Shall We Dance?

As the vacation portion of my trip to Japan ended, I found myself lost in transition. After getting a little oriented to Tokyo, I needed to shift into business mode. I started worrying again about proper protocol and whether I would end up offending my hosts, who easily lived up to the legendary reputation for Japanese hospitality.

I visited another city, Kanazawa, which affirmed my impression that Tokyo is only one view--albeit a prominent one--of Japan. Kanazawa and Kyoto are apparently the most popular tourist destinations for the Japanese. I was told that one of the reasons is that neither city was bombed during World War II. I suppose Japanese history and culture might be more well preserved in these cities. What must it be like to realize that entire cities disappeared?

Kanazawa was definitely different than Tokyo, given its agricultural base and industrial presence. I saw a truck driver who looked like a character out of the movie Tampopo. I saw large swaths of land devoted to various crops, but I did not see a single sign of livestock. I had the pleasure of visiting Kenrokuen Garden and a couple of (restored) samurai homes. As the days moved on, my appreciation for Japanese attention to detail, balance, and presentation grew. I enjoyed meals that appealed to every one of my senses. I was overwhelmed by the way in which a garden was seamlessly integrated into one of the samurai homes. It seemed perfectly natural that a tree had grown through the roof. Even though there was plenty of noise nearly, the trickling stream eventually became the only sound I could hear. The balance between private/public and indoor/outdoor is something I had never fully appreciated about Japanese architecture and design. When I returned to Tokyo, I noted that even in the midst of the most dense urban jungle, there are attempts to fold in green spaces, even on building roofs and sometimes within buildings. This reflective aspect of Japanese culture was captured in one of my favorite movies Afterlife.

Another one of my favorite movies is Shall We Dance? At our farewell dinner, I was asked to offer a few words for a toast. I offered the following: "When asked about this visit, I described it as a dance. When a group begins a dance, there is awkwardness and nervousness as people get to know each other. But as the evening goes on, if all goes well, eventually everyone moves as one. Thank you for inviting me to this dance, and I look forward to the next time we dance."

A Taste of India

There are so many western influences in Japan, it's possible to forget at moments that I'm in Asia. I have heard from fellow Asians some resentment about Japan's alignment with the West, rather than the rest of Asia. The current G-8 Summit is a reminder of this tension. Perhaps hosting the conference in Japan will allow for greater emphasis on China and India. It's strange to imagine an economic consortium without explicit representation from China and India, or Brazil for that matter.

At one point during a trip between hotels, my taxi stopped in front of an Indian restaurant. Almost anyone of South Asian descent will know the moment. No matter our origins, no matter our self-perceptions, South Asians in these circumstances will often look at each other and smile. As if to acknowledge a bond that transcends national or cultural boundaries. Even the vast differences between Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis seem to disappear when we leave South Asia. I suppose we finally focus more on what is common, rather than what is different.

In this case, each of the people in the restaurant smiled and bowed slightly. One of them came up to the taxi and handed me a menu from the restaurant. I can't deny a certain comfort when I saw curry, naan, and mango lassi on the menu. He spoke to me in Japanese. When I said "thank you" in English, he must have realized I do not live in Tokyo. He made the leap to Hindi, which I also do not understand. I'm embarrassed enough not understanding Japanese, but I'm even more embarrassed not understanding Hindi (after all, my wife speaks it fairly fluently). I miss out on so much because of my poor language skills.

One language that does seem to transcend boundaries is business. I'm struck by the Asian business shows, with men in suits and ties, using the same jargon as the Wall Street pundits. It's a 24 hour a day obsession, spoken in the language of currency. It's difficult to translate English into Japanese, but it's easy to find out the latest conversion rate between the British pound and the Japanese yen. BBC Asian Business Report featured a story on malnutrition in India. The story focused on a young woman who mentioned that her four children are starving. They certainly looked that way. The report mentioned that malnutrition causes $29 billion of lost productivity in India, or nearly 4% of its GDP. India's long-term productivity might be adversely affected if "they can not tap properly into these human resources". We should feed these people only because they can contribute to the economy?

When did human misery and suffering become measured as an adverse impact on GDP?

Smoking or Non-Smoking

It's been awhile since I've been asked that question in the US, but I've been asked this question on more than one occasion in Tokyo. I have seen a lot of vending machines around the city, most of which offer water and other drinks for sale. I have also seen a few vending machines that sell cigarettes. I've also noted that cigarettes are relatively inexpensive. One of my standard price benchmarks when I travel is McDonalds. The extra value meals in Tokyo cost anywhere from 500 to 650 yen (about $5-6 with current exchange rates). A glass of orange juice at a restaurant has cost me 400 yen. Cigarettes sell in the vending machines for about 300 yen. Marlboro seems to be a very popular brand.

