Chinese P.O.W.s Killed By Nagasaki A-Bomb Memorialized

Above, the walkway to the Peace Statue in Nagasaki Peace Park. Foundation
remnants of the P.O.W. prison are visible in the grassy areas on each
side of the walkway.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Chinese prisoners of war who were killed by the atomic bomb in Nagasaki, Japan now have a new monument.

The Japan Times reports:

NAGASAKI – A memorial ceremony to commemorate Chinese who were imprisoned in Nagasaki Prefecture on spying charges during the war and who later died during the U.S. atomic bombing in August 1945 was held Sunday at Nagasaki’s Peace Park. 

At the ceremony, a new monument bearing a plaque explaining how about 40,000 Chinese were forcibly brought to Japan during the war to make up for a nationwide labor shortage was unveiled. 

Of those people, about 1,000 were forced to work in mines in Nagasaki, the plaque explains in Japanese, Chinese and English.

Above, the remains of the P.O.W. prison at Peace Park in Nagasaki.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Portions of Nagasaki's Peace Park is built on the site of the P.O.W. prison. Remnants of the prison's foundation are still visible.

Although Nagasaki had not appeared in a kaiju movie, the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima influenced the creation of the Godzilla character. Accordingly, Nagasaki's Peace Park is spotlighted in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan on page 47.

To view the full article, go here.

Figuring Prices From Yen To Dollars On The Spot

Since the U.S. dollar is back around 100 yen in foreign exchange, it is now easier to figure out a quick conversion in one's head on a price of a Japanese item.

What I did during my six visits to Japan, if something caught my eye and I was thinking about purchasing it, I would use this system to figure out how much that item was in American dollars.

For example, here are some fish for sale at a vendor near the Tsukiji Fish Market:

There is one fish for sale at a price of ¥3,960 on the right.  How much would that roughly be in American dollars?

Well, if you happen to be in Japan while the exchange rate between dollars and yen is ¥100/$1.00 (which is roughly what it currently is), the answer is very easy.

Take the yen price of ¥3,960.  Then place a period two numbers (digits) from the right.  You get 39.60.  Then, put a dollar sign to the left of the numbers in your mind and you get $39.60.  That's the amount in U.S. dollars.  It is up to you if you'd pay $39.60 for a fish, provided you happen to like to eat that species of fish.

Simple, eh?

What if the dollar is buying slightly more than ¥100?  All you need to do is subtract the difference to the amount based on ¥100/$1.00 (for example: if the rate is ¥105/$1.00, just subtract 5 yen per dollar (in this case, only five yen is involved so subtract 5 from $1.00) and the cost is $.95).  Think of the five yen as five pennies. The reverse would be true if the dollar is buying less than ¥100. Just add.

Still, adding a period two digits from the right will still give you a rough idea what the cost is in dollars, no matter what the exchange rate is. If the dollar buys more yen, then the item is slightly cheaper. If the dollar buys less yen, then the item is a slightly more expensive.

Here's the current Japanese currency (missing is the ¥2,000 note):

First Crop Report

Above, the farm during the winter of 1977.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The first report on this year's corn crop at the farm in Nebraska came in this morning.

According to my tenant, "Crops look good!  [It is] very dry again, so very busy."

Even if there are drought conditions in the area, I am not worried as we have a good irrigation well on the property.  The only worry is possible wind or hail storms between now and harvesting (about three months from now).

Asiana Airlines Flight Crashes At San Francisco Airport

This just in from the Associated Press:

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal aviation official says an Asiana Airlines flight has crashed while landing at San Francisco airport. It was not immediately known whether there were any injuries. 

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Lynn Lunsford says the Boeing 777 crashed at San Francisco Airport while landing on Saturday.

This is not a Dreamliner. The Dreamliner is a Boeing 787.

The Japan Times' "From Hollywood To Hirohito"

Above, the Nijubashi Bridge at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

An interesting article came to my attention from The Japan Times.  It is "From Hollywood To Hirohito."

