Certified

The Ojika City Tourist Association has created an entertainment program run by "Namahage Evangelists." Ojika City is in Akita Pref. and is home to a unique event called "Hamahage" -- a traveling show of actors reenacting plays of demons and folk tales. The show moves from house to house in the city, exposing kids to the rich cultural heritage of Ojika peninsula -- and sometimes scaring kids in the process!
To become a certified evangelist, you need to pass on exam -- the first of its kind in Japan. Hopeful actors sit the exam on Nov 27 each year. Questions include knowledge about the history of Namahage, facts about the performance, and origins of the masks. Prior to sitting the exam, applicants must join a tour of the Namahage museum and attend 3 and half hours of lectures.
In certification crazy Japan, a program like this is probably a good idea and a possible blueprint for other villages and cities around Japan which are suffering from migration to the cities.
If you're interested in graduating as a Namahage evangelist, the application fee is JPY3,000 and lecture JPY3,000. Reservations can be made by calling 0185-24-4700!

Haircut

As most of you might have seen on the way to visit clients or coming to work, there are many beauty parlors around this area. Obviously they're making enough money to stay here, which means thousands of people go to have their hair fashioned, constantly.
For those fashion conscious people, especially busy women, there's a very convenient beauty parlor that has just opened in Shibuya. It opens from noon to 8:00 A.M. the following morning. It's called FREEVE and is located in Dogenzaka.
So, if you suddenly decide to change your hairstyle around midnight, or didn't have time to stop somewhere else before closing time, you can try this place regardless of the hour!

Tokyo's neon lights never turn off and it's difficult to experience pitch darkness these days. Can you even remember what it is like being in perfect darkness?
"Dialog in the Dark 2004 Tokyo" - is an exhibition running until Sep 4 in Aoyama, Tokyo. It's a very unique workshop that lets you experience pitch darkness and recover your balance of the five senses.
Human beings depend on their visual sense to receive 80% of their external sensory information. If you lose your eyesight, what is it like? Surely you must have had a taste of the fear and anxiety when surrounded by complete darkness. After a period of time, though, you overcome (apparently) the anxiety and you instinctively try using your hands to touch and feel your environment. You will also smell things around you and feel the air flows. Basically your non-sight senses sharpen, and you start to feel something you would never be able to feel while sighted.
At this exhibition, your eyes are covered and you are lead by visually impaired people in a small group of 10 for an hour. You get to listen to water flows, enjoy a drink at a bar counter, etc. Since this remarkable exhibition started in Germany in 1989, it has been held in over 14 nations and over 100 cities, and has had more than 2 million attendees.
If you're interested in attending, you can purchase tickets from this website.

Keeping Cool

It's been hot here in Tokyo with average of 35C (approx 95F) degrees, and until this last week, it didn't fall below than 30C (approx 86F) degrees at night for days on end. Every day, the news announcements say that quite a number of people were taken to hospitals suffering from heat stroke. It really makes me wonder if this is just global warming or something else.
When you go outside, you might notice most building air conditioning facilities blow hot air straight out on to the street. In addition, the road re-radiates solar energy, automobiles emit auto exhaust, and in Tokyo at least, there is little green nor dirt to lessen the impact of such heat.
Well, here's something you can do to cool down the city. Sprinkle water! There's an event you can join without going out or costing you money: "Uchimizu Daisakusen (Water Sprinkling Operation)" is scheduled from Aug 18 - 25. The concept is simple - sprinkle water around your house, work place, town, etc., at noon during this period.
The first city-wide experiment was conducted last year, and researchers found that if 1m people were to sprinkle water at the same time, Tokyo's temperature would drop an estimated 2C degrees. Uchimizu isn't anything new, but rather a tradition that people left behind when they modernized. You might still see some elder people sprinkle waters mornings and early evenings in your old neighborhood.
Uchimizu is simple. Just use a bucket, or a bottle, or any kind
of water container, and sprinkle the water on the ground,
street, or even the walls of your house/apartment. Using tap
water is not recommended, since it is a waste of a natural
resource. However, using non-potable water, such as the cooling
water from your air conditioners, bath tub, rain water, etc.,
does just fine.

