Just days after the massive earthquake which struck northeastern Japan, further geological tremors are taking place elsewhere on the island of Honshu. As a brief glance at the Yomiuri Shimbun's earthquake info log shows, a magnitude 6 earthquake hit Shizuoka Prefecture (located between Metropolitan Tokyo and the Kansai region) at just after 10:30PM local time on March 15. In addition, at roughly 3:30AM on the 16th, a magnitude 4 earthquake struck the Hida-Takayama area of Gifu Prefecture, a location northwest of Shizuoka. This series of quakes naturally has people living west of said areas feeling a bit nervous about what is to come.

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At this point there are no tsunami warnings or issues are nuclear reactors outside of the Tohoku region, but Twitter users in Kansai, the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū, seem to be a bit spooked. Here are a selection of tweets from the morning of March 16th.

@wakakei76: 昨夜の静岡地震の時に配偶者はさらりと「富士山噴火するかもねー」などと激しく俺だけを不安にさせたが、「このまま関西に移動していくかな？」と聞いたら「糸魚川あたりでとまるんでねーの。もしくはフォッサマグナで日本が分かれて海ができる」と結論が出たあたりで俺は猫さんで遊ぶことにした。

@althis_asuka: 食料品とか買い込みする人がいなきゃ今まで通りが可能。それが関東や関西です(茨城さんだけちょっと凄い大変そうですが）。そもそも水道ひねって→飲める水が出る　って事そのものが世界的に恵まれてる→この大地震後でも世界的に恵まれてますからね。自覚すれば余裕が有ります

@toshiwo: 今回の地震、宮城県沖から南下して東京湾の次は静岡かー。関西の方も用心しておくべきなのかも？

@axexlll: 今度は岐阜県か…だんだん地震南下してきてる？ 余震が続いてる所もそうだけど、きてない関西とかもいつ来るかわからないから寝れないなぁ

‘Pray for Japan' image from Instagram, in a list compiled by Naver user Jorker

@hirock_arnett: 正直、関西にも大地震が来たらと考えると、胸が破裂しそうなくらい怖い。西の空が赤いとか、月が接近してるとか、そんな科学的根拠のない予兆にさえ怯えてしまう始末。でも、そんなんじゃダメだって思うから、なるたけポジティブでいたいと思う。こんな不安な春は初めてだ…。

In reading tweets out of that area, despite there being no substantiated data with regard to any risks in Kansai, one can't help but feel a little uneasy. Fortunately, a number of users are thinking clearly and seeking others do the same.

@toki____onohara: 私は地震について思う事は｢ＲＴしない｣事だと。こういう時は冷静に冷静に。拡散した誤ツイで、酷いようですが千羽鶴や写真がどうなるんですか？関西は東京の友人達を見ましょう。

@b_sk063: テレビだけが情報源の幼馴染から「静岡まで地震来てる…関西も危ないよね…？もう心配で寝れない…原発もアレ危ないんでしょ？」ってメールきた。メディアの影響って大きいんだなやっぱり。ツイッターだと付属の情報も入ってくるからやっぱ必要なんだな。

Beyond that, some reassurance can be found in Kansai as Makoto Yagi, president of Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO), announced his desire to take a proactive stance considering the possibility of similar nuclear accidents arising in Kansai:

@RepublicOfOsaka: [関西]関西電力　原発の地震・津波対策を強化へ: 　東日本大震災による東京電力・福島第一原発の事故を受けて、関西電力は、原発の地震・津波対策を強化する考えを明らかにしました。http://bit.ly/g7Z2hS

This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.

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The Ogasawara Natural Information Centre (en/ja) is a Ministry of the Environment hub site which provides a great deal of information about the process up until this point, detailed future plans, as well as raw natural data. A quick look (ja) leads one to feel things are moving right on schedule!

A post on the official blog (ja) of the Ogasawara Tourist Association reflects the excitement:

小笠原諸島が世界自然遺産推薦地となりました。
今後は概ね三年程度かけて外来種対策などを行い世界自然遺産登録に向けて進んでいきます。
登録されれば日本で４つ目の世界自然遺産登録地となります。

They also have some excellent site promotion emblems uploaded via the above blog post.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is UNESCO's environmental advisory body, carried out their inspection (ja) of the actual state of several of the islands between July 2 - 15, (ja) said to be among the most important elements of the evaluation process. The decision is slated to be made in summer 2011 at the World Heritage Committee's 35th assembly.