It starts with:

From “Empire of the Sun” to “The Last Samurai,” and from “Memoirs of a Geisha” to “Babel” — when Hollywood film directors have turned their cameras to the Land of the Rising Sun, there is one person they have insisted on having by their side: Yoko Narahashi, a casting agent, producer, sometimes director and, in recent years, all-round interpreter of Japan for U.S. movies.

One of the most interesting things is that Narahashi is the granddaughter of a one-time steward to Emperor Hirohito (Emperor Showa) and was recently involved in the production of Emperor, starring Tommy Lee Jones as Gen. Douglas MacArthur.  The movie is about "the process by which the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers during the postwar Occupation of Japan, and his staff — notably Brigadier General Bonner Fellers — came to the decision not to put Emperor Hirohito on trial for war crimes."

Above, U.S. sailors at the Nijubashi Bridge during the occupation.

According to the article, Narahashi's grandfather played a role in shaping Gen. Fellers's decision on the Emperor.

The article includes an interview with Narahashi. To read it, go here.

Presentation Ads

Since I have been giving presentations at conventions and other venues, I am starting to accumulate ads by convention and other organizers.

Here's some I've accumulated to date:

Above, Monsterpalooza 2013 original.  Below, second and final version.

Above, Monsterpalooza 2011.

Above, Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo 2012.

Above, Mad Monster Party 2013.

Above, Mad Monster Party 2013.

Above, Distant Lands Travel Bookstore, 2013.

Above, Distant Lands Travel Bookstore, 2013.

Above, Distant Lands Travel Bookstore, 2013.

Yakatabune Sailing Back In Time

Above, yakatabune boats moored in Asakusa on the Sumida River.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the things I'd like to try out in Tokyo, but haven't done so yet, is to take a dinner cruise aboard a yakatabune boat.

According to JapanToday:

A familiar sight on Japan’s rivers and canals, these boats are said to date back to the Heian period (794-1185) when they were used by the upper classes (daimyo and shogun). They started to become popular among the common people from the 1600s – legend says they were used for important business deals to avoid eavesdropping. Later, the boats became the playhouses for shoguns, samurai and their geisha girls. Nowadays, they are floating restaurants (but no geisha, sorry). 

In Tokyo, several yakatabune depart from Shinagawa, Tsukishima and Harumi. They take you out on two- or three-hour cruises of Tokyo Bay with all-you-can-eat feasts of tempura and sashimi and all you can drink. Some have karaoke, as well. The boats usually carry 20-100 passengers and are especially popular during fireworks season, when they drop anchor in Tokyo Bay and watch the extravaganza.

They are most popular during the spring and summer months, according to the article. Prices range from 8,000-10,000 yen per person. There are various pricing plans, depending upon what food is served. Group rates are also available (most require a minimum of ten people).

I've seen some moored near the Azuma Bridge on the Sumida River in Asakusa, Tokyo.

To read the full article, go here.

Independence Day - 2013

Last evening, I attended an Independence Day block party in Hawthorne, California.

It was great being back in my old hometown with the sea breeze and ocean air.  It is sure different than in the  San Fernando Valley.

Here's some photos of the evening:

Above, Les Geriminsky and I.

Above, Les about to re-load his 1965-vintage Coke machine.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, doesn't this fellow bear a striking resemblance to George Reeves?  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, getting ready for the fireworks.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the fireworks have begun.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the oddest fireworks item, a tank.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, lighting a ball rocket.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, serving a birthday cake.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

"The Top Ten Sightseeing Spots In Kyoto Prefecture"

Above, Kiyomizu-dera's pagoda.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

RocketNews24 has a new article on "The Top Ten Sightseeing Spots In Kyoto Prefecture."

It starts with:

With more than a thousand unique temples and countless sites of natural beauty, planning a short trip to Kyoto can be no easy task. Thankfully, there’s a Japanese travel website that’s made things easy with a top ten list of unmissable places in the region. If you’re looking for a way to escape the information overload and simply visit the best that Kyoto Prefecture has to offer, then this list–complied by native Japanese no less–might just be the list for you. 

