2010年8月29日 星期日

石山寺

一生懸命寫作的背影

位於琵琶湖畔的石山寺。
陳銘磻/攝影
由良弁和尚於西元八世紀中葉創建的石山寺,依山傍水的坐落在大津市伽藍山和瀨田川之間,我和孩子們從新大阪搭JR線到石山寺站,再轉乘公車抵達石山寺。

聳立在石山寺境內,安放有如意輪觀音像的正殿本堂,與西元十二世紀末,由當時的統治者源賴朝下令修建,祭祀釋迦牟尼等諸神佛的多寶塔,以及保存良好的東大門,都被列為國寶級遺產文物保護。

這一天,寒冬偶現的日光輕柔的鋪灑在石山寺,我和三個孩子漫步登上寺苑的碎石步道。冷冷二月天的石山寺,淡淡的灰雲遮蔽天空,使得陽光無法順利穿透雲層;迂迴走在曲折

為紀念詩人松尾芭蕉而建造的芭蕉庵。
陳銘磻/攝影
的山徑,所見伽藍山看起來顯得特別荒蕪,滿山遍野的吉野櫻樹,僅留繁複的枯枝在冷風中靜靜向四周伸展,等待春來花開。

經過紀念俳句詩人松尾芭蕉而建造的芭蕉庵,沉寂的矗立在多寶塔另一邊,我上山來的主要目的,其實就只是為了一睹聳立在山腰間源氏苑的紫式部雕像,以及紫式部在一千多年前,來到石山寺,構思和撰寫世界文學史上最古老的長篇小說《源氏物語》的寫作地「源氏の間」。

石山寺的櫻花廊道。
陳銘磻/攝影
歿於西元1016年的紫式部,是日本平安時代傑出的女性文學家,出身貴族文人世家,父兄都是漢詩與和歌的專家。本姓藤原,名叫藤原香子或藤原則子的紫式部,幼年時跟隨父親學習漢學,通曉音律和佛典。

1004年四月,紫式部喪夫寡居,同年秋天開始寫作《源氏物語》,這部書以平安王朝為重點背景,描寫宮廷人物的心理、愛情、權勢爭奪,用筆細膩,文字典雅,情節曲折。太平洋戰爭期

石山寺的紫式部雕像。
陳銘磻/攝影
間雖曾一度被當局斥為有違倫常的淫書,後經學者提出詳實的見解與論述,才得以讓這冊鉅著重見天日,登上中學生和大學生的教科讀本中,不僅被認定為日本的經典國寶書籍,同時列為世界最早的長篇小說,對往後日本文學的影響深遠。

站在「源氏の間」前,凝望三十六歲時受召入宮侍奉一条天皇的中宮藤原彰子的紫式部寫作塑像,以及站在她身後,看來像是侍女服侍在側的沉暗幽房,竟憶

紫式部的寫作塑像。
陳銘磻/攝影
起小時候,我也常常如此傻愣的站在伏案寫作的父親身後,用一種好奇與不解的眼光,見他振筆疾書的面對一攤稿紙,洋洋灑灑的把上面印有許多行紅線條的格子,龍飛鳳舞的塗寫成一張又一張新聞稿,寫完後,隨即表露出一副極其滿足的愉悅神情。

父親原籍新竹市香山人,曾於日治時期就學大阪,學成返台後,任教當時的新竹公學校,不久卻以個人的興趣為由,改行當起地方新聞記者,後來,並創辦台灣日日新聞社,甚至加入公論報社。父親在世時,雖沒說出為什麼執意放棄在公學校擔任教職的原因,但從他的口氣聽來,教書工作的單一性,似乎抵不上他心目中對於神聖的新聞報導任務,更能令他的人生充滿挑戰。

喜歡站在他身後或身旁看他寫作,我常有一種無可名狀的優越感受,尤其見他在一整張稿紙上面,用極為漂亮和正確的草書文字書寫完整,我心中所能描繪和想像出來的寫作一事,竟充滿對文字無與倫比的喜愛。

