible speed, laun-ched a great communication campaignat the end of 2011 aiming to promote Ja-pan’s “power” in that field. After a ter-rible year for Japan, Fujitsu’s initiative wasto promote both its own products, as wellas all of the country’s, in order to com-fort the population that has been incli-ned to be miserable lately. “During the21rst century, the technological chal-lenges will grow in complexity. In thetransport sector for example, the equip-ment will need to be fast running, resis-tant, reliant and ecological. In order tobring together all these parameters,complicated calculations are required. Forweather forecast, it’s the same thing. Ela-borating reliant climatic models by usingall the data collected over the past 100

years also requires phenomenal calcula-ting capacities. This is just a minute ideaof the possibilities the new super Keinxcomputer can offer” they insist at Fujitsu.The Japanese company contributes to in-creasing the Japanese Industry and the

made in Japan radiance. It consists in ad-vanced technology of course, but it is apride shared by a great number of peo-ple. By insisting on the direct impact thatthis machine can have on Japanese’ everyday life, Fujitsu intends to associate the

whole population to its success. In otherwords, the company’s managers wouldlike the population to identify with theirsuccess, once more, as it used to, not solong ago.

O. N.

world champions, againCOMPUTING

In 2011, Fujitsu broadcasted a advertisement campaign on television to promote its super computer Kei, the most powerful in

the world, making Japan very proud. The video clip can be visualized here: http://jad.fujitsu.com/adver/supercomputer

may 2012 number 1 zoom japan 7

cUlTURe

8 zoom japan number 1 may 2012

MUSIQUE mr. children is backwe had been without news of them for

three years. The 18th of april, the members

of one of the 90s most prolific bands,

released a new single that calls back all

their talent. composed as credits for the

movie Bokura ga ita (We were there) by mIKI

Takahiro, a current great success, Inori

(Prayer) and Pieces again

show mr. children’s

composition

competences, whether it

is the music or the lyrics.

while waiting for the

album to be released, the band has started

touring, with three of the record’s pieces in

the front line.

Toy's Factory, TFCC-89371

T HIS MONTH’S EVENT

When William Shakespeare wrote Cymbeline in 1608,one of his last creations with The Winter’s Tale and TheTempest, there is little chance he could have imagi-ned that his play would one day be staged and inter-preted by a Japanese company. NINAGAWA Yukio directsa company that holds his name. This isn’t his first Sha-kespearian adaptation, and he’s always shown extra-ordinary ability in grasping this great author’s uni-verse. So here he goes now with Cymbeline. ThisBritain King destines his daughter, Imogen, to his step-son, Cloten. But she prefers Posthumus, a commo-ner. So he runs away to Rome where he meetsI a c h i m o ,who decidesto seduce theimpeccableand faithfulI m o g e n .That marksthe begin-ning of awhole seriesof twists and turns. Jealousy, treachery, plots, lovestorments, real fake deaths punctuate the ongoingplay. It is a masterpiece of complexity at many levelsof its reading that combines tragedy and comedyin turn, and in the intrigues that add up without everbeing disconcerting. The stager makes a good choicein calling upon the great actor ABE Hiroshi, known forhis interpretations in KORE-EDA Hirokazu’s movies. Inhis role as Posthumus, that he plays wonderfully, theartist takes on a great challenge with help from hisfront row partners, amongst which ÔTAKE Shinobu.Performed in Tôkyô in April, the play will be on at theBarbican from May 29th until June the 2nd at 7:15pm, as part of the World Shakespeare Festival. Anoccasion to discover a Japanese version of Shakes-peare, dubbed in English. Enjoy!

Odaira Namihei

£16 – 50 - Barbican Theatrewww.barbican.org.uk/eticketing/performancelist.asp?shoid=33858

STAGE japanese flavouredshakespeare

MANGA Fantasy on allfloorsRyUgamIne mikado is a young teenager

who dreams of the exciting life of big

cities. when his childhood friend KIda

masaomi invites him, he gets transferred

to a high school in Ikebukuro, in the

northern quarters of the capital.

masaomi warns him about some people

he should avoid: a violent man dressed

as a barman, an informant and a

mysterious gang called “dollars”, and a

biker with no head. To crown with this,

mikado

witnesses an

urban legend

on his first

day in town:

the biker with

no head riding

a black

motorbike.

