Tokyo Pedestrian Crossing Adopted By Britain

Yesterday, Londoners were treated to a taste of what it’s like to cross the streets of Tokyo. Oxford Circus, which is considered to be the “heart of London’s West End shopping and entertainment district,” opened the first ever Tokyo-style pedestrian crossing in their part of the world. The style of this pedestrian crossing – as you can see from the photo, courtesy of Mirror.co.uk – allows people to cross the intersection diagonally, on top of being able to cross in straight lines. Obviously, in order for this scheme to work, traffic in all directions must be halted all at once to give way to the pedestrians.

According to a report by AFP, London authorities got the idea from the crossing in Shibuya, a well-known area in Tokyo. The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, was quoted as saying:

“This project is a triumph for British engineering, Japanese innovation and good old-fashioned common sense. The head-scratching frustration caused by the previous design is over and we’ve brought one of the world’s greatest crossroads into the 21st century. Being able to cross in an oblique rather than a perpendicular fashion will make Oxford Circus incredibly more efficient for the millions of pedestrians and road users that use the crossing every year.”

Indeed, why haven’t others thought of this before? Trust the Japanese to come up with such a simple solution to a simple problem!

So how much did the scheme cost the government? A whopping five million pounds, no less! We’ll see in the next few weeks – or months – if the scheme is worth it. I have a feeling it will be.

Feel Like A Japanese Olympics Experience?

If the Japanese government has its way, then we just might be treated to such an experience in about 6 years’ time! The news is that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, the new Prime Minister of Japan, is pushing for Japan’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is holding a meeting in Copenhagen this week, and the Prime Minister’s spokesman announced that Hatoyama will be actively pushing for their bid.

The current contenders for the position of host for the 2016 Summer Olympics are Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo. The voting will be done on Friday by roundabouts 100 members of the IOC. As of now, not one of the cities has emerged as a clear favorite. As such, they are all doing their best to come up with the most attractive bid in an effort to get the votes from the IOC members.

So what’s Japan’s plan? The tagline is to host the “most compact, ecologically friendly, and athletes-focused” Olympics in history. It seems that the ecologically friendly aspect is the strongest point of Tokyo’s bid, with the Prime Minister promising to drastically cut back on the country’s carbon emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. It is a very bold move, but I think that if any nation can do it, it is Japan.

An interesting piece of news: royalty and presidents (or the wife, in President Obama’s case) are going to Copenhagen to further their countries’ cause, but it seems that Crown Prince Naruhito is not going.

Japan “Dolphin Town” To Set Dolphins Free?

Remember that article I posted on the movie “The Cove?” It is a documentary about a practice in Japanese town, wherein fishermen annually catch dolphins. They then either sell the dolphins to aquariums and other similar establishments or slaughter them for meat. The documentary stars Ric O’Barry, erstwhile trainer of the TV series Flipper, which aired in the 1960s. Activists were quick to join O’Barry’s bandwagon, pushing the movie into the international limelight. As a result, the international community has created an outcry that no one can ignore.

The town of Taiji is an otherwise quiet town. Following the release of The Cove, however, its residents have experienced such intense scrutiny that it seems that they have no choice but to accept their “fame.” The international pressure on their tradition has reached such a point that the Taiji fisheries association has succumbed – even if only temporarily.

An unknown official of the organization has announced (anonymously, of course) that they will NOT be killing any of the dolphins in their first haul of the year. Instead, they will be picking out the best 50 of the lot and sell them to aquariums. The rest they will set free. He says, though, that they are still unsure as to what to do in the long term. On the one hand, the town’s residents “do not want any trouble.” On the other hand, they do not want to let go of tradition because of the pressure.

O’Barry and the rest of the people involved in the film are, naturally, elated at the news –even if it is not set in stone.

New Film Features Japanese Dolphin Slaughter

There is a new film that is already stirring up a lot of controversy. When films are released for the whole world to see and they target the culture of a nation, controversy is sure to come with it. This new film is dubbed “The Cove,” and it focuses on some practices of Japanese fishermen.

Based on what the film portrays, Japanese fishermen allegedly lure wild dolphins into a hidden secret cove in Japan. According to activists, these dolphins are then captured for sale to amusement parks and for food as well. The Cove is actually a documentary which follows the pursuits of a group of activists led by Ric O’Barry. He is in fact an ex-dolphin trainer and he used to be in the TV series Flipper.

The film is due to be released in the United States on Friday but, unsurprisingly, no release date has been announced for Japan. The Japanese government maintains its stance that they are not doing anything wrong and that have not been doing anything wrong. More so, they have also cited cultural differences as the reason behind the misunderstanding.

In spite of this official stand, critics and audiences have already given the film a lot of praise. In fact, it won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. The goal of the activists is to shut down the cove for good and to save the dolphins.

I have not seen the movie myself, but I would like to. At least if I do, I can judge it for myself.

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?

What’s Wrong With Going Naked?

Nothing, I think. Well, if you are inside the four walls of your home, or in your bathroom, or your bedroom; heck, even in a hotel or anywhere that is yours to call your private space. Or maybe a nudist colony.

Now going naked in a public park and being arrested at 3 in the morning – that’s a totally different story. And it is even worse when you are a public figure like Tsuyoshi Kusanagi. If you are not Japanese or you do not follow the Japanese entertainment scene, this name probably does not ring a bell. To those who are in the know, however, Kusanagi is one of the hottest and most popular singers and actors in the country today.

