Last Entry as a Job

So today will be the final day for me to write this blog. Well, starting back in February, I did write about all kinds of things quite randomly. When I couldn’t think of anything to write about I most times ended up writing about the weather, and when I was so focused and enthused about one topic I went on forever like the one on Okinawa.

Even though it was part of my job, it was truly a great experience for me. To tell you the truth, I didn’t really think I’d be able to keep it rolling five days a week.

It’s sort of sad to just quit this just because I switch jobs, and because there were some nice comments every now and then (are you there??), I hope to continue throwing in some entries say, at least once a month.

Starting tomorrow, I will be in my dream world, the Japanese filming industry. I know it’s going to be exciting as well as a lot of learning. I will report new stuff as soon as I get to know any!

Last but not least, thanks again for reading this blog and please do check back once in a while :-)

Surprise News

I know it’s kind of a super-short notice, but this blog will end tommorow.... or at least stop being updated for a little while. I’m changing my job. I hope to write about the details tomorrow, but anyway, thanks for reading this half-serious half-boring blog.

I don’t want to completely quit this, so if I have the time and energy to keep it up I promise I will. It’s just that I won’t be doing this as part of my job anymore. After I get used to my new job, I’ll try to keep you guys updates with my insightful new life.

Is it just me who feels like what I’m writing is sometimes really ambiguous...? Tells how “Japanese” I am, lol. Anyway, I will be here tomorrow so do check out my last entry!

Japanese Economy and Women: Conclusion

I tried to tell the complicated characters and situations of women in the 21st centuries, but I couldn’t quite reach a conclusion even within myself so I’d like to wrap up with that.

One of the newest lifestyle fads is “petit-luxury”. An easy example of this can be a person who usually has a 500-yen-lunch for 6-days a week treating herself with a 2,000-yen-lunch for just once a week. Well, true, not many would have thought of spending 2,000 yen on mere lunch during the economic recession.

Like this example, the celeb-wannabe women whom I wrote about yesterday aren’t always rich and celeb but are in fact cutting expenses on some other parts of their lives. Their biggest dream of dream, though, is of course to become extremely rich so that they can have all the luxury without having to have to save money somewhere else. They want to become real rich celebrities.

That means that they demand high income in their future hubbies and this leads to their obsession with appearance from fashion, hair style, make-up and behaviors that men like – their short-term goal is to become attractive to men. Even though it probably requires a lot of effort I suppose that process is part of the fun for women anyways... but anyway, firstly they need to become able to expand their choices of men and then select the one that can provide their ideal lives.

I won’t say that this is the case for all Japanese women, of course not, but it is the reality and perhaps one of the conclusions the women who survived the Lost Decade reached.
Is it just me who feel like those gals have grown up a bit?

Oh, speaking of women, there’s a new female blogger on Japan Mode. She says she plans to write about things like Japanese stuff abroad and foreign-originated trends in Japan from a female point of view. It just started a day ago, but you’d better check that out too!!

http://japanmode.blogspot.com/

Japanese Women and Economy

Let us start concluding the topic on Japanese women and recession. Today (and finally) we’ll get to 21st century. (Just a quick note: today’s entry may sound more or less biased, but I mean absolutely no offense to anyone)

Women in the past few years have clearly change quite dramatically as compared to the women before. If I describe it really short and simple, the high school gals who enjoyed their power and energy grew up without losing them. So um... you’ll see.

According to the Japanese government the country is slowly recovering from the economic slump she was stuck in for a decade. Indeed, employment rates are so much higher than the ice age in the latter half of 1990s, and numbers like several hundred millions and billions are heard more often.

So have our daily lives of common people changed? Not really. Like I wrote some days ago, the disparity is widening here and there. The reality of economic recovery isn’t so much about economy as a whole lifting up but only about portions of the population becoming extraordinarily rich. This is Japan today.

And the women... more and more women are attracted to the luxury that has become more reachable than even during the bubble economy, and they eventually start to behave like celebrities (well, some really are). The fashion trend, the food trend, cars, pets, etc.... women try to imitate so-called celebs and feel like they’re one of them.

The difference from strong women during the bubble economy, is that even though they’re still very self-assertive they aren’t as aggressive but are more “feminine”. I don’t know if it’s because they’ve been shown too much of the luxurious gorgeous glittering and dazzling houses and dresses and lifestyles of the rich on TV and mags, but anyway I get the impression that women nowadays want attention from men and want to be looked up from the “normal” people. So the styles in trend are “girlish” “feminine” “graceful” rather than the sexy-hot kind of fashion that dominated the market until some years ago.

Sounds like all they have in their minds are attention from people (especially men) and luxury, but like any other case this isn’t true for every women and even for those who are really into celebrity-ism they say they have their own beliefs and borderlines they wouldn’t cross.

I think I need another day for this.. continues tomorrow.

Recession and High School Gals

In the entry on Nov 21 I wrote about how the Japanese women were until the bubble economy in the early 90s, but hadn’t gone further yet. Sorry for the delay. I’m continuing with the topic today.

After the bubble burst, the tide of huge economic recession hit the entire country, which is also known as The Lost Decade. The number of suicides increased remarkably never dropping down, and no one was assured of his or her job the next day. University graduates – whom until then, didn’t even have to hunt for jobs – were left jobless and the entire country was just feeling miserable. According to our theory here, women should have lost their energy and social status, and should have chosen to depend on men rather than becoming active themselves –- supposedly.

But the people who were strong during this decade were not men. And they weren’t exactly women, too.

The rulers of The Lost Decade were high school gals.

Certainly, they are women but that is only to say gender-wise, but they were many times viewed as a completely different species when they were most active. That’s how... “interesting” they were.

The teenage years for girls especially, is said to be the phase of life when they become the most sensitive about everything about and around them, so in general high school gals are quite sensitive and self-assertive regardless the social background.
So then, why did these girls during the 90s so powerful as compared to the other generations?
This is only my observation, but I believe that the rapid development in communication means play a huge role in the rise of “joshikosei”.

Experiencing its social debut and fast spread in mid-1990s were the pagers which in Japanese is called pocket bells. It was a HUGE fad among the high school gals since the keenest and assertive beings on earth could communicate with someone some distance away without having their conversations overheard by their family members.

The pager fad played a huge role in spreading information extremely fast. Even without pagers, the speed of information spread among teenage girls is extraordinarily fast in almost any culture. The system of teenage word of mouth information transmission was thus quickly established. This was the beginning of the age where what went big among the teenage girls went big in the society.

With overwhelming energy only the teenage girls could have, the gal generation quickly out-powered the elder females and dominated the Japanese recession as if there was nothing for them to worry about. Of course, many things have gone wrong and there were many negative impact these new social rulers brought to the society, and these points become conspicuous as the cell phones develop and spread even more than the pagers. I also think that the weakened power of grown-ups had to do with the positive and negative sides of this phenomenon.

So this was until about 2002. From then, the economy starts to pick up power again and the mirage-like economy boost comes again, but I will stop here for today.

Olympics in Tokyo?

I was going to continue with the economy and women thing from yesterday, but again it started to become a bit complicated in my mind so I think I’ll let my mind rest for a little bit (yay, tomorrow’s a holiday!).

Anyway, so I was looking for some lighter news to write about today and was asking around my colleagues, and one of them told me that a bid committee for 2016 Olympics has been established in Japan to bid the Games to Tokyo. Come to think of it, the governor of Tokyo was talking about it for a long time. I’m not so interested in how much economic impact it brings to the city but am secretly anticipating more access to my website LOL cuz I remember a lot of travelers coming over to Japan when the 2002 FIFA World Cup had been held in Japan.

Putting my secret hopes aside, how high is the possibility of succeeding in bidding it? There may be a lot of venues and transportation means, but perhaps not enough accommodation. Besides, the 2008 Olympics are going to be held in Beijing so I doubt that the 2016 Games would come to a city so close in only 8 years.

Well, I’ve got a Labor Day holiday tomorrow!!
I’ll stop here for today and continue (and hopefully finish up) the topic I started yesterday.

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it :-)

Japanese Women and Social Economy

Here I would like to write about things that I intentionally (for good reasons) didn’t write in the article on J-POP for Japan Mode.

What it is about: it is about the relationship between Japanese economy and the performances of Japanese women. I have touched upon it a little bit in the article, but here I would like to go into the actual mechanism.

But first, let me get started with my personal experience from my earlier days.
When I was small, cute and charming yet somewhat independent and intelligent girl(s) called “The Madonna of the class (year)” were popular among the boys. As the economy started to become better (getting closer to bubble economy which is late 80s to early 90s) strong independent women were starred even in TV programs for kids and people admired women with strong character.

The peak of strong and active women came during the bubble economy, when ladies in short tight skirts stood on the stages of discos and danced as they swung their feathery fans. Men they desired to marry had to fulfill the three “high” conditions, 1) height (tall), 2) education (elite) and 3) income (elite) and there was clearly a structure established in which strong women could choose men who could make their lives even richer. Another aspect of strong women during this time period is represented in the increase in working women, and this is also the time when single mothers and unmarried women increased.

Ok, let me make my point very briefly. During times when the domestic economy is suffering, it is hard for women to keep their jobs even though their equal working status and opportunities are supposed to be protected legally, and instead more women choose to find a husband who can support their lives instead. Staying home were their means for survival.

