The surrender of Japan and its subsequent occupation is a fascinating chapter in the world’s history. A relatively large country with millions of inhabitants not only surrendered with the enemy miles away from its borders but also let the invaders seize power without a single outbreak of violence. How strange it must have been for the Americans to arrive there – in large quantities and armed to the teeth to be sure, but still not knowing what kind of welcome is awaiting them.

On August the 28th 1945 the American armada guarded by fighters and dive bombers entered Sagami Wan and two days later first marines landed in Yokosuka. On the same day C-54 airtrains appearing at four-minute intervals at the Atsugi Airfield, which had been left undamaged specially for this purpose, brought around 4200 troops from Okinawa and Iwo Jima. 

“Ceremonial completion of the surrender was rounded out on September 3 by the raising of the actual American flag which had happened to be flying over the Capitol in Washington on December 7, 1941, and which had subsequently been raised over Casablanca, over Rome and over Berlin. (…). The surrender was complete”.  [in: Linebarger, Djang, Burks. Far Eastern Governments and Politics. New York 1954. p 448].

By the end of October 7,9 million Japanese soldiers gave up their weapons.

There is still no army in Japan. And the American army is still there.

For detailed description of Love Day and the whole of the period see  http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003143-00/sec1a.htm where NPS stands for… National Park Service.

hide,  in 1996, started the event at Chiba Marine Stadium “hide presents MIX LEMONed JELLY” (aka: MLJ).

Finally 14 years since the MLJ, December 13 this year held the day determines hide special version featuring a birthday party! In the event there The important message in the spring of 2010.

Prior to the launch of thanks generally sold out tickets every year
Each official hide residents (members) finally start accepting tickets ahead of target.

Workshop materials now, each trying to hide the details ★ Official Site Check

************************************************** *****************
『MIX LEMONed JELLY 2009 ★ feat.hide Birthday Party!!』

Cast]
hide / DJ-INA / Silver Angle VS Golden Horn (Chirolyn & DIE) / Ra: IN / Nyurotika / WHO THE BITCH / heidi. / VJ-SHRIMP / …and more (in no particular order)

◎ Date: December 13, 2009 (Sun)
◎ VENUE: Kawasaki CLUB CITTA ‘
◎ Time: OPEN 14:00 / START 14:30
◎ Fee: Advance ￥ 5000 (tax / extra drinks during the admission ￥ 500)

[Residents (members) preceding reception limited tickets]
※ 1ID up to four per person, per sheet
※ Please understand beforehand because it may be sold out within a period
※ Please check the exchange period at each site

◎ hide-city residents (PC)
- Application period: October 14, 2009 (Wed) 15:00 – 19 (Mon) 23:59

◎ hide mobile-JETS-JETS Mates (Mobile)
- Application period: October 15, 2009 (Thu) 15:00 – 19 (Mon) 23:59

◎ hide mobile-city residents (Mobile)
- Application period: October 19, 2009 (Mon) 15:00 – 21 (Wed) 23:59

Release [General] 11 / 7 (Sat) 10:00 – on sale nationwide!
◎ PIA (P code :338-686) TEL :0570-02-9999
◎ Lawson Ticket (L code: 77408) TEL :0570-084-003
◎ eplus http://eplus.jp

“” Recent and Upcoming Events, click here!

From: hide-city

Thats right there’s a brand new hide DVD coming out. It will be realized December 2, 2009.　”It contains 20 music videos and live videos from “We hide～The Best in The World～”.” it will contain also a private video.

For more details visit hide-city

Today we are travelling to South America and Japan. One journey I will take only once, the other I can’t wait to take again.
The Colombian road movie Los Viajes del Viento has two strengths that make up for many of its conventional traits: It never descends into a too typical South American sentimentality and it has the luxury of taking place in a geography that is seldom seen on films. The story is about an old, taciturn accordion master who recently lost his wife, and the young boy who may be his son. The old master wants to travel across the entire country in order to give back his accordion to his master. As legend will have it, he once won the instrument in a duel with the devil. The boy sees apprenticeship with the old man as his only possibility to make something of himself and thus follows his unwilling companion stubbornly through some spectacular landscape and hairy situations.

