Nipponi Ikitai

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Evans
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Nipponi Ikitai

Thu Nov 17, 2016 10:36 pm

So OK, I was on this Japanese reality TV show two weeks ago, but not for my woodworking.

This gentleman was on tonight's (this morning's, EST) episode for yosegi marquetry.

https://youtu.be/1EOpXl_ME9c?t=2m36s

They took him to some shops in Hakone, which is known for yosegi, and he visited with some masters of yosegi and puzzle box construction. It turned out (spoiler alert) that one of the problems he was having was due to his low quality, poorly prepared kanna. So, they took him to go see how plane blades are made and to the dai maker for some lessons in prepping the sole of a dai.

The show is actually kind of nice. They showcase traditional Japanese crafts and pursuits by finding people all over the world who are already studying those things, and bringing them to Japan!
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/nipponikitaihito/
I've been recommending that people I know apply to be on the show, and maybe get a free trip to Japan. They say they are reviewing new applications every week.
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Chris Hall
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Re: Nipponi Ikitai

Fri Nov 18, 2016 8:46 pm

Uh, already posted up on this a few months back:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=525


After they said they wanted to come out and interview me, then they were postponing for a month, and I never heard from them again.

Glad someone is getting over there and having an adventure, though I think the schedule once the gaijin arrives would likely be way busy...
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Evans
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Re: Nipponi Ikitai

Sat Nov 19, 2016 11:16 am

Oops, I guess I missed that thread. Sorry. My experiences with the production company mostly match yours. They are disorganized and haphazard. The show is fairly new (just started this year) and they don't really have a library to fall back on if production falls behind schedule. So, they always seem to be running around like crazy, and changing their plans rapidly based on inevitable catastrophes. It doesn't surprise me that they forgot to get back to you. They told me at first that they weren't interested in me, then they were interested, then there was a delay, then they were more interested in somebody else, then that person didn't have a valid passport, then could I go to Japan in a week? Up until a couple days before I left, I did not even have plane tickets.

I have been able to correspond with Nicholas ( http://www.affinecreations.com/ )a little bit, and his experiences mostly match up with mine. The show is respectful of the people they bring over, but it's really less about us than it is the crafts that are being shown to us. The show is really only interested in collecting as much as will fit in their 45 minute slot, and maybe don't help the people dig as deep as they'd like. Nicholas said that his translator was unable to translate a lot of the technical concepts he wanted to ask about. I know that I felt sometimes like I was being treated like meat. Better than being treated like a clown, I suppose.

You might have been a little nonplussed. Still, my sympathies that they blew you off like that.
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Chris Hall
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Re: Nipponi Ikitai

Sat Nov 19, 2016 5:07 pm

I've already done the 'gaijin on parade -look at how weird he is! - routine in Japan back in the 1990's when I lived in various small towns there. So, that aspect was certainly of little interest to me anyhow.
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Evans
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Re: Nipponi Ikitai

Thu Nov 24, 2016 11:40 am

Chris Hall wrote:I've already done the 'gaijin on parade -look at how weird he is! - routine in Japan back in the 1990's when I lived in various small towns there. So, that aspect was certainly of little interest to me anyhow.
Well, I would claim, "It wasn't really like that," except they literally did have me march in a parade. :)
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It was a "Jidai" (period dress) parade, directly related to my historical costuming work, but still. While marching, I did have the distinct feeling that I was about to be the subject of dozens of incredulous Facebook posts.
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Chris Hall
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Re: Nipponi Ikitai

Thu Nov 24, 2016 11:54 am

Oh Jeez, I feel embarrassed for you :oops:

The Japanese do love to have parades and festivals.

Did you spend a week there? How much of each day was occupied by tv show stuff? Did you have any time to yourself to explore a bit?
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Evans
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Re: Nipponi Ikitai

Mon Nov 28, 2016 11:10 pm

Oh don't be embarrassed. I made that outfit, including the under-layers and tate eboshi hat I even hand braided the ties and embellishments for the hitatare and hakama. I was really honored to be asked to participate in the parade and march with the crew. The crew I marched with (and most of the crews in the parade) was all locals, and I was the first Westerner who ever marched with them. It was a lot of fun being "backstage" during the preparations for the parade, too. I understand how you might feel about it, but through my involvement in the SCA I've gotten quite used to showing off. :)

Anyway, I was in Japan for eight days. We spent about 5 days shooting for the show. They paid for the plane tickets and all internal travel, lodging, and meals, but only during shooting. They told me I could extend my stay as long as I wanted, but it would be at my own cost. They just needed to know when to buy my return ticket for. I had told them to give me two extra days, since I needed to get back to work. (For all the good that did me. They let me go last week anyway, though it's an unrelated story.) One of the days in the middle was a national holiday, so I had that as an extra free day. Then, they wound up scheduling something for me during my last full day, but it was really great, so I didn't mind.

My first full day in Japan was spent traveling to Nagaoka for the "100 Bales of Rice" festival, marching in the parade, and drinking sake at the tasting. Second day was free in Tokyo, so I did a little site seeing, including a visit to Senso-ji temple. Monday was spent in Gifu city, learning about the Ukai (cormorant fishing) and visiting Gifu Castle. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in Toyama learning about eboshi making from one of the few craftsmen (and his apprentice) still practicing this craft, and having a home-cooked meal in the apprentice's home.
Thursday, we visited Yushima Tenmagu temple where the priest performed a ritual for me, and the director told me they basically had everything they needed for the show. They had already bought tickets for me to go to Kyoto, so I went anyway to visit the Costume History Museum and some other sites. Friday, I had free, so I walked from my hotel near the Tokyo Tower up to the Tokyo National Museum and back after cruising the museum. Saturday, I spent in Makiko Tada's studio, taking a braiding workshop, then I met up with some SCA people in the Akihabara. Sunday I walked around near my hotel and then somebody came to take me to the airport. Short form of the photo gallery here - http://www.ee0r.com/gallery/japan2016/.

I would have loved to see more of Japan, and explored more woodworking related things (Takenanke Carpentry Tools museum is on my list), but I didn't have the time or the inclination to get too far off the plan when I was on my own. The trip was just for me, and my wife was not included, so I even tried to stay away from gradens, to avoid making her too jealous. The slight embarrassment of the TV show was the price I paid for the trip, and I think I got enough value out of the trip to make it worth it.
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Re: Nipponi Ikitai

Tue Nov 29, 2016 3:42 pm

Sounds like a great trip, even with the oddities of the show production. Glad to hear that you did manage to make it to Tada-sensei's studio! Makiko and Shinsaku are really such wonderful people.
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Evans
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Re: Nipponi Ikitai

Sun Dec 04, 2016 10:11 pm

John Whitley wrote:Sounds like a great trip, even with the oddities of the show production. Glad to hear that you did manage to make it to Tada-sensei's studio! Makiko and Shinsaku are really such wonderful people.
They are. This isn't really the right forum for a braiding discussion, but everybody I met for the show was friendly and hospitable. I am told it's the Japanese way to be very welcoming to guests, but it really did help take away most of the discomfort of being under the camera.
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Evans
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Re: Nipponi Ikitai

Sun Feb 05, 2017 5:58 pm

In the episode that just aired this Thursday, February 2nd they visit Jay van Arsdale at the Daiku Dojo in Oakland, CA and pull one of his students, Ben, over to Japan to study saws and building techniques, including visits to Himeji Castle and the firm that executes repairs on it..
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It's all in Japanese, of course, but some of the people here who already have experience with this kind of thing should be able to follow most of it.

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