뉴스레터

1. I have never experienced such a ghastly, unholy, and dark night before. The sidewalks of the road in front of the University of Tokyo in Hongo (本鄕) which had turned into a parking lot with bumper-to-bumper cars were packed with office workers wearing white helmets and white masks that mismatched their suits. What kept my hair standing on end was the shell-shocked, lifeless look on their face. That not even a single whisper was heard from such a large crowd was enough to leave me more terrified. Walking in tandem toward the same direction on both sides of the road, they looked straight out of a horror movie where they were being endlessly sucked into a huge tomb. (March 11, 2011)

2. "I don't think it's a good idea to get outside the car. Why don't you just stay inside and take a look around the tsunami-affected area?" "Do you see a heap of dozens of cars over there? And something sitting on the heap? That's the Kirin beer factory. That place has been sacked. I guess even the Japanese lose their head when there is no water to drink." "I think that this area will be cleaned up at least someday. But God knows what will become of Hukushima (福島) where the nuclear power plant blew up." The deserted airport of Sendai (仙臺), the largest city in the Tohoku (東北) area, still mired in mud and grayish, was a shadow of the ghost city swept by the devil from that horror movie. (April 28, 2011)

3. Allow me to dare to describe the course of Japanese history as follows. In the mid to late 7th century, with a dramatic change in the Korean peninsular, a large group of intellectuals moved to Japan, where they greatly influenced the formation of the ancient state. And the Japanese took it as an opportunity to lay out the 'fundamental framework' of the islands [The beginning of the 1st takeoff]. To the confused Japan experiencing internal 'growing pains,' the Christian 'Nanban (南蠻: Portuguese or Dutch) Culture' was introduced and planted the cultural seed. And then Edo (江戶) blossomed based on the loot during the Imjin War and the 'Joseon culture' introduced by the Joseon envoys, in addition to silver as material power, and Daimyo (大名) and their family as hostage [The 2nd take off]. Revere the King, Expel the Barbarians (尊王攘夷) was nothing but an empty slogan, as they ended up opening their country without so much as firing a shot at the Black Ships led by Perry! They paid high salaries to invite Western teachers for so-called civilization and enlightenment, and under the imperialist catch phrases of 'A Wealthy Country and A Powerful Army' and 'The Weak Fall Prey to the Strong,' they went on with: The Sino-Japanese War → The Russo-Japanese War → The Forced Annexation of Korea! [The 3rd takeoff? Or the beginning of the 1st fall?] And they marched through Joseon by the trains loaded with the crying comfort women to the continent northward, and invaded the island countries, but oh, 'liberation' as the atomic bombs were dropped onto Hiroshima and Nagasaki, covering both cities in black smoke and rain. Alas, the diety of the Japanese Emperor who claims to have tens of thousands of descendents for thousand generations turned into humanity, and the Great Empire of Japan simply Japan![The end of the 1st fall? The beginning of the 4th takeoff?]

4. If I had experienced purgatory from the Los Angeles Riots (April-May, 1992) and the Great Earthquake (Jan. 17, 1994) while studying in the U.S., I experienced hell itself this time observing the Great East Japan Earthquake and the huge tsunami! "I hadn't slept for 5 days at that time and I have no memory of what advice I gave and how I gave it."(Chairman of the Nuclear Safety & Security Commission of Japan, February 15, 2012), "My background is neither science nor engineering. So I don't have any practical knowledge."(Then the Director of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of Japan, February 15, 2012) What a pity! These men had been in charge of the safety of the Japanese! Facing that hell but stuck in a rut, Japan had done nothing but worrying (or pretending to worry?) about it over the past year. After all, that hell is a joint production of nature (=god?) and people. And if following the 'logic' of the Japanese that is as obscure as the identity of the Emperor of Japan, it is extremely unclear what (=god?) or who (=people?) should take responsibility.

5. "The Metropolitan area of Japan is in extreme danger as there is a 70-percent probability that a great earthquake (M7 or higher) will occur within 4 years."(Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo, January 30, 2012) "Actually, a great earthquake will occur within 5 years with a 28-percent probability."(Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University, January 31, 2012) Well, well, well. Which one are we supposed to believe? But which prediction will be correct is entirely up to the heaven, no, the earth. So, no one is to blame anyway for making the wrong prediction. "Today, we finally launch the Reconstruction Agency designed to reconstruct the areas affected by the earthquake and the tsumami."(Japanese Prime Minister Noda, February 10, eleven months after the disaster) I would call it a 'snail' administration rather than the　'dojo (=loach)' administration.' "His Majesty will be admitted to the University of Tokyo Hospital this weekend for a coronary artery bypass surgery."(NHK, February 11, 2012) And in the midst of all this, someone said: "Why don't the Prime Minister specifically say that Takeshima is illegally occupied by Korea? Why does he keep avoiding using the term 'illegal occupation?"(Inada Tomomi [稻田朋美], a member of the Liberal Democratic Party expelled from Gimpo, Korea, also known as 'Takeshima-Comfort Women-Yasukuni Lady,' in interpellation on February 11, 2012)

6. In no more than 10 days of my arrival at Japan, the nuclear power plant exploded, blowing up with it my ambitions plans made beforehand. I lost a lot in the resulting life of a 21st-century vagabond (?). But let me assure you that it also gave me valuable metaphysical gains that far outweighed the losses. I feel truly sorry for the victims of the disaster! Anyway, my concern is Japan's orientation in the future! Japan of 'Hascism (Hashimoto + Fascism)' has just made '8 Public Pledges for Restoration.' Where in the world is Japan headed?[Is it the beginning of the 5th takeoff? Or the beginning of the 2nd fall?] Oh, dear Otaku (御宅) Japanese! How about benchmarking your neighbor Korea and starting an exciting 'democratic revolution' from the bottom up?