Jalan Jalan (38): Bike Repair or Bike Graveyard?

Jalan Jalan (37): Check out this Japanese Jeep (Beep Beep)!

Jalan Jalan (36): Haven't been down this street in a while...

"Sex and disability make for tenderly humorous Japanese drama"

Story from Japan Today, 2/15/19.

A talented young woman breaks free from an overly protective parent, explores her sexuality and forges her own, promising path in the world.

So far so conventional. But in "37 Seconds" Japanese director Hikari chose to tackle a topic that, she said, audiences in her country were reluctant to embrace. Her protagonist, played by amateur actress Mei Kayama, has cerebral palsy.

"Every culture has something they don't want to talk about," Hikari, who goes by one name only, told Reuters. "People with a disability and their sexuality is definitely not something that people would talk about in Japan."

The film, one of about 400 showing at the Berlin Film Festival, has been well-received by audiences captivated by Mei's portrayal of 23-year-old Yuma Takada, a talented artist who wants to make her name in manga, or Japanese graphic novels.

A sympathetic magazine editor (Yuka Itaya) tells her her art is technically proficient but betrays her lack of worldly experience. Criticising her depictions of sex as unconvincing, she tells the young, wheelchair-bound woman to lose her virginity and then return.

Handled less deftly, such a premise could be crass. But Mei's portrayal of an ambitious young woman throwing herself into the Tokyo night over the fearful objections of her mother(Misuzu Kanno) is by turns hilarious and tender.

"I feel like with this kind of movie oftentimes once it goes too far it becomes too dramatic. It's sometimes difficult to keep watching," said Hikari.

37 Seconds on Twitter: https://twitter.com/seconds_37

Jalan Jalan (35): Nice to see rebuilding in the neighborhood...

After seeing so much house wrecking in the neighborhood recently -

Jalan Jalan (27): House Wrecking pt. 1

Jalan Jalan (28): House Wrecking pt. 2

- and damage from earthquakes and typhoons it is good to see some rebuilding of homes (rather than cheap, ugly apartments). Here's to more soon!

Jalan Jalan (34): The last two FB posts have "garbage" with 250 people reached / 14 likes and "flowers" with 112 people reached / 2 likes - Give the People What They Want! More Garbage!

Jalan Jalan (33): Let's call this one 『Ohisashiburi』(too) since I haven't done this for a while... part 2

Jalan Jalan (32): I'll call this one 『Ohisashiburi』since I haven't done this for a while... part 1

Local Setsubun Celebration at Kayashima Shrine, Osaka, Japan, Feb. 3, 2019

More neighborhood shots at the close-by Kayashima Shrine to observe setsubun. This is another community event to celebrate the (traditional) beginning of spring, catch some soy beans and drink some warm amazake. You can find a lot about setsubun on-line, especially the big celebrations at major temples and shrines. Setsubun is another great example of the variations of "traditional" Japanese festivals even in close proximity. Scroll down to see Kayashima last year, a celebration from a relatively close by (and large) temple near the Korien train station in Osaka and a not so far away shrine in Yawata-shi, Kyoto (all accessible on the same Keihan train line within 30 minutes or so).

See the celebration at Kayashima last year.

2018 Setsubun Shots @ Kayashima Jinjya
https://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspot.com/2018/02/2018-setsubun-shots-kayashima-jinjya.html

See another celebration at a big temple in Osaka.

Setsubun @ Naritasan-fudoson Temple in Osaka, 2013
http://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspot.com/2013/02/setsubun-naritasan-fudoson-temple-in.html

See another celebration at a big shrine in Kyoto.

Setsubun festival at Iwashimizu Shrine in Yawata, Kyoto, Japan. February 3, 2019. Video by my colleague Mark Hollstein (Great job with the new camera!)

"Deaf Lives Matter with Nyle DiMarco | January 30, 2019 Act 3 | Full Frontal on TBS"