Feng is an economist and a human rights activist. After the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989, he openly criticized the repression and was under the CCP internal investigation for more than a year. In 1991, he went to Japan to study and in 1998 he returned back to China to do business but was detained by the Shanghai police and sentenced to 3 year imprisonment for illegal publication of an E-book on Shanghai Japanese investment in 2000.

Up till now, the Chinese government has not officially explained why they did not allow Feng's entrance to the country.

Feng refused to enter Japan and told FT's reporter that “For a Chinese to be kidnapped and taken to Japan like this is a humiliation for me and a humiliation for China.” He also refused UN's refugee office's suggestion in “applying political refugee status”. He just wants to go home.

Since November 7, he kept updating his status via google document and he started twitter update on November 12.

Below is a selective translation of his updates:

November 7 - A statement for giving up the Japan working visa

现在，这份2010年6月12日到期的日本工作签证已成为我回国的障碍物，也是中国上海当局利用非法手段禁止我入境回国的 障眼法。利用企业为了经济利益屈服权力的弱点，上海当局可以轻易地要求航空公司拒载或参与非法绑架，不惜一切非法手段将我强行滞留在日本…

2009年11月2日我乘全日本航空公司NH0921航班已回国，虽然没有办理入境手续，但已在中国本土，晚上住在上海浦 东机场宾馆。第2天，即11月3日上午约9;45，十几个违法的上海警察又将我强行送至全日本航空公司NH0922航班的停靠处，企图又一次非法“遣送” 一个本国公民去外国。我强烈抗议，他们使用暴力手段将我绑架至飞机上，我竭力抵抗，死守飞机的登机口，与这些绑匪搏斗了近二个小时。最后，全日空航空公司 上海经理饭田屈服于绑匪的威胁，协助他们的暴力绑架行动，四个年轻力壮的便衣警察硬将我拖至机仓底部的座位，全日本航空公司的一位身材高大的上海职员也与 我搏斗，并将我压在座位上，这时我已经筋疲力尽，无力抵抗他们的违法犯罪行为。航班上乘客亲眼目睹他们的暴力绑架场面，飞机也由此延误一个多小时起飞。 我第一次被非法强制遣送回日本，被抛在远离东京的关西机场 …

2009年11月4日被绑架到日本，至今11月7日没有入境日本，三夜四天住在入境审查大厅，晚上躺在长椅上，白天忍受饥 饿的折磨。日本成田机场出境的大厅及通道上有很多商店及吃食店，还有饮料的自动贩卖机，但是入境大厅及通道什么也没有。我三天仅吃了三个饭团，当我正式向 成田机场出入国管理局的承办官员铃木先生提出，希望他从人道的角度请入管局的职员代我购买几个饭团，但遭到拒绝。而且，我妹妹送来的食品，他们也拒收了。 他们企图通过饥饿的变相虐待方式逼我入境日本，这是不言而明的。但我会坚持下去，因为我清楚，日本官僚并非人道，不仅冷漠，甚至有点残忍。或许，友爱的国 家仅是日本鸠山总理的理想而已。如果这些事发生在中国，中国人决不会这样对待外国人，中国人内斗很残忍，但对外国人总是很客气…

November 14 - Welcome Obama's Visit to Japan and China

美国总统奥巴马昨天访问日本。我又自制了一件英文广告衫，前面的请愿文字：“Chinese citizen has been refused to return to China for eight times.”，背后的文字：“Chinese Human Right 中国人権，回国 帰国　Return to China”…

   2009 年11月15日奥巴马总统访问中国，而且首站是上海。如果奥巴马总统知道一个中国国民八次被上海当局拒绝入境回国的事件，当他见到中国政府或上海领导人 时，应该会问：“您们热烈欢迎我一个外国人，为什么无情地拒绝自己的一个国民回国呢？容纳百川的上海大城市为什么容纳不下自己的一个小小的市民呢？”一个 国民不能回国，外国人无法理解，连普通的中国人都无法相信，强大的中国无法容纳自己的一个国民。

November 18 - Feng ZhengHu's twitter

有 人说，我一个在进行一场为争取中国公民回国权的战争。但是，我觉得，我背后始终有强大的中国民众。当我处于饥饿的绝境时，中国国内、香港民众以及海外华人 纷纷向我空运食品；当我处于电脑无法上网的封闭困境中，一些不相识的国内网络专家主动提供技术支持，帮助我建立并编辑推特，我可以通过手机邮件中转的方 式，及时报道我的实况，让国内民众知道事件真相及我每天在日本国门外的流浪生活。