That’s how

Durarara!!

starts, one of

japan’s great

fantasy

successes.

adapted as a manga by saToRIgI akiyo in

2009, then as an animation series a year

later, the story has been given new

dimensions. It can now be read in

english, the two first volumes have just

been released under yen press. with the

diversity of the character

s’ own stories, this manga is a great

success that deserves to figure in every

enlightened amateur’s bookcase.

Gabriel Bernard

Durarara!! by NARITA Ryohgo et SATORIGI Akiyo,

Yen Press editions, £7.99

CINEMA Himizu sono shion is one of japan’s most

promising film directors. He was

sensational with Love Exposure (Ai no

mukidashi, 2008) in which he delivers a

singular and iconoclastic version of jun-ai

(pure love), while decrypting in detail the

social dysfunctions mining the japanese

postmodern society. He’s back with

Himizu, that will be released on june the

1st. partly filmed in the regions

devastated by the march, 11th 2011

tsunami, this powerful movie is an

adaptation of FURUya minoru’s eponymous

manga in which are the ways a middle

school student copes with situations oF

stress are highlighted. again, sono shion

shows how talented he is, even if he’s not

yet at his best.

ICA Cinema in London from June 1st-14th,  Prince

Charles Cinema in London from June 1st-7th

ABE Hiroshi at his best.

Barbican

The

atre

http://www.zoomjapan.info/prize/

cUlTURe

10 zoom japan number 1 may 2012

U pon arriving to Miyanoura harbour, on theisland of Naoshima, the first thing that younotice is a gigantic red pumpkin covered in

black spots. Signed by KUSAMA Yayoi, this piece ofart has become one of the symbols of this island thathas been turned into a contemporary art centre. Theartist left another one of her pumpkins – yellow thistime – next to the Benesse House, as a reminder tothe visitor of her obsession with dots, present in manyof her works. She, who now lives in a “psychiatrichotel”, is often considered close to crazy. But that’sfar from being the case. The retrospective that theTate Modern dedicates to her corrects this reductiveway of presenting her. “I saw my first dots when I wasten, and I still see them today” says the artist born in1929, who was trained at the Kyôto art school, des-pite a family that was little inclined to understandingher enthusiasm for painting.After the war, Japan’s defeat and Hiroshima and Naga-saki’s nuclear bombing, like many other artists, theyoung woman was strongly influenced by the showthat nuclear fire left behind. Before scattering dotsacross her paintings, her works from that periodare characterized by a heavy and deadly atmosphere.After being encouraged to move to New York by apsychiatrist, she disembarked there in 1957 and wassoon to be noticed, what with her white and colou-red monochromes, reminders of Robert Rauschen-berg and Jasper Jones. Nobody before had ever beenso devoted to them as she was, on gigantic canvaseswith the same brush movements repeated infinitely,as if she were trying to reach the void.Her works then evolved to focus on the use of objectsof consumption, opening the way for other artists

EXHIBITION Kusama takes the Tate modernfray or walking through the streets.Tired of all the agitation, she returned to Japan andburied herself into her work again. Dark collages atfirst, then environments covered with mirrors inwhich little multi-coloured lights replace the dots:proof that KUSAMAYayoi’s artwork cannot be redu-ced to dots. The recurrence of the pattern must not get in theway of showing the great diversity of her artwork,which the Tate Modern’s retrospective shows withmore recent pieces. By choosing to live in a psychia-tric environment, the 83-year-old artist also playswith our will to interpret her peculiar work. Butit doesn’t stop her from travelling to inaugurate herexhibitions, neither from working in her workshopevery day. She may thus go back to a more systema-tic use of dots in new “environments”. In a closedarea, mirrors increase the number of dots infinitelyaround the visitor, such as with The Passing Win-ter (2005). You still have time to immerse your-self into this incomparable universe. Once more,the Tate Modern shows its capacity to honour artistswhose work is characterised by extreme radicalismand obvious originality. And for those of you whocan’t get enough of KUSAMA Yayoi’s art, and whoare able to travel to Japan, you may be interested toknow that hundred of her more recent pieces arecurrently being shown at Saitama’s Modern ArtMuseum, North of Tôkyô. This exhibition goes onuntil the 20th of May.

