[万博] Number 1?

Nagoya TV says:

『女性必見!イケメンのいるパビリオンはここだ！』
「アメリカ館。なんと言っても、案内してくれるお兄さんがかっこいい。待ち時間ゼロ分にも関わらず楽しめるものだった。シアターを見つつの意外な展開が実感出来て良かった。」
（訳）
MUST SEE FOR WOMEN! These are the Pavilions with IKEMEN!
The U.S. Pavilion. It goes without saying that the ONIISAN (male) guides are really cool. Even if the waiting time isn't zero, it's still an enjoyable experience. By looking at the theater you are able to realize the surprising development of [America].

(sorry, that is a rough and tumble translation)
as informed by our guide manager:
"
The US Pavilion is now rated as Number One in a recent survey done by TV Nagoya on Channel 11! This is the station affiliated with the Asahi newspaper.
The official announcement will be made on Monday between 6 and 8am. Most likely the announcement will be made around 7:30am. In the on-camera interview conducted with Doug West on July 12th, the reporter said that the respondents had particularly singled out the guides for their “youki” attitude.
"
i'm guessing 勇気 was meant and not 妖気 - but neither really fits the bill. actually, i am learning to take what is said with a grain of salt. something Mr. Flynn always told me. "Well, little Orvilles and Matildas, better take that with a grain of salt." Orville and Matilda were the perpetual personification of the 'somebodies' in the world. of course it is entirely possible that they were completely distinct people that lived on in his mind long after class had let out for the day...

anyway, Ch. 11 had some cameras in this morning - they took some footage of me in Pre-show giving a Segway demonstration. don't know when/if/how it'll see the light of day. certainly not back in the States, that is for sure.

納豆の日: THE DAY OF NATTO

JULY 10th

Haruko and I celebrated nattou no hi with natto fried rice. see for yourselves:

百万人

That's a lot of people. Each day we do around 10k - 12k (however this is only around 10% of the visitors to bampaku). we move them pretty decently through... depending upon the time of day, weather, etc. we'll have upwards of 270 in each the main show, pre-show, and post show, and another 150 pre-queued into "wheat field" at any given time.
anyway, this whole deal was laughably gimmicky. actually, we were going to hold the celebration yesterday - but we wanted to "make sure" that we hit the number when we went to the press - you know, just in case those Expo regulators are watchin' our numbers with keen eyes.
so, the plan was to hold the press conference at around 15:00 and then show our guests up to a pleasant reception in the Franklin Suite. as you may or may not know it is monsoon season in Japan now (it came late this year); so of course characteristically it is raining pretty hard. at 13:30 we begin scanning the rainy queue (which at this point in the day is wrapped all the way around the Global Common 2 stage) for our "1 millionth visitor." since we'll be doing the whole press/photo-op piece, we are looking for a camera-friendly family (mom, dad, couple of kids with fresh faces). ha haa ha, yeah, that's right. anyway - THAT wasn't my job...
we picked them at the end of the queue, so that when the made it to the front of the Pavilion it was 1500 and Yomiuri, Expo Paper, et al were all ready to go.

We bring 'em up to the Franklin suite to enjoy refreshments (ice cream, cola, juice, coffee, muffin, jelly beans, and pretzels!), and meet AICHI USA CEO Doug West, Pavilion Director Bernard Teresco, and one of the guide teams (C). we hand them certificates, multiple expo passes, grant them honorary VIP status, and a host of praise. Doug is being all ceremonial about the whole thing - and the rest of the staff is expecting to really overwhelm our 1 Millionth visitor. Meanwhile, the kids are crazy - the boy is flopping around all over the furniture, spinning the glass globe - i'm just waiting for it to break. the girl is in a pissy mood - maybe because of the rain or maybe for different reasons altogether.
"We'd like to have you enjoy some ice cream. How does that sound? You can have as much as you'd like!"

"... We already ate. And besides, ice-cream is too cold."
CEO doesn't speak Japanese though, so he hears "no thanks, but coffee would be nice." turns out they drove 4hours to come to bampaku today - and lucky them, now they are obligated to come back next month for some other sort of party/reception we'll be holding for them. America-kan isn't done with you yet!

