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.

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.

In vitro Egg in Wrong Womb

It is pretty believable when a man says that a baby might not be his but to hear a pregnant woman say that the baby she’s carrying might not be hers sounds incredoulous, however, that is exactly what happened in the Kagawa Prefectural Central Hospital.

Last September a woman in her early 20s became pregnant thanks to in vitro fertilisation. She was quite happy about it until medical tests suggested that it was very much unlikely that the eggs implanted in her uterus was hers. The woman opted for an abortion at nine weeks and is now seeking $215,000 as compensation for damages.

According to the hospital director, Yuzo Matsumoto, the mistake may have have happened because “”the in vitro procedures are carried out in sequence one after the other… eggs from one procedure may have accidentally been left over and used in the following procedure.”

If you are planning on undergoing fertility treatments you shouldn’t really be scared about this happening since this incident is actually very uncommon. In fact, this is the first time an incident like this has been reported. To be on the safe side you might want to ask about the procedure followed by the clinic you’re visiting. A good clinic will always give you answers and if you are uncomfortable about anything then voice your concern or find another place and doctor to accommodate your needs.

Japan’s Obama

The whole world was very much tuned in to the most recent US elections and Japan was no exception. One city in Japan has been most specially attentive and no wonder because this city’s name is OBAMA. Yes, just like the current US President Barack Obama’s name. Note though that the city of Obama long long before Barack Obama was even in diapers.

The city of Obama, which means “little beach” in Japanese, in fact used to depend mostly on fishing for its main source of income. Now it has a thriving tourist industry thanks to world class products like the Wakasa lacquer ware, agate accessories, Wakasa paper, tiles, and their famous lacquered chopsticks. There are also plenty of sights to see with the city boasting more than 130 temples and Buddha statues that were made in the Heian and Kamakura eras.

We of course can not disregard the influence of the Obama name in drawing attention to this city, which gave their all out support for President Obama. This is town in fact is so enthusiastic about how things have turned for their favourite US president that the mayor has declared November 4 to be an annual holiday and even plans on putting up Obama’s statue in front of the city hall. Now, how’s that for being a huge fan?

Gold Found In Japan’s Sewage

One man’s garbage is another man’s gold – or so goes the saying. I doubt that the old adage was meant to be taken literally, though. But in Japan, things have developed in such a way that you can actually take this saying at face value!

According to news reports, which have created much commotion by the way, more gold has been found in a sewage treatment facility than in some of the best gold mines in the world. The sewage treatment facility, called Suwa, is located in Nagano prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. The Telegraph has this story:

Tens of thousands of pounds worth of gold has been found at the Suwa treatment facility in the past year, with more than 1,890 grammes of gold per tonne of ash recorded from incinerated sludge.

But that is not the end of the story! Apparently, one can also find gold from other sources aside from the treatment facility. The same principle applies – equipment and other materials contain gold and other precious metals like silver and when people get rid of them, they all go to the high tech waste dumps. Once there, they are open for the taking.

Now who would have thought about that?

Mount Asama Erupts

Although we know that Japan is prone to earthquakes, many might not know that the nation is also home to many volcanoes. There has not been a major volcanic eruption in the recent years but early today, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes awoke and spewed ash and rocks.

Mount Asama stands at 2,568 meters tall and started rumbling today. It is located about 90 miles from the city of Tokyo but the eruption was strong enough to send some light clouds of ash down its way. The good news is that despite the amount of ash and rocks coming from the volcano, no damages or injuries have been reported.

The last major eruption of Mount Asama was in 2004. That eruption was not that serious either. It only spewed enough ash to damage some local crops. This was not the case when it erupted in 1783, though, as about 1,500 people were back then.

Mount Asama is not the only volcano in Japan that seems to be making noise these days. According to the authorities, Mount Sakurajima, another volcano found in the southwestern part of Japan has also been showing signs of activity. The same thing has been observed of Karymsky, located in the Russian Kamchatka peninsula. These activities are only classified as minor eruptions, however.

Some additional information on Japan, its volcanoes,and seismic activity…the country is part of the seismic ring of fault lines in the Pacific. It is also home to about 108 active volcanoes – a whopping 10% of the world’s total number of volcanoes!

The $100,000 Tuna

I love tuna – it is perhaps my all time favorite everyday-eating fish. I don’t think that I would ever be able to pay this astronomical amount for tuna, though. An auction was held today in Tokyo, where a bluefin tuna weighing in at 282 pounds (128 kilograms) sold for $104,700! And who were the fortunate men who got the prized fish?