就這樣,文字和寫作這兩件看似不一樣的課業,從我進入國校就學後,便在生活周遭不斷出現,一則喜歡臨摹父親好看的草書,甚至於利用放學後的黃昏時刻,叨嚷非要跟在他後頭,一起騎上一部老舊的自行車,到新竹火車站的作業室,寄交限時稿件到報社不可;稍長之後,又常捨掉功課不寫不管,耍賴的央求他,讓我隨他到新竹縣市各處去做採訪。

實則在那段湧起對文字深感喜好期間,我卻不曾真正了解或明白寫作的實質意涵,只會學他耽於寫稿時,專心一意趕時間的工作態度,儘管後來我沒能和他一樣成為一名新聞從業人員,也沒有機會像他那樣胸懷正義的使命為民喉舌,最後仍難逃宿命的魔咒枷鎖作弄,和他同樣步上教書和寫作的相像命運。

我想我對文字最初的喜愛和對寫作無可避免的親近,大概就是緣自於喜歡站在父親身後看他寫字那時培養出來的吧!想起他伏案振筆寫稿的背影,所散發出來的光芒,彷彿告訴我,寫作《源氏物語》的紫式部如是,出生為新聞寫作而活的父親亦復如是,就如同日語所言:「一生懸命」,全為興趣喜好而拚命努力。那我呢?我的出生又是以怎樣的姿態存在下來的啊!

和我一起站在「源氏の間」前面觀看紫式部塑像的孩子們,是否也能讀出我對父親念念難忘,只因思慕他勤於筆耕,而惶惶不可終日的感到自己在寫作表現有所不足的心情嗎?

2010年8月28日 星期六

Japanese whiskey

THE mention of Japanese whiskey was once most likely to recall Bill Murray’s Suntory Time ad campaign in “Lost in Translation.” But over the last decade, the drink’s reputation has experienced a meteoric rise. Any lingering doubts were put to rest in 2008 when Nikka’s Yoichi Single Malt 1987 and Suntory’s Hibiki 30 Years Old won the World’s Best Single Malt and World’s Best Blended categories, respectively, at the prestigious World Whiskey Awards. Since then, Japanese offerings have continued to earn accolades annually, often with prices to match.

Yet while one might assume Tokyo to be rife with specialist bars offering domestic drams, the whiskey enthusiast still has to look hard to find such spots. An exception is Shot Bar Zoetrope (third floor, Gaia Building No. 4, 7-10-14 Nishi Shinjuku; 81-3-3363-0162;homepage2.nifty.com/zoetrope), perhaps the only bar within Tokyo’s 23 wards dedicated to exploring the output of Japan’s distilleries.

Opened in 2006 by Atushi Honigami, a cinephile who screens silent movies on the back wall, Zoetrope offers a bewildering array of local libations, many of which are particular to this cozy space. A good place to start is with a taste of Yoichi Single Malt 1988 (3,000 yen, or about $36 at 84 yen to the dollar) — the recommended replacement for the award-winning (and sold-out) 1987 bottling.

Perhaps more exclusive (and available) is a snifter of Ichiro’s Malt Shot Bar Zoetrope 3rd Anniversary Single Malt (1,300 yen). Bottled in limited quantity (263 bottles) by the independent producer Ichiro’s Malt, it has a softer soul than the Yoichi ’88, a warmth that rolls up the tongue before disappearing into the ether.

In the basement of Nikka Whiskey’s headquarters in the fashionable Aoyama neighborhood is the unassuming Nikka Blender’s Bar (5-4-31 Minami Aoyama, Minato; 81-3-3498-3338). The bar offers only Nikka whiskeys, but visitors are encouraged to try their hand at creating a blend based on a combination of five single malts and one grain whiskey. This blending set (3,000 yen) includes six small glasses on a wooden tray, each with paired descriptions like “sherry and sweet,” “peaty and salty” and “woody and mellow.” Should one find his personal creation lacking finesse, the bar also offers house blends based on the six options at hand.

Located in Ginza, Hibiya Bar Whiskey-S (Kaneko Building, 3-3-9 Ginza, Chuo-ku; 81-3-5159 8008) serves whiskeys selected exclusively from Suntory’s distilleries. Hibiya also affords an opportunity to invent one’s own blend, but here the process feels like more of a science experiment, complete with small test tubes and titration devices (1,800 yen). Limited bottlings are also available month to month — for example Hakushu Single Malt, aged in sherry casks (1,096 yen per glass).