GABRIEL BERNARD

A retrospective exhibition dedicated to the83-year-old artist allows us to grasp both thediversity and the radicalism of her art.

to dig down that path. She continued with her dots,and explained that her “life is a lost dot amongst thou-sands of other dots”. That inspired her funny-looking

wood structures, cove-red with mirrors andsheltering large bal-loons filled withhelium, between

floors and ceilings covered with coloured discs. Theenvironments she creates are altogether enveloping,enchanting and frightening. In New York, she waspart of the dissenting movements in the 60s. She orga-nised happenings in which young women and men,as well as herself, walked around naked with big colou-red dots painted on their bodies, forming a joyous

pRacTIcal InFoRmaTIonKUsama yayoI Tate modern, level 4, Bankside,london se1 9Tg, Tel.  020 7887 8888 open every day from 10.00 – 18.00 and late nightuntil 22.00 on Friday and saturday. £10, concessionsavailable. Until june 5th.

KusAmA posing in Aggregation: One Thousand Boats

Show 1963. Installation view, Gertrude stein Gallery,

New York

© Yay

oi Kusam

a an

d © Yay

oi Kusam

a Stud

ios Inc.

life is a lost dotamongst thousandsof other dots

cUlTURe

may 2012 number 1 zoom japan 11

o ne of the companies that has been dealingwith advertisement in the press is calledFrance Bed. In spite of its name, it isn’t

French, but it deals with selling all kinds of beds.Lately, it has been promoting its medical range thatis specialised for elderly people. Japan, as it has beensaid, has entered a phase of accelerated ageing of thepopulation. They call this phenomenon kôreika sha-kai (highly ageing society) that says a lot about thecountry. Currently, 23,1 % of the Japanese popu-lation is over 65 years old, which when compared toGreat Britain’s 15 %, constitutes a real challenge andraises many debates. In order to understand theheight of this challenging problem, all you need isto be reminded that 65 % of victims in the tsunamithat devastated the North-East of Japan on Marchthe 11th 2011 were over 60 years old.It isn’t new, and this issue has been shaking the coun-try for approximately thirty years now, since theauthorities started noticing that the birth rates keptfalling while on the other hand, life was getting lon-ger as medicine was progressing. At the time, cente-narians were still rare and were reported on in thenewspapers. Nowadays, it has become common.Thirty years ago, Japan was at its economic peak,and the debate on ageing could be summed up tobuilding beautiful villages in Spain, where the gol-den ageing Japanese could happily end their days. In1991, the bursting of the financial bubble soun-

ded the knell of these crazy projects, and bought theJapanese back down to earth. The problem couldn’tbe exported, so it had to be dealt with on the spot,with make do and mend. Facing the lack of armsin the elderly person’s care sector, Japanese compa-nies started developing technologies to help accom-pany ageing.

Societies such as France Bed, but also better-knownToyota, have invested in research. In 1991, RoujinZ was screened for the first time in Japan, with ani-mation signed by KITAKUBOHiroyuki in a screen-play written by ÔTOMOKatsuhiro. In a close future,society experiences a serious problem with ageingpopulation. Old people’s homes are crammed, andlacking staff. So the Ministry of Health decides tolaunch the Roujin Z project. It consists in placingelderly people in robotised beds equipped with arti-ficial intelligence that has yet to be invented. Thefirst patient to benefit from one of these is calledTEZAWA. He is treated by Haruko, a young internnurse. She understands from the old man that thesolution may well become a real problem.The stage is set. With this topic, ÔTOMOKatsuhiro,

to whom we owe the wonderful Akira (1988), lethis unleashed imagination run free, and shows usonce more his aptitude in understanding the cur-rent climate. Incidentally, he has lately been workingon a new series of manga that also deals with today’sJapan. But relating to Roujin Z, other than the ques-tion of how to handle the ageing society, what is par-

ticularly interesting is the rela-tion that man maintains withrobots. In the movie,TEZAWA, a long since wido-wer, will recognise his decea-sed wife the love of his life, inthe z-001 robot. It’s as if hiswife were going to reincarnatein the robot, so suggests theBuddha at the end of themovie: a symbol of reincarna-tion. This shows that Japaneseanimation can produce inte-resting and profound storiesin terms of topics. This

doesn’t mean that Roujin Z is the animation of thecentury. Its production leaves much to be desired.KITAKUBOHiroyuki, who later on directed Blood:The Lats Vampire, hasn’t yet reached his best. Theanimation doesn’t level with the story, and that ruinssome of the pleasure. But you can’t let the looks stopyou from going any further, insofar as it is a premo-nitory. The topic that is tackled is still very current,as already said. Recall Ikigami, Ultimate Limit (Viz-Media) by MASEMotorô. It’s not about dealing withageing people, but with the regulation of ageingby anticipating and deciding randomly on whoshould die. Our Western countries should soon becatching up on those rates, it may be a good ideato watch Roujin Z as of now.