While beautiful to look at, the film didn’t really stand out in any particular way. You could substitute the old accordionist with, say, a kung fu master, or a literature professor, or any old sage with a special gift to impart on the young, and the basic story would pretty much be the same. And in the history of films, God knows this has been done again and again. The accordion only really comes to the fore in an early duel with a younger braggart in a music contest. Like the rapper’s duels in Curtis Hanson’s 8 Mile, the accordion contest consists in psyching out one’s opponent by rhyme and insult while sticking to the chosen accordion tune. It may sound far fetched, but this part of the film really worked.

The travelogue, or road movie, is often an excellent way of highlighting a country’s geography and supporting the local tourist industry. Often, the tourist industry will help finance the film if the country is represented as a series of tourist vistas. This being Colombia, I’m not convinced that the ploy will be entirely successful, but we, the audience, win anyway. Especially since most of us will not get the chance – or take the chance – of visiting the country, I can’t think of a better way to be able to experience Colombia’s breathtaking natural vistas than in the comfort of the cinema chair, where the most immediate danger is an aneurysm triggered by some popcorn-munching moron by our side.

Ultimately, the film is worth seeing for its depiction of nature and the very varied geography – or geology. The stone formations towards the end were a sight to behold, as was the endless salt flats, the village built almost on the lake itself, and the Indian village atop a mountain. I have not seen exactly these sights before and felt fortunate to witness them in this way. The film also strikes up some laconic humoristic moments and I did chuckle a time or two. As for the main plot, I didn’t feel that it resolved itself entirely satisfactorily, but, as is my habit in these posts about films that most have not yet seen, I shan’t be spoiling the end here. The titular symbol of the travelling wind has a double bottom, referring both to the literal wind that has shaped the country and the various wind instruments. There is a scene where the wind blows through a piece of wood with a whistling sound, perhaps telling us that the tradition of these men has its roots in nature itself, in a time before Man, and that all we contribute are complications of that theme.

Hirokazu Kore-eda has made some seven films, not including his TV-work and some short films. Unfortunately not all of these are readily available in the west. His first film, Maborosi, an Ozu-style examination of a young widow trying to find a new lease on life after the loss of her husband , had a limited international run. But it was his second feature, the often wonderful After Life, which made him into a household name, if that house was an art house. (Yes, I know, bad pun…) In 2001 he made Distance, perhaps inspired by the gas attacks of a suicide cult in Japan; the Aum cult’s nerve gas attack on the city’s subway system. Then came Nobody Knows, which got a wider release and was nominated in Cannes and won a number of Asian awards. The story of a group of children left to their own devices after their mother takes off, was a masterpiece of naturalistic acting. Kore-eda directed over almost two years, and the children visibly live in the film. There are scenes in Nobody Knows that should break most hearts that are not already irredeemably broken. In 2006, two years after Nobody Knows, he made Hana, about a samurai who doesn’t really want to be a samurai. He is no good at fighting and wishes he could spend his days helping the poor people of the village in which he takes up residence. His very latest film is Air Doll, about a blow up sex doll that turns human Pinocchio-style. I have not seen this yet, but those that have, comment that it is remarkable in that the film never is exploitative, nor even is interested in the sexual aspects of this offbeat story. The film is more about what it means to be human and the innocence of the non-human in comparison. The first thing the doll learns after becoming human with a beating heart, is to lie.

This lengthy introduction is spurred by my absolute satisfaction with Kore-eda’s penultimate film, made in 2008, and shown this day in the BIFF-festival. Still Walking is perhaps the first perfect film I’ve seen this year. I really can’t find any faults with it. The only film coming near it in quality is the Swedish Burrowing, which I spoke of in a former post. The two films have in common that they are influenced by other directors. In Kore-eda’s case, the spectre of Japanese master, Yasujirō Ozu, is present, but not overwhelming, while in Burrowing, Terrence Malick is perhaps an even more present godfather.

The majority of Still Walking takes place within 24 hours, but including the epilogue, the time covered is three years. The real scope of the film, however, reaches much longer, as both the past and the future is so implicit in these 24 hours, that the film nears an almost general understanding of the human situation, particularly our place in the everlasting links between generations, from the very first to the last. I was most impressed by the way in which the director achieved this generality from a very specific time in a specific family.

A man who has just lost his job brings for the first time his wife, who is a widow, and her son to the annual family reunion. He clearly is not on good terms with his mother and father; “you should call your mother more often“, the father tells him. “I can’t stand listening to all her complaints“, the son answers. The father is a retired doctor who feels useless and socially in a no-man’s land, as he hasn’t anyone to continue his practice, and therefore must still play the role of village doctor himself, even though he is not up to it.

