I Think I’m Turning Japanese

11 Aug, 2009 by James L. Clark in Articles & Papers, Japan, Magic, Travel

I really think so….

The last time I stepped foot in Japan was nearly 20 years ago. I was a young soldier serving in the US Army and had a fascination for all things I perceived to be military, including traditional Japanese Daito-ryu Aikijujustsu and Aikido.

Like magic, studying and sharing martial arts had become both a passion and an obsession for me. In fact, I even recruited one of my best friends and fellow magicians into the fold after I became certified to teach. Spending time with other martial artists, many of whom who had also lived and trained in Japan, is something I continue to do to this day. But sadly, I have never got the chance to head back over, until recently. And who would have thought that it would be magic that would bring me back home? That’s pretty surreal when you stop to think about it; in a way, I’ve come full circle.

AMERICA’S FINEST

It’s about 6AM and I’m rushing through DFW trying to make my connection to meet up with Rico de la Vega, one of Cyril Takayama’s top magic advisors and a dear friend. I tend to only travel with two bags—both carry on—so things don’t get lost, but in this case, I’m so exhausted from a previous weeks work that dragging them to the gate makes me reconsider the whole trip. Fortunately, I let logic prevail over emotion and I board the plane just in time to sit down next to a man who appears to have eaten two grown adults my size; it was a tight fit for both of us and I have to admit that I felt as if I was partially sitting on his lap the entire flight; the images make me shutter.

After waiting on the tarmac for a good 45 minutes, we finally lift off and are told over the intercom that we’ll be late into our arrival gate. As such, I’m fairly convinced that I’ll have to depart LAX to Japan. Fortunately, we picked up a tail wind at 37,000 feet and enough turbulence to scoot us along, but it also forced the flight crew in their seats for the majority of our time in the air, which means we didn’t get anything to drink. What a start to the day.

We make it with just enough time for me to run—no, sprint—to the International Terminal where I had the privilege of meeting one of our nation’s elite security agents (aka TSA) tasked with protecting our flights from terrorist attacks who looked at my passport photo, then at me, then at my passport photo, then at me, until I finally said, "Yes, I know… I’ve gained some weight." Not so much as a smile. She then said, "I need to ax you a question." To which I quickly responded with, "I’m sorry, did you just say AX? No, I don’t have any prohibited items in my carry on luggage. Is there something else I can help you with?" Apparently having an 8th grade education made it impossible for her to find humor in my comments, so I had the luxury of being the only person profiled and searched at the metal detectors. Obviously, a guy like me is the only person that seemed to fit the demographic mostly associated with being a possible threat to the health and welfare of plane going passengers.

But I finally made it inside the concourse (limping just a little from the rather invasive cavity search, but hey, I did get the guy’s phone number, so two for two baby! No, not really; don’t be stupid.) and managed to get to my gate just in time for the final boarding call.

Rico got there moments later with a Starbucks coffee for me and a bag full of greasy fries and a cheeseburger from Burger King; is there any wonder why I don’t favor Adonis, but rather I’m starting to look a lot like "Chris" on The Family Guy?

THE FLIGHT OVER

The flight over to Japan is a short 10 hours. Nice. Rico and I are sandwiched in the center coach row between a guy with an oversized laptop and a beard full of crumbs from lunch, and two rather polite Japanese tourists on their way back home. Sometimes being frugal with money isn’t the best decision; business class was looking pretty good about three hours into the trip. But with the high quality seat-back video screens that flicker and couldn’t maintain their color or a constant picture during the feature films, the spacious foot room even for someone of my rather long five-foot six-inch stature that kept my knees firmly placed under my second chin, the $5 beers, and the wonderful curtness of the cabin crew, I don’t know what I’m bitching about. I mean, paying over $1000 for a ticket should mean that I’m treated like the rest of the cattle en route to the butcher shop right?

