「神宮窯」馬土鈴

為了迎接即將到來的馬年，日本北海道札幌市的北海道神宮內的「神宮窯」正在趕制以馬年生肖為主題的土鈴，年內共要生産6000隻。

        這些土鈴將會于明年1月1日新年在日本的神社等銷售。日本人在新年伊始有前往神社或寺廟進行新年祈福的習慣，屆時也會購買守護符、土鈴等，祈求在新的一年裏幸福、平安。

製作馬型土鈴（23日，札幌市中央區，KYODO）

ど‐れい【土鈴】

 

土を焼いて作った鈴。古くから魔よけとされ、今も郷土玩具として各地にみられる。

京都寺院「撣塵」迎新春

2013/12/20

 

日本古都京都的東、西本願寺的歲末撣塵，是京都歲時風物的一個代表。每到年底，僧侶和門徒們就會一起打掃寺廟，用竹子拍打榻榻米，除去灰塵，稱為撣塵，以此迎接新年。

　　12月20日早晨7點，來自日本各地的600人集中在西本願寺。在大殿阿彌陀佛堂（日本重要文化財産），人們排成一長行，一邊用細竹子用力拍打榻榻 米，一邊整齊地往前走。站在後面的人就用巨大的扇子扇風來吹跑灰塵。這樣一次就打掃了大約730塊榻榻米的場地。一塊榻榻米的面積在日本各地並不相同，在 京都大約為1.8平方米。

　　同日，在東本願寺的禦影堂，約100人排成一行，一齊為大約930塊榻榻米除了塵。

　　日本京都東、西本願寺源於一派，都是日本佛教凈土真宗的最重要的寺廟，在日本有著巨大的影響力。

撣塵迎接新春。用細竹枝用力拍打榻榻米，然後用扇子扇走灰塵（20日，京都市下京區西本願寺）

天皇陛下が年頭の感想　「被災者を深く案じられます」

2014年1月1日05時02分

天皇ご一家。皇太子さま（前列左から２人目）が、秋篠宮さま（同６人目）の長男悠仁さま（同４人目）の立体地図を前に、東京の山について説明したという＝宮内庁提供

• 

　【中田絢子、島康彦】天皇陛下は２０１４年の年頭にあたり、宮内庁を通じて感想を発表した。最初に東日本大震災の被災地に触れ、放射能汚染により以前住んでいた地域に戻れない人や、仮設住宅で厳しい冬を過ごす人ら被災者を「改めて深く案じられます」と思いやった。さらに「雪の深くなる季節、屋根の雪下ろしの事故には十分に気を付けてください」と呼びかけた。
　新しい年に向けては「苦しい人々の荷を少しでも分かち持つ気持ちを失わず、助け合い、励まし合っていくとともに、世界の人々とも相携え、平和を求め、良き未来を築くために力を尽くしていくよう願っています」と述べた。
　昨年１年間に詠んだ天皇陛下の短歌５首、皇后さまの３首も発表された。陛下の５首には、１０月の熊本県訪問で面会した水俣病患者への思いを詠んだ歌があった。
　天皇、皇后両陛下は１日、新年祝賀の儀で安倍晋三首相や外国大使らから新年のお祝いを受ける。２日には一般参賀があり、皇族方とともに５回、宮殿のベランダに立つ。
　　　　　◇
　宮内庁は、天皇陛下の歌５首と、皇后さまの３首を発表した。
▽天皇陛下
　〈あんずの里〉
　赤き萼（がく）の反りつつ咲ける白き花のあんず愛でつつ妹と歩みぬ
　〈大山（だいせん）ロイヤルホテルにて〉
　大山を果たてに望む窓近く体かはしつついはつばめ飛ぶ
　〈水俣を訪れて〉
　患ひの元知れずして病みをりし人らの苦しみいかばかりなりし
　〈皇居にて　二首〉
　年毎に東京の空暖かく紅葉（もみぢば）赤く暮れに残れり
　被災地の冬の暮らしはいかならむ陽（ひ）の暖かき東京にゐて
▽皇后さま
　〈打ち水〉
　花槐（はなゑんじゆ）花なき枝葉そよぎいで水打ちし庭に風立ち来たる
　〈遠野〉
　何処（いづこ）にか流れのあらむ尋（たづ）ね来し遠野静かに水の音する
　〈演奏会〉
　左手（ゆんで）なるピアノの音色（ねいろ）耳朶（じだ）にありて灯（ひ）ともしそめし町を帰りぬ

• （皇族方の素顔）女性皇族のハレの日ファッション(12/28)
• 天皇陛下、今年訪れた３つの行事を歌に　自治体に伝達(12/27)
• 「天皇陛下この１年のご動静」宮内庁が発表（全文）(12/23)
• 「象徴の望ましい在り方求めて」　陛下、８０年の歩み(12/23)

誓约永久和/平日中韓遊戲: 台湾外交部「関係国は冷静に」 Japanese Premier Visits Contentious War Shrine

With Shrine Visit, Leader Asserts Japan's Track From Pacifism

By HIROKO TABUCHI

A visit to the Yasukuni Shrine highlighted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's willingness to take on big political risks as he tries to build a more powerful Japan.

Amid Chinese Rivalry, Japan Seeks More Muscle By MARTIN FACKLER A new five-year defense plan, described as "proactive pacifism," calls for acquiring drones and amphibious assault vehicles, and reverses a decade of military spending cuts.

日本首相安倍晋三在其执政一周年之际以首相身份参拜靖国神社，引起中国和韩国两方的强烈不满。德国专家认为，这在中日韩三国间差不多已经成为一种常见的“游戏”。 

 據昨日安倍自己的話.他是去報告一年政績.....(反正不去 鄰國也很囂張 去了日本國內感覺更好....)

安倍首相参拜完靖国神社后的讲话全文 上一篇文章美国批评安倍参拜靖国神社 下一篇文章安倍优先个人信条 参拜靖国“无人可阻” 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　誓约永久和平 　　今天，我参拜了靖国神社，向那些为国家而战、牺牲宝贵生命的英灵们献上真挚哀悼，同时表达崇敬之意，祈愿亡灵冥福安乐。我也参拜了供奉着在战争中失去生命、未被合祀在靖国神社内的国内以及各外国人士的镇灵社。 　　我向英灵们双手合十，深感日本如今的和平是多么宝贵。今天日本的和平与繁荣，不仅仅是依靠活在当下的人们创造出来的。还有那些 一边祈祷祝福着深爱的妻子和孩子，一边牵挂着养育自己的父母，但却倒在战场上的许许多多的人。在他们献出宝贵生命的基础上，才构筑起我们今天的和平与繁 荣。 　　今天，我再次想到了这些，怀着发自心底的敬意与感谢之情，进行了参拜。 　　日本不会再次发动战争。我站在对过去痛彻反省的基础上，这样认为。站在战争死难者的亡灵前，我再一次下定决心，今后也将继续坚 持不再发起战争的誓言。同时，我们一定要创造一个再也不让人们苦于战争惨祸的时代。我宣誓，让日本成为一个与亚洲的朋友、世界的朋友一起，思考实现全世界 和平的国家。 　　日本在战后的68年里，建设着一个自由、民主的国家，一心坚持走和平道路发展至今。今后也将毫不动摇地继续贯彻这一基本态度。为了世界的和平稳定，以及繁荣，今后我将在国际协调合作的基础上履行这一责任。 　　关于参拜靖国神社，遗憾的是它已演变成政治和外交问题。关于参拜，有人批评这是崇拜战犯，但是，我在安倍政权成立的今天这个日子（12月26日）参拜，是想向英灵们汇报政权成立一年来的情况，以及我想创造一个再也不让人们苦于战争惨祸时代的决心。 　　我丝毫没有伤害中国、韩国人民感情的想法。我与战后参拜过靖国神社的历任首相一样，都尊重人格、坚守自由和民主主义，对中国和韩国怀有敬意，希望与中韩两国构筑友好关系。真诚期望各位国民能给与理解。

Japanese Premier Visits Contentious War Shrine By HIROKO TABUCHI The visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday revived a practice that has long strained relations between Japan and its Asian neighbors.