But as the economy turns better, it becomes easier for women to earn their own livings in the society. In such social circumstance, their urge to find a man to marry fades and as a result more and more independent women who do not try to fawn upon men increases.

This is about up till the bubble economy. I’ll continue with how the situations shifted in the late 90s up until now.

Japanese in the Mirror

First of all, thank you for your comment Rachel. I hope to keep up with thought-provoking entries although I have to say, I won’t be able to write as much from next month. Still I wish to tell the big stuff and little stuff about Japan, as a resident of Japan. Comments always gives me energy to keep writing :)

Since I had been writing about very serious heavy stuff for the past month, I thought I’d write about something easy today.

It seems like NINTENDO’s new game machine Wii has been released in the States a bit earlier than in Japan, and even though it’s not sold in Japan yet, the release of Wii marked rounded up the release of the so-called next-generation video game machines (XBOX360, PS3, Wii).

Well, it’s not about Wii itself that I want to write about today, but the TV commercial that has been aired in USA. As a Japanese I found it both interesting and entertaining so I’ll write how I felt.

But before getting my comments, have a look at this (see below) if you haven’t had a chance to see the TV commercial I’m am going to write about (it’s safe).



A couple of agent-looking Japanese men (I think they’re Japanese) get on this tiny tiny car, knocking around the doors of the houses, and bow as they present the controller for Wii – which I believe is the biggest characteristic about Wii – and suggest these people to actually play with the machine.
I suppose that the mild expressions they wear and the humble attitude that can be seen in bowing shows how Japanese people are viewed from others. The ad is finished with the two [ ii ] of “Wii” bowing.

I think it’s pretty funny. The two Asians (from my point of view) look a bit more like Chinese (there’s absolutely no offense in this, and I apologize if they’re Japanese), but anyway, as I was thinking “so this is how Japanese people are portrayed in other peoples’ eyes” I suddenly remembered this other news article that elephants have been proved to recognize their figure in mirrors.

So my point is, I realized that when seen through a mirror called “non-Japanese”, Japanese people could be illustrated as something quite different from what we (=Japanese) usually believe us to be, and both are probably our true characters.

It’s not that I’m trying to express complaint like “we aren’t like that” or “we never do things like that”, but just found it interesting. I’m sure that we too see non-Japanese people in “mistaken” perceptions.
As for this commercial, Japanese people are perceived in a favorable (nice) way so I don’t feel bad (um, is the small car supposed to portray our car technology or the smallness of the country and houses?) – it’s a Japanese company to begin with so I guess there’s nothing for us to complain about.

Watching this commercial, I even became to think that Japanese people should have more pride in ourselves. So that we can be welcomed everywhere with a round of applause, we need to improve ourselves through these “mirrors”.

Think Nationally, Act Locally?

Sorry ‘bout yesterday. I couldn’t “move”... :p
I think I’ll be fine today... who knows?

Anyway, let’s get going with how the government is seeing this problem.
Some of the governmental policies for urban-rural disparity include such as synoecism and “IT-izing”, but there hasn’t been enough attention given to the desertification or decline in population in these areas that we have been discussing about.

Why not? Well, when shopping malls pop up in these places consumption goes higher and local economy boosts up... maybe not so much as to say, “boost up” but it gets richer more or less. When the economy of the local area as a whole, in numbers, is good, there is no need for the national government to cast their eyes upon.

But it is a severe issue for the rural and suburb areas, as the provincial cities for a long time in postwar Japanese society served as the center of a large society including industry, commerce and agriculture. Not only that, it was also the center of education, culture, health and welfare as well as other administrative services. Therefore when this very center loses its balance, the entire society supporting each other loses it balance. Moreover, because little things, history and tradition cultivate people’s identities and prides, so the fall of the center eventually leads to the loss of identity and the area soon becomes to look as though it is dead.

So, as a result, despite the obsession of the national government with revitalizing local economy, it doesn’t or cannot take any effective action to improve the situation.

However, situations seem to be changing slightly recently. It looks like the government realized that from the aspects of declining birth rates and aging of the population as well as financial aspects, politics have to seriously focus on switching from urban politics to local politics. Also, if they keep turning their eyes from the reality of local cities they will be too late to stop the increase of hollowing towns and villages.

So now what?
The new policy that the government came up with is called the “Compact City Plan”.

I learned that some of the EU member countries got their hands on this policy already so some of you readers may know what it’s about: it’s basically a city designing plan to make one community very small, small enough for a resident to be able walk around his neighborhood and still get everything he needs for a living.

Sadly though, it’s not functioning too well at the moment for the local communities have stretched out quite large, so large that it’s hard to even think of shrinking it again.

So is this issue ever going to be solved? Or am I ever going to reach a personal conclusion?
I guess I can’t really get to any point when it comes to huge issued like this you know, like the education stuff and suicide and disparity and all these... too big for me to even touch upon.

The future is nothing without children, the country is nothing without towns and people.
This too has become pretty long, but I think this is about the right place to stop. If I come up with some more I’ll write, but from next week I’ll get myself to something different, yeah?

" Busy Busy Bizzie "

I have to confess that I can't spare much - or actually no - time to this part of my daily task!!!

Why should I be so busy at this time of year!!?

See ye guys tomorrow!

The Reality of Disparity

Today I’d like to really go into the current situation of the local economy and disparity. First of all, however, I need to note that though I say “countryside” or “rural” economy, the actual value of currency is more and more lost the further you go from the urban areas. The traditional style of self-sufficiency is still fairly strong in these areas, where they grow fresh healthy vegetables and catch lively fish. What one cannot get or grow by himself are often bartered. So even though I say disparity in terms of money digits, the weight of the same money isn’t exactly the same.

Going on – the biggest point about a lifestyle like this is that very few of them if not none consider themselves to be poor. Many of them – again, if not all – actually live happier than many of us in the urban areas so deeply drowned in materialism. If you can have good food and live slowly and relaxingly in the grand nature where materialistic stress won’t bother you, you can be happy even if your income isn’t that big.

But, the local economy that I have been writing about lately is more about the suburbs, or the local cities as we call them. It isn’t about the remote peaceful villages. It is about the cities that aren’t quite even a tenth big as Tokyo but has a fair size of population with modern buildings.

Yes, long preface. From this point on is the real writing.

As I have written a little while ago, my family runs a cafe on one of the commercial streets (we call these “shoutengai”) located in the center of one of these suburban cities. The huge shopping mall built along the national route nurtured the car society, tearing away consumers of the “shoutengai” because the shops can’t accommodate enough cars. Also, because there is no train station located close by the shopping street there is no way but to drive to enjoy shopping there – which means that more people will merely pass through or never even get close to the local “shoutengai”.

In such shift in the social mainstream, younger generations may enjoy the same sense of shopping as in urban areas but not the senior citizens. For many of them don’t have cars they have hard times shopping. Some retail stores adopt a business system called “goyoukiki”, which in fact is an old neighborhood system, asking around such citizens what they need and delivering their needs. As far as we can see, there have been efforts made. But then there are always people who take advantage of such systems, and in this case these hyenas are called convenience stores.

They are like small versions of shopping malls because they have a wide selection of goods and fresh food nowadays. It is always the big chain businesses that take advantage of everything... not that I am whining.

Of course, it is a good service for those users and is indeed proving itself to be popular. The weight of capitals these big businesses have, have so much more – devastating – impact in the suburbs. It seems like more and more shutters are being closed in the “shoutengais” and the vicious circle is growing larger and larger.

So is the national government working on this issue? That, I will dig into in the following entries.

The Cold Thoughts

My series essay in working poor is getting long. Hmm.
I know it’s because of the busy-ness of my work and also because of the virus that’s been tormenting my body for two months now... ;p
Right now I am feeling like I need more pills... like, I need more medicine. The one my doctor prescribed for me is only for mornings and evenings twice a day, so at around five o’clock I can feel the medicine losing effect and I feel really dull and weary. At such times all that’s in my mind is what to drink or eat in order to keep myself from fainting, or if I should eat something and take the pill for the evening so that I can work for another several hours, or to stay up just a little longer and go home early and take the pill and go to bed... if I soothe it now, I know I would keep myself busy for another few hours and as a result, delays full recovery.

Wow, I just realized that pretty much the same thing can be said for the working poor issue!

The industry I am in, the IT, is said to be one of the industries in which the workers can most easily fall into workaholocism. I bet the actual structure is something universal, but some academics analyze the issue relating it to the long-lived feudal system in Japanese history.

I was going to write about shopping malls and local economy, but I now I have my mind on several little components of the same big issue.

Going back to my medicine dilemma, I decided to choose the latter choice and go home early.
See ye tomorrow :-)

Working Poor 4

No wonder my so-thought cold wouldn’t heal: I finally passed out and went to the hospital last week and found out that my body was and still is invaded by a very rare virus to be found in Japan. My throat is still sore, but is so much better than the past few days.

Anyway, getting back to the working poor issue, I think I ended last entry by telling you how hollow and sad I felt. Everything at one big place with a huge selection of goods and parking lot – yes it is indeed more convenient to go shopping in a shopping mall. I think it is the same for other countries too, but in rural areas where the population is spread out public transportation doesn’t develop so much and people’s lives are really dependent on cars. When you’re in Tokyo you don’t really have the urge to get a car but when you go into the suburbs and rural areas, you really need a car to get around. Plus, if you go shopping with a car you don’t have to carry heavy or big bags yourself and the weather can’t affect you too badly. How convenient. So this is how the local economy becomes immensely centralized on huge shopping complexes in these areas and how the little shops disappear.