Let's take a quick look at exactly what this detailed inspection entails. According to the Ministry of the Environment:

本調査は、世界遺産委員会の諮問機関である国際自然保護連合（ＩＵＣＮ）が行う、推薦物件の世界遺産一覧表への記載にかかる専門的評価プロセスの一部として実施されます。評価の主な目的は次のとおりです。
・推薦地の全ての側面についてよく知ること
・推薦区域の境界線を調査すること
・管理のためのシステムとその有効性を評価すること
・推薦地に対する現在及び将来の脅威を調査すること
・推薦に対する地域のサポートを評価すること

So, how did it go? Of course it will be some time before any results are made clear, but it sounds like the islanders put every effort forward in order to ensure a smooth investigation. From one of the region's major blogs:

7月4日から来島していたIUCN（国際自然保護連合）のピーターさんとナオミさん。10日間の現地調査を終えて島を離れていきました。関わった多くの皆さん本当にごくろうさまでした。
前日は関係機関に対するIUCN側からのプレゼンがあり、今後の管理体制について様々な提案や事例紹介行われました。ツーリズムに関してもお話があり、世界自然遺産になったとしても、適切な管理が行われるようエコツーリズムの推進を図っていきたいと思っています。
さて、その後は「さよならパーティー」が行われ、各機関から最後のアピール（？）を行いました。そして、村はやっちゃいました。何と「小笠原自然遺産音頭」を本邦初公開しました。多分受けていたのでポイントは上がったとは思っていますが…。（まあ、音頭で世界遺産になるとはだれも思っていませんが。）今年の盆踊り大会（8月12日～14日）に向けて、振付をお願いしていますので乞うご期待。

Bonin Islands, Japan (from Flickr user *yasuhiro - CC-BY)

The islands are in both a promising as well as challenging position. With increased attention through the UNESCO connection, the potential for increased funding and preservation of various natural properties is becoming more and more viable. Yet a great deal of the organizations putting efforts toward maintaining the islands still remains self-funded, largely from tourism. Assuredly being named a World Heritage Site would boost numbers dramatically, but the fundamental infrastructure to move people to these islands is lacking, and may be holding back potential tourists even now. Let's take a look at a couple blog posts which humorously (but accurately) look at this issue.

Via Left Eye, the blog of a photographer based on the Ogasawara islands.

沖縄との大きな違いは「海洋島」ということ。
大きな陸地と地続きになったことがないってことです。
これがどういう意味を持つかと言うと・・・
長くなるからそのうちブログります。（笑）

それと沖縄との大きな違いをもうひとつ。
それは観光客の数。
沖縄は年間20万人とも30万人とも言われいていますが、
小笠原は年間2万人ちょっと・・・
赤字続きの第三セクター遊園地よりも人が来ない計算？

25時間の船旅。
最短6日間の日程。
割高な旅費。（船旅は総じて高い）

このみっつのハードルが考えられます。

From a travel and tourism blog:

父島への行き方を教えてくださいというメールが来ました。父島の行き方ですね。了解です。父島への行き方は、簡単です。荷物をもって、浜松町へゴー。駅員さんに「竹芝桟橋行きたいんですが、どうしたらいいですか」と聞いてください。歩いて１０分ぐらいのところに竹芝桟橋という港があります。そこで切符を購入して、小笠原丸という船に乗れば、父島に来れます。小笠原丸の船賃は２万円強。３万円もっておけば大丈夫です。片道ね。ただし、船は夏と正月は６日に１度。冬やほかの日程になると、２週間に１度しかでていません。だから事前に小笠原丸のページをみて、日程をチェックしないといけませんよ。小笠原丸の時刻表は、小笠原丸で検索したときに一番上にでてくると思います。出発は朝１０時です。ただし、荷物を郵送する場合は、かなり前から送らないと、同じ船には乗りません。また、同じ船でいけたとしても、到着当日に荷物は届きません。一便前ぐらいに乗るようにしておくのが吉です。

Finally, a blog update from Ogasawara's parliamentary representative, Shigeo Ichiki, who succinctly puts forward the issues facing villagers at this point in time:

8月5日、東京・茅場町にある日本自然保護協会を訪問しました。
私が普段から提唱している環境協力金（入島税など）をはじめ、世界自然遺産登録後の財源確保の課題、移入種の材木を活用した発電など、小笠原諸島の自然保護行政全般について相談をしたり、ご指導を頂きました。
航空路に関しても議論しました。
日本自然保護協会とは私が島に来てからのお付き合いがあり、
小笠原ホエールウォッチング協会時代には各種調査を受託するなどしていました。
ざっくばらんにお話ができるので、大変有意義なご意見などをいただく事ができました。

Ichiki's blog post was made just this past Saturday, so I think it accurately reflects what is on the mind of islanders these days (or at least islander politicians). An island entrance tax will assuredly be a controversial issue, as depending on the cost it could further dull the islands' appeal to tourists, but apart from that the tourism industry on the island simply does not yet have the scale to sustain the natural conservation activities they are trying to carry out. It will be an interesting issue to follow into next year.

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Aplenty is perhaps not a sufficiently inclusive word. Planning has been ongoing since as early as 1998, with the formal establishment of a prefecture-operated working committee being ironed out in mid-2005. With the restoration of key historical sites, effective promotion via advertisements in every conceivable medium, a nice anniversary theme (はじまりの奈良、めぐり感動, or roughly “Experience the depth of Nara, Japan's beginning”) and of course the beloved mascot characters, in terms of scale, historical celebrations do not get much bigger than this.

Crowds wait for the Kintetsu line trains, Suzakumon (朱雀門) in the distance

First a quick briefing on the words utilized in advertisements and such. While geographically located in Nara (奈良), historically the capital (while in Nara) was referred to as “Heijō-kyō” (平城京). Moving of the capital from one region to another has a specific word, “sento” (遷都), and thus the formal celebration name we are left with is 平城遷都1300年祭 - the 1300th anniversary celebration of the moving of the capital to Nara (or Heijō)!

Let's take a look at exactly what's going on over there. There are three main initiatives constituting the celebration as a whole - from the anniversary working group:

「平城宮跡事業」では、我が国が世界に誇る歴史文化遺産「平城宮跡」（特別史跡・世界遺産・国営歴史公園）を舞台に、半世紀にわたる「発掘と研究」「保存と復原」の成果を踏まえ、平城京の建設と国づくりにかけた人々の情熱と知恵に触れ合う特別な展示・催事を展開します。また、本格的なフィールド・ミュージアムとしての魅力と価値を備えた特別な体験・楽習ツアーを提案します。

「巡る奈良事業」では、平城京を誕生させた県内各地の歴史文化力に新たな光をあてた「巡礼」「周遊」型の行催事を展開します。これまでの「賑わい・伝統行催事」に加えて、「社寺・国宝を巡る」「古道を巡る」「花と自然を巡る」。そして「遣唐使」や「正倉院」や「万葉集」などを素材とした「歴史・文化を巡る」。新たな魅力を備えた歴史探訪ツアーです。

「特別行事」では、唐との交流を通じて本格的な国づくりをすすめた平城京に想いをはせながら、奈良と世界に新たな交流を産み出す多彩なコンベンション事業を用意しました。

遣唐使船： Recreation of ships sent on diplomatic missions to Tang China.

Essentially, the reconstructed Heijō palace area is the central site for this anniversary celebration. The festivities began on April 24, and will run until November 7 of this year. There is a tremendous amount of information online (en/jp) regarding the activities carried out there. A short bus ride from either Kintetsu or JR Nara station is the typical access route, though Kintetsu Saidai-ji station (近鉄西大寺駅) is also very close by.

Unbelievably, (while predominantly in Japanese) there's even more information online for the “Experience Nara” events (en/jp), which are running from January 1 until December 31 of 2010. I placed links to the Japanese sub-sections in the above translations.

The earliest events have been going on since January, but the real hub of activity only just opened up in late April, so reactions are still fresh. The author at Syuhari Design posted a write-up of their visit.

今月、２４日より奈良県西大寺を中心に平城遷都1300年祭が開かれました。
奈良といえば以前、４年ほど住んでいたことがあったので、道を運転するには自信があったのですが、
いざ行ってみると、開発がすすんでいたのでなかなか目的地にたどり着くことができませんでした。
まあ、なんだかんだで迷いながらもナビなしで到着しました。
まずはメイン会場である西大寺の平城宮跡へ・・・
めざすは目玉である　「大極殿」

瓦の色の不揃いなところがいい味をだしているように思えます。
内部へ・・・
帝のみに座ることが許される玉座というべき椅子・・・
内壁に描かれた絵は奈良県在住の日本画家、上村　敦之画伯による直筆画！
天井にもひとつひとつ丁寧に描かれています。

大極殿の向かいには、朱雀門・・・
かなり遠かったのと、何度も行ったことがあったので、今回は行かず・・・
続いてイベント会場の様子です。
にぎやかな舞台が上演されていました。

Besides the exhibits and displays, there have been a number of large-scale events held at the palace site in the weeks since opening. Via the celebration committee's staff blog, we have a report on the evening light-up of the main Imperial Audience building.