ODAIRA NAMIHEI

In Roujin Z, the author of Akira tackles aburning subject. Unfortunately, Kitakubo’sadaptation doesn’t draw to its level.

DVD on living happily ever after

ReFeRenceRoUjIn z by KITaKUBo Hiroyuki, screenplay by ÔTomo

Katsuhiro, Kaze, £17.20 (dVd), £14.99 (Blu-Ray). To be released on june the 11th 2012.

The relation between man and robots is also tackled in this 1991 animation film. © 199

1 To

kyo Th

eaters C

o., Inc

./ Kad

okaw

a Sh

oten

/ M

ovic C

o. Ltd / TV Asahi / Aniplex

Inc

cUlTURe

12 zoom japan number 1 may 2012

a fter the Second World War, Japanese crimeliterature experienced the same diversifica-tion as in the West. The same categories of

crime novels as in the rest of the world can now befound in Japan. I think it can be said that Japanesecrime literature has reached the level set by Anglo-Saxon countries. On the other hand, French-stylepsychological novels are almost inexistent. From thatpoint of view, there are differences between French

LITERATURE dial c for crimethe body, and gives her guidelines on what to tellthe police. Being a bright mind, the neighbourthinks up every little detail of the investigation, sosuch as with a maths exercise that one tries to undobit by bit, the reader follows the police’s investiga-tion backwards. It is so impressive that you mightend up liking maths! The policemen’s deductions and experience aren’tsufficient in undoing the complexity of the case.They need support. It is given by one of ISHIGAMI’sfriends, who ends up understanding the ins andouts of this affair. HIGASHINO Keigo’s novel is

solid, ingenious, asort of “perfectcrime” that he offersto dissect back-wards, and its only

little by little that you understand why Ishigamigave such instructions to his neighbour and herdaughter. Other than solving this “mathematical”enigma, the author also takes interest in the cha-racters’ psychology, in what really motivates them.Why is ISHIGAMI protecting his neighbour whenhe risks being judged an accomplice? And howcan the mother and daughter live with such a crimeon their conscience? When reading this greatnovel, you can understand why GONDA Manjiconsiders that Japanese crime literature is nowat the same level as the European and Americangenre. Don’t wait to dive into The Devotion OfSuspect X, unless you’ve got something more urgentto do.

G. B.

This is a rendez-vous with one of Japan’sbest authors. The Devotion Of Suspect Xshows the maturity that crime novels havereached in the archipelago.

crime novels and those written in Japan. A neo-tra-ditionalist trend also emerged, related to the increasein popularity of video games in the 80s. It’s comebackthat puts forth mystery, enigma, and unexplainedmurders. I think this phenomena is not very wides-pread in other countries”, explains GONDAManji,one of the best crime novel specialists in Japan. Amongst the authors he stands up for and exposes,are HIGASHINO Keigo of course, whose work isrecognised for his meticulous writing and originalintrigues as you may read for yourself in The Devo-tion Of Suspect X. Unlike MIYABE Miyuki andKIRINO Natsuo who write torturous well builtnovels, Higashino Keigo has chosen a wiserapproach, by leading the reader into the meandersof thought and the torments that haunt the stories’characters. With The Devotion Of Suspect X, youmustn’t expect suspense nor vibrating action.Indeed, this is a classic crime novel in all its form.As soon as the first pages, the reader discovers whothe victim and the murderer are. It’s an investiga-tion in the manner of Columbo, but with moresubtlety. Of course the whole investigation processis dismantled in order to involve the reader in thepolice’s reasoning. It is well developed, but a lit-tle classical. After all, a crime novel stays a crimenovel. Whatever the investigation, alibis need tobe checked, theories need to be confronted, andthe detail that will allow to expose the criminalneeds to be discovered. But HIGASHINO’s story isn’t without disconcertingthe policemen in their investigation, who face apretty complicated case. HANAOKA Yasuko’s ex-husband kept on harassing her in her own home,until she and her daughter, still in middle school,kill him. Problem is, her neighbour ISHIGAMI, amath’s teacher, heard everything and offers to helpcover up the crime. He commits to getting rid of

ReFeRenceTHe deVoTIon oF sUspecT X by HIgasHIno Keigo,translated by alexander o. smith with elye j.alexander, abacus, £7.99

Higashino’s novel issolid, ingenious, asort of perfect crime

may 2012 number 1 zoom japan 13

B ye Bye Kitty!!! No, this is no joke. A littleover a year ago, New York’s Japan Societywas hosting an exhibition with that title.

