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This is not how I expected to start this blog.

Today I watched Big Bird in Japan, a children's special from 1988 starring Sesame Street super star Big Bird the big bird played by Caroll Spinney. I have never seen Sesame Street growing up. I don't know why. Maybe my parents thought a show set on a violent street in New York was too much for me.

The special details the adventure of Big Bird who is suckered and abandoned by a shady travel group in the middle of Tokyo. Big Bird and his dog Bar Clay are disgusted by every building and person and scrap of food they see. The dog is so racist he won't even eat fish given to him by a Japanese restaurant. After a song about how New York is the greatest city in the world, Big Bird's racism slowly dwindles as Princess Kaguya herself takes him on a trip to other places that let him be disgusted by Japanese food. Eventually, Big Bird returns to New York.

This special can pull you in regardless of your affinity for high-altitude avians. In the same way that watching Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver gives you a window into the city streets of 1976, getting to see people and places of Japan's bubble economy is a treat. I haven't read enough to comment on Japan and the US's relations during the 1980s, but it's nice to see a short that tries to humanize Japan to an American audience. Sharing the tale of Princess Kaguya is a great angle in that respect. I saw mention of Noritoshi Furuichi's The Happy Youth of a Desperate Country recently and can't help but wonder if everyone shown on camera is happy. At the very least, it's a safe bet that everyone was happy when Big Bird was around despite his racist dog.