台湾外交部「関係国は冷静に」 NHK

安倍総理大臣が靖国神社に参拝したことについて、台湾外交部の報道官は声明を発表し、「日本の政府や政治家には、歴史の事実と教訓に向き合い、周辺国の ...

台湾外交部「関係国は冷静に」

12月26日 15時6分

安倍総理大臣が靖国神社に参拝したことについて、台湾外交部の報道官は声明を発表し、「日本の政府や政治家には、歴史の事実と教訓に向き合い、周辺国の住民の感情を傷つける行為をしないよう求める」と述べました。
そのうえで声明では、「東シナ海の緊張が高まるなか、それぞれが冷静に対応し、対立をエスカレートさせる行動は取らず、周辺国との友好関係を発展させ、共に地域の平和と安定を増進させることを望む」と呼びかけました。
台湾外交部の声明の内容は、これまで日本政府の閣僚が靖国神社に参拝した際に出したものと大きく変わらず、中国や韓国のような厳しい反応は示していません。

放射性物擴散到地下深層 Fixing Fukushima’s Toxic Water Issues to Take Years日本的解決福島第一核電站的核污水泄漏問題的能力和態度: $500 million to fix Fukushima nuclear crisis/Ocean Dump for Fukushima Water

 

福島核電廠放射性物　可能擴散到地下深層

2013年12月21日17:49

【國 際中心／綜合報導】東京電力公司昨晚宣佈，福島第一核電廠4號機組靠近大海一側25公尺米深的地下水中，鍶90等釋放β射線的放射性物質達到每升59貝克 勒爾，說明放射性物質污染可能已擴散到地下深層。日本核電廠將含有鍶90的水向海中排放的法定標準是每升30貝克勒爾。
 

 

Japan Says Fixing Fukushima’s Toxic Water Issues to Take Years

By Yuji Okada and Jacob Adelman December 10, 2013

---

Ending radioactive water leaks along with groundwater and ocean contamination at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan may take more than five years, according to a report by a government advisory body.

The effort includes building stronger storage tanks at the site to prevent leaks of radioactive water, covering areas with impermeable coating to stop groundwater contamination and building underground walls to block subsurface inflow.
Completing the measures will take till March 2019, the report estimates. It’s based on 779 proposals submitted by domestic and overseas companies to the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning. The plan doesn’t include any technology to remove tritium isotopes from water.

The plan “excludes measures for tritium contamination because there is no proven technology to remove it,” Yuzo Ohnishi, chairman of the panel and an executive vice-president of Kyoto University, told reporters. He delivered the report to Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi today.
Japan’s government has said it will play a more prominent leadership role in tacking the disaster amid criticism of the response by the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501)
The Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear station suffered reactor meltdowns following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The plant is on the Pacific coast 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Tokyo.

STORY: Merkel Takes Germany From Nuclear Energy to Green

TOKYO—With Japan's announcement on Tuesday that the government is taking charge of water containment at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant, experts say the site of one of the world's most-pressing nuclear cleanups may finally be getting the money and backing it needs.
Now the question is: How far is the government prepared to go in supporting efforts to contain the mess at the plant, and will it do a better job at keeping the site under control than operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.?
"Japan has few other options" besides devoting public money and resources to the cleanup of Fukushima ......


Errors Cast Doubt on Japan's Cleanup of Nuclear Accident Site

By MARTIN FACKLER

Analysts are questioning whether Japan's government and the operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have the expertise and ability to manage the crisis.

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

"Water keeps building up inside the plant, and debris keeps piling up outside of it. This is all just one big shell game aimed at pushing off the problems until the future."

KIYOSHI KUROKAWA, who led an investigation into the nuclear accident at the Fukushima plant in Japan.

 日本《產經新聞》9月3日報道稱，對于日本政府3日對東京電力公司福島第一核電站的核污水泄漏事件採取的解決方案，韓國多家媒體紛紛提出嚴厲批評，認為這只不過是日本為了敷衍國際奧委會的手段。 報道稱，2020年夏季奧運會的舉辦地公布 ...

福島核電站污水將在處理後排入海洋

2013/09/03

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       日本原子能規制委員會委員長田中俊一9月2日在日本外國特派員協會舉行記者會,就東京電力公司福島第一核電站儲存的含有放射性物質的污水問題，再次表示放射性物質降至標準值以下後，「排入大海不可避免」。同時表示「將竭盡全力處理，希望大家給予理解」。

      田中表示，向海洋排放污水之前，將使用可去除約60種放射性物質的「污水處理控制系統（ALPS）」進行處理。對於裝置無法去除的三重氫，將在稀釋後排放。

       另外，田中解釋稱「全世界的核設施通常都會排放上述物質」。並指出「因核試驗等原因，歷史上曾有大氣中的輻射等級比現在高幾萬倍的時期」。

       對於核電站儲水槽的污水洩漏問題，田中指出「最重要的是向國際社會傳達確切信息」。同時表示「由於狀況每天都在變化，已通知原子能規制廳的職員謹慎、準確地提供客觀信息」。

       作為福島第一核電站含高濃度放射性物質的污水洩漏問題的對策費，日本政府計劃投入超過400億日元的國家經費。國家將出資建設阻止污水流向核反應爐廠房地下水中的「凍土墻」，另外還將增設污水凈化裝置。日本希望通過國家出面來儘快平息事態。

Japan to spend up to $500 million to fix Fukushima nuclear crisis

 

