>>> Item number 7279 from WRITERS LOG9301B --- (63 records) ------ <<< Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 11:25:27 JST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: Mike Barker Subject: RE: A Japanese Dilemma (cultural observer on-duty, sah!) don't know if any of this has made it to the media in America, but keep an eye out for it... gather round, friends, for a tale of far Japan. Strange and wonderfully true! [I wanna know who wrote the script.. and how they're going to end it?] Towards the end of November, 1992, Miyazawa Rie-san [a local starlet, who the year before made headlines with her nude photo book called Santa Fe] and Takahanada [up and coming sumo wrestler] announced their engagement. The 20-year olds' love was a minor fest for the mass media, with interviews, parties, and so on galore. [for anyone who's wondering, Rie-chan's name is pronounced as re-eh. She's very popular in ads, especially with Schwartzenneger, called shoe-eh-chan here. -chan, incidentally, is like the ie in johnnie, a familiar friendly ending (originally for children) in place of the more formal -san] Last week, though, dark rumors started spreading. There was something wrong, and the wedding might be called off. The mass media jumped in, and started delving for the reason behind this reversal... [pick your sides for the upcoming fight!] The sumo world, embodied in trainers and Takahanada's father, explained that they have told Rie-san that a sumo wife must quit show biz, stay home and be a proper little housewife (the traditions of sumo rattling their heavy chains in the background). Rie-san's mother has publicly come forward and said there is no reason for Rie-san to drop her career at this point. She's just starting, and her career is very healthy (the fleeting weight of public adoration mantling her words with a golden lining). This weekend (Jan. 10, 1993), everyone has opinions. Talk about your media events! The two lovebirds have yet to make a public statement, but the battle lines are drawn. On one side, the traditionalists, with the authority and popularity of the sumo world backing the bankrupt limits on women's freedom. On the other side, the bubbling morass of public stardom, with the economic and popular thrust of media publicity pushing to keep their darling Rie-chan dancing in the spotlights. And in the middle, two young people happily talking about their love. [do you suppose he could take a sleeping potion and pretend to die, then she could kill herself thinking he had really died, and... naw, nobody would believe that. But, maybe...:-] I wonder if old Shakespeare is spinning, yet? Stay tuned, as we see whether the weight of Japanese tradition or the froth of media will win in this fight for women's liberation. Or will the lovebirds come up with a solution for everyone? [bet you thought things like this only happened in fiction, didn't you?] mike