Revelation - Mar. 19 2007

Today was my last day in Okinawa and I think it is the day I have experienced and felt the Okinawan culture the most. Partly due because we visited Ryuukyuu Kingdom a somewhat tacky tourist destination and wallet snatcher. Besides walking in caves with tacky lights and visiting fruit markets that are overpriced, there is a Eisa dance show (traditional Okinawan dance) that compensates for the general uneventful visit. During this show I finally got to hear live Taiko in Japan (Japanese drums), saw a shiisa dance that reminded me of Chinese New Year's celebrations and heard live Okinawan music. The show was great and culminated with a set of 10 drummers dancing in complex synchronized patterns accompanied by the traditional 3-string shamisen and singers. No words can describe this kind of event, so I found a link where you can see what Eisa looks like, which has spread around Japan and there is even an Aisa festival in Tokyo.

Eisa video



After this show I decided to buy shiisa, legendary figures that represents an animal that is half dragon and half dog. Please read the story of the shiisa here.


I think the shiisa figures will immortalize my trip in Okinawa because they represent the essence of Okinawa: joie-de-vivre, laid-back, strong and courageous.

Strange day - Mar. 18 2007

This morning one of my friends was still not back and we were wondering about what we should do... we were not sure whether he had left with someone else or if he was in trouble and should notify the police. After breakfast we returned to the hostel and met with him and he was as confused as we were: he did not know where he came from, where he had slept and how he got back. As well, his wallet and cellular phone were missing, so we went to the nearest Koban (police box) and I told the police that my friend had lost items overnight. He had to fill out a form to declare what was missing, where and when it was last seen. Then the officer called a koban near the location where my friend thought he had lost his belongings and during the conversation he specified that my friend was a foreigner. The items had not been found but I left my phone number so they can call me should they be returned. Next we headed over to the nearest cellular phone outlet so we could sort out what could be done in the even of a lost cellphone, and basically there is no way to find it other then manually looking for it, and my friend has to buy a new cell phone or continue paying his plan although he cannot use his cellphone because he cannot cancel his contract within 6 months. My friend is part Irish and yesterday was St.Patrick's day, so he went a little heavy on the beer and liquor and resulted in this mess today. He swore not to drink again while being in Japan.

We then headed to Tomarin port to take the ferry to an Island that the artist and the lady we had met the night before had talked to us about, but unfortunately, there were no more returns so we had to stay over on the island if we set foot there. By the time we left the port, my friend that was still on a hangover was sleeping on a bench and he decided to rest for the day at the hostel. Good decision. We sought advice from the hostel manager who was extremely kind and helpful in giving us information on a nearby island we could visit. She gave us information on the bus route and the ferry to take once arrived at a certain beach.

The bus ride to San San beach was far from ordinary. The suburban areas looked more like a Latin-American country with small, poorly constructed and unfinished buildings, dirt roads and the occasional empty gas station.

Once arrived at San San beach, we went to the sea-taxi booth and we were hit by the same problem: we were too late and it would not be worth it to take a ride to Komaka island and return 1 hour after. Since we were already in that area, we decided to make the most of it and visit San San beach.

San San beach was very inviting to swim, it was also a sunny day with clear skies which we had not seen much since the beginning of the trip. It was also a public beach, contrary to the one we visited yesterday. There were installations to change, shower and volleyball nets and some kind of supervising authority, however no lifeguards. We enjoy tossing the frisbee for a while to each of us and then we decided to take advantage of the good weather and the beautiful water and have a nice swim in the ocean. When all 3 of us were inside the water, all the Japanese people seemed to be looking at us... I guess because we were 3 gaijin swimming and the Japanese might think it was still too cold to swim. A few minutes later a loud announcement tune came out of speakers towards the sea and announced in Japanese that swimming was presently not permitted. The message was aimed to the 3 gaijin illegally swimming out in the ocean. We ashamedly returned to the coast and when we got there a person in charge repeated the annoucement in his best English and when I asked him why we were not allowed, it was because it was off season and swimming was dangerous. It is only after the announcement I noticed the few signs warning that swimming is not permitted. We left the beach, feeling that we were being kicked out.