平城宮跡の夜、普段は真っ暗です。
広い夜空に、月と星。
何もないところが魅力でもあります。
闇の世界に、今までは朱雀門がライトアップされいて、ひときわ目をひいていました。
ですが、4月24日から5月9日までは、第一次大極殿も光を浴びることになりました！

24日は点灯式が行われました。
照明を担当されたのは、東京タワー・横浜ベイブリッジなどを手掛けられた石井幹子さん。
ドキドキしながら、点灯を見守りました。
｢５・４・３・２・１｣
アレ？まっくらのまま？！
と思ったら、じわじわと下の方から緑の光が。
環境に優しいライトを使っているからだそう。
緑の光が、オレンジから白く明るい光へと変化していきました。

That special event has finished, but the staff noted their excitement about the evening events to come in the summer fair (August 20-27). Golden week was especially packed with events, and there seems to be focus on a certain numerical theme in these events… for a bit of historical fashion:

花と緑のフェア最終日の今日。
総勢1300人の天平行列が行われました！
子供から大人まで、そして色んな身分の方々の衣装が再現されていましたよ。
こんな感じです← ここをクリック
平城京の頃は、服の色が位で決められていたとのこと。

On May 3, the site saw a record 69,000 visitors, perhaps drawn in by the day's activities:

今日は「平城遷都祭2010」の催しで“1300人のボディドラム”が、第一次大極殿前庭にて行われました。
プロのダンサーやパフォーマーの方と共に、子供から大人までの総勢1300人の参加者が、和太鼓やパーカッションのリズムにのって、手をたたき、踊るというこのボディドラム！
北野武監督の｢座頭市｣のタップシーンを振り付けしたという、タップダンサーHIDEBOHさんも参加。
平城宮跡の広い空に、1300人の奏でる音が響きわたりました。
ノリのいいリズムに、見ている方も思わず体が動いちゃう♪

There are naturally festivals of all sorts which take place annually in Japan, but this celebration has both the financial backing and support of local residents and visitors alike to make it really a truly outstanding event.

A final tip to foreign residents of (or visitors to) Japan: since this is a prefecturally-run operation, access to many admission-based areas is made free to non-Japanese citizens. I've ran into this government policy elsewhere in Nara, and while I naturally never carry my passport around with me, in the past my ID has been sufficient!

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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!

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At a high level, there are national policy issues. The Child Welfare law has seen little change in post-war Japan, and modern concerns with agencies turning a substantial profit from organizing adoptions have been growing steadily. The law states that adoption agencies may only charge what they need to cover costs; costs are identified as falling into ten categories, such as transportation, consultation charges, and the like. Problems arise with the relatively ubiquitous “donation” system many of these agencies utilize. Naturally, a non-profit group is bound to seek donations to provide the capital needed to keep the organization financially stable, however this is a system easily abused.

An international adoption blogger notes a past case:

In one instance, a Tokyo adoption agency that featured “free adoption services” asked one of their clients–a Japanese couple living in the Netherlands–for a 5.5 million yen donation in advance. Believing the fee to be too high, the couple declined to pay. However, the agency then told them it would stop looking for candidate children, according to the ministry.

This is a cloudy area to monitor, as discerning legitimate donations from profit-seeking extortion can in many cases be a difficult judgment to make.

In the last three years, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare has attempted to encourage municipal and prefectural governments to tighten the local regulation of independent agencies. Many orphanages and foster care organizations are quite small and independent, making local authorities the necessary leader in stimulating change. That said, some challenge that the entire adoption process would benefit from being government-regulated; that agencies should require licensing and be made to adhere to federally-applied screenings. Reasons for seeking federal responsibility stem from concerns of the end result of international adoption, namely human rights violations and exploitation such as child pornography.

