Do Japanese people want to feel the warmth more than before ?

There are some phenomena that make you realize how much Japanese people were shocked by the 3/11 earthquake. I'll talk about some of them.

The disaster seems to have inspired people to marry. Since the earthquake, the number of people who have signed up with marriage agencies has been sharply increasing. Both engagement and wedding rings have been enjoying good sales. On Mother's Day (the second Sunday of May), carnations, which are the most popular gifts in Japan, sold much better than last year. It's reported that before Mother's day, department stores and electronics stores were more crowded than last year with people who wanted to buy gifts. Goods which are useful in cutting electricity consumption or helping mothers beat the heat during summer had good sales. Expensive pressure cookers were one of them.

http://www.shibuyayokocho.com/

In downtown Tokyo, where the restaurant industry has been suffering from poor sales especially since the earthquake happened, places where many traditional style, casual restaurants gather have been attracting people, regardless of gender and age. These casual restaurants offer good food at low prices, but the tables and chairs are cheap and shabby. They don't provide enough elbow room for their customers, so frequent physical contact with others is inevitable. On top of that, they are noisy. However, the cramped space and loud noise seem to make the customers feel easy, and it even cheers them up when they feel uneasy.

As you can see, the 3/11 earthquake has reminded a lot of people of things that they are apt to forget. Some have realized how much their families are concerned about them. Those who live alone have realized how uneasy they feel when things like the earthquake happen. Some have realized that other's concerns for them encourage them.

A place where many traditional style, casual restaurants gather

http://www.shibuyayokocho.com/

Nuclear power plant addiction !?

Last Friday, Prime Minister Kan urged the Chubu Electric Power Company/中部電力 to shut down the Hamaoka nuclear power plant 浜岡原発 until stronger defenses against earthquakes and tsunamis could be built there. Then, the day before yesterday, the company complied with the request. To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to nuclear power plants before the Fukushima disaster. Still, I knew how controversial the Hamaoka plant has been for many years. Actually, it's been said that the area where the Hamaoka plant is located has the highest chance of being hit by a massive earthquake in the near future. On top of that, Shinkansen bullet trains -- important transportation to connect three major cities:Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya--run within 20 kilometers of the plant. A major highway that connects these three cities is also in these area. Given that, there is no wonder that the Hamaoka plant has been controversial.

Since the shutdown of the Hamaoka plant was announced, many local people living near the plant have shown mixed responses to it. The crippled Fukishima nuclear power plant seems to have inevitably heightened their concerns about the safety of the Hamaoka plant. From this viewpoint, the shutdown would relieve them and be good news for them. On the other hand, however, there are their concerns about their local economy and their city's finances. As a matter of fact, they and their city have been depending on the plant to varying degrees for many years - like other cities where nuclear power plants are located.

Towns, cities and prefectures where nuclear power plants are located can receive a large amount of central government subsidies and taxes related to the plants. Near nuclear power plants, there are good public facilities built with the subsidies. Since some of them look out of scale with what the residents really need, the local governments which built them are sometimes criticized for not making effective use of the subsidies. I've heard that a town near the crippled Fukushima plant has been suffering from financial difficulties mainly because the public facilities built with these subsidies requires high maintenance and operation costs. It's been said that the town made decisions to build them without due deliberation. Other than this, it's reported that another city where a nuclear power plant is located has already requested an electric power company to build two more reactors in the plant in order to improve its finance.

As you can see, once local governments start relying on subsidies, taxes and businesses relating to nuclear power plants, they won't be able to get out of the dependence. Because of the addiction, nuclear power plants are expressed in such a way that they are like drugs , and the phrase "nuclear power plant addiction/原発中毒" is used.

http://www.gns.ne.jp/eng/g-ken/doukan/agr_454.htm

http://bukogera.com/up/toden5.pdf
http://www2.dengen.or.jp/html/leaf/seido/files/richigaiyo-201003.pdf

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/business/energy-environment/08nrc.html?_r=1&ref=energy-environment　

Sutetekos (a sort of underwear) are taking center stage!!

The 3/11 earthquake and tsunami have seriously damaged not only the Fukushima nuclear power plant but also other power plants. Because of this, people living in eastern Japan have been required to save electricity as much as possible. As summer is when power demand soars approaches, the issue of how to save electricity during summer is being discussed seriously. Given that a lot of people suffered from heat stroke even at home last summer because it was much hotter than usual throughout Japan, many of us are taking the issue very seriously and thinking about how to deal with heat. On top of that, to avoid massive blackouts caused by the demand overwhelming the supply, both corporations and individuals in Japan are required to make further efforts to find new ways to deal with heat without relying on air conditioners as much as they used to.It's been said that we need to change our both life and business styles dramatically.

Under these circumstances, things that became unpopular are drawing attention and coming back to thecenter stage. One of them is the traditional summer underwear "suteteko/ ステテコ" (The right picture). In the Meiji era (from 1868 to 1912), suteteko became popular as stuff to wear under the traditional Japanese garment/clothes "Kimono/着物". As Western clothes became popular, men came to wear sutetekos over underpants and under trousers. Sutetekos are made from breathable and absorbable fabric to adjust to hot and humid summer in Japan. They don't stick tightly to the skin. Because of this, at the time when air conditioning wasn't popular, I guess that many men felt comfortable wearing trousers over sutetekos than without them. On top of that, it was thought that wearing sutetekos helped to protect business pants from getting dirty. It also helped sutetekos gain popularity.

Until two or three decades ago, during summer, there were a lot of men at home who relaxed in sutetekos and another kind of underwear which is worn under shirts and looks like a white t-shirt (Link #1). When ordinary families didn't have air conditioning, this style might have been the best way for men to beat the heat. However, as Japan became affluent, people, especially women, became less fond of the style. In the wake of it, wearing sutetekos in itself came to be considered to be unfashionable by younger generations regardless of gender. On top of that, thanks to the widespread use of air conditioning, sutetekos became less useful to men. Due to these reasons, Suteteko was forced to step back from center stage.

This year, however, the shortage of electricity is bringing Suteteko back to center stage. To attract younger generations, fashionable sutetekos are going on sale (Link #2). On top of that, many shops are offering sutetekos for women. I think that they have been drawing considerable attention.

Link #1: Men relaxed in Sutetekos at home

Please see the picture in the link below.

http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/sakepoem/diary/200706210000/

Please see the third picture in the link below.

http://yaplog.jp/pipi-mmm-www/daily/201005/21/

Link#2 Fashionable sutetekos 

http://www.ryutsuu.biz/store/d050606.html

http://news.biglobe.ne.jp/economy/0114/jc_110114_9631198295.html

Lots of events to cheer up children and a lot of carp steamers swimming in the sky

May 5th is Children's Day in Japan.In the day, families with small boys fly colorful carp streamers called Koinobori/鯉のぼり(Link #1) outside their homes to celebrate the holiday.

Yesterday, at many places throughout Japan, a large number of carp steamers were swimming in the sky in the hopes that disaster-hit areas would be rebuilt as soon as possible. At the disaster-hit areas, various events were held to cheer children up. At a shelter, many carp steamers which were made and sent by non-victims throughout Japan were flown (Link #2). Under these carps swimming in the sky, children enjoyed a sort of games. At another shelter, many children enjoyed kite-flying. Actually, children at shelters remind me when I was a child. It goes without saying that no children who are playing video games there. They are playing the same way as I did when I was a child.

