AN INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE CULTURE

As part of the field trip program planned by Kyushu University, we managed to have a glimpse of the very essence of Japanese cultures during our visit to Nagasaki few days back. The first day of of the trip, we went to Yoshinogari Historical Park and Ishiibi Historic Water Facilities at Saga-ken. Yoshinogari ruins during Yayoi period (3BC–3AD) is believed to be the ancient country of ‘Yamatai’, modern day Japan, which treasured lots of historic importance in terms of relics including copper/bronze knives, glass beads and cultivation of red-grained rice. This period also witnessed the shift from nomadic lifestyle to permanent settlements thus, elevating its cultural value. One is undoubtedly mesmerized by the pristine beauty of the civilization; the systematically planned settlements, the existence of rules and order in the community, the advancements in terms of fortification against invasion and the advance used of mortar paste (cement and sand) for construction. It was indeed a life of seclusion for the people back then – a culture that continued for generations until Japan opened itself to the rest of the world under Meiji Ishin (Restoration) in 1868.

On the other hand, Ishiibi Water Facilities offered a completely new spectrum. Once an artificial gutter and irrigation channel designed to enhance the cultivation of rice in the Yamato-cho area, the restored Megumi River proved to be functioning effectively. The restored river is currently open to public as a recreational park where visitors are expected to be impressed by the astonishing views of cherry blossoms, sakura (桜). The main uniqueness of Megumi River lies in its design of being among the first Japanese man-made river restoration program. The main channel was diverted to smaller canals allowing sufficient amount of water to flood the adjacent paddy fields thus, improving the rate of rice production yearly. Also, the river diversion allows longer distance for water’s self-purification process in removing suspended solids that present on its surface.

We checked-in at Nanpuro Hotel in Shimabara for a night. This was the author’s first time experience to stay in a typical Japanese hotel, complete with its very own famous public bath, onsen and massage therapy spa. At dinner, we were all fully fed and watered by the traditional style Japanese dishes and beverages, served in a way that might prevent the weak of hearts to savour! The session ended up with brief speeches and introductions among the participants as well as the 先生’s. As the night gets older, one can no longer resisted the dripping sounds of water that splashed from the nearby onsen. The author together with his friends rushed to the bath and enjoyed the night in full immersion. To our dismayed, the onsen was not the type of mixed men and women hotspring we had hoped for! As the hot water spring (40⁰C) washed away all the remnants of the past of our bodies, so as our spirits and thoughts were weaved anew into the kind of which we never felt before – for sure, that’s the transformation that we had wished for! We concluded the day with a mini nomikai (飲み会) and spent the rest of the night listening to what the others had to say with stories as myriad as science, geeks, cultures and supernaturals. The last thing we know was that we were scrapping the bottom of the o-sake (お酒) bottle, the next moment we opened our eyes, it was already dawn and Nagasaki’s morning sunrise greeted us with a smile!

The next day, we visited Yutorogi no Yu (Hotspring for Foot) and sightseeing at Shimabara Castle (島原城). The hotspring for foot is quite similar to a normal hotspring, the only difference is that visitors are only allowed to immerse their feet. Shimabara Castle stands majestically like any other typical Japanese castles. Built by Matsukura Shigemasa in 1624 and demolished in 1874, the present structure was reconstructed in 1964. One of the attractions was that visitors would have the opportunity to snap pictures with individuals impersonating samurai and shinobi around the castle’s entrance – if you’re lucky! – because they are the hotshots!

Lastly, we went to Oonokoba Observation Post for Volcano and Unzen Disaster Memorial. Both places were built not only to commemorate and showed what happened to the affected areas and how people confronted it but also aim to raise public awareness in regards of Mt. Unzen-Fugen volcanic eruptions in the early stage of Edo period and 1990 – 1996 of Heisei period. The site reminded me of how lucky I am to be in a country with less significant natural calamities. Despite countless blows from Mother Nature, still Japan proved to be a worthy son by being the frontier of sustainable developments and tirelessly championing the course of environment.

This field trip has been truly a memorable exposure to the author personally. It has imprinted a more intricate yet remarkable site of the Japanese in particular. Should anyone look for a place where traditional cultures coincide with modern lifestyles, then search no further because Japan is the answer!

Till the next posting folks!

THE 'QUAKES' IN US?

It's roughly about three months since the year 2011 unfolds but our intimate rapport with Mother Nature seems lost along the way, as we gallantly smeared the very face of the Earth, leaving detrimental scars. In that pursuit, we deliberately forget the impending consequences of our doings, in which most cases often claimed the lives of the innocents, not once but thrice!

