Godzilla Invades America

Look out America! Japan’s latest export is not a car or electronic gadget, it’s a giant – the Yomiuri Giant they call Godzilla. On December 19th 2002, Japanese baseball slugger Hideki Matsui, a.k.a. “Godzilla” agreed to a $21 million contract with the New York Yankees and the 186 cm/95 kg power-hitting outfielder is leaving Tokyo for American shores to join the wave of Japanese baseball players who are making it big in the big leagues.

Godzilla is perhaps the biggest Japanese baseball star yet to join the major leagues. The eyes of the country of Japan have been on Matsui since his days as a high school player in the televised 1992 Koshien National High School Baseball Championships where he was intentionally walked five times, once with the bases loaded. Matsui went on to become the Number One draft pick by Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants in 1993 and now at 28 years old, is the three-time Most Valuable Player of Japan’s Central League.

There have been doubts whether a Japanese baseball player could really make it in the major leagues. Ichiro Suzuki helped to lay these doubts to rest when he won both the Rookie Of The Year and Most Valuable Player Awards in 2001 with his speed, great throwing arm and skillful hitting.  However, Major League Baseball has yet to see a Japanese Power Hitter. 2003 will be the year for Hideki Matsui to prove that Japanese players can come over to the States and slug with the best of them. Matsui may be Japan’s strongest power hitter since Sadaharu Oh, the former Yomiuri Giant who broke Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record in 1978. According to the World’s Homerun King, Matsui “has tremendous ability and discipline.  He has brought the art of hitting to new heights in Japan and he is certainly equal in many ways to the major leaguers.” 

More than a dozen Japanese have come to the U.S. to play in the Major Leagues including Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki, L.A. Dodger Hideo Nomo, San Francisco Giant Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Texas Ranger Hideki Irabu and others who have played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Montreal Expos and the Kansas City Royals.  Hideki Matsui may be the latest player to head to the US, but he will not be the last.  Others are on their way, and at the Japan All-Star Series, all eyes were on not one, but two Matsuis.  In addition, to the powerhitter Hideki, Kazuo Matsui, Shortstop for the Seibu Lions was turning the heads of the Major Leaguers and most agreed that both “Godzilla” and “Little Matsui” were the top players to look out for.

As his coaches and colleagues looked on with mixed emotions about Godzilla’s departure from Japanese baseball, Matsui donned his Yomiuri Giants uniform for the last time in November 2002 to take part in the Major League Baseball VS Japanese Professional Baseball All-Star Series. The Japanese players, coaches and fans were faced with the paradoxical situation of having to bid farewell to a local hero who will be greatly missed while at the same time excited about the attention that Godzilla’s success in the Major Leagues may bring to Japanese baseball.

The following are excerpts and translations of interviews with Tokyo Journal Editor Dr. Anthony Al-Jamie.

Ambassador of Health

X-Treme is a keyword in the U.S. these days whether you are talking about sports, entertainment or even food.  Add the X from X-Treme to Ken Shida’s family name and you get Shidax, Japan’s leading food service and karaoke business started by his father some forty-five years ago.  Shidax has come a long way since then with its new headquarters located in Tokyo’s trend-setting city of Shibuya at Shibuya Shidax Village. 

From Livin’ On the Edge to Livedoor

Takafumi Horie, CEO

TJ Exclusive Interview by Dr. Anthony Al-Jamie

As I sat across from a man younger than I, I thought to myself what makes Takafumi Horie special? Out of the millions of IT venture companies and young entrepreneurs driving these companies, why is it that Livedoor and Horie made it to the top and avoided all of the pitfalls that destroyed the thousands of dot coms? Is it confidence? Arrogance? Sheer luck? I just couldn’t put my finger on it. What is it that makes Horie successful and at such a young age how did he become one of the most controversial and leading-edge figures in Japan’s competitive business arena? After several minutes of speaking with him, and he revealing very little information, I realized just what it was that makes Takafumi Horie special: Strategy. He always has a strategy and he always keeps that strategy a secret until he is ready to unveil it in front of the entire country. I realized that like Mikitani from Rakuten and Son from Softbank, Takafumi Horie has a secret strategy behind everything he does.

One would naturally assume that Horie was defeated when Livedoor lost the bid for a baseball team while two bigger Net companies, Rakuten Inc. and Softbank Corp., succeeded. When Livedoor first entered their bid, many from the traditional side of Japanese business were wondering who this unknown was that refused to don the corporate uniform and attended meetings casually clad in a t-shirt and jeans as opposed to the customary suit and tie. Although Horie did not win the bid for a baseball team, he wound up with something much more valuable: free PR through a nation-wide media blitz that helped put Livedoor on the map. Most any marketing strategist will agree that free media coverage is an excellent marketing maneuver if you can do it. Japanese consumers loved Horie’s courage and determination when he took on the Old Boy’s Club of baseball, and then were sympathetic when he lost out. Now, “Horiemon” has become a celebrity with regular appearances on TV game shows, a model for a girlfriend, a chic office on the top floor of Roppongi Hills, and five best-selling books with such ambitious Trump-esque titles as “How to Make 10 Billion Yen” and “The One Who Makes Money Wins”.

