We enjoyed travel in Japan so much we are planning another--for the so-called "real millennium." And like most 2001 celebrations as compared to 2000 it will not be as elaborate, nor will it be as long lasting.

People often ask why study Japanese. Not as many have asked me why I studied chemistry. I try to think of an appropriate response but honestly I really cannot convince myself half of the time. Anyhow most things related to chemistry or Japan(ese) will get my attention. What a kick I got to find a chemical structure shown in a Japanese movie! The english title of the Japanese movie is GODZILLA vs BIOLLANTE.

As in most Toho Godzilla (Gojira) productions there is usually some new and clever way of approaching the monster of all problems. This 1989 movie is no exception, in fact it is a beauty. Among the arsenal of weapons to fight Gojira they claim to have the Anti Nuclear Energy Bacteria. And briefly a chemical structure is displayed:

Ah, art does imitate life in this science fiction feature. How many science fiction films can display a chemical structure and get away with it? The compound shown above was isolated in 1985 and structure determined in 1988 mainly by (1) Makoto Ubukata and Kiyoshi Isono at RIKEN The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Wako-shi, Saitama (2) Kenichi Kimura at Research Institute of Life Science, Snow Brand Milk Products , Ishibashi-machi, Shimotuga-gun, Tochigi and (3) Chad Nelson and James McCloskey at Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah and NOT at the TSUKUBA Laboratory of Biotechnology.

Liposidomycin B is reported to be a nucleoside antibiotic (inhibits bacterial peptidoglycan biosynthesis ) and NOT a nuclear energy inhibitor. Hey liberties were taken, in fact the structure is just that a compound NOT a bacteria. Alas it would be great if one day chemists synthesize a compound that renders nuclear radiation harmless and thus slay the monster of all problems.

Shintarou Katsu , pictured above, has slain more than a few problems in his day. I invite you to visit my ZATOICHI Page. It contains some link to things Japanese as well as an audio track. Please let me know if link inside not working and I will fix it. The Zatoichi series I find more enjoyable than action adventure series that just blow up everything on the set.

My favorite japanese female music singer is definitely Seiko Matsuda. She will remain my favorite until someone better comes along :-)

For Japanese food I usually "go out." Locally it is Teriyaki Boy and often. In Philadelphia my favorite restraunt is Hikaru in Rittenhouse Square. In New York city there are several places. Can you tell my cooking is not ichiban? ;-) Links to some Japanese Recipes can be found without really trying.

Study of Japanese language is difficult for many reasons and I prefer not to make them all public. Suffice it to say I am a Chemist by day and an amateur web author at night. So on weekends it is off to Japanese Language School .

Recently I joined the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia which hosts several events intended to bring our cultures closer together.

Enough about me and my plans what are others up to?The Japan Ring (link given below) provides a convenient way to quickly browse through a variety of topics regarding Japan. Most of the pages are written by people who can do html well. You can choose next, previous or click on Japan Ring "coin" to access list of all sites, etc.

This JapanRing site is owned by Schuyler Antane. Click for the [Next Page | SkipIt | Random| Next5] Want to join the ring? Click here for info.

Goodbye.

Created June 3, 1998
Modified March 2, 2001

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Thanks to PSP's Language Solutions Group Japanese is supported on my PC and doesn't appear garbled (mojibake).