A Typical Japanese Pet Shop

In my city Inzai, there is a pet shop named "PETCITY"

The relationship between pets and their masters continues to evolve into a phenomenon that the Japanese have never experienced in their past. Let's visit a typical pet shop to see what today's situation is. Now we see the sign of the "PETCITY" in a commercial complex of my city Inzai.




The entrance of the pet shop



Dog Prams

 Today, not only do the masters of dogs become aged but also their pets. Some dogs are too aged to walk normally any more. Still they like to go out with their masters. In order to let them enjoy the pleasure of having a walk together, the master and the pet, to the last moment, pet prams are indispensable.

There's more to the need of dog prams. In Japan, the majority of the dogs are miniature-sized and live in big cities. These small dogs can be easity stepped upon in the crowd by careless people. In addition, some dogs are too delicate to walk on the overheated pavement during the hot summer season.

In public transport, dogs must be confined in a cage. Certain types of dog prams function as a dog cage. More and more dog masters come to find the usefulness of dog prams.



A large space is for dog clothes.

Today dogs are real family members. Most of the Japanese dog masters call their dogs "Uchi-no ko", literally meaning "the child of my home". As "parents", the masters try to do their best to ensure the well-being of their "children". Why not buy pretty clothes for their children.




The clothes are for different occasions.


There are casual clothes, sporty clothes, dress-type clothes depending on different "social" occasions.




Mannequin dogs show how to wear dog clothes.



One corner of the pet shop is a beauty parlor for dogs. Saturday, it seemed fully booked.

I hope you could have a glance over the master-pet relationship of Japan.

Rice transplanting

[2011/05/02  Inzai, Chiba-ken]
Rice paddy with rice plants transplanted.
A farmers' family working on the field.



[2011/05/02  Inzai, Chiba-ken]
A rice-transplanting machine on the paddy



[2011/05/02  Inzai, Chiba-ken]
Before the advent of this machine, rice plants were
transplanted one by one by hand.



[2011/05/02  Inzai, Chiba-ken]
Rice plants have been raised on cassettes like this
in the green house.



[2011/05/02  Inzai, Chiba-ken]
Before setting the cassettes on the machine, extra roots
of the plants have to be scraped off. If not, even the wise
machine couldn't pull out the plants smoothly.
This 12-year-old boy was helping his father.

Rice transplanting has been, for thousands of years, one of the most important annual events for the Japanese. After the postwar mechanization of rice transplanting, the festive mood of this work is no longer there, but for many Japanese, observing this rite is something never to miss.

Why don't Japanese farmers sow rice grains directly on the paddies?  Well, the climate of Japan doesn't allow this. By raising young rice plants in the hothouse until they become strong enough to resist the cold, the Japanese ancestors have kept on succeeding in expanding rice-growing regions from the south even to Hokkaido island. This system was a great technological breakthrough in rice farming.

Rice could be grown on dry fields too. But water-flooded rice paddies are superior. The flooded rice paddy was another technological breakthrough. In the water of the paddies nitrogen-fixing algae multiply, thus giving extra nutrients to the rice plants. Thanks to this system, farmers need less fertilizer. Further they can continue using the paddies for thousands of years on end without giving them rest time, because of the continuous supply mechanism of nutrients into the paddies by algae. And more, flooded rice paddies won't cause dust problems in the farming areas. And more, because of the water in the paddies, hundreds of species can survive in the environment of the rice growing farms. In short, rice paddies are a highly environment-friendly system.

For me personally, it is a great pleasure doing cycling in the rice paddy farming areas, observing the growth of rice and other seasonal changes until the autumn harvest season.

Season to eat bamboo

[15 April 2011 Inzai, Chiba-ken]
Bamboos grow naturally all over Japan.



[15 April 2011 Inzai, Chiba-ken]
There are unmanned kiosks like this run by farmers.
They sell bamboo shoots in this season.



[23 April 2011 Inzai, Chiba-ken]
Bamboo shoots are cut, peeled, and boiled. 



[23 April 2011 Inzai, Chiba-ken]
An example of cookings using bamboo shoots.
Seasoned rice with pieces of bamboo shoots.



[23 April 2011 Inzai, Chiba-ken]
Another example. Very simple bamboo cooking.

In biodiversity-rich Japan, eating edible parts of wild plants that symbolize certain phases of changing seasons has become something that we cannot miss. By eating them we appreciate the happiness of living in the environment surrounded by rich nature.