Natto

July 10 is the day of Natto (fermented soybeans), one of the most unliked foods by foreigners. The date is simply a translation of the word into the Japanese number/counting system. That is: July is seven -> "na"; 10th is ten -> "to". I'm sure most of you who are non-Japanese have at some time been challenged to eat this very sticky and slightly smelly food by a Japanese friend. Well, it may surprise you to know that many Japanese, including myself, don't like Natto, either. Although, Terrie tells me that his 3 daughters living in New Zealand, love it and eat as much as they can when they holiday here in Japan???!
Have you ever had a situation where a food you've always despised suddenly doesn't taste so bad? Maybe it's just a function of maturing taste buds, but I wish that the day would come, because Natto is really quite good for you.
Indeed, these days you don't have to eat Natto to get the health benefits. Did you know that there are Natto soaps, Natto essences, Natto lotions, Natto bath salts, etc. Also, you can try unique versions of Natto these days -- such as: black bean Natto, scent-free Natto, etc. Hmmm, scent-free...
what they really need is stickiness-free, then maybe I'd like it!

So Young

Japanese television viewers were greeted with shocking news a few weeks ago when an 11-year old girl in the 6th grade killed a 12-year old classmate during the lunch break at their elementally school, using a paper cutter. The murder motive is still under investigation, but its looks like a simple case of taunting and revenge. The highlight of the case apart from the youth of the suspect is that the taunting was apparently conducted on the Internet. The suspected killer repeatedly asked the victim to stop making postings about her, but in vain.
Is this a enough reason to kill someone, especially at this age? Clearly for the suspect, it was. The Japanese media are now doing a lot of soul-searching, trying to decide whether the ability of being able to use the Internet has removed the elements of restraint and decorum from interpersonal relationships -- to the general determent of society...
All I know is that two lives were ruined in just the 6 grade.

Spirit of Travel

May 16 is Tourism Day, in honor of the famous Edo era's haiku poet, Basho. He started his trip, "Okuno Hosomichi" (A Haiku Journey: Narrow Road to a Far Province) in 1689 this day. His opening haiku of this trip is:
「月日は百代の過客にして、行きかふ年もまた旅人なり」
(The passing days and months are eternal travelers in time. The years that come and go are travelers too.)
He walked a total of 2,500km from Edo to Ogaki for 5 months, and made quite a number of famous haiku, most of which the Japanese know well.
As you've probably experienced, travel forces you into unusual situations and conditions and can literally be a trip to the extraordinary. Something primitive in you comes to the surface. Basho kept making haiku as they came to him, and following his instincts his talent was freed. Surprisingly, most of those sites that he visited and made haiku at still and have been preserved as they were. Needless to say, many people visit sites and follow his trail.
At one point, Basho quotes a monk, Kobo Daishi,
「古人の跡を求めず、古人の求めたる所を求めよ」
(Not seeking ancients' trace, seek where ancients' sought).
In this quote he discovered the truth that it is important to follow the spirit of the inherited wisdom of ancient times, not to just imitate it. As we promote tourism in Japan, I hope more people will come visit Japan to discover the spirit that this haiku saint found on his trek.

Business Morals

Bird flu is hitting Asia and damaging the major sector in the food industry, which had been on the verge of recovery after an earlier mad cow disease scare. One of the top players in the industry, Asada Nosan, which owns 6 chicken farms in Hyogo and Okayama, is at the center of a chicken flu scandal. Their chickens were suffering from the chicken flu and tens of thousands of birds had died from it. Asada Nosan didn't report the mysterious deaths for a few days, although chicken flu was already in the media everywhere. They insist they were planning to make a report, but the investigation came before they had a chance. Where the scandal comes in is that not only were they negligent in not reporting to the health authorities, but further they tried to sell most of their remaining live chickens and eggs as quickly as possible. It was found out, during the investigation, that some of the chicken and eggs made it to wholesalers and thus to the consumer markets.
Asada Nosan is guilty of a moral breach. Is this where Japanese business in general is headed? I assume they're afraid of causing a huge damage to their own business, but as a result, they ended up shutting down the firms and close the business. In addition, Kyoto Police is even thinking about pursuing the case in court. They're damaged not just business wise but socially. Hin sureba donsuru ("Poverty dulls the wit"). They sought easy money, without any hint of conscience. Consequently, the price they have to pay for this can be beyond their imagination.

Comedy Business

I hear the news says the job fair for the graduating students out number quite often due to the limited number of the job openings which is still the trend of most of the companies these days.
Yoshimoto Kogyo, the biggest entertainment company manages Japanese comedians located in Osaka will start charging those students for their company information session from next year. They usually have more than 1,000 attendees, but most of these are just banter. They hire less than 10. They're planning to cover the cost to open the session by charging the students.
At the same time, they'll have their own comedians to have their show during the session. That way, some of these attendees will like those comedians and become fan.
Well, this is the Osaka marchant's spirit, I thought. This plan is a good PR to them, they'll get money by the session, and also, it's purely a comedy show. Don't underestimate the power of Kansai....