Seemingly, much of the reason for the family’s strained relationship, is that the eldest son lost his life in a drowning accident many years before, while saving a young boy from the waves. This son was the father’s favourite, and is in hindsight made to have represented the hopes for the family’s future. Every time the conversation begins to run more or less easily, the mother mentions some details about the dead son, and the family is thrown back into non-communication.

The reason for the reunion, is indeed that it marks the anniversary for the son’s death. Also present here is a sister with her husband and two children, who the father finds noisy. We can only assume that had the dead son had any children, they would be just as noisy. This is a film where I don’t want to tell much about the plot, as much of the enjoyment comes from gradually piecing together the dynamics of the family and just what has gone wrong in their lives. It is never -apart from the death of the son, which paradoxically has brought them together – the big, life-changing events that make these people be who they are, what they have become. Kore-eda is a master in communicating much bigger truths by very small movements and glances. Sometimes he lets a phrase linger a bit longer than necessary in order for us to grasp not only the context of the phrase, the feeling behind it, but its consequences, insignificant as they may seem before we have the entire picture.

It’s a cliché, but movies is really a universal language. I almost can’t think of better ways for us to see the common humanity between us all, than by immersing ourselves in works by masterful directors like Kore-eda. I felt more recognition in this film than in any Hollywood work I can recall. Nothing sudden or life-changing happens in the film, yet I felt a wiser person after having seen it, perhaps even wanting to be a better person. In this film, the characters don’t have “arcs”, as they evidently teach in Hollywood script classes. The characters that we observe become persons more than characters, and persons, for the most part, don’t suddenly learn something or change just because they have attended a family dinner, even though a number of American Thanksgiving films want us to believe this. They go on with their lives, as best they can, or maybe not even that.

What makes the film magic to me is also a consequence of the characters not only being oblivious to their shortcomings that we as spectators can detect in them, but that they actually go on living as if there never was anything particularly important about the day we have spent with them. They just go on, or as the film says in its title, they are still walking. (This phrase also comes up in a song the grandmother insists on playing on an old record player, and which she says she has a special relationship to. The song so subtly illuminates something of the past of the characters that we don’t quite grasp it before a shot of the grandfather doctor’s later reaction. The world of memories and forgotten times that comes into light here is staggering).

The only hint of sentimentality in the film, is when the unemployed son’s voiceover comments on what has happened in the three years since the family dinner. The words are spoken very matter of factly, but that very restraint is heartbreaking in its seeming neutrality to the lives that are commented. I would love to present the importance of the grandmother’s speech about butterflies and how that speech is reproduced later on, but this is such an integral part of the experience that I must leave it for the individual viewer to assess.

Not only is Kore-eda a master of presenting the social interaction and directing the actors into an almost completely naturalistic style, also his setting of the story deserves some mention. The film is shot in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, a seaside town with streets climbing upwards the mountainside from the sea. Seeing the wonderful locations, I couldn’t help but think of the kind of streets so typical of Studio Ghibli films, particularly Whisper of the Heart. There just is something very magnetic to me about this kind of setting, some serene quality that helps convince me that this site is ideal for the family home, a piece of childhood we all will always carry with us. The lack of the typical features of the big city helps the film to achieve a feeling not only of timelessness, but of placelessness. While very much a Japanese setting, the feeling is more general, of the kind of place that we find beautiful in hindsight, but that we had to move away from. The reasons probably felt important to us at the time, but any place we have lived in our formative years is bound to hold the ghosts of our younger selves in some way or another, still offering us possibilities of who we could have been had we by chance chosen differently.

Again, all this essaying runs the risk of making the film sound as if it could be boring. It is not. In fact, there are many scenes with a wonderful understated humour, not least in the comments by and about the grandmother and grandfather. As in any real grouping of human beings, be it a family or a group of friends, there is humour to be found in familiarity. Kore-eda, being concerned with reality, has the gift of finding the humour that springs from a common humanity, from recognition, even in the idiosyncratic. The actress You (yes, that is her stage name), who played the irresponsible mother in Nobody Knows, here gets the chance to use her quirky personality in a role that never seems as it is an imposed vehicle for her brand of acting. Her presence and comedic (her voice makes me think of a Japanese Meg Tilly) timing is so strong that when she leaves the film, we suddenly feel that we have been deprived of a comforting presence in what is, after all, a scary situation; reality. Or as close to reality as we want to come.