11:30:00 IDT

By William Mallard

TOKYO | Tue Sep 3, 2013 7:09am IST
 

(Reuters) - Japan is set to pledge up to $500 million to contain leaks of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, with the government stepping up its intervention in the world's worst atomic disaster in a quarter of a century.
Trade and Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said late on Monday the government would fund "tens of billions" of yen to address the water crisis after the embattled operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co, said it had found another radiation hot spot at the facility.
The government is set to announce on Tuesday a package of measures to deal with the crisis at the Fukushima plant, which was wrecked by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
The public funds will amount to as much as 50 billion yen ($503.25 million), Japanese media reported on Tuesday.
This would include 32 billion yen to create a massive underground wall by freezing a perimeter of earth around the damaged reactors to contain groundwater flows, and 15 billion yen to fix a system meant to drastically reduce radiation levels in the contaminated water.
The government would tap about 20 billion yen in budgetary reserves for this fiscal year, media reported, citing unidentified government sources.
The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which faces a decision on Saturday by the International Olympic Committee on Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 summer Olympics, is rushing to address criticism that Tokyo Electric, or Tepco, has bungled the response to the nuclear disaster.
"Tokyo Electric has been playing a game of whack-a-mole with problems at the site," Motegi said in a televised interview late on Monday, referring to a popular amusement park game.
He said the Fukushima problems should not have any impact on the Olympic bid, in which Tokyo is competing with Madrid and Istanbul.
After a recent spike in overseas alarm at the problems at Fukushima, the Japanese government is "trying to cool the international media off prior to the Olympics decision", Mycle Schneider, an independent nuclear energy analyst based in Paris who frequently visits Japan, said by email.
"NO CAUSE FOR WORRY"
Measurable radiation from water leaking is confined to the harbor around the plant, Motegi said, and there should be no impact on other countries because the radiation will be so diluted by the ocean that it is not an environmental threat.
"There is no cause for athletes or visitors to Tokyo to worry," the minister said.
Last month, China said it was "shocked" to hear that contaminated water was still leaking from storage tanks and urged Japan to give timely and accurate information.
Tepco is storing enough contaminated water to fill more than 130 Olympic-sized swimming pools, mostly in hastily built tanks that officials have said may spring further leaks.
The planned measures are daunting. Freezing earth to block water flows is a technology commonly used in digging subway tunnels, but it is untested on the Fukushima scale and the planned duration of years or decades. The decontamination technology has repeatedly suffered from glitches.
The planned government intervention still represents only a tiny slice of the response to the Fukushima crisis, which is expected to take decades and rely on unproven technology.
The water-containment measures do not address the full problem of water management at the crippled plant, do not remove uncertainty about the fate of Tepco, Japan's largest power company, and do not address the much bigger problem of decommissioning the plant. The most sensitive job of removing spent fuel rods is to start in coming months.
The government's planned announcement, at a Tuesday meeting of a disaster task force, will come just hours after Tepco said patrolling workers found a new area of high radiation near storage tanks. Those tanks are holding water that became contaminated after it was washed over melted fuel rods.
The Fukushima Daiichi power plant north of Tokyo was devastated by a tsunami on March 11, 2011, that resulted in fuel-rod meltdowns at three reactors, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
Tepco has been pumping water into the reactors to keep the damaged cores and stored fuel from overheating. That emergency step has created a secondary crisis of how to manage the contaminated water that is pumped back out.
Workers had found no signs of fresh radiation leaks but the company said a radiation reading on the ground near the newly found hot spot would expose a worker in just one hour to the safety limit Japan has set for exposure over five years.
No precise reading was given since workers were using instruments that only recorded radiation up to 100 millisieverts an hour. Tepco said the reading exceeded that level.
Tepco said last week radiation near a different tank spiked 18 times higher than the initial reading, a level that could kill an unprotected person in four hours.
As much as 300 metric tons of highly radioactive water was found to have leaked from another tank last month. ($1 = 99.3550 Japanese yen)
(Reporting by Sumito Ito and Mari Saito; Additional reporting by Aaron Sheldrick; Writing by Bill Mallard; Editing by Paul Tait)

----

Japan’s Nuclear Watchdog Sees Ocean Dump for Fukushima Water

By Jacob Adelman, Takashi Hirokawa & Yuriy Humber - Sep 2, 2013 4:38 PM GMT+0800

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501)’s plan to manage radioactive water at its wrecked Fukushima plant may include a controlled discharge into the ocean once its toxicity is brought within legal limits, Japan’s nuclear regulator said.

Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said today the ocean dump could be necessary as the country’s government prepares to present its plan for handling tainted water at the site that’s increasing by 400 tons a day.

Enlarge image

Members of Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority inspect the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, in this handout photograph taken on Aug. 23, 2013. Source: Nuclear Regulation Authority via Bloomberg

6:02

Aug. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Michael Friedlander, a nuclear engineer and former U.S. nuclear power plant operator, talks about the radioactive water leaking from Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s wrecked nuclear plant in Fukushima. He speaks with Zeb Eckert on Bloomberg Television's "First Up." (Source: Bloomberg)

8:50

July 8 (Bloomberg) -- Barbara Judge, the deputy chairmany of Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee, talks about her appointment, the company's efforts to comply to new safety standards, and the need for better public education on the advantages of nuclear power. She spoke with Bloomberg's Jacob Adelman in Tokyo on July 4. (Source: Bloomberg)

Managing the water used to cool melted fuel at the Fukushima plant’s reactors has become a fundamental challenge for the utility known as Tepco, which has struggled to contain a series of leaks including the loss of about 300 tons of contaminated water it reported two weeks ago.
“It is important for us to understand the need to make difficult judgments in order to avoid larger problems in the future,” Tanaka said of the possible ocean discharge during a speech to reporters in Tokyo.
Contaminant levels must be brought below accepted limits through filtration or other treatments before the water is discharged, he said.
Japan’s Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters may present its response to the water management crisis as early as tomorrow, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said today, relaying comments made by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga to lawmakers earlier.

‘Complete Package’

The government wants to present a “complete package” of steps to tackle the water problem, Suga said, according to Kato.
Tepco’s challenge was further illustrated yesterday when the utility said it had found a new radioactive leak, capping its worst month since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused reactors to meltdown.
The company said it had halted the contaminated water leak from a pipe near an area of high radiation levels discovered on Aug. 31. Of the hot spots found over the weekend, one recorded radiation of 1,800 millisieverts per hour around the bottom of a bolted-flange tank storing water used to cool melted reactor cores. That’s 18 times the level reported at the same spot on Aug. 22, Tepco said.
The weekend’s findings probably reflect Tepco’s beefed-up monitoring crews finding contamination that was missed earlier, former nuclear engineer Michael Friedlander said in a phone interview.

Thrown Together

Tepco boosted the number of tank-inspection patrols from twice a day to three times a day after last month’s 300-ton leak, Yoshikazu Nagai, a company spokesman, said by phone.

Patrols are increasing further to four times a day beginning today, when the number of inspection staff grows to 60 members from 10, he said.

The company also planned to install gauges on all of its tanks to monitor changes in water levels that suggest leaks, Nagai said. Those water level checks are currently done by measuring the temperature of the tanks’ outer walls, he said.

“They threw these tanks together, they’re exposed to the elements and now that they have more people looking at it with a higher degree of diligence, they’re finding leaks,” said

Friedlander, who spent 13 years operating U.S. nuclear plants. “Those leaks have probably been around for quite some time and they’ve probably been growing because until now they haven’t been doing any work on them.”

Radiation Levels

Radiation levels Tepco disclosed at the weekend don’t raise an immediate concern for the general public because the site is off limits, Tetsuo Ito, head of Kinki University’s Atomic Energy Research Institute, said yesterday by telephone.

Direct exposure to 1,800 millisieverts for four hours can be lethal, but it’s not life-threatening for Tepco’s inspectors as they don’t stay in one spot for four hours, he said.
Tepco said the 1,800 millisieverts reading was found 5 centimeters above the area that was checked, falling to 15 millisieverts at 50 centimeters. The reading was for beta radiation that travels short distances and can be blocked by use of metal sheet such as aluminum, the company said on its website.

With more than 338,000 metric tons of water of varying levels of toxicity stored in pits, basements and hundreds of tanks at the Fukushima plant, Tepco has been overwhelmed in trying to contain leaks.
While the water stored in tanks has been treated to remove cesium, other radioactive elements such as strontium must be reduced before it can be discharged into the ocean, Tanaka said.

Corroded Filters

Tepco’s unit for filtering such contaminants, known as ALPS, was taken off line due to corrosion on Aug. 8, just months after beginning operation. Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said last month that Tepco was being given until mid-September to restart the system.

“If we do decide to discharge into ocean, we will make every effort to ensure that contaminant levels are below the accepted limits,” Tanaka said. “One way to achieve it is to use the ALPS system, which does remove many radioactive elements.”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month said Tepco isn’t able to handle the disaster recovery after the company acknowledged that contaminated groundwater at the plant was seeping into the ocean. Japanese government officials estimated that leak at 300 tons of irradiated water a day.

