I didn’t have much interest in her when I lived in Japan, but now she has soared to (momentary, perhaps?) heroine status in my mind. A fabulous story for a Shakespearian tragedy… but doesn’t have to end that way. It isn’t a story of something archaic at all. It’s the story of my family, too (of sorts). I’ve even had Japanese friends say, “Wow, your family sounds like an old samurai family.” People have a way of repeating themselves–even in different cultures.

My family… the perfect fundamentalist Christian family, always displayed when in public, and when in private, too. According to the family mythology, we were the perfect family (probably still are, but I’ve since privately removed myself from the list). My father didn’t have to be a deity, just someone sanctioned by God. I’m American, but I learned to smile when unhappy. (What are all the tiny inscrutable smiles really about?) I believed all of this perfection hype, too. When the depression finally threw me a curve ball of reality, thank God I had no camera on me.

However, my father really still thinks a camera is on him, maybe even more so as the specter of death steals closer and closer… more mythology is needed to replace reality. Utmost effort is put into making staged dinners, well-coiffed conversation. The starry-eyed think my family is a paragon of greatness (of course this is further shinied up by narratives by my father). I go to these dinners on rare occasion just to do “family time.” Thinking of them requires mental effort.
To my own chagrin, the spineless me (in American terms, not Japanese ones), I carefully modulate my responses. One who is not aware of ancient immovable systems intertwined with the fear of the deep unconscious may not understand this.

I’m about the same age as Masako… I think of having children. I’ve investigated IVF and tried it once so far. I feel uneasy keeping this a secret from my mother, but in such a system of repression it seems best to keep certain sorts of personal decision under wraps until one feels it absolutely necessary to make a declaration about it.

Of course, I am a lookie loo like all the rest of you. The story has sudden interest to me because it relates to and develops the mythology of myself. It is quite gratifying to know that Masako and I graduated with high honors and then did not finish our graduate degrees… Humans like me (and the rest of you) are fascinated by such stories because we envision an intersection between ourselves and someone who has been, or at least should be recognized by the larger whole of society. Such a sublime line-up of characters in this story for me. I sit in secret triumph over my mother (equals Michiko) who walks and talks like a doll whenever she realizes she’s on display. She doesn’t wear little hats or bow, but she wears little Bible verses and could not be more graceful in her dance around the sun god (my father). Like Michiko, she has her own private story, of course, but this is very, very private, even from her own eyes, often.

So, there you have it… I don’t have to worry about the gaijin thing because I’m tapping into the universal unconscious. As a woman, I’m also privy to the universal sisterhood.

Masako’s depression (and of course, what the heck do I know what she’s really thinking?) is the little kid saying “The Emperor has no clothes…” My little kid is just dancing with that.

You can talk about politics and culture–that’s all fascinating and worth discussing, but that’s just one level of the discussion.

Speaking of the weight of roles, A Japanese friend of mine knew someone who was proposed to by the Prince (is there any news of such a story?!?) and her family flatly refused the proposal on grounds that being married to royals would be a weight too heavy to bear. I think the Japanese are quite aware of having to take on roles, but remember, the Japanese also have traditions of the terrible ultimate solution for forsaking these roles… To judge a person for knowing ahead of time the entirety what a role will entail would be to deny a great number of stories told on this very theme by the Japanese themselves. A Japanese CEO friend of mine recently told me that he was going to have to lay off 6 employees and that he felt personally responsible for their fates–it was a sign of terrible and unforeseen times for him–do you think he could have possibly calculated the cost he now feels when he began his career?

Depression hits like a ghost in the night– often a kind of safety valve to insanity… felt at a personal level and not easily explained or captured by isms or grand systems. But placing our own stories in the context of nobility seems to ennoble them on some mythical level.

I think I will buy the book. I will reflect on myself as I read it. I hope it doesn’t have an anti-Japan tone. I really don’t want to be distracted by that sort of narrative.

When it is so obvious what the problem is I don’t see why people are being so terrible to a woman who stepped away from a promising career in order to be of service to her country. Being married into the royal family seems to not be high on most peoples list of a good move. So the fact that this woman did so and tried to do what was expected of her to the detriment of her health should mean something to the people. It seems that she needs help now and that which is fairly easy to administer is being denied. That is sad and unfortunate in a country so advanced in other ways.

