ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN NAGANO

Nagano-ken is a place people visit to enjoy nature. We have mountains, lakes, rivers, and forests, as you know. 　When I was young, urban life looked so cool to me, but now I feel happy to live in Nagano--except for the cold in winter. Whenever I go to Tokyo I feel dizzy and get tired from the crowds. However, we still have environmental problems in Nagano. Around Sakudaira Station you find a lot of buildings like cardboard boxes. It was a beautiful rice field ten years ago, but now it's an ugly town. Artificial things like buildings, streets, ad boards, and electric wires are increasing like spider's webs and are disturbing the views. Of course, it's not only a problem of the view, but also a big problem for the environment. Rice paddies work as dams that control water. Rice fields moderate the climate. And, of course, they produce our basic food. Abby said that many of you are interested in environmental problems and want to get information about these issues. I don't think I know enough, but I'll try to report some environmental problems here in Nagano.

WATER

Nagano has enough water for us to use, most from springs and from underground, and some from rivers or dams. According to the homepage of the Saku Water Department, all of the water served in the Saku area is from underground or from springs. (I didn't know that.) So, there is no purification tank except one in Miyota. They just add chlorine to disinfect the water. ( We sometimes smell it! ) Here in Nagano we are blessed with clean water, but there are many places or families without good sewer systems. We should be more careful not to pollute the water as it goes to the other cities and seas! Farm chemicals, industrial wastes and detergent pollute the water. I use soap for laundry and my dishwasher uses salt instead of detergent. When we see huge piles of detergents in stores and shops, our small effort doesn't seem to make a difference, but more people care about it than before and the rivers are getting cleaner than before. Around my house, we can see a lot of fireflies, which disappeared some thirty years ago...They came back as the river running near my house got clean again.

REFUSE or GARBAGE

As you know, we buy plastic bags for garbage. In other words, we are charged a fee for garbage disposal. We separate garbage according to the type. Some are burnt, some are recycled, and some are buried. The system seems to be working well, but I'm not sure if things are really recycled, if the buried wastes don't pollute the ground and water, or if the smoke and ash from the incinerators are safe. We can be happy when dirty things disappear from our houses, but they can't disappear from the Earth...We usually don't know where (and how) they go. I once watched a TV show that said the waste or used machines brought from other countries were taken apart and recycled in developing countries in Asia. People were working without knowing how dangerous it was. I feel guilty that other people are suffering while we are enjoying life using a lot of things and throwing away those we don't want. It is difficult to opt-out of this system, but I'm trying some small things.

1. Composting the garbage from our kitchen. We throw the garbage into a composting bucket in the yard. You can't do it in your apartment house, but you can dry the garbage in the sun, then it weighs much less.

2. Shopping with my own bag.　Some supermarkets discount two or three yen when we don't use plastic bags.　

3. Not going shopping. (This is difficult, but if I won't go shopping, I won't buy useless things. haha...)

4. Use things as long as I can. (This is also difficult. I bought a new car though my old car had no problems. )

5. Repairing and reusing. My husband often repairs furniture himself, and we use many things that he repaired. (He bought many different kinds of machines and tools for the work and I don't know how much they cost!!)

6. Refuse too much wrapping while shopping. But as you know, we wrap too much and when we buy one orange, we have to buy one plastic bag...Oh, how difficult to reduce our trash!

FOOD

As you know, we have every kind of food from all over the world in the supermarkets. However, only 30% of our food is the product of our country. Most of the feed for cows and chickens is imported. It is a very dangerous condition, I think. Japan had the ability to feed all of its people, but the government has not protected our agriculture and fisheries. Consumers have welcomed cheaper food. You know the problem about food made in China, don't you? These days more and more people want safer food, and some farmers also want to grow safer vegetables. I know a farmer in my town who has tried organic farming and sends a box of his vegetables with a letter to his costumers every week. Some people think it's good to use local products so we can know about it better and we don't have to use the energy to bring it from far away. Where can we get local products? There are some small shops that sell them. If you can't find one, go to a JA (Japan Agricultural co-op) shop, which probably sells its members' products. I am a member of a group that makes miso from local soybeans and rice. Families in the villages worked together to make miso before, but now most families buy it. Most of the soybeans we eat in Japan now are from abroad, and so it is difficult to find miso or tofu made from locally-produced beans.

