2015年1月16日 星期五

忙碌的"終活"



多桑的待辦事項：微笑

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含笑面對死亡，極難，拍攝親人的死亡紀錄片更難，砂田麻美的手法及企圖，讓家庭電影有了全然不同的視野。
沒有砂田知昭這種父親，應該就養不出砂田麻美這種女兒，沒有他們兩人，就成就不了《多桑的待辦事項》這部真情紀錄片。

砂田知昭是日本最典型的生意人，一生奉獻給公司，退休前夕，得知罹患胃癌末期，他的第一件事就是開始製作「終活筆記」；得知父親罹癌，一輩子都奉獻給電影工作的女兒砂田麻美，則是拿起攝影機，紀錄父親的最後時光。在死亡的陰影前，誰能如此從容？在死亡的無邊暴力前，誰能如此鎮靜？

紀錄片《多桑的待辦事項》之所以動人，絕大部分的原因來自砂田父女的生命特質：砂田知昭有日本中產階級一絲不苟，事必躬親，按部就班的仔細性格，工作筆記與生命筆記，其實差別不大；愛電影的女兒麻美，應該早就習慣用攝影機拍攝家人的生活點滴，家人亦都習慣這位電影女兒以鏡代筆的生活紀錄方式，專業技術搭配不設訪的心態，成就了她最貼身也貼心的拍攝工程。

但是不管多麼熟悉攝影機跟隨的模式，死亡這場大戲，終究不能重來，不能補拍，不知何時是終點，不知明天會如何的電影工程，對很多人而言或許是種煎熬，砂田家族卻能轉化成為陪伴與慰藉，反而因此得到重生與祝福。

去日無多之時，善用餘生，預立遺囑，或者先行舉辦告別式，都需要莫大的智慧與勇氣，類似的題材曾經在《一路玩到掛（The Bucket List）》和《非誠勿擾2 》出現，但是那些都是劇情片，是虛擬的人生，主角換個面具，換套戲服，會繼續在其他作品出現，碰觸的議題就算深刻，多少帶點諧趣的影子，《多桑的待辦事項》卻是砂田知昭活生生的告別，死亡假不了，亦不可能重來，絕對的真實，不能閃躲的真情，就構成了絕對的震撼。
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真實人生中，坦然面對死亡，寫下「終活筆記」之人，性格多半龜毛，不願假手他人，亦不願麻煩他人，遺言或者身後事，只要交代清楚，條理分明，人我兩安，《多桑的待辦事項》選擇了一個「後設主義」的錯覺做開場，明明都已經是砂田知昭的喪禮了，他卻能侃侃而談，如同在訴說別人的事，明明砂田知昭是男生，說話的卻是女生，死者還能談自己的生前事，標榜的就是「後設」趣味；陽身卻由陰聲來註解，父親的話語卻由女兒來代唸，卻也能產生疏離劇場的距離美學與錯亂趣味，如此奇特的敘事風格，就已經旗幟鮮明地標舉出 《多桑的待辦事項》的迷人特質。

電影的開場，其實有點匪夷所思的浪漫氛圍，身體還算硬朗的砂田知昭還沒有與癌細胞到達近身肉搏的體力消耗戰，意志亦未被死神的暴風所摧折，因此才能一步步按照清單完成自己想做的事，他的生命選擇在女兒的巧手剪接對比下，具現了日本傳統歐吉桑的文化表徵：五分大男人（要不要背叛自民黨？從未對妻子說過我愛你？身後事的安排全都得聽他的，不能妄改）、三分赤子心（陪老母親再出遊一次，陪孫女再過一次耶誕節，再吃一次鮑魚餐）、兩分機會主義（臨終受洗的機關盤算），再加上他不想在死神前面屈膝哭嚎，他的迂迴承受與自作主張，反而有點近似真實人生的黑色喜劇。dosan66.jpg

但是，罹癌是真，砂田知昭快速在鏡頭前老去，人瘦了（15公斤），髮白了，氣虛了，唯一沒變的是他說話的語氣始終平淡自如，很少看到他的慌亂、氣憤與沮喪，但他也總是心平氣和，卻也毫不退縮地逼問醫生：治療是否失敗？死期還有多遠？訊息不確定，他如何即時完成自己的「終活」規畫？（本片的英文片名叫做《Ending Note (Death of a Japanese Salesman)／一位日本推銷員之死》，固然是搭《推銷員之死》的便車，尋求一種文化共鳴，其實卻亦有著向日本歐吉桑致敬的深情）。