At Ishinomori Manga Museum in Ishinomaki, Miyagi/ 宮城県石巻市, a manga festival was held as planned although the museum was seriously damaged by the 3/11 earthquake and Tsunami. Amid piles of rubble, many children enjoyed a show where famous superheroes like Kamen Rider/仮面ライダー appeared (Link #3). Have you heard of Kamen Rider before? The museum was established and built by Shotaro Ishinomori /石ノ森章太郎, a manga artist and the author of Kamen Rider. He was born and raised in a town near Ishinomaki. At an elementary school where many students were killed by the 3/11 tsunami, some parents were seen praying for their children. There were a lot of flowers and sweets placed

At disaster-hit areas, grown-ups often seem to be encouraged by the children. At a shelter, some children write articles and publish their newspaper everyday (Link #4). They say that a few days after they started living in the shelter, they noticed that many of the grown-ups there always lowered their eyes, so they wanted to do something to cheer them up". The editor is a seven-year-old girl. The deputy editor and reporters are also children, but older than her. It's interesting that there isn't a seniority rule which many Japanese companies have been struggling with.

LinK #1 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koinobori

Link #2

http://photo.sankei.jp.msn.com/highlight/data/2011/06/11/8carp/

Link #3

http://mangakan.weblogs.jp/manga/2011/05/index.html

Link #4

http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0415/TKY201104150190.html

The yellow has screwed up the gold !?

The week from the 29th of April is referred to as Golden Week in Japan. Around Golden Week, generally, international airports are filled with tourists. However, this year, these airports aren't very crowded. I think that you can guess why. This is because the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in March, when many people usually start making reservations for their trips during Golden Week. Since Japanese people were very shocked by what happened on the 11th of March, and felt that serious things could happen again, many of them didn't feel like they should make plans for their Golden Week holidays.Rather than this, they couldn't afford to pay attention to their holiday plans. However, since Golden Week started, there has been heavy traffic on the highways. Tourist spots in Japan have been busy contrary to expectations.

Since a week before Golden Week started, it has been frequently highlighted in the mass media that people other than the victims should try to enjoy their holidays and spend money to boost the Japanese economy, and then it will surely help to rebuild the disaster-hit areas. On top of that, strong aftershocks haven't occurred for about the last two weeks although small ones still frequently hit various areas. I think that these things have encouraged people to travel in Japan. It's been reported that two giant pandas at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo-- they came from China two and half months ago---have been busy pleasing people, especially children since Golden week started. The zoo is much more crowded than it was during the same period last year. When I passed by Tokyo Station yesterday, I was surprised by how many people were there. At the same time, I was glad to realize that some things had gotten back to normal.

However, unfortunately, many areas in Japan have been covered by a very high level of yellow dust (黄砂) mainly from the Takla Makan Desert, the Gobi Desert and Loess Plateau in China for the last few days. Beautiful scenery in many tourist spots have become hazy because of the dust. On top of that, the yellow dust level is high to the point where people are discouraged from going out. As far as I remember, the dust is the worst it's been in the last few years. Why has such high level dust come to Japan during the time when many people are finally trying to enjoy their holidays?

http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0501/SEB201105010005.html

We should be aware that anything could happen

These days, I feel like there's a manual for everything, and people always go by the book in Japan. For example, shop staff is first educated according to the manual. Since Japanese society always requires all the shop staff to provide a certain level of service, the manual might be necessary and useful.　However, I think that people rely on the manual so much that when unusual things happen, they often don't know what to do and how to deal with them. Needless to say, it's very important to judge a situation well and decide what to do by yourself both in daily life and at work.   I feel that now is is the perfect time to acknowledge that fact.

After the 3/11 devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, the Japanese phrase 想定外/souteigai is often heard. This means beyond what we predicted or beyond our assumptions. I'm tired of hearing that the 3/11 earthquake was a lot more powerful than many specialists had predicted, and the tsunami was much higher than their assumptions. Those things are true, but I think that they shouldn't be used as reasons to explain things.

http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/education
/naruhodo/CK2011041902000096.html

Great efforts made in Kamaishi/釜石, Iwate prefecture/ 岩手県 by Professor Katada from Gunma University /群馬大学 have drawn considerable attention since the 3/11 earthquake occurred. According to the news, the due to great efforts, all the children from the 14 schools there could escape from the huge Tsunami. In the past few years, Professor Katada would often visit the schools to teach the children what to do in the event of a massive earthquake. When conducting an evacuation drill, he'd insist " When you evacuate, you don't need to follow the manual which you've learned from the drill. The drill says that you should evacuate to the community center on the hill. However, tsunamis are extremely powerful. Tsunamis much bigger than expected could hit your town. Nobody knows how far you'll have to go to be safe. The drill isn't perfect. You have to judge the situation by yourself and decide where to evacuate by yourself. When you evacuate, you have to focus on protecting yourself from Tsunami".

Japanese people sometimes cannot evaluate risks properly because they are afraid of facing the true danger that might be in store. Some of them seem to think that things which they can't think of couldn't happen. That's not true. There are various kinds of people in the world. It's sometimes very hard for us to understand the things some people do. There are things that science cannot explain. So, we should be always aware that things beyond our expectations could happen. Even if we don't know what to do when these things happen, it's very important for us to be aware of the possibility. At the same time, we should establish or get more used to a habit of taking the best actions based on our own judgement and taking responsibly for our actions under any circumstances.

Let's travel throughout Japan by bullet train

In Japan, there are four national holidays between the 29th of April and the 5th of May. We refer to the week as Golden Week. This year, if you take two days off,  you'll get a ten-day holiday. If nothing had happened on the 11th of March, today's news would be filled with people departing from Japan and tourist attractions. People really understand that those who are not suffering from the damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami are expected to spend money to boost the Japanese economy, and that it will help the victims and the disaster-hit areas. Because of this, they are trying to enjoy the long holiday, but still many of them apparently can't bring themselves to enjoy it as much as they used to.

Anyway, have you heard of Shinkansen/ 新幹線? They are bullet trains. Right before the Tokyo Olympics were held in 1964, the train service started between two major cities: Tokyo/東京 and Osaka/大阪. In 1975, another bullet train service started between Osaka and Fukuoka/福岡. Fukuoka is a business hub in the northernmost part of the Kyusyu region/九州地方. Since bullet train services have played a important role in local economic developments, both the Kyusyu and the Tohoku regions hoped that bullet trains would run longitudinally through their regions (The Tohoku region /東北地方 is the northern part of Japan and has been seriously damaged by the 3/11 disaster).

Last December, Shin-Aomori/新青森 in the northernmost part of the Tohoku region was finally connected to Tokyo by bullet train. Only six days before the 3/11 nightmare, new bullet trains were introduced. It enabled you to travel to shin-Aomori from Tokyo for about three hours. It's amazing to me. However, the devastating earthquake cut ”the large artery”. On the first day of the so-called Golden Week, the 29th of April, the entire route became available.It's reported that many local people in the disaster-hit areas are encouraged by the big, visible improvement. Since many inland areas of the Tohoku regions weren't seriously damaged and have already gotten back to normal, people there expect tourists to visit their towns. It'll surely help seriously-damaged coastal areas rebuild themselves. Actually, in Aomori/ 青森, now is the best time to see cherry blossoms.

As for the Kyushu region, a big ceremony was supposed to be held on the 12th of March in order to celebrate a full bullet train service between Fukuoka and Kagoshima/鹿児島 (the southernmost part of the region). It means that you can travel between Kagoshima and Aomori by bullet train (about 2000 kilometers). However, the 3/11 earthquake forced the ceremony to be canceled. Needless to say, all the Japanese people--no matter where they live and whether or not they felt the huge quake--were really shocked by what happened in Japan on that day. I want to travel throughout Japan by bullet train some day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen

http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2127233501258634101

Blindingly bright lights in Osaka & Japanese traditional beauty in Kyoto

A week ago, I went to my parents' house in Osaka to attend my cousin's wedding party which was held last Saturday. I took the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka. When I arrived at Shin-Osaka Station /新大阪駅, I had to squint. The station was too bright. I thought that it was because I was used to dimness (In the Tokyo area, towns are dim to save electricity due to the power plants seriously damaged by the 3/11 earthquake. Since the electrical frequency in Osaka is different from that in Tokyo, electricity generated in Osaka cannot cover the shortage of electricity in Tokyo). At the same time, I was wondering if the standard Japanese illumination was too bright. As a matte of fact, I often hear foreigners, especially Westerners, saying that shops, restaurants and rooms in Japan are too bright.

