The 2-Belo <the2belo@msd.biPOKPOKglobe.ne.jp> wrote:

>  Louise Bremner and fj.life.in-japan is a baaaaaaaaaaad combination:

Hey! I resemble that remark!

> 
> >Drew Hamilton <awh@awh.org> wrote:
> >
> >> >http://www.nsli.com/.../japan/
> >> 
> >> The more that I read this, the more that I think that it must be a really
> >> long and elaborate troll.  Can anybody really be such a twit?
> >
> >It's _too_ elaborate, I feel...
> >
> >Many of his reactions to what he sees seem to be to be similar to a
> >child's spontaneous response to finding out that there really are people
> >who are different from those he grew up with
> 
> The sum-bitch is *still* sheltered, having expertly missed the point of
> the entire history and culture of this country after only nine fucking
> days and two major cities.

But note that he never stayed in a ryokan or even a minshuku, he never
experienced a communal bath[1], he still believes there are
people-pushers armed with sticks on the platforms at Shinjuku (but
didn't go to check), and apart from a couplathree token mentions of
Japanese food, he ate mostly Western.

Such determined cluelessness, despite all the hints thrown at him at the
time and presumably since (how long has that website been up?) really
ought to be treasured.... 

After all, he did teach me how sheltered my experience has been--I never
even knew that there were places that don't follow the one-hole-for-
salt,-multiple-holes-for-pepper convention for cruets.

[1] I've just spent a night at a posh hotel in Hokkaido that had _no_
daiyokujo, would you believe? The room-maid hastened to reassure us that
there was a sauna instead, and hotel guests get a huge discount so only
have to pay 1000 yen for using it. 

________________________________________________________________________
                   Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
   If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!