Manga Me

Couple pages from a favorite Doraemon manga of mine. I'm thinking of airbrushing in English bubbles, but I don't know if the payoff will be worth it.
Doraemon1.jpg
Doraemon2.jpg
the basic story is that Nobita (the boy) and Doraemon (a cat-like robot from the future whose ears were stolen by mice) were watching television one day. there was a lady interviewing a famous baseball star - who explained that he was discovered by chance when he took a wrong turn on his way to someplace or another... anyway, Nobita is inspired by this story - that your whole life can change depending on which road you choose to walk down. He asks Doraemon to do something about this. Doraemon, who is constantly barraged with favors from Nobita, responds by producing a future forecasting mirror-like machine from his pouch (Doraemon stores all sorts of wonders in his pouch- such is the lot of robot cats without ears). With this machine in hand, Nobita sets out to select his destiny.

these are the last two pages from this story. near the end, Doraemon gives Nobita what I find to be a very stirring pronouncement of the nature of fate.

enough for two

福井新聞に載せた記事

Learning Expo Guiding Techniques
American students train at Prefecture’s Historical Museum

American college students who will be working as guides at the American Pavilion as part of the World’s Fair in Aichi (Ai/Love Chi/Earth Exposition) visited the Fukui Prefecture Historical Museum to receive first-hand training in customer service.

The guides in training are currently studying Japanese and guiding techniques at an Expo affiliate institution, the Consortium for Michigan Universities’ Japan Center (Shiga Prefecture, Hikone City). There are ten such students from Michigan and various other places – it is all the same to us. Accommodating a request from the Japan Center the Fukui Museum has hosted the students for three days in order that they get a feel for customer relations.

On this day, the museum’s companion guides Ms. Tanaka and Ms. Yamamoto gave lectures on formal greetings, how to control yourself as a guide, etc. “When there is a difference gap between you and the customer, humble yourself, bow your head, and continue to guide with a friendly smile.” “At the Expo, you’ll be asked about more than your own Pavilion, you’ll need extra preparation so that you can answer.” The students seriously inclined their ears to hear this type advice.

After this, the students had some actual practice with bowing. Aaron Keys says “Different situations call for one of the three types of bows. This was something that surprised me. We’re learning Japanese customs, and it’s really great reference for us.” The guides will begin to work in earnest from the end of June.

ガリガリ君

who are these two misterioso GARIGARI-KUN lovers?
what magic draws them to this frozen delight?

いったい何これや！？ 猫？

before you ask: yes it is; and, i don't know either.

俳句館で

茶と琵琶湖一緒太陽と沈まれる

The Closer Shore

If he’d have moved, she’d have known he was awake – at least that was how he gauged the situation. He was just a boy of little consequence to anyone but himself. He couldn’t recall just how he’d arrived in this precarious situation, but he was betting it had something to do with a nagging ambition that always seemed to be pushing him just that much further than he’d have ordinarily preferred. At the moment, he lay on a rice floor, surrounded by rice walls, with an empty bowl and glass of rice just beside him. He wasn’t alone.

The sliding glass doors let in cool air and the heavy scent of spring. The morning was cool, and he could tell she was running a fever – face flushed with color and damp brow. Pushing back the futon, he rose to close the shade to block out the early morning light. Closed, the blue tints of the morning dulled to quiet hues and warmer tones. At the movement, she began to stir; he felt he must go. Leaving as he went, he paused, realizing it was the wrong thing to do. But he was already beyond returning – her sickness had become his.

It was yet early, but the sun, higher than one might have thought, stung his eyes. The wind was strong as he made his way along the breakers. Men were out in their boats trolling but were already picking up and making their way across to the other side. The air was clear, revealing the scenery so often blotted out by smog or moisture. On another day, he might have paused to take it in, but today all he felt was the cold spray from the crashing waves.

Making his way as he did, he thought of a song he’d heard sometime ago – it must have been something lilting, a lullaby perhaps, but the melody escaped him. Turning instead, as he did, to cross the street, he kept his feet moving. To himself he wondered where his concentration had wondered – he’d been somewhere else just the moment before. It had been a cozy room, he hadn’t been lonely, and there had been someone who seemed to have needed him. Just now, thinking on it seemed required an awfully great effort, and so he kept picking up his feet and putting them down again. He was headed for the tracks.