In the past, during the war, people were required to turn off the lights at home. Because of this, it's been said that brightness and bright lights became the symbol of peace among ordinary Japanese people, and they became fond of bright rooms. This tendency still remains in Japanese society. Brightness makes many people feel secure and cheers them up. On top of that, since many people are used to bright lights in stores, dim lights in shops in Japan make them feel like these shops are old and unfashionable, although some people like dim lights in shops and restaurants in Western countries.

Anyway, at the wedding ceremony and party, I really enjoyed the traditional Japanese beauty in Kyoto/京都 for the first time in years. Although Western-style wedding parties have become very common in Japan, the marriage ceremony was conducted according to Shinto rites at Shimogamo shrine/ 下鴨神社, which is a World Heritage site. (Please see Link #1 below). The wedding party was held in a traditional Japanese-style inn (Please see Link #2 below). Ten small children attending the party warmed it up. Surprisingly, the bride's eldest brother has five kids (9 ,8, 5, 4 and a 3 month-old) and her elder brother has three kids (my cousin was the groom). These big families gave hope to Japan which has been suffering from a low birthrate and the 3/11 earthquake.

Link #1

http://www.shimogamo-jinja.or.jp/bridal/pg100.html

Link #2

http://www.kyoto-yoshikawa.co.jp/weddings/index.html

Impressive posters to encourage people in the tsunami-stricken areas

Coastal areas in Iwate prefecture/ 岩手県 were very seriously damaged by the 3/11earthquake and tsunami. A few days ago, some ordinary people living in Morioka city/盛岡市, which is the capital of Iwate prefecture, launched a poster project to encourage people in the Tsunami-stricken areas.

The posters are drawing considerable attention on the Internet. I think that they are impressive and touching. The posters show what the victims are thinking about and how they are struggling to rebuilt their lives and towns.

Every poster has a short sentence. It's a message from the people in the poster. Please see the link below. There are English translations.

http://fukkou-noroshi.jp/en/posters/index.shtml#iwate

If a massive inland earthquake hit Tokyo, what would we do?

Right after the 3/11 earthquake hit Tokyo, all the train services were suspended, and then a lot of people had difficulty getting home. Under these circumstances, the government strongly advised them to stay at their offices or public facilities like schools, and not to try to go back home. Despite that, a lot of people tried to go home on foot or by taxi mainly because they were very worried about their children. Actually, it's reported that things that happened in Tokyo right after the 3/11 earthquake have revealed various problems in the Tokyo area.

It's been said that a massive inland earthquake could hit Tokyo. Some specialists predict that there is a 70% chance it could happen within the next 30 years. The government has made a plan for massive inland earthquakes in Tokyo. According to the news, when a massive earthquake hits Tokyo, to minimize the damage, it's very important that most people working in Tokyo stay at their offices or public facilities. It's expected that more people will die by the fire than by building collapses. Tokyo is more vulnerable to damage by the fire. Under the circumstance where traffic lights don't work and train services are suspended due to blackout caused by the earthquake, if a lot of people try to go back home on foot or by taxi, emergency vehicles will be surely blocked by them, and it will add to the damage. This is why the government strongly advised people in Tokyo not to try to go back home. 

On the 11th of March, Tokyo shook heavily. Although all the train service were suspended, electricity, gas, water and fixed telephone services worked properly. However, it's reported that more people tried to go back home on foot and by taxi than the government had expected. It took more time for people to get through to their families than expected because cellphone service didn't work properly due to overcapacity. Convenience stores etc--which are expected to provide food and official information to people based on a contract with the government--didn't play the role as well as expected.

On top of that, there are many double-income families with children in the Tokyo area. Generally, they don't know their neighbors well. So, I've heard that many school children were forced to spend a night at home by themselves while they were frightened by frequent aftershocks because their parents were unable to go back home.

Now, people in large cities are required to think about what they would do when a massive earthquake hit their city and how to improve local community relations.

http://jp.reuters.com/article/topNews/idJPJAPAN-20575320110412

No more pumps !

About five years ago, I had a co-worker who was very concerned about strong earthquakes. She was beautiful and fashion-conscious. Her outfits were always fashionable. However, she always carried a big bag. Sometimes it didn't seem to match her clothes. Actually, she always carried a pair of comfortable, light shoes in her bag. On top of that, there was always a pair of sneakers under her desk. She'd often say to me " Do you realize that we'll have to walk home when a strong earthquake hits Tokyo? You should keep a pair of sneakers at the office at least. Unlike me, you often go out to meet your clients. So, you have to wear good-looking but comfortable shoes". When I was working with her, I didn't have the opportunity to realize that I should have listened to her advice.

When the 3/11 earthquake hit Japan, even downtown Tokyo shook heavily. In the wake of it, all the train services were suspended. As you may know, there were a lot of people in Tokyo who had difficulty getting home. The government strongly advised them to stay at their offices or public facilities like schools, and not to try to go back to home. However, many of them tried to go back to home by walk mainly because they were very worried about their children (there are many double-income families in the Tokyo area). A lot of women suffered from pain caused by their pumps.

According to the news, good-looking sneakers and comfortable shoes have been selling well since the massive earthquake occurred. Although I was at home when the earthquake hit Japan, when I saw a lot of people trying to walk home on TV, I remebered that previous colleague.

Anyway, can you guess why the government strongly advised people not to try to go back home? It's a long story. I'll write about it in the next post.

It's surprising. Which way is better? It's always controversial.

The day before yesterday, right after a Cabinet Secretariat Matsumoto met Prime Minister Kan, Mr. Matsumoto said to reporters "PM Kan reckons that some of the areas from which the government has ordered the residents to evacuate because of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant are likely to become uninhabitable for probably one or two decades. So, we have to think about moving them to another town". When I read the comment in the newspaper, I took no notice of it since given the current situation, the comment was expected. However, the comment became controversial. It sparked outrage among some mayors and residents in these areas. According to the newspaper, one of the mayors insists that politicians are supposed to say that they'll do their best to get the evacuated residents back to their towns. Although I really understand how hard it is for the residents to accept the harsh reality and the fact that they've been very frustrated with the government in the past month, the mayor's response surprised me. To be honest, I don't understand what the mayor said.

About a week ago, I saw some evacuated people saying on TV that they realized they wouldn't be able to go back to their towns. Some insisted that they didn't want to hear hopeful news, and wanted to know the real situation about the crippled nuclear power plant. They added that they had already prepared themselves to accept the harsh reality. Because of this, until I heard the mayor's comment, I had forgotten that there are still many people especially in small towns who don't get used to face the harsh reality or don't like to be told about the reality this way.

Actually, the mayor's response reminds me of the issue of whether or not doctors should tell their patients that they are suffering from cancer when doctors detect it. Until two or three decades ago, in Japan, it was uncommon for patients to be told directly by doctors that they were diagnosed with cancer. Let's say for example that a doctor detected that Mr. Smith was suffering from cancer. The doctor usually only told his family members about his cancer and asked them if and when they wanted the doctor to tell him about his cancer. The doctor and his family discussed the best way to tell him. At the time, many people assumed that patients shouldn't be told that they were suffering from cancer because they would lose their will to live. Many people said that they didn't want to be told that they were suffering from cancer, although these days, many people want to be told so and now doctors usually tell patients about their cancer.

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/politics/news/110413/plc11041320520013-n1.htm

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/news/20110413-OYT1T00870.htm

I'll look up when I walk so that my tears won't fall from my eyes.

