Japan, Belgium, & Aretha Franklin

What could make a Friday morning commute any better than knowing the weekend is right around the corner? Try a pleasant blast from the past care of Radio-i followed by an interesting news report.

I couldn't help but crank up my radio last week when that classic duet by George Michael and Aretha Franklin, "Knew You Were Waiting," came on. (Go ahead. Click on this youtube link to refresh your memory. Definitely worth it. Go ahead. I'll wait).

Freshly buttered up from George and Aretha, the Radio-i morning jockey then delivered a report (First in English, then in Japanese) talking about Belgium going vegetarian for a day. (Here's the London Guardian article for a complete report). Being married to a vegetarian, and passionate about reducing the amount of meat I myself consume, I was intrigued.

It turns out, that in an effort to promote sustainability and healthy living, the city of Ghent in Belgium is attempting to go vegetarian every Thursday. What a novel idea! Over the course of the last fifty years or so, our diet has been saturated with meat. It has become common-place for most of us to think every meal, or at least dinner, should include meat in some form or another. That meat is somehow synonymous with a "real man's" meal, and without it, dinner would be boring. When, in fact, this couldn't be further from the truth.

As I said, I'm married to a vegetarian who also happens to be one heck of a cook. I have no complaints. Of course, I'm not completely meat-free and like to indulge every now and then. But that's the point. It should be an indulgence when you think about where it comes from and how it is produced. I don't necessarily think everyone has to become complete vegetarians and give up meat altogether, but there's overwhelming data to support a need to reduce our consumption. It certainly doesn't help our hearts or the ever-climbing obesity numbers. And do you think it's just a coincidence that the birth of the H5N1 influenza outbreak (ie. swine flu) was found in a city miles from an industrial pig farm in Mexico? You know, those places where pigs are farmed under enormous stress in tight quarters, drugged and overloaded with antibiotics to prevent the spread of disease that would otherwise run rampant in such an environment, and produce vast seas of pig feces? You know...those places we try not to think about? But most importantly, is the data which Ghent cited in making their decision to go vegetarian for a day:

The organisers cite UN data arguing that meat production and consumption are to blame for 18% of greenhouse gases – more than cars. (Complete Guardian article on UN data).

Now I work in the auto industry, and believe me, it's not fun constantly having the finger of blame pointed at you. So, I welcome the spotlight on the other areas of our life that we can all do a better job at in reducing our carbon footprints. Sooner or later, we all have to stop pointing fingers, stop complaining, and start doing our own parts together.

Like Aretha herself says in the song, "So we were drawn together through destiny."

Feel the Waves, Soothe Your Mind

I only wish I could sing that catchy phrase like the radio station itself does.
Radio-i is one of the main radio stations offered here in Nagoya, and once you've heard the station's call phrase, "Feel the waves, soothe your mind. Raadioooo-iiiiiiiii," accompanied by the soothing sounds of waves crashing on a beach, you'd be hard-pressed to get it out of your head, too.

There isn't a large selection when it comes to radio stations here in Nagoya. In fact, I'd say my choice boils down to two, Radio-i or Zip FM. There are 4 other stations on FM, but I think two are NHK (Japan's public radio), and the other two I just haven't had the patience for. So, Radio-i and Zip FM are the primary selections that I flip between depending on the level of excitement in the DJ's voice, or the random song playing. Also, I should say, a lot of the programs incorporate some English. Some parts of the day are completely devoted to an English jockey - who's kind of a weasel to tell you the truth - but it's English and it's comforting. The AM dial...I won't even touch.

Most mornings, I'd rather listen to my Podcasts. I've become quite addicted to the day-old NPR and ESPN Radio Daily, but I do try to share a little of my work commute with Japan radio. I'm not going to pretend to tell you that I understand what the heck the DJ's are saying, but I do think you can get a lot out of training your ears for the different inflections and tones of the Japanese language. Plus, as I mentioned before, once in awhile there's English thrown into the convo.

But the real reason to listen is because you'll hear some real gems from the past. Last week, for example, I rocked out to Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire" (song that Kanye West sampled for "Through the Wire"), Outkast's "Sorry Miss Jackson," and Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl." Plus they usually mix in some of today's billboard hits, some awesome Japan pop, and sometimes even English word lessons. Where else would I have properly learned about the word, 'Recessionista'?