We were not ready to leave the place yet; nearby there was a mountain and we felt like hiking through it. We studied a neighborhood map and saw that there was a path that went up the mountain. On our way to the mountain, we found a cozy-looking restaurant and its appearance as well as our grumbling stomachs drew us inside. The place was marvelous, certainly a highlight in my Okinawa trip. The entrance was covered in white stones and larger circular step-on rocks. The one step up, there was a dark brown wooden floor and slippers signified that shoes had to be taken off before entering. One side of the wall was a long counter with windows stretching from end to end. The view from the window was the blue ocean and the distant Komaka island we were supposed to visit. Old American country classics was softly playing mixed with the sounds of the bustling kitchen preparing Okinawan specialties. We were expecting the place to be pricey, but as we intently studied the menu, we saw that it was surprisingly affordable. We all ordered Okinawa Udon and the waitress was very nice to us and asked us where we were from. Everything was served in artistic pottery or shells; everything fit the atmosphere and decor. I can say that this was the best udon I had ever had thus far. We all thought it was exceptionally tasty Udon and there were also side dishes: spinach, plumb paste and mashed potatoes, equally as delicious. I noticed a customer satisfaction survey at the side of the table and completed one. We gave perfect notes on every element and in the comment box noted that they made the best udon. The waitress seemed surprised and pleased when we handed her the questionnaire and she displayed it on a fridge in the kitchen. This place was definitely a worthwhile discovery and stop... the place was warm and staff very welcoming and seemingly comfortable with strangers.

After such a good meal, we were ready to affront the mountain. When we arrived at the entrance of the path, we noticed that this was not any path, but an actual world heritage site because there were traces of the ancient Ryuukyuu culture. Walking in these paths felt like being in an amazonian adventure. I felt that this site, just like many others in Okinawa served as a reminder of the native people of Okinawa.

The reminder of the day was a dinner at a fancy Thai restaurant and a stroll in the redlight district during the night. But as my lonely planet Japan book says: as far as asian red light districts go, this one lacks atmosphere.

Mar. 17 2007 - Adventure

This morning our initial plan was to visit O-Jima which is known to have good beaches and is a port-way to smaller virgin islands that we might have visited if we had not been intercepted by a taxi driver near the bus terminal, where we were about to take the bus for O-Jima. We told him we wanted to go to O-Jima and he offered us to drive us there for only 20 cents more than the bus drive. So we decided it was worth it because of the time difference. I think this is the best decision we have made because the taxi driver was very friendly with us and improvised himself a tour guide, talking to us about the different kinds of crops that were being harvested in Okinawa as we crossed them and pointing out the Shiisa figurines on rooftops and house entrances. One moment I clearly remember was when we passed a sugarcane processing facility, the smell of fresh and sweet sugar cane filled the air. The tour was in Japanese and we were all interacting with the driver, practicing our Japanese, and if not everyone understood what was being said, there was always at least one person that understood. The taxi driver told us there was no much to see at O-Jima and we should rather go to a place where there are glass-boats where we can observe marine life from a boat with a glass floor. He took us to that place and the scenery was breath-taking. We all felt really good to be out there in such a beautiful place. The boat ride was quite ordinary and sadly, all the coral reef was dead and there was only marine life in small batches. We did meet a Japanese girl from our University on the boat and we later took photos with them. That was all a surprise. Then we started walking on the wild beach, climbing over rocks and sometimes in going around in shallow water to continue along the coast. Soon we felt we were alone on this beach as we didn't see anyone around and the walk became somewhat like an adventure. We found spots hiding behind giant rocks and when we went inside, and looked up we could only see tropical vegetation and when we peaked towards the sea we could see to the edge of the world. We swam a little bit in the water and it felt so good; we where not at the public beach with a bunch of tourists, we were just happening to be at a beautiful place and at this point we had no idea where we where, but we knew we wanted to swim in this clear, blue water.

There was a closed off, restricted Island right next to where we were swimming so my friend and I swam off the coast and climbed on the island that was only accessible by a bridge that was blocked off. There was an arch with steps going up so we went and the steps were covered by leaves and we really felt we were in a place where there had not been people for a while. The steps led to the center of the island and the highest point where there was a clearing and nothing else. It felt so mysterious being on this seemingly forbidden island.

We had walked along the coast for almost 3 hours and we could not go back the same way because of high-tide... We had to walk until we find the closest street that has a bus stop.

