Book Review - All She was Worth

by Miyuki Miyabe
This book is a suspense novel about a young woman who vanishes while living in Tokyo. It won best mystery and best novel of the year in Japan. I read it because it was selected for a book club I attended this evening. The book was written during the time of the economic bubble of the 90’s in Japan. The author appears to have been trying to capitalize on the emotion surrounding this to make a social statement about credit misuse and the perils of a borrowed existence. While the book was ok as a light read, it’s really hard to imagine how it won “best” of anything. I imagine it has to do with the translation to English. Obviously something was lost and unfortunately at times the writing reads a little corny. New characters sloppily pop up to contribute one small action within the plot. The ending feels rushed but yet little closure. I’d probably put this one on the back burner and only read in the event little else is available.

Shichi-go-san

Above is a photo of Roo with our Japanese language teacher, Morita san. He is holding “chitoseame” that she gave to him in celebration of shichi-go-san festival on November 15. Shichi-go-san is a right of passage into middle childhood for children ages 7-5-3. Wearing kimono, Girls celebrate at ages five and three, and boys, wearing hakama, celebrate at ages seven and five. The translation for “chitoseame” is “thousand year candy” and the red and white candy is packaged in a long stick or envelope to signify wishes for a long life full of sweetness. Roo's envelope came with a bell attached, which right now is hanging from his wooden doll house because it's the firehouse bell for the firefighters that live in the "doll/fire" house. So, between Halloween, Guy Fawke’s Night, and shichi-go-san, Roo’s received his fill of candy this week! This weekend we’ll get to see many adorably dressed children walking to the Shinto shrine to have prayers offered by a priest and partake in what’s probably the most anticipated photo opportunity in the young child‘s life.

Obama, Japan

The Japan Times today did an article on the celebration in Obama, Japan. Obama is a small fishing town, not much above 30,000 residents, in Fukui prefecture, about two hours from Kyoto. The word “obama” in Japanese means “little beach”. There are many clips on You Tube of a musical group singing a tribute song titled “Obama is Beautiful”. I must warn, it’s quite bad, but as they say, it’s the thought that counts. I am feeling a sense of pride today that’s been missing. I smiled tonight when I got an email from a French person we’ve come to know because he manages wine tasting events in Tokyo. The email was titled “Congratulations…we fall again in love for USA!”. Reading the news, listening to the television, hearing people talk, the hope in America the results of this election have restored seems mammoth. For me, it’s a renewed faith in the American progressive spirit that has me smiling.
Japan Times Article:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20081106a3.html

Photo from the day

That's Roo on the left painting at school.

Guy Fawkes Night

Today at school Roo will be celebrating Guy Fawkes Night. Also known as bonfire, cracker, sparkle or fireworks night, this celebration is apparently wildly popular in England, but not anywhere else in the world. It celebrates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot of the 5th of November 1605 in which a number of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London. The customs have morphed a bit and in modern day England the celebration somewhat mirrors American halloween mixed with fourth of July. Hence the little girl in a princess dress and a little boy in a top gun flight suit complete with blow up motorcycle at school today. Roo’s comment: “it isn’t Halloween”. In celebration, at school today in Roo’s class, the tech teacher will lead a media experiment using contemporary conceptual art projecting fireworks onto paper while the children throw paint at the moving image. Sounds fun to me!

Turf tumble

Roo took a spill on the school rooftop playground today. The teacher said it was a shame because he was having so much fun and then crash, flat on his face. The wound looks worse than it is. Not a deep cut but more a turf burn. After school we went to his favorite place for a snack, Donut Planet. His spirit’s aren’t compromised and he was his usual chatty self on the walk home. He was explaining how there is a book at school from a movie he can’t watch because it has too many guns. It’s called Star Wars. While he’s a big fan of sword fighting and superheroes, he avoids guns. He went on to explain how superheroes don’t use guns like police officers because superheroes have “powers”. And when he’s big he wants to be something that requires him to wear a helmet, like the firefighters or police officers from his Lego sets. And, kangaroos box and boxing is a kind of fighting. And, calling someone a “silly billy” is a funny way to say silly ‘person”. And on and on and on. Endless chatter and if you’re not paying attention you’ll get lost in the transition from how a super hero poses to everything you’ve ever wanted to know about helmets.
This coming week will be eventful for our family. On Monday we check Roo into a Children’s hospital to have surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids on Tuesday. A procedure that in the United States would be outpatient for a four year old will entail a four to seven day hospital stay in Japan. We’ve requested a private room and parents can stay overnight. I am very thankful because a Japanese friend spent a couple hours with me today reading the information booklet and completing paperwork. Much about the hospital feels similar but certainly there will be differences. For example, I need to bring several pairs of button down the front pajamas and indoor shoes. More on this journey to come!

Celeriac

Celeriac. My first encounter in the US with this strange looking root vegetable was when it arrived in our CSA box the first year. I recall being turned off by it’s appearance and wishing for carrots or potatoes instead. Like many things in our CSA box that were new to me, I learned to enjoy celeriac and would even seek it out in the grocery store once my CSA allotment had been consumed. My favorite dish to prepare was a celeriac and carrot slaw. So, this afternoon when I visited the grocery store that caters to foreigners I became excited when I noticed celeriac bulbs on the shelf. Until I saw the price. One bulb equivalent to 1.2 pounds was priced at $14.40 US dollars! Despite my cravings I decided to pass. Instead, tomorrow I’ll try cooking with a vegetable called “satoimo”, also know as taro. It’s a starch vegetable, high in fiber, and lower in calories than a white potato. The Japanese recipes I’ve seen for satoimo are either boiled in a dashi liquid or simmered as nimono. I’m planning to add it to a basic American beef stew. This is not without risk. I have read that Westerners sometimes categorize satoimo as slimy. However, the slimy factor is suppose to dissipate with stewing. Sliminess is the one food texture that sharply divides the east and west. In the west many of us abhor sliminess. In Japan, it’s more of a love affair.

The above is a photo of matsutake mushrooms, a HUGE beautiful Asian pear, and satoimo. Matsutake is a speciality mushroom that only appears in the stores in the fall. It's a seasonal treat and may be given as a gift, hence the presentation in the packaging.