According to trade statistics, the number of imports of electric guitar is 393,515 in 2011. This is record breaking number since 381,514 marked in 2006. What behind this popularity seems to be girls idle group AKB48 and an animation of high school girls band story 'K-ON!'. They encourage playing the guitar among young females.

Once, guitar makers were suffered from the wood soaring. However, in the last 10 years, the market had changed drastically. Most of manufacturer shifted their factory to China, where offers cheaper manufacturing cost. Also, the high exchange rate of yen encouraged the sales.

At a music shop in Ochanomizu, Tokyo, the shop manager says, "They were considerably getting popular from February". “They” are the United States’ guitar brand "Gretsch". It is because Atsuko Maeda from AKB48 played “Gretsch” in their music video. Most of the purchasers is people in 10’s and 20’s. Every store has become shortage of stock. (Excerpt Nikkei, March 29, 2012)

"Electric guitars are for males who would spend over 100,000yen (USD1,200) on it" was personal prejudice. It has become an old-fashioned idea in general today. Who had imagined an animation and an idle group caused electric guitar boom between young females? Even more, the boom could be strong enough to boost the number of imported guitar up to break the record? It was pretty much impressive that those contents have that much influence on the market. At the same time, there were two crucial factors strongly supported this boom. Firstly, the cost has become relatively cheap because of historically strong yen offsets the soaring raw material prices. Secondly, the price of imported guitars has dropped since mechanized production process in the factories enabled mass production in China and Mexico. According to the trade statistics, the average price of guitar was about 40,000yen in 2001, but, in 2011, it was less than half of it.

Who knows how long this boom lasts? Comparing to those cheap imported guitars, “Gibson”, “Fender USA” and other well-known manufacturer’s high-end brands are still costly as they were. For the music shops, how to deal with this transient boom would be their touchstone.

"3.11" has become a memorable day for Japan. It has been a year from once-in-a-millennium-scale earth quake attacked Japan on March 11th, 2011. Especially, scars of the disaster are serious in those where struck by Tsunami and/or contaminated by Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident, and they are still in the middle of reconstruction. Sorrow and shock are vividly remaining in people’s mind.

On that day, we were at the office in Tokyo. Even though, we were more than 150 kilometers away from an epicenter, the scale of the quake was what we had never experienced before. Tsunami did not reach Tokyo, but the radioactive substances from Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant became grave concerning while we were still numb from the earthquake. Its invisibleness made us felt more and more dreadful about the substances. We became skeptical of the government since they had not provided us any accurate information regarding the accident in Fukushima. They forced us to decide how we should act and think to protect ourselves from toxic substances.

At 14:46, on March 11, 2012 - the precise time when the disaster occurred - most of the nations prayed for the casualties. Also, people spent their time by attending memorial services held in all over the country, participating anti nuclear protests, joining events for charity or being with their family and friends. TV & Radio broadcasted many programs related to disaster; News and documentaries to report "now and that time" in the stricken areas and residents evacuated from their home. From those reports, ones can see that most of the victims are still suffering from that horrible experience. Besides, heaps of rubble and insufficient employment are the major obstructions of reconstructions. After one year, people barely recovered the basis of their livelihood. So that, gradually, they became to start reconstructions concretely.

This past one year, we have been going through a variety of feeling. We, Japanese, appreciate and never forget continuous donations, cheering and support from all over the world. We would engrave all warmness on each mind. We would like to thank again on this occasion.

Once a Year, the Fourth Sunday in February, Tokyo Marathon occupies central Tokyo. This road race started 2007. It aimed to be a tremendous public-participating-road-race such as New York City Marathon and London Marathon. Every year the scale of competition is growing. For 2012, there are 284,000 applicants against 36,000 participants in total for 10km and Full Marathon. ( Probability is 0.1! ) The race is not only for runners themselves. There will be over two million cheering spectators along the route. It shows this road race became one of the biggest attraction in Tokyo. Also, every year, 10,000 volunteers support the race. (source : Wikipedia ‘Tokyo Marathon’)

The Tokyo Marathon is also one of the selection races to select members of National team for international championships, such as World Athletics Championships. Nevertheless, there are some who truly engage the race to win a place in the national team, there are many who run for fun. Even one can see people in a colorful costume, fancy dress or protections against hay-fever. (There are many people suffer from hay-fever this time in Japan.) However, more importantly, 96% is the average Completion percentage of the race.