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石原慎太郎 Shintaro Ishihara，豬瀨直樹

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 微熱山丘東京店

 印度與日本開始聯合海上軍演
印度海軍與日本海上自衛隊艦船在印度水域展開了首次聯合演習。在日本和印度都面對與中國的領土爭端之際，這兩個國家正采取措施加強軍事聯系。東盟國家在中日之間難以做出取舍
日本與東盟峰會聲明未公開批評中國

Japan Holds Steady on Rates 12:55 AM ET

 

Japan Needs Fast Action on Econ Zones, Key Adviser Says9

 

 

 

福島災害日本政府重新建方針

鄭凱榕/編譯報導

因應東京電力公司福島第一核電廠事故所引發的災害，日本政府18日公開為加速重建所擬定的政策方針，全部內容一改過去2年多來支持災民返鄉的原則，改弦易轍全面大轉彎。

根據日本共同通信社18日晚間報導，日本政府重建方針主要內容有二：其一，斷絕捨棄避難者全員返鄉的原則，改為支援災民遷徙移居的政策。其二，以東電負擔為前提，國家投入經費支援部分除污和污染水對策費用。

由首相安倍晉三所主持的原子能災害對策應變中心20日將正式拍板定案。本重建方針是基於自民、公明兩黨11月向首相安倍晉三提出的建議案所擬定。

但是捨棄災民全員返鄉的重建原則，將面臨與住民分離的受災地方自治體的強烈抵抗；此外，用國家全體公經費，救濟東電民間私企業，也將面臨強烈的批判。預料這項政策方針具體落實時，將面臨難以進展的困境。

企業娛樂減稅

 這招有點花拳.

The Japanese government's latest ploy to revitalise the economy is to make corporate entertainment by large companies partially tax-deductible. For the moment only small and medium-sized firms may deduct a limited amount of money spent entertaining clients as a business expense http://econ.st/1e8va24

今年の漢字は「輪」

 

今年の漢字は「輪」

12月12日 15時15分

ことし１年の世相を漢字ひと文字で表す「今年の漢字」が京都の清水寺で発表され、東京オリンピックの開催決定などを理由に「輪」という字が選ばれました。

「今年の漢字」は、京都に本部がある日本漢字能力検定協会が、その年の世相を表す漢字ひと文字を一般から募集し、最も多かった字を選んでいます。
ことしは、１７万通余りの応募から最も多い９５１８通を集めた「輪」という漢字が選ばれました。
京都市東山区の清水寺では、発表場所の「清水の舞台」と呼ばれる本堂で、森清範貫主が立てかけられた和紙に「輪」という文字を一気に書き上げました。
協会によりますと「輪」という字を選んだ人たちは、東京オリンピックの開催が決定したことや、東北楽天イーグルスが日本シリーズで初優勝し日本中にチームワークの大切さや応援の輪を印象づけたことなどを理由に挙げているということです。
また、応募があったうち「輪」という文字に続いて、２番目に多かったのは「楽」で８５６２通、３番目に多かったのは「倍」で７６２３通でした。

清水寺貫主「五輪東京誘致が大きい」

今年の漢字に「輪」が選ばれたことについて、清水寺の森清範貫主は、「オリンピックが東京に誘致されたことがいちばん大きいと思いま す。『輪（りん）』には、大勢の人が１つになって円滑に回転していくという意味もあります。みんなが譲り合い支えあって、来年も震災からの復興など力を合 わせて輪（わ）のつながりを大切にしていきたいです」と話していました。

 

 

日本2013漢字：「輪」 加倍奉還第3

今年の漢字は「輪」 検定協会、京都で発表

新頭殼newtalk2013.12.13 鄭凱榕/編譯報導

日本選出2013年代表漢字為「輪」，東北樂天金鷹隊首次取得職棒總冠軍的「樂」字居次，流行語人氣日劇台詞「加倍奉還」的「倍」字第3。

日本《朝日新聞》12日傍晚時分報導，日本漢字能力檢定協會向全國募集「今年漢字」，12日在京都市東山區的清水寺發表，由大住持森清範(MORI, Seihan)在長1.5公尺、寬1.3公尺的和紙上以書法書寫2013年代表漢字「輪」(日語發音：Wa或Rin)。

在17萬290件招募的投稿意見中，「輪」獲得最多人青睞，占9,518件，高達5.59%。理由為2020年東京申奧成功，日語中奧運稱為「五輪」。另 外，富士山登錄為世界文化遺產、足球世界盃日本代表取得參賽權等「日本在這一年中就像『輪』一般，接二連三發生歡歡喜喜的好事情」，另外，就算是颱風等自 然災害紛至沓來，支援的輪圈也越來越擴大等。

今年漢字第2名是「樂」字，獲得8,562件投稿意見支持，主要是東北樂天金鷹隊在日本職棒大賽中擊敗強敵讀賣巨人隊，拿下隊史上首度總冠軍。

排名第3名的是「倍」字，獲得7,623件支持，當然是因為《半澤直樹》發威，人氣流行語「加倍奉還」深植人心。

清水寺大住持森清範表示，「『輪』象徵著許許多多的人手牽著手，圓滿平順著旋轉運行中。大家互諒互讓、相互支持，在新的一年裡如震災重建等工程，希望大家就像『輪』的聯繫一樣繼續不斷努力。」

影片說明：日本選出2013年代表漢字為「輪」，12日在京都市東山區的清水寺發表。影片來源：「KyodoNews」頻道，標準YouTube授權。

日本新防禦計畫重點 /安倍：「積極的和平主義」/如果想把我說成右翼軍國主義者……Hudson Institute

  日本新防御计划重点是中国和争议岛屿

据路透社报道，日本周三最新国防计划草案显示，日本将设立新海陆两栖军事基地，并在西南面向中日有岛屿争议的地区部署非武装无人侦察机。安倍晋三（Shinzo Abe）在去年12月就任首相后，下令进行国防政策评估，表示要加强军事、提升日本在全球安全中扮演的角色。草案中，日本计划建立两栖军事基地，以保证在远离本土的岛屿受到入侵的情况下进行反击。另外草案计划提高日本南部冲绳岛军事基地的战斗机数量。下周，日本新的国防指导和军事扩建计划将交由政府批准。中国今年11月划定一个新的防空识别区，其中包括中日争议区域上空，引发了东京、华盛顿和首尔的抗议。

 

 

安倍：如果想把我說成右翼軍國主義者……

2013/09/26

 

     正在美國訪問的日本首相安倍晉三為宣傳其安保政策而不遺餘力。安倍當地時間9月25日中午在美國智庫哈德遜研究所發表演講，對日本正在探討的允許行使集體 自衛權及調整日本防衛政策的目的進行說明。安倍這一系列舉措被認為很容易擴大與中韓兩國的隔閡，意識到這一點的安倍希望通過具體說明來消除美國的擔憂。

     「日本要為世界和平與穩定做出比以往更積極的貢獻」，安倍在演講中以「積極的和平主義」為關鍵詞，表達日本願意在國際社會發揮作用的決心。並介紹建立日本 國家安全保障會議（日本版NSC）的情況、以及爭取在年內確定「國家安全保障戰略」以作為外交與安保戰略指針的想法等。

     安倍最為重視的則是介紹為行使集體自衛權而修改相關憲法解釋的進展情況。安倍準備了一些具體事例，?美國艦船在公海上受到攻擊；?在參加聯合國維和行動 （PKO）期間其他國家軍人受到攻擊等，無論哪種情況，日本自衛隊在現行制度下都無法提供幫助。安倍通過介紹上述事例指出通過修改憲法解釋來擴大日本責任 義務的必要性。

