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Japan: Buy Nothing Day

Scilla Alecci — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:14:36 +0000

Buy Nothing Day Japan

Started in 1992 in Canada by artist Ted Dave, the Buy Nothing Day movement [en] has spread to more than 60 countries around the world, Japan included.
In line with the philosophy of the movement, next Saturday (November 28) Japanese are invited to refrain from shopping and reflect upon their thoughtless consumerism habits.

So reads the purpose statement of Buy Nothing Day:

Provide a moment of pause in the production-consumption routine. Find alternatives to a shopping-centered life-style. Draw attention to the social, economic, environmental and psychological effects of overconsumption. Promote ecological economics (local and environmentally responsible business, non=GNP indicators of wealth).

Buy Nothing Day 2009 PV by Illcommonz

All over the country, individuals and organizations are planning special events to alert people to the problems related to irresponsible buying customs.
Ikuko, a member of the artistic group NU★ie, announces that they will organize workshops in Sapporo, in the northern island of Hokkaido. One of the workshops, for example, will consist of the production of useful objects by recycling cast-off products.

大量生産・大量消費。買い物すること、消費することに慣れきってしまっている生活を1年に1度だけ、ちょっと見直す良い機会。
「無くてもいい物は買わない日→無買日」です。
カナダから始まったこの運動は今や世界同時多発アクション！の日となっています。
さっぽろでも何かしたいな…と思い、イベントをやることにしました！
その名も・・・。
～無買日！タダを楽しむ休日～

Mass production, mass consumption. This is a good opportunity to reconsider, at least once a year, our living habits that have made of consumption seemingly a normal thing.
‘A day in which we don't buy unnecessary things = Buy Nothing Day'
This movement, originally from Canada, is now a movement that happens all over the world at the same
time!!
We thought that we wanted to do something also in Sapporo so we decided to organize an event!
Its name…
“Buy Nothing Day: a holiday to enjoy free”

Blogger zawasawa reflects on the meaning of ‘culture' and what are conventionally called cultural products.

僕たちは色々な「楽しみ」を買ってきた。そういう「楽しみ」は、だいたい文化産業と呼ばれるテレビとか娯楽産業とかのプロの連中が作った物だ。僕たちは受け身の消費者で、まぁ、せいぜい参加者といったところだ。CDを買い、映画に行き、イベントに参加する。ハリウッドやニンテンドーが、靴工場が靴を作るみたいに「文化」とやらを生産して僕らに供給してくれているわけだ。
でもね。文化というは本当はそういうものじゃない。工業製品じゃないんだよ。文化ってのは歴史的にみれば実はキミや僕らのような普通の人々が築いてきたものなんだ。

We are now used to purchasing many of our amusements which are the so called ‘cultural’ products, such as the television and so on, made by the professionals of the amusement industry. We are merely passive consumers or, at best, participants. We buy CDs, watch movies and participate in staged events. Like shoe factories that make shoes, Hollywood and Nintendo produce ‘culture' and provide us with it.
However ‘culture' is not that, it is not an industrial product. If we look at history we can see how ‘culture' is rather something that people such as ourselves have been building up over many generations.

Buy Nothing Day 2009 PV-THEY STILL ALIVE by Illcommonz

On the occasion of the Kyoto Buy Nothing Day in 2007, a team of Japanese artists led by activist and video maker Illcommonz (イルコモンズ) produced a short movie as inspiration to the anti-consumerism movement titled 無買日京都二〇〇七(Mubaibi Kyoto 2007, Buy Nothing Day Kyoto 2007) .