Although traffic regulations and other related disorder annoying for who do not join the race, it is a rare opportunity to run roadway and re-find Tokyo from the different point of view. In addition, the entire city of Tokyo is in festival mood on the day. Along the route, there will be over 20 local festivals and events in accordance with the race. In the past races, the weather was cold, wet and even snowy, but hopefully this year, the conditions are pleasant and suitable for running!

Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced that Japan’s youth population on May 5th when was established as Children’s day. The population of youth has continued to decrease for 29 years in a row and the ratio of youth has also continued to decrease for 36 years in a row. According to the Ministry’s statistics as of April 1st of 2010, the population of those fourteen years of age and under has dropped to approximately 16,940,000, down some 190,000 from 2009. The number is also the lowest since the post-World War II baby boom in the early 1950s, when the number of children peaked at nearly 30 million.

The ratio of those fourteen years of age and under has also dropped to 13.3% and reached record lows. Compared to statistics within the last 10 years collected by the Ministry, Japan’s youth population as a percentage of the total population is the lowest of any country with a population of over 40 million. Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, Spain, and Korea all sit under 17%. England stood at 17.5% as of July 1st, 2008, China at 18.5% as of December 31st, 2009, and America at 20.0% as of November 1st, 2009 (Examiner).

The distribution of child allowances, one of the Democratic Party of Japan's key campaign promises in last year's election, is expected to start in seven small municipalities in three prefectures. According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the town of Asahi, Toyama Prefecture, the village of Awashimaura, Niigata Prefecture, and five towns in Hokkaido became the first municipalities to make the monthly \13,000 payment per child aged 15 and younger. Although this child allowance is criticized as a dole-out policy, it is still expected to work for the low birth rate. The low birth rate trend will have a great impact on the country's pension and insurance systems. Children are inevitably important to nation as well as family.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has announced it will temporarily close Tsukiji Market's tuna auction site to the public from April 8, 2010 to May 8, 2010, citing the increasing number of visitors affecting the market's operations. Tsukiji Market in Chuo Ward, a Metropolitan Central Wholesale market, is well known for its tuna auction site, which has become one of the most popular sightseeing spots in Japan. More visitors have been flocking to the auction site's observation area since the end of March, with over 500 waiting in a long line on Monday.

In a bid to secure the area's safety and keep the market's operations from being disrupted by the scores of visitors, the metropolitan government has decided to close the observation area to the public for a month from April 8 to May 8. This is the first time that the tuna auction observation area will be closed to visitors except during the year-end and New Year holiday seasons over the past two years. According to the metropolitan government, foreign tourists account for more than 90 percent of visitors to the tuna auction site. Many Tsukiji Market officials have been concerned about foreign visitors' bad manners, such as touching fish. Officials added that camera flashes obscured hand signals used to make bids (Mainichi).

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the very beginning of a Tokyo Market dates back to the days of Tokugawa Ieyasu when he opened Edo government. He brought in the fishermen from Tsukuda, Osaka City to Edo to let them purvey seafood's to Edo castle, and at the same time gave them permission to sell the remains near the Nihonbashi bridge. It means Tokyo market has a history of over 400 years from Edo period. This down period of Tsukiji gives us a good opportunity to reconsider the manners of tourists to protect the historic Japanese culture.

Narita International Airport, Tokyo’s main facility for overseas travel, has expanded its capacity for departures and arrivals. Of them, the first introduction of the direct flights to Middle East has attracted the world's attention. The agreement signed on March 29 that made Abu Dhabi International Airport a sister facility with Narita International Airport is a symbol of the deepening ties between the two hubs and the countries they serve (The National). 

