ご機嫌伺い

　生きていると、特に働いていると、時折面白くないことが起きてしまうのは避けられない。自分の努力ではどうにもならず、天変地異、大組織内のコミュニケーション不足、構成員のやる気・能力の差、その時の忙しさや体調など要因は様々。「チッ、クソ面白くない」という感情はどうにも避けられない。

　そんな時に「ご機嫌いかがですか？」などと聞かれると、ホッとした気分になる。

　タイトル名「ご機嫌伺い」というメールを、年齢・地位ともに自分よりかなり高い方から頂いたことがある。この方はそうした世間をよくご存知でそう言ったのだろうか。私に対してその方がご機嫌を伺うというのは、どこかユーモラスでもある。要は少人数でランチしませんか、というお誘いだった。

　結果的にランチはその方の豊富な職務経験、最近の国際情勢など大変参考になる話で盛り上がった。そして最後にご自身の意見を述べられ、なるほどと思った。ご自身でレストランの予約からすべてのアレンジをしてくださった。

　そういうことはめったになく、だからこそ、その方の意見は数年経ってもよく覚えている。
　
　いつの間にかご無沙汰してしまい、きっかけもつかめないのだが、久しぶりに会ってみたい人は結構いる。そういう方々に今度ご機嫌伺いのメールを出してみようか、となぜか今日、突如として思い立った。

Home is where you make it (1)

I have lived in eighteen places so far –- nine in Tokyo, five in USA and four in UK. Sometimes I ponder over which is my all-time favorite. It was changing slightly depending on the latest experience and comparison.

Last night I had to decide my current home Akasaka is No. 1. I was receiving a head spa treatment in a hidden place that used to be a high class Japanese restaurant. The shop accepts only two customers at a time in separate spacious rooms to keep a tranquil environment. A new esthetician yesterday was marvelous. I was truly healed and had to make a reservation for the next time upon completion of the three-hour head, facial and body course that ended with a handmade organic small cake and only subtly sweet ginger tea.

This is what I call sophistication.

Only five minutes’ walk from my place, this is just one example that contributes to my overall satisfaction with Akasaka. Located in the very heart of central Tokyo, part of Akasaka I live in remain quiet and leafy on both weekdays and weekends.

Almost five years ago, I just walked in a local real estate agent, who told me “You’re very lucky, there is a place that was just cancelled." She excitedly added "I'm totally sure you’ll love it, come with me!”

Then I followed her and fell in love with my current apartment. As such, I found my home completely effortlessly without seeing any other properties in the area and I still love it.

Passive Aggressive

Regardless of countries, adults behave in a passive aggressive manner, to some extent, I guess. In other words, being diplomatic. Having spent a few decades of adulthood, I attempt to be that way, even if I communicate with people I’m not too fond of.

A bit surprisingly, however, some people don’t seem to notice that. Well, I might say a person, rather than people. I don’t know why he still writes to me from time to time, as my message was too clear that I don’t want to stay in touch with him. Everybody is imperfect, and both of us fall into that category, so I don’t mean to scrutinize his weakness. It’s just that I don’t like him and we don’t need to communicate anymore, and that’s it.

So, rather than saying “I don’t like you,” I simply ignore his messages. I kind of feel bad about it even though I don’t like him.

Sometimes it’s hard to try to be diplomatic.

地震やテロから身を守るには

　ある日突然発生して人々を恐怖に陥れ、命を奪う。地震とテロにはそうした共通点がある。環太平洋火山帯では地震、欧州ではテロがいつ起きてもおかしくないと言われている。

　しかし、様々な条件によってリスクは低減できる。地震であれば地盤、活断層の有無、建物の構造、津波なら標高など。今回の熊本・大分地震の被害状況を航空写真で見ると、倒壊した住宅のほとんどは重たそうな瓦屋根の古い木造住宅のようだ。

