Lost in Translation Because You Threw Out The Map

*transcribed from my pink notebook*

Date Written: August 18th


"OMG you're in Tokyo and you've never seen 'Lost in Translation'???"

Yeah, guys. You didn't think it was possible, huh. The bar (New York Bar?) from that movie has reached considerable heights of fame, seeing as I didn't even know what it looked like and yet still explained to two American (really, they were, I checked lol) girls how to get there after the Starbucks girl had no idea that was even a movie.

So, with 13 hours to kill and a movie selection of 186, I decided to watch Lost in Translation on my flight home, after Grease and Lilo and Stitch.

I'll preempt this by saying that I did not finish the movie; at a certain point I started talking to the young Japanese guy next to me and proceeded to chat (in JAPANESE!! =]) for like an hour, after which I fell asleep for the remainder of the trip (but Japanese-win!!).

I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane--they showed clips of Shinjuku, Shibuya Station, Pachinko, Karaoke, crazy Japanese parties, etc. And I wasn't lost when it came to understanding the spoken Japanese.

I didn't like the portrayal of Japan in the movie. Japan is very close to my heart and to see it shown as a weird, lonely, emo, no-soundtrack kind of place was kind of sad. Neither Bill Murray nor Scarlett Johansson's charcters knew a bit of Japanese, which can very understandably make being in Japan overwhelming and difficult, but they weren't really trying at all; they were just being obnoxious. When being spoken to in Japanese, Bill Murray would do that "yeah. uh huh. of course. yeah. totally" thing teenagers use on their parents when they're reprimanding them and they wanna be smartasses about it. Meaning I derive from that obnoxious behavior? "I don't really care what you're saying, blah blah blah..."

It's not cute and it's not understanding.

I also disagree with certain uses of English. For example, before Bill takes Scarlett to the hospital and they're eating somewhere, he jokes with the Japanese chef/waiter dude in rapid, sarcastic English to make S laugh. CLEARLY, the Japanese man does not understand him, but kind of nods and smiles along with it anyway. Nobody can possibly feel good in that situation. The Japanese is made to look like an idiot and not even given a chance with slower, clearer English, just so B can flirt with S. Granted, I also dislike it when Japanese people do that to foreigners--nothing positive is gained by proving that yes, you know your native tongue better than some foreigner who has never studied it.

I guess what bothers me is the lack of effort. The movie portrayed two foreigners who were quick to dismiss adapting to Japan for just one week, opting instead for plans to escape the country and remarks of "I need to get out of here."

Yes, Japanese culture and life is ぜんぜん違う (completely different) from anything I've experienced in my 70% Colombian 30% American upbringing. But that doesn't mean I should close my mind to it and write it off as a weird culture with chikan and anime porn. Like, though I've taught her the word "chopsticks" 22 times by now, my mother insists on calling them "esos palitos" ("those little sticks"). That kind of mentality is the opposite of what we should all be striving for--open-mindedness and peace because of it. And an appreciation for things and people that are not like us.

Because that's what makes them beautiful.