After the devastating earthquake, we often hear the phrase "頑張ろう、日本” on TV. 頑張る/ganbaru is a little hard to translate into English. It depends on the context. In this context, you could translate it as "to stay strong" or "to keep a stiff upper lip." 日本/nippon means Japan. Since Japanese people have really realized that Japan won't overcome the crisis unless every single person seriously prepares themselves to work hard to overcome it, the phrase is often used as a slogan.

However, although it's been more than a month since the earthquake hit Japan, about 15,100 people are still missing (the death toll is about 13,400). They are only those who have been reported to the police as missing. Since some small towns were entirely washed away and all the databases on their residents were also washed away, it's been reported that the accurate number of missing people is much higher. In many tsunami-stricken areas, time stopped after the earthquake. The scenes which we saw right after the tsunami hit the areas are still there. Frequent strong aftershocks, unlikely circumstances like a boat on a building and other things complicate removal of the wreckage.

Many of the victims are fighting as hard as possible to live and move on at shelters. Some of them honestly say, "I always hear the slogan, "stay strong/頑張ろう". However, I don't know how I can do that". As their words show, the slogan is crucial for the victims.

About a week ago, Suntory, a well-known Japanese beverage company, started broadcasting a special TV commercial (Please see the right YouTube video). Some celebrities are singing the popular song ”上を向いて歩こう/I'll look up when I walk" in the commercial. The song has been very popular since it was released in the 1960s. The lyrics are touching. Not only the victims but also other people, including myself, are encouraged by the song. The phrase "I'll look up when I walk so that my tears won't fall from my eyes" describes what many people are feeling now. The song is well known in western countries as Sukiyaki song.

The singer of the song, 坂本九/Kyu Sakamoto, died in the JAL(Japan Airlines) crash in 1985. JAL was a government-run corporation until 1987. t's has been said that the company's culture was partially responsible for the crash. Now, every time I hear the song, I'm moved. At the same time, I remember the crash and think that there seems to be things in common between the crash and the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant since I think that TEPCO is similar to JAL.

English translations of the lyrics

http://jiten.cside3.jp/Uewomuite.htm

Sendai city fascinates people from Tokyo. Tolerant people in the northern area support our economy.

http://www.city.sendai.jp/kikaku/
kokusai/english/kankou.html

Sendai city /仙台市 in Miyagi prefecture/ 宮城県 is the largest city in the Tohoku/東北 area (the northern area of Japan). As you know, the area was very seriously damaged by the 3/11 earthquake. Since the epicenter of the massive earthquake was near Miyagi prefecture, the earthquake has wreaked untold havoc in the prefecture. It has been reported that Miyagi is the worst-hit prefecture.

Before the crisis, Sendai city fascinated people, especially those from Tokyo. Since Sendai is a business hub in the northern area, it was not uncommon for people in Tokyo to be transferred to Sendai before the earthquake. I'd often hear that these people were reluctant to return to Tokyo when they were transferred back. Sendai was a peaceful and relaxing place for people who were tired of the hectic life in a large city like Tokyo. Sendai provided both a city life and a country life. The modern city was in harmony with nature. A one-hour drive from the city took you to a famous range of volcanoes, and a 15-minute drive from downtown Sendai took you to a beautiful beach, although it was entirely washed away by the huge tsunami. Matsushima Bay/松島, which is well-known as one of the three most scenic spots in Japan/日本三景, is approximately 30 kilometers from Sendai. On top of that, the local food was good and the living cost in Sendai was much lower than that in Tokyo. Local people were friendly (I'm sure they are still friendly even after the earthquake). Sendai had things that Tokyo had lost.

A lot of factories in the northern area were seriously damaged by the earthquake and Tsunami. Many auto parts and electronics were produced there. As you may know, the shutdown of these factories has greatly affected both Japanese and global supply chains. I've heard that since people in the northern area are persistent and tolerant, they are well oriented to manufacturing precision or sensitive equipment. Speaking of supply chains, many factories associated with Hitachi in Ibaraki prefecture/茨城県 were also seriously damaged and haven't restarted production yet.

93 year-old woman who lost everything because of the huge Tsunami said on TV while smiling " When I was young, I lost everything because of another huge Tunami from Chile. We rebuilt our town. However, the town was washed away again. I'm very frustrated. So, I don't want to die until my town is rebuilt. I'll live until I turn 100". She was playing with children at a shelter where she stays and was trying to cheer them up. How strong she is !

Sendai

http://www.city.sendai.jp/kikaku/kokusai/english/kankou.html

The three most scenic spots in Japan

http://nihonsankei.sakura.ne.jp/eng/index.html

It's been about a month since the nightmare. Need somebody who can stop aftershocks.

It's been about a month since the nightmare.　Although there is growing concern about the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, even people in the most severely damaged areas have started getting back on their feet. However, mother nature is really cruel. As you may know, last night, another very powerful aftershock hit the Tohoku/東北 and Kantou/関東 areas again. During the aftershock, I was saying in my mind, "Hey, Fukushima nuclear power plant. Hold on! Please hold on" while I was pushing a bookshelf back against the wall at home in Chiba. Although we've gotten used to earthquakes because we've felt more than one thousand quakes since the devastating earthquake, that strong one reminded us of when the 3.11 earthquake hit Japan. It makes us feel shaken up and discourages us--especially the victims-- from moving on. Electricity, water and gas supply services which had just recovered in some disaster-stricken areas stopped again after the strong aftershock.

It's reported that due to the 3.11 earthquake, a sea plate about 200 kilometers from Miyagi prefecture moved about 55 meters southeast, and the range of the movement is 55 kilometers wide and 160 kilometers long. How immense nature's power is.

Anyway, as the concern about the Fukushima plant is growing, many people in the Tokyo area seem to be wondering what to do and how to protect themselves amid a flurry of speculation on the internet. A lot of people are skeptical about the information from both TEPCO and the government. I'm amazed at their inability to deliver reliable information. Their ineptness fuels anxiety and anger. I understand that Tepco is in a tumble since they are required to recover not only the nuclear power plant but also countless other their facilities damaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami. However, every time I see TEPCO making an announcement at a press conference, I realize that TEPCO is a monopoly and their culture is outdated and bureaucratic.

In Japan, unpredictable things have happened and will surely continue to happen. Even I've noticed some diplomatic games related to the disaster. Under these circumstances, I feel like I have no choice but to struggle to survive based on my decisions while trying to enjoy my life. I really appreciate thoughts, supports and donations worldwide. They can't help but make me wonder if I'd pay enough attention to people worldwide who really need help.

How stupid we are !

When I was around nine years old, I watched a documentary at school. It was about the atomic bomb that dropped in Hiroshima in 1945. I was so shocked that I still remember some of the scenes. I also remember that a classmate fainted from shock, and then a teacher picked her up and carried her away. Now that I think about it, the movie affected me and my basic attitude toward wars and nuclear weapons. I believe that things should be solved without the use of force and nuclear weapons should never be used.

As for nuclear weapons, I think that a lot of Japanese people are still opposed to them not only because of the atomic bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but also because of Daigo Fukuryū Maru accident caused by Operation Castle, which was nuclear tests carried out by the U.S. at Bikini Atoll in the 1950s. However, there was a significant change a few years ago. With the change in world power relationships, we have become more serious about our security affairs. Relating to them, the issue of whether or not Japan should own nuclear weapons to protect Japan and to let them act as a deterrent --which had been a sort of taboo until a few years ago--also started to be discussed openly ( I don't intend to discuss this issue here).

Anyway, in 1953, U.S. President Eisenhower delivered a speech titled "Atoms for Peace". At the time, Japan was suffering from a chronic energy deficiency due to the rapid economic growth and struggled to discover a solution. Under these circumstances, the Japanese government, some Japanese media and the American government started a powerful propaganda campaign for the peaceful use of nuclear power in Japan. Then, they successfully convinced the public who was opposed to atomic power. In the 1960s, the generation of electricity by nuclear power started.  Electricity generated by nuclear power helped enable Japan to maintain economic development.

