Big in Japan: Buddhist monks strut it out on the catwalk

by Matthew Firestone on

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Zen Buddhist monks?

If you guess raked pebble gardens, immaculately poured cups of green tea and the continual search for inner peace and enlightenment, you’re wrong!

This week, Japanese monks strutted their stuff on the catwalk in the hopes of promoting the Buddhist religion, especially amongst the younger generations.

Japanese youths have little interest in religion, which is a huge problem considering that Japan is a rapidly aging society.

(With that said, Christmas is all the rage here in the Land of the Rising Sun, though I can assure you that it’s capitalism and not religion that’s driving this recent fad!)

As reported by the Tokyo division of the Associated Press (AP), the fashion show took place at the historic and storied Tsukiji-Honganji temple (???????????), and opened with a traditional Buddhist prayer set to a hip-hop beat.

Yup – you read that correctly.

Zen Buddhist mantras and Biggie Smalls do in fact mix well on the turntables!

To keep reading about this utterly bizarre but fascinating event, click below.

As the beats started to break, five monks from each of the varying schools of Buddhism took to the runway.

Buddhist monks traditionally wear simple black robes, though in order to appeal to the youth, the monks wore multi-layered robes in vibrant colors with gold trim.

(Anyone who has ever been to Tokyo can attest to the fact that whether or not you like their style, you have to hand it to the Japanese – they know how to dress!)

Of course, as this was intended to be a religious event, the night wound down with a group prayer that was livened up with a grand finale of confetti that was shaped like lotus petals.

As with any Milan, Paris or New York fashion show, the high-profile event at Tsukiji-Honganji was well-attended. According to Sayaka Anma, a young woman in the audience, “Their robes were gorgeous. I was a bit surprised in the beginning, but it was very moving to watch.”

So why is it exactly that the Buddhist monks had to resort to rap music and high fashion to attract more followers?

Buddhism has an extremely strong foundation in Japan as the religion first arrived in the archipelago 1,200 years ago from mainland Asia. In fact, almost three-quarters of Japanese people are registered Buddhists, though the only time they enter a temple is on their death bed.

As a result, the vast majority of Japan’s 75,000 temples are in serious financial trouble. Although funerals are a huge source of income, especially given Japan’s aging population, the temples will have to attract new followers if they wish to thrive beyond the immediate future.

“Many of us priests share the sense of crisis, and a need to do something to reach out to people,” said Kosuke Kikkawa, one of the organizers of the event.

“We won’t change Buddha’s teachings, but perhaps we need a different presentation that can touch the feelings of the people today.”

Only in Japan…

** All of the photos in this blog post were taken by the Associated Press (AP) **

Big in Japan: Real pirates are nothing like Johnny Depp

by Matthew Firestone on

Have you ever seen Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean?

Of course you have!

The wild and drunken antics of Johnny Depp are nothing short of hilarious, which is why Disney’s Pirates trilogy has swept the globe from Hollywood to Tokyo.

But, today’s posting isn’t about the Black Pearl, but rather the distressing fact that real pirates aren’t anything like Johnny Depp.

Since October, Somali pirates have been occupying a Japanese chemical tanker, and demanding a ransom of US$1 million (that’s dollars, not gold doubloons).

The Panama-registered MV Golden Nori was carrying an enormous amount of benzene from Singapore to Israel when it was hijacked on October 28, just off Somalia in one of the world’s most dangerous shipping lanes.

Just to be clear…

Nori (????) is a delicious Japanese snack of pressed, roasted and salted sheets of seaweed that can be eaten whole or crumpled up over just about anything.

Benzene (????????????) is a colorless, sweet-smelling and highly flammable liquid that is used as an industrial solvent.

Anyway, according to an article last week by the Nairobi division of Reuters, the pirates decided to abandon ship without hurting any of its crew.

Of course, being that real pirates and Disney pirates do have some things in common, namely that they don’t surrender without a fight, these Somali raiders weren’t so easy to shake off.

