Japan Quake 2011: The things I've learned

Some things, that have popped into my head these days

In the last 4 days my blog had over 6000 visits, because I was updating on the situation in Taiwan and Taipei right after the horrific earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11. Even in this very moment people are still googling things like "Is it safe to go to Taiwan", "Has Taiwan been affected by the tsunami" or "Will Taiwan be hit by the tsunami" and coming to my blog. All this makes me think about life and people, be it the ones close to me or the ones I've read and hear about in the media. Here are some things I've learned or realized these days and I would like to share them with you.

1 Reporting on Taiwan in English sucked

Check some of the comments I received on my previous post:

"I stumbled across your blog while looking for news on Taiwan. Thanks so much for the update (it's the best I've seen yet)!" by Bunny

"Thank you for the updates, you're currently the best source on the web." by Tim Poultney

"Thank you. Sitting half a world away wondering about my wifes family. Google search for tsunami taiwan 2011 gave me your site, and your news was the only I could find, better than CNN and BBC afas the situation for Tawian." By Anonymous

I was lucky to be at home, when the quake hit Japan. I felt I need to report the things I saw here in Taipei, share my view from Taiwan, especially after CNN announced that the tsunami might hit us as well. Those two hours were very nerve-racking and even though I knew Taipei will be safe, I was really worried for the good people in Keelung, Ilan, Hualien and Taitong. Interestingly, it seemed that nobody was really prepared for a huge tsunami here, life continued pretty normally even after these things were reported and warnings were issued. It was a surreal feeling, as if people knew that nothing will happen. Luckily, they were right, but I'm still wondering, why people seemed to be so indifferent. Who knows, maybe my perception was wrong, but that's how I saw everything. It is sad, that I was one of the best sources in English about what's exactly going on here. Don't news networks know that people are hungry for news? Some were planning to fly to Taiwan these days, some had friends and family here and of course they were worried.

2 People don't really know a lot about Taiwan

Those foreigners, who are here, are experts on Taiwan. We know every spot, every city, we know how close we are to China and how far from Japan. But generally, people don't know a lot about this country. That also includes my mum. She knows where I am, she knows it's in East Asia, close to China, Japan, Korea... but that's all. Most people just can't imagine how Taiwan really is. Even, if you see tons of photos and videos, it's still not enough. You need to come here and then you'll realize how wrong your idea of Taiwan was before you came. I know that happened to me and I am well traveled, always interested in geography and I see myself as fairly well educated. But Taiwan was something else for me, when I first set foot on the island: The smells, the noise, the scooters, the people, the languages, the architecture, the food... so many new things for me and of course most of them were a pleasant surprise. Some of them were challenges, but I overcame them very quickly.

3 New things to worry about

Being in Taiwan not always easy, especially when you think of of the tricky political situation and China's missiles pointed at us. I'm still not used to this, partly because I've nearly missed a real war in 1991. Although we were lucky back then, I won't ever forget the fear I had felt when the conflict was unfolding. And now in addition to the fear of war, the recent events in Japan added a fear of a big natural disaster happening here as well. We have nuclear power plants and a high population density and that's something that does make me feel a little uneasy. I really really hope that Taiwan will not experience anything comparable to the quake and tsunami in Japan, but that's all I can hope for, I have to say I feel a little helpless in all this. I don't like remarks of the sort "nature is angry". Nature has always been this way, these quakes are normal. They just happen in heavily populated areas and do a lot of damage to the people, that's why we feel very shocked and saddened. Had a quake of the same magnitude happened in Antarctica, how many of us would really have these apocalyptic feelings right now?

4 Disasters bring out the best and worst in people

These days you can read all kinds of messages, some will touch you, some will appall you. It's incredible how humane and helping people can become in such catastrophic times and also how vicious and evil some others can be. I guess that's what you get, when half of the world is connected via internet. The most funny thing is, that even though the internet is the biggest information source in the world, some people still don't have a good understanding of Pearl Harbor, World War II and Nagasaki and Hiroshima. One of the things I have realized these days is how stupid people can be, sometimes so deeply stupid, that I'm not sure whether I should laugh or cry or do both at the same time. It is just mind boggling.

5 Life is precious, we have to cherish it

These days we see how short and precious life can be and how fast it can end. It must be so saddening for those people who argued with someone on March 10 and the next day he or she was gone forever. We can't reverse the events in Japan, but we can learn from them. We can at least try to be more sensitive to the people we love and cherish small things life much more. Live your life every day as if it was the last time. Do things that you never have thought of doing before, be spontaneous, be friendly, spend time in nature, surprise your dear ones... just appreciate life.

Photo on the left is Queen's Head, located in Yeliu. For me, "she" is the symbol of Taiwan. I think as long as she stands there and rules over Taiwan so proudly, I will feel safe and secure.

Read more about Taiwan here>>

Taiwan tsunami warning: We are safe!

I'm currently in Taipei, Taiwan, watching the news. Latest updates on top!

LATEST UPDATE: Taiwan is safe to visit! No tsunami here. The food is fine!

A useful link: Taiwan lifts tsunami warning

Nobody here worries about radiated food, please don't panic. Food is holy for Taiwanese and if any serious radiation would've been found, it would've been reported already. If they find a small thing, that doesn't mean food is unsafe here. Please don't worry about food, radiation and tsunamis. Taiwan is 2200 km away from Fukushima, that's almost twice as far as Chernobyl and Central Europe. Come to Taiwan and enjoy your holidays. We're safe here!

