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argumentl · 3 years

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The Freedom of Expression - Episode 34 'Straight face challenge' at amusement park is very popular.

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru, with this week's episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san, Tasai san, welcome. We're kinda seated diagonally today.

J: Yeah.

T: It looks different.

K: Its kinda hard to see your faces when we are seated side-by-side.

J, T: Ah, ok.

K: And we've put these things here.

J: Yeh, these acrylic panels.

K: There isn't much meaning to these things if we are side-by-side, right?

J: Ah, yeh.

K: We were always turning sideways, so this is more appropriate.

J: Yeh, we are being more thorough with our counter-measures, with excellent visability.

K: So, we'll see how it goes today. Um, Hanshin are already finished. *T laughs*

J: But second place is second place, right?

K: At the moment..

T: Yeah.

J: So in the remaining 20-something games, there is a twelve game difference?

K: Yeah.

J: At this point in time?

T: Its a really big difference.

J: There's no way they can turn this round?

K: ...Its probably impossible, yeh. haha

J: Does this mean they won't be moving around in the top three?

K: Won't they?

T: They won't. Not in the Central league. Maybe in the Pacific league.

K: Oh yeh, the Pacific league!

J: So from now on if the Giants go on like this to get first place, Hanshin will go on to be second?

K: Well, yeah. But, actually, if there is this much of a difference, and then they go on to win their final game, it will be a bit unfortunate..

J: Yeh, that would be awkward.

T: So, I've brought you two something...I had these Koshien masks bought for you.

J: Really?!

T: Yeh

K: You went to Koshien?

T: I asked our Hanshin reporter to get them, so here you are, for you both. They are both different. Home or visitor colours.

J: Oh, Kaoru is already choosing his favourite. Kaoru, you have them both.

K: No, no, I'll choose home.

J, T: Hahaha.

K: Is this ok? Thank you so much.

T: I thought this might raise the mood one last time.

J: Thats it?! No more after this?

K: Ahh, it would be tough.

J: Really?

K: Yeah. I hope...Well, if the Giants don't lose, its impossible. The Giants probably won't lose.

J: It would only be possible if the Giants lost every game from now, and Hanshin lost none?

K: Yeh, they'd have to keep winning. On top of that, they're kinda running out of players.

J: Really?

T: Some of them have caught the virus.

J: Ohh, they caught the virus?

T: There was a group of 8 eating together.

J: Ah, i see!

T: They lost quite a bit of their main force.

K: Yeh, and then they panicked and moved a few players up from the second team.

J: Like these people will come up from the second team, and try to grab the limelight at last?

K: But actually, Fujikawa is throwing in the second team. So there's a chance he might get moved up.

J: Its a possibility, right? Well, lets pray for a miracle at the end.

T: Yeah.

J: But its technically still not impossible, right?

K: Its not impossible.

J: If they kept winning, and the Giants kept losing.

Kami: Um...um...We get it.

J, T, K: Hahaha

Kami: Lets move on already.

J: Ah, you've had enough?

Kami: Yeh, Im just helping you along.

J: Haha, are you? Thank you.

Kami: Cause its impossible.

K: haha

T: Okay, lets move on.

K: Okay, today..

J: Its like 'ding diiing'..

K:...What?

J: Oh, its ok. Nevermind. haha. I've gone a bit funny recently.

K: Ok, Joe, please tell us the theme.