The following recommendations have been compiled by Chikyūtabi, a Japanese site that’s currently building up top 10 lists for destinations around the world. As a well-known tourist spot, their Kyoto selections and omissions might cause some discussion, but we think the list is a great guide to the area.

Some of the places listed I have been to and two of them were featured in a Godzilla movie (one of them even got blasted by Godzilla's atomic breath).

To see the list, go here.

 

Hospitalitynet: "Hey, Airline Industry! It’s Time to Care Again"

Above, a Korean Air jet being readied for a flight to Japan.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Many travelers have been griping about the state of the airline industry lately. They complain about the fees being charged, the cleanliness of the planes, the food, the beverages and many other things.

Vikram Singh has a great article on the airline industry at Hospitalitynet. He isn't too happy with the way some airlines are treating people. The title of the article fits just perfectly: "Hey, Airline Industry! It’s Time to Care Again." He is critical where it is warranted and has many suggestions.

Part of his article is as follows:

For quite some time now, air travel has started to really suck. The steady gradual decline is impossible to ignore. Several external factors have been credited for the downfall of service: taxes, fuel costs, government regulations, etc. These are all valid reasons that are beyond the control of the airlines.

But, he also sticks it to the airlines on things they do have control over:

So let's talk about the things that can be changed and controlled by airlines. I have been flying all over the globe for business and personal trips for the past several years. All those miles in the air have given me a front row seat to how airlines operate both in First/Business class as well as steerage (Economy) class.

One example:

First impressions matter, and lingering ones do too! Imagine stepping into a foul cloud at the beginning of a 2-, 3-, 4-, or 9-hour journey! You are already miserable and the doors have not even been shut yet. United and American (again) smell notoriously bad on both shorter and international long haul flights. Asian airlines like Japan Airlines, Singapore Air and others obviously have an aromatherapist that they consult. I know it's not cheap, but it's definitely cheaper than refurbishing the entire aircraft.

Note from that little snippet Singh gives praise to Asian carriers and condemns U.S. carriers. I have flown on Korean Air and Singapore Air to Japan and have found their planes to be quite clean and the service praiseworthy. They still make flying a pleasure.

Singh feels the Asian airlines give a damn and the U.S. ones don't. It sounds like the U.S. airlines are behaving like urban mass transit systems.

To read the full article, go here.

Lake Kawaguchiko's "Kojōsai" Festival

Above, Lake Kawaguchi's fireworks are reflected
upon the lake's waters. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tomorrow is Independence Day, which conjures up thoughts of bar-b-ques and fireworks.

The most memorable fireworks display in recent years for me actually didn't take place on Independence Day, nor did it even take place in the United States.

I would have to say that the most memorable fireworks display had to be during G-Tour in 2004 when we attended the Lake Kawakuchi fireworks festival (Lake Kawaguchiko's "Kojōsai" Festival).

Above, climbers' lights can be seen on the slopes of the
silhouetted Mt. Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Lake Kawaguchi is one of the five lakes near Mount Fuji (now a World Heritage site). On clear days, Mount Fuji can be seen from Lake Kawaguchi.  When we arrived at the lake, Fuji was obscured by cloud cover.  But just before the fireworks show began, the sky cleared and we were able to see the silhouette of Mount Fuji against the night sky.

After a full day of touring, this was a relaxing respite for the group. Luckily, there were food vendors (photo below) at the viewing area and most everyone were famished and gave the vendors a lot of business.

On the slopes of Mount Fuji, tiny lights can be seen making their way to the summit. These are climbers who climb Fuji to view the morning sunrise. Since Mount Fuji has been designated a World Heritage site, it is speculated that this will cause an increase in the numbers of climbers. As a test,  a ¥1,000 admission fee will be charged on a trial basis for about 10 days from July 25. [See this article from The Japan Times.]