You may think, and there are actually voices criticizing these little local shops for not working hard enough to face the issue, but seriously, this is not an issue that can be easily solved by effort.

Okay, I’m feeling pretty sick again so I’ll stop here for today and continue on tomorrow.

Working Poor 3

Sorry, I’m sort of running out of time for I’m again caught up with work. I do want to continue with the discussion and it will next week. Topics cover: minimum wage; the reality of the protected powers; revitalization of poverty... so on so forth.

Working Poor 2

So now we’re discussing the issue of working poor in the countryside regions.

As a matter of fact, I am one of those coming from the suburbs. My hometown is Takamatsu City, a city in a rather unknown prefecture of Kagawa. My parents run a cafe on a local shopping street in Takamatsu. It has been ten years since I left my hometown, and every time I go back to see my family, I can’t help but notice lesser and lesser shops keeping their business as compared to ten years ago.

At first, it seemed to me that the cause was mere economic stagnation. It was at least in the beginning, and my parents blamed the recession believing the wind would blow for them again.

But as I come to think of it, I remembered that big suburb-type shopping malls opened in Takamatsu just around the same time as I left home. Now I know that those took away the customers of the shopping street. Having said that though, I must admit that we ourselves are part of those consumers half switching from our shopping street to the shopping mall. By the time we noticed, the malls were always packed with people and the street that we came back to was almost deserted.

The most shocking moment was when a traditional department store deeply rooted to the local shopping street disappeared from our neighborhood. The once dazzling block transformed into a dark hollow lot, and it really gave me a huge sense of loss.

Okay, my story will continue on to tomorrow.

Working Poor 1

Before I start, let me apologize my rough explanations for I’m trying to make this concise as I can (I don’t want to be pulling the topic forever).

The reason for feeling this issue so personal – one of them is the problems arising in suburbs and the countryside towns.

Actually, I think that there are two kinds to this problem making it sophisticated.
Firstly, the problem of underpopulation in countryside regions... which is not a new thing. Each year more serious than the previous, the younger generation which is unneeded to say the precious labor force drifts away to seek their dream lives in large cities like Tokyo. As much as they are needed labor force, they are precious consumers. Thus the drift and consequently the aging of the population in the countryside regions create a vicious cycle of low production and low consumption.

The other one is the emergence of large shopping malls and wholesale stores. When the huge boom of shopping malls and department stores hit the Japanese society, it crushed down the local shopping communities practically to death. More and more people were attracted to larger malls for their convenience (even clinics and hospitals are incorporated in the latest ones) and stopped shopping at their local shops.

Regarding this aspect, I’d like to talk a bit about my family, but that’s for tomorrow.

Series: Japan and Workaholics

Alright. Since I realized that I stepped into a rather grave social issue but don’t want to turn my eyes from it, I decided to go little by little taking up the entire week. Well... maybe longer, who knows?

As I went on with my research and learning about workaholics and Japanese youth, I found myself facing a larger social issue in the background of workaholicism which is “disparity” – in all aspects of the society – a huge, serious, and a next-generation kind of issue for the entire country to face.

Do keep in mind that I am only expressing my personal view, but to some people outside of Japan “disparity” may not be a familiar term to associate Japan with, and for those Japanese people living in Japan – at least for those who claim to belong to the “middle class” as is the case with the majority of the population – a word rather unacceptable. –- Even more so, the term “working poor”.

WORKING POOR

People who cannot become wealthy no matter how much and how hard they work. In another word, those people in the labor force except for the so-called (in Japan) salarymen who work full time as much as regular workers (salarymen) do but cannot earn enough living and have to be heavily dependent on welfare benefits. Even in a country that is said to have escaped poverty and economic stagnation, the number of working poor households is estimated to be around seven million. I’m pretty sure the term working poor and the problem is not unique to Japan, but as much as I observe the problem I feel the problem close to me and as not something just going on out there. I’ll start going into the details tomorrow.

Workaholics and Japanese Youth

As I surf on the internet lately, I notice this particular book comes up in quite a number of blogs and forums. Its name (in my personal literal translation) is The Exploited Youth – the motorbike messenger has witnessed! and is a social analysis written by a post graduate student at the University of Tokyo, who took a year off and worked as motorbike messenger.

What is written there is the system and the structure of how the youth who has decided and committed to earn profit from their hobbies become drugged into work, which is in another word, an antithesis to all the structure that can naturally emerge in the industries supported by the idea of “Love comes around while doing things you like”.

For instance, most of the youngsters coming into the motorbike business initially do so because of their passion for Harley and BigScooter. But as they work with the senior staffs, their passion gradually shifts to skinnier ones that are usually regarded as tacky in terms of hobby. The author named this the “renewal of taste due to labor”, and I believe this can be applied to so many other kinds of occupation. A designer I once worked with converted from and Mac follower to that of Windows and I was watching the process right next to him all the time.

It’s probably a universal phenomenon too. I heard somewhere that a similar book writing about the working class sold off really well in the States and other books elsewhere.

Then, what kind of characteristics can be seen in Japanese youth? I can’t put my thoughts together right now, so I think I’ll take more time on this topic.

By the way, chapter 3 of Charmy Nurse M is updated today. Perhaps you can see an aspect of youth life in comics like this.

Series: Downside of Japanese Education 2

The Ministry of Education announced its solutions to the educational issue – the already-graduated will not be questioned about their credits in high school, and as for the current students are to take make-up classes worth 70 hours, and for those who still cannot fulfill the requirement just by make-up classes will have to turn in papers. As a result the burden on the students have been lightened but still, the 12th graders this year are sure to suffer hard situations this winter preparing for not only collage entrance but also graduation.

The answer to the questions of whom to be blamed, where the responsibility lies yet remain blurry. First of all, the nation (or the government) is accountable for suggesting this relaxed education policy in the first place. The universities too, for still having enrollment exams stressing academic grades. Then the high schools for cheating their curriculums in order to maintain their fame, status and reputation, the educational board for probably acknowledging the corruption yet dismissing them, and last but not least the students and their parents for accepting it – since it is also their responsibilities to know what kind of education they are supposed to and are receiving in reality – or perhaps, hoping it.

Of course, the responsibility varies in size and kinds so it’s probably impossible to blame just one actor in this situation.

I’m sure (or hope not) that the government did not intend these issues to arise, and it is natural to think that the universities want to maintain their “quality of students” as well as the high schools. It may have been from inevitable goodwill that the high schools faked the truth so that the students can concentrate on their exam studies, and the students must have tried to come up with the most effective and efficient way to form their glorious futures.

Seems like what was supposed to form a comfortable system is falling apart.

So what exactly is it that this sickman relaxed educational policy is supposed to achieve?

”As opposed to the ‘stuffing-type’ education stressing the amount of knowledge and facts, the relaxed educational policy aims to provide education in which enables children to cultivate humanity and identity, the ‘ability to live’ in a relaxed environment at the same time as obtaining basic knowledge and skills”

Something like that is claimed to be the idea of relaxed education.
But what it really brought was harsher “stuffing”. It is also undeniable that this policy is bringing about a serious dumbing down of basic scholastic abilities.

Alright, this time they’re going to add another 70 hours of class, but what are they going to do if something similar happens again? The very core of the issue is left unsolved, untouched.

I haven’t been able to discuss the bullies because of the credit issue, but since this will become long as it can be if I don’t stop. I’ll discuss educational issues every now and then, and try to throw in some other interesting topics.

Series: Downside of Japanese Education

Sorry about going off track yesterday :p
Anyway, going back to the educational issue thingy I’d been writing about – more and more schools have been proven “guilty” for not giving their students enough compulsory credits, not that they weren’t aware of and made mistakes, but actually acknowledge their intended “mistakes”. The result of this mess so far, is more than 80,000 12th graders across the country not being able to graduate from high school. So far, the number of schools in question has risen to 460 schools in 46 prefectures (out of 47).

Some cases are worse than others: some of the schools out of these 460 were getting away with faking not only one compulsory subject but several. One of these, where they tried to fake the reports in four compulsory subjects, has to give their seniors 350 50-minuite-make-up-classes by the end of next March, but because there are only about 150 days left so even if they gave 100-min-lectures seven days a week they’ll never be able to give their students the credits they need.

All of the TV shows and news feature this issue most times as headlines these days, and when they interviewed people around town and 80% of their replies were that the national government should come up with a relief measure because these students are just way too pitiful.

True, it’s nothing but pathetic that these kids can’t graduate because of the school even though the kids weren’t doing anything wrong within the schools’ standards. It’s not like they didn’t choose the courses they needed to, they couldn’t.

If you can’t graduate from a university or college because you overlooked a credit or two it would be your own fault because you’re the one to keep track of credits, but this case, it’s completely the corruption of the schools.

On the other hand, it would also be unfortunate if the gap in college entrance preparation widens between schools that cheated and did not, because it’s unfair. Puzzling.

