Tokyo Heart

Card Hearts in Japan

Anyone who has lived in Japan for more than 90 days is familiar with the Alien Registration Card, otherwise more commonly known as the "Gaijin Card."  All of us "gaijins" (foreigners) are supposed to carry this card with us at all times.  That even includes the several hundred thousand Japan born Koreans;  those of Korean ancestry who were born here (or who's ancestors may have been born here too) and for all practical purposes are Japanese (but, there are some who hold their Korean pride and do not use Japanese names). 

The government is now proposing a change to the current system. Under the government-sponsored immigration bills, as they are currently written, a new "zairyu" (residence) card would replace the current alien registration card.

Under the current system, even illegal immigrants can register their status with local governments and receive some public services. But they would not be able to get a zairyu card and would not be registered in the resident registration in their municipalities. This leaves some human right activists concerned that children of illegal immigrants might not be able to receive certain public services, including education.

Hey - wait a minute - aren't these ILLIEGAL immigrants?  Doesn't that mean that they shouldn't be in Japan or at least should be trying to get their status to legal?  Of course, the USA has lots of illegal immigrants and as most people know, their children born in the USA not only get benefits, they get US citizenship (as do the children of legal immigrants and legal workers in the USA).  Okay, is there something wrong with this illegal immigrant picture or is it just me?

Foreigners would be obliged to carry the new card at all times, just as with the current card. Failure to do so could result in a maximum fine of ¥200,000, the same as the current regulation. They would also be required to report to the government in 14 days if they change employer or address. Otherwise they could lose their visas if they don't report within 90 days.

Currently, management of foreigners' information is handled by local governments (cities, ward offices, etc.).  However, under the new proposal such management would be consolidated under the Justice Ministry.  That means that foreigners can no longer go to their local ward office / city office to make changes, get a new card, etc. - everyone would have to go to an immigration office. 

So, were foreigners consulted on all of these changes? Not so, according to Nobuyuki Sato of Research-Action Institute for the Koreans in Japan, one of the people who organized a protest rally and a meeting on the proposed legal changes on Sunday.

And, of course, there are those who oppose the revisions, including a number of human rights groups, who say the proposed monitoring system is far too strict and could pose a violation of human rights.

Meanwhile, carry that Gaijin card. As another card's famous slogan says, 'don't leave home without it!'

Really Heart(y) Kites!

Did you ever fly a kite when you were a kid?

I'll bet you've told someone to "go fly a kite" before, right (or someone told you that)?

Well, how about flying a kite that is nearly 50 feet by 50 feet (14.5m x 14.5m) in size?

These babies weigh in at just over a ton (950 kg) require a rope that is over 650 ft. long and take about 100 people to handle them!  That's a lotta kite!

These giant kites are called "Sagami-no-Oodako" and are flown by the Sagami Giant Kite Preservation Association in Sagamihara City, which is located about 35 kilometers to the west of Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture.

This year's festival was held on May 4th and 5th during the Golden Week holidays. It's an annual event and is held at the Sagamigawa (Sagami River) riverbed.

Sorry - too late to go see it this year - but plenty of time to plan for next year!

If you would like more details about how the craftsmanship involved in making these kites, and some great videos of the kites being flown, have a look at The Giant Kites of Sagami.

Makes you want to jump up an "go fly a kite" - doesn't it?

Laughing Sushi Heart

One of the great things about Japan is the excellent fresh sushi. Our guests from overseas are always amazed at how good real sushi is compared to what they thought was sushi back home.

Enjoy sushi and enjoy this funny video,BUT take this with a big grain of rice!

Rap Heart

I'll bet we won't see THIS on JAL or ANA soon!

Meeting the President on Mother's Day and a Hearty Handshake

Yes, we truly did meet the President today - Sunday, May 10; Mother's Day. We even shook hands with him as he made his way around the room surrounded by military and security guards.

