Japanese craft beer

 One of my concerns was “Can I still enjoy tasty craft beer in Japan?” when I returned from America last year. However, it was no problem at all, or rather, I’m enjoying craft beer much more compared to when I was living in LA.

  Recently in Japan, craft beer is becoming more popular and there are a lot of beer serving restaurants with nice domestic and international craft beers in Tokyo. These restaurants also hold beer tasting events and seminars introducing how to enjoy craft beer. These situations make Japanese beer lovers happy, but I still think that America has more advantages in beer setting. 

  First of all, the price is much cheaper than Japan. If I buy one pint of craft bottle beer in liquor shops, I will have to pay at least 400yen(4$) or more. The reasons are not only cost in Japanese beer tax, but also the different concepts for the tax system. In America, the tax has changed by how much beer they make in a year. So, micro breweries can reduce tax cost. Even though it’s craft beer, American consumers can buy one within 2 to 3$.

  Furthermore, the big difference is the regulations in the beer industry. There is no minimum brewing quantity requirement and Americans are allowed home brewing. So, over two thousands breweries are fighting desperately with each other. As a result, consumers easily can buy a wide variety of craft beers in supermarkets. 

I hope these two barriers will die out in the future. I don’t agree with TPP, but I’d like to ask the Japanese government to consider  importing the American business style to propel counteraction . 

Written in 2014 Nov 

日本語版

去年アメリカから帰ってきたときの心配事のひとつに日本で美味しいクラフトビールが飲めるのか？というものでしたが結果から言うと「まったく問題なし」でした。

むしろアメリカにいたときよりも楽しんでるといっても過言ではありません。

日本ではここ数年クラフトビールの人気が出始めていて都内でもいたるところに国内外のクラフトビールが飲めるお店がオープンしています。またそれらのお店では試飲会や講習会を開いてより多くの人にクラフトビールの楽しみ方などを紹介しています。

こういう状況は日本に住むクラフトビール好きにはとても幸せな環境なのだが、やはりまだまだアメリカのほうがビール先進国だなぁと思うところもありますね。

まず価格、日本でクラフトビールを酒屋で買おうとすると１パイントボトルで４～５００円スタートでもっと高いものもあります。これは単に酒税が高いだけでなく、考え方も違うのです。アメリカでは年間製造量によって変動するシステムで小規模なブリュワリーは軽減されるのでクラフトビールでも２～３ドルしない価格で手軽に買えるのです。

次にビールビジネスに関するレギュレーションが違います。アメリカには最低醸造量の規定もなくて自家醸造も認められているので２千軒以上のマイクロブリュワリーがしのぎを削っています。結果、消費者は近くのスーパーでたくさんの種類のクラフトビールを手軽に買うことができます。

願わくばこの２つの障壁を取り除いて欲しいですね。TPPは反対だけどこの自由競争を活性化させるアメリカのやり方を日本政府は取り入れて欲しいものです。

Written in 2014 Nov 

GUN

Two years ago, I went to LA on business trip and I met an accident that one gang’s car was shot by another gang’s car, then crushed into the fence of the hotel that I stayed at. This was the first time that strongly felt about gun society in the U.S. Also, I had a doubt why guns still exist in the U.S. So, I watched the movie “Bowling for Columbine” directed by Michael Moor. This is a non-fiction movie focused on the affair of shooting to death at Columbine high school in 1999. In this movie, he tried to investigate why the total amount of shooting incidents in the U.S isn’t reduced. He prepared a lot of interesting examples.

For instance, in Canada the rate of having guns per person is higher than in the U.S, but the total amount of shooting incidents is much lower than in the U.S.

Also, he gave the interview to Charles Heston. He was former leader of NRA(National Rifle Association) Finally, he succeeded to stop selling bullets in K-mart, but in 2007 a new terrible massacre was happened at Virginia Tech Univ. Thirty three people were killed. It was about twice as much compared to the Columbine high school massacre. And now, I’m living here in the U.S. So I can’t pass without describing about the gun society in the U.S.

