Living in Japan and watching the trailer for this film is something of a unique experience. There's a momentary silence as the film's title "Sayuri" comes up, and as the trailer rolls and the names of the actresses comes up, there's a momentary whisper as people shift in their seats.

I asked my Japanese friend if she wanted to see it, as historical romances are usually right up her alley and she shook her head. "Why should I want to see a movie about Japanese culture starring an entire cast of Chinese women?"

She did have a point.

I found the review of this film to be a bit irritating in its praise for its 'Asianness'. It's a story about Japan written by a Westerner, filmed by a Western director, produced by Steven Spielburg, starring a potluck of 'Asian' stars very few of whom are actually Japanese. It's as authentic as food court teriyaki and it's certainly not fair to compare it to films actually made in Asia by Asian filmmakers, such as the mentioned '2046' or 'Hero' or 'House of Flying Daggers'.

I would like to note that with regard to the Japanese, at least, there are a few facts that tend to ameliorate the workaholic issue here. I speak mostly from familiarity in my own field (public education).

1) Japan has national health. If you have a job, you have health insurance, and it's decent and inclusive.

2) Culturally, extended families living together is much more common here, which assists in the burden of childcare a great deal. (Of course, having your elderly relatives in your home can lead to having to care for them to, but there are options and generally a much more supportive culture of care for all people unable to care for themselves.) When I ask my junior high school students how many people are in their family, they usually say something like 'seven' or 'six' -- Mother, Father, Grandmother, Uncle, Sister & Brother. I do live in the country, however, where homes are larger and there's a bit more room to squeeze all of those people into a house.

3) It is _much_ more common for women to stay home with their children, if they choose to have them. Japan is a bastion of sexist thought, as advanced as it is in other areas. (Primarily giant robots. But I digress.) Many women are choosing not to marry and continuing their careers. At least in my school, however, maternity leave and benefits are generous, and within my contract are stipulations for nursing mothers to have paid opportunities to go home and nurse their kids, for instance. The school is also quite flexible regarding parents who need to care for sick children.

So yes, Japanese people do work themselves to death; but there are cultural norms in place to help keep the kids from suffering. You might not ever see your child, but someone's probably looking after it.

...is at best a risky proposition.

Do you really see Nicki Hilton riding a bicycle to her next soiree? Or The Donald sticking solar panels on his roof and turning down his heat?

Yes, the vast majority of Americans will be forced into conservation mode by skyrocketing prices, especially during any transition periods to new oil sources. The last time I looked, there was not only a $30k price tag on most hybrids but a waiting list to boot, and we're not even to the point where demand has gotten desperate. But I honestly think any scarcity issues, particularly with regard to energy since it impacts virtually every other sphere of commerce, is going to have serious social consequences. If gas is $10 a gallon, then the only people who can drive are people who can afford $10 a gallon. And those people will drive, because let's face it, bicycling 5 miles to work is a sweaty proposition that a pretty big majority of people would rather opt out of. (If it were not, they'd already be doing it.)

Even if it never gets as bad as 'cannibals in the suburbs', the lives of the have-nots and the haves will continue to diverge in this country. And as any student of history can tell you, when the gap between the two becomes wide and severe enough, Wacky Social Things begin to happen.

Not limited to guillotines, communism, etc. And I don't know about you, but out where my family lives the jobs they have that keep their families financially afloat are far enough away from the homes they can afford that bicycling is something of a dodgy proposition. I don't want my 50 year old mom bicycling through gang-infested neighborhoods to her hospital, thanks muchly, but she's not going to be able to afford $10 a gallon to get there in a car. And the way public transportation has been implemented in my area, I wouldn't stick her on a bus, either. (It would be a roughly 2 hour trip, with at least three transfers, for her to take the bus to work.) And saying "move closer to work" isn't a realistic proposition for a family with two mortgages and burgeoning consumer debt, either.

Yes, society will adapt. But that adaptation will be expensive and difficult, and -that- is what has me concerned. And planting a garden, too. But I like fresh cucumbers, so there are ancilliary benefits. I think the reality will fall somewhere between cannibals and Star Trek transporters, as it always does.

...you might also consider encasing her stapler in jello. It takes some time to pull off, but it's really spectacular when it's done.

I recommend lime.