We walked for another hour and on our way we met some locals who seemed very friendly and greeted us with a smile-filled Konnichiwa. Okinawans are definitely warmer than the folks from the big cities. Once we hopped on the bus, 2 stops later we had to get off for a transer. At this point we experienced how rigid and to the letter Japanese people can be. We first got off the bus, the bus driver told us to wait at the bench at the other side of the street. Then the driver did a u turn and parked next to the bench and changed the bus number sign and opened the door and let us in. We could not believe it. Besides us, there was a city Japanese girl dreaming of Okinawa and she was looking for a place to stay.

Our evening kicked off with some more drinking... a mix of liquor, beer and sake... On our way to a local bar we met an artist that makes caricatures of political figures or beautiful portraits, all in lead pencil. We were really interested in his work and some of us bought some of his best sellers: Kim Jong Il and famous Japanese baseball players. He was extremely friendly and even more so one of his customers. This lady was with her daughter and husband and we conversed with them for a good half hour about Okinawa, where we come from, our business in Japan and they even gave us tips on where to go to see beautiful islands and beaches. The artist was kind to write us down details of the place and how to get there. It was pleasant to speak with locals and feel like we were old friends although we are foreigners and have never met before.

After that, two of us, including me, called it a night and two others went to a gaijin bar.

Mar. 16 2007 - Observing

Tonight 3 of my friends from Kansaigaidai University are joining me so I have spent most of the day wandering in the city to find nice and cheap places to drink. The first thing I did is to leave my heavy bag in a coin locker in one of the monorail stations. Naha is a city of about 300,000 inhabitants, but has characteristics of a big city: fairly developed bus and train system, a surprising amount of homelessness and high prices. It gave me the impression that it is a very capitalist city and the disparities between rich and poor is high.

Guided by my lonely planet Japan book, I was looking for the entertainment district of Naha, which is deemed to be the redlight. It was very difficult to find and I first ended up seeing a shrine called Naminoue with a pitiful beach right next to it, with the view destroyed by the highway. There was though a nice park next to it.

On my way back, I decided to turn on one of the narrower streets, and that is how I found the entertainment district. Basically it stretches over 5 blocks and has a handful of lovehotels, pachinko houses and "massage parlors". One man approached me and invited me in his establishment, he was very forceful. I told him I was looking for a good place to drink for tonight when my friends will arrive, and at that point he gave me his business card and asked me to return that night. Only one business beside an old woman was inviting me in her parlor telling me that she had cute girls for 10,000 YEN (around 100$ US). I felt really awkward and kind of sad for the girls being exploited. I heard that most of the woman are Filipino woman used as sex slaves. Again, for a city of 300,000 , there are many traits from a large city. Maybe tourism and large military population has something to do with it.

I definitely can say that there are some sad things about Okinawa and today I noticed some of them. I did went out of my way to find this place and get out of the tourist areas, which is always a learning experience for me.

Shortly after my friends arrived we decided to buy local beer in a nearby supermarket and drink it in a secluded staircase. This is typically not legal, but seemingly not enforced. However, I feel bad because an aged woman wanted to go up the stairs at some point and we never noticed her and after as long as 30 minutes her son came down the stairs to come pick her up. She must have been intimidated and scared of us. She probably concluded that foreigners drinking beer would not care much of an old lady and could actually become violent. Understandingly, some Okinawans must have prejudices on foreigners. I have to admit we were not portraying a good image of foreigners with this kind of activity.

We later headed to a billard place where the bar tender was sleeping on the job; one example of how Okinawans are more laid back. Mainland Japanese also think that relationships are more genuine and intimate in Okinawa and that life is less stressful. In fact, most of the time I talked to locals, they did not have any dialect and I understood them perfectly, but that is only because many come from the Kanto region where standard Japanese is spoken. Native Okinawans are unintelligible from Japanese. This also reminds me that yesterday night around midnight I saw many persons walking drunk on the streets, which is not a common scene in mainland Japan. (except for the drunk salarymen on the trains).

After playing pool and having a few drinks we continued on are intoxication-themed night by going to a Izakaya (Japanese style pub) that clearly advertised 100 yen a beer, but once inside we found out that it was only applicable on certain days of the week (not adverstised). As any major tourist destinations, we had to expect that there would be some mechanisms to draw in tourists and have the trap snap their necks once inside.