Diet

Welcome back! After all the festivities, I guess it's now time for a diet!
These days' the trend in diets is definitely towards low-carbohydrate, high-protein menus, such as the Atkins or South Beach diets. These certainly work for some people -- like Bill Clinton, the former President of the United States.
As I recall, there has always been some trendy, effective diet that is taking the media by storm. They have been many and varied, including non-sugar, low-fat, decaf, etc. Now, even the fast food industry is looking into the lucrative diet market.
For example, KFC has announced that their fried chicken fits in perfectly with the low-carbohydrate and high-protein diet -- although as they admit on the side of each ad, "This is not a low-fat, low-sodium, low-cholesterol food." What???!
Probably a better example is Subway, which once featured in its ads proof that the menu is "diet fast food" by showing the case of Jared Fogle, a guy who ate a Subway turkey sandwich everyday and lost 245 pounds (about 110kg) in the process. Now Subway is going to start selling Atkins Diet-friendly wraps. They're made from special wheat and soy grains that are high in fiber and protein, but carry only one-third the carbohydrates.
I personally believe the diet is a matter of balancing food, exercise and life style, and those who want to lose wait should in fact avoid fast food altogether. Anyway, if you're on a diet, here are some examples of your breakfast at McDonalds':
1) a reduced-fat breakfast with less than 8 grams of fat -- such as an Egg McMuffin minus the cheese and butter.
2) For the low-carb dieter, a breakfast with less than 5 grams of carbohydrates would be a platter of double meat or eggs without the English muffin, biscuit or hash browns.
3) For those only counting calories, a breakfast of 300 calories or less would be an Egg McMuffin, a snack-size Fruit'n Yogurt Parfait or scrambled eggs with a plain English muffin.

Service

It's already December, and some of you are probably busy organizing Christmas and year-end parties. As a world-famous metropolis, Tokyo has variety of restaurants with a wide range of pricing and styles. It looks like "healing" is still the trend, and new stylish and modern restaurants with dim lighting are taking over from hard-core restaurants. Although, there are many around, it's getting harder to find a reasonable restaurant with the right mix. Many restaurants have cool decor but forget what good service is, or, the food is great but the drinks are made from canned juices or premixed cocktails, etc. Of course there are some restaurants where the shortcomings are not worth bothering about...
For example, one evening my husband and I went to a nice restaurant which has been in Tokyo quite a while. The price range was about mid-high, interior was nice and there were lots of flowers. But, the service was terrible.
Obviously they had a bunch of part-time waiters with very little experience. It made me wonder if the price I was paying made it worth eating here and I wanted to tell them what their problems were. Perhaps they could hire me as a service improvement consultant, paid by barter instead of cash. This seems to be another trend in business at the moment, and I'd be happy to provide some consulting services in this area...!

Recently some banks accept the signatures instead of seals (Hanko), but you will still encounter situations where you still you need to use a Hanko.
Originally the Hanko was an invention of the Sumerians, in Mesopotamia, back in BC4,000. In those days, seals were made from clay with distinctive patterns and were used to close off a cylinder containing a document. If the seal was broken, that meant someone had opened the package, and at the same time, the pattern on this seal was good luck charm.
In Japan, they introduced institutional Hankos in the 8th Century, but these died out as the government faded from power. Thereafter, people started using their own handwritten logos, which acted as signatures, called Kao (Flower Seal).
This system lasted hundreds of years, while there was stability and peace in the realm, but once the period of the Warring Sates started in the 16th century, Hanko came back into fashion -- because it was quicker.
Is the role of a Hanko as a good luck charm dead? Well, it's in the ink we use with Hanko. Vermilion ink (Shuniku) is made from vermilion diluted with castor oil. In ancient Japan, coffins were painted vermilion, because it was an excellent bug repellent and preserver, AND in addition it appeared that vermilion had magical properties. Namely, its color turns back to red even after being burned black in a fire. Thus, vermilion became the symbol for revitalization.
Then, how about Kao? We still use these unique signatures for formal documents. For example, the Prime Minister signs after his name on the document approving the choice of cabinet. You can see some examples of early Prime Ministers' Kao.

