Sensory Trip to a Paradise on Screen

Ubisoft

Child of Eden: The luminous new video game integrates music, sound and the player’s own physical movement into a full-body experience.

By SETH SCHIESEL

Published: July 29, 2011

Spectral whales undulate through ethereal mist, their hides speckled with winking gems that pulsate to a throbbing bass line. Gleaming motes of color spin and coalesce into flowers, layer upon layer of shimmering petals. A girl named Lumi, born in outer space and transported to cyberspace, beckons you to rescue her digital consciousness.

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Sounds pretty trippy, huh?

This is Child of Eden, the luminous new game from the Japanese auteur Tetsuya Mizuguchi and one of the most inspirational exhibits of artistry to be found in interactive entertainment today. The game — available now for the Xbox 360 and scheduled to arrive for the PlayStation 3 in September — was developed by Q Entertainment (of which Mr. Mizuguchi was a founder) and published by Ubisoft.

In the quest for commercial success, so many games (like so much of any medium) end up similar. The formulas are known, the structures accepted. For many top games the question becomes how well they fulfill and execute the basic template of their genre.

Child of Eden is an example of what can happen when creativity is liberated from the bounds of convention. It hews to only the most basic form of an arcade-style shooting game (stuff is whirling around on a screen; shoot it), perhaps in the way that even rebellious painters hew to the convention of stretching canvas across a wooden frame. From there Mr. Mizuguchi goes wild, integrating music, sound and the player’s own physical movement into a full-body experience.

And that is because Child of Eden makes the best use yet of the new Kinect system for the Xbox 360. Kinect, introduced by Microsoft last fall, does away with the video game controller altogether. Using advanced technology and software, the Kinect sensor, which sits under your television, can see your body in three dimensions and recognize your voice. So in all sorts of games, you just lean if you want your character to lean. If you want it to jump, you jump, and so on.

In this game you use your hands to control pointers on the screen to direct your fire. After a few minutes of adjustment it feels completely natural. But the beauty is not merely in the controls; it’s in how those controls draw you into what feels like a transformation. (You can also play with a traditional controller, but that completely misses the point.)

When Kinect was introduced, it was immediately clear that the system could usher in a wave of innovative games accessible to a vast majority of people who can’t deal with a complicated controller covered with buttons, triggers and sticks. With Kinect you don’t hold anything.

But that wave of great Kinect games has not been so immediate. Until now the system has been distinguished by a litany of dance and exercise titles. In most of these the program displays a dance move or exercise pose, then grades how well you perform it. That’s fun as far as it goes, but it isn’t especially interesting or creative, which is why you haven’t been reading about many Kinect games around here.

As a matter of visual and audio design, Child of Eden is an aesthetic triumph. The psychedelic graphics envelop you as you delve into the Internet of the future, where Lumi’s soul dwells. As in Mr. Mizuguchi’s previous games Rez and Lumines, the music is not a soundtrack merely accompanying the action. Rather, the mixture of electronica beats and Japanese pop by the collective Genki Rockets is an integral part of the game play, shifting in time with the player’s action.

What Child of Eden truly elicits is a form of synesthesia, the neurological crossing of the senses to produce a new feeling or effect. Think of “cool jazz” or “warm color” or “pungent image” or “sweet sound.” The genius of Child of Eden is its blending of movement, sound and visuals to create an artistic experience.

That all said, Child of Eden is short. Once you get the hang of it, you can blow through the entire basic game in little more than an hour. (It did, however, take me and some friends around five hours to get through it our first time.)

In the game world something this short is akin to a 15-minute feature film. But what if those were some of the most mind-blowing minutes you had experienced in a theater? What if after 15 minutes you felt as if you wanted to find a quiet place to digest what you had experienced? What if you felt completely sated — that any more right away would be unnecessary overload?

In that case 15 minutes might feel just about perfect, which is not too far from the truth about Child of Eden.

Tohoku brewer eyes global market

BY MASAFUMI TATEMATSU STAFF WRITER

2011/07/31

Hideharu Ohta, president of Daishichi Sake Brewery Co., says his sake "grows from a bud into a large flower" when it is matured for more than a year. (Eiji Hori)Hideharu Ohta stands in rice paddies where his employees are trained to farm in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. Surface soil has been removed due to radioactive contamination. (Eiji Hori)

It seemed fitting for Hideharu Ohta to have a presence at a dinner party that the Dutch royal family hosted at Paleis Het Loo on Dec. 14.

Ohta, 51, is Japan's unofficial ambassador of sake, the 10th chief of the brewery his ancestors founded 260 years ago.

On the table at the Dutch royal family dinner were bottles of Minowamon, a "daiginjo-shu" (very special brew) from Ohta's Daishichi Sake Brewery Co., based in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture.

The palace stands in Apeldoorn, a little more than an hour's drive from Amsterdam. It is extremely rare for sake to be served at a dinner party of a foreign royal family.

Ohta has long undertaken a mission of spreading the message of sake abroad.

He has set his sights on global markets by appealing to taste buds with the "kimoto method," said to be the most orthodox sake brewing method.

Ohta lives by the words told to him by his mother-in-law, "Rakutenmei," which means "enjoying the mandate of heaven."

"I think the mandate of heaven for me is to pass the kimoto method, the treasure I took over, down to future generations and make its wonders better known in Japan and around the world," Ohta said.

In the kimoto method, naturally occurring lactic acids and bacteria are utiled to brew sake, without using additives.

But few brewers have used this method since World War II because the maturation process requires much more time and effort than other methods and controls are more difficult.

Ohta, who studied law at the University of Tokyo, once dreamed of becoming a political scientist but decided to take over the family business at his grandfather's request.

When he visited a French winery in 1992, Ohta was impressed because the midsize operation has a worldwide reputation.

"If wine sells this much around the world, sake is worth the same level of appraisal," Ohta thought.

