Insight Issue 13

JAPANTODAY’S PREMIER ENGLISH DIGITAL WEEKLY MAGAZINE

BUSINESS

Halloween 2012

FAMILY /

FOOD

Happy Campers: Outdoor products maker, Coleman

Ekki Bar and Grill at the Four Seasons

ENTERTAINMENT OPINIONS

Children in Post-March 11 Japan

A Japanese Suicide

ISSUE 13 / VOLUME 01 / OCTOBER 2012

INSIGHT

Editor in Chief Chris Betros Art Director/Designer Thong Van Contributors Maki Yasuda Ken Seeroi

Account Managers Kieron Cashell Peter Lackner Advertising insight.sales@japantoday.com General inquiries insight@japantoday.com Publisher GPlusMedia Co., Ltd. 105-0011

3-1-1 Minotomi Bld. 3F Shiba-koen, Minato-ku Tokyo (Japan)

Tel: +81 3 5403 7781

Fax: +81 3 5403 2775

Web: www.gplusmedia.com Back Issues http://insight.japantoday.com/ insight-magazine

Insight Magazine is published

weekly online and can be read and downloaded to your PC or tablet for free.

Insight Online

insight.japantoday.com

Schools and Family News Tokyo International School (TIS) Happy Days

Gymboree Play & Music

Saint Maur International School and Ecole française

Health and Beauty Tsuruki Mita Clinic

Hotels and Japanese Inns ANA InterContinental Tokyo Hotel Okura Tokyo

Oriental Hotel Hiroshima The Peninsula Tokyo

Outdoors and Sports Tokyo Sail and Power Squadron (TSPS) Tsutsujigaoka Country Club

Restaurants and Bars Bulldog BBQ

Hei Fung Terrace

Kimono Wine and Grill Peter

Suji’s

The Irish Times

What The Dickens!

Professional Organisations Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan Language Teaching Professionals

The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan O.G.A for Aid

Content may not be reproduced

in whole or in part without written permission from GPlusMedia. ©2012 GPlusMedia Co., Ltd.

INSIGHT ISSUE 13

3

BUSINESS

Happy Camp Anyone who goes camping will certainly know the name Coleman. A subsidiary of American company Jarden Corp, Coleman is the world’s leading manufacturer of camping gear and outdoor equipment, including tents, lanterns, stoves, coolers and sleeping bags. It has had a presence in Japan since 1976.

Heading the Japan operation is Richard Guilfoile who also serves as president of the entire Asia-Pacific region. Born in Washington, DC, Guilfoile first came to Japan when he was a child. He was educated in both Japan and the U.S. After graduating from college, he worked in the cosmetics business for 14 years, and then spent 11 years running the Gillette business in Japan before joining Coleman in 2000.

How big is the Asia-Pacific region for Coleman?

There is no doubt that we have become the largest and most important piece of the Coleman business worldwide outside the United States. We do a lot of innovation. Unlike the past where 80% of what we sold was Japan-specific, more and more we are developing products here that the U.S. is picking up and as our parent company has strengthened their innovation team, we are also picking up more global items.

Right now, South Korea is a big success story and the fastest growing market in our region. China is growing, too.

As we look for additional growth opportunities in the region, we can bring our experience from other markets.

Doesn’t each market have its own unique characteristics?

Yes, and it is important that we listen to consumers in each market. In China, I’m hearing that some of the colors we have chosen for our tent products may need to be modified. Another example is our lighting business, which is extremely successful in Japan but struggles in Korea.

4

INSIGHT ISSUE 12

With camping, in Korea, heavy campers go maybe 30 times a year, whereas in Japan, they’ll go 10-15 times a year.

Japanese consumers look at the weather forecast and if there is a hint of rain, they’ll give it a miss. Koreans will go anyway. So there is a different expectation in terms of durability and specs.

What sort of a year have you had in Japan?

The year has been good so far. We finished last year strongly because after the earthquake, our lighting products, sleeping bags and backpacks sold well.

How did Coleman respond to the disaster?

We donated a lot of products, maybe 30,000 sleeping bags and 30,000 sets of flashlights and batteries. We were able to move very quickly and get those items to the people who needed them.

What are your best-selling products in Japan?