 November 18

我 的答复：“首先我感谢联合国难民机构对我的关心。但是，我不考虑申请难民。因为我有自己的国家，中国是我的祖国。我是中国人，是中国的知识分子，我应该对 中国负有责任。现在，我需要回国，这是中国人最基本的人权。中国当局不让中国国民回国的行为，不仅违反联合国宪章、国际人权条约，也违反中国宪法法律。中 国政府至今没有宣布不让我回国。我知道，在中国有许多许多的苦难，但我还是愿意留在中国。中国难民越来越少，中国就会变得越来越好。”

Beckii Cruel started to gain popularity at the end of this year thanks to some videos posted on YouTube where she appears dancing in her room, to the tune of anime songs, attracting the interest of inveterate fans of anime and manga.
After becoming a celebrity on the Internet as user xBextahx, she was invited to perform in Akihabara, the district in eastern Tokyo that is widely acknowledged as the symbol of the otaku culture [en].

bluecafe09k48 sums up Beckii's profile for us.

イギリス・マン島在住の美少女、１４歳ですね～。
マンガ「フルーツバスケット」を読んで以来、
日本のオタク文化に嵌ったのが３年前とのこと。
ベッキー・クルーエル自身が日本のアニメソングなどで踊っている動画を
ＹｏｕＴｕｂｅで公開したのが今年の３月くらいから。
「男女」がニコニコ動画に転載されたのが５月頃で、人気が爆発。

PV of Danjo (男女)

Beckii Cruel's popularity is certainly a Japanese phenomenon, as demonstrated by the fact that the only Wikipedia entry on her is in Japanese. However, the word of mouth has spread also among those foreigners who are passionate fans of Akihabara and the otaku culture in general.

GodLen, at Animevice. com, for example, comments with a bit of mock jealousy on the British idol's career.

Beckii Cruel, oh how I wish I were her, for she is the Cinderella story of the otaku world. This 14-year-old girl from England has won over the hearts of moe-loving otaku in Japan by posting videos of herself dancing to anime and Jpop songs on youtube. Yesterday she had the opportunity to dance in front of over 600 fans at the Enta Matsuri in Akihabara; amazing, and it all started with a youtube video. Now she has a DVD coming out in Japan (which you can pre-order now) that features her dancing her dance, and being overall moe.

Sankei News interview to Beckii Cruel at Akihabara Enta Festival

Beckii Cruel, who was recently chosen by candy and sweets maker Lotte to promote the Fit's Dance Contest together with other celebrities, performed live for the first time at Akihabara Enta Festival on October 25 [here are some pictures of the show].

鹿の角きり (Deer antler-cutting ritual) by Flickr user merec0

Unmissable by any visitor, the deer in the park are beloved by many, considered a nuisance by some, but are assuredly among the most symbolic images of Nara and Nara Park. The deer can often be found walking (typically calmly) on the streets, sidewalks, and public parks, and are a visible part of the daily commute for the countless people living nearby. It is interesting then, to consider the practical side of dealing with a small army of animals congregating in a relatively small area. There are benefits, such as tourist adoration and the natural merchandising, but there are dangers and public concerns to be addressed - this is where the antler-cutting ceremony comes in.

Originally a task carried out by the authorities at Kōfuku-ji temple, the ceremony is now an annual event carried out by Kasuga Shrine, and organized by the Foundation for the Protection of Deer in Nara Park. Some introductory information from the event organizer's website:

古都奈良の秋を彩る勇壮な「鹿の角きり」は、江戸時代初期　寛文11年（1,671年）より、今日までおよそ330年あまりにわたり、受け継がれている伝統行事です。
発情期をむかえた雄鹿の角により、町民が危害を受けたり、鹿がお互いに突き合って死傷することを防ぐため、当時鹿の管理者であった「興福寺」が、奈良奉行の要請を受け、「鹿の角きり」を始めたと伝えられています。

Making the fall season of Japan's ancient capital, Nara, all the more lively, the thrilling “Shika no tsunokiri” is a traditional event passed down and carried on for more than 330 years, since its inception in the year 1671, in the early Edo Period (Kanbun Era). In the mating season, bucks (male deer) are known to run wild, and inflict potentially lethal harm upon the townspeople and each other. It has been said that in order to prevent such occurrences, Kōfuku-ji temple, under the orders of the Nara magistrate's office, first initiated the antler-cutting ceremony.