Prior to them jumping ship, the Japanese vessel was cornered by the United States navy, who fired on the speedboats pulling the Nori without prejudice.

Following their decisive victory, Lieutenant John Gay of the U.S. Navy Central Command in Bahrain gave the following statement: “All the pirates are off the vessel. The U.S. Navy has a ship nearby. We’re standing by to offer assistance.”

Sadly, there was no booty of gold and gems to be recovered from the fleeing pirates, though at least for time being, the Golden Nori and its somewhat unsexy cargo of benzene are in safer waters.

Of course, the waters around Somalia are a notorious haven for pirates, and it’s likely that other Japanese tankers (with less amusing names than the Golden Nori) will be seized in the near future.

In fact, this hijacking is actually quite unique as Somali pirates have become quite adept at demanding ransoms, and have in several cases cashed in on their bounty.

This past August, Somali pirates freed a Danish cargo ship, the MV Danica White, and its five Danish sailors in safe condition, after a security company paid a US$1.5 million ransom.

Generally speaking, ransom demands are determined by the size of the ship, its cargo and the nationalities of its crew.

Needless to say, a cool US$1.5 million can buy a seemingly limitless supply of pirate’s rum.

Of course, being that Somalia is largely controlled by Islamic fundamentalists, and that alcohol is illegal throughout most of the country, it’s a safe bet that the ransom won’t be drunken away in true Pirates of the Caribbean fashion.

Budget Travel on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing

by Aaron Hotfelder on

I am a huge fan of the Olympics because they combine some of my greatest passions: athletic competition, international travel, and, of course, unscrupulousness. In fact, one of my favorite parlor tricks is to name all the members of the 1996 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team. (Tip: Don’t forget Amy Chow. Everyone always forgets Amy Chow.)

For all the other Olympics fanatics out there, Budget Travel has a terrific assortment of links designed to prepare you for the 2008 Summer Games in China. They detail the nuts and bolts of making it to Beijing, like how to obtain a visa, where to stay, and how to purchase tickets for the Games. They also showcase some of Beijing’s newest landmarks (check out the bird’s nest known as the National Stadium) and offer some pointers on Chinese etiquette. Finally, there’s a terrific slideshow documenting all the changes the country is undergoing to prepare for its time in the spotlight.

For even more on the most rapidly changing city in the world, in the most rapidly changing country in the world, take a look at Ember Swift’s feature from several months ago, A Canadian in Beijing.

Big in Japan: Sake tasting notes

by Matthew Firestone on

I really love sake (?????????, nihonshu).

If you think about it, variety is indeed the spice of the life, especially in the bar. In the modern era of microbrews, alcopops and flavored vodkas, we are all secretly becoming closet gourmands.

Of course, all of these self-aggrandizing styles can’t match the sheer variety of flavors and styles of the sweet, delicious nectar that is sake.

Think sake is just rice wine? Don’t believe me that no two bottles of sake are created equally? Allow me to educate you on the high culinary art that is sake.

Much like wine is divided into red, white and varying shades in between, sake runs the spectrum from sweet and rounded with fruity overtones to dry and crisp with a powerful bite.

Of course, true wine connoisseurs can distinguish the variety of grape, just as true sake connoisseurs understand the different brewing styles.

Although there are literally dozens of sake brewing methods, this basic list will help you get started:

Yamahai (???) One of the most traditional methods of brewing sake, the mash is allowed to sour, which gives the final product a more intense flavor.

For more tasting notes on the sweet, delicious nectar that is sake, click on and keep reading!

Sokujō (速醸) Referred to as modern sake, lactic acid is added to the mash to speed up the production time, and subsequently yields a crisp and clean drink.

Muroka (無濾過) ‘Unfiltered’ sake is spared the charcoal filtering process, which creates a slightly cloudy brew that is extremely bold and complex in flavor.