So this news has been enjoying heated discussion for a while now along with the bullies, and now a principal of one of the cheater schools committed suicide a couple of days ago.

It’s really sad that the word “suicide” comes up in the news so often, even more so considering the stage and causes of these suicides are schools – places for education. There was also a murder inside the school, too. What is happening with education? What kind of “relaxation” has “relaxed education” brought upon our society?

The trip to...

It’s kind of an odd subject to throw in the middle of the discussion of education issues, but anyway, I went to this Yamamoto Mimikakiten (the ear-cleaning place) that I introduced you several days ago (see Oct.18 http://jmode.blogspot.com/2006/10/extreme-of-healing.html for refrence), so I thought I’d give you a short report before I forget.

After writing about it I was talking about it with some of my colleagues in a really casual joking manner, and as we talked, we decided to go have an “experience” there.

Honestly, I was rather reluctant on the idea but at the same time I could not completely resist the temptation of beautiful women dressed in kimono cleaning my ears on their laps. So I convinced myself that it might be worth an article that I can write on Japan Mode and went along with my friends.

The shop could be found on a narrow alley located shoulder to shoulder with a dry cleaner... or in fact, believe it or not, the ear cleaner was part of the dry cleaner. The jolly merry middle-aged guy took care of the customers for dry cleaning and ear cleaning whenever people came to either of the counters. It was the most peculiar double-crop business I have ever seen.

There were only three rooms inside and because we were a group of three, even though all of us weren’t all attended at the same time we technically had the entire shop to ourselves.

As we entered the shop, we were each guided into a small room along a narrow path, one divided from another by blinds. Before long, a woman dressed in kimono came in and gave me instructions to follow, which was only to lie down with my head rested on her lap and relax. First of all, she gave me a massage on the “points” around my ears. This was one of the best moments of life in my past few weeks. Then she started cleaning my ears, but because my face was lightly covered with a sheet of cloth, I’m not sure how “dirty” my ears were.
When both my ears were done, I was given the best massage on my shoulders, head and face in years. It was so relaxing that I fell half asleep, only to be waken by her sneeze which I could only describe as all calculated. Last but not least, she gave me a massage on my hands.

Hmm, it was really nice. It wasn’t anything... dubious like I had imagined in the corner of my mind. I have never been to a professional massage or chiropractic so I can’t exactly compare and I bet the professional massagers can give me even better massages, but the experience of just having mature beautiful women giving you a relaxing massage itself is incomparable “healing”, I thought.

Of course, it would be as comforting for women as men to have the experience. Or perhaps, part of the healing is the fact that you can spend some time in a room with atmosphere of Meiji in Taisho, since there aren’t many occasions nowadays to have people in kimono attend you for a while. I would call it a new hidden spot for those who’re into Japan and healing regardless the gender.

The Issues of Japanese Education

The last few entries I have written about bullies in schools and the problems of the schools not dealing with the cases properly, but now a different flaw – which is more than a mere flaw – of Japanese education has been stirring up the news.

Who can believe that there are 282 high schools in the country which have “mistakes” in their curriculum that disables Seniors from graduating due to lack of credits? To give you a very brief background, students must choose Japanese History AND either World History or Geography (that means two subjects in social science) in order to qualify for high school graduation. But these schools only told the students to choose one from three, therefore technically these students cannot obtain high school diploma.

Why would such problem occur? The Japanese, academic career-based society is largely held accountable for this issue.

To enter a “good” university, you need to pass a difficult exam. To pass a difficult exam, you have to study hard. But for instance, if you are aiming for a humanity course you don’t need to study mathematics nor any science courses, and when it comes to extreme cases you can even take the test with a single subject, English.

It is most natural for students to want to be effective and efficient and to choose only the subjects they need or the ones they’re good at. As for schools, the most important thing for them is to send out as many alumni as possible to better universities and maintain their reputation in order to survive the age of low fertility. What I mean to say, is that they would do anything to enable their students to enter better higher education – even cutting down the courses the students need to take or credits they need to earn.

Especially in the last few years since this new educational system – which was aimed to be “easy” on the students but turned out to kill the school administration and ended up becoming lax – the schools are having a hard time providing elaborate enough education to prepare for college entrance exams in very limited curriculum with less hours (bound by law).

In the end, despite reducing hours for courses that are not musts for college entrance exams and increased hours for those that are, schools are half forced into corruption of giving credits on the surface (on grade reports) for courses the students have never taken. It was just by chance that the problem became public. First it was one school – now two hundred and eighty two.

What will become of our country? I’ll keep my eyes fixed on this issue.

Still with the cold

I feel so sick and weary. My body aches and it feels so heavy and dull and numb. I was complaining a while ago about this nasty cold that I came down with... well, I haven’t been able to get rid of it. I need a good long break to rest my body, but it’s been hell busy these days and I don’t even feel like I’m going to have Christmas break. Anyway, so I’m surviving each day with aspirin available at the most ordinary drugstore.

I never imagined a cold to be so bad. I had always been careful not to catch one in the first place, like I wash my hands always and gurgle whenever I can, but still couldn’t get away from it. Sometimes I go to bed a little early and because the next morning I feel fresh, I feel like I’m over with it finally but in truth not really cuz by the evening on the same day I’m feeling drowsy and feverish again.

There is a proverb in Japanese “a cold is the beginning for all diseases” and right now, I must be at the second or third stage of that proverb, heading straight to a heart attack or a brain stroke or something like that. This ain’t good.

By the way for your information, there is a data saying that Japanese people on average catch colds 5-7 times a year and 2-3 times a winter. Would mine count as one, or more?

Bullies cont:

At the second meeting of the Educational Reform held in the morning today on October 25th, Japanese Prime Minister Abe promised urgent response to the increasing suicides of young students, that he along with the reform board will immediately start working on changing aspects that can be changed rather quickly.

It’s quite natural he said that – it’s more like an obligation for him as the political head of state. Leaving no comment to the incidents happening would be a great crime to the future of this country. The news also say that opinions like, “there should be people / organizations that actively takes care of children’s mental health issues” and “the help of media is needed to send out messages to the entire society” were expressed at the meeting.

Uh, what have they been seeing? In which fairy tale world were they living in? Bullies didn’t suddenly well up as a social problem recently, it has been around for a good decade – even that I know of. And it’s not like no one’s responding to it. There are people and organizations trying to improve the situation. The problem is, why should this question and opinion be the center of the argument, now?
Not enough being done? That may be so, but the biggest problem is, like I just wrote, that the argument is old. “Something should be done promptly” – that is a phrase used way too many times to retain the importance that lay in those words. It is a vague and rather easy statement to make.

What would become different if they don’t really change the parts that the snob greedy bureaucrats would suffer if they’d changed? What they don’t suffer won’t be any good, as it is because of they’re personal interests that is killing the country in many ways (this is the same for medical issues here). If they don’t argue the very basis of the problems, educational reform is never going to become real.

I don’t mean to blame just the gov. All of us have to work to show that there are better things in this world than bullying your classmate. The baton we are passing down our coming generation is becoming more and more fragile and dirty.

Educational Problems are big issues that can shape the country’s future in any way.
I’d like to hear some opinions of people outside of Japan. What kind of educational policies do your government have? What are the positive sides and problems? There isn’t much that I can do, but surely you guys’ opinion would be some help.

Number Portability Starts

I wrote an article on this some time ago, and as I wrote, the number portability system for mobile phones have finally started.

Since Softbank made a stunning elecrtifying thunder-struck announcement on its “unexpected” schemes including the dramatic lowering of it service prices (I know my English is getting messed up) last night, the medial as well as the society was sort of nervous and excited at the same time how this portability is going to affect the leading carriers... but so far, no big news.

So this new prices that Softbank promised is subtracting 210 yen from the base prices for DoCoMo and au’s base prices. If either of the companies lower their prices, Softbank will also do so within the next 24 hours. Additionally, Softbank also announced free unlimited phone (talking) and e-mail between Softbank phones. Anyway, I’m pretty sure that these surprises are working as antithesis for au and DoCoMo who are rather reluctant about price cutting.

Perhaps all three of them would compete in cutting low their prices and help us greatly! But nay, I don’t really think so. Things aren’t so simple in this world, eh?

Plus, even though the number portability system has started, I don’t think that people would be rushing to the mobile shops. Most of the phones (hardware) regardless the carrier, have similar functions and qualities and the services are similar as well. It’s just that we have more options now.
Well, go media, act as the promoter like in any other news. And where do the ripples go...? Maybe I should be a bit more optimistic and less skeptical :p

Bullying

Our new Prime Minister Abe promised the nation that one of the top priorities of his policies would include “reform of public education that guarantees every child in the country to obtain high scholastic ability and morality.”

He also announced us with an outline that gives more specific policies such as basic scholarship strengthening program and renewal of teacher’s license. The education reform committee is supposedly coming up with precise schedules and guidelines for schools, and is going to turn in a tentative midterm report next March.

Related or unrelated, the news of numerous bullies and student suicides are stirring up the news scene and society once again. I found a surprising article regarding the 8th-grade-student’s bullied-suicide that happened in Kyushu the other day.

”It’s somewhat nice to know he’s done that”
”Nothing’s different even if he’s not around”
”Maybe I’ll be damned forever”

These are words of those who actually bullied the student, told to friends in school after the student committed suicide. Worse, it is said that some of the students sneered as they looked into the coffin, many times.