     在哈德遜研究所發表演講的同時，安倍還接受了以研究所創始人命名的「赫爾曼·卡恩獎」。以往的獲獎者包括美國前總統雷根、前副總統切尼、前國務卿基辛格等，這是首次頒給美國以外的人士。

     安倍今年9月份重啟了關於行使集體自衛權的政府有識之士懇談會，以開始討論將其納入國家安全戰略的相關事宜。對於安倍政府希望行使集體自衛權及修改憲法的 舉動，中韓兩國批評稱是「日本右傾化的表現」。歐巴馬政府非常希望日本在安保領域承擔更多責任，但另一方面，美國在本意上又希望避免日本與中韓之間的摩擦 進一步擴大。

     安倍在演講中雖然沒有直接指名，卻指出「在緊挨日本的鄰國中，有些國家的軍費開支至少是日本的2倍，僅次於美國」。並指出本年度日本的防衛費增長僅為0.8%，稱「如果想把我說成右翼軍國主義者，那就隨他們去說吧」。

     （秋山裕之　紐約報導）

Hudson Institute > About Hudson > Open Positions

www.hudson.org/learn/index.cfm?fuseaction=open_positions‎

Hudson Institute, Americas Premier source of applied research on enduring policy ... Mission Statement · Herman Kahn, founder · Hudson History · Hudson ...

日本移動應用收入全球第一 Japan Tops World In Mobile Apps Revenue

日本成全球移動應用收入第一大市場
應用追蹤機構App Annie提供的數據顯示，得益於智能手機和平板電腦遊戲的爆炸式增長，日本取代美國成為全球應用商店收入最多的國家。

Japan household helper plan shows wider immigration dilemma :Japan needs to let in more foreign workers

Japan household helper plan shows wider immigration dilemma

Filipino nannies stroll with children during their duty hours at a park in Tokyo (ISSEI KATO, REUTERS / December 10, 2013)

Lisa Twaronite Reuters

5:55 p.m. CST, December 10, 2013

TOKYO (Reuters) - During the early days of "Abenomics," U.S. businesses were optimistic they could convince Japan's government to make a small change to the nation's tight immigration rules to let more household helpers into the country.

But a year after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office, an idea that some thought might be an easy win for immigration reform while meeting a stated aim of Abe's growth strategy has made no apparent progress.

If Abe's government drags its feet on one small step, it suggests scant prospects for any broader measures to let in foreign workers any time soon - which many experts say will be necessary for Japan to sustain its economic growth in the face of a rapidly shrinking workforce.

"Japan needs to let in more foreign workers to solve its population problem," said Hidenori Sakanaka, former head of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau. "Letting in more domestic workers is just a small part of the big picture, but it might make a big difference to the people who employ them."

The proposal has been discussed by three ministries, people familiar with the process say, although Abe has not publicly mentioned the idea. Loosening visa requirements for domestic helpers could allow more Japanese women to return to full-time work, proponents say.

That is one goal in a broader Abe strategy to get Japan on the path of stable economic expansion after almost two decades of debilitating deflation and sluggish growth.

But after Abe won plaudits for pushing aggressive fiscal and monetary expansion after coming to power last December, reaction to his longer-term economic growth plans has been less enthusiastic.

His immigration-reform plans would make it easier for highly skilled immigrants to get work visas and cut the time needed to qualify for permanent residency. This falls short of the comprehensive steps needed to address the country's shrinking birthrate and burgeoning elderly population, experts say.

TAKING JOBS

A quarter of Japan's population is already over 65, and that will increase to almost 40 percent by 2050. Ominously, the number of people aged 18 to 24 has shrunk by nearly a third over the past two decades.

Japan will need 10 million immigrants over the next half century to offset its projected population decline, said Sakanaka, who founded the Japan Immigration Policy Institute think tank after retiring from the bureaucracy.

Officials say changes will take time and might not be as easy as they appear on the surface.

"Before Japan decides to let in more foreign workers for certain jobs, we must first determine whether there are Japanese citizens who could do such jobs," said Yusuke Takeuchi, deputy planning director in the Immigration Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Justice.

The tangle of issues involved in employing foreign workers as housekeepers or nannies helps to illustrate the labyrinthine task Japan would face if it were to try to tackle much broader immigration reform.

There are no clear statistics on the number of foreign household helpers in Japan as many are working informally and those working legally, do so under a broad visa category. But foreign workers themselves say their numbers are shrinking.

"It has gotten much harder since I first came in 1990 on a tourist visa to look for work," said a 69-year-old housekeeper from the Philippines. She has a work visa - but on a passport bearing her dead sister's name.

She said she was forced to leave Japan a few years ago because authorities learnt she was no longer employed by her previous visa sponsor. So she said she was forced to resort to using her late sister's unblemished paperwork to get back into Japan.

Her employer, an American executive, had hoped to hire a Japanese housekeeper.

"I couldn't find anyone who would commit to full-time work and was willing to perform multiple job duties, from childcare to cleaning to marketing," she said.

Abe 開始失民心 Japan PM Abe's ratings slide after state secrets act

安倍 昭恵, Akie Abe /Shinzo Abe開始失民心

Japan PM Abe's ratings slide after state secrets act

Linda Sieg Reuters

5:45 a.m. CST, December 9, 2013

TOKYO (Reuters) - Support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slid in opinion polls after his ruling coalition steamrolled through parliament a tough secrecy act that critics fear could muzzle media and allow officials to hide misdeeds.

Shrinking support could push Abe, who took power last year pledging to revive a stagnant economy, to softpedal his security policies until next year's budget is enacted and a sales tax hike from April is safely navigated, some analysts said.

Abe was quick to defend his action, but said he should have taken more time to explain the bill carefully.

"With humility and sincerity, I must take the severe opinion from the public as a reprimand from the people. I now look back and think with regret that I should have spent more time to explain the bill carefully," Abe told reporters on Monday.

"But there have been no rules on designating, releasing, and preserving state secrets. That is where the real problem is."

Support for Abe's government fell 13.9 points to 54.6 percent in a poll by broadcaster JNN, the lowest since he took office, although backing for the main opposition Democratic Party rose just 0.9 point to 6.8 percent and was dwarfed by the 30.3 percent who backed Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

"Abe's support tends to drop when he shows his 'Abe color'," said Nihon University professor Tomoaki Iwai. "But he knows that. I think he will focus on the economy for a while."

A survey by news agency Kyodo showed support for Abe's cabinet fell 10.3 points to 47.6 percent, its first drop below 50 percent in a Kyodo poll since Abe began his rare second term.

His first 2006-2007 term ended when he quit after a year marked by a big election loss, deadlock in parliament and ill health.

REVISED OR ABOLISHED

About 82 percent of the respondents to the Kyodo poll, conducted on Sunday and Monday, wanted the secrets act - which some critics have likened to Japan's harsh authoritarian regime before and during World War Two - to be revised or abolished.

"During the parliament deliberations, there were expressions of concern such as 'Secrets will be multiplied endlessly', 'People will be deprived of their right to know', and 'Daily life will be threatened'," Abe said.

"But such things will never, ever happen."

Abe has said the secrecy act is vital to convince allies such as the United States to share intelligence as he sets up a U.S.-style National Security Council to streamline foreign and security policy.

Top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters the drop was not unexpected. He attributed the decline to public misunderstanding of the law's content and said the government would continue to explain it to gain support.