Fifteen years ago, Ohta set up an organization with 12 breweries to promote exports.

While sake was already being exported, quality control was less than satisfactory in the distribution stage.

Even sake that turned yellow was being sold for prices several times higher than in Japan, so it was not necessarily enjoying a good reputation abroad.

Ohta's organization asked retailers and other businesses to maintain low-temperature distribution from breweries to storefronts.

It cut intermediate margins to hold prices down to levels 50 percent higher than those in Japan and provided information by holding seminars for sommeliers and restaurateurs.

Distribution of sake in good condition and at reasonable prices led to a sake boom in the United States.

It also became common for sake to be listed on menus at exclusive restaurants in the Netherlands and France.

In 1999, Daishichi, a midsize brewey with annual sales of 1 billion yen ($12.66 million), began taking part in Vinexpo, a major alcohol trade fair, ahead of larger competitors.

When Japan hosted the Group of Eight summit at Lake Toyako, Hokkaido, in 2008, Daishichi's sake was chosen for a toast at a dinner party for the wives of G-8 leaders.

The same year, Gault Millau, a French restaurant guide that rivals the Michelin Guide, asked Daishichi to become one of its official sponsors, the only one from Japan.

Excerpts from the interview with Ohta follow:

* * *

Question: Your brewery here in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, is only about 60 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which was crippled by the Great East Japan Earthquake. What have you done to prevent radioactive contamination?

Answer: Fortunately, buildings were not destroyed, or stored sake bottles were not broken. Upon learning of the accident at the nuclear power plant, our master brewer closed all the windows of the brewery and covered ventilation fans with vinyl sheets. With quick initial responses, the inside of the brewery was kept clean, and we have tried to maintain that condition. Vinyl sheets are hung like curtains at locations where people come and leave, and wet towels are on hand so that people who come from the outside can wipe away dust. But these are emergency measures. I am considering attaching high-performance filters to air intake ducts and installing air curtain devices along routes where materials are brought in.

Q: How has the nuclear plant accident affected your business?

A: I had been resigned to suffering damage from rumors. But many people encouraged us, saying, "Hang in there, Tohoku" and "Hang in there, Fukushima." The support we received has turned out to be far stronger than the negative impact. In April and May, we saw more sales than in average years. Officials in the distribution industry have also held a campaign to support us after confirming the safety (of our products). We appreciated that they came out in our support.

Q: You have been exporting sake aggressively since you became president in 1997.

A: Seventy percent of our exports goes to the United States. The remaining 30 percent goes to Asia--Hong Kong and Singapore--and European countries--Britain, the Netherlands and France. Exports have been gradually increasing, but they still account for less than 5 percent of our overall sales. We are focusing on establishing our brand, not increasing export volumes. We are exporting high-value added sake, such as "ginjo-shu" (special brew). If that becomes popular, we want to expand the lineup.

Q: Does the appreciation of sake differ from country to country?

A: In the United States, the sake market has expanded since around 2000. The words such as "junmai-shu" (pure rice sake) and "ginjo-shu" (special brew), are understood, and consumers drink expensive sake after understanding their value. We have seen more bloggers on sake and more operators of specialty sake stores. The market has been expanding quietly, rather than experiencing a boom.

In France, sake was wrongly associated with strong distilled spirits, such as those found in China and Vietnam. When we took part in Vinexpo for the first time in 1999, many people asked about alcohol content, believing that it must be extremely high. They looked puzzled when we told them it is 15 percent. Visitors stayed away from our booth in the morning. Today, no one asks what the alcohol content is anymore.

Q: What are the attractions of sake for people in other countries?

A: Refinement, harmony and fullness. These are the qualities inherent to sake. It is a sophisticated taste into which complex elements have blended. No particular taste, such as sourness and astringency, stands out. The Japanese word of "umami" (pleasant savory taste) has been established internationally. I think sake is an alcoholic beverage that contains "umami" most in the world.

The taste of wine depends greatly on grape harvests of that year, but the taste of sake is not necessarily determined by rice. We can produce sake reminiscent of freshly cooked rice or sake with a rich, fruity taste. In that sense, sake is an alcoholic beverage created with free will, not one governed by fate.

Q: Daishichi's sake has good body, not a light and dry taste. What are the secrets?

A: Our kimoto method can produce a flavor of complexity and harmony and a smooth texture, the characteristics that cannot be expected from simpler methods. Our sake contains elaborate ingredients, which can be brought into harmony only through maturation. Daishichi's motto is, "Leap to the farthest possible." We received the grand prize at the National New Sake Awards competition, but we decided to work for higher goals, instead of taking part in the competition. The competition is held in May, when sake has just been brewed, and I'm afraid that Daishichi's sake is not appreciated fairly at that time. When we sample just-brewed sake, we may conclude that we cannot drink it for two to three years, but that may eventually turn out to be a great brew. We are most happy when we produce such sake.

Q: Do you think your sake is appreciated globally because it is brewed with the kimoto method?

A: All ethnic groups around the world have brewed beverages, using fruits and grains found in their regions. Rice was one of the ingredients used in Japan. The kimoto method is close to where sake brewing started and to the way brewed beverages are universally around the world. I think the kimoto method shares the set of values for the world's brewed beverages, such as "a more complex and strong taste" or "growing into good sake through maturation."