I was shocked, it was nauseous. I couldn’t believe these were the words of the same human kind – of who knew the deceased and his life right close by. These kids don’t just lack imagination to the student who killed himself and his family. They lack crucial elements as human beings. This is so much more than “bullying”.

It is truly frightening to think that these kids are going to be freed outside in open air under the sky without being punished by any legal and social authorities. The media may be overdoing things as usual, yet I praise the media of not letting the incident pass by as another bullied-suicide.

What had happened is painful, but what how the case is going to be taken care of as well as how the bullies are going to be treated – whether their “human rights” are going to be prioritized over the victim’s – is going to be as a huge and mentally painful issue, I am sure.

I heard some time ago that in the States, situations improved for some schools that tightened their regulations and punishments.
How is Japanese education going to become? Would the education reform be any good?
People, not to mention the government, should realize and be aware even more that it is education
that forms the basis and future of this country. I am going to keep keen eyes on this topic.

YouTube and Japanese

23 organizations including domestic broadcasting networks like NHK, Fuji Television, JASRAC (Japan Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers) and other copyrights management groups announced that they succeeded in having YouTube delete 29,549 files, claiming them to be violating copyright properties.

No big surprise because Japanese people have been using YouTube madly these days, but wow, nearly 30,000 files... I’m rather impressed that the 23 groups actually forced YouTube to delete all those.
I bet it’s the same with any other YouTube users around the world, but the way Japanese people use it – as for the copyright violating files – is to extract the funniest part or the biggest appeal of the shows and “share” them on YouTube.

But then, it’s going to become (or has already become) a whole lot boring. For example, an amateur posts a really good file on YouTube, and say with publicity, acknowledgements and popularity there, succeeds in creating a TV show. That show would be shown on TV nationwide and could be a great step to his show producing career, but because the rich contents would be copyright protected which means that it will not go on YouTube (you know, legally).

I guess it wouldn’t matter so much to the audience I guess only if you’re within the reach of whatever means save the Internet the work is published. I also understand that it’s on the right track in terms of commerce and regulations accompanying business, but as a creator it can also mean that he lost one huge means to release his work across the globe.

Money, money, profits... sophisticated stuff.

Last but not least... Chapter 2 of the new webmanga Charmy Nurse M is up!

Gettin’ Cold

It is getting a bit chilly here in Tokyo in the mornings and evenings. I am by no means a big fan of cold weather so each day I grow bluer.

Several months ago, I started to be given more and more work like I had been moaning here and along with the increasing load of work my outfit changed from casual clothing to suit style (cuz I have to *cry*). And that makes winter even more horrifying because I had never in my life lives in business suits and therefore I don’t own any warm jackets or coats to wear over suits. And it’s not just something you can buy cuz you feel like buying... I mean, it’s pretty expensive, right?

Last year I didn’t care too badly about winter for I was wearing whatever I wanted to, but I’m going to freeze anytime if I don’t get a coat for myself soon!!
I already dream of Okinawa: the good warm time I spent a month ago and then my future life there. I tell you, I am going to live in Okinawa.

This is going nowhere so I think I’m going to stop now.

Check out Japan Mode for the second episode of the new webmanga Charmy Nurse M tomorrow!

The Extreme of Healing

For quite a while “healing” has been a big boom in Japan. There are so many people who are in quest for the ultimate healing that it makes me think, “Geez, I feel sorry for this wiped out country.”

Just about ten years ago, there had been continuous news about overwork and stress deaths stirring up the society. The people who worked their lives off were in the babyboom generation who largely contributed to the rapid economic growth and the early 90s bubble economy, and are about to retire next year.

It was then that people started to think seriously about the significance of taking things slowly and easier. Until then, the Japanese labor force was nothing but working ants that sacrificed their lives for the gross economy. Anyway, people started to look for little refreshments they can enjoy during breaks and weekends.

These “healings” included weekend/day-trips to hot springs/spas, traveling to somewhere far from office with rich nature, items like bath items, fragrance and massaging, or food to even female TV personalities and models who have soft, warm yet fresh characters.

The latest one I found on the news today is this one:

http://www.yamamotomimikaki.com/index.html

YAMAMOTO MIMIKAKI – in a store nicely decorated in Japanese style, female staffs dressed in kimono serve the guests by cleaning their (the guests’) ears on their(staffs’) laps for JPY2,000/30min (special price for the moment).

Wow.

What’s so wow about it is that it does make me feel a bit, “I’d want to try that, it sounds so ‘healing’”.
I’m also impressed that you can make anything into a fair business when you related it with “healing”.

Maybe I should try out this ear-cleaning thing... I’ll have to persuade my boss to support this financially :P

Big News Japanoholics!!

I suppose many of you are familiar with online shopping. Well, there’s this famous Japanese internet shopping website called Rakuten and you know what’s been added to the list just recently? It was so unexpected that I had to stare at the screen for a little while to make sure I wasn’t reading things wrongly. I did write here ages ago that a castle was on sale, but this time it’s more than an ancient-looking castle with modern technology, it’s a VILLAGE WITH A CASTLE! And what’s more, it’s a medieval village! And the price... dropped below one billion yen. Just have a look before I go any further (sorry, it’s Japanese):

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/yoroi/142709/146602/



If you calculate the consumption tax that alone is about 50 million yen, but if you do shopping on Rakuten you can earn Rakuten points and the points you can get by buying this village is worth nearly 10 million yen so you can do a lot of shopping with that! And there’re some free gifts of koban* coming along! Wow! Great deal!

*koban... currency used back then. Can’t use them today, though. Careful.

But what’s more surprising is that it says it doesn’t include shipping fee. Hmm, I wonder how much it’s going to be... wait, what do you mean “ship”?

Anyway, such a wonderful village is on sale and it’s the last one, so you’d better rush and hit the “Add to Shopping Cart” RIGHT NOW!! :P

Japanese Style Foliage Viewing

Well well, I’d been writing about Okinawa for so long that I don’t know what to write after I’m finished with it. I feel like I haven’t written anything that’s not related to Okinawa for a very long time... or rather, I guess I really haven’t written a normal entry for that long. Oh well.

So today, what should I write about? As far as I can remember, I was getting started with a petit Japan Countryside Guide about a month ago. Why don’t I just say that the entire Okinawa story was part of it? It’s not far off, though, right? It was traveling, it was within Japan, it was... sort of countryside, that’s good enough.

To get back to real-time today, my recommendation this season is above all, colored leaves which you can actually see pretty much anywhere across the country except for the very warm places. I hear that Nikko (which I already touched upon on the entry on Sep.1) has entered its peak season for autumnal foliage. I think it’s the perfect time of year to visit the region since it’s cool but not cold and the landscape would be just pretty pretty pretty. We have a featured section on foliage on Japan Mode so those of you interested in foliage please come see Japan Mode :-)

Personally I like places where they light up the trees so that you can see vivid red and gold colors against the dark night sky (see some pix below, they’re gorgeous!). Those kinds of places are most times parks and gardens which you have to pay a little to go in, but the bright vivid colors against the dark is truly breathtaking. You feel like everything – the trees and the leaves and the moon and stars – are embossed on the night sky, and if it’s quiet there is nothing to complain about.

Autumn leaves in the wild nature (I mean mountains and valleys) are beautiful too, but I wouldn’t really recommend go seeing them during night time because it’s highly likely that they won’t be lit up (illuminated) bright enough for you to really appreciate them. In fact, it’s rather dark and could be dangerous (maybe) and you probably won’t see anything anyway. They are gorgeous during the day, however, especially because if you go to the mountains and the valleys you can see humps and bumps and fields of colored leaves literally spreading in front of you. It’ll be even better if there’s a lake or a pond to double the colors ;-)

Maybe the best plan to enjoy autumn leaves is to get a bit away from central Tokyo during daytime to appreciate the wild nature, and to come back in the evening to see the illuminated garden trees. Having said that, it’s probably the best to just relax and lay back without worrying about time at all.



- JMode.com Japan Guide... http://www.jmode.com/japanguide/japanguide.html
- JMode.com Autumn Foliage... http://www.jmode.com/japanguide/koyo_nov1.html (November. Enter from Japan Guide)
- Autumn Leaves Photos: Koishikawa Korakuen /Rikugien (night) / Hamarikyu / Kamakura (night) / Akasaka (gold)

The Ocean is Grand

With the double-shock of rain sprinkling on my shoulders and no friends to accompany the beach tour, I stepped out my first step as a nasty bad loser.
But because my phone would soon lose reception I had to promise them I’d be back to the port in only an hour.

Considering the delay of coming here due to the emotional sea, we had to act quick with everything cuz it was highly likely that the return boat would be delayed and would take twice as much time than usual. So if we aren’t quick enough we’ll miss our plane and that would automatically mean denial to return home. That, we had to avoid, so even though it was already 12:30 by the time we got to the island we had to leave on the 15:30 boat.

Although, it didn’t necessarily mean that I had to give up all the fun on this island. The road from Hizushi Beach to Nishibama was pretty hilly and I had to walk about half an hour at the shortest. But then, soon after I started out the rain stopped. Almight god had not taken away my last hope! From that moment I was fighting time as I dragged my bags to Nishibama.
It was only then that I realized an unfamiliar feeling: the road had been paved and the trees were cut down. Two years ago when I was here the last time trees were growing thick along the unpaved road.
I guess development is going further than I had imagined. Sure, it made our walks and drives easy and comfortable, but I had a mixed feeling.