WARIBASHI and WOOD

When Abby used her own chopsticks at a restaurant, I felt so ashamed. Yes, in Japan buy and use too much wood. I have heard that Japanese companies go and cut too many trees in developing countries. How can we reduce the use of waribashi? I have been to a restaurant that uses bamboo waribashi, which is better.

ENERGY PROBLEM

Big cities use a lot of energy, but we, the people in Nagano, probably use more as individuals. They use public transport in Tokyo, but here in Nagano we can't live without cars. We tried to reduce our cars in my family, but we couldn't. We have four cars, one for each adult! We usually have bigger houses and have to warm them during the cold winter. Every family has a big bathtub and we have a custom to take a bath every day. How can we reduce our energy usage? Some houses have machines to warm water using solar heat on the roof. We also have a solar power station on our roof. In Japan, much of the electricity is from nuclear power plants, and it is a very dangerous way to get energy, I think.

I watched the movie "The Earth" today. It shows us how beautiful and wonderful the Earth is and warns us that we are destroying it. Shall we think about it together?

Do You Like Reading?

Do You Like Reading?

Do you read Japanese books? Do you have any favorite Japanese authors? When I ask young foreigners these questions, their answers are always "Murakami Haruki." I have read some of his books, but I didn't enjoy them at all. And, I know few people who like his books. A young librarian at the city library said that his books are not popular except two or three, and she doesn't like him. I don't understand why encyclopedias say he is popular among young people, or he is so highly esteemed among foreign people. Within Japan, it doesn't seem to be the case.

Besides Murakami, there are good authors and interesting books in Japan. In this essay I would like to recommend some of them to you. Most of them are popular and easy to read, but I'm not sure if you can find their books translated into English...I'd be very happy if you read and liked these authors.

1 Natsume Soseki (1867-1916)

He is one of the most famous authers in Japan, and his face was once printed on a 1000 yen bill. He wrote haiku (Japanese short poem) and some serious books but his early two books are written with humor. His style of telling stories is articulate.

* Bottyan A story of a young man who goes to Shikoku to teach at a school He is short-tempered, but honest and so he has been loved by the readers.

* I Am a Cat The story is told by a cat with no name , who watches the people around him.

2 Miyazawa Kenji (1896-1933)

He was born and lived in Iwate, a northern area of Japan, where farmers were suffering in the severe weather. He taught at an agricultural school, then worked as an adviser of farming. He wrote poems and stories for children. But I could understand and enjoy his works only after I matured. They show his deep sympathy with farmers or weak creatures, his knowledge about nature, and his view of the universe. His works were not known , but after his death people found the beauty of his works.

* Night of the Galaxy Railroad (or The Milkyway Railroad) A lonely boy travels on a train running through the stars. He sees many people there, and one of them is his classmate who he believes in. You can find a well made animation film of this story.

* A Restaurant With Many Orders

* Nametokoyama no Kuma (A Bear of Mt. Nametoko)

* Amenimo makezu his most famous poem

3 Matsumoto Seityou (1909-1992)

He wrote a lot of mystery stories, which describe not only crimes but also human beings and the society. He also investigated the modern history of Japan.
* Ten to Sen (Point And Line)

* Suna no Utuwa (A Vessel of Sand)

* Showa-shi Hakkutsu (Excavation for the History of Showa)

4 Hujisawa Shuhei (1927-1997)

He wrote many stories of the people in the Edo era, The people in his stories don't have powers, but they are nice and proud, and live simple and sincere lives. His style is very beautiful Japanese, I think.
* Twilight Samurai

* Bamboo Sword

* Hidden Blade You can find the movies of them.

5 Asada Jiro (1951-)

He is one of the most popular writers now in Japan. His stories are so interesting and touching.
* Poppo-ya a story of a man who worked for railroad trains There is a movie of this story.

* Mibu Gishi den a story of a samurai who was in Shinsengumi, a samurai's group that worked just before the Meiji Restoration.

*Soukyu no Subaru a story based on Chinese history.

