Lettow essays! And miscellaneous! Ask anything!

[Lettow77]

 Someone suggested this obliquely, and I need to stay up forever.

Essays!

Tea essay!

A foreword on the preparation of Green Tea:  Green tea, unlike black tea, is highly susceptible to variances in temperature and steep time. Green tea is capable of a wide variety of tastes, but at a standard boil will yield across the board a concoction with a strong scent, bitter vegetable taste, and lasting aftertaste. Taste profiles that follow are in accordance with the steeping conditions particular to the individual strain of tea, which must be carefully replicated to produce the desired taste. This will not cover non-green tea such as Mugicha or flavoured teas.

Despite what the Chinese menace would have you believe, Japan is the proper heir to the tradition of green tea in the far east, and has developed a wide variety of preparation methods that produce everything from everyday tea to things reserved only for the most luxuriant of social occasions. What follows is a brief introduction to each of the principal ways Japan serves green tea, and how they differentiate from each other.

Sencha: The ubiquitous Japanese tea, accounting for more than three quarters' of Japan's tea consumption. Derived from the top of the leaf and the bud, less desirable sections of the leaf are earmarked for other teas. Fully exposed to sunlight, it undergoes steaming, kneading, drying, sifting and roasting. The result is something with a slightly sweet taste, a mild astringency that leaves the top of the mouth feeling faintly dry, and a gentle fragrance. An everyday tea, with Sencha variants typically varying between 160-180 degrees in suggested temperature, and a quite short steeping time. (Frequently less than a third of the time for Earl Grey!)


Fukamushi Sencha: Steamed at least twice as long as its regular counterpart, Fukamushi Sencha steeps for even shorter times than Sencha, at around the same temperatures. A cup of Fukamushi can be identified by its darker colour and softer flavour- a very mild tea for those who cannot come to terms with bitterness but do not want to break the budget for the more expensive teas.

Gyokuro: The expensive tea you were warned about, Gyokuro has no business being consumed in the home as an everyday beverage. Shaded for several weeks before the time the leaves are harvested, the growth of leaves is slowed, yielding increased amino acids within the leaves. the result is sweeter than Sencha without any appreciable bitterness, a pale green colour, and an aroma overpoweringly reminiscent of green vegetables. It is noteworthy that the process for the production of Gyokuro is identical to that for Matcha before Matcha is ground down into its characteristic powder. Gyokuro benefits from very low temperatures and (comparatively) prolonged steeping times: 140 degrees and two minutes is not uncommon.

Matcha: Heavily associated with Tea Ceremony, Matcha is a class apart from other teas, and the most unique preparation of tea that survives in the modern world  beyond Pu'erh.  Leaves that undergo the Gyokuro growth process have three possible fates: those rolled in the conventional fashion become Gyokuro, those which crumble and crack when laid out flat and left to dry are Tencha, and those which are arduously ground down into powder become Matcha. atcha is noteworthy for being a tea that is drunk rather than steeping in water- the actual particles of tea themselves are whisked into a bowl, and thus the health benefits of green tea are significantly amplified in Matcha where the tea is consumed directly. The taste is extremely distinct to the point that it can be described primarily only as Matcha flavour, save to say it is the naturally sweetest of teas. Lower grade Matcha is used extensively as a flavouring ingredient, and a wide variety of confections are available Matcha-flavoured in Japan, which is the cheapest exposure to the flavour, although naturally something is lost. The preparation of Matcha is an art to itself, so its optimal preparation cannot be expediently described here.

Tencha: resembling nothing so much as something that belongs in the herb pantry, Tencha is best compared to Gyokuro, it's closest counterpart. It mirrors Gyokuro's subdued sweetness, and is still paler, but has a tang in its aftertaste that many find undesirable. Due to the premium on Gyokuro and Matcha, comparatively few leaves are made into Tencha. Tencha is best served with temperature around 150 and a slightly longer steeping time than Gyokuro, making it one of the longest-steeping green teas.

Bancha: Moving away from the premium teas, Bancha is peasant fare. Derived from the bottom part of the leaf, Bancha has a higher astringency, drying out the mouth and producing a flavour that could variously be described as "brisk" or "extremely strong."A good morning tea for those seeking to replicate the eye-opening effects of coffee. No delicacy is required in its steeping- water brought to a boil and a good thirty seconds is sufficient.