Doburoku (濁酒) This classic unfiltered style is reminiscent of traditional homemade sake, and can come in a variety of flavors depending on the individual brewing methods.

Nigorizake (濁り酒) One of the most unusual types of sake, this unfiltered sake contains a large amount of rice sediment, and must be shaken before it can be served. The texture of nigorizake is extremely smooth and creamy, while the flavor is surprisingly sweet and rounded.

Namazake (生酒) ‘Fresh sake,’ which may can be made by any of the processes described above, is not pasteurized and best served chilled.

Kuroshu (黒酒) Something of an acquired taste, this Chinese-style sake uses unpolished (brown rice) to create a rough and ready brew that quickly overpower the palette.

Taruzake (樽酒) Absolutely delicious but difficult to find, this premium sake is aged in cedar casks, which imparts a unique spiciness to the final product.

Koshu (古酒) Although sake is meant to be drank immediately, a few varieties can be aged, resulting in a honey-flavored brew that is as rich in taste as it is in price.

Now that you know lingo, don’t be afraid to experiment with whatever varieties of sake are available at your local liquor store or Japanese restaurant.

Truth be told, the best Japanese sakes are sadly rarely exported to North America, though every once in awhile it’s possible to find the real staff.

Happy drinking, or as they say here in Japan, kampai (かんぱ, cheers!)

Amazing Race 12: Recap of nothing. Instead Survivor:China gets on my nerves

by Jamie Rhein on

Okay, you can bet I was disappointed to not have my fix of Amazing Race tonight. Particularly after enjoying Martha’s recap of last week. I missed the show because I was having my white knuckle drive back from Kentucky. Tonight, I was all set to take notes on who said what and did what for my own recap, but no. Amazing Race was not on. Instead, there was a two-hour Survivor: China. While I watched Survivor, a show I have never seen before, I thought about what makes Amazing Race such an interesting show–and why Survivor gets on my nerves.

Sure there are parts of Amazing Race that are staged, such as hoisting furniture through windows in Amsterdam and milking camels in Burkina Faso, but the activities are mostly the type of activities people in those countries really do. Not all people in those countries, but the people whose jobs are to milk camels, like this woman in Niger (next to Burkina Faso) or hoist furniture, like the photo below. The Amazing Race is one of movement with varying backdrops. Segments don’t have to be created to be more entertaining, as anyone who travels knows. Entertainment and craziness can happen as soon as one steps off an airplane in another country and culture, particularly if you are traveling without a lot of direction.

The Amazing Race feels natural to me. Perhaps this is because there is not an endless amount of time–or at least footage of people who blather on about each other and their inner thoughts. Heavens, does everyone who ends up on a reality TV show watch the same video on how to talk on a reality TV show? I hope it’s not catching.

Can you imagine what it would be like if we all talked with each other in the same tones of voice with the music notes highlighting tension?

In Amazing Race we get Jennifer screeching at Nathan; Ronald acting like an admiring and disgruntled dad towards daughter Christina; and Nicholas shaking his head at his grandfather’s antics. Then there’s Vyxsin and Kynt who were characters from the get go, and are still characters, but are shown as being people just like anyone else as time goes on. TK and Rachel, also still in the race, seem like if you ran into them in their regular lives, they’d be–well, regular.

People on the Amazing Race are on the move, trying to buy tickets, working on being polite and understood. People don’t have time to work on their personas while they are traveling thousands of miles at a time.

The other thing about Amazing Race that is done well is that there’s a decent look at the countries where the contestants travel. There is a sense of place that if you actually went to one of these countries you’d have some idea of what you might see. In Survivor: China, you could have staged the show in Hawaii, put up a few Buddha statues and a fake temple and the show could be the same. For example, when told to enjoy their last night in China, there were the last three contestants lying in their bamboo lean -to blabbing on and on with each other. What kind of enjoyment is that? What actually lets them know that they are in China? Did someone say, “Welcome to China?” Where are the Chinese people? The Chinese American contestant doesn’t count.