What movies did I actually see given the high end technological offerings on the plane? Well, I got to see some of Spiderman 3, the Wrath of Khan—or something like that. It was great until the video died about one hour into the flick and I had to start it over, and then died again about 45 minutes into the rerun hell I had entered. Funny though, I had no idea that Spiderman’s suit was a fashionable light purple color. Yeah, I moved on and broke out my portable DVR and started watching some of the videos I needed to review for this issue. And while not everything I get in for review is as entertaining the third installment of a mediocre Marvel remake, it was a far better investment of my time than the alternative. As the saying goes, "No matter how far you go down the wrong road, you can always turn back." So I did. But I’m still a little disgruntled towards American Airlines because of the experience.

Anyway, I digress.

THE SAFEST PLACE IN THE WORLD

We landed at Narita just at dusk and shuttled off the plane into the customs area. Of course, we stopped to get the obligatory picture in front of the "Welcome to Japan" sign. One of the things you notice right away is that, unlike the United States, I didn’t see a single firearm at the checkpoints. I had a similar experience the first time I landed in the United Kingdom, but gun control in Japan has actually worked. I wonder if that has to do with the fact that respect and morals are still taught in school and at home, and culturally, they are a people with social pride, reverence, and discipline. Tokyo, for example, is the safest large metropolitan city in the world. It is certainly and interesting social phenomena, because Japan was once a tremendously violent country with a history of infighting that rivals any other nation in history.

Guns first arrived in Japan on ships from Portugal in 1542. These Western visitors were called namban, "Southern barbarians" because of the way they behaved in contrast to the Japanese. The story goes that the Portuguese had landed on Tanegashima Island and trader Mendez Pinto took Totitaka, Lord of Tanegashima for a walk. During that walk he shot a duck. The Lord immediately arranged to take shooting lessons, and within a month he bought both Portuguese guns, or Tanegashima as they would be called locally, which quickly became all the rage and the technology, as one might expect, was greatly improved upon despite the fact that the Portuguese firearms were the best the world had to offer at that time.

In only 17 years they were being effectively used in large-scale battles and in 1567, Lord Takeda Harunobu declared, "Hereafter, guns will be the most important arms". And he was right. Within 30 years after their introduction, Japan had more firearms per capita than any other nation on the planet.
Yet today, Japan enjoys almost no gun violence at all. What does this have to do with magic? Well, nothing, but the way this happened is a fascinating look at a people I’ve come to truly respect and love.

Edwin Reischauer, America’s leading historian of Japan, writes: "The brawling, bellicose Japanese people of the sixteenth century gradually were transformed into an extremely orderly, even docile people… Nowhere in the world was proper decorum more rigorously observed by all classes, and nowhere else was physical violence less in evidence in ordinary life."

For the most part, this has continued to present day, with the exception of Japan’s entrance into a number of armed conflicts to include WWII.

Unlike most Western nations, Japan has a large preference for Paternalism, which means that the average citizen trusts and acquiesces to the authority of the government. In the United States, the "Rule of Law" means that the government is subservient to the law, whereas, in Japan it refers to the people’s obligation to obey the Government. As such, the sublimation of individual desires to the greater good is paramount and social pressure to this end is considerable. But the government also leads by example by disarming themselves. In fact, guns were considered cowardice and they only armed in 1946 when ordered to do so by General MacArthur.

The contrasts between Japanese police and American police are staggering. You don’t see police officers with "beer bellies" in Japan. In fact, some sixty percent of the highest-ranking Judo practitioners in Japan are police officers. Many Japanese police officers are extremely highly ranked martial artists in other styles to too include Yosinkan Aikido.

In the US few police officers have the experience or training to handle assaults without resorting to an escalation of force, often resulting in firearms being drawn. When I went to the police academy, the level of training I spent learning to use a handgun and shotgun was rather insignificant; even less was spent on , impact weapons or defensive tactics. Whereas in Japan, 60 hours is spent on firearm training, 90 in Judo, and an additional 90 hours learning how to fence with a stick. Our baton training in California for instance was only eight hours, which is just enough to raise the level of competence of the average American police officer to just above that of a monkey with a stick.

