January 20, 2009

A Page Out of History

Why do I feel like this is my moment too
As do millions out there echo
My sentiment by their presence
And voices raised out loud.

Why do I feel as if
A new dawn has risen
On a new era
Full of fresh hope and inspiration.

Why do I feel like
I am one with millions of multitude
Braving the coldest winter chill
In the coldest month of the year.

Falling in line
Flying in from all over
A nation who once again
Can stand up brave
and proud.

Why do I feel
Even though I do not belong
To this country
The same pride and overflowing joy.

To bear witness to
A Man who does more
By being himself
Than by transforming himself.

A Man who might
And will bring
Transformation and Redemption
Through Unity and renewed Courage.

I am so stoked
And so proud
And so humbled
And so lucky to be.

Part of the generation
Who bears witness
Who extends welcome
And open hearts.

To the Man
Who represents
Not only himself
But all of us
Who came from everywhere and nowhere.

4 Comments

• At February 4, 2009, Avi wrote:

  Ellen, thank you for putting what so many of us feel into words.

  And WHAT WORDS you have selected!TRULY PERFECT! You have greatly honored TSUKUBLOG by posting your poem here. I just hope that this venue will give it the exposure it deserves.

  with respect

  Avi

• At February 4, 2009, Angeline wrote:

  Alas! A true sign of change!

  An inspiration for all who pursues it

  Who desires it, treasures it

  Like water and salt

  The most essential element in life

  Yes, we all definitely can ... and will ..... CHANGE!

  my 2 cents.

  Regards,

• At February 5, 2009, Ellen wrote:

  Dear Avi,

  Thank you so much for such a compliment coming from a true writer like yourself. It brings such joy to me and a lump in my throat to have my simple poem be appreciated by a person as eloquent as yourself, who comes from a different background but who is as inspired and as awestruck by the pure beneficence of Obama's coming like a Messiah into a world wracked by abject poverty, chaos, disunity, racial divide and indifference. Yes, he is like a beacon of hope. My only fear is that too much expectation might undo the man. I hope he is as big as he appears to be..or that our hope is as real as it appears to us.

• At February 5, 2009, Avi wrote:

  Ellen, as a whole the poem works wonderfully, and some of the phrases : a man who does more by being himself-

  The man who represents himself, not only himself, but all of us, who came from everywhere and nowhere -

  are absolutely brilliant images which TRULY capture the occassion. Your poem shopuld be in school curriculli!

  Im also very stoked by your suprising inclusion of that word in your poem .

  Thanks

  Avi

“Tsukuba Havriin Bayar” Mongolian Festival
April 18 (Sat) and 19 (Sun), 2009
Venue: Tsukuba Chuo Park (MAP)

Programs
April 18 (Sat)
10:00 – “Ger” assembling demonstration
11:00 – Introduction of Mongolia and the peoples of Mongolia
12:00 – Opening Ceremony
12:30 – Concert
13:30 – Horse races by kids
14:00 – “Ger” assembling demonstration
14:30 – Mongolian Sumo matches by kids
16:00 – Concert
17:00 – Closing Ceremony

April 19 (Sun)
10:00 – “Ger” assembling demonstration,
Introduction of Mongolia, and the peoples of Mongolia
11:00 – Concert
11:30 – Introduction of traditional Mongolian attire
12:00 – Mongolian Sumo matches
14:00 – “Ger” assembling demonstration
14:30 – Concert
15:00 – Mongolian Sumo – final bout!
15:30 – Awarding Ceremony
16:00 – Closing Ceremony

Contacts:
* Tsukuba Havriin Bayar Mongolian Festival Planning Committee (090-8496-5984)
* Festival Office (080-3436-5984)
* E-mail: tsukuba_havrynbayar [at] yahoo.co.jp
* Web: http://www9.ocn.ne.jp/~mongol/

Send Donations to:
銀行名　　ゆうちょ銀行 (yuucho ginko/postal account)
口座番号　10660-36995431 (account number)
口座名義　つくばハワリンバヤルモンゴル祭り実行委員会
(account name: tsukuba hawarinbayaru mongoru matsuri jikkou iinkai)

CAPEDS presents Sudan Café in Tsukuba vol.2
- What we found in "Real" Sudan-

What does come up with you,. when you hear the word "Sudan"?
Civil war? Terrorism? Yes, they exactly exist. However, will they ever shape the whole "Sudan"?