12. UPDATE: Really the last update, Taipei 12.01 pm local time

This will really be my last update. It's now Tuesday, 4 days after the Japan quake and tsunami and I want to make it clear for everyone: Taiwan is safe. Traveling to Taiwan or Taipei is very safe. We had no quake, no tsunami, no damage, nothing: We were lucky. Whatever you planned for your Taiwan trip, go ahead, everything's fine. It's Tuesday now, the weather is cloud in Taipei, around 15 degrees maybe. The coming Friday will be sunny, the rest of the days may be cloud or even rainy. The only thing you need to prepare may be an umbrella. Everything's running smoothly in Taipei, so please don't have any worries. We were not hit, thank god. But we keep getting scary images from Japan and of course that worries us. But nobody has any fears of things like this happening to Taiwan these days. We do worry about quakes, but they're usually of lesser magnitude. And the worst evil are typhoons here, but they come in late summer and autumn, so please again: Don't worry. Taiwan is safe. Hong Kong is safe, Malaysia is safe. This was a Japanese tragedy and we should only think about how to help Japan to rebuild their country. My hearts goes out to them.

11. UPDATE: The next day, Taipei 11.10 am local time

Today is Saturday, March 12, one day after the epic earthquake and a devastating tsunami in Japan. Taiwan was lucky and hasn't sustained any damage, the tsunami warning turned out to be false, only 15cm "big" waves hit the northern coast. Taipei seems to be a little foggy this morning, but it's not so cold. The rain stopped and I'm happy about that. Let me make this clear: Everybody in Taiwan is ok and traveling here is totally safe. So please, no worries, no panic, no fears: We're fine here. Wish everybody a lovely day.

10. UPDATE: We're fine, Taipei 19.24 local time

I can now say with most certainty that Taiwan has avoided a tsunami. I've seen on TV, how the authorities released some fishermen from Keelung, who were priorly evacuated. Life's getting back to normal here and that's obvious when you switch on the TV: All the news channels are now only reporting on Japan. Taiwan was very lucky this time, probably because of the location. It's located too far to the West and somewhat covered by Okinawa and other islets in the region. We dodged a bullet today, that's for sure, but it's always good to be prepared for the worst and not take these things lightly. We've seen what the tsunami did to some parts of Japan and and that was pretty scary. Taiwan is safe and everybody should sleep well tonight. I may update again tomorrow for those who plan to travel to Taiwan and want to be updated on the situation here.

9. UPDATE: Everything looks fine, Taipei 18.43 local time

Thank you everybody for your kind comments. From what I've seen on Taiwanese TV just now, there won't be any tsunami hitting Taiwan, people are safe. If you have love ones here, don't worry. All that happened were some high waves, that's all: No real tsunami here, no casualties, no major damage. I won't update as often now, but in case something very unexpected happens, I will update again (although I feel that's very unlikely). Thank you for following my updates and I'm very happy that Taiwan and all the people here are safe and sound. I hope the rest of the Pacific area will be safe as well. Thanks again. It was a pleasure to help you.

8. UPDATE: Still waiting, Taipei 18.24 local time

One whole hour has passed now and still nothing happened in Taiwan. The media is only reporting on Japan, but there are no official statements saying that the tsunami threat has passed and that Taiwan is safe. I do feel that it's unlikely that Taiwan will be heavily hit, but I am not sure, only speculating. I hope we don't get a very unpleasant surprise. More updates from me soon.

6. UPDATE: Still waiting, Taipei 18.24 local time

Some said it's possible that Taiwan has avoided a massive tsunami due to the location (by Cindy Sui). The internet is incredibly slow around this time, I guess many people are curious about what's going on. I'm watching Taiwanese news and they only report about Japan now, no reports about Taiwanese coastal cities. So I guess there won't be anything major happening here. I have no proof for that, but because the experts said the tsunami should've hit Taiwan over 30min ago, however nothing happened, I feel a little less anxious now. Still feel sad for people in Japan.

5. UPDATE: Still waiting, Taipei 18.04 local time

Still waiting for the tsunami to arrive Taiwan. I guess the estimate was not accurate. If there are any changes and something big happens, I will update again. It's getting dark now in Taipei, the weather is cold and rainy, like for many days now. It may be a little hard to see the waves coming now.

4. UPDATE: There will be no tsunami in Taipei, Taipei 17.51 local time

Waiting for the tsunami to hit Taiwan at any time now. I've heard the waves are arriving at the coast of Taiwan right now and they're smaller than expected (maybe 15cm to 1m), according to Anthony Chen, ETTV Journalist. Let's hope for the best.

3. UPDATE: There will be no tsunami in Taipei, Taipei 17.24 local time

There is no tsunami expected in Taipei! No tsunami warnings for Taipei! Taipei should be safe. Tsunami may hit Keelung, Hualien and other parts on the eastern coast within 10 minutes! Tsunami is estimated to hit Taiwan at 17.40 local time (9.40 GMT London Time)!

2. UPDATE: Taiwan tsunami maps and predictions, Taipei 15.53 local time

Here are some maps for your reference. As you can see it's very hard to predict which exact areas of Taiwan might be hit. I think Taipei is generally safe, because it's not close to the sea and surrounded by mountains. For more predictions, scroll down:

Show bigger map

As you can see, the west coast including Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung should be safe, but places on the north and east like Keelung, Yilan, Luodong, Hualien, Changbin, Chenggong, Donghe, Taitung and parts of Kenting national park, as well as Guishan Island, Green Island and Orchid Island should be hit by the tsunami. We don't know for sure and I don't want to spread panic, but please be careful, if you're in one of these places. Don't go near the beach in the upcoming hours. Better stay in upper floors or go to mountainous areas.

1. UPDATE: Taiwan will be hit by the tsunami, Taipei 15.09 local time

Japan's been hit by an 8.9 earthquake 1 hour ago, which is a huge magnitude. And now I'm watching the tsunami erasing everything on its way in parts of Japan's east coast. It's frightening. The water is unstoppable. And I've heard Taiwan might be hit by the tsunami as well (via Taiwan Central Weather Bureau), it's estimated that it will arrive at 17.30 local time around Taiwan's northern and eastern coast. That's in about 2 hours.

If you're in Keelung 基隆 (tsunami estimated to hit at 17.32), Yilan 宜蘭, Hualien 花蓮 or Taitung 台東 (tsunami estimated to hit 17.36), possibly Kenting (I'm not sure), please go away from the coast as further as possible. I think Taipei, Hsinchu, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung should be fine. I can't be sure (I'm just guessing), but I think there is no reason to panic on the western part of Taiwan. The eastern part however should prepare well! I hope the authorities are monitoring the situation and are prepared for possible evacuations and immediate help. I will update this post, in case there are some further developments.

