REMIX

I’m inclined to agree with him, but in certain instances — like insider trading — Japanese culture is a fantastic enabler for bad behavior.

Take the general response to the recent crackdown on insider trading in Japan; nobody’s surprised that illegal activity is widespread, they’re surprised that the authorities care. Until very recently, insider trading in Japan was about as serious an offense as jaywalking. In one widely-cited example from 2010, a bank was caught red-handed using insider information and fined only about $600.

Under such circumstances, the word “crackdown” hardly seems appropriate. Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) has made inquiries about operations at 12 major banks, including Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and Citigroup, but based on the agency’s recent track record, it’s doubtful that anything serious will be turned up. AIJ Investment Advisors and Olympus each hid their illegal dealings from the FSA for a decade; it might be time for enforcers to try a new approach. Regardless of what the investigation finds, punitive measures remain slight.

The Japanese need look no further than the US for pointers on how best to deal with insider trading. In a high-profile federal case that ended in June, Indian-American businessman Rajat Gupta was convicted on three counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy. Gupta, who had previously held top positions at Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Co., could face up to 25 years in prison when he’s sentenced in October.

Mr. Gupta’s actions are not currently considered to be illegal in Japan, where only those who initiate trades based on acquired insider information can be prosecuted. If you possess privileged information, you have every right to tell whomever you please. Even if they get caught insider trading and reveal their sources, you’re off the hook entirely.

What’s wrong with that? Some economists — Milton Friedman, for example — have suggested that insider trading is a good thing; that it drives market efficiency up and stamps out asymmetrical information. In Japan, however, the results have been mostly negative.

Widespread leaks have caused increased prevalence of short-selling in Japan’s markets. The consequences have been so severe that many companies report difficulty raising funds following their public offerings. A Bloomberg investigation revealed that the top 10 Japanese stock issuers in 2010 lost around 10 percent of their value in the three months before public offering announcements, compared with just 0.2 percent for the market as a whole. The same investigation estimated a total market value loss of approximately ￥800 billion. Insider trading is having a profoundly negative impact on Japan’s economic performance, and culture is a big part of it.

Individuals can be blamed for their handling of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster; insufficient preparation, poor decision making and shirking of responsibilities caused the calamitous meltdown and can thus be judged as bad behavior. People engaged in insider trading have no notion that what they’re doing is wrong. There are no significant precedents of punitive action to deter them from continuing their ‘illegal’ activities, and the authorities are ill-suited to provide one.

Just like the US government’s effort to combat web piracy in the early 2000s, this is a case of too little, too late. Insider trading is such a universally accepted part of Japan’s business culture that the FSA cannot hope to prosecute every suspect and will likely resort to making a few examples. Who will be targeted and how severe the punishment will be remains to be seen, but not much can be expected unless drastic policy changes are made.

That was a pretty lazy post, but I really just liked the pictures. Until next time.

REMIX

Uniqlo, a subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., is one of the fastest-growing apparel retailers in the world. Having started its own line in 1997 to compete with American giants like Gap, Uniqlo is currently aiming to become the world’s number one brand by 2020. Doing so will mean employing aggressive growth strategies and simultaneous expansion into multiple foreign markets. In terms of total revenue, Uniqlo will have to compete with H&M and Zara for shares of emerging markets. Still, the outlook is good, and the upper management remains optimistic with their sales projections. Uniqlo’s revenue per store has led the industry for the past two years.

Both Apple and Uniqlo are somewhat peculiar. Uniqlo is a self-proclaimed “technology company” competing within the fashion industry, and Apple is perhaps the tech firm that prioritizes style the most. Both companies have developed new approaches to retailing that set them apart; their respective products have become commonplace while retaining their desirability. Their corporate cultures, however, are decidedly different. There are a few areas where Apple could improve by studying Uniqlo.

Atmosphere: 

Apple stores are like playgrounds; customers are free to stroll around, trying out gadgets at will. Sales associates — or “specialists,” as they’re called at Apple — have portable credit card readers ready, constantly scanning the floor for people ready to check out. Merchandise flies out at an incredible rate, but the high ratio of customers to staff means that each customer is allotted only a few minutes before being turned away.