The upper house of Japan's parliament late on Friday approved the state secrets act, which toughens penalties for leaks and broadens the definition of official secrets, despite protests by thousands of demonstrators near parliament and criticism from a broad swathe of media and intellectuals.

The law provides jails terms of up to 10 years for public servants or others leaking state secrets. Journalists and others in the private sector convicted of encouraging such leaks could get up to 5 years if they use "grossly inappropriate" means to get information.

Top officials will be able to designate special state secrets in four categories - defense, diplomacy, counter-terrorism and counterespionage - that can be kept secret for up to 60 years, and in some cases, longer.

A weekend survey by the Asahi newspaper also showed Abe's support rate falling, by three points, to 46 percent. In another poll by public broadcaster NHK, support for Abe's cabinet dropped 10 points from a month earlier to 50 percent.

Past governments have stretched the limits of Japan's U.S.-drafted pacifist constitution but Abe wants to go further, including by easing a self-imposed ban on exercising the right to collective self-defense, or aiding an ally under attack.
Abe's Support Drops Sharply in Japan

Polls taken in recent days show a rapid downturn.

By

Toko Sekiguchi

connect

Updated Dec. 9, 2013 11:49 a.m. ET

TOKYO—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's political support has sharply eroded for the first time since he came to power, as a feud over a secrecy bill dominated the final days of a parliament session that was to have focused on Japan's economic recovery.
A loss of support as Mr. Abe enters his second year in office could hamper his agenda to remake the economy and foreign policy—goals that have inspired optimism after years of political...

日本失敗的故技重施?

A Public Works Boom in Japan Has Echoes From the Lost Decade By HIROKO TABUCHI Japan's much-lauded growth plan is a throwback to the country's troubled '90s when it tried hard to build its way back to prosperity.

草間彌生Yayoi Kusama /友禪

日本友禪染以京都的京友禪及金澤的加賀友禪最知名。京友禪以圖案為主，加賀友禪從花鳥入手，京友禪淡彩輕盈，加賀友禪濃豔豐富，

在草間彌生的鏡屋體驗45秒靈魂出竅的奇幻

設計WILLIAM GRIMES2013年12月03日

草間彌生在切爾西的大衛·茨維爾納畫廊的裝置是一個鑲嵌着鏡子的房間，裡面裝有75個彩色LED燈泡。

紐約——亞當·弗里德曼(Adam Friedman)從草間彌生(Yayoi Kusama)的「無限房間」里走出來，離開了房間里閃爍的燈光和光影搖曳的水面。他尋找着合適的字彙。「飄渺，」他說。停頓了一下。「寧靜」。又停頓了 一下。「寧靜、飄渺、玄寂，兼而有之。」

這就是當時來之不易的幾個形容詞。今年28歲的弗里德曼來自新澤西 高地公園，是一名電腦銷售，他剛剛在切爾西的大衛·茨維爾納畫廊(David Zwirner)排了近三個小時的隊，這期間，他冒着斷斷續續的雨緩慢地移動，這一切都是為了一個非常短暫的回報：在一個鑲滿了鏡子、掛着75個彩色 LED燈泡的房間待上45秒鐘。這些燈泡如脈動般時明時暗，營造着一個天宮般的唯美場景。通常每天大約有2500人來到彌生的私人宇宙參與這個短暫的體 驗。她的由多個部分組成的展覽「已到達天堂的我」(I Who Have Arrived in Heaven)於11月8日開幕，幾乎從一開始，「無限鏡屋——數百萬光年以外的靈魂」(Infinity Mirrored Room — The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away)就成為了藝術領域備受矚目的展覽，可以媲美今年在現代藝術博物館(Museum of Modern Art)展出的大型裝置藝術「雨屋」(Rain Room)。

安妮塔·拉古薩(Anita Ragusa)是大衛·茨維爾納在19街的多家畫廊的經理，她說，「開幕那天也有人排隊。而且在社交媒體上傳播之後，再加上朋友之間的推薦，大家都想要一睹這個展覽的風采。」

上午10點開門之前，一般就有人開始排隊了。整整一天，由於維持秩序的講解員每次只允許一到兩人進入這個閃閃發光的房間，等候的隊伍一直以極慢的速度移動，那速度穩定而規律的如同靜脈點滴。展覽每天大約能接待1000人，將持續到12月21日。

此次展覽的參觀者並非平常常去藝術館的人群。多虧了社交媒體，尤其 是Instagram上的照片，讓這次展覽的消息傳到了一個主要由年輕人組成的廣泛群體：遊客、學生，以及喜愛草間彌生作品的人。去年在惠特尼美術館 (Whitney Museum of American Art)，這些粉絲曾在草間彌生的回顧展上欣賞過她的裝置作品《水上螢火蟲》(Fireflies on the Water)。

所有人都會從「鏡屋」那裡得到一些感受，它是死亡和後世的映像。「鏡屋」是一個大型衣帽間大小的屋子裡的天文館，既宏大又讓人覺得親密，把內部空間和外部空間、科學和神秘、個人元素和非個人元素融合在了一起。

這裡也非常適合自拍。只需一摁，就能看到自己的照片。照片上的你或許正漂浮在宇宙中，或是有好多個你，你的鏡像被不斷複製。

現已80多歲的日本藝術家草間彌生刺激了一組非常現代的神經末梢。 她最近的作品的爆發與相關類別藝術作品的激增不謀而合，這些作品的設計是為了讓觀賞者體驗靈魂出竅的經歷。在最近的展出中，像道格·惠勒(Doug Wheeler)和詹姆士·特里爾(James Turrell)這樣的視覺藝術家吸引了大量人群。觀眾被會讓空間發生扭曲的光束包圍着。在像Punchdrunk劇團《不再入眠》(Sleep No More)這樣的浸沒戲劇表演中，觀眾和表演者交織在一起，在很大程度上構建了他們自己的舞台經歷。

「不管是在有舞台拱幕的劇院，還是在傳統的藝術博物館，電子遊戲和 網絡的本質已經把人們訓練得不想只是靜靜地坐在那裡觀賞了，」《浸沒式的藝術：數字一代如何重塑好萊塢、麥迪遜大道以及敘事方式》(The Art of Immersion: How the Digital Generation Is Remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the Way We Tell Stories)一書的作者弗蘭克·羅斯(Frank Rose)說。「人們對更能讓人身臨其境、更能刺激感官的作品的需求很大，在這種作品當中，你可以扮演某種活躍的角色。你可以動用所有感官來體驗，一切盡 在你周圍。」

陪弗里德曼一起來的彼得·王（Peter Wong，音譯)25歲，是一名電腦技術人員。他從未參觀過藝術展。「我是學工程的，」他說，「一直以來我接觸的都是數字。」他在網站Gizmodo上看到了草間彌生裝置作品的相關新聞。

28歲的紐約人薩拉·布拉德菲爾德(Sarah Bradfield)目前住在亞特蘭大，她說，她不熟悉這名藝術家，不過她看到了Instagram上的帖子。和隊伍里其他幾位一樣，她帶着一個小孩。

54歲的南希·倫德布耶格(Nancy Lundebjerg)是美國老年醫學會(American Geriatrics Society)的一名管理人員，她說，當自己的一名朋友在Instagram上貼出了一張「鏡屋」的照片時，她感到妒忌。她全副武裝地帶了一部智能手機 和一部像模像樣的佳能(Canon)相機，準備進行反擊。