Three hundred years ago, no other biotechnology as complicated and delicate as (the kimoto method) existed in the world. In a sense, I think the kimoto method is as valuable as "Genji Monogatari" (The Tale of Genji). When Murasaki Shikibu wrote the novel more than 1,000 years ago, no comparable literature existed in the world.

http://www.mitsui-museum.jp/

三井記念美術館

日本美術にみる「橋」ものがたり

2011年7月23日10時18分

■橋が結ぶ夢想・視点の反転

　何かにちなむ展覧会は、その何かの方が主目的になり、魅力を欠いてしまうことがある。この特別展は、今の日本橋の架橋１００周年を記念したもので、客観的には土木構築物である橋を主役に据えた企画。だが実際は、豊かな内容を備えている。

　展示は、橋を描いた工芸品から始まる。その中に「志野茶碗（ちゃわん）　銘橋姫」（桃山時代、東京国立博物館蔵）など志野茶碗が３口。いずれも胴に、ご くごく簡単、素朴に反り橋らしき曲線が引かれている。滋味豊かで文学作品と関わるが、なぜ茶碗に橋なのか。続く展示を見るうちに理解が進む。

　例えば二河白道図や伊勢参詣曼荼羅（さんけいまんだら）などが並ぶ「神仏の橋」のコーナーでは、橋を渡る度に俗から聖へと空間が階層化されていることが分かる。此岸（しがん）と彼岸という異なる領域をつなぎ、一方で差を明確にしている。

　伊勢物語の八橋といった文学に登場する橋を描いた屏風（びょうぶ）などが紹介された後、展示は「諸国の橋」に移る。すべて江戸時代の作で、橋が主役となっている。

　広重にも橋を中央に据えた作品があるが、まあオーソドックスな風景描写。北斎の「百橋一覧図」や「諸国名橋奇覧　足利行道山くものかけはし」（ともに展 示は８月７日まで）になると絵が橋から構想されている。前者は橋をつないでどこまで至れるかといった夢想の跡だろうし、ありえないほどの渓谷にかかる後者 は「天空の橋」。アニメなど現代の表現にも通じる。

　あるいは「大坂市街図屏風」（１７世紀、大阪城天守閣蔵、８月７日まで）、部分。城を囲む堀に放射状にかかる橋が権力を際だたせる。橋に髪結いらが見えるのは、どこにも属さぬ世俗の境界の自由さゆえか。橋から街を眺めるという視点の反転をはらんだ都市図だ。

　こうして、茶碗に描かれた線に託されたものもほの見えてくる。彼岸への思いか、日常からの逸脱や転換か、夢への懸け橋なのか。そこにあるのは、ごく簡単な曲線を象徴的に橋に見立て、掌（たなごころ）に収めてみたい心持ちだろう。（編集委員・大西若人）

　▽９月４日まで東京・日本橋の三井記念美術館。８月１５日を除く月曜休館。展示替えあり。

「東大寺ミュージアム」１０月開館

「東大寺ミュージアム」１０月開館　国宝３体そろい踏み

関連トピックス

• 地震

左から、月光菩薩立像、日光菩薩立像＝奈良国立博物館提供、宝冠と光背をはずした不空羂索観音立像＝財団法人美術院国宝修理所提供

　免震構造の展示室を持つ「東大寺ミュージアム」が１０月１０日、奈良・東大寺境内にオープンする。展示のメーンは、修理中の法華堂（三月堂）から移す、 本尊の不空羂索（ふくうけんさく）観音立像（脱活乾漆造（だっかつかんしつづくり）、高さ３．６２メートル）と脇侍の日光・月光両菩薩（ぼさつ）立像〈塑 造（そぞう）、同２．０６メートル〉の３体。奈良時代（８世紀）の国宝がそろい踏みする。

　同寺総合文化センター内に開設。展示室（約６００平方メートル）は国内では珍しい「部屋免震」装置を備え、日光・月光菩薩など地震に弱い塑造の仏像や、既存の仏堂では公開しきれなかった宝物などを紹介する。

　オープンから来年３月末まで、開館記念の「奈良時代の東大寺」展を開催。国宝１７件、重要文化財１７件を含む延べ６０件を公開する。３体を法華堂内を模 した朱塗り柱と白壁のケース内に安置し、不空羂索像は、修理・調査中の豪華な宝冠と光背（こうはい）を外した姿で展示する。同像は法華堂の修理が終わる ２０１３年３月ごろに堂内へ戻す。

歌川国芳（くによし）（１７９７～１８６１）の世界

豪快痛快、国芳の世界

2011年7月16日10時41分

歌川国芳「鬼若丸の鯉退治」１８４５年ごろ、大判錦絵＝静岡市美術館で３１日まで展示

歌川国芳「金魚づくし　ぼんぼん」１８４２年ごろ、中判錦絵。新発見作品の一つ＝静岡市美術館で３１日まで展示

歌川国芳「忠臣蔵十一段目夜討之図」１８３０～３３年ごろ、大判錦絵＝川崎・砂子の里資料館蔵、太田記念美術館で展示中

「東西海陸紀行」所収の銅版画

■没後１５０年展、静岡・東京で

　豪快な武者絵、陰影が際立つ風景画、機知に富む戯画――。庶民文化が開花した江戸後期に独創的な浮世絵を次々と繰り出した歌川国芳（くによし） （１７９７～１８６１）。その没後１５０年を記念する大規模な展示が静岡と東京で開かれている。新発見の作品や近年の研究成果など、質量ともに充実した展 観となっている。

　国芳が頭角を現したのは３１歳のころ。「通俗水滸伝豪傑百八人之一個」シリーズの力動感みなぎる構図が人気を博した。その後も歴史・伝説上の武者が妖怪や怪獣と格闘する場面を次々に描き、武者絵の国芳は名所絵の広重、役者絵の豊国とならぶ巨匠となった。

　静岡市美術館で開催中の「没後１５０年　歌川国芳展」の冒頭を飾るのも武者絵。大判を３枚つなげたワイドな画面で展開される活劇には、漫画に親しんだ世代も胸を躍らせるだろう。

　武者絵で成功した国芳は、洋風表現を採り入れた風景画や風刺を込めた戯画など新たな画境を切り開いていく。その全体像に迫る同展は、前後期合わせて４２１点を展示。戯画「金魚づくし　ぼんぼん」など新発見１７点を含め、初公開作品が７３点を占めるという。