Nara's economic newspaper wrote up a descriptive article on the event, and included some great specifics on what physical considerations are made during the ceremony.

角は大きいもので約50センチ、重さは1.5キロにもなる。角が三又に分かれた4歳以上の鹿を対象として1日に約15頭の角を切る。体調により出血することはあるものの、完成している角には神経が通っておらず痛みはないという。

The antlers can become quite large, at roughly 50cm long weighing around 1.5kg. On a single day, around 15 deer have their antlers cut, and the target deer for cutting are those over the age of 4 with antlers branching off into three ‘horns'. Depending on their physical condition, blood may be drawn, however apparently a fully grown antler no longer has any nerve sensitivity, and thus there is no pain.

The article goes on to summarize the state of, and present issues facing the deer of Nara.

奈良公園の鹿は今年7月現在で、雄196頭、雌705頭、小鹿151頭の計1,052頭。昨年より76頭少なくなり、3年連続で減少している。この1年間で死亡した鹿は357頭を数え、中でも疾病で死亡した鹿は179頭と過去最多となっている。疾病の主な原因として、公園内に捨てられたゴミや、人間が与えた鹿せんべい以外の食べ物よる中毒が挙げられる。また、（人が）鹿をいじめたり追い掛け回したりされることによるストレスで命を失うこともあるという。

As of July 2009, there are 196 adult males, 705 adult females, and 151 fawns adding up to 1,052 total deer living in Nara park. Their numbers have been decreasing for three years straight however, this year seeing a drop of 76 deer compared with last year. Over the past year, 357 deer have died, with 179 deaths being attributed to some form of illness, the highest number yet recorded. Issues have been raised with litter in the park, as well as the feeding of inappropriate (and potentially poisonous) food to the deer as leading causes of the increasing disease-fueled death rate. As well, it is said that when people harass the deer and chase them around, it can be mentally stressful to the animals and negatively impact their life span.

Kyoto University professor Noburo Ogata wrote up a brief piece on the history of Nara's deer populace, addressing one of the fundamental reasons the animals have continued to live safely in the region for so long.

The history of the shrine compiled in medieval times indicates that Takemikazuchi-no-Mikoto, the first of the shrine’s four deities was invited from Kashima (Ibaraki prefecture) and arrived riding a white deer in 768. Accordingly, the shrine and Kôfuku-ji, an associated Buddhist Monastery which exercised power over the Yamato Province, began to insist on the divinity of the deer inhabiting the Kasuga Hills.

The event was extremely crowded in the afternoon on the Sunday, and likely throughout most of the event's duration. Subsequently, quite a large number of individuals blogged about it.

Morinomiya-san covered some background details of the event, plus put forward his opinions and perspective as a photographer of the event. He took some great photos, visible in his blog post.

鹿は必死で逃げまどい興奮しているので、とても危険です。
それだけに実際に現場で見ると、凄い迫力を感じます。
写真は絶えず場内狭しと逃げまくる鹿を追って撮ったため、多少ブレてしまい、それはどうかご勘弁いただきたいと思います。
鹿にとっては少し可愛そうな気もするのですが、鹿の角きりは、人と鹿が共に暮らして行くための苦肉の策だったのでしょう。

The deer naturally become quite agitated, and in their frantic attempts to escape, present a significant danger.
Only in seeing the event first hand can you really appreciate the impressive force required to restrain the deer.
I hope you'll forgive the blurry pictures, following the deer running wildly in the small arena to get a photo made for a challenge.
I feel that while for the deer, the antler cutting is an unfortunate process, it was surely established as the only viable means of allowing humans and deer to live safely together.

Peperre also went, and provided some interesting photos along with his description of the event.

