(the) Road to the Deep East

As some new sites reported, a scene from a famous Japanese comic, JoJo's bizarre adventure was considered to be insulting the Holy Koran. In this scene, the enemy of this series, DIO, ordered his fellows to kill human beings while he is reading the Holy Koran.

The publisher, Shuei-sha apologized for this situation and stop the circulation of the comics of Part3 of JoJo's bizarre adventure which include this scene.

(detailed article from Japan Prove)
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=4661

As Shueisha explains, actually, this scene is not included in the original comic. In the original comic, it is just depicted as a book written in Arabic, but the staffs of animation of this series thought it is Koran because he couldn't read Arabic, so they used the image of Koran.

Not only Shueiha, but also Japanese government and the Ministry of Foreign Affair warned the manga industry to understand other religions and pay respects to them on May 23rd.

(article from Nikkan spports.)
http://www.nikkansports.com/general/news/f-gn-tp3-20080523-363622.html

This explanation might be true, or HAS TO BE TRUE, and it's sure manga industry should be careful about religious matters, learning from this accident.

But as a JoJo fan who is reading this series for over 20 years since Part1, I don't think it is strange that this enemy, DIO reads the Holy Koran, even if it was in its original series. And importantly, even if this enemy reads the Holy Koran, I don't think it's insulting the Muslims.

Why? Well, let's begin with his short biography.

*Just in case, of course, I don't have any hostile feeling against the Holy Koran, even after the circulation of the part of the series I loved was stopped. But I just think the idea : 'The scene DIO reads Koran and kills somebody is related to the Koran itself' is not based on the right knowledge of JoJo series, or this enemy, DIO, so I can't help saying something.

One of the problems of Japanese tourist industry is the laziness for the preservation of traditional customs or products, or exoticism.

When a tourist visits Japan, first of all, he or she is disappointed with the mechanical building of Narita Airport. Then he rides on Narita Express from the airport to the center of Tokyo, but all he can see is the boring landscape of woods and farms in Chiba. From Chiba to Tokyo, the town seen from the window becomes more modern, but then he realizes that there aren't anything new – all the things look same as the country he lives except for some Japanese language and mistakenly used English, Engrish. And when he arrived at the hotel in Tokyo after frustrated by the crowded train of stinky sarary-men and some eyes of curiosity to see the gaijin man, in a very comfortably-designed hotel room, he takes a break, and realizes that it needs more time and more deep exploration to feel the exoticism of this country.

However, now some convenience stores are providing such tourists a very unique product, or instant exoticism. Ninja Snack.




This product, 'Ninja Snack Fuwa-maru' released from Tohato in this February. According to Tohato, this snack is named 'ninja snack' because 'its shape resembles the weapon of ninja' and 'it disappears in a mouth softly(fuwari to) like ninja.' In addition, this snack includes some materials used for a special food ninjas eat when they are in mission. This picture is the one from salt-flavor, and Tohato also produces black pepper one with a kabuki-esque ninja.

http://tohato.jp/news/news.php?data_number=414

Speaking of Tohato, very old confectionery maker in Japan, it is famous for that they appointed Nakata Hidetoshi, needless to say, the most famous and international football player in Japan, to its irregular CBO (Chief Branding Officer). After Nakata retired 2 years ago after World Cup, he becamge a professional tourist and now he is traveling all over the world. As a tourist, Nakata may find the necessity to preserve the exoticism of this country, and advised the company to make this snack, Ninja Snack.

Oh, I forgot an important note. As for the taste.... well, it's like a pop corn without any old maids. And... humm, oh, ... all I can say is ... well...


this product may also disappear from the shelves of convenience stores soon like ninja. So, the time tourists get this instant exoticism must be limited. But I hope Tohato and other food companies will continue to produce this kind of wonderful product, even after the fiasco of this ninja snack.

Well, what I should write first is, All ごめんなさい gomenasai. .

To give the reason of my longest absence first, I got the worst sick in my life last summer, and 'd been in a local hospital of limited Internet access for few months. Actually, I had already returned to Tokyo couple days back, but I couldn't find any words to re-start this blog until today.

It looks this world had been turning in a rapid pace while I was caught in a sick, and now I feel like becoming a character of old Japanese folk tale, Urashima taro, who rescued a caught turtle and was invited to the palace of undersea, and spent 300 years there, and returned to his own world again.