How to seduce a Japanese woman

by now most people in this world know that i am an expert of seduction of far eastern women. i have spent a big portion of my life studying women from the most eastern part of the biggest continent and my impenetrable seductive powers are admired and feared in the occident as well as in the orient.

i traveled, i observed, i listened. there were innumerable moments in my life, where a lovely lady gave in to her tidal wave of emotions and longed and begged for a single touch of my lips with hers. oh, how many ladies fell into my arms willingly and completely entrusted themselves to me.

too many, my friends. too many.

now that i am famous and few ten thousand followers can't wait to learn the wisdom i acquired through my several years long pilgrimages to asia, i am willing to unlock and dust off my inner marco polo and share a story about how i seduced a lovely japanese office lady from kyoto a few years ago. her name was saki. saki seto. her blossoming youth and the charming ways were electrifying and i couldn't help but to surrender to her appeal that was beyond tantalizing.

i used to go to that office building near kyoto tower from time to time only to see, if there were women that had that certain expression, the one that says i'm yearning for something more than the daily routine. i want to be fulfilled. i took photos of the building from the outside. it was a terrible structure and i wasn't surprised to see quite few women with that look inside. but then i saw saki.

she was different than other women, because she really longed for change in her life. her eyes told me that every single moment they met with mine. i admit, i was drawn to her, so when i had some free time (and as a photographer i had plenty of it), i was most often found around that building, where she entered and exited every day at about the same time. she worked overtime of course, because that's very common in japan. i was a ghost. she couldn't see me, nor my big camera, because i knew how to hide when i had to. i couldn't reveal my weakness for her or my utmost powerlessness in her presence or my nervousness even if she was a hundred meters away. i wanted to be invisible to her, because i needed to study her. i pasted her photos on the wall of my apartment, i wrote a list of all the things she does, like smiling, when she sees a butterfly passing by her office window or how she holds chopsticks in her left hand so skillfully. it took me seven days to figure out how i could conquer her heart. i will never forget that reality altering moment, where i realized that i just deciphered the ultimate way to steal the heart of every japanese woman. of course she wasn't every japanese woman, she was saki. saki seto.

saki in her office. i had the privilege to see how dazzling she looked at work.

she was beyond japanese, beyond woman, she was pure magic in the shape of a japanese woman. it felt as if god carved perfection and embodied it in her. even though i unraveled one of the mysteries every man in this world would not only envy me, but torture me in order to extract the secrets from me, i wasn't completely sure, that saki would fall for the ultimate move i have set up for her.

i knew i had to focus real hard. the next day i first headed to the east temple, where i tried to dispel the torment of my heart by restoring my inner balance with meditation. it worked. in the afternoon i found myself near that office building again. soon after arriving i saw her sitting in her office on the second floor. she diligently took care of paper work while charmingly explaining serious matters to her office mate. then she stood up and left for the main lobby. that was the moment when i thought it's now or never. i was ready. i walked quickly just to pause in front of the main door of the building. i saw her, she was standing near the elevator, checking some papers. snap! i took a photo of her. snap! i took another one. i started to approach her, when she finally glanced over, still not expecting that i'm about to ask the most important question of her life.

let's freeze the moment here for a bit. you must be wondering, what did i do, what did he say? i'm dying of curiosity. and don't worry, i will reveal the biggest mystery of all times very soon to you, but i must say something very important first: forget about all the websites claiming to be experts on how to seduce a japanese woman, i've read them all. forget about all the cultural differences they try to instill into your head, it's a sham!

they only want page impressions, that's why they lie to you. everyone knows that love is stronger than any cultural barrier. you just need to follow my way and you'll be fine, trust me. but now back to the situation.

so what did i do, what did i say? well, she was about to fix her shoes, when she saw me taking another photo of her. she looked up to my lens and smiled gently with her eyes asking what is it you want, lovely stranger? that was the moment where i finally had the opportunity to make the move of my life. i took a deep breath and then i asked what i had been planning meticulously to ask: would you like to share a bowl of ramen with me? the moment froze for few seconds. i could hear my sweat pouring down my back. i feared my broken japanese wasn't understandable to her, when she lifted her left eye brow in awe. but a second later she gently replied in her perfect japanese: yes, of course, i'd love to. i was released, her warm words jump started my heart in that very moment. it was electrifying.

in that evening we met near kyoto tower and she brought me to her favorite ramen shop. we shared ramen, we smiled, we joked. she held my hand, fed me, giggled. we had some intense 3 months before i had to fly to taiwan, where i became the celebrity i am today. all that happened, because saki inspired me to master the art of seduction. and i realized that food transcends everything, even the harshest realities and the steepest slopes of insecurity. now you know how to seduce a japanese woman or any woman for that matter: it starts by simply talking to them!

[Photo: Source]

When White guys speak East Asian langauges, it's amazing!

When East Asian guys speak European languages, it's not. Why?

tysstyle - Canadian guy speaking Mandarin

MrHarlequin2009 - French guy speaking Japanese

trueheart101 - Canadian guy singing in Korean

Have you ever noticed, that if White guys speak one of the big East Asian languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese or Korean), it's totally amazing. Everyone's like: Wow, impressive. Dude, you're so cool. And of course many East Asian girls would say it's so cute to see a White guy speak their native language, even if it sounds broken or the knowledge is limited. A little effort from White guys would massively increase their chances with East Asian girls.

On the other hand, if East Asian guys speak one of the big European languages (such as English, German, French or Spanish), it's not seen as amazing at all. Nobody's like: Wow, impressive. Dude, you're so cool. And of course most of White girls would not think it's cute to see East Asian guys speak their native language. If it sounds broken or the knowledge is limited, it would rather appear funny than cool. East Asian guys can put a lot of effort in learning a European language, however that won't increase their chances with White girls.

