Shimane Black Taxi: November 2010

NOV . 2010

1

featured

[Insert Name]

Submit your articles, artwork, and opinions to

[email protected]

Disclaimer: Views and

opinions expressed

herein are not necessarily

those of the publisher.

Each are expressed by

the writer at the time of

writing.

EDITORS: Jenn Doane,

Jonathan Edwards, Greg

Ferguson, Betsy Pinkham

Layout: Jonathan Edwards,

Betsy Pinkham

Cover: Jonathan Edwards

Black Taxi is a monthly

magazine for the JET

community in Shimane

prefecture, Japan, published

online. Read us at ISSUU

(issuu.com/shimane.blackta

xi) or be our fan on

Facebook.

Profile 3

Monthly Topic

Iron Chef: Shimane 4

Biting into the Bitter Melon 8

Hidden Treasures 9

No Milk/Ode to Pancakes 11

On Carving Pumpkins 12

Food

Not Without Weeds 14

Some Simple Do’s and Don’ts 16

Culture

One Nation, Two Peoples 17

Whatever

Haiku Time 19

E-mail your artwork to be featured in the next issue!

CONTENTSNOVEMBER 2 0 1 0

Articles

Letter from the Editors,For any Americans out there, happy

Thanksgiving. Due apologies to non

Americans, but the holiday is pretty

awesome as a secular excuse to make

and eat some of the best food you will

ever have. Why? Because it comes

from the heart!

Obligatory “Awwwwww.”

JET artwork

2

Local Businesses and People プロファイル / profile

It’s time to spread the word about those shops, restaurants, clubs, etc. off of the beaten path, near and far. If you know of any place that deserves a little recognition, write up a short explanation detailing what, where, and why they should be visited. Pictures are highly encouraged. 3

Black Taxi’s Monthly Topic 今月 / this month

ShimaneEighteen years ago, a man's fantasy became a reality in a form never seen before: Kitchen Stadium, a giant cooking arena. The motivation for spending his fortune to create Kitchen Stadium was to encounter new original cuisines which could be called true artistic creations. To realize his dream, he secretly started choosing the top chefs of various styles of cooking, and he named his men the Iron Chefs: the invincible men of culinary skills. And if ever a challenger wins over the iron chef, he or she will gain the people's ovation and fame forever. Every battle, reputations are on the line in Kitchen Stadium, where master chefs pit their artistic creations against each other. What inspiration does today's challenger bring? And how will the Iron Chef fight back? The heat will be on!

So began (with minor adjustment) each episode of the American dub of Iron Chef, the cult hit known first in Japan as Ryouri no Tetsujin, the Iron Men of Cooking. The original episodes spanned seven years from 1992 to 1999 in the relative obscurity of non-animated Japanese TV, pitting the infamous Chairman Kaga’s culinary gladiators against challengers from across the globe. Soon after the main run of the show came to an end, the up and coming Food Network on American cable struck gold in purchasing the rights to re-air dubbed episodes in the United States, and a phenomenon was born.

The popularity is incredible considering that the simple premise: two chefs work with a central theme ingredient in all their dishes for a small panel of judges. Evaluating taste, presentation, and originality, whichever chef better mastered these three categories became the victor for the match. And such a simple idea begets imitation. Ten years later, Japan still makes the occasional special, but the show has also bred localized continuations in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and even Israel. Of course, imitation is not limited to the professionals alone…

Synopsis by Jonathan Edwards

4


If my memory serves me correctly… I remember back in my high school days the epic stories my friends told of Iron Jeff, our own hour long showdown between geeks with zero culinary skills. The dishes were… interesting, but the fun was legendary. We once tried to hold a revival in our college days, but scheduling sadly kept that from ever coming to be, and I thought I would be left to reminisce about old times for the rest of my days…

Then came the throw down from Gotsu…

Occasionaly Black Taxi contributor and avid horticulturalist Lexi Sanborn of Gotsu issued a challenge to Black Taxi’s food editor, Betsy Pinkham. After a few emails, a panel of judges was assembled, a date picked, and mushrooms chosen as the theme ingredient. Iron Chef: Shimane was set, and soon I was to again encounter new cuisines, true artistic creations in a land where everything I ever knew about cooking was reevaluated…

ALLE KUIZINU!5


6

Contrary to the original show, both contestants were given a short period after the secret ingredient reveal to plan and shop. Due to having a single kitchen, the hour time limit for cooking was doubled. The judges also served as assistants when needed.

