A Day for the Birds
Avi has written at great length about the plight of birds who enter the nets that "protect" the lotus farmers' fields along the shores of Kasumigaura. To read more about this issue, see the following articles.
- Bird Sanctuary or Mortuary (May 2007)
- Bird Rescue Underway: Six Saved Thousands to go (December 2007)
- Save the Birds (December 2007)
- Kasumigaura Bird Rescue (January 2008)
- Bird Rescue Stuck in the Mud (February 2008)
- Kasumigaura Bird Rescue Meeting (February 2008)
- Still Caught up in Kasumigaura Bird Rescue (December 2008)
Today, I decided to shadow Avi on one of his trips to survey the situation and rescue any birds that were caught in the nets. As we pulled up to one of the sites, Avi spotted a duck that was hanging from one of its feet and ran out to rescue it -- almost before I could stop the car! He only had one set of hip waders, so I had to watch on the sidelines, but that was probably for the best anyway, as the fields that he had to traverse today were really difficult to manoeuvre in and my short little legs would probably not have been able to propel me forward very effectively.
He rescued a small duck and a coot in one field and then we moved along the shore until we spotted a larger duck that was caught up in a net but still actively struggling to get free. The larger duck (a mallard) was located far into one of the fields and it took Avi a long time to reach him. Once the duck was free, he swam away into a neighbouring pond and then flew up and away with a vigorous flap of his wings. Unfortunately, the smaller duck and the coot did not seem to be very far off from perishing when Avi rescued them. They both must have been hanging upside down for a long time because even after they were rescued, they just sort of sat in the water, dazed. By the time we returned to where they had been rescued, there was no sign of either one of them. We think they both must have died in the interim.
Avi says that there is definite progress being made on this issue. Many fields that were completely covered in nets are now either open or only covered on the sides. Also, just as we were leaving, we think we spotted some city hall people who had come to remove the birds and the carcasses. I guess it is a bit of an embarrassment for the city to have a bird mortuary on the shores of one of their biggest tourist draws.
However, there is still work to be done. We saw many, many carcasses of birds who had gotten stuck and perished, and Avi assures me that I only saw a very, very small percentage of the fields today. It is important not to let people forget that so many birds are out there hanging from their feet or wings, starving (or freezing) to death. The worst part of it is that the nets are not even effective at keeping the birds out! The fact that the birds get inside the nets is proof enough of that fact, but even worse is the fact that some of the birds can also fly out of the nets -- proving that the nets are not really effective at keeping the birds away at all.
If you have some time to spare, I would urge you to contact Avi (avi[at]tora.email.ne.jp) and volunteer to go out to Kasumigaura with him. If you are strong enough (and tall enough), you can help him with the rescuing, but if you aren't, you can help by taking photos, getting the word out to your friends, helping to find ways to publicize this issue in the Japanese media or on blogs, translating information into Japanese, etc. As with any animal-welfare issue, the faster you offer to help, the fewer animals end up suffering.
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A Hard Fact To Swallow- Swallows Not Getting The Respect That They Have Been Long Used To In Japan
Though it is now the height of their breeding season, it is not until July that they really stand out. It is then that they can be seen darting about, like little fighter planes, over the ripening paddy fields, gracefully grabbing up mosquitoes and other harmful bugs. They are working at a frenzied pace, as their young ( their second brood of the season), numbering as many as seven, are getting bigger and bigger, and need more and more nourishment before they finally leave the nest and find food on their own. And while they have a professional baseball team named after them and a shinkansen train as well, SWALLOWS, or TSUBAME (燕), are not getting the respect they have grown used to.
These famed harbingers of spring arrive in the Kanto area in April, having flown great distances from southern China,and as far as Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. They arrive just in time to make use of the freshly tilled mud in the paddy fields to make their distinctive nests. In Japan, swallows have come to live closely with humans, mostly nesting in settled areas, including large cities. They make their mud and grass nests under the eaves of houses and shops and usually return to the SAME HOUSE every year, OFTEN ON THE SAME DATE! The annual return of the tsubame has been considered a happy occasion by their host families. Having your house or shop selected by the swallows for nesting has traditionally been considered highly auspicious and you can still find home-owners and shop-keepers putting out boxes or newspapers to catch the droppings and maybe even putting up a screen or wind-shield for additional protection. In late May, while the swallows are raising their first brood it is most usual to notice these DROPPING BOADS before noticing the birds themselves (if you see a sheet of newspaper or cardboard covered with white droppings just look up and you will probably see the nest!). You can probably be sure that there will also be hungry crows , cats or snakes nearby (that is why the nests are tucked ingeniously into unreachable areas under the eaves).