How effective was the baseball team bid strategy? Hiroshi Kamide, an analyst at KBS Securities in Tokyo stated, “Livedoor never really had a chance of winning the baseball franchise, but from a publicity standpoint they were 100% right to do it.” Livedoor’s profits at the year ended Sept. 30th, 2004 quadrupled to $54 million, sales increased by 185% to $294 million and according to Net Ratings Japan, livedoor.com was the second-fastest growing website in Japan in 2004.

Then in February 2005, Horie made top story news again when he bought many of his Nippon Broadcasting System (NBS) shares in after-hours deals. Livedoor bought 40% of NBS for $500 million, – a highly aggressive strategy which could have allowed Horie to build a stronghold in radio, television and newspapers via NBS’s holdings in other companies. This time it ended with Livedoor getting paid and many would say that once again his strategy was successful. In this case the strategy resulted in raising more than a few eyebrows mostly from those who agreed with him from a legal standpoint but ethically may have found his strategy to be too aggressive.  Nonetheless, he remained in the public eye with television appearances and front page newspaper coverage. 

The bottomline is, Livedoor is booming. Livedoor offers web hosting, an Internet auction site, DVD rentals, and online securities trading, as well as a venture-capital investment arm, an IT consulting business, and a mobile-phone-software developer. All of this from a 32-year old entrepreneur born in Fukuoka who dropped out from the prestigious University of Tokyo to start his first company originally called“Livin’ on the Edge” in 1996. Even in this early part of his career, you could see Horie’s cutting-edge strategy by using an out of the ordinary name. Less than four years later Horie took his company public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers Board and in February 2004, through an acquisition he changed the company name to Livedoor. The company now has one of the fastest growing internet portals in Japan.

Horie’s advice for being a successful entrepreneur is in line with how he started in business.

TJ: What is your advice for those wishing to begin their career as an entrepreneur?
Horie:  Get going soon. Start as fast as you possibly can.

TJ: You’re still quite young.  Do you think you will you continue to improve in business over the years?
Horie: No. I’m past my prime. I was in my prime when I was 20

TJ: Did you say you were in your prime when you were 20?  I always thought that men were in the prime of their business career when they are in their 40s.
Horie: No.  Men are in their prime when they are 18, 19, or 20.  That’s the best time to get started.  The younger, the better.

TJ: That’s surprising.  Do you feel this is unique to you or do you believe that this applies to people in general?
Horie:  All business people hit their peak when they are 20 or even 19.

It’s hard to believe Horie could be past his prime. Livedoor made 20 acquisitions in 2004, including an online travel agent, an accounting-software company, and a Shanghai-based Internet portal. A horse racetrack may be on the horizon as well. Although criticized by some for having a scattered strategy which can be seen by Livedoor’s diverse portfolio, Horie insists there is good reasoning behind all of his acquisitions. In January 2005, Livedoor announced plans to launch an online bank with Saikyo Bank Ltd., which will help Livedoor establish an online settlement system for its auction and shopping services. The strategy behind November 2004’s $22 million acquisition of accounting software house Yayoi Co., can be largely attributed to the ability to acquire Yayoi’s 400,000 small and midsize business customers.  The bank will be able to make loans to businesses and offer an easy online credit check for companies, who will be able to upload their financials to the bank over the Internet.

Part of Livedoor’s success may be attributed to its diversification and Horie’s desire to stay on top of things.

TJ: What kind of manager are you?
Horie:  I guess you could say I micromanage.

TJ: Livedoor is very diverse in its activities.  How would you describe its corporate culture?
Horie: “There is no corporate culture at Livedoor. We are like the United States, or many countries grouped together – we have many cultures together under one roof” 

TJ: Do you believe it is important for young employees to learn to communicate in English?
Horie:  Yes, of course.

TJ: You speak English very well. How did you learn English?
Horie:  By studying words – thousands of words, and sentences are just a combination of words, so if you know a lot of words you can understand the meaning.  Although I can’t speak well, I can understand what people are saying.

TJ: What is your hobby?
Horie:  Everything.  I’m always thinking.  I never stop thinking wherever I go. I’m always coming up with new ideas, so I am too busy for just one hobby.

TJ: Do you have a lifetime goal?
Horie:  Yes, I want to travel outside our solar system. 

TJ: Are you serious?
Horie: Yes, absolutely. 

What is in store for Livedoor? Horie hopes to increase Livedoor’s portal revenue by developing its content and adding new services such as online dating, expanded shopping and an enhanced blogging area. Let’s not forget Horie’s personal goal to travel outside the solar system. Livedoor is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds, and Takafumi Horie is behind the wheel of the ship on a strategic mission to go beyond the Milky Way. As I learned during my interview, the secret to their success is not sheer luck or a hotshot’s confidence or arrogance. It’s strategy. And Horie’s strategic plans do not include small steps. He takes huge strides towards the goal with confidence. As fellow multimillionaire and entrepreneurial strategist Donald Trump has said, “As long as you are going to think, think BIG”.  No one can be sure of what Takafumi Horie’s next strategy will be, but we can be sure of one thing, it will be big.   