Let’s face it, it’s hard to beat Japanese customer service. Training at Japan’s Uniqlo stores goes into great depth on how to treat customers, and it’s no different for new employees at American stores. From role-playing exercises to lessons on how to properly return a customer’s credit card, the Uniqlo training program creates an etiquette-driven atmosphere. So far, Uniqlo’s Manhattan stores have received top marks on customer service from consumer reports. Apple stores got more of a mixed bag, with low ratings from customers requiring repairs. It might be as simple as hiring more people and pushing a more personal approach to customer service at Apple.

Compensation:

Apple store employees are responsible for enormous sales figures. In spite of this — and in spite of the huge stack of cash Apple is sitting on — Apple store employees are paid relatively poorly. Granted, $11 an hour isn’t bad by retail standards, but it’s dismal when you consider that some employees push nearly $3 million of merchandise annually and that most of them hold college degrees. What’s worse, raises are few and far between, and commission simply doesn’t exist.

By contrast, Uniqlo employees are paid rather well. Starting hourly wages for part-timers in Japan is around $15 by current exchange rates, and around $12 in the US. The real perk is that raises are much more frequent — high-performing employees can expect two to three raises a year. And Uniqlo’s steadily increasing number of paid vacation days looks pretty good next to Apple’s draconian absence policy.

Promotion:

This is potentially the most fundamental change that Apple could implement. Under its current system, Apple store employees often find themselves in limbo. Even those who receive modest pay raises are rarely promoted because there are very few management positions available. If an employee does become a store manager, that’s usually the end of the line because Apple doesn’t usually promote from retail to corporate. As a result, even the most enthusiastic “geniuses” may begin to feel the stagnation in their careers after a few years.

Uniqlo, on the other hand, promotes often. Teamwork is paramount, but exemplary employees are often given more responsibility, regardless of their length of experience. Most importantly, retail employees often “go corporate.” It’s common in Japanese companies for employees to cut their teeth at the bottom — in a store or in a factory — before working their way up the corporate ladder. This practice applies in Uniqlo’s stores around the world, and recruiters mean it when they say that you can start as a part-timer and be CEO one day.

If Apple truly wants to redefine its retail corporate image, these are the areas it should focus on. They cannot expect to float on the company’s cult status with fans forever, especially as competitors like Samsung and Google overtake Apple in emerging markets. At the core of a successful retail operation is an effective corporate culture and motivated employees — Uniqlo appears to have both. So while it may seem crazy for the world’s most valuable company to take pointers from a Japanese relative newcomer, it might be crazier for them not to.

REMIX

First stop was the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots. Chiran was the site of the airfield where the majority of kamikaze pilots took off to attack American targets around Okinawa during the spring of 1945. The museum has four planes, including the Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa pictured above, as well as a number of other artifacts. There are hundreds of original letters from the pilots to their families, as well as pictures of all 1,036 pilots who died. Most were around 20 years old; some were as young as 17. I recommend this museum, but water might squirt suddenly from your eyes.

[Change of pace]

This is the view from the platform of Nishi-Oyama Station, which is the southernmost JR station in Japan. The only trains that come through here have just two cars, and there’s a five-hour wait between each one. The mountain in the background is the volcano, Kaimondake. It hasn’t erupted since 885, so I’d say we’re about due.

This is soumen. Usually, it’s served in a stream of ice-cold water flowing down a bamboo flume, but this is the compact version. Each table at this restaurant had a circular mini-flume at its center, and the noodles spun around, waiting to be picked up with chopsticks. Super good.

This is Sakurajima, the volcanic island just a few minutes by ferry from Kagoshima. It’s a pretty active volcano, erupting thousands of times a year. Just as we boarded the ferry, there was a small eruption, which you can see in the photo — the darker gray plume. As a result of the eruptions, ash is constantly being blown into the city, and the cars are covered with it. Seems like a huge inconvenience, since wiping the cars scratches the paint terribly; you have to pour water — not spray — over the ash to safely remove it.

This is a little foot bath on Sakurajima, which was particularly special because of its radon content. Radon’s great for a lot of things — like giving you cancer — but dissolved in hot water, it’s known for curing arthritis and promoting joint health.