I think there are a lot of reasons why U.S people still have guns. First of all, The biggest reason is the existence of Text of the Bill of Right in United States Constitution in second amendment. It says” A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free state. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” So, American people are allowed to have guns by law. And to see the history of America, frontiers fought the native people. After that they took black from Africa as slavery. After they released them from slavery, they had to guard against black. So, U.S history means always fighting. It’s natural to use gun for protecting themselves. So the sprit that our security should be protected by themselves still remain in their heart so deeply. Living without guns means like being naked. And additional to say, the existence of NRA is one of  the big reasons why gun control can’t spread. NRA is the biggest lobby group in the U.S. They have tons of fund and big influence to politicians. Basically, the Democratic Party takes a positive attitude toward the gun control, but they are afraid of NRA. So, no one appeal about gun control even president Obama. That’s  why the total amount of people who were killed by gun is still over ten thousands per year. Compared to the U.S, guns are really well controlled in Japan.

The rate of using gun in total amount of murderer in Japan is three-four percent. 

It’s the second best in the world.

So, for us Japanese, the gun is not important something faraway. Our image of guns is that police man and self Deffence Forces are allowed to have them. So I think living in U.S especially in LA, means that we have to be scared about being shot anytime, anywhere. I think people are animals that are easy to get mad. If people have easy more access to use gun, not only for defense, but also guns, they can use them easily for killing people. I hope president Obama will conduct” The gun hunt” from all the people like shogun Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s “Katanagari” (sword hunt) in the future. No gun means no shooting to death. I’d like to live with my family in the place as safe as possible. 

Written in 2009 and revised in 2014.

Love LA

As saying my personal feeling, I used to like European value and NOT like American one. So, I’ve been thinking that I wanted to live Italia or England in the future when I was university student. However, after I lived in LA for 5 years, I completely think that I love LA now. I know that’s because I came here as Japanese staff who can receive a lot of supports, but I think the word “Sumeda miyako” ( Once you live in a place, it grows on you) is fit my true feeling.

There are tons of advantages of LA such as perfect sky, big house compared to Japan, but I think the biggest reason why I love LA might be that I could understand American culture by living in here and I tried to research their background  through my essay and I realized the reasons finally.  

As for my job, I couldn’t understand why American people go home earlier ? or why they can say “No problem” even though we’re in a bad situation like we can’t finish work by deadline that Japanese people say “I worry about ” in my first few years.

 However,  I leaned that family ties is important in the U.S and challenging mind should be evaluated most than failure.

As for through my daily life, I also had a lot of questions such as why American dessert is too sweet?, why American meal is so large portion? and why American school is so freedom and fun? However, I think dessert is the part of enjoying sweetness in the U.S, so it’s OK and it’s strange having non-sweetness food for dessert. Also, I leaned that Amrican people don’t worry about stock of food, because America has big land and they can make tons of food, then they are preserved by canning or processed food. So, American food business is appealing big quantity with cheaper price or buy one get two style that is difficult to understand for Japanese people who live in small land.

Also, I envied that American school is so free, but at the same time it’s based on principle of self-responsibility and producing a lot of heroes, but a lot of losers as well.

Meanwhile, if someone ask me what is the biggest culture gap between the U.S and Japan?, I will say that American value is kind of  black or white and Japanese value is tend to gray(average). For instance, Japanese workers are tend to all-rounder and  American workers are excel at something.  As for the average annual salary, it’s similar between two countries, but there are few millionaires and lot of poor people in the U.S and most of all people are middle class in Japan. Also, there are some super healthy and skinny people, but at the same time, some people who don’t care about their health and overweight are in there in the U.S. Simply put, everything has a wide range in the U.S.

I think this value means people acknowledge  with each other . It’s very important, because America is mixed-race nation and it might be not so important in single race and small island country Japan.

In conclusion, I surprised that I finally became a person who love American value and culture which I used to not like. I believe that because, many local friends who are so friendly and kind without prejudice made me change my mind. So, my difficult thing is that I have to say good bye to these great friends. 