　監修者で浮世絵研究家の岩切友里子さんは「国芳は絵を描くことの初源的な喜びを知っていた。それが伝わるから現代人にとっても楽しい」と話す。

　東京・原宿の太田記念美術館では「破天荒の浮世絵師　歌川国芳」展の後期が開催中。テーマ別の構成で、武者絵や役者絵を中心とした前期に対して、後期は戯画や美人画、風景画など約１４０点（展示替えあり）を集める。

　こちらの展示の焦点は国芳の洋風表現。風景画の陰影法など、西洋絵画の影響は従来指摘されていたが、近年の研究で国芳が典拠とした絵画資料が特定されたという。１６８２年にオランダで刊行された「東西海陸紀行」で、原書が会場に展示されている。

　同美術館の日野原健司主幹学芸員は「西洋画の図版などを積極的に模倣した時代だが、ここまで関係性が明らかになったのは珍しい」と語る。例えば「忠臣蔵十一段目夜討之図（ようちのず）」はジャワの領事館を描いた銅版画を模写。同一の人物像を３作品で引用した例もある。

　国芳の生家は染物屋。現代のグラフィックデザインにも通じる感覚は、そうした環境に加えて、西洋画の学習で磨かれたことを明かしている。

　「没後１５０年」展は８月２１日まで。１２月に東京に巡回。「破天荒の浮世絵師」展は７月２８日まで。９月から滋賀、福島に巡回。（西岡一正）

Stress tests on reactors to look at four disaster scenarios

BY TATSUYUKI KOBORI STAFF WRITER

2011/07/17

Nuclear power companies will be required to prove their reactors' ability to withstand four disaster scenarios under new "stress tests" outlined by Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA).

The tests, detailed in a report submitted by NISA to the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan (NSC) on July 15, will require power companies to model their nuclear power stations' endurance in a major earthquake, a tsunami, a complete loss of power throughout a plant, and a loss of ability to release heat from the reactors.

Computer modeling will be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the plants, and the results will be analyzed by NISA and verified by the NSC.

Electric power companies will be required to conduct all the assessments and submit reports by the end of this year, but verification by the central government is not likely to be finished before 2012. It is unclear whether the test results will be enough to reassure local governments near the reactors.

There will be two distinct phases of testing. The first phase will be conducted on nuclear reactors that have been suspended for regular inspections but are ready for restarts as of the end of July.

That testing will be less rigorous than the second phase and will only look at key equipment in the reactors. The administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said that the first-phase tests will be a precondition for the restart of nuclear reactors.

Nineteen reactors are currently suspended for regular inspections, but only about 10 reactors that were not directly affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake are expected to be subjected immediately to the first-phase tests.

Kan and three other ministers will make the final decisions on whether to authorize restarts. The NISA report did not give a timeline for the completion of the assessments.

The second-phase assessments will be targeted at all reactors under construction and all 44 existing nuclear reactors in Japan except the Fukushima No. 1 and Fukushima No. 2 nuclear plants.

The safety of the whole of the reactors, not just the key equipment covered by the first-phase tests, will be assessed and the stresses that would put the reactors into a dangerous condition will be identified. The electric power companies will be required to submit reports on the second-phase assessments by the end of the year.

NISA will issue further instructions on the tests to power companies by the end of July.

夢二の肉筆画３点初公開へ

2011/5/11 晚上九點多
在NHK 看到竹久夢二 的生涯.....
很有日本特色的藝人
竹久夢二 的生涯

夢二の肉筆画３点初公開へ　今秋に京都国立近代美術館

「ショールの女」

「女」

「男性像」

初公開となる竹久夢二の紙本着色画＝京都市左京区

　京都国立近代美術館（京都市左京区）は１４日、今秋開く竹久夢二の展覧会で、夢二が描いた紙本着色画３点を初公開すると発表した。担当者は「西欧のアバンギャルド（前衛派）とのかかわりもうかがえる貴重な作品」と言う。

　公開されるのは、昭和初期の作とみられる「ショールの女」「女」「男性像」。当時、神戸で活躍した版画界の先駆者・川西英（ひで）のコレクションだ。川 西は夢二に憧れて作品を集め、文通もする間柄だった。美術館が収集品を購入し、記念展「夢二とともに」を１１月１１日～１２月２５日に開く。（北垣博美）

• 関連リンク

• 〈ＭＹ　ＴＯＷＮ石川〉竹久夢二の晩年たどる展覧会　金沢・湯涌(6/3)
• 時代超えて美人画コンテスト　千葉・菱川師宣記念館(1/16)

Japan's nuclear crisis

A question of trust

Japan’s nuclear crisis is eroding deference to authority

Jul 14th 2011 | TOKYO | from the print edition

• 
  
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TWO weeks after Japan’s trade minister gave the all-clear to restart nuclear-power plants that had been shut for maintenance, Naoto Kan, the prime minister, ordered on July 6th that they should first undergo rigorous stress tests. The inverted sequence showed that only a cursory examination had taken place. Hideo Kishimoto, a mayor in southwestern Japan who had earlier given his local power company permission to restart the Genkai nuclear-power plant, retracted his approval. “I can’t trust the government,” he said.

It is a refrain heard throughout Japan, aimed not only at national politicians but also at the power companies, bureaucrats, academics and the media who had given assurances that the country’s nuclear plants were disaster-proof. A country that has long been governed by informal bonds of trust is seeing them start to fray. The meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant is forcing a re-examination of Japan’s most influential institutions.

The credibility gap bedevils the utilities. Tokyo Electric (TEPCO), the utility that serves the capital and runs the Fukushima plant, has been accused of withholding data from the start, including from the prime minister. And the energy firms have a record of spotty safety standards and cover-ups stretching back years. Yet their image worsened in recent days when it transpired that Kyushu Electric, which operates Genkai, asked thousands of employees to pose as ordinary citizens and send e-mails and faxes in support of reopening reactors at a public meeting in June that was televised live. The attempt to manipulate public sentiment, exposed by a rare whistle-blower, angered the public and energised the media.

