＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
<Added 9/8/2020> Actor and film director Iseya Yusuke arrested on suspicion of violating the Cannabis Control Act Actor and film director Iseya Yusuke was arrested on the spot on 9/8/2020 on suspicion of violating the Cannabis Control Act for possessing cannabis in the living room of his home. It will be interesting to see how his future films and dramas and directorial works are handled.
Actress Sawajiri Erika was arrested and indicted on November 16, 2019 on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act.
1. Suspension of NHK On Demand broadcasts
In response to this, NHK’s paid video service, NHK On Demand, has suspended new sales of 10 episodes of the BS Premium documentary series, “Another Stories: Crossroads of Destiny,” for which she served as MC for two years from October 2016.
The 10 works are: “Yamaguchi-gumi vs. Ichiwa-kai – the biggest conflict in history,” “The Terracotta Warriors were watching! – People at the mercy of huge ruins,” “Japan was shaken! Behind the scenes of the introduction of the consumption tax,” “Lieutenant Onoda’s return – 29 years after the war, in the jungle,” “The miracle of Apollo 13 – 87 tense hours,” “The men who saved Rakugo – A genius appears! The impact of Kokontei Shincho,” “3.11 as seen by foreigners – How did the world change at that time?,” “Women’s professional wrestling – the peak of mania – The girls who sought out Crush Gals,” “The Emperor’s life’s journey (Part 1) – A prayer for peace,” and “The Emperor’s life’s journey (Part 2) – The search for a symbol.”
2. Measures to reshoot or postpone the broadcast of next year’s NHK Taiga drama
NHK is currently considering how to respond, and nothing has been decided yet, but since the recording is well underway and she is scheduled to appear in the first episode in the important role of Nohime, the daughter of Saito Dosan who later became the wife of Oda Nobunaga, it seems they are considering “reshooting with a replacement.”
However, since it will take time to adjust the cast’s schedules and recreate the sets that were demolished, if it does not arrive in time for the January 5th broadcast start, they are considering postponing the broadcast.
I think NHK should simply air a caption saying, “Erika Sawajiri has been arrested for violating the Narcotics Control Law, but we will air the already recorded portions as is. We will have substitutes for the unrecorded portions.” I don’t think it makes economic sense to make difficult adjustments to the schedules of the performers and spend a lot of money to reshoot. Doesn’t NHK realize that doing something like that would be a waste of the public’s reception fees?
I cannot understand why they would stop selling and streaming videos of programs she hosted in the past. It makes me want to ask, “Does NHK On Demand have the authority to do that?”
Also, if it is not okay to use actors who use drugs, then why did they choose Sawajiri Erika, who has had rumors of drug use for some time? Isn’t it NHK’s own fault for choosing an actress with such rumors?
3. Pros and cons of measures such as suspending video distribution due to scandals involving cast members, etc.
After the start of broadcasting this year, there was a controversy over “Idaten,” with Pierre Taki being dropped from the show and reshooting with a replacement after he was arrested on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act, and with some footage of comedian Tokui Yoshimi being cut after he was found to have concealed income.
As I have written in my previous articles on the Arai Hirofumi incident, release of the film Mahjong Hourouki, Hitchcock’s sexual harassment, and criticism of Yoshimoto Kogyo’s illegal business practices, I am concerned about the “media overreactions” made by broadcasting stations, film distribution companies, and the like.
I believe that “the work itself is not to blame,” and that people who don’t want to see the faces of suspects or people involved in scandals should simply not watch the work. I think the bigger problem is that it deprives people who want to see the work of their enjoyment.
This is similar to the old “enza system” where close relatives of a criminal were punished on the grounds of blood ties, and seems like an extremely irrational and unreasonable measure that punishes even innocent people.
It would be a different story if the person involved was a serious crime such as murder, but recently the media has tended to place more importance on “removing people who have committed crimes or scandals from footage” out of fear of “reputation risk” than on “providing the enjoyment of watching the work” or “the hardships of the other actors and people involved in the production of the work.” I think this needs to be reconsidered.
It is ironic that Pierre Taki, who plays the role of the “stubborn and artisanal tabi maker,” and Tokui Yoshimi, who plays the role of the “women’s volleyball coach Daimatsu,” gave “good acting with a strong flavor.” Sawajiri Erika was also enthusiastic about this taiga drama, saying, “I want to give everything I have to this work. I want to show the culmination of my work here,” so it is a shame to think that we might have seen some “good acting.”
However, if someone like Kitagawa Keiko were to take over, I would be excited about that, given her beauty. But her acting skills are far inferior to Sawajiri Erika’s, and I’m worried she won’t be able to fully play the important role of “Nohime.”
Katsu Shintaro , who is famous for his role in “Zatoichi” and was involved in a drug-related incident, was also a very interesting actor.
<Added 12/1/2019> NHK decides to “reshoot with a stand-in” and “postpone broadcast”
NHK has decided to “reshoot with a stand-in” from the beginning, with Kawaguchi Haruna (24), who has no experience in period dramas, as the stand-in. And because of the tight shooting schedule, they have decided to give up on broadcasting from January 5th and postpone it to January 19th.
I am very disappointed that NHK decided to “reshoot with a substitute” and “postpone the broadcast.” How will NHK respond if a similar incident occurs or is discovered with the “actors” or “directors, scriptwriters, music staff” of future productions, not just with the Taiga drama?