How come there's such a big difference?

[Photo by Lawel Style]

Back to the White guys, who speak an East Asian language perfectly. Do you know Mark Henry Roswell? He's probably the most famous Westerner (a Canadian) in China and he's speaking Mandarin like a native speaker. Everybody knows him under the name Dashan (大山, lit. "big mountain"), check this amazing video. Then there's Julien Gaudfroy, a Frenchman doing stand-up comedy in Mandarin. Or Pierre Deporte, the first White guy (he's also French) who starred in a leading role in a Korean drama. It was called Tamra, the Island, aired in 2009 (*video with Pierre's fluent Korean). Of course there are many more Western guys, who speak one of the East Asian languages and they're not famous. You can find a lot of them on You-Tube, such as the two funny guys on the video below. So what's your opinion on Westerners or Whites in particular learning East Asian languages. Is it for the career? Interest in culture? Looking for love or sex?

So hot, she made his nose bleed!

Have you ever watched Japanese anime and saw guys getting a nosebleed (like the pic on the left), when they saw a beautiful girl? I did a little research and this explains the prominent phenomenon best:

"In Japanese anime and manga, the nosebleed is a visual shorthand/euphemism for sexual arousal, specifically an erection in males [...]. When blood shoots from the nose explosively, and in ridiculous quantity, the implication is an actual ejaculation." [source]

Now you wonder why I am telling you that. Well, I [and most likely you] always thought that this can only happen in animation. We were all wrong! Check the pics below, taken at a computer fair in China.

Sexy show girls at the fair, don't they look hot? ▼
Uncle came to make some nice photos... ▼
Oh, no, uncle, what happened to your nose? ▼
Oh no, this is bad, nose is bleeding, here's a tissue. ▼
Poor uncle, a bit embarrassing, don't you think? ▼
Leaving fast, hoping there's no blood on the camera. ▼

I have no idea, if his nosebleed was caused by the beauty of that girl, but if it was, I'm not really shocked. I feel a bit bad for the uncle. What do you think? :-)

What is your reaction, when you see a beautiful woman or man?

[Photos: Source]

You gotta love the Japanese!

No more drama! It was all a misunderstanding. The post Carina wrote was meant sarcastic, but I took it literally. I'm so sorry for my reaction, Carina. I made a mistake, I just didn't get it. I'm really sorry and embarrassed. So no more drama, we talked about it and let's move on. It was a nontroversy.

After such a stressful day today, I need some relief. I didn't feel so good the whole day, I need some rest. Let's just enjoy this video and be positive.

[I found this video on http://theinternetisterrible.com]


It's funny to see the Pope an Putin as evil, haha. But I really have no clue what this is about, I just know it's silly and that Japan is very good in stuff like this. Don't you agree?

Have a lovely weekend! :-)

How to attract the Chinese woman of your dreams?

*Seriously, I have no clue how you do that. You won't find an answer on my blog, I am no seduction expert. But you even may have other questions like: Why do Western men manage to attract Chinese women? How to attract beautiful Chinese girls? How to seduce Asian Women? How to date a Chinese girl? How are Chinese, Japanese or Korean women in love and marriage? Heck, you may even have questions about flings, affairs or mail order brides or even sex. But as I said, you won't find answers about these matters on my blog, I don't have an Asian singles blog, nor do I post Asian or Chinese singles dating personals.

All I can give you here is a simple advice: Learn Chinese! Learn the language, communicate and be yourself and all the questions you asked, will be answered.

And if you happen to look for some great chinese phrases, check my blog series about

Learning Chinese.

You'll find Chinese phrases and dialogues that you can use for writing text messages, emails or casual conversations. Please give me feedback, if my phrases helped you.

Thanks and 谢谢 for dropping by.

*Disclaimer: This post is intended to for SEO ;-)

I like women with nice nails

I like women with nice long nails like that Korean cutie above. [source]
I prefer mild light colors. Black is a turn-off, flashy looks cheap.

This picture was sent to me by a Japanese friend. She's a nail artist.
In Japan, nail art is very popular, especially when it comes to weddings.

I must say I look at people's nails. Be it men or women, it doesn't matter to me. And if I see some untidy nails, it makes me cringe. I hate it when I see long male nails with dirt underneath. It's really disgusting for me. I can hardly see myself being around someone who can hardly take care of his basic hygene. I have some high standards for my nails. Sure, it sometimes happens to me as well that I go to town and forget to cut my finger nails, but once I'm noticing that, I'm keeping them under the radar, I'm trying to hide them as much as I can. But these days that basically never happens, because I'm working outside a lot and my hands are all dirty. So I really try hard to clean my hands and nails everytime I deal with soil and cement.

On the other hand, I love girls/women with nice nails. It's sexy! Well, to really fit my perfect idea of nice sexy nails, they have to be long but not too long. The ones on the right [photo by my friend] are probably my favorites. They could be a little shorter, but they're still acceptable that long.
Of course, I don't want a woman who's busy with her nails all day (like ah lian). Why can't smart intellectual women also have nice nails and feel sexy and still be taken seriously in an intellectual sense? Nice nails and a sexy way of dressing up doesn't mean that the woman is dumb or shallow. Of course, I wouldn't want my woman to go into extremes and dress up slutty and behave that way. Even if she's smart, she will hardly be taken seriously that way. The best is to find a middle way. You can dress up casually and still have nice sexy nails and you won't give the impression of being a bimbo, but rather being a selfconfident woman, who likes to be neat and look good. How about you, guys and girls? What kind of nails do you prefer? Do you also think untidy or dirty nails are disgusting and make a person look really bad? Looking forward to your views on this topic.