Below a branch of Mos Burger, a Japanese fast-food chain, and through a heavy door,Quercus Bar (Okuma Building, 1-32-5, Higashi-Ikebukuro; 81-3-3986-8025) specializes more in Scottish whiskeys than in Japanese ones. Tiny, wood-lined and dotted with cookie-cutter Gaelic pub accessories, Quercus offers a limited selection of local bottles, including the occasional single-cask bottling from Ichiro’s Malt. And, with the best of intentions, Scottish food is available, which in a city saturated with superlative sushi joints might just be an out-of-the-ordinary experience worth having.

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2010年8月23日 星期一

在日本的朝鲜学校



新闻报道 | 2010.08.23

在日本的朝鲜学校

日本有69所朝鲜学校。这些学校希望成为日本社会中的堡垒,无论在政治、意识形态还是文化上。而融入日本社会并不是他们的目标。

约50名学生在体操馆内排成半圆形队伍,为外国来宾演唱校歌。他们身着深蓝色校服,脖子上系着红色的丝巾,让人有点联想起社会主义先锋队。

学校教学楼里里外外都需要翻新,教学用品看上去也十分破旧。学校经费十分紧张,这样并不奇怪,因为这所学校由朝鲜提供资金运作。 教学语言是朝鲜语,学生也基本上都是朝鲜人的子女,尽管学校公开面向社会招生。校长申基成(Ki Sung Shin)表示:"学校大部分专业都按照日本教学大纲。但我们的目标是为了培养教育朝鲜人,所以我们也教授比如南北朝鲜历史。至于日本皇帝和武士道的历史,我们基本上不教。"

朝鲜意识形态"主体思想"(Juche)仍是教学内容


直到上世纪70年代,这近70所在日朝鲜学校的主要宗旨还是为学生重返朝鲜做准备。当时,成千上万名朝鲜人从日本返回朝鲜。那时候,朝鲜领导人金正日的照片还悬挂在教室里。申校长说,不过这是过去的事了。随后,他迅速转换了话题。

尽管如此,朝鲜意识形态"主体思想"仍是教学内容,尽管如今几乎没有朝鲜人自愿从日本回国。学校希望培养学生对朝鲜的自豪之情。申基成解释说,在日本的日常生活中,许多朝鲜孩子受到歧视和忽略。但他同时承认,"学生们在这里学的知识有时已经落伍,跟不上南北朝鲜的发展,因为在日本,我们无法了解朝鲜一点一滴的变化。但这并不是大问题。最关键的还是让他们了解朝鲜,熟悉朝鲜和日本两种文化。因为他们就代表着两种文化的结合。"

为自己是朝鲜人而自豪

申校长说,经常发生学生在上学的路上受辱骂的事情,有日本人对他们说:赶紧回你们自己的家!为了证明学生们并不因此而受到影响,申校长叫来了两个学生。记者不知道这两个孩子是在讲述自己的真实感受,还是把校长希望他们说的话讲了出来。当申校长点头鼓励15岁的何浩洙(Ho Ju He)时,她说:"最初是父母把我送到这所学校。不过,现在我很喜欢这所学校。因为我开始有了作为朝鲜人的感觉。我现在想更多地了解朝鲜。"另一个学生邱浩仁(Ho In Gju)补充说:"我喜欢这里的集体精神,人人为我,我为人人。在日本学校,总是受到压力要做得比别人更好,要把别人挤下去,自己上来。而这里不一样,这里提倡的是集体精神,大家共同学习。"

朝鲜学校在日本不受承认

学生们在朝鲜学校毕业后的选择很少。日本教育部不认可这些学校。因此,乃年轻的朝鲜人无法进入日本大学读书。他们只能就读于唯一一所位于东京的朝鲜大学。但这也没有太大的帮助,因为仅凭这所大学的毕业证在许多日本企业里很难有发展。

作者:Silke Ballweg 编译:苗子

责编:韩明芳

2010年8月22日 星期日

Japan and the Ancient Art of Shrugging



OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

Japan and the Ancient Art of Shrugging


GROSS domestic product figures for the second quarter show thatChina has overtaken Japan as the world’s second largest economy. I have been traveling while on leave from the university in Tokyo where I teach, and was in Paris when the news broke last week. My first reaction, frankly, was one of relief. In English, perhaps, one might say it was “a load off my shoulders.”