The world is yet again struck in light by the three significant earthquakes that ruined the city of Christchurch, New Zealand (6.3) in February, Tohoku region, Japan (8.9) and Myanmar (6.8) both in March. The devastations they brought were all too immense and unfathomable as the New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key was reported as saying "we maybe witnessing New Zealand's darkest day..." Similarly, in Japan - the country dubbed as champion of sustainable developments and frontier of disaster preventions - Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan said "in the 65 years after the end of WWII, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan." Being in Japan myself, though not exactly affected by neither the shocks or the Tsunami, I seconded the prime minister's remark. To complicate the matter more, Japan not only had to deal with the aftermaths of the earthquake and Tsunami but also the exposure to radiation as a result of Fukushima I and II, Onagawa and Tokai nuclear power plants explosions in which the Japanese Nuclear Agency repeatedly asserted "doing the best they can to cool down the reactors."

Likewise, Myanmar - surprisingly not part of The Ring of Fire region - encountered the same fate as the country was shaken in tremors. So far, according to anonymity condition, more than 70 casualties (The Star) were reported and still counting. However, it was believed that the death toll could be escalating because the junta government is said to be reluctant to release information.

That said, with the rapid and not-so-friendly gestures portrayed by Nature lately, one may come into a general conclusion and begin to ask the question of 'when will be the quakes in us be unleashed?' The 'quakes' here being referred to our conscience in realizing the importance of balance and harmony between us and our surroundings. Of course, one may argued that natural disasters are spontaneous and that we are not to be directly blame - in case one predicates one's reasonings based on this apathetic belief, yes - but wait not until you witnessed for yourself a wall of sea water coming towards you (3-4 storeys high) while your ground is trembling. Logically speaking, I would rather succumb to the notion that we should be more tolerable and in truce with Nature - like what we used to - rather than be sorry later.

It's time for us to deploy our own search and rescue parties to our hearts, just in case, who knows buried deep within the rubbles of the broken pieces of affection we once had towards Nature, we may find the long last evidence of hope and rebuild a new monument - preoccupied with earthquake resistance design - to our liking, we by choice, chose to build!

Till the next postings.

THE BLUE GOLD?

Is water a basic human right or human need? This simple but intriguing question was asked by Dr. Takahiro Kuba during one of the lectures I attended. Being true to its existence in nature - elegantly in abundance yet ungenerous, one may found it difficult to obtain freshwater. He was quoted as saying, 'if the earth was a sphere 1.5m in diameter, how much freshwater would it have? 1 bucket? 1 plastic bottle? A glass? Sadly, it's not. It's just 1 spoon of water!'

Water plays important role in humans' daily-life in terms of public (recreational means, catchments, agricultures, fisheries etc.) and private usages (drinking water, industries and household chores). That said, clearly, one can gauge the weightage it carries along should the already scarce water we have (do we really own them?) plunges.

Water gives life to plants and is essential for food production. Needless to say, like everything in the planet, water has become a commodity taken for granted, believing it'll be there forever. As the world is faced with diminishing water resources and reports predicting acute shortages in coming years (F. Chowdhury, 2010) we seriously need to address water issue the attention it deserved, instead of waiting for the catastrophe to unveil!

Governments all over the world admittedly acknowledged its vital value - either naturally or at the instigation of peer pressures - leading to more sagacious decisions (or so they were implied) with regards to water issues. The truth is, billions of lives in Africa consumed approximately 60L, less than 3L for some people in Latin America as compared to global average of 170L/person/day.

Through the Washington Consensus, it was made common philosophy under the new economic model that the entire world should engage in a free-market based economy which enables the benefactors to deregulate cross-border policies (relaxation of regulations, tariffs reductions, market liberalizations, investments etc.) which includes water privatization policies ('commodification' of water being common good to commodity) designed to further strengthen their dominance of right to water.

Before long, injustices with regard to freshwater supply and privatization issues arise in almost all continents. In Phillippines, it was reported that water price increased by 4 times in 1997, in 1980s water prices increased by 30% in UK. Similarly, the poor get expensive (often polluted) water in buckets while rich people are offered cheap and sanitized water from taps in Lima, Peru. Likewise in South Africa, more than 100 thousand people were contracted with cholera in 10 months with approximately 220 people died as a result of water supply deprivation (The World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002).

Narrowing the scope to Malaysia based on the World Bank: Environment at a glance (2008), access to improved water source was recorded as 94-99 % in 2004. This data seemingly indicated an impression that almost all areas in the country has been covered with better water access - note that the criteria was improved water sources not access to water supply. In reality, thousands of families living in the outskirt of urban areas are still in the fell clutch of tap water supply. Anyway, to the government's credit, there were 'improvements' in terms of majestic dams, exaggerated projects etc. but at what price? The river - considered to be the source of life by the indigenous - quenches not only their daily needs/rights but also their blue gold!

Although, it's common sense for the the elected government to end up with rigorous plans in order to spur development, common good such as the case of freshwater should not be thoroughly sidelined. If the price for developments must be paid with massive environmental fallouts (though can be controlled and restored with technology - our willingness?) then it's fair, I guess, to realize some thing like water, air and nature in it's full glory are humans' basic rights; deserving protection, preservation and continuity of existence.