This was definitely a high point of my trip. That’s a frozen beer. Kirin developed this new sort of draft serving technique to keep beers chilled perfectly for up to 30 minutes — on top of a normal draft, foam chilled to -5 degrees Celcius is added on top using a machine like the ones soft-serve come from. The visual effect is appealing, and it was even better to drink. A little bit of beer, a little bit of foam, that’s the way to do it.

That’s all for the photos, but here’s a great commercial by JR Kyushu advertising the 2011 completion of their bullet train line. The commercial was pulled because it aired around the time the earthquake hit Japan, but it’s still nice to watch.

I didn’t take the bullet train to Kyushu, but it’s a fun commercial. Anyway, that was Kagoshima!

REMIX

It seems that in the Japanese private sector, being a ‘go-getter’ will get you nowhere. The young people interviewed for the article were penalized for crossing their arms, laughing, and [respectfully] offering ideas. Such behavior surely cannot be tolerated; next thing you know, they’ll be using the restroom during working hours. Preposterous!

Well, you can’t fault Japanese management. They’re just thinking of the stakeholders.

But Japanese companies are running out of stakeholders. The private sector has traditionally viewed its workers as primary stakeholders — they have a great deal “invested” in their company’s success. The cornerstone of management’s unwritten agreement with employees is 終身雇用 (shuushin koyou), Japan’s longstanding institution of lifetime employment. Under this system, Japanese hires can expect regular raises and promotions until retirement. Building a career at one company rather than jumping around within an industry breeds loyalty, if nothing else. Loyalty’s reliability as an asset is decreasing as the lifetime employment system begins to fray.

A study of Japanese employment trends over the past two decades by researchers at Hitotsubashi University has shown a flattening of salary increases for senior employees in the private sector. Tough times have made it increasingly apparent that two young workers can do more for the money than can one senior employee. As a result, senior employees’ raises — and jobs — are being cannibalized to hire new graduates.

Those new graduates are supposedly hired for lifetime employment, but I don’t buy that and the statistics suggest that they don’t either. The loss of guaranteed, late-career rewards has gutted the Japanese lifetime employment system and led many young Japanese to terminate their employment contracts to pursue other opportunities. And surely, the young people who expect the same guaranteed career that their parents and grandparents enjoyed are being naïve.

There are simply too many Japanese people being fired or quitting for the stigma of mid-career hiring to persist. I really shouldn’t underestimate corporate Japan’s ability to ignore change, but there must be a point where practicality outweighs tradition and companies begin hiring people older than 25. When that [miraculous, momentous, glorious] day arrives, loyalty-based human capital development should lose priority to merit-based personnel evaluation.

Unfortunately, the globalizing Japanese company is still exceptional, and the number of Japanese students studying abroad is falling. Those young Japanese people who do go abroad do so in spite of ineffective foreign language instruction at home and a dearth of opportunities afforded them on their return. They’re being snapped up by eager foreign companies while Japanese firms stubbornly refuse to address the brain drain staring them in the face. What’s worse, Japan’s underdeveloped venture capital industry prevents startups and entrepreneurial enterprise from providing a suitable outlet for young people with big ideas.

So yeah, nothing but good news.

Maybe I’ll change my tune when I get a job offer from a Japanese company.

REMIX

今学期がそろそろ終わりますね。期末発表の準備ができています。経済ですから、つまらないかもしれませんが。。。

発表のために私が行ったプロジェクトワークの目的は円ドル相場に関する日本政府のモチベーションを調査することでした。政府のモチベーションがなぜ重要なことなのかと言うと、それは国の行動を決めるからですね。アメリカの立場から見ると、日本政府の考え方がよく分からない場合、あるいは日本がどうしてそういう風に考えているのが全く不明の場合もよくあるので、私は日本語の情報源を使うことで、かつて私が英語で書いた論文内の日本政府の行動を詳しく調べました。