More than the people of any other democratic nation in the world, Japanese people accept (and respect) the authority of their government. Because of this, it is easy for someone like me to see how gun control has succeeded in Japan. But in my estimation, it isn’t gun control laws that have made Japan so safe, it is a deep-seated cultural reverence and respect for authority and the people around them that assures the relatively low crime rates. In the United States funny enough (not "ha ha" funny, but ironic funny), we experienced lower violent crime in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1980s when gun ownership per capita was at its highest in modern US history. And in places like Switzerland where every man between the ages of 18-65 are required by law to possess a military assault rife, they’ve had virtually no gun related crime at all. What this tells me is that social standards matter far more than gun laws.

The Japanese people are simply some of the most law-abiding people on the planet, which makes for a fantastic vacation as you can go anywhere at anytime and will be safe.

Their reverence is also abundantly evident when you get outside the airport; Tokyo has to be the cleanest city I’ve ever been to—and I’ve been all over the planet. Honestly, I never saw any trash on the ground and no graffiti either. It was truly refreshing, especially living in cities where I’ve regularly witnessed people drop trash out their car windows or as they walked down the street.

Even Cyril remarked at how safe Japan is and how law abiding people are when I almost left my boom mic on the trolly at the airport. I ran back over and grabbed it and said, "That would’ve sucked." Cyril’s response was, "You could’ve left that there and it would be there safe and sound when you got back a few weeks from now." And you know what, I believe him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

After a rather long ride across Tokyo, Cyril and his driver Yoshi dropped Rico and I off at our apartments near Shinagawa Station in the Minato Ward so we could get some rest before heading out that evening. Having not slept on the plane, I can’t remember much between dropping my bags off, my head hitting the bed, and a call on my mobile from Cyril telling me he was out front waiting for me so we could go to dinner.

Our first stop, one of the classiest Japanese restaurants ever—TGI Fridays. For Americans who are homesick, Shinagawa has McDonalds, TGI Fridays, Outback Steakhouse, and more. I wasn’t homesick. But it made for a good meal with friends and fun times, which included Cyril telling the staff it was my birthday. You know what happened next don’t you? A crowd of young waiters and waitresses all gathered around and sang "Happy Birthday" to me in broken English while two full size Sparklers burned from atop a towering ice cream sundae. Oddly enough, that is the fifth time one of my friends has done that to me; I think they just want the free dessert! In case you’re wondering, no, it wasn’t my birthday.

Something I also found interesting is that tips are frowned upon and often taken as an insult in Japan, or so I am told. I’d never heard that before. But apparently, waiters and waitresses will work hard regardless of a tip. Interesting. Cyril had a studio shoot early at 6AM that would last most of the next day, so we didn’t really get to spend much time out and instead opted to turn in a little early and start fresh in the morning.

MY CLOCK IS WAY OFF

My eyes were wide open at 3AM, so I took a shower and went for a walk around the area. Surprisingly, there was a lot of local activity going on. Lots of cars, people walking down the roads, and taxi cabs shuttling night goers to and from their destinations. As the sun came up I shot some B-Roll, which included me walking past the camera, traffic, the architecture, trains, and even going to the local 24-hour market to get something to snack on to share with our viewers online.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

We could really learn something from Japan about how to run public transit systems; they’ve got it together. Rico and I hooked up a little later and walked down to the train station to head over to Shibuya for some shopping. Shinagawa Station is the first major interchange south of Tokyo Station and has been in constant operation since 1872. You can catch the JR East, JR Central and the Keikyu lines there. But more fun is that it is a venerable shopping mall itself, sort of like how most major airports are set up, except without the Duty Free part. I’ve see a couple set-ups like this back east in the US like at Central Station in NY and Union Station in DC too, but Shinagawa seemed much larger to me and more spread out.

We made our way up to the fare machines and purchased our tickets; it is 160 Yen from Shinagawa to Shibuya. Everything is in both English and Japanese, so it is very easy to navigate for those of us who are not fluent in the local language. All you do is roll in, get your ticket, go through the gates, down the stairs to the right, and stay right on the platform; it is that simple. When the train comes in, hop on with the rest of the livestock and shimmy off down the line. The trip is pretty short, maybe 10 minutes, and you’ll have no problem knowing when to get off because the announcements and video screens that provide information are, like the maps and ticket machines, are in both Japanese and English.