Just thought I’d point out the obvious.

These things, along with their implictations, are most likely the reason why the current Japanese government is very upset.

And on top of that, coming from someone who is a gaigin would most likely upset the Japanese public.

(The reason most likely is used is because these I don’t know the minds of he government, but are based on logic and knowledge gathered as well as politics.)

Sadly, if Ben Hills’ intentions are indeed honest, this book may not reach much of the intended audience. If they’re not, then this broohaha over the book will probably work in his favor.

Too busy looking at the trees, to see the forest?

I’m amazed at how casually you explain away so many of these concerns as “not uncommon.” A small handful of oddities can be overlooked, but ignoring a huge pile of them is asking for trouble.

Staging welcomes may not be uncommon, but it’s still dishonest. Especially, when you’re staging it with people who won’t even be hearing the speech. It’d be an easier issue to ignore if they brought people out of the venue to cheer in front of the cameras. But no! They bussed in a large group of the elderly.

Seeing as the PlayStation 3 launch was mobbed by Chinese nationals hired to buy the consoles, I can see why you shrug this off so easily.

Pressuring a publisher to withhold a book is not the same as spewing vitriol at the book/author/publisher. It’s called censorship.

Having someone else check the Royal Poo for oddities seems strange to me. However, I can easily shrug that off. I certainly wouldn’t expect someone of royalty to do something as “common” as that. That said, having an official position for this function is a bit much.

It reminds me of a South Park episode. Half the town was driving around in their new, eco-friendly Prius sedans. They became so smug and full of themselves, that they would regurarly bend down to inhale their own farts, like they were vapors wafting off a delicious cup of mountain grown, full-bodied Folgers(R) coffee.

The thing you’re missing is that once you catalog all of these oddities, you end up with quite a book.

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@gman

How many peasant revolts has history seen resulting from the common people finally getting fed up with the excesses of their elite? How can you defend such an anachronism? Such institutions have been done away with, except in a few backwards looking countries that still haven’t gotten over the fall from their lofty perches.

As for those historic buildings in the UK, they weren’t built by any of the recent royal families. And most of the pieces in the Royal Collection are how old? I do think that some tourism revenue would be lost without a royal family, but I certainly don’t think it’d be catastrophe.

Then again, Richmond may have a very good point. I wonder how many tourists hope to catch a glimpse of something juicy they can gossip about when they get back home.

Forbes Magazine lists 946 billionaires. I think Haute Couture has nothing to worry about.

And my final counter arguments to your defense of keeping the Royal Family: most of the stuff you mention happened in the past, under the rule of monarchs that actually had something meaningful to do. Both these royal families are merely riding on the coattails of their ancestors, and serve not real purpose anymore.

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As for book: I’m pretty sure Ben Hill and his publisher purposely came up with a sensationalistic title, that would peak people’s curiosity.

I can’t speak for his intentions. However, this by itself doesn’t mean his only intention is to gain fame/notoriety and stuff his pockets. It could go either way.

Either he’s trying to take advantage of the Royal Family, by spreading gossip. Or, he’s trying to shed light on something that’s much easier for him to see as an outsider. I’m ambivalent about it as this point, as I don’t know much about the book or the author.

However, unlike some people, I’m convinced that a golden cage is still a cage, without being placed in one.

P.S. I sure hope this blog accepts anchor tags.

Ok so the basis of your arguement is purely economic…”it costs a lot of money therefore its bad” .
If thats the angle you wish to take then perhaps we need to see how much the UK makes on Tourism . Lets look at the top most visited sights and I can guarantee the historic buildings built due to the presence of Royalty dominate it. I am not familiar with these sites but please inform me. look at the products …high end luxury items developed for royalty and now major earners for the economy
The presence of royalty throughout history has formed the very identity and culture of your country and under the kings and queens a whole empire expanded and grew wealthy beyond imagination. trade rotes carved out and terrotories claimed under the name of royalty. Even now there must be revenue from whats left of the empire.

this is just a start…..

Care to argue?