6 Inoue Hisashi (1934- )

He is one of the most important writers in Japan now, I believe. He writes stories and dramas, and he has a theatrical company to perform his plays. His works are very interesting and sometimes comical, and the words in his works are rhythmical and energetic. He also works for peace and his activities and opinions are extremely valued now.
*Chichi to Kuraseba (Living With Father) It is translated into English and the title is ' Face of Jizo' a drama script about a young woman who survived from the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. She feels guilty to survive and be happy, so her father... There is a good movie of this.

*Kirikiri-jin(People of Kirikiri) a dynamic and comical story of the people who tried to be independent from Japan

*Ame (Rain) a drama script

7 Higuchi Ichiyo (1872-1896)

A female writer on 5000 bill. She wrote about women in the Meiji era. Her Japanese is a little old and beautiful.

8 Takamura Kaoru (1953-)

A female mystery writer. She doesn't write so many books but every one is great!

9 Miyabe Miyuki (1960-)

Also a popular female mystery writer I like her books because the people in her stories are all interesting.

10 Yamazaki Toyoko (1924- )

A female writer who wrote about big issues in the society Many movies and TV dramas are made of them.

OKINAWA

OKINAWA

I visited Okinawa during the New Year's holidays. It was my sixth or seventh time to visit Okinawa. I have no other places to visit so many times, and this time my husband and I wanted to take my son's family to Okinawa. They also got charmed with it and want to visit it again.
Why does Okinawa charm us so much?

It is a special place for us in Japan, I think.

First, its nature. It's warm all the year round, and full of flowers even in winter. We enjoyed warm, soft breeze on the beach in January. It's like a paradise for us from freezing Nagano. The sea and the sky are so clear and blue. Look at the picture. My grandchidren were so happy on the beautiful beach. If you dive, you can see colorful fish among corals. Small islands are more beautiful.

Second, its culture. 　For a long time, Okinawa was an independent kingdom, which prospered with trading. As you see it on a map, Okinawa is in the far south of Kyusyu and near to China. And so, its culture is very different from ours. Its music, dancing, art, fabrics, food, and pottery are somewhat exotic for us. Their traditional religion and way of living are also interesting. The remains of old castles in Okinawa are on the World Heritage Sites List. They are quite different from those in Japan. Whenever we visit Okinawa, we have meals at local restaurants where we can enjoy the food and music of Okinawa.
The red building on the picture is the rebuilt castle, Syuri-jo. It was completely destroyed during the war.

Third, its history. During the World War II, Okinawa became an awful battle field. The people including citizens and high school students were told to fight with the huge troops of the US army not to let them attack the main land of Japan. Great many citizens were killed or had to bomb or kill themselves. Japan used Okinawa as a sacrifice.

The tragedy of Okinawa continued. After the war, Okinawa was occupied by the US army. For thirty years it was a colony of the United States. We needed passports to go to Okinawa, The United States used Okinawa as army bases in Asia, and so, a lot of people lost their farms and houses. In 1975 Okinawa was given back to Japan, but even now there are huge US army bases there.

Did you hear the news about the school history textbooks or a runway for combat planes which will be built in a coral sea? The beautiful islands and its people are still suffering, I think. Japan offered Okinawa as a scape goat.

I feel so guilty about these facts. If I were an Okinawan, I might feel so much pain and anger.

Even though, Okinawa is wonderful, and worthy to visit. If you can, please visit it, watch it, feel it.

HAVE YOU TRIED ONSEN ?

Have you ever tried onsen, hot springs, in Japan?

　I know a woman who won't try onsen. She said, "I'm a shy westerner." I know its not your custom to be naked with other people, but when you try onsen with a little courage, you'll understand why we Japanese people love onsen.

　Long ago, hot springs were used to cure illnesses or wounds. Until some twenty years ago, going to onsen was a recreation for elderly people. These days onsens are very popular even among young people. Nagano is one of the areas that have good onsens, and you can find good ones near your town. Abby said you don't have good information about onsens in English, and I promised to write about it. However, I found it's too difficult for me because there are too many onsen in Naganoken, and I don't know enough. I think the best way to know about onsens is to ask your Japanese friends or coworkers, but anyway, I' ll try to write something to help you.