The non-profit organization Committee for Assisting and Promoting Education of the Disabled in Sudan(CAPEDS) is a organization aimed to promote and to assist education for the disabled in Sudan. We are now taking actions for promotion and assistance of information education and promotion of blind soccer in Khartoum, Sudan.
(To see more details : please look at http://capeds.org）

In October 2009, 2 of our student staffs went to Khartoum to know the conditions of our running project and to deepen exchange with our counterpart in Sudan. Can you imagine what did they find in Sudan?

Please join us to feel "Real Sudan" by the story of our staffs with hibiscus tea and Sudanese snacks.

The details are below.

Date: Dec 2nd, 2009(Wed) 18:30-20:40
Place : Class room 301, 3A building, Tsukuba University
(5 min by foot from the bus stop "Daigaku-Chuo")
Fee: Free
How to join: Please e-mail to info.tsukuba[at]capeds.org with the name and number of the participants. Please fill the title with "Participation of the event".
Walk-in participants are also welcomed.

If you have any questions, please send e-mail to info.tsukuba[at]capeds.org

China Week

September 29 (Tue) to October 4 (Sun)

Sept. 29 to Oct.4, 9:00AM to 7:00PM (5PM on the last day)

• Exhibition of Chinese culture and 2010 Shanghai Expo, and showing of a movie on Chinese culture.

• Sales of Chinese products such as tea and liquor

Oct. 4 (Sun), from 4:30pm to 7:00pm

• Chinese Music Concert, with Chinese dance and sweets.

Tickets: 500yen per person. Tickets are on sale at Fureai Plaza.

Event details: http://www.fureai-plaza.jp/f2009-09.pdf

Venue:
Tsukuba-shi Fureai Plaza
Shimo Iwasaki 2164-1 Tsukuba City, Ibaraki 300-1273
Phone: 029-876-2311
Web: http://www.fureai-plaza.jp/
Map 1 and Map 2

Given the recent unfortunate event in China (a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan area last Monday May 12), the Association of Chinese Students in the University of Tsukuba has organized a donation-collecting event within the Tsukuba area. This Saturday, they
are going to be in Ninomiya House room #3308 from 7 pm to 9 pm to collect donations. Those people who want to support the earthquake victims in China, please stop by. Any amount will be welcomed. Even with 100 yen, you are offering a bit of warmth for those who are in need. (Please check out the association website if you can read Chinese.)

If the schedule is inconvenient to you but you still want to help, please make your donation by depositing money to the Association of Chinese Students or the Red Cross Japan. Please find below the
information about both donation accounts:

1. Red Cross Japan (by the post office)
Account number: 00110-2-5606
Account name: 日本赤十字社 (Nihon Sekijyuujisha)
For more details please check this URL:

http://www.jrc.or.jp/sanka/help/news/1394.html

2. Association of Chinese Students in the University of Tsukuba (by Joyo Bank)
Branch: 研究学園都市 (kenkyugakuentoshi)
Account #: 2995843
Account name: Tsukuba daigaku chuugoku ryugakusei gakuyukai
After you make the deposit please notify the Association by email　(acssut[AT]gmail.com) with all the information about the deposit.

As far as I checked over the internet there are some other donation methods in Japan such as Yahoo Wallet. Please check them out to find the most convenient method for you.

1 Comments

• At May 16, 2008, poetryman69 wrote:

  may God bless those who suffer

For those who want to give money/goods donations, you may course it though the Filipino Association of Scholars in Tsukuba (FAST). They are collecting money and goods for donation, which will be forward to the RED CROSS.

PLEASE CONTACT:
Vallerie Ann Innis Samson
X-ray Laboratory
National Institute of Materials Science
1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0047, Japan

Other related blog posts on the web :

1. How to help Typhoon Ondoy victims
2. Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) disaster relief efforts in San Francisco, CA
3. Donating to Manila from abroad
4. Ondoy Victims - Send Online and In-Kind Donations
5. Some Photos taken during the height of the Typhoon

And if you visit YouTube, you would find lots of videos there to see how Typhoon Ondoy hit Metro Manila.

Thanks and be safe to all.

======
dimaks blogs at skamid.com

1 Comments

• At October 5, 2009, PaperTiger wrote:

  Thank you very much for creating this entry to solicit help for Ondoy victims. You are offering a huge favor.

  The Philippines is still in need of more donations for the victims of the 2 recent typhoons which hit the country the past 2 weekends.