Hiroto Suzuki, a professor at Chuo University is quoted on this matter:

“The existing simple registration system should be replaced by a system under which adoption agencies are not allowed to operate without government screening or a license. The current framework is inadequate for bringing the real state of affairs to light.”

at the court of TMG (Tokyo Metropolitan Government) by Flickr user midorisyu

Turning the focus to adoptions entirely within Japan, there are a number of trends which are observable.

For very practical purposes, that is to say, not for emotional satisfaction, there are actually a very large number of people in Japan who want to adopt, though not necessarily young children. When elderly people are nearing death and are setting their final affairs in order, naturally the passage of their estate is among the more time-critical concerns. In order to avoid the taxes placed on direct parent-to-child inheritances, they adopt a grandchild, and will their estate to the adopted grandchild.

Beyond the tax-dodging, the continuation of family names is important to many people, and often, couples with no male heir will adopt an adult male, and will their possessions to him in exchange for the name change. Domestic statistics are not well-tracked, but it is likely that adult adoptions for the purpose of preserving the family name make up the lion's share of legal adoptions conducted in Japan.

This latter trend points us to one of the critical issues facing abandoned and orphaned children in Japan: the importance and strict nature of family records has established a mindset through which adopting a child is an option looked down upon by many. The family koseki (戸籍), official documentation recording family progression (marriage, birth, death, etc.)  over the years remains influential to this day, and while with many younger individuals it has no influence on forging new relationships, there are still cases in which business/employment opportunities, marriages, and other such situations are negatively impacted by an abnormality in the family records, which could include adoption. Furthermore, older relatives may vocally disapprove of the adoption of a child, creating a distinct point of tension.

To get a better look at the complexity and intra-familial issues that can arise along with or as a result of seeking an adoption, let's take a look at a case blogged about recently by sakaidesu45, relating his personal situation.

そんな曾祖父に、幼い頃から「ウチの会社の跡取りだ」と言われていました。（祖母の話によると、会社の会議でも言っていたそうです。）
曾祖父も亡くなり、跡取りの話も無くなったかと思っていたら、今度は祖母が「○○家(祖母の家）を継いで欲しい」と言われました。

言われた、理由は僕が考える限り２つあります。
１つ
祖母には弟（大叔父）がおり、大叔父は２人の子供もいます。
祖母は、大叔父の嫁とその２人の子供を憎んでおり、曾祖父が残してくれた遺産も墓も、渡さまいと、すでに大叔父に遺言も書かせています。

２つ
祖母は僕の父親も、嫌いなのです。（僕の本当の父親でもありません。（義父））
義父を祖母は、死んでも許しはしません。

ですので、遺産を大叔父達にも渡さず、僕の両親にも渡したくないので、僕を養子縁組する事で、曾祖父から受け継いだ全ての物を守ろうと考えているようです。

Since I was very young, I was told by my great-grandfather that I was the heir to the family business. (According to my grandmother's stories, he would even say this at company meetings). With my great-grandfather's passing, I thought the discussion of my inheriting anything was gone as well. That is, until my grandmother asked me to carry on her family name.
For this, there are two reasons which I can come up with.
1. My grandmother has a younger brother (my great uncle), and he has two children. My grandmother bears a great deal of ill will towards this younger brother's wife and kids, and has already made him write his will so that his wife and children cannot receive the family inheritance.
2. She also is resentful of my father, whom she will under no circumstances approve of (He is actually my step-father).
As a result of all this, my grandmother does not wish to pass the inheritance on to my parents, nor to my great-uncle, and by adopting me, it seems she feels that she can protect and safely pass on all the things she succeeded from her father.

There are presently a number of conflicting forces at play: a disapproval of adoption from those valuing past norms, yet many of these people are the ones adopting heirs into their family near the end of their lives. This negative viewpoint also clashes with the many younger families who are seeking to adopt, rejecting past ideals and placing the importance on their present family. Legally, progress has been slow. In the late 1980s, the law was changed to allow adopted children to remove their biological family name from their koseki, which makes concealing an adoption easier on their end… pragmatically, this is a useful change, but it reflects clearly the remaining national discomfort with such familial “abnormalities.”

On a support thread created by someone dealing with issues of realizing their adopted status later in life, user alice0614 relates her own experiences.