Under the agreement, the two parties, Narita International Airports Corporation (NAA) and Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) will create joint strategies for developing the routes linking the two airports, as well as promoting business development opportunities for the business communities in their respective markets. Furthermore, NAA and ADAC will be sharing best practices and exchanging valuable expertise between the two organizations in the areas of airport operations, environment, ground transportation and logistics (Zawya).

Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline have launched their five weekly flights each to and from Japan. Etihad flight EY878, departs and lands on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday (WAM) while Emirates flight EK 318 departs and lands on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Gulf News). Qatar Airways has also announced plans to launch flights to Tokyo by April 26. Qatar Airways’ expansion into Tokyo next month will be a daily service and become its second Japanese destination after Osaka. The new route coincides with promotional fares from Japan to 13 countries for travel between now and April 22 (The National).

According to WAM interview, H.E. Saeed Ali Yousef Al Nuwais, UAE Ambassador to Japan said that opening a direct airline route from Abu Dhabi to Japan gives a significant economic implication for many Japanese people are interested in travelling to the UAE and neighboring countries, such as GCC countries, in addition to African and Asian States, pointing out that around 3500 Japanese are UAE residents, besides many Japanese visitors to the country. Middle east once was the kingdom of Far Far AWAY for Japanese. Now the distance of Middle East and Japan get closer both geographically and mentally.

The 61st Sapporo Snow Festival, one of Japan's largest winter events, was held with great success from February 5 to 11, 2010. This festival attracted 2.4 million visitors from Japan and abroad this year alone. The visitors came to see the hundreds of beautiful snow statues and ice sculptures, which line Odori Park, the grounds at Community Dome Tsudome, and the main street in Susukino.

One of the reasons for the success of Sapporo Snow Festival is because it has the international aspect. Since Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1972, Sapporo and the Snow Festival became widely known to the world through the international media. In 1974, the International Snow Sculpture Contest started as a part of the Snow Festival and the international snow sculpture of international cities where have a close relationship with Sapporo such as Shenyang, Alberta, Munich, Sydney and Portland were built during the contest (Sapporo Snow Festival). Not only as a visitor but also as a participant, people from overseas started enjoying more active involvement in this event.

It is also important to remember that it has another significance of the event. The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology of Japan (NICT) made an official announcement of the world’s first successful demonstration with National Information Society Agency (NIA). The live image of Sapporo Snow Festival was successfully delivered by simulcast transmission using several active on-demand networks. It was the world’s first demonstration of the international connection to succeed in a live broadcast using several active on-demand networks. This technology of the several active on-demand networks will help to provide the cloud service -like on-demand resources under a server environment.?

According to Kyodo News, sales of flat-panel television sets jumped 60 percent and those of large refrigerators surged 120 percent in May 2009, thanks to the government's eco-point program aimed at boosting sales of ecologically friendly home appliances. This phenomenon having helped boost the sales of electronic products within such a short period after the eco-point program starts on May 15, 2009, attracted the nation attention.

The eco-point system was introduced to stimulate the economy and raise public awareness of global warming by Ministry of the Environment. People can earn the points, worth \1 each, by purchasing the energy saving products selected based on a government criteria. The eco-points can be exchanged for coupons and prepaid cards, energy-efficient products, or products that promote regional economies. More points can be gained for a small fee by handing over old products for recycling and upgrading to a new appliance( you can see the above eco-label which attached on electric products).

The government announced on November19, 2009, that it has decided to increase by 57 to 738 the number of goods and services exchangeable for accumulated points under the “eco-points economic stimulus program”. In addition, on December 8, 2009, the government decided to keep the eco-point program in place till the end of 2010, extending the program from its initially scheduled expiry at the end of next March.

Recently, not only the electric industry but also the housing industry is keeping eye on the trends of eco-point sales. Ministry of Economy announced on January 15, 2010, that the eco-point system for housing would be implemented and delivered no earlier than the date of passage of the supplementary budget are eligible. When people newly build eligible houses or renovate their houses, they are given a certain amount of eco-points. Then, they can exchange their points for various goods. Although the details are not decided at this point, industry participants expect the eco-points system to break the deteriorating situation in housing sector. Now the pullbacks in consumer spending have become the serious problem in Japan. The government involvements are inevitable and have a great impact on the economy for better or worse.