Above, the festival is comprised of competing
fireworks companies.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The fireworks display lasted about an hour or so. The fireworks festival is held annually for competing fireworks companies to display their goods. It was a smart move to make Lake Kawaguchiko's "Kojōsai" Festival as an "anchor" when planning the tour.  For information, go here.

The accompanying photographs are screen captures of a video I shot with a Hi8 camcorder.

6 Rainy Day Deals In and Around Tokyo

Above, a view of Yokohama from the 69th floor of the Landmark Tower.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Each time I've been to Japan (with the possible exception of my April 2006 visit, as I don't remember any rain then), it has rained while I was there. Generally, I prefer to go during the autumn or spring months as their summers are hot and very humid.

JapanToday has an article on six bargain deals one can get in and around Tokyo on rainy days.

They begin it with:

TOKYO —Summer in Japan also means plenty of rainy days, as humidity levels are at their highest across the country. Thankfully, it’s not all bad news on rainy days, and as long as you’re willing to take an umbrella with you when you go out, you can score some great deals in the Tokyo area.

Number 6 on the list is one that should be of interest to Godzilla fans:

6. Landmark Tower (Minato Mirai 2-2-1, Nishi Ward, Yokohama) 

And finally, if you’re looking for a romantic place to end the day, there’s the 69th floor observatory in Yokohama’s Landmark Tower. Located just a block away from the bay, on rainy weekdays regular adult admission of 1,000 yen is discounted to 700 yen and includes a drink. 

While rain might obscure your view of the city’s unique skyline, the observatory’s 273-meter-high altitude puts you right inside the clouds, making for an otherworldly atmosphere. And of course, wet weather also means fewer noisy kids running around, so you and your sweetheart can snuggle to your hearts’ content.

It was rainy and overcast when I visited the Landmark Tower in October 2005, but it was still worth visiting.  The Landmark Tower in Yokohama was prominently featured in 2001's Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack and is featured on pages 19 and 20 of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

To find out what the other five rainy day deals are, go here.

Win A Trip To Japan!

Our good friends at Anime News Network are celebrating their 15th anniversary with a contest:

Anime News Network is turning 15 this year, and we want to celebrate by giving readers the chance to win a trip to Japan! This contest will run all summer long, with several chances to enter and win, and at the end, we'll draw a name and one lucky person will jet off to Japan for a guided adventure with our friends at PacSet Tours! The best part is, there are several tours to choose from, so if you've ever wanted to go to Japan, this might be your chance. 

For details, go here. 

Eisenhower On Revisionism

Kansas State Senator Greg Smith (R-Overland Park) unearthed a great quote from former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower was also the supreme allied commander in Europe during World War II.

It brings to mind revisionists who try to re-write history to suit their political agendas. It bears remembering.

Here's the quote:

“Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.”  

― Dwight D. Eisenhower

Japanese Salarymen's Allowances At A 30-Year Low

Above, a group of salarymen waiting for a train at Kyoto Station.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If you think your wife has you "by the cojones," Japanese salarymen husbands have it worse.

From News On Japan:

The average Japanese husband's monthly allowance slumped to the lowest level since 1982 at the start of the country's financial year as workers await the dividends promised by Abenomics. 

Salarymen's spending money, typically set by wives managing family budgets, was 38,457 yen, down 3 per cent from last year and less than half the 1990 peak, according to Shinsei Bank. 

It is easy to see why some Japanese men are delaying marriage in Japan. Who wants to have their hard-earned money turned over to their spouse and get only a small allowance?

Then again, I've heard that Japanese men are pretty helpless without a wife. (I don't know if that's true.)

To read the full article, go here.

U.S. Dollar Tops 100 Yen

The U.S. dollar has topped over 100 yen today.

At this writing, which is about 12:38 PM in Japan, the dollar stands between 100.56 to 100.60 yen. This is good news for Japan-bound U.S. travelers as they are able to get more yen for each dollar exchanged.

We'll see if this holds and what the ending amount is at the close of the business day.

PCWorld: Amazon Kindle tops yearly Japan e-reader sales in five months

There's good news for Amazon Kindle e-reader devices in Japan.