A Friend in Need: help to rehabilitate Japan

On behalf of my compatriots who suffered a lot because of the disaster of 11 March, I cannot thank enough for the warm help extended by many people, organizations, and governments of the world.

The Rehabilitation of the hard-hit areas will take many years. Continued help will be necessary and appreciated.

I shouldn't compare the immediate relief helps given to my distressed countrymen by the governments of the world because each was precious and valuable. However, I still cannot help mentioning the outstanding "Operation Tomodachi" by the US government that ended on 15 April. That reminded me of the famous proverb "A friend in need is a friend indeed". I am convinced that the Americans have succeeded in impressing many Japanese that the Americans are friends indeed. As a result, I predict that the Americans will continue to see for the coming, at least, one-generation period (20 years), the effects of this operation.

From now on, Japan needs to rehabilitate itself very rapidly, that means, to come back to the normal life of the days before 11 March, when the top newspaper article for many days was the cheating in entrance exam for universities done by a young boy.

What can the world do to help Japan rehabilitate? The answer is very simple. That is to treat Japan just as a normal country.

In this respect, the worst behavior by an individual or a government is to treat Japan and the Japanese as if they were untouchables. For example, checking incoming Japanese tourists with a Geiger counter and with a negligible count, taking them into a hospital. Or, stopping imported industrial products in fear of radiation those machines might contain. Or continuing advising its citizens not to visit Japan. Such hysteric behaviors are caused by excessive fear of radiation not based on scientific knowledge. Whatever the reason for such behavior be, it will be remembered by the Japanese for the coming, at least, one-generation period to form their attitude to that country.

So to help Japan and create pro-your-country Japanese, now is a very crucial moment. And let me tell you that one way to help Japan is to lift restrictions or governmental advice to discourage people to visit Japan.

A few pieces of good news have arrived. By 19 April, Denmark, UK, Sweden, Korea, Australia, Canada, USA, France, Austria, Russia, Hong Kong have lifted their advice not to visit Japan, except for the immediate areas surrounding the problematic Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.

Very impressive and encouraging comment was from the Russian government that says the levels of radiation in the air in Tokyo is about half of those in Moscow.

I want to hug any Russian who I may encounter in the street in Tokyo.

Japanese love of cherry blossoms

10 May 2011, Hokusou-hanano-oka Park, Chiba-ken
Cherry blossoms look like a mass of mist.



10 May 2011, Hokusou-hanano-oka Park, Chiba-ken
No festivals, nevertheless people come to admire
cherry blossoms. 



10 May 2011, Hokusou-hanano-oka Park, Chiba-ken
In a couple, in a small group ...



12 May 2011, Hokusou-hanano-oka Park, Chiba-ken
Some enjoy viewing them at night.



14 May 2011, Hokusou-hanano-oka Park, Chiba-ken
Cherry blossoms end by letting petals off like blizzard.



14 May 2011, Hokusou-hanano-oka Park, Chiba-ken
Fallen cherry blossom petals scattered on the ground.

Why do the Japanese love cherry blossoms so much?

There seem to be several important reasons, for example....

1. Time to get pepped up
In ancient Japan, more than 90% of our ancestors were rice-growing farmers. Blooming cherry blossoms meant it was time to start working on the rice paddies. To get pepped up for work, festive atmosphere of cherry blossom viewing must have been quite important.

2. Color of the cherry blossoms
The most favored cultivar of the cherry species is "somei-yoshino". The color of its flower petal seems almost pure white. But for the Japanese, it is pink. Pink represents life and vitality like slight flush appearing on pale skin. After long lifeless winter, now starts whole life again. This color naturally excites the Japanese, even makes them amorous.

3. Short life of the blossoms
After the first blossom, it takes about 10 days for the tree to become in full bloom. Then within a few days after full bloom, all the flowers are gone. In total, less than 2 weeks. So, in order not to miss the chance of viewing the year's blossoms at their best, the Japanese get hyper more or less.

4. Beautiful ending
Samurai who spent their life in battle fields hated anything ominous that suggested short life or losing head. For example, fish was always served with head. Serving fish without head was a serious affront. Even today, fish served with head is a widespread way. But even, samurai couldn't refuse the beauty of cherry blossoms. The made exception for cherry blossoms, saying "cherry blossoms teach us moral lesson. They teach us that we must die without hesitation when necessary. Look at the beautiful way of ending their life." Yes, cherry blossoms end in blizzard of petals. Very beautiful indeed.

The Japanese are not in the mood for merry cherry blossom festivals.

