The Blue Lantern

眠れ by Victor Pelevin

眠れ is a Japanese edition book of Victor Pelevin.  It includes the first half of The Blue Lantern.  The second half of The Blue Lantern and The Life of Insects is collected into the Japanese book of 虫の生活 (The Life of Insects).  I don't know why The Blue Lantern is divided into two halves in Japanese edition.  I think it's a disordered way.

I've ever heard good rumors but not tried.  It was the first time I read Victor Pelevin.

During reading the book, I felt dizzy I couldn't perceive where I was in the stories.  It's like I have to go forward in a dark and wet cave nevertheless I don't want to go.  It's like characters are confined in a resistless environment.  Something gloomy always casts pathological sadness.  If I let my mind deaf and blind, I could stay alive.  However, it's actually tough work letting the mind die, isn't it?  I think a person who works in city can empathize the circumstance in the stories.

I read surrealistic stories after so long.  It was very, very interesting for me, so I clicked on Buddha's Little Finger that is the most recent Japanese edition of Victor Pelevin.  It'll be interesting.

Buddha's Little Finger Penguin (Non-Classics) 2001-12-01 Sales Rank : 247888 Average Review See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Blue Lantern Faber & Faber 2001-03-01 Sales Rank : 2404427 See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Tatsuaki Ishiguro 石黒達昌

Tatsuaki Ishiguro (石黒達昌 ISHIGURO Tatsuaki) is difficult to decide which genres his novels belong to.  It's a kind of science fiction, but neither cyberpunk nor science fantasy.  Sometimes his novels are classified under horror.  It cannot be horror.  I think that his theme is to survive with pain.

His novels often mimic medical articles with using medical terms.  Through an enigmatic character of scientist, a delusion that the scientist will expose the secret of science is transformed into the delusion that human being wants to stay alive yet.  It's the seeking for a soul by science.  Or, it might be said to be a mad scientist story. (but not horror!)

At any rate, he is an active doctor, so medical terms are realistic.  And, he is an active doctor, so his books are not many.  Sadly, only one book ('冬至草') is sold in Amazon Japan.  Other novels in Japan are out of print now.  What a shame!

The novel that published in 1994 was very avant-garde.  It has no title and includes tables and photographs, and its writing style is horizontal writing.  Japanese novel is vertical writing normally but the scientific literature is horizontal writing.  It definitely simulates a medical report.  For ISBN registration, his book title was set the start sentence of the novel.  So, the book of Japanese title is long such as '平成3年5月2日，後天性免疫不全症候群にて急逝された明寺伸彦博士，並びに，'.  English title is Biogenesis.

Biogenesis and Other Stories is only one book that is translated into English.  Tatsuaki Ishiguro translated his book by himself when he moved to Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.  I'd like you to read Tatsuaki Ishiguro before going out of print!

Biogenesis and Other Stories Vertical 2035-12-31 Sales Rank : 6926887 See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Happy End はっぴいえんど

When I saw Lost in Translation on DVD, it surprised me that the sound of Happy End (はっぴいえんど) came out at the end of the film.

Happy End is an old acoustic band in Japan in the 1970's.  Each former member became a big musician or big producer and so on.  They work at the center of Japan music currently.  People say that Happy End is a legendary band that all members are too talented to get together again right now.  Members are Haruomi Hosono, Eiichi Ohtaki, Takashi Matsumoto and Sigeru Suzuki.  Melancholic and political music like flower children flooded here and there when Happy End appeared.  Their music was light, and had dry humor.  Some people felt they were a new band, but Happy End weren't in mainstream because of their stance of staying at the cutting edge.

Keiichi Suzuki (鈴木慶一 SUZUKI Keiichi) joined Happy End as a member of backing band.  He provides his music to Takeshi Kitano's movie.  The other big musicians were related to Happy End.  Sometimes talented people interact each other at a very narrow point.  Happy End was such a place.


Digitally remastered CD of Happy End

はっぴいえんど はっぴいえんど Pony Canyon  2009-02-18 Sales Rank : 70272 Average Review  See details at Amazon Japan by G-Tools

Zatoichi sound track by Keiichi Suzuki

座頭市 オリジナル・サウンドトラック 鈴木慶一 Sound track Dreamusic 2003-09-03 Sales Rank : 15506 Average Review  See details at Amazon Japan by G-Tools

Kettle

This is a kettle I use.  I'm sorry that it's dirty a little.

I wanted this at the first glance at a shop.  It was a bit expensive for a kettle but I couldn't stop taking it to the shop counter.  The shape seemingly looks very traditional but has indescribable curve.