Finally, living in abroad causes some difficulties, but it has much better things to get.

I want to live other country if I have a chance in the future. Also, my essay counts one hundred twenty three times in total and I will keep writing this essay  from the Japanese point of view after I will go back to Japan. Thank you for reading for long years.

Written in Nov 20 and revised in Nov 21.

Love LA 日本語版

個人的な趣味でいうとヨーロッパの価値観が大好きでどちらかというとアメリカ文化は苦手でした。だから大学生の頃はいつかイタリアとかイギリスに住んでみたいと何となく思っていました。でも今回２００９年から約５年間LAに住んでみて、今は本当にいいところだなぁって心から思えます。まぁあれこれ手厚いサポートのある駐在員として来ているからというのもあるのでしょうが、やはり住めば都という言葉がまさに私のフィーリングにしっくりくるという感じです。

気候がいいとか家が日本より広いとかいわゆるLAのいいところは枚挙にいとまがないですが、それよりも今まで理解できなかったアメリカの価値観などが生活することによって理解できるようになったり、このエッセイで何故なのか？ということを徹底的に調べたりして、なるほど！！と気づいたりしていくうちにだんだんとその価値観っていいよねと思えるようになったことがLAが好きになった最大の理由かもしれません。

仕事でいうとなんで仕事終わってないのに帰るんだろうとか、どう考えても締め切りに間に合わないとか日本人なら心配でたまらない局面でも「問題ない」とか言えるんだろうかとか来た当時は理解できないことだらけでした。でもアメリカでは仕事より家族のほうが大切と考えるし、失敗してもチャレンジすることが何より評価されるというの事を学びました。

仕事以外の普段の生活の中でもなんでアメリカのお菓子は甘すぎるんだろう？とか、なんでどの料理も大盛りなんだろう？とか、なんてアメリカの学校は自由で楽しすぎるんだろう？とかいろんな？ばかりでした。でもアメリカではデザートは甘さを楽しむパートなんだから甘くてOKなんです。逆にさっぱりのデザートはデザートじゃないとか、広大な土地で大量に作った食べ物を缶詰やプロセスフードで保存できるので、量に関しては心配がなくてこの量でこの値段ですよ！！っていう商売をするという狭い日本では想像できない考えが生まれるのも理解できました。またアメリカの学校は自由でいいなぁと思ってましたが、自由の裏には自己責任っていうものが常にあるし、ヒーローが生まれる反面、落ちこぼれるひともたくさんいるという現実も学びました。

あと日本とアメリカの最大の違いは何？と聞かれたら私はやはりアメリカは何でも両極端で日本はどちらかというと平均的というところだと答えます。例えば仕事で言うと日本人はマルチなスキルでどんな仕事もそつなくこなすイメージでアメリカは一芸特化型のひとが多いですね。平均収入をみるとあまり両国で差はないですが、アメリカは一部のとんでもないお金持ちと多くの貧困層をならした数字で日本は多くの人が平均に近いところにいます。あと、とんでもなく健康的でやせている人もいれば、とんでもない肥満の人もいるとかとにかく振れ幅がすごいです。でも裏を返せばいろんな価値をお互いに認め合ってるという事でもあるのです。多民族国家でいろんな文化が混在しているアメリカにおいてはこれは非常に重要な事です。逆に単一民族で狭い島国である日本はその必要はないのかもしれません。

しかし、アメリカに５年間住んだ今、あれほど苦手だったアメリカの文化や価値観が気づかないうちに好きになっていたのには自分でも驚きました。それはここで知り合えた現地の人たちがとてもフレンドリーで分け隔てなくつきあってくれた事が一番影響が大きいですね。帰国に際し、多くの友達とあえなくなるのが一番つらいですね。

最後に海外生活は苦労も多いけど、それ以上に得るものが多いです。いつかチャンスあれば他の国にも住んでみたいです。あとアメリカに来て始めたこのエッセイも１２３回になりました。帰国後は日本からみた視線で続けていけたらと思ってます。ご愛読ありがとうございました。