Okay, I think it is about time for me to start writing this year. I said in my last entry that I would write every week and that is already out the window, but fortunately I wrote that before the new years deadline so it doesn't count. LOL! But that is just a technicality. I will do my best to write something every week.
Today, I have decided to write out my new years resolutions. One reason why I think it is a good idea to write out resolutions is because it makes me accountable. If it is on "paper" it will motivate me to keep it up. If I just say it, it is too easy to forget and throw out. I really don't want that to happen. So here goes...
Resolution #1- To Journal. Sine junior high, I have always wanted to keep a journal every day so I could look back at the end of the year and remember some of that years highlights. Several times I went out and bought a book to write in. I was very good for about a week and sometimes two, but if you look at those journals today, only the first few pages have writing on them and the rest is blank. Last year, I bought an iTouch. (I'll go into details of that purchase later.) and I found an app that would allow me to keep a journal. It is awesome and easy. I am perfect so far and because of my iTouch, I foresee that it will be easy enough to keep everyday. Another great thing about the app is that I can attach pictures to my entries. So I can take and attach photos to what I write. So great!
Resolution #2- I was debating on whether or not to do this one but I have decided. I want to be able to do 15 full extension unassisted pull-ups in a row without stopping by August. It may seem like an easy goal to reach, but it actually isn't. In order to do 15 pull-ups, I need to lose weight and gain strength. When I hit my goal of 10 last year, the next time I tried, I could only do 8. It took me about a week to get back to 10. I just tried some pull ups on Wednesday and I did 12 with a big struggle on number 12. I want to do 15 easy and struggle on 16 and maybe 17. But I want 15 to be my base by August. By extension, I want to lose inches around my gut. I have lost fat around most of my body, but my gut is still undefined. I want to see definition in my gut this year.
Resolution #3- Get back into the arts. I want to play more trumpet, go back to JSB, and take more photos. I need to start carrying around my camera more, not just my iTouch, but my 35mm SLR. I'm going to start making photos again! How exciting!
Well, that is it, actually not. I have one more that deserves more of a personal touch that is connected with my religious beliefs but that also will be a topic of another entry.
Happy New Year!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year!!!
It has been over a month since my last blog. I'm very sorry for not blogging more, but things got really busy and I just didn't make the time to write. But, as one of my new years resolutions, I am going to blog more this coming year.
As I look at the clock, it is 6 minutes to midnight. So, I am going to officially end this years series of blogs by saying HAPPY NEW YEAR! As a new years resolution, I will blog at least once a week. Starting tomorrow. Please look forward to my 2011 wrap up!
Time to wake up my daughter! She really wanted to "COUNT DOWN" to the new year.
Cheers Everyone!
As I look at the clock, it is 6 minutes to midnight. So, I am going to officially end this years series of blogs by saying HAPPY NEW YEAR! As a new years resolution, I will blog at least once a week. Starting tomorrow. Please look forward to my 2011 wrap up!
Time to wake up my daughter! She really wanted to "COUNT DOWN" to the new year.
Cheers Everyone!
Friday, November 25, 2011
I reached my Pull Up goal 5 weeks early! Now what?
I don't remember exactly which day I set this goal, but at least a month or two ago I set the goal of doing 10 full unassisted pull ups in a row by Dec. 31, 2011, 11:59pm. On November 23, I cranked out 10 full unassisted pull ups. I also have a witness, my son. I just kept going till I couldn't go anymore and then my son yelled out, "You did 10!". I tried to push for 11 but I couldn't do it. But We shouted and high-fived. It was a very happy moment for me! My wife and daugher, who were down stairs were like, "What's going on?" When they found out, everybody was happy for me. So, I send my thanks out to Tony, Chalene, Shaun-T, and Brett, who are my DVD trainers from Beachbody, and Billy Blanks who sparked my motivation almost 6 years ago, and kept it alive until I found Beachbody.