【あらすじ】「買うものであなたが決まる(You are what you buy)」という丸井のクレジットカードのＣＭを見たイルコモンズ。「そんなことあるものか！このＣＭは人間に対する冒涜だ！」と腹をたて、毎年、クリスマス・シーズンに行われるアドバスターズの「BUY NOTHING DAY」に参加することを決意。早速、自作のキャンペーン・ポスターをつくり、YouTubeにキャンペーン・ビデオをアップし、さらに、「資本主義への日々の投票用紙」であるレシートで覆われたマネキンまでこしらえるが、それでもまだ腹の虫がおさまらない。そこで、毎年、「BUY NOTHING DAY」に京都四条河原町の阪急百貨店前で行われる「禅タ・クロースの座禅」イベントに参戦。はたしてそこでイルコモンズが見たものは何か？　そして、「僕らがどんな人間かを決めるのは何なのか？」という問いにイルコモンズが出した答えは何か？現代美術家で民族誌家でメディア・アクティヴィストのイルコモンズが、クリスマスに贈るヒューマン・ドキュメント」

Synopsis - Illcomonz sees Marui Department Store's commercial for the credit card which says ‘You are what you buy'. Angry with this phrase he thinks “Is this possible? This ad is a blasphemy against what it means to be a human being!” and he decides to participate in the ‘Buy nothing Day' movement that the Adbusters run each year during the Christmas season.
He starts to make his own promotional posters and upload videos onto YouTube. He also makes a mannequin covered in store receipts that are the ‘everyday voting paper of capitalism.’ But his anger is not stilled yet and every year he actively participates in the ‘Zenta Claus Meditation' event held in front of the Hankyu department store in Kawaramachi, Shijo, in Kyoto.
But what is it that Illcomonz sees there and what answer has Illcommonz to the question ‘What is it that determines what kind of human beings we are?’
This is a statement on humanity delivered by contemporary artist, documentary maker and media activist Illcommonz.

What are you? By Flickr id: Ripplet.jp

Japan: Secondhand books to loose yourself in

Scilla Alecci — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:23:39 +0000

Photographer Damoncoulter presents some pictures of the Secondhand Book Fair in Shimbashi (Tokyo).
In the heart of the Tokyo business district, the fair (held in middle November) was mostly attended by “salarymen” looking for rare pieces of literature to read on the way home.

Japan: British teenager becomes a YouTube star

Scilla Alecci — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:54:17 +0000

She is British, blond, slim and cute. Her name is Beckii Cruel [ja] and, at age 14, has become an idol on the Japanese web.

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。

She is a pretty 14 year old girl living on the Isle of Man, England.
After she read the manga Fruits Basket three years ago, she went crazy for the Japanese otaku culture [she says].
This March, Beckii Cruel published on Youtube videos of herself dancing to Japanese anime songs.
After the video Danjo (Man and Woman) was shown on [the Japanese video sharing website] Niko Niko Doga in May, her popularity exploded.

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].

Japan: Obama's eagerly awaited visit

Scilla Alecci — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:28:09 +0000

Ingmar, at Demotix, uploaded some pictures he took on Friday, when President Obama arrived to Tokyo to meet the Emperor and PM Hatoyama. The photos show the arrival of Obama at Suntory Hall.

Japan: I want my husband dead

Scilla Alecci — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:19:17 +0000

Hideki Sakamoto (坂本英樹)comments on the topic of the week: the bizarre results of the predictive search function of some Japanese search engines.
“If you enter the word otto (夫,　husband) in the Google search bar, and then press space, a few phrases are shown. But at the head of the list is the keyword 夫死んでほしい (I want my husband dead), with 674,000 hits […].”
Though, the most searched one is 夫嫌い (otto kirai, I hate my husband), with 2,190,000 hits.
Besides, according to blogger Sakamoto, the first two keywords to be `suggested` after otto in the Yahoo Japan search bar are 浮気　(uwaki, infidelity) and 小遣い平均 (kozukai heikin, average pocket money).

Japan: A message to Tatsuya Ichihashi

Scilla Alecci — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:48:33 +0000

Naoki Motoyama (本山直樹), guest professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture, addresses [ja] a post to Tatsuya Ichihashi　（市橋達也）, the alleged murderer of Lindsay Hawker captured on Tuesday after having been on the run for almost two years.
The blogger, who used to belong to the same karate club at Chiba School of Horticulture as Ichihashi, remembers one of the last conversations they had and invites him to apologize to the victim`s family and pay for his crime.