走っているところに角に紐をひっかけて・・・
…
で、神職さんが清めたお水を鹿に飲ませて

それからのこぎりでギコギコと切っていきます。

『獲ったどー！』

ちょっと遠目で見辛いのですが、逃げ回る鹿を勢子さんたちが

一生懸命捕らえようとする様は迫力があってとっても面白かったです☆

While the deer is running away, they toss a rope towards the horns…
(Once caught) the Shinto priest has the deer drink purified water, and uses a saw to cut off the antlers.
[Got ‘em!]
It was a bit tough to see from afar, but watching the forceful hunters (seko) working so hard to chase the escaping deer was extremely entertaining!

In considering the repurcussions of sawing off the chief visual object of masulinity the male deers have, one does feel concerned about their prospects of future mating (as virtually every blog and article linked above addresses at some point), but in looking at the male/female ratio of deer in the park… with more than 3 females for every male, I don't think it's an irreconcilable problem!

Note: The post was translated in its entirety with permission from the blogger. All links were added by Tomomi Sasaki for reference.

You know how the online community is sometimes wowed with the emergence of services with new technologies and ideas like Google Maps, Google Earth, and YouTube? The one that I'm looking forward to the most is “Automatic Translation”.

Right now, if an English site comes up while you're searching (in Japanese), there's a little button that says [Translate this page]. Yes, the translation is still very underdeveloped. I'm not asking for it to be perfect, but wouldn't it be exciting if the translation was just “a little bit better” AND automatic?

‘Tower of Babel' by flickr user ThomasThomas (Tower of Babel By Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 16th century.)

It would be fantastic if whenever I did a search for something in Japanese, Google would retrieve results from all of the languages of the world. For example, a search for “鶏肉 トマト レシピ (chicken tomato recipe)” would retrieve chicken and tomato recipes from all over the world with all of the results being displayed in Japanese. Recipes from French Italian, Chinese, Arabic cuisine, originally written in that language would show up in Japanese on the Google results page.

Then, let's say there was a blog by an Italian farmer's wife with a post called “Family recipe for tomato chicken pasta”. And the translation might not be perfect but it would be readable and have photos so I could nod along as I read the post, and perhaps I could even try cooking that dish.

And then and then! If the pasta was really good, I might comment on her blog saying, “I'm Chikirin from Japan, nice to meet you! I REALLY loved your pasta recipe <3 !!!”. And she'd be able to read it in Italian. Remember, it'd just BE in Italian, since it was automatically translated for her.

I want to live in that world of automatic translation.

It would be so much fun. A search for “wife mother-in-law troubles” might let you learn how the problem manifests itself in other countries. Or a blog about erotic games (エロゲー eroge) might attract a comment from a faraway land like Honduras, saying “What's an EROGE?” Or if you searched for “pirates”, you might accidentally stumble upon an underground Somalian pirate recruitment site… hey, anything could happen!

Of course, negative comments would be translated as well. And everything would be open for rating. Wouldn't this be exciting? How about a site called “Negative comments around the world” Obviously, 2channel would receive a flood of comments from around the world.

What if there was a Chinese junior high school student asking “Who is higher ranked, Hu Jintao or Wen Jiabao?” on a Chinese Q&A site. And then people from all over the would say “You're Chinese and you don't know the answer?” or “Join the communist party!”.

An oblivious American might interrupt with “What? The president and premier aren't the same person?”. And a Bulgarian might chime in with “Where's China? I couldn't find it on Google Earth… is it this island?” and someone might reply with “Nah, that's Taiwan!” and the conversation would veer off. That's the kind of thing I want to read!

Low employment rates among young people is a common issue throughout the world, right? A search with those keywords might connect us with angry Lost Generation youth from other countries. And it would be interesting to learn how youth in different countries expressed their anger.

A Korean student studying in Japan might post on her blog, “On the train today, I saw a woman do her make up routine perfectly during her commute. Japan is so incrediblimnida!”

These days, only important or relevant information gets translated. What I'm looking forward to is a world where even the most trivial and useless information is translated and available to anyone!

TV stations and newspapers broadcast news about other countries but they only cover “important news”: earthquakes, floods, forest fires, or political news. Personally though, I'm much more interested in the kind of information that I've given examples above, more than any forest fire.

In every country, there must be blogs that most people don't care about. (Well, I can't be certain but it's probably the case!) I believe that if everyone, everywhere could read all of the trivial information that's out there, we would truly be able to live together in a more peaceful world.

While it may be paradoxical, “What is truly important is to translate the unimportant.” and a world where only so-called important information gets translated is a boring one.