　　DIFFERENT TYPES of ONSEN

　　　１　 Traditional Onsen Hotels

These expect the visitors to stay one or more days. They provide rooms, meals, and an onsen. Usually you can take an onsen anytime, so we enjoy bathing many times in a day. You can also enjoy Japanese-style rooms and meals. Some good hotels are expensive, but it'll be a good experience to get a taste of Japanese hotel service.

　　　２　 Soto-yu: Onsen Baths Outside the Hotels

　In the onsen areas, there are public baths for citizens. Since long ago, people in the area have enjoyed these natural resources together. Usually people work together to maintain the bath. Most of them are old, not so big, and don't have new kinds of facilities, but their water is plentiful. You can find them in the old onsen areas like Shibu (Yudanaka town), Nozawa Onsen, Bessho(Ueda city), Shimosuwa, and Kusatsu (Gunma Pref.).

　　　3　 Higaeri Onsen, a New Type of Onsen

　 'Higaeri' means 'not for staying.' These onsens have hot spring baths, and sometimes saunas or other facilities. Some of them have restaurants or shops as well. They are very popular now because we can enjoy onsens easily with reasonable fees (around 500yen). You should be careful not to confuse them with 'super sento' in some big cities. It's just a public bath, not a natural hot spring.

　　　4　 Roten-Buro, Open-Air Bath

In Japan, we love outdoor baths. While we are relaxing in the warm

water, we can enjoy views of mountains, rivers, the sky full of stars, and sometimes snow! Many of the hotels or higaerionsen have open-air baths, and you can also find some rotenburo near rivers or in the mountains.

　　　５　AshiｰYu, Onsen for Feet

　If you are too busy to go to an onsen or you are too shy to take a bath with other people, ashi-yu are good for you. You can find them in some onsen areas. In Shimosuwa Town, you'll find one in a park by Lake Suwa. You take off your shoes and socks, sit by the water, and put your feet into the hot water. The onsen water warms your feet and makes you relax . Chatting with the people sitting beside you is also fun. Usually you don't have to pay for ashiyu.

　　HOW TO ENJOY ONSEN

　If it is your first time taking an onsen, maybe you don't know how or what to do. It's not difficult. Watch the people around you and do as they do. Even so, I'll write the way we take onsen in short.

1 When you are staying at a hotel, everything is ready in your room or in the bath. If not, you　have to bring your own towel Some old baths don't have soap or shampoo, but usually you'll find them in the baths.

2 Buy your ticket at the entrance or the reception desk. Of course, you don't have to at a hotel.

3 Take off your clothes in the locker room. Sometimes it's not a locker, but just a shelf or a basket. We walk into the bathroom with our towel in front of us. We are also shy.

4 Before jumping into the bathtub, we take a thorough shower to keep the water in the bath clean. Also we don't use our towel in the bath tub. Of course we don't wash our bodies in the bathtub. We warm ourselves and relax in the hot water.

5 Before going back to the changing room, we wipe with our towel and dry our bodies, so the changing room doesn't get wet.

　　WHERE TO GO ?

　Nagano-ken has too many onsen to introduce here. You probably need not only names but also their places, fees, and other information. At first I tried to choose some of them, but its too difficult. I found a good web site about onsen in Nagano. It's in Japanese, but you can understand the information you need, I think.

　address: http://www.mtlabs.co.jp/shinshu/onsen/index.htm

　　　　　(信州とっておき情報　　useful information about Nagano)

1 Click onsen（温泉）　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 This mark means onsen or bath.

2 Choose the area on the map. (There are four areas in Nagano)

3 You'll see the places of onsen on the map of the area. Choose the number.

4 You'll find the name and the picture of the onsen, the map to go , the fee, etc. If you find the name of the place is difficult to read, then ask anyone near you. The best information will be from the people around you.

　　GO AND ENJOY ONSEN! GOOD LUCK!

A Short Guide to New Years in Japan

It’s the last month of 2007. How were your days in Japan this year? I hope you all are enjoying your life here. I’m so sorry about the situation of the NOVA teachers. They must feel so disappointed in Japan.

It seems the world is getting worse year by year… but still, we wish for something better at every year’s end.