I had read that US big tobacco companies had shifted their attention to Asia. It would seem they have done so quite effectively.

Diversity in Japan

The Japan Times is one of the English newspapers in this country. Its motto is "All the News Without Fear or Favor". The front page on Sunday, July 6 has articles about the upcoming G-8 summit in Japan, Pakistan's nuclear program, Iran's nuclear program, Robert Mugabe, and Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. Apparently, an American named Joey Chestnut defeated "celebrated Japanese rival" Takeru Kobayashi. I guess that's an accurate description given that Kobayashi has won the event six times. It's interesting to note the Japanese-specific elements in the newspaper (for example, a cartoon featuring a sumo wrestler). But it's equally interesting to note the common themes of surging gas prices, sagging economic times, and concerns about health care (and, given today's headlines, nuclear proliferation).

There's also an interesting interview with David Peace, an English author who lives in Tokyo. He does not believe in the "myth of one Japanese mind, as if everyone's got f**king ESP or something." He also states: "And yet there's 120 million people in this country, and I've been here 14 years and every single person I've met has been a unique individual." Good point. I suppose making inferences or assertions about Japan based on Tokyo would be like making inferences or assertions about the US based on New York. Make that Manhattan. Tokyo has a population of over 12 million people. Today, I managed to encounter some of the diversity of its people--because my computer crashed.

My wife believes that I can't cope without being on my computer for any length of time. Perhaps she's right. I did feel a sense of deep frustration. The disorientation combined with the loss of my "self" as captured by my computer was too much to take. The hotel concierge kindly pointed out the nearest Apple Store in Shibuya, noting it on a map. The taxi driver didn't exactly know where to take me. When I realized he was just stopping randomly, I said, "OK...here" I think he was relieved. I showed my map to one man who walked with me for some time before pointing down a street. Another man helped me until I found myself in the Apple Store, which looked like any other Apple Store. Eventually, I found myself at the Genius Bar with a man who spoke fluent English and told me confidently he would fix my computer. He also told me it would take an hour or so.

I walked out of the store, looked out on the street, and randomly chose to go right. I saw a Denny's! I've never seen a Denny's outside the US. I was sorry not to have my camera because one of my good friends would really enjoy seeing Denny's in Japanese. As I kept walking, I heard music. Not the music on the radio, but live music. I entered a park where several individuals were playing music. All kinds of music. Even what sounded like country songs with Japanese lyrics. A little further along the path, I was in the middle of an arts and crafts fair. There were items from all over the world. I also noted booths for Amnesty International, green energy, "Radio freedom", and free trade exchanges.

And there were people dressed in every imaginable way, laughing, sitting together, drinking together. They would smile at me when I would look at them. These folks were not self conscious. They were being themselves and enjoying it. I should not be surprised that some people in Japan care about many of the same things that I care about. I am glad that I encountered these folks during my visit.

When I returned to the Apple store, the genius (yes, I was ready to call him that) had fixed my computer. I asked him if there was a charge for his work. He replied, "Of course not...enjoy your stay in Tokyo". He said it to be friendly, not just polite.

I've never been so pleased that my computer crashed.

Land of the Rising Sun

I am sitting in my room at the Westin Tokyo. During the fourteen hour flight from EWR to NRT, aside from time eating and going to the bathroom, I slept the entire way. I'm thankful for frequent flyer miles that allowed me to fly business class, but this also makes me realize that I'm almost certainly sleep deprived. I wonder how this will play out in a city that supposedly never sleeps.

I received meticulous instructions from my hotel about purchasing tickets from the "Friendly Airport Limousine Bus" company. Given how polite and friendly everyone has been so far, I think the "friendly" in their name is redundant. As I waited for the bus, I noticed that the two displays on either side of the driveway noted the same time, but different temperatures. I don't know why, but I thought it was strange that this discrepancy hadn't been fixed or reconciled. When I boarded the bus, every time I looked at a woman sitting by herself, she would smile and turn away. I had the distinct feeling those smiles stemmed from nervousness (please don't sit next to me!). I sat next to a young Japanese man wearing sunglasses who ignored me throughout the ride. In fact, the only people speaking on the bus were speaking in English. I started to consider the possibility that the Japanese are incredibly polite, but not necessarily friendly.

