Sunday, September 11, 2022

April to Now

A few days ago, on the eighth day of the nineth month of the year two thousand and twenty two, I began my twenty-third year of living and working in this country. There has not been a single easy year, private or otherwise. Especially since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been an ordeal with some work having disappeared completely.

Late afternoon of the last Friday of April, crunching almonds with cereal broke one of my front teeth. This tooth had been most vulnerable since my junior high school days. On a winter day, all the classes of the grade went to the Science Center to study I don’t remember what. After all was done for the tour, many kids formed lines to drink some water. One of those places where you can find rotatable taps for drinking water. When my turn came and my month was a few centimeters away from the tap (you wouldn’t touch the tap, would you?), the kid right behind me pushed my head against the tap. And the tap, rotated upside down (or downside up), shaved off the back part of my front tooth. It was painful.

My mother didn’t care except that she brought me to a dentist that evening, who removed exposed nerves and filled the hole with cement.

With the lower half of this front tooth gone but no pain (no nerves), I spent a sleepless night, thinking that I would have to wait until the next Monday and there would be no dental clinic open on weekends. The next day, being inpatient, I checked online dental clinics which were open over weekends and found one in the neighborhood, a five-minute walk. I just hopped into the clinic with no appointment. After waiting for half an hour, I met a young dentist, who, after having a quick look at the condition, said crowning would do, whatever it means. He took a few X-ray photos and found a light shadow at the root of the tooth and wondered what it was, but he still seemed confident of crowing work to solve all. I asked how much the crowing work would cost. More than a thousand dollars. Oh.... But no choice. I told him to go ahead.

He started preparing the molding necessary for the crowing, and after some time, I heard the clink sound of two things dropped onto a metal tray. I couldn’t see what was happening inside my mouth. He showed me with a mirror what remained of the tooth. Oops. I didn’t see the tooth anymore. I thought to myself that that was why my saliva tasted salty. What remained was only a piece of vermicelli. Now the only option is an implant surgery or a big gap. Again I asked the dentist how much it would cost. More than five thousand dollars. Five thousand.... Three thousand for this surgery today and a finishing work to beatify it after four months. I will see him next week.

Early July, the Ministry of Manpower, which controls foreigners living here to work, prompted me to renew my visa. Always nuisance, but something that needs to be done, so far as I wish to stay here, which I’m not very sure. After I submitted my renewal application, I received a message from the Ministry asking for more documents, mostly financial, just like for the previous years. Then, a letter of rejection, saying that the Ministry would reconsider its negative decision if I could present evidence that showed my company could sustain its business with its current dismal financial condition.

To appeal, I submitted my own letter emphasizing that the current situation was because of the pandemic and five testimonials, three from Singapore and two from Japan, that helpfully described the necessity of me to remain here. It was July 11.

On July 15, I received a letter of approval from the Ministry.

And my landlord, a nice may who I’ve known for so many years, decided to sell this place. This happened last year too. Back then, he told me essentially that he didn’t want to sell it but the property agent advised me to sell it. Again, that agent. Every time he sends me a message, it is on WhatsApp in truncated and ungrammatical English, filled with so-called emoji. Who are you kidding? For serious business transactions, I would be happier if I could receive his messages in a way that is a little bit more professional. And every message from him, with no exception, causes powerful and automatic allergic reactions to my mind as he is a member of Soka, which is a main culprit of the destruction of my family. I have to reply to his latest message, sent to me a few days ago, of course on WhatsApp, which is certainly bad news and I have no mental strength to read. Emoji people are illiterate. Emoji are not moji. I’ll try to read his latest message tomorrow.

Because of all these things, I often feel panicked as I can feel relentless blood-pumping in my wrists and ankles without touching them and fear the veins may rupture. I may be able to feel easier if I make a tiny hole to one of those veins to release the pressure.

Wednesday, August 03, 2022

Is this Real or Senkou Hanabi?

 I've had a busy July... with work. But I don't know if this is a sign of real improvement or simply a flash like senkou hanabi.