PCWorld.com reports:

Amazon.com's Kindle e-reader has dominated the competition in Japan since its launch last year, according to new research, showing the company's low pricing and powerful brand may have overcome its late entrance into the market. 

The Kindle accounted for 38.3 percent of the e-reader market in Japan in the 12-month period through March, market data firm MM Research said. That compared to a 33 percent share for Rakuten's Kobo and a 25.5 percent share for Sony's Reader device. 

The Kindle was officially launched in November of last year, meaning the figures represent only its first five months of sales.

The ebook edition of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan is available in the Japanese ebook market.  When Amazon launched its Kindle Store in Japan last year, the guide was immediately included in the store's offerings. This was reported here last October. Ebook sales of the travel guide to kaiju locations and landmarks has been sporadic, but that's to be expected as the ebook is in English, not in Japanese.

This is good news as the Kindle e-reader is compatible with the ebook edition of the travel guide.

To read more, go here.

Dollar Edging Closer To 100 Yen

The U.S. dollar edged closer to 100 yen on Tuesday.

Reuters reported:

(Reuters) - The dollar edged higher against the yen and a rally in Tokyo stocks lifted world shares on Tuesday on signs of modest expansion in the United States and Japan, though the overall economic picture was mixed. 

The dollar edged back towards a four-week high against its Japanese counterpart at 99.78 yen though against a basket of major currencies it was little changed .DXY.

To view the complete Reuters report, go here. 

Bondage Evaluations

Above, Sean Connery in "Doctor No."

Now that Daniel Craig has three Bond movies under his belt, it is enough time to evaluate my favorites and not-so-favorite James Bonds of the movies.

As it stands now, Sean Connery is still my favorite (and the best) James Bond. His performance as 007 is still the "template" for all the Bonds that followed.

My second favorite Bond is the current one, Daniel Craig. He has the right amount of toughness to make him believable as a super-spy.

My third favorite (who was my second choice before Craig came along) is Timothy Dalton. Like Connery and Craig, he was believable in the role. Unfortunately, many others didn't particularly warm to him and the scripts of his two films could have been better. It is too bad he didn't stay on longer and receive a top-notch script to work with.

George Lazenby. He only made one Bond movie, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, but considering his limited acting experience at the time and the great script he received, he did very well. Unfortunately, he managed to piss off the producers at Eon Productions and wasn't invited back. Lazenby is my forth favorite Bond.

My problem with Roger Moore is that he really didn't have the gravitas for the role as James Bond and his portrayal made Bond act like a fop. He had his moments where he was quite good, such as in For Your Eyes Only. He just wasn't too believable as a super-spy.

I didn't warm up to Pierce Brosnan as Bond. He had the same problem as Moore, not enough gravitas for the role and in his early Bond movies, he seemed to be posing, not acting. He seemed too soft for the role. He got better in his later Bond movies, but the scripts he had to work with did not help.  

That's my view of the Bond actors for now.

Japan Favorites, Part Two

Back in July 2009, I blogged about some of the favorite places in Japan I saw during my 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 visits. (To view it, go here.)

Picking up where that blog post left off, here's some favorite places and things during the 2010 trip.

2010

Above, the Skytree from the Sumida River.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Tokyo portion of the trip was for promoting The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan and some visits to places that can be added to a second, updated edition. In between interviews on the travel guide, I managed to see the Tsukiji Fish Market and take in a screening of Space Battleship Yamato.

One of the first things upon my arrival in Tokyo was to take some promo photos of the travel guide with Ai, who served as a model (right).

One of the things I wanted to see in Tokyo was the Skytree Tower.  It was under construction at the time, but it was still impressive even though it hadn't yet reached its full height. Besides, it was near to one of my favorite places in Tokyo, Asakusa's Nakamise Street.

Another place I wanted to visit while in Tokyo was Toho Studios in Setagaya. I wanted to see the man-sized Godzilla statue and the Seven Samurai mural at the new main entrance. I wandered around the outside of the studio lot and even from the vantage points from the outside, I could see the changes to the studio since my November 2001 visit.

