As I reported in my book Japan's Road to Popular Empowerment in 2000, the first time the government changed hands, the main benefit of ousting a long time ruling party is that a new set of people takes over the ministries and opens windows on deep, dark secrets.
This is happening now. You can read about it in today's Japan Times online. http://tinyurl.com/yccjqag
It's the part about Okinawa that especially interests me. I still remember a colleague on the Mainichi Newspapers being hounded out of his fast track reporting career because he suggested the reversion of Okinawa was not exactly as advertised. It turns out he was right all along.
Now that he's in his 70's, is someone going to turn back the clock and give him back his life? I don't think so.
2009年9月26日土曜日
2009年9月15日火曜日
What color is "red"?
There may be 100 words for snow in Iceland, and a hundred ways to describe the green of Ireland, but when it comes to red, the world offers more than a thousand choices of names for red. So, when Shuri Castle in Okinawa was ready to be painted red, not any red color would do. It had to be the right red.
The wooden castle built on a stone foundation burned to the ground during WWII. After Japan's southernmost province, Okinawa, was returned to the country in 1972, one of the projects closest to the Okinawan people's hearts was rebuilding the castle as a symbol of Okinawan pride and as a focal point around which to build a tourist industry.
There were many, many problems to overcome, and one of them was choosing the color. Everyone knew it should be red, but which red?
In the end, four shades were chosen: one for the columns, one for the walls, one for the frames around the windows, and one for the roof tiles.
To me, the most interesting choice was the color for the window frames. Remember, this castle was built ages ago, when every kind of paint came from the earth--not Dutch Boy or Sherwin Williams or even Martha Stewart.
The ancestors of the Okinawan kings came from the island of Kume. So, from a certain cliffside deep in the heart of Kume, red earth was dug up, powdered, and used to make paint.
From ancient times until today, when you look out a window in Shuri Castle, your eye will register the earth-red color of the home island.
*This information is from the NHK hit documentary series, Project X.
PS Please go to the July 7 post to see a picture of the red castle, Shuri.
The wooden castle built on a stone foundation burned to the ground during WWII. After Japan's southernmost province, Okinawa, was returned to the country in 1972, one of the projects closest to the Okinawan people's hearts was rebuilding the castle as a symbol of Okinawan pride and as a focal point around which to build a tourist industry.
There were many, many problems to overcome, and one of them was choosing the color. Everyone knew it should be red, but which red?
In the end, four shades were chosen: one for the columns, one for the walls, one for the frames around the windows, and one for the roof tiles.
To me, the most interesting choice was the color for the window frames. Remember, this castle was built ages ago, when every kind of paint came from the earth--not Dutch Boy or Sherwin Williams or even Martha Stewart.
The ancestors of the Okinawan kings came from the island of Kume. So, from a certain cliffside deep in the heart of Kume, red earth was dug up, powdered, and used to make paint.
From ancient times until today, when you look out a window in Shuri Castle, your eye will register the earth-red color of the home island.
*This information is from the NHK hit documentary series, Project X.
PS Please go to the July 7 post to see a picture of the red castle, Shuri.
2009年9月9日水曜日
Nine--Rhymes with Fine
Today is September 9, 2009--also known as 9-9-9.
There will be people lined up at the automated ticket machines at train stations to buy a ticket stamped 09-09-09, and better yet if it is printed at the hour 09:09, just because it is an interesting number.
People in Japan who care about the secret meanings of numbers will avoid 9, however. In Japan, the word for 9 sounds a lot like the word for pain and suffering.
In China, however, today is the day for eternal romance. Wedding halls will be booked solid. In Chinese, the word for 9 sounds a lot like the word for eternal, as in eternal love.
How is it in English? Nine, fine, mine, wine, thine, dine...
I will choose "fine", as in everything will be fine.
There will be people lined up at the automated ticket machines at train stations to buy a ticket stamped 09-09-09, and better yet if it is printed at the hour 09:09, just because it is an interesting number.
People in Japan who care about the secret meanings of numbers will avoid 9, however. In Japan, the word for 9 sounds a lot like the word for pain and suffering.
In China, however, today is the day for eternal romance. Wedding halls will be booked solid. In Chinese, the word for 9 sounds a lot like the word for eternal, as in eternal love.
How is it in English? Nine, fine, mine, wine, thine, dine...
I will choose "fine", as in everything will be fine.
2009年9月4日金曜日
What You Can Win When It Looks Like You Lost
This analysis of the recent election in Japan is worth a look:
http://tinyurl.com/nfpazw
It was published in the online Yomiuri. Yomiuri is the world's largest newspaper and the front runner among Japanese newspapers.
http://tinyurl.com/nfpazw
It was published in the online Yomiuri. Yomiuri is the world's largest newspaper and the front runner among Japanese newspapers.
2009年9月3日木曜日
Japan Needs a Dog...
... a large, amiable, tail-wagging shaggy dog.
You know how it goes. A guy gets mad at something that happens at work, he goes home and yells at his innocent wife, who takes it out on the kids, who start picking on the dog. The dog takes it all in stride, wags his tail, licks everybody's hands, and peace returns.
Japan doesn't have a dog to kick around.
Some people are still hopping mad because postal services were privatized, causing the loss of a lot of patronage jobs in the boonies. Never mind that postal banking continues unchanged and packages and letters are still delivered faithfully.
Leading the cry for government blood is Shizuka Kamei, who has been carrying the postal grudge since the reign of Junichiro Koizumi, several Prime Ministers ago. That's a long time, and the grudge has grown uglier and heavier.
It might have been better for Japan if they could have simply snarled at the dog and let the country go on with its main business of bringing the economy back to life.
Japan needs a national dog.
You know how it goes. A guy gets mad at something that happens at work, he goes home and yells at his innocent wife, who takes it out on the kids, who start picking on the dog. The dog takes it all in stride, wags his tail, licks everybody's hands, and peace returns.
Japan doesn't have a dog to kick around.
Some people are still hopping mad because postal services were privatized, causing the loss of a lot of patronage jobs in the boonies. Never mind that postal banking continues unchanged and packages and letters are still delivered faithfully.
Leading the cry for government blood is Shizuka Kamei, who has been carrying the postal grudge since the reign of Junichiro Koizumi, several Prime Ministers ago. That's a long time, and the grudge has grown uglier and heavier.
It might have been better for Japan if they could have simply snarled at the dog and let the country go on with its main business of bringing the economy back to life.
Japan needs a national dog.
2009年9月2日水曜日
Tit for Tat
The US says it doesn't know what to think about the new regime in Japan because it is "untested". Guess what? Japan doesn't know what to think about the ambassador the US gave us, an untested person from the campaign donor class and not a diplomat.
We were expecting Joseph Nye, but that's not who we got.
We were expecting Joseph Nye, but that's not who we got.
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