My son has always had an affinity for music, though sometimes that affinity has taken strange and unexpected turns. Most recently he happened to notice something I was reminding myself of after Clint Eastwood's Superbowl ad (I was listening to the theme song to Kelly's Heroes) and he IMMEDIATELY loved it and wanted to learn the lyrics.

Many of these songs he for awhile picked up the lyrics (where there are lyrics and even if in a language none of us knew). Partly I just love the variety. And many are things that he helped me discover.

Highlights of my son's musical tastes over the years (Pokemon songs NOT included!)

Kodo Drummers of Japan "Iromori" and "Lion": (<1-2 years old)

Okay...now one of his VERY first songs to actually sing (he couldn't do the words yet, but he got the tune) was...well, this: (<1-2 years old)

5 6 7 8's "Woo Hoo": (<1-2 years old) He was VERY into this every time a Vonage commercial came on, and ultimately got us interested in Vonage (which we finally switched to recently after MetTel screwed us three months in a row).

Afia Mala (Royal Princess of Togo) singing Segne: (2-3 years old)

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[NOTE: Videos seem to have disappeared in the Daily Gotham version...not sure why but it sure detracts from the impact if the diary]

The opening scenes of the Japanese Anime movie, Whisper of the Heart (Mimi o Sumaseba) shows the distant skyline of Tokyo, as seen from the suburb of West Tokyo, emerging from the evening mist. The first images give you a feeling of an almost endless city, overwhelming yet beautiful in the morning mist, then normal street scenes of life in West Tokyo...all accompanied, seemingly incongruously, with a version of John Denver's "Country Roads."

(From the English dubbed version's opening scenes)

To me those opening scenes of Whisper of the Heart always brings a nostalgic tear to my eye because it captures perfectly what life in Japan is like. As I see the scenes from Japan now, after such devastation, I can't get these scenes out of my head.  read more »

I have always been a fan of Japan. I have been there four times, including on my honeymoon. I even had the pleasure of living for a year in Kyoto working at Kyoto University. It is, in many ways, a wonderful place and I do hope to go back when time and money permit. I even am teaching my son what little Japanese language I still remember.

But there are always strange undercurrents in Japan. Korean and Chinese friends of mine cannot understand why I ever would visit Japan. They have an anger towards Japan that Americans have a hard time understanding. The presence of the yakuza (Japanese mafia) in Japan is omnipresent, once you are aware of it, which seems strange for an otherwise so law abiding nation. When World War II comes up in conversation, many Japanese still think Japan was justified in its imperialism and that America should apologize for the nuclear bombings and for the occupation. It is a constant source of scandal that Japanese leaders frequently downplay and misrepresent Japanese imperialism in Asia. I was amazed at how unresolved WW II seems in Japan and in Asia.  read more »