The Art Of The Japanese Hot Stone Massage

Have you ever felt during a massage that the masseuse was just not strong enough to push through the ridges of tension in your shoulder blades, and at the same time not gentle enough to melt the tension in your neck or legs? Then try Japanese Hot Stone Therapy, a post-modern combination of gentle massage with ancient tools of muscular penetration. Japanese Hot Stone Therapy is based upon ANMA, the oldest form of East Asian Massage. It was developed over 7000 years ago and is a kneading, rotation, and vibration based technique. Japanese Hot Stone Massage is much more than placing stones along side of the body, or sliding stones over the body. An expert will “hook” into a muscle with the stone and then gently rotate and/or knead the muscle…then apply pressure and use a rapid vibration technique to further relax the muscles and drive the heat deeper. It is quite an experience to feel the deeply relaxing, penetrating heat from the basalt stones alternating with the toning and refreshing coolness of the marble stones. The use of extremes of temperature has long been scientifically and medically proven to be of benefit to the body. Those who wish to relax and tone their muscles with a minimum of effort see this in the use of ice packs for muscle trauma and the use of saunas. Stone massage makes you feel deeply relaxed, allowing you to let go of all the stress that is held within your body.

Japan Wins Bluefin Tuna Case

Japanese food is known around the world for being only the best. While that is generally accepted wherever you go, Japanese cuisine does have its controversial points. Perhaps one of the most controversial things right now is the bluefin tuna. Think sushi and sashimi – only the best kind. The bluefin tuna can fetch astronomical prices in the local and international markets due to its incomparable quality.

This popularity has led to the decline of bluefin tuna populations, and conservationists have been trying to get a ban – albeit temporarily – imposed on bluefin tuna fishing and trade. According to scientists, the population of bluefin tuna is in danger, and this fish just might very well become extinct if we do not do anything about it.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) was held in Doha last week, and countries took opposite sides of the argument. Naturally, Japan was on the side of continuing with the bluefin tuna trade. Not only does it involve business matters, but the bluefin tuna is an integral part of their cultural heritage. Japan did have a lot of support from other countries, and despite the influence of the European Union and the United States – who were leaning towards imposing a temporary ban – Japan emerged the victor.

There will be no ban on bluefin tuna fishing.

That’s good news for those involved in this business. That’s good news for those who can’t get enough of tuna. And, that includes yours truly.

I can’t get over the idea, however, that we might end up killing all the tuna fish out there. And, when that happens, what are we to do?

Japanese Whalers And Activists Meet Again

The Japanese tradition of hunting whales commercially and all the controversy surrounding it is nothing new. Indeed, the friction between the Japanese whaling industry and activists who stand up for the whales has been going on for decades. Recently, the two parties clashed in another incident.

According to reports, a group of anti-whaling activists “attacked” a Japanese whaling ship in the Antarctic Ocean. The group supposedly threw butyric acid at the ship. They also fired paintball guns at the ship. In response, the ship used water cannons on them. By the way, butyric acid is a substance found in rotten food and vomit. You can just imagine how disgusting that is!

This is not the first time that anti-whaling activists and Japanese whalers have clashed physically. Indeed, this might just be tamer than other incidents.

The Institute of Cetacean Research, Japan’s government agency that is in charge of whaling, says that the group behind the attack is the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. These two parties have had a longstanding feud. According to the agency, the protesters endangered the lives of the crew of the whaling ship. It emphasized that those present in the ship were mainly researchers conducting studies legally. In international waters, whaling is permitted as long as the purpose is for research and not commercial.

There is no word as to what will happen as a result of this incident. The fact remains, however, that whaling is still a very sensitive issue for those involved.

President Obama Bows To Japanese Emperor

Barack Obama is no stranger to controversy – his whole presidential campaign revolved around that, if you remember. More so, this is not the first time that the President of the United States has showed deference to a leader of another country. Remember him bowing to the King of Saudi? Now THAT irked a lot of Americans.

If you haven’t heard yet, President Obama did a repeat of the bowing thing. This time, he bowed before Emperor Akihito, again generating a lot of buzz. Of all the articles, blog posts, and commentaries that I have been reading on this event, I found Jake Tapper’s most interesting. He writes:

“This picture shows two things,” my friend writes.
“1) The ‘right’ is wrong about Obama’s bow.
“2) The ‘left’ is wrong about Obama’s bow.
“His bow is neither (1) unprecedented nor (2) a sign of cultural understanding.