　我が家は大丈夫なのか気になり、積水ハウスに聞いてみると、被災地域に同社施工の住宅が１万軒強あるうち、現在のところ全壊・半壊はゼロ、タイルのはがれや給湯器の傾きなどが約500件報告されているのみだという。阪神淡路大震災、宮城県北部地震などでも同様の話を聞いた。これで水・食料の備蓄があり、自家発電できれば避難所に行く必要もなく、かなり心強そうだ。

　一方、テロは地下鉄、空港、バス、レストランなど、日常生活で使う場所が狙われる。大地震の時に地下鉄やエレベーターに閉じ込められるリスクもあるが、職場から徒歩・自転車圏内に住み、エレベーターになるべく乗らないようにすれば、そうした確率はかなり減らせる。

Customer Service

Japan is renowned for its excellent customer service. Some people say that’s a result of thorough manuals, and flattering attitude to customers is only customary and American or European store clerks could be more inherently friendly.

Not sure if or to what extent that’s true, but when I went to a Mary Quant cosmetic shop in Tokyo the other day, a clerk said how much she really loves the color of my current lipstick. It’s actually Chanel which I bought at a duty free shop in the Narita airport last summer as the old one was running out. In fact, I prefer Mary Quant to Chanel when it comes to lipsticks because Mary Quant ones are nice and sturdy, whereas Chanel and Lancome are too soft and I don't like the smell of Dior. But Narita didn’t have a Mary Quant shop, and I didn’t have much time before departure and got one that appeared the best of the few I tried.

Anyway, I didn’t ramble on that story, and just said “Oh, this is another company’s.” Well, I didn’t want to offend the clerk by telling her the specific name of her rival company.

But she repeatedly flattered my lipstick, and in retrospect I started to wonder if she simply wanted to know what it was for her own reference rather than obeying her company’s customer service manual.

At any rate, it was good to know at least one person says my lipstick is fine. That’s actually excellent customer care.

オーディオブックの効用

　職場で一日中パソコンを使い帰宅すると、かなり眼が疲れている。直接担当している仕事以外の幅広いジャンルの本（政治、経済、文学、キャリアアップ、啓蒙書など）も読みたいと思うが、これ以上疲れ目を悪化させたくない。

　そんな時にYouTubeで"audiobook"＋著者名、ジャンルなどを入れて検索してみると、面白い本に出会えることが結構ある。

　昨晩見つけたのが"The 48 Laws of Power"という本のオーディオブック版である。歴史好きなアメリカ人がイギリスやフランスの国王や周囲の人々、米国大統領などの本を読みあさり、きれいごとではない現実的な人間関係の中でいかに権力を握り、自分の思うように事を運ぶかのノウハウを48項目にまとめたものだ。

　アメリカのアマゾンでは1,793件ものレビューで５点満点中平均4.3点を取っている、政治哲学の分野でナンバーワンのベストセラーだという。和訳も出ているが、ほとんど知られていない。

　子守唄代わりに聴きながら寝たところ、あまりにも生々しくてうなされてしまった。この本で言っているような人ばかりではないが、確かに少なくともアメリカの職場では散見される「法則」も含まれ、日本にも多少当てはまるような気もする。

　引き合いに出されている多くの例が英仏なのも興味深い。７つの海を支配したイギリスと、外交の本家フランス。性善説で誠実を是とするコミュニティー社会の日本とは、かなりカルチャーが違うのを改めて実感する。

　個人的にはあまり使いたいとは思わないが、グローバル社会で生きる処世術の知識として役に立ちそうだ。

難民の向かう方向とは？

　アマゾンのプライム（速達サービス）の会員特典として数カ月前に追加された映画・ドラマのオンデマンド無料配信で、「グッバイ、レーニン！」というドイツ映画を鑑賞した。

　1989年、ベルリンの壁が崩壊する直前の東ドイツ。ガチガチの社会主義者の母親がデモに参加する息子を見てショックで倒れてしまい、昏睡状態に陥る。８カ月後に目が覚め、その間に驚くほど社会は変わっていた。