Japan: Hitler's “Mein Kampf”, the manga version

Scilla Alecci — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:33:36 +0000

After more than 80 years since its first publication, Hitler's Mein Kampf has become a Manga comic.
The 190 page volume, which sold some 45,000 copies in the first printing, tells in a very simple way the story of Adolf Hitler, from his childhood to his rise as the leader of the National Socialist Party.

Cover of the manga 我が闘争 (Mein Kampf)

It is part of a series by the publishing company East Press which in the past has released the manga versions of several heavyweight literary works such as Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov and Marx's The Capital.
Since further publication of Mein Kampf is already banned in several countries including Germany and Austria, the manga Waga Toso (我が闘争), as it is translated in Japanese, has given place to very different reactions abroad and in Japan, as blogger zoffy well sums up.

注目されている背景には、
・本書の著者がナチスドイツの独裁者アドルフ・ヒトラーであること。
・そして、ドイツでは今なお本著作の出版が禁止されていること。
・さらに、内容がネオ・ナチの思想を助長するのではないかといった懸念が世間にあること。
などの事情がある。
これに対し出版社側は、
「有名な本だが、読んだ人は少ない。どんな思想があれほどの悲劇を生んだのか、『悪魔』で片付けられるヒトラーの人間の部分を知る材料になると思った」
と企画の理由を話している。

Among the elements that caught [foreign media's] attention are:
- the fact that the author of this book was the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
- The fact that its publishing is still banned in Germany.
- The widespread fear that its content might encourage neo-Nazi sentiment
On the other hand, the publishing company argues as reason for such a choice the fact that “It's a famous book but very few people have read it. We think this Manga will provide clues to Hitler both as a human being and also to his way of thinking which led to such tragedy, though he is now dismissed as a ‘monster’

Two scenes from the manga 我が闘争 (Mein Kampf)

Commenting on this particular manga, many bloggers chose to copy-paste an article published in the daily Asahi Shimbun on September 20th and titled The manga version of ‘Mein Kampf' is a hit. Reactions range from critical to calling it “a historical resource” (売れる「わが闘争」漫画版　苦言も「歴史資料」の声も) [ja].
The same article, translated in English 　by the same paper a few days later, states the cause of the ban by saying that “The Finance Ministry of the state of Bavaria, which holds the copyright to the book, has refused to grant permission to reprint it out of sensitivity to victims of Nazi atrocities.”

However, journalist Yoshio Kisa (木佐芳男), former correspondent in Germany for the daily Yomiuri Shimbun and author of essays such as The Question of War Responsibility - Germany's unaccounted for past (戦争責任”とは何か―清算されなかったドイツの過去), says he does not agree with Asahi's explanation.

だが、発禁となっている本当の理由は、そんなきれいごとではない。出版すれば、ドイツをはじめヨーロッパ各国にいるネオナチ組織の聖典となって、政治的な大問題となりかねないからだ。バイエルン州の州都ミュンヘンのキオスクに立ち寄れば、いくつかの極右新聞が売られていることに気づく。ドイツには、それぞれ数千人の動員力を持つ極右・ネオナチ組織が複数ある。当局は、彼らを刺激しないように細心の注意を払っている。

The real reason why they ban its publication is not so considerate. The big issue is that it might become the political ‘Bible’ of those neo-Nazi associations that exist in every European country, starting with Germany.
If you could look at a newspaper kiosk in Munich in the state of Bavaria, you would see that extreme rightist newspapers are there being sold. In Germany there are several neo Nazi groups which mobilize some thousands of right extremists. The authorities are very careful about not provoking them[…]

Kisa, who considers the presence and actual danger of the rightist groups in Japan to be irrelevant if compared to those in Germany and in other European countries, also reflects on the publication of such a book in Japan.
　