I was walking through my neighboring park and saw a small notice attached on a light pole. It said in Japanese "Sorry, this park's cherry blossom festival is cancelled. for this year."

At home, I searched through the Internet using Google Search with two Japanese key words meaning "cherry blossom festival" and "cancellation" and hit 849,000 search results. Even American base Misawa's cherry blossom festival was cancelled.

Since at least the Heian period that starts in 794, the Japanese have found the greatest seasonal pleasure of the whole year in cherry blossom viewing, picnic, and parties.

While cherry trees are at their best that last for a few days, many Japanese who are generally reserved in their behavior forget about that and get together with friends, family members, and colleagues under the cherry trees and chat, eat, drink, sing, and even dance during the daytime and even at night.

This phenomenon, cancelling any cheerful annual event throughout the country, simply means that the Japanese are still in the mourning for the loss caused by the triple disaster.

Personally I think it is about time we started to get back to normal life, but I also understand the deep wound left in the minds of  many people.

Then how long will the mourning of the Japanese as a nation last? Traditionally when someone dies, his or her family enters in the mourning for 49 days. According to the Japanese Buddhism, a dead person travels 49 days before arriving in front of the Judge Emma of the death world who will decide in which of the 6 worlds of reincarnation he or she should be reborn, or whether he or she should be merited to enter the eternal paradise of Buddha separated from the eternal cycle of metempsychosis. So the bereaved must pray earnestly so that the deceased be allowed to enter the eternal Paradise, or at least, not to be condemned by the Judge Emma to the worst of the six worlds, the Hell.

The important 49th day, including the day of the decease according to the tradition, from 11th March falls on 28th April.

Will Japan finish the period of mourning on this day? I don't know. If the parents die, traditionally, their children are supposed to be in the mourning for 12 to 13 months.

"Waku-waku Hiroba" : evolution of farmers' markets in Japan.

In every country of the world, there must be farmers' markets, where farmers sell their products directly to consumers, maximizing their income by excluding middlemen and retailers.

There are many different forms of farmers' markets in Japan.

Asaichi, or morning markets: Farmers around cities bring their products to the town squares or roadside spaces, forming active markets. This tradition is becoming less and less common, though.
Unmanned produce stores (huts): In the country not too far from cities, they are run by individual farmers.

Large-scale farmers' markets at "Road Stations": Road station project started in the 1990's by the government to provide drivers with parking and restroom facilities alongside arterials. Today there are about 970 road stations nationwide and majority of them include large successful farmers' markets for local products.

Stimulated by the success of road station farmers' markets, groups of farmers and JA(Japan Agricultural Co-operatives) constructed similar farmers' markets all over Japan. Many of them are doing sufficiently good business.

Now, the main subject: "Waku-waku Hiroba", a type of farmers' market as collaboration of farmers and retailers.

Simply speaking, a businessman got interested in the booming farmers' markets and made a new model. The business provides market facilities, advertises, and sales, so as soon as the farmers finish packaging, pricing, and displaying their produce, they go back home to work on their fields.

Then what's the difference between ordinary supermarkets and Waku-waku?

Waku-waku only sells as the  farmers'  sales clerks, that is, if the packages are not sold, that's the loss of the farmers, not of Waku-waku, thus farmers are still responsible for the decision of what and how much to bring in, what prices to put, but they can save money, time, and labor necessary for setting up sales spaces and selling. For this service, farmers pay 20% of the total sales amount.

This system seems to be win-win for three parties involved.
Waku-waku: no bad stock, good money flow
The farmers: no investment, free decision, saving investment, time and labor of sales
The consumers: freshness, cheaper prices, and safety of the food

How can it be safe?
Each package carries not only prices but also the name of the farmer who has produced it, thus some clients become fans of farmers who provide what they demand: safe food. In the quasi face-to-face community of producers and consumers at Waku-waku, farmers' pride won't allow them to supply low-quality food.

price label with producer's name and address

Lowering radiation counts and increasing supplies in Metropolis

1 April 2011
Here in the city of Inzai, situated in the north of Greater Tokyo, life seems to be slowly heading back for normal, in spite of the fact that situations in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants are still far from stabilization.

Radiation in drinking water: 18 Bq/kg of I-131, no other radio-active elements found
as of 9:00, 31 March at the Hokuso Water Purifying Plant that supplies to my tap. The worst figures were 97Bq/kg of I-131 and small amounts of Cs-134 and Cs-137.