'Japanese only' and Debito Arudou

Today I stumbled accross a blog that discusses various things regarding Japan. There was an article about the word 'gaijin' (Japanese for 'foreigner') and it was asked wheather it is a racist term or not. And the author quoted David Aldwincle, who said that the Japanese word 'gaijin' is an epithet for English 'ni**er'. I couldn't disagree more with that statement. But I don't wanna talk about the word 'gaijin' here . You can check the the link to the article (above) which is excellent and has many good comments. What I actually want to talk about here is David Aldwincle. Do you know him? I heard about him few years ago. He was a white American, who married a Japanese woman and moved to Japan (he divorced later), where he applied for Japanese citizenship. And when he got it, he changed his name to Japanese Debito Arudou. Why did he become famous? He went to an onsen (Japanese hot spring and bathing facilities) in Hokkaido, but they did not allow non-Japanese to enter (they said they implemented this policy because Russian sailors scared away Japanese visitors [source: Wiki]). Arudou sued the onsen on racial discrimination and won. He was compensated with around 25.000USD. Later he became an activist and on his website he's posting info and collecting photos of these various onsens, bars and clubs in Japan, where they prefer 'Japanese only':

Photo by KD, 2006, bar in Hiroshima

Photo by Michael Cash, 2005, Hostess Bar in Toda City

Photo by Debito Arudou, 2004, Pub in Koshigaya City

Photo by Debito Arudou, 2004, Pub in Koshigaya City


Photo by Debito Arudou, 2007, Bar in Hiroshima

Photo and translation by Debito Arudou, 2004,
Pub in Koshigaya City, the clearly racist writing says:

"Entry absolutely forbidden to Chinese and naturalized citizens, Chinese war orphans, and people with Chinese blood mixed in. Only pure-blooded Japanese males permitted."

Source of the photos is Rogues Gallery by Debito.org, the official website of Debito Arudou. Check out more photos on that page. There's like 50-60 cases of similar 'Japanese only' signs that Arudou and some other people found all over Japan. Some of these signs were removed due to complaints. So here's my question: What do you think about all that? Or if that's too general, let me ask some specific questions:

1 Do you think these signs are clearly racist? Or do you think some are clearly racist, but some others are just put out to reassure their main customers, the Japanese people, who don't like to mingle with foreigners and would therefore feel unwell or uncomfortable in a pub or club with foreigners, who in their eyes, don't know the Japanese language and rules of conduct so well? Or are Japanese people (in general) racist?

2 Do Japanese people have the right to have 'only Japanese' pubs, bars and clubs in their own country? If the same right would be applied in USA, Britain or Germany with 'only whites' would that be same? Would that be more racist or same racist? Does Japan, a historically secluded homogenous country, have the right to do that while Europe and USA, who have a more diverse and open societies, dont' have the right to do same? Are these two worlds comparable or do we have to draw a line?

3 Aren't in Europe or USA clubs and pubs where people are also sorted out based on their race, background, even looks? Isn't it the same when a bouncer rejects you entering a club because he judges you on your appearance or prejudice? Or is it up to the owner of a pub, bar or club to decide which or what kind of people he likes to let in his facilities?

4 Is it excusable, if a bar had problems with a certain group of people like drunk Russian sailors, rude American soldiers or a noisy group of Filipinos to bar those groups from entering? Can a German club bar Turks from entering, because they behave in a way that Germans don't like? Can a club owned by a black American refuse White people entering, because they want to be an exclusive club for blacks only?

5 Is it ok for a foreign person going to another country and demand to be treated the same way as the natives? Or do you have to accept that as a foreigner, if you're trying to be part of a very homogenous secluded society, that you may never be fully accepted as one of them, no matter how hard you try? Is it worth to fight for these 'Japanese only' signs to be removed, while it's clear that (wheather there's a sign or not), you're as a non-native not always everywhere welcome. Isn't it better to accept that some will places will never welcome you and you therefore just go to a different place where you are welcome as a guest?

6 Does that mean that Japan is a racist country? Or does it prove nothing, because 60 signs (or even if there was 1000 or more) in a country with around 130 million inhabitants is insignificant? How do you know if a society in general is racist and ignorant towards foreigners? When does it pose a real problem and when is it just a small thing blown out of proportion? Are we in the West really that better? Or are we even worse with our phony political correctness, because in real we are racist, but we pretend not to be?

This topic is very complex, that's why I hid my opinion in questions, which I hope some of you are willing to answer for me. I don't have straight or simple answers on this topic and I guess it's because there are none. Or are there?

[Photos: Source]

The ultimate Asian women by nation clash

My post about Alexis Sy Go, Miss Manila, had many comments from various people discussing wheather she's beautiful or not. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and people have all kinds of preferences, so we can't say who's wrong and who's right. That's why take this post lightly, because this is pure tabloid stuff. I give you to choose from few of my favorite Asian countries. Each will be represented by a beautiful girl of my choice. This is like Miss World Pageant, hehe. Just for fun, k ;-)

Here are the contestants:

Representing Japan: Riyo Mori (森理世) [born 1986] She was Miss Japan 2007 and eventually chosen Miss Universe 2007. A classic beauty. Uberhot sex appeal some say.

Representing South Korea: Honey Lee (이하늬) [born 1983] She was Miss South Korea 2006 and representing Sounth Korea on the same pageant like Riyo Mori, the Miss Universe 2007. She was the 3rd runner up. She's clearly very sexy and one of my all time classic beauties.

Representing China: Zhang Zi Yi (章子怡) [born 1979] She is a world famous actress. And here she's not only representing China, the country, but all other countries and states with Chinese population (Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia). Zhang Zi Yi was nude on a beach once!

Representing Vietnam: Tianna Ta [born 1981] She is not a very known model, but she definitely looks beautiful. Vietnam was for a long time a secluded society. Only in recent years it's opening up and we can see, how beautiful women are there.

Representing Thailand: Bongkot 'Tak' Kongmalai [born 1985] She is a famous Thai actress. She clearly strikes everybody with her beauty, doesn't she? There's a nude photo by Ai-Fak.

Representing Philippines: Valerie 'Bangs' Garcia [born 1987] She's a Philippine actress and famous for being a cover girl for Maxim and FHM. Sexy hottie, don't you think?