  An American Entrepreneur already offered help by giving away $50 each to chosen people in the Philippines who are personally extending help to their own relatives, family members, friends, neighbors, and even strangers who are greatly affected by the strong storms. He even created a site that gave way for soliciting help around the globe. He has started the movement. Let us offer help in any way we can.

  No amount is too little when it comes from the heart.

  Please visit:

  http://nanoaid.org/papertiger/ for information on how you can help.

YAMAMOMO on campus at Tsukuba U

Leaving the offices of the Tsukuba University Medical School, I crossed over the pedestrian bridge which takes you into the OIKOSHI cluster of dormitories at the southern end of the unusually long and narrow campus. With the morning air already sweltering, and my mind (and stomach) set on some ONIGIRI (rice balls) which I hoped to get at the convenience store just up ahead, my ears were grabbed by a muffled, yet distinct series of rapid-fire THUDS- thud..thud..thud..thud. When I stopped to search for the source of the sound, I looked to my left and saw a large tree. At that moment I was also just able to catch a glimpse of an excited looking group of birds descending greedily into its foliage. The ground beneath the tree was littered generously with what looked like large round rasberries, and the branches themselves were heavy-laden with these same fruit, which were in fact falling from the tree at a quick and steady pace ( the pecking of birds no doubt helped keep the fruit falling).

A closer look !

 Too late in the season to be mulberries , I stepped onto the grass for an up-close look- YAMAMOMO - which anyone who has been to China (or a Chinese grocery store)  might know of as YANG-MEI (楊梅). The Japanese reading of these characters is YO-BAI (which it is sometimes referred to as  in written sources in Japan), but in this country these fruit are almost only referred to in conversation using the rustic moniker YAMAMOMO , which literally means mountain peach, or wild peach.

 Luckilly, this particular tree was low enough for the fruit to be within easy grabbing reach (other trees in Tsukuba are often too high for casual foraging), I picked one, popped it into my mouth and savoured its soft texture and sweet-sour flavor. My fingers were stained dark red in the process, but that did not stop me from pulling off a few more to enjoy as I walked on.

Sometimes called Chinese bayberries in English (scientific name- myrica rubra), YAMAMOMO are native to Japan and China, and can be found growing in East and South-East Asia. The YAMAMOMO tree flower in April and bear their fruit, in clusters, in June. The berries do not keep very well, so if you do pick them you will want to eat them right away (and NOW is the absolute best time, and the harveting season lasts about 2 weeks). Japanese people also use the berries to make jam and YAMAMOMO flavored liquor.

A full view of the tree

In China YANG-MEI (yamamomo) are something of a major product, especially south of the Yangtze. They are harvested and processed as dried fruit (some flavored with licorice), canned fruit, and various types of liquor. Recently, Chinese companies have been making juice from YAMAMOMO and marketing it in the west as YUMBERRY JUICE. If you are interested, I have found a New York Times article about this beverage. Fortunately, those of us living in Tsukuba (and other parts of East Asia) can enjoy FRESH YAMAMOMO, and for free, at that.

Here is the NYT piece

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/dining/12yumb.html?_r=1

YAMAMOMO contain plenty of important vitamins (vitamin c, carotene, riboflavin etc.) and minerals.

Remember, you have a bout a two week window of opportunity to pick these berries at their most delicious. After that its back to dried, canned and frozen! There are plenty of their trees around Tsukuba ( I have alreadt told you the general location of one)and in Tokyo as well (where they are a common roadside tree). Im not gonna give any more details on the trees whereabouts ! I dont want to spoil the joy of the search for you!

1 Comments

• At June 28, 2009, ginni wrote:

  "Yum Fruit" I'll be right over! Quickly, from North Coast California! When I first looked at your "yumfruit" I thought certainly it must be the squishy reddish fruit of my childhood, hanging in clusters over the neighbor's fence - just for a little kid to climb up and eat on the spot! Much like little peaches, yes, but not your yumfruit... (guava) sigh. Myrica rubra: yamamomo; kanji: 山桃 (Wikipedia [mountain山 peach - I'm a real beginner!]) Everything you said is true re: health benefits! By the time I get to Tsukuba, tho, they'll all be gone. Happy Memories! Thanks, Avi -ginni, Mendocino Village. BTW~Would 'ya be willing to send me my Spring&Summer-name kanji: "Flower Thief" ~ I Am & All in fun. But it's my Best Therapy, and furthers my practice of ikebana! only if you wish... ; )

Ever since these channels of communications were opened, Japanese and British people alike have often remarked upon the similarities between their two nations – despite the vast distance separating them. As a Briton living in Japan, this is something that I decided to take a first-hand look at for myself.