Nintendo

Nintendo stopped producing the Nintendo Famicon last September. The closure marked the end of two decades of game console history. In total the company sold 110m units globally. The reason Nintendo stopped production was that they've been having major problems buying the necessary parts, due to drastic changes going on in the electronics market.
Nintendo was definitely a historical icon. Before the first Famicon appeared, the size of Japanese game market was JPY180bn, but after Nintendo's release, the size swelled to JPY700bn. Globally, the game market in 2001 hit JPY1.45trn. That's quite a lot of cash!
I remember spending hours and hours with games such as Super Mario, Xevious, Metroid, Dragon Quest, etc. Infact, my parents were always complaining about the amount of time I spent on games. Today, these games look a bit boring, but they had a great concept which made up for the lack of computer graphics. Actually, some might say that games today are too realistic.
Recent research done here in Japan suggests that up to 60% of kids and young adults who are socially withdrawn are heavily dependent on computer games, and that the games may be damaging their ability to socialize with others.
I don't want to say that games in themselves are bad, because certainly there are much more addictive "things" in this world that the troubled mind can turn to. And personally, I feel that game consoles and their characters might have actually helped some kids. Certainly everyone knows Mario and I wonder how often he was used as an ice breaker for those without much else to say?

"Green" Bathroom

I became aware one day that everything is becoming automatic, especially in the bathroom. I don't know about the men's bathroom, but everything works by sensors in the women's. You must have seen the faucet and soap work by sensor quite often, but how about the toilet? If you sit down, the water sound starts. When you finish, you can't find the flush bottom; it flushes if you walk away. Now even the toilet seat cover opens up when you approach!
I've seen many people confused by this technology, usually the elders who are used to the "old style" system, but it must be helpful for the people who are physically challenged. Also, easy to imagine, it's effective for cost cutting. For example, automatic flusher decreases the cost of water by JPY15k/month for a bathroom 100 people use per day.
Behind this trend, the big push for the renovation is Law on Promoting Green Purchasing (Law Concerning the Promotion of Procurement of Eco-Friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other Entities) set in May 2000 by the Ministry of Environment. This orders the government or governmental organizations to purchase "Eco friendly" products in a proactive way so that they stimulate the market for recycled/ecological goods.
Those goods tend to be more expensive than the generic ones. I believe it's a good thing that the government supports the Eco friendly acts, but wonder if they're spending my tax money effectively....

Spa

Have you been to Spa?
I had a chance to take a look at the press release for AVEDA about the opening of their first
Spa in Tokyo on Sep 12th.
It's been difficult to find a decent spa in Tokyo, except esthetic salons. But recently, more spas are announcing plans to do business here, such as the Mandara Spa at the Royal Park Hotel in Shiodome, St Gregory Spa, etc. Obviously the target of the spas is late 20's to 30's professional women, but if you try one, you'll be addicted.
I go to a spa almost every time I travel overseas, and I'm very curious to find out what kind of services they can provide in Japan. It's unfortunate that only the Mandara Spa has facilities for men -- so my husband doesn't get left out...

Lost & Found

Have you ever lost your belongings and had them returned to you? Most newcomers to Japan are surprised when, after leaving a bag on the train or taxi, get a call from the station or taxi call center asking you to retrieve the bag at their office, or sometimes they will even deliver it to you.
Now there is a new service to make returning lost property more efficient. A company called "Hoo", which is funded by the president of Sokuhai (speedy delivery service by motorcycles), will start a lost-and-found property retrieval support service.
The system is that you buy stickers printed with a 10-digit ID. A sticker pack costs JPY950. You then put the stickers on your belongings, such as your note PC, wallet, mobiles, etc. Thereafter, anyone finding your lost property can call Hoo and the company's call center tracks you down via the ID sticker.
There are two versions of the service: one offering a reward of JPY500, and the other one which has no reward. The company hopes to sign up 200k users by the end of this year.
Hmmm, I don't know what to think about this business plan. It seems to me that people return lost property out of a sense of good will and civic duty, not because they can get a JPY500 reward. Does this new system mean that Japan is losing its moral virtues? Certainly, making a business out of good deeds does not look quite right to me.
Do you think it will be successful?