Experienced Educator Explores Elementary English Education

Renowned English Language Educator Yuri Kuno Gives TJ the Inside Scoop

Yuri Kuno began her career as an elementary school English language educator at Seijo Gakuen Shoto Gakko nearly a quarter of a century ago and remains dedicated to enhancing the quality of English language education in the Japanese school system. Kuno Sensei was recently appointed to the Ministry of Education’s advisory panel as one of only two elementary school teachers on a twenty-two member panel established to provide guidance to the Ministry of Education which is currently revamping English education standards in Japan. Since retiring from Seijo Gakuen, Kuno Sensei has continued her career as a teacher trainer and researcher . In addition to her teaching career, Kuno Sensei has been involved in the development of numerous English Language Teaching materials for children such as CD ROMs and Prentice Hall’s renowned textbook series “Super Kids”. Most recently, she has been involved in the creation of an NHK twenty-program television series for school children that will be aired nationwide beginning this upcoming school year.

TJ: Most people in Japan are under the impression that English is and has been a compulsory subject at the junior high and high school levels for many years. Is this true?.
Kuno: No. Contrary to common belief, English has never been a compulsory subject in the public school system here in Japan. Over the past several years, an overwhelming number of junior highs and high schools have opted to teach English. This phenomenon has led most people to assume that English is a compulsory subject. However, the Ministry of Education has concluded that English will become a compulsory subject beginning in the 2002 school year.

TJ: I have heard conflicting reports regarding the implementation of English language education at the elementary school level. I was originally under the impression that a program would be implemented in April of 2000 but have recently heard reports that nothing is scheduled to begin until April of 2002. Could you shed some light on this?
Kuno: Actually, the Ministry of Education originally planned to implement a program that would involve English language activities in the year 2003. They have since pushed the start date up to April 2002 and have given permission to elementary schools to begin implementing English language programs anytime during what they call “the transitional period” which is between April 2000 and April 2002

TJ: I see, but I am still a little confused. I know that a number of elementary schools already have English language programs. Are these progressive schools breaking the rules of the Ministry of Education?
Kuno: No. There are certain periods of time that are dedicated to school activities and the principals of these schools are allowed to fill these time slots with whatever activities they choose such as community cleanup, school assemblies or English language activities.

TJ: So, beginning in the year 2002, it will be mandatory for all elementary schools to have English programs. Is this correct?
Kuno: No, not exactly. It is up to each individual school and district to decide if they wish to implement English language programs

TJ: I am still a bit confused. What is the difference between the process in past years and the Ministry of Education’s plan for the 2000 and 2002 school years? It seems as though the schools have had the option of teaching English all along and the Ministry of Education is still not making it compulsory at the elementary level.
Kuno: That’s a good question. In the past, schools were able to use their free periods for English lessons. Officially beginning in 2002, schools will have the option of cutting into time normally allotted for other subjects such as Mathematics, Japanese language study, etc. and devote this time for English language study. They may begin to do so anytime during the transitional period.

TJ: Do you feel this is going to create further debate as some parents may be upset that the implementation of English language study may hinder the study of other important subjects such as Math, Science, etc.?
Kuno: Yes. Some people have expressed concern – especially since the year 2002 will also mark the beginning of the five-day school week and the beginning of a General Studies program which will allow students the option of choosing between four subjects – Social Welfare, Computer Education, Environmental Studies and International Education, which would most likely be English language study. Three periods a week will be dedicated to this new General Studies program and it will be up to the student, of course with the guidance of their teachers, to decide which classes they would like to take during these three periods. So in essence, students will be losing four periods on Saturday and the General Studies program will take up three additional periods during the week. This time will have to come from somewhere and teachers will need to adjust their curriculums to fit all of it in.

TJ: Are elementary school teachers who are not proficient in English nervous about the implementation of English?
Kuno: Yes, of course, and it is not only elementary school teachers who will be faced with this. Many junior high school teachers who are used to teaching students who have no experience with English are concerned about dealing with students who have already been exposed to the language. Some are intimidated by the idea that students may want to correct the teacher’s katakana-like pronunciation as many of the students will be exposed to native-like pronunciation in elementary school.

TJ: Rumor has it that you have been working with NHK on a new English language television program for school children. Can you tell us about it?
Kuno: Yes, we are going to produce a series of twenty-minute English language programs that NHK will air nationwide twice a week during the school day throughout the entire year. Elementary school teachers will be able to begin their English lessons with this program. Although I may be too optimistic, I would guess that by the year 2002 approximately 70% of the elementary schools in Japan will incorporate this program into their English lessons

TJ: It all sounds very exciting. I thank you for taking the time to speak with us and wish you good luck on your project.
Kuno: It was my pleasure.

Did you know . . .