(From left to right)

Wednesday TaylorRachel MortonRonnie WilsonJonathan EdwardsMara Rosenkrantz (not pictured)

After much debate, Iron Chef Gotsu emerged the victor, and amidst the celebration a rematch was quickly proposed. What awaits Shimane’s skilled culinary masters? While their next face-off may be several months away, both are eager to answer the challenge of other Iron Chef’s dwelling in our secluded corner of Japan. Will you answer?


7

The entry from Iron Chef Gotsu, Lexi Sanborn. The entry from Iron Chef Misato, Betsy Pinkham.

And so after several hours of preparation, the time had come. Lexi had prepared a cream of mushroom soup (featuring ten different mushrooms), sausage and vegetarian mushroom risotto balls, and Japanese style spicy sautéed mushrooms with green onion. Betsy countered with sweet crab stuffed mushrooms, Italian rice stuffed mushrooms, mushroom tofu ae, and pasta with a white mushroom sauce. While the original series graded on a scale of twenty between taste, presentation, and originality, the judges agreed to extend the allotment to thirty points by adding a fourth category for creativity (for classic dishes done with a fresh twist).

If not the bitter melon, I encourage you to search out other new and unknown ingredients while in Japan and give your cooking skills a whirl! You might just discover your next staple food in Japan!

Biting into the Bitter

MelonBy Jenn Doane


With its bulging, spiny nubs protruding from its green and rubbery surface, one might mistake this for a hand-held back massage device before thinking to include it in a dish. If not mistaken for something inedible, your next guess may be a misshapen cucumber or pickle with some screwy genes. But alas, this bumpy green wonder is not a massage device or a genetically altered cucumber, but rather a common Southeast Asian vegetable known and loved for it’s bitter taste and wealth of nutrition.

I was first introduced to this peculiar vegetable by a woman in my English conversation class several weeks ago. She handed me a bulging brown paper bag saying that her mother’s garden grew too many for them to eat alone. Instantly intrigued by the melon’s peculiar shape and texture, I borrowed a cooking magazine from the same lady featuring bitter melon recipes and prepared one of them for my next meal.

Bitter melon, or “goya” in Japanese, is the fruit of a tropical and subtropical vine, widely grown in India, Nepal, China, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. It also plays a large part in Okinawancuisine, while becoming more and more popular in mainland Japan. Depending on where they are grown in the world, their relative sizes and shapes can vary, and such variation can also be seen in their use--they’re stuffed, spiced, sautéed, curried, steamed, pickled, stir-fried, and sometimes even used for medicinal purposes.

For my recipe of choice, I chose a simple curry stir-fry recipe that included egg and an accompaniment of other vegetables - very simple, surprisingly delicious, and as expected, slightly bitter.

But the goya recipes don’t stop at curry stir-fry. You can use them in almost any dish you use your favorite vegetables in--salads, tempura, soups, pastas--you just need to find the right recipe. The woman from my English conversation class said she even blends them into her morning smoothie for added nutrition.

And if bitter isn’t part of your tasting palette, but you still want to enjoy its vitamin-rich benefits, you can always boil them before preparation to take out some of the bitterness, and cover it up even more with some spices or sauce. Your body will thank you for it!


Hidden

From the outside, Doma Café looks like every other house in the village of Shigaku by Mt. Sanbe. But once inside, the dark wood rafters and white-washed walls frame a wide, open area filled with plush couches and chairs and what appears to be a baby grand piano. There’s a small area off to the side with a couple of racks of secondhand clothing for sale and the upstairs is a small store of handmade jewelry and knitted caps. Mellow music from Japanese acoustic to Death Cab for Cutie plays softly in the background so not to overwhelm possible conversation. Everything has a touch of craftiness straight out of Etsy.com, from small, beaded chandeliers around the light bulbs to an assortment of wind chimes by the window.

All of this serves as an prologue of a tasty lunch of epicness. Probably one of the few places in Shimane where you can get a bagel sandwich, the bagels were made that morning with vegetables grown in the garden out back. With fresh salad and a corn soup concoction to die for, I was, simply put, in heaven.