I hope you enjoyed this light post for your amusement. Happy voting :-)

Brad Pitt lecturer in the University of Tokyo

I read that few days ago, Brad Pitt, American actor and freedom fighter, went to the University of Tokyo (東京大学), his second stop in Asia, to lecture about his personal involvements in the negotiations with the Pashtun people about the further advancment of their society, especially in the field of human raights issues. The Japanese students were very happy to hear the star talking about these pressing matters in such straight-forward rhetoric. Many felt that his lectures meant a sudden diversion from the cowboy style rhetoric of the previous Hollywood stars, who came as guest lecturers to the University of Tokyo. Xinhua reports, that this is merely the beginning of a new age Hollywood-lecturing-the-rest-of-the-world efforts iniciated by the Obama administration and that Pitt may soon drop by in China as well. [Photoshopped by me :P]

The story of Miako from Ginza

I. MIAKO

Her name was Miako. She was a Japanese girl from Ginza, Tokyo. We met through a friend, a Canadian photographer. I, a photographer myself, was immediately struck by her uniquely sensual look. Her face, reminiscent of Monica Belucci, only Japanese, made me question my own idea of beauty.


II. FIRST ENCOUNTER

Her English was very poor, but luckily after my year in Tokyo, I learned enough Japanese to start a simple conversation with her. She was very shy when I introduced myself and asked her about her name. "Mi-a-ko", she said with a very girly voice. She was 23, she added. Her body was amazing. I've never fallen for slim girls before. But her figure was something new to me. The face and the body matched perfectly. Her long and stretched figure was the perfect reflexion of her angelic face. I just couldn't stop staring at her. My friend noticed it and the situation became pretty awkward. He nudged me and I came back to my senses. Maiko is a Japanese girl and there are certain ways of looking at a Japanese girl that are utterly unappropriate. I was ashamed of myself. I saw she blushed and while my friend appologized for me, she said 'nevermind', but nodded with her head nervously. She left very fast after this. My Canadian friend said: "Man, please, don't make my friend so shy. She's been through a lot. You really look a bit like her ex-boyfriend, the one who betrayed and hurt her." I was shocked. I didn't know about this. On the other hand, how could I? I was just myself. I lost myself in her. Should I appologize for that? I did to him. But I didn't mean it. All I had on my mind was Miako's gorgeous face.

III. SUNDAY IN GINZA

Two weeks later. It was a normal sunday in Ginza in September. I had no assignments for the weekend, so I decided to walk around on my own. I strolled down the main street slowly. As a stranger, I saw Ginza with different eyes. Literarly. I saw girls, dressed up like lolitas, emos or gyaru... It's not like I saw something like that for the first time, but every girl reminded me of Miako. I missed Miako. Because I thought about her all the time. I stopped for a moment, took a big look into all directions and there I saw it: The Nagasaki center. I decided to go to the Paulista to try that famous coffee of their's. Before I entered I noticed there's not many people. Maybe because of sunday and morning. A bad combination. So I strolled down the main aisle wondering where to sit. I looked left and right, walked few steps further and there she was, sitting behind a giant palm tree: Miako! I froze. It caught me off-guard. What should I do now? Should I greet her, sit beside her? Will I appear rude again? Or should I sit elsewhere or walk off? Will I offend her again? Suddenly she lifted up her head and smiled, 'cause she saw me. She said: "Malukko-san, purizu sit beside me." That made all my nervousness vanish in an instant. She said she came here few minutes ago. I ordered my latte and switched to Japanese. I told her again I was sorry to stare at her the first time we met and hoped she would forgive my impoliteness. She told me she was alright and actually felt flattered by my staring. Suddenly she asked me in English: "Malukko-san, do you tink I am pletty?" I seemed clearly unprepared for a moment, but then again I quickly came to say: "Miako-san, I think you are very pretty. You are the most beautiful girl I ever saw." She blushed and smiled and replied with a sweet voice: "Ah, you just flattel me. I donno if I am pletty. My eksu-boyfliend say I no plety. He took off wit othel gal. My healt is bloken. I must cly evely day." Her face expression went from happy to sad when she looked at me with her watery eyes. "Miako, please, look at me." Her tearful eyes resembled a crying manga girl. "Never again let anyone tell you something like that. You are gorgeous!" I replied. She looked at me with a big question mark. I asked her: "Do you understand 'gorgeous'? She shook her head. I said in Japanese: Senrei. She smiled brightly, but still tearing up. It was like sunshine and rain at same time. I took her hand and said: "You are happy now. Keep it that way." She replied: "Arrigato, Malukko-san. Ar-ri-ga-to" We kept quiet for a moment, I took a sip of my coffee and thought about how to make her smile again. I had a wonderful idea. I said to her: "Miako-san, would you go out with me tonight?" She immediately said yes. We exchanged phone numbers and started a conversation about Ginza. Where to go, what to do... she smiled. She told me many stories about how much fun she had in this or that place. I kept looking at her dreamy eyes while she went on talking. I imagined how I can lose myself in them from close. I wondered how it would feel to intertwine my fingers with hers, pull her close and kiss her. Gently and lengthly. I...
I found myself back in my apartment. It was afternoon. I wasn't tired, but I tried to rest. I wanted to lay on bed and continue dreaming. I still remembered Miako's smile when we parted one hour ago. And how she walked away with her sexy long and perfectly built legs. It was in that moment when I noticed that she wore a mini skirt and high heels. She walked so gracefully. Out of this world? Definitely. My head was full of nonsense. This girl was all I had on my mind these days. Virtually all of the time. I just let my imagination thrive, I was definitely losing all my maturity in one day. I changed from man to boy. And never before I felt this way. I was a bit embarrassed. But I thought to myself: What the heck. Who cares. I'm in love.
It was 7 o'clock. My cell phone kept ringing. Miako! I, drunk from all the daydreaming, previously fell asleep like a baby. So I had to come back to my senses. I picked up: "Moshi moshi?" She sounded nervous yet excited. We said we'll meet at the Mitsukoshi, at the main entrance, at 8 o'clock. I was nervous picking the right shirt and pants. I didn't want to be overdressed, but too casual was also a bad choice. I found a middle way and luckily on time. I hurried up, almost ran downstairs all excited. My heart was pounding like crazy. I couldn't believe I was having a date with such a beautiful girl.
I arrived first. After few minutes of waiting, I became more and more tense. And suddenly it struck me. I saw her approaching me from the distance. Boy, did she look sexy! She wore dark brown boots with high heels, black semi-transparent stockings, a short brown skirt matching the boots and an incredible silky carmine coloured blouse with a glittery collar. Her hair was falling over her shoulders with the tips touching her breasts. Amazingly seductive. On top of all that, she wore a perfect make-up. Her cherry-red lips still lingering in my mind. When she said 'hi' with her cute girly voice, I felt those lips will kill me. I survived.
So we decided right away to go to the cinema. I wouldn't mind if we just stood there near Mitsukoshi or if we went back to the café. Nothing mattered as long as I was with her. The main street in Ginza was crowded. While we were walking, I fooled around, kept making silly jokes or gave her compliments. She clearly enjoyed my company. And she knew I was falling for her. She clearly enjoyed that, too.
The movie was ok. I didn't pay so much attention. I enjoyed to be so close to her, to smell her fragrant perfume, see her silky skin from so close. Many times I closed my eyes and just breathed in slowly... Breathed out slowly...