Since then, nuclear reactors have increased under the slogan "nuclear power plants in Japan are safe". A lot of people have become less interested in nuclear power plants. I think that the indifference partly allowed TEPCO and the government to let it all go to their heads and underestimate the risk.

It's been about three weeks since mother nature attacked us.

If you go to downtown Tokyo now, it'll feel like everything is normal. Only four things: people trying to raise money for the disaster-stricken areas, some places suffering from soil liquefaction, darker downtown at night and shortages of some goods will make you realize that the devastating earthquake hit Japan three weeks ago. However, if you don't know Tokyo before the disaster happened, you may not be aware of the darkness and the shortages. As a matter of fact, many people in the Tokyo area have already gotten used to the new changes, realizing how conformable and convenient their lives used to be.

Although Tokyo is seemingly normal, even people there are struggling to discover how to cheer themselves up. We've realized that Japan will be considered as a contaminated country for the next few decades. We'll be required to prove that manufactured products aren't contaminated even if they are produced in places far from Fukushima. These things will very seriously damage our economy. In the competitive global market, competitors worldwide will take advantage of the disaster. Tax increases and pay cuts are inevitable. We'll need to support the victims in the next decade at least while struggling to develop a new economic model and system. Although my house wasn't damaged by the massive quake, I can still think of endless difficulties I'll have to encounter, and then it took me more than two weeks to prepare myself for struggling with these difficulties. Que sera sera / Whatever will be, will be!

Actually, children inspire me to struggle with these difficulties. I don't know why. I don't have a child, but many children in the disaster-stricken areas on TV make me feel like I have an obligation to keep a stiff upper lip and move on. I really hope that we'll be able to transform the disaster into an opportunity to change.

As for the Fukushima nuclear power plant, we are very sorry that there is still no sign that the plant gettingunder control. I acknowledge that the plant remains in critical condition. In order to be able to protect and prepare myself, I've read various articles on radiation. Actually, I was a little shocked to learn that the normal radiation level in the air in Guangzhou, China are higher than the current radiation levels in Chiba and Tokyo since I lived in Guangzhou for two years.

According to Bloomberg, many countries have naturally occurring radiation levels that exceed Tokyo’s (Please see Link #1 below). A few days ago, cherry blossoms/sakura started blooming in Tokyo, and the controversial pandas at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo were opened to the public. The pandas came to Japan from China one and half months ago and were supposed to be opened to the public two weeks ago. They experienced massive earthquakes in both Sichuan and Tokyo. How pitiful! They started playing an important role in helping people cheer up.

Anyway, I really appreciate thoughts and concern worldwide. Many victims of another devastating earthquake - which hit Kobe 16 years ago - say that people's concern made them move on.

Link #1

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-01/hong-kong-radiation-exceeds-tokyo-even-after-japan-crisis.html

I thought I was prepared for massive earthquakes. I've realized that I was wrong.

When the massive earthquake hit Kobe and Osaka 16 years ago, I lived in Osaka, but I was in Sydney on vacation when it happened. Fortunately, my house wasn't damaged. However, since my company and projects were seriously damaged, I struggled with the aftermath at work when I got back to Osaka. I learned a lot from the disaster.

It's been two weeks since the massive earthquake hit a large part of Japan. I think that now is when the gravity of the situation unfolds. Both the victims and people who are trying to help them are stretched thin and flare up easily, although it's been said that the Japanese people in the northern area are more tolerant. All the Japanese people understand that they are required to do anything they can do, but it's difficult to keep doing that. To make matters worse, the situations of shelters and hospitals in the disaster-stricken area are very serious. I attribute it to four main reasons: the very wide disaster-stricken area, no main roads and docks due to the huge Tunami washing everything away, the crippled Fukushima plant, and a sever shortage of gas. The situation is much worse than one was in Kobe two weeks after the massive earthquake hit Kobe 16 years ago.

Anyway, since then, I've been back and forth between Japan and other countries every few years. Every time I move back to Tokyo, I prepare myself for massive earthquakes. As for my current house, in my bedroom, there are only beds and low side beds for safety in case of earthquakes (There is a closet installed originally. Can you imagine it? Please see the attached picture). Tall furniture like bookshelves and cupboards--which are considered to be the most dangerous things when earthquakes occur --are not put in areas that would block the passage to the front door if they fall down, because the front door is the only way to go outside. Stoppers have been installed on cupboards etc to prevent the doors from opening (please see the attached picture). An emergency bag is prepared so that I can bring out necessary things and flee from my house immediately. Some bottles of water are stored. I've learned what to do when massive earthquakes occur.

Because of this, before the devastating earthquake hit Japan, I thought that I was well prepared for massive earthquakes. However, I was wrong. I found myself more upset than I had expected during the earthquake, although the common countermeasures against earthquake minimized the damage. Right after the first huge quake, I was able to manage to do what I was supposed to do. On the other hand, I noticed that I lost my head and I wasn't able to think properly.

The ringtone of earthquake alert texts always frightens me

About three years ago, the Earthquake Early Warning System was introduced in Japan. When the Japan Meteorological Agency detects that a stronger earthquake than a certain level is going to hit Japan, the agency will issue an Earthquake Early Warning/ 緊急地震速報. On TV, whenever the warning is issued, "At XXX areas, please be careful of a strong earthquake. Please don't rush and behave calmly. Please ensure your safety. A strong earthquake is coming in a few seconds " is announced. If you have cellphones and you are in an area where a strong earthquake is hitting, you will receive an alert text.

Since the devastating earthquake hit Japan, the warning has been issued very frequently. Whenever I receive them in public places, I'm frightened more because everybody receives the alert texts with the same ringtone at the same time. When the massive earthquake hit Japan, a Diet debate in Tokyo was being broadcast live on NHK (the public broadcasting service). When an Earthquake Early Warning was issued, the NHK announcer in Tokyo was calm. However, after a minute, people at the studio in Tokyo started feeling a huge quake and seemed to have a hard time broadcasting.

Please see the video in the link below. 

http://nicoviewer.net/sm13889097

A modern town near Tokyo Disneyland was transformed into a muddy town

It takes 15 minutes by train from Tokyo Station to Tokyo Disneyland (TDL). Before the place was hit by the massive earthquake, upon exiting Maihama Station in front of TDL, you would enter an exciting dream world. Sadly, if you go there now, a pile of mud will welcome you. Right after the earthquake, many cars were trapped by mud in the parking lots of TDL.

Next to Tokyo Disneyland, there is a newly developed area. A lot of modern apartment buildings were built and many people, especially the younger generation, moved there. In the past decade, this area has become very popular. However, the modern town was transformed into a muddy town by the earthquake. Mysterious statues have also appeared there. These areas were reclaimed from the sea. The devastating earthquake caused soil liquefaction. Right after the quake, water and sand burst out of the paved streets. In the wake of the soil liquefaction, some huge water pipes emerged from under the ground, and many houses have tipped over. Residents there have been suffering from water outages.

Unfortunately, aftershocks have become more frequent since yesterday.

Cars trapped by mud at TDL.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/science/news/20110316-OYT1T00783.htm

Soil liquefaction at the popular town.

http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/hoihoi123/diary/201103200000

http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0318/TKY201103180170.html

Soil liquefaction started right after the massive earthquake hit the town.

How stupid we are. The current crisis has made us realize many things.

It's been 65 years since Japan lost the Second World War. However, there are still lawsuits against the Japanese government over compensation for exposure to radiation caused by the atomic bombs in 1945. Although our government has approved people who can meet conditions required by law as victims and compensated them, the conditions have been controversial because it's very difficult to identify victims who suffer from secondary or internal exposure to radiation.