It united the cream of contemporary Japanese artistswho reject kawaii (cute) culture embodied by thenow famous Hello Kitty. Gladly provocative, theguest artists showed their work that breaks off thesmooth aspect of the characters that stem frommanga and video games. Japan is flooded with thesecharacters that are used to communicate all kindsof messages. When tourism was on a downwardslant, a specialised company was contacted to thinkup a character that would be declined in manyforms in order to attract customers. In Kumamoto,on Kyûshû Island, a Kumamon was launched, abear with a friendly face. He was elected best cha-racter of the year 2011, and allowed to reboost tou-rism and generate a 2,5 billion yen turnover(£192 millions) with by-products. Not as fun, butjust as efficient, a few years ago a Japanese nuclearsubsidiary that wanted to convince the populationof its power stations’ legitimacy, invented the Pluto-kun character in 1991, whose mission was to carrya message. The day after the accident of FukushimaDaichi’s power plant, a few spirits of grief cameback to remind how important these characters arein the Japanese society.

It is also what the Japan: Kingdom of Charactersexhibition is about, at the Sainsbury Centre forVisual Arts until June 24th. Nevertheless, it is lesscritical. Indeed, supported by the Japan Founda-tion, an official organisation, this exhibition worksfor the promotion of what is called Cool Japan,meaning Japanese popular culture that is broadcas-ted via mangas and animation movies. So there isn’t much detachment from the phe-nomenon and its implications in Japanese society,although a few explanations are given. The idea isto build a non-exhaustive list, yet packed with asmany possible characters from that “menagerie”that brings dreams to whole wide world. The maininterests reside firstly in the temporal division, thatshows the visitor that this phenomenon isn’t new,it has existed for over fifty years now. Secondly, inmeeting a certain number of characters that arestill unknown in the West. The Japanese areobviously very proud of this cultural heritage, itallows them to exist in the eyes of the rest of theworld as they are practically absent from the inter-national political scene. But what does it matter.By going from one room to another, each livelycoloured, the visitor discovers the icons of contem-porary Japan. From Ultraman to Pokemon, Dorae-

mon or even the eternal Hello Kitty, it’s on a jour-ney through time that the Sainsbury Centre forVisual Arts welcomes you. And you end up unders-tanding that obsession for these characters, whythe Japanese can’t imagine living without them,and in a certain way, why we Westerners, end upfalling for them. After visiting that exhibition, youwill without doubt pay more attention to them,all the more if you’re not yet familiar with the uni-verse of Cool Japan.All one can hope for next, is to have the pleasureof seeing the Bye Bye Kitty!!! exhibition some time,that hasn’t yet crossed the Atlantic.

O. N.

Until June 24th, at the SCVA, you can meetthe characters who have been populatingJapanese everyday life for the past fifty years.

EXHIBITION The wonderful land of Hello Kitty

pRacTIcal InFoRmaTIonjapan: KIngdom oF cHaRacTeRs sainsbury centrefor Visual arts, University of east anglia norwich, nR4 7Tj , Tel. 01603 593199Tuesday to sunday 10am - 5pm. jusqu'au 24 juin.admission is free

Sainsb

ury Cen

tre for the Visual Arts

cUlTURe

CoCoRo’s Tonkotsu ramen is from Kumamoto pre-fecture, a mild version, masking the strong pork smellwith seven varieties of garlic (ginger is used in the moredominant Hakata Tonkotsu from Fukuoka city in thenorth).The broth is key to a good ramen. In the kitchen herethey make theirs from scratch, boiling the bones for upto 10 hours, giving it a creamy, gravy-like consistency.The soup is then garnished with pickles, bamboo shoots,sesame seeds and a boiled egg. The all-important chashu(tender slices of pork belly) finish the dish.

