CHA NO AJI - 茶之味

Itzhak Perlman plays Klezmer

Spiel Klezmorim !

Hey, it's me again. The meeting in Chateaubriant was very nice. We were invited by an association of artists (painters, photographers, sculptors) living in a 13 000 inhabitants town and willing to share their experience with Japanese artists.

Did I tell you about the klezmer live I went last week-end with some friends ? Five musicians (clarinet, violin, trombone, drums, keyboard) played for us joyful tunes in the basement of a café. The room was narrow but we danced, inviting cute girls, lining all together, singing. I was all sweat and beer, shouting "Spiel Klezmorim, Spiel !" and even tried to steal the mike to sing a hassidic song. They weren't very happy with that but we all had a great time. There was an old guy who just looked like Tevye the Milkman from "Fiddler on the roof". Very groovy.

I'm back on the train, with Mr. Kiyono, a funny gentleman. He says that Bretagne's plains remind him of Hokkaidô. I was writing yesterday about my two ambitions this year :
- One is to prepare my PhD abroad at Kyôto University.
- One is to stop wasting time.
I'm not smart, neither athletic, but I believe i can achieve anything I want with efforts. It's time to be serious, guys. I mean, you too ! Fun is important, but it has to be serious fun. I mean, watching some sick reality-show on TV when you're supposed to study will make you feel better. It's just bullshit. If you wanna have fun, prepare some friends and booze for a happy barbecue or invite a sexy woman to dance. Stop bullshiting, that's the word baby ! You can always pretend you're working when you pile, sort, arrange or, let's say, buy stuff on the web ("I need this book for my research !"). One good thing about blogging is that you cannot bullshit too much. It's easier to play games. Sometimes you're maybe too kind with yourself in your posts, but that's okay ! Who else will cheer you, believe in you ? J

I'm done, fellas, enjoy your time !

 

R.

On a train

On a train. It's around eleven in the morning. I feel like taking my shoes off. I do it.

The folks around me are all reading books and papers. Some of them are maybe teachers or graduate students. It reminds me about my own condition. Working full-time for the Council of Japanese Local Authorities for International Relations, I manage to do some research on my free hours. Moving to Paris was quite soft. I found the job, the flat, a very nice roommate who introduce me to Chinese culture and cook some great food. I invite friends for diner twice a week, practice aikido or swimming every time I can. I don't feel like searching a girlfriend. I met a lot of girls, but no one did succeed driving me out of the dull world.

Music is as usual very important to me. Sweet drops of pure gold pouring into my ears. Recently I recorded with my bro, the bluesy boy, and a couple of his friends some cover of The White Stripes. It was great fun. You guys would laugh at my accent, though.

We're running countryside, everything around is so calm. The weather is gentle. The sky is blueish grey. I same some cows. Everything looks like a Corot's painting.

 

I found myself two challenges for 2008. One is some kind of a large scale, can-you-achieve-it sort of a dream. I'm considering going for a PhD, in Japan.

I studied Japanese for four years, then worked in Tochigi for two years? It's my third year as a regular "salary-man". The job right now is just cool. For example, my mission today is to help the people of a small town called Chateaubriant (Bretagne) to help the people there set up sister cities relations with Japan. I kind of like it. The office may be boring sometimes but I'm surrounded by very interesting colleagues. I'm always debating with the other French guy, learning about the job from the Japanese lady sitting on my left side. One very nice lady is spoiling us most of the time and the expat staff is quite challenging, reminding me the foreigner I used to be in Japan, and in the same time very nice, fond of French culture and always helping me with my clues on Japanese culture and history.

I might ask for a Japanese scholarship. I want to go to Kyôto and do some research on Meiji intellectual history. I believe history helps us a lot when dealing with ourselves, what we are and the nature of our relations with other. Nowadays that everyone is staring at Chinese "opening", I would like to study the early Japanese opening, 150 years ago, the way intellectuals and politicians absorbed western civilization, blended it with their own patrimony and achieved competing with western wealthy nations. It is not something strange that Japan became an imperialist colonial country, since its models (Great Britain, Prussia) were very colonialist entities. I'm just wondering if there was no other blending possible. How did "politics" appear in Japan?

Les bourses et la vie

« Et si je faisais une thèse ? », me suis-je demandé ce matin en me rasant.

Je reviendrais plus tard sur les raisons qui me poussent sur cette voie, plutôt que vers l'ESIT.

En attendant, pour y voir plus clair, je me permets d'aligner ici avantages et inconvénients de quatre systèmes, tels qu'ils sont présentés sur le site de l'EGIDE et de l'INALCO.

 

Bourse Lavoisier

 

Description : La bourse Lavoisier est celle des quatre qui propose les émoluments (= argent) les plus conséquents, puisqu'elle s'élève à 2 200 euros (environ 340 000 yen) par mois. Elle consiste, dixit l'EGIDE, en « allocations forfaitaires destinées à couvrir partiellement les frais occasionnés par un séjour à l'étranger », et de ce fait, ne s'étend pas au-delà de 18 mois. Le prix du billet d'avion est également prix en charge. Malheureusement, elle n'est pas cumulable avec la bourse du collège doctoral franco-japonais ni avec celle du Monbushô (bourse univers).

Est concerné : Tout étudiant de niveau M2 ou supérieur, agé de 18 à 35 ans. Toute discipline confondue.

Où s'adresser : EGIDE (www.egide.asso.fr)

Inscription : du 1^er au 31 janvier

Modalités : un entretien de sélection + un rapport (5 pages min) à fournir au retour

 

Les plus :     + beaucoup d'argent, en euros (avantage du taux de change)

        + jusqu'à 18 mois

        + billet d'avion remboursé

        + possibilité de faire un stage intensif de japonais sur place de 3 à 6 mois

        + utilisable dans le cadre d'un stage en entreprise

 

Les moins :    - ne couvre pas les frais d'inscription

        - ne donne pas accès à une couverture sociale

        - à vous de trouver un accueil sur place

 

 

Bourse Monbushô

 

Description : C'est une bourse financée entièrement par le gouvernement japonais. Elle a pour but de vous permettre d'étudier au Japon, dans les meilleures conditions possibles. Les frais d'inscription de l'université de votre choix ainsi que le billet d'avion sont prix en charge. C'est également la plus longue (jusqu'à 24 mois). La bourse du Monbushô n'est pas cumulable, ni avec celle de Lavoisier, ni avec celle du Collège doctoral. Elle s'élève à 170 000 yen la première année, puis 160 000 yen la seconde.

Est concerné : S'adresse à tout étudiant « ayant achevé le 2e cycle universitaire et ayant accompli 16 années d'études depuis le début de leur scolarité ». Toute discipline confondue.

Où s'adresser : EGIDE (www.egide.asso.fr)

Inscription : jusqu'à fin mai

Modalités : présélection sur dossier, test écrit de japonais et d'anglais puis entretien

 

Les plus :    + couvre une longue période

        + frais de scolarité et billet d'avion inclus

        + couverture médicale (70%)

        + aide pour trouver un logement

 

Les moins :    - départ obligatoire en avril pour la bourse de 24 mois

        - procédure de sélection longue et difficile

 

(à suivre : le Collège doctoral franco-japonais)