日本で今、漫画版の『わが闘争』がどんな意味を持つか、どれだけの影響力があるかはよくわからない。しかし、４０年近く前の訳者の意図と漫画版刊行の意図とはそうちがわないだろう。
　平野氏はこんな言葉も書いている。　「戦争経験なき世代こそ、この書を読むべきではないだろうか。この書をくもりなき目で読み、客観的に判断することが、この世代にとって必要であり、戦後の教育を受けたものなら、十分な判断力をもって読むことができるのではないか」

I'm not sure what meaning and influence the manga version of Mein Kampf could have now in Japan. However, the intention of those who translated it 40 years ago and those who published the manga now, cannot be that different.
[Translator] Hirano used these words:
“The generation that didn't experience the war are actually the people that should read this book. This generation needs the clear mind and objective view required to read such text. Anybody who has received post-war education should be able to read this book with a good sense of judgement, or so I hope.”

　
The manga depicts Hitler as a man obsessed who accuses the Jewish people of being the origin of all Germany's evils. Its anti-Semitic thought is paramount and it seems unlikely that such a flawed figure could lead any reader to feel fascinated by his personality.

As some bloggers pointed out, the manga version of Mein Kampf is an abridgement of the dictator's ideology and may be seen instead, as a different way to be introduced to the study of history. It needs to be supplemented with other sources theternal suggests, praising the interesting East Press publishing project of making manga out of the world works of literature.

何かの話題が関心を呼び、より深い議論や理解に進むことはよいことだと思う。漫画では描き切れていないヒトラー本人の『わが闘争』原作も読んだ方がよいし、他の関連本を読むのもよいだろう。読書はそのように進んでいくものだ。関連おススメ漫画としては、『マンガで鍛える読書力』でも紹介した水木しげるの『劇画ヒットラー (ちくま文庫) 』もよいし、手塚治虫の『アドルフに告ぐ』はかなりのおススメだ。

I think it's good to raise interest in some topics for this can develop into a deeper debate or understanding. It's good to read the original Mein Kampf written by Hitler to cover those parts absent in the manga and it also good to read other books that are related to it. That is the way reading develops. As related comics, I would suggest Shjigeru Mizuki's Gekika Hitoraa (Hitler's comic strip) which is also suggested in Manga de Kitaeru Dokushoryoku (Training reading through manga) and, for sure, Tezuka Osamu's Adorufu ni tsugu (Tell Adolf).

Japan: Anti fur demo

Scilla Alecci — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:52:10 +0000

Damoncoulter, at Demotix, uploaded photos of the anti fur demo that took place in Tokyo on October, 25. According to Damoncoulter “The campaign hoped to raise awareness of the cruelty in the production of fur clothing which has become fashionable again for Japanese youth.”

Japan: Latest survey on poverty destroys the prosperity myth

Scilla Alecci — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:33:28 +0000

One Japanese in six is living in poverty says the latest Welfare Ministry report [en]. According to OECD figures [en], Japan has one of the highest poverty rates in the developed world and is 4th after only Mexico, Turkey and the U.S.

By Flickr id: Ushio Shugo

In September, Makoto Yuasa, Secretary-general of Anti Poverty Network (反貧困 Han Hinkon) [ja], had already pointed to the problem explaining Japan's poverty issue in this way [en]:

Ever since the high economic growth of the 1960s, Japan has inhabited the myth that all Japanese people belong to the middle class. However, Japanese-style employment, which is at the heart of this myth, has been transformed by the increase in nonregular employment and other factors, and a growing number of Japanese live in poverty.

As many debate on their blogs, nowadays the income gap in Japan is far from being new. When the economic Bubble burst in the early 90s it revealed the weaknesses in the Japanese system and since then many experts say the country has never completely recovered from recession.
Ysaki suggests how this problem has always existed but have been regarded by most Japanese as a somebody else's problem.

この記事を最初に見た時に、私は部落問題に近いな、と感じたんです。それは、私たちの隣に確実にその問題があるのに、知らないふりをする。見ない振りをし、無関係を装ってきた。

When I read the news I felt that this problem is very similar to that of other discriminated groups in Japan.
Although there is certainly a problem and it is one very close to us we pretend not to see it and in doing so, we have come to convince ourselves that it is none of our business.