J: Yep! Ok, this is today's story. 'Screaming banned at amusement parks "Straight face challenge" is very popular '. In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, parks are asking visitors to refrain from using loud voices or screaming, while using their ingenuity to create fun at the same time. A piece of footage showing people on a roller coaster keeping a straight face has been an unprecedented hit, and another park is using masks as decorations to lighten the mood. 'We are asking visitors to refrain from using loud voices, but have recieved feedback such as, "That would be tough!", or, "Impossible", so the two of us park owners got together and made this exampe video'. The footage shows them enjoying the 70 meter drop, at 130km p/h adjusting threir masks in the front row of the ride car. The 4 min video has even become popular overseas, with over 700,000 views. In May, the Eastern Japan and Western Japan amusement park associations put together some corona prevention guidelines. 'Because there is the worry of droplets spreading when using loud voices, we are encouraging visitors not to shout while riding the thrill rides. In order to created compatibility between operating the park, and preventing the spread of the virus, more strict measures are needed on top of mask wearing and temperature checking.' The slogan 'Scream in your heart' is being used as PR for attractions like roller coasters and the House of Horrors. 'Straight face challenge' has become a hit on social media, with people copying the video of the two guys in a roller coaster, and there has actually been a decrease in the amount of screaming. Furthermore, since July, the park 'Greenland' in Kumamoto, which has ten types of rollercoaster, has been giving visitors stickers in the shape of screaming mouths. They stick them on their masks to get the feeling as if they are screaming. This idea was in response to the comment, 'its not an amusement park if you can't scream'. So, this is quite challenging, right?

K: Its impossible!

J: Right?!

K: A scream will escape anyway, right?

J: Yeh, its called a 'scream machine' cause it makes you scream! (*scream machine = thrill ride in Japanese*). So if you don't scream, its not a scream machine, right?

K: Yeh, im not sure about this. And that thing with the masks at the end..you can't even see it, haha.

J: Haha, yeh, its like just to get into that mood.

K: Really? haha. But you'll scream anyway right?

J: You do, don't you, Kaoru?

K: Well, I've only been on them a few times.

J: What were you like? Like, 'Yaggghhh!!' ? Or like, 'Urrrghh!'?

K: Yeh, that one.

J: 'Urrghh!'?

K: Yeh, with my eyes shut tight...basically.

J, T: Hahaha.

K: Even just with the wind pressure and the swerving...it gets bad.

J, T: Hahaha

K: I do open my eyes a tiny bit if I want to see what its actually like.

J: Just for a moment?

K: Yeh.

J: Well, this shows that the amusement parks are trying hard, so that people can still come and enjoy the rides.

K: But they will definitely scream though, won't they?

J: Well, there will be people who do.

K: But if you are going at that speed, what happens to the droplets...?

J: They will fly away!

T: Yeh.

K: If there is some sat behind you with their mouth open like this...(*leans to the side with his mouth wide open*)....then....

J, T: Hahaha

K:...it might go in, but..

J: I get the feeling the virus won't go in your mouth if you are wearing a mask and going at that speed. But, yeh, if you're sat there will your mouth wide open, then maybe. haha. Is there really anyone like that?

K: I don't think there's much you can do about it.

J: I wonder what Kami thinks about it?

Kami: Its like Yoshimoto. Yoshimoto Shinkigeki (*comedy tv show*).

J: What?

Kami: Its kinda like Yoshimoto Shinkigeki.

J, K, T: Hahaha.

J: Ah, but if you see this from the outside, it looks like comedy. I think they made this video in all seriousness, but if you look at it from a bit further back, it looks like a joke, and we don't know when covid will start to disappear, but when we look back at this, it will seem quite funny I think.

K: Yeah.

J: But this thing of both owners not screaming, does that mean the ride is not actually that scary?

T: I see. Thats one way to look at it.

J: Its tricky. The selling point for these rides is that they make you scream, so if you are able to get on it and not scream, doesn't that mean its not very scary? Its difficult to figure out.

Kami: I like that title though, 'Straight face challenge'. Its good isn't it?

T: You could do the straight face challenge with all sorts of things, right?

J: Ahh, yeh. For example?

T: Like when watching movies, or soccer or baseball...

J: Ah, I see. You could watch a horror movie and try not to look scared, or a comedy movie and try not to laugh etc.

Kami: Its more fun when you are not allowed to do it, right?

J: Yeh yeh yeh.

Kami: You get more of a thrill out of it if you are told you are not supposed to do it.

J, K, T: Yeh.

K: Joe, you should try this.