On January 2, 2010, 8,000 shoppers stood in line in front of Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Main Store, one of the most famous Japanese departments, to get limited edition of New Year’s lucky bags (Kyodo News). The so-called lucky bags are known for a Japanese traditional commercial practice and have become one of the biggest events of the holiday season. The merchants make grab bags filled with unknown contents (recently there are some lucky bags showing the contents previously) and sell for a substantial discount around 50% or even more at the beginning of the New Year. Although the lucky bags from department stores are usually filled with clothes, accessories, living-wares, food and other basic necessities, people are still attracted by its mysteriousness and discount price and hoping to get the most valued miscellaneous goods among them.

Some unique lucky bags are sold every year, which becomes to be one of the highlights and entertainments. Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Main Store offered a 20.10-million-yen lucky bag containing a solid gold soccer ball in connection with the year 2010, the year the soccer World Cup is to be held in South Africa (Jiji). As a new trend, there are even some lucky bags offering extraordinary hands-on activities. An aquarium called “Marine World - Uminonakamichi" in Fukuoka City, for instance, sold a unique lucky bag worth 2,010 yen that allows kids to experience being a dolphin trainer. The kids gained this luck had a precious experience to get a close contact with dolphins and sea lions (Nishi Nihon Shinbun).

While most lucky bags are available at the department stores, many shops such as electronic retailers and fashion brand stores are now actively trying to make the most of the business opportunity. Forever21, the U.S. fast-fashion retailer expanding its market in Japan last year, are selling lucky bags this New Year for the first time. In this way, Japanese traditional lucky bags practice is getting more and more common even for the foreign companies.

According to Reuters, the number of customers reached a record high in some department stores despite the economic crisis. One reason behind this is the change of consumers’ purchasing tendency. Recent consumers are keen to seek the best buy under the influence of this recession. Lucky bags filled with practical items such as food and basic daily necessities were well sold this year for the same reason. This lucky bags boom may help to wipe away a gloomy atmosphere in Japan.

Now the Christmas illuminations are back to Omotesando after an absence of 11years. Omotesando, known for high-end shopping area in Tokyo, started the performance as a pioneer of the street Christmas illuminations from 1991. The illuminations had been attracted people across the country and became the signature winter event in Tokyo until 1998. Ironically, many visitors fascinated by the Christmas lights caused a terrible traffic jam around Omotesando. In addition, there was another concern that the displays might negatively affect the street trees, which was the decisive factor in determining the cancellation of the event 11 years ago.

However, thanks to the activities of local members to bring back the lights to Omotesando, the kilometer-long zelkova-lined stretch of Omotesando Street is illuminated with 630 thousand eco friendly LED (light-emitting diode) lights this year. Switching from all the conventional electric lights to LED lights is not only resolving the plant conservation problems, but also helping to save the electricity costs. Thus, the renewed Omotesando illuminations become even more attractive as an environment-conscious event. Today, nearly a month after the Christmas illuminations lighting-up ceremony, the concentration of people and the traffic problem seem to be solved because many Christmas illuminations events are being held in other regions. Now the Illuminations shine more brightly by getting over the complex history.

This is the last article of the year on our website. We would like to pause briefly to thank you for reading the articles. New articles will be updated soon after the coming year. Wishing you Happy Holidays and a New Year filled with prosperity and success!

Japan has four seasons which are distinctly different from each other, but this year’s summer was cool and short. Mid September is usually hot and humid, but this year the temperature in the mornings are around 20 degrees Celsius, which makes it feel quite chilly. For the past several years, the hottest temperature in Japan was on the rise and many were worried of the effect of global-warming, but we did not need to worry about that this year.

