Lucky at cards...

Last Sunday I went to a Brazilian party organized by the Kansai Brazilian Community. Well, it's called "Festa Junina", and it's sort of traditional... and it has a "countryside" image within it.

That's a celebration that I can't really explain, so I'll get some help from Wikipedia.

From Wikipedia article about "Festa Junina":

Festa Junina, typically termed São João (Saint John) as it is centered on that saint's day, is the name of annual Brazilian celebrations (historically related to the Midsummer and Saint John festivities in Europe) which take place in the beginning of the Brazilian winter (...). These Europe-originated festivities are most associated with Northeastern Brazil, but today celebrated in the whole country. It's mainly celebrated on the following days of the Catholic feast of Saint Anthony, John the Baptist and Saint Peter.

(...) They also celebrate rural life and feature typical clothing, food, dance (particularly quadrilha, which is similar to square dancing). Like Midsummer and Saint John's Day in Portugal and Scandinavian countries, São João celebrates marital union. The "quadrilha" features couple formations around a mock wedding whose bride and groom are the central attraction of the dancing.

Usually taking place in an arraial, a large, open space outdoors, men dress up as farm boys with suspenders and large straw hats and women wear pigtails, freckles, painted gap teeth and red-checkered dresses, all in a loving tribute to the origins of Brazilian country music, and of themselves, some of whom are recent immigrants from the countryside to cities such as Olinda, Recife, Maceió and Salvador, and some of whom return to the rural areas during that season to visit family. However, nowadays, São João festivities are extremely popular in all urban areas and among all social classes. In the Northeast, they are as popular as Carnival. It should be noted that, like during Carnival, these festivities involve costume-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing). Like the original European Midsummer celebrations, during the two-week June festivities in Brazil, bonfires are lit. They can be seen everywhere in northeastern cities.

I am just not sure about the "extremely popular in all urban areas and among all social classes" part, but I have to admit that most people have participated in one of those at least once.

Back to the subject, although the day was rainy, I went to Kobe for that party (Yeah... still Kobe...). Among other things, meeting old friends (again), making new friends and enjoying the food (espetinho!! Guaraná!! Pastel!! Too bad the carrot cake was over before I arrived... Sorry for not showing pictures, but I couldn't upload them all, and I can't find good sites to link to. Just google the words and you may find what kind of dishes I'm talking about...).

Ah, and some notes. The musicians playing forró were Japanese... But they were playing better than many Brazilians I know (LOL), and their accent when singing was barely noticeable... Or better, it was noticeable... an "Nordestino" accent (a kind of regional Brazilian accent)!! They could even reproduce the accent when singing!?!?

Talking about Japanese people, of course there were some present at the party (as some other foreigners as well). But most of them already are used to "Brazilian behavior", have been in Brazil already, have interest for the culture and such... Even some ladies we (some other Brazilian exchange students and me) met there could be more "Brazilian" than we... At least they have more interest about "Brazilian things" than we do...

For those wondering about the title, there was a bingo game. And I usually don't get nothing from such things. This time, though, I "bingoed" for the second prize - a bicycle! Yey! But a little girl (5 year old I guess) also did at the same time. I felt like giving up the prize that time...

So, to decide who'd get the second and who'd get the third (a soccer ball), I played rock-paper-scissors against her mother (it kept getting worse, huh?)... and I won.

A meaningless victory, though.

Feeling bad and sorry for the little girl, I decided to have a talk with the girl's mother and ask for a trade... her prize for mine.

She was very nice, saying that's a good thing that a child learn to lose sometimes and such, and was refusing to trade, especially because she also had a boy who liked the ball. Also, we had a common problem: we didn't know how to take the bike back to our homes. In my case, I was in Kobe and my house is in Kyoto (Uji, actually). And she was in a similar situation as well... Interesting that both didn't actually want the bike when the game started... is it karma?

Well, but there were people who wanted the bike. As the two brothers (the girl I "stole" the bike from and her brother) found the bike laying around while I was talking with the mother, he forgot about the ball and both started playing with the bike. At that point the mother and I realised that trading would be better...

Now the kids have a bike (I wonder who'll get it?), I have a ball and everyone's happy.

But I can't help thinking... Am I too soft-hearted?

Skit and Binaural

Some interesting videos for your amusement.

