More light posting

I'm spending the holiday weekend in Manhattan with my girlfriend, so this will probably end up being my lightest week of posting to date.

Acknowledging reality

Japan is peculiar: while it is certainly one of the most advanced cultures when it comes to innovation and creativity, particularly in the technological space, it can be irretrievably backwards when it comes to matters of cultural sensitivity - even facts that cannot be denied. The example cited most often (and in the media the most) is the government's extreme - and somewhat odd - reluctance to acknowledge the horrific war crimes that were committed during World War II under the Showa emperor (better known to the Western world as then-Emperor Hirohito). It's a function of a conservative ruling party (the Liberal Democratic Party, better known as the LDP), which has effectively dominated the Japanese political scene because of opposition parties that function incompetently and don't have a cohesive platform other than opposing the LDP's grip on power. As the country has moved further and further away from the initial reforms that Douglas MacArthur attempted to implement in the early days of the post-World War II occupation, nationalism has become a more potent political force...and not in a good way. I don't understand how refusing to apologize, or worse, being insensitive to the countries who suffered under Japanese rule and flat-out denying the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers, is a good thing. The sociopolitical culture of Japan is screwed up when it comes to the issue, that's for sure.

Another issue is the discussion of the Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan who have been dwindling in population and recognition ever since the Meiji emperor forcibly colonized the area (now known as Hokkaido) and effected Japanese culture upon the Ainu, whose culture has nearly disappeared. While it's indisputable that the Ainu are indeed native to the island (what passes as Japanese these days is a result of the Yayoi migration of Chinese and Korean immigrants, after which the newcomers mixed with the native Jomon population), the group - along with virtually every other minority within Japan, have not been given recognition of their status and are often treated as something less than 'Japanese', whatever that may be. So it's with a warm heart that I read about how the government is finally acknowledging that the Ainu are indigenous to Japan. I'm somewhat skeptical if this will result in any real change of the sad state of the people (just see Japan's tortured position on how it deals with its World War II issues), but at least it's a start. It may shatter the nice myth that Japan is ethnically homogenous, but it's long overdue.

The sound of silence

Apologies for less blogging nowadays, although it's probably going to become a more frequent occurrence that I post more infrequently. What with moving in and building my furniture, I've been spending increasingly less time in front of my computer, deciding what I want to muse about. It's probably for the better, as I'll have to wean myself off of my blogging habits once work begins so that I can fully focus on not losing my job (which is hard, given the market conditions). Nevertheless, it's been a good start to what I hope continues to be a long-lived online repository of...well, whatever the hell's on my mind.

Pretty damn shocking

There are many problems with America's health care system, but you'd at least expect hospitals to take care of people who are at the hospital for care. So reading this story about a woman who collapsed (and died, as it turned out) in an emergency room - and then wasn't tended to for an hour - is disturbing. That's either an illustration of shocking incompetence or utter callousness by hospital staff, and it illustrates that the main problem with health care isn't necessarily that everyone isn't covered - but that we can't even get the care right.

Ouch

My feet are killing me after an epic day of moving yesterday and from doing some furnishing today. Sooner or later, I should wrap ice around my feet or get one of those foot massage baths. That would feel extremely good right about now.

While there's still some stuff I need to construct - basically all of my furniture - the hard part of getting it into the apartment is done. It couldn't have happened sooner (or, it could have...but that's a story for some other time).

Good cookies that come cheap

Back in the good 'ole days, grabbing a cookie from the cookie shops at the local malls used to be simple - have a George Washington handy, and you could get yourself a tasty treat. In more recent times, though, it's become more difficult to score a cookie with just $1; it's usually set me back $1.25 or even as much as $1.50. That's why it was a delight to find, at the Great American Cookies store, a regular-sized cookie that cost me a dollar even. It was like being a kid all over again.

Stressful times

Thinking about moving in is weighing heavily on my mind. Aside from the labor-intensive effort that it has been to date (and tomorrow is going to be the worst of it all), there's also a lot of planning and detail that has to go into it. In a way, I'm almost looking forward to starting training - because by then, I will be done with moving in, and then I can focus on other matters.

With some luck, we'll be done with our adventures by mid-afternoon tomorrow. I really have no urge to be doing any of this for longer than necessary. I may also need some ice packs handy.