The sunshine hours were short due to the prolonged rainy season, and according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the sunshine hours of north and west Japan were the shortest ever recorded. In northern Japan, adding to the short sunshine hours, the amount of rain was twice as much as usual. Cool temperature, lack of sunshine and lots of rain has affected the agriculture, and there are worries that it will affect the harvest this fall. According to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture, the price of potatoes and onions have risen by 15 %- 35% compared to the past 5 years. The rising price of vegetables has caused a 30% rise in the sales of vegetable storage bags, which help keep vegetables fresh for a longer time. The harvesting of rice will begin soon, but it is not yet known how much the weather has affected the growth.

For the past few weeks the weather has been cool and sunny, making it ideal to go for a walk or play sports. It is a bit sad that the summer is over, but autumn is the harvest season. The streets will be covered in autumnal leaves and many kinds of food such as mushrooms, fish and fruit will be in season. In Japan, the typhoon season comes after summer, but I sincerely hope that it will be a fruitful autumn this year.

Car-sharing business is gradually growing in Japan. Sharing one car with others and cutting back on fuel and parking fees originally started in Europe, but highly populated cities with efficient public transport meets the conditions for the system to spread further in Japan.

According to the Transportation Ecology Mobility Foundation, there were only 21 cars and 50 members in the car-sharing system in 2002, but in January 2009, the number grew to 563 cars and 6396 members. Many high-rise condominiums are adopting this car-sharing system to reduce the number of cars, thus planting trees instead of making parking lots and appealing to the customers of their environment-friendly attitude.

The car-sharing system was mainly run by rental car companies, but now that people are giving up their cars in this recession and young people are not so into owning their own car, car manufacturers who want to put a stop to this trend are venturing into this business. Audi Japan agreed last month to collaborate with Sumitomo Real Estate. Audi Japan is the first foreign affiliate company to start this business, but they hope that it will lead to the purchase of their car in the future.

Recently in Japan the word “soshokukei-danshi” (plant-eating boys) is widely used to describe men in their twenties and thirties that are passive in relationships and consumption, soft mannered, and willing to do the housework. The word “soshoku” is the opposite of “nikushoku” (flesh-eating), used to describe men in their forties and fifties who spent their energy and money aggressively during the bubble economy 20 years ago.

Among these “soshokukei-danshi” there are “suito-danshi” (canteen boys) who bring along their own canteens to school and work instead of buying bottled drinks. Prolonged economic depression and environmental awareness are some of the reasons this new type of boys appeared. It is said that being able to drink one`s favorite drink brewed to his taste at any time he pleases brings a strong sense of satisfaction.

Along with the “suito-danshi” appeared the “bento-danshi” (lunch box boys). “Bento” may be a unique culture of Japan, but it consists of rice or rice balls and about 5 different side dishes such as “karaage” (fried chicken), “tamago yaki”(fried eggs) and potato salad. These home-made “bentos” are usually made by mothers or wives and each family has its own recipe. But these “bento-danshi” make their own lunch boxes, and just recently a man who has over 100 recipes was introduced on TV. These men are ordinary people, not chefs.

Many department stores selling canteens have widened their booths and offer over 300 types of sophisticated and stylish canteens. Some stores have sold 3 times as much as last year and the trend seems to be growing as Japan heads into the summer season. Most of the customers are men in their twenties and thirties, shopping for canteens and lunch boxes on their own. Cooking schools offering lunch box menus are also popular, and classes held on the weekends are full of fathers and single men.

Cut on expenses, environmental and health awareness may be behind all this, but it seems that the main reason for this phenomenon is being able to freely express one`s own personal taste. And another reason is that men who can cook are popular. A survey carried out on women shows that men who can cook have a generally good impression on them. Now that it is not unusual for women to continue working after getting married, men that will help out with the housework are the ideal partners for marriage.

The use of mobile phones may lead to bad grades. It also could lead to cyberbullying and criminal cases through online dating service. These are the kind of problems that have risen together with the number of children using mobile phones. This lead the Ministry of Education to advise schools to ban bringing mobile phones to elementary and junior high schools. According to a survey done in April 2008 by the Ministry of Education, 30% of 6 graders, 60% of 9th graders and 90% of senior high school students have their own mobile phones.

