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Broadcasting to an audience of three (and a goldfish)...
Comment, ramblings and musings... life through the eyes of a Japanologist...
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Wednesday, November 20, 2002 |
 Yesterday and today, the Leonid meteor shower was supposed to be visible from Japan. I had intended to go out and see what I could see last night, because I didn't have to get up early this morning, but in the end I forgot and went to bed. I had hopes of being able to see something tonight, but as we left taiko, the sky was a blanket of think cloud, almost spookily luminescent from the light of the moon. This is supposed to be the last really good show from the Leonids for at least several decades, so it looks like I might have missed out forever...
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In the evening, I went to taiko. As ever, it wasn't bad- I have to say it's more fun now, because of the three new people. Both when we're practicing and when we're talking, we tend to split into small groups, which makes it easier to talk to people, and means that even if the 'clique' (with, of course, Nemesis S at its head) chats amongst itself, there'll still be enough people to make sure things don't get boring.
I was pleased this evening, too, when I was asked to lead one of the practices; this was because I knew the tune better than anyone else.
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I registered the Breakfast Show with another site- Wander-Lust- this afternoon. This is a site where you can specify headlines and excepts from blog entries to appear in a list of recently-updated sites, so it should be useful.
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As I biked to Poplar, I saw the futon man and his 'accomplice', so to avoid them I biked round the headland. It really was a perfect afternoon, quiet and dreamy, much more reminiscent of spring or even early summer than of mid-November. The sea was lazy, languid, with the merest hint of a swell, the sun was softly, cossetingly warm, and there was the faintest of breezes. Truly a day for lazing outside with a picnic and a good book.
Or, for that matter, a day for a Breakfast Show 'outside broadcast'. If only I'd realised earlier what a glorious day it was, I'd have taken my Series 7 and written some entries from the park...
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Web articles worthy of mention...
An Electronic Telegraph article about a group of rock musicians who are to release a protest song... about Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and his tax hikes.
Thank goodness! It's about time somebody brought all of the Labour tax hikes into the public eye- by whatever means. This is one single I think I'll be buying...
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I was just going to nip out to Poplar, mid-afternoon, when the doorbell rang. It was a salesman trying to persuage people to get their futons cleaned. What a thankless job!- but that's beside the point. He said, 'konnichi wa,' and- naturally- I replied, 'konnichi wa'. At which point, he made his fatal mistake. I doubt I'd have sent off my futon to be cleaned anyway, but the salesman put the matter beyond any doubt. As soon as I said, 'konnichi wa,' he recoiled in surprise and almost shouted, 'nihongo ga jozu desu ne!'- 'My goodness, your Japanese is good!'
Do Japanese who do this- who hear a foreigner say one word of Japanese- simple Japanese!- and from that feel compelled to congratulate the foreigner on his mastery of the Japanese language, not realise how stupid and shallow they sound? Have they not considered that in any case, one simple greeting is not sufficient to be able to judge someone's language ability? And has it never crossed their mind that in congratulating someone on being able to speak one or two words of Japanese, they are jumping on the fast train to a bad relationship? Seriously, I have yet to meet a foreigner who is not irritated to distraction by this trait of the Japanese. I'm not sure whether the Japanese who congratulate foreigners on their Japanese ability in this way do so through a desire to be friendly, or whether it's because of the widespread Japanese perception that you have to be Japanese to be able to speak Japanese (and therefore even being able to say a greeting is- for a foreigner- an achievement), but whatever the reason, I wish they'd stop.
It's often said that if you really are jozu at Japanese then you won't be called jozu (because the Japanese will be able to have a real conversation with you, and therefore won't need to revert to phrases like 'nihongo ga jozu desu ne'). This is true, I think- without bragging, I very rarely get called 'jozu' any more- but it presupposes that the Japanese person you're speaking to is willing to listen to enough of your Japanese to make a fair judgement...
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Web articles worthy of mention...
An article in the Japan Times about the Japanese Cabinet's approval of a six-month extension of the period of Japan's logistic support for anti-terror operations led by the United States.
Until recently, this was an issue with no direct bearing on me personally, but with a friend on one of the JMSDF ships out in the Indian Ocean now, stories like these suddenly become very relevant. I hope this extension doesn't also mean an extension to my friend's tour of duty...
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I took advantage of the day to make a few additions to the Breakfast Show. Most importantly, I registered the site with Blogsnob, a service that places an advertisement for a registered site on the pages of other registered sites. The advertisement changes each time the page is viewed, of course, which means that apart from being a good way of getting the Breakfast Show more widely known about, it's also useful for exploring other people's weblogs. I've already found quite a few sites I like, and which I'll be adding to the Breakfast Show blogroll sooner or later.
Anyway, the Blogsnob advert is on the right, underneath the weather...
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Can there be anything more pleasant than a day off in the middle of the week? I don't think so. No getting up at 6.30 today!- I dozed cozily until the much more civilised hour of 9 o'clock. I'm almost glad I don't have time to take many days off work; the pleasure of a day like this is made all the greater because of its rarity.
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© Copyright 2003 Nathan Duckworth.
Updated: 8/1/03; 8:56:25 pm.
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