Miyabi-tale considers that the issue has a long history and that responsibility must be traced back to political inertia.　

驚くべきは、この数字が今年ではなくて数年前のデータでさえすでに7人に1人いるという事実で、リーマンショック以降の世界恐慌の不景気のあとでは今現在では少なく見ても5人に1人はそれくらいの値になっていると考えられることである。自民政権下では、公式発表的に「日本に貧困はない」「一億総中流家庭」なんていうキャッチコピーもあったわけだが、現実はまったくそうでないということが改めて浮き彫りにされたわけである。

What's surprising is data from a couple of years ago showed that one person in seven lived in poverty. There are some who consider it a positive that, despite the deep recession which affected the whole world as a consequence of the Lehman Brothers collapse, only one in five people nowadays is poor.
Under the LPD government, slogans such as ‘In Japan there is no poverty' or ‘A total of one hundred million middle-class households' used to be announced but it has again become apparent that this was far from being the truth.

By Flickr id: caribb

There are those though who prefer to consider the other side of the coin.
Ukkii hopes that this black period in the Japanese social and economic history would bring a return of the strength of spirit for which the Japanese people are renowned.

し・か・し
国の景気が良くなるまでこのままでいいのだろうか
貧しかった戦後の日本国民は、みな必死で頑張ってここまでよくなってきています
あの時代のハングリー精神があればきっと国を変えれなくとも企業の生き残りは可能だと思います
私は一社員でありますが社長のような視点で物事を考えていくことを目標としています
視野を広げればいろんなことに発見や改善が見えてくるからです
ハングリー精神なんて言葉、現代では死語なのかもしれませんが
僕はこの言葉を提唱していきたいと思います

B U T
Is it all right for things to go on like this until the country's economy recovers?
When the Japanese people were poor after the war, they did their best with no hesitation and managed to improve the situation as we now know.
If only we again had the same HUNGRY SPIRIT of that time I am sure that even if we can't immediately change the whole country, keeping our companies strong and competitive is still possible.
I am an employee but I try to see things from a CEO's point of view because if we are far-sighted, there are many discoveries and improvements to be made, which can be applied to a variety of things.
The phrase ‘hungry spirit' is perhaps forgotten nowadays but I'd like to put it forward again.

Japan: Avatars come to life in the anime Summer Wars

Scilla Alecci — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:14:09 +0000

Against the background of the Japanese countryside, feel good sentiments and an extraordinary virtual world are featured in Summer Wars (サマーウォーズSama wozu) [ja], the new animated movie by director Mamoru Hosoda [en].

The anime tells the story of Kenji, an awkward teenage math genius who finds himself involved in an epic battle in a virtual world where he must become a code breaker and battle avatars to win. His allies are the members of a traditional, old-style Japanese family.

Official trailer by KADOGAWA Anime

Summer Wars [en], created by the award winning director and screenwriter, was received very positively by the Japanese public and topped 1 million viewers in the first few days after its release this summer.

MoriGuru particularly appreciated the mix of different elements and the family values that the film conveys.

テーマ的には人と人のつながりは大切だよねという普遍的なものみたいですけど、大人数の親戚とか、今の時代ならではのネット上の仮想空間とかそういう要素の融合が独特の雰囲気を生み出していたと思います。
正直言うと、最初は「あれ…なんかイマイチかも？」と思って観てたんですが
徐々に勢いのある展開が続き、一気に盛り上がっていったので不安は吹き飛びました。
鑑賞後に心地よい気分で映画館を後にできる作品だったと思います。
大家族って騒がしそうだけどいいなあって思いました＾＾

The message is a universal one like ‘the bonds among human beings are important' but the integration of elements such as the large family and the imaginary ‘virtual' world created a particular matrix.
To be honest, in the beginning I thought ‘this movie is going to be light weight' but, as the story developed, all of a sudden it warmed up and that uncertain feeling in me faded away.
When the movie was over, it left in me a good sensation and I think that it was well worth watching it at the cinema.
I also thought how nice would be having a large family even though it might be rowdy!