Two sushi bar owners – competitors at that. The Associated Press ran this story today:

The 282-pound (128-kilogram) premium tuna caught off the northern coast of Oma fetched 9.63 million yen ($104,700), the highest since 2001, when another Japanese bluefin tuna brought an all-time record of 20 million yen, market official Takashi Yoshida said.

Yoshida said the extravagant purchase — about $370 per pound ($817 per kilogram) — went to a Hong Kong sushi bar owner and his Japanese competitor who reached a peaceful settlement to share the big fish. The Hong Kong buyer also paid the highest price at last year’s new year event at Tokyo’s Tsukiji market, the world’s largest fish seller, which holds near-daily auctions.

So why were they so willing to part with that much money for a “mere” fish? Before I answer that, let me remind you that this no mere fish – it is a bluefin tuna native to the Japanese waters. This kind of tuna is very much sought after both in Japan and in the international market. And think about it, once these sushi bar owners sell sushi made from the tuna, they are going to double, even triple, the money that they spent! Now I know I would love to get a taste of that fish!

The Kyoto Winter Special Is Back!

For those of you who experienced the Kyoto Winter Special last year, you can do so again this year. After a successful run, the organizers have decided to have a go at it once again but this time, they are offering more and better deals for their visitors. For those who are not aware, the Kyoto Winter Special is akin to a festival – 3 months’ worth of cultural activities. This year’s Winter Special runs from 1 December 2008 to 31 March 2009. Easier.com has this feature:

In addition, special admission will be granted to normally restricted heritage sites, and there will be unique winter events and chances to receive special offers from world-famous hotels. With Kyoto Winter Special, the breathtaking beauty of winter in Kyoto awaits you!

Special Events Kyoto’s cherry blossoms and fall leaves are a sight to see, but Kyoto’s magical winter is something special. There will be various events showcasing winter.

Information on events from December to March are listed by month on the Kyoto Winter Special website. The main event during the Kyoto Winter Special is called “Hanatoro”. This event beautifies Kyoto’s nights, with elegant lanterns lighting up Kyoto’s famous spots. Adding a winter event into a visit to Kyoto is a great way to make your trip that extra bit memorable.

Ask anyone who has been to Kyoto and other Japanese cities and they will probably tell you the same thing – there is nothing like Kyoto if you really want to get a hands on experience of what the Japanese culture is like.

Melamine Scare Hits Japan

Weeks after the initial fracas about the tainted milk products from China hit the world, things have died down a bit. I still see milk and other dairy products on sale in supermarkets today. Though they most probably do NOT contain melamine, it is imperative for the sellers to lower their prices in order to attract people who might otherwise stay away from these products due to the scare.

In Japan, however, a recent discovery has reawakened the fears of a lot of people. A popular pizza chain, Saizeriya, discovered that the dough they have been using contained traces of melamine. This was because they used milk powder to make the dough. Apparently, the milk powder was imported from China.

If you remember, melamine is known to have made countless babies sick in China. Melamine is a chemical that is used to manufacture various industrial products, most of which is plastic. You can just imagine what this kind of chemical can do to one’ health.

In any case, the pizza chain is reported to have stated that the tainted ingredient was imported way before the Japanese government put high restrictions on goods imported from China. If there is a good side to this story, it is that the amount of powdered milk used in the pizza dough is not enough to make the melamine amounts toxic. In fact, not a single person has been reported to be affected by the contaminated pizza dough.

Bleach The Movie: Memories Of Nobody

Anime and manga lovers rejoice – especially if you live near the DC area. On the 24th of October, the DC Anime Club and the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC), Embassy of Japan are presenting Bleach The Movie: Memories Of Nobody. If you want to see this movie, you just have to go to the Japanese Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan at 6:30 pm of that day.

So what is the movie about? Active Anime describes it as:

In Karakura Town, there has been a sudden outbreak of unidentifiable spirits called “blanks” (vacant souls) while in the skies of Soul Society, the real world has been reflected. A mysterious female shinigami called Senna has appeared before Ichigo along with a man named Ganryu, leading a group called the “Dark Ones”.

If you are an anime fan and you have not heard of the DC Anime Club before, then it is about time that you did. They have been around since 2003 and their primary aim is to make use of anime and manga to make people aware of the Japanese culture. They hold a wide variety of activities including the following:

An Annual Art Show, an Annual Costume fundraising event, and visits local schools to do presentations on anime. The club also works with the Smithsonian Freer Gallery and DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival on their anime screenings, and has helped locally promote performances for Japanese bands such as Puffy Ami Yumi and Pine am.