Not so cool Japan

The Japanese government is trying to export “cool Japan”, according to some recent media reports. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is putting a rather handsome amount of money, to let the world know that Japan is officially “cool”.

It is certainly laudable that the government is finally acknowledging that anime and manga are as important to the nation’s image abroad as automobiles and electronics. It also makes practical sense to try to make some money through the “export” of “cool Japan”, drawing tourists to the nation at the same time.

Among those in the know, however, the government policy package that is being announced under the name of “cool Japan” is being given a weary look. “We’ve seen it happen and then fail before”, is the general feeling. In order for the “cool Japan” policy to become really “cool”, it would appear, a lot of rethinking of the scheme is necessary.

Yesterday, it was reported that the government is trying to issue a special coin commemorating cool Japan. The artists that are to be involved include such attractive names as Akira Yamaguchi, Akira Toriyama, and Hiroshi Senju. So far, so good.

However, when it was reported that the government is putting the inscription “We deliver you cool Japan first” on the coin, it naturally raised quite a few eyebrows. It tasted too much like the “bland” government policies that were announced with fanfares and then went silently out of sight in the past.

If you go back to the basics, it is questionable if any government action can ever become (or indeed should become) “cool”, especially in a market economy. The measures planned to be taken by the Japanese government, at least those announced so far, are so distant from being “cool”. Then do we really need government policy to become “cool” in the first place?

Kabuki is certainly cool, but it became cool not because of, but in spite of, the government at that time. The tradition of male players performing female roles (to such glorious and moving effects) came from the ban of any female on stage by the Tokugawa government. The now legendary manga artists (such as Osamu Tezuka and Fujio Akatsuka) who used to reside in the humble apartment house of Tokiwa-so in northern Tokyo did not have a government grant to accomplish their revolutions.

It is certainly true that an economic stimulus package would work even if it is misguided, as illustrated by John Maynard Keynes when he said "the government should pay people to dig holes in the ground and then fill them up."

Thus, a “cool Japan” policy, even when it is not wise, might actually be better than nothing, even when it is actually a manifestation of “not so cool Japan”. That is the only consolation that one can draw so far from the lukewarm reception that this supposedly brave new policy has stirred. 

The face of spring is different this time.

The Japanese love for cherry blossoms (sakura) is famous. I, a Tokyo resident, am no exception. Every year, I never tire of seeing the tiny flowers in bloom. I actually get such a kick out of it. I dare say it is an essential rhythmic element of my life.

Usually, it happens accompanied by a gradual buildup and culmination of expectations. First you notice that the winter air is loosing up. The temperature is rising. The atmosphere is getting softer. You feel that you want to take your coat off. Then out of the blue the idea comes to you, that maybe the cherry blossoms are ready to bloom sometime soon.

This gradual transition to cherry-readiness is, I think, an essential process in the psychological change of season. The Japanese has been repeating the process for so many years, that it is an integral part of the national character now.

This year it was all different. It happened so quickly. There was a spell of very cold days, and then suddenly the temperature shot up. It felt that it was early summer. Then the cherry blossoms started to bloom without warning. At least that was how it appeared to this writer. Then, without the gradual buildup of expectations, he blossoms were in full bloom.

Cherry blossoms without the preceding buildup of heart is something new. Maybe it is the reality of an era marked by global warming. Perhaps it is just a result of statistical fluctuation.

The face of spring is different this time. The Mother Nature never stops surprising us, even in her calm moods. My heart is a little jittery this year, due to her abrupt dance with the spirits of the cherry fairies.

I have started Qualia Journal TV.
In it, I discuss things from Japan, qualia, web, peace, to human future.

In the first episode, I discuss the film "We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam)", Kotto (Japanese antique), Mind's Eye (new magazine edited by my friend Shinya Shirasu), Ise Shrine.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/qualiajournaltv

Japan at a crossroads.

Japan is at a crossroads. As the nation embraces itself in the run-up to the general election to be held on 16^th December, the future of the nation is hanging on a very delicate and potentially volatile balance. So much is at stake.

