What are cool in Japan? – クールジャパン

There is a TV program called “Cool Japan” introducing unique and interesting things from foreigners’ eyes in Japan, and they celebrated a hundredth anniversary the other day in which they listed the coolest 20 things. Can you imagine the top 10 winners?

1. High-tech toilet
2. Cherry blossom watching party
3. One coin (100 Yen) shop
4. Fireworks
5. Plastic samples of food
6. Onigiri (rice ball)
7. Capsule hotel
8. Bon odori (group dance in summer festivals)
9. Autumn leaves hunt
10. Shinkansen (bullet train)

I show the snap shots of probably less-known choices from #5 thru #8 below:


As for toilets, we recently renovated ours in our 30-year old house. The one we chose was Toto’s top-of-the-line “Neorest” because it is a heated and water-washing seat, typically a must-have in Japan today, it flushes minimum water, and also the shape is very refined. How high-tech? The lid opens up and the small light goes on for itself as it senses someone comes in, the seat is warm as you set it, various options are available for water-jet modes such as sharp, mild, or vibrated, and it can blow the air to dry the wet. Some of the features are actually handicapped-friendly.
For the second toilet, we bought Toto’s “Purest EX” as it was less costly but stylish, and on top of it we installed INAX PASSO, another high-tech toilet seat that we have used for about 5 years.
One problem ☺: You cannot try to find which model you like the most at the shop!


先日、テレビ番組「クールジャパン」の100回記念でこれまで紹介したものの中からクールなベスト20をまとめていた。そのトップ10は下記の通り。

1. 洗浄便座
2. 花見
3. 百円ショップ
4. 花火
5. レストランの料理サンプル
6. おにぎり
7. カプセルホテル
8. 盆踊り
9. 紅葉狩り
10. 新幹線

高機能トイレと言えば、築30年の我が家のトイレを最近改装した。選んだ便器は東陶のトップモデルネオレスト、洗浄・暖房便座は当然として、節水性や外観の洗練度で納得した。番組ではこうした便座の機能の一部は身体の不自由な人のために考えたと言っていた。もうひとつのトイレには同じく東陶のピュアレストEX、これはもう少し手頃でデザインもスタイリッシュだ。こちらは5年くらい使ってきたINAX PASSOという洗浄便座を組み合わせている。
洗浄便座の使い心地はかなりまちまちなのに、店頭で自分のお気に入りを選べないのが問題か。

鶴川を歩く - A Walk in Tsurukawa

鶴川散歩の途中で薬師池という公園に出会った。ぼんやりと一息つくには格好の場所だった。ここから町田ダリア園までは1km程度。ただ花の時期はもう終わりに近いようだった。帰り道はもう歩く気がなくなって、町田駅行きのバスに乗った。






On my way of hiking in Tsurukawa, I happened to hit Yakushi Pond, and it was a perfect spot to rest and relax for a while. From this park, Dahlia Garden, my destination, was about 1 kilometer. It seemed the peak of the flower season already passed slightly. I did not feel walking more to go home and took a bus to Machida station.

武相荘 - Old House of Jiro Shirasu

武相荘（旧白洲邸）から町田ダリア園をグーグルマップで見て、意外に近いと勘違いしたことから歩いてみたら、1時間半くらいの長いハイキング行程だった。町田市鶴川は懐の深い丘陵地帯が今や広大なベッドタウンとなり閑静な住宅が並んでいるが、人気のないのが新興住宅地らしく、僕にはそれが広い道路と相まってやや殺風景に映る。
白洲次郎については、彼の現役時代にはその名前も僕は知らなかったし、彼の著作は新渡戸稲造から演繹されるように読んだ「プリンシプルのない日本」が最初で、それもここ2年くらいのことだ。鎌倉近くに住むようになって、所縁のある人としていくつかの書き物を読むにつれて、とても興味深い人物だと思うようになった。言うなれば裕福に育った選ばれし人なのだが、ノブレッスたる者の社会的立ち居・振る舞いについては英国仕込みで確固たる信念を持ち、ものの道理を行動規範とする人だったようだ。とりわけ、太平洋戦争を愚かな行為と考える国際的視野と、敗戦と食糧危機を見越して田舎で農業をするためにこの鶴川の農家を手に入れ、そこを武相荘と呼んだ洒落っ気には、拍手喝采したくなる。米国の圧力に抗しながら、現憲法制定を現場で見てきた彼は、「こんな作り方があって良いものか」と言いつつ、それでも「戦争放棄などいくつかのことは普通なら実現できない賜物」とも思っていたようだ。
写真は白洲邸と今の周囲の風景だが、入館料1000円はいささか高すぎで、内容的にはせいぜい半額であるべきという気がした。館内撮影は禁止だった。





