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What Did You Eat Yesterday? + miscellaneous triva
It's interesting, the random bits of information I pick up about Japanese law/culture/history from watching tv shows and reading manga, and how those two sometimes cross over. For example, jury trials were implemented relatively recently in Japan, and an episode from Season 6 of the Aibou detective drama focused on a murder case that (in the fictional Aibou world) was the first jury trial in the country. And in Vol. 5 of the manga What Did You Eat Yesterday?, a slice-of-life story about a 40-something gay couple (a lawyer and a hairdresser), the lawyer has to assist in defending a murder suspect because he's one of the few (or possibly only) people in the firm who have had training in the jury system.
That volume also brings up in passing Japan's welfare system: Kenji's (the hairdresser's) estranged father has applied for welfare, and according to Japanese law, the government must contact the applicant's relatives to see if they can provide financial support before granting welfare benefits. So when the welfare notice arrives, it's the first time in years that Kenji has had news of his father. And by coincidence, the same welfare law was mentioned in Season 9 of Aibou: a homeless man is killed, and the detectives learn that he had applied for welfare, but was told by the worker in the welfare office not to bother applying because he wouldn't be granted benefits because he had living family. The worker was under pressure to lower the quota of welfare applicants, but Detective Sugishita points out that if the worker had done his job and filed the application, at least the man's family would have been notified of the fact that he needed help, and perhaps he wouldn't have died.
I don't know if I will ever need any of that information for a story, but it's interesting to know. This is also a good time to plug What Did You Eat Yesterday?, because it's a great manga! As mentioned, it's a slice of life story, and I really like it because it's about an older couple than the usual BL fare, and deals more realistically with the problems that adults face in work and their personal lives, for example, dealing with aging parents or worrying about their future retirement--a particularly crucial issue for Kenji and Shiro, since they won't have any children to look after them in their old age. Being closer to Kenji and Shiro's ages, I can relate to their stories more than a typical BL high school romance. And also, it's a great foodie manga! Shiro, the lawyer, is an amateur chef, and each chapter revolves around the delicious meals that he cooks, complete with instructions and ingredients so that the reader can try them out. Some of them are a bit too tedious and complicated for my taste, but I still enjoy reading about them, and I might try out the banana bread one in the latest volume since it sounds pretty simple.
Other bits of trivia I've picked up from watching murder mystery J-dramas: a notary in Japan is more like what we'd consider a paralegal in the US; he or she doesn't just witness the signing of documents, but can, for example, draw up legal documents like business contracts and wills. Also, in Japan, you cannot completely write your family out of your will: spouses and legitimate children are entitled to a certain percentage of your estate (although I forget what the exact percentage is). An illegitimate child that has been acknowledged by the parent is also entitled to a share, although it's a lesser percentage than a legitimate heir. (I definitely know the inheritance part is true because it came up while I was watching a documentary type show as well.) As you can imagine, the legalities of inheritance often come up quite often in mystery dramas!
That volume also brings up in passing Japan's welfare system: Kenji's (the hairdresser's) estranged father has applied for welfare, and according to Japanese law, the government must contact the applicant's relatives to see if they can provide financial support before granting welfare benefits. So when the welfare notice arrives, it's the first time in years that Kenji has had news of his father. And by coincidence, the same welfare law was mentioned in Season 9 of Aibou: a homeless man is killed, and the detectives learn that he had applied for welfare, but was told by the worker in the welfare office not to bother applying because he wouldn't be granted benefits because he had living family. The worker was under pressure to lower the quota of welfare applicants, but Detective Sugishita points out that if the worker had done his job and filed the application, at least the man's family would have been notified of the fact that he needed help, and perhaps he wouldn't have died.
I don't know if I will ever need any of that information for a story, but it's interesting to know. This is also a good time to plug What Did You Eat Yesterday?, because it's a great manga! As mentioned, it's a slice of life story, and I really like it because it's about an older couple than the usual BL fare, and deals more realistically with the problems that adults face in work and their personal lives, for example, dealing with aging parents or worrying about their future retirement--a particularly crucial issue for Kenji and Shiro, since they won't have any children to look after them in their old age. Being closer to Kenji and Shiro's ages, I can relate to their stories more than a typical BL high school romance. And also, it's a great foodie manga! Shiro, the lawyer, is an amateur chef, and each chapter revolves around the delicious meals that he cooks, complete with instructions and ingredients so that the reader can try them out. Some of them are a bit too tedious and complicated for my taste, but I still enjoy reading about them, and I might try out the banana bread one in the latest volume since it sounds pretty simple.
Other bits of trivia I've picked up from watching murder mystery J-dramas: a notary in Japan is more like what we'd consider a paralegal in the US; he or she doesn't just witness the signing of documents, but can, for example, draw up legal documents like business contracts and wills. Also, in Japan, you cannot completely write your family out of your will: spouses and legitimate children are entitled to a certain percentage of your estate (although I forget what the exact percentage is). An illegitimate child that has been acknowledged by the parent is also entitled to a share, although it's a lesser percentage than a legitimate heir. (I definitely know the inheritance part is true because it came up while I was watching a documentary type show as well.) As you can imagine, the legalities of inheritance often come up quite often in mystery dramas!
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Someday I'm going to read Antique Bakery as well.
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Oh, and I love Antique Bakery too, in large part due to the mouth-watering descriptions and drawings of pastries!