My history with Pull ups
I never even thought about doing a pull up until I got into high school. There, in gym class, we had to do fitness tests for school and we all also did those Presidential Fitness program tests. Guys had to do a bunch of moves which included pull ups, while girls did their moves. No pull ups, instead they had to do the flexed arm hang, or something like that.
Anyway, over the four years of high school, my max number of pull ups was 4. And those pull ups weren't full. I would bring my chin up to the bar, not over it, and would go down till there was about a 40-45 degree angle at my elbows. If I went all the way down on the first one, I never would have been able to get back up. But my limit was 4. Or should I say 3. The first one was always assisted because I sort of jumped up to the bar and my momentum sort of carried me up to the top.
After graduating from high school, I never even thought of doing another pull up again until I returned to P90X in 2010. I say returned because I had done P90X a few years earlier, but I didn't have a pull up bar then so I used the resistance bands. When I would go to the park with my kids, I would try to do a pull up on the hanging bar there, but I could barely do one after the initial jump up to the bar. But all through college, work a few years, graduate school and post graduate studies, pull ups never even entered my mind except when I saw someone doing them on TV. But never the thought or even desire to do one or even try one.
As I said, the first time I did P90X was around 2007 or 2008. I was full into TAEBO and loving it. I had purchased the newest programs from TAEBO but later realized that the moves were the same, just repackaged in newly titled programs. Then my sister, introduced me to P90X. Her and her husband had just ordered it and suggested I try it our. I tried a few of the programs and thought it was great, but I didn't have any heavy weights or a pull up bar, so I mainly cycled through the cardio workouts like PlyoX, CardioX, Core Syn, Ab ripperX, StretchX, and YogaX. I stayed away from the strength workouts after one time. I guess I was intimidated, because I had never done that type of workout before. Plus, I didn't want to bulk up and look like Arnold. LOL! Yeah, like that would ever happen.
Anyway, that is when my journey with beachbody started. I have the exact dates on record because I kept a workout journal so I know every workout I did, how long it was, and since I got a heartrate monitor, How many Kcals lost, time in the zone, etc. But I don't have those records on hand at the moment. I also dipped into Power90 for a while and I tried Turbo Jam for a short time. But I never liked those aerobics instructors with too much pep so I was kind of turned off my Turbo Jam. That is not to say the Chalene was not good. It just means that that particular program didn't appeal to me. Which is the great thing about beachbody. There are so many options that appeal to everyone! Then I tried Insanity, for Shaun-T's 60 day program. Great program. Then I tried RevAbs. In hind sight, I probably should have done RevAbs first, then Insanity. At the end of a few of the DVDs, there were ads for ChaLEAN Extreme. Again, the lady with too much pep, but the message she was preaching was powerful and really caught my interest: Muscle Burns Fat! I had a lot of fat and wanted to burn it off. The message made sense. I decided to give Chalene another try and I got the program. And LOVED it. Doing weights with Chalene motivated me to go back to P90X and do the strength workouts as well. So, in the summer of 2010, my family and I took a visit back to the US to see my parents, but I had an alterior motive which was to get a pull up bar for the door. I still wasn't 100% sure I would even want to do pull ups, but at least it would give me something high to anchor my resistance bands on. Oh, I forgot to mention that I got the resistance bands when I got the 10 minute trainer after I did the cardio workouts with P90X and before I did Insanity. I bought them from an infomercial in the US when I went back to visit my dad after he had a stroke. Sorry, my timeline is all messed up, but you get the idea.
So, in late September, early October of 2010, I set up my first ever pull up bar and tried a pull up. I couldn't get up. So I did half down, chair assisted pull ups. Around March of 2011, I was able to do full chair-assisted pull ups. In the early summer, I proped my legs up on the second level of my sons bed which is right in front of the door where set up the bar and did it that way for a few months. Then, around September of 2011, I thought, I wonder if I can do an unassited pull up. I did 2. From that point on, when I did a P90X workout that had pull ups in it, I would try it unassisted first, then finish the move assisted. In early October, I realed of 4 full unassisted pull ups. I believe that is when I set the goal of 10 by years end. I started doing pull ups in sets, So the most I did in a row was 5 or 6 at the time, but I did like 4-5 sets. The most pull ups I've done in one day is like 30. The number slowly crept up, 5 in a row, 6, 7, 8. Then, in early November I did 9 in a row at the school gym. I was stoked, I tried to push for 10 right there, but failed. Around the 16th of Nov. I hit a hiccup, I could only do 8. I was really disappointed. But not down. There was a reason I could only do 8. My kids were watching me do my pull ups and apparently, I have a funny face when I am working out. My daughter started laughing when I was at about 5 and her infectious laughter caught me and I couldn't continue past 8.