Offering us only a short glimpse into these characters’ lives, Kore-eda still makes us feel as if we’ve known them for a long time. His telling of this story is so effective that, even as we think that nothing very important happens, we get to learn everything that we need in order to fully grasp the situation as well as its ramifications. All the characters are given flesh and blood and lives that are not neatly solved by a contrived Hollywood script. Still, the miracle is that we don’t miss the solution, even though we’ve been indoctrinated to expect it. When all is said and done, we can leave and know that all is not said and it is not done. In fact, the way the characters are not able to come to terms with their shortcomings, or their disability to solve their conflicts, is the very thing that gives the piece such a powerful end. After this film, I really had to take some minutes to let the credits roll before I could or wanted to move. Those were good minutes.

We were on a quest for the best corn dog in Japan. This was not it.
Yokosuka, Japan. Jan 06

Last sunday I woke up to drums, people clapping and chanting.  I got up and decided to snap it and apparently it was the Mikoshi Parade. I guess from understand,  a mikoshi is a portable shrine that houses a Shinto god and the people in the Yokosuka area built their shrines to represent and display to the community.  It also seemed like a good reason for everybody Japanese or not to eat and drink which = good times.

Música: Kroke – Time (5,7MB – mp3)  -  play  |  download

It’s time to balance up this blog with something for the boys – some pictures I took in May of the recently launched Hyuga – the biggest Japanese naval warship built since World War 2. Technically it is classified as a Helicopter Destroyer to fight submarines but it can also be interpreted as a Helicopter Carrier, should that actually be allowed under the current Japanese constitution. It is based in Yokosuka, a naval town very close to Tokyo and also the home of the US fleet in Japan. I am not a military buff but I am a ship buff – my brother doing his service in the navy and me working extra during my eduction on a river boat.

It is possible to rent a boat or go on a tour of Yokosuka harbor and see all these magnificent ships for yourself, and it is an impressive feeling gliding up next to the Hyuga or even better, the USS George Washington (also in harbor when I visited).

The Huyga (named after the old name for Miyazaki Prefecture) is 197m and was only commissioned in March 2009. In these pictures you can probably tell that she is unloaded and riding very high in the water. In active service there will be about 360 sailors and pilots serving on this ship.

Música: The Pinker Tones – PinkerLand Becaina (2,1MB – mp3)  -  play  |  download

Música: Kiko Veneno – Currito ta ta ta (2,8MB – mp3)  -  play  |  download

[Yokosuka, Kanagawa]

Yo: Yokosuka’s symbol, which represents a mariner’s compass, incorporates the katakana ヨコ (yoko) styled like the Miura clan symbol.

Japanese town logos — official symbols designed to communicate the identity of each municipality — come in a vast array of shapes and colors. Many of these municipal symbols incorporate typographical elements (particularly kanji, hiragana, katakana, and Roman letters) into their designs. In most cases, the stylized characters are straightforward and easy to spot (even if you don’t read Japanese), but sometimes you have to bend your eyes to see them. The more complex logos encode the name of the town into a puzzle-like symbol that begs to be deciphered.

(via Pink Tentacle)

Going through the tunnel…

Going through the ages…

Now, there is simply full of fresh green.

It’s cracking, the title of hide’s official book has been decided. Pinky Promise ‘will be published from Index Communications next Spring’.

For more info pleave visit: hide-city

The publishing date is unkown for now, but we hope it will be announced soon.

Vel, first a little thing from sunday :
On sunday I first went to a 2nd gen. service in Fujisawa. Everyone there was younger than me, but they were nice ^^ And after the service I went to yokosuka to meet some other exchange students that go to shichirigahama. We went to karaoke and stayed there for 3 hours ~ but it went by so quickly.. and after that we talk and then we had to go home. And the rest of the day I prepared myself for school.

First schoolday:
I had to leave home at 06:35 to catch the 06:40 bus > < Well, now I have free till next monday, because they are gonna have lots of tests that I don't have to do. And I didn't have to introduce myself for the whole school ! lucky =3

School was over at 10:40 and then I went home. and then I slept. And now I'm writing this. I don't think I'll do anything special this week because I have free and I'll use this time for studying. But I'll write again on saturday, or before if something spesial happens.

take care <3

Música: On the sofa – Burahi tariumu (3,5MB – mp3)  -  play  |  download

I often wonder if when people live close to amazing monuments, buildings and natural wonders, do they take notice of them at all? Do they become some familiar and filled with visitors that they don’t even bother going to them?

