There is a god after all...

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Just got the news in, well a rumour more to the point, that our angry Professor of our "Prestigious University", daigakumeimon 大学名門, in Leiden is no longer the head of the department of Japanese Studies. Apparently it's not a voluntary resignation or as the say in Japanese 'kibó taishoku' 希望退職 ,but untill we will be officially notified nothing is clear.......
Here is another odd discrepancy in the Japanese way of thinking.
The University here starts a Masters program in clinical tropical and infectious diseases for international medical students and doctors in April. Well they haven't got a curriculum, no list of reading materials and no defined budget as yet and apparently nobody (including management and lecturers) wants to be bothered with this. On the other hand a great deal of time is spend on the opening ceremony i.e. what dignitary is staying in which hotel, when is pick-up time, what are the seating arrangments, who is saying what etc.
It can probably be explained by the Japanese distaste for having to deal with anything financial (merchants and the like were the lowest class within Buddhist Japanese society) and their fondness of decorum and ceremonies (any country that had no rituals, ceremonies etc. was deemed 'uncivilized' ). So the loss of face through not performing according to ceremonial rites outweighs the international shame of just not having your basic finances in order and making a success of this new Masters Program.

Some ritual suicides through evisceration (in english known as Hara-kiri but here as Seppuku 切腹 ) no doubt will be on the agenda soon...... Normally a good friend is standing behind you and will decapitate you in case your own attempt to successfully kill yourself has failed (insult on top of injury if you ask me)
Will keep you posted.....