Okay, okay, no, it wasn't President Obama.  It was President S. R. Nathan the President of Singapore. Still, it was an honor to meet the president of the country where we spent 10 years of our lives between 1991-2002 (I know,that's 11 years, but we had a bit of "time out" for 18 months in Malaysia).

I must say, he's a very sprightly gentleman considering he will soon be 85 years old!

Well, the first cases of H1N1, otherwise known as swine flu, hit Japan this past week. Three people returning from a school trip to Canada were confirmed as ill. They got to go to the hospital.  But, the 49 people who were sitting around them on the plane were sent to a hotel out by Narita airport where they will be "guests" of the (?) government (?) for the next 10 days.  Seems there were a few more (Americans) who "got away," but were later located in Kyoto and tested; all negative results. Kinda makes you wonder why those 49 people weren't just tested rather than stuck in hotel quarantine?

If you're flying into Japan from one of the countries that have confirmed cases , and you have to make a connecting flight on to another country,  better leave a LOT of time to catch your connecting flight and even then you stand a good chance of missing it since the on-plane inspections can take anywhere from 1 to 5 hours, depending on how many people are on the flight. Yep, that's right - 'on-plane' - you're not getting off that plane folks till the good medical teams of Narita come through & do a thermal scan looking for "hotties" and we don't mean "sweet young thangs" as the C&W singers say!

Ever wonder what the REAL story behind this swine flu is? Could it be.....

Say, did you know that Japan has its own Baseball Hall of Fame?  Sure does! The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was opened in 1959 right next to Korakuen Stadium, which gave way to the Tokyo Dome, home of the Giants, in 1988 and the museum moved to the present site within the Dome. Its purpose is to contribute to the development of baseball in Japan through dedication of Japanese baseball's greatest players, executives, and umpires by giving them status as Hall of Famers. There is also an exhibition and collection of baseball memorabilia.  It's open from 10:00-18:00 March to September and 10:00-17:00 October to February. If you're a baseball fan, next time you're in Tokyo hop on the subway or train to Suidobashi Station or Korakuen Station, and give it a visit.  Maps below to guide you.

Thinking Heart - which track would you choose?

A friend posed an interesting question today. She recently read this and it keeps coming back to "haunt" her. She wondered what my responses would be. I wonder what yours will be.....

Here's the question.

A train will soon come to a switching section of the tracks. You have control of the button that switches the train from one track to the other.

If you choose one track the train will crash and 10 passengers will be killed.

If you choose the other track the train will crash, but only 1 person will be killed.

Which track would you choose?

Of course, the obvious answer for most people is to choose the lesser of two evils - the track that kills only one.

Now, the scenario changes a bit. Same train, same switch, but the scenarios are as follows:

First track - 10 people will be killed (no difference from the above).

You can change the train to the second track, but you must forcibly hold one person on the second track and that person will be killed (assumes you have the strength and ability to hold this person and you will not be injured or killed).

Now what do you do?  Sacrifice that one person for the sake of saving 10 others? Let the 10 you don't have any personal contact with die rather than force someone you must physically touch & forcibly hold on the track to die?

The quick answer may be that you would hold the one person on the track to save 10 others.

But then, one starts to think:  what if that 1 person is my brother, or my best friend, or just someone I know - not a stranger - would I still do it?

Gives us something to think about, doesn't it!?

My friend still couldn't figure why this (what I call a) mind experiment keeps coming back to her. I couldn't answer that for her.

But, it did bring to mind another experiment I read about recently. The idea for that one is to pay attention to the people we meet each day. Notice how if we don't catch their eye, or greet them (even just a nod), they to us - and we to them, are just objects passing by. But, greet them (or even just acknowledge their presence with a nod or smile) & we'll quite often be surprised by the response; a door held open, a smile returned, an offer to board the train first, and more. 

Try it - you may be surprised to see the hearts around you open - maybe even your own heart!