正因為砂田知昭的心理如此強軔，他的最後身影才能如此堅強與動人，正因為他告訴自己的待辦事項，都經過深思熟慮，也都是他最由衷的體諒與告白，所以當觀眾看見他再陪九十四歲的母親出遊一次，向母親告白說我們要能一起走有多好，甚至到了臨終之際，還有氣力再和母親通一次電話，道歉告別......死神雖然巨大，但是砂田昭知卻能憑細心周到，得能敗部逆轉勝，讓所有的目擊者都豔羨起他的幸福與幸運（特別是孫女到病榻前淚眼相送的真情對話，隔了一天他又還能勉強撐起身子，聽著孫女描繪死亡的意義......）。

砂田昭知的公司曾經握有八釐米電影膠捲的材料，他最挫折的商場經驗就是未能爭取到Sony的採購契約，但是這段生命往事，卻也精簡交代出砂田家族與家庭影像的密切關係，砂田麻美用影像紀錄，陪著父親走完生命的最後時光，但是家族過去留下的影像紀錄，同樣也讓這部紀錄片有著更多可以參照對比的元素（包括失智的祖父、父親的退休場合，還有不時浮現的照片與影像片段），一輩子的青春，一輩子的影像才能提煉出如此作品，足夠的影像材料，當然有其魅力。dosan64.jpg

只不過，最重要的關鍵在於你如何來解讀這些看似私密，其實瑣碎，看似個人，其實又能激發共鳴的素材？電影課堂上，老師經常告誡學生不要只會拿攝影機拍家人的故事，不要耽溺難家族相簿的迷思上，其實，那往往是因為思想不夠深刻，體會不夠周密，才會不知所云，只好無病呻吟，砂田麻美卻用《多桑的待辦事項》告訴大家：人只能死一回，只因為他們家多桑有此胸襟，願意如此面對，所以他全力留住多桑的真，最透過自己的巧思與慧心，讓多桑的往生變成一則美麗傳奇，日後若感動有緣善男好善女子，不也是人生的善事一椿嗎？

沒有砂田知昭這種父親，應該就養不出砂田麻美這種女兒，沒有他們兩人，就成就不了《多桑的待辦事項》這部真情紀錄片。這是我的開場白，亦是我的結論。

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2015年1月14日 星期三

Three Japanese whiskies that will make you forget about your Scotch

Three Japanese whiskies that will make you forget about your Scotch:http://on.wsj.com/1x0ZFuS

Is Japanese Whisky Better Than Scotch?

Some sensational drams from Japan have been highly praised by critics—but can they compete with their Scottish ancestors?

ENLARGE
JEAN-MANUEL DUVIVIER
By 
17 COMMENTS
IT WAS A BRIGHT , clear morning as we took off from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. A few minutes into our flight, the captain announced that for those on the right side of the plane, Mt. Fuji would soon be coming into view. I was on the left, but a few of us got up anyway to catch a glimpse of Japan’s highest mountain. Flying, it’s easy to feel alienated—cocooned in a metal cylinder, with nothing but a view of the clouds and a television screen—but for that brief moment, peering out of the plane’s window, I really felt a sense of place.
It’s a theme I had been mulling over ever since I arrived in Japan. Although the country has a small wine industry—Grace Wines being a notable estate to look out for—and an internationally renowned sake industry, it was its fledgling whisky industry that seemed to be in the national consciousness when I visited. “Massan,” a new miniseries about one of the founders of Japanese whisky, was airing. It tells the story of Masataka Taketsuru, who went to Scotland in 1918 to study organic chemistry at Glasgow University, and there fell in love with whisky and the art of distilling.