その論文は、「円ドル相場の見落としかねない歴史的な転換点」をめぐるものでしたが、具体的には1953年と1995年の間の転換点を調査することでした。「転換点」とは何でしょうか。円ドル相場の図表を見るだけで、線の動きが転じるところが見えますが、それは「転換点」ではありません。経済モデルを使用すると、データを一点一点調べることが出来て、数学的に意義深い点が分かります。この点は、長期的な変動傾向のはじまりを示します。

p_t­ = μ + βt + z_t

z_t = z_t-1 + u_t

モデルがものすごく複雑で、意味がもう分からなくなってしまいました。（笑）

結果として4つの重要な転換点が現れました。

第１は、1968年7月、まだ固定相場の時代でした。ニクソン大統領と佐藤総理ですね。固定相場制で転換点があったというのは意外なことかもしれませんが、本当にありました。それは別の話ですけど。

第2は1971年12月、スミソニアン合意の直後です。またニクソン大統領と佐藤総理です。

第3は1977年10月、日米貿易摩擦により円ドル相場に関する交渉が開かれた結果です。カーター大統領と福田（赳夫）総理です。

そして最後に、1985年に開催されたプラザ合意です。レーガン氏が米大統領で、中曽根氏は総理大臣でした。当時の日本のモチベーションはアメリカ側にとって分かりにくかったので、プロジェクトワークはプラザ合意を中心としました。

プラザ合意について、日本人の皆さんはどう考えていますか。世論は恐らく、日本政府は仕方がなく、アメリカの提案に協力をしたというイメージかもしれませんが、その「プラザ合意でアメリカに負けた」というイメージは正しいでしょうか。

1983年に出版された経済白書には日本政府の考えがはっきりと書いてありました。旧大蔵省は当時の日本がバブル経済に向かうことを認めており、国民の生活水準を上げようとしていました。バブルを抑制する対策として挙げられたのは輸入拡大、市場の自由化、そして円高です。大蔵省は、何よりも、経済的安定性を求めていたと考えられます。円高が望ましいとしても、自由変動制は国内経済へ悪影響を与える恐れがあるし、予測ができる変動が最も好ましい状態でした。したがって、変動をあらかじめ決めておける合意には価値があると大蔵省は考えていたようです。

要するに、プラザ合意に対する世論は事実とは違うと言えるでしょう。確かにアメリカ側にとって、プラザ合意が不可欠な経済対策として見なされていましたが、日本や西ドイツといったG5の諸国が協力しないと予想されました。そのため、プラザ合意によってもたらせれた結果は「アメリカの勝ち」だったと今も一般的に思われています。

だが、日本政府は騙されてはいません。振り返ってみると、大蔵省が円高を求めていたので、プラザ合意の条件を喜んで呑みました。結局のところ、両者勝利の状況のはずでしたが、そうはいっても、バブル経済は数年後に弾けてしまいました。1986年に出版されたいわゆる『前川レポート』という「国際協調のための経済構造調整研究会」による報告書には当時の状況に関する説明があります。レポートによると、プラザ合意のような円高をもたらす協定は効果的ですが、対策をもっと早く講じておけばよかったそうです。

プラザ合意に対する日本政府のモチベーションが分かるようになりましたが、どうしてそのモチベーションを相手に見せなかったかはまだ分かりません。もし80年代前半に日本がドルに対して円の値上げを提案したとしたら、80年代後半、あるいは90年代前半の日本経済の状況は違っていたかもしれません。この仮説は、恐らく現在の米中関係にも当てはまると私は考えています。しかし、お互いの情報源を読まないと、相手のモチベーションが分からなくて、交渉がうまく進まないでしょう。

皆さんはどうお考えでしょうか。

REMIX

Couple things.

“When is an open market not really open? Ask Hyundai.” Way to bury the lead. I guess we can start with the inductive reasoning. “…if anyone could compete in the Japanese market, it should be Hyundai.” Now, I’m sure Mr. Prestowitz is a sharp guy. But where exactly does that come from? This statement assumes:

1. That Japanese consumers aren’t satisfied with domestic production.
2. That given the choice, they would buy Hyundai in quantities enough to justify entry costs.
3. That the same strategies work everywhere.

I could make the case that Japan’s large domestic production capacity is reason enough to expect failure from imports. America purchases an enormous quantity of vehicles from foreign companies every year, but the catch there is that we have a growing population, a growing auto market and many of those “foreign” cars are produced in the United States. Japan, on the other hand, has a shrinking population, a shrinking domestic auto market and no foreign companies producing domestically. Now, I’ll pose a hypothetical situation. If your demand is falling, and you produce well more than you need, what’s your incentive to import?