In older villages and towns and in the older sections of large cities, one nest or more under the eaves of an old building, with chicks poking their beaks out expectantly waiting for their mothers return, as their father stands guard close by, is an endearing image of a Japan quickly disappearing.
Year by year, the swallows are finding themselves less and less welcome. The traditional belief in the luck that the swallows bring is being gradually replaced by the the modern worship of THE STERILE and clean, and by this I mean an intense dislike of bugs, large trees, animals or anything else that smacks of DIRTY.
These days, proud owners of little, plastic, half-million dollar houses, are most likely to have swallows nests quickly removed or more cruelly just closed off, separating parents from young.
Still, the old values come to the rescue sometimes. Here is a story about the swallows at Misao Ito’s house in Kukizaki. Misao lives in a grand old neighborhood, just across the street from Mrs. Noguchi’s (of the mask fame) thatched-roof manor house. Her family decided to knock down their old house and build a modern style home, one which did not seem appropriate for swallows nests.
When her family was looking into ways of removing the nest which had been constructed by their front door, the neighbors came to intervene. Don’t destroy the nest, they warned. If you do that youre house might burn down!
They told Misao’s family that having the nest would bring good fortune to the family and that if the number of chicks hatched was an odd number, they should celebrate by eating sekihan (red rice for festive occasions). The Ito`s followed their neighbors advice and in the end all parties were satisfied. The birds raised their young,the kids enjoyed watching the dramatic, private nature show on their front porch and the neighbors are at ease, because tradition was not broken. And most of all their is the anticipation of the same birds return next spring and the spring after that.
With more and more swallows returning from overseas to find themselves unwelcome, I think it’s time to re-instill in everyone this old excitement which the swallow used to bring.
Besides their miraculous annual return, they are beautiful, graceful, hardworking parents, who eliminate plenty of mosquitoes (without poisons)!
Why shouldn’t we welcome them!
You can find many nests with chicks in them under the walkway of the Art and Physical Education Department of Tsukuba University. Parent birds can be seen for the next few days scrambling for as many insects as they can catch. Watching them over the deep green, young rice plants is the best way to view them in Tsukuba.
Look at some ways that Japanese people help the nesting birds (by making platforms for nesting) and protect their homes from swallow poop:
www.biodic.go.jp/reports/5-4/p028.html
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A late winter walk leads to the UBAYURI (姥ユリ) a type of wild lily, which is more beautiful AFTER its flower has fallen off- AND was an important food source for Japan`s early inhabitants
On an uncomfortably cold day like today, you might not believe me when I tell you that spring IS just around the corner. Sure, plenty of very cold ( and even snowy) days probably still lay ahead, and the March winds which blow off Mt Tsukuba ( the Tsukuba Oroshi) can be frosty and brutal ( for cyclists especially). But I`m not talking about the temperature. When I speak of spring I am thinking of all the VEGETATION, all the GREENERY which in the coming weeks will start emerging from the soil. Already this week I can sense all of that LIFE, chomping at the bit, getting ready to burst forth. You can almost hear it.
Knowing that there is is little time left to savor Tsukuba`s distinctive wild winterscapes, I took a long walk through the fields and woods near my house in Konda. It was not all just dried out reeds and branches
A new goshawks nest in the Konda Woods (Tsukuba)
I decided to start out by heading to the area above which I have often seen, in recent weeks, one of our neighborhood goshawks ( O-Taka) perched high up on some sort of communications tower. I thought that perhaps it was around there that the majestic birds will be nesting this year.
Stepping into the woods in my neighborhood can sometimes be creepy. With all the owls, and the goshawks, there are often plenty of small animal and bird remains, the feather, fur and bones, which the birds of prey ( and later the scavengers) leave behind. Right away, I knew that the goshawks were active in that area. The route I had chosen was littered here and there by blotches of such leftovers. There were also plenty of hawk droppings.
Getting deeper into the forest, I often stopped to scan the canopy ( still thick in winter because of all the evergreens), in the hope of spotting a nest. Just at the point which was probably furthest from any road ( in any direction), I found it, letting out a big WOW! Very impressive- amazing, even suddenly coming across it.
I then resumed my ground search in the general area around the nest.