On November 23, 2011. I was doing P90X's Back and Biceps workout and the first move is Wide Front pull ups. BANG, with my son as witness, and with specific instructions NOT TO LAUGH, I reeled off 10 full unassisted pull ups in a row.
Now that I have reached my goal early, I'll have to set a new goal. I'm thinking 13 by new years. What do you think? Should I set it at 15?
My history with Pull ups
I never even thought about doing a pull up until I got into high school. There, in gym class, we had to do fitness tests for school and we all also did those Presidential Fitness program tests. Guys had to do a bunch of moves which included pull ups, while girls did their moves. No pull ups, instead they had to do the flexed arm hang, or something like that.
Anyway, over the four years of high school, my max number of pull ups was 4. And those pull ups weren't full. I would bring my chin up to the bar, not over it, and would go down till there was about a 40-45 degree angle at my elbows. If I went all the way down on the first one, I never would have been able to get back up. But my limit was 4. Or should I say 3. The first one was always assisted because I sort of jumped up to the bar and my momentum sort of carried me up to the top.
After graduating from high school, I never even thought of doing another pull up again until I returned to P90X in 2010. I say returned because I had done P90X a few years earlier, but I didn't have a pull up bar then so I used the resistance bands. When I would go to the park with my kids, I would try to do a pull up on the hanging bar there, but I could barely do one after the initial jump up to the bar. But all through college, work a few years, graduate school and post graduate studies, pull ups never even entered my mind except when I saw someone doing them on TV. But never the thought or even desire to do one or even try one.
As I said, the first time I did P90X was around 2007 or 2008. I was full into TAEBO and loving it. I had purchased the newest programs from TAEBO but later realized that the moves were the same, just repackaged in newly titled programs. Then my sister, introduced me to P90X. Her and her husband had just ordered it and suggested I try it our. I tried a few of the programs and thought it was great, but I didn't have any heavy weights or a pull up bar, so I mainly cycled through the cardio workouts like PlyoX, CardioX, Core Syn, Ab ripperX, StretchX, and YogaX. I stayed away from the strength workouts after one time. I guess I was intimidated, because I had never done that type of workout before. Plus, I didn't want to bulk up and look like Arnold. LOL! Yeah, like that would ever happen.
Anyway, that is when my journey with beachbody started. I have the exact dates on record because I kept a workout journal so I know every workout I did, how long it was, and since I got a heartrate monitor, How many Kcals lost, time in the zone, etc. But I don't have those records on hand at the moment. I also dipped into Power90 for a while and I tried Turbo Jam for a short time. But I never liked those aerobics instructors with too much pep so I was kind of turned off my Turbo Jam. That is not to say the Chalene was not good. It just means that that particular program didn't appeal to me. Which is the great thing about beachbody. There are so many options that appeal to everyone! Then I tried Insanity, for Shaun-T's 60 day program. Great program. Then I tried RevAbs. In hind sight, I probably should have done RevAbs first, then Insanity. At the end of a few of the DVDs, there were ads for ChaLEAN Extreme. Again, the lady with too much pep, but the message she was preaching was powerful and really caught my interest: Muscle Burns Fat! I had a lot of fat and wanted to burn it off. The message made sense. I decided to give Chalene another try and I got the program. And LOVED it. Doing weights with Chalene motivated me to go back to P90X and do the strength workouts as well. So, in the summer of 2010, my family and I took a visit back to the US to see my parents, but I had an alterior motive which was to get a pull up bar for the door. I still wasn't 100% sure I would even want to do pull ups, but at least it would give me something high to anchor my resistance bands on. Oh, I forgot to mention that I got the resistance bands when I got the 10 minute trainer after I did the cardio workouts with P90X and before I did Insanity. I bought them from an infomercial in the US when I went back to visit my dad after he had a stroke. Sorry, my timeline is all messed up, but you get the idea.