“At their 1971 meeting in Alaska, the first visit of a Japanese Emperor to America, President Nixon bowed and referred to Emperor Hirohito and his wife repeatedly as ‘Your Imperial Majesties.’”

So what’s the difference between Obama’s bow and Nixon’s bow? The latter got it right – angle and all. Apparently, Obama’s angle was all wrong, and the addition of the hand shake was just NOT right. The overall effect?

Kyodo News is running his appropriate and reciprocated nod and shake with the Empress, certainly to show the president as dignified, and not in the form of a first year English teacher trying to impress with Karate Kid-level knowledge of Japanese customs.

The bow as he performed did not just display weakness in Red State terms, but evoked weakness in Japanese terms….The last thing the Japanese want or need is a weak looking American president and, again, in all ways, he unintentionally played that part.

I wonder what Obama thinks about the buzz that he has once again generated? What do YOU think about it?

British Museum Features Manga

If anyone has ever doubted the artistic and cultural value of manga, then the time to throw away those doubts is NOW. The British Museum – no less – is holding an exhibit featuring the work of Hoshino Yukinobu, famed Japanese manga artist. His most famous character, Professor Munakata is the highlight of the exhibit, which also shows the best drawings of the artist.

In the most basic terms, manga refers to Japanese comics and cartoons in print form. This art has a long history, and has emerged to be one of the most popular forms these days. Its topics are not limited to a single genre but encompass a lot of subjects including romance, sports, action, adventure, business, and even sexuality.

Hoshino Yukinobu’s exhibit at the British Museum can be found in a room near the entrance. Visitors will not miss it as there is a larger-than-life picture of the famous Professor wearing a costume dating back to the 7th century.

Aside from the inherent cultural and artistic value of Hoshino Yukinobu’s work, why is the British Museum holding an exhibit for him? For Japanese culture lovers in the UK, you will be happy to know that the Museum is also holding an exhibit on ceramic figures (dogu) dating from ancient Japan. This exhibit will be open till 22 November.

Even if you are not (yet) a fan of Yukinobu’s work, you might want to drop by the Museum and check it out. There are also manga comic books available for your perusal – you never know, you just might find a new hobby!

Photo courtesy of The British Museum

The Art Of Konkatsu

Say that word out loud – konkatsu. It may remind of you a delicious Japanese dish made of pork (tonkatsu!), but it cannot be farther from that. In fact, konkatsu is the Japanese term for marriage hunting. Yes, while the western world is suffering from astronomical divorce rates, singles in Japan – young and old – are actively looking for marriage.

In the past years, statistics have consistently shown that marriage rates have been experiencing a downward spiral. Ever since the equal employment opportunity act was established in 1986, more and more Japanese women entered the corporate world. As a result, the marrying age became higher and fewer women were getting married.

Today, for some reason, people are looking for ways to find love – the kind that will end up in holy matrimony. With their busy schedules, however, singles have to engage in activities that are more aggressive in a sense. Hence the practice of konkatsu.

What happens is that those who are looking for marriage go to special hotspots throughout the country, wherein they can meet likeminded people. In konkatsu classes, singles partner up to engage in cooking lessons and food sampling, among other things. The idea is to get to know potential spouses in an intimate setting.

The term konkatsu is actually a spin off from the Japanese term meaning “job hunting.” In this new trend, it is marriage that is being sought after. Japanese businesses are quick to respond to the trend, with more konkatsu bars being established to cater to those who are looking for a lifelong relationship.

Hybrids: New Japanese Obsession

Japan has always been at the cutting edge of technology, and the Japanese have always had first dibs on the best technology there is. From video gaming consoles to computers to cars – they have it all. Speaking of cars, it seems that hybrids are fast becoming an obsession for trendy Japanese nationals.

The New York Times ran a report on how practically everyone in Japan has one thing in mind right now when it comes to cars: get a Prius. You would have thought that everyone in Japan would have a Prius by now, wouldn’t you? Apparently, in spite of the fact that hybrids have been out for several years now, it wasn’t until recently that they got the attention of the Japanese market. One reason could be that gas vehicles with excellent mileage were more readily available.

These days, however, more hybrid models have been rolled out of production. Of course, increasing gas prices also have something to do with this.

