IN Recently, I had the unique opportunity to travel to Japan, ail expenses paid, on account of something Iused to do before I started art college. That is relatively exotic, and therefore neatly fits into the theme of this issue of the Planet of the Arts. I flew on Delta Airlines, via Portland International Airport. The flight over seemed interminably long. This was mainly on account of the plane going in the same direction as the earth’s rotation and crossing the international dateline, but I also blame Crocodile Dundee I, the inflight movie. The aircraft was an L1011-500, which ” ... dn’t heard much about, (perhaps a good thing) and has three Rolls-Royce engines. Because this was my first time in a plane with an odd number of engines, I was understandably nervous. Narita International Airport (New Tokyo Airport) was built up on land expropri- ated from farmers and residents of Narita. It is unfortunate for them that their land was flat and close to Tokyo. Every oncein a while they get riled up enough to mount an attack on the-terminal, and with the added concerns of 130 heads of state arriving for the funeral of the Emperor Showa, security was understandably tight. Based on the volume of signage lining the moving sidewalk carrying new arrivals to passport control, the Japanese assume that if you are from the west, you are teeming with the AIDS virus. They refer to all visitors, regardless of nationality or colour, as the gai-jin, which translates as “alien.” They will also insist this word is not damei (bad), but there is something uncomfortable about the xenophobia of a one word description for everyone else in the world. Narita International is essentially run by very serious looking older gentlemen with white hard hats, white gloves, and white bullhorns. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my arrival coincided with the commencement of the “National Festival of-Voice Amplification.” Al- though little known outside of Japan, people here have avery sophisticated social code based on the wattage used to amplify one’s voice, and it’s relationship to that person’s status in society. It’s just my bad luck that my trip coincided with this celebration and the funeral of the Emperor Showa. There was a company bus wait- ing to take me to the district of Shinjuku, in Tokyo. Here I was to spend a night and a day before going up to aresort areaknown as Inawashiro, which boasts dozens of ski areas, the third largest lake in Ja- pan, and Bandai-San, a volcano which used to be bigger e than Fuji-San e until it blew up e 101 years ago. As we pulled away IAN VERCHERE Narita terminal, Imarvelled at the bus driver’s skill and at Japanese technology as a whole, because the driver was standing fac- ing the back of the bus talking to a passenger. I re- laxed after remembered that you drive on the left in Japan, and this fellow was a form of steward. Basically, his job is to keep up a constant line of talk for the duration of the bus ride, using, as befits his respective status in Japanese culture, a relatively small microphone powered by a 10 watt amp. If you want to get an idea of what alpine skiing is like in Japan, stand in a crowded and windy walk-in freezer with Bananarama blaring through a huge sound system, and tear up $100.00 bills. There are ten million skiers in Japan, and as arule of thumb, most of them are at the same ski hill you are. In Canadian money, it costs between $35.00 and $65.00 to ski for a day, but that’s only for the lifts owned by a particular company. (At Inawashiro, three different companies operate lifts on the same hill, and none honour the passes of the others). The expressway from Tokyo to the Inawashiro area costs $40.00 in tolls each way, and it’s a good 4-6 hour trip one way depending on traffic. Ski equipment is unbelievably expensive. For example, a pair of Rossignol G.S. skis, which can be had in Vancouver for under $500.00, cost $1500.00 in Tokyo. Clothing, which is the most important part of skiing for the Japanese, will run you another $1000.00. Boots and bindings: $1000.00, and poles can cost up to $200.00. Every chairlift has it’s own sound system proudly participating in the “Festival of Voice Amplification”. At Nekoma, aski hill on the backside of Bandai- San, the music was so loud that you had to cover your ears as you passed the speakers on the lift tower. On the beginners lift, Japanese ski instructors pile their students on without teaching them how to unload. The lift attendant at the top is hauling crashing beginners to safety with one hand, because he’s holding a bullhorn in the other, yelling instructions point blank in order to be heard over the music. Because each lift is playing it’s own music, and there tend to be echoes in Alpine regions, what you get is a cacophony which only resolves into something comprehensible when you pass close enough to a speaker that it drowns everything else out. I believe the best way to gain an insight into a culture is to watch their television. The hotel in Shinjuku had a ferebi set, with a complex set of instructions written in Kanji. Basically, as I found out BY IAN VERCHERE Recently, Ihad the unique opportunity to tavelto Japan all expenses paid on accountof something, Tusedto do before stared artcollege. Thats relatively exotic, and therefore neally fis into the theme ofthis issue of the Planet ofthe Ar. T flew on Delta Airlines, via Portland Intemational Airport. The flight over seemed interminably long. This was mainly on account ofthe plane going in the same direction asthe ‘earth's rotation and crossing theintemational daelne, but also blame Crocosile Dundee I, the inflight movie. The aircraft was an L1O11-S00, which " - dnt heard much about, (pethaps a good thing) and has three Rolls-Royce engines. Because this was my first time in aplane with an odd numberof engines, I was understandably nervous, ‘Narita Intemational Airport New Tokyo Airport) was built up on land expropr sted from farmers and residents of Narita. Is unfortunate for them tha ther land v ‘wasflatandloseo Tokyo. Every once ina whilethey getriledupenoughtomount san atack on the terminal, and withthe added concerns of 130 heads of state rv forthe funeral ofthe Emperor Showa, security was understandably tight ‘Based onthe volume of signage lining the moving sidewalk carrying new arvals to passport control, the Japanese assume that if you are from the west, youare teeming with he AIDS virus. They refer toll visitors, » regardless of nationality o colour, asthe ga-jn, which wanslates as “alien.” They will also insist this word is not damei (bad), batthere is something uncomfortable about the xenophobia of aone word