Guricha: Differing primarily from the manner of rolling when contrasted with Sencha, Guricha is twirled into dainty little curls, there is not much to say for this tea. In comparison with Sencha, it is more of a hassle for mass production, has the same steeping guidelines, and yields a slightly milder flavour.

Genmaicha: Now we are getting into the true slave race material. Bancha supplemented with roasted brown rice to disguise the suffering flavour of Bancha, it adopts a mortifying new flavour of its own. A tea strong in smell and stronger in "nutty" taste, it is an earthy concoction that remains the worst tea I have ever tasted. As with Bancha, pour boiling water over it and spend the next thirty seconds wondering how you lost control of your life.

Houjicha: The only green tea that yields a light brown colour, Houjicha is roasted Bancha in yet another attempt to do something with the contemptible bottom of the leaf. This quest finds its greatest success in Houjicha, which is calming and lacks any bitterness. It is quite fragrant and evocative of drinking boiled wood, but it is low in caffeine and my personal pick of the Bancha family of teas. It too is boiled, but steeping time approaches two minutes.  (It is possible to have Genmaicha Houjicha, roasted Bancha that *also* includes roasted brown rice, but why would you do that to yourself?)

Mecha: Created from the broken leaf runoff of Sencha, Mecha's name is the best thing going for it. A dark green cup, it is extremely strong in its flavour, which is uniquely sweet with an overpowering bitter aftertaste. This way, no matter which flavour you were aiming for, you will get a strong counterpoint, unless you were truly torn between the two extremes. It is everything but mild, and a quirky tea best prepared just short of boiling for a minute.

Kukicha: Literally "twig tea", it is made from the stems, stalks, and yes, twigs, of the tea plant. Noteworthy for being good for several more steepings than "proper" green tea, Kukicha can yield four good servings. Its flavour is a mild nutty one best described as a gentle Genmaicha that discovered a way to avoid offending the taste buds. Steeping varies from 160 to 180 degrees, like Sencha, and has a short initial steeping time of around 45 seconds that only gets shorter with each infusion. Some Kukicha is derived from stalks that undergo the Gyokuro process, producing a creamier, sweeter taste than is found in baseline Kukicha. A distinctive tea that is comparatively cheap and worth trying.

Yuri essay!

Yuri as a genre, along with Yaoi, is constrained by the nich market it commands- funding for a work with predominately Yuri themes is hard to come by for an anime, and in numerous cases the investment to make one has proved a failure, with the studio unwilling to renew an ongoing show for a second season due to lack of interest. As a result, besides being relegated to manga, Yuri is primarily seen in the form of subtext, tertiary characters, and inferences from fans.

Yuri, when contrasted with Yaoi, places a de-emphasis on sexual content, to the point of avoiding it in many cases. It is telling that Yaoi derives its name from a rather unfortunate acronym that panders to the prurient interest, while Yuri draws upon the flower symbolism Japan has been so preoccupied with for centuries. While there exists a full spectrum of Yuri content, with many things that are quite explicit, to a large degree Yuri is more coy about showing sexuality, even kissing- the emphasis is on the relationship, rather than the sexual acts.


Japan's ideas about lesbian relationships as things to be expected and tolerated for young girls influence this- Yuri allows girls to explore relationships and grow intimate with someone while remaining pure for marriage later in life. The implication is that the sexual orientation is supposed to be dropped later in life, and that purity is a desirable and tangible thing- something increasingly out of tune with the West's sexual mores. In a primarily Yuri work, it is possible to find characters who reject this framework, putting emphasis on the fact they will always be together, but in appreciating that statement it is important to understand the societal expectations a young lesbian contends against.

Thematically, Yuri works place great emphasis on the Senpai-Kouhai relationship, with the Senpai traditionally occupying the "male" role. The bonds of hierarchy and a superior's obligation to their subordinate form a recurring theme in Japanese works, but it is unusually prominent in the Yuri genre. Yuri has in recent years moved in a fantasy direction, where men have subdued or nonexistent roles, but in the past tragedy and the difficulty of finding acceptance for the relationship in the eyes of society have formed major elements, making the public acknowledgement of the relationship and the ensuing results, rather than the relationship's physical consummation, the climactic point of the story.