Once we were hammered and tired we went back to the hostel and everyone slept their best sleep since being in Japan. We were appeased by the relaxing and laid-back atmosphere of Okinawa.

Mar. 15 2007 Spring break starts

The minute I left my Japanese examination room, I was on vacation. I had been expecting this day for a long time because I was on my way for one of the most fascinating regions of Japan to me: Okinawa.

Okinawa is made up of 3 main islands, but actually comprises thousands of islands, most which have still not been explored. I decided to visit the main Okinawa island, comprising the capital and most population, Okinawa honto. From Osaka to Naha, the capital of Okinawa, it takes 2h. Okinawa is closer to Taiwan than mainland China and was part of a different kingdom (Ryuukyuu) before it became part of Japan. Ryuukyuu culture is still evident in Okinawa, but most physical traces have been wiped by invasion and war. Okinawa was also the site of the most intense battles, especially in the ending segments of the Second World War. It is also here that the famed Commodore Perry and the black ships arrived in Japan to challenge it to industrialize and sparking the Meiji Era.

My first view of Okinawa was the sea and coastal land. From my seat I could see the Chinese sea and the water was so blue it seemed like it was dyed. Once walking in downtown Naha, the first thing I noticed was how the temperature was different there. Hot and humid, almost tropical-like weather. The scenery is different as well: many nearby mountains and palm trees everywhere. Everything is so green; vegetation probably does not die during winter because it is warm enough.

That night I walked on Kokusai doori, the main strip in Naha with a mixture of restaurants and eclectic shops, ranging from collectibles to music instruments and liquor. Kokusai doori is indeed very animated with shops playing raggae music or traditional Okinawan music. Some locals improvise a stage in the street and perform their hearts out on their guitar. The stores are flashy and all have an element of Okinawan culture: some sell Shiisa, a legendary Okinawan figurine, others sell special sake that is brewed and sold with a Habu snake inside! and others sell the Shamisen, the main instrument used in Okinawan music.

After only a few hours in Okinawa, I realize that Okinawans are really apart from the rest of Japan and identify themselves more to Chinese culture than Japanese culture. Some habits that are given in mainland Japan are not seen here: when it rains, rarely can people using umbrellas be seen. (compared to people in the rest of Japan who seem to have a phobia for raindrops).

Before I left for Okinawa I learned a few words that I thought could be useful in having a discussion with an Okinawan: war, soldiers, army, weapons and military bases. Okinawa has been partly controlled by US forces since the end of the war and 20% of land in Okinawa is actually leased to US forces for military purposes. This has created much tension between Okinawa and both US and Japan governments, and to a certain extent, unfortunately, foreigners in general can be discriminated against although they might not be involved in the conflict at all. There are some bars that warn that foreigners are not involved, or can enter at certain conditions. Many incidents have happened in the past that has marred relations between Okinawans and foreigners. Construction of military bases means that there are dangerous areas around the bases and there have been incidents of crashing aircraft in residential areas. There is also the environmental problems surrounding military bases such as degradation of water condition in rivers and lakes and the erosion of live coral reef as well as the destruction of precious aquatic life. Activists have united and organized protests against the construction of bases and vindicate the eviction of US forces from Okinawa. The peak of anti-US forces movement was in the mid-90's when two American soldiers had kidnapped and raped a 14 year old Okinawan girl. A demonstration of 80,000 people and more around Japan made the Americans move one base and promised to close one of them. Still, today there is a lot of tension and I always tried to make it clear that I was not related to the military and Canadian.

After a long walk I returned to my hostel and went to bed dreaming of the paradise-like islands and beaches I would visit while in Okinawa.

** I did not take many pictures of Kokusai doori, so here is what a search on google photos turns up when you search for Kokusaidoori **
Google Photos

Tattoo - Mar. 14 2007

One of my friends got a Tattoo in Osaka earlier this week. He might be banned from Onse n or sento (public baths) because having a tattoo here (for guys) it is an indication that you are part of Yakuza and some public bath / hot spring owners feel that Yakuza might scare customers away so there are sometimes "no tatoos" signs in the entrance of such places.