So, this essay is about the New Year! As you know, the New Year has always been a big event for Japanese people. But, like other traditions or customs, it is changing a lot as our society changes. Still, you can find a lot of interesting Japanese things in this season. I think you have been aware that the goods in DIY shops or supermarkets are different this month. Yes, it's time for shopping for the New Year! For example, you’ve probably seen presents, goods for house cleaning, the New Year's displays, and food for the New Year. I'll try to write about what we do in this season. Different areas have very different customs for the New Year, even in this small country, so this is what I do here, in Saku. Why don't you enjoy the Japanese New Year with us?

1. Sending Presents
At the end of the year we send some presents to the people we want to say thank you. Some companies send to their customers, and some people send to their bosses. The presents are usually food, and I sent boxes of apples.
Some shops or barbers give us small things like towels or a small animal figure carving. This year the animal must be a rat or mouse. Why rat? It's from Chinese astrology and we use twelve animals for each year.You can find rats on New Year cards, displays, or ads next year.

2. House Cleaning
We say that December is the busiest month because we have a lot of things to do in the month. House cleaning must be the biggest trouble for families. Schools or offices also clean their buildings before the New Year holidays. I hate cleaning in the cold season, but the neat clean house with new white sliding paper doors make us feel that the New Year is coming. My son's wife is now scrubbing her oven in the kitchin!.

3. Writing New Year's Cards
The post offices deliver the New Year cards on the New Year's day. So, we usually write cards and post them before the New Year.The cards are sometimes sent just to say hello or to keep in touch. My husband and I usually sent about two hundred and fifty cards and got the same. But this year we will write much less, I think. Many of the people wrote their cards with brush and black ink before, but these days we get many cards just printed and without any handwriting. Some young people put their families' pictures on their cards while their children are little and cute. and they are proud of them.

4. Displays for the New Year
At the entrance of the house we put kadomatsu, which means 'a pine tree at the entrance'. Why pine? We often use pine trees and bamboos to celebrate things because they are green even in the cold. You see them in many kinds of Japanese arts like paintings, kimonos, or stage back of no and kyogen. At big stores or companies you can find big and beautiful kadomatsu.
We decorate tokonoma, the alcove, with flowers and a hanging scroll for the New Year. .

5. Preparing Food
Some days before the New Year, we make mochi, rice cake. Before, we used a mortar to make it,but now we use an electric mochi- making machine. When we make mochi, we also make some large round mochi to serve gods and they are called 'kagamimochi'
We prepare the food for the New Year before it. Everything is put in three square meal boxes, which are usually lacquered . The food inside may be different in each area, but we usually put beans, herring roe, and red and white food. Beans has the same sound as 'good health' in Japanese word. Herring roe is a symbol of a big family or prosperity of a family. White and red is the color of celebrating.
But today, people are busy, and don't like cooking with troubles, ,and so, many of them buy delicatessen. You can see every food for the New Year at supermarkets.

6. Dinner on the Eve
It's time for families to get together. Sons and daughters who are living apart come back to their parents. Nagano -ken is a area that send young people to big cities, so, we see families with more members than usual at this time of the year around here. All the family members get together for the dinner of the New Year's eve. Some people have soba for a snack that night. They say the long noodles mean a long life.
At midnight, temples boom their bells one hundred and eight times. In Buddism, they think that we have 108 anxieties in life , and with the sound of temple bell, they disappear. When I hear the boom in the dark, cold night, I feel the year is over.

7. What Do We Do on the New Year's Day?
Nothing special. Before, they must have a lot to do, I think. But there's no rules now. Usually the family members have breakfast together with some spiced sake. The main dish is 'zoni', mochi in the soup. Some people get up very early and see the first sun rise in the year. Some people go to temples or shrines to pray. Children like to play cards. 'Hyakunin-issyu' is an old Japanese card game, which has one hundred short poems on each card. Some go shopping, some join running meet, some climb mountains. And many watch TV. There must be people who spend the holiday sleeping. You know we work too hard.
Visiting temples or shrines for the first time in the year is called 'hatsumode'. Our religion is so practical, and many pray for their happiness , good health, good luck, prosperity, passing entrance exams, and so on. But many people just enjoy going out and walking among the crowd like a festival, I htink .For some people, it's a chance to wear kimono. Many visit temples and shrines at the midnight of December 31st.
Some people write their first calligraphy on the second day. Students usually have a homework to write.