So, in late September, early October of 2010, I set up my first ever pull up bar and tried a pull up. I couldn't get up. So I did half down, chair assisted pull ups. Around March of 2011, I was able to do full chair-assisted pull ups. In the early summer, I proped my legs up on the second level of my sons bed which is right in front of the door where set up the bar and did it that way for a few months. Then, around September of 2011, I thought, I wonder if I can do an unassited pull up. I did 2. From that point on, when I did a P90X workout that had pull ups in it, I would try it unassisted first, then finish the move assisted. In early October, I realed of 4 full unassisted pull ups. I believe that is when I set the goal of 10 by years end. I started doing pull ups in sets, So the most I did in a row was 5 or 6 at the time, but I did like 4-5 sets. The most pull ups I've done in one day is like 30. The number slowly crept up, 5 in a row, 6, 7, 8. Then, in early November I did 9 in a row at the school gym. I was stoked, I tried to push for 10 right there, but failed. Around the 16th of Nov. I hit a hiccup, I could only do 8. I was really disappointed. But not down. There was a reason I could only do 8. My kids were watching me do my pull ups and apparently, I have a funny face when I am working out. My daughter started laughing when I was at about 5 and her infectious laughter caught me and I couldn't continue past 8.
On November 23, 2011. I was doing P90X's Back and Biceps workout and the first move is Wide Front pull ups. BANG, with my son as witness, and with specific instructions NOT TO LAUGH, I reeled off 10 full unassisted pull ups in a row.
Now that I have reached my goal early, I'll have to set a new goal. I'm thinking 13 by new years. What do you think? Should I set it at 15?
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Dangerous biases to support cultural practices
My daughter had some research on the Internet to find some information about sleep requirements for elementary school aged children. Conventional knowledge in the us says 8-10 hours of sleep is required for elementary school students. I helped my daughter find out the information on the Japanese side of the Internet and yes, according to research in Japan, the ideal amount of sleep is 8 hours and 54 minutes. Kind of interesting how exact they were, 54 minutes? Oh well, they were on par with conventional wisdom with the west.
Just to satisfy my curiosity I did a search for Junior High School times. I was shocked, SHOCKED!!! Get this, according to another Japanese site, Junior HS students require 6-8 hours of sleep. Did you see that SIX HOURS is the low end. For a medical professional, any medical professional to support the idea a 13-15 year old only need a minimum of 6 hours of sleep a day is CRAZY!!! But, when you see the culture and how much homework Jr. high schools give their students, it would be counter cultural to state the ACTUAL needs. That age group is in high gear of their physical development and need 8.5 - 10 hours of sleep. Any less stunts growth both physically and mentally.
If a Japanese doctor came out and actually stated the truth he would set off an out cry from the department of education because that revelation would require that they require schools to reduce the amount of homework so they can sleep more. But, knowing Japanese schools, they would comply on the surface, but then have "VOLUNTEER" study sessions or something like that. And again, if you know Japan, you know that "VOLUNTEER" actually means "REQUIRED". This also shows me how little the administration cares for the health of the youth of Japan. How far ahead of the educational/academic curve would Japan be if only they allowed their students to get more sleep.
The Japanese education system is slowly killing off their most coveted resource, their students. All in the name of "Prestige". Shame on you Japan!!!! SHAME ON YOU!!!
