Tree worshipping

Apparently - and I don't know the ins and outs of this - some people (OK, let's say wackos) in Japan like to pick on a tree and bless it - not because it's a particularly special tree in the arboreal scheme of things, but simply as an example. They then give praise to it. I love trees - we would be stuck without them, and I think if you're going to worship anything then why not a random tree? The only problem being that in the process it makes you look like a loon, but the fact that some people do it anyway is rather nice.

Enfant terrible? Not quite

This isn't about Japan but I gotta say something, primarily because I used to live in the Czech Republic.
Anyway, a Czech artist called David Cerny was supposed to organize the hiring of 27 artists around Europe for an artwork representing Europe. In fact he did it all himself with a couple of mates. In it there are national stereotypes representing the countries. Out of Cerny's supposedly brilliant imagination we have, among others, Bulgaria shown as a toilet, Germany as an interweaving set of autobahn in the shape of a swastika (groan), and Romania as a Dracula theme park. It's not surprising really that the whole of Europe are up in arms in indignation, especially seeing as the dim Czechs currently hold the rotating presidency.
And what about how the Czechs represent themselves? It doesn't say, but let me have a try: a fat man with a mullet hairstyle kicking a gypsy? Is that any more offensive than being called Nazis? Cerny is not so much enfant terrible as simply terrible. What a silly little tit.

Spot the prat

This terrible man's on TV and does a lot of adverts for food and beer. In every single one of them he has this demented imbecile grinning face. I would be heartened, I suppose, in some way to find out that he has some talent for doing other things than grinning, but in Japan I seriously have my doubts that thee is anything behind the smile.