一旦開始排隊，就幾乎沒有人會中途放棄。他們會參觀畫廊里三個相連的房間，離開後再重新加入隊列。

最終，「鏡屋」的門開了，排在隊伍前頭的幾名幸運者被引導入內。這 是最後階段了，講解員們真正開始他們的工作。保羅·尼森鮑姆(Paul Nissenbaum)兼具門童、門衛、計時員和社工的職責，他把滿懷希望的人們帶入一間等候室，引導他們坐在長椅上，開始音樂椅的遊戲。

每隔45秒，當一名參觀者出來以後，隊伍會向前移動，坐在長椅上的人會步調一致地往前移動。尼森鮑姆一邊指揮着這種幼兒園遊戲的進行，一邊還要維護鏡屋的秩序。當手持的秒錶嘟嘟作響時，他會輕輕敲門，然後陪伴着裡面的參觀者返回光線強烈的等候室，一路還會說些玩笑話。

彼得·王離開「鏡屋」後說，「有一種永恆的感覺。非常離奇，你見識了自己的渺小，不過，你也見識到萬物是如何完美共生的。」

30歲的瑪麗娜·克洛塔羅娃(Marina Kalontarova)是紐約人，剛從一所醫學院畢業，她走出時面帶微笑。她說，「我想，她和我對天堂的想像真的很像。」

翻譯：王湛、陳亦亭、張薇

設計WILLIAM GRIMES2013年12月03日

纽约时报中文网

Lights, Mirrors, Instagram! #ArtSensation

By WILLIAM GRIMESDecember 03, 2013

Yayoi Kusama’s installation at the David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea features 75 colored LED bulbs in a mirror-lined room.

Benjamin Norman for The New York Times

NEW YORK — Adam Friedman emerged from the twinkling lights and reflecting water of Yayoi Kusama’s “infinity room” and groped for the right words. “Ethereal,” he said. Pause. “Calming.” Another pause. “Calming, ethereal and meditative, all at the same time.”

These were hard-won adjectives under the circumstances. Mr. Friedman, a 28-year-old computer salesman from Highland Park, N.J., had just spent nearly three hours in line at the David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea, pelted intermittently by sleet and rain, inching slowly toward a very brief reward: 45 seconds in a mirror-lined room hung with 75 colored LED bulbs that flickered and pulsed in a celestial celebration. On a typical day, about 2,500 people turn out to take this brief trip to Ms. Kusama’s private cosmos. Almost from the moment that her multipart exhibition, “I Who Have Arrived in Heaven,” opened on Nov. 8, “Infinity Mirrored Room — The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away” has become an art-world attraction to rival “Rain Room,” the immersive installation presented at the Museum of Modern Art this year.

“We had lines at the opening,” said Anita Ragusa, the manager of David Zwirner’s 19th Street galleries. “Once it hit social media, and people told their friends about it, everyone wanted to make sure to see it.”

The line usually begins forming about an hour before the gallery opens at 10 a.m. Throughout the day, it moves at a snail’s pace, as docents, hired to manage the flow, admit one or two people at a time to the twinkling-lights chamber, with the slow, steady regularity of a drip feed. About 1,000 will make it in. The show closes Dec. 21.

It is not the usual gallery crowd. Social media, especially photographs on Instagram, have spread the word to a broad, mostly young, demographic: tourists, students, followers of Ms. Kusama’s work, who saw her installation “Fireflies on the Water” at the retrospective of her work at the Whitney Museum of American Art last year.

“Mirrored Room” offers a little something for everyone. It is a reflection on death and the afterlife. It is a planetarium contained in a room the size of a large walk-in closet. Cosmic and intimate at the same time, it merges inner and outer space, science and mysticism, the personal and the impersonal.

It also makes for the ultimate selfie. One click and there you are, floating in the universe, or rather, multiple yous, replicated over and over.

Ms. Kusama, the Japanese artist, now in her 80s, has stimulated a very contemporary set of nerve endings. Her recent work dovetails with a surge in artwork designed to propel viewers into an out-of-body experience. Visual artists like Doug Wheeler and James Turrell, who swaddle audiences in space-bending projected light, have pulled large crowds in recent shows. In immersive theater productions like Punchdrunk’s “Sleep No More,” audiences mingle with performers and, to a large extent, construct their own stage experience.

“Video games and the nature of the web have trained people not to want to sit still and look, whether it’s in a proscenium-arch theater or a traditional art museum,” said Frank Rose, the author of “The Art of Immersion: How the Digital Generation Is Remaking Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and the Way We Tell Stories.” “There’s a huge appetite for something more immersive and sensory, in which you can take a somewhat active role. You experience it with all your senses, and it’s all around you.”

Peter Wong, 25, a computer technician accompanying Mr. Friedman, had never been to an art exhibition. “I was an engineering major,” he said. “It’s always about numbers for me.” He read about Ms. Kusama’s installation on the web site Gizmodo.

Sarah Bradfield, 28, a New Yorker now living in Atlanta, said that she was not familiar with the artist but she had seen postings on Instagram. Like several others in the line, she had a small child in tow.

Nancy Lundebjerg, 54, an executive with the American Geriatrics Society, said that she became jealous when a friend posted a photograph of “Mirrored Room” on Instagram. She came loaded and ready to fire back, carrying a smartphone and a serious-looking Canon camera. 

Once in the line, remarkably few people bail out. Instead, they work the gallery’s three connecting rooms, leaving and rejoining the line. 

Eventually, the door to the “Mirrored Room” swings open, and the lucky few at the head of the line are ushered inside. This is the final phase, when the docents really go to work. Paul Nissenbaum combined the functions of a doorman, bouncer, clocker and social director, herding the hopefuls into an antechamber and directing them to benches, where a game of musical chairs commenced.

Every 45 seconds, as a visitor exits, the queue shifted forward and rear ends wiggled down the benches in a synchronized wave. While Mr. Nissenbaum choreographed this kindergarten exercise, he also policed the mirrored room. Knocking discreetly on the door when his hand-held timer beeped, he escorted the visitor within back into the glare of the stark white waiting room all the while keeping up a friendly patter.

“It felt like eternity,” Mr. Wong said, after leaving the room. “Very surreal, seeing how small you are but how beautifully everything works together.”

Marina Kalontarova, 30, a New Yorker fresh out of medical school, emerged with a smile on her face. “I think she and I have a really similar idea of heaven,” she said.

這個夏天，草間彌生要帶上愛麗絲一起夢遊仙境囉~
草間彌生是日本著名的當代藝術家，作品裡面給人最鮮明的印象就是很多很多的點點圖案。
這次由她操刀插圖的《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》讓這個原本就家喻戶曉的夢幻故事，讀起來有更超脫現實的表現，喜歡這個故事或是草間大師的朋友們真的不要錯過收藏這個版本歐！

《草間彌生Ｘ愛麗絲夢遊仙境（書盒版）》http://bit.ly/18H3XOs
*圖片為原文版本

 

Kosuke Okahara for The New York Times

The Benesse House Museum on Naoshima island, where museums, installations and cutting-edge architecture blend with nature in novel ways. A “pumpkin” by Yayoi Kusama looks over the Seto Inland Sea.Yayoi Kusama (草間 彌生 or 草間 弥生 Kusama Yayoi^?, born March 22, 1929)

日語寫法
日語原文	草間 彌生
假名	くさま やよい
平文式羅馬字	Kusama Yayoi

2006年草間彌生在新加坡雙年展的作品

草間彌生（1929年3月22日－），被稱為日本現存的經典藝術家，出生於日本長野縣松本市，在1956年移居美國紐約市，並開始展露她佔有領導地位的前衛藝術創作，現居住在日本東京。她曾與當代其他藝術家如安迪·沃荷、克拉斯·奧爾登堡、賈斯培·瓊斯一起聯展。