. . . the average TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score in Japan passed 500 points for the first time in 1999? However the score of 501 still ranks among the lowest in Asia, only higher than Afghanistan, Cambodia and Laos.
(Source: Educational Testing Service)

I’m dropped at a very strange rest area. Most Japanese rest areas have more amenities than your average developing nation: free hot beverages, television, restaurants, shopping centers, mini-museums, outdoor recreation, immaculate restrooms, interactive drink machines, tourist information centers. Northeast of Kyoto there are two consecutive rest areas. I assume the second one exists because of all the energy drained from the whirlwind activities at the first one. However, the Joban Expressway doesn’t follow suit just outside of Iwaki. There isn’t even a coffee machine here. I feel like Amelia Erhardt out here at midnight. Traffic is nonexistent but I don’t string up the hammock. I’ve swapped it for a tent. Like Dino says, Hokkaido is cold.

Next

tj: Ms. Ishii, would you accept a reasonable payment from the government to abandon the land?

Noriko Ishii: To answer this, you need to understand farming and what it means to be a member of a farm community. Take the soil for instance. Farm land is different from a piece of commercial land. Each plot of farm land has its history and its unique micro-ecology; it is a combination of complex natural and human factors that have interacted over time. The degree of exposure to the sun, soil quality, the direction and strength of prevailing winds, the depth of the water table, the extent of frost mean that no two plots of farm land are the same. Even on the same parcel, some areas are marshy, others well-drained. An old farmer who lived in the hamlet used to say, “It takes about 10 years before you really get a feel for the land.” It takes many years of being in constant contact with a piece of farm land, and observing it, before one knows which crops are best suited to it, which crops should be rotated on it and which should not. Each parcel has its own unique requirements, and it takes time, effort and patience to recognize what those are.

Once registered with the One-Pack Group, products will be delivered to your door once a week.

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tj: Are you using organic farming, and since when?

shii: In the early 1970s we began farming with organic methods. That was before organic foods were popular in Japan. Mixing chicken manure, seedcake, and rice bran with the soil, we made compost. Spreading the compost on our fields promoted the growth of microorganisms, worms and a multitude of earth-dwelling insects whose excrement further enriched the land, producing a particularly fertile organic soil. All of the fields now being threatened by the construction of the second runway are organic fields that we have gradually built up over many years.

tj: But wouldn’t it make you feel good to sacrifice your community life for the sake of the safe travel of millions of Japanese? Doesn’t the airport need a second runway to reduce congestion?

Ishii: In the eyes of the Toho farmers the airport as it stands now is very well equipped to handle heavy traffic such as during Golden Week and New Year’s holidays. There is no need for a second runway, especially not for such a short runway (2,180 m) that is only suitable for mid-sized planes, not for those commonly used for international flights.

tj: If all goes as planned according to the Airport Authority (Kuko Kodan), your community will be almost completely surrounded by up to 6-m high walls and will have to endure airplanes flying as low as 20 to 40 meters above your heads. Doesn’t that make you want to move?

Ishii: Of course, under these circumstances, the Kuko Kodan would love to get rid of us as soon as possible. How the noise and pollution will affect our health nobody can say. Noise levels will be up to 95 dB, with 80 flights per day after completion of the new runway.

Dr D. Vice: When and how did tattooing in Japan get started?

Horitoshi: According to the “Gishi-wajin-den” (an ancient Chinese Wei dynasty account of the early Japanese), the people of the Japanese archipelago already used tattooing some 1200 years ago as a means to identify tribes or for religious reasons. The Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan, used tattoos to prevent evil spirits from entering the human body. Traditional Japanese tattoo, the art that I am practicing today, can be traced back about 300 years to the mid-Edo period. Back then, prisoners were being tattooed according to their crimes for easy identification. After their release, these ex-convicts would seek the services of specialists (irezumi-shi) who would tattoo flowers or other patterns over or around the prison marks in order to conceal their past. Over time more complicated patterns evolved, developing into elaborate full-body designs and finally becoming an art form. However, in the old days the ex-convicts as well as their tattooists were generally regarded as outlaws or yakuza. It is only recently, through exchange with western-style tattoo art, that the traditional Japanese tattoo is being recognized as an art form and is slowly shedding its stigma.

h: Yes, but these are mostly western-style tattoos done by machine that can be done within a few hours. That is completely different from what I am doing. Some of my full-body tattoos take up to five years to complete.

ddv: What about firefighters? Don’t they have some kind of tattoo tradition too?
h: In the Edo period many firefighters (hikeshi) had tattoos that were meant to protect them. Their work was quite dangerous, climbing up on roofs and high places to locate fires. They had to be very courageous, and tattoos were believed to raise their spirits.