I think Mr. Prestowitz knows these things, but he’s spun them a bit. The answer there is cost, obviously. If Hyundai is cheaper than Toyota, Honda or Nissan even in Japan, then the Japanese people MUST want to buy them. But they don’t.

Japan is like global trade’s Fun House. Only its residents know all the trap doors and trick mirrors. None of the same rules seem to apply. As Mr. Prestowitz plainly states, the dealership system is an issue. And even though Hyundai could buy land and build its own dealerships, that would be timely and expensive. Remember that term, “entry costs?” That’s the “costs” part.

Then we hear how, “in principle, the excess capacity should lead to industry restructuring,” that would level the playing field. Isn’t it lovely how you can assign your own principles to whole countries whenever it’s convenient? How dare the Japanese government weaken the yen! I guess he’s forgotten about all those times — and he shouldn’t have, because Mr. Prestowitz was counselor to the Secretary of Commerce under Reagan, when the Plaza Accord actually occurred  – when the United States dictated the terms of the dollar’s devaluation without even bothering to intervene in the markets.

This article does touch upon something I find fascinating about Japan, though. Even when there aren’t any tariffs or laws barring foreign competitors in the Japanese market, they get bogged down with cultural difficulties. That’s why Japan impresses me so much more than China in terms of trade finesse. The Chinese will throw laws, taxes, regulations, conditions, restrictions and surveillance on you. Japan is characteristically subtler. Rather than attacking you on the legal side, they get you on the practical side, so in the end these foreign companies are all dressed up with nowhere to go.

Which brings us to my final point — the crusher! Even if Hyundai entered the Japanese market successfully and offered its full range of cars in shiny new dealers, I doubt the Japanese consumer would bite. I’ve got two reasons why.

First, Hyundai is making competition for Japanese companies, not opening new segments. The Japanese will import Porsches, Ferraris, Mercedes and all sorts of sport/luxury models from abroad because there are relatively few domestic cars that can compete. Hyundai proposed to import economical sedans. Japan wrote the BOOK on economical sedans — in fact, it’s hard to think of a more quintessentially Japanese product. Japan will start importing economical sedans in large quantities when the US starts importing all its beef.

And second, I honestly think it makes Japanese people uncomfortable to import so much from Korea and China because it reminds them of the “Japan Passing” phenomenon. The Japanese feel forgotten, and the prospect of losing out to other Asian countries within their own home market feels pretty low. They’ve already lost ground to Korean electronics companies like LG and Samsung, and I know it bothers some people. The important point here is that no matter what the reason may be, the core issue here is that the Japanese do not wish to buy Korean cars, plain and simple.

That’s one of the fundamental dilemmas of our free trade crusade. We know what free trade looks like ideally, but we can’t help it if it looks different in practice. The free market works differently everywhere, and if we force imports down a country’s throat, it starts looking more like a planned economy than anything else. Besides, if you want to talk about TPP, the real issue in Japan is agriculture, not cars.

My condolences to Hyundai. You win some, you lose some. I actually saw the Hyundai booth at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, and it was a bus. No cars, just a bus. When I asked the Japanese guy I was with why there wasn’t more of a display, he chuckled and said, “Yeah, no…they’re not around anymore.”

REMIX

Okay, that one doesn’t count. The Great Train Robbery (1903) can be found on YouTube. If you have ten minutes and want to watch a classic Western, have at it. My twenty begin here, in alphabetical order.

1. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

This is a story that’s been told a million times. In fact, even if you haven’t heard the story, I think you get the general idea from the title. Outlaws, lawmen, Jesse James gets killed. The title roles are played by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, but it’s the aesthetic that makes this movie worth it. Watch it in HD and see what I mean. My friend was telling me to watch this for years, and when I finally did — wow.

2. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

This has always been one of my favorites. First of all, it’s Paul Newman and Robert Redford. I think that’s all I really need to say here. It’s a buddy picture Western with both comedy and tragedy, dealing with the end of the Western as a genre. You can watch this as pure entertainment, or you can break it down scene-by-scene, shot-by-shot for cues, symbolism and references. Finally, if you’ve seen The Sting, you must watch this. If you decide to watch this, you must then watch The Sting. You’ll see why.

