Nov 6, 2007

Cultural observations

I consider myself a pretty lucky guy.

I get to travel a fair bit and while it is technically work, it is really play on a grand scale.

As I type this I am sitting in a funy little internet cafe booth in Japan. The booth is about 9 feet long by 3 feet wide and has the generic Dell computer, a TV and a funny little chair that has no legs. I am sitting on the floor in my socks as is the custom.

I love Japan. It is a crazy place full of contradicion. History battling with technology, youth fighting against tradition.

While I don't speak Japanese, like many others it is a language under seige to the advance of English. Every time I come here it becomes more apparent. Even cha has beome tea. One word at a time they are loosing one of the things that makes them so different. It makes me sad but they do not see it. They are too close.

Tonight I am drunk blogging. The event I have been at is over and number of us have hit a club to have a boogie, have some Japanese water and laugh about the week passed. I am currently trying to sober up a little before going home to pack for the flight back to OZ in the morning.

The thought about language came up because the people I was hanging out with were Japanese, Polish, Hungarian and Ukranian. English was the common language between us other than pointing, waving and laughing. I wish I had a tallent for languages...

Even english is a problem right now so I think I will leave it at that. Too much sake has made my fingers and brain numb.

5 comments:

fingers said...

If you're in Roppongi could you please go down to 'Mogambo' and see if anyone has found my mind. I think I lost it there sometime between 1994 and 2000...

Josh said...

Fingers
Let me guess, you are a member of the 1000 shot club with your name on a little brass plaque?

I was at the other end of Japan on this trip but I will be in Tokyo in two weeks time and will have a look for you.

phishez said...

The world is becoming one culture. Slowly the edges blur, and soon we will all be Americans.

And everybody hates the yanks except for the yanks, who love themselves.

We're fucked.

unique_stephen said...

I was speaking to a septic the other day and called him a septic he had no fucking idea what I was talking about. can you believe these sepos

word verification: brunrubbur

phishez said...

BTW, you've got smack on your blogroll, with your url there. Time for an update perhaps?