On the restaurant’s ground floorseating is Western, while downs-tairs in the shôchû bar, it’s Japa-nese style, with sunken tablesseparated by roller blinds.Every available space here istaken up with brightly labelledbottles of this versatile Japanesedrink (350 varieties available atthe last count). Distilled frombarley, sweet potato, or brown

sugar among others things, it can be drunk neat, on therocks, mixed with tea, or flavoured with fruit juices.Concerts are often held here, classical as well as shami-sen playing, and traditional dancing, if you’re lucky.Perhaps on nights like these, when the shôchû flows, youmight imagine climbing the stairs and out, not into ano-ther London street, but a balmy evening in the coastalspa town of Beppu, with wisps of steam rising up behindyou, and a trace of sulphur in the air.

ALEXIES BROWN

eaTIng & dRInKIng

I t may be the national dish, but spend a short time inJapan and you’ll discover a country obsessed by food.Dishes for each season, every region, exquisitely refi-

ned, or for munching down at roadside stalls. Zoommagazine hopes to bring this incredible variety to thesepages, beginning with Kyûshû, Japan’s third largest island,known for its hot springs andOnsen resorts, but also its’ coo-king.At CoCoRo, a well establishedIzakaya style restaurant near BondStreet station, the speciality of thehouse is Kyûshû cuisine, with theowner and many of the staffcoming from the island.Their Chicken Nanban is fromMiyazaki prefecture, known forits poultry farms. Its name though, actually refers to Por-tuguese sailors, who were some of the first outsiders totrade with Japan, and introduced the method of picklingfish in vinegar to preserve it.Here the chicken is deep fried with a light batter, thensoaked in a vinegar marinade, and served with tartar sauce,glistening gelatine, and a lettuce salad. CoCoRo’s head chef SATÔHiroaki also makes his veryown adaptation, adding peach slices which he rolls insidethe chicken.The sharp, sweet, intense flavours of the sauce and mari-nade match perfectly with the succulent chicken, juicyinside its crispy outer coating. It’s a powerful, moreishtaste.

Japanese food for many people means onething – sushi. Tempura, tonkatsu curryand bento boxes may also figure, but it’ssushi that dominates.

RESTAURANT a taste of Kyûshû, in marylebone

ReFeRencecocoRo 31 marylebone lane, w1U 2nH, phone020 7935 2931, www.cocororestaurant.co.uk.

Alexies Brown

14 zoom japan number 1 may 2012

Harumi, theHousewife’s Heroinedespite her status as domestic superstar

(over 22 million books sold in japan, a

chain of shops, her own homeware

range) KURIHaRa Harumi still retains the

image of ordinary housewife, or shufu.

The celebrity writer likes to recall how

her mother would rise at five each

morning to prepare breakfast, cooking

three meals a day for the family (and

often the employees of her father’s small

printing company).

Harumi’s Japanese cooking is KURIHaRa’s

first english cookbook, aiming to

“demystify the

cuisine”. Her egg

drop soup is a great

place to start,

combining the three

basic flavours that

underlie most of her

recipes: dashi (fish

stock, preferably

made from kombu

seaweed and dried

fish flakes), mirin (a type of sweetened

alcohol), and soy sauce.

Thickened with cornflour, beaten eggs

are simply added to the piping hot

mixture, and garnished with spring

onions or fresh green herbs. easy,

delicious and refreshing.

a chatty writing style, modern, but

rooted in tradition, a brief flick through

the pages of this accessible book should

have you running for your nearest asian

supermarket.

Harumi’s Japanese cooking, by KURIHARA Harumi,

published by Conran Octopus Limited,

£ 14.99 from JP BOOKS.

eaTIng & dRInKIng

may 2012 number 1 zoom japan 15

B y choosing to write about Miyajima in themain column, the next question is whatpicture to choose for the opening. The

island facing Hiroshima is so beautiful that thechoice was far from easy. Even the worst of photo-graphers can take decent pictures of the place, as ifprotected by Gods requiring that all pictures beworthy of the island’s beauty. Indeed, Miyajimais a sacred place for shintoïsm that Japanese have

been travelling to for centuries, before mass tou-rism turned it into a gigantic open-air tourist shop.According to the shintoïst religion, a sacred area isidentified as such by the presence of torri, an archthat symbolically marks the separation betweenthe physical world and the spiritual world. Miya-jima’s is impossible to miss because of its size andits position in the sea. That is why the picture ofthis beautiful torii seemed obvious an obviouschoice to illustrate the beginning of the article. Itis also a very symbolical way to carry you away tothis place that is registered as UNESCO WorldHeritage since 1996. The view only of this impres-

sive torii is worth the visit, even if you don’t havetime to see anything else on the island. When thesea is high, it looks like its floating. It is divine.What more to say about Itsukushima’s sanctuary(6:30 am – 6pm, 300 yens), right behind this gigan-tic portal? Built on stilts, the beautiful buildingfloats on the sea that transforms it into a beautiful

Out at large from Hiroshima, a siteregistered as UNESCO World Heritage will make you picture-crazy.