Just to satisfy my curiosity I did a search for Junior High School times. I was shocked, SHOCKED!!! Get this, according to another Japanese site, Junior HS students require 6-8 hours of sleep. Did you see that SIX HOURS is the low end. For a medical professional, any medical professional to support the idea a 13-15 year old only need a minimum of 6 hours of sleep a day is CRAZY!!! But, when you see the culture and how much homework Jr. high schools give their students, it would be counter cultural to state the ACTUAL needs. That age group is in high gear of their physical development and need 8.5 - 10 hours of sleep. Any less stunts growth both physically and mentally.
If a Japanese doctor came out and actually stated the truth he would set off an out cry from the department of education because that revelation would require that they require schools to reduce the amount of homework so they can sleep more. But, knowing Japanese schools, they would comply on the surface, but then have "VOLUNTEER" study sessions or something like that. And again, if you know Japan, you know that "VOLUNTEER" actually means "REQUIRED". This also shows me how little the administration cares for the health of the youth of Japan. How far ahead of the educational/academic curve would Japan be if only they allowed their students to get more sleep.
The Japanese education system is slowly killing off their most coveted resource, their students. All in the name of "Prestige". Shame on you Japan!!!! SHAME ON YOU!!!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Forced to Improve my Japanese!
Every Saturday, I attend church. Once or twice a quarter, I am assigned to be the MC for the worship service. As MC, I have to read the designated Bible verse, introduce the different parts of the service and pray for the tithes and offerings (offering is like donations from the people who attend the service for church management, tithe is 10% of church members income). Every time I am MC for the past 12 years, I prepare a script. Every word I say is typed out in Japanese with furigana on the Chinese characters I cannot read. Introducing the opening songs and things like that is easy, but two things I need to practice and prepare beforehand.
First, the reading of the Bible verse. The Bible that everyone uses up front on stage is tradition Japanese style printed vertically. I just can't read vertically. So, I type out the whole verse horizontally left to right. Sometimes, it is just one or two verses. But usually it is much longer. And if you have ever read the Japanese Bible, it is not colloquial Japanese but very... Very difficult to read for me. So I practice... a lot!
Second is the prayer. I felt that prayers are special and need to be perfect. So I always asked my wife to prepare a prayer for me. I felt that my Japanese was inadequate to use in prayer. So I typed those out big enough to read.
It was bound to happen. Just last month, I totally forgot to look at the MC schedule. When I arrived at church Saturday morning on October 1, I was feeling good. I was excited to go into the Bible study class and hear the sermon. I got the program and all those good happy feelings disappeared. My name was listed as MC. I felt like a truck had crushed me. Panic started to set in as I considered my options. I couldn't go back home and type everything out. I couldn't use any computer at church. In a daze, I went to class. I got a Japanese Bible and started to practice the verse. Luckily it was only about 3 verses long and there weren't many tongue twister phrases that could mess me up. But it was vertical type. PANIC. But, I was most worried about the prayer. I had never prayed my own words in Japanese as MC for the worship service before. That in itself made me panic the most.
Moments later, my wife came into my class with her Bible. Her Bible is horizontal! She has highlighted the verses and helped with the difficult Chinese characters. It is so great to have a loving, and supportive wife! I thank God for her everyday.
The time came and I was on stage without a script. After a brief prayer, I started to service.
Thank God, everything went well. I truly was blessed that day. Not only through the music, the sermon, and the praying, but God allowed me to gain a ton of confidence in my Japanese I never had before. I am nowhere near perfect, but now, I am not afraid to make mistakes and I am ready for the next step in my Japanese journey. I wonder what it will be.
First, the reading of the Bible verse. The Bible that everyone uses up front on stage is tradition Japanese style printed vertically. I just can't read vertically. So, I type out the whole verse horizontally left to right. Sometimes, it is just one or two verses. But usually it is much longer. And if you have ever read the Japanese Bible, it is not colloquial Japanese but very... Very difficult to read for me. So I practice... a lot!
Second is the prayer. I felt that prayers are special and need to be perfect. So I always asked my wife to prepare a prayer for me. I felt that my Japanese was inadequate to use in prayer. So I typed those out big enough to read.