In taking leave from the constraints of reality and adopting characters more likely to appeal to a male audience, Yuri has enjoyed greater prominence and success than previously, but the direction it has taken seems somewhat inauspicious for realistic and poignant epictions of girl's love. Maria-sama ga Miteru handled the idealized fantasy direction Yuri is taking with concessions to realism and an elegant, tasteful touch that ensured it was able to interest a wide swathe of the Yuri demographic, both male and female, but it remains to be seen if shows like Yuru Yuri and Candy Boy will be the order of the day in the future when contrasted with depictions like Aoi Hana and Onii-sama e..

Japan and the Northern Resource Area!

As Yosuke Matsuoka began travels across Europe in the spring of 1941 to conduct his duties as Japan's foreign minister, the empire was in crisis.  The operations against China, now in their fourth year, had become an unprofitable quagmire, and the resource-starved military was unable to browbeat the Dutch into providing enough Indonesian oil to meet operational usages. America's oil embargo in the summer of the year would only worsen what had become an established fact: Japan was locked in a war without end, and was running out of resources to prosecute it. Faced with this dilemma, the Imperial Government considered the forcible aquisition of more resources while the world was in tumult a far wiser course than meekly withdrawing from China and admitting their failure to the world. How best to conduct the seizure of oil-rich areas such as Sumatra, Java and Borneo without provoking an American attack upon a Japanese navy that was committed far south of its home ports was a significant problem- one so significant that ultimately the decision was made to strike the American fleet concurrently, accepting the inevitability of American intervention and taking the initiative to render it toothless. As we know, this was a failed venture that resulted in Japan's disaster in world war II.  It need not have been the case.


Yosuke Matsuoka was the architect of the Tripartite Pact that bound Japan to Italy and Germany, as well as the Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Pact that stated that these two powers would not go to war, even in the face of other alliance obligations such as the Tripartite Pact coming into effect. After state visits to Moscow and Berlin, he reversed this position and became the most vocal proponent of a strike into Siberia as the panacea to Japan's onsetting difficulties. The so-called Northern Resource Area, in contrast with the Southern Resource Area consisting of the phillipines, Indonesia and Malaysia, the land Japan coveted was the northern half of the Sakhalin island, (Karafuto as the Japanese called it), and at a minimum, all of Primorsk to the Amur river. In addition to this, Japan posessed a puppet "Inner Mongolia" state formed from their Chinese adventures, and as Mongolia was a Soviet puppet at the time, a total integration of Mongolia as a member of the Japanese Co-Prosperity Sphere was a goal that had some traction among the more quixotic Japanese officers who viewed the Mongols as their "Altaic brothers," in keeping with one of the more quaint racial theories circulating in Japan at this time.  The benefits of a strike north were tangible, and much more easily defensible than the over-ambitious swathe the Southern Resource Area proponents staked claim to, but there were numerous difficulties that presented themselves.

For one, there was the smarting memory of Khalkin Ghol. In 1939 the Soviets- under an obscure commander named Zhukov who would go on to write his name in the annals of history against the Hitlerites in later years- absolutely smashed the Japanese army after a series of border skirmishes along Manchuria escalated in a manner neither side predicted nor desired. The lessons of the conflict bore unwelcome truths for the Kwangtung Army in Manchuria and the wider IJA as a whole: The Ha-Go and Chi-Ha, fine tanks when released in the early part of the 1930s, had run their course as useful machines when contrasted with Soviet armour, and the combined arms effect of masses of artillery, field guns and tanks was telling. This had disasterous implications for the elan-driven doctrines of the IJA at that time, which was an enormous proponent of morale over material, and so it was largely swept under the rug and ignored. The bodies of the fallen were delivered to Japan in stages and in different ports so that the public would not notice the scale of the disaster, and Japan neither appreciably reformed its doctrines or invested in modernizing their tank designs.

These decisions would have reasonably few ramifications in any campaign against China or an island-hopping jaunt across the Pacific, but against the Soviet Union, even top-level officers who ignored the lessons of the conflict could not fail to remember the defeat. It was judged by many that while Japan was embroiled in a land war with China, a conflict with the Soviet Union was absolutely beyond their abilities.  It did not help that although the Germans greatly desired Japanese assistance in their upcoming invasion of the Soviet Union, foreign minister Ribbentrop was under strict orders not to leak its details to his Japanese counterpart for fear of it becoming known to the Soviets in advance.