Tokyo is actually the most English friendly place I’ve ever been and you can even learn English on the train because actual lessons appear on the TV monitors positioned on both sides above the doors; the lesson I saw was on the use of the word "used", such as "I used to have a girlfriend but now I don’t" and "I used that trick to get the girl", which some American’s don’t even understand and probably doesn’t describe many magicians either. Have you ever noticed how hard the English language really is?

FEATURED IN EVERY FILM

Shibuya Station, and the crossing there, is featured in nearly every major film that uses Tokyo as the backdrop. It is a very famous place and I had never been there. As you emerge from the station your senses are overloaded with music, lights, and other sounds. From the massive television screens extending stories up the sides of buildings to the rush of thousands of people passing by and bumping into you, Shibuya is a place you’ve got to visit.

When you look out across the road one of the first things you see is the massive Starbuck’s sign; yep, they’re there, and like in the US, on ever other corner. In fact, the American influence is undeniable all over Japan, but it is more noticeable in Shibuya.

As we cross into the crowd we slip down one of the side streets and into a six story shopping mall that has absolutely everything and anything you could want. I even found, on the third level, magic tricks being sold on the public shelves; how interesting. Obviously, the Japanese don’t feel that it is inappropriate to do so and I have to wonder why we are so uptight about it. Anyone anywhere in the US can walk into pretty much any brick and mortar magic shop and buy whatever they heck they want. Certainly, there are no restrictions placed on consumers at any of the online stores. So why is it that the Magic Community would likely be up in arms if they saw the very things they consume on the racks for everyone else to buy? It is a tremendously strange dichotomy, if you ask me. One I don’t fully understand to be blunt. But unlike the other items this store carried such as medicine, hair products, wood, nails, and suitcases, the higher end magic products were all under lock and key; you couldn’t pick them up and look at them. Now granted, the more novelty tricks like sponge balls weren’t secured, but DVDs and full routines were. I was sort of surprised actually at what I saw; Andrew Mayne’s Ghost Vision (which we reviewed in the last issue), Gregory Wilson’s DVDs, all of the CIB videos from various artists, full routines from quite a number of pros to include Cyril’s own work, and a ton more. And when I say "routines", that’s exactly what I mean… not just a trick on a DVD, but someone’s full act documented and for sale. A trick, well, I get that; it’s just a trick. But someone’s hard won routine that will have taken them a while to put together as a professional representation of themselves to clients, hmmm. Line being crossed maybe? And this wasn’t the only store I saw magic for sale at. Clearly, they do things differently than we do in the US.

A PARTY

Later, we all went to a private birthday party of a well respected businessman and Cyril performed for the group. As always, he was flawless. The host was tremendously gracious and allowed Rico and I to film the event which was held at the well-known Half Moon magic bar. Cyril did some startling effects, things I hadn’t seen before, that absolutely blew the crowd (and me) away. He owned the room and the reactions were phenomenal. Even though I’ve had the privilege of working with him on location when he performed, I’d never seen him in this kind of environment; it was a real pleasure to see him work. He is a consummate professional and really a credit to our community. He even invited Rico to perform as a guest, and despite the language barrier, Rico truly did a fantastic job. Normally, we are always talking about business so it was nice to relax a little and just have some fun. It was also cool to mingle with the audience, which included a number of Japanese celebrities (one I’d swear I’ve seen before). One person who stood out in my mind that night was a world-famous "healer" who’s worked with the likes of Ken Watanabe, one of my favorite actors. My hand had been hurting for a few days and Cyril told this healer about it. Next thing I know he’s performing acupressure for me. It was pretty painful at first, but it felt awesome afterwards. Meeting people like that was truly an experience I will not forget.