Radiation in the air: maximum 0,079 μSv/hour, on 31 March in Chiba city.
Normal time averages were 0,022-0,044 μSv/hour (for example in 2009)

Yesterday I went for a walk and dropped at some supermarkets to see the supply situation. "Natto" was back on the shelves, but the stores requested each client to take only one package. I also found enough bottled water. The stores asked each client not to take more than three bottles, though.

I hope the situations continue to normalize and stabilize also in the Tohoku area.

31 March 2011
Bottled water is back.

.



31 March 2011
Forsythia is starting to bloom

A farmer "killed by the nuclear power plants"

Everyday the Japanese newspapers are filled with the articles on the triple disaster.  The Asahi is one of the three major daily newspapers of Japan. In today's morning edition, an article especially attracted my attention. I read it again and again.

I try to extract the essence and translate it into English:
Sukagawa City, Fukushima prefecture. On the morning of 24, a vegetable farmer aged 64 hanged himself, one day after the government had restricted the consumption of all vegetables from Fukushima prefecture. His family say that "he was killed by the nuclear power plants". He had been disappointed by the damages done to his house and barn by the quake, but eager to ship his cabbage ready for harvesting. On 21 when the government restricted consumption of Fukushima's spinach, the man was still eager repairing his barn. On 23 when the government restricted consumption of all the vegetables produced in Fukushima prefecture, he started repeatedly to be choked and cough, uttering "Fukushima's vegetables are no longer good".

This farmer had been particular about organic farming for more than 30 years and had kept on improving his soil using home-made humus. He had spent 10 years to make it possible to grow a high quality variety of cabbage once unsuited to the climate of this area. He was very proud to supply his safe cabbage to the local primary school to be used for lunch, saying "Children eat 'em. I've got to grow 'em with utmost care". His work journal ended on 23 March.

My comment:
A death of a man who crystallized Japanese conscience, shattered by a man-made disaster. I wish I could get one of his cabbage and eat it. I don't care how many Bq's of radiation it contains.

Japan's unmanned shops

Some visitors to Japan are surprised to see large numbers of vending machines found all over the places. They accept not only small change but also a bill of 1,000 yen, (some even that of 5,000 yen, or 10,000 yen) and give back exact change with the merchandise purchased.

Some say it would be impossible in their country to deploy such large numbers of vending machines everywhere because the vending machines would be broken by burglars.

Well, then, I wonder what they will comment after seeing Japan's traditional unmanned shops?  I am not talking about high-tech shops with robots as sales staff... we would need ten more years before such unmanned shops open. I am talking about a very much primitive shop like the one in the photo below:

This is a typical unmanned shop run by a local farmer to sell some of his produce directly to local consumers like me. Today when I passed by the shop while enjoying walking, there was no produce sold. In harvest seasons there are more or less ten different vegetables and fruits in plastic bags with prices posted. When we buy them, we just take as many bags as we want, calculate the sum, and put exact amount of money in the piggy bank which you see in the photo below:

It is written in Japanese "this is where you put money". Generally the old farmer brings in his produce around 6:00 am. Then he won't come back until the evening to collect the money.

As an English-French-speaking tour guide, I am influenced by the American and European ways of seeing things. So I worry for him. "Aren't there any dishonest guys who pay less or even pay nothing?" "Aren't there much worse guys who just grab the piggy bank and go away?"

Last year, my wife and I visited Aomori prefecture in apple harvest season. Aomori prefecture produces more than 50% of apples produced in Japan. We enjoyed driving along local farming roads seeing the whole stretches of land with apple trees heavy with fruits.

And there we came across an unmanned shop selling apples. We bought several bags of apples. Over there too there was no one watching the shop.

This is how Japan is ... in the country areas.



Blossoms before cherry blossoms (2)

I live just next to a 50-hectare park named "(Chiba prefectural ) Hokuso Hanano-oka Koen"... a long name. Southern limit of the park borders a stretch of farming area with rice paddies. Two together, the park and the farming land, they must have constituted a typical "satoyama" not long time ago.

To understand  what "satoyama" is, refer to the following site:
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/amabiki/e/6th/6satoyama.htm

When my wife and I happened to pass this place riding bicycles, we found its environment and landscape so charming that we moved here just a year ago. Since then we have enjoyed walking, jogging, and pottering around the area.

In the past week or so, I have observed two species of trees putting out beautiful white blossoms. Let me introduce them.

One is "kobushi", magnolia kobus, vernacular English name "kobushi magnolia".
The other is "hakumokuren", magnolia heptapeta, English name "mulan magnolia / tulip magnolia / lily magnolia".
 