IV. WE BREATHE

We breathe fast, in my room, kissing and more. I have her. She's mine. Our fingers intertwined. I won't let go, she can't let go. The night of my life. My consciousness is almost lost and repeatedly recovered. Her skin delights me, gives me the shivers. How did I make it? Now I lost myself in her eyes constantly, vigorously, endlessly. It felt like the night should never stop, because everything post this night would seem irrelevant.

V. LOST IN GINZA, LOST IN MIAKO

Two months later. Our love won't decline. We are immersed in Ginza. Ginza is the part that connects us. While I have my photo shoots, Miako started her model career. First for some teen magazines, later for Scawaii! and Woofin' Girl and some others. She became big. But she says she does that because I gave her confidence. She's doing that for herself. Sometimes I worry about all that, because now some people in Ginza stop us, snap photos of her, ask for her autograph. Of course they're polite, but what if there's suddenly someone who's not? I just hope I can protect her. She loves to be shot with my camera. She loves to pose for me. She wants to be dreamy and show me those sad eyes she had two months ago. She does that to please me. Or to shock me. She succeeds in both ways. She loves to wear my shirts and gaze out of the window while asking me to keep the moment with my camera. She says I am the one who can capture the real Miako. Her English improved. I even taught her some Slovene. She's cute when she tries and fails. There's so much more to her than her apparent looks. Her sexiness is deeper than what meets the eye. She said I am the one who went the deepest. I can touch her soul, she says. She wants to be with me forever, she repeats many times with her cute girly voice. She loves to put one arm around my neck, and with the other one seizing my chin and kissing me. She always smiles. We enjoy the walks in Ginza, we love to stroll down the Hibiya park. She loves to kiss me near the clock. Ginza is ours. We own it.

VI. OUR FAIRYTALE

Two years later. Miako loves me more than ever. Can this be a fairytale? All my friends have relationship problems. My Canadian friend divorced with his Japanese dream girl. But I am happy. I keep reading books with no happy ends. I keep wondering why it doesn't happen to me? Why am I still so deeply in love with Miako? Why I have no fear of losing this happiness like others did? It's Miako. She's the key and I am the lock. We are a perfect match. It's how we connect. We always do. Wheather I go to Osaka and she goes to Seoul. We are connected. Nobody comes before 'us'. I still make photos of her. They are deeper. Now I'm capturing her for eternity. For the sake of both. Last sunday we came accross the first photo I snapped of her. It was in September 2004. A sunday. We reminisced about the old times, about the first sunday we went out. We decided to repeat that day. We went to the Paulista, sat at the same desk and sipped coffee. We had a good laugh remembering our first conversation and her broken English. After dark, we went to Mitsukoshi. We decided that I go first, while she stayed at home getting dressed. I waited for her at 8 o'clock. She came 10 minutes late, but her amazing clothes made up for the waiting. It was like that same sunday she first blew me away. I felt the same goose bumps she gave me in that very moment. We went to the same cinema as that time... and we had tons of fun. When we returned to my apartment, I asked her to sit on my couch. I went to the kitchen, opened a bottle of Slovenian white wine, the one I kept for a special occasion. This was one. I gave a toast to our future, told her I love her and reached in my pocket. I took out a small box, she had a feeling what will follow. She started to shiver. I opened it up: a ring. I went down on my knees and said: "Miako, you are..." And asked a question. What do you think was her answer?

VII. 'YES!'

"Miako, my dear, in that sunday something amazing happened. You made me happy forever." (Miako, I looked at your dreamy eyes and knew the answer. And Miako, we don't need love expressed in words. That moment was real, Miako.) I will never forget your dreamy eyes and the seductive smile you gave me. It felt like whole Ginza stopped for a moment. We stopped. And we made it move again. "Now, Miako... this is how I see you, how I see myself, how I see us and our love. How do you see it, Miako?" She just smiled, grabbed my chin carefully, kissed me softly and replied with her cute girly voice: "Yes."

Our love is eternal.

[Photos: Erika Sato]

Memories of Ashikawa 2001

It was in 2001. Kumiko and I were about to have the best 3 days of our life. When I look back, this is how I remember it: Kumiko was so kind to prearrange everything. She bought the train tickets, she called the onsen and asked wheather they had free rooms for two and if they were ok with a Westerner staying at their facility. The owner, later known as mr. Tomodo, was a very kind man and was very happy that we we're headed to his very far off village of Ashikawa (芦川). He didn't expect a guest from as far as Europe.