There are some children whose incoming and outgoing mails amount to over one hundred per day. This number comes from the fear of being excluded if the reply is late, and also emailing until late into the night. Some data shows that this can lead to the fall in academic performance. But on the other hand, there are many parents who use the GPS location service equipped in many mobile phones to locate their children to and from schools and after school activities. There are some schools that use mobile phone emails to communicate with their students. Just last month, some schools used that system to inform the students of closed classes and homework during the flu epidemic.

Many schools had already banned the bringing in or use of mobile phones before the advise from the Ministry of Education, so it is said that this advise was sent out so that it would cause awareness of the danger in the wrong use of mobile phones. It is impossible to deprive students of their mobile phones considering the actual number of students owning one. Therefore it is important to let them know the correct and safe way of using one. Since owning a mobile phone myself, I find that is has changed my way of meeting up with my friends. I have become easily late because I don’t need to worry about not being able to meet them. This is a bad habit taking advantage of a handy mobile phone...

It first happened on June 4 in a civic center parking lot in Ishikawa prefecture. Upon hearing an unusual sound, a municipal worker turned around to find 100 tadpoles lying around in the parking lot. The same kind of incident continued throughout the prefecture and spread to other areas in Japan. The most recent happened on the 15th, when a woman heard some scattering sound and found around 50 tadpoles outside her home in Miyagi prefecture.

The tadpoles found in these incidents are about 2 to 5 cm large and are around 50 to 100 in numbers. In most cases they are noticed at the sound of them dropping, some dry but retaining the original shape, and sometimes frogs or small fish are mixed amongst them. (Sankei Shimbun) Why are tadpoles falling from the sky? There are some records overseas of falling fish and frogs, and most are considered to be caused by tornados. Some experts say that the incidents in Japan are caused by tornados or gusty winds, or that they fell from the mouths of herons or crows, while others say that it is a hoax, but all the same the real reason remains a mystery.

The species of the tadpoles are still unclear, so it will probably take some time to reveal the real cause of these fallings. The TV and internet news are bustling with this topic of falling tadpoles, but I must say that strange things do happen…

248 municipalities, which is 8 times more than 7 months ago, will start charging customers for their plastic shopping bags. Plastic shopping bags are used at supermarkets and convenience stores, and by charging 5 yen per bag, the government hopes that customers will bring in their own bags and thus lessen the amount of garbage the plastic bags make.

Life in Japan has become convenient and affluent due to the growth of the economy, but on the other hand, mass consumption has caused a serious problem in the garbage-disposal system. Being a small island, there is only a limited space in which we can build incineration sites for garbage. According to the Ministry of Welfare, half of the garbage from houses is made up of plastic shopping bags, plastic bottles and plastic trays. The number of plastic bags used in Japan amounts to over 30 billion per year.

Other than charging customers, companies are making self-help efforts by handing out free “my bag (eco bag)”. These bags are made of polyester and can be used over and over again, and many convenience stores around Japan are handing out fancy “my bags”. The picture on the left shows the “my bag” made by a major convenience store chain Lawson. They have succeeded in giving this bag to over 2 million customers hoping that they will come and shop at Lawson with this bag.

I try to bring my own bag when shopping but sometimes I forget and have to use the plastic shopping bags. It is needless to become too nervous about the issue, but it is important to be aware and try to do what one can to help reduce waste.

The Ministry of Agriculture announced on April 21 that honeybees used to pollinate strawberries, watermelon and melon in Japan are lacking by 10 million. Honeybees are not only needed for honey, but are necessary insects for pollination of fruits and vegetables. But this lack of honeybees is causing a rise in production costs and is affecting the farms. If this shortage continues, some say that it may result in a rise in the selling price of fruits.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the shortage of honeybees became apparent last fall, and some areas have experienced a 50% rise in costs for purchasing and renting honeybees. It is said that the production cost will rise by 2000 to 10,000 yen per10 ares if the pollination is to be done manually. The reason for this shortage is said to be the import suspension of queen bees from Australia, pest insecticide, and parasitic mites, but they have not yet come to a conclusion. (Mainichi Shinbun 4/22)

Japan’s average life expectancy is the highest in the world, but being a record holder can cause other problems. With 1 in 5 over 65 years old, there are many cases in which the elderly and the demented are robbed of their assets. In order to protect and support the demented and mentally impaired, a conservator system was implemented in Japan in the fiscal year 2000.

