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.