Backpacks sell the most, then tents, followed by furniture. In lighting, one of our best-selling products is the Quad LED light. In 2013, this will be added to the CPX series which operates on a rechargeable battery. It works with 4 D-cells instead of 8 and also has a rechargeable cartridge. On low, it will run for 60 hours consecutively; on high, 30 hours. It’s got an AC adapter as well.

Do you have a big inventory?

We are the largest outdoor in Japan. Every year we introduce 200-300 new SKUs (stock-keeping units). We showcased our new products for the coming year at

a trade fair each September. Out 2013 catalogue has 100 pages of new items. So we carry a large assortment of products but we also have a very good forecasting system to control our inventory levels.

What trends do you see in camping?

Over the last three years, we have been focusing on the younger market, the “yama-gyaru,” and those girls have really set the trends in terms of bags, jackets, hats and other gear for outdoor activities. Many of these girls take our gear to rock festivals or trekking, and we have made new colors and products to appeal to them. That would have been unheard of before at Coleman because everything was always green and beige.

There is a growing trend to go camping in the winter. In Japan, from this year, we are also seeing more groups of young women going camping together, to show each other how they can cook outside. Previously, many stores would stop selling outdoor gear right after O-bon in August, but we’ve stretched the season to mid-November. The biggest month in the whole year for camping is September because there are fewer mosquitoes, it is cooler, the stars are gorgeous and there is less traffic.

In terms of products, the key words for Japan are compact, light, easy to store and easy to assemble.

How do you market the brand in Japan?

We don’t do much advertising, though we have done a few videos in subways

BUSINESS

pers and JR trains in summer to encourage people to enjoy outdoors. We use Facebook and Twitter because it is important that we stay relevant. We do a lot of interaction with consumers through our website. Online shopping is growing rapidly and we collaborate with a number of Internet sites.

Where are Coleman products sold?

About 40% of what we sell goes through sporting goods retailers, 20% is through Home Center channels, 15% through specialty retailers catering to mountaineering, for example, and 10% is through our own eight retail outlets.

Where do you see growth opportunities?

The market for children is an area of potential growth. We have an incredible product called Puddle Jumper (life jacket). I’d like to see this range sold in Toys “R” Us, for example.

How do you interact with consumers?

We have camping events every weekend from the end of March to the end of October. Some of those events are for families, some are for those with no kids, and some are only for kids.

We also hold a camp college where we teach people how to camp. It’s the best way for us to get feedback.

How many staff do you have?

We have about 115 full-time staff, and around 40 part-time staff who support our stores. We have a couple of people who work with retailers and wholesale specific camp-out events where we bring all the new products and explain how to use them. That’s important because when we do the trade show, our sales people and wholesalers have to be able to explain every single product themselves.

How often do you visit stores?

I travel two weeks out of every month, so I probably spend more time visiting stores outside of Japan than I do here. The travelling is not as glamorous as it appears because you are constantly on the go. I swore I would never have a Blackberry but now that I have one, it keeps me sane.

RICHARD GUILFOILE President and Representative Director (Asia Pacific) Coleman Japan www.coleman.co.jp

How often do you go camping?

Maybe four weekends a year, I’ll show up at a campsite. We also have an annual management team campout in Karuizawa.

How many Coleman products do you have at home?

About 30-40. I don’t really need more than that.

INSIGHT ISSUE 12

5

FAMILY

HALLOWEEN

How it started

Around 2,000 years ago, ancient Celtic tribes people in Ireland began celebrating Samhain, which in the Irish language means “end of summer.” October 31 was actually their new year’s eve, with the calendar starting on November 1. This also marked the harvest, and with larders full and a last chance to celebrate before the winter - the Celts made Samhain their biggest and most celebrated holiday. Cattle were slaughtered and feasts were had to commemorate the passing of the seasons as well as the ancestors and the Celtic deities. Matchmaking, fortune-telling , singing and dancing were just some of the activities synonymous with Samahain.

Spirits, Ghost and Ghouls On the evening before the new year began, the Celts believed that there was a spiritual gap or chance for ancestors and spirits (both good and mischievous) to travel back to the world of the living for one night. Traditions began springing up such as leaving food and drink out for ancestors, or building bonfires away from dwellings to lure the more troublesome spirits away from people. People also took to the wearing of costumes and masks while outside in case they met a spirit on the road -- they could confuse the spirits that they were with one of their own.