Then again, a big question hangs in the air: is this surge in interest in hybrids a result of real interest or just a short term trend due to the gas prices?

Japanese automakers say that this is for the long run. Perhaps they are right. After all, the Japanese culture taps very strongly into values such as conservation, and using hybrids is very much part of that. More so, the prices of hybrid cars are much lower than before.

I’m willing to bet that in the next few years, hybrids will be outnumbering gas vehicles on Japanese roads.

No More Rape Games In Japan

Gamers who are into video games with adult content will know immediately what I am talking about. For the uninitiated, there is a genre of games which deal exclusively with adult content, and yes, there is a large market out there. While the origins of these games cannot really be attributed to a single location, a lot of them come from Japan.

One of the games which has garnered international attention is RapeLay. It is pretty obvious what the game is all about – players get to stalk girls – young or old – and rape them at will. Players get to earn points for each act of violence that they do. More so, they get additional points for forcing them to get abortions. In the US, this game caught the ire of human rights activists, forcing retail stores such as Amazon to pull the game out of their shelves.

Now, Japan is following suit. AFP has the story:

The Japanese industry group the Ethics Organisation of Computer Software said it had long mulled measures to control such content which it said “deviates extremely from social norms.”

The organisation will now ban all “sexual torture software” and set clear guidelines on what content should be blocked from circulating in the market, the group said in an announcement dated Thursday.

The group says it already screens almost all adult-content computer games made in Japan, and that some 90 percent of products carry its rating stickers.

The ban is a form of industry self-regulation and carries no legal weight, but it is expected to discourage most Japanese retailers from selling such games, said the spokesman.

While this not a legal move, it should serve to discourage the distribution of such material.

Japanese Appetite For Whale Meat Declining?

Japanese cuisine is known all over the world for being one of the best. While not everyone has a liking for their more exotic dishes, staples such as tempura and sushi are well loved most everywhere that I’ve been to. One particularly exotic meat that the Japanese really love is whale meat, and it is by far the most controversial as well.

Japanese fleets regularly foray into the deep waters to hunt whales for meat. It used to be that up to 5000 tonnes of meat were consumed in the country each year. Today, however, it is reported that there are still at least 3000 tonnes left in cold storage. It is but logical to say that the Japanese population is not consuming as much whale meat as it used to.

What could be the reason behind this? The Sunday Herald reports:

Despite falling market prices, and regular government efforts to “educate” the population by way of academic lectures, food festivals, and compulsory school lunches, whale meat remains a dish that few modern Japanese have eaten more than twice. Not because it is scarce, they just don’t like it.

Daiki Fukuda is owner of a traditional izakaya restaurant called Paddock, in the northern coastal prefecture of Ishikawa. His reasons for not serving whale meat are purely culinary. “It doesn’t taste good,” he says. 

“I think it’s very strange to go hunting for whales near the South Pole when we have other meat and fish that are much more delicious. I tried whale meat once at school when I was a kid, and I hated it. We all did.”

It is pretty clear at this point that hunting whales down for profit might not last long as a practice. If no one buys it, who will continue to spend money on harvesting whale meat?

Japanese Seeing Poverty In A New Light

Eccentricities and peculiarities aside, the Japanese people are known to be among the hardest working in the world. As a result, they have been rewarded with wealth, especially when compared to other countries. For decades upon decades, poverty as other nations have experienced it was unknown to the Japanese people; and whatever poverty they had in their shores, they were able to deal with in their own way.

With the global economic problems that have been prevailing, however, it seems that Japan is now being forced to adapt a different perspective. Recession has hit the Japanese economy – something which was quite unthinkable for a lot of the people, I think.

The Japanese government has released figures regarding their unemployment rate: a rise of 0.4 percentage to 4.8%. This is the fastest increase since 1967.

In the past, the Japanese generally saw poverty as stemming from laziness and the lack of motivation. Today, however, with even the biggest companies letting go of so many employees, the general population are seeing that poverty can suddenly hit even the most hardworking person in the face.

The government is responding with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare at the helm. Activist Makoto Yuasa is finally being heard, as well. Yuasa has been lobbying for the government to work on providing safety nets against poverty for a long time, and it is only now that his efforts are paying off. While the situation is definitely not a happy thing, at least those that matter are paying attention now.