First, an amazing skit (by Voltz, Stripper Vash and other cosplayers that aren't mentioned at the original video description) that took place at the Anime Central 2006 and uses the fact that some video-game and Japanese anime/manga characters have features in common. It uses that fact in a very intelligent and humorous way. Some parts may be hard to hear, though.

If you don't know much about games and anime/manga you may want to check some information first to understand some punchlines.

About Trigun
Vash the Stampede
Millions Knives

About Devil May Cry
Dante
Vergil
Lady

About Final Fantasy VII
Vincent Valentine
Cloud Strife
Sephiroth

Some other references are for Alucard, Lupin III, Carmen San Diego and some others that I either don't know, didn't hear or haven't bothered to mention. I think that what someone would have to know are the looks of those characters and the relationships Vash-Knives and Dante-Vergil.

Or you can just watch it anyway...



The second video I've first heard of it through Daniel's blog. It's called Virtual Barber Shop. It uses binaural recording and mentions (don't sure if it was used or not) the Cetera algorithm to create an audio file where we can distinguish the directions of the sounds. A virtual sound field.

As I'm more involved with acoustics now, that really interests me. An algorithm capable to make the brain interpret sounds estimating their direction and distance... too bad that since the Cetera was developed by a company, it's not likely that we'll see the details easily.

Put your earphones first, and close your eyes while listening for better effect.

My New Neighbor

Some other day, while I was putting my clothes to dry, I noticed that I have a new neighbor...


Yep. A spider weaved a web right at my veranda's window. One of the prices to pay for living at the ground level, I guess.

Anyway, since I was born and raised in the city, and am not used to see spiders like that (and that big... although in Japan they seem to be more common even in cities), I was a little alarmed by the size and the yellow stripes. Those kind of features that stand out to the eyes may mean some kind of hazard... like some animals that are toxic.

After a quick look on the Web (heh... word play), I figured that it's probably an Argiope amoena (or Argiope minuta... not sure of which). Also called kogane-gumo (コガネグモ) in Japan, they usually aren't hazardous to humans (although it has venom, which may justify their looks...).

If it's not hazardous, I think I'll just let it stay where it is. One reason it's because it may catch some insects that are headed to my house (it's in a good position for that), which is something I'd really appreciate.

The second reason is that since it's web is just at the other side of the window, I have a privileged view of it (the picture here doesn't show it well, though). It's really amazing to watch...

I just have to be a little careful when opening my window...

But I'd like to be sure that I got the spider species right... just in case. May someone confirm that?

Animals and Japanese language

Just an interesting article about Japanese language, mentioning how animals are attributed as adjectives to people with certain behaviors. Actually it happens in all languages, but there are some different things.

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Tuesday, June 12, 2007
BILINGUAL
It's a dog's life when you wear a cat on your head
By KAORI SHOJI

Animals have always been prevalent in the Japanese language, perhaps more so than in other parts of the world, because Japanese people were for so long vegetarian, Buddhist or Shintoist.

Even now, upon seeing a kitsune (fox), a Japanese person is more likely to pray to it than hunt it down. Or think about asking it out for a date. Female allure is often attributed to kitsune powers, and there's many a Japanese folk tale about some poor guy entrapped by a woman's charms, only to discover later that he had been kitsune ni bakasareta (fooled by a fox) and the woman of his dreams had been hiding a shippo (tail) in her kimono.

The term megitsune (female fox) points to a sho-waru (bad or rotten in nature) femme fatale, who usually entices her male victims, betrays them and strips them bare. Still, it's believed that a man should run into a megitsune at least once in his life, if only to know the difference between destructive, animal allure and normal womanhood he can rely on in a wife/mother.

The few women that transcend humanity or animal attractiveness are usually compared to tsuru (cranes). The children's fable "Tsuru no Ongaeshi (The Gratitude of the Crane)" is about a lovely female crane who turns herself into a young woman to repay a hunter who once helped her. She marries him, cooks and cleans for him, and at night when he's sound asleep turns herself back into a crane to pluck the feathers from her body and weave a gorgeous cloth that he sells for a lot of money.

Interestingly, the animal terms for men are a lot less flattering. The less fairer sex is compared to a kuma (bear), if they're big and strong, a nezumi (mouse) if they're small-statured, or a hebi (snake) if they're abusive or stingy with money.

My grandmother tended to judge people by their animal year. She said that the best year for a man to be born in was tatsu (dragon) because of their dedication, loyalty and heaven-given grace.