The most shocking change was what happened to Perfume last year. This group, who was just one of underground idol groups who are allowed full-otaku-access in Akihabara 2 years ago, became the top of all Japanese musical idols in these 6 months, and I still can't believe that their newest single became Top3 hit at Oricon. Now it must be almost impossible to shake hands with Nocchi
and enjoy her hot legs in hot pants as closely as my penis erects. And it looks even an AAA got the first position at Oricon, too. I'd thought they 'd already kaisanned after they released the album titled 'Around' after 'Attack' and 'All', but it seems they didn't.

On the other hands, it looks there are some stuffs didn't change. The group I used to love the most , Bon-Bon Blanco is regretably still working in an otaku industry in Akihabara, and the girl I mentioned frequently 3 years ago, Irie Saaya is still serving as an otaku-idol there, too. 2Bakkca, Japanese hip-hop group which I can say I like the best now released their new album and collaborate work with Bennie K, but unfortunately, their position in this in this industry hadn't changed, either.

But the most major change in these 6 months must be the one which happened inside of me. I have to confess, I lost interest on idol pop. Even a new songs from Perfume don't amuse me, and I have to confess again, I hadn't listened any idol songs for these few months.

After spending almost all 8 years since Morning Musume era as an idol otaku, my conclusion is, idol music is dead, but sensually attractive living dead , which eats out our brain and makes us zombies who can't think logically and pay money for feces. There aren't anything innovative. Just new girls come, old ladies go out, and new girls substitute for the old. Some music stuffs 'were' very attractive in early this century, but almost all the song writers lost their talent and ability in these days except for Nakata 'the god of perfume' Yasutaka.

So, now I re-started my blog, but my life as idol otaku won't restart. I won't be interested in girls as musical stars. Ironically, I have to confess, I'm now more interested in hentai idol whom I looked own on, Shihono Ryo, who became surprisingly beautiful in these 2 years. But don't take me wrong – it doesn't mean I came to be interested in lolicon world or pedophile world. It is just because she got adult and attractive. In fact, I just liked her recent works, and still don't like the lolicon works in the past.

significant pictures of recent Shihono Ryo, as an 16-years old, 172cm-call adult girl.
http://www.taskoffice.jp/t-box/profile-shihonoryo.htm

And it doesn't mean I lost the interest on music as a whole either. Pop songs still console me, motivate me, and revive me. I may leave Tokyo in few months so I lost the best access to up-to-date J-Pop, but I'll be enjoying them somehow, and write on them. In fact, I'm listening SOUL'd out's newest alubm 'Attitude' everyday and I'd already gone to a wonderful concert few days back. I may write a report on them later.

Anyway, now this blog was recharged. I don't think I can't update very frequently like my idol-otaku era for my new business plan, but without idol stuff, I'll update this blog again for my rehab and to introduce the culture of the country I love the most.

Gomennasai , again.
Gaijin Heart, Santos26 (I may have to change this pen name soon though.)

If you believe it or not, in Japan, traditionally, unagi(eel) was eaten as a kind of magical medicine to bring human beings' virility out. (article from Bento.com)

But it's not so strange. Until Westernization began, Japanese didn't eat any animal meat for religious reason, and couldn't eat fish meat so frequently for financial reason. Most of poor peasants are eating tons of rice instead, with a little amount of vegetables in salt. Eel, which could be caught even in a ditch at that time was the precious source of vitamins and minerals.

In addition, until very recently, maybe before WW2, there was a shop called 'unagi chaya', unagi restaurant serves guests one bowl of rice bowl and grilled unagi, and one secret futon room to wait it . Too cook raw unagi, it takes a lot of time, so, the guests of those restaurants were waiting in the futon room, and... well, I don't mention details here, but you'll understand what I mean only if I say that those guests were coupless of man and woman. (sometimes it was of man and man, though). And they can recharge their stamina after 'it', eating griled eels. This is another evidence that Japanese are very efficient race.

(*By the way, this must be why one of representative movie director in 20th century, Imamura Shohei titled one of his representative work 'unagi', and use it as a motif of that film.)

Now, those kinky unagi shops have gone with modernization. And thanks to the environment destruction, unagi, especially domestic ones became very rare and precious Japanese food. But the the cult of unagi as a instant viagra is still intact.

And one strange, but beautiful story was born in one of straight ungi shop in modern days.

--
There is a comic theater named Lumine Yoshimoto, ran by Yoshimoto Kogyo, the most famous and powerful management agency of comedians. And in the same block, there is an old unagi restaurant which continues for over one hundred years. And this shop was very popular among those comedians who appear in that theater.