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He returned to Japan not only with the knowledge of how to make whisky—having worked at Hazelburn in Campbeltown—but also with a Scottish wife. (“Massan” tells the story of their relationship.) Working with a wine producer and importer, Shinjiro Torii, he oversaw production at Japan’s first whisky distillery, in the valley of Yamazaki near Kyoto. Later, he established his own Yoichi distillery on the northern island of Hokkaido, where he believed the conditions were more suited to the production of whisky.
Taketsuru’s name was also in the press last month when Takeshi Taketsuru, his adopted son who was also a celebrated distiller, died at the age of 90.
Japanese whisky is experiencing something of a purple patch; in November critic Jim Murray named a single malt from the Yamazaki distillery the “best in the world.” I’m not so sure you can ever name one drink the best in the world. I rather agree with whisky writer Charlie MacLean, who says that, like wine, each whisky should be appreciated within its own category.
‘If these were served blind, it would be very hard to discern if they were Japanese or Scotch.’
So what of Japanese whisky? The first thing to note is that it’s the nearest in style to Scotch whisky. In fact, tasting a range of whiskies back in London at the Athenaeum hotel’s whisky bar, I thought, “If these were served blind, it would be very hard to discern if they were Japanese or Scotch.” I tasted whiskies from both of Taketsuru’s distilleries, the Yamazaki and Yoichi. They are very correct-tasting and clean, something Mr. MacLean puts down to good “wood management”—the selection of barrels for maturation. But do they reflect a sense of place?
One way of answering that is to look at Scotch whisky and what gives it its unique character. Mr. MacLean cautions against using words such as “terroir” and says that flavor comes instead from impurities or “congeners,” the by-products of fermentation other than alcohol. In that sense, he says Scotch has more character.
As with Burgundy and Bordeaux, I can appreciate them both. What I would say is that Japanese whiskies deserve their moment in the spotlight. At the very highest level they can certainly compete and they’re well worth considering the next time you are perusing a whisky menu.
DRINKING NOW // Three Japanese Whiskies
From left, Suntory The Yamazaki 18-Year-Old Single Malt; Suntory Hibiki 17-Year-Old Whisky; Nikka Yoichi 15-Year-Old Single Malt ENLARGE
From left, Suntory The Yamazaki 18-Year-Old Single Malt; Suntory Hibiki 17-Year-Old Whisky; Nikka Yoichi 15-Year-Old Single Malt
Suntory The Yamazaki 18-Year-Old Single Malt | £155 or €198
Something special from Japan’s oldest distillery, this is a rich and complex whisky with a sherried, light fruit, apple, pear and cinnamon character. On the palate, there’s chocolate, cooked fruit, black pepper, vanilla and just a hint of sherry. Alcohol: 43%
Suntory Hibiki 17-Year-Old Whisky | £89 or €113
Creamy, slightly sweet, with a pleasing malty and smooth almond character, this whisky is one you can imagine nursing in your favorite chair all night. With water it really softens up. A blend of malt and grain whisky, it’s a sensational dram. Alcohol: 43%
Nikka Yoichi 15-Year-Old Single Malt | £98 or €125
Situated in the far north of Japan, the distillery’s site was chosen for its similarities to Scotland. This is a complex whisky with fruity notes of apple and an undernote of peat. There’s also a spicy note, almost Speyside in style, and with time there’s a real sweetness.Alcohol: 45%
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2015年1月12日 星期一

一粒冰賣8美元 貴絕全球

一粒冰賣62港元
貴絕全球皆因「無味」

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夏天來一杯冰凍飲料感覺透心涼，但若然一塊冰售62港元，還想要加冰嗎？

美國加州製冰公司「塔絲豪華冰塊」（Gläce Luxury Ice），推出相信是全球最貴的冰，聲稱貴價冰塊由300磅重的大冰切割而成，它們每塊周長約6厘米，而且不含雜質和致癌物，因此較一般的冰塊健康；而最大賣點是它們「零味道」，加入酒中仍只會品嚐到酒的醇香。

另外，該公司也著重「貴冰」的形狀，分別有球體和G形立方體設計，並謂放入飲料後30至40分鐘也不會溶化。一塊冰盛盛惠8美元（約62.4港元)，買一包50塊的則為325美元（2,538港元），相比下較「划算」。