I mistakenly read in the Google Map that the distance from Buaiso (Shirasu House) in Tsurukawa to Machida Dahlia Garden was quite short and it motivated me to walk, but the fact was a rather long hiking of about 90 minutes. Tsurukawa in Machida City is a broad area with undulating hills, now fully developed as a huge bed town with quiet residential houses. Like many other new places though, I seldom see people on broad streets, and it gives me an impression that this nice area is superficially deserted.
About Jiro Shirasu, I did not know even his name while he was active, and it was only a couple of years ago when I first read his “Japan without Principles” as it was deduced from Inazo Nitobe. Since I started living near Kamakura, I read more about him as he was closely connected there, and his presence grew larger in me. In short, he was chosen to grow in an extremely rich environment, but his firm confidence in how a noblesse should behave socially was crystallized through his young ages in England. He was indeed a man of discipline and particularly applausive was his cosmopolitan vision daring to speak out that the war against USA was stupid under purely uniform situation of the nation 70 years ago, and became a farmer predicting the loss of war and the consequent food shortage. The farmer house he bought in Tsurukawa was nick-named Buaiso which meant “Unsociable House”, and the two Kanji characters were taken from the bordering two provinces of Musashi and Sagami. I think it was charmingly smart name.
He was a man watching the practical progress of forming the current Constitutions under the American occupation confronting US deputies, and he used to say that it was not totally the right way to conclude any nation’s Constitutions, but at the same time admitted that some of the elements such as Abondonment of War were Gifted achievement which would have been otherwise impossible.
The pictures shown here are Buaiso and the current surroundings. They prohibited the pictures inside. The admission of 1000 Yen sounded excessive and I thought a half should be reasonable considering their content.

続・タメルラーノ – Tamerlano continued

ドミンゴの「タメルラーノ」について書いたのは一月半くらい前ですが、その後ずっと、男役をカウンターテナーが演じている演奏はないだろうかと捜していて、ようやく行き当たったのは何とガーディナーのエラート盤録音でした。
この演奏に配された二人のカウンターテナーというのは、ディレク・リー・レィギンがアンドロニコを歌い、マイケル・チャンスがタメルラーノ役というとても興味深い組み合わせです。僕にとってまず、マイケル・チャンスはずっと昔、「メサイア」で聴いて、カウンターテナーの魅力を根っこにたたき込まれた思い入れのある歌い手なのです。そしてレィギンはと言えば、映画「カストラート」でファリネッリの男女合成された歌声の片方を受け持った米国の黒人歌手で、映画のメイキング（必見！）を見ていても製作過程での情感豊かな歌いぶりには感銘させられる、そんなカウンターテナーで、もっと彼のヘンデルを聴いてみたいと思っていたところでした。
録音は1985年で、あの「メサイア」から3年くらい後とかなり早い段階でガーディナーはすでにこの演目を手がけていたことになります。僕はこれまで彼の演奏会をサンフランシスコ、グラナダ、パリまで出かけて聴いており、こんなマニアは日本にもそうはいないだろうと内心自負していたのに、実は知らないことがこんなに多いということですね。
演奏の質は高く、素敵な歌も多いので、しばらくは2種類のタメルラーノを比較などしながらどっぷりと楽しめそうです。


I wrote about Domingo and Temerlano in end August, and afterward I was looking for a performance with counter-tenor singers. In the end, what I came across with was the recording by Gardiner under Erato label.
Two singers featured in this stage were Derek Lee Ragin for Andronicus and Michael Chance for Tamerlano, a most interesting couple. For me, Michael was so impressive in Messiah many years ago that he fundamentally built a solid confidence in me for counter-tenors. As for Derek, he was one of two singers whose voices, female and male, were engineered to compose the voice of “Farinelli” the movie. His emotional singing was the highlight of the making DVD of this movie, and I was thinking of trying more Handel songs by him.
This performance was recorded in 1985, some three years after the renowned Gardiner’s “Messiah”, which means that he challenged this opera in rather early days. Having chased him and his concerts in San Francisco, Granada, and Paris so far, I was kind of secretly proud of being a rare and passionate Japanese fan of the Monteverdi Choir as such, but in reality there are still so many things that I am not totally aware of.
The quality of performance is quite high and because this opera contains many charming arias, I can spare my time for a while long enough to listen to and compare two different performances.