[kobushi, magnolia kobus]




















[kobushi, magnolia kobus]

 [hakumokuren, magnolia heptapeta]

[hakumokuren, magnolia heptapeta]

The two species look a bit alike because both of them belong to genus "magnolia", but observe them carefully and you will notice that the blossoms of magnolia heptapeta are almost upright while those of magnolia kobus are not.

Many members of  genus magnolia have upright blossoms. A good example is magnolia grandiflora, or southern magnolia from North America. Why upright? This question lingered in my head for a long time and I now think I have found the answer.

In many Internet sites about the genus magnolia, I see this explanation:

"Magnolia is an ancient genus that had evolved before bees appeared, so the flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles. As a result, Magnolia flowers are tough, to avoid damage by beetles. "

Although these sites do not explain why flowers are upright, but we can easily assume that upright flowers were more comfortable for beetles to stay there for a long time. Most of the beetles cannot stay in the flowers that look downward, can they?



No bottled water, no "natto" on supermarket shelves

I went to a nearby supermarket to verify the articles in newspapers reporting that people living in Tokyo metropolitan area are hurrying to supermarkets to buy bottled water. Well, that was true. On the shelves for bottled drinks I could not see even a bottle of water. However there were considerably sufficient bottles of non-alcoholic drinks, green tea, juices, colas, etc.

Walking through the aisles, I also noticed two other very important daily food items were missing on the shelves. One was "yogurt", the other was "natto".

If you do not know what natto is, please refer to the following site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natt%C5%8D

I have no idea why on earth yogurt was out of stock. However, lack of natto is easy to explain. Natto is a food item traditionally eaten in the Kanto (the district containing Tokyo) and the Tohoku (the district that has suffered from the triple disaster). In the western part of Japan, there was no custom of eating natto until quite recently.

Therefore, naturally, the centers of natto production find themselves in the Tohoku district and they have suffered. To my pleasure, I got a piece of good news today: major produces of natto in Mito and other cities are now trying hard to bring their production lines back to normal, and they are almost there. In a few days, I hope, I will be able to eat natto again. What encouraging news!

Try hard to get back to normal. This is what all Japanese want now. And I am sure in many places of the Tohoku, people are trying hard to get back to normal.



[empty natto shelves]




[empty yogurt shelves]



Drink or not to drink tap water

 It is so sad that "Fukushima", a beautiful and fertile land with warm-hearted people, has become synonymous with "Chernobyl" and "Three Mile Island". I cannot help but pray that those brave people working at the Fukushima nuclear power plants with courage and sense of mission will succeed in bringing the "monster" under complete control and that they will come back safe and sound.

My town Inzai lies 220km south of the Fukushima nuclear power plants and about 35km northeast of the center of Tokyo. It is part of Greater Tokyo, or Tokyo metropolitan area with population of some 36 million.

In the past few days, one of the biggest concerns of the residents of the metropolis is the quality of tap water they drink everyday because they are shocked by the news that the water supplied by a few of the water purification plants in the metropolitan area contained considerably high levels of Iodine-131, a radioactive element, with the counts of up to 298 Bq per liter.

I myself got alarmed and checked, on the Internet, the radiation level of the tap water supplied by the purification plant of my area. The reading of I-131 there, they say, was 28 Bq per liter on 21 March. No more data were available for the following days. However, today's newspaper reports that I-131 levels at all the metropolitan water purification plants have decreased to below 100 Bq per liter. So I assume the situation is the same with our plant.

If I could buy bottled mineral water produced in the western part of Japan which is not contaminated at all, there would be no problem. However, today's newspaper also reports that in Tokyo urban area, people rushed to convenience stores and supermarkets to buy bottled water and the shelves for bottled water and drinks became all empty.

I have decided not to rush to buy bottled water or drinks until the supply becomes normal. Scarce new supply of bottled water should be sold to the family with babies and infants to protect their delicate thyroids. In this situation, if a 61-year-old man like me were to queue up to buy bottled water in the line of mothers with infants, it would be too ugly.

So for me, there is no choice. I am obliged to continue drinking tap water for some time, monitoring the changing counts issued by the prefecture's water service authorities. With the two-digit levels of  I-131 for the time being, I judge that drinking tap water for a few weeks will not cause any serious health risk.

Blossoms before cherry blossoms (1)

Every year, the Japanese wait impatiently for the arrival of the cherry blossom season. This year, it is forecast that, in Tokyo, cherry trees will start to bloom on 30 March and will be at their best on 7 April. After that they will be all gone in a few days.

