Kurashi - News From Japan

Wishing all my friends and family, and everyone who reads Kurashi, a very happy new 2013. Everyone of you is special. Enjoy this beautiful slideshow video with images from Nonin-ji, a temple with a 500 year history here in my parts of the wood in rural Saitama, Japan.

This time of year, a lot of people have a brief opportunity to go abroad, and this year, the holiday is a little longer than usual. Exodus , indeed. This year, many people are taking advantage of an extended nine-day break. The last day of business for most companies is Friday. Next week, Jan 1-3 are national holidays and many companies have given employees Friday Jan 4 off as well, adding up to a nine-day holiday. I just talked to my uncle Sven, 82 years old, who is healthier than most, he is on a LCHF diet to avoid trouble. Did I mention, avoid meat? Which reminded me of this classic movie clip, the Marx Brothers from Monkey Business. Do keep your passports with you, at all times. Glad to know that my family is healthy. And, always that sense of humour. Here is a clip that Panadabonium sent, boy, I am so lucky to have friends that care. Do watch at least twice, and why not send it along to someone you care about.

As the year of Heisei 24 is about to end, another Prime Minister goes to Fukushima to watch the damage, meet the people, and try to get to grips with something like an energy policy that will work for Japan. We are all of course watching, not sure what we would do were we in his plastic-bag-covered shoes!? The clean-up at Fukushima after its tsunami-sparked nuclear meltdowns is unlike anything humanity has ever tried, Japan’s prime minister said Saturday during a tour of the plant. “The massive work toward decommissioning is an unprecedented challenge in human history,” the newly-elected Shinzo Abe said. “Success in the decommissioning will lead to the reconstruction of Fukushima and Japan.” Dressed in a protective suit and wearing a face mask, Abe was taken by bus to see two of the damaged reactors. Thanking workers for their efforts at this time of year, when many people are celebrating New Year at home with their families, he said: “Decommissioning work is hard...

That old broken radio, a song that some of you may remember from the early 1990s. I don't think I have seen this video, isn't Youtube great. Music and lyrics by Hideaki Tokunaga   作詩：徳永英明 作曲：徳永英明 何も聞こえない　何も聞かせてくれない 僕の身体が昔より　大人になったからなのか ベッドに置いていた　初めて買った黒いラジオ いくつものメロディーが　いくつもの時代を作った ※思春期に少年から　大人に変わる 道を探していた　汚れもないままに 飾られた行きばのない　押し寄せる人波に 本当の幸せ教えてよ　壊れかけのRadio※ いつも聞こえてた　いつも聞かせてくれてた 窓ごしに空をみたら　かすかな勇気が生まれた ラジオは知っていた　僕の心をノックした 恋に破れそうな胸　やさしい風が手を振った 華やいだ祭りの後　静まる街を背に 星を眺めていた　けがれもないままに 遠ざかる故郷の空　帰れない人波に 本当の幸せ教えてよ　壊れかけのRadio ギターを弾いていた　次のコードも判らずに 迷子になりそうな夢　素敵な歌が導いた (※くり返し) 華やいだ祭りの後　静まる街を背に 星を眺めていた　けがれもないままに 遠ざかる故郷の空　帰れない人波に 本当の幸せ教えてよ　壊れかけのRadio 遠ざかる溢れた夢　帰れない人波に 本当の幸せ教えてよ　壊れかけのRadio   Translation I can't hear anything from you, you're not telling me anything My body has grown into an adults since way back then The first black radio that I bought, and took into bed with me So many melodies have made up so many eras Changing from a boy going t...

Just a song I happen to like, from September, 1991. He's from Fukuoka, I'll have to start a new label just because of that. Hideaki Tokunaga also released this wonderful tune in April, 2011, about the quiet ocean, and its violence... Tasogare wo Tomete (Stop the Twilight)

Since main stream media will not do the math, I thought I would give it a try. There used to be 54. But, four at Fukushima Dai-ichi are gone due the the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. Major meltdowns. Do we have 2, or 10, or 20, or more nuclear reactors that could actually do the job, in Japan? What is their status? Let's start with a map, found on wikipedia. Then, let's go from north to south. Tomari Three reactors, the only plant in Hokkaido. "...the Tomari power facility in Hokkaido, said that it could not rule out the possibility that the plant was vulnerable." Source NHK World 20120229 and JAIF (pdf). So, 50-3=47 Higashidori So,  only one reactor, but more planned. Now, this is where things tend to get interesting: Although the plant was in maintenance shutdown during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami , the April 7th aftershock caused the loss of all external power and the plant had to switch to backup power to supply cooling...

I'm going to keep this short as more details will no doubt be forthcoming after LDP and New Komeito form a government, having won the majority in Sunday's election. What can be noted right off the bat is that no party managed to ride any kind of anti-nuclear power wave to victory. Even the real-deal renewable energy activists like Iida Tetsunari could not get enough votes to get a seat in Parliament. That's pretty lousy, he could have done a lot of good. Anti-nuclear power parties missed this opportunity to explain to voters how Japan can manage short-term and long-term without the now unused power plants, that have been stopped one by one during 2012 for scheduled inspections, and not been restarted, except for two (at Ohi near Kyoto) out of some 50 or so (not counting the four at Fukushima Dai-ichi, three of which exploded after the massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011). Meanwhile, experts have been able to look closer at possible seismic faults under ...