As the years went by and Christianity was introduced into Ireland, All Saints Day was marked on November 1 to coincide with the pagan tradition, and Samhain became known as All

6

INSIGHT ISSUE 13

Hallows eve or Halloween. The tradition also spread across the world and mixed with other indigenous festivals to become the event that it is today. In America, Halloween became a festival geared toward young people and the playing of games. Trick or treating was introduced to combat the vandalism which would take place on Halloween, which proved successful in making the festival more community-based and peaceful.

In Japan, Halloween has a strong appeal, and has in recent years become popular with people of all ages, dressing up at Halloween events such as parades, parties, school events and clubbing at Japan’s night hotspots.

Looking to get a costume? Check Novelty shops such as Don Quixote and 100 yen shops which have large selections of Halloween outfits available.

Whether you’re celebrating the harvest, the changing season, honoring the spirits or just looking for a good excuse to party, we wish you an “Oíche samhain shona duit” or happy Halloween!!

FAMILY

Halloween Parades (Tokyo) Roppongi Hills Halloween Parade Sat Oct. 27, 2012 Put on Your Costume and Join the Parade!

Join the parade of the cutest witches and ghosts you’ve ever seen! Free candy treats for all costumed kids in the parade.

Kawasaki Halloween Parade Sun Oct. 28, 2012 3,500 people take to the streets of Kawasaki. Children must be 6 years and older, but it will be mostly adults in this parade.

Place: Roppongi Hills Arena Time: 11:00 - 13:30 (tentative) Admission: Free

Place: Cinecitta’ street at LA CITTADELLA Time 14:30-16:30 (Parade) Events and costume competition from 10:30 onward.

Web: www.roppongihills.com/en/events

Omotesando Hello Halloween Pumpkin Parade Sun Oct 28, 2012 Omotesando Avenue is closed to traffic so kids under 12 can parade in costume.

Assembly Piazza assembly hall building (elementary school Jingumae Shibuya).

Also at Space O Omotesando Hills Time: 13:00-14:15 (Parade) Web: www.harajuku-halloween.com

Free entry Web: lacittadella.co.jp/halloween

Halloween Spooktacular Party!

Sat Oct. 28, 2012 Place: Biervana Akasaka Time: 18:00 until late Web: biervana.com Hosted by OGA for Aid. Help OGA continue their valuable work in support of those still working to rebuild their lives after the devastation of the Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Web: www.facebook.com/ events/178833432241183

Live Music Schedule: Oct 26: Sluggo Monster Rock Oct 27: Steve Gardner & The BottleneckBlues Band Oct 28: Jazz Torch Song Classics and Oldies Oct 30: Burnymphet (New) Oct 31: Dickens! Bicentennial Halloween Party.

Happens only once every 200 years on a Wednesday Featuring Rebel Yell M80 Nov 1st : Business and Social Networking

h Wit ie Jazz Mack h a it Ann als) w i c (Vo o Yag k Mie s) and y (Ke Lloyd Huw rinet) www.whatthedickens.jp (Cla INSIGHT ISSUE 13

7

FOOD

EKKI BAR & GRILL

Ekki BAR & GRILL at the Four Seasons Hotel Marunouchi - Elegant all-day dining right by Tokyo station

BY MAKI YASUDA The Four Seasons Hotel Marunouchi is a perfect little boutique hotel that exudes privacy and exclusivity, and feels more like a club than a hotel. With just 57 rooms (including nine suites), it is the smallest hotel for the Four Seasons brand, and has a unique character that makes it a favorite stay in Tokyo for international business executives and other well-heeled guests. Set in a rather unlikely location on the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station (great if you have plans to use the station or want to be near the Marunouchi business district), the hotel occupies floors 3~7 of the 32-story Pacific Century Place, defiant of the tendency for five-star hotels in skyscrapers to be perched on the highest floors. This setting affords all of the rooms a dynamic close-range view of the bullet-train tracks of Tokyo Station; a dream view for railway fanatics, as well as parents who find that their kids can occupy themselves for hours just watching the trains come and go, and perhaps jaded five-star travelers who are tired of more typical Tokyo skyline views. The renowned Canadian interior designer Glenn Pushelberg has created a modern interior for the hotel that is plush and welcoming but with a touch of artistic edge, an alluring balance of style and comfort.