When I was a child, my mother would always say to me, "Don't let yourself be exposed to the rain. The rain could be harmful ". At the time, nuclear tests were frequently carried out by some countries like the Soviet Union and America. Japanese people understood that nuclear tests were carried out so far away from Japan that the radiation levels in the rain were low and the rain was not likely to be detrimental to their health. Still, they were worried about secondary exposure to radiation through the rain since it was very well-known in Japan that a lot of people had been exposed to radiation in the black rain that fell right after the atomic bombs were dropped. As a matter of fact, when China carried out nuclear tests, radiation levels in Tokyo were higher than usual. Recently, I learned that radiation levels in Tokyo right after the nuclear tests in China were higher than the levels in Tokyo after radiation started leaking from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Anyway, I think that these experiences have been almost forgotten in the past two decades. On top of that, although Japan depends greatly on nuclear power, I suppose that many of us underestimated the risk of it.

Actually, the current crisis has made us realize many things. We've finally realized what it means to live in an eco-friendly way. We've realized how much we used to waste. We've realized how comforting simple phrases like "hello" and "Are you OK?" can be. We've realized how many people support us. Thank you very much!

I hope that Japan's crisis will help make the Chinese people aware of something important.

It's been a week since the nightmare. As time goes by, more details have been revealed. We have to face harsh reality. It has been said that there are still isolated places which some people have temporarily evacuated to but haven't yet been discovered. To make matters worse, some survivors at shelters died due to terrible conditions: lack of water, food, and the cold weather. Because the massive earthquake hit such a wide area of Japan (about 500 kilometers long), we've been having a very hard time transporting necessary goods to the disaster-stricken areas. On top of that, since refineries at many places, even near Tokyo, have been also damaged, we have been suffering from a serious shortage of gas.

As for the crippled nuclear power plant at Fukushima, I have no choice but to pray that the situation won't be worse, watching carefully to see whether or not our government discloses everything about the situation. So far, I don't plan on leaving Tokyo Chiba, but I try to get information from as many sources including those overseas.We are really sorry for making people scared worldwide.

I've heard that radiation leaks from the plant have caused panics in China. It's been reported that salt has disappeared from many supermarkets in China since a lot of people believe that salt will be effective when they are exposed to radiation.I really understand how much they are worried. However, I want to say something to the Chinese people.If you really care about your health, I strongly advise you to pay more attention to your environment. When I lived in Guangzhou, China a few years ago, to be honest, I felt that my heath was likely to be damaged due to air pollution and sick houses. I don't intend to rationalize our nuclear crisis. Needless to say, Tokyo Electric Power and our government deserve to be criticized. After the plant is under control, they will have an obligation to examine whether or not there were problems with risk management and to announce it.

On top of that, I hope that our crisis will inspire Chinese people to pay attention to contaminated areas in Xinjiang/新疆, China, although nobody knows exactly what is going on there. It has been said that the Chinese government carried out nuclear testing many times there and a large number of local people died due to exposure to radiation. It has been projected that since the Chinese government didn't announce anything about the situation of the contaminated areas, a lot of people there still suffer from cancers and congenital disorders.I've watched a documentary created by Channel 4 in the UK about that areas. The situation was serious.

I really hope that Japan will be able to deal with the nuclear problem well. In the past few days, the number of aftershocks has significantly reduced. However, it's expected that aftershocks will continue in the next six months.

I'm fine so far

As you know, a devastating earthquake hit Japan. When it occurred, I was at home in Chiba. I felt a huge quake. I even thought I was going to die for a second. Fortunately, I wasn't injured at all.

In my house, a lot of things fell down, and some of them broke.
I hope that I'll be able to see my husband soon. Now, almost all the train services are suspended. So, he doesn't have any way to come back home from downtown Tokyo. According to his text, he is looking for a safe place to stay.

Since the first massive quake, my house has been shaking intermittently. I feel as though I am on a boat.

Knockoffs

I lived in Guangzhou, China from 2006 to 2008. Every time I came back from China to Japan, I would be subject to suspicion when passing through customs at the airport in Japan. I'm sure you can guess why. A few days ago, it was reported that the number of counterfeit products which had been confiscated at customs in 2010 was the second highest level, and the ones from China had reached 90% of the total.

To be honest, when I moved into Guangzhou, China, I was overwhelmed by pervasive and rampant knockoffs. If you don't keep up with trends, you won't even recognize some products as knockoffs in Guangzhou. Actually, it happened to me once. While I was hanging out downtown, I happened to find a cheap but lovely casual bag. I couldn't help but buy it. After a while, I found out that there was a small familiar logo inside the bag. Upon browsing the internet, I found that genuine ones had gone on sale about six months before. On top of that, regarding knockoffs, there were both substantiated and unsubstantiated stories swirling around Guangzhou. I heard that a well-known Japanese cosmetic company had found out that there had been a few counterfeit products even at directly-managed shops in reputable department stores in China, and the reputable stores had been intentionally selling them to make a better profit.  When I first rented a flat in Guangzhou, the landlord, who was from a moneyed class, strongly advised me that I should buy expensive, imported goods.

In Guangzhou, the rampant knockoffs would make me wonder what I was supposed to believe every time I shopped. I had nothing but prices to rely on. Actually, the quality of goods was directly proportional to the price. As for chemical products like detergents and food, I had no choice but to buy expensive ones for safety. Because of these circumstances, living cost there was much higher than I had expected.

There are things in common between "gossip girl" and Japanese politicians!?

I've been watching American TV shows a lot to improve my listening skill in the past three years. Despite such long-term practice, I haven't improved much. If I took it seriously, I would feel like giving up. Yet, as long as I have fun with the shows, I intend to keep watching them, believing that I will someday be able to listen to English without focusing my full attention on it.

Anyway, in the past few weeks, I've been watching "Gossip girl". As you may know, the show is set in a high school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.Most of the main characters are students from wealthy families. They lead extravagant lives surrounded by luxurious things. On the other hand, they are subject to restraints which ordinary people are free of. They often have hidden agendas and play all sorts of power games. Meanwhile, they sometimes suffer from remorse. Although I know that the show is a fiction, I feel that similar things are likely to happen in our lives.

By the way, it was announced the day before yesterday that Mr. Maehara had just stepped down from the position of foreign minster. Although I don't intend to elaborate it, the battle between the ruling party and the opposition party over the stuff which forced him to step down somehow makes me think of the show "Gossip Girl". The battle is ridiculous and futile. Many politicians seem to be being overcritical in order to hinder others. I guess that there is a tangle of ulterior motives since it has been said that Mr. Maehara is very likely to become Prime Minster in the near future.

Although I know that political power games are inevitable anywhere, I really want politicians to compete against one another in policy. Actually, a lot of people have said so in the past five years because they have really realized that Japan is in a critical situation. Despite that, there is no sign of productive bipartisan discussions on major policies.

Chewing gum helps me memorize English words!?

Professional baseball players often chew gum while playing. In the past, a lot of Japanese people would consider it to be rude. In contrast, these days, people are encouraged to chew gum even in circumstances where people weren't previously allowed to do it.

In the past decade, it has been said that people should try to increase the amount of time they spend chewing things as much as possible. Under these circumstances, chewing gum is viewed as a good way to make it happen. On top of that, you are strongly advised to make efforts to chew as many times as possible while eating. As you may know, it prevents overeating and helps to enhance digestion and absorption. Other than that, it has been recently highlighted that chewing things is effective in activating brain functions. In fact, a survey has shown that students in the University of Tokyo, the most prestigious university in Japan, tend to have a habit of chewing more. Many surveys have shown that people can memorize things better while they are chewing things like gum than people who don't. The effect is more obvious on elderly people than young ones. 

