Blog From The Bench

Okay, so I'm in Japan for the first time visiting my mother who works for the military school districts in Okinawa. I'm amazed at some of the things I've seen filmwise here in the Pacific. First off, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, is called SAYURI here to avoid the whole "Chinese women play Geisha!?" scandal trumpeted so heavily in the West. Every 15 minutes Rob Marshall and his cast are on television talking about how the movie is a "fantasy" and not meant to be taken as historical. They are running these sort of apologist spots every where, but everyone seems rather non-plussed. It's getting very little attention, and I think the movie is only doing marginal business here. Meanwhile the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie epic Mr. and Mrs. Smith is still going strong having just opened around these parts. Every time I turn around Angelina Jolie's lips are staring back at me.

It's been silly foodwise. I've been trying to eat lots of Japanese food, but that's hard when everywhere we go seems more Westernized than my hometown of Houston (which has a sushi bar on every block). For lunch I had a taco salad at an aquarium (which did not serve any fish for some reason), and then we were supposed to go to a place called PIZZA IN THE SKY - a pizza place up on a cliff, but we got there (up the steepest scariest hills ever - my mom and I almost had to change pants) only to find out it was closed.

We ended up at a McDonald's. Oh the irony! We were with a friend of my mom's who does not eat seafood and the choices were limited. So it was cheeseburgers and fries for dinner. I skipped the shrimp and cheese sandwich out of fear. I haven't eaten McDonald's in over 3 years, but it is better than America if only because they use real beef! And the coolest thing about McDonald's in Japan? It had singing toilets - the commodes play a little music when you sit down and the seat warms up to create a pleasing sensation on your cheeks. Then it sprays you to clean you off and blow dries your bum. I never walked out of a McDonald's feeling so clean back there ever. My butt was shiny!

So Angelina's lips, cheeseburgers, and a shiny bottom! Where am I again?