Being such a small and intimate hotel, there is only one restaurant, the appropriately named all-day dining, “ekki BAR & GRILL” on the seventh floor. “Ekki” means “station” in Japanese, and like the hotel rooms, floor to ceiling windows all along one side of the restaurant offer views of the train tracks. The restaurant has the air of an uber-stylish high-end diner, upscale but easy-going. Charcoal grey sofa seats and dark brown zebrawood tables set a chic color tone, accented with chairs upholstered in lime green. One may not usually come up with the Four Seasons when thinking of a place for a casual dinner, but it is actually a very convenient place to know about for business or personal occasions in the Marunouchi-Tokyo area (it’s also perhaps not as expensive as one might expect).

The current menu is the first to be presented by Head Chef Sotiris Ananiadis, who just arrived at ekki this summer. Chef Ananiadis is an affable young chef originally from Greece with training in Michelin-starred restaurants in France, as well as experience at the Four Seasons Beirut and other hotels in such exotic places as the Maldives. This is his first time in Japan, and the menu offers an eclectic selection of contemporary international fare with emphasis on fresh Japanese products. He 8

INSIGHT ISSUE 12

personally sources the fish on the menu from the Tsukiji market, as represented on the menu by the “Tsukiji Market assorted sashimi plate.” The menu is not extensive, but there is surely something for every mood, ranging from delicate dishes such a “foie gras torchon with champagne jelly,” to hearty pastas, vegetable curry, and “wagyu burger” (with truffle mayonnaise).

The menu is big on “fresh,” with five kinds of salad, each very distinct. On my visit, I decided to try the “Greek Salad- presented in a bento,” which is basically the ingredients of a Greek salad all presented separately, lined up immaculately in multiple porcelain boxes. At first glance it made me wonder what the point of the dish was, but

hearty size, and although presented beautifully with intricate garnishes and sauces, is not very fussy to eat, which is a big plus for business occasions.

As for wine, ekki has a boutique New World wine list, and is also currently doing a promotion of Australia’s Penfolds, for which they offer several kinds by the glass, including the legendary “Grange” (2006). After champagne and a nice Chardonnay from the Penfolds list, the main wine of the night selected for us was “Deaf Galah 2011” from McLaren Vale, a blend of Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. It had been a while since I had a good fruit bomb of a wine, and the Deaf Galah reminded me of how delicious (and fun) they can

be. If you’re ever in the mood for fine dining with great New World wines, ekki’s boutique selection is sure to please.

FOOD

the pure taste of the various kinds of tomatoes and selection of different olive oil answered for itself. “Quick seared langoustine” was plump, sweet and succulent, and five of these precious shellfish was a generous number for a single serving. Seafood risotto, which the chef personally recommended, was divided among four of us at the table and was just the right amount for a dish in a multiple course meal, another testament to the generous portion size (I confirmed that it was indeed one portion that was shared). “Oven baked turbot with Dried Fruits Crust” for my main was also nicely done, picture-perfect on a well-heated plate. Overall, the cuisine is all expertly prepared and of a good

The choose-everything-yourself dinner courses at ekki start from 5,800 yen – your selection of one appetizer, main, and dessert from the menu, inclusive of coffee – which makes it a surprisingly good deal considering the superior service, quality of food, and elegant setting. Ekki has two private rooms in the back, a wonderful venue for a special occasion that will surely impress guests. The smaller one can cater to 16-25 guests, while the bigger one can handle up to 60 guests.

The rooms have double flat-screen displays hidden inside the cushioned wall, making them well equipped for business meetings. Afternoon tea is also a specialty of ekki, and judging from the selection of intricately prepared plates of desserts I sampled, including a lemon-grass scented pannacotta, raspberry cake, and earl grey macaron, it should be pretty amazing.

Ekki BAR & GRILL Four Seasons Hotel Marunouchi 7th floor 1-11-1 Pacific Century Place, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6277 Tel: 03-5222-7222 Breakfast: 6:30am – 10:30am Lunch: 11:30am – 2:30pm Brunch (Saturday and Sunday): 11:30am – 2:00pm Afternoon tea (Monday to Friday): 2:00pm – 5:00pm Afternoon tea (Saturday and Sunday): 2:30pm – 5:00pm Dinner: 5:30pm – 10:00pm www.fourseasons.com/marunouchi

INSIGHT ISSUE 13

9

ENTERTAINMENT

Communities in northeastern Japan are still struggling to come to terms with last year’s compound disasters.

But what about the children of the region? Are they able to move on and look ahead to the future? That is the question behind the upcoming short documentary “Kore Kara” (meaning “from now on” in Japanese).