英國《每日郵報》 
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2015年1月11日 星期日

The Story of Japanese Whisky


The Scottish mother of Japanese whisky

By Magnus BennettBBC Scotland news website
Rita Taketsuru
Scotch enthusiasts found it hard to swallow recently when a Japanese single malt was named the world's best whisky. But the fact that a Scot played a key role in establishing the hard stuff in Japan may make that news more palatable for some.
Jessie Roberta Cowan, from Kirkintilloch, had little idea how much her life was going to change when a young Japanese man took up lodgings at her family home in 1918.
Masataka Taketsuru had come to Scotland to study the art of whisky-making, taking up chemistry at Glasgow University before becoming an apprentice at Longmorn Distillery in Speyside and later at Hazelburn Distillery in Campbeltown.
Masataka and Jessie - who was known as Rita - soon formed a strong bond and on 8 January 1920 they married in a Glasgow registry office.
It was the beginning of a long journey that was to end with Rita becoming known as the mother of Japanese whisky.
Masataka TaketsuruMasataka Taketsuru came to Scotland to learn the art of whisky-making
Shortly after their marriage, Rita followed her husband back to Japan as he pursued his dream of building his own distillery.
By 1923 he was in Kyoto, working for Kotobukiya - later to become Japanese drinks giant Suntory - tasked with building Japan's first genuine whisky plant at Yamazaki.
A decade later, he prepared to start up his own distillery at Yoichi, marking the beginnings of what was to become major Japanese drinks business Nikka.
Rita's role in helping Masataka produce his first whisky in 1940 cannot be underestimated, according to Nikka Whisky international sales manager Emiko Kaji.
"Rita played a very important role in Masataka's life work," she said.
"She provided not only moral support but also financial support when they had a difficult time.
"She made every effort to adopt herself to the Japanese culture and stay with him all the time, even during the world war."
Mr Kaji added: "It is said that she was good at Japanese cooking and served traditional Japanese dishes.
"Her income from teaching English and piano sometimes helped the household.
"Rita's network through the job also connected Masataka with other investors to establish his own company.
"Masataka could not have overcome a lot of difficulties without loyal support by Rita."
Nikka Whisky Distillery at YoichiThe Nikka distillery is still operating in Yoichi
Yoichi was a world away from the bustling city of Kyoto. Based on the northernmost main island of Japan, Hokkaido, it offered a much more isolated way of life.
But Masataka saw it as the perfect place to build a distillery.
Colin Ross, from the Nikka-owned Ben Nevis distillery at Fort William, said: "He chose Yoichi because it looked a lot like Scotland, felt like Scotland and the temperature was much the same as here."
Rita launched herself into Japanese culture, speaking only Japanese and following local traditions, but her life was to change during World War Two.
Her great-nephew Harry Hogan, from Newton Mearns in East Renfrewshire, said: "I think during the second world war it was very difficult because a lot of the Japanese turned against them - against her particularly.
Masataka and Rita TaketsuruMasataka and Rita married in Scotland in 1920
"The story goes that even her own (adopted Japanese) daughter turned against her slightly because of the fact that she was British."
According to Urs Matthias Zachmann, head of Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh, the Japanese authorities also made life difficult for her.
He said: "Their house was searched because they had an antenna on the rooftop and the special police thought that she might be a spy, contacting British or Russian forces, whatever.
"It has been said that the company workers tried to speak on her behalf and defend her."
But Rita stayed put and the Yoichi distillery soon prospered as the Japanese appetite for genuine whisky grew in the face of a wartime import ban.
Rita died at the age of 63 in 1961, but her legacy lives on in Yoichi, whose main street is named Rita Road.
She is also far from forgotten in her adopted nation as a whole.
The story of her relationship with the man who became known as the father of Japanese whisky has just hit the small screen in Japan.
TV drama Massan is a fictionalised account of Rita's travels to Japan and Masataka's attempts to begin the Nikka Whisky distilling company, which is now owned by drinks group Asahi.
The show has quite literally lifted spirits at the business.
Nikka Whisky International Sales Manager Emiko Kaji said: "We have been experiencing a kind of 'Nikka boom' or 'whisky boom' since the NHK drama Massan started at the end of September.
"Our domestic sales are growing by almost 20% and the number of the visitors to Yoichi distillery in 2014 increased by 50% compared with the previous year."
Masataka died in August 1979 at the age of 85 and was laid to rest beside his wife in Yoichi.
Rita's life may have ended in 1961 - but for many Japanese, her spirit lives on.

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