When I reached Nishibama I immediately noticed several people swimming.
Perhaps the NO SWIMMING ban had been lifted!

I couldn’t be standing still with a blank face anymore! I took a few pics and then changed my outfit into my swimming suit. I had to give up my marine boots considering about the trouble afterwards and very very limited time, so with bare feet and fins in my hands I dashed and splashed into the water. The waves were still big and the water wasn’t as clear, but it was still, the very blue water of Kerama.

I already knew the geography for I swam the beach so many times before, so I could take more time making observations of the beach and water. It’s sad to say that dead corals were more conspicuous than my last visit here. There was a favorite spot of mine with corals shaped like a big spoon, but that place too, although not completely dead, had lost the vivid color it used to have.

After a little while of swimming and thinking in the water, I noticed a sound above the surface so I stuck my head out.
”Swimming ban has been lifted” the announcement said.
Well you guys out in the water, you guys went a bit ahead. Me too.

Even though that was the official moment my fun could start, I consulted my body clock and it said that it was about time I had to start getting back.

I so felt like the beach was trying to keep me – it was like a very strong magnet – but I gave up and got back on the road that led to the port.

I was afraid I was a bit late, but I couldn’t find my friends when I got back to the port. It wasn’t for another half hour that they appeared... on a car.
I was like, “Hey, what were you guys up to?” and they told me that since they heard the announcement they thought that I’d still be swimming at Nishibama and asked one of the island people to give them a ride to the beach.

Wow, how could we miss each other like that?
Anyway, we got on the boat safely and got back to Naha safely. We were on Akashima Island for 4 hours and the time I floated in the Kerama Blue was no more than 20 minutes max.

Still I was satisfied with myself, because I did get to see the current situation of Kerama. Certainly, like many have reported, development was surely on its way and it was more than clear that it was deeply affected by tourism. But it’s not that people aren’t doing anything about it: there are signs here and there saying “don’t sit on the corals!” and other efforts being made.

Having said that, it doesn’t mean that preservation is guaranteed by those efforts. There may come the time when the Kerama Blue becomes a plain blue. What I strongly felt this time on this trip was that you really can’t resist the power of nature. But if you can make use of that power – dunno if “making use” would be an appropriate term, but anyway – there might be a way to bring back the ocean to what it used to be. After all, humans are powereless.

This was what was on my mind on the plane back to Tokyo as I stared at the swollen bag of chips. Maybe I can make use of this in some way... maybe.

I’ll keep writing about Kerama and nature in Japan as well as giving out other information on this country. Well, guess I’ll get back to daily life blog from next Monday. Thanks for reading all this, if you did ;-)

Kerama Blue

In the rough waves of the typhoon the boat loaded with people and hope mightily moved forward!
Well really, the waves were rough as they could be. Most of the passengers got seasick and myself of course, having had that much breakfast was also one of the poor people who were half dead on the boat. Fortunately, because we got on the boat early enough to secure seats for all of us I was able to keep myself from getting too sick.

The heavy swell also kept the boat from picking up speed, and it was an hour past schedule when we finally got to our final destination of the trip. Final destination on the final day... finally I got my feet step on Akashima Island of the Kerama Islands!!!

The island port was full of staffs from the inns to welcome their guests. Since transportation has been stopped and no or very very few people came to the island during the typhoon days, the people at the port welcomed us with bright big smiles on their faces.

I bet people who went there that day and stayed on till the following day would be able to swim in the beautiful waters of Kerama. But for me, a person with a tad bit of hope still simmering in himself, it was the beginning of a dilemma of stepping on my love land and having to have to leave that same day.

As soon as we go to the island I took my friends to Hizushi Beach, a beach famous for having less people. Some time ago, I heard that when the most popular beach on this island Nishibama disallowed swimming many people moved to Hizushi and swam here.
Hizushi was not too far from the village, but we had to cross a little hill and getting there wasn’t that easy. We carried our bags on our backs and dragged out carry bags with fins and other water-playing tools as we climbed up the hill to the top.

A magnificent view of Hizushi Beach spread across in front of us when we reached the peak.

Beautiful, Grand and... Wild.

Yeah, wild.

Huge waves were crashing against the rocks and splashing to the beach and they were so huge that we could tell its force even from quite a height. No doubt, there was not a single human around and it was as though the waves were telling us that “you guys are gonna kill yourselves if you swim!”

The fatigue of coming all this way fell upon me at once.
What was this trip all about...? What are these new fins for...?
Feelings of despair and failure went around my body with eyes blank and lips twitching.

BUT!

I did declare here months ago that I was going to report on the ocean & beach situation Kerama, Akashima and Nishibama were facing!_
I turned my heels and decided to go down over to Nishibama...
But then, I felt rain drops and my friend suddenly goes,

”Hey, I’m kinda tired. I don’t think I wanna bother going way over.”

This is what you call an adversity of life. Right.

Tomorrow, final chapter!
And like I suspected, this has become a long series.

And Off to Kerama...

Hi Kain, thank you very much for your kind comment. I am honored for such comment. I’ll do my best to keep brightening up everybody’s days!!

So we are now in my fourth day of my short short vacation. It was also my last day of Okinawa probably for a while, sadly. I got up an hour earlier than the previous days and stared at my mobile internet connection to check up with the latest news on the boat to Kerama Islands. But the information displayed didn’t seem like it was going to be renewed forever.

Me, suspecting that the boat company wasn’t sure if they wanted to let the boats cross the water or not, grabbed my friends and rushed to the port. If they’re trying to decide that moment, I was so ready to make an appeal that this many people are so eagerly wanting to take the boat to the far away islands.

By the time we got to the port, the deserted port the day before was now flooded with people to the smallest corner. For a moment I thought, “hey, all these people have the same thing on their minds as I do” but then I found this note proudly announcing that the first jet boat had been cancelled but the first ferry was ready to go. No more of those for kanjis, yay!

I was sooooo ready to go to Kerama!! I stuck to the very end of the line to get tickets with a wide smile on my face. I didn’t know what I wanted to do first – swimming at Nishibama would be nice, but then I also wanted to have a try at Hizushi Beach where I had never been – and as I was building up my imagination my turn came. I was so happy I almost shouted out “three round tickets to Akashima!” but this person at the ticket counter replied in a rather cold tone, “You can’t really swim on Akashima today, are you sure you want to go there?”
Yeah right, go figure, it’s ok, it’s ok. No swimming, right. Well, were there turtles on Hizushi Beach?


... uh, what!? NO SWIMMING!?!?!??!?
Does that mean I’m not allowed to swim on either of the beaches? What am I supposed to do then!?
If there is the almighty god somewhere up there, why does he have to do this to me?

Still, I did want to go see the island. It was far better than leaving Okinawa without having a glance at the island I once loved so much. My mind went blank for a split second, but I replied “Yes, we’re still going.”

For about an hour and a half while we waited for the ferry to leave, we bought Okinawa Pork Egg at the nearby convenience store for breakfast. It’s kind of natural, but here in Okinawa you can get Okinawa cuisine even in convenience stores that you can’t get elsewhere. It’s like paradise!

Because we were eating out at the park right next to the ferry dock, we could jump on the ferry as soon as it was ready and were able to get good seats easily.
Like I have written in my previous entries, all the possible transportation means were stopped for several days due to the typhoon so those who live away from Okinawa main island had to wait for the transportation to recover and those like us who wanted to travel over to the isolated islands couldn’t go either. There were a bunch of people getting on the boat – so many that once you sit down it was almost impossible to get up again.

And the boat starts to move...!!

Okay, I was going to finish this today but I guess I’d have to extend it to tomorrow. Um, I’ll try wrapping the whole thing up tomorrow, but sorry if it goes on to the following day.

The Shrine on the Water

Third day of my Okinawa trip, the typhoon was gone but the waves were still big and so again I lost my hope to go to this isolated island. Reluctantly, I went to take some pictures of the busiest street in Naha for there were particularly nowhere else I wanted to go to, and then I went to have a look at this shrine where the biggest number of people pay visits in Okinawa and is located on the water and at the same time has a beach right next to it. The shrine’s called Naminouegu (na-mi-no-oo-eh-goo).

It was from pure curiosity that I went there – next to the beach and located on top of the water? How can I not go have a look? It was surprisingly close to Kokusai Street, but lesser and lesser people could be seen as I got closer to the shrine and before long the atmosphere became quiet and calm.

I passed through underneath the torii (shrine gate) and climbed up the mild stairs, and at the top faced the quiet but dignified figure of the bright vermilion shrine pavilion. I was lucky to come here at that particular moment, for it seemed like it was praying time for the mikos (female attendants). Young mikos who looked no older than high school students were quietly praying to the shrine with serious yet graceful expressions. I bet they’d want to hang out on the Kokusai Street which is just out there... I mean, they were that young... but I was very impressed by their mature-ness.