Nevertheless, Matsuoka came away from his diplomatic interactions a vocal proponent of a strike into the Soviet Far East, and the implications of such a strike, had he been able to convince his government, are mind boggling. Roosevelt's ability to steer his country into a war it did not want is far from clear, especially when the Japanese and Germans were both striking primarily the unpopular communists.  Although the Japanese army's equipment was indeed below the Soviet par, the Soviet Union's best and brightest were all on the western front- where they were swiftly destroyed by the inexolerable German advance. It is utterly within the realm of the plausible that with air supremacy, superior morale, strategic suprise, superiority of numbers and cooperation from the navy the Japanese could have swiftly met most of their operational goals. Perhaps most crucially, the Soviet Union was saved from Guderian's 1941 drive to Moscow only by the arrival of Siberian reserves that could not be sent in the event of a sustained assault on Siberia. By 1941 the Kwangtung Army, Japan's Manchuria-based force, had no obligations in the China campaign and had over a million men under arms. With fairly limited assistance from the IJN and Japanese army aviation, this force would have needed little bolstering to seize Primorsk and advance along the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. American uninvolvement, and the corresponding Axis victory, seems quite plausible in such a situation.

The effects would be astounding. Rather than diplomatically isolated in the Pacific, Japan would go to the peace table in a successful operation Barberossa as one of Germany's co-belligerants, and could expect a generous piece of Siberia. It is likely Japan may have made a White Russian client state- A significant number of White Russian ex-patriates lived either in Manchuria, Japanese-occupied Shanghai, or Japan itself, and Japan was still remembered well in the region for being the last power to fight on the side of White Russia in the far east before withdrawing after the conflict's result was a foregone conclusion. As well, conflict against a ground force so robust as the USSR's may well have dictated a revamping of Japanese equipment up to western standards, and ushered in a new period of stability for the Japanese empire. The results are impossible to accurately augur, but the possibilities presented by the strike north are tantalizing, and it may be to Japan's misfortune that they ultimately decided to gamble against the combined might of Britain and America in the Pacific instead.

[The Brain]

Great. Matcha journalism.

[Lettow77]

 Matcha is but a small part!

Also, important enough to merit its own post:

Katawa Shoujo!

Slated for a 2011 release, after years of development, /a/'s most ambitious original content project looks to be upon us in less than four weeks. To promote this wonderful game, the first act of which is already freely available, I thought i'd take a look at the main heroines of Katawa Shoujo.

Shizune Hakamichi: A confident, clever and driven woman, Shizune was in many ways presented as a spotlight character in the first Act, regardless of which path the player ultimately chose. That she should forcefully take the spotlight is in keeping with her character- insomuch as anyone could be said to lead a school council with an "iron fist", she does so. Each heroine is paired up with a counterpart, and Shizune is notable for being paired with a girl who has no route and is thus not part of the main cast. Her faithful companion is the ensemble dark horse Misha- a boisterous, ebullient and raucous girl whom seems a natural fit for Shizune, given the latter's inability to hear.

Lilly Satou: Lilly is an excellent foil to Shizune; she is reserved, ladylike, and has a mothering nature that has lead her to take Hanako under her wing. Her path writer is a fan of Maria-sama ga Miteru, and it strongly shows. Walking slowly is preferred here, indeed. Lilly seems content to help others without any regard to her disability, and is something of a nurturing Ojou character. Insomuch as she indulges her own interests and preferences, she can reliably be found drinking a cup of tea in tranquility. The most gentle and elegant of the characters, she has been my stand-out favourite, and somehow this leaves me with the least to say about her.


Hanako Ikezawa: A shrinking violet with self-esteem issues about her appearance, Hanako seems destined to win the affections of people who can't help but want to protect her and "fix" her problems. For a girl without a proper disbility, as such, it is noteworthy that she has the most difficulty functioning in public. When she isn't in Lilly's unjudgemental company, she can usually be found in the library, and is perhaps the most well-read of the main cast. She is perhaps the most popular character, and it is easy to see why. Her demure and withdrawn nature resonates easily.