The 52 feet high torii precedes the Itsukushima’s beautiful sanctuary built over the sea.

VISIT miyajima, more than just a cliché

Jérémie Sou

teyrat

How To godependIng FRom wHeRe yoU leaVe, count 10minutes (miyajimaguchi station), 32 minutes(Hiroshima harbor) or 45 minutes (peace park) byboat.

16 zoom japan number 1 may 2012

TRaVel

red orange boat at high tide, contrasting with thedark tints of the water. And if you’re lucky enoughto have the sun shining on this large edifice, it willbe sufficient to fill a whole photo album. Its beautycomes from its plain architecture that adapts per-fectly to the surrounding natural environment. Itis said to have been founded in 593, but most buil-dings that compose it were built six hundred yearslater by Taira no Kiyomori who was the region’sgovernor. It is easy to understand why he chose thisplace that nobody could ever get tired of. Thereare many visitors. They sometimes come by ferryfrom Hiroshima after a short crossing of the inland

sea’s calm waters. Thesymbiosis between allelements contributesto giving the locationits magnificence that

some compare to the Mont-Saint-Michel. Andas a matter of fact, both locations are twined andthe visitor is informed of that as soon as he hits theterminal. Further away, after have passed Itsukus-hima’s sanctuary; the visitor will come face to facewith a shop humbly called Saint-Tropez. It is alsotrue that Miyajima’s climate is closer to the FrenchRiviera’s than that of Cornish Coast. But it’s theonly point in common between both regions,because in spite of its charms and its history, Saint-Tropez can hardly compete with the JapaneseIsland’s bewitching beauty. As it is often the casein the archipelago, spring and autumn are the twobest seasons of the year to visit Miyajima. Tem-peratures are mild, rain is scarce, and the oftenazure-blue sky brings out the vermillion of thesacred buildings. But Kangensai festival goes onduring the summer, and it pays tribute to sacredmusic with a stream of decorated boats that sailunder the impressive 52 feet high torii. This fes-tival takes place between the end of July and thebeginning of August, according the lunar calendar.Although the island was used for residency at dif-ferent times in history, today it continues to be a

sacred place where ceremonies such as shintoïstweddings can be seen. The sanctuary is dedicatedto God Susanoo’s three daughters, whose eldest,Itsukushima, is Goddess of the sea. Its appellationsuits it perfectly, and she insures its protection, pre-sumably delighted to have given her name to sucha beautiful structure. Spreading over approxima-tely ten feet, the sanctuary is composed of severalbuildings linked by bridges and galleries that inva-

riably encourage the visitor to look towards the seaand it’s majestic torii. One realizes how big it is whenfrom a distance, especially at low tide when hun-dreds of people get closer to it to take pictures andleave a few coins with a wish. Past the sanctuary,

Jérémie Sou

teyrat

one can turn back towards the terminal, and meetwild deer (like in Nara), they aren’t shy and arealways happy to snack on something. In fact, theylove paper, so be careful you don’t have any showing.Nevertheless, it’s a better idea to continue the visitof the island. There will always be time to bumpinto greedy wildlife. Behind Itsukushima’s sanctuaryis a little path that leads to the Daishô-in Buddhisttemple. All the way up to this religious building is

lined with numerous statues whose sometimes sur-prising expressions may also delight photo amateurs.Do take the time to enjoy this little walk up thatwill lead you to a terrace with a beautiful panora-mic view. And if you’re lucky, you may get to see a

Alike in Nara, visitors are welcomed on miyajima by wild deer that enjoy the presence of human beings, especially if

food is spared.