Though I was impressed by the mikos, I couldn’t really feel like being on the water so on my way back I took the other way (the stairs were split into three directions) that I didn’t come on. As I went down the steps I soon found the beach that I heard about. I proceeded further on to the beach and looked back... and sure, the shrine looked like it was on the water. Precisely, it sat on a cliff about 10 meters high, but the side of the cliff was carved by the waves over centuries so it looked like it was on the tip of a diving platform sticking out to the open sea.

The beach was very small. It was no larger than a swimming pool separated from the open sea with a helpless rope, but because the big waves were shut out by the embankments the shallow waters were calm and quite a bit of people were splashing in it.

It happened to be just around sunset and the ocean was glittering in gold, the sky was painted with a beautiful gradation of red to yellow and the view of the shrine on the cliff was absolutely gorgeous. Actually, gorgeous wouldn’t explain it well enough. I felt sacredness there.

After a while of enjoying the texture of sand on my bare feet I headed back to the commercial avenue.

That night I hung out on Kokusai St till quite late at night and enjoyed the last night in Okinawa. Having said that, my trip was not over. I still had my last and final day (of hope) to enjoy so I hit the bed with heart full of excitement and hope.

Tomorrow, the final day!! See ya!

New Webmanga Starts!!

So we now have a new webmanga Charmy Nurse M on Japan Mode.
This one isn’t a ninja manga like ChamaTama, the one before, but is about a timid, introverted, purposelessly living teenager and an alien girl (and she’s a nurse!) plus iiTage – whom I bet those Japan Mode frequent viewers are fond of by now. It’s pop and cute. Hope you guys enjoy :-)

Oh yeah, and this time we’re going to have it in two languages both released at the same time! That gives me twice the work load even though I haven’t gotten rid of the nastiest cold in years *cry*

Anyway, Okinawa story is postponed till next week.
All right! Check out Japan Mode as always!!

Typhoon Sunshine

On the third day when the typhoon has completely passed the island, we headed straight to the port with a tad piece of hope. It was cloudy but it was not raining and the wind was almost nothing. It was right after the typhoon was gone so I wasn’t expecting any boats to leave the island in the morning, but was hoping there’d be at least one that goes to my dream island in the evening. Nonetheless, my faint light of hope was extinguished by the same zenbin-kekkou *hatred* again.

I was very disappointed, but there was no other way but to convince myself when I saw the sea. The sky wasn’t, but the ocean was storming. The waves crashing into the rocks and the embankment were no smaller than 14-15 meters, and although I wanted to go to the island I wouldn’t dare go into such water even on the largest ship in the world.

Besides, it was pretty clear that even if I did make it to the island on a plane I wouldn’t be able to swim so I’d sit there gazing at the ocean. Actually, I didn’t mind that but my friends who are first time Okinawa travelers couldn’t get any souvenirs because of the typhoon, we decided to go again to Kokusai St and I made sure to extend our stay at our favorite dormitory.

After we got back to the dorm we left our luggage and I decided to go out on my own separately from my two friends. I walked around Kokusai St taking pix but soon grew tired so I decided to go see this shrine that’s said to be built right on the edge of a cliff.

And so I did... and it was surely a very nice place. So I’ll talk about that tomorrow.

As for my cold... it’s giving me a really hard time.

Experiencing Okinawa Typhoon

I am really coming down with a nasty cold and I was so going to go home early BUT more work was being piled up on my desk and I ended up leaving office the same as usual... which is almost midnight. So so, I am feeling wiped out, heavy and dull from the cold and drowsy from the pills.

Even though I was tires, I couldn’t help buying the Goya (bitter gourd) champloo cooked with pork luncheon meat and that made me a bit happy :-)

So the story goes on:

I knew the mammoth typhoon was there and I knew it was a killer one but I could not waste a day staying inside – after all, this was my long-waited vacation!! With a strong commitment I went outside with my friends... only to find out that local people were out just like they’d be on a normal rainy day. Even the rain and wind weren’t as bad as they looked from inside, and there seemed to be no big deal going out for a walk.

What surprised me the most were the stores: they only had plastic sheets covering whatever they were selling, and besides that they were operating completely normally. I know it’s quite a distance from where people lost power and their houses are flooded, but still I couldn’t believe that this was the same Okinawa and how people here prepared for the strongest typhoon in ten years... I would have to convince myself that they are simply used to it, I guess. They’ve been dealing with typhoon since the ancient days.

We had some taco rice and went back to the dormitory.
The typhoon didn’t get too bad. Rain and wind were slightly stronger at midnight but nothing more. Go figure :P

And now we go on to the third day. My cold is becoming so bad – worse than the typhoon so I think I’m off for today.

The Typhoon Attack

Like the title clearly says, the second day of the trip was the day the typhoon really hit the Okinawa islands. I turned on the TV as soon as I woke up in the morning, and the news showed the disastrous mess of the islands where the typhoon has gone past earlier. The Okinawa islands look small from the mainlands of Japan but they stretch north to south covering quite a large area and unfortunately, that stretch is almost every time the railway for typhoons. On the TV I could see broken telephone poles, flipped cars, flooded houses and broken everything. Nearly 80% of the population (18,900 households) did not have electricity in the Yaeyama Islands. They are accustomed to typhoons than us here in Tokyo, but this one was said to be the biggest in ten years.

By the time we knew that the typhoon did not go off its usual course we had completely given up on the idea of giving a try to go to the isolated island, so instead we went to the gas stand to feed our one-day-travel mate. That stand was connected with the rent-a-car office so we could fill in gas and just leave it there.

Although we had no intentions or hope to fly at all, we still went to see the Air Dolphin that we could’ve taken the previous day. As expected, no one was there and the plane wasn’t flying. Imagine, a nine-passenger-cessna flying through the storm clouds of the largest typhoon in ten years...

So this was actually good. I could commit myself to enjoying the main island: I called the dorm to tell the owner that we’re extending a night. Knowing our circumstance he laughed and said ok.

From the airport we took the only railway in Okinawa Yui Rail (it’s a monorail) to near Kokusai St. It didn’t take time to decide where to go first because we were starving, so the first place we walked into was a restaurant where we could have local Okinawa cuisine. The representative Okinawa food is probably Champloo, a stir fry of veggies and tofu with egg, but I decided to have a full pork&eggs meal since I hadn’t had breakfast yet.

This pork&eggs was brought into Okinawa by the Americans when the islands were still under occupation. The Pork Luncheon Meat brought by the Americans became daily food for the local people. Pork&eggs meal set is a set of fried sliced pork luncheon meat and fried eggs eaten together with rice, and it’s really simple but really really good. Even just writing about it makes me hungry.

By the time we finished our food and got back to the dorm the wind was getting strong and I could feel the typhoon coming right nearby. For several hours we stayed inside because the rain was pouring and the wind was knocking off everything on its way, but I grew kind of boring and hungry again too. So we decided to go on an adventure in the wet weather but that’s for tomorrow.

Coming down with a cold and I want to get back home asap. Later.

The Okinawa Night

On our way back towards Naha from Sesoko, I searched for the night’s accommodation using Internet on my cell phone. It could’ve been any decent hotel, but for some reason I looked for a cheap dormitory type of room. I didn’t notice then, but as I reflect upon my feelings and attitude at that time, I was probably like “if I can’t go to the island, I don’t care where I stay. And if I’m staying somewhere away from the island, the cheaper the better.”

Soon I found this dormitory accommodation called Andon located along Kokusai Street – that’s the central commercial/tourist street in Naha – and they said that there was room if all of us stayed in one room, so we decided to head there.

We parked out car in a small coin parking lot right nearby. The place looked new... actually, brand new since I could see traces of unfinished construction. The owner was a very calm person and I liked him a lot.

Quite honestly, I don’t remember what we did or what happened after that. I was exhausted – not so much physically but I sure did receive a critical blow from the typhoon and not being able to even reach the island that I longed for two years. With the physical fatigue of swimming as much as I could, I guess I hit the bed.

This Okinawa series that I’d been continuing for a while, has finally reached the end of the FIRST DAY. Unbelievable myself how slow and long I’m doing this. I’m moving on to the second day of my trip from tomorrow anyways. Better speed up a bit, neh?

The Water of Sesoko 2

As we progressed into the water more and more, the water became clearer and could see some fish around. My two friends seemed to be enjoying their first snorkeling experience.

Because they looked ok and I wanted go in deeper and further, so I told them I’m going to go look what it’s like as if I was taking them later, and went out on my own.

The first and strongest impression I got from the water there was that I could see absolutely no trace of live coral. Perhaps they were covered with sand because of the strong waves and tide brought by the typhoon and I simply could’ve missed them, but it was sad.

Undoubtedly the water was so much clearer than that of Tokyo, but because some time ago I watched this show on TV that there have been projects to bring back coral around this area and supposedly the coral eggs from Kerama flow into this area I was expecting to see more coral.

I swam as many thoughts swirled in my mind, and then suddenly I saw this long figure swimming, or snaking right in front of me. Sea snake!! Although I do know that unless I mean harm to it, it won’t attack me, but it’s not really anything you feel lucky about seeing.

I turned around and went back to my friends: both of them looked a little tired so as I reported what it was like further off, we sat on the beach and appreciated the sata-andagi (Okinawa doughnuts) we bought at the supermarket before coming to the beach. Like I wrote a while ago, the salt inside my mouth fades away painted by the sugar of the andagi. It’s one of the best moments of life for me – having andagi while watching the ocean.

