Kurashi - News From Japan

It snowed a lot today in the Tokyo region, according to the news with over 300 traffic accidents and 15 injuries so far. Most people are not used to extreme weather conditions, and not prepared. We got about 20 cm here northwest of the capital which is the most I have experienced since moving here. National Geographics cites a fresh report that may explain the unstable weather conditions - could it be due to melting ice in the Arctic: Some scientists have speculated that such harsh winters might be a result of disappearing Arctic sea ice, which reached a record low in 2007 due to global warming, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center. To test that theory, scientists entered data about Arctic sea ice and sea-surface temperatures into a climate model created by the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research. The results pinpointed two mechanisms for how a decline in sea ice could lead to more snowfall. For one, major sea ice loss could alter how air circul...

Here is to hoping that Greece will get through its current financial problems. We all deserve better. OK, it may require some downsizing and a lot less consumption, and no certain outcomes. We have all lived at levels way above what this planet can sustain, especially in the so-called developed world. Turns out, we need to develop other skills, such as humility, compassion, love. Image from The Telegraph , of an ad placed in The Wall Street Journal, by a consortium of leading Greek business people who have launched an advertising campaign titled Give Greece a Chance. Note: this could happen to any country. It could happen to you. It could happen to Japan. The advert reads: Greece has committed to the toughest austerity program in modern history. Hefty tax hikes, pension and wage cuts have reduced the primary budget deficit from €24.7 billion to €5.2 billion in just two years... but with a dramatic impact on the life of every Greek. A new set of measures was recently...

Interesting news from Taiwan, where local farmers and consumers are up in arms against US pressure on Taipei to lift its ban on US pork and beef. The reason is a growth promoting chemical called ractopamine, that is banned in almost all countries around the world, including Canada, the EU and Japan. Taiwan and China are trying to keep their zero threshold on this possibly dangerous substance, but US trade negotiators are now bringing out the big guns. The way Japan has solved the dilemma is to allow imports of some US meat, but ban the use of ractopamine in domestic Japanese pork and beef production. Ractopamine, a beta-agonist, works in a weird way to make the meat more "lean" while also causing all kinds of side effects in the pigs and cattle. A similar substance, clenbuterol, is banned world-wide. While the US allows 50 ppb, Japan has set a stricter food safety standard limit at 10 ppb. I don't know exactly how much testing of imported US meat is done, but I assume the...

I have recently been fascinated by the period of time in 1936 and 1937, before Japan's war in China broke out. It was an era of disaster waiting to happen, yet also beauty and cultural achievements, not to mention all the technological breakthroughs (such as the April, 1937 flight from Tokyo to Paris and London by "Japan's Lindbergh," pilot Masaaki Iinuma from Nagano). We have films and music from that era that help us understand, to some degree, the emotions and hopes of the individuals whose fate would be determined by the war, rather than peace. Oh well, it is all 75 years ago, who cares? Well, watch this clip from The New Earth (Japanese title 新しき土, Atarashiki Tsuchi, German title Die Tochter Des Samurai), and you will probably be moved. It starts in Hiroshima on Miyajima, at Itsukushima Shrine. Still a wonderful location. Amazing to see it the way it looked back then, complete with sacred deer and with no tourists... The actress is Setsuko Hara, born 1920. The f...

Early this morning, I awoke, noticing that it had snowed during the night. It was already the time of the day when the sun was getting serious about its business. I knew that if I got up and brought my camera, I might be able to catch a few images. Snow is that rare around these parts, these days. Around here, there are a lot of old temples, and graveyards. Early in the morning, the temples ring their bells. Other places seem almost abandoned. Just some stone images remain, collecting dust, or snow. Looking very solemn, beautiful, in the early light.

Defense Minister Tanaka, on the right, deeply bowing to Hirokazu Nakaima, Governor of Okinawa (left). How long will this farce go on? Sankei.com

Hope you are all surrounded by great people, someone special, here is Maia Hirasawa's new hit, The Best Team. I saw this on the huge HD video screen near Takadanobaba station, walking back from work at Consumers Union of Japan late one night a few days ago. More about Maia in Japanese here . Just a year ago, she was recording Boom! for the new Kyushu Shinkansen , a terrific tune. En, två, tre... Lycka till!! Update: The original video for the Boom! Kyushu Shinkansen start for March 12, 2011 has been added, here it is: One comment is, that it was so sad that this was not able to be aired in March back then, due to the Earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011. "I am moved to tears," writes teruterubouzu126, and "I got to like this song a lot, thanks for the translation," says ft2465. "How many times have I watched this, I'm still so moved!" writes 506tks. There is also a 25 minutes long video of the entire trip from Fukuoka City to Kagoshima, throug...