As we drove into Tokyo, I noticed a lot of building developments that look like building developments you might see anywhere, with lots of clothes--and mini satellite dishes--hanging on the balconies. I also saw two gigantic ferris wheels. And the Tokyo Disney Resort. As our driver approached the toll booths (that seemed completely automated), he must have used something similar to EZPass. Each of the booths had a gate that went up after a beeping sound (perhaps confirming payment?). For a culture that is seemingly so intent on appropriate behavior, I thought it was odd to have such enforcement in place. The bus offered announcements and signage in English for which I was grateful. I noted the statement over the announcement system: "Please do not use portable phones as they annoy the neighbors." That's a very different way of saying "Cell phone use is prohibited". And the Japanese do seem to care about whether they annoy their neighbors.

As I left the bus, I noted the only person to ignore the request to remain seated until the bus stopped was another American, who left his trash near his seat (another unique action). When our bags were brought to the curbside, I noted that everyone waited before picking up their bags (except the aforementioned American). The bus driver eventually said something and everyone started handing him their bag receipts. He matched each ticket and bag before people walked off with their bags. There was clearly an expected manner in which we would collect our bags.

I find myself wondering whether I'm offending someone or everyone with my action or inaction. When the housekeeping staff asked me if I wanted turndown service, my first reaction was to say no. But I felt so badly at the thought of his reaction such that I let him into my room. Everyone else keeps apologizing to me for one reason or another, even though I'm not offended in the least. Every time I travel to a new place, I experience the same feeling of nervousness that arises from being unsure of myself. It's the reason I go out of my way to help visitors to the US. I'd like to believe the other American on the bus is basically a decent guy; he may be reacting to nervousness in a different way than I am. First impressions lead me to believe that many folks here are unsure of being themselves.

Group F Finales

Reports of Ronaldo's death were greatly exaggerated.

He has now tied Gerd Müller's all-time scoring record, and he stands poised to pass all the great strikers who have graced the pitch during The World Cup. Brazilian manager, Parreira, deserves a lot of credit for properly gauging the Ronaldo pulse. With a few turns, a well placed header and a thunderous shot, Ronaldo announced his arrival in Germany. Robinho's presence has proven useful for Brazil, and he might displace Adriano in the starting lineup.

I'm sure Zico wished that Ronaldo had remained in abeyance. If Zico had asked Japan to begin in a defensive shell, he might have been called a hypocrite. How could he encourage Japan to emulate Brazilian football and then put every man behind the ball against Brazil? Japan should be credited for playing with Brazil in the early stages, and even taking the lead. After their goal, Zico seemed to realize that waking up a sleeping giant is a dangerous affair. While Japan started to sit back, waiting for a counter-attack, they faced a barrage of shots, near misses and, eventually, goals. Falling behind might have been the wake-up call that Brazil needed. It's amazing that they have a winning record in World Cup play when they concede the first goal.

Japan can't be happy to have the dubious distinction of leading, but ultimately losing two games, and remaining winless outside of Asia during World Cup play. Zico may be right in pushing Japanese players to be more creative and free-flowing, but they might have more to accomplish on the defensive side of the pitch. Maybe it's difficult to generate offense when you're back on your heels, but Brazil's opponents don't score many goals. For now, Japan has to be considered an Asian power, still waiting to make its big splash on the World stage.

There is an Asian team that's already made a splash on this World Cup stage. OK, I'm being premature. No, I'm not referring to South Korea, who may or may not qualify tomorrow. I'm referring to Australia's move into the Asian Confederation following the tournament. For now, Oceania can claim a team in the knockout phase.

Though they must be pleased (and rightly so), I don't think the Australians are ready to name stadiums or bestow honorary citizenship to Guus Hiddink yet. He deserves credit for getting Australia into the knockout phase, but I didn't understand his decision to play Kalac in goal today. Perhaps Schwarzer was hurt? Maybe Schwarzer was being disciplined? When Kalac's blunder gave Croatia the lead, Guus Hiddink looked like he was thinking about whether Korean Airlines flies directly to Russia. But, it seems, he and the team that he manages lead a charmed life. Kewell was clearly offside when he struck the second goal. As I mentioned elsewhere, missed calls are a part of soccer. Australia has now scored four goals in the last quarter hour of their three games. Given the way that Italy plays, the Socceroos might find themselves needing one of those last minute miracle comebacks.