Then the sugar turns into energy in my body, and I thrust myself into the water again. This went on for a while over and over until finally people were gone and the sun as well. I wanted to watch the ocean turn orange and red and the sky too, but I did remember that since we cancelled the accommodation on the other island we were supposed to be on, we had to look for accommodation for that night.

So we turned around to get back to Naha. On the way back, I got an e-mail from my friend telling me, “It looks like the plane isn’t flying anywhere because of the typhoon. Sorry, but I can’t catch up with you guys this time.”

Wwwhaaat????
He lived in Tokyo until last month, but moved back to his hometown in Kyushu (that’s the biggest southernmost island of Japan) and we were supposed to meet up in Okinawa!
Why did this damn typhoon take away almost everything that I was looking forward to!?

I really felt powerless in front of the mighty power of nature, and got back to Naha in despair. The memory makes me feel a bit blue even now.

Uh so, that’s about it for today. I know it’s becoming a long series but I am going to finish writing, mixing some other stories too.

The Water at Sesoko

"NO SWIMMING" so it says, and the same message was spelled out on the sad and sympathetic expression on the parking lot keeper’s face. I was wordless, but soon remembered seeing a few people splashing in the water as we crossed the bridge. So we snaked around looking for a place we could swim – we came this far, we couldn’t (or I couldn’t?) turn around with nothing. Before long, we found a car going down a narrow road on the hillside and I was like, “That has to be it!” and followed it.

There it was, just like I suspected, a nice hidden beach probably only the locals know. This one faced the main island which was only yards away and thus prevented the big waves from the open water to come in. It was relatively safe even on a day a giant typhoon was approaching and swimming was allowed. Hurray!

Although small and didn’t even have anything that I could call a parking lot, it still had a beach house which we call “umi-no-ie” and there were actually quite a bit of people around.
In seconds I was dressing myself in my new snorkeling outfit – my brand new mask, snorkel, boots, gloves and fins – and darted down into the water as if cooling down my pounding excitement.

Yeah it was pretty wavy, but not to the extent that I couldn’t enjoy myself. Actually, it wasn’t a problem at all. The new fins had stronger kicks than my previous cheap set, and even though I first felt heavy with them I could definitely feel the difference in the propulsion. I could really feel like I was swimming... more like, gliding in the water.

As I felt glee in every kick I made, the other two came into the water. It was totally their first times to wear any of the snorkeling stuff, so I gave a brief lecture on the tools and how to snorkel. I especially stressed the point not to try to stand in the water whenever they felt tired. It’s okay if you’re standing on the sand, but you can easily harm the coral reef misunderstanding, or rather misfeeling you’re standing on some rock.

As far as I could see there weren’t any coral around in that area though and the water was pretty muddy too, because of the swell the typhoon was bringing. I could’ve gone a bit further if I were on my own, but my friends were both beginner beginners so I suggested practicing in the shallower sand first. The first thing I taught was it’s easier to float on the surface and breathe with the snorkel rather than trying to find a place you can stand on your feet and stick your head above water.

Secondly, I taught them how to clear the mask and empty the water that’s gotten into the snorkel. As soon as we got finished with that part, we proceeded to a deeper place from where we were practicing, which the water came up only to your waist.

All right, I think I’ll stop here for today with my snorkeling lesson.

NO SWIMMING!?

At this very moment the Japanese society is quite excited socially and politically about this new Prime Minister (after a rather long reign of five years by Koizumi) Abe and his Cabinet. Every news program and gossip shows try to predict how they’re going to function and are trying to poke at every downside it has or trying to come up with ridiculous nicknames, but I don’t care. What will be, will be. I am going on with my own Okinawa story.

As we drove straight north from Naha on the highway, the surroundings change from houses to thick forest. This is the so-called “Yambaru” forest unique to Okinawa (and of course, Yambaru is Okinawa language). Once you come out of the Yambaru, you drive along the coastline seeing the water on your left. By the time we got by to the coastline the rain has stopped, but I could see thick dark layers of typhoon clouds and I must say I felt the threat of typhoon attack.

One thing I couldn’t help but notice as we drove along the coast was the number of road constructions going on. Constructions here, constructions there... everywhere. I’m not 100% sure if it was because of these constructions or of typhoon, or of both, the beaches didn’t have its original clarity and some worse parts I could see construction sand and dirt flowing into the sea. I felt sad.

Because it was a one-lane road and there was a car coming behind us, we couldn’t stop the car to closely examine the situation, but I did feel something that wasn’t good. A lot of dilemmas in a place like this, I suppose.

People come for clear blue water and tropical resort, but comparing to the big cities the facilities aren’t “modern” enough so they complain. Those complaints urge Okinawa to commercialize and undertake constructions and so on, but then the beauty of the nature people come for is more and more ruined. I dear hope it won’t be too late when people realize that this vicious cycle would come to a point where no one can return or put things back. It’s likely that if the current situation goes on, all they’re going to have is nothing different from what we have in giant cities.

Going back to my trip: Sesoko Beach on this sort of an isolated island connected with Okinawa Main Island with a bridge. Technically, it means that we’ve gone to an isolated island. Anyway.

When we crossed the bridge, beautiful water spread on both sides of us and, just, who cannot be hyper!? All we had to do was to follow the road leading us through sugar cane fields, and what we’ll see would have been a load of cars parked at the parking lot with people people and people...

WHERE ARE THEY!!!!???

And what!? “NO SWIMMING ALLOWED” ???
But we came all this way!

To be continued.

To the Beach on the Main Island

Giving up taking the tiny cessna that can only carry 9 passengers at a time, we headed to Sesoko Beach on the Okinawa Main Island after renting a car. We wanted to get a car at the small airport but we were sent back to the big one to get the car. The place we were carried to on a micro-bus was the world famous DTS located next to the airport. Needless to explain, the duty free shops.

I was just a bit confused thinking, “so is this where we get the car?” but as soon as we entered the building we found the counter right there. The thing I didn’t appreciate so much during the process of renting the car was that after we filled in the papers, they took our baggage to carry them for us (this part was ok) and lead us through the name brand shops to get to the parking lot. This was the only passage to the car. Yeah, I know it’s cheaper cuz no tax, but... so commercial.

But too bad, we weren’t interested in them the slightest bit so we walked straight to the parking lot. As we waited, it suddenly started to pour. The weather was rather calm that I had completely forgotten that we were under typhoon attack. Our faces made grimaces but thankfully the rain didn’t last. It was more like a squall than a typhoon, that was over by the time we got out of the DTS.

From the point, all we had in our minds was Sesoko Beach. Follow the car navigation guys, we’re on our way to paradise.

Went to Tokyo Game Show 2006!

Sorry, I know I haven’t finished with what I started, but I just want to say I went to see the Tokyo Game Show 2006 yesterday Sunday, this time not as one of the regular visitors but as media!! I will report the details on my website Japan Mode but let me give you my honest impression here: despite it is said to have gathered the largest number of visitors since it has started, I didn’t get so much of excitement out of it. I don’t know why – maybe it’s because PS3 isn’t so “new” in myself anymore, and maybe it’s because some of the mobile phones have high-tech games that are more high-tech high spec than the very first PlayStations. I guess part of it was because although it’s the Game Show, the mobile booths including KDDI (au) NTT DoCoMo and Vodafone (or Softbank) stood out quite conspicuously. That’s my honest comment. I’ll write about the rest on my site.

My travel notes will have to take a break today. Hopefully I’ll restart it tomorrow. Sorry and Thanks!

Cancelled? So what?

I was so shocked to see those four kanji saying “all boats cancelled” that I collapsed on the spot and sat there for a little while like a ragged doll. My friends who were also looking forward to this trip drooped their heads, but seemed like they switched their minds rather quickly and set out from the lobby complaining yet somewhat light-heartedly. As for myself, I was still trying to figure out a way to get to the islands cuz I felt kind of responsible for bringing them this far but not beyond, as much as I wanted to enjoy the island myself.

!?

I soon remembered that you can also go to that island by different means. It’s three times expensive and it’s super small, but there’s a plane!!! I clutched the phone as I anxiously called the airport, and then the answer I got was like a gift from Santa Clause.

“Yes, it’s still flying.”

Guys, we’re off to the airport!!

So now, we got to the airport with high spirit (especially myself) and headed straight to the tiny tiny ticket counter at the very corner of the lobby.... just to find out that everybody else who were supposed to take the plane decided to cancel. ALL of them. I guess they feared to welcome the giant typhoon on a remote, isolated island that’s barely on the map.

It was then when a chubby white guy came along accompanied by an interpreter who kind of resembled Horiemon (that’s the ex-chief executive if Livedoor). It looked like he was going to this island no matter what. Soon I learned that he’s a professional diver. But he was despairing that even if he did make it to the island, there’d be no boats to take him off the coast to dive.

Seeing him, I felt the responsibility of bringing my friends who have never by then been to Okinawa and came along just because I asked them and it was their first time, and not only that, they’re first time skin divers. Concerning their safety, I understood that I had to be patient and give up on going to a place that could be very dangerous.

If I am to give up, do so manly! So now, we decided to rent a car. I thought that we could at least enjoy Naha City sightseeing and perhaps swim just a bit in the calm water of the main island Okinawa.

So next week, the story goes on to the looong story of my useless resistance.