Taka also praises the anime and describes elements that he recognized in his own life.

観ていて、僕自身といろいろと共通点もあって、思いのほか感情移入してしまいました。
例えば、こんな共通点が。
●僕の出身が長野県（サマーウォーズの舞台は上田、僕は伊那出身）
●毎年夏休みになると、長野の僕の実家に、東京から従兄弟たちが泊まりに来て、
　みんなで大騒ぎして遊んでいた
●高山家は女系家族
●僕の祖母が春に亡くなった
●サマーウォーズの栄おばあさんの誕生日（8月1日）が、僕の家族と同じ

As I watched it I found a lot of common points with my own life and I felt very involved, emotionally rather than just rationally.
These are some of the common elements:

I am also from Nagano Prefecture (Summer Wars is set in Ueda, while I am from Ina)

Every summer, my cousins from Tokyo came to my home in Nagano. They stayed over and we have a lot of fun altogether.

My family is a female lineage family

My granny passed away this spring

In our family, we also celebrate a birthday on the day of Sakae's (Summer War's grandmother) birthday of August 1st

The movie has received also some criticisms, however. The ‘teenager saves the world' scenario, in particular, has made some [ja] consider the story too light weight to claim a special place in the viewer`s heart.

Blogger at Kz Loghouse feels somehow unsatisfied at the sentimental scenes.

感動シーンが満載でとても心にグッとくるものがありました。
ありましたけど・・・何か足りないような・・。
例えて言うなら「涙は出るんだけど、鼻の奥からツーンとくる感じじゃない」って雰囲気。

There are a lot of moving scenes and some of them reach straight to the heart.
Though there are these…. I feel that there `s something missing…
As example, it`s that kind of sensation like ‘yes, tears come to my eyes but I`m not feeling real grief.'

Summer Wars was first released as a manga to test people`s reactions and kazahoshi ranks the written version.

< 対象>
中高生以上
< 五段階評価>
・面白さ　　 ★★★☆
・読み易さ　★★★★
・文章　　　 ★★★
・補完　　　 ★★★☆
・総合　　　 ★★★☆
部分的に違うところがちょくちょくあり、ラストに至っては全く別物でした。
結論を先に言えば、映画には到底敵わない。

Aimed at:
Secondary, high school students and above.

Valuation on 5 points:
Fun　　 ★★★☆
Readability　★★★★
Style　　　 ★★★
Others　　 ★★★☆
General　　　 ★★★☆
In some parts the book is different and the ending was completely different.
In conclusion though, the movie has no rivals!

Japan: Tokyo Vice

Scilla Alecci — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 10:27:17 +0000

Japansubculture publishes an interview [en] with Jake Adelstein, author of the book “Tokyo Vice: an American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan” and former crime reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

Japan: A blogger has dinner with Prime Minister Hatoyama

Scilla Alecci — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:36:39 +0000

Blogger Satonao tells [ja] about him having dinner with Prime Minister Hatoyama and other politicians in a restaurant of Tokyo on Sept. 30.
On that occasion, he could explain Mr. Hatoyama what Twitter is and exchange a few words on the condition of social media in Japan.
Here are some of Satonao`s tweets [ja] during the dinner.

Japan: The Buddha girls

Scilla Alecci — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:04:33 +0000

They call them ‘Buddha girls' (仏女 butsujo), Japanese ladies in their 30s or 40s passionate about visiting temples and admiring statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva.
The ‘Buddha girls' or ‘Buddha statue girls' exchange suggestions on the best spots where to meet the wooden idols or the exhibitions that bring the Buddhist art around the country. Often they are also very keen on the history and anecdotes regarding monks and sacred writings.

By Flickr user id: MR+G

mikli gives a simple explanation of what a ‘Buddha statue girl' or ‘Buddha girl' is.