Perhaps the most obvious trait that the two countries share is geographical; on opposite ends of Eurasia, both are composed of islands that overlook large oceans on one side and comparatively small expanses of water on the other that separate them from the main super-continental landmass.

Such close proximity to oceanic currents induces unique climates in both nations, yet here this particular similarity ends; whereas Japan has four distinct seasons with warm summers and cold winters in most of the country, we Britons often jokingly complain that we have only a single season all year-round.

Certainly, the most compelling similarities are cultural, and incidentally one noteworthy quirk that we seem to share is our ‘island mentalities’.

Just as Japan traditionally sees itself as separate from mainland Asia, so too Britain thinks of itself as detached from mainland Europe. To this day it has refused to give up the pound sterling in favour of the currency of the European Union (the Euro), despite being one of its most prominent members for many years.

Indeed, there are also political likenesses. Both states have constitutional monarchies for governments, and ceremonial heads of state (positions currently held by Queen Elizabeth II and Emperor Akihito) – vestiges of long periods in the past spent as absolute monarchies.

It is arguable, however, that the Japanese of today more actively appreciate this aspect of their history than do their British counterparts, and the existence of an annual Japanese public holiday in commemoration of the incumbent Emperor’s birthday is perhaps the best evidence of this. Monarchs in Britain in fact have two birthdays – an official* and an actual one – and neither is a public holiday for the majority of British citizens (only civil servants are given a ‘privilege day’).

Possibly it is fair to say that one of the few areas where things are wholly different lies in language, something to which multilingual speakers of both English and Japanese frequently attest.

Surely, though there will always be differences between the British and the Japanese in all avenues of life, it would certainly seem that there are undeniable likenesses, too – whether they are political, cultural, historical, or even geographical. But personally, the most interesting ‘British’ traits that I have found I share with the Japanese are too unique and peculiar to be categorised.

They are my very British habit of talking about the weather to avoid discussing what’s really going on inside my head.

And my very British love of a good cup of tea.

Footnote: *For example: though Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21st in 1926, her ‘official’ birthday celebrations are held on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd June of every year. The tradition was initially begun by King Edward VII for purely practical reasons; prior to its inauguration, parades and outdoor celebrations to commemorate the birthdays of monarchs born in winter months were often spoiled due to bad weather!

2 Comments

• At December 13, 2008, Manuel Lara Bisch wrote:

  Isn't it a bit of a faux-pas to refer to the current emperor by his era name? 勝手に天皇陛下を殺さないでくださいよ～

• At December 13, 2008, Ben Ahmady wrote:

  The article is primarily aimed at non-Japanese. I don't think it would have been quite as educational had I written: "positions currently held by Queen Elizabeth II and His Majesty The Emperor". In hindsight, I should have referred to him as Akihito, and I admit that oversight, so I have altered the content.

A few weeks ago I was surprised to see that there were policemen at each corner of every intersection along Higashi-Odori (one of Tsukuba's main thoroughfares), for as many kilometers as I would travel down it. Each of these officers had a little decoration on his shoulder, so it was clear that this was VIP related. Since I had read that Prince Charles was in Japan on that day, I assumed that he had made a surprise visit to Tsukuba.

Well , it turns out that the Prince of Wales never did come to Tsukuba. However, I was not very far off the mark. Royalty, was in fact coming, and in heavy doses.  What I had seen was merely a dress rehearsal. There would be still more rehearsals (not only for the police) after the one I had seen -- because this was going to be MAJOR == the Emperor and Empress of Japan (representing the longest continuous dynasty in the world) would be visiting Tsukuba. This in itself would merit a rehearsal or two, but putting more pressure on security services and Tsukuba City officials, they would be bringing along two very special guests, also of very ancient lineage: the King and Queen of Spain. (The King is a successor to the Capetian Dynasty which is the oldest in Europe. He is a descendant of Charles V, Louis XIV and Queen Victoria, among others.)

Though we have had a Nobel Prize winner or two among us, since the Tsukuba Expo of 1985, when a whole slew of world leaders and royalty whipped in and out of town, there have been few such occasions to excite our local royal and celebrity watchers. 

I was surprised to learn (since I come from a very security conscious country) that a detailed itinerary of the visit was released in advance, and even more surprised to eventually find that it was followed, to the minute.