According to the news, various scientific evidence for the relevance between chewing things and brain activation have been discovered. Some elderly patients who were on feeding tubes demonstrate how important chewing things is for human beings. When they were on feeding tubes, they weren't able to walk. Some of them were even unable to talk. However, after removing the tubes and letting them eat normal food, they regained the ability to walk and talk. All of them could get many functions back to normal.

In nature, being unable to chew things means death for animals. So, there is no wonder that chewing things is essential for us.

Why do you think Facebook has become very popular?

I've noticed that Japanese Facebook users have been increasing recently. I suppose that the remarkable role Facebook played in the civil disobedience in the Middle East and the popularity of the American movie "The Social Network" have been helping Facebook become more popular in Japan. On top of that, I've heard that Facebook has been very serious about expanding in the Japanese market in the past year in order to increase Japanese subscribers. It has been said that the immense popularity of Japanese social network service "Mixi" has been forcing Facebook to struggle to win the hearts and minds of Japanese people.

Speaking of social network services, more than five years ago, some friends of mine living outside Japan invited me to join "Hi5" and "Tagged". After that, they urged me to use Facebook, as well. Since then, I've been on Facebook for five years. On the other hand, I haven't logged into both Hi5 and Tagged for a few years because I have no active friends there.

I'm wondering if Facebook is more popular than the other two. If so, why do you think Facebook has become very popular in the past few years? What is the biggest difference between Facebook and the other two ?

Japanese mothers accompanying their smart, grown-up children.

Last week, I stopped by a four-star hotel in downtown Tokyo. When I arrived there in the morning, I noticed that there was something unusual in the lobby. Usually, the lobby is bustling with men and women in suits in the morning. In contrast, on that day, middle-aged women in casual clothes were standing in groups there. On top of that, other middle-aged women occupied the large part of a cafe in the lobby. It turned out that these women were mothers whose children were sitting the entrance examination for the University of Tokyo, the most prestigious university in Japan.

The hotel is located near the University of Tokyo. I've heard that the hotel has been popular among students who plan on taking the entrance examination for this prestigious university but live far from it. Given that the hotel is more expensive than average, I feel like the popularity has proven the fact that children from affluent families are more likely to enroll in prestigious universities than others.

Anyway, what I want to say here is that I was really surprised by how many mothers accompanied their grown-up children to Tokyo. When I was a student many years ago, students usually went by themselves to take entrance examinations wherever they were. Even if their mothers insisted on accompanying them, they, especially boys, would spurn the offer. Some of them would even feel annoyed. I'm not saying that mothers accompanying their grown-up children is wrong. However, I can't help but wonder whether or not they have realized that society requires young people to become more independent. It has been said that young people need to learn to make decisions by themselves and take responsibility for the decisions. Graduates from the University of Tokyo are the most likely to be given various opportunities, and they are greatly expected to play important roles in various fields. I hope that these mothers will let their children go after they pass the examination. Otherwise, Japan won't have a future.

Japanese nurses being willing to save lives worldwide have been waiting to be rescued in Christchurch.

The tragedy in New Zealand reminds me of a disaster I saw firsthand 16 years ago. The catastrophic earthquake which hit large cities around Kobe, Japan easily transformed peaceful towns into hell. When I first stepped into the ruined areas, piles of rubbles and the wreckage of buildings really made me realize the destructive power of nature. At the same time, a cruel mix of peace and tragedy here and there astonished me. A familiar place had changed to the point where I wasn't able to recognize it. In contrast, the next area across a street looked ordinary and there seemed to be nothing to change. The street determined many people's destinies. On top of that, ten or twenty minutes driving from a disaster area was long enough to find another world. In fact, when some friends of mine who were forced to be evacuated their towns could manage to reach downtown Osaka (Usually, it takes only 15 minutes from their towns to Osaka by train), they doubted what they were seeing there. They were stunned to see that Osaka looked normal and everything there was going on as if nothing had happened.

When the catastrophic earthquake hit Christchurch, there were a lot of Japanese people there. It's assumed that over 40 Japanese students were in a building where an English school was located. Unfortunately, the building completely collapsed and 28 of the students are still missing. Because of this, the quake has been widely reported in Japan and the information has been frequently updated. According to the news, the school is popular among Japanese nurses since it offers a special English program for nurses. So, the missing includes several experienced Japanese nurses. The farther of a 41-year-old missing Japanese nurse said that he believed she was trying to save as many lives as she could at the disaster site because this was exactly what she wanted to do. He added that given the circumstances reported, he knew that he had to prepare himself for accepting the harsh fact on her. It's reported; "she belongs to MEDECINS DU MONDE JAPON (Doctors of the World Japan) and has been to Asian countries to help people as a volunteer nurse during her holidays. She can speak French and Mandarin. She has been attending the aforementioned English school since January to study medical English". Other missing nurses have similar stories, as well.

I hope that as many people as possible will be rescued.

Ambassador pandas have just arrived in Tokyo by Panda Jet

Have you heard of the Japanese phrase 客寄せパンダ/kyakuyose-panda?　客寄せmeans to lure customers and パンダmeans pandas. The phrase means to use people or things to draw attention. Can you guess why pandas are used in this phrase? Actually, it was created around 1980. Then, it became very popular over the next two decades.

In 1972, Japanese-Chinese diplomatic relations were normalized. Responding to that, China presented two giant pandas to Japan as a symbol of friendship. Ueno Zoo in Tokyo was a new home for them. A huge number of people swarmed the zoo to take one look of the cute pandas named ランラン/ran-ran and カンカン/kan-kan. Very long lines were formed at the zoo every day.  It didn't disappear for a long time. These circumstances created that phrase.

The popular, adorable pandas greatly helped Japanese people develop an affinity for China. After the pandas died, three other pandas were presented to Japan, and also came to Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. However, since the three pandas were given around when Japan's Official Development Assistance to China started and around when the amount of the ODA yen-loan to China sharply increased, the coined phrase "パンダ外交/panda-diplomacy" appears whenever these presented pandas are being discussed in the news. Incidentally, now, it's impossible to give and be given pandas due to the Washington Convention. In April, 2008, the last panda which belonged to Japan died in Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.

Currently, there are eight pandas at a zoo in Wakayama next to Osaka. The zoo has been doing Chinese-Japanese joint research on giant pandas and their breeding since 1994. Although six of the pandas were born there, all eight belong to China. Other than them, four pandas were born there and already went back to China.

Anyway, a few hours ago, two pandas arrived at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. From Shanghai, they took an ANA panda jet, which was introduced in 2007 on routes between China and Japan to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ANA's service between the two countries. Ueno Zoo has high expectations for the pandas since it has been suffering from a decrease in visitors. On the other hand, the pandas have become controversial since it has been widely reported in the past week that the annual rental fee for them is about 950,000USD (78,000,000JPY). Ueno Zoo is run by Tokyo prefecture, so the rental fee will be paid from tax money.

I'm wondering what role the new pandas will play. Hi pandas, thank you very much for being patient during the long journey anyway.

Valentine's Day is highly commercialized in Japan. Chocolate, investment and.....

Like Christmas, Valentine's Day is highly commercialized in Japan. As you may know, on the day, women are expected to give men chocolate. Although I'm sure that confectionery and retailing industries took advantage of the day and popularized the costum, I don't know exactly when it became that common. Originally, in Japan, Valentine's Day was especially for a woman who liked a man but hadn't yet told him her feeling. Since it was believed that a man was supposed to first tell a woman that he liked her until probably three decades ago, Valentine's Day gave those women an opportunity of expressing themselves by giving chocolate. As the times have changed, women have become more aggressive in a positive way. On top of that, these days, a younger man often expects a woman to first tell him that she likes him, so I think that Valentine's Day has become less meaningful. Anyway, chocolate which a woman gives a man whom she really likes is called 本命チョコ/honmei-choko (本命 means the favorite and チョコmeans chocolate).

