Kurashi - News From Japan

If you like traditional Japanese food, you will love this film. How did the current amazing food culture here evolve? Well, we'll never know exactly, but Japan created a food culture that recently got UNESCO status. I agree with that, but I would also like to know more about what people ate back in the old days. Much of it came from the Buddhist temples, but here we have a fresh take on what made it all available to a lot of people. Bushi no Kondate (Recipes of the Samurai) was released here on December 14, 2013 and I love all of it. The Japanese website has all kinds of bells and whistles, do explore bushikon . The film illustrates dishes for all sorts of occasions—tai no karamushi (steamed sea bream stuffed with a mixture of okara bean-curd lees, pine nuts, ginkgo nuts, lotus root and others) for a wedding banquet; jibuni, which is a local stew containing duck meat or chicken, vegetables and sudare-fu (a type of wheat gluten) with soy sauce, sugar and other seasonings; a...

Preferring the rural to the urban? Happen to be more happy in the countryside? Farm rather than firm? Could that be "hard-wired" into your brain? Interesting piece of work by psychologists, who decided to take a look at how we are all trying to cope with our environment. While I have issues with the language, the study is interesting. I don't feel "hard-wired" but I do prefer trees to concrete. Thanks (as always) to Tom for finding. If you live in a mansion (apartment) in a high rise building in a city like Tokyo, Seoul or Beijing, you are obviously not in touch with what your brain is prepared to deal with. Make that London or New York, or wherever. Or Rio. Or Kiev. Or Stockholm. No wonder so much of the news is just about issues that do not really matter. People living in superlarge cities will find it more and more difficult to secure food, energy, news, "feeling at peace" than before. Rural vs. urban may become the most serious battle, on...

Get the latest Japanese newsletter from Consumers Union of Japan, in Japanese . CUJ was founded back in 1969 and has been an independent voice for a long time. Do check out the CUJ history, in English . I remember how proud we were when we got the NPO legislation status. Our main focus has been on the UN Convention of Biological Diversity, and the WTO, and the TPP. We also care about food labels and other cases of consumer fraud. Consumers Union of Japan (CUJ) is a politically and financially independent non-governmental organization (NGO). CUJ is funded by membership fees, sales of its publications and donations. CUJ was founded in April 1969 as Japan's first nationwide grassroots consumer organization. It was officially certified as a non-profit organization on May 1, 2006 by the new Japanese NPO legislation. NPO, NGO... these are the ways the government tries to keep people at bay. But Consumers Union of Japan and its many campaigns have managed to stay independent ov...

... but a month later, NHK World reports that almost 4 million people are still displaced by the November 8 typhoon. NHK World: 4 mil. still displaced in typhoon-hit Philippines Almost 4 million people are still living in shelters in the Philippines one month after the year's most powerful typhoon hit the country. Typhoon Haiyan swept through the country's central region on November 8th, bringing torrential rain and storm surges. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council says 5,796 people are confirmed dead and 1,779 others remain missing. On Sunday, people in the affected areas attended Masses. In Tacloban, the main city of hard-hit Leyte Island, hundreds of people gathered at a local church from early in the morning and prayed for the victims. The island's coastal regions still lack electricity and running water. The Philippine government and international organizations are continuing relief activities, distributing supplies and ...

I was interviewed today about food safety by ABC Radio and it should be broadcast in Australia on Wednesday. If Kurashi has any readers down under perhaps you will be able to catch it and tell me how I did. I like radio, and sometimes quote Ralph Nader from back when he was a consumer advocate who used to say that local radio is the most important channel to reach people. Might have been so before facebook and twitter and mixi and whatnot. But I still do like radio. Also, just back from The Philippines and a great meeting with Third World Network in Quezon City, near Manilla. Photo attached shows how seriously in 12 Asian countries we all take the issue of genetic engineering and the onslaught by American (Monsanto) and Swiss (Syngenta) and German (BASF, Bayer) corporations that aim to take over the world's food supply through patents and immoral practices. Be it rice or eggplant, they want to control it. And next is animal genetic resources, as ETC Group pointed out during ...

Just a personal note here from Koinzan Saihoji, the Moss Temple of western Kyoto, which I had reason to visit today. Didn't know it was the site of a villa (abode? hut? cottage? retreat?) of Prince Shotoku, then lots of water under the bridges, then more gardening mumbo-jumbo until Zen priest Muso took up residence and constructed this marvelous place. But I digress. But before I stop digressing, I should add that 120 kinds of moss thrives here, something for all of you fans of biological diversity. I have had reason to visit it frequently, as a matter of fact, and they recognize me there. Today, the kind fellow in a distinguished cloak greeting us at the gate to check if we have the proper post card which allows us to enter or not, later found me sitting in one of the garden's many resting places. He approached me and asked, again as a matter of fact, if I knew the Swedish lyrics of jazz standard Dear Old Stockholm . Well, there I am, enjoying the 120 different kinds of...