The importance and scarcity of water today, if not properly handled, may trigger century of water wars in the future. Ismail Serageldin, former World Bank Vice President (1995) was quoted as saying 'Many of the wars of this (20th) century were about oil, but the wars of the next century will be about water.' Aggravated by the impending chaos it may brings, one must opt to treasure water as a blessing and starts to regulate water issues vehemently.

THE CHRISTMAS STORY FORETOLD IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN

Christmas has never stop to mesmerize me - even as it becomes part of the you-must-do kind of event annually. As anticipated, merry makings, goodies, presents, santa claus etc. are the highlights of the day. Minus the part of which I'm no more fit to experience the wonder of Christmas like in the good old days (everybody was once a child), this year's celebration is somewhat different. Better still, I managed to celebrate it in Fukuoka, Japan.

To cut long story short, I attended the Christmas Eve at Itoshima surrounded by melting pot of people. In no time, I found myself to be in a bunch of Americans and Japanese! There at a corner, I stood as I introduced myself to a mid-50 years old man sitting next to me. Though I appreciated his effort in trying to engage in a conversation with me, we both literally speak in body languages. Thanks to his so-so English, my terrible Japanese and the art of body language! They seem to flow gracefully together. Not to forget the nimble mind too.

After countless fingers' flicking, hands moving and face expressions exchanged between us, I allowed my mind to be in harmony with the song "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" that came from the sound of the organ played by the pastor who administered the church. For a moment, I was picturing choirs of angels trotting on clouds with Gabriel leading the way, as the pastor's dainty fingers danced on the keyboard. Such a soothing moment - well at least for someone who is far from home that is.

With the theme 最初のクリスマス (The First Christmas), the service started with a play that went back to some 2010 years ago where the baby Jesus was born in a manger in the small town of Bethlehem. The performance was awesome beyond words to describe and I would say best actor should go to the baby Jesus - simply because he is a baby (a real cute kicking baby!). I believed he took away all the glory that night as the crowd focused their attention to him. Best part is, in the middle of a dialogue, he cried up to the point that required a short break just to get him out of scene. I can't help but to name him as the next Robin Williams as the crowd burst into laughter!

We had coffee and some home-made tidbits after service. I managed to chat with some new faces and luckily this time body languages are off the table. A couple of words exchanged with the pastor's little son named Kento-kun turned out to be amusing as he thought me Japanese phonetically - fresh from a 10 years old! Then, met with Bob and his wife Joan Verme - an American couple which has been living in Japan for the last 40 years as missionary. Will elaborate more about them later.

As I went for a refill of my hot chocolate drink which happened to be irresistible that particular night - I don't know why either - I came across Zack and his brother Jack (both are the sons of one of the church members I regularly attend in Meinohama). We exchanged stories of Christmas. Both kids shared their stuff like an epic. They really enjoy their holidays and how they effortlessly beg for presents from Santa when Christmas is approaching. Both kids may not said it straight but they are all written in their cute little eyes of American and Japanese parentage.

On the way back to hostel, one can vividly witnessed the colorful buildings and streets decorated with lights. Not to mention the 24 hours non-stop recording of famous Christmas songs like "Feliz Navidad" and "We wish you a Merry Christmas" all the way. One who do not know the Japanese culture well, might be made into believing that most of them are Christians. But, they are not. On the other hand, according to the local pastor just now, only 0.99% of the total population of Japan are Christians. Most of them are either Shintos or Buddhists.

Nonetheless, I feel a little bit shocked. Sincerely, I appreciate their acknowledgment of Christmas by putting up lights and Christmas trees around but, I believed to know the real purpose of Christmas in commemorating Jesus's birth as the savior is more important. To do something without knowing the purpose of doing it, is like driving a car to a middle of no where on the interstates! Yup, one may had the fun of it but to what extend? Anyway, I'm not here to pass on criticism whatsoever. Before long, I found myself in front of the university's bus station entrance.

Next day, I had a memorable dinner together with Duane, Brian and the Vermes as we discussed about broad topics of interests. From religion to America, from baseball to Sumo, California and Malaysia etc. A game called "Upwords" concluded the evening as we played. Frankly, it was my first time of playing. The game is just like "Scrabble" - words game but in contrast to scrabble, the alphabets can be on top of each other as long as it carries a meaning. Also, the board is half the size of Scrabble. Duane (the reigning champion) scored the highest points followed closely by Brian in the second place. I only managed to secure third place, a step ahead of Joan. I bet that was a gesture of kindness as an advantage to a newcomer, isn't it? LOL. Truly, it made my day guys! Ah, almost forgot, Dibby! The well-mannered dog belongs to the Vermes.

Till the next posting.