Into the World:
The Random Thoughts in My Mind

Living in Japan, it is difficult to escape the omnipresence of uniforms. Whether it is the high school uniforms that titillate the salarymen , or the various uniforms of working people, from the train conductors and supermarket cashiers to the street cleaners and, who can forget the salarymen’s dark suits. Aside from introducing uniformity, the uniforms also become what people aspire to, as a symbol of their professional identity separate from their private lives as individuals.

The Japanese female high school uniform is almost a cultural institution in itself.  Immortalized in anime such as “Sailor Moon” and countless bittersweet love stories of campus romance on the big and small screens, its distinctive blue-and-white sailor-like design is recognizable to even the most casual purveyors of Japanese culture.  For millions in Japan, it is the visual manifestation of what it means to be youthful, innocent, and full of hope and drama.  It is the physical reminder of the coming of age.

Having joined many tours in the past, I come to see certain patterns on how they are organized.  That is especially true for shorter tours, where the ability of the guide to make the trip entertaining seems to be one of the primary criteria to evaluate whether the tour is worthwhile.  The sights might be great, but without proper presentation of them, it is hard to say that people who paid good money to be on the tour actually gained much from being on the tour as compared to just going around and looking at the same sights by themselves.

The general public can be easily misled by greatness shown in public.  People tend to assume that when a person acquires great fame and fortune through their own efforts, they are full of positive qualities that help them achieves the success.  The abilities to lead others with compassion, to get public opinion on their side to sell themselves and their products, and to improve the world with slices of their own undoubtedly admirable personalities are almost assumed.  Simply said, people think a person can achieve great things because s/he is a great person with great qualities not many others possess.

It is surprising that Crazy Rich Asians , the cinematic pride and joy of the Chinese-American community this year (quite honestly, of the last couple of decades) was even shown in theaters here in Japan.  It is distinctly lacking multiculturalism, despite its attempt to appeal to all Asians with a distinct story of the newly wealthy Asia and the familiar rags-to-riches Asian migrant story (not to mention the title of the film itself).  It is difficult to see what the regular Japanese person is supposed to get out of the movie, considering that it takes place in a distinctively unfamiliar environment and conditions for the Japanese.

Roppongi, in some ways, is a rather special entertainment district, even for a Tokyo that is inundated with many special entertainment districts .  With many embassies nearby, it became a preferred hang-out of moneyed expats.  Many clubs and bars that cater to foreign clientele and many Japanese who are keen on a more "international" lifestyle make the neighborhood both high-end in terms of prices but also rather shady in terms of the people that frequent its many crowded back alleys and underground haunts.  There are plenty of options for those seeking to be entertained in however ways.

For someone who has not been to one of the most famous "shows" for tourists in Tokyo, it could be a bit difficult to understand what all the fuss is really about.  The Robot Restaurant in Kabukicho, the reputed red-light district of Tokyo, offers a robot-themed show, about one-and-a-half hours long, for 8000 Yen (slightly less than 80 USD at the current exchange rate).  Dinners-in-a-box that look (and taste) like they are sourced directly from the local convenience stores sell for a highly inflated 1000-2000 Yen each on top of the 8000-yen entrance fee.  Extra spending is needed for canned drinks and popcorn, going for 500-1000 yen each.