How Japan Can Avert a War with China and Korea

Japan's relationship with China and Korea is worsening and they appear to be heading towards war. This must be avoided by all means. My opinion is that the Japanese government should take the high road and issue an edict to its citizens that the safety of the Chinese and Koreans in Japan must be assured. Only if they treat the Chinese and the Koreans with respect and dignity, they can hope to be treated in a like manner.

The Wrongful Death of Masuno Yurika

I've been utterly depressed ever since hearing about Masuno Yurika who was murdered several hours since arriving in Romania. She was only 20 years old and her only mistake was being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I wish that someone could invent a time machine in my lifetime so that I could go back and warn her never to leave Japan. Then, perhaps she might live to be 96 after living a full life. What galls me most is that Romania doesn't even have capital punishment and so the perpetrator will never be put to death as he should be.

Most Beautiful Japanese Songs

It's been much too long since my last post. Here is a listing of some of the most beautiful Japanese songs in existence:

1. Raiya no Uta
It's one of the songs from Jungle Taitei. I owned the 45 RPM back in the 70s and lost it. I was fortunate to find it on YouTube recently. Hearing it again after 30 years, I think it is THE most beautiful Japanese song ever recorded. I believe Raiya is known to the West as Kitty. I watched the entirety of Jungle Taitei in Japan in Japanese in B&W.

2. Midori no Hidamari
This is the shudaika from Yamanezumi Rocky Chuck. I never saw the series but loved the song.

3. Kikoerukashira
From Akage no Anne.

4. Hot Stuff
From Cat's Eye. I'm not sure if this song belongs on this list since it's entirely in English.

100 Things About Me

1. I’ve always loved the Thunderbirds TV series.
2. I have a bad case of acid reflux.
3. I think I saw, or rather felt, a ghost once.
4. The 7 years that I lived in Okinawa were the best of my life.
5. I’ve always thought it was a mistake to come to Hawaii.
6. I like to collect wooden tikis.
7. People usually don’t give coffee to children, but my mother used to make me coffee (with a lot of cream and sugar) from when I was about 4.
8. When I was small I saw Japanese ghost movies that were so scary I still recall the frightening bits.
9. When I was small, I had sunburn so terrible you can still see the scars on my shoulders.
10. I was always lactose intolerant, but my mother never believed me and fed me milk anyway.
11. For about the last 16 months I’ve been surviving on 4 hours or less sleep each night. I have no idea how I’m still alive.
12. I weigh about the same as in high school
13. I think I’m stronger than in high school. I was not much for exercise back then.
14. I was born in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan in 1954.
15. When I met a girl and saw her social security number, I was convinced that we were destined to be together. The last 4 digits of her SSN number was the same as the last 4 digits of our telephone in Okinawa.
16. I remember seeing the torch runner for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. He ran through our little town of Sugita in Yokohama.

Handshake with Okazaki Yuki

I loved Okazaki Yuki in Okusama wa 17 Sai (1970) and had many of her records.  So, when I had the chance of a lifetime to meet her, I did not hesitate.  At that time, she had a fan club, which was called the Leo Club because her sign was Leo.  This was back in the late 70's, so I don't remember the details now.  But I do remember that I had forgotten to bring anything for Yuki to sign.  I ended up having to have her sign my handkerchief (I actually carried a handkerchief back in those days) and got to shake hands with her!

Matsuoka Kikko in You Only Live Twice

I never liked the movie You Only Live Twice, and it would have remained that way--until I learned that Matsuoka Kikko (Yes, that lovely hostess from 11 PM!) was one of the divers.  

The Unofficial Akikawa Risa (Lisa) Fan Club

The last 10-15 years, I lived with the uncomfortable feeling that I had forgotten something very important from my distant past. What could it be? I had no idea, except that it had to do with my Okinawa years (I lived there for 7 glorious years between 1965 and 1972). Then, one day, just recently, I heard the name Natsume Masako and that name immediately triggered another: Akikawa Risa (Lisa). How could I have ever forgotten?! I knew I still had “it.” What is “it”?

“It” is perhaps my most cherished possession. When I die I will have “it” placed in my coffin. I can’t think of anything more fitting to accompany me on my eternal journey. “It” refers to a half dozen pages torn out of a Japanese magazine called Shonen Sunday. I wish I had kept the entire issue. There is no year on any of the pages, but there is a hint. Two of the photos are captioned “Akikawa Risa (16).” Risa was 16 in 1968, so the magazine must be from 1968. However, a source indicates that Risa modeled for Teijin from 1970 to 1973. This coincides with my memory, so I don’t know what to think. My suspicion is that this pictorial is from 1970, the year of the Osaka Expo. I was 16 that year. I got to go to Expo 70; it was an exciting year for me.

The photos on the half dozen pages show swimsuited models. They are the official summer campaign photos of the Japanese textile and cosmetics manufacturers, such as Teijin, Tore, Kose, Unitika, and Kanebo (and Japanese subsidiaries of US companies, such as Max Factor). They are meant to sell swimsuits and water-resistant makeup to Japanese consumers, but they had me sold, too. To a 16-year-old, the photos are all that’s good in life. I was enraptured by them when I was 16; they are no less powerful to a 54-year-old.

Akikawa Risa, in particular, stands out. One of the two, which shows her lounging diagonally upside down in shallow waters comes with a caption saying that Risa was sunburned getting the tan required for the photo and had to be comforted by the staff afterwards. Obviously, modeling is no piece of cake. However, you couldn’t tell that, looking at her expression in the two photos. She’s looking as though she’s having the time of her life.

I am moved by my epiphany and have decided to form my own unofficial Akikawa Risa fan club. If you have anything you’d like to contribute about Akikawa Risa or about anything similar, please contact me at machinato@hotmail.com. Please contact me, too, if you have posters or books about Akikawa Risa for sale. Oneesama, moshi kore ga ome ni tomarimashitara, email o kudasai. Anata no koto wa, isshou wasuremasen!

My dream is to have an actual Teijin summer campaign poster of Akikawa Risa.