East Eats West

The meaning of order in Japan

Guess, what is that? As I walked home from the gym today I saw this red object? Take a guess, for what is it and write a comment! I am looking forward to your guesses...

Revelation: It is a mobile ashtray belonging to the construction workers (in the back).

Japanese Gym

EastEatsWest is never afraid to get immersed in the strange life of Asia: So after not working out for a while it was time to hit the weights again. I decided to go to the municipal gym not far away from my friends’ house. The gym staff insisted that I take a one hour introduction course and I already feared of being lectured in Japanese. Luckily the session was done by a friendly young Japanese woman called Aia who did a brief session in English just for me.

 

First I had to buy a ticket for a session from an automated machine. Then I had to fill-in a questionnaire answering questions if I like to exercise, if I have any physical disorders that prevent me from working out, if I had slept well and if I am hungry (the answer to that question is always yes). Then my blood pressure, pulse and weight were measured and I received a work-out sheet (regulation so that no one with high blood pressure gets killed). Aia explained the cardio machines which were not exceptional except the arm supports on the running-mill (for weight support, Aia said). In a separate room I found some “healing” (relaxing) chairs which play soothing music, feet massage machines, a digital grip strength machine (Aia exclaimed “oooooooh” when she read my measurements) and a high-jump pad that measures how high one can jump ( a medium 49cm). In the main room there was it, my favorite machine: The color-coded jump pad! It consists of a circle on the floor with five touch-sensitive colored areas. The machines indicates a color and one has to jump into the respective area quickly. The machine then measures the response time. I remember when as a kid we had hand held machines that did exactly the same (and additionally played different sounds). Then there was a stair-climbing machine (probably for firemen) and a side-split machine that measures your nimbleness (probably invented by Jean-Claude van Damme). Then there was a balancing-cushion where one can sit on and has to balance. The rest of the weight-training equipment was pretty standard. At the end of the workout one again has to measure blood-pressure, pulse and weight and has to answer if one feels better or not (I did after so much fun). If one does not feel better one has to do the stair-climbing machine for one hour (just kidding). And yes, all machines have lovely white towels in order to wipe the machine after usage.

 

Despite all of the gym’s efforts like introduction, two staff patrolling the gym and the computerized workout programming machine, I saw many people using improper technique, obviously training without proper program and generally not looking very fit. A picture that is prevailing around the world: people spend hours and hours in the gym without any obvious results! It still puzzles me why people would waist hours ineffectively and inefficiently and even are willing to pay for it.

 

For more pics click here.

Sorry, no Japanese brain patterns!

I have been now in Japan twice three weeks and my lack in Japanese language skills is well, spectacular. I just cannot learn the simplest phrase like good night or excuse me. And I am ashamed it. But then again, it’s actually not my fault; it’s my brain’s fault! Let me tell you why. According to Jeff Hawkins in his very enlightening book On Intelligence (he is the founder of Palm and Treo) it is how our brain works. Did you know that if we read a text, we actually skip across the lines and just pick up familiar word-patterns and our brain actualizes the meaning (if you do not believe me, read a line of text reading every letter instead of whole words)? Or if you listen to someone: You actually do not have to carefully pay attention to every single word. Your brain looks for patterns and fills in the gaps, creating meaning (just try to have a conversation in a noisy pub). Our brain stores patterns of almost everything. Whatever we learn gets stored as sensory patterns in our brain (the brain has enough storage to store every sensory input of your life). Here another example that highlights the difference to computing: How do you catch a tennis ball hurled at you? Think about it, you just have less than two seconds to do the right movements to catch it. This is how it works: Your brain recollects patterns from memory of how to catch a ball. It accordingly adjusts your arms and body from the very moment you realize the ball flying towards you. So you stretch out the hands and open your hands in less than a second (no way you can think about it in this short time). As the ball gets closer the memorized patterns take over and woosh, you catch the ball (and it is proven that no batter or tennis player can see the ball on the racket: our visual sensory is way to slow). A computer in contrary would have to calculate the trajectory of the ball, the speed, and the angles and then calculate the body position and angles of the arms, fingers etc. He would have so much to calculate that the ball would be lying on the ground for seconds before the computer would have completed the calculations and acted. If you do not believe me try to find a robot (e.g. computer) that can catch a ball. This makes it also clear why repetition and drill is crucial for learning (sorry, that’s the bad news).