私も０歳で養子に出され、３年程前に戸籍謄本を出した際に気づきました。我が家では両親との仲がとても良かった為、打ち明けるかどうか１週間程悩みましたが知ってしまった事を隠し続ける事も辛くなり、正直に話しました。

両親も私が結婚する際に話そうと思っていたようなので、御両親様もいつかは話さなければと胸にひっかかるものを持ちながら過ごしておられるのでしょう。あなた様のほうから打ち明け、安心させてあげてはいかがですか？

I also was adopted when I was less than a year old, and I first learned this three years ago, when I received a copy of my family registry. Because I had a very close relationship with my parents, I spent a week or so worrying whether I should talk to them or not. Continuing to hide this knowledge became increasingly difficult however, and in the end I conversed with them honestly.
Apparently, my parents intended to speak with me about it when I was to get married. Perhaps your parents are also living with the knowledge that they must tell you the truth sooner or later. How do you feel about bringing this up to them and relieving them of this anxiety yourself?

The widespread assumption that children being raised by foster families are living unsatisfactory lives plays a large role in the laws governing child custody in Japan. The Japan Times explores the ways in which child foster care is conducted shines light on the practical implications of ideological issues.

Sakamoto explained that the “ie seido” traditional social system, which places family ties above children's individual rights, forms the basis for parental custody rights granting even abusive mothers and fathers powerful influence over the lives of their children.

When those children are moved into the protective care of the state, such traditional values, plus jealousy toward potential foster parents, often prompt biological parents to bar their children from foster care or yank them away from a foster family after the children have settled in.

It is the tension between traditional (some might say antiquated) and modern family values which is keeping the children living in state-run facilities from entering into adoptive families (be it permanently, or at all), and both sides lose as a result.

User ofukubird comments on the estimated length of his adoption experience:

自分たちの意志を確かめるため、まずある中絶防止団体に相談しました。
しかし、待っている夫婦がたくさんいるということだったので、“まあ１年後までに連絡があればラッキーだね〜”なんてゆったり構えていました。

We first consulted with an anti-abortion group in order to affirm our own volition. We learned that there are many couples waiting to adopt and prepared for a long wait, thinking “if we're contacted within a year, we'll consider ourselves lucky!”.

How do the attitudes in Japan influence opinion on adoptions made abroad, particularly those of high-profile individuals adopting out developing nations? User yakusoku-movie created a poll surveying opinions on the matter.

最近では、マドンナやアンジェリーナ・ジョリーで有名な養子縁組。貧しい国の子供を養子にすることをどう思う？(択一)

（結果）
ー良いと思う (10%)

ーどうかと思う (47%)

ー親が生きているから止めた方が良い (19%)

ー親が生きていても、仕方ない場合もある (24%)

Recently, there have been a number of high-profile adoptions by people such as Madonna and Angelina Jolie. How do you feel about adopting children from poor countries? (select one)
(Results)
- I think it is a good thing. (10%)
- Ambivalent (47%)
- Because [in case] the birth parents are still alive, this should not continue. (19%)
- Even if the birth parents are alive, there are situations in which it is the only viable option. (24%)

The strong presence of ambivalent opinions effectively reflects the conflicting cultural attitudes towards adoption, illustrating how such conflict can leave many people without a strong single opinion, which leads to stagnation and stalls the progress of change.

A writer for ABCDane's story regarding Jessica Simpson's adoption interests includes some personal commentary:

養子を受け入れてたシングルマザーとして有名なアンジェリーナ・ジョリーのことをジェシカは「アンジェリーナ・ジョリーはすばらしいことをしたと思う。彼女のおかげで国際的な養子の受け入れ率が飛躍的に伸びたのよ。すばらしいわ」と話していた。

離婚の理由のひとつに、ニックは自分の子どもが欲しかった…なんていう話もありますが、子どもに「シーチキン」はチキンだ、といったことを教えるようなママにはならないで頂きたいですが。

Regarding famous single mother Angelina Jolie's adoption, Jessica Simpson commented, “I think [she] really did something great. Thanks to her, the number of children adopted across borders has grown rapidly. It's wonderful.”
One of the speculated reasons for their divorce was that Nick [Lachey] wanted to have his own children rather than adopting, however, explaining to the children their mother's “Chicken of the Sea is chicken” comment leads me to wish that she does not become a mother!

The comical nature of some celebrity adoptions assuredly lightens up the issue a bit, but applied to Japan, reinforces that the current state of loosely-defined standards and regulations on adoptions need to be tightened up, to reconcile unfulfilled desires on the part of children and parents, but also to ensure that children in any culture are receiving a proper marine biology education!