What was so surprising was that we were told the café is only open on weekends and for only eight months of the year. After picking my jaw up from the floor, the astonishment remained. A business like that would never survive the year with that kind of strategy back in the States. Yet, here by Mt. Sanbein a tiny village, the café was doing quite well for itself. The owner made the jewelry and caps upstairs by herself and held craft classes to make the tiny chandeliers.

Let’s throw out another example. When I went to Fukuoka during the most recent long weekend, Oda’svery own Erin Gosselin, her friend Elliot Gay, and I were wandering amidst the tiny side streets to find a certain Mexican restaurant. But in the organizational nightmare that is the Japanese address system, we had no luck. During our haphazard adventure, we stumbled upon an Italian restaurant where fifteen people would fill it to maximum capacity, and there were only two guys working, the chef and a waiter.

Tricia Kubrin

9


We sat at the counter next to an open kitchen that could only fit the tiniest fraction of Gordon Ramsey’s ego and ordered the house special combo. What would that entail, you ask? Well, it started with a salad followed by a tomato broth soup. My entrée was a spaghetti dish with a light white sauce and fresh clams and herbs and was completed with a dessert of a creamy gelatin and cassis syrup. Now, if I was back in the U.S, I would be ready to bust out the big bills for this meal, but the grand total was…980 yen. In the grand, eloquent language that is internet speak, my response can only be summarized as “WTF.”

I’ve only spent a few months here in the Nihon, but I’m beginning to discover the hidden jewel that is Japanese small business. From outside, it’s unassuming and even intimidating for us foreigners that are completely at ease with chain restaurants and fast food. You see a small sign in kanji and the one page menu and hesitation immediately sets in. What to do? There’s no guarantee that the place serves good food or even follows modern sanitation procedures. But inside, you unearth a wealth of authentic, homemade food and friendly owners that are more than a little curious about how a

blonde girl from Ohio made it all the way to their restaurant. So before deciding to McDonald’s again or just settling for Gusto’s or Joyful, take a chance and walk into a tiny restaurant that your eyes would normally skip over. It might turn out that you found a hidden treasure!

by Sarah BlenkhornLast time I was living in Japan, with only a toaster oven and two burners to cook with, I sent out an S.O.S. (Save Our Sweet-tooths) to my friends at home, begging for simple things I could make with the aforementioned gadgets. One of my dear, dear friends sent me this one, which I put to work at a dinner party – with spectacular effects!

Ingredients:1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips (or smashed Meiji black chocolate bars)1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 tsp of vanilla1 and 1/4 cups of icing sugar (optional) 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips (or smashed Meiji bars) with condensed milk, remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Spread evenly in a waxed paper lined 8-inch square pan. Chill 2-3 hours. Turn fudge onto a cutting board and cut into squares. Store loosely covered at room temperature (store in fridge if it's over weeks and not days, but who are we kidding? These won’t last for weeks…) 10

I have had a long love affair with thePancake. At the age of four I stood on a chair,broke an egg, stirred a bowl of deliciousness andtook delight in pure goodness. Ohhh sweetPancake we have a history together. There isnothing that I would rather eat than a Pancake. Ithink of the Pancake when I am at work in frontof the computer. I dream of the Pancake when Ilay deep in sleep. Sweet. Brown. Simply Golden.Light Pancakes. Dark Pancakes. Big Pancakes.Small Pancakes. Chocolate chip Pancakes. VeganPancakes. Cinnamon Pancakes. Pancakes withhoney. Pancakes with peanut butter. BlueberryPancakes. Giraffe shaped pancakes. SquarePancakes. Triangle Pancakes. Mickey MousePancakes. It doesn't matter. Flip it. Turn it. Butterit up and eat it.

If pancake was a player, I would be it's # 1fan. If the Pancake was a drug the only side effectwould be ecstasy. If the Pancake was a day of theweek it would always come between Thursdayand Saturday. But nothing, nothing, comesbetween me and my Pancake. Who am I lying? Ican't just have one Pancake. That's plural baby.Who can have just one? It would be an injustice.A taunt. A tease. A disgrace. If you leave someleftover Pancake on your plate, call 911 becausethat's just a crime. If pancakes are wrong, I don'twanna be right. When there is no time to laborover homemade Pancakes, I am a simple manwith a simple lingua and Krusteaz is second to thebest. If the Pancake had a theme song it would be"I'd Die Without You" by PM Dawn or "NightMoves" by by Bob Seger. Nothing and nobodycomes between me and my Pancakes.