I suppose I should have said that he WAS one of the hottest, for after he was arrested by the police when he was found naked AND screaming in a Tokyo park, his followers seem to have deserted him. To make things worse for the celebrity, he is quoted to have pitched a question to the officers arresting him: “What’s wrong with going naked?”

While this may sound funny – I really think it is hilarious – Kusanagi’s critics and supporters do not think so. As a matter of fact, he has been dropped by his sponsors. TV shows have dropped him from their line ups. Even a movie that he is supposed to be part of has been thrown away.

Lesson for celebrities: don’t go naked in a public park and don’t ask what’s wrong with it when arrested.

Teenager May Be Japan’s First Swine Flu Case

The uproar over swine flu, or the H1N1 virus, has been going on for days now. As current strain of flu virus originates from Mexico, people in Asia are not as exposed to risk as our western brothers. However, due to the ease of travel from any part of the world today, there really is no guarantee that the virus will not reach the farthest corners of the world.

Japan, in particular, might have its first case of swine flu. Bloomberg reports:

Japan’s Health Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said a 17-year-old boy may be the country’s first swine-flu case.

The teenager, a high-school student from Yokohama, near Tokyo, visited the western Canadian province of British Columbia from April 10 to 25, according to public broadcaster NHK, which televised the news conference by Masuzoe this morning.

The youth underwent a medical checkup yesterday after coming down with a fever and cough. Preliminary tests suggested he may have swine flu, NHK reported.

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo is conducting additional tests to confirm the diagnosis, the report said.

With everyone as alert as they are at the moment, people arriving at international airports are scrutinized closely for any possible signs of flu. As a matter of fact, another woman arriving from Los Angeles was suspected to have the flu as well. After further tests, however, it turned out that she had another strain of flu.

While you are probably safe if you have not traveled to high risk areas or have no plans of traveling in the near future, it is always wise to employ good hygiene practices.

Japan Volcano Claimed US Poet?

I really hope not. No one likes hearing this kind of news and it will certainly have a negative effect on tourism in Japan. No matter how small this effect could be, no one still wants this kind of thing happening.

Anyhow, the news is that an American poet has been reported missing. Craig Arnold, a 41-year-old American poet went to Japan and went up the volcano on the island of Kuchinoerabu-jima in the northern Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan. His intention was to do research on Japanese volcanoes as he is working on a book about these majestic peaks. Unfortunately, he has gone missing.

Japanese authorities were quick to respond and have already sent out search parties in an effort to find Arnold. He went missing on Monday and has not been found as of yet. By law, the Japanese authorities are required to search for a missing person for three days. In this particular case, however, they have extended the search until Sunday. As of this writing, there are no new developments yet. The BBC has this report:

Police said they had found Mr Arnold’s tracks on a trail up to the volcano, but they didn’t see any tracks coming down.

Chris Arnold said it was possible that after emerging at the top, his brother may have had difficulty finding the trail to get back down.

“I know my brother is tough and can survive in these conditions for many days, but I sincerely hope more manpower can be devoted to the search soon,” he told the university’s website.

Chris Arnold’s wife, Augusta Palmer, said dense vegetation on the slopes of the volcano made helicopter searches virtually useless.

For everyone’s sake, and most of all Arnold’s, I hope that he can be found today.

Parisians Learn A Lesson On Cleanliness From Japanese

We know that the Japanese are sticklers for cleanliness, but I don’t think that Parisians have a reputation for not being so neat and clean. I always thought that people in Paris were as “clean” as the people from any other city. Apparently, I was wrong.

There is actually a group of Japanese nationals who have volunteered to show the people of Paris a thing or two about cleanliness. The group is called Greenbird Paris, which is the first overseas branch of a nonprofit organization based in Tokyo. Greenbirds are basically volunteers of all ages, who have come to the city of Paris to clean it up.

Apparently, while Paris is known for its culture and historical monuments, these places are rife with trash such as cigarette butts, food scraps, and even dog poop! And the Greenbirds’ task? To get rid of all this trash with their “pincers.”

Why Paris, you might ask. Well, for one, Paris is one of the most popular destinations for Paris tourists. As such, some members of the Greenbirds have seen firsthand what their city of dreams is really like in real life. Take the example of Mami Osafune. She is a 27-year-old student to psychology. She has been living in the city for 3 years now, but she still remembers when she first arrived. She shares: “When I first arrived at Roissy airport, it was a shock for me, because Japanese people always dream of Paris as being a beautiful city. When we find such disgusting trash, it doesn’t give a good image. So that’s why I got involved.”

One cannot help but applaud these efforts. And I am thinking that Parisians should pick up a tip or two.

Stocks Still Down, 20-year Bonds Better

Early this month we had a bit of good news with the gold found at the Suwa treatment facility, however, with the still grim economic situation trhoughout the world we shouldn’t be surprised that there is more bad news for Japan and those dabbling in the Japan market.

According to government reports last week showed that the Japanese economy for the last quarter has shrunk the most since the last big oil crisis of 1974. The week ended pretty weak as well with the Yen and stocks. The Yen is said to have fallen due to the Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa’s resignation. The Topix index also ended with a dismal record of having the lowest close in 25 years.

The government is doing its best to revive growth by focusing on selling more debt. There was a positive respones, which is the good news we end with, since the week ended with the highest 20-year bond yield (that means lots of people bought 20-year bonds) for the month. Of course people are still crossing their fingers hoping that when(or if?) the Japanese government’s 10 trillion yen stimulus plan is passed it will actually be effective in staving of the worst of this recession.