The Japanese have also dispensed more than a fair share of cruelty on animals. Shamisen strings were made from cat gut, and to prove the authenticity of the wares, decapitated cat heads were displayed on shamisen shop fronts as recently as the 1960s. Whales were traditionally hunted and eaten, and sea turtles were killed for their shells. Taxidermy was a respected skill; in fact, stuffed animals are still a mark of status and wealth in many regions.

However, relations between men and animals in Japan have mostly been fairly amicable. After all, many people like to believe that the moon is inhabited by rabbits, making mochi (rice cake).

Before westernization set in, Japanese referred to animals as kemono (creatures with fur) and fish as uminomono (creatures of the sea). Both were considered to harbor strange, mystical powers that could be beneficial or harmful to humans depending on the circumstance.

Currently, Japanese is peppered with amusing animal jargon, some of it new and others very traditional. A good swimmer is still called kappa, after the mythical creature who supposedly lives in ponds, has flippers instead of feet and a small receptacle of water attached to its head. When this receptacle dries up, the kappa expires. An overweight or hefty person is often called todo (sea walrus). A person (mostly women) who acts cute and inoffensive, but is actually hiding a more diabolical nature, is called nekokaburi (has a cat on their head). Anyone with big eyes will have school memories of being taunted as a demekin (goldfish). A person with long legs is called kamoshika (gazelle).

The term saru (monkey) has a whole range of meanings, most of which are pretty obvious. The phrase saru no yo ni suru (do like a monkey) refers to a tendency for repetition and stupidity and has connotations that are often sexual. Other notable terms include inu-gui (eat like a dog) to describe someone with bad table manners; neko-manma (cat food) for the all-time Japanese classic meal of miso soup and rice eaten from the same bowl; and buta-nomi (pig drinking) for swilling drinks straight out of a bottle. But my personal favorite is usagi-taishitsu (rabbit disposition), which refers to a person who can't stand solitude and must huddle with other rabbits in a cramped little warren, in order to remain healthy and sane.

Use some of the above phrases and watch your popularity with your friends unagi-nobori (eel climb), or skyrocket.

Respect thy masters... blindly?

Well, some might be asking where are my posts about Japanese culture that were common in the past. I dunno. Maybe because I'm more used to Japan this time, or maybe just because I haven't found many interesting things to talk about. Those posts were (still are) usually triggered by something that happened to me or something I read.

Ok, now there's an article from Japan Times about something that many westerners find difficult to cope. Avoid confront with people whose status is higher than yours. By "confront" sometimes even asking the doctor why a medicine should be taken could be enough according to the article. You should just accept it. And as for me, and I believe for most westerners, "just accept" something isn't always possible. We have our points of view... we want to know why... we want to change ideas, discuss and try to improve... And we sometimes express that when we shouldn't (according to Japanese culture).

Of course, I'm not generalizing. There are people who value a good discussion with their "subordinates" even in public...

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Added on June 13th

I received a comment by Claus that made me realize a problem with a generalization I made above. His opinion was that I made a bad generalization by using "westerner" instead of "non-Confucianist". The article states that's the origin of the behavior, and by using "westerner" I'd be excluding some non-Confucianist communities in the East, like Russians and Indians. Guess I should be a little more careful with that. Thanks, Claus.

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Sunday, June 10, 2007
COUNTERPOINT

In Japan, show reverence where it's due (or not)
By ROGER PULVERS
Special to The Japan Times

Japan is the country that I feel most at home in. Yet, despite having arrived in 1967, and living here for the better part of the intervening 40 years, I still see myself as the odd man out in one particular aspect. I just can't "act Japanese" — if you will excuse the generalization — when it comes to this one thing.

It was brought home to me some time ago when I attended a public lecture given by a famous and highly respected cultural figure who I also happen to know personally.

Unfortunately, I found the lecture to be overlong and exceedingly lacking in meaningful content. But that is not the reason for my feeling different from the Japanese norm. Every speaker is allowed the occasional below-par performance, and I have been guilty of that more times than I wish to remember.

It was after the speech that it came out.

My friends, some of whom had been nodding off during the oration, were effusive in their praise of it. "Wasn't it exciting?" said one.

"Well," I muttered, "I wouldn't exactly call it exciting."

"Wow," exclaimed another, "he is just so amazing. His insight is astounding."