Days Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten

Before The World Cup began, I had imagined that Ivory Coast might have been the sleeper or dark horse team. Being placed in the group of death has been hard on them (though, it seems, even harder on Serbia and Montenegro). Having watched Ecuador play twice, I have to say that I believe they are the most promising, surprise team so far. It was so refreshing to see their defenders neutralize Costa Rica's strikers by actually running with them, toward the goal. They didn't rely (exclusively) on the offside trap, having defenders run away from the goal with their hands up in the air. If they tie or beat Germany in the final game of the first round, they win the group.

As for who they might meet in the second round, England still continues to underwhelm. On one level, it was great to see Wayne Rooney in action. The World Cup features the best players in the world, and he certainly fits the bill. But on another level, why did England need his (and Lennon's) boost? Peter Crouch had to resort to hair pulling for the first goal. They just don't seem to be rising to the occasion, and it's worth nothing they haven't beaten Sweden since 1968. If England beats Sweden, and Trinidad and Tobago beats Paraguay, we have to look at tie breakers. As much as I've enjoyed seeing T&T's spirit, I don't see this happening. BTW, major respect to John Terry for that goal line clearance.

Argentina 6, Serbia and Montenegro 0. Argentina has managed this scoreline before in The World Cup in 1978 by beating Peru 6-0, which helped them advance on goal differential over Brazil. However, that match remains controversial to this day. Soccer being soccer, I can even recall articles at the time speculating that Argentina had threatened military action against, or even offered nuclear technology, to Peru (conspiracy theories cut both ways). On this occasion, there's no controversy--just admiration for Argentina's fantastic play. Let's hope both the Netherlands and Argentina continue playing great soccer when they meet in the final game of the first round.

In the "other confederation" arena, it seems that the African confederation is reasserting itself. Ivory Coast played well in a losing effort, Angola tied Mexico, and Ghana's strikers and keeper found their stride against the Czech Republic. From Asia, Iran lost to Portugal, but Japan managed a tie against Croatia, and South Korea came back to tie France. From the CONCACAF realm, there's the US-Italy game.

Let's hope that we witnessed the worst refereeing of the tournament. That ref was hopeless. It takes a lot of courage to hand out a red card to a soccer power like Italy. De Rossi deserved the red card, but many refs would have given him a yellow card and a stern warning. But he almost certainly used Mastroeni for a make-up call. I also don't think he realized that Eddie Pope already had a yellow card. In the end, the US has to be pleased with being alive, though beating Ghana is no easy task. Onyewu seemed to settle into his role, but Eddie Pope still looked lost. The image of him holding up his hand, standing still, during Italy's first goal was rather pathetic. Of course, I'm not sure who's going to play in the back line now that he's suspended.

Both the US-Italy and South Korea-France match left me wondering about European soccer entitlement. What do I mean? De Rossi was clearly upset that his teammate, Zaccardo, scored an own goal (and what a bizarre strike of the ball). Maybe he should have had his words with him. Instead, he decided to elbow Brian McBride. When South Korea scored its goal, William Gallas (who should attend the John Terry school for goal line clearing) was clearly upset. Shortly after the goal, he grabbed (an offside) South Korean player and threw him to the pitch. So, what I wonder about is whether certain Italian or French players would behave this way if they were playing each other (or another of the soccer "powers")? How much of their frustration arose from an expectation, even entitlement, that they were the better team and therefore "deserved" to win.

Regardless of whether I'm just idly (or even unfairly) speculating, it was a very sad sight to see Zidane leave the field, throwing something off to the side. Given his second yellow card, he won't play in France's next game. If teams in their group play better than France, then they decide to advance. But I have to confess that I hope this isn't the last image of Zidane from The World Cup.

As for Brazil, everyone seems to think they're still going at 50%. All I have to say is that Brazil can put anyone into the game, even a guy named Fred, and he will find a way to score :-)

Day Four

In Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond provides interesting evidence and arguments regarding the impact of geography on a matter no less important than the fate of civilizations. On a less important scale (well, at least to some people ;-) Australia's place on the globe has haunted them for World Cup qualification. As part of Oceania, they have been asked to win their region, and then meet the fifth place qualifier from South America in a playoff game. Until the 2006 World Cup, they had lost this playoff game. They have argued that a region winner should automatically qualify. Seems reasonable. But when one of the results from this region is Australia 31, American Samoa 0 (or was it 32-0? Apparently, the scorekeeper lost track of the score), one has to wonder about the relatively quality of the region. South Americans, of course, argued that Australia simply needed to beat their fifth place qualifier. It's my understanding that Australia will now qualify in Asia, ostensibly because they believe this arrangement will result in their qualification on a more regular basis. Is Australia seeking soccer justice? Or are they acting with a sense of entitlement?

