Law & Order

The other day, I was in the car with M's son and I see a car make a left turn on a red light. Since the Japanese drive on the left side of the road--like the British--this is similar to making a right turn on a red in the US. But, whereas this is legal in most of the US, in Japan it is not. I was going to ask my son-in-law to confirm this legal point when suddenly I hear a loud whistle and see a police officer run past us at high speed.
　Yes, he was running.
　The police office obviously observed the same thing I did and went after the violator. I turned around to follow him and saw him catch up to the vehicle at the next red light down the block. He knocked on his window to, I presume, write up a citation.
　As our lane began to move and we left the traffic violator in the rear view mirror, I couldn't help but marvel: Only in Japan would a police office even imagine to pursue on foot--let alone catch!--a perpetrator driving a car. They obviously take law and order very seriously here in Japan.

You Know You're In Japan

Two reasons why I know I'm in Japan: Yesterday, on a late overcast afternoon, we moved into our monthly condo in Hachioji, Tokyo. I knew that I was in Japan when I saw how small our one-room condo is. the "hallway" was narrow. It feels like 2" between my shoulders and the wall when I stand right in the middle. The living area must be about 7.5 mats. But with one single-sized bed and a small desk and TV table. I feel like I have to squeeze my way around just to navigate to the toilet, which is interestingly quite roomy for Japan.

　Today, I woke up to a bright sunny morning. I decided to look outside to see what kind kind a view we had from the 6th floor and I saw the other reason why I know I'm in Japan. Between two tall condo buildings, I saw in the distance sparkling white, Mount Fuji.

Kars4Kids

Sis says the family trait is to do things the hard way. It's a path that entails stressful steps but eventually works out in the end. Sometimes it is coincidental, sometimes it is through personality disorders. Case in point: I'm a procrastinator.
　I have an old Maxima that I inherited from my mother after she passed. After 17 years, our move to Japan has compelled me to finally let go of the car and so I decided to donate it to Kars4Kids but I didn't contact them until the last minute--I mean, their radio jingle says they could even pick it up the next day, right? Well, not so at the end of the year. I call Dec. 24, ask for the car to be picked up by the 28th, but they couldn't until the 30th. "I won't be home..." They told me that they often pick up cars without the owner present; leaves title and keys in glove compartment and the door unlocked. So I did just that, but not knowing if they came for the car had me worried for a couple of days. Rats! All I had to do was call them a week earlier, like when I was in the middle of packing and frantically cleaning the house and rushing to grade finals and contacting dozens of companies to close accounts and end services.
　Fortunately I just got an email saying that they picked up the car and appreciated the donation. Whew! Worked out in the end. One load off my mind.

Kakehashi Project: Day One

Left Dulles on time and arrived in Tokyo on time. Although getting everyone together after getting our luggage was a bit of work. This is the first time I'm meeting about half of the students and it is surprising what you can learn about a student by how they react to requests or instructions. Some listen happily 素直, some frown and show reluctance, some feign various levels of unawareness to establish in their own way a sense of (youthful, self-indulgent or naive) independence.
　Oh well. Variety keeps me on my toes.
　Anyway, after we gather our luggage and exit into the Narita Airport lobby. we met Ms. Yasuko Yagi, our coordinator for the Kakehashi program in Japan. She gave me a run down of the program and our schedule for the next seven days on the bus to the hotel. We arrived at Sunshine City Prince Hotel and checked in. Some students couldn't wait to explore Tokyo. The Kakehashi program prohibits drinking and sets up a curfew. But all I could do was tell them to be careful and "try" to be back by curfew. *sigh*
　My colleague, associate dean Elizabeth Chacko, and I got a bit of an orientation from the JICE group and we retired to our respective rooms. But my card key didn't work.
　Stuff happens, and a quick meet with the JICE coordinator and hotel staff settled the situation.

Finally, I can relax in my room! I try to open my suitcase but it wouldn't open. Upon closer inspection, I realized there was a three-number combination lock.
　Combination lock?!?
　Crap. Why didn't I notice this when I was packing? But no sweat. I was borrowing my wife's suitcase so I LINE her to ask her what the combination was.
　"What combination?" she said!
　Gulp...
　"Let's see," she chuckled. "Did you try 0-0-0? Or maybe 1-1-1 then..."
　"Ooooooh." I finally get to the right combination. Whew! Second complication fixed.

So I settle down and eat the box lunch they have prepared for us. It was a 9 compartment box that was quite delicious. Three different types of rice and proteins and veggies.
　After eating I get ready to go to sleep and do what I usually do, set up to recharge my computer and my tablet... but... but... my tablet won't recharge. At home, I usually plug my tablet into the wall but to save even a little bit of space/weight on this trip, I decided to recharge the tablet with a USB port. But it wouldn't work. "Did I bring my tablet just to not be able to use it after a day or two?"
　Thank God for Google. A quick search revealed that the Samsung Galaxy will charge on a USB port if the tablet is turned off--it has something to do with saving the battery. Or something. It's beyond my technical capabilities. As long as I can recharge. Anyway, three temporary setbacks, three quick fixes.
　Whew. What a way to start a trip. Hope things go more smoothly going forward.
#KAKEHASHI2018 #JICE #JAPAN

About me

I'm a former assistant professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at The George Washington University. I taught Modern and Classical Japanese Language, as well as Classical Japanese Literature.
My duties as an instructor focused on enhancing the reading abilities of advanced students. This included reading contemporary fiction that is relatively easy to comprehend: 村上春樹 Murakami Haruki, 星新一 Hoshi Shin'ichi, etc. I also encouraged students to learn bungo, or classical Japanese; besides reading the Classics such as 伊勢物語 Ise
monogatari or 方丈記 Hojoki in the original, bungo is a must for those who want to conduct research in Japanese history, political science or economics using pre-World War II sources.
My research interests continue to focus on the influence of texts and contexts on reading, particularly as they pertain to Heian court poetry.

Once upon a time at UCLA: Clockwise from back left, Hillary, Terry, Stephanie, Alan, Weiyon, Masaya, Roger Ebert, Kim, Yuka, Tsukasa, Yan, Yasuko, Ken and unidentified. (I can't remember her name. Can someone remind me?)

Brief Bio:

Born in Los Angeles, CA. Graduate of Loyola High School, East Los Angeles Community College (AA), UCLA (BA and MA), and Stanford University (PhD). First learned how to speak Japanese effectively at age 17 at Mikawaya, a Japanese confectionary in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Learned to read and write Japanese during college. Research interests include Late Heian poetics, renga linked poetry, and Japanese film and pop culture. See Curriculum Vitae for more detail.