We met at the train station the next morning, waiting for the train from Tokyo via Maebashi to the beautiful mountain village of Ashikawa. It was quite cold, yet Kumiko was all perky and really behaved in a in way I haven't seen before. She hugged me right infront of all the people, even kissed me and couldn't hide her blush. She said she was so happy to go on this trip with me, her eyes were amazingly glowing. At that time it was very hard for us to be somewhere together and alone. Infront of her father, we always had to behave as if we were only friends. I couldn't offend the head of the family, so I had to restrict myself as much as I could. I knew he disapproved of me, because I wasn't Japanese. Why is it so hard to be with the person I love, I was wondering, while the beautiful Japanese mountains passed by. There was a time, when we argued because of this. Kumiko cried and I was angry, because she wouldn't even allow me to hold her hand infront of the father. The mother never said anything... She was very kind and pure-hearted like Kumiko, but she had no effect nor any will to change her husband's mind regarding me. I know she wanted us to be happy. Kumiko knew it, too.
That's how my mind kept slipping away while Kumiko was sleeping. Time passed by very fast. After few hours we've finally reached in Maebashi, the closest big city near Ashikawa. We knew our final stop was not far away. So I woke up Kumiko, who in the meanwhile rested her head on my shoulder. When she opened her cute eyes, she immediately smiled and kissed me. I felt so happy. With her Japanese kindness and dilligence, she always made me lose my heart again and again. It felt like I fall in love with her everytime she opens that radiant chestnut eyes of hers. It was electrifying.
She said with her sweet Japanese flavoured English: "Niko-kun, ale you happy?" I smiled, looked deep into her eyes and replied: "Yes, Kumiko, as happy as never before." Suddenly the train came to a halt: "Ashikawa station, please alight!" came out of the loudspeakers. I grabbed our luggage and we stepped out of the train. She took my hand, gave me that unforgetabbly joyful look and said: "Thele is de onsen, Niko-kun. Please hully, I want to enjoy wit you." So I sped up my pace and we reached there in less than ten minutes. The whole village was full of wooden Japanese-style houses. The nature was so beautiful. It was a mix of green and grey, including the sky. The gloomy and cold weather was a bit harsh, but that wouldn't stop us in any way. We were so determined to spend a beautiful weekend in this onsen, we forgot that everything else exists. Our world was only Ashikawa.
We scrolled back to reality when we reached the porch of mr. Tomodo's onsen. It was a small onsen, just big enough for the village, the few hundred people living there. Seldom tourists would come from as far as Tokyo, said Mr. Tomodo, who politely bowed and welcomed us. We bowed back and Kumiko spoke in very polite Japanese with him. After she signed the papers and payed the bill, mr. Tomodo brought us up to our room. He was a very reserved man of soft features, with a small moustache and a smile sometimes hard to notice. He walked very slow and kept asking about me, where I was from. He concluded he was very happy and honoured to have me as a guest and if we needed anything, he will be at our service day and night. I remembered Tokyo. People in Tokyo are polite, but mr. Tomodo was something else.
After he showed us the room, he quickly left and we threw down all the bags and hugged. We stayed that way for a minute at least, because Kumiko kept us stuck together with a big kiss. How can we make that kind of magic disappear? We had to! Beacuse we were eager to soak in the warm water of mr. Tomodo's onsen. So we changed clothes and walked off downstairs, turned left and there we saw it. A beautiful outside pool of water, literarly immersing itself into the valley below, into the purling river, the trees and rocks. It was magnificent. More so was Kumiko. Her white bikini was extremely sexy. It made her curvy body look voluptuous and made it even harder to restrain myself. When the water covered her body and messed up her hair, I (just for a moment) couldn't believe that there can be a woman as sexy and sensual as her. Luckily there was no other people around, so we had a lot of privacy. She wrapped her legs around my waist and kissed me, smiled and whispered in my ear: "I love you, Niko-kun. I want you to make me happy tonight."
Outside was night. All was dark. Inside the room was warm. Getting hotter and hotter. I remember clearly: Kumiko is all over me. We can't stop. She can't. I won't. What she was doing with me, no woman ever did to me before. All the prejudice of Japanese women... well, it was true! True and beyond that. Words cannot describe how she did it and what she did with me, but after a while we stopped counting and we were slowly losing our minds. We were like drugged. Literarly.
The next morning. Kumiko was sleeping with a smile on her face. Her hand touched me, her skin was so soft, it gave me goose bumps. It was 10 o'clock, the sun shone in very brightly and painted a pair of red cheeks on Kumiko's face. I spoke softly in her ear: "Wake up, baby. My Kumiko-chan, wake up..." She smiled again, my goose bumps increased. She whispered: "Arrigato!" I said:"Why?" "Fol yestelday, Niko-kun. You make me so happy. Arrigato!" I hugged her and told her, I will never forget yesterday's night. I went to put on some clothes, I turned around. There she was, so beautiful, sitting on bed. The bed which was our playground the night before. So I took my camera and snapped this memorable photo.
It is this photo I cherish the most, it is this moment that is forever engraved in my heart. The latter days in Ashikawa were also unforgettable, the latter months in Tokyo, as well. And even after her father managed to separate us, after all the tears, after all the broken and partly-mended hearts... We still love each other.
Everytime she calls me all in tears, broken and hopless, I tell her: "Kumiko, remember our weekend in Ashikawa few years ago. Remember how happy you were, sitting on that bed. Our bed. I will make you happy again. Be strong." That's the moment when her tears stop and she gets a grip of herself. But the only thing she manages to say is few softly spoken words with a shivering voice: "Niko-kun, I love you."

[Photos: Source]

Sakura

These days when the cherry trees blossom, I really wish I was in Japan and see the famous sakura with my own eyes. It's so beautiful when I see the photos my friend sent to me. I really love japanese gardens and alleys of cherry trees. It must be a magical feeling to see these beautiful cherry blossoms. I do have a plan to go to Japan, but when can i make it? I will try hard to fulfil this wish this year, but everybody says Japan is expensive. Which is unfortunately true. And if I go later this year, there won't be sakura, but that doesn't bother me so much. I just hope I can soak in the culture and snap many many photos. Japan is so far from Europe, who knows how many chances will I have to see it in this life. Once would be just fine to me.

[Photo given by my Japanese friend Rie]