Some may say, it is not so strange those riches comedians love to eat domestic eel in that traditional restaurant. However, the passion for this unagi restaurant from those comedians was kinda excessive. Almost everyday, a lot of famous young comedians, including authorities like Matsumoto Hitoshi , visit this shop as if to compete each other.

Why? Well, the reason was very simple; there was a beautiful waitress in this shop.

As many knows, comedians are one of most established job in this country, especially regarding girl hunting, and even a ugly person can have a date with tons of girls just because he is a comedians. I'd say, they are superior to doctors or lawyers regarding this point.

But that comedians, who could sleep with tons of beautiful girls, are attracted by this one waitress from this unagi shop. Was that a magic of eel in Japanese traditional way?

Those comedians - including the one like Matsumoto-san who earns billions of yens, tried to hit on her some how, but none of them could. Some young comedians write a love letter to her like a virgin junior high school student boy , but the waitress refused all their proposals.

And one day, this waitress disappeared from this restaurant, but nobody could know where she went to. Only the legend of waitress who attracted tons of famous comedian was left.

However, months ago, it turned out who this mysterious beauty was. She was an acress wannabe who was doing part time job at the unagi shop!!

--
Her name is Matsumoto Wakana, 23 years old.
http://wakana-matsumoto.at.webry.info/

She is now appearing in a drama for kids and otakus, Kamen Rider Den-o from last March as a cute waitress of a coffee shop, and her existence was finally uncovered and known to the world. And some comedians who were stick to her might also notied that the girl was the waitress of unagi shop they loved and told this story to some writers.

--
Certainly , as far as seeing her pics on her blog, she is beautiful. If there were a unagi restaurant where this girl serves me unag in yukata like this in yukata, I would go to the shop everyday, and someday may bravely confess my love in my words sophisticated by blogging. “Hey, girl, my unagi is stick as samurai sword. Don't you try my unagi?

And this story is also beautiful. A lot of young girls are conquered by ugly and boring boys who are just called comedians, but she didn't slender to anyone and defended her final fortress, and she just gone with flavor of kabayaki eel, and came back to them as a princess. I wish every Japanese youn girls were noble and intelligent like her.


Anyway, this story also gives us one hope. Sometimes, young and talented beautiful women are secretly living around us like this. When you visit a shop and see a out-of-place super beautiful person, she must be a popular actress of next generation.

Japan defeated Russia. It's not the miracle occurred in football national team.

102 years back from today - when Japan was young as modern country and as aggressive and troublesome as North Korea today, Japan defeated Russia in Russo-Japanese war, after the winning in the Battle of Tsushima. This winning is almost the first victory that colored races defeated the modern white empire, and hence it encouraged the people in colonized nations. It was also the turning point of modern history as the beginning of the end of colonialism.

Now, thanks to the complete defeat at World War 2 and anti-imperialism education began then, Russo-Japanese war is hidden in the veil of taboo of Japanese imperialism and there aren't so many Japanese who still remember this winning and admire it.

However, interestingly, subconsciously, a lot of Japanese are still using the by-product of this war.

Seirogan. (正露丸).


Seirogan is a small pill, as large as shit of deer, made of wood creosote.

This medicine was developed during this Russo-Japanese war to protect soldiers from diarrhea, and originally, this medicine was spelled '征露丸. '征' means 'conquer', and '露' is a part of acronym of 'Russia' in Chinese characters. And '丸' means drop. So, And as you have already known, this medicine and its spell worked well, and Japan defeated Russia.

To tell the truth, Japan also lost at several partial battle, and almost 100,000 soldiers were dead during this war (including 20,000 death from sickness). So it is still doubtable that this medicine really could protect soldiers in this war. In addition, there aren't any clear medical scientific evidences regarding the effect of wood creosote for diarrhea. But thanks to this auspicious origin, Japanese began to use seidogan as a kind of panacea, which can cure all diseases of all digestive organs, from its entrance to exit, from toothache to diarrhea.

After WW2, Japanese government thought it's an improper name, and rename it with the kanji of same sound, '正'(right). So, almost all Japanese forgot the hidden meaning of this seirogan.

However, even today, seirogan is very popular medicine among Japanese. Ask your Japanese friend , “I have diarrhea from this morning... but I don't want to go to hospital.”. If the person is enough kind, I bet almost 25% of Japanese will recommend you to take this Conquer Russia drop.

And even when Japanese go abroad, seirogan is one of necessary articles, as well as cup noodles or precooked miso-soup. It's a bit ironical and interesting phenomenon. Even after Japanese became very quiet and harmless race, when they go to abroad, they are carrying such a product of radical hidden meaning, without recognizing it.