白根山 - Mt. Shirane

今日は秋晴れの好天の中、草津から白根山に行った。ここに立ち寄ったのは久しぶりで、湯釜へのいつもの道は封鎖されて、新しいルートが左側に造られていた。新しいルートは弓池やアルプスの山並みを見渡しながら緑の斜面を上り下りできてむしろアプローチとしては良い感じだった。聞くところによると、湯釜周辺での火山活動が活発化している兆しがあって周囲500mを春頃から立ち入り禁止にしているとのことだ。湯釜も遠巻きに眺める感じだった。道路の反対側の弓池では遊歩道の整備も整って全般に気持ちよかった。
帰りのバスはやや小振りな草軽交通に乗ったが、すし詰め状態の中を運転手さんがあれこれ丁寧にガイド説明を続けてくれて、観光バスみたいで楽しかった。
カメラはニコンD5000が電源関連部品の不具合によるリコールで修理中なので、以前のCOOLPIX P50を持って来た。






From Kusatsu hotsprings, we went to Mt. Shirane today and up above was perfectly clear autumn sky. It has been a while since we stopped by at this volcanic summit last time, and the usual approach to Yugama Lake was closed. The alternative route was on the left that offered splendid views of Yumiike Lake or Japan Alps mountains. We were told that the underground temperature went up extremely indicating increased volcanic activity and the surrounding area of 500-meter diameter was made prohibited to enter since this spring.
The return bus was somewhat smallish vehicle of Kusakaru Transportation and it was fully packed, but the driver kept explaining various details of sights like a tour guide to make the ride almost an entertaining sight-seeing tour.
As for pictures, my Nikon D5000 is gone for a repair of recalled electronic component and I brought my old COOLPIX P50.

ヘンデルのロドリーゴ – Handel’s “Rodrigo”

Al Ayre Españolの演奏でヘンデルの「ロドリーゴ」を約束通り入手して聴きました。
このオペラはVicer se stesso è la maggior vittoria （己に勝つことが大きな勝利）というのが本当の題名で、第一幕、第三幕などかなりの部分が散逸していたため、それらのピースが発見され再構築によって演奏可能になったのはここ何十年かの研究による成果とのことです。
独奏者はテノールひとりを除けば、ソプラノ(x3)、メゾソプラノ、カウンターテナーと女声陣で固められ、そこには男性の役どころもあるので違和感も残りますが、歌としては聞ける陣容だと思います。パリのオペラ・コミックで見た「カルメン」でミカエラ役をやっていたアンヌ・カトリーヌ・ギレがこの演奏に加わっていて、ここでも好演していました。
オペラ全体としては前回の「アマディージ」ほどの感動はなく、ヘンデル的と言うより、若く野心的なヘンデルのイタリア的たらんとする習作という印象で、いくつか流行りそうなアリアがレチタティーヴォの流れの中に埋め込まれていますし、特に第二幕はなかなかドラマチックでした。
録音は24ビット96kHzの Zaxcomを使い、モニタースピーカーはSonus Faberとデータが記されていました。空間的にはコンパクトな録音だと思います。


As promised, I obtained and listened to Handel’s “Rodrigo” performed by Al Ayre Español. The true title of this opera is “To conquer oneself is the greatest victory”; the large portions of Acts 1 and 3 have long been lost and its realization had to wait for discoveries and reconstructions through studies in the recent few decades.
Soloists in this recording except one tenor were all in female voice range with 3 sopranos, a mezzo-soprano, and a counter-tenor conflicting with male roles in some cases, but this arrangement sounded reasonable in the sense of music performance. I found Anne-Catherine Gillet among them who had played Micaëla in “Carmen” at Opera Comique.
The overall impression was not as moving as “Amadigi”, and it seemed more an experimental work to be truly “Italian” by young and ambitious Handel before being recognizable exactly as Handel. Between recitativoes were some amiable melodies in arias that must had been successful, and those in Act 2 were quite dramatic.
For recording, they used Zaxcom 24-bit 96k system and Sonus Faber was the monitor speaker according to the data. The acoustics was compact dimensionally.

鞆の浦 – Plan on hold in Tomonoura

鞆の浦の架橋工事は前からずっと気懸かりで、鞆の浦の文化財としての価値より交通渋滞対策を取った藤田君（知事）も知恵がないと思っていた。景観を理由に裁判所が工事中止を命令したのは結構なことだと思う。
僕にとって広島は故郷だし、鞆にも何度か出かけたが、大学の時、同級のS嬢の実家に同郷の好で一泊させてもらって遊んだのがとりわけ想い出深い。
お江戸日本橋を覆うように鎮座する首都高速道路の何と醜悪なことか。八ツ場ダムもそうだが、一度手をつけたら修復は不可能だから。


The new bridge construction across the bay in Tomonoura, Hiroshima has been my concern and I thought Fujita (Governor and junior in school) enjoyed little wisdom to value the traffic problem against Tomonoura as our cultural asset. I feel quite comfortable today with the court’s order to halt the construction in concern of its damaging the scenery.
To me, Hiroshima is my birthplace, and among a few times of my past visits to Tomo, particularly memorable was when I walked around the town with my college classmate staying her family home for one night. We had something in common: we were freshman (& woman) in Tokyo from the same countryside.
Tokyo metropolitan highway is an example how ugly a development could be as it covers over Nihonbashi bridge, the core landmark of Japan itself. Once done, no way to be retrieved, and Yamba dam appears to be another same issue.