Kurashi - News From Japan

And now for something completely different... I did my democratic duty over at the Swedish Embassy in Roppongi, and voted in the Swedish elections. Then walked back towards Shibuya since the weather was ok, just a light drizzle, but after the heat we had (global warming/climate change/weird weather, anyone?) it is so nice to be able to spend some quality time outdoors again. Then in Aoyama, I noticed a camera crew, and a small showroom, and a car. The all-electric Tesla is in Tokyo, and events will start to take off from September 4. I think I may have been one of very few in Japan who got to sit in a Tesla, today! Took some photos too. Yu Yamasaki, product specialist at Tesla, was more than helpful. I don't own a car and don't intend to, and yet, if you really need mobility of this kind, the Tesla could very well be a good option. Rather this than some awful SUV. I don't think there is much of a future in private car ownership, but hey, I've been saying t...

Wonderful, wonderful program from NHK World about a lake just 60 km north of Tokyo, probably not very well known to Tokyoites, but it has its charms. Lake Kasumigaura is actually an ancient lagoon but the current lake was created some 50 years ago when a dam helped set the borders of what was to be water, and what was to be land. However, that also changed the conditions of the area, a lot. NHK World shows wonderful, wonderful lotus plantations, and fishing experiences in the old style Hobiki-sen boats... Just an hour or two from the nation's capital. Wonderful, wonderful... NHK World: Journeys in Japan However, (Kurashi taking a deep breath...) NHK World fails to take any notice the huge environmental issues that this lake, Japan's second largest after Lake Biwa, continues to face. Why gloss over the realities? Why NHK World producers, and foreigners participating in this game, cannot raise even the most simple questions about what ordinary people here in Japan on...

The good people trying to stop the Maglev train line between Shinagawa and Nagoya are holding several large meetings this fall, starting on August 30 at Wako University in Tsurukawa (Odakyu Line). The theme is to learn from the network that protested against environmental destruction near Mt. Takao in Tokyo, and the experiences from the lawsuit against the Ken-O Highway construction. On September 13 a symposium will be held in Yamanashi, and on October 13 in Tokyo (with long-term Japan resident Arthur Binard, activist and poet from the US). The Linear Citizens NET is a group with branches in all the affected prefectures (J).They are concerned about the environmental destruction, the threat to water resources, and other pollution concerns (such as the huge amounts of trucks that will be needed to remove gravel during the tunnel construction). Also, there is much doubt that there will be any financial gains at all for the people affected. Construction is expected to continue we...

I have been hearing good things about permaculture but I'm less inclined to agree that animal husbandry can be integrated in any such endeavor... Ken sayz… Personally for me permaculture is about just enough and finding contentment, not exerting energy to make money. I like that it’s focused on rebuilding the top soil and growing perennials and growing food and transforming yards into useful spaces, making everything have multiple functions. To me permaculture is not just about making it in the current economy, it’s about planning for a future economy after unsustainable practices fail and leave us with nothing but the more sustainable ones, which is something that I think young adults today will see as they grow old. Which made me come up this story, or parable, or fable, of our times: Once upon a time... there was a city boy in his early thirties who moved to the hills to farm with his young wife. They started small and that all went well for a while. Th...

I should have posted this, they made a regular movie out of the anime Silver Spoon... So Hachiken, this regular Tokyo city kid goes to agricultural college in Hokkaido, and learns to love animals, and the rest that humans do to them... He reluctantly finds out what most people prefer not to know about, like how eggs are "made" or what happens to cute piglets when they get big and fat and... Well, if you read Kurashi, you most likely know the rest of the story! Enjoy... if that's the word ;) Music by Sukima Switch 銀の匙 Silver Spoon 2014 映画 予告編 I kind of prefer the anime version, though! 銀之匙 片尾曲 - Hello Especially 

Some of my veggies did good this summer, in spite of the insane heat due to the typhoons in early August. Now, things are back to normal, somehow. Climate change indeed, I don't remember typhoons in August when I first arrived on these shores. Warm, yes, but not so hot and humid. My corn was alright, very sweet and lovely after a 10 minute boil. No salt needed. But I did really well with the purple cabbage/cucumber/carrots while lucking out in the ruccula department - they just self-seeded since last year. Bitter, tasty, my new favourite greens. With a drop of vinegar, if you must :) Even if you just have a balcony, do try to grow something. You will learn the basics, know when to water, and look forward to the harvest. Write a poem, enjoy the change of seasons. Simple as that. I'm sad to see new houses being built with ample parking space for cars, and no garden. Bad. We need to quit the asphalt and go for the soil and compost. Learn to live with your own ve...

Well, I hope that's a headline that grabs your attention. It turns out that NHK World has started making many of its best shows available on the Internet, in English. These are really top programs about Japanese culture, society, and more. Since almost no anime survives on Youtube due to copyrights, catch some rare shows here! This month there are also several programs related to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Also, I like that many of these programs were not tweaked especially for foreign viewers, but we get a chance to see "ordinary" Japanese TV programs, so to speak. All dubbed, although I like subtitles better, but that's just a personal opinion. Do explore! Daily schedule August schedule here Archives Asia Music Network (Top image from a program about farmer Kiyoko Ojima, "who teaches techniques for growing vegetables to the people who used to be unemployed, and some were even homeless. She hopes that harvesting vegetables will give these people a s...

Vegetarian ? Not really. I won't eat these until I know what they are really made of. Tofu nuggets at McDonalds in Japan? Is the soy non-GMO or not? Plus the oil must be as bad as usual. Yet, If you want to try to avoid meat, it is a step, but it still includes fish. The Japanese division of the world’s largest burger chain introduced a new nugget snack this week: Tofu Shinjo Nuggets, made up of tofu and vegetables in Shinjo, a dumpling-like food made up of fish paste and starch. The tofu nuggets will hit Japanese locations Wednesday. “The new nuggets do not include any chicken,” but are made from ingredients that include onions, soybeans, carrots and minced fish, a spokeswoman at McDonald’s Japan told the Wall Street Journal. "Because it isn’t meat, it tastes a bit different. It’s a bit softer. Calorie-wise, it is a bit lower than chicken as well.” Christian Science Monitor: Tofu McNuggets? McDonald’s Japan launches new snack amid expired meat scare. McDonald...