The plan to visit Tsukuba certainly came about due to a shared interest on the part of the Emperor and the King in science and technology. But by this I do not necessarily mean the space and robot technology that they would be shown at the Tsukuba Space Center or at Tsukuba University. It seems that the planners of this trip took into consideration both monarchs' particular affection for a more classic technology -- TRAINS! (I was glad that Juan Carlos was not taken to indulge in one of his favorite pastimes: BEAR HUNTING!)

The two couples would be setting out from Ueno Station after having boarded the Imperial Family's new PRIVATE TRAIN, several cars long, which would let them off at Tsuchiura Station. Later, they would be going back to Tokyo by TX (with the whole train specially reserved, of course).

The day of the royal arrival was dark, drizzly and a little cold. This did not deter lovers of the Imperial Family from waiting by the road, for an hour or two, at various locations along the route of the Imperial procession, so that they would be able to watch as it passed by. They came, mostly women over 60, by the busload (many of these women also volunteer, at no small personal expense, to clean the grounds of the Imperial Palace every year -- the subject of a future entry).

However, with all the blue blood seated in their specially made limousines, these women were mostly interested in catching a glimpse of a commoner. Of course, I'm talking about Empress Michiko, the first woman of non-aristocratic lineage to marry into the family of the Sun-Goddess. I have found that many Japanese, again, usually women of a certain age, are deeply moved by what they consider to be Michiko's kindness, patience, concern for the people, and beauty.

(I have my own Michiko moment. In Tokyo, on another drizzly day near the Empress's alma mater, Seishin, we found a street lined with policemen. I asked what was going on, and was told that Michiko would be passing by soon, on the way to a class reunion. We asked if we could wait and were told that by all means we could. A plain-clothes officer then proceeded to talk into his radio. I couldn't overhear him, but I assumed he was reporting our presence for security. I was wrong, however. He had informed the procession that some foreigners were standing and waiting outside in the rain to greet the Empress. Anyway, I guess that is what he said, because the car Michiko was in (in the middle of a convoy, of course), came to a near halt. The window then rolled down and we were given a very elegant nod by Her Majesty. I'm almost embarrassed to say that it was a MOVING experience and that I've had a special feeling for the COMMONER EMPRESS ever since.)

I had no particular plan to watch the processions, but as it turned out I was able to see both couples clearly, on at two different times of day, as they slowly drove by, waving to the crowd from open windows. I was also able to snap some pictures with my cell phone camera, which by shear luck (I held the keitai high over the crowd and shot at random) captured the moment.

An important impression which remains after any imperial sighting of this sort is the sheer sense of thrill in the air -- exuded not only by the older women who had come by chartered bus, or by the few 30-ish, male amateur paparazzi (though they seem to be just ardent fans of the Imperial Family) mounted on tall step ladders with very long and expensive-looking telephoto lenses who proudly show off their shots to the excited ladies after the procession has passed (to cries of "Michiko's face really IS kind and gentle"), but also the local policemen who show genuine emotion which lingers strongly even after the royals have been long gone. They bow, to the well-wishers and give an emotional thanks to all those who came out in the bad weather - ARIGATO GOZAIMASHITA!

For me, this double royal visit was less thrilling than thought provoking. Of course ,one cannot be but baffled at what makes blue blood so captivating for the public in this day and age. I would recommend reading a little about Juan Carlos- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Carlos_I_of_Spain                                                                         

and the current Emperor of Japan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihito

and then tying to imagine what they spoke about sitting side by side during the train rides from Tokyo and back.

The visit also gets one to reflect on the history of Japanese-Spanish relations,which go back to the16th century.  Spain in fact  had  an immense impact on the course of Japanese history. It was distrust of the motives of the Spanish and the missionaries who came with them (fuelled of course by the opinions of the Dutch and English), which led to the banning of Christianity, and the more than 200 years of National Seclusion(sakoku) which followed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakoku .

When: TODAY, Oct. 17, Saturday
Time: 14:00
Venue: Namiki Kouminkan by the Namiki Shopping Center (MAP)
Admission: FREE

Tsukuba based group called Kibou no Gakkou will hold a special showing of Hana Makhmalbaf film called "Buda as sharm foru rikht" (子供の情景/ Kodomo no Joukei) today at Namiki Kouminkan.

For more information,
please contact Kibou no Gakkou:
http://www.kibou-school.org/

Ref.:
Buda as sharm foru rikht
http://kodomo.cinemacafe.net/index_pc.html

Hana Makhmalbaf
http://www.makhmalbaf.com/