Here is an interesting link on the origin of Yakuza (Japanese mob) and on their tattoos.

http://www.dreadloki.com/pivot/pivot/entry.php?uid=standard-718&action=show

Yakuza in Japan have an interesting role in society... as they were seen as trouble-makers in the past, now they have seem to gain a respectable role in society. They are still a marginalized bunch, but they have been accepted by society and even the government. Some Yakuza operations have to do with gambling and also selling fakes on the street. For some reason, everytime I have seen this type of display with jewellery being sold, it has been gaijin that are selling at the table. This type of selling would usually be illegal and the police sometimes intervene but the Yakuza always comes to an agreement with the authorities. There are also festivals where people have to transport extremely heavy shrines and it becomes a competition between Yakuza clans. Authorities let that happen because they rather pacific competitions than violent fights. The mobsters that participate in those competitions are usually younger because they don't have tattoos yet and they don't look like they are part of Yakuza.

The pictures above is the tattoo my friend has now and the other is the type of sign you can spot at onsen that say people with tattoo are not allowed in.

Space - Mar. 14 2007

This ties in with yesterday's blog: Japan has little livable space and a large population. With the size close to the state of California containing almost half the population of the United States, there has to be a way to maximize space and resources. Japanese have become very clever at this and their low-fuel compact cars is just an example.
Water is recycled often from bathwater to clean clothing. Most Japanese don't use dryers they hang their clothes outside. Washing machines are no bigger than a large microwave and is usually installed over the counter. Sometimes in restaurants there is a room for toilettes and a shared room with the sink and mirror for men and women.

Sometimes the obvious lack of space can be shocking and uncomfortable to us (see pictures) and sizes in anything tend to be smaller, to accommodate for scare storage space. But please don't feel like it is purposely done to fool the buyer. Everything is generally smaller here and, unfortunately, more expensive. Part of it has to do with the value of land but pricing in Japan is a complex subject and I might do a special post on that subject.

Jishin - Mar. 13 2007

One thing that I noticed that is pretty interesting is how Japanese have to pay attention to earthquakes, it's part of their daily lives. One family I visited tie strings a bit everywhere in case of small earthquakes to prevent dishes from crashing onto the floor. In house ads, they always talk about the fact that they were built earthquake-proof and it becomes a selling point. I heard at any time there is always an earthquake going on in Japan, but they are not always felt. Apparently they are waiting for a "big one". The last big earthquake in Japan was in Kobe in 1995 and completely destroyed the city. I visited the earthquake memorial park and while I was there I noticed structures that had been built earthquake-proof, such as the highway columns (see photo) and weights at the top of skyscrapers that do a counter motion when there is an earthquake to make sure the building stays straight during the shocks. Japan is not an island easily habitable: there is more mountainous area than flat land and there are many active volcanoes and of course there is the threat of typhoons, earthquakes and tsunamis. I think this has added over time to the Japanese strength of being patient and enduring (ganbaru, gaman suru).

Kobe - Mar. 11

Kobe is the most internationalized city I have seen in Japan thus far. Maybe it's because of it's port-city status, maybe because it is the city that has been rebuilt the most recently (after the 1995 earthquake), but it has a modern, global-urban feel to it that is lacking from all the other Japanese cities I have seen. Not only does it proudly displays world brands everywhere (in a much more explicit way that other cities) but it has some flavors from all over the world - French, Italian, Indian, Turk , Chinese and some Japanese hehe. There is a small China town in Kobe, but it is a shame the restaurants are quite expensive.

Some parts of the town doesn't feel like a Japanese city at all, but rather like a part of New York! There is an animated harbor area, when we went there was a festival going on with Taiko and traditional dance. One segment of the city also replicates southern France, the illusion is quite convincing.

Kobe is certainly on my favorite Japanese city list.

Hiroshima - Mar. 10

I woke up with my roomate around 5am this morning and we were waiting for the bus by 6:15 AM. A professor from the University has organized his annual field trip to Hiroshima and this year 120 students have decided to participate. The main event of this trip is the speech of a "hibakusha" or an atomic bomb survivor. I filmed part of the speech and hope to be able to put it on YouTube eventually. The speech was a retelling of the events that took place on August 6 1945 in Hiroshima in great detail, but especially with lots of emotion. The speech was concluded with a message that this story should never be forgotten and passed from generation to generation so that history does not repeat. The speech really had an effect on me, I felt deeply moved and concerned, and for the first time I could slightly have a feeling of how atrocious it was for everyone. I cannot put into words what was the feeling in the hall that afternoon, but many people had tears to their eyes during the story.

