A Yakuza gang war in Tokyo, my trip to the concrete jungle of Tokyo, and how the wisdom of China is at work in Japan today

Japan has a reputation for being a peaceful place with very little in the way of violence, giant monsters emerging from the sea and smashing Tokyo notwithstanding. This happy image was somewhat shaken this week when a minor gang war broke out in Tokyo, with several shots fired back and forth and one gang boss killed. Japan's Yakuza have been around for centuries, and usually go about their business in a very orderly fashion, with the major groups -- Yamaguchi-gumi in Osaka and the smaller Sumiyoshi-kai and Inagawa-kai in Tokyo -- respecting each others territory. This harmony was broken when some members of the 3rd-ranked Inagawa Group of Tokyo allowed the traditional protection money collected from restaurants and bars in Roppongi to go to the Yamaguchi group, which amounted to the Osaka mafia muscling in on territory that wasn't traditionally theirs. Some arrests have been made so hopefully we've seen the last bit of fighting. The Yakuza like to pretend they're modern day Robin Hood anti-heroes, but their various criminal enterprises, including ultra-high interest loans and protection scams, cause great harm to people. The term Yakuza is a phonetic play on the numbers 8, 9 and 3, which add up to 20, representing the worst possible hand you can get in a traditional card game played since the Edo Period.

Yesterday I went to Tokyo on business, just a 45-minute Shinkansen ride away. Whenever I visit Japan's capital I experience a brief period of localized culture shock as I adjust to having that much concrete and steel around me, and having my own personal space cut down to a fraction of what it is in our home prefecture of Gunma. My eyes always go a little wide when I see the, er, extremely beautiful and fashionable women riding trains or crossing the famous "scramble intersection" in Shibuya, so different from the more down-to-earth females back home that it seems to my eyes like the difference between regular television and HD-TV. Even the men are image-conscious in Tokyo, reading magazines like Smart or Myojo and no doubt being subtly influenced by the endless stream of boytoy "talents" from Johnny's Entertainment, Japan's most successful talent management company. Passing through Shinjuku, I spied one extremely fashionable youth who was busy playing with a pink Nintendo DS, and it occurred to me that in Japan today men and women are in open competition to see which set can be more fashionable and stylish -- an odd phenomenon that probably wouldn't happen in the U.S., unless I've really been away too long.

In a very real sense, the culture of Japan flows from China, just as everything in the West from laws and courts to roads originally came from ancient Rome and Greece. China is so much a part of Japan's history that you couldn't express ideas without thinking in kanji, the pictographs that Japan imported along with Buddhism in the 6th century A.D. (this is in contrast to the two Koreas, who have largely decoupled their language from kanji in favor of the "purity" of the home-grown hangul writing system). Just as elements of classical languages survive in our speech ad infinitum, the Chinese language pops up in Japanese from time to time, for example in the poetic phrase shimen-soka (she-men-SOH-kah), which means "being surrounded by enemies on all sides and totally betrayed." The wisdom of China also survives in the form of proverbs that the Japanese have imported, such as the old standby ningen banji saiou-ga-uma, which means "All human affairs are like Saiou's horse." This refers to an old Chinese story about a man named Saiou whose horse ran away, making everyone say how unfortunate he was. "How do you know this is a bad thing?" he asked. His horse came back, bringing another horse this time, and when people congratulated him on his good luck, he asked, "How do you know this is a good thing?" He then or bad happens, no one can say for sure if it is truly a good or bad thing in the end. It's kind of like marrying an 80-year-old billionaire -- in the end, who can say if it will be a good thing or not?

Today is February 9th, which according to the usually-incomprehensible- to-gaijin Japanese numbering system is "Meat Day" (Niku no Hi, 肉の日), since 2/9 can be read ni ku meaning meat in Japanese (refer to Yakuza, above). Today is also my wife's birthday, so we're off to enjoy Korean Barbecue, a popular delicacy in Japan. Have a nice weekend!

Remember that J-List provides a great service for our customers: a custom calligraphy message on a Japanese shikishi writing board, which lets you get anything written in Japanese, from your favorite slogan to a message of love to a cool kanji for use as a tattoo or you name rendered in kanji or katakana. The message boards are very nice, featuring high quality thick paper, and are suitable for framing or just displaying in any room.

Here are today's "really cool products" that I thought were especially noteworthy. Note: the J-List links below may be for adult products and should probably be considered "not safe for work." To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Gokuh Sep 2006 vol. 182 - Final Issue! The last issue of Gokuh -- I am really sad, actually, as I've been reading this magazine off and on for many years. Hrrm, for J-List related purposes only, of course. The articles, you know.
	ai -- Ai Takahashi. The lovely Ai Takahashi of Morning Musume, in her bold and cool photobook.
	Azuing -- Azusa Yamamoto. Really cute Japanese idol and actress. If you happened to catch the '24' Calorie Mate commercials, she was the one driving the van ("I have to get to Shinjuku!").
	Pole Dance Sex -- Mina Fukuhara. Mina Fukuhara is really an amazing thing to behold in ths new DVD release.
	Love Exercise -- Rola Sato (Laura Sato). Rola Sato's latest release. She's popular because she looks a lot like Aya Ueto.
	Getting Wet ~ Adventures in the Japanese Bath. Ha! A cool book that tells you every about the onsens that I love so much.
	Rei Ayanami PVC Figure -- Evangelion. Dynamite new Rei Ayanami igure. Love it.
	Tenori Mamegoma -- Panda Goma . I've never thought of how cute a cross between a baby seal and a panda might be. Now I know!
	BLEACH Characters Figure 4th Edition -- Full Set *Set of 5*. Cool new Bleach character toy line, with full sets in stock.
	Figure Tsushin vol. 1 ~ with DVD A new figure magazine has been launched, with loads of pctures and a DVD to enjoy.
	Techno Line Ball EX Ball Pointed Pen -- Light Green. Enjoy some stylish Japanese pen action from Zebra.
	Akihabara Electric Appliance Store -- Full Set *Set of 5*. Wow, cool new series from Re-Ment. I mean, any toy line that gives you a miniature flat screen TV and takoyaki maker is cool.
	Kanji Quiz Toilet Paper. Quiz your Japanese skills while you poop. Back in stock!
	Venus Pillow -- Oppai Breast Pillow. Hehe, I love the thought that somewhere, J-List customers are using this wacky item to bring some calm into their lives.

Some random images. I have in my home a brand new Magic Window from 1973, which set me back a bit on eBay. Just thought I'd show it to you.

Made and printed in the U.S.A. Pretty spiffy.

Not a great picture of my setup at home (which will be upgraded to a Mac Pro if Apple would *deign* to get a new machine out for us). I've never seen these Japanese notebook computer racks that hold your laptop upright for cooling purposes. They're quite nice to use.

That's?

Kicking back at the family restaurant we go to a lot for lunch, called Joyful, a name which somehow makes me happy. This is the steak part of the menu.

Of course, at a cheap place like this a "steak" is always a "hamburg steak."

Of course, the highlight of the manu is, Yuko Ogura appearing in it. Don't ask me, I don't know what she has to do with Hamburg Steak.