It was bound to happen. Just last month, I totally forgot to look at the MC schedule. When I arrived at church Saturday morning on October 1, I was feeling good. I was excited to go into the Bible study class and hear the sermon. I got the program and all those good happy feelings disappeared. My name was listed as MC. I felt like a truck had crushed me. Panic started to set in as I considered my options. I couldn't go back home and type everything out. I couldn't use any computer at church. In a daze, I went to class. I got a Japanese Bible and started to practice the verse. Luckily it was only about 3 verses long and there weren't many tongue twister phrases that could mess me up. But it was vertical type. PANIC. But, I was most worried about the prayer. I had never prayed my own words in Japanese as MC for the worship service before. That in itself made me panic the most.
Moments later, my wife came into my class with her Bible. Her Bible is horizontal! She has highlighted the verses and helped with the difficult Chinese characters. It is so great to have a loving, and supportive wife! I thank God for her everyday.
The time came and I was on stage without a script. After a brief prayer, I started to service.
Thank God, everything went well. I truly was blessed that day. Not only through the music, the sermon, and the praying, but God allowed me to gain a ton of confidence in my Japanese I never had before. I am nowhere near perfect, but now, I am not afraid to make mistakes and I am ready for the next step in my Japanese journey. I wonder what it will be.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Japanese Media and SASUKE
There is a program that I like to watch with my family here in Japan. If you know me, you know that I lost the love for Japanese TV over a decade ago because of boring repetitive story lines, too much senseless humor, and the lack of maturing of the industry in general. However, There are a few shows that I like to watch, or at least watch and put up with the stupidity that pervades the content. One program I like is "Tokyo Friend Park II" when sports teams are on it, NOT comedians or "talents". Shows like that air only 3-4 times a year at the most. Another one is "Kinniku Banzuke" Usually only at new years. And then there is SASUKE, which airs only twice a year. But SASUKE is treading dangerously close to the ideas that I hate to see. The big one is comparisons to America.
For over 10 years, I have seen a nationalistic attitude of the Japanese media that boarders on narcissism. It started with programs like "Koko ga Hen Dayo Nihonjin". I really liked that program when it aired in the mid 90's. It was on air for about 3-4 years and the first two years were great. The last year or two, I could barely stomach to the point that I just stopped watching. Then in domino-type fashion I started to stop watching Japanese TV all together. What happened to that program was this: They started focusing on foreign countries rather than on Japan. When I say foreign I mainly mean the USA. And it basically became a forum for people to bash the USA.
Now, NHK produces programs that focus on getting foreigners to praise Japan and say how great Japan is. That may sound harmless, but if you have ever watched the show, it is extremely narcissistic in its presentation. They have a group of foreigners from several foreign countries who watch a little video clip of some aspect of Japanese culture and then the hosts of the program, a few Japanese, basically asks the foreigners to say how great Japan is because of what they saw. It makes me want to hurl. There was one time recently that I saw as I was surfing the channels that they were doing a story on how Japanese make people in their companies clean, and how kids at school clean. And how other countries now, BECAUSE of Japans example, have their employees, and the elementary school students clean, too. The reporter, who was a foreigner was just singing the praises of the Japanese cleaning idea. But the, "WE SHOWED THE WORLD HOW TO CLEAN" message was as blatant as the noon day sun.
Anyway, what does this have to do with SASUKE? SASUKE is starting to go down that path of comparing Japanese to foreigners, mainly Americans. The most recent airing of SASUKE was two weeks ago. Oh, for those of you who don't know SASUKE, the American version is called "Ninja Warrior". Basically people go through a physically taxing obstacle course in 4 different stages, with each stage becoming more difficult. Over the eight year of the show, only 3 people have completed all four stages. Anyway, about 3 years ago, SASUKE producers brought the top competitors from NINJA WARRIOR to Japan and a few Americans have been participating ever since. This year, a group of 9 Americans came, the most yet, to compete. Out of the 9, 8 made it past the first stage. and 4 made it past the second stage. Of the Japanese competitors, out of 91 competitors, only 17 made it past the first stage, and only 5 made it past the second stage. This is what kills me about the show now. The announcer starts up with comments like, "17 Japanese made it past the first stage, ONLY 8 Americans made it. Japanese are made to be successful as SASUKE! Japanese are great people!" WHAT? Japanese are great because they made SASUKE??? What idiotic logic! Then after the second stage, the announcer again spouted off, "More Japanese than Americans made it past the second stage! Japan is winning the competition!" When did SASUKE become a competition between countries? Even the some Japanese contestants said, "I have to get through this stage to keep Japanese pride." In an interview with an American competitor, an American said, "I just want to do my best. SASUKE is really fun." No hint at the USA vs. Japan issues, just a guy that wanted to do his best and take his physical strength to the limit. SASUKE is more about man against course, not country against country.