「なるべくショックを与えないように。さもないと命が危ない」との医師の言葉を忠実に守る息子は、社会主義そのものの部屋を再現して母親を家に迎える。まだ安静状態の彼女は外出できないものの、窓から見えるコカコーラの広告など西側への変化に気づき始める。

　最終的に息子が取った苦肉の策は、「資本主義の無意味な競争や消費主義に我慢できなくなって西側から大移動してきた市民を東側が受け入れるため、ベルリンの壁を開放することにした」という内容のやらせニュース番組をビデオで作成し、母親に見せるというもの。この作られた理想を信じ込み、彼女は安らかに永遠の眠りにつく。

　2004年製作という背景を考えれば、親子の愛情をもとにした単純なコメディーという意図で作られた映画だと想像できる。

　それから12年、難民という枠を超え民族大移動といったスケールの人々が移動している。その一方で先進国では貧富の格差が広がり、ミニマリストなど大量消費を否定する動きも出てきた。 共産主義の是非や現実はともかく、この映画ではでっちあげとして描かれた民族大移動の理由がかなり興味深い。

Right or left…?

People, press, or other parties demarcate politicians or people between right and left, conservative and liberal. But that appears to be increasingly challenging.

Last month I attended a lecture. The speaker is basically pro Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP, which is by the way conservative), advocates the Emperor system, quotes the Sankei Shimbun (most conservative broadsheet), supports the new security laws. These features fall into the traditional right wing category. At the same, he strongly opposes some vested interests such as global multinationals that exploit workers. On that point, he sounds very similar to the Japan Communist Party, or Senator Bernie Sanders, who are usually categorized as far left.

In the U.S. Presidential campaign, Senator Sanders of the Democratic Party and Mr. Donald Trump of the Republican Party are making the same points to recover jobs that went overseas and both stress they are free from lobbyists. Mr. Trump tries to reduce military costs and does not mind if the U.S. military withdraws from Japan. This is completely in line with the Japanese left wing. All this makes the Democrats’ frontrunner Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton look like most “conservative.”

I used to regard myself as liberal, but my view is highly mixed these days. Above all, I am totally against wars, which is categorized as left. For this very reason, however, I cannot stop crying when I remember the last exhibition of the museum in the Yasukuni Shrine, a myriad of letters written by kamikaze fighters to their family right before they took off. Some people might consider this as right wing.

From my personal experience raised by working parents and growing up in a childcare center, I know how it is like, and therefore I completely support the idea of fulltime moms especially for pre-school children. Raising children is a very important task which should not be juggled with something else equally important. One has to make a priority; otherwise, either or both will suffer. People raised by too busy parents could have some fundamental problems in love, I know from my own experience! On that front, I am confident to be super conservative.

A huge gap between rich and poor is not good, but I also think too generous welfare creates lazy people. What we need is a system in which serious and diligent professionals are better rewarded. I intend to write an angry letter to parliamentarians in my constituency about the upcoming tax increase for upper middle class paid workers. Since I was a child I have studied and worked very hard from my humble background to obtain my current income, and I cannot permit increased part of it goes to people exploiting welfare and social benefit systems.

Long story short, I am basically pro small government in which people are encouraged to make plans and work diligently. At the same time, more merit grants should be awarded to brilliant students from less income families to ensure education opportunities to all that work hard. Indeed, this is an important point, not “just all” as Prime Minister Abe claims, but all industrious people, not lazy ones.

 

Katsura-rikyu in Kyoto: I love such a traditional (conservative?) view, too.

Time Flies

One year has already passed since this time of last year. It feels like only a few months ago. A quarter has already passed since the beginning of 2016, which feels like only a few weeks ago.

And yet, so many things changed. Effective today, a colleague who has been working long on an issue I follow retired. I learned the news in a newspaper. This is really the end of an era.

People move on and nothing stays the same. If there is something one wants to do, now is the time to do that.