J: Hahaha. I would probably scream straight away, like 'Yaaaaaghh!!'

K: Haha

J: Like we just talked, lets ask for some ideas for an easy straight face challenge we could try, not from Tasai, but from the viewers.

T: I see.

J: I mean, we could get on a rollercoster, but that might take a long time. If there's anything more simple we could do...

T: Like 'Electric shock straight face challenge'..

K: Electric shock?? Wow, he started off with the easy stuff, then straight to electric shocks. In that case maybe a rollercoaster is better, haha. *1

T: Yep, Electric shock straight face challenge..

J: I think it would it work though. It would work, right? Us getting on a rollercoaster.

K: It wouldn't work, haha.

Kami: A straight face challenge at a concert would be good though, wouldn't it?

J: Yeah.

Kami: If you said, 'No using your voice', someone is bound to, right? Or maybe not?

J: It wouldn't work at a Dir en grey concert though, would it? Even if you said that, they would start screaming at the first song.

K: Well, its like that at lives.

J: Yeah.

Kami: I guess Dir en grey can't do that, yeh. Like, when conveying those kind of lyrics..wouldn't it be tough? If you said, 'No speaking or shouting, and keep a straight face'. Even of you kept a straight face, it would seem like a joke.

K: Hmm, they'd just be watching only, right? The feeling of taking part would fade away.

J: It would, it would....Well, rollercoaster 'straight face challenge'!....?

K: Will you do it?

J: Lets do it!

K: No, no, we can't..

J: Ok, lets do tickling!

K: Ok, we'll do it now (*reaches hands out to Joe*)

J: No, haha. I already laughed!

K: Hahaha

T: It takes more strength to not scream.

K: Isn't there anything else we could do? For a straight face challenge?

J: How about eating spicy food?

K: Wasn't there something with mustard or something on it before?

J: There was! That was in Osaka. I got it on my face, and sneezed, like 'heeeh!!'.

K: Hahaha

T: Wow, haha.

Kami: Um, how easy is it to make individual expressions, amidst these restrictions? *2 Can you do it?

K: Oh, you're talking about lives?

Kami: Yeh.

K: Well, im not sure..We've never done it. Well, we've done a no-audience live, but otherwise, Im not sure. Normal conditions are best.

Kami: From the audience's perspective, it would fill their heads with all sorts of things, right? Like, 'Can't I use my voice?' or, 'Can I stand up?' ..

T: They have a lot of extra things to think about.

J: But basically, if you go on a rollercoaster, or to a live show or a comedy show, the whole point is releasing your emotion, isn't it? And in a situation where you can't do that...Well, they're trying to appeal to people to get on the rollercoaster and try hard not to scream, but the basic purpose of this ride is to make people scream, so this kind of contradiction just looks funny from any angle. And if you look at it from further back, like Kami said, it is just like comedy. So its quite a difficult to idea to express. It somehow just ends up looking like a joke no matter what. If you don't add any further magic ingredient to it, your original message won't get across.

K: It gives people more to think about.

J: Yes.

K: The inner workings of it. But I think you can still enjoy it at an amusement park.

J, T: Yeah.

T: As entertainment.

J: Thats why, at lives...

K: Yeh...it would be a bit...

J: You can't make it into comedy, right?

K: Well, yeh, in our case.

J: Its very difficult.

K: Well, this was a conversation bringing forth various problems.

J: Yes.

K: Ok, well, lets end here for this week. Please subscribe. Thank you very much.

*1 Think this is what he said here, he was speaking very fast.

*2 Think im missing some meaning here.

#dir en grey #the freedom of expression #tfoe #kaoru #薫

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asterinjapan · 6 years

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Red is the color

Good evening again!

It’s starting to cool down a little here in the Kansai region, which in practice means that we’re almost considering 35 C ‘cool’ now, pff. Apparently today is predicted to be actually worse in the Netherlands though, so good luck with that!

A slightly different report today, as my friend and I split ways in Kyoto.