After visiting the Peace museum and the Peace park, we headed to Miyajima, an Island that is 30 minutes away from Hiroshima by train. This is apparently one of the top three popular sights of Japan, mainly because of the floating Torii gate in the water. It was cloudy today and it was starting to get dark so there was an eerie feeling to the island. Going to this island really felt like a unique experience and the residential area looked like ancient Japan with the very narrow streets and the traditional houses with no door numbers, no street names, but just the family name on the house. We stopped at a small restaurant where they were obviously not used to greeting foreigners. When I came in, the owner did not even say welcome (usually a given..) and I asked if they were still operating. Every time we would call the owner's attention to get one more beer (we asked politely, with a "sumimasen"), she would only look at us and listen to our request. Usually, to avoid ambiguity the store owner or the clerk says a heartfelt "YES"... Some people talked to us a bit and of course complemented us on our Japanese even if we just exchanged a few words and they even went to the extent that we could eat well with chopsticks! (I had read that this could be expected from Japanese people who have nothing to say to foreigners, but just want to be on goodterms (honne)). Wow, I was surprised, I had had the "Nihongoga jouzu desu ne" but the chopstick thing was the first time. I answered that I ate chinese food back home sometimes so I practiced a little before coming to Japan. (What can you answer?)... And the natural answer to "Your Japanese is good!" is a humble, no, not quite yet... no matter what is your level. I had a discussion with a friend here at the dorms about that, and if one's Japanese is truly good, then it is just taken for granted that you understand Japanese and they answer back in Japanese without passing a remark.

At the end of the evening, half an hour before the shop closes, the clerk told us something about the store closing and that we had to pay... this is also the first time it happens, and I thought it was pretty rude and un-Japanese. Maybe she had false beliefs, or prejudices about foreigners... Oh well, the meal was still very enjoyable and alot better than the Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki we had downtown at an impossible price.

Gaijin Card - Mar. 5

I finally received my Gaikokujin Tooroku Shomei (ALien registration card) so I am not an illegal immigrant anymore. I will post a picture here soon. Basically anyone who stays here more than 90 days must register as an alien and have this ID on them at all times. Getting this card was a long process and it feels good to have it because now I don't have to carry my Passport all the time with me anymore.

Leaving host family - Mar. 3

After one month in the host family, I have decided to come back at the dorms because the relationship has become worst, especially after they found out I had seeked advice from the Center for International Education for tips on how to change the situation. Indeed my host mother had become increasingly insensitive and uninterested to my presence and attempts to start conversations, and this general attitude had seemed to seep through the whole family. In the end, I could not even hope to practice my Japanese properly by staying there, and I was starting to feel uncomfortable, bored and lonely. The last day I left around 2pm and they had not called me up for breakfast nor lunch. I still felt bad about leaving because they did house and feed me for 1 month and I am very grateful for that. Although it seems like moving in a host family was a complete failure, I think that I still learned alot about Japanese families and myself by living this experience. I cannot tell other students not to go in host families because of my experience, since all the other stories I have heard of students going this year are great. I visited my friend's host family once more since the time I was sick there, and again, it was very different and they made me talk about business and politics in Canada and Japan in Japanese! I also shared a few magic tricks which had a completely different reception in this family and now I am expected to go back with an audience for a show!

Language Issue - Feb. 28

I took this picture from an important train station in Osaka. I noticed that English took a big part in the add and the Japanese was just a small part under. It came to my attention that there were no strict rules on regulating the English Language in Japan in advertisement. In Quebec, English must always have a secondary and smaller position compared to French, greatly in order to preserve the French culture and language and Quebec. This does not seem to be a concern for Japanese people here though. There are many borrowed words from different languages in Japanese such as arubaito (part-time job) from German, Pan (bread) from Portuguese, kurakushon (honk) from French and a great number of English words (kuuru - cool, konpyuutaa - computer, ect..) but these words are Japanized - (converted to Japanese phonetics and written in a special Japanese alphabet for loan words). So they end up becoming an integral part of the language. I have heard though, of a group fighting for the abolition of Katakana, the Japanese written system used for foreign words. All foreign names are written in Japanese (including mine) so if you want to see how to write your name in Japanese, you can check this website: http://www.takase.com/Names/NameInJapanese.htm.