8. New Year Shpping
Shops and stores have sale at the begining of the year. Some big stores open even on the New Year's day these days. Children get money from their parents or uncles and aunts as presents, and so they go and buy toys and so on. I worry about shop workers .They have Christmas sale, year-end sale and the New Year sale! Take care!

9. Dondoyaki Bonfire
We take off the New Year displays on January 7th. Usually children gather them from houses, and make a bonfire, but the way how to have the bonfire and the name of it are very different. So if you want to see it, ask your Japanese friend living there. Children put their caligraphy paper in the fire or bake their rice cake with the fire.

Each towns and villages have many other events around the New Year, and those local events are interesting, I think. And as I wrote, different area has different New Year traditions. You can find interesting customs in your area if you visit Japanese families or join events. What interests you?

I wish you all a happy New Year!

Simple Snacks in Fall

Simple Snacks in Fall

Do you like Japanese food? Have you found any favorite foods here? I love eating, of course, and delicious dishes make me happy. In fall and winter we have many kinds of wonderful food, and I have to worry about my weight! In this essay, I'd like to introduce you some of our simple but good snacks in this season.

When I go shopping at big supermarkets, I sometimes feel dizzy with the amount of food from all over the world. Do we eat it all? They say that the half of the world is starving, but we have this much food
here. It makes me feel slightly guilty.

1. Yakiimo (baked sweet potatoes)

This is a very simple snack, just bake a potato, but a hot and sweet potato makes us so happy, especially on a cold day. In winter you will find a strange truck on the streets, which whistles or sometimes calls "yakiimo." It has an oven on it, which is baking potatoes.
I sometimes find yakiimo stalls in front of big DIY stores or supermarkets.
The most interesting and fun way of making yakiimo is to put sweet potatoes
in a pile of fallen leaves and bake them. Some days ago, my grandson Tomo wanted to do it and we built a fire with fallen leaves and baked potatoes from our vegetable garden in it . The potatoes were good, but a part of our lawn was burnt! Will it be green next spring? I 'm afraid...

You can make yakiimo on a kerosene heater or a wood stove. Wrap a sweet potato with a wet piece of newspaper, then wrap it with aluminum foil. Put it on a heater until you can smell an appetizing aroma.

2. Hoshiimo (dried sweet potatoes)

Again, sweet potatoes! There are many ways to make sweet snacks or dishes from sweet potatoes, but this may be the oldest and simplest way to eat them. Slice the boiled or steamed sweet potatoes and dry them in the sun. Drying makes the potato sweeter and it was also the way to preserve　it a long time ago. You can also find hoshiimo in a supermarket or a grocery store in this season.

I made it myself this year. (This year I have a lot of time, and I live with my grandsons who are always hungry.) While the potato slices are drying in the garden, some of the pieces often disappear. I suspect my grandchildren and my husband are guilty!


3. Hoshigaki (dried persimmon)

It's the season for persimmons now. You see many family gardens have one or two persimmon trees. The fruits are beautiful on the tree, but some of them have an astringent taste. We peel them and dry them in the sun so they turn sweet. Ina and Iida area is famous for this product, and you will see the persimmon curtains in the sun during this season there. Soon you can find them at supermarkets.
I peeled about 50 persimmons and hung them outside. Everyday Tomo says to me, "Can I eat it today, Grandma?" But not yet. Maybe in ten days or so.

In winter we often see persimmons left on the trees. It must show that people prefer cakes or candies to persimmons, or they don't have time to peel and dry persimmons. Maybe there's no one who can pick them from the tree because an old woman lives there alone. That's the scene I imagine.

4. Taiyaki

Taiyaki is a kind of pie or pancake with anko (bean jam) inside. It has the shape of a fish, "tai," or sea bream. ( I found this word in my dictionary now!) Usually we get them at a small shop or a stall where they bake them. Why is it tai, or sea bream? I don't know, but tai is a happy and celebratory fish in Japan. We sometimes find the same kind of sweets with other shapes.