I purposefully made that sound really dramatic, because it really wasn’t, haha. Here we go for a two-sided walk in Kyoto!

You see, my friend had decided to visit the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha before she was even sure she’d go to Japan this summer. It is very popular, after all: it was named the best trip in Japan for several years in a row, or something or another that they proudly proclaimed on a banner. So obviously, she couldn’t miss out on this on her first trip to Japan! And it truly is worth a visit.

So first, we took the train to Kyoto. Theoretically you can take the JR Kyoto train or something, but why do that when you have a JR pass and take the shinkansen to be there in 15 minutes? Exactly. So, we hopped on the Kodama shinkansen (meaning ‘echo’) and zoomed over to Kyoto, where we had to transfer to the local Nara line. Luckily it had just arrived for us, so two stops later, we arrived at our destination: Inari station.

The station itself is already appropriately themed, in case you were still wondering why all those tourists were taking a local train through the outskirts of Kyoto: all the bars are red. The station itself is tiny, so there was quite a queue to leave it, but once outside, you’re immediately confronted with the biggest draw here. A giant red torii gate shimmering across the road, marking the entrance to the Grand Shrine of Fushimi Inari. It’s one of many, many of those gates, and I bet that if you ever saw a commercial for holidays in Japan, it’s one of the images they’ve used to lure you in. Inari is the name of the mountain as well as of the god of rice and business, and a miles long trail of red gates leads you all the way to the top. Those gates are bought by companies, families or private persons and inscribed with their names and the year of donation, which gets pretty funny when you start spotting very modern names like, Panasonic or something.

Obviously we first took a lot of pictures posing with the gates, although we also inevitably had pictures of fifty other people attempting the same. We followed the trail leading up through the forest, and then paused for a little to have some melon pan we’d bought beforehand. (Melon pan means melon bread, named so for its shape and not its taste. It’s pretty sweet bread, so naturally I’d convinced my friend this was something she absolutely had to try.) At this point though, I was looking up and saw the tons and tons of stairs that led all the way to the top of the mountain, whereas before it had only been an uphill road. I knew that was a tad too ambitious for me this week, so this is where my friend and I parted ways. She was going to make her way to the top of the mountain, while I was trailing back to take the train a few stops further ahead. We agreed to meet up at the entrance of the shrine by 2:30 and went our separate ways.

(Oh, and before you call me a weakling – I’ve already walked the entire trail twice before, so I can definitely do it, haha.)

As said, I walked back to the station, where the train arrived just as I reached the platform, so that was nice! I rode it for a whole 7 minutes to make my way to Momoyama station. It’s a tiny station, and there was no-one at the manned gate, which meant that I couldn’t show my JR pass to get out of the station. I had to ring a bell and then show my pass to a camera, pff.

Anyway, I got to go through and made my way to my new destination – Fushimi-Momoyama Castle! Yep, another castle. I actually didn’t know this one existed until a couple of months ago, when I’d downloaded an app to keep track of Japanese castles (because of course I had an app for that). I was browsing the Kyoto area to find a castle I’d never heard of before. That would be Fushimi Castle, or Fushimi-Momoyama Castle.

I’m not the only one who hadn’t heard of it before, because there was barely any signage, and the parking lot was so deserted I was starting to wonder if the area was even open. I saw some people walking in the distance, so I shrugged and walked on.

As it turns out, there’s a baseball field in this park as well, which gave me slight paranoia as our hotel got invaded last night by a huge group of baseball players. This morning, we had to wait out 4 elevators because all of them were full of said baseball players, so I was getting kinda twitchy at the mention of the sport, haha. (Turns out there’s a high school championship going on at the Koshien stadium in the next prefecture over, so maybe they’re just here for that and I can spot them on TV. There’s a lot of baseball on TV this week, so…)