• An expensive gamble
• Terror, again
• A roguish operator
• In a sulk
• Taken to the cleaners
• »A question of trust

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Related topics

• Nuclear power
• Electric power generation
• Electricity companies
• Industries
• Utilities

Japan’s food supply is safe. But pockets of doubt have crept in, owing to a mishandling of safety inspections. On July 13th the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said that beef contaminated with radioactive caesium more than six times above the safety limit was sold and possibly consumed. It followed initial reports that the meat never made it to market. Though the quantity was small (only a few cows, it appears so far) and the health risk said to be non-existent, it raises suspicions. When radiation above European safety limits was found in tea from Shizuoka in June, a prefectural official asked the retailer, Radishbo-ya, to keep quiet so as not to harm local growers.

The crisis of confidence in Japanese authority is still at the seedling stage. Yet lately there have been nightly televised exposés of the gulf between official reassurances and the worrying reality. Even the belated stress tests raise eyebrows: they will be undertaken by the utilities themselves and checked by two regulatory agencies that previously failed to supervise the utilities properly. On July 13th Mr Kan said he wants Japan to reduce nuclear power on safety grounds, if not to get rid of it altogether. A few months ago such a policy was unthinkable, because of the risk of power shortages. The public increasingly supports it—bu

Suberidai すべり台

Classic slide transplanted to Europe

BY CHISATO MATSUMOTO STAFF WRITER

2011/07/17

The octopus slide in Copenhagen. (Takeshi Mochizuki)Japanese and Danish plasterers work on the curved section of the slide in Copenhagen. (Takeshi Mochizuki)Children play on an octopus slide in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The Japanese are suckers for a "Tako Suberidai" (octopus slide), with about 200 across the country. But now, the playground institution is extending a tentacle to a global audience.

A 6-meter-tall, 10-meter-wide new slide has just been completed by a team of Japanese plasterers and Danish builders in Copenhagen.

The city's Super Killen Project is bringing playground apparatus from around the world to a new park to be opened in December.

Laura Koch Rotne, a city official overseeing the project, said the Japanese octopus slide would be surrounded by cherry blossom trees and grass and would be a key landmark in the new park.

The first octopus slide in Japan was built around 1968 by Maeda Environmental Art Co. of Tokyo's Shibuya Ward.

An artist working for Maeda created a complex playground apparatus featuring many curving slides. Other employees noticed that it looked like an octopus without a head and a little roofed chamber, shaped like an octopus' head, was added.

Octopus slides are now a common sight in cities across Japan. In Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward, residents even launched a petition to save one that had been earmarked for demolition.

An image of one of the slides on the Internet caught the eye of an employee of the Danish architectural office commissioned to design the Copenhagen park.

Work began on May 8, and the structure took about one month for a team of Japanese plasterers and Danish builders to complete. First, an iron framework was erected and then layers of cement were carefully applied.

The cement had to be applied evenly in layers of around 10 millimeters to 15 millimeters to prevent swings in temperature from cracking the structure.

Takeshi Mochizuki, a 43-year-old plasterer on the project, said his Danish colleagues had been impressed by the skill needed to create the slide's smooth curving lines.

"At a time when plasterers are rapidly aging and those who can inherit the skills are thinning out, it feels good to be recognized by people overseas," Mochizuki said.

Yaemi Maeda, who runs Maeda, said: "Each octopus has a distinctive design, and much work goes in to each slide. While the slide sets, which are made using traditional techniques, are becoming old-fashioned in Japan, they are new to people overseas."

日本人海外落難記

Life in the Philippines no picnic for Japanese

BY MOTOKI YOTSUKURA CORRESPONDENT

2011/07/16

Police officers in Limay investigate the home where a Japanese man committed suicide. (Motoki Yotsukura)

MANILA--Dreaming of an idyllic existence in an exotic locale, many Japanese have packed their bags and moved to the Philippines.

But for an increasing number of adventurers seeking a laid-back, low-cost lifestyle, the dream can turn to disillusionment, loss of vital organs or even death.

This has led to a term heard with greater frequency among Japanese nationals here: "Destitute Japanese."

One Japanese man appeared on a TV variety show in the Philippines last December and made an appeal in Tagalog to his 39-year-old Filipino wife.

"I don't care if you run off with a younger man and become happy, but you should let me have half of our assets," the 49-year-old former police officer said.

The man met his wife at a bar featuring Filipino hostesses in Tokyo, and they were married in 2001.

The man retired from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and moved to the Philippines. The man's mother, who was over 80, also took a liking to the wife and sold a condominium in Japan to join her son and daughter-in-law in the Philippines in 2007.

However, after an expensive home and commercial building in Manila was purchased, the wife disappeared with her lover while taking the cash and jewelry owned by the man and his mother.

The home was put up for collateral for loans taken out by the wife and had to be sold off. The man and his mother lost all their assets, the equivalent of about 150 million yen ($1.9 million).

Taking his case to the local police and courts, the man was able to get an arrest warrant on suspicion of theft against his wife and her lover in March.

However, the lover phoned the man and said, "Your wife has hired an assassin to have you drop the case."

The man continues to hide at the home of an acquaintance.

"I cannot face my mother," the man said. "I have to do everything I can to get my money back."

On Oct. 3, 2010, in the town of Limay in central Luzon island, a 46-year-old man originally from Osaka was found dead in a rental unit, the victim of a suicide.

According to the man's 26-year-old Filipino common-law wife, while the man was in the Philippines, the company he worked for in Japan went bankrupt.

The couple faced economic difficulties and owed three months back rent. The man killed himself after his wife left after the couple fought.

The man's relatives in Japan refused to accept the body so it was buried in a public cemetery in Limay.