3. Dodge City (1939)

This was made the year I feel like Westerns really picked up. It’s Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland telling a typical early Western story. The Civil War has ended, the railroad is finished, and the West must be won. Dodge City is about an interesting time in our country’s past, and was made at a time when our outlook was still innocent and optimistic. Hollywood let us win our battles and get the girl — we were invincible.

4. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1967)

I think everyone knows this movie even if they haven’t seen it. Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef, directed by Sergio Leone. True, this is an Italian film, but Eastwood is an American star, and his persona is one that Americans fell in love with. If you’re going to spend three hours watching a movie, this is a good pick.

5. The Gunfighter (1950)

You don’t see this one on a lot of lists, but it’s right up my alley. Gregory Peck — Atticus! — is Jimmy Ringo, the fastest gun in the West, but he’s tired and just wants a way out. He stops in a little town one morning, and the day’s events demonstrate just how miserable the life of a celebrated gunfighter is.

6. High Noon (1952)

John Wayne is an iconic Western hero, but Gary Cooper had a very different approach in High Noon. The story is simple — Frank Miller is out of jail and he and his goons will be coming to terrorize the town at noon. Cooper, the marshall, is charged with protecting the town, but the townsfolk might think they’d be better off without him. I highly recommend watching this back-to-back with Rio Bravo (1959).

7. Little Big Man (1970)

You will enjoy this movie. Between Dustin Hoffman and Chief Dan George, Faye Dunaway and Martin Balsam you’ll be laughing. It’s also probably the best Western as told from both the white and Native American perspectives. I tend to group this one with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as the comedy-tragedy-end-of-the-Western Westerns.

8. The Magnificent Seven (1960)

I’ve talked about this one before — it’s directly based on the Kurosawa film, The Seven Samurai. It’s got an all-star cast, a great story, the whole package. It was popular enough to have three sequels, a remake or two and a Pixar adaptation with bugs. The theme song was used in Marlboro cigarette commercials, for god’s sake. This is a badass Western.

9. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Liberty Valance is on and off my favorite Western. It’s so perfect. First off, you’ve got The Duke, Jimmy Stewart, Vera Miles and a bunch of the awesome character actors you see in all kinds of Westerns. Lee Marvin is one of the most loathsome villains imaginable, chuckling at the misfortune of his victims. And there’s that great John Ford community dynamic going on. Watch it, love it, watch it again.

10. My Darling Clementine (1946)

Man, do I love this movie. Henry Fonda stars as Wyatt Earp in this story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral that every American of a certain age will know. The acting talent is crazy — Victor Mature, Ward Bond, Walter Brennan, et al. — and John Ford delivers another awesome Western. You’ve got race issues, an examination of the gunfighter and a development of what makes a Western hero. Just writing this is making me want to watch it tonight.

11. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

I think we can all agree that Clint Eastwood is a badass. Josey Wales was released in time for America’s bicentennial, but by that time, Westerns were pretty much done as a genre. This is a revisionist Western about a man whose family is killed by the Union and becomes a guerrilla. It’s even got Chief Dan George, everyone’s favorite Native American.

12. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

This movie makes me so angry, but in a good way. Imagine the Western version of 12 Angry Men, but there’s no trial and pretty much everyone’s on the “guilty” side. Henry Fonda’s the star yet again, in a movie that really showcases the values of the Western hero. In hindsight, it seems like the sort of movie that would’ve done some good had it been released during the McCarthy era.

13. Red River (1948)

John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan and more go on a cattle drive, blazing the Chisholm Trail. It should go without saying that this is a classic. For the first time pretty much ever, John Wayne’s character is called into question and he isn’t the perfect hero we all expect. This film also features what is possibly the best homosexual innuendo scene of any film ever. “That’s a good-looking gun you were about to use back there, can I see it? Maybe you’d like to see mine.”

14. Rio Bravo (1959)

John Wayne made no secret about disliking High Noon. The idea of a lawman asking for help from the townspeople was abhorrent to Wayne, so Rio Bravo was made to be exactly the same, but with Wayne starring as the “correct” sort of hero. I like both movies, but this one’s also got Dean Martin, Walter Brennan and Ricky Nelson.