Brad Holland

Related

In Japanese, people use the phrase “right shoulder up” to describe a graph that keeps going up, with each year’s figures rosier than the last. Of course, if that climbing line is someone’s right shoulder, it means the left is languishing somewhere out of sight. We’re seeing only half the person.

Reading the papers that morning at breakfast, I saw a graph indicating the point in the 1990s when Japan’s G.D.P. had peaked, after which the line started jagging down and up, over the long run comparatively leveling out. The relief I felt had something to do with the person I saw there, no longer so awkwardly bent. Finally we know where Japan stands — on level ground.

It’s not difficult to find similar graphs. One shows Japan’s natural population growth. Every year from 1910 to 1977, the population increased by more than 1 percent. Then the growth began to slow. In 2005, for the first time, the population shrank. Right shoulder down.

Another graph on rice production from 1878 to 1980 shows the point in the 1960s when Japan’s rice production began to decline. Decades before China overtook Japan, the country had started downsizing, preparing for a smooth landing.

Three years ago, I saw a television program about a new breed of youngster: the nonconsumer. Japanese in their late teens and early 20s, it said, did not have cars. They didn’t drink alcohol. They didn’t spend Christmas Eve with their boyfriends or girlfriends at fancy hotels downtown the way earlier generations did. I have taught many students who fit this mold. They work hard at part-time jobs, spend hours at McDonald’s sipping cheap coffee, eat fast food lunches at Yoshinoya. They save their money for the future.

These are the Japanese who came of age after the bubble, never having known Japan as a flourishing economy. They are accustomed to being frugal. Today’s youths, living in a society older than any in the world, are the first since the late 19th century to feel so uneasy about the future.

I saw young Japanese in Paris, of course, vacationing or studying, but statistics show that they don’t travel the way we used to. Perhaps it’s a reaction against their globalizing elders who are still zealously pushing English-language education and overseas employment. Young people have grown less interested in studying foreign languages. They seem not to feel the urge to grow outward. Look, they say, Japan is a small country. And we’re O.K. with small.

It is, perhaps, a sort of maturity.

The rest of the world’s population is still exploding, and we are coming to see the limits of our resources. The age of “right shoulder up” is over. Japan doesn’t need to be No. 2 in the world, or No. 5 or 15. It’s time to look to more important things, to think more about the environment and about people less lucky than ourselves. To learn about organic farming. Or not. Maybe you’re busy enough just living your life. That, the new maturity says, is still cooler than right shoulder up.

Of course, some people don’t see things this way. The old guard — those politicians who led the charge in the heady 1970s and ’80s and fought back (however pointlessly) against the economic stagnation of the ’90s — still want to compete. Those men, best represented in my view by Tokyo’s governor, Shintaro Ishihara, speak as if they are under siege. They hate being beaten by China. For them, it seems, maturity only means striving to be No. 1. They won’t change. They are too settled in an earlier stage of development, in a dream of limitless growth. But society matures around them.

The new maturity may be the province of the young Japanese, but in a sense, it is a return to something much older than Mr. Ishihara and his cohort. Starting in the 19th century, with the reign of the Meiji Emperor, Japan expanded, territorially and economically. But before that, the country went through a 250-year period of comparative isolation and very limited economic growth. The experience of rapid growth was a new phenomenon. Japan remembers what it is like to be old, to be quiet, to turn inward.

Freshly overtaken by China, Japan now seems to stand at the vanguard of a new downsizing movement, leading the way for countries bound sooner or later to follow in its wake. In a world whose limits are increasingly apparent, Japan and its youths, old beyond their years, may well reveal what it is like to outgrow growth.

Norihiro Kato is a professor of Japanese literature at Waseda University. This article was translated by Michael Emmerich from the Japanese.