The Foreign Ministry released statistics in June of the number of cases handled in 2010 by overseas embassies and missions to provide support to Japanese nationals.

The embassy in the Philippines handled 1,354 cases, an increase of 46 percent over the previous year.

Reflecting the increase in crime in the Philippines, the number of such cases has more than doubled over the past 10 years.

The embassy in the Philippines handled the largest number of such cases last year of any Japanese overseas mission, replacing the embassy in Thailand, even though there are 2.5 times more Japanese nationals living in Thailand.

Between 60 to 80 Japanese nationals visit the embassy in Manila every month, including a number of repeat cases of destitute Japanese.

Most ask for loans. There are many elderly Japanese who are escorted to the embassy by their Filipino family members and left at the embassy.

When embassy officials ask the Japanese nationals why they came to the Philippines, a typical response is "With the bad economic conditions in Japan, I thought I could get by if I came here."

There was one person who came to the Philippines with only 2,000 yen.

An embassy official said, "Japanese men seem to think they can live rather easily here, influenced in part by the cheerful nature of the people."

Most of those men have met Filipino women and often end up marrying them.

Amid the general poverty in Filipino society, many Filipinas enter into relationships with foreign men with high incomes. However, the often large gap between ideals and reality frequently leads to problems among such couples.

Last December, a 46-year-old homeless Japanese was found in the mountains of central Negros island.

The man was taken into protective custody by an officer with the Commission on Human Rights.

The man was originally from Yokohama and worked as a pipe installer. After the man's wife died in Japan, he came to the city of Dumaguete on Negros Oriental in 2002, because a friend lived there at the time.

He began living at the home of a young woman in the city and they had a daughter. While he worked on construction projects, his income did not even approach the monthly average of a Filipino worker. The women's family treated him coldly.

Unable to bear with that situation, the man left home in October 2010 and began living outdoors in the mountains.

According to the human rights commission officer, the woman began living with the man because she thought he was a rich Japanese, but once she learned he didn't have any money she dumped him.

The officer advised the man to return to Japan, but he refused because he did not want to be separated from his daughter. No contact has been made with the man since February.

According to sources, there have been cases of Japanese desperately short of money becoming involved in drug smuggling or providing organs for transplants and entering into fake marriages arranged by organized crime groups.

Because the Japanese Embassy does not have a budget to provide loans to Japanese nationals to enable them to return to Japan, embassy officials often phone relatives or friends in Japan and ask that money be sent. However, such requests are often rejected with relatives and friends claiming they have cut off all ties or complaining that they would be inconvenienced if the individual returned to Japan.

In some cases, those contacted in Japan suspect they are being targeted for a scam.

Japanese team measured by heart, not height

Japanese team measured by heart, not height

Jul 14 3:33 PM ET | By Joanne C. Gerstner

FRANKFURT, Germany -- The Japanese women knew they wouldn't be the tallest soccer team in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. They also figured they might not physically be the strongest.

But the Japanese knew something the rest of the world now has discovered: Soccer isn't just physical, it's emotional, mental and downright tactical.

The Japanese have enthralled their nation and captured the imagination of the soccer world with their inspired play en route to the World Cup final. They will play for their first World Cup on Sunday, taking on the bigger, stronger U.S. side.

Advancing to the final is no accident, according to coach Norio Sasaki, as he has been laying the groundwork since he took over in 2007.

"I think you know that the Japanese players are not tall, but our focus is on ball control and good passes, good combinations," Sasaki said. "We have good team spirit, and that leads to good team performance. Everybody has got to be involved; if they are not, we cannot perform at the international level. So that's where we place the focus. We have to fine-tune our performance as we go along, and that was what we are doing. We do not compare how we play to other teams. We only say what we are doing."

“

All the players have to have certain abilities and skills, and everybody on the team has been playing football since they were little. Football was always their dream, and their dream was to make the finals.

”-- Japan coach Norio Sasaki

Japan has been on an amazing run, defeating Germany 1-0 in extra time in the quarterfinals and Sweden 3-1 in the semifinals. Those two wins represent the first World Cup victories in Japanese history over European squads.

Its only loss came in the group round, falling to England 2-0.

The team's current roster has been together for three years, formed first for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. They have come a long way from a fourth-place finish, according to Swedish coach Thomas Dennerby.

"I watched their game [at the Olympics], when they played the U.S.," Dennerby said. "They played better than the U.S. for a long time, but then the U.S. scored, and that was it. Japan was down, and then they were done. They are much stronger, mistakes do not do that to them anymore."

Sasaki deflects praise that he's helped improve the team since Beijing.

"All the players have to have certain abilities and skills, and everybody on the team has been playing football since they were little," Sasaki said. "Football was always their dream, and their dream was to make the finals."

Most of the team's roster plays in Japan, but a few players, such as defender Aya Sameshima, midfielders Homare Sawa and Mizuho Sakaguchi and forward Yuki Nagasato, play abroad. Sawa, the team's star and leader, has played in the WUSA and WPS.

Japan's unexpected success has become a sensation back home, with games being shown live on public and private TV channels and hordes of reporters dispatched to Germany to follow the team's every move.

Even Thursday, their off day, the Japanese women still had to dodge reporters lurking outside their hotel in downtown Frankfurt.

The team has dedicated its World Cup efforts to its country as it recovers from the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. It also wanted to use the World Cup as a vehicle to thank the world for coming to Japan's aid. The entire team holds up a large banner, which says, "To our friends around the world, thank you for your support," in English, to all four sides of each stadium, and bows in respect.

The team's spirit, and sense of community, makes it special.

"We do it because it is right, we do it because we mean it," Sawa said, through an interpreter. "We see this as a chance for us to show the many girls who are playing now, and those who may wish to play, what it means to be at this level. We accept our responsibilities."

Even their opponents, such as Swedish reserve midfielder Nilla Fischer, respect the Japanese for their character.