Written by Matt Holland · comments (1)
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Solar Eclipse Global Visibility - July 22, 2009

This total eclipse was the first in 46 years to pass over Japan, assuredly generating a great deal of enthusiasm and interest. Beyond the infrequency just from a regional perspective, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about a total solar eclipse simply as a natural phenomenon. To be able to see such features as the diamond ring effect (the final flash of light before entering totality), the corona [en][ja] (the sun's glowing hot outer atmosphere) and the explosive solar prominences [en][ja] during the eclipse is reliant upon the the moon's distance from the earth, and naturally, the earth's distance from the sun. On the geological time scale, this is certainly a temporary state. There was a time in Earth's history when the moon was too close to the earth to ever really appear to match the sun's size so nearly. In the distant future, there will be an eventual end to all total solar eclipses, as the moon's orbit draws increasingly distant from the earth, and the sun's size itself increases, complete apparent coverage of the sun by the moon will become impossible.

That said, there are those who appreciate Earthen eclipse-viewing for its cosmic value and rarity, and those who appreciate a beautiful and eerily dim daylight sky, and both types of people were interested in viewing the eclipse in Japan - with such enthusiasm in tow, preparations began.

From Flickr user emrank.

While not total lunar coverage, brilliant partial eclipses were predicted to be visible [ja] in all of Japan's most populated areas: roughly 50% lunar coverage in Sapporo, 60% in Sendai, 75% in Tokyo, 80% in Kyoto, and nearly 90% in Fukuoka. Special eclipse-day weather reports and historical archives [ja] were pored over and compiled, and the forecasts (based on past conditions) spelled out less than encouraging cloud and rain presence for much of Japan, particularly the cities on Honshu and Hokkaido.

This bad weather forecast, among other things, had some feeling apprehensive even months in advance. Blogger Nosuke assembled his thoughts [ja] in April regarding viewing the eclipse on a package tour with all the others clamouring to see it.

で、とりあえず、無秩序の中でいかに生きていけれるかを考えたとき、自信がないです。ｗ
それと、高い料金。さらに、雨降ったらどうしようって考えると。。。
[…]

そんな小さなことを考えているので。今回は、遠くから見ます。TVで見ます。人生でもう一回肉眼で見れないかもしれないけど。

Safety warnings also became rather ubiquitous in many online documents and publications. 2009 is the UNESCO-designated Year of Astronomy, and the Japanese site has a series of information pages, with a cautionary page [ja] created to alert potential eclipse-viewers of the hazards involved in doing so.

As they are wont to do, tour companies were quick to establish a commercial hold on eclipse-viewing excursions. KNT [ja] (Kinki Nihon Tourist) set up a dedicated page [ja] on their website for eclipse-related tour packages. One of the key tour locations (and prime viewing spots globally) was to visit and stay on the minimally-populated, naturally-pristine Tokara Islands, with prices [ja] ranging from JPY340,000 to upwards of JPY410,000. Depending on the package selection, groups sizes ranging from 10 to well over 100 people could take trips lasting between 4 and 10 days.

Such a remote and undeveloped location is typically not prone to tourists, and thus does not nearly have the infrastructural capacity to deal with the onslaught of tourists that such a high-profile event might draw. I came across an great article regarding life on the islands, peppered with a bit of historical background, some statistics, and some honest opinions. Traditionally, the only way to access the island is via a ferry leaving from Kagoshima a couple times a week. The position of the islands (between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean) affords a largely untouched and unique collection of marine life. The article goes on to emphasize that the undeveloped nature should be appreciated and preserved.

There are many beautiful Southern resort islands like Yakushima, Amami islands, and Okinawa. However, Tokara are real islands with pure nature. There are almost no tourists, and inconvenient transport. Therefore, there is abundant nature, typical creatures, and a special culture which was influenced by North Japan (Yamato) and South Japan (Ryukyu) remaining on the islands. More over, there are only beautiful blue oceans, blue sky and time….

It is said that Tokara is Japan's last mysterious region. Some people say there is nothing on the islands. But some people say there is everything on the islands. Depending what you want to see, you will have a different viewpoint of the islands.

As expectations and plans took on a wide variety of forms, what was the final result? The Asahi Shinbun managed to acquire some beautiful footage [ja] from the skies, on a plane flying over the East China Sea and the surrounding islands. What of the people viewing from land?

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