As this essay is not about naming and finger-pointing, here I do without any specific mentions of the political parties. I am writing thus not in fear of offending somebody, or in the hope of affecting the results of the election in my own trivial and negligible ways. I am choosing this particular style in the recognition that anyone could alter his or her system of thoughts, so that naming is not really necessary or appropriate.

It is understandable that Japanese politics is leaning towards the conservative at the moment. A psychological mechanism called “mortality salience” suggests that when people become aware of life-threatening situations, circumstances suggesting their own mortalities, they tend to protect themselves with conservative values. Immediately after the September 11^th attacks, for example, the support for the Bush administration, which preached conservative policies, jumped up. How it affected the results of the presidential election in 2012 is now history.

It is understandable that, in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, and the incident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant last year, the Japanese people are finding conservative values attractive. The political parties projected to win the General Election tend to put forward conservative and nationalist policies, including the revision of the progressive Constitution of Japan enacted after the defeat in Second World War. 

To recognize and appreciate one’s unique historic and cultural heritage cannot be a bad thing. It is also practical, from time to time, to realize that people’s behavior cannot be changed overnight. Conservatism, at its best, recognizes that it is not possible to change the nature of people overnight, as progressive arguments sometimes seem to suggest.

That some Japanese politicians are stressing the merits of traditional Japanese values is both understandable and appreciable. In a time of recognized national crisis such as this, it is only human nature to emphasize Japanese values, both real and imagined, against those of the neighbors, such as Korea and China. The real question is, however, whether it is wise to do so, especially to the degree that ethnic and cultural diversity is threatened.

We live in a globalized world. Connecting beyond and overcoming national borders is the name of the game. The equation for prosperity has changed. The internet has literally redrawn the map of human activities on the surface of the earth. The search for talents has also become global. It makes sense to be lenient to ethnic diversity, not only in human rights perspectives but also from economic points of view. A Syrian student fathered Steve Jobs. Sergey Brin was born in Russia. Taiwanese entrepreneurs were involved in the founding of Yahoo and youtube.

In this age of small world networks, no nation succeeds by preaching nationalistic values. The great paradox is that a nation thrives to the degree it is able to refrain from nationalistic sentiments and open its doors to the diversity of world at large.

It is certainly true that Japan has had its share of entrepreneurs of ethnic minorities. Mr. Masayoshi Son of Softbank is one of the most luminous examples. The most remarkable thing, however, is not how Mr. Son managed to overachieve. The real question is why there aren’t more cases like Mr. Son.

Japan has come to a crossroads. One road leads to more openness, embracement of the cultural and ethnic diversity, and economic prosperity. I don’t think the other road is worth mentioning here. I for one believe that Japan would never take that road. 

Visitor: A butterfly lover’s philosophy of life.

As a boy I used to chase butterflies, in the field, and among the woods. My childhood time was literally divided between reading books in the room and searching for the airborne insects in the wild. After some period of field training, I learned all of the butterfly species by heart, so that I could identify which species the moment I saw one flying. Looking back, I think it was a marvelous manifestation of the brain’s ability to apply pattern recognition. What a pity it does not have any practical value in today’s world!

Sometimes, I could not tell what I was looking at, as the butterfly would appear strange and exotic. At such a time, my heart would suddenly throb violently. It could be a new species yet to be discovered by human kind (to discover one was the wildest dream of a boy like myself). The reality was not that exciting, as we all regret to learn. Most of the time, it was just the shades and backgrounds that made the butterfly appear to be different. After a more careful observation, it would turn out to be quite a common species.

From time to time, which was equally exciting, the butterfly would turn out to be a “visitor”. A species not normally resident, but was blown into the area by strong wind, especially after the passage of a typhoon. In other cases, when the butterfly had a strong ability to fly, it could wander on its own into the forest where I was chasing butterflies.

Since I spent so much time chasing butterflies, I think part of my philosophy of life has been formed by interactions with these elegant creatures. In my life, I sometimes catch myself waiting for “visitors”. Some person, event, or phenomenon, that would enter my world only rarely. It is such a pity that visitors do not come so often. But when one does come, it infuses my life with a strange sense of joy and expectancy. It makes me want to run off and venture into an unknown, enchanted kingdom.