KA GU WA

Most entertainers love the theatre, and I’m certainly no exception. Cyril surprised Rico and I by taking us to one of the most incredible dinner shows I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and I’ve been to a lot. Situated in the heart of Roppongi, the theater itself was something to truly behold. It was incredibly dynamic with scores of moving sections that changed the composure of the stage in relation to the show itself and lifted as high as 30 feet; it was amazing. Ever single step by the dancers was choreographed in unison with this moving stage. After the show we were all invited up on stage to have our photos taken with the cast. If you’re ever in Japan, it is a must see. I only wish I could find a way to bring it to the US!

MEIJI JINGU

Early the next morning I left off on my own to go visit the shrine of Japan’s former Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken in Jarajuku. The shrine area consists of two sections, the inner precinct garden and the outer area. I happen to arrive at the central sanctuary just as a precession for a traditional Shinto wedding was walking past; it was incredible.

ROPPONGI

We began filming for Cyril’s first magic instructional DVD later that evening. It kicked off with a lot of B Roll down town and he drew a massive crowd; you really don’t realize how big of a star he is until you walk around with him in Tokyo. At one point it got so big and a bit out of hand that he had to run down the street and ditch into a alley to get away; crazy.

Roppongi is a section of Tokyo’s Minatoku ward that’s infamous for its nightlife. Unlike most nightlife districts in Tokyo, there are thousands of foreigners everywhere you look, and all the clubs and restaurants cater to the English-speaking crowd. That’s where you’ll find the Mori Tower, which has a viewing deck with a 360º view of the city from nearly 100 feet above sea level. Don’t buy an admission ticket though because it is included in the Mori Art Museum ticket, which is the same price.

The weather turned into something out of The Perfect Storm after we had been out for a few hours. The rain and wind picked up so fast that we were getting blown all over, so we went to this cool little bar called La Mission, where we filmed him performing for the crowd.

Once the weather calmed down we headed out to a cigar bar called Modesty with a bunch of friends and just relaxed. It was Halloween so there were people all over the place dressed up. One of Cyril’s good friends and a brilliant magician in his own right, Tetsuo, showed up wearing this really nice black suit with a retro 70s butterfly collar, which was really attracting the attention of the ladies. Then, Tetsuo turned around and revealed that the back of the suit was gone! That was his costume for the evening. And I have to tell you, it was so cold and windy outside that the last thing you needed was a draft… especially one that big.

Rico, being the young and successful television producer that he is (oh, and single by choice) was spending some quality time getting to know the local wild life. Of course, the fact that he was wearing a T-shirt that said, "I’m looking for a Japanese girlfriend" in Japanese probably helped a little. It didn’t matter where we went that night, everyone looked at his shirt and smiled. He almost got more attention than Cyril.

THE BEST FOOD EVER

I’m not a connoisseur of fine foods; I’m fine with average food. For the most part, I don’t much care. Well, is a connoisseur and it’s rubbing off on me. One thing he made sure of during this trip is that we ate the best food Tokyo had to offer. It didn’t have to be a fancy high end restaurant, though we did eat at establishments like that too, but it did have to be the best. He took us to a Japanese barbecue place where you have several hibachis to cook on and they just keep bringing Kobe beef, massive prawns, and all kinds of other foods to cook yourself; he brought us to a small sushi place that only sat, maybe, 15 patrons but had been in business for 40 years in the same place, and it was the best sushi I had ever had. After everything settled down on Halloween, Cyril took those of us left who hadn’t either went out to party or fell asleep to this great little ramen place. I had the largest bowl of ramen I’d ever there! I don’t know the name of the place, but the phone number is 03 (3585) 8258.

THE BEST TRIP EVER

There so much more I want to share about this trip, but I just don’t have the room to do it here. I could have written a traditional article with a beginning, middle, and end, but I think I’m just going to say this: Japan is incredible. I’m glad I’ve gone again. It is a great country, with great people, and a fantastic history. If you’ve not been, you should go. Don’t put it off and be on your death bed wishing you had gone. Decide to go and make the plans. I can also say that Cyril is just plain cool; I loved visiting him and his friends. We worked our buts off but we also had a blast too.

© Copyright 2008 by James L. Clark, Snr., Esq. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited by domestic and international laws. This document is not for open publication and may not be released to third parties. The rights of the author have been asserted.

Website: http://www.jameslclark.com

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