10

INSIGHT ISSUE 13

ENTERTAINMENT

The 30-minute film brings together profiles of children and teens living in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, one of the many areas that were hit hard by the March 11 tsunami.

“Originally, the purpose of the film was to point out the necessity for more attention to children’s needs and counseling following a natural disaster,” says Tokyo-based journalist Kevin Mcgue, who is producing the film. “But after meeting some kids in the affected areas, we discovered they have a powerful message to share not only with other children in Japan, but with the world.”

The focus of the documentary changed to a more positive stance. Rather than having the children recount their traumatic experiences of March 11, 2011, the filmmakers asked them to talk about their hopes and dreams for the future.

“Meeting these brave kids was an eye opener,” says director Ivy Oldford. “Most of the responses we got from them were different from what I expected— in a good way.” Having survived the disaster, many of the children express wishes to become nurses or rescue workers in order to help others.

Despite living in an area that is still rebuilding more than a year after the devastating tsunami, the children featured

in the film urge a positive attitude. “I want people to treasure each day,” says a high school student in the film. “People want to put things off until tomorrow, but for some people ‘tomorrow’ didn’t come because of the natural disaster. So you have to value today.”

The filmmakers plan to make the documentary available with multilingual subtitles to schools both in Japan and around the world. They hope teachers can share with their students the powerful message that even the youngest members of society can overcome a natural disaster and see beyond to the bright future they create for themselves.

The filmmakers also plan to hold screenings in affected areas in Tohoku and in Tokyo. They are raising funds to cover costs relating to holding screenings and making DVDs and teacher guides at http://www. indiegogo.com/korekaraproject.

Screenings are planned for Tokyo in December and January. Screening dates will be posted on the Facebook page as they are set.

For more information on the documentary, visit: www.facebook.com/korekaraproject

INSIGHT ISSUE 13

11

OPINIONS

OPIN IONS A Japanese suicide

BY KEN SEEROI Ken Seeroi is a professional writer, photographer, and occasional English teacher living in Japan.

I met Shun and Makiko one morning as I was standing in front of my apartment drinking coffee and wondering what the hell I was doing with my life, teaching English in Japan. When they came out of the apartment two doors down from me, they introduced themselves and we smalltalked for a bit. Then they went off to go clam digging, but not before inviting me to dinner that Friday night.

If you live in Japan, you know just how rare this is.

People go decades without ever speaking to their neighbors, and to be invited into someone’s home is nothing short of miraculous.

Soon we were hanging out a couple times a week. I’d go over to their apartment for curry and beer, they’d come to mine for shochu and this dried octopus I buy at the convenience store. Once in a while Shun and I would go out together and hit a cheap izakaya. Shun and Makiko also had a two year-old daughter named Ai-chan, who used to scramble to high-five me every time we met.

This went on for a few months, until I decided I ought to actually attempt cooking something in return for all the delicious food Makiko had been making. I figured I’d invite them over the next time I ran into them. Only problem

12

INSIGHT ISSUE 11

was, I didn’t see them for a good three weeks. I was a bit concerned. We’d been planning to go to karaoke together.

Around midnight on a Saturday, just as I was wondering if it was worth crawling all the way to the fridge for another beer, the doorbell rang. I got up and there was Shun.

“Hey, how’s it going?” I said.

“Haven’t seen you in a while!”

“Yeah,” he said as he stepped in and took off his shoes. I could see that something was wrong.

“I’ll get you a beer,” I said.

“What’s up?

“You got the landlord’s phone number?”

“Yeah, somewhere in this pile of papers. Grab a seat.”

He sat on the floor with his beer. “Where’d your little table go?” he asked. Then, “You

garbage or something.” We went back into my place, then out to the balcony. He only lived two doors away. I stood up on my air-conditioning unit and looked around the partition. If you stepped onto the railing, you could hold onto the partition and swing around to the next apartment.

Do that twice and you’d be there. I looked down four floors to the ground, and reflected on the small pile of beer cans I’d just drunk. It was really high.

“Maybe we should call the cops,” I said and stepped down. Shun got onto the air conditioner and stood there for a moment. Then without a word, he stepped onto the railing and balanced there.

I thought it’d looked dicey before, but when I saw him up there, it was way worse. If he fell, he’d be dead for sure.