"They have been through a lot, but they are a strong team," Fischer said. "You can see their togetherness. When one moves, they all move."

The team's nickname, Nadeshiko, is Japanese for a striking pink carnation that is beloved for its elegance. The nickname was chosen carefully, as the carnation is a hearty flower, made beautiful by its ruffled petals and striking colors. It lasts a long time and has a strong stem.

The Japanese women bear a striking resemblance, as they too are hearty and play sophisticated, beautiful soccer.

"I think what we have been doing, so far, is very good for Japan," Sasaki said. "We're still recovering from the disaster, the earthquake. So many victims were hit by the disaster. Even little things, like a win, can give people courage and hope. And when we play in the final, we're going to think about the end results. We just want to do what we can and perform."

AKIHABARA OMOTENASHI

AKIHABARA OMOTENASHI PROJECT

AKIHABARA OMOTENASHI PROJECT. コンテンツへ移動. ホーム · 秋葉原おもてなし プロジェクト · 参加申し込みフォーム · 参加店舗 · 参加商品 · キャラクター · 小説 · あきばスクランブル・第一話「ようこそアキバへ！

Want friendly Akiba service? Look for the 'omotenashi' mark

BY TAKEFUMI ISHIHARA STAFF WRITER

2011/07/13

Two Japanese high school girls and six students from abroad promote the charms of Akihabara. (Images provided by Akihabara Tourism Promotion Association)The "omotenashi" mark indicates the business is friendly to non-Japanese. (ATPA)

Akitsu Mitsuba, a 17-year-old who attends Akihabara International School in Tokyo, will never sass back to her parents.

Her friends are similar in nature, including Rohan, a 16-year-old Indian student whose favorite sweet is "imo-yokan" (sweet potato paste jelly), and Lyusya, a 16-year-old cosplay fan from Russia.

But before parents try to enroll their troubled teens in the school, one thing should be mentioned: Akitsu, her friends and their school are not real.

The students are anime characters created in March to bring back foreign tourists to Akihabara, the center of Japan's subculture and "Electric Town" that is still trying to shake off the negative effects of a crime that shocked the nation.

Created by nonprofit organization Akihabara Tourism Promotion Association (ATPA), the characters are featured under the "Akihabara Omotenashi Project" to help improve the image of Akihabara. They appear in a promotional video shown at various events in Japan and abroad.

All of the "students" are required to complete the "omotenashi" (spirit of hospitality) course at the school in the Soto-Kanda area of Chiyoda Ward.

The characters represent France, South Korea, India, the United States, Russia and China, nationalities determined by the number of tourists in Akihabara from those countries.

The characters so far have received praise from tourists who describe them as cute. And the anime students were helping people to move on from the rampage in the area in 2008, when a man drove a truck into a crowd on a pedestrian-only street and stabbed passers-by, killing seven and injuring 10.

However, foreign tourist numbers again plummeted after the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima nuclear crisis that followed.

"They are important for the local economy because they make bulk purchases," Tomio Izumi, 56, secretary-general of the ATPA, lamented.

The association will make greater efforts using its omotenashi mark during the summer holidays.

The mark will be placed at cash registers or other areas in business establishments that participate in the project and meet certain requirements, such as employing English-speaking staff and offering menus or instructions in foreign languages.

The mark will tell non-Japanese-speaking tourists that workers, even if they are not fluent, will at least attempt to help the customers and provide friendly service, not simply cross their forearms and shake their heads in silence.

The design of the mark was inspired by the start button on an electric appliance to symbolize Electric Town. The association also wanted the display of the mark to show that the project is in full swing.

"First-time visitors to Akihabara from overseas countries lack information, and some of them mistakenly see maid cafes as sex parlors," Izumi said. "The same thing can be said about Japanese tourists who are unsure of the nature of local shops when they visit other countries."

"I'd like tourists to look for where the mark is located, like playing a treasure-hunting game."

Izumi said although sightseeing in Akiba, the shortened name for Akihabara, has been hit by the rampage and now the nuclear crisis, "we'd like to show how visitors are enjoying Akiba so that we can bring back the energy into the town."

To expand in the Japanese market, the ATPA in May started streaming a "cellphone novel" titled "Akiba Scramble," featuring Akitsu and other characters and emphasizing dialogue.

Set in Akihabara, the school drama is written by college students studying in the area.

The story is also available for reading at the project's official website at (http://akiba-brand.com/novel/).

Quick Action Helps Google Win Friends in Japan

Quick Action Helps Google Win Friends in Japan New York Times Google is using its Street View technology in Kesennuma and elsewhere to make a record of the disaster while tracking reconstruction efforts. By HIROKO TABUCHI KESENNUMA, Japan — An oddly equipped car made its way last week through the rubble in this ... See all stories on this topic »

New York Times

Honne and tatemae

Honne and tatemae are Japanese words that describe recognized social phenomena.

Contents 1 Definition 2 Cause 3 Effect 4 Danger of culturalism 5 See also 6 References

Definition

Honne (本音^?) refers to a person's true feelings and desires. These may be contrary to what is expected by society or what is required according to one's position and circumstances, and they are often kept hidden, except with one's closest friends.

Tatemae (建前^?), literally "façade," is the behavior and opinions one displays in public. Tatemae is what is expected by society and required according to one's position and circumstances, and these may or may not match one's honne.

The honne/tatemae divide is considered to be of paramount importance in Japanese culture.^[1] The very fact that Japanese have single words for these concepts leads some Nihonjinron specialists to see this conceptualization as evidence of greater complexity and rigidity in Japanese etiquette and culture.

Cause

Honne and tatemae are arguably a cultural necessity resulting from a large number of people living in a comparatively small island nation. Even with modern farming techniques, Japan today domestically produces only 39% of the food needed to feed its people so, before the modern era, close-knit co-operation and the avoidance of conflict were of vital importance in everyday life. For this reason, the Japanese tend to go to great lengths to avoid conflict, especially within the context of large groups.

