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.

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!)

Big in Japan: Strange mental disorder confines Japanese youths to their rooms

by Matthew Firestone on

If you’re anything like me, you’re awed by the power and capacity of the human mind.

Mankind’s greatest asset, the mind has enabled our species to develop society and technology, and to rise above and beyond even our closest primate ancestors.

If you’re anything like me, you’re also terrified by the power of the capacity of the human mind.

Especially when things start to go wrong…

In all of my time over here in Asia, one of the craziest things I’ve heard about is a uniquely Japanese mental disorder known as hikikomori (??????????), which literally translates as “pulling away, being confined.”

Referred to by Western experts as acute social withdrawal, hikikomori describes youths who choose to completely withdraw from society by shutting themselves inside their parent’s house for years on end.

According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, a case of hikikomori starts after a youth has remained inside a house for more than six months, though there have been recorded cases of self-imposed isolation extending for more than a decade.

At this point in the article, I am asking that you go outside for a minute, get some sun, and then come back to the computer when you’re ready. Trust me!

Are you back? Feeling a bit more relaxed and healthy? Good.

So, what exactly causes a young Japanese youth to voluntarily imprison themselves in their room for months on end.

(And no, the answer is not so they can play World of Warcraft in real-time!)

Often times, hikikomori start out when a child refuses to go to school, which is a common enough condition to warrant its own unique word in Japanese, namely tōkōkyohi (登校拒否).

As you’d imagine, the pressure to succeed in Japan can be intense, and few children are ready to leave the comfort of home for the angst-ridden classroom.

Japanese psychologists also point out that young adults may feel overwhelmed by Japanese society, and have difficult times fulfilling their expected social roles.

By confining themselves to the home, youths with hikikomori can set their own sleep schedules, and venture outdoors only at night when there is no one around.

Internet gaming has also become a popular escape from reality, especially since it allows for social contact without the pressure of spending face-to-face time with someone.

Needless to say, the stress on the family caused by a youth stricken with hikikomori is immeasurable. In a culture where parents are overprotective of their children, it can literally take months or even years before a family comes to term with the problem, and seeks out professional help.

In fact, most parents of hikikomori youths end up prolonging the inevitable by going out of their way to accommodate their children, either by sneaking their child food or hiding the severity of their child’s condition from family and friends. Sadly, few Japanese parents could ever imagine taking a stand against their children, and forcing them to reenter society.

On that note, I’ve been inside my apartment all day writing, so I think it’s time to take a quiet stroll through the park…

Big in Japan: Spider silk socks warm the toes and sooth the soul

by Matthew Firestone on

In case you thought Japanese technology couldn’t get any cooler, wait until you hear about the latest and greatest invention from the land of the Rising Sun.

This week, the Reuters Life! division reported that Japanese researchers were successful in creating the first ever pair of socks made entirely from spider silk.

Yup. You read that correctly – spider silk socks!

Dr. Masao Nakagaki, a professor at Shinshu University in central Japan who developed the fiber after 10 years of research, gave the following press release:

“By genetically modifying silkworms, I thought it might be possible to create good spider silk. I [also] think it is better for the environment to replace artificial fibers that use up precious oil with natural recyclable fibers.”

Dr. Nakagaki went on to explain how his team succeeded in creating spider silk that was 10 percent spider proteins and 90 percent silk by injecting genes from a golden orb weaving spider into silkworms.

(For the non-scientists out there, I’ll explain what this means a little later on in the post).

Anyway, at this point, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “So why exactly are spider threads so damn strong?”

Good question! Allow me to explain…

Spiders can produce at least seven different types of silk, which are used for a variety of different purposes. For instance, extremely tough threads are used to attach the web to trees, while light and elastic fibers are use to build the web’s matrix.

In fact, some spider silk is molecularly stronger than steel, and lighter than all-known artificial fibers, such as the Kevlar found in bullet-proof vests.

Right now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “So why is that spider silk clothing isn’t available at my local Walmart?”

Another good question! Allow me to explain…

The problem with harvesting spider silk is that it’s difficult to near impossible to mass-produce due to the limited amount that spiders can make.

This of course is why the work of Dr. Nakagaki is so groundbreaking.

By injecting spider genes into a silkworm, you can take advantage of the strength of spider threads while capitalizing on the ability of silkworms to produce mass quantities of fibers.

(At this point, I’ll resist the temptation to throw in a good Spiderman joke here!)

The benefits of spider silk socks don’t just stop there!

In addition to warming your toes, the research team wants their line of spider silk socks to be as therapeutic as possible for the wearer.

Although they’re still keeping hush-hush about the project, their aim is to simultaneously revitalize the wearer’s feet while possibly inducing anti-ageing compounds.

Working alongside the research team is Yoshiyuki Ueda of the Okamoto Corp, who gave the following press release:

“The Japanese sock industry has been overwhelmed by Chinese manufacturers, which is why we want to distinguish ourselves with our unique efforts.”

In case you’re wondering, spider silk socks are expected to hit the consumer market as early as 2010, though you can expect that there will more clothing and accessories to follow in the years to come.

** All photos were sourced from the Wikipedia Commons project **

Big in Japan: Whale bacon and other Japanese delicacies

by Matthew Firestone on

Ever wonder why it is that the Japanese love to kill whales?

Well, you’ve come to the right place as today’s Big in Japan posting is all about the Japanese obsession for culinary oddities like whale bacon and blubber sashimi.

By the way, before I get dozens upon dozens of pointed comments from angry readers, let me be 100% crystal clear about the following point:

I do not condone the commercial killing of whales for either food or so-called scientific research. In fact, I too am horrified by Japan’s relentless campaign to step-up their commercial whaling efforts.

So, can I safely assume that we’re all on the same page now?

Good. Let’s continue.

Although it’s impossible to offer up a single explanation, one of the main reasons why the Japanese are determined to rid the world’s seas of these majestic animals is that whaling has long been an integral part of Japanese culture.

Even in the 8th century, accounts of whaling expeditions were described in the Kojiki or Furukotofumi (古事記), which is known in English as the Records of Ancient Matters, and is the oldest surviving book in Japan.

So you see, to attack whaling is to attack the very foundation of Japanese culture, which is something that conservative politicians over here in the Land of the Rising sun aren’t too happy about.

The story gets even more complex.

In Japan, whales have long been a vital source of food, oil and materials. To understand the importance of whales to traditional Japanese society, one need only hear the following proverb:

“There’s nothing to throw away from a whale except its voice.”

Following the near total devastation of Japan that ensued during World War II, whale meat became an integral part of the Japanese diet since it served as a cheap source of protein.

In fact, had it not been for a steady diet of whale meat, a good number of Japanese would have literally starved to death.

Of course, if we fast forward to today, modern Japanese people are certainly well-fed, and have access to the same abundant protein sources as do Westerners.

However, the memory of eating whale meat is still engrained in the minds of the baby boomer generation, and those in power are not so keen on seeing this memory wiped away by conservationists.

Thus, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that in 2006, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) gave into pressure from the Japanese government. Since then, the country’s fishing fleets have been permitted to kill an annually specified quota of whales from a variety of species including the emblematic humpback.

Although the explicit purpose of these hunts is supposedly for scientific purposes, it’s no secret where the meat is ending up, namely in high-class Tokyo restaurants and (gasp!) in school lunches.

So, how exactly do you serve whale?

I’m told that whale bacon is far superior to the swine equivalent, though true connoisseurs swear by the silken texture of raw slices of whale blubber served sashimi style.

Gross.

On that note, I think I’ll eat some tofu and vegetables for dinner…

** All photos were sourced from the Wikipedia Commons project **