All I want for the New Year...

Up to now, this winter in the east coast of the U.S. has been mild, with most days stay at 10-15 degrees, and down to around 0 at night. And compared to snow storms in rocky mountain ares, no snow has ever piled up yet.

However, I miss the onsen in Japan, these are two of best known onsen resorts in Japan, Hakone under Mt. Fuji and Gunma west of Tokyo.

Have a successful and prosperous to everyone of you!

Letters from Iwa Jima-Best Film of the Year

According to New York Time's movie critic, A.O.Ｓcott, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwa Jima is the best of 2006. You can check out my previous post about the movie and preview clip (in Japanese) here.

A story told by Japanese side, Letters from Iwa Jima is a companion of Eastwood's Flags of our fathers. Opening this weekend in the U.S, letters from Iwa Jima stars Ken Watanabe (Memorial of Geisha, Last Samurai), who is considered by A.O.Scott as the best actor of the year and considered to be the leading candidate for a Oscar Award.

I am hooked with NYT's movie minutes about Letters from Iwa Jima, and I like Ken Watanabe's solid performance in several movies, so I am going to see this movie.

Merry Christmas, 圣诞快乐，メリー・クリスマス

I can't say more than this, however, I want to wish everyone, please have a most romantic day in Japan and China(Christmas Eve), and a most celebrated day in the U.S.

I won't be surprised for a couple in Tokyo or in Beijing to have to pay over 1,000 dollars for a hotel room on Dec. 24th, just to take advantage of the most romantic package most hotels offer, with roses, cards, fancy dancing parties, western dinners, wine and champagne.

I won't be surprised either that most Americans will be staying home with families, and they will reserve all romance until Feb. 14th, as Christmas Eve is when you go to church, or unwrapping gifts.

Wherever you are, Merry Christmas, 圣诞快乐，メリー・クリスマス

Rinko Kikuchi-a rising Japaese actress

Speaking of movies, a Japanese actress, Rinko Kikuchi is a clear winner, with or without winning Golden Globe.

a 25 year old, native of Kanagawa(a prefecture where I use to live in Japan), Rinko used to be Yuriko. Even she has been active in a dozen or so Japanese films, the real breakthrough for Kikuchi came when she played a young Japanese high school students in American movie-Babel, which also won he a Golden Globe nomination.

For an interview with Kikuchi on Babel with LA Times, click here.

Curse of the Golden Flower

Curse of the Golden Flower, a movie starring Chou Yun-Fat(Crunching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Gongli (Raise the Red Lantern) will be opening to US theaters this weekend. Even getting no nominations from Golden Globe, the movie is still visually appealing, with a lot Kungfu actions. If you like Hero and House of Flying Daggers, also directed by famed Chinese director, Yimou Zhang, you may like Curse of Gold Flowers too.

Japan China News Roundup

Six party talks open in Beijing, however, North Koreans behave like......well, North Korean. They require for lift of the UN and U.S. financial sanctions posted after Pyongyang tested nuclear weapons. The U.S. is not back off, asking to separate nuclear talks from financial sanctions. The result seems to be doomed from the start. (Yomiuri Shimbun)

Chinese leaders generally agree to visit Japan, on the condition that Japanese leaders will not visit Yasukuni between now until the date of the Chinese's arrival.( It's my explanation of the term Generally). The leader will possibly be Hu Jintao, as a counterpart visit to Shinzo Abe's visit of China last fall. (Xinhua News)

China Japan to study History together

China and Japan open the door to study history together, a meeting is schedule to be held on Dec. 26-27, and then twice a year thereafter. The final result of the study will be due in the middle of year 2008. (Asahi Shimbun)

Japanese side of the team hopes to focus on not only before and during the WWII, but also after the Second World War, when Japan was converted into a democracy by the U.S. and successfully launched into a modern industrial nation. Japanese scholars also want China to be more aware of the Japan's contributions to China's economy, as a form of ODA Yen loan in 1980s and early 1990s.

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe also applauded for the joint study of history, he said it would be very "meaningful" work for scholars from both countries to study the history "under a quite environment".

See my previous post on Sino_Japan disputes on History.

Shanghai movies in Tokyo

A Shanghai movie festival is undergoing in Shinjuku, Tokyo, according to Asahi Shimbu, one of the highlights is a movie called Shanghai Rumba(上海伦巴）.

Set in a Christmas day in Shanghai, the story tells a Chinese who is married to a traditional family, Wuanyu (Jade). When she saw and totally amazed by American film-Gone with the wind, Jade wants to be a actress. However, After getting to know that she passed the audition, her in-laws stripped her freedom and forced her to stay home. Jade eventually was allowed to go out after a bad illness. She got to union with her love for acting and love for a new man.

Check out more photos and details of the story here.

Christmas is getting more Chinese?

As most of Americans are ready to celebrate Christmas, people wonder around and ask, if this Christmas is more of Chinese than last years?

The reason, the consumption nature of the westerners vs. manufacturing part of Chinese.