Thankful Heart - Buraku Heart - Fewer Hearts - Robot Hearts

Thanking my lucky stars today that the dreaded many kilometers long traffic jam didn't materialize on the drive back from Karuizawa. Predictions were for 30 - 40 long jams, but maybe we just left the piney woods early enough to avoid the traffic. Nothing more than a 6 km jam at the Nerima (north part of Tokyo) exit.

Found an interesting article in the news today about Google's maps of Tokyo and how the old maps shown under the overlays of the current day maps clearly outlined the old Buraku communities of Old Edo (former name for Tokyo). The Buraku was a caste of society in olden Japan that handled the so called "unclean" jobs such as butchers (remember, Japan was a Buddhist nation and not meat eaters in the old days), leather workers, undertakers; all the jobs associated with death. Even though the fedual caste system was abolished in 1871 discrimination continued, and in fact, still continues (although well hidden) in modern day Japan. See the article about the map overlays in today's online edition of the Japan Times.

 Did you know that Japan's curent population of 128 milion is projected to be around 100 million (and some say 80 million) by 2050 - only 41 years from now. More than 1/3 of that population will be over 65 years old! Taking it out another 50 years (reckon I won't be around to see that) the projection is for 55-65 million and well over half of those will be 65 or older. See a good article about the declining youth population here.

Ever wonder who's gonna take care of all those old folks? Can you say, "Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto?"  An article in the NY Times tells the story.

Of course, not every elderly person likes the idea of a robot taking care of them.  At least, not according to this Reuters Article.

Ah well, guess at least The Heart can continue well into the future as long as we can program Asimo to type it!  At least he (is Asimo a "he?") dances better than me!

Golden Heart

Golden Week - that period of many holidays in Japan - is upon us! For some, the long holiday period started on April 29 (Wednesday) and will stretch through Sunday, May 10. A "hearty" few even took April 27 & 29 off, giving them 16 days of vacation time with only 6 days of actual vacation days used. This year we have 3 consecutive holidays on May 4, 5, 6 after that one day break on the 29th. Most companies are closed for at least these 3 days & many for the whole week.

We figured that Tokyo would be pretty empty, but when we headed for Shibuya on Saturday I was really surprised to see the number of people on the train - it was like rush hour during the week! Mostly young people; mainly students, but a LOT of people.

We were in Shibuya to enjoy dinner with friends at one of our old favorites, a Presto Nobematsu, where Chef Nobematsu serves some of the best Italian food you'll find in Tokyo. For info in English see a Presto on GuruNavi. If you're going definitely reserve and tell him I sent you.

Moving on from a Presto we made our way over to Suidobashi to The Tokyo Club, a small - gotta love your neighbors kinda small - jazz club to hear friend Miyake-san's group, MUJQ, play some good jazz. Miyake-san "moonlights" during the day as CEO of Allianz Life Insurance, and plays a mean jazz guitar in about half a dozen gigs a year.

Sunday morning found us on the road for a trip up to Karuizawa to visit friends. Smooth sailing till we hit the 6 km jam on the Kanetsu. Got through that & saw the next sign that said 35 km jam ahead. Ouch! We decided to get off & take the local highways. More scenic and less stressful than sitting on an "expressay" (more aptly named big parking lot when you're in a big jam).  Took us about 4 1/2 hours to get here, but we enjoyed the drive. Got to Karuizawa in time for an early BBQ on the deck with friends Rick & Mico. Nothing like mountain air, BBQ, and some nice Bordeaux red (remember, wine is good for The Heart) to wind up the day.

A bit of light hiking around the base of Mt. Asama today and a bit more trekking around the cabbage fields (this part of Karuizawa is where much of Japan's cabbage is grown) helped walk off some of that BBQ.   Walking is also good for The Heart! 

Not really looking forward to that drive back tomorrow as predictions are that the "U-turn" (people heading back to Tokyo) is supposed to be heaviest tomorrow. But, gotta do it - haven't figured out how to make the car hover over all that traffic yet!