Then when they woke up there was breakfast in front of a small Buddha statue looking like an offering to the ancestors. This is co-opting culture in my opinion. The element of culture is there without any explanation of what it means.

Instead the last three squealed at discovering pancake batter and got busy with a frying pan and the fire. Watching them cook pancakes on a fire made me think of that WoodGas Camp Stove I reviewed. A WoodGas Camp Stove would come in handy on Survivor. In Amazing Race there is always, as far as I remember, an explanation of cultural traits as part of every activity. While browsing through photos of past episodes of Survivor: China I did see some elements of Chinese culture like when there was an archery contest using an ancient Chinese cross-bow.

Also, with all that torch carrying and recapping of what has happened from days ago to just last minute, on Survivor it’s like a non-stop tiki torch party–and a soap opera. With soap operas all you really need to do is watch once in awhile to stay abreast of happenings since the people will talk about what they did several episodes ago for several episodes. Seriously, I used to watch Days of Our Lives years ago. I happened to catch part of a show last week and knew what was happening right away. I spent little time catching up–five minutes tops. Kayla and Patch are back on. And Sammy and Lucas are still having problems, although Will is grown. Like a soap opera, the contestants also wear outfits they wouldn’t wear elsewhere. How many ways can you fashion an outfit out of a piece of cloth that says Survivor: China on it? Don’t get me started on cultural sensitivity and dress. At least in Amazing Race a factor isn’t how one might look in a bathing suit. Remember Don, Nathan’s grandpa?

If you miss one episode of the Amazing Race you can miss an entire country and not see events like Nathan’s dad stripping down to his underwear while pole vaulting over a ditch. You wouldn’t know that the Internet can often come in handy while locating the best airline ticket options, but you should go directly to the Air France office if you’re in Ouagadougou. Also, if you have a hernia, don’t let that stop you from traveling. Ronald has a hernia and he walks on stilts.

As I browsed through the various episodes of Survivor: China to see what I missed, I did see that some folks made it to the Great Wall while those back at camp ate Asian pears. That’s authentic.

If you ever do make it to Jiangxi province where Survivor: China was filmed, it is filled with historical sites, lakes and mountains. It’s also the porcelain capital of the country. Porcelain has been made here for 1,800 years. Oh, so that must be why in this particular episode of the final four the contestants had to stack various porcelain dishes. No one said this is why they were stacking them to see who could stack them best in order to win a spot on the Tribal Council–another co-opting of culture. Tribal councils do exist. I’m not sure this what they look like. If so, where do they get their tiki torches? Walmart? Oh, well. I ended up switching Survivor: China off once I found out who won. Todd. He’s the guy taking a drink. For some reason, I thought he’d win when I first tuned in. I just couldn’t listen to anymore talking about who did what and why for 45 more minutes. Anyway, Survivor Micronesia is next. It looks like Survivor: China considering that the torches were in full blaze in the teaser. And, I have to say, from the small bit I saw, it still looks kind of like Hawaii. I guess Hawaii: Survivor 16 might sound kind of dull, but consider this. Amazing Race 12 still has a ring to it.

I did see that Amazing Race is back on next Sunday. Hooray!!! It’s been okay dabbling in Survivor, but I’d much rather watch people like TK and Rachel looking like I have when I’ve traveled. Their photo reminds me what it’s like to sleep on the deck of a ferry from Greece to Italy back in the day when I was traveling with a boyfriend who, come to think of it, looked a lot like TK. I bet these two went to sleep without talking about the endless minutia of the day. I know we did.

Our ferry ride was after hoofing it from the island Skopolos to Athens via another ferry that left at night . There were two train rides also involved–the one to Athens and the one from Athens. We barely made the connections and almost missed the ferry. That would have made us miss our train ride in Italy and added a couple extra days to our trip. It felt so great to lie down.