Another view of the nest
About 20 meters east of the grand tree high atop which the goshawks had chosen to make their home, was a little slope- the remains of an ancient burial mound (kofun, 古墳). Still scouring the ground, I slowly proceded up it. What I found on top almost made me forget all about the nest- in fact it brought me back the original purpose of this hike- marvelling at the interesting withered vegetation of winter.
I found myself suddenly walking among what at first seemed to be the commonest of dried out reeds- but raising my eye-level to what would be my chest height, I found that the little ridge I was on was covered with one of the most beautiful features of the Japanese woods in winter- the dried out UBAYURI (姥ユリ), a type of wild lily ( with the scientific name Cardiocrinum cordatum )
Of course, by this time of year these plant`s flowers had long disappeared. So what, you may ask, makes them so special.
Well, after their blossoms have fallen away, the fruit of this lily appears. Eventually, this dries, too, and opens up into three petal-like parts- which are connnected by what look like fine filaments. Really something special to look at. And how strange I thought that, though many types of lily flowers are spectacular, the UBAYURI`s blossoms are rather dull and plain ( though they ARE large!). That means in winter, without their white cone-like flowers, they are probably more attractive than they are in summer!
In fact, they are often added to winter flower arrangements, as symbols of the season.
Looking closely I could still find some of the lily seeds with had been blown out of their casing. These, too are remarkable to examine, as they look like very finely sliced flower bulbs. Since lilies are famous BULBS, some are surprised to hear that they also have seeds. Well, they do, and they are worth a close look.
The Ubayuri as it looks in winter after having released its seeds ( Tsukuba, Konda 2011)
Japan is considered to be something of a TREASURE HOUSE of lillies, with more than 10 indigenous species ( some of which were introduced to Europe in 1829 by the German physician Von Siebolt, who was at the Dutch trading post of Dejima, Nagasaki).
And though the Europeans and others took up these flowers with great enthusiasm for decorative purposes, in Japan ( and the rest of North-East Asia) lilies have not only been admired for their beauty and scent- they have also been EATEN.
The bulbs of various types of lily were an important source of starch for the ancient Japanese andYuri Ne ( lily bulbs) are still an important feature of Japanese special O-Sechi dishes eaten over the New Year holiday.
The dried out fruit of the UBAYURI- in Tsukuba (2011)
Besides the holiday season Lily bulbs are available at supermarkets and food cooperatives and can be prepared in a variety of ways. One variety in particular, the Ko Oniyuri, is cultivated for its bulb ( though some other varieties can also be eaten)
When cooked these bulbs look like pieces of GARLIC (also bulbs) when served, and their texture is also quite similar to the STINKY ROSE. Their flavor , however, is very subtle and starchy, and is influenced by the seasoning used ( as opposed to influencing the taste of everything else, as garlic does).
The ubayuri stand tall in one area of the woods
One very interesting thing that I learned after I got back from my walk and started doing a little research on the UBAYURI was that a larger type of the same lily, called the O-Ubayuri (Cardiocrinum cordatum var. glehnii) is one of the most important food sources for the Ainu people.
The O-Ubayuri grows mostly in Hokkaido and in the colder, snowier, Japan Sea side of Northern Honshu.
Two UBAYURI seeds stuck on a nearby leaf
For anyone interesting in the process used to make TUREP, which is the dish that the Ainu make of of the starch of the O-Ubayuri, have a look at this page:
http://www.frpac.or.jp/kodomo/html/bunka/tabemono2/tabemono_01_ooubayuri2.html
A staple food of the Ainu- TUREP- made from the O-Ubayuri
In a couple of weeks I plan on going back to that same spot and dig up a few of the bulbs and try to make some Japanese dishes with them.
I think I will give TUREP a try , too, using the smaller type of UBAYURI.
I will tell you how it goes!
Ubayuri as they look when blooming in summer
And I hope that before the bulbs are ready for the taking, I will be able to get back a coupek of more times to enjoy Tsukuba`s wonderful winter wilds.
For some pictures of Japan`s lillies IN SUMMER see:
http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~seiji-t/liliy.htm
Ainu with traditional facial tatoos digging up O- Ubayuri
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Adopting a Dog or Cat in Japan
In Japan, people often pay more than 100,000 yen (roughly $1000) for pet cats and dogs. That is a completely NORMAL price to pay at a pet store here. Sometimes the breeds are a bit special, but often people are shelling out that kind of money for "American Shorthair" cats which can be easily adopted for free from any shelter.
The problem is that most people here don't know about shelters, so they think that if they want to have a pet, they have to save up their money for a few months and go to a pet shop. In the meantime, thousands of perfectly good pets are being euthanized by the authorities in every prefecture every year.