“They bagged up all of Makiko’s clothes and possessions and laid them among the trash.

And then it was like she’d never existed.” seen Makiko lately?”

“No, why?” I said. “I haven’t seen either of you in forever.”

“I hope she’s not dead,” he said. He dialed the landlord.

“He’s not answering,” he said.

“Well it’s after midnight.

Dead? Why? Dude, Makiko’s not dead.”

It turned out they’d had a fight a week ago, and Shun had packed his bags and left for his mother’s house. I was like, “Don’t you have a key?” and he looked thoughtful and said, “I was pissed so I gave it back to her.” Then apparently, little Ai-chan had been dropped off at her grandmother’s house three days ago and no one had heard from Makiko since.

We went outside and looked at the door. “Doesn’t it smell kind of funny?” Shun asked.

We sniffed at the exhaust fan.

“I dunno,” I said, “maybe it’s

He twisted his body around the partition and dropped onto the nextdoor neighbor’s

porch, then began working his way onto his own balcony. It occurred to me that maybe the sliding glass door wouldn’t even be open.

“Can you get in?” I yelled.

“Hang on,” he said. “It’s dark. I think I see her.”

“Open the front door,” I said. “When you get in, open the front door!”

I went inside, then out my own front door. In about one second, the door to Shun’s place flew open and he fell out, screaming “She’s dead!

She’s dead!” He dropped to the concrete as I caught him, saying “No, she can’t be.

How’s that possible?” He was crying and shaking. “I thought she was asleep! She’s cold, she’s cold!” I held him in my arms and he wouldn’t stop

crying, just wailing. I was like, what do I say in Japanese?

What would I even say in English? I know Japanese stuff like “well, that’s too bad,” for when your bike gets a flat tire, or “I’m sorry to hear about your loss” for when your granny dies, but what do you say to a guy when his wife’s just committed suicide? I said nothing.

Shun was babbling and almost incoherent, and suddenly seemed to be all wet, and I wondered if it was tears, sweat, or he’d peed himself.

“Call the police,” he said. I was shaking so badly I could hardly hold my phone.

“What’s the number?” I stammered. “The number, what’s the number?”

“119,” he said, which in

Japanese sounds like tenone-nine. I knew that. I started to dial.

“Where the hell’s the ten button?” I cried. “I can’t find the ten button!” I was shaking like mad. Then I thought maybe I’d made a mistake in my Japanese, so I tried to calm down and check my numbers.

Shun and I are laying on the concrete, and he’s pale and wet and crying, and I’ve got my left arm tightly around him and a phone in my right hand and I’m counting, One, two, three, four, five . . . until I get to ten and I still can’t figure out where the hell the ten button is, so I start over again, One, two three . . .

“I don’t know how to dial the phone,” I said. I pressed it into his hand, and he managed to get it dialed and passed it back. A police dispatcher answered. Suddenly, I didn’t know what to say again.

“Hello,” I said. Then, “There’s a dead person!”

“What’s the person’s name?” she asked. I couldn’t remember, so I told her who I was. “What’s your location?” she said. I couldn’t remember.

“Japan,” I said.

were in and out asking every possible question of Shun and me. What time did Shun arrive?

Why didn’t he have a key? How long had she been depressed?

Was there infidelity? How had he broken into the apartment?

How many beers had we had?

This went on for hours, sitting on my floor.

Somewhere around 4 a.m., things got a bit stranger.

Makiko’s parents showed up. Shun broke down when he saw them and with tears streaming down his face, got on his hands and knees and bent his head to the ground, apologizing over and over.

Her parents were crying. I was crying. The policeman was sitting there with his notebook and he was crying. I started madly stuffing laundry into the closet and put on some tea. I looked in my cabinet and all I could find was one tea cup, a plastic McDonald’s glass, three wine glasses, and a Rirakuma coffee mug, so that’s how everyone got their tea.

Then Makiko’s other children showed up. Other children? Apparently she’d been married before and had two children, aged seven and 12. They were bawling, having been woken in the middle of the night to the news that their mother had killed herself. I gave them wine glasses full of tea. Shun’s mother showed up. I gave her a beer mug full of tea.

Sometime after dawn, everyone left, except Shun, who asked if he could stay. We unfolded the futon and passed out. When I woke up a couple hours later, he was gone.

The Morning After I stepped out on the porch.

Christ, it was a beautiful day.