For instance, if I lived in Paris, would the Eiffel Tower just turn into another building? Would I stop snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef after living in Australia?

Maybe I appreciate the marvelous things that surround me to ever get tired of them. When I lived in Orange County, Calif., I never grew tired of my favorite serene spot in Laguna Beach. It never changed, but it was new to my soul every time I went to it. Perhaps it is simply in my nature to appreciate beauty no matter how often I see it.

I began this journal like this because Thursday I visited a marvelous wonder, The Great Buddha statue of Amida Nyorai in Hase, Japan.

The day began with a walk around the area surrounding the Naval base here in Yokosuka. As part of the intercommunity relations class I’m in this week, we take a field trip to experience Japanese culture. Part of this trip involves seeing the community you live in. It’s unfortunate that many people will only experience the community in the evening, at the area called The Honch. If drunk nights filled with loose women and looser morals are your thing, then The Honch is your place.

Our first trip was to Mikasa Park. Named after a Japanese Imperial Navy battleship, Mikasa, the park is a beautiful place on the harbor where people gather for concerts, open-air markets and celebrations. Just beyond the park you can see Monkey Island, a local beach that is isolated from the mainland.

After leaving the park and walking to the train station, we boarded the train for Kamakura. A 20 minute train ride, Kamakura is the ancient capital of Japan. When Japan was ruled by Samurai for centuries, Kamakura was where they established their capital.

When we arrived in Kamakura, every one split off into their groups. We went to eat lunch. Some people went for sushi, ramen, Chinese and curry. My shipmate, Walker, and I decided on Soba. With the menu completely written in Kanji, I had to go with the point and select option when choosing my meal. It works like this, most of the restaurants here have the menu items in plastic and encased. You point to what you want when you and the waitress can’t verbally communicate. I liked what I ordered. It was cold soba noodles with mint leaves and thin slices of cooked meat.

Eating soba noodles in Kamakura

After eating, we gathered as a large group again and headed for the Tsurugaoka-Hachimangu Shrine, created in 1063 by the Genji family. When you are approaching a Shinto shrine, you will see a large red (usually the color) gateway letting you know that you are near a shrine.

entrance to Tsurugaoka-Hachimangu Shrine

Before entering the shrine, I customarily washed my hands and cleansed my mouth.

washing my hands before entering the shrine

The shrine was colorful and beautifully structured. Every detail seems to have been precise. Hard to believe that I was staring at nearly a 1,000 year old building. The grounds were filled with beauty as well. The ponds and bridges fit in perfect harmony.

inside the Tsurugaoka-Hachimangu Shrine

As we left I saw a man painting the bridge that was once crossed to enter the shrine. He painted with such detail that it almost seemed like he was designing the bridge.

A man paints the bridge at the shrine

Walking down the street to go back to the train station, we stopped when I saw a new familiar sight- Belgian chocolate. Mmmm. We had found a Leonidas chocolate shop, serving fine Belgian chocolate. My mouth felt pure bliss as I sunk my tastebuds into the caramel filled Alexandre le Grand piece. I’m telling you, nothing beats Belgian chocolate.

Now I was in my own little heaven. It was on the train again to the city of Hase. Hase is a part of Kamakura- a suburb if you will. It is here that the Great Buddha is housed. The second largest sitting Buddha statue in Japan.

When we got off the train, it was a short walk to the statue. As I rounded the corner, I could see the Buddha emerging from the foliage. I stopped to take in what I was seeing. A centuries old statue in front of me. Imagining the many who have come here to offer prayer, to asks for guidance.

the Seated Buddha of Amida Nyorai in Hase, Japan

With the backdrop of a clear blue sky, the Buddha seemed like it was alive. Pictures can tell you a lot, but I wish they could say more.

The Seated Buddha against the back drop of a clear blue sky

Leaving the Great Buddha, I stopped at a map and saw a Buddhist temple to visit. Hase-Dera Temple is unique, not just for it’s beautiful gardens and view of the ocean, but for what it has come to symbolize for many Japanese mothers. It is a temple where the souls of unborn fetuses are honored. Thousands of small stone statues abound throughout the temple gardens.