According to the Supreme Court, conservators are usually relatives, but the percentage of related conservators has dropped from 83% in fiscal year 2006 to 72% in fiscal year 2007. The remaining percent is made up of specialists such as lawyers and judicial scriveners, and seems to be on the rise. It is said internationally that 1% of the population will use this conservator system, which means approximately 1.2million in Japan. Based on the fact that 30% are non-related conservators, lawyers and judicial scriveners will need to cope with 360,000 cases which is too big a number considering the total number of specialists in Japan.

Taking this into account, there are a growing number of courses to foster conservators from ordinary citizens. Some municipalities have begun training citizens, and in Yokosuka City of Kanagawa prefecture, 7 citizens who were trained in 2007 will begin practice as conservators this year. There are also NPOs that offer courses to retirees and housewives, and university courses for students and citizens, but because the conservator system is still new and not yet widely known, it cannot be said that they are put at full use yet.

Job hunting for junior university students is at its peak at this time of the year in Japan. Students dressed in business suits attending company information sessions and company interviews can be seen all around the city. However, there are a growing number of students turning to agriculture instead of finding a job in the office.

According to the people involved, a lot of young people in their 20s and 30s attend interviews and events concerning agriculture, and the number of people finding jobs in that area is growing. According to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture, the number of people aged below 39 who were newly engaged in agriculture in 2007 was 120,000 compared to 4,300 in 2005. The rise in safety awareness to foods and cutting back on grocery costs may be part of the reason, but the data shows that making one’s own vegetable is becoming a popular trend among young people.

Mr. A left his job in an IT company and plunged into the unknown world of agriculture 3 1/2 years ago. He explains that the reason he became a farmer was the low self-sufficiency ratio in Japan and thought that the best way to prevent the decline of agriculture was to start it himself. After working at another farm for 1 1/2 years, he now grows vegetables in a rented farm with his wife and delivers them to around 120 customers directly in Tokyo. (Sankei News 090323)

Growing vegetables such as asparagus, greens and mini tomatoes in the verandah seems to be popular among young women. I myself grew up in the city far from the farms so I can understand the longing for the smell of soil and green farms. I was planning to start a small vegetable garden in my verandah this year, so I may be able to report it in this column some time later in the year.

“Cat cafe” is a cafe in which you can have a cup of coffee while playing with cats belonging to that cafe. The cafe is usually carpeted and you can relax on the floor, playing and hugging the cats as you please.

In Japan there are a lot of different types of coffee shops including “manga kissa” (where you can read comic books) and “maid cafe” (where the staff are dressed in maid costumes), but recently this “cat cafe” is becoming very popular and the number of chain stores is increasing all around Japan. “Cat cafes” started in Taiwan, but quickly grew into a big business since it’s introduction to Japan in 2003, with over 40 shops in 2007, providing “a healing environment in the middle of the city.”

Most “cat cafes” charge hourly fees besides the price of the drink. For example in one cafe, there are 6 kittens, all 2- 3 months old, in the 33 square meter shop. The fee is 300 yen per 20 minutes and they also have a 2 hour weekday package for 1700 yen including 2 drinks. People who cannot own cats due to housing regulations, families, dating couples, and even an old man in a wheelchair from a nearby institution are among the customers there. In one shop, 30 percent of the customers are male stopping by on their way home from work, with some coming 2 or 3 times a week to see their favorite cat.