This is where I’d met them a few months ago, and now Makiko was dead. I felt like hell. I decided to go for a run to clear my head. The night before, there’d been an emergency room’s worth of

medical devices on the porch, along with every type of police and medical personnel you’d ever imagined. Now it was all gone, except for a small flyer for a pizza place laying in front of the apartment where they used to live.

It was so strange. They’d cleaned everything up, except for this one ad for a pizza joint. I picked it up. I couldn’t believe they’d never live there again. My friends were gone.

For some strange reason, I tried the door handle and it turned. I opened the door.

Surprise party! Everyone was in the apartment. “Hello,” they all happily shouted at once, and Shun jumped up and ran to me. “Come in, come in,” he said. Holy Christ. I closed the door. Shun opened the door and grabbed me by the arm.

“Everyone’s waiting for you,” he said. Everyone was in black suits. I looked down and all I could see were my bare legs and these tiny running shorts.

I went in and everyone was smiling. I was still holding the flyer for the pizza place, since I didn’t have any pockets in my shorts. I looked down again and to my shock, there was Makiko, laying dead on a futon in the middle of the room. Shouldn’t the coroner have taken her away? Why the hell was she still there? She did not look very good.

“We’re putting make-up on her now,” said Makiko’s mother. I’d never noticed how many earrings Makiko had before.

“That’s, uh, good,” I said.

Again, I had no idea what to say.

Somehow, they’d run out in the early hours of the morning and already gotten a glossy 8×12 framed portrait of Makiko and laid it by her head, then whipped up a bowl of her favorite meat stew and placed it beside here, along with a bowl of rice. It wasn’t even 10 a.m. yet. A pair of chopsticks were sticking straight up from the rice.

“Come and sit beside her,” said Shun. That was about the last thing I wanted to do, but as I had no choice, I knelt beside her dead body with my running shorts and pizza flyer and looked at her and her family, and wanted to cry. But since no one else was, I didn’t.

The whole thing was already weird enough. Everyone thanked me incessantly for the use of my apartment the previous night. After half an hour, I made my goodbyes. I couldn’t figure what else to do, so I went for a run by the river. Such a beautiful, sunny day.

Makiko’s body lay there for another two days until they finally carried her away surrounded by flowers. Shun said he didn’t sleep the entire time. He was wracked with guilt. He started cutting his arms with razor blades. He must have had a hundred cuts all up and down them.

Then on the third day, they started cleaning the place out.

They threw away everything, and I mean everything.

Makiko’s parents came by and gave me a case of beer. Shun gave me their microwave and a bunch of dishes, including some tea cups. I figured those would come in handy. It took them exactly two days to throw out all the furniture, appliances, and traces of their life, and then clean the place.

After it was done, I went into the apartment and it looked like nothing had ever happened. All that was left was an enormous pile of trash in front of the building. No sentimentality, no mementos. They bagged up all of Makiko’s clothes and possessions and laid them among the trash. And then it was like she’d never existed.

OPINIONS

Japanese Emergency Response Shun and I were still laying there when the paramedics ran up the stairs, followed shortly by the police. Soon there was a swarm of stretchers, oxygen masks, medical bags and police of every sort.

You know, unless you live near a row of bars, which I didn’t, Japan’s really quiet at night. I could only imagine what the neighbors were thinking, with all the sirens and police and ambulance crews. A policeman squatted down beside us and started asking questions. This went on for about 10 minutes, and I knew a solid hundred people in the neighboring apartments could hear every word. A lot of the questions were personal, and for the first time it occurred to me that this was a criminal investigation.

I thought, shouldn’t this be happening at the police station? Instead, we were just collapsed in a heap on the concrete. I was a mess. Shun was a disaster.

Finally I said, let’s at least take this into my apartment.

The policeman said nothing, but kept asking questions for another 20 minutes.

Other cops came by and asked things. She’d been holding her phone and texting someone when she died. Who was that person? Where’d she gotten the pills she took? The ambulance crew went in and out and the medical examiner arrived to take away the body.

I suggested moving into my apartment again and finally the suggestion took. We’d been outside for nearly an hour, in a crumpled pile on the concrete.

When we got inside, it occurred to me I had a different problem. My place was a holy mess. There were dishes in the sink and little stacks of garbage and empty beer cans, and everywhere were enormous piles of laundry. Soon a dozen police

//

INSIGHT ISSUE 11

13