Above, the Daily Yomiuri article on "The
Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan." The interview
 for the article took place while I was in Tokyo.

I also met former Toho-Los Angeles General Manager Masaharu Ina for lunch. I gave him a copy of the travel guide and he was very impressed with it.

As I never had been to the Sea of Japan side of Honshu (the main island of Japan) before, I decided to head to Niigata via bullet train to see what it was like.

I found Niigata to be much more laid-back in temperament than Tokyo and nowhere near as crowded. While taking a city bus tour of Niigata, I visited a museum and the city's performing arts center where a photo exhibit was taking place. I went to see the photo exhibit and saw many nice photographs on display and a Japanese man who was a dead-ringer for Akira Nakao, who played General Aso in three Godzilla movies of the 1990s. I also visited Niigata's Hakusan Park.

Above, the Bandai Bridge in Niigata.
Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The train ride to Niigata was a pleasant one as we traveled through farmlands (mainly rice paddies) and through mountain regions.

After a couple of days in Niigata, I headed back to Tokyo for a few more days of wandering around before heading back to Los Angeles.

I found it interesting that although Japan has about a 1-2% Christian population, there were Christmas decorations in abundance. Both hotels I stayed at had Christmas trees in their lobbies.

The best meals on the trip had to be the sushi I had at a restaurant next to the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. It was a platter of assorted tuna. It had to be the best sushi I ever ate. The other was the big cheeseburger I had at the The Beat Diner in Tokyo. The Beat Diner was a new eatery located under the shinkansen tracks separating Ginza and Hibiya. It occupies the former location of Becker's.

Above, rice paddies and snowy mountains as seen from the bullet
 train en route to Niigata from Tokyo.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A Nighttime Visitor

Above, my visitor was like the one on the right.

Last night was rather interesting.

I was at the desk at work doing some writing.  I happened to look down on the floor to my left and found that I had a visitor.

It was a skunk who decided to walk in through the open door.  He (or she) was about two feet away just sniffing around.

I bolted from my chair and headed in one direction. The skunk headed in the opposite direction and went out the door. I like skunks, but I prefer to watch them from a distance.

Thank goodness he (or she) did not "open fire."  

No More Video Store...

Here's a little something to start July off that was sent by a friend:

Dollar Firmer At 99-Yen Range

The third quarter of 2013 has begun with the U.S. dollar firmer at 99.5767 yen. This is good news for travelers who are Japan-bound this summer.

It should be back at 100 yen by the end of the week if the current trend continues.

Future Currency Forecast.com reported that traders are predicting that the dollar won't hold the current rate:

Against the US Dollar, traders are predicting that the Yen will trade around the 91.20 per Dollar in the fiscal year ending 2014, contrasting with the former prediction of 85.22.

I happen to think the dollar will remain in the 98 to 105 yen per dollar range in the fiscal year ending in 2014. We'll see who's right. 

Japanese Protocol

Above, Richard Pusateri and I with Toho Executive Producer Shogo Tomiyama and Special
Effects Director Koichi Kawakita. According to the article, meeting high-ranking executives
in Japan usually come as relationships progress.  Photo courtesy of Richard Pusateri.

Lately, The Huffington Post has posted some interesting articles on Japan and another from them came to my attention.

The topic of their latest article is, "Japanese Protocol."

To begin the article on the dos and don'ts when visiting Japan, they start it with:

Japan was closed to the West for many years before the middle of the nineteenth century, and it remains a uniquely individual culture. Travelers for both business and pleasure should learn a few points of protocol before visiting Japan, as this will add greatly to the success of a trip. 

Thankfully, learning points of protocol over the years have kept me from making any mistakes when conducting business in Japan. My visit in December 2010 went exceedingly well as I kept many of the points  in mind while promoting The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. Experience does count!

Anyone going to Japan should learn these in order to make a visit there more successful.

To read the full article, go here.