The conflict between honne and giri (social obligations) is one of the main topics of Japanese drama throughout the ages. Stereotypically, the protagonist would have to choose between carrying out his obligations to his family or feudal lord or pursuing a forbidden love affair. In the end, death would be the only way out of the dilemma.

Effect

Contemporary phenomena such as hikikomori and parasite singles are seen as examples of late Japanese culture's growing problem of the new generation growing up unable to deal with the complexities of honne/tatemae and pressure of an increasingly materialist society.

Debate over whether tatemae and honne are a uniquely Japanese phenomena continues in the West, especially among those in the anthropological and art fields.

Danger of culturalism

Some scholars argue that the concepts of honne and tatemae should be analysed very carefully in order to avoid the trap of a culturalist view of Japan and Japanese people which does not correspond to reality. The concepts of tatemae (建前) and honne (本音) can be linked very easily with Nihonjinron, a point of view which considers Japanese society completely homogeneous, presupposing that the Japanese differ radically from all other known peoples, an example of this being the opinion of the author Chie Nakane. Many Japanese researchers such as Yoshihiko Amino and Eiji Oguma argue these nationalist visions are just an illusion, and have tried through their work to deconstruct the misconception of a homogeneous Japanese nation and the idea that the rules of Japanese society can only be understood by native Japanese and not foreigners.

See also

• Japanese values

References

1. ^ Takeo Doi, The Anatomy of Dependence: Exploring an area of the Japanese psyche - feelings of indulgence. Kodansha International Ltd.: 1973.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/honne-and-tatemae#ixzz1Ri1ntfBq

震災被害の自然標本修復

震災被害の自然標本修復　２日から国立科学博物館で展示

津波で壊れた岩手県陸前高田市立博物館から探し出した化石など＝国立科学博物館、林敏行撮影

津波で壊れた岩手県陸前高田市立博物館から見つかったオウムガイ類の化石＝東京都台東区上野公園の国立科学博物館、林敏行撮影

　東日本大震災で大きな被害をうけた東北地方の博物館から、化石や植物標本を探し出し、修復する活動が広がっている。７月２日から東京・上野の国立科学博 物館で、企画展に合わせて、救出した自然史標本を集めた支援展示も始まる。活動を知ってもらい、被災館の支援につなげる狙いだ。

　大津波で、岩手県では、陸前高田市立博物館で収蔵品１５万点が水没、山田町の鯨と海の科学館では、８万点の海藻標本の大半が流出。生物標本だけで被害は１３万点と見られる。

　宮城県南三陸町で貴重な魚竜化石を展示していた魚竜館が津波にのまれ、宮城県や福島県でも被害が出ている。

　標本救出は４月ごろから始まった。絵画や工芸品のような文化財保護法の後ろ盾がない自然史標本では、被災地周辺や全国の学芸員や研究者らの多くが手弁当で現地に入り、土砂や重油にまみれた標本を見つけ出してきた。

　救出された標本は、各地の博物館に送られ、海水をかぶった標本の塩抜きや、昆虫標本の修復などが続けられている。

　２日からの復興支援展示では、被災地で救出され、国立科学博物館に運ばれた標本のうち４３点を展示する。「恐竜博２０１１」（朝日新聞社など主催）の会場内で開催。１０月２日まで。（竹石涼子）

平泉の浄土庭園、２５００個の灯

平泉の浄土庭園、２５００個の灯　世界遺産登録の報告会

【動画】世界遺産登録を祝う平泉町

池の周囲にキャンドルが並び、地元の小学生たちの震災復興を願うメッセージなどが明かりで浮かび上がった＝２日午後７時２９分、岩手県平泉町の無量光院跡、小林裕幸撮影

　「平泉の文化遺産」が世界文化遺産となった岩手県平泉町で２日夜、登録決定の町民報告会があり、全町挙げて登録を祝い、遺産の未来への継承を誓った。

　会場のＪＲ平泉駅前は、登録実現を果たした喜びに包まれた。ユネスコ世界遺産委員会が開かれたパリから帰国したばかりの菅原正義町長は「新しい平泉の第 一歩。希望という光を被災地に送りたい」とあいさつ。地元民謡や太鼓演奏などが祝福ムードを盛り上げ、近くの無量光院跡では、浄土庭園が約２５００個の キャンドルで彩られた。（石間敦）

People get traditional for a cool summer

2011/07/02

Iron wind chimes made by the Oigen Foundry Co. in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, with paper messages from disaster-stricken areas (Masaru Komiyaji)Edo "yukata" cotton kimono cloth hangs at an indigo dyeing factory in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward. (Shire Nishihata)Yasoji Matsumoto, left, in Tochigi, Tochigi Prefecture, makes "yoshizu" reed blinds with a colleague. (Mari Endo)

Amid summer energy-saving campaigns, many people are turning back the clock, keeping specialty stores selling traditional products busy trying to keep up with orders.

At Takatsune Co. in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward, a manufacturer of Edo "yukata" cotton kimono, orders by individuals increased 2.5 times. A store official says it cannot keep up with demand.

The beautiful indigo-dyed yukata cloth is light and airy, perfect for the outrageous summer heat and humidity.

Oigen Foundry Co. in Oshu's Mizusawa district in Iwate Prefecture, which has been making Nambu ironware since the Edo period (1603-1867), normally sells 65,000 wind chimes a year. But this year business is booming, and the firm projects sales at about 100,000 chimes.

Customers can have a paper message attached to chimes with a string if they wish. Messages include "Hang in there, Tohoku. Hang in there Japan."

Yasoji Matsumoto, 69, who makes and sells reed blinds, has received twice as many orders this year. He has kept himself busy at his workshop in Tochigi, Tochigi Prefecture, giving up his holidays.

Car dealers and offices with large window areas are ordering the blinds, he said.