From artificial trees to ornaments, from gifts of clothes to cameras, is China is financing American's Christmas? There are certainly some people crying out for the decline of American economy and rising of Chinese factory power.

Lester Brown is one of them, he authors the book-"Plan B 2.0", and he will host a teleconference tomorrow from Earth Policy Institute, where he is a president. the details are:
December 14th, 11am EST

CALL-IN: U.S.: 1-877-707-9632; International: 011-785-830-1914

Participant Code: Lester Brown

Nanjing remembered

Regarding History of the World War II, Dec 13 is 69th anniversary of the Nanjing massacre, China is organizing a biggest ever effort to remember "Japanese army's brutality". (Xinhua)

If you live in Nanjing, don't be surprised that siren alarm will be sounded all over the city, and first ever exhibit of Nanjing Massacre is currently being held in Italy, a photo archive museum will be opened for the event as well.

I believe all eyes will on the movie of Nanjing Massacre, which I covered months ago here, sponsored by former American OnLine's Ted Leonsis. Scheduled to be released in 2007, the movie will certainly draw attention regarding Clint Eastwood's high regraded movie on Iwa Jima.

Letters from Iwa Jima awarded

Letters from Iwa Jima, directed by Clint Eastwood and starred Ken Watanabe（Last Samurai, Memorial of a Geisha), is awarded Best Film of the Year by Los Angles movie critics committee. The movie is also a strong candidate to be contending this year's Academy Award.

Also directed applauded Flags of Our Fathers, Eastwood is certainly having a good year so far. the Flags is beautifully shot and captured many for the emotional moment when the three soldiers set up the flag in the island, and then eventually every single one of them died.

Letters from Iwa Jima will be released in Japan in Dec. 9th, you can check out the trail here (Japanese)

Japan's kanji of the Year: 命(Life)

At the end of every year, Japan will choose a Chinese character to symbolize the main issue, problem or concerns of the year, (Japanese people are worldwide well known for having a strong sense of crisis and forward thinking), this year, the chosen character is 命(Life), to emphasis the biggest issue of Japanese society- Suicides among youth and young men and women caused by ijime(bullying). I have been writing all along about this problem, you can find out from here, here and here.

Only in the country of Japan that a suicide club is something a part of social network. With the same goal of killing themselves, young people at their 20s or 30s, mostly shut out from the rest of the society because they are simply different or they choose to live outside instead being forced to join a social circle, that they are punished for being ignored by all other peers.

Inside the Japanese society in which homogeneous character is the ultimate virtue, and being a part of a group is the ultimate goal, the peer pressure is simply too big to shoulder. As a foreigner who had lived and worked in Japan, I had witnessed how someone that is different being treated. longer haired men wearing a ring are labeled as "homo", and Asians other than Japanese are being treated as third class citizens.

Can the publicity generated by the Kanji of the Year will wake Japanese up to a more equal society?

Abe, will you go to Yasukuni?

I want to ask the new Japanese Prime Minister this question, however, instead of me, a Japanese elementary student took the moment.

During a visit to a Tokyo school today(12/7), a kid asked Shinzo Abe, "I want to ask you about Yasukuni Shrine", and Abe, obviously embarrassed by the question, (Did someone plant the question beforehand?), He first reacted by pointing out it is a very difficult question, when further pressed, he lowered his voice, "I haven't decided yet","Yasukuni question can't be explained to you in a short time period".

Shinze Abe is playing avoiding strategy over Yasukuni issue, however, he can avoid repeated questioning from his won party, opponent parties and media, he can't avoid questions from an elementary student.

East Asian Economic Integration

Tomorrow in DC a major conference is held from 9 a.m to 1pm, jointly sponsored by The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Asia Society and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). Titled, "East Asian Economic Integration and U.S.-Japan Relations." at 9:30 a.m, U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), discusses "U.S. and Economic Integration in East Asia." and at 10:45 a.m., Kazumasa Kusaka, former Japanese vice minister of economy, trade and industry, delivers remarks.

Check out the conference agenda and a possible webcast (on the event date) here.

China Japan News Roundup

Tomorrow's Chinese stars are made by Japanese. It may sound extreme, however, Japanese art hunters are setting up shops to sign potential Chinese young artists to be Asia's next pop singers, actors. Niikei has an interview with Koji Araki (荒木隆司), CEO one of such company, エイベックス・グループ・ホールディングス.

Over 1,000 Japanese companies, aiming Chinese market, join together to create an association, in hope of developing and marketing energy conservation and environmental technologies to China. (Asahi Shimbun)

To tighten regulations over organ transplant surgery amid a high virus affection of HIV Aids and Hepatitis, China sets up a new monitoring agency to limit only certain medical facilities to be allowed to operate transplant surgery. (Yomiruri Shimbun)

Funny Japanese and Chinese

Certainly not well-known for being showy and making fun of people in public, Chinese and Japanese do have someone who is not afraid to show off on the crowded streets in Tokyo or Beijing. One is self-named as "Hard Gay" in Tokyo, he is actually quite a hit on the TV shows, and one is a Chinese street performer