"Is it?" I mumbled, trying not to shrug my shoulders too high.

OK, there is no arguing taste, and maybe it was just me who found the speaker's cliched observations and calculated modesty a crushing bore. The point is not the speech but the reaction of the others to it. And that was, in a word, reverential.

This quality, of automatic reverence expressed for someone in an exalted position, is a common Japanese trait. I am not talking here about respect for authority. That sort of thing exists everywhere in one degree or another. Most Japanese people, however, will go to great pains to repress any expression of disdain for someone who, by virtue of their position in society, commands respect.

Odd foreign students

Go to the doctor and get your prescription of medicines from him or her. When you do, it is only sensible to ask what each medicine is for and why you need them all. However, by doing so you may attract a jaundiced look from the doctor or dispensing nurse — a look that says, "So you know better what's good for you than a doctor?"

Go to a university classroom and watch the teacher ask for "any questions?" Invariably it is the odd foreign student from Vietnam, China or Korea who will raise their hand. Japanese students will appear meek and mild. If they do have a question, they are likely to go up after class and ask it privately, rather than risk embarrassing a teacher in front of others by asking something they may not be able to answer.

What's going on here? Patients who are "too curious" about the medicines that will go into their body, or students who put questions to teachers in public, may be seen as being aggressive — as trying to pose a challenge to the position occupied by the doctor or teacher. The patient or student may genuinely wish to have something explained or clarified, but it is not a virtue to display this desire. The rule is, keep your curiosity to yourself and swallow your pride with your medicine or received wisdom — or risk being viewed as a self-centered troublemaker.

The overriding principle governing this attitude in Japan is that of jukyo, or neo-Confucianism.
Despite monumental changes that have taken place in Japan over the 140 years since the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate that led to the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the single most enduring aspect governing social behavior here has remained jukyo. This means that those who occupy positions of respect, by virtue of age, station or accomplishment, must be paid that respect publicly and without face-to-face challenge. It is the position that merits the reverence, if not the individual.

The keenest Japanese virtue when it comes to jukyo consists in the suppressing of your irreverence in the name of social harmony. If your doctor prescribes a handful of different pills, just accept them and pay for them. No one will force you to swallow them when you get home. If a teacher says something questionable, shrug it off, repeat it on the exam paper as meticulously as you can, and after the term is finished forget the whole thing. If you do think that a highly respected cultural figure has given an awful lecture, smile and say how "stimulating" it was. You may find yourself a bit ill, not very well educated and unsure of how to express yourself frankly in the future, but you are sure to be successful and well liked in this society.

A muted note of cynicism

You are no doubt detecting more than a muted note of cynicism in my tone. Well, I can't deny it, any more than I can subdue my urge to look askance at those people (whatever reverence may be due to their station) who I simply feel do not "deserve" lavish praise. My ingrained notion of deservedness comes from a personal judgment of their words or actions at the time. This is where I become the odd gaijin (foreigner) out, despite my genuine desire to fit into Japanese society as comfortably as I can.

There have been, throughout Japanese history, a few iconoclasts who have bucked this "hierarchy of respect" and thrown reverence roughly out the window. The most stark examples may well be those of the postwar so-called Buraiha (rogue) school of writers, Sakunosuke Oda and Ango Sakaguchi.

Oda wrote of how tedious and non-cultural he found the exhibition of Shosoin treasures at Todaiji Temple in Nara, effectively ridiculing the masses of people who went there to get their dose of culture.

Sakaguchi, meanwhile, turned on the German architect Bruno Taut. While virtually all Japanese literati were charmed and tickled by Taut's exaltation of Japanese high culture and elegance, Sakaguchi railed against him for misunderstanding the true nature of the source of Japanese creativity — the needs of the ordinary Japanese individual.

Oda and Sakaguchi were certainly rogues, but in their day — the all-too-brief postwar decade that fostered dissent — they were very popular.

Nowadays, if you nurture a natural and somewhat irrepressible inclination toward an honesty that may be seen here as brutal and unnecessarily challenging, you may become the odd person out. I know I would make a much "better" inhabitant of Japan if I could keep my qualms to myself.

I guess I'm a born knocker. I don't know about you, though, but I find it hard to swallow my medicine just because I'm told it's good for me.

Louder, LOUDER!!!