ddv: What about the actual technique used in traditional Japanese tattoo?
h: Japanese traditional tattoo is all done by hand. However, due to contact with foreign tattoo artists I have recently started using machines for doing the sujibori (outlining work). The machine makes outlining easier and faster, and even allows for much smoother lines than would be possible by hand. All the rest, all the coloring and so on, I am still doing by hand. That’s why some of my more complex works can take several years to complete. ddv: How did you become involved in this art? h: I am originally from Sapporo, Hokkaido. The first time I came to Tokyo, I was only 15 years old. Very early on I started to get my own tattoos and most of the people around me had tattoos of one form or other.
I started in earnest to study the craft when I was about 21 years old. I basically learned it all by myself. A friend of mine, who had started irezumi two years before me, was also a good source of information and help. It took me ten years before I could support myself as an irezumi artist. And it took me even more years before I truly mastered the art.

h:My son, Horitoshi II, already operates his own studio. And at present I have about 17 deshi (apprentices).
Young people today can acquire their skills much easier than before. In my time, I had to work with trial and error, often using my own skin to try out some new technique or new type of pigment and so on. My friends and I also used to tattoo each other a lot, and in the process ended up with lots of mistakes. I had to do everything myself, looking for the most suitable type of needle, getting black ink, mixing the right colors, selecting designs. Today’s apprentices don’t have to worry about this. It’s all here. They just have to watch me work.

ddv:How do you select your deshi?
h:There is no exam or anything like that, but I do study an applicant’s resume and take a good look at them. I know by looking at a person if he is suitable to work under me. There is no point in having people that quit, so I am very careful to choose students that I feel will stay until they have fully mastered what I can teach them. Out of ten students there may be one who resigns within the first three years.

ddv:Are your deshi living with you?
h:My students only visit the studio for two or three days a week. Everybody comes at designated times on designated days. For example, this boy here [points to his attendant] comes to the studio today and tomorrow from 11a.m. to 11p.m. They all do other jobs to pay for their rent and food.

ddv: Any special curriculum for your apprentices?
h: For the first three months the new deshi must learn proper manners and etiquette. If I tell them to clean, they must clean. If I tell them to do this and that, they must do this and that. Next I teach them sterilization. After six months they may start actual tattooing under me. They will continue for another three years. Students who haven’t reached perfection after that may stay on for another two years. Before, I did not let my students handle the needle for the first three years. All I taught them were manners and etiquette. Today, they handle the needle after six months by tattooing each other. They have an easier life now, except that they still have to stay here many hours.

h: Not so many. There are only five or six that have done so. And then there is the “Horitoshi family” — one in Taiwan, and one in San Fancisco. Though they haven’t gone through the deshi system, they follow my style and I consider them like kind of younger brothers.

ddv: How do your customers find you?
h: A lot of it is by word of mouth, but people also contact me because they have read about me in magazine articles and like my style.

ddv: How do customers decide on a certain type of tattoo?
h: The first step is a meeting where they can look at my design samples. There is a common misperception that the kind of tattoo that I do can be done within a matter of hours or perhaps days. However, applying the tattoo by hand, just a few square centimeters actually requires an hour of painstaking work. Then there are some customers who think they can get a full-body tattoo within a one-year period although in reality it will take about five years. For example, the customer you just saw visits three times a week. He chose a design with nine dragons. He has already been coming here for over one year, and we haven’t even started the fifth dragon yet. It will take another year before I can start applying the color. Altogether this tattoo will take five years at the current pace.

ddv: How many customers are visiting you a day, and how much time do you spend with each?
h: Currently, I have three customers coming here three times a week, and then there are other customers that come at more infrequent intervals. Depending on my physical condition, I work on a customer for 60 to 90 minutes. I cannot spend too long on a customer because I have to attend several customers a day. For example, today I worked on the first customer for 90 minutes, then another for 150 minutes. At my age, the appropriate workload is four customers a day, 90 minutes per customer, or six to seven hours a day. Some customers request sessions that last two or three hours, but I decline this as much as I can. Towards the end of such marathon sessions my concentration becomes less, and then I am not satisfied with the result of my work.

ddv: Do a lot of customers quit before the tattoo is complete?
h: A lot. Approximately 80% give up prematurely.

ddv: Is it because the customers are losing interest, are running out of money, or cannot stand the pain?
h: It takes a certain amount of character to endure the pain and to see the work to completion. After a few sessions I can usually see whether a person will be strong enough to finish what was started. Also, if a person cannot stand pain, then I cannot do a good job. It is very hard to do a good tattoo while the person wriggles and moans in pain.

ddv: How much does it hurt?
h: Very much. Do you want to try?
Another reason why people are quitting is that they are moving to a different part of Japan. In such a case they maybe seek out another hori-shi (traditional tattoo artist) in another town. In fact, some of my present customers’ tattoos were started by other hori-shi.

ddv: How many needles do you use?
h: It depends on the type of work and on the particular part of the body. It is anywhere between 5 or 6 to 35 or 36 needles.

ddv: Are there any work-related hazards to your health?
h: You get very tired from the work. Sitting on the floor for hours at a time, the knees become very tired. Actually, my knees have become so weak, that I can only walk a short distance before they start to give me trouble. The constant needling motion gives you stiff shoulders, and the wrist is also prone
to inflammation.