2010年8月21日 星期六

神戶市有馬溫泉業者拒黑道入住


〔特約記者鄭曉蘭/綜合報導〕以日本「三大古泉」著稱的日本神戶市有馬溫泉業者,近日決定修改旅館「住宿條款」,明文規定拒絕黑道份子入住,全面向黑道份子說「不」。

日本最大的黑道團體「山口組」總部鄰近有馬溫泉,山口組第六代組長司忍(篠田建市)也即將於明年春天出獄,當地盛傳前來祝賀的黑道份子將湧入有馬溫泉,因此促使有馬溫泉旅館聯合公會業者修改住宿條款排黑。

據日本「朝日新聞」報導,有馬溫泉共有29家旅館業者,其中加盟公會的25家業者已決定修改住宿條款,明文規定業者有權拒絕黑道入住或片面解除黑道的訂房預約。有馬溫泉由於鄰近山口組總部,一直以來常有黑道入住,之前還有房客與黑道份子發生口角,慘遭多名黑道份子包圍恐嚇,最後不得不深夜退房,落荒而逃。

有鑑於此,當地旅館業者大多會在櫃台豎立「拒絕黑道份子入住」的告示牌,不過宣示意義遠大於實質效果。也因此,旅館業者希望能以具備法律效力的住宿條款,讓有意向山口組老大祝賀並順道暢遊溫泉鄉的黑道份子吃閉門羹。公會幹部表示,就算黑道佯裝一般房客線上訂房,他們也會下逐客令。

日本飯店旅館業者自訂排黑條款始於2006年。當時,黑道份子在京都一家飯店,為出獄兄弟舉辦歡迎派對,飯店察覺黑道聚集聯絡警方,結果卻因於法無據難以取締。警方在此事件後,便要求全國住宿設施能夠自訂排黑條款,以便因應類似情況。

「排黑條款」在日本還稱不上普遍,不過目前已有包括大型連鎖飯店在內的多家業者跟進。如日本知名連鎖飯店「王子飯店」便於2008年,制定拒絕黑道入住或舉辦婚禮的相關條款。廣島一名黑道份子在婚禮前遭「王子飯店」臨時解約,憤而提起告訴,不過廣島地方法院認為「排黑條款」有權解約,於今年4月判飯店勝訴。

2010年8月17日 星期二

Japan GDP



Many Japanese spent Sunday floating lanterns down rivers, honouring the souls of the departed. A similarly timeworn tradition was played out in Tokyo yesterday as the cabinet office revealed gross domestic product numbers that failed to meet expectations. The eclipse of Japan as the world’s second-largest economy is a sideshow. The more telling statistic is that its nominal output has retreated to levels last seen way back in 1993. Unlike other rich economies wrestling with deflationary forces and minimal growth, though, Japan has largely come to terms with its decline. The big banks make no secret of their desire to build assets overseas rather than at home, where deposit growth consistently outpaces demand for credit. No chief executive is being fired for preferring the payment of huge takeover premiums for growth outside Japan over domestic investment. When it comes to disappointing domestic growth, investors have seen it all before. Equities barely budged on the news, while 10-year government bond yields sank further below 1 per cent. There will be calls for remedial action from the Bank of Japan, although it has no low-risk way to ease monetary policy much further. Yet few will be pushing for truly radical economic reforms. After all, the country is the world’s third most peaceful, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace; its Misery Index ranking – inflation plus unemployment – is less than half the big-economy average. Radical moves such as relaxing immigration controls remain off the agenda: last year Japan’s population of foreigners fell for the first time in 48 years. Yesterday’s numbers – and the markets’ shrugs of indifference – showed that the country is quite happily trading growth for harmony.

过去,许多日本人会在 周日将灯笼放在河上顺流而下,以缅怀逝去的亡灵。昨日,一个差不多同样古老的传统在东京上演:日本内阁府(cabinet office)再一次公布了低于预期的国内生产总值(GDP)数据。日本已不再是全球第二大经济体,这只是一个次要问题。更能说明问题的一个数字是,日本 名义产出已经一路退回到了1993年的水平。