After I got home, I knew this kettle was designed by a very famous product designer, Sori Yanagi.  His works are like Nordic design style.  Simple and beautiful with easy of use.







Sori Yanagi works:

ice cream spoon	soy sauce pot	earthen tea port
butterfly stool	stainless steel kettle	can opener

designshop Japan:  online shop of tableware, furniture, watch, etc., designed by Japanese desginers
http://designshop.jp-stores.com/index.html

Kobo Abe 安部公房

I've loved Kobo Abe (安部公房 ABE Kobo) since I was fifteen years old.  He is a Japanese novelist.  I believed he would have received the Nobel Prize in Literature.  In fact, Kenzaburo Oe (大江 健三郎 OE Kenzaburo) was awarded the Novel Prize in Literature in 1994.  If Kobo had been alive, he would have won the Novel Prize in Literature possibly.  He suddenly collapsed at his second house he used as work room and died in 1993.

Kobo was interested in something scientific and contemporary.  He used a word processor from the beginning of releasing personal gadgets even when it was very expensive.  It's a landmark case in Japan where typewriter for Japanese didn't exist like alphabetical countries.  Other writers criticized him. Many critics insisted that  horizontal writing by work processor would have broken Japanese tradition because Japanese literature was vertical writing.  Umm... Current Japanese got familiar with horizontal writing by personal computer and many writers use word processors currently.  The criticism suggests the old era, doesn't it?



One kind person translated into English at the comment column of YouTube.  Please jump to YouTube page if you like.  The video was shot at his second house at Hakone.  It shows an old word processor and synthesizer.  He worked for only things he got interested in.  He led his drama group for 7 years.  He took somewhat symbolically meaningful pictures and used them in his books.  His favorite motif are ruins, garbage collection point and public lavatory.  He was very snobbish.  I think he was proud of himself.  In the above video, his attitude seemed like that he wised up a student.  It wasn't friendly.  But, private personality isn't the point.  I like his works very much.

Kenzaburo Oe continues to make efforts for the Japanese literary world. For instance, he worked as a member of selection committee of Akutagawa Prize.  He makes a lot of speech all over the world.  Consequently he was able to receive the Novel Prize in Literature by non-writing works.  It could be.

The Box Man Vintage 2001-07-10 Amazonで詳しく見る by G-Tools

The Face of Another Vintage 2003-02-04 Amazonで詳しく見る by G-Tools

Secret Rendezvous Vintage 2002-07-09 Amazonで詳しく見る by G-Tools

KNYACKI!

KNYACKI! is clay animation that broadcasts on NHK educational channel since 1995.  It's a long-running program but I've not traced this program very regularly.  I love this animation but I miss it often.

NHK educational channel has 5-minute short animation program every morning and evening of weekday.  Many short animation programs broadcast in this 5-minute slot.  One of them is KNYACKI!.   When I tune in to NHK educational channel at 7:55 every morning, it's not always KNYACKI!.  Besides, this program often is skipped because of sport event or big news.  The day I can see NYACKI! is a lucky day.


Knyacki is an ingenuous and inquisitive worm.  His shape is very simple but expressive.  He gets stuck in somewhere often.  He drops down often.  He loses his way often.  Very cute!  It's a bit difficult to appreciate the magnet for Knyacki without video.  However, I'm afraid that KNYACKI! DVDs are all region 2.





Unfortunately a new story broadcasts only a few times a year.  The reason may be that clay animation takes an immense amount of time and effort.  Production studio is I.TOON.

Prisoner's Dilemma

I read Prisoner's Dilemma written by Richard Powers.  I think that the book binding of Japanese edition is better than the original one.

While reading this, I thought of September 11.   I imagined that the author was evoked by September 11.  However, I noticed it's written before September 11.

The story is mixed with many matters of history and fiction.  Honestly I didn't know perfectly well which is true or fiction.  At least, I know internment of Japanese American during World War 2.  As well, I know that Walt Disney made propaganda movies.  And the others I know are Enola Gay, Fat Man and Los Alamos Laboratory etc,.

The theme of this novel is trust and peace.  Mass icon is Mickey Mouse (or, Walt Disney).  Personal icon is Daddy of Hobson family.  The both of biography is overlapped in parallel.  The both get very involved in World War 2.  The war is the one of history but it's also a personal incident.  Daddy, Eddie Hobson, has something beyond himself but his wife, sons and daughters cannot touch to it by being evaded family's questions.  During World War 2, Eddie Hobson tried to proceed to get something better.  At the same time, so did Walt Disney.  Eddie Hobson goes through life with conflict after the war.  But I think that the conflict might be a public matter like Mickey Mouse.  Eddie Hobson would be better if he can spit it out.  But he doesn't do it.