At office and school, women usually pass chocolate to their male friends and colleagues. If these men are those to whom they want to show their gratitude, they will be willing to buy chocolate for the men. On the other hand, if women feel under peer pressure to follow the custom and are reluctant to give chocolate to their colleagues, not only women but also men will find the custom bothering. Actually, women often have a hard time deciding to whom they are going to give chocolate while worrying about the total cost, and men are inevitably exposed to competition since many of them care about how many chocolate boxes they can get. On top of that, some women have ulterior motives. They view the chocolate as a lucrative investment. In Japan, if a man is given a box of chocolate by a woman, he will be expected to give a gift back to her on the 14th of March. It's assumed that the gift is supposed to be worth twice as much as the chocolate given. Because of this awkward custom, some women intentionally give chocolate to men who are likely to give luxury gifts back to them. Anyway, chocolate which women give to men out of courtesy are called 義理チョコ/giri-choco（義理 means obligation etc. ).

I assume that ”giri-choco” (chocolate for male colleagues and friends) largely contributes to its sales. However, as you can see, the chocolate often makes women feel like they are wasting money. So, I think that "giri-choco" has become less popular. At least, many women try to cut the budget for it. Under these circumstances, a new custom was created and has become very common in the past few years among school girls and young women. They exchange chocolate. This chocolate is called 友チョコ/tomo-choco (友means friends). Basically, women love chocolate more than men, so it probably helped the custom gain popularity.

I'm tired of customs created by industries and people making me feel like I need to follow the customs.

The website below: A confectionery company "明治製菓/Meiji Seika" built a bar of giant chocolate in front of itsfactory a week before Valentin's Day.

http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0208/OSK201102080057.html

The Facebook headquarters reminds me of the old days

The civil disobedience in Egypt finally forced President Mubarak to step down. The revolt opened the door to democracy.Since Facebook played a remarkable role in making it happen, more Japanese people, especially those who are unfamiliar with Facebook, started paying attention to it, wondering what it was like. Under these circumstances, a TV news program allocated some time to introduce it, the popular social network service in the world. In the program, a popular Japanese reporter went to the headquarters of Facebook in California, gave a tour of the office, and interviewed the creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg. According to the program, this was the the first time that a Japanese TV program was allowed to film inside the office. Given that Facebook has been struggling to gain Japanese subscribers due to the immense popularity of the Japanese social network service "Mixi," I suppose that Facebook views the present time as a good opportunity to promote itself.

Anyway, it was reported in the program that Facebook had decided against office partitions in the hopes that workers would feel free to discuss ideas openly. The placement of office desks like the one in the attached picture and other reports about the office reminded me of when I just started working for a traditional company many years ago right after graduation. At the time, office partitions weren't common in Japan and office desks were arranged that way in many Japanese companies, although they now use partitions. So, I was working in a sort of open office space. On top of that, I was encouraged to feel free to have discussion with co-workers, even at cafes, etc. The open office space and small talk with coworkers often helped me come up with new ideas, although when I wanted to focus my full attention on doing something, I felt like the openness caused me to be distracted. I was a little surprised to see things in common between Facebook and a traditional Japanese company.

Fixed matches in Sumo tournaments show us that it's the time to change

Have you ever heard of Sumo? It's a Japanese style of wrestling and Japan's national sport. In Japan, Sumo has been drawing considerable public attention in the past few years.Unfortunately, this is because scandals relating to Sumo wrestlers and the Japan Sumo Association have been discovered one after another (All the wrestlers belong to the association). About a week ago, irrefutable evidence about fixed matches was found while detectives were investigating another scandal. Some text messages restored by the police have shown that some Sumo wrestlers were negotiating with their opponents about how to and who would loose their matches. Although a lot of people had been wondering for many years if there were fixed matches, the unquestionable evidence shocked them.

I'm familiar with Sumo because when I was little, my father would tune in to Sumo matches whenever they were held. He taught me a lot of things about Sumo while watching the matches. However, I still don't know about some of the traditions and systems relating to Sumo. I've assumed that they had already faded outside of sumo society and so it's hard to understand them. I've also felt that the traditions are necessary for Sumo but they are in ares which ordinary people  cannot deal with. What I'm trying to say here is that there have been gray zones in the Sumo Association.

The suspicion of fixed games and matches always lingers around sport matches. A Sumo tournament is held every two months. Every tournament lasts 15 days and there are more than 100 matches each day. Given these circumstances, fixed matches in Sumo tournaments aren't surprising to me. Actually, what surprises me most is the Japan Sumo Association and the people involved in it. They still seem to cling tenaciously to traditional management ways although many scandals have proven that they can't control risks these ways. Last year, the association finally added a university professor and an expert as board members, but all other board members are retired Sumo wrestlers (Only strong Sumo wrestlers who meet certain conditions are allowed to work for the association after retirement). 

Many Sumo wrestlers leave their homes when they complete compulsory education, in other words, when they graduate from junior high schools (I think that the number of Sumo wrestlers who are high school or university graduates has been increasing). After that, they spend most of their time in Sumo stables. Since they are required to devote a lot of effort to becoming strong Sumo wrestlers, it's not easy for them to learn things other than Sumo. Despite that, almost all the board members are retired Sumo wrestlers. How can I expect them to manage such a big association in times where unpredictable things can suddenly happen? Haven't they realized that risk management by professionals is necessary?

Actually, not changing as the times demand isn't peculiar to the Sumo Association. Now is the time to change for a lot of Japanese people, companies and government. Otherwise, Japan won't be able to survive.

Are Japanese people incredibly patient ?

In the past few weeks, the revolt against the Mubarak administration in Egypt has been drawing considerable worldwide attention. A few days ago, my Japanese friend living in China complained, saying that more websites had been blocked. She guessed that the civil disobedience made the Chinese government more nervous. Given that the movement have reverberated around the Middle East, it's clear that the Chinese government is afraid that a chain reaction will be set off in China. The fact that Facebook page etc.have fomented the revolt seems to make the government tighten controls on access to websites.

Actually, these things remind me of statements made by some well-known Chinese people. Although they don't know one another, they all say: "the Japanese economy has been sluggish in the past two decades, but Japanese people have never revolted nor held a massive demonstration against the Japanese government during that period. It's unbelievable but amazing. Japanese people are incredibly patient. If a recession lasted such a long time in China, there would be a revolution". They also insist that you should try to understand how difficult unifying China is before you criticize Chinese government's policies.

As you may know, China and Japan have developed a relationship of great mutual economic dependence. So, in Japan, no country is more frequently reported in the news than China. A lot of issues between the two countries are always discussed.

Do Japanese people believe that people are naturally good?

The careless behavior of Japanese people often surprises those who aren't familiar with Japan. Typical behavior is at self-service cafes. Many people first leave their personal belongings on the table in order to reserve their seats, and then they leave to go buy things. Some people even leave their cellphones or laptops. Although they are not able to keep watch over their personal belongings left on the table while standing in line, they don't care. They seem to assume that their things will not be stolen. I don't think it is safe to do that in Japan anymore, but there are still many people who don't mind doing it. Actually, Japanese people often behave based on a traditional idea that people can't do wrong since they are naturally good. Many people assume that this idea comes from 性善説/seizensetsu which was developed and advocated by 孟子/moushi in the ancient times of China, although the proper meaning of 性善説 is different.

People understand that this idea will expose themselves to danger outside Japan. However, Japanese tourists still aren't vigilant enough in other counties. Their careless behavior always invites someone to pick their pockets. They are still the first target for thieves. When it comes to business, I think that Japanese companies still tend to lack the awareness of risk and aren't good at risk management, although I don't know whether or not this traditional idea has caused it. Some people are surprised by contracts made by American companies since they cover much more detailed things than they expected. The detailed things sometimes include things they can't think of. When I lived in China, some Japanese took some time to get accustomed to checking whether or not small electrical appliances sold, even at well-known department stores, worked properly before purchasing them.