This backdrop provided some interesting context for their match with Japan, a team coached by legendary Brazilian striker, Zico. On the other bench, Guus Hiddink hoped to continue his winning ways in The World Cup. Zico has encouraged Japanese players to be more creative, more confident, more free-flowing, more...Brazilian. Some Japanese players, including star Nakata, have questioned this approach. It would be great if more teams played like Brazil, but few teams can even come close to the talent level of Brazil. Hiddink, on the other hand, seems to manage to a team's strengths. When the Dutch complained about Australian rough play following a recent friendly, he declared that everyone should realize soccer is a man's game. This might resonate with the Socceroos, but I wonder what women's soccer teams thought of his comment.

So when the first goal came as a result of some pushing and shoving--and a really bad read by Australian keeper, Schwarzer--it seemed that if you live by physical play, you might die by physical play. It was especially odd because goalies often bowl over players in their efforts to reach the ball. If Schwarzer had aggressively punched the ball, and the Japanese player, I doubt the ref would have called a foul. Unfortunately, this referee didn't seem to follow a consistent pattern with calling fouls. He had too much of an impact on the game, which is always a problem for a referee.

For nearly the rest of the game, the Japanese looked to be in control, and the Australians looked increasingly frustrated. But things can change so quickly in soccer--especially with crafty intervention from a manager. The Japanese had their chances to put in another goal, without pushing and shoving, but they failed to do so. You have to admire Hiddink's willingness to throw caution to the wind with his substitutions. Soccer is also a game of adjustments. And with the three substitutions, two of whom who scored three goals in eight minutes, Hiddink showed everyone why his stock as a manager continues to soar.

Did the Australians prove that they belong in The World Cup? Yes. Did they prove that they are one of the premier teams? I think the jury is still out on that one.

At the other end of the managerial spectrum, Bruce Arena didn't make a lot of friends with his decisions before, during or after the ass kicking that the US experienced at the hands of the Czech Republic. I really wish that the US commentators, press, etc. would just stop making predictions or claims about the US team. When the US team faced no pressure or expectations in 1994 and 2002, they performed well. In 1998, with higher expectations, they collapsed. This team looked confused and befuddled; the Czechs outclassed them in every aspect of the game. Eddie Johnson showed that playing with energy can make a difference, but Arena's willingness to hang out to dry certain players is a curious choice. I know he's trying to get them pumped up. But he made the decision to play the 4-5-1, and to put DeMarcus Beasley on the right side--both moves that proved ineffective. During the game, he didn't do much of anything to get this team out of its funk. And, afterwards, he talked about how the players didn't rise to the occasion. They didn't. But is this the best approach as they prepare for the Italians? Does Arena bear any responsibility for what happened?

It's difficult for casual soccer fans in the US to understand that building soccer capacity takes time. The US could become one of the teams to watch on a regular basis, but almost certainly won't dominate the sport. It's not as if the US doesn't have the athletes--imagine if Deion Sanders had chosen to play soccer. But he didn't. He, like so many other athletes, played a sport with big money. As long as this remains true, the US will have to be content with being one of the good teams. It is the proverbial chicken and egg. It will probably take a World Cup victory for people in the US to really care (i.e., put up the $$$), but it takes $$$ to create the right conditions to win The World Cup. Did I just admit that soccer is actually about money? Speaking of money...

The Italian team is surrounded by controversy. A match fixing scandal has gripped the nation, and created massive distractions for the Azzuri. It didn't seem to matter. This team had a different feel than previous offerings from Italy. It's still strange not to see Paolo Maldini in the back line. And it was even stranger to see so many offensive options for the Italians. It's not as if the Italians haven't had their fare share of great strikers; it's just that they seem to feature them one at a time during The World Cup. Not so on this occasion. It was encouraging to see the Italians making sincere efforts to extend their 1-0 lead.

Ghana held its own for much of the match. Their bookends seem to be the concern. Their keeper, Kingston, actually had a good overall game, but he looked really lost on several corner kicks or crosses into the box. Their defense also looked shaky on several occasions. If Jan Koller recovers from his injury during the US game, imagine what he might do against Ghana. They also suffered from a lack of finishing or firepower from their forwards. On too many occasions, their midfield would admirably gain possession, move it through the Italian midfield only to take long shots, or pass to strikers who didn't complete the task. Nonetheless, it was their first World Cup game, and they certainly shouldn't feel embarrassed by their effort. They lost to a very good Italian team.

It's worth noting that the second place team from this group will face the winner from Group F in the second round. That would be the group with Brazil.