ddv: How about your eyes?
h: Not so much. Anyway the eyes are going to get tired whether you use machines or tattoo by hand. It depends on how many hours you work.

ddv: Is it difficult to “draw” on a living, three-dimensional canvass?
h: Some hori-shi are using paper as a template on the skin. However, I draw completely freehand. Because my drawings are very complicated, they also make me tired very easily. In any case, the first task is the sujibori (doing the outlines). After that, the gradations and colors will follow.

ddv: Artists working in oil can usually change their mind and redo certain parts of their paintings without any penalty in terms of quality. But once ink is etched into skin, there is no return, is there?
h: Irezumi requires full concentration. You cannot allow the smallest mistake. A master at my level cannot make a mistake. Someone who tattoos his friend, and ends up drawing a hand with six fingers, can always apologize. But if a customer is paying money . . . !

ddv: What type of ink do you use?
h: Because people in Japan always used the same ink for writing, the black ink hasn’t changed much for the last 300 years.

ddv: Over the last 300 years, has anything changed at all?
h: The method of disinfecting has changed dramatically. In the Edo period, they used alcohol. Then, in the Meiji period they started sterilization by boiling. Nowadays sterilizers commonly used in hospitals are the norm.

ddv: What characterizes the design?
h: Many of the designs are based on stories taken from Japanese history and mythology. I want young people to always remember and appreciate traditional Japanese design. I don’t like to mix in western elements. I don’t want Japanese design to vanish. I want my students to inherit my style and respect traditional irezumi.

ddv: What about the colors?
h: Today, most of the pigments used for creating colors are imported. Maybe there are Japanese pigments, but it will take a long time before I can use them on my customers. I must try them on my own skin to test whether the color will fade. I need at least one year to test. Look here [Horitoshi shows his left leg full of color spots], I tested colors on my leg before. Young people today don’t have to do this.

ddv: Do you develop special relationships with your customers, after seeing them several times a week for many years?
h: I have a group called “Horitoshi-mutsumi,” people who have received a tattoo from me. We get together once a year or so. Of course not all customers will attend all the time. Out of 100 customers, perhaps only 20 or 30 people come.

ddv: Horitoshi sensei, thank you very much for your time.
h: You are welcome. tj

The ninja were so successful at keeping their arts, methods and activities in the background of history that they almost wiped themselves out of it. To find myths, folklore, ancient texts and even cartoons related to the ninja and their art is easy in modern Japan. Finding something that still has a basis in reality is next to impossible. Ancient texts are written in codes or flowery language that to this day historians cannot understand. This reinforces the popular, present day, mistaken stereotype of what the ninja really were and what they really did. Through time people tend to forget that history, folklore and legends all have a basis in reality. These super humans were human beings.

Entering the 34th Grandmaster’s training hall is an experience. The eyes are greeted by paintings, pictures, green tatami, and a huge assortment of exotic weapons. Near the ceiling on the far wall, shrines are dedicated to the ancestors of the nine martial lineages the grandmaster inherited from his teacher. He is a ninja. His name is Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi.

A medical doctor in the science of bone setting, and a master in the art of Koppojutsu . . . the warrior science of smashing the bones and attacking the sensitive points of the human body. He is a living paradox.

The Grandmaster acts in a relaxed and carefree manner, not like a wizard casting spells or a drill sergeant training his men to die for a cause. He is light, quick, and smooth with conversation, at times even a comedian.

Our meeting seemed destined to take place as Hatsumi Sensei spontaneously hands us a recent photograph of himself posing with his awards from the Imperial Family. An honor that has been bestowed upon less than one hundred people since the close of WWII. The royalty of Japan not only recognized Dr. Hatsumi as a true grandmaster of a ninja tradition but as the only living one left in the world.

But to him it is more important to lead a simple life than to be overly concerned with history and tradition. He stresses the essence of the art of the ninja, a way of life with rules like any other. The rules of the ninja are simple:

* The ninja’s primary goal is to use the art to gain entry into enemy territory, gather as much information as possible to prepare a strategy and return without ever being detected.
It is a natural instinct to deceive to survive. It can be seen everywhere in biological life.

* The ninja should always strive for righteousness through acts of justice and reflect on the betterment of his soul for his teacher and parents.
* Ninjutsu emphasizes deception. It is best to confuse your enemy by spying, stealth and investigation when planning an effective strategy.
* Secrecy was a matter of life and death. Anyone who betrayed the group to which he belonged was killed, along with close relatives.
* A ninja must not kill others, hurt innocent people or steal for personal profit or pleasure.
* Fitness must be maintained at an optimal level.
* Arts such as music, painting, poetry, singing and dancing should be enthusiastically pursued.
* The ninja is expected to train intensively in a myriad of areas: weapon skills, unarmed fighting methods, strategic analysis, covert building entry methods, swimming, improvisation, escape and evasion, disguise, chemistry, meteorology and geography to name just a few.