Another thing that really irritates me is the MLB vs. JBL baseball series. MLB players come to Japan for a series of games with the JBL players. I think they play like 3 exhibition games, and then one game against a pro-team. When Japan wins a game, announcers are like, "Japan is great, our level of baseball is just as high as the Americans!" and go off on how much better Japanese style is better. When the MLB wins, the announcers like, "Yeah, MLB is strong." THAT'S IT! What I would like to see is the JBL All-Stars go to America one year and see how they like battling jet lag and playing in front of a hostile crowd. Not once has Japan's All-Stars gone to play games in the USA. What, are they afraid? This is of course not talking about the WBC which Japan has won twice. Kudos to Japan on that.
Anyway, that is my rant for today. Glad I could get it off my chest, FINALLY!
CAVEAT: I love Japan! If I didn't I would be living here for more than 21 years. But there are things that I do not like, just like there are some things about the USA that I don't like. No country is perfect.
For over 10 years, I have seen a nationalistic attitude of the Japanese media that boarders on narcissism. It started with programs like "Koko ga Hen Dayo Nihonjin". I really liked that program when it aired in the mid 90's. It was on air for about 3-4 years and the first two years were great. The last year or two, I could barely stomach to the point that I just stopped watching. Then in domino-type fashion I started to stop watching Japanese TV all together. What happened to that program was this: They started focusing on foreign countries rather than on Japan. When I say foreign I mainly mean the USA. And it basically became a forum for people to bash the USA.
Now, NHK produces programs that focus on getting foreigners to praise Japan and say how great Japan is. That may sound harmless, but if you have ever watched the show, it is extremely narcissistic in its presentation. They have a group of foreigners from several foreign countries who watch a little video clip of some aspect of Japanese culture and then the hosts of the program, a few Japanese, basically asks the foreigners to say how great Japan is because of what they saw. It makes me want to hurl. There was one time recently that I saw as I was surfing the channels that they were doing a story on how Japanese make people in their companies clean, and how kids at school clean. And how other countries now, BECAUSE of Japans example, have their employees, and the elementary school students clean, too. The reporter, who was a foreigner was just singing the praises of the Japanese cleaning idea. But the, "WE SHOWED THE WORLD HOW TO CLEAN" message was as blatant as the noon day sun.
Anyway, what does this have to do with SASUKE? SASUKE is starting to go down that path of comparing Japanese to foreigners, mainly Americans. The most recent airing of SASUKE was two weeks ago. Oh, for those of you who don't know SASUKE, the American version is called "Ninja Warrior". Basically people go through a physically taxing obstacle course in 4 different stages, with each stage becoming more difficult. Over the eight year of the show, only 3 people have completed all four stages. Anyway, about 3 years ago, SASUKE producers brought the top competitors from NINJA WARRIOR to Japan and a few Americans have been participating ever since. This year, a group of 9 Americans came, the most yet, to compete. Out of the 9, 8 made it past the first stage. and 4 made it past the second stage. Of the Japanese competitors, out of 91 competitors, only 17 made it past the first stage, and only 5 made it past the second stage. This is what kills me about the show now. The announcer starts up with comments like, "17 Japanese made it past the first stage, ONLY 8 Americans made it. Japanese are made to be successful as SASUKE! Japanese are great people!" WHAT? Japanese are great because they made SASUKE??? What idiotic logic! Then after the second stage, the announcer again spouted off, "More Japanese than Americans made it past the second stage! Japan is winning the competition!" When did SASUKE become a competition between countries? Even the some Japanese contestants said, "I have to get through this stage to keep Japanese pride." In an interview with an American competitor, an American said, "I just want to do my best. SASUKE is really fun." No hint at the USA vs. Japan issues, just a guy that wanted to do his best and take his physical strength to the limit. SASUKE is more about man against course, not country against country.