Well enough of this fantastical morningrant. I have to eat some Raisin Bran and study! : )


This morning I woke up early to find a banana peal and other trash on the bathroom floor. That's not where this story is going. But that's how I started my day.

I walked to Outtakes to pick up some packaged breakfast and contained fruit and some milk. Unfortunately there was no milk to be found. There was Red Bull and Starbucks Crapaccino. But there was no milk. There were sweet M&Ms and salty chips. But there was no milk. There were BOLT and CRACK ZAP energy drinks and brightly labeled bottles of flavored juices. But there was no milk.

I was surrounded by all of this "temptation" and "healthy" food and other foods with other labels. But there was no milk. There were warm vegetarian burritos. There were warm breakfast burritos. But there was no milk.

Even though I was surrounded and inundated with an abundance of florescent lighting and overpriced condiments and plastic covered "xyz" there was no milk.

Then all of a sudden I had a thought that reminded me of being a Peace Corps volunteer living in Zhitoshe. Why? Because there was no milk. While living in Zhitoshe, I recall on many occasions exploring the store in search of milk, only to come home, without milk. And sometimes there was no bread or eggs... On days without finding milk, I had water.

So this morning I also had water.I laughed this morning at the irony of the

situation.

Josh Del Pino Josh Del Pino

11

Well, I've been having the devil's own time, as they say, deciding how to celebrate Halloween at myschools - especially knowing that some of my fellow ALTs out there are off the charts creatively, andseem to have a magical closet that they can open and pull some free time out of. I settled with someeasy Halloween warm up activities in my classes (karuta, anyone?), with the winners getting somelovely Halloween stickers as prizes. But I was feeling I had let the team down a bit with my lack ofcreepy holiday spirit.

Halloween in Japan is popular, fun, and not much like Halloween in Canada. Yes, at the 100 yen shop,you can buy witches' hats and spiders. Yes, there is the colour orange, and scads of cheap plastic andclay pumpkins grinning everywhere. Yes, some of those Jack o'Lanterns have candy in them, though it'snot what I would call Halloween candy. Not a gummy molasses-lashed candy kiss to be seen - and I dolove the candy kisses. The sweet shops in particular go nuts with the decorating, and do a thrivingbusiness selling cakes, cookies, biscuits and what-have-you in Halloween boxes. I would suggest, basedon observation, that Halloween here is mostly about eating cookies or cake - which is true about anumber of western holidays transplanted to the warm earth of Japan, notably Christmas and birthdays.And Valentine's Day, although on that day only men eat cake, which makes it one of my least favouriteJapan-ized holidays.

So, all the basic trappings of Halloween are here. However, just when you’re lulled into thinkingyou're enjoying an October in Canada - especially with today's cold snap - the big day actually comes,and... nothing. No parties. No costumes (unless you hang out with foreigners, that is; they might dragyou to a party and muscle you into a costume). No trick or treating. I assume there's some secretnibbling of all the sweets that have been bought, but I've not seen it. The holiday just evaporates. Andthe Christmas decorations materialize. Which is a whole other story.

That magic feeling that is Halloween - that delicious shiver down the spine, the sense of somethingghostly lurking around the corner, the pale gibbous moon shrouded in tattered clouds, the feeling thatthe veil between this world and the next is as thin as a misty breath - is not part of the holiday here.Though I feel it. On these chilly nights walking home, I hum to myself, 'almost Halloween, almostHalloween...' My memories of childhood trick or treating, of being out after dark, of dressing assomething other than myself (a home-made robot costume with corks for buttons comes to mind), ofcoming out of the dark and spilling like noisy goblins into all the neighbours' kitchens, of bags of candythat took us weeks to eat, of the neighbourhood toughs burning tires at the corner (in retrospect, mymum must have been freaking out, but I don't remember being scared), the houses decorated withghouls and ghosts, sometimes playing scary music or sound effects... the whole effect is like adisjointed dream, especially in retrospect.