目錄 1 簡史 1.1 童年與青年時期 1.2 1950年代到1970年代 1.3 1980年代之後 2 特色 3 外部聯結

簡史

童年與青年時期

• 1939年，草間彌生約10歲時，開始被大量幻覺困擾，因而時常有自殺企圖。她留有當時為母親畫的鉛筆畫，畫中就已充滿了小圓點。
• 青年時就讀日本長野縣松本女子學校，畢業後到京都市立工藝美術學校（現在的京都市立銅駝工藝美術高等學校）主修日本畫。

1950年代到1970年代

• 1951年，青年時的繪畫作品《彷徨的夢》（Zanmu）獲得日本第二屆創作獎入選。
• 1954年， 草間在繪畫作品《花（D.S.P.S）》中曾有下列的表達：「某日我觀看著紅色桌布上的花紋，並開始在周圍尋找是不是有同樣的花紋，從天花板、窗戶、牆壁 到屋子裡的各個角落，最後是我的身體、宇宙。在尋找的過程中，我感覺自己被磨滅、被無限大的時間與絕對的空間感不停旋轉著，我變的渺小而且微不足道。剎那 間，我領會到這不是只有我的想像、而且是現實中的狀況、我被嚇到了。於是我對於紅色桌布和上面的花紋產生了強烈的恐懼，我認為它就像是咒語，正在剝奪我的 生活，我衝上階梯企圖逃離，但階級卻在我腳下散開，於是我從上面跌下來，腳腕也扭傷了。」
• 1955年，與美國女畫家喬治亞·歐姬芙通信，也寄自己的水彩畫給她，並開始準備到美國。
• 1957年，移居美國，大部份時間都在紐約市創作，並開始有「前衛的女王」之稱。
• 1960年代參加了許多反戰運動。
• 1962年，在紐約市的綠藝廊參加了七人聯展，展出作品是軟雕塑，參展藝術家包括了安迪·沃荷、克勒斯·歐登柏格。
• 1965年，在紐約展出《無限鏡屋》（Infinity Mirror Room），個人特色（白底紅點、大面鏡、藝術家站在中央）相當引起注意。
• 1966年，作品《無限的愛》（Love Forever），使用小圓燈泡和大面鏡無限反射的空間裝置，造成了相當視覺迷幻的作品，可說是草間的成名作。該年受邀參加了第33屆威尼斯雙年展。作品名為《那克索斯的花園》（Narcissus Garden），以1500個金色鏡球（內部是塑膠製）裝置組成，放在Italian Pavilion戶外展場上，草間本人穿著金色和服端坐其中。並立牌告示一個金球價格美金2元。由於她作品中強調藝術應如超市可銷售的概念，引起了不少的爭議。
• 1968年，創作短片「消滅自己」（草間の自己消滅）得到了比利時第四屆國際短片大獎與第二屆日本聯合樹下電影節（アン・アーバー映画祭）的銀獎。
• 1973年，返回日本。
• 1978年，在日本出版了第一本小說《曼哈頓企圖自殺慣犯》（マンハッタン自殺未遂常習犯）

1980年代之後

• 1983年，新小說《克里斯多夫男娼窟》（クリストファー男娼窟）獲得日本第10屆野性時代新人文學獎。（此書在1999年有中文翻譯，由皇冠出版社出版，ISBN：9573316374）
• 1993年，代表日本參加威尼斯雙年展。日本《美術手帖》1993年6月 專輯
• 1998年，參加了台北雙年展。
• 2000年，參加澳洲雪梨2000雙年展。作品是1965年的《無限鏡屋》（此作品在1998年用同樣的材質複製，原作已毀損。整個作品空間為250 x 500 x 500 公分）
• 2001年，獲得日本朝日賞Asahi Prize。
• 2002年，出版自傳《無限的網》。
• 2003年，在日本與美國展開了長期的巡迴回顧展。並獲法國文化部頒發藝術及文學騎士勳章（Chevalier de l'ordre des arts et des lettres）
• 今日她住在東京的心理治療所中，並以七十多歲的高齡繼續從事藝術創作，她的工作室離治療所不遠，她曾經常對媒體表示「如果不是為了藝術，我應該很早就自殺了。」

特色

草間彌生的創作被評論家歸類到相當多的藝術派別，包含了女權主義、極簡主義、超現實主義、原生藝術（Art Brut）、普普藝術和抽象表現主義等。但在草間對自己的描述中，她僅是一位「精神病藝術家」（obsessive artist）。從她的作品中可以看到，她企圖呈現的是一種自傳式的、深入心理的、性傾向的內容；草間所用的創作手法則有繪畫、軟雕塑、行動藝術與裝置藝術等。
草間在相當早的創作時期就發展出了自己的特色，她善用高彩度對比的圓點花紋加上鏡子， 大量包覆各種物體的表面，如牆壁、地板、畫布、家裡會出現的物品（還有裸體的助理）。她自己的打扮往往也與作品有很高的同質性，並以短上衣和非常強烈的眼 影妝聞名。草間曾說明這些視覺特色都來自於她的幻覺，她認為這些點組成了一面無限大的補捉網（Infinity nets），代表了她的生命。
此外，草間也發展出自己獨特的「繁殖」特色，她有許多作品都以蕈類聚生的造型出現。在1990年代之後，草間加入了商業藝術的領域，與時裝設計界合作，推出了帶有濃厚圓點草間風格的服飾，並開始販賣許多藝術商品。
草間也算是日本當代作家之一，自她在1978年回到日本定居之後，陸續出版了含自傳在內有10幾本書籍。除了前面生平提到的幾本重要小說之外，還包 括了《聖馬克教堂的燃燒》（1985年）、《天地之間》（1988年）、《拱形吊燈》（1989年）、《櫻塚的雙重自殺》（1989年）、《如此之憂》 （詩集，1989年）、《鱈魚角的天使》（1990年）、《中央公園的毛地黃》（1991年）、《沼地迷失》（1992年）、《紐約故事》（1993 年）、《螞蟻的精神病院》（1993年）、《堇的強迫》（1998年）、《1969年的紐約》（1998年）

外部聯結

• 草間彌生的官方網站
• 草間彌生的繪畫與生平－英文
• 張麗華老師藝術與人文網站：怪婆婆的前衛畫家—草間彌生－中文

「ただのカバンでなく思想」草間さんとヴィトンがコラボ

自身がデザインした水玉模様のバッグが展示された店内を回る草間彌生さん＝２０日夜、東京・銀座、遠藤啓生撮影

草間彌生さんのデザインを取り入れたルイ・ヴィトンのバッグ「モノグラム・ヴェルニ・ドット・インフィニティ」。２５０，９５０円（税込み）

　フランスの高級ブランド、ルイ・ヴィトンが、世界的な前衛芸術家、草間彌生さんの独特なデザインをバッグなどに取り入れた。東京・銀座では２０日、草間 さんを招いて新商品のお披露目があり、草間さんは「これはただのカバンではなく、思想です。世界に向けて、平和と生きる感動を伝えたい」と話した。
　コラボ商品は、コートや財布なども含め約８０タイプ。草間さんの代表的なモチーフである幻惑的な水玉模様やカボチャの柄などが、ルイ・ヴィトンの頭文字を組みあわせたブランドのシンボルと合わさり、目を引く。

圖輯：草間彌生作品在英展出