Another thing that really irritates me is the MLB vs. JBL baseball series. MLB players come to Japan for a series of games with the JBL players. I think they play like 3 exhibition games, and then one game against a pro-team. When Japan wins a game, announcers are like, "Japan is great, our level of baseball is just as high as the Americans!" and go off on how much better Japanese style is better. When the MLB wins, the announcers like, "Yeah, MLB is strong." THAT'S IT! What I would like to see is the JBL All-Stars go to America one year and see how they like battling jet lag and playing in front of a hostile crowd. Not once has Japan's All-Stars gone to play games in the USA. What, are they afraid? This is of course not talking about the WBC which Japan has won twice. Kudos to Japan on that.
Anyway, that is my rant for today. Glad I could get it off my chest, FINALLY!
CAVEAT: I love Japan! If I didn't I would be living here for more than 21 years. But there are things that I do not like, just like there are some things about the USA that I don't like. No country is perfect.
Friday, October 14, 2011
My Son, CHAMPION!!!
Okay, time for a proud father to brag about his son. My son entered his schools English recitation contest last month. I practiced with him several times and he was ready. The day before the school contest a teacher tells him that the presenters are not supposed to use gestures, or big body movement. He got home early evening which didn't give him a lot of time to re-tool his presentation. But he did it and won the school competition. A few days later my wife called the teacher to ask about gestures and his teacher said that they were a little confused as to why my son didn't do a lot of gestures. I hit the roof. I was like, "WHAT??? Because he was told not to!!!" His teacher went on to say that the scoring gap between my son and the second place person was very slim.
Now that my son was the winner of the school competition, he earned the right to represent the school at the Prefectural competition.
This last Sunday was the Prefectural competition. Problem was that from Wednesday before my son caught a cold and even wasn't able to go to school on Friday. Instead, on Friday, my wife took him to the hospital and got checked out. The doc was surprised at how red my son's throat was. He prescribed meds and rest. When Sunday rolled around, my son was still not 100%. Maybe 70% of his top physical condition. There were 45 contestant in all. My son was number 38. As I sat and listened to the other students, I knew my son would win. There was no question in my mind. There were a few good students, but no one held a candle to what my son was able to do. The students were judged on the following criteria:
1. Memorization 2. Expression 3. Intonation 4. Facial expression 5. Body Language/Gestures 6. interpretation 7. Confidence
There were a few students that did a few of the critera well, but only my son had everything all working for him. He slammed it home! I am very proud of him and the effort and work he put in. He deserves the victory.
Now that my son was the winner of the school competition, he earned the right to represent the school at the Prefectural competition.
This last Sunday was the Prefectural competition. Problem was that from Wednesday before my son caught a cold and even wasn't able to go to school on Friday. Instead, on Friday, my wife took him to the hospital and got checked out. The doc was surprised at how red my son's throat was. He prescribed meds and rest. When Sunday rolled around, my son was still not 100%. Maybe 70% of his top physical condition. There were 45 contestant in all. My son was number 38. As I sat and listened to the other students, I knew my son would win. There was no question in my mind. There were a few good students, but no one held a candle to what my son was able to do. The students were judged on the following criteria:
1. Memorization 2. Expression 3. Intonation 4. Facial expression 5. Body Language/Gestures 6. interpretation 7. Confidence
There were a few students that did a few of the critera well, but only my son had everything all working for him. He slammed it home! I am very proud of him and the effort and work he put in. He deserves the victory.
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