Some Japanese seem so preoccupied with cherry blossoms that they are unable to notice the existence of other blossoms that come to bloom a little earlier than cherry blossoms.

I would like to introduce some of them.

If one enjoys watching the nature, he or she will notice two species of trees full of tiny yellow blossoms in parks, gardens, roadsides, and temple/shrine grounds.

One is "mansaku", Hamamelis japonica, vernacular name in English is "Japanese witch hazel". I heard that the witch hazel, or Hamamelis verginiana, from North America comes to bloom in autumn, not in spring like "mansaku".

[mansaku, Hamamelis japonica]

The other is "sanshuyu", Cornus officinalis, or Japanese cornel dogwood. I feel bad to the Chinese and the Koreans about this species being called the "Japanese cornel dogwood " because it originates in China and Korea and was only introduced to Japan in the Edo Period for medicinal uses.


[sansyuyu, Cornus officinalis]

Will Japan rise again?

After seeing so many traumatic photos and videos, and after reading so many heart-breaking articles on the apocalyptic devastation of Northern Japan by the triple quake-tsunami-nuclear disaster, it is quite understandable that many people should get haunted by this question.

My answer is clear and simple: "You will see Japan rise again, surprisingly FAST."

Let me explain the reasons.

First, the Japanese mentality.
Throughout the whole history of Japan, ever since the old-stone-age days that preceded the Jomon Period (ca.13,000 B.C. - ca.300B.C.) when early Japanese civilization started and developed, our ancestors have kept on rising from ruins caused by varieties of natural disasters: volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami, typhoons, floods, landslides...

Japan has been a nice archipelago to live in, blessed with temperate climate, rich vegetation thanks to plenty of rainfalls, secluded by the seas from invaders. Indeed very nice place to live in, except when its mother nature decided to whip her inhabitants with her overwhelming force for reasons unknown. And whatever her intention, the Japanese ancestors have developed their mentality to tolerate occasional natural blows as part of way of life, with resignation.

This resignation, whatever-will-come-will-come philosophy, however, is far from pessimism, despair, or apathy. On the contrary, it reinforces their spirit of solidarity and mutual help, deepens their empathy for the unfortunate, and enhances their collective will and energy to restore their normal life.

Accepting the reality of destruction, helping each other, mourning for the dead, then standing up for reconstruction with all the might, wisdom, and cooperation of the nation... this process is in the bones and blood of each Japanese. For a Japanese the question "Do you think Japan will rise again?"  sounds foolish because coming back to normal life level even with some additional improvements is the way it should be for the Japanese. The Japanese do not tolerate any resignation or compromise in this aspect. That is Japanese mentality.

Second, as a whole, the majority of production facilities to supply the daily necessities to the Japanese are intact.
When World War II ended, almost all the Japanese cities were nothing but piles of ashes and debris, with few industries left. Many did not have even roofs under which to sleep, nor money to buy scarce food supply in the black market. Nevertheless, the Japanese rose from the ruins as the world witnessed. If there happens to be a younger-generation Japanese who whines over the hardship awaiting him, he will be laughed at by those who rebuilt Japan from the wreckage of the war.

In the media coverage, we see refugees lacking water, blankets, gas, and food. This is largely due to the rupture of lifelines in the devastated areas, to the confusion and lack of manpower of administration, and to the fact that affected regions are widespread. There are sufficient supplies in other parts of Japan. With passage of time, I am convinced, the situation will keep on improving.

Finally, there are many friendly nations and individuals who are eager to help Japan.
Although it is Japan itself who has to help itself, the message from overseas to tell the Japanese that they are not alone is reassuring and encouraging. As one Japanese, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the people doing something to help Japan. Surrounded by great numbers of friendly and helpful nations and people, I do not see any reason why Japan will not rise again this time also.

Greetings

Hello!

I'm English-French-Japanese speaking Japanese tour guide living in a small city "Inzai", Japan.

As a Japanese tour guide for overseas visitors, it has become a habit to write down anything Japanese or cross-cultural that I come across so that I might be able to use it later when I do my guiding job.

Well, in this blog, I will try to show some of  such discoveries, observations, and phenomena with some comments and reflections.

By the way the title "Gintonic's Japan Memo" comes from my nickname as a tour guide. For those who have some difficulty memorizing my real name "Hitoshi Shimamoto", I use the nickname "Gintonic".

I hope I will be able to continue this blog for a long time.