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My past posts of 'Wally's World' for reference/reflection on my past experiences...
Under Siege with Steve at Sumo
Sunday May 21, 2006 It was 1992. I was 12 years old. The Twins had just won the World Series. The Rodney King Riots had just happened. And oh yeah, there was a box-office hit called Under Siege released starring a then unknown Steven Seagal. As a 12 year old this was one of the greatest movies of my childhood. It had navy ships, fighter jets, navy seals, bombs, nukes, nudity, and a chef that could kill the bad guys and win the day! So, fast forward to May 2006 and a trip to Tokyo to see a Sumo tournament. I see, while talking on my cell phone, what looks to be Steven Seagal walk past our box seats and leave the arena. Of course I summoned the troops (other westerners I was with) and shared my discovery. "Steven Seagal is here! Steven Seagal is here!!!!" Reactions varied but most thought I had a case of mistaken identity since I was the only one who saw him. While I could have been crazy (maybe I am and maybe I am) I was sure of my star sighting. Heads were turning for the next 10 minutes waiting for Steve (we call him Steve) to return to the arena. Sure enough, minutes later Steve returned and any doubt of my sighting turned to giddy excitement! Of course we stopped him and snapped a couple pictures before he was whisked away by the ushers. To cap of the experience Steve ended up sitting 2 rows from us and close enough that we were able to view his reactions to the Sumo matches for the rest of the evening. We may have watched more of Steve than the Sumo, I am not sure! While it has been 14 years since Steve's first and last successful film (Under Siege), seeing him last week was like being 12 again. As long as navy seal Casey Rybek is on our side protecting us against tyranny and bad guys what could go wrong? Thank you Steven Seagal. All is good in the world thanks to you.
The View From Here... |
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Thursday, June 8 Before I came to Japan I had a stereotypical vision of what it looked like inside my head. It was full of well manicured gardens, sparkling fountains, inspiring ornate architecture, and beautiful landscapes. While I have seen all these things in one form or another, it hasn't been all in the same place. There are places where this kind of Japan exists I am certain, though from my experience these places are not as plentiful as you would think. It seems that Japan, in its modernization post WWII was fast to put up concrete boxes that were more for functionality than beauty. Cities, small and large, have retained this concrete jungle feel, reserving the old Japan for recreational areas only (temples and parks). This carries over not only to buildings but other things as well. Instead of the well manicured gardens you have houses in close proximity to each other with no chance of green space. Instead of sparkling fountains you have the city littered with vending machines luring you in with their many products (see home page). Instead of beautiful landscapes you have a city scape busy with the power lines of each home that closely resembles a third world country and city (no buried cables/lines). I know there are areas of Japan where my preconception has it right. I've heard Kyoto is like old Japan and even though it is a big city they have kept much of its past aesthetic beauty. I only wish the rest of Japan would have done the same so the look and feel of the country matched its polished stature in the world.
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