I couldn't stop reading because I expected Daddy's puzzle was going to be settled somewhere. The parallel structure of the novel compels readers' attention such as mystery.  This novel isn't easy to read because it's a long story and included many cultural experiences of old American.  Japanese edition has many well-written footnotes about those American culture.  Sometimes they interrupted me but very very helpful.  I think that young American people need the footnotes, too.

This is a very good novel that should be read by more people.

Prisoner's Dilemma Harper Perennial 1996-05-22 Sales Rank : 147972 Average Review See details at Amazon by G-Tools

Spotbill duck diary

There is a comfortable pathway along the Egawa river near my home.  It's named 'Egawa Seseragi Yuhodo (江川せせらぎ遊歩道)'.  I found spotbill duck chicks in April.  6 chicks and their mother. It was very cute!  Chick brothers' size was like a tennis ball.

April 10th, Cold/Cloudy
Six chick brothers stay close mamma. It was very cold and rainy in April. At the evening, I saw that brothers got under mamma's tummy to warm up.

April 23rd, Very cold/Rainy
Brothers got together and slept.  Mother stayed alert without a break.  It's so cold that they didn't want to go around here and there.

April 29th, Warm/Sunny

Sunny light reflected off the water.  I tried to adjust the setting on the mobile phone camera but it didn't succeed.

All 6 chicks are growing up!  According to my observation, chicks don't get bigger fast in those cold days.

I found a new family at a time.  The family of 4 chicks and mummy.  Small and cute!

May 5th, Warm/Sunny
6 brothers has grown up.  This picture don't include all 6 chicks but all ones are doing well.

4 brothers are doing well, too.

And I found new 10 chick brothers without mother.  I wonder whether 10 chicks will grow up steadily.  To begin with, can 10 eggs all hatch in the nature environment?  And where is mommy?  Small babies swim very swiftly.  They immediately go out of the sight of camera.

	May 7th, Warm/SunnyRainy 6 brothers became small ducks.  Baby's plumage has turned to adult one. 4 brothers is doing well.  Comparing to 6 brothers, they grows up rapidly.

I didn't find 10 brothers again.  Instead of that, I found 7 chick brothers without mommy.  And 5 chick brothers with mother.

I'm thinking of tottering 10 babies I saw the day before yesterday.

• 10 orphans has reduced to 7?  A stray cat ate them?  A crow kidnapped them?
• 10 chick brothers I saw are actually mixed up two groups?  The figures doesn't add up. 
• Why couldn't I find out mother the day before yesterday?

My observation will be continued...

Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation (directed by Sofia Coppola in 2003)

I saw Lost in Translation on DVD.  Leading parts, Charlotte who is around 30 years old and Bob who is over 50 years old, have sorrow of life.  They felt they didn't get anything and reach anywhere right now.  They are in Tokyo that provides discomfort because of strange people, strange scenery and strange custom.

I'm afraid that there isn't any witty Japanese in this movie.  All Japanese behaviors are queerly theatrical.  I understood that.  Some Japanese people who can speak English play the personality who can speak English.  According to my observation, voice becomes high and loudly. Women's voice turns to high-pitched voice.  I think such transformation looks flippant.  But, it's a movie.  Don't forget many intellectual people who can speak English well!

Anyway, this story is that lonely two souls meet in a foreign country that is out of place and they feel sympathy for each other.  It's a kind of I-Novel (私小説).  I-Novel is the one of traditional genre in Japan literature that novelists write their private issues and feelings.  There is very few accident and incident in the story.  I felt that this movie was an I-Novel of Sofia Coppola.

At the same time, the film reminds me of Yoshikichi Furui (古井由吉 FURUI Yoshikichi).  I'm not sure whether Yoshikichi's novels are involved in I-Novel.  His stories don't have ups and downs.  The characters feel that there is nothing interesting and exciting somehow.  They get bored as hard as they can.

I'd like you to read Yoshikichi Furui if you like Lost in Translation.

Child of Darkness: Yoko and Other Stories (Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies, No. 18) Univ of Michigan Center for 1997-06 Amazonで詳しく見る by G-Tools

キッコーマン 醤油さし

This picture is the dispenser of soy sauce I use.  Kikkoman Soy Sauce Table Dispenser.  The design is very functional and beautiful.  Liquid never drips from its pourer.  The shape tapers to the top finely.  The curved shape is easy to grip.  This product got the Good Design Award of Japan.


Moreover, the price is very cheap!  About 200 yen!  You can buy it at supermarkets or convenience stores.  Marvelous!