There's a great taiyaki shop in Saku City. Its name is Shinkai.(I haven't taken any advertisement charges.) Its taiyaki is the best I have ever had. My younger son's girlfriend(now his wife) loves it, and whenever she comes from Tokyo she rushes to get it. So, one of our presents for their wedding was Shinkai's taiyaki.


5. Oyaki
Many of you have read the word, "Oyaki" on a festival flag or something like it. It is a popular snack from Naganoken now and you see them often, but originally it was made by poor farmers in mountainous areas. They could not get enough rice to eat, so they made oyaki from wheat flour and vegetables from their gardens. Soba has the same origin. Anyway, both are delicious, and I like oyaki. However, you have to be careful choosing. As a result of getting popular and famous, some of them take easy ways to make it.

6. Mochi (rice cake)

We have many kinds of food and snacks made from rice. Mochi, a rice cake, is an important food for the New Year or to celebrate something. There are many types of mochi and various ways to enjoy mochi. Every family used to make mochi by hand before the new year. It was an important part of preparing for the new year. But today, many people don't do this work anymore, so you can get mochi at a supermarket. You can try cooking it yourself. You can toast, fry, or boil it in a soup. Did you know cheese or butter goes well with mochi?

In supermarkets, you see huge piles of snack bags like potato chips, but it's difficult to find the snacks I introduced. Yes, young people prefer those snacks with a lot of chemical seasonings to the old, simple-tasting food without ads on TV. You know which is better to train a palette for food and to keep us healthy, of course...

On 11/26/07, Abigail Augusta Rogosheske wrote:

Education in Japan: Problems and Potential

Many of the readers of my blog are teachers who teach English at Japanese schools, I guess. You are watching students, teachers, or classes everyday. Also, you understand (or sometimes don't understand) what's going on at schools or within education in Japan.　I have been teaching at schools for more than thirty years, (I am still teaching some students who are not attending school), and I worry about education and the future of this country.

Before WWII, higher education was only for rich people and for men, not women. Nationalism and militarism prevailed in schools, and so, no one could teach against the nation. When we started the new constitution after the war, education was also quite changed. The basic law about education, which was changed last year even though many people were against the change, said, "We should rely on education to realize our ideal to make a peaceful country, which is prescribed in our constitution.”

However, Japan is changing a lot for two reasons, I think. First, the new conservatives are getting power. (The reason should be discussed.) Second, globalization and new liberalism, which emphasizes free market, are destroying people's life, as in other countries. The government, which obeys those two masters, has intended to control education--sometimes with an iron fist.

Did you hear the news of the big gathering in Okinawa about the school textbooks? The people of Okinawa were against erasing the fact of the war in Okinawa from the history textbooks. In Japan, the government checks all the textbooks that will be used at schools and when they find descriptions or pages that they don't like, they demand the publishing companies to rewrite them. So, publishing companies make only textbooks the government prefers and children are taught with those textbooks.

One more example: Do you know the national anthem of Japan? The government demands schools to sing it, and the teachers to teach it to children. But there are many problems with it. For example, the words of the song celebrate the Emperor. This doesn’t seem appropriate for the anthem of a democratic nation. In addition, the anthem was sung when Japan was ruled by militarism. There are many people who don't want to listen to the song, especially in Asia, because people were forced to sing it, which infringed upon their liberty and spirits, etc. A lot of people opposed the way the government forced the anthem on schools and teachers, but at last the government made a law to make students sing the song. These two examples show that the government is intending to go backward to nationalism and not regarding democracy and people's rights as important.

The government of Japan is trying to reduce the money for education (How much money is used for useless places!), and so, as you see, a class has many students, teachers' work seems endless and they are tired and losing their pride and creativity. When teachers are not creative and liberal, education must be conservative and it's just what the government wants. Only children with parents who can pay for the private schools or the cram schools can get better education and better jobs. The difference of their parents' income decides the children's future, and class distinction will be fixed in the society. I worry about the children and their future… the future of our society.

You, as foreign teachers, are eyewitnesses to the education in Japan. Education is a very important factor of culture and future of the country. I would like to know what you think of it. Feel free to write to me. Leave a comment with any new insight.