Trademark

You might think that the term "Hanshin Victory" is a prediction of success by the Hanshin Tigers in the Japanese baseball league. But in fact is a legal challenge to the team rather than a desirable outcome of their winning ways.
In fact, the term "Hanshin Yusho" (Hanshin Victory) is actually a trademark registered by a man in Chiba back in February 2002. Apparently the man wanted to use licence the term for use on clothing, toys, goods, etc. The net result is that the Tigers can't use the term unless they also take out a licence from the current owner.
Actually, it must have been somewhat shocking to the Hanshin Tigers management when they found out that their own application was rejected on the grounds that the "same logo has been already filed." It seems that the Japanese Patent office has a trademark system similar to that used for Web domains, which is "First come, first served." So, even if you don't actually use the term or logo, you can still own and control it.
Although the Chiba man's claim is that "Hanshin" simply means the Hanshin region, which is the area around Osaka and Kobe, and "Yusho" simply means victory -- even to the most uninformed person, it is obvious that he is trying cash in on the baseball team's "Hanshin Yusho". It's a mystery to me why the Japan Patent Office approved this.
From the news I've been hearing, it looks like the Chiba guy will eventually transfer ownership of his trademark to the Tigers, but I wonder how much they'll have to pay for it. Actually, the same guy also filed for trademarks on a number of other terms, including "Kyojin Yusho" (Giants Victory)" and "Anti Kyojin". Such a smart guy...! Reminds me of the old dotcom days!

Goya

Have you ever eaten Goya (bitter melon)? It's a famous Okinawan vegetable, a green Godzilla-looking squash with dimples. You eat them before they ripen, which is about 15 - 20 days after they bloom. Waiting any longer than that and they lose their bitterness and become sweet.
Many people don't like Goya because of its bitterness, and indeed in ancient China, it was regarded as a food "only fit for a famine". A Chinese survival book written in 1406 says that Goya was one of the last desirable foods to eat during a famine, among the other total of 414 items, such as figs.
The "Goya champuru" dish is representative of Okinawan cuisine. Historically, it came from India via China in the 15th century.
Goya need at least 20C of warmth to grow, and they are a natural Uminanchu (Okinawan) plant. Goya are rich in Vitamin C, double or triple that of lemons. Also the bitterness is caused by enzymes that also happen to be effective in lowering blood pressure, and thus they can beused as a diabetes medicine.
It's not very hot yet, but I recommend you try Goya champuru with a beer to beat the summer.

Slang

When did you stop talking like a school kid? Do you remember when you stopped using the slang that was once cool? One of my friends asked me, and I couldn't answer.
Everyone must have noticed that the younger generation uses their own jargon: speech which has a unique meaning with very limited usage among kids of that generation only. Sometimes it confuses me and I feel like I have a big question mark stuck on my face when I overhear them talking.
I receive lots of sales solicitation calls at the office. I just can't believe what I'm hearing sometimes. They just can't greet their prospective clients properly and introduce themselves. Some of them try so hard to sound polite, but they sound insulting instead. As you might know, the Japanese language has 3 layers of politeness for verbs. Many of these young salespeople not only can't speak politely, they sound too casual. Just for kicks, I sometimes ask them questions about their service, and they can't answer. They're just lost and suddenly talking to me like they would talk to one of their friends. Only problem is: I don't want to make friends with them over the phone...
It's deplorable, today's crisis of slang, and it breaks my heart. This is not what I learned and studied in order to teach foreigners the Japanese language. "These days young people are..." is such a cliche, but it just keep popping up in my head.
Maybe I'm coming out the other side of the generation gap...!

Mold

Tsuyu, the Rainy Season, has started in Southern Japan already. And so with Tsuyu also comes the season of Kabi (mold).
Because of Japan's humid climate, mold becomes a problem at home. Areas such as your bathroom, kitchen, etc., provide an environment for spores to grow, and while you may feel this is a bad thing, we also have to remember that mold is a key contributor to some unique Japanese foods (and of other cultures as well).
One such food is Natto, a sticky mixture of boiled soy beans that traditionally come wrapped in straw. The bacteria responsible for Natto's smell and stickiness is Bacillus Subtilis, which propagates in straw and which makes Natto rich in Vitamin B.
Another food is Katsuo Bushi (dried bonito), the shaved brown flakes that people put on top of their Tako-yaki or Okonomiyaki. Shaved fish flakes dance in the heat of the food and are fun to watch as they move. The flakes are produced with a mold enzyme which breaks down the bonito adeps (a type of lard) and adds the taste and flavor.
Cheese is also, of course, made with the help of molds, as well as wine, saki, etc. Especially the precious is the Botrytis Cinerea bacteria's contribution to create La Pourriture Noble (Pourriture Noble wine). Botrytis cinerea requires a complicated combination of temperature and humidity, which wine makers struggle with each year.
Interestingly, with the SARS epidemic, people in Hong Kong and China have started wondering why Japanese and Koreans are not suffering from the disease. An urban myth has emerged that it may be because both cultures eat a lot of fermented foods. As a result, sales of Kimchi and Natto have soared in the region, as have those of Yakult, a fermented milk drink, made with the Shirota strain of Lactobacillus Casei bacteria.