不 过,与正与通缩和增长迟缓较劲的其它富裕经济体不同,日本基本上已经接受了自己的衰落。该国各大银行毫不掩饰自己在海外、而非国内构建资产的欲望。在日本 国内,存款一直以高于信贷需求的速度增长。没有哪位首席执行官因为在投资上“崇洋媚外”而被解雇,他们都更倾向于为日本以外地区的增长而支付高额收购溢 价,而不愿在国内投资。谈到令人失望的国内增长,投资者早已见怪不怪。上述消息几乎没有令股市产生任何波动,而10年期日本国债收益率则进一步跌破1%。


人 们会呼吁日本央行(BoJ)采取补救行动,不过,央行已没有低风险的方式,来进一步放松银根。但不会有什么人要求推行真正激进的经济改革。毕竟,按照经济 与和平学会(Institute for Economics and Peace)的说法,日本是全球第三爱好和平的国家;日本的痛苦指数(Misery Index)——通胀率加失业率——不及大型经济体平均水平的一半。放松移民控制等激进措施仍不在议程之上:去年,日本的外国人口出现了48年以来的首次 下降。昨日公布的数据——以及市场所表现出的漠不关心——表明,日本正相当开心地用增长来换取和谐。


译者/陈云飞

2010年8月14日 星期六

Japanese Sushi Students Aim for a Job Overseas


Ko Sasaki for The International Herald Tribune

Koji Ono slices horse mackerel during a class at Tokyo Sushi Academy in Tokyo. More Photos »


Multimedia
TOKYO — At the sound of the buzzer, Kensuke Aoki starts furiously pressing rice into shape in his left palm. Adding dabs of bright green wasabi paste and quickly placing slices of mackerel on top of the rice, he completes each nigiri one after another. Three minutes and 18 nigiri later, time is up, and his instructor comes around to sort the well-shaped ones from the ill-shaped, as Mr. Aoki wistfully looks on. Just 12 have made the grade.

“It’s hard, but I am getting better every time I do it,” said Mr. Aoki, a student at the Tokyo Sushi Academy. “Speed is as crucial as quality because efficiency is what they will seek in the real world.”

Mr. Aoki, 30, believes that having a real-world sense of things will help him and his classmates gain the skills they need to plunge into the competitive market for sushi chefs in places like Germany, the United States and Australia.

Students at the privately owned academy plan to join the growing ranks of professional Japanese chefs eager to serve a growing overseas appetite for sushi. Their plan to seek jobs abroad comes as revenue is declining within the Japanese sushi sector amid a cutthroat price war within the restaurant industry overall, which means consumers expect to pay less and receive more.

By contrast, the sushi restaurant market overseas is a rich source of entrepreneurial opportunity for young Japanese, said Hiromi Sugiyama, a director of the academy, which also hosts a Web site, www.sushijob.com, for chefs seeking jobs in other countries.

“Graduates of this school often earn much more than they would make here in Japan,” she said, as more sushi restaurants open in Europe and Latin America.

The academy enrolls about 100 students each year in either intensive, two-month programs or yearlong diploma courses. More than 700 students have graduated from the academy since it opened in 2002, its executives say. Of the 10 people in Mr. Aoki’s yearlong program, 9 said they were preparing for careers abroad.

Mr. Aoki sees his training as a way to return to the United States, where he spent two years as a college student in Reno, Nevada.

“I liked the lifestyle there,” he said. “The working environment seems better, and the nature and the wildlife is terrific.”

A more fragile job market in Japan may also be a factor. The ¥1.5 trillion, or $17.4 billion, sushi restaurant industry in Japan is changing, says Akihiro Nisugi, a restaurant consultant at Funai Consulting, based in Tokyo. “The fast-food ‘rotating conveyor belt’ sushi chains are growing,” he said, “but the traditional sushi restaurant is facing contraction.”

Revenue at traditional sushi restaurants in Japan declined to ¥1.049 trillion in 2009 from ¥1.08 trillion in 2006, according to Funai. Sales at fast-food sushi places amounted to ¥428 billion in 2009.

Decades ago, an aspiring chef would have joined a traditional sushi restaurant as an apprentice, dreaming one day of becoming a taisho, or a sushi restaurant owner, in places like the chic Ginza district of Tokyo, where restaurants are renowned for providing the highest-quality sushi. But with that sort of job security crumbling, along with the concept of long-term loyalty to one employer, chefs are directing their attention abroad.