Do you have the feeling that music nowadays is getting noisier and louder? You may be right. According to this Slashdot article, "sound levels are being artificially enhanced so that the music punches through when it competes against background noise in pubs or cars".

Isn't it just great? Recording companies enforcing their product creating more noise pollution... And we are eating it. Like if "people" who like to blast their (and others) ears with high volume music weren't enough.

Besides, the excess of clipping distorts the music... so what we're hearing isn't (fortunately) exactly what we'd hear in a live show.

Koto and Shakuhachi Concert

On May 27th, there was a koto and shakuhachi concert at Honen-in. I was invited by Carol to that concert, but neither I nor some other students she invited knew that we were supposed to register prior to the event... Well, nothing that a little talk didn't solve actually. Besides, it was a event for international students, anyway (not only for them, though).

Also, although I've been at the Philosopher's Walk (the temple is close to it), I've never been to that temple, so it was a new one to explore.


The concert itself was very pleasing. There was even one with a shamisen. Also, I guess the musicians who played are reasonably known in Japan. They were also very nice, answering questions and...

letting us play a little with some spare instruments they've brought (koto and shakuhachi only)! Yay! Time to play!



As you may have guessed, with all my musical ability I wasn't able to play either. But I have some comments. The basics of the shakuhachi are harder to get than for the koto. It took me a long time just to get the correct way to blow it. But both seem hard to master.

The musical notation is also different. I couldn't associate the notes with the western standard. Not that I'm any goos at distinguishing tones anyway. Besides, we were told that those instruments (especially the koto) are adjusted by ear...

There was also a tea ceremony with a very interesting sweet served with the tea. some sort of jelly served inside a shell... which we also used as a spoon to eat.

Just in case someone is interested about the concert, I'm writing the contents... in Japanese. That's how we received it too!

出演者
　箏：細見由枝
　尺八：米村鈴笙

プログラム
１．「春の海」
２．尺八本曲
３．古曲「八千代獅子」
４．「ロンドンの夜の雨」
５．「さくら」日本古謡
　　「浜千鳥」

So far...

Well, all the euphoria over a new life change has passed, so I'm already setting my routine here. I just want to find some exercise... fast!

Other than that, for now Japanese classes, lab work (mostly lectures so far...) and some exploring keep me busy enough.

Still, here, more than when I was in Brazil, there are some events to shake things a little.

For example, the lab's welcome party (May 23rd). Well, I'd say it was a dinner. But those chances to meet labmates outside of "work" may be good to estabilish some friendship... Well, not so far, but I'll have a long time for that. At least it was enough to feel the "atmosphere"... and I can say I liked it. No unnecessary "workaholicism", just to say one thing.

Also, Lucias' birthday (May 26th). There are two Brazilian students named Lucia here, and their birthday is just one day from each other. Call it coincidence.

What can I say? Those "happy hours" with other Brazilian students (not all of them are Brazilian and students, though) are always nice! Something that helps me keeping my sanity... hehehe...

There was also Shell's birthday back in Himeji (June 2nd). Starting with a dinner at a place called IVY, I guess, and followed by the traditional Tiger. There was even a Chi-chan hand-made cake! Guess she'll be Jon's successor in cake-making, hehe...

Well, I was just embarassed by two things: first, I was the only one who forgot something really basic about birthdays... the present! As a friend in Brazil would say, that's really like Igor... Ouch... I even got a huge hint of what to buy during a MSN talk, but I forgot about it. Ah, well...

The second one was a result from a miscalculation. Since Shell's birthday celebration would start on evening, I thought that it'd be a good idea to go to Himeji earlier and stroll around, like the old times (but without my favorite partner for that). It was nice to see how much things change (or not) in one year, but I was tired at the end of the day. So, I spend most of the time in Tiger dozing... or trying.

Well, not so different than my usual self there one year ago, right?

Ah, as for the pictures, I decided to put none from the welcome party and Lucias' birthday. So, in order to make it fair, I won't put any of Shell's too. Sorry for that, but Shell's and Makoto's blogs have plenty of them. Meg's may have some too... someday (nothing so far...).

Gackt, Kago, COPS and Star Wars

The results of some netsurfing.

What happens when you put Gackt and Ai Kago together on a date? Something really funny! Check it out.



Also, what happens when you mix COPS and Star Wars Stormtroopers? This...



Bad boys, bad boys... What'cha gonna do?