As an example, Ibaraki Prefecture (one of 47 prefectures) captured or took in 7,642 dogs and cats in 2006. Of that number, 222 pets were returned to their owners. The rest, 7420 cats and dogs, were euthanized. That is just in a single prefecture. And, in fact, that number is actually low compared to the 16,565 pets that were taken in by the prefecture in 2001. (In 2001, Ibaraki started a plan to halve the number of pets who get taken in by the prefecture every year. So the 7,642 figure is actually the result of strenuous efforts by the authorities!) The number for all of Japan must be just shocking, especially since it seems that Ibaraki was the second prefecture to adopt this plan to halve their numbers, so they might just be doing a better job than the authorities in many other prefectures. (I looked for a number for all of Japan, but wasn't able to find it. Can anyone help me with this?)
In the past, it was impossible to find any information in English about adopting pets in Japan. These days, however, there are a few groups that are making it easier for people to find pets who are in need of new homes -- without having to fork over hundreds of thousands of your hard earned yen. In particular, Angels with Fur Japan has recently put a panel on the side of its website showing dogs and cats who are up for adoption through Tokyo ARK and other organizations.
So, if you are looking for a pet, PLEASE have a look at the Angels with Fur Japan website before you go to a pet store. Also, if you know of someone who is considering getting a pet, please let them know about the site. If there are no pets of interest to you on the site, there are plenty more to choose from at the shelters, so please contact Angels with Fur Japan for more advice.
(In the interests of full disclosure, I should mention that I am the webmaster for the Angels with Fur Japan site. I don't profit in any way from the site though, other than feeling REALLY good when I hear that a pet has been adopted because of it!)
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Annual Memorial Service (Ireisai) For Animals Sacrificed At Medical School
The tremendous advances made in the medical sciences over the past few centuries have been simply astounding. Much of this progress can be attributed to the efforts of diligent, talented, and sometimes just-plain-lucky researchers who set about looking for solutions to medical questions by applying the scientific method -- which depends heavily on observing the results of controlled experiments to prove hypotheses.
Animals, in their forced role as experimental subjects, have played a crucial part in this March Forward, as many important medical studies from the times of Pasteur and Pavlov to the present day, have been made with the use of test animals. Every year at least tens of millions of vertebrates (and so many more invertebrates) are used around the world in tests which end with these creatures being SACRIFICED.
At Tsukuba University Medical School, as well as at other research institutes in Japan, the role that animals play in scientific progress, and the suffering often involved in their making a CONTRIBUTION to humanity (and sometimes to their fellow animals as well) does not go unrecognized or unacknowledged (for whatever that is worth) .
Once a year, usually in the first week of November (when the climate is most comfortable), an announcement is made throughout the medical school complex, that a special memorial service (ireisai, 慰霊祭) will be held at the IREIHI (慰霊碑), a memorial tablet which is tucked away in the shadows of the small woods, just east of the hospital's power plant. The IREIHI itself was made 20 years ago by a student of the university and the inscription on it reads "JIKEN DOBUTSU IREIHI", or "monument for consoling the spirits of experimental animals".
On the day the ceremony is announced, hundreds of doctors, researchers, administrators, office staff and representatives of the companies which supply the animals attend, many bringing flowers, or foods which the animals might like. Since Tsukuba University is a government institution which must abide by rules separating church and state, incense, which would usually be offered on such an occasion, is not used, because of its overtly religious (Buddhist) connotations. Usually, a distinguished researcher or administrator makes a short speech about the number of animals sacrificed and the need to reduce this number and alleviate suffering. Those assembled then close their eyes for a moment of silence. I am told that many of those who attend this ceremony feel a sense of satisfaction or solace in having shown their respect and gratitude to the sacrificed lab animals.
Some laboratories in Tsukuba affiliated with private companies hold more elaborate and overtly religious IREISAI. For several reasons, I, myself, do not like the idea of using animals for experiments (when it is not absolutely necessary to do so). But since millions of creatures ARE being used (and abused) in the name of science, I think it is a good thing to give them a little (even if it's only on one day) RESPECT.
Thanks to Dr. Sugiyama, director of Tsukuba University's Center for Experimental Animals for giving me his time and for showing me his dedication to providing the best conditions possible for the animals under his care. Still I get the willies every time I pass his building. If anyone would like to attend the ceremony please let me know and I will inform you about it (on the day it is held).
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