may 2012 number 1 zoom japan 17

encourage thevisitor to looktowards the sea

TRaVel

monk praying to the sound of his drum, a uniquemoment in a truly enchanting atmosphere. But thisis just a side dish, substantial and sufficient indeedfor a reasonable tourist. Although there is also amain course: climbing Mount Misen, the highestpeak of the island that can be reached by cable car(9:00 am to 5:00 pm, 1000 yens for a one-way, 1800yens for a return ticket). It takes twenty minutes towalk to the cable car’s departure, but you will notbe the only one waiting in line to see the beauti-ful view from Mount Misen. You can count up toa two-hour wait before taking board in the cable

car for the fifteen-minute ride up. It is bet-ter to start with this visitearly in the morning;you may want to give uplater in the day. Ideally,

you could spend a night on the island in order tobe there before the mass of tourists’ arrival. Severalhotels offer different prices according to the viewthey offer, of the sea or not. Obviously, when you’rein such a heavenly place, it is advisable to plan ahigher budget than for Hiroshima where one maysettle for a more ordinary hotel. Amongst theaddresses to know on Miyajima, Kinsuikan offersluxurious rooms with a view on the torii (startingat 18 000 yens a night, diner and breakfast inclu-ded). Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto doesn’t havemuch to envy either with its 400 years of historyand its outside baths (starting at 18 900 yens, dinerand breakfast included). Last but not least, the Ben-ten No Yado Itsukushima offers a bath with a pano-ramic view that justifies the price, as well as deli-cious cooking with local oysters (starting at 15 750yens, diner and breakfast included). Those are yetagain more great occasions of taking wonderful pic-tures, whether at dawn or dusk.

GABRIEL BERNARD

Jérémie Sou

teyrat

▶ There are many statues in Daishô-in, and nice encoun-

ters can be made.

18 zoom japan number 1 may 2012

Ideally, you couldspend a night onthe island

nIHongo

PIPO IN JAPAN

The big day has arrived, take-off to Japan, finally.Like any young Brit that is fascinated with Japa-nese culture, and has long dreamt of the day he

would set foot in the archipelago, Pipo decides thattime has come to confront fantasies with reality. Onsuch a day, it’s no more time to organize, plan, or study.But rather savour the excitement as someone who’s pre-pared, combined with the doubt of a first year Japa-nese student, who wonders if he or she has the level,after all. It’s about looking worthy, or maybe just sho-wing off.In the plane, seated, you wait. Alike in a waiting room,and despite sleep weighing you down, you’re on thelookout for the moment you’ll have to give it a shot.So you go through the lexical and semantic memo-ries in your brain, and realize that you remember enpitsu,shinbun and terebi, but you can’t think of how to sayhello anymore, although it may certainly come in handy.

はじめまして。 HajimemashiteMy pleasure.

Thank goodness, it’s coming back. The confusionthat can be implied by that word is related to thepoverty of Japanese phonetics, combined with thesyllabic structure of the language. Until it’s integra-ted in a sentence so that pronunciation mistakes maybe heard, the risk of miss wording, with vague invo-luntary spoonerisms, remains. So, in order to avoidany hajimemashita, hajimameshite or other haji-

LANGUAGE your first steps inmishima’s language

memashite, try doing like Pipo: endlessly repeatingaloud until your ears are trained to knowing whetheryou’ve pronounced right or wrong. Then only mayyou develop:

はじめまして。ピポです。よろしくお願��

いします。Hajimemashite. Pipo desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. Hello, my name is Pipo. It is my pleasure to meet you.

Well that sounds like proper Japanese. It’s comingalong. To the point of feeling exhilarated. Yoroshikuonegai shimasu… It is an expression that is often usedin conversations as well as written in letters or emails.For he or she who wishes to go further than the limi-ted linguistic context of a touristic experience, it neces-sarily constitutes the premises of a good relationship,solid trust, perfect complicity, even a sincere friends-hip. Whatever the outcome of the encounter, thismagical formula is essential whatever the relationimplied. British culture has no equivalent, and a lite-ral translation would look like this: I am in the handsof your indulgence. What it really means is that it’sa pleasure to meet the person, and you hope you’llboth get along. This being said, readers, I thank youfor your goodwill.

PIERRE FERRAGUT

Pipo is leaving England, ready to immersehimself. The first step of his captivatingexpedition is about learning how to greet: it’seasy and… essential.

pRacTIceTHe woRd oF THe monTH

出発�����

(shuppatsu) : departure

出発�����

はいよいよ今日���

ですね。Shuppatsu wa iyoiyo kyô desu ne.so when is your great departure planned for?Today?

may 2012 number 1 zoom japan 19