Taira Matsuki, 39, who completed a short-term program at the Tokyo Sushi Academy two years ago, set up a catering business in Warsaw last year after working at a sushi restaurant in Poland.

“Here, sushi and pizza are two categories that are growing strongly and where people are making money,” said Mr. Matsuki, who now employs five Polish workers. His mainstay product is a $7 sushi lunchbox aimed at business executives in downtown Warsaw.

The speed with which he was able to open his own business contrasts with the centuries-old traditions of the Japanese sushi apprenticeship. Young people are shunning the profession at home partly because the industry requires years of mopping floors and washing dishes before an apprentice is even allowed to touch rice.

“People say it takes three years before you can master the nigiri, and five years before you perfect maki sushi, the roll, and you need 10 years before you become a full-fledged sushi master,” said Ken Kawasumi, chief instructor at the Sushi Academy and a former sushi chef. “That’s not a valid approach anymore.”

Plus, his students are not willing to wait that long. Koji Ohno, 30, another student at the Tokyo Sushi Academy, has worked as an information technology engineer and wants to reinvent himself as a sushi cook overseas. Going the traditional apprentice route is not part of his plan. “That’s a risk I am not willing to take at this age,” he said. “I wanted to get right to the training.” He plans to move to Munich, where he once studied German.

But traditionalists say the regime of years of training is integral to achieving the right mental attitude as a professional who works directly, almost intimately, with consumers. “In sushi,” said Issei Kurimoto, a head chef at a sushi restaurant in the Yurakucho area of Tokyo, “you work in an open kitchen counter, facing your customers and serving them directly. You need to develop direct hospitality skills.”

Mr. Kurimoto, who has hired sushi school graduates over his 40-year career, says students need more than a diploma. The true skills of a sushi chef are learned at a tension-filled counter, repeating the routines over and over “until your body knows it,” he said.

On-the-job experience also adds to subtle knowledge of the product — the seasonality of the fish, for example. Some fish are only available during a particular season, he said, while an item like squid, which is available year-round, “is different in condition between summer and winter, and requires a different slicing technique.”

“You have to go through several summers or several winters before you are fully equipped with that kind of skill,” he said.

Some restaurants, however, acknowledge that they need to revise the system to attract the sushi chefs of the future.

“Young people want visibility in terms of a career, and it’s difficult to get that if you have to wait three years before you are allowed to touch the knife,” said Hiroshi Umehara, a spokesman at Kiyomura, which operates 30 sushi shops in Tokyo.

The company opened its own sushi school four years ago, making sure that “you touch rice the first day,” Mr. Umehara said.

The school enrolls 20 students for a three-month program, which is repeated twice a year, he said, and students increasingly seek career opportunities overseas.

Even with the training, the skills needed in overseas markets can vary from those required in Japan.

“There are certain skills that are not useful overseas,” said Suehiko Shimizu, 70, another instructor at the Sushi Academy. Some Japanese favorites, like conger eel, are not available in most overseas markets, he said, while many consumers in European markets turn up their noses at raw shellfish like clams, or salmon roe, which are standard fare in Japan.

In fact, Mr. Matsuki, in Warsaw, says that half of the contents of the lunchbox he serves are fried. “Many Polish people aren’t used to raw fish yet,” he said. “I also tweak the sauce so it is a bit sweet, which is to the liking of the locals.”

2010年8月8日 星期日

The 55th Annual Ginza Festival

From anime to Zen, with tons of sushi in between, Americans have embraced Japanese culture like jolly sumo wrestlers. Get a better sense of the rich history and arts of Japan at the 55th annual Ginza Festival. Indoor and outdoor performances and activities include Taiko drummers, folk dancers, live music, martial arts demonstrations, bonsai and flower arranging demos and anime screenings. Master Waza craftsmen from Tokyo demonstrate generations-old skills creating crafts, and booths teem with Japanese dry goods and snacks, children's toys, kimonos, jewelry, anime and origami folding and food.

5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13; 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14; and 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, at the Midwest Buddhist Temple, 435 W. Menomonee St., Chicago. Admission is $4-$5, free for kids younger than 12. Call (312) 943-7801 or visit ginzachicago.com.