Rin Tezuka: A lady with the soul of an artist, Rin has a unique perspective on life and an extremely laid-back attitude. For me, Rin was the most interesting if not the most appealing character, and this ensures that her route is amongst my most anticipated. She maintains a high degree of functionality in spite of her lack of arms, but finds herself under Emi's care frequently regardless- For all the incredible things she can do to get by without her arms, it seems her largest impediment to functioning is a whimsical mind that is in no hurry to put aside pondering philosophy and the nature of existence to do something as mundane as worry about deadlines or carry out something approximating a daily routine.

Emi Ibarazaki: The genki loli and star of Yamaku School for the Disabled's track team, she has suffered perhaps more than anyone else from being pigeonholed as a stereotype, and commands the smallest visible popularity in the Katawa Shoujo fandom. The staff is cognizant of this, and it can be expected that beyond Act 1 we will see a more engaging character. What we have seen thus far, however, is not unlikeable- Emi is a cheerful, health-conscious girl, and is competitive without the edge that can be sensed in Shizune. For a character seen as the most immature, she has caretaker tendencies with Rin, and discovering more about their friendship is something I am looking forward to the most.

Understand that the kind folks of Katawa Shoujo have made this a labour of love, and intend to distribute the game freely. The price they have paid in time and creative effort has been staggering, and any words of encouragement to the kind developers as they near the completion of years of effort would be appreciated.

[Ideologue]

Spot check:

As Yosuke Matsuoka began travels across Europe in the spring of 1941 to conduct his duties as Japan's foreign minister, the empire was in crisis.  The operations against China, now in their third year

Incorrect, I'm afraid.

The Second Sino-Japanese War began in July 1937 with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident.  That would be "in its fourth year."  And that's if "operations against China" is limited to direct military confrontation with the Nationalist government.

[Lettow77]

 Wahaha~!

You are absolutely right! Amended immediately. I wrote it for rubes who wouldn't know the marco polo incident if you dropped a bridge on it. It was fun to write, too. Anything where soviets get attacked is exciting.

Also, essay requests? I might very well write one if its in the purview of something I am reasonably interested in.

Edit: Doesn't look like it will be within a reasonable timeframe though
find myself tired, will not be able to make the planned meeting
must accede to the impositions of atigue

[Grallon]

I commend your efforts Lettow.  You have a nice turn of phrase.  Keep on writing.  The real test however is to write well about something you have either no interest about or negative feelings about. 




G.

[Eddie Teach]

I believe he was referring to your VISION QUEST TO THE WEST thread, not a new one.

[Admiral Yi]

I believe he was referring to your VISION QUEST TO THE WEST thread, not a new one.

Didn't he have a newer thread on his Hello Kitty speech?

[Eddie Teach]

Dunno.

[mongers]

I commend your efforts Lettow.  You have a nice turn of phrase.  Keep on writing. The real test however is to write well about something you have either no interest about or negative feelings about. 

G.

Oh theres not doubt about that, I'm just hoping he'll find a productive niche or mature into having a coherent narrative.

[Razgovory]

I'm beginning to think Lettow might be a twisted version of Tim.

[Jaron]

Lettow is brilliant.

[Martinus]

I commend your efforts Lettow.  You have a nice turn of phrase.  Keep on writing.  The real test however is to write well about something you have either no interest about or negative feelings about. 




G.

Yeah. If he was a girl, you would call her a boring, talentless cunt.

[jimmy olsen]

Lettow is brilliant.

Am I brilliant?

[Lettow77]

 Ah, sorry to have abandoned this! I never did manage to stay up forever, and ultimately had to abandon the entire project because its underpinning motivation proved unagreeable.

I never gave a speech on Hello Kitty! I gave a speech on My Little Pony, and there's a world of difference. Today on MLP there was political tension, secession, the exodus of a people, and concluded with a stirring hymn in honour of the volk. It was all very great.

anyhow, miles of hell to January 4th, work where you're needed, etc. Looking for things to pass the time until that date.

Also: What is for supper? There's nothing but shrimp ramen and one precious ration of tuna left- I should really have left the store with new provisions when I went a couple days back, but the lack of cake just stuck in my craw and I left with ruffled feathers.

I suppose rather than ramen, it's a day of fasting until such time as I can acquire another kind of meal, perhaps around noon. I need to stock up on eclairs for the fourth, once the date is looming closer.