Sarah Blenkhorn

12


Anyway, I've gotten distracted. The one thing I have done, early this evening after school, that bringsall of this back, is carve pumpkins with my English club students. Fukui-sensei and I have planned thisfor a while, and I've trawled websites checking the best (read: easiest) way to carve a pumpkin. I askedmy friend Seiji to help me get the pumpkins from the huge wholesaler on the other side of town (if youwill, imagine me balancing two pumpkins from my bike handles and trying to wheel them home; funnyand scary, huh?) We needed orange pumpkins, and they aren't so easy to get. The Japanese pumpkin,while wonderfully delicious, is small, green and very hard. I cleaned out my kitchen for knives, spoonsand candles.

I met my girls after class, and they ohhed and ahhed at the size of ourtwo pumpkins (which are about the size of a largish, roundish humanhead; pretty small for pumpkins, in my opinion). We spread outnewspaper and set the pumpkins on the tables. I took out my big knifeand pierced into the top of the pumpkin, where it stuck and I had tojerk it out. "Kowai (scary)" Yuki said. I cut round the stem and, pryingwith a spoon, took off the top. Rika and Yuki inspected it, informing us

that it smelled just like persimmons. The girls gathered around to look at the hollow cavity inside, the ropy strands and seeds looking like something from an alien movie. I stuck my hand inside and pulled out a big handful of the glop, depositing it on the table. "OK, your turn." They just looked at me. Blink, blink. But then Risa heaved herself up. "I'm sempai (senior), so I'll start." And she took up a spoon and started digging away. Sakiko helped her out. I took the top off the other one, and set the younger girls to scraping it. I'm pretty sure that they thought it was disgusting. I heard, in Japanese, "slippery" and "mushy." They scraped out the stuff with their hands, wiping their fingers on the newspaper.

Risa and Sakiko's pumpkin was almost cleaned out, so I gave them a Sharpie and said, "Draw a face. Or a picture." Risa drew a face with long oval eyes like a hound dog's and a charming crooked smile. I gave the marker to the other girls and they drew a more traditional pumpkin face, with triangular eyes and a toothy grin. I went to work on the eye of the first pumpkin, cutting out a small triangle to start and then scraping out the oval shape. The first-years watched in fascination, and Rina called Natsuki over to see. I finished and held it up, and in that gaping eye-hole? Suddenly, Halloween was there. In the empty eyes of a pumpkin or mask, in the fixed gaze of a doll, in the human face with no glimpse of soul or life, lurks a mystery. And Halloween really is all about mystery and the things unseen.

The English club girls were hooked. I handed over the knifeto Risa and she worked on the features of her pumpkin. Thefirst-years got back to cleaning out their pumpkin. Soon thefaces were emerging, smirking and eyeless. Risa andSakiko’s was finished first, and I stuck a white candle insideand lit it. And the pumpkin with the lopsided eyes andsmile glowed up at us with simple good humour. Rina andYuri took more time, but cut very precisely, and soonpumpkin number two, with his wide open grin (and fangsadded at the last minute) joined his brother in the window.13

Recipes and More 料理 / food

Alexis Sanborn

I decided back at the beginning of September that my gardening experiences would have to end. The heat during the summer, as well as traveling and being away from my town for extended period of times meant that I did not have the energy or inclination to give my garden the attention it deserves. I remember coming back from Orientation and seeing my garden filled with weeds. It was at that point, I knew--my garden, for good, or bad, was over.

But, one crop still remained -- the sweet potatoes I had planted back in June in the middle of a storm. Of all the crops I had planted, this one survived the heat best. I placed all my hopes on their harvest, and was not disappointed.

I had planned on harvesting them at the beginning of October, but I was later told by a neighbor that the end of October is the time to do the harvesting. Waiting, and biding my time, I managed to get the help of the other two ALTs in my town.

We set out with a large bag, bucket, gloves and a shovel I had borrowed from one of my schools. I had been told--loosen the ground on both sides of the sweet potato mound. This task was left to the only male member, while myself and the other female ALT pulled the sweet potatoes out from the ground. I was later showed that one should wack away the unnecessary foliage, leaving only the stem. So, while one shoveled, one got the potatoes, I wacked. It worked pretty well, in the end.

The harvest was quite more than I expected--with not only two varieties of sweet potato (regular, and the smaller, sweeter "carrot sweet

potato"), but various large and smaller sizes. The sweet potatoes that had the good fortune to grow closer to the street, where there seems to be more water, grew AMAZINGLY large. You could probably live off one of these things for a week.

