Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

I could never understand why a girl like her has become so popular internationally.

Her name is Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

She is like Lady Gaga of Japan. Her sales points are very unique custumes.

But her singing is not music, just high tone voices.

Last Sunday I went to Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. There was a festival of concerts, fashion shows and exhibitions. Those were awesome but the biggest event was her concert in the final session.

What surprised me was there were many audience from abroad including Europeans. Some wore custumes like she wore.

Can they understand and enjoy her singing?

It seems they did.

I can never follow what they are doing.

What is going on in this world? I felt like Alice in the wonderland.

The film was released last February. Recently DVD was released so I rented and watched that.

Animated film of famous Andersen story "The Snow Queen." The queen who had magical power which can freeze anything around her and cover her country with snow and then escaped to the top of a mountain. Her sister tried to save her.   

It was as good as expected. Great thing is music because it is a musical film. "Let it go" was really great and aspiring.

However, I personally do not like such film. It is just an ordinary story of fairly tale except the prince being evil. I do not like computer graphic animation. It is OK to watch it on TV screen but not in theatre.

Computer graphic animation is very shallow image. Not very substantial.

Furthermore, this film just made me sure that American culture is after all, plastic replicas of European ones.

When we image American scenes of towns, people. Typical ones are very replicas of European ones. Not exactly Europeans but looks newer, modern and cleaner. But replicas are replicas.

Just plastic things with no souls.

When I visited European countries such as England, France, Switzerland and Germany from the U.S. during my college study years in US, 1990's. I felt that very strongly by comparing the two.

Maybe that is good things about America. Not being bound by tradition, and easy to join.

I really like such things in my younger days but not any more, I am over 40.

I want more substantial and traditional things in life.   

In fact, America seems not giving good influence on our country like US military bases and global free market economy policies. We should make a distance from the U.S. Not too much being brainwashed by American things.

I do not enjoy replicas any longer but more substantial, real things.

Not easy to find that but I will find ones in order to make my life better.

Today is Sunday.

Some of the main streets in Tokyo are open to pedestrians.

It is fun to walk on the road where normally only cars are passing by.

It is also fun to see a performer on the street like below. He was singing a folksong. Not very good though.

But sorry, what he is doing is illegal. See the below picture.

I am now listening famous folk songs.

The following is the numbers on the CD I have. I bought it at 100 yen(=$1) shop.

1. Carry Me Back to Old Virginia
2. Silver Threads Among the Gold
3. Clementine
4. De Camptown Races
5. Aloha Oe (That is Hawaiian?)
6. Home on THe Range
7. What a Friend we have in Jesus
8. Molly Darling
9. Deep River
10. I've been working on the Railroad

Are they familiar withe you?

I also like "Old Black Joe." The lyric starts with "Gone are the days...."
That was one of the first English songs when I started to learn the language.