実は、ここ１年くらい仏像ガールだったりもします
そう、仏像ガール　仏像みたいな女の子・・・ではありません
まぁ簡単なお話、仏像萌え～　な女子です。
近い将来、菩薩になりたいと思っています。如来はイヤだ。
まだまだオシャレもしたいし
で、最近髪の毛も伸ばし始めました。そう、菩薩みたいに髪の毛盛りたいから

I have been a Buddha Statue Girl for one year. A Buddha Statue Girl is not a girl that resembles a statue of Buddha. In a few words, she is a girl who falls for statues of Buddha. In the near future, I'd like to become a Bodhisattva not a Tathagata. I still want to take care of my looks. And recently, I began to grow my hair long. I want to look like a bodhisattva.

私のごく親しい人の中では、ここ数年かなり仏像ブームなんですけど
世間一般ではどうなんでしょうか　
まぁ仏像ガールなんて言葉も出ているくらなので、
流行最先端　ってことにしておきましょう。えぇそうしましょう

Among my friends for a few years the ‘Buddha Statue boom' has spread but who knows about the other people?!!
Recently this new word, Buddha statue girl has been created, so I guess it's the latest trend. Yes, let's say it is.

Rentaro wonders if she belongs to the category and must be considered in the category of ‘Buddha girl', only because she appreciates habits related to the Buddhist culture.

私、結構、仏女かな。。。。。
お香の匂い嗅ぐと落ち着くし
最近、字がヘタすぎるので
習い出したら書くと心穏やかになって
何時間も書いちゃうし
あ
でも阿修羅像とか
そんなに詳しくない
教科書に出てくるような有名なお坊様でも
よくわかってない
でも
御朱印集めるのハマって
お寺巡っちゃうし

I really am a Buddha girl…maybe
As soon as I smell incense, I feel calm
And recently since I decided to take calligraphy because my writing is a disaster, my heart felt relieved and I couldn't stop writing
Oh, but I am not an expert on Ashura statues and such
I don't even know all the famous monks that are often mentioned in the school books
However I have a passion for collecting goshuin [official letter bearing the scarlet seal of the shogun] and I like going for temples

[…]

これって要するに仏教だけど
宗教にハマっているってことになるのかな？
仏教だとそんなに抵抗ないし
グッズとか
写経とか
違う意味でブームなんだろうな
にしても
本当に携わっている方にはご迷惑なことなんだろうか
関心を持ってもらう意味ではよいきっかけなんだろうか
でもなんでこんな名前
ぶつじょ？にょ？ってどうよ(-_-;)
誰がつけたんだろ

All this in few words is Buddhism but does it probably mean that I am into the religion?
I am not against it but it is more a boom related to purchasing Buddhist goods, or reading sutra, I would say.
Nonetheless it's probably trouble for the people of the temples,isn't it? Or is it a good opportunity to spread the word?
But why this name? Butsujo? or nyo?
Who invented such a name??!

By Flickr user id: papadont

The website Buddha-girl [ja], managed by the increasingly popular 30 year old Hirose Ikumi (廣瀬郁実), has advice for young Buddha fans with suggestions on the best temples and statues of the country.

For the month of October the tip is Daikoji temple (醍醐寺) and its statue of Yakushi Nyorai (薬師如来) in Kyoto:

いろんなところで秋の特別公開が始まっていますが、醍醐寺もそのひとつ。１年に２度だけ公開される霊宝館で、ステキなお薬師さまにお会いできます！私は大学生のときに一度博物館でお会いしたきりだったのですが、どっしりとした存在感と力強いお顔がずっと印象に残っていました。今回の特別公開でひさしぶりにお会いして、やっぱりステキ・・と実感！

In many places, special openings for the fall season has already started and Daikoji temple is one of those. In the Reihokan that is opened to public only twice a year, you will be able to meet the splendid Yakushi! When I was a university student I met Him only once in a museum but His powerful and dignified face left in me a deep impression. On the occasion of its opening to public I have finally met Him after a long time and I realized again that…He is really splendid!