The 55th Annual Ginza Festival

In Historic Old Town Chicago
August 13th, 14th, 15th 2010 (always the second weekend in August)

Friday, August 13th, 2010, 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Saturday, August 14th, 2010, 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Sunday, August 15th, 2010, 11:30 am – 6:00 pm

CBS Channel 2 Chicago Friday August 7, 2009 11:00 am televised taiko segment

The 55th Annual Ginza Holiday, a large Japanese cultural festival, will be presented by the Midwest Buddhist Temple on August 13th, 14th, and 15th at 435 W. Menomonee Street in Chicago’s historic Old Town.

Flown in from Toyko for this event, four master craftsmen (Waza) will demonstrate their generations-old skills creating their unique crafts. The public will have the opportunity to meet the Waza and purchase their crafts. The Waza create collectible pieces that often fetch many times their purchase price in the after market. Several other exhibits and booths will be filled with Japanese dry goods and snacks, children's toys, kimonos, jewelry, anime and origami folding.

Hoetsu Taiko Group

Ho Etsu Taiko is a Japanese drum ensemble based at Chicago’s Midwest Buddhist Temple. As we continue to build upon our unique Taiko foundation stemming from both Japanese and American influences, our group aspires to bring a youthful and energizing sound to the stage.

One of our core philosophies focuses on the collective enjoyment of this wonderful cultural art, giving us our name, Ho Etsu or Joy of Dharma. Recent performances include the “Taiko 10” concert series at the 2009 Taiko Conference in Los Angeles as well as the annual installments of JASC Tsukasa Taiko’s “Taiko Legacy” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Chicago Cultural Center.

Our program has produced many talented players who have gone on to further develop their passion for Taiko with groups across the country including Gendo Taiko at Brown University, Cal Taiko at UC Berkeley, St. Louis Osuwa Taiko, and Tsunami Taiko of Seattle. Our membership is open to both seasoned and inexperienced players and interested parties are always welcome to observe our practices. For a preview of Hoetsu Taiko's performance here's a video clip of our performance at the 2009 Taiko Conference in Los Angeles.

In addition to the live performances, an abundance of traditional Japanese cuisine will be offered, including the famous open pit, charcoal grilled chicken teriyaki dinner, udon (Japanese cold noodles), sushi, edamame and grilled corn on the cob. For dessert try the kintoki (Japanese snow cone topped with sweet azuki beans). Premium Japanese beer, Sapporo, will also be available for purchase.

Featured in the festival will be ongoing stage performances with the entertaining taiko drumming by Twin Cities Kogen Taiko Group and the Midwest Buddhist Temple Taiko group, the Midwest Buddhist Temple Minyo Troupe, Fujima Shunojo Classical Dance Troupe, martial arts demonstrations, and the Na Kupuna Ukulele group.

Self defense tactics will be demonstrated by Aikido, Judo and Karate schools, while Kendo (Japanese fencing) will entertain the crowd.

Inside the temple, the exhibit hall will be filled with demonstrations and exhibits of bonsai, ikebana (flower arranging), kaminingyo (paper dolls), calligraphy, brush painting, silk flowers, and Japanese arts and crafts. Many of the products will be offered for sale.

The chapel will be open for guests who are interested in observing the place of worship and learning the basics of Buddhism. During stage intermissions, Reverend Ron Miyamura, Midwest Buddhist Temple minister, will deliver short dharma talks.

RETURNING THIS YEAR

Ginza expands into Saturday evening with Yoko Noge's Japanesque Band. Yoko’s music can be described as a combination of Japanese ''Minyo'' folk music with “Chicago blues.” Performed with electric piano, shamisen, horn section, and Yoko’s sweet and growly blues vocals, the Japanesque Band will warm the August night at their first appearance at Ginza. Yoko will perform at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday evening.

A benefit donation of $5 for adults, and $4 for students and senior citizens will be collected at the gate. Children under 12 will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

The hours are: Friday, August 13, 5:30 pm-9:00pm; Saturday, August 14, 11:30 am-9:30 pm; Sunday, August 15, 11:30 am – 6:00 pm.

For information, call 312-943-7801