14


Finishing cleaning up my garden, we brought our load back, cleaned them up, and divided them. Thankgoodness I had the extra help, but also someone to take some sweet potatoes off my hands.

As an end note, I recommend that if anyone had the opportunity or interest in starting a garden, theyshould do so. Through this experience, not only did I gain esteem from neighbors, but I also gained asense of involvement and contribution to my local community. Although the crops weren't as bountifulas I would like, I certainly can attest to the sense of accomplishments of seeing your plants grow, andalso just a reason to force yourself outside of your apartment from time to time. Also, if your a foodie, Ibelieve your knowledge and uses of Japanese vegetables and fruits will multiply from this experience--as you find yourself examining seeds in the supermarket, and wondering how exactly to cook thatstrange winter melon thing you saw at the Michi-no-Eki the other day.

If anyone has any questions about gardening in Japan, or just the process of acquiring land, pleasecontact me at [email protected]

IngredientsFor Casserole3 cups mashed sweet potatoes2 eggs, lightly beaten½ cup sugar½ tsp salt¼ cup butter, melted¼ cup cream (or milk)1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

For Topping½ cup brown sugar1/3 cup flour½ cup chopped walnuts½ cup sliced almonds3 Tbsp butter, melted1 cup mini marshmallows (optional)

Directions1. Mix all of the casserole ingredients togetheruntil well blended.2. Spread into a buttered casserole dish.3. Mix topping ingredients (except marshmallows)together andsprinkle over the casserole.4. Bake uncovered at 180° C for 35 minutes.5. Remove from oven.6. If topping with marshmallows, place them onthe casserole and bake for an addition 57 minutesor untilmarshmallows have melted.

From the 2009 BT Thanksgivigng Special. http://issuu.com/shimane.blacktaxi/docs/bt_thanksgiving_special15


Always crack the lid when boiling liquid in pot,or you may end up with a vacuum seal so strongyou’ll need to dent your lid with a hammer toremove it from the pot.

When washing plates after a dinner party makesure none accidentally stick together. You’refamily will not be impressed when they find theplates a year later stuck together and covered indried mold.

Stinky trash can sometimes be cured by asprinkle of baking soda. Baking soda is alsogood for removing stains and can whiten yourteeth.

Sharper knives require less force to cut andthus are less likely to slip and chop off/into yourfinger.

If your electric outlet is behind your stove makesure the cords of any electric appliances are safebefore turning on your burners.

If you lack counter space and have to use youroven range to place things, before turning yourbroiler on (little fish cooker thing) make sure thenob your turning is for the broiler and not one ofthe burners.

Hot oil is dangerous. Wear an apron and evenuse oven mitts if you’d like. Long tongs are alsoadvisable. If you wash your spatula, make sureit’s dry before putting it back in the hot oil.

Oven mitts and pot holders are your friends,but keep them out of reach of the burner’sflame. If your hand feels warm, look down. Youroven mitt may be on fire.

When microwaving cookies to make themwarm and gooey, a few seconds will do. Anymore may cause your cookie to burst into flame.

Don’t forget you left rice in the cooker. It makesa very unpleasant surprise a month later.

Don’t let anything you’re mixing accidentally getinside of your electric beater. Finding maggotsin your kitchen appliances if off-putting.

Don’t be afraid to try something new! Whetherit turns out good or bad, you’ve learnedsomething new.

Helping you avoid common, not so common, and maybehumorous kitchen mistakes I or someone I know hasmade, mostly me though.

This roast chicken by Lexi Sanborn turned out GOOD!

Betsy Pinkham can be pretty absent-minded.