These are the rules the ninja must live by, 900 years ago and today. Of course pupils do not train as intensively today as their predecessors in the Iga and Koga areas of Japan during the long periods of civil war, but the essence of the teachings from the many masters is readily applicable to today, nearly a thousand years later. To master the art of Ninjutsu and remain healthy (physically and mentally) all pupils must abide by these rules. Those who break them will surely lead themselves to the grave or go insane. The grandmaster often compares his art to the sciences. Just as drugs can be used to hurt or heal and technology can create or destroy, so too can the ninja’s art be misused for personal gain or a desire for adventure.

During our break for tea, Hatsumi Sensei sat with the Tokyo Journal for an interview. No prepared speeches or preplanned thoughts. Relaxed with a microphone in front of him the master smiles away full of confidence. He is used to this by now with tens of thousands of practitioners worldwide. Being interviewed and photographed is a regular part of life.

tj: Sensei is it true that you are the last true Ninjutsu grandmaster in the world?
mh: No I am not the last, I have all of my students (laughter)! The Bujinkan is here and alive. This is important for everyone to understand. I am not the last, actually my master was the last active ninja and he has passed away.

tj: Why did this come to be? Why did many samurai styles survive while Ninjutsu almost died out forever? Was it all the wars in Japanese history?
mh: No, it was not the wars. It was the long period of peace commonly called the Edo period. It fell into disuse and was no longer needed. Ninjutsu is a true combat orientated martial art that takes a whole lifetime to master. I guess that there became fewer and fewer people who liked this type of thing..

tj: How did the three ninja schools of the nine martial art lineages you head now survive this period of peace?
mh: People who really loved and cared for the martial arts, who cared for the art of the ninja, not people making a living from it are responsible. You raise and take care of the things that you love right? It’s natural right? That is why I worked as a bonesetter. I didn’t make the martial arts my living. I really love Ninjutsu and the martial arts. This is why I have cared for it and kept it alive. It is important to keep this aspect of our culture alive for future generations and for the good of all humanity. For many generations spanning over 900 years, ninja have passed on their experiences and lessons of life and death, of how to survive and endure. I would like to protect these treasures for future generations, let people understand these lessons and if they can be of any use or value to them in their own lives I will be happy.

tj: So it is important not to teach the martial arts or Ninjutsu as one’s living or profession?
mh: No, no, you can! That is fine with me. I don’t mind either way! What is important is the caring for what you are teaching. A kind of respect for what you are teaching. It is important to protect important things, for humanity’s sake. Nowadays people who have the desire to look after such important cultural treasures are becoming fewer and fewer. One of the most beautiful things about human beings is the ability to care and love, to want to protect and the ability to protect. In Japanese this is called ningensei. So I believe, to really care for the art and protect it is what matters the most. It was the same in any other period of time, not just today. This is what has always been the essence of our art.

tj: How is your Bujinkan Dojo different from the other martial arts out there today?
mh: It has not been changed from its traditional form or turned into a sport. Also the concept of change and variation; in old days flint and steel were scraped together to make a fire and now a lighter gives the same result. This is what has kept my art alive and why I am able to use pistols, rifles or any other modern weapon. This type of thinking is also what makes my art different.

tj: Did you study many other martial arts before you met your grandmaster, Takamatsu Sensei?
mh: Yes, it was in this way that I came to meet him.

tj: Was Takamatsu Sensei famous?
mh: He was famous within the professional martial arts community. There were many strong and famous fighters at the time but none of them could even be compared to him. You could say he was the master of all masters..

tj: Did Takamatsu Sensei fight in World War II?
mh: No, he was in China for ten years and had many fight-to-the-death battles. He even received the death penalty three times while he was there, obviously escaping every time. The reason he did not go to war was he had injured one eye during a fight in his youth and could not hear in one ear. These injuries prevented him from becoming a soldier.

tj: Was his intention to go to China to make money?
mh: He held many jobs there including construction..

tj: Some say he was a spy?
mh: Well, a spy? Hmmm? What would you call it, let me see . . . he did do those types of things, yes. He was friends with the last emperor, and protected him.

tj: Now you have many students across the world, what do you see for the future of your tradition?
mh: Ahh! They have all become great people! Many of them have really started to come to understand my art. That is why I traveled the world for many years teaching. I wanted people to understand this art, I did not go to spread the martial arts. It was enough to let them see what real Ninjutsu is and along the way I met some truly beautiful people. The art’s future is in good hands. They have become a strong group.

tj: Congratulations on your awards from the Imperial Family!?
mh: Thank you very much. I feel grateful because I was honored with the Kokusai Eiyosho (International Achievement Award) and the Shakai Bunka Korosho (Society & Culture Distinguished Service Award). In over fifty years since the end of the war only ninety-two people have received this.

tj: Are non-Japanese pupils allowed to study your art even to the deepest levels?
mh: No problem! All are the same! I have no borderline! But pupils must be pure of heart or they just disappear. Isn’t Ninjutsu an amazing thing? People with a bad heart eventually go away. My art can only come to live in those who have a good heart.