I am allergic to cats so unfortunately I cannot visit these “cat cafes,” but just looking at the cuddly kittens makes me feel kind and gentle inside.  There are many businesses that have started due to the “healing boom,” but for the sake of the cats, I sincerely hope that “cat cafes” are not just a trend to be forgotten in a few years.

Visitors from countries that are not accustomed to using masks may find it very queer when they visit Japan at this time of the year.Many Japanese people wear masks during spring to prevent not flu but hay fever, and it is said that 1 in 3-4 people had hay fever in 2008 compared to 1 in 6 in 1998, so you can imagine how many masked people you will pass by in a day. Two thirds of Japan is covered in mountainous regions and during the past 100 years, many cedar trees were planted due to forestry and tree-planting campaigns, which led to the drastic increase in hay fever patients.

The winter in Japan this year was warm and had little rain so the pollen is spreading 1 or 2 weeks earlier than usual. The sales of items for hay fever in local drug stores have almost doubled compared to the same time last year. Masks that do not fog your eyeglasses, and masks that have humidifying effects so as not to dry your throat seem to be quite popular. There is also news that they have invented a way to mass product seeds for cedar trees that have no pollen. Cedars that have no pollen have already been artificially bred in Japan, but it is the first time that they have succeeded in mass production of those seeds.

Some of our staff here have hay fever and it seems that they not only suffer from sneezes, blocked nose and itchy eyes, but also feverish symptoms throughout the day. I am lucky not to have hay fever yet, but it is said that one can suddenly become allergic, so every year I get anxious that this might be the year. I sincerely hope that I will be able to spend this spring without those symptoms.

The environment for employees is getting worse day by day and news about part-time workers getting fired is widely reported in Japan. There are a lot of foreign workers who are hit hard by this recession, including the many Brazilians working in Japan. According to the data reported by The Ministry of Public Management　2007, about 32 million out of the 215 million foreigners in Japan are Brazilians and Brazilians of Japanese descent.

Many foreign workers were employed in the manufacturing industry when there was a shortage of workers, but many of these workers, including Brazilians, have lost their jobs due to the instability of the industry. Some cannot even pay their children's tuition anymore and in the Brazilian School in Aichi Prefecture where Toyota has it's main factory, the student number has plummeted from 2600 last May to 1470 this January. Usually there are about 100 new students at the start of the school year on February 1, but this year there may be schools with zero new students.

The Japanese government will take emergency measures in 5 areas such as education and employment for permanent residents suffering from the recession, but as for education, there is a shortage of interpreters in public schools due to a tight budget, so we cannot say that there is sufficient support yet.
We hope that all of the foreign children in Japan can go back to school again soon.

I recently had an interesting experience in the Takachiho area of Miyazaki prefecture in the western part of Japan, where it is surrounded by mountains, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This area is called the "home of legends and myths" and one can find shrines dedicated to various gods in every quarter of the area.

The people of Japan have always lived in harmony with nature, finding and worshipping Eight Million Gods in nature. There is the God of the mountain, God of the river, and even a God of the stone lying around on the ground. This spirit still strongly remains in the Takachiho area, and there is a festival held during the off-season for farmers from November to February, to thank the Eight Million Gods for that year's harvest and to pray for a good harvest the following year. It is said that this festival started over 800 years ago.

This festival takes place in each village, where the people dance for 2 days and 1 night, for over 12 hours. This is called "yokagura" in Japanese, and I was lucky to be able to take part in this special festival. The house which I visited was interesting in that four generations took part in the "yokagura." Only males are allowed to dance in this holy "kagura," and it was heartwarming to see the great grandfather, grandfather, father and the young son dance together.

Usually this "yokagura" takes place in one's home where the villagers gather to dance, but the village whichI visited had the stage set up in a community building. The "kagura" started at seven thirty in the evening and continued till eight thirty the following morning, by which time the farmers had danced 33 different kinds of dance. Sitting on the floor all night long is quite tiring for the ones watching, but as the sun rose, there was a strange feeling of spiritual fulfillment and unity of the dancers and onlookers.It was refreshing to leave behind the busy life and have a cultural experience in a nature abundant environment.