Introducing Myself

[Greg E Shepherd]

Hi Jim,
Just out of curiosity, what part of Kamakura do you live in, if you don't
mind my asking? I used to live in Gokurakuji and Hase and I would sit
zazen at San Un Zendo in Hase. I remember Kamakura fondly. Anyway, just
curious.
Greg


On Thu, 24 Jan 2002, James Barringer wrote:

> Hello all:
>
> My name is Jim Barringer.  I recently moved to Japan,
> although this is my 4th time living here.  I work for
> Dow Jones in Tokyo, and my work in business
> development leads me to travel around quite a bit.  My
> wife, Megumi is Japanese, and we have two children, a
> girl, 4, and a boy, 3.  We live in Kamakura.
>
> I started developing an interest in Japanese film when
> I saw "Kwaidan" by Masaki Kobayashi in the US, shortly
> after I left Japan (my first time living in Japan)
> after a tour based in Sasebo, Kyushu, with the Navy.
>
> To this day, "Kwaidan" is one of my favorite films.
> Other favorite directors include Juzo Itami, and of
> course Kurosawa.  Notable favorites are "Tanpopo" and
> "Rashomon," as well as "Kazoku Ge-mu" (Family Game)
> and "Yen Family."
>
> Serious film people should not ignore Hayao Miyazaki,
> either - I'm no fan of "anime" as a genre, in fact I
> find Japanese anime can reach surprising lows in
> banality, but with "Sen to Chiro no Kamikakushi"
> ("Spirited Away") Miyazaki made one of the best,
> strangest movies I've ever seen.
>
> I'm no fan of the foreign critic's current darling,
> Kitano (Beat) Takeshi's films - they put me to sleep.
> I just get the feeling he wants to play the tough-guy
> and film young girls taking their tops off in Okinawa.
>  A nice way for Beat to make some money, and it
> apparently impresses the audiences in France, but I
> find it pretty but boring and senseless.  I think it
> helps to enjoy Beat's movies if you haven't spent much
> time in Japan.  Then it may look mysterious and
> inscrutable.  If you've lived over here a while, you
> know it's just plain dumb.  When I want pleasant
> boredom, I lean towards more traditional Japanese fare
> - the "Otoko-wa Tsurai Yo" Tora-san films.  I can even
> watch these things with my mother-in-law (although my
> wife usually walks out of the room or reads a
> magazine).
>
> I'm interested in this board to expand my horizons
> beyond what I already know, especially as I now have
> access to a wealth of Japanese film on DVD at my local
> video store which I wouldn't have access to in the US.
>
> Best Regards,
> Jim
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Great stuff seeking new owners in Yahoo! Auctions!
> http://auctions.yahoo.com
>