A great enka singer has passed away and it was big news. Her tunes were in movies from the 1950s, and here is her big hit, Jinsei Iro Iro. 死んでしまおうなんて　悩んだりしたわ バラもコスモスたちも　枯れておしまいと 髪を短くしたり　強く小指をかんだり 自分ばかりを責めて　泣いてすごしたわ ねぇおかしいでしょ　若いころ ねぇ滑稽(こっけい)でしょ　若いころ 笑いばなしに　涙がいっぱい 涙の中に　若さがいっぱい 人生いろいろ　男もいろいろ 女だっていろいろ　咲き乱れるの I once wanted to die and I was really in trouble. I needed no roses nor cosmos flowers and wished they would all die away. I often cut my hair short and bit my finger. I thought I would be blamed alone and kept crying all day long. Don't you think now that was youth itself? There were things so funny when we were young. We cried so often for every story. And there was always a lot of youth in our tears. There are many kinds of men and there are many kinds of women. So we women are once in a while free to enjoy our lives. (...) Here is a rare live version with Mori Masako (left). Mori-san breaks down, the lyrics must be too cl...

If you wish to protest against Japan's proposed State Secrecy Law, this is your chance. NGOs are asking people to send fax or mail messages to opposition politicians who are trying to stop the bill: Please send a message to express your concern about the new State Secrecy Law by November 7, 2013 The proposed State Secrecy Law will most likely be adopted this week by Japan’s Parliament, where the LDP can get a majority together with Komeito. However, many opposition lawmakers are trying to rally against the bill. They need your support! Please express your concern for how this new Law may violate people’s right to know. The clauses in the proposed Law are very vague on what exactly a “state secret” may be. It goes against democratic principles and at different events, answers to questions have not been properly answered. We call for citizens and people living in Japan to send the following demands to the leaders of the oppositions parties: 1. The proposed National S...

I just love this tune. Free, now that is a word that we all need to consider more carefully. We need to stay free, stay cool, develop our aura, find ways to master the way of forgiveness, and maybe how to forget. And maybe how to find a way to continue to give. Not just let go but also hang on to the important stuff. Anyone has a better way to define "free" in words? Maybe it cannot be done. I am glad we have gals like Kaori Kobayashi giving it a try, musically.

Enjoy your Culture Day evening, everyone. First, Miles Davis, from a performance in Tokyo 1987. Some 8 minutes of pure loveliness. (Thanks Per Bodner for the Miles Davies biography.) Then, if you think you like jazz, finding his performances in Tokyo and Kyoto back in 1964 is a real treat. From back before everything went electric. Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Sam Rivers on altsax. Here are the tracks (click on the mp3 files for the sound): Tokyo, July 12, 1964: http://ia700305.us.archive.org/12/items/MilesDavis1964-07-12HibayaYagaiTokyoJapan/ Kyoto, July 15, 1964: http://ia700309.us.archive.org/3/items/MilesDavis1964-07-15MaruyamaKyotoJapan/ Found here . Isn't the Internet amazing?

I believe in education... I remember learning about the Barsebäck nuclear reactors near my home town Malmö back when I was 10 years old, and when I tried to help collect signatures, one posh lady said, "Horrible, the anti-nuke people are using children to promote their opinion" and I remember distinctly how angry I got, "no, I'm not just a child, I am not being used...." It was my future that lady was dismissing. Survival knowledge: Fourth-graders discuss the health effects of radiation exposure at Akagi Elementary School in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, on Feb. 21. | MIZUHO AOKI PHOTOS Children taught radiation studies The Japan Times: Nuke education now compulsory subject in schools in Fukushima A group of elementary school students in Koriyama, about 60 km from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant, may only be 10 years old, but they possibly know more about radiation than fo...

From the dictionary Redact: to select or adapt (as by obscuring or removing sensitive information) for publication or release; broadly : edit. 3. : to obscure or remove (text) from a document  ... Over at Consumers Union of Japan we have come across this on several occasions, including our request to get details about Japan's handling of mad cow disease (BSE) and related documents, pertaining to beef imports from certain countries, and GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms), and synthetic growth hormones (rBHG), where our experts finally in some cases were able to access data, but not allowed to photo copy it, thus had to endure a long process of writing it all down by hand. POLITICO Pro October 25, 2013 4:13 PM   Lawmakers rail against USTR’s use of the black marker By Adam Behsudi 10/25/13 4:12 PM EDT Rep. Alan Grayson couldn’t believe the response he got when he asked the top U.S. trade official to provide the negotiating positions of the o...

For a long time I felt that the general public - consumers - are kept out of the loop of this financial crisis we are supposedly in. How about your home mortgage, how about buying that car with a loan.... Cardiac arrest of the entire system... Better think twice? Two great films: Inside Job (2010) Inside Job provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China. Too Big To Fall (2011) A close look behind the scenes, between late March and ...