Japan: Visiting Todaiji Temple

Scilla Alecci — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:10:43 +0000

Yama explains [ja] in detail the architecture of Todaiji temple [ja] (東大寺) in Nara and of its Great Buddha Hall (大仏殿 Daibutsuden), the largest wooden building in the world. Pictures of the temple complex are also provided.

Japan: Training for disaster prevention

Scilla Alecci — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:25:11 +0000

The first week of September in Japan is the Disaster Prevention Week [ja]. During this week schools, organizations, offices and so on come together to organize disaster prevention training.
Severe earthquakes, inundations, fires and other types of disasters are simulated and every citizen is required to participate.

In a country where every year there are approximately 100,000 earthquakes (including many that human beings cannot perceive), everybody lives their life being aware that a calamity could happen anywhere at anytime and they need to know how to deal with it in the quickest and most effective way.

By Flickr id: Nemo`s great uncle

Obarin, who works for the Red Cross, describes what the training was like in his city. (Excellent pictures are also provided with the post)

私たちの住む町では、地区ごとに防災グループが組織されて日ごろからいろいろ活動してます。
そんな彼らのグループ内では、テントの設営とか消火訓練などを実施してます
私は赤十字奉仕団ですから、ほかの仲間とともに「災害ボランティアセンター」の運営訓練を
実施しました。今回は町の防災士も参加してくれて、熱意が感じられましたよ。
倒壊家屋も訓練用に設営され、被災者役の男性たちを彼ら災害救助犬が捜索します。
彼ら消防レスキュー隊は倒壊家屋の下敷きになって脱出できない被災者を救出します。
県の防災ヘリも参加して、被災者を吊り上げて搬送する訓練も見せていただきました。

In my town, every ward was organized into a disaster prevention group and participated in several activities starting from early morning.
Among those groups there were those who learnt how to erect a tent and those who were trained to fight a fire.
As I belong to the Red Cross, together with my colleagues we held courses teaching people how to manage a `Disaster Prevention Volunteer Center`. The firemen of the town also participated with enthusiasm. A session to teach what to do in case of building collapse was set up and rescue dogs were trained to look for victims.
The firemen’s team also simulated the rescue of people trapped in collapsed houses. The emergency helicopter of the prefecture took part in the training as well and showed us how to lift and carry injured persons.

Video by Tokyo MX on a disaster prevention training held in western Tokyo last August.

A blogger living in Shizuoka Prefecture (south of Tokyo) explains what he learnt this year.

8月 11日に静岡県を襲った震度 6弱の地震。その地震で、あらためて災害に備えることの大切さを知りました。
そして、先週から、「県の防災週間」がはじまり、静岡県内の各地で、巨大地震 (震度 7以上) を想定した防災訓練が行われています。

On the 11th of August a tremor with an intensity [*] of less than 6 struck Shizuoka Prefecture. This made me once again realize the importance of preparing for
such disasters.
Last week the “Prefectural Week of Disaster Prevention” started and in every area of Shizuoka Prefecture training for the prevention against a possible severe earthquake (intensity of 7 or more) was held.

[…]

今年度の町内会の組長である小生は、「簡易担架の作り方」コーナー担当でした。毛布とかシーツを使って、カンタンに怪我人などを運ぶ方法を学びました。
ほかにも、防災倉庫に常備されているチェーンソウ、発電機、消化ポンプの使い方。三角巾などを使った怪我人の手当ての方法も学びました。
今年からは、簡易トイレも購入して、その作り方も学びました。

I am the chairman of my town assembly this year and I was assigned to the `how to make a simple stretcher` session and I learnt how to swiftly carry injured people, using blankets and sheets.
I learnt how to use chainsaws, electricity generators and portable pumps, that are always present in the disaster prevention kits, and also how to give medical treatment to an injured person including the use of a triangular bandage.
This year, we also purchased a portable toilet and learned how to set it up.

Fascinating images of the recent training in Adachi Ward (Tokyo) at Kerestinus`s blog.

[*] The Japanese scale is different from the Richter scale. One measures the seismic intensity, the other measures the magnitude of an earthquake.