15. Rio Grande (1950)

Everyone loves a cavalry Western. Well, maybe not EVERYONE, but I do. This is the third and final installment in John Ford’s cavalry trilogy with John Wayne. Basic premise: Apaches are bad, John Wayne’s wife — Maureen O’Hara — resents him for being too soldierly, John Wayne has to defeat the Apaches and win back his wife. It’s not the strongest Western on this list, but it’s important for the genre.

16. The Searchers (1956)

John Wayne’s best performance. John Wayne’s deepest performance. This is a movie about…searching. John Wayne’s niece is taken by Comanches, so he and his adoptive nephew spend years looking for her. The race issue is blown up, along with the question of who counts as “family”. AFI called this the best Western of all time. Check it out.

17. Stagecoach (1939)

Wow, that’s a lot of John Wayne movies in a row. This was the movie that really put him on the map back in the 30s. It’s a great early Western that fleshes out a lot of the stereotypes that stick with the genre. Also, probably one of the best non-car chases ever filmed. Stunt guys on horses and stagecoaches.

18. True Grit (2010)

Some people like the older one better and I’m usually the first guy to say I like the original version of a movie, but I love the more recent version of True Grit. The thing got TEN Oscar nominations, including most of the big ones, plus a supporting actress nomination for Hailee Steinfeld, who was great. I like seeing a good Western made recently, just to remind me we’re not done with the genre.

19. Unforgiven (1992)

This is one of three Westerns to ever win Best Picture. 1990′s Dances With Wolves…not a fan, but this one, I like. Nobody’s brought this kind of depth to the genre since the 70s like Eastwood has, and he’s joined by Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman in what turned about to be a really solid movie. Oh, and Richard Harris is in it! There you go.

20. The Wild Bunch (1969)

The Wild Bunch was…wild. It gets more violent than almost any other Westerns I can think of, almost disturbingly so at times. At least the average audience is disturbed. It’s a Mexico Western like Butch and Sundance or The Magnificent Seven, only everything goes up in flames and you get the sort of gritty look at the Western myth that even Sergio Leone never showed.

So, like I said, nothing at all to do with Japan. The Magnificent Seven, perhaps, since it was based on a Japanese film. But other than that, these are just Westerns I watch when I’m away from home. I’ve watched every one of these movies in the past year, and I’d suggest you check a few out if you’re so inclined.

REMIX

Plus, it’s Mother’s Day, so happy Mother’s Day to my mom, my stepmom and my sister-in-law — hopefully enjoying her SECOND Mother’s Day as a mom!

Hanami [花見] is the Japanese tradition of cherry blossom viewing. This year, the week that cherry blossoms were in bloom was the second week of April, so the blossoms have already long gone. However, just as they were blooming, I went with my friend Trevor — who was visiting from NYC — to Shinjuku Gyoen to have a gander. I’m still waiting for Trevor’s higher-resolution photos, but I thought I’d update mine for the time being.

This was the first Saturday of the blossom-viewing window, so the park was PACKED. Everyone was out for a picnic and some flowers. Unfortunately for many, alcohol was prohibited, and there was a line at the gates where guards were checking bags for booze. Copious amounts were confiscated.

This last photo was taken at Shinjuku Station’s South Exit the day we visited the park. These guys are protesting discrimination against males in Japanese society, with a particular focus on the “Women Only” cars available on many trains. The cars are designed to limit sexual harassment encounters during peak hour commutes, but apparently these gents took offense. They claim that women-only cars are illegal under the constitution and represent open sexism. There may actually be a legal case there, for all I know. But I’m not gonna lie. I laughed at them. Must’ve been my good humor from having seen all those cherry blossoms.

REMIX

Update: As some of you know, my computer was recently…dead. It’s back to life thanks entirely to Lantz at LoreaTec in Nishi-Kawaguchi! If you live in Tokyo or Saitama and have computer issues, he comes highly recommended — my computer was diagnosed, repaired and returned to me all within 24 hours for a price lower than any other quote I received! Service in both English and Japanese. Thanks, Lantz!