The same happens in learning languages: It is about memorization and creating patterns. Some people are just better in creating audio-patterns, others are better in creating visual patterns (that would be me). So what did I learn: I lack Japanese pattern building skills (maybe my strong individual spirit inhibits me)! Yes, I am still ignorant, but at least a happy ignorant.

Of men becoming like women and women becoming like men

Often I see women in the subway, in restaurants and at the Starbucks checking their faces and applying make-up. It is not uncommon to see women having make-up on like Victoria Beckham (hey, I know it), sporting short skirts without stockings even at chilly night time and receptionists at the big department stores look and behave like dolls. Women liberation has never reached Japan and the pre-dominant concept is the patriarchate. In Japanese companies women are employed to bring coffee and being kawaii (cute) not to think. A female Japanese friend told me that a colleague of her refused to go on a business trip with her, therefore robbing her of the chance to see clients. Women who have worked for foreign and Japanese companies emphasize the stark contrast in attitudes towards women. It seems that not much has changed since I met hordes of Japanese women studying English in San Francisco in 1995 hoping to find a Western husband abroad. Because of women liberation in Europe women are more and more raising in the ranks of businesses and taking on this male stronghold, slowly acquiring male traits. In Japan in contrary the young male ideal is the metro-sexual, cute guy. He is beaming down from billboards and covers on magazines, looking dreamy and wearing make-up. It looks like that European women become more like men and Japanese men become more like women.

Omote-sando, 29th November, 113th day

Omote-sando is probably the coolest part of Tokyo. This is where all the fashion labels and designers cuddle up. Some of the hippest buildings like the Prada store line up. In a side-alley I found a funky shoe shop with a façade by Def Jam Records. So I was happily taking pictures when a hip dressed sales guy (wearing the very trendy ski cap appeared, waving. He then told me that I was not allowed to take pictures of the shop from the street. I beg your pardon? Waddaya saying? I am not allowed to take picture of the screaming advertisement on the store front? Of a store that wants to overpriced sneakers? This guy wanted to tell me that a temple of consumerism is actually, well, private or protected! A shop that because of its exclusive location and premium branding over-charges insanely for old sneakers made in China? Are they afraid that the brand might get damaged or I might be the wrong target audience? Sorry mate, no way I would give in! I just made my point and took some more pics…

The Book of Zen - an interactive comic

Zen delightfully and interactively explained by the famous Chinese comic artist Tsai Chih Chung. Play the movie here.

He has also a very inspiring and beautifully illustrated comic serie called Zen Stories.

Dilbert on Strategy

Scott Adams always hits the bull's eye with his Dilbert comic. Here is one I like in particular.

Greenpeace will hate me for that - Top Gear

The best, funniest and craziest car show in the world. Of course by the Brits. Good bless the Stig and Jeremy Clarkson and the BBC Top Gear team. With this one they even out-did themselves: Lotus Exige against Apache helicopter. Watch and be stunned: Click here

Visit Top Gear's homepage here

Have a nice day and get lost!

Bon Jovi has never been famous for hard rock songs. All the tough-boying and hard looking did not help either! So when they got Hugo Boss to style them it was at least honest in saying: real men do not buy clothes, their mummies do that for them! So they looked slick and so were their songs. Today I saw an ad on the subway promoting their new album. It's called Have a nice day. Come again? Is that for real? HAVE A NICE DAY? You must be jocking! I implore on Amazon to list this album not under Rock but Boy Group or Soft Pop! How can any sensible rocker call his album Have a nice day (I know, it should be ironical)? Do you remember the days when bone-breaking tough rocker called their records Appetite for Destruction or just the Black Album and drunk Jack Daniel's? Oh boy, marketing really has taken over the music industry! May rock R.I.P.!

PS: At least Bon Jovi went shopping for clothes again on their own and dropped Hugo (easy to tell from the pic below)! Jon Bon Jovi also rediscovered the hair-dryer and I am wondering when the Spandex pants will be back...

The perfect gift for your wife

Still wondering wether to buy your wife a pearl necklace or a diamond bracelet? Think no longer, here is the video game your wife will love: Virtual shopping. She gets fake credit cards and sits in front of the machine that has a slot for the cards. She then has to quickly slide the cards through the slot and so dress the lady on the screen with clothes, handbags and jewelry. This is the one-time investment of your life that will finance itself in a couple of weeks!