No matter the baseball though, because a huge entrance gate suddenly showed up in between the trees. The castle grounds were open, although the castle itself is closed and there are warning signs that you shouldn’t get too close in case of falling debris. You see, Fushimi Castle has a bit of an unfortunate history. The current construction dates back to the 1960s: the original castle was intended to be the retirement home for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a famous war lord and one of the unifiers of Japan. Fushimi Castle was furnished beautifully unlike other castles, since it was supposed to be a home instead of a defensive structure, and it was famous for its golden tea room. Alas, within two years an earthquake destroyed the castle. It was rebuilt, but it played a pivotal role in what turned out to be decisive battle in Japanese history, after which it quickly got dismantled again. Parts of the castle were then used in temples around Kyoto. (Fun fact: these temples used the floor boards of Fushimi Castle as their ceilings. A big group of samurai had committed ritual suicide after the last battle and their blood stains (including a bloody hand print) can still be seen on those ceilings even now. Sweet dreams tonight! Hey, I did say red is the color for today…)

Anyway, the former site of the castle is now sacred ground as the tomb of Emperor Meiji rests here and cannot be entered. The castle itself was rebuilt a little further ahead as a museum in the 1960s and served as a part of a theme park called ‘Castle Land’, but it was closed in 2003. The castle remains closed to this day, but the area is accessible and so you can just wander around in the park like area and take a bunch of photos as you please. And it’s super quiet! It’s a stark contrast to Fushimi Inari Taisha, as I spent quite a while here and saw maybe 10 other people in total, tops, including a father and a son who seemed more preoccupied catching bugs than looking at the castle, haha.

The skies turned blue after a while, allowing me to take some very nice shots. The castle probably looked better in the past: one of the giant fish on top was missing, and some roof tiles were sliding off, so I can imagine it can be dangerous to get too close.

Still, though, I really liked this detour. I actually planned on seeing the original site for as much as possible, but I got distracted by a plate for a different tomb/mausoleum: that of Emperor Kanmu, who ruled at the end of the 8th century and was the one who moved the capital city to Kyoto (Heian back in the days), where it would remain for over a thousand years until the capital eventually moved to Tokyo in 1868.

Although the first few dozen of emperors of Japan cannot be proven, Kanmu has been verified to have actually existed, so I was pretty excited to be this close to such an old part of history. Even if all there was to see was a stone torii gate in the distance, marking the entrance to the tomb. Sacred grounds, you see…

I didn’t stick around for very long, but it was an interesting little side step. Actually I met an older couple here, coming over from Osaka, who seemed very excited to find me here of all places and speaking Japanese to boot, haha. So that was a nice chance to practice my Japanese a little, which is not as atrocious as I was fearing, even if my vocabulary leaves a lot to be desired.

On my way back, I stumbled upon the Nogi Shrine, dedicated to general Nogi who took his own life after the funeral of Emperor Meiji in an ultimate gesture of loyalty. What a fun visit so far, huh… Anyway, it definitely felt like a much more modern shrine, with horse statues and some brick parts. I didn’t spend long here, but the shrine buildings were a nice change of pace during my return to Momoyama station. (I also stumbled upon a plaque warning for Japanese giant hornets, so after that I jumped out of my skin every time something even remotely resembling a flying insect came across me, haha.)

As it turned out, my friend had returned from the mountain victorious as she’d made it to the top, and we arrived at almost exactly the same time at our meeting place. We browsed the souvenir stalls a bit before deciding to call it a day and headed back to Kyoto, where we exchanged our respective stories over drinks and took the shinkansen back to Shin-Osaka.

When we went out for dinner (omu rice! Rice covered in omelet, haha), it was 28 C outside! Gasp! That honestly felt cold to the touch, it’s incredible. Weather forecasts are consistently predicting 33-35 C for the upcoming week, which is still hot, but much more doable than 38+ C.

So we made plans for tomorrow and then went to our rooms, from which I’m typing this blog right now, haha.

Keeping tomorrow a surprise, but there won’t be any castles for once, wow! See you~

#japan 2018 #report #report: japan 2018 #places: kyoto

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