tj: The last question is not directly concerned with the martial arts, but what do you think about the future of mankind? Will mankind be able to endure and survive the next 1000 years? Nuclear War? Chemical Weapons? Pollution of the planet?
mh: What mankind must do to survive is to observe and correct each other! Help each other educationally, scientifically, in physics and even in the arts of war. That’s why I often say that my training hall is a place for correction and reflection. It is important for us to correct each other! To tell each other “hey that’s not right!” when it is valid to do so. Mankind must also learn balance. Balance with the planet. Nature’s balance. And to do this we need to help each other, we really need patience and endurance. This is the martial arts!
The martial arts provide a method for self-defense, fitness and spiritual growth. All animals in nature have their own way of defending themselves. Human beings were blessed by a superior intellect and dominated the animal kingdom with the arts of war. To protect our community, family and self from danger needs no justification. Human beings are the only animals that can choose to be passive or aggressive, but the determining factors should always be righteousness and love. To break the law of nature and use the martial arts for personal desire of power, fame, or money can only lead to the destruction of the self.

The couple met on a bench in Regent’s Park in London in 1970, got married a year later, bought a minivan for around ¥10,000 and set off on an overland journey from London through Asia to Australia. They only intended to travel for a year and then settle down but when they finally arrived in 03, with just 27 cents between them, they were bombarded with so many questions — no doubt from Aussies with the urge to get out from down under and see the rest of the world — the ready-made audience inspired them to turn their diaries into a book. The first print-run of 1500 copies, hand-sorted, trimmed and stapled by the authors and hawked around the bookshops of Sydney, sold out in the first week. Thirty years and 55 million copies later, Lonely Planet guidebooks still manage to retain some of that personal touch. The attention to detail, gleaned from first-hand experience, is one of the keys to their phenomenal success. “These days you can do an awful lot of research just sitting at your desk and clicking on yet another website,” comments Tony Wheeler. “But at the end of the day what makes our guidebook better than another is writers getting out there and pounding the streets, wearing out shoes, trying out things personally. You can’t fake it.”

Lonely Planet has published over 1500 different guides including titles as diverse as Trekking In East Africa, Cycling Cuba and the Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook. “What started out as a rather appropriate way to help fund our next big trip has morphed into an organization with offices in Melbourne, San Francisco, London and Paris,” explains Wheeler. The company currently employs more than 400 staff publishing 600 titles in 17 languages and has spawned a television series, Lonely Planet Six Degrees, and an award-winning website, www.lonelyplanet.com, which receives over 2 million individual hits a month.

All things considered it’s probably safe to surmise that Tony and Maureen no longer travel in the way in which we have become accustomed through their books, but they still remain thoroughly engaged in every stage of the process of producing the guides. Wheeler himself spends around six months a year road-testing new editions.
The progress of Lonely Planet’s evolution from cottage industry to market leader has paralleled and hastened changing travel habits. Lower airfares, young people with more time and money on their hands and dissatisfaction with homogenous package tours and holiday resorts has spawned an army of independent travelers wandering around the globe, Lonely Planet in hand.

Tourism wasn’t the huge industry thirty years ago that it is now. Lonely Planet’s first guides used to include things like “if you get to this island in Indonesia, walk down the main street to the docks, turn left, there’s a house there and a man called Wayan will take you to . . .” Of course they can’t put things like that in now, because 20,000 people will turn up, all looking for Wayan.

Success has helped make an alternative the norm. Clutching a Lonely Planet guide makes us feel like Indiana Jones in the same way a Michelin guide induces the illusion of being a gourmet & connoisseur. Self-styled travelers find themselves merely one of a horde of adventurers descending en masse for a hill tribe trek in Thailand, the tribe solely devoted to catering to the crowds that Lonely Planet bring stomping to their door. A few years ago I was amused to find myself in a Western-style restaurant in Delhi sheepishly sipping an expensive milkshake and waiting for a veggie lasagna and chips, in a room full of fellow travelers, all of us with our Lonely Planet guides on the table, all relieved to be somewhere certified clean and tasty to take a break from the adventure raging outside.

Tony Wheeler concedes the point that DIY holidays are as unique as assemble-yourself-furniture but maintains, “that it’s still remarkably easy to escape the crowds and have your own adventure.” On the subject of well-trodden paths he emphasizes “everyone’s trip, especially the first, is an adventure. The people you meet, the streets that you walk down, the feelings and emotions you get from that, they’re yours — it doesn’t matter how many people are there.”

Times change, as do demographics and technology. The baby boomers are retiring, society is graying and technology is impacting on the publishing business. Wheeler foresees a boom in activity-related holidays — yoga, cooking, surfing, hiking and the like. He also reckons the day is fast approaching when PDF file guides are downloaded at the airport with a swipe of a credit card. That day may already have passed. Lonely Planet is developing WAP sites, palm pilots and mobile phone guides.

For all the changes the essence of travel remains the same. “I’m a firm believer in the value of travel,” says Wheeler. “In a world of misunderstandings and suspicions, travel is the best possible way of turning our misconceptions upside down.”