If you eat fish, here is news about how climate change may be influencing catches of salmon and amberjack, as seasonal catches seem to be all confused. Add to that the many typhoons this year. Update 1 : The two typhoons on their way this week will be doing the Fujiwara Interaction , probably during the weekend. Watch out... But first, a cool video of the old Big Catch Dance... You do of course understand that all eating of living beings involve that awkward moment of what we call culling or slaughter. Such rather ancient words we have little connection with. But in the video, they quickly make it clear just how you have to "kill" those large, beautiful creatures after pulling them into your boat. I like the honesty... Mostly, today, slaughterhouses ban and forbid filming or photographing of such event, be it for cattle, pigs, chicken. Not fair. Not to you, the consumer, and certainly not fair to the animals/victims. Here is another great dance performance, from Chib...

I was really impressed by Funkist today this afternoon at the Hibiya Park Soil & Peace Festival event that was not cancelled in spite of the 27th typhoon hitting Tokyo: lots of rain as the band played on to a happy crowd. Here is a slow acoustic version of Ai No Uta (Love Song) from back when flutist Yoko Kasugai was still with the band. RIP. Funkist.info (J) has more And here is a fun amateur video (but pls pls pls don't zoom so much back and forth!!) from the 2009 Hibiya Soil & Peace event. Nice version of their hit Shiroi Sekai (White World). And here is a short clip from the 2008 event - note how vocalist Souya Saigo quips that the event uses no nuclear power, all renewables, 3 years before you-know-what happened.

Soil & Peace Festival 2013 There will be a Soil & Peace Festival in Hibiya Park, Tokyo on Sunday October 20, 2013. Starting at 10:00 hundreds of farmers and activists and artists will hold a great event until the evening. A great opportunity to meet your favourite NGOs and learn more about organic food, anti-nuclear campaigns and the future of Japan. Look forward to lots of inspiration! Music by Katou Tokiko and many others throughout the day, starting with a taiko performance by Gocco . Website with more info (J) here   International Film Festival on Organic Farming The 7th organic film festival will be held in Tokyo on November 23-24, 2013. This will be a great opportunity to catch up with recent trends and watch documentaries from Japan and abroad. The theme this year is “Holding on to the Soil” to refelct the hardships many farmers are experiencing, with special focus on Okinawa and Fukushima. Location: Hosei Unive...

...over Tokyo, likely to affect Chiba, Ibaraki, Miyagi and Fukushima as well. It should get extremely bad in the morning of Wednesday Oct. 16 from 6am so don't expect trains to be running. If you worry, get a delay certificate * paper slip at your station and show your boss. Since 2012, you can also do it digitally from your mobile phone/iPhone/web. Even better: Stay home, stay safe. Might be over by noon. I kind of like how the heavy rain pounds my roof as I get to sleep. Nature is powerful, we had better remember it. We are one with this planet if we let go of some of our fears. This is one big one, the "largest in 10 years" or so we are told. Here are some safety precaution measures suggested by ANN: Image of delay slips from odcanime , who had JR trouble when studying design back in Osaka. *  電車遅延証明書 densha chien shoumei sho

If you can make it, do join this important conference in Osaka on Monday, October 14. Via Global Article 9 :  Invitation to the Global Article 9 Conference in Kansai 2013 Article 9 of Japan's Constitution states that Japan renounces both war and military capability. This article has unique value in today's global society. Across the world, more and more countries are adopting pacifist constitutions that not only prohibit war in favor of peaceful resolution of conflicts, but also ban weapons of mass destruction – including nuclear weapons. Having experienced the horrors of World War II, Japan's adoption of Article 9 is one of the earliest manifestations of such a legal norm. The preamble to the Japanese Constitution guarantees the right to live in peace, an important concept that overlaps with the notion of the Human Right to Peace which is currently being debated by the United Nations Human Rights Council. In spite of this, the Japanese Prime Ministe...

The guy is almost 90, he has done so much good for Vietnam and the world. Martin Luther King (who was awarded the Prize in 1964) wrote and recommended him back in 1967, a year when no one was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. The Mindfulness Bell: Exiled from Vietnam, he traveled to the U.S. where he made the case for peace to federal and Pentagon officials including Robert McNamara. He may have changed the course of U.S. history when he persuaded Martin Luther King, Jr. to oppose the Vietnam War publicly, and so helped galvanize the peace movement. The following year, King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Subsequently Nhat Hanh led the Buddhist delegation to the Paris Peace Talks.  A lot of water under the bridge since then. When will the Oslo people ever get it right, again? Good interview with super-famous Oprah Winfrey, bless her: January 25, 1967 The Nobel Institute Drammesnsveien 19 Oslo, NORWAY ...

Great photo by Hideki Domoto, who ...set his camera’s exposure time at 15 minutes, enabling the camera to capture the movement of the stars. The photo shows the stars as circles in the night sky with the polar star at the center. At the far left of the mountain, one of shooting stars of the Perseid meteor shower leaves a trace of light. From The-Japan-News.com