Hase-Dera Temple

Yet, it is also a tranquil place with many man-made waterfalls that invite the visitor to sit, relax and become one with nature. As I climbed up the many steps, every turn my head took, took me to another awe inspiring sight. The most marvelous though was the view of the ocean. When I walked up the steps to where the actual temple is, I could see the distant blue. I was not expecting it. There is something about the ocean that moves me. I was definitely moved.

view of the ocean from Hase-Dera Temple

So moved that after we left the temple, Walker and I decided to walk to the beach. A great decision that was. As I got closer and closer my soul filled with something- love. I was now in love with Japan. The sun was setting upon the volcanic sand, my hands were feeling the warmth of the water. Then, as if to welcome me and show it’s love for me, Japan left a bouquet of bright flowers in the sand for me to take- in my memory.

A bouquet of flowers left in the sand at Yuigahama Beach

24AUG09

2200

Hello friends!

The conclusion of a busy, fun day is upon me.

I spent the morning and most of the afternoon in ABO. I would give you the breakdown of what ABO means but the military is full of acronyms and sometimes I forget them. I swear, there is an acronym for nearly everything in the military.

The class I went to is sort of an indoctrination to Japanese life. We learned a lot of do’s and don’ts. Basically, don’t drink and you’ll stay out of 99.9% of the trouble. No problem for me. If that’s the basic rule they want us to follow, I can do that easily.

It seems that a majority of the trouble people get into here is alcohol related. I don’t see why people need to get shit faced. If you need alcohol to have a good time, then you don’t know how to have a good time. I understand that it loosens you up and makes me more social. But that’s only because your subconscious has allowed you to believe that. You’re no more fun as a drunk then as you are sober.

Japan definitely doesn’t mess around when it comes to punishing for alcohol related incidents.

I learned today that you can be imprisoned for up to 23 days without having to ever go to trial. And the jails here are no joke. They said that you could share one cell with six or seven people. You also only get to shower every 2-3 days and not on weekends.

Now the driving. Wow. Driving rules here are no joke. I was planning on getting a Vespa to get me around. I figured it was inexpensive, practical and convenient. Well, the Japanese laws of the road have nixed that idea. Here are a few reasons why I will not be driving in Japan:

1. If you get involved in an accident, both you and the driver of the other vehicle are at fault. The only way you would not be at fault is if you were sitting in a parked car that did not have the engine running.

2. Tolls. Japan is toll crazy. Apparently it can costs nearly $80 USD to drive from here to Tokyo and back (two hours each way) in tolls. The only way around that is to rent a car. Even then, you are still driving for two hours when it only takes an hour by train. I’ll stick to the trains.

3. Driving on the right side. I can’t get over that. It just seems to weird for me to even attempt.

4. If you are a passenger in a car where someone has been drinking, you are subject to the same punishment they receive.

Basically they scared me straight. I may have wanted to drive a Skyline GTR town a straight road. Well, not anymore.

I’m a guest in this country. I respect the rules and most of them are in place because people have screwed up.

Speaking of screwing up. Five thousand Sailors and Marines from the USS Nimitz- based in San Diego- arrived here on a port visit today. Chaos ensued. I’ve never seen so many line up for ATM machines. These servicemembers have been out to sea for a month. You should have seen the way they hoarded the fast food restaurants, Starbucks and spent money at the Navy Exchange.

Not to mention how many of them were hanging out at the Honch (area off base where there are many bars, prostitutes and cheap hotels) this evening. It looked like Tijuana. Being compared to Tijuana is never a compliment so you can imagine how it looked. I hope an international incident does not occur. There was a heavy presence of Shore Patrol there, but they can’t be posted up everywhere.

Hope no one needs a ride because I will not be driving in Japan.