16

Language and Understanding 文化 / culture

One Nation

Two PeoplesA quick look at Japanese ancestry

Wareware Nihonjin: this saying literally translates to “We Japanese.” and connotes a unified distinct culture; that there are the Japanese, and then there is the rest of the world. However, this phrase also implies a uniformity among the Japanese, but that idea is far from the reality. Did you ever wonder at one of your many enkais why some of your teachers turn red with the slightest amount of alcohol while others could drink their coworkers under the table? Have you ever considered that the western

Jomon and Yayoi types are derived from the two adjacent historical periods of the same name. The Jomon period is the older of the two, predating 300 BC. Information on the period is unfortunately sketchy thanks to one of its leading experts being caught and ostracized for fraud, but the Jomon people are believed to be to be the oldest culture on the Japanese island. The Ainu, a fading aboriginal Japanese group are descended from this culture. Eventually, around 300

While both eras are long over, Japan highly reveres their influence, especially concerning genetics. Current interpretations of this influence ranges from logical to absurd. For starters, there is clearly diversity in appearance between the members of a relatively monocultural society, and Japan

stereotype of Asians is not renowned for their facial hair, yet some Japanese like legendary actor Toshiro Mifune can sport quite the epic beard? Even if you have not pondered such quandaries, the Japanese certainly have. Defining the cultural and genetic heritage of Japan borders on obsession for Japanese academia as part of their quest for a national identity. The theories crafted by the academic elite have trickled down into mainstream culture, and you may well hear some Japanese around you claiming heritage from one of two types of Japanese, Jomon or Yayoi.

BC, Chinese and or Korean migration to southern Honshu and Kyushu displaced the indigenous population as the island chain’s dominant culture. Over time the new population moved northward to further integrate with, and in some areas replace, the Jomons, transitioning history into the Yayoi period.

2005 ad for exhibit at the National Culture Museum

Jonathan Edwards thinks he’s Jomon. His JTEs think he’s confused.

17

Language and Understanding 文化 / culture

The fascination with Jomon and Yayoi does pass into the darker territory of eugenics as well. Jomonheritage is sometimes portrayed as true Japanese, considering the Yayoi culture was brought in from mainland Asia after the Jomon people were already established. While that is certainly a logical conclusion, it becomes concerning when you run into those who feel it can dictate behavior. In past queries for information on the subject I have run across those using Jomon heritage to differentiate the Japanese from their Asian neighbors, which was fine until some further used the lineage to justify the apparent superiority of Japan over them. Relations between the Asian super powers have not been great over the past century, and interpreting indigenous heritage as racial superiority certainly will not be helpful.

Such controversy aside, it is fascinating to have had lessons on how Japanese academia looks at their own ancestry in current society. Jomonand Yayoi are fun bits of trivia to know, and whenever I hear “Wareware Nihonjin” I cannot help but smile at how misunderstood that phrase often is.

attributes this differentiation to the distinct Jomon and Yayoi peoples. I once had a history professor stand side by side with his fellow Japanese assistant to illustrate the differences between the two types. Traits associated to Jomon heritage are wider faces, square jaw lines, darker complexion, scruffy facial hair in men, a stout body type, and a better tolerance for alcohol. Yayoi traits on the other hand reflect the influence of their mainland Asian cousins. Of course after two millennia, most people (if not all) will posses traits from both groups, although some can show much more influence from one side or the other.

18

Yayoi

Jomon

Who says all Asians look alike?

Photos grabbed from the forums at asianfinest.com.

Anything Useful… or Not 何でも / whatever

Haiku Time

Canadians shouldAlways make maple syrupTo give to their friends-Shanyn Leake

蒸し暑い水虫がある仕方がない-Josh Del Pino

A profile sectionA nice thing for us to havePlease, submit something-Jonathan Edwards

Charmander attacksMy heart soars in excitementI think I am six-Jonathan Edwards

19

Coming Soon… 来月 / next month

The button has been pressed. The radio just let us know, That this is not a test.-”Weird” Al Yankovic

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and a joyous Kwanza to one and all. For us here in Buddhist Shinto Japan, all three are quite literally ground zero. Sure the Christmas commercial juggernaut was taught to the Japanese capitalists, but in reality the Japanese know as much about Christmas as its seasonal brethren. The spirit of the holiday season is pure commercial. And then for New Year’s they barely have any sense of how to party!

So then, what’s your take on the differences between the holiday season here and in your home culture? Do you disagree that the Japanese Christmas is purely commercialized? What about the holidays they ignore? Have you found ways to cope with the differences, or plan to for first timers? Do you have any fun holiday stories? Don’t worry if you bend the prompt a little!

Send submissions to [email protected] by December 8th.

And yes, that’s a Godzilla made out of Christmas lights…

mailto:[email protected]

Shimane Black Taxi: November 2010

Documents

Transcript of Shimane Black Taxi: November 2010