Sunday, July 17, 2022

LDP Denying Itself by Gaining Support from Unification Church

報道(https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/82910914efbb426b59b33bb56f4ccec2cdf66cb1)によると、旧統一教会への「献金」について、事情を知る弁護士が「日本だけが特別扱いなんですけど、日本人だけが高い商品や金銭を要求されるということで、非常に差別的、日本だけの独自事情なんですよね」と述べている。「教義的な理由として『日本が戦前に韓国を併合し、韓国に攻め入った、それが日本人の罪なんだ』と。『罪を清算するために日本人は韓国に貢献しなければいけない』ということで、教義的なもので裏付けられてお金を出さされるという仕組み」だそうだ。
これが本当なら、まったく不思議な構造だと言わざるを得ない。自虐史観と呼ばれるものを払拭しようとしてきたはずの自民党が朝鮮併合(併合時に『韓国』なんていう国は存在していない)という「罪を清算しなければならない」と主張する団体から支持を得てきたということは、この歴史観の払拭を支持してきた人たちにとっては、これほどバカにされた話はないだろう。

Saturday, July 09, 2022

Indispensable Asset Lost

 Yesterday, Japan lost an indispensable asset. Nobody may be able to replace him for many years to come.

Friday, February 25, 2022

(More) Cases of Coincidence

今月8日の夜、日本に住む長年のお知り合い3人と「リモート飲み会」を開いた。楽しんだ。3回目かな。話の都合で海部俊樹元首相のことに触れたのだが、数日後に彼の死去が報じられていた。亡くなったのは9日ということで、自分が海部氏のことを話していた時、彼は彼岸へと向かおうとしていたということか。

また、昨夜からけさにかけて、外国語としての日本語を何年かぶりに再読した。この著作を選んだことに大きな理由はない。強いて言えば、先に再読した日本語を叱る!に関連した読み物だったということぐらい。著者である佐々木瑞枝氏は出版当時横浜国立大学教授であった。今夕、発生から50年が経過した連合赤軍によるあさま山荘事件に関するYahooニュース掲載の記事のひとつを読んでいると、記事の対象となっていたのは終身刑を下された犯人の一人で、彼は事件当時、横浜国立大学の学生だった。

なぜか、こういう偶然に遭遇することが印象に残るほど多い。

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Unconscious Relationtions of Books

I've been rereading books I have because I can't afford to buy new ones. I get surprised finding that I don't remember almost nothing written in some of them. I don't even remember the existence of some books. And I get also surprised finding how closely related some are to others.

Katharine Graham's Personal History is, in a different context and closely, related to Sugiyama Takao's メディアの興亡. And Jacques-Marie-Émile Lacan, Jacques Derrida, Martin Heidegger and Ferdinand de Saussure, whoever they are, appear in 文学部唯野教授 by Tsutsui Yasutaka as Lacan, Derrida and Heidegger are mentioned in 日本語を叱る! by Kaganoi Shuichi. Saussure seems to be the title of a book he authored.

日本語を叱る!, published in 2006, addresses issues I've been concerned and unhappy with. I didn't even remember I had this book with me, have read it for that matter (when?), and delighted to discover in a small drawer space in my bedroom and reread it.

Wednesday, February 09, 2022

Sugiyama Takao's Creative Nonfiction Story

杉山隆男著の『メディアの興亡』に学ぶところは多い。これも初めて読んだものではなくて、これで二度目だが、最初がいつだったのか覚えていない。

しかし、「阿倍野の自宅から南海電車でひと駅の天王寺」「(大森実とニール・シーアン(Neil Sheehanの)二人は、サイゴンのマジェスティック・ホテルでバーボンを飲みながら」、そして東京で「酒をくみかわし、揚げたての天麩羅に舌つづみを打った」などと、いい加減なことを読まされると、他の部分も信用できなくなる。『Once upon a Distant War』(William Prochnau)には、シーアンの断酒にいたる経緯が書かれているからだ。