My first post on the new selection of beer available at a couple places in Yokosuka was less informative and more rejoicing. I had gone to Blue in Green that night for an Anchor brew that BG usually carries.  BG has the best selection in Yokosuka, but that’s really not saying much. With the new beers available, though, things are looking up for us down the tracks from Tokyo or Yokohama.
The question that came to me, after I sobered up a bit and got a little sleep, was, “is this a sign of craft beer expansion the way good beer began to expand in the States in the early 1990s?”
Was I looking too deep into a few good beers popping up in my aera, or is this the real thing?  Time will tell if the selection stays in Yokosuka, but the reason I initially came to this idea so quickly and enthusiastically is that in the couple weeks leading up to the BG discovery I had two completely separate and unsolicited inquires into craft beer expansion into my beer wasteland.
The first was while talking beer with Koichi-san at Thrash Zone. While supping a pint of a Green Flash brew, he asked what I thought about opening up a second bar in Yokosuka.  A few days later I was spending some time I Tokyo and needed a beer.  Bulldog was the closest thing open that I hadn’t been at earlier in the day (Towers had a nice selection and was open at two when I originally got thirsty). As I was sitting at the bar drinking my pint and enjoying the fish and chips, the bar master struck up a conversation, which I always enjoy.  We eventually got around to why I’d spent the last two plus years in Japan and couldn’t speak the language to save my life.  For those who don’t know, it’s because I’m in the Navy and spend 80% of my time on the sea.  On learning I live in Yokosuka he asked me the same thing Koichi asked about a craft beer bar down there.  I gave him the same biased answer I gave to Koichi, too. I was pretty excited that people were inquiring into Yokosuka’s appetite for good beer and I decided it was time to actually give it some thought.

Blue in Green beers

 If you look at Yokosuka there are thousands of Americans and obviously even more Japanese.  Many Americans are starting to like good beer, maybe not the 20-year-olds just starting out, but once they get a few years older tastes change and people start to have more discerning palate.  A few of us are willing to make the train ride to Tokyo for a tasty pint but not many.  If beer was more convenient and easily accessible, like in downtown Yokosuka, then more would be willing to stop in for a nice beer.  The two biggest hurdles I see are the price and the ability to offer some American style meals to go along with the beer.  I think people would be willing to spend more for a good beer if they can also get a good meal.  Most of the people who would go for a nice pint don’t necessarily sit in a bar drinking pint after pint (though I would).  I believe the set up of Bulldog would work best for Americans in Yokosuka.  A nice restaurant with a long bar for us geeky enthusiasts.
My biggest concern remains the price of craft beer in Japan.  Would non committed fans like me be willing to pay the high price of beer here?  That isn’t something I can answer.  I know most of my friends would not pay those prices.  But that’s why the restaurant setup would be the best route because it will bring in the older, more mature drinkers.  The young kids who just want to get drunk won’t frequent the joint, I’m sure, but that’s not the crowd that any owner would want, anyway.

In the end I believe it would work.  It would take an owner who spoke English, was patient in letting the business grow, and brought in enough of the lower priced, still tasty craft beer.  I doubt they’d sell much over 1000 yen a pint so that remains a concern. The quality must be there, though.  Breweries like Baird, Iwate Kura, Isekadoya, and the west coast breweries would do well, I believe.  Come to think of it, the west coast brews would sell mighty well.  San Diego has a very large Navy presence and Sailors would recognize the beers they drank while stationed there.  Another plus for Yokosuka.

Adding new bars to the Tokyo scene is fine and I would do my best to hit them up.  But, for true beer expansion, craft beer needs to be brought to those outside Tokyo.  Making a leap to a tiny rural town might be too big of an initial step, but an hour outside of Tokyo in a very urban environment would be a great way to open people up to the beer world. 

I’d love to see it happen and believe it would work (with proper patience).  Come on down to Yokosuka, I know I’ll pull up a stool and order a pint, or three.

I drank four different IPAs in Yokosuka.  This is “Rock Your Pants Off,” type news for Yokosuka.  Seriously.

Three at Blue in Green + street drankin some Aooni

Then it was time for a nice walk home.

Double fisting on the walk home

It may be drunk happiness but the selection tonight was awesome.  Stone IPA, Anchor Liberty Ale, Green Flash Hop Head Red at Blue in Green.  Yo-Ho Aooni at my grocery, Yona Yona Ale and Tokyo Black at a Sunkus In downtown Yokosuka.  It may not mean much to people outside of Yokosuka, but this is huge for us.  Will write a more thorough review when not as drunk/slap happy.

Música: Jeanette – Porque te vas (3,0MB – mp3)  -  play  |  download

「ようこそジャパン」 (Yokoso Japan!) means “Welcome to Japan!“, and is the Japan National Tourism Organization’s official slogan of their campaign to attract foreign visitors to Japan.

「Yokoso Japan!」 logo

Here are some of their Yokoso Japan! campaign ads.

Most of the scenes in this first one are of Tokyo (there are a few shots of Osaka, etc…but most of it is Tokyo):

These show many parts of Japan:

Do they make you want to visit this beautiful country?