Maternity Mark
It is easy to give up your seat on the train when you see someone who is elderly or has a clear physical disability. However, it can be difficult to tell when someone is pregnant. In order to help pregnant women get the special consideration they deserve on trains and other public places, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has created a "maternity mark", a kind of sticker or badge that pregnant women can put on their purses or key chains.
If you see a woman displaying this symbol, please refrain from smoking and treat her with special consideration, if the situation calls for it.
I think that women who are pregnant will receive some "maternity mark" goods when they receive their "Mother and Child Health Handbook", but I am not sure. Can anyone else confirm this? I know that they were handing out badges with this symbol at some train stations when they first came out (in the summer of 2006), but I don't think they are doing that anymore. Can anyone tell us where to get maternity mark goods in Tsukuba?
I think this is a good idea, in principle, but I am not sure how many women will actually display the sign when they are pregnant. It seems like an invasion of privacy, in an especially private country. It also seems kind of embarrassing to walk around with a badge that says "there is a baby in my belly". Then again, I would never wear one of those surgical masks in public, but people do it here all the time. So, I guess if women start using the sign, it will become more acceptable, and they will feel more comfortable using it.
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Plenty of BLUE BLOOD passing through Tsukuba’s Main Arteries
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 .
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Solemn OPEN HOUSE Event at the Old Nogi Residence (next to the Nogi shrine in Tokyo) on September 12th and 13th- the Anniversary of the General`s ( and his wife`s) Ritual Suicide (s)
The blood stained kimonos worn by Gen. Nogi and his wife at the time of their ritual suicides are on display (along with their other personal effects) for two days in September each year
When it was announced that the Meiji Emperor had fallen ill on July 20th 1912, all Japan was thrown into a state of deep concern and restraint. By that I mean that all festivities were called off, out of respect for the Emperor’s condition. Many refrained from any entertainment or pleasures. Some even abstained from taking alcohol or meat. When the sovereign died on July 29th, this somber mood turned into one of disbelief, deep grief and even hysteria (the house of the doctor treating His Majesty was attacked).
It took more than a month for the actual funeral to get underway (because of the elaborate preparations and also to give foreign dignitaries time to arrive). The grave itself was not to be in Tokyo but in Fushimi, Kyoto. As temple bells tolled throughout the country to mark the start of the funeral procession which would take the Emperor’s remains out of the capital, General Maresuke Nogi, one of the great figures of the Meiji Period, and his wife Shizuko, committed ritual suicide. First, the General assisted his wife in stabbing her neck, and he then proceeded to cut open his belly with three slashes.
This dramatic display of loyalty, deeply impressed the nation (and the world) at that time. The incident has been used in scenes of several of Japan’s greatest novels (including A River With No Bridge, recently reviewed in Tsukublog). The Nogi’s simple wooden residence was left as a memorial to the couple, and eventually their spirits were enshrined as Kami. A shrine, Nogi Jinja, was subsequently constructed just downhill of the old house.
Yes. In Japan, MERE MORTALS can be enshrined and turned into Gods. Over the centuries, most of those deified were great national heroes, though some were feared enemies whose spirits had to be appeased and placated (like our local rebel leader Taira no Masakado, enshrined at Kanda Myojin). Of course, General Nogi and his wife are to be classified in the former category. The General had played a major role in Japan’s rise from hermit kingdom to regional superpower with his greatest claim to fame being the capture of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese war. This led to international superstardom. When Nogi toured European countries in 1911, he was given spirited welcomes wherever he went. I have heard that in Turkey as well as Romania, the crowds went wild.
Though General Nogi’s SEPPUKU (ritual suicide) is often seen as the ultimate act of JUNSHI (loyalty) in that he followed his master to the grave, when we look at his story in more detail, we can see the General in a different, and I think more interesting light.
General Nogi’s military successes, and in fact his career in general, were marred by severe dark spots. Early on, in the battles between the new Imperial forces and the old Shogunate (1877), Nogi lost his regimental flag, a great disgrace which always hung over him. And even his moment of greatest triumph, the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 is greatly marred by the fact that Japan lost 60,000 troops just to take Port-Arthur. The Nogi’s two sons (their only children) were among the dead. This astounding loss of life was a great weight on Nogi’s conscience and apparently he dreaded returning to Japan to all the pomp and celebration waiting for him.
After having gone through the motions of the victory parade, the General presented himself to the Emperor and proceeded to break down crying. He asked for permission to commit ritual suicide. The Emperor refused with these famous words. CHIN GA IKITERU UCHI WA SHINU KOTO WA NARANU ZO. In other words, YOU HAVE NO PERMISSION TO DIE WHILE I’M STILL ALIVE.
Since the General had lost his children, the Emperor decided to give him a whole slew of surrogate kids by making him director of the GAKUSHUIN school for the children of the Imperial family and nobility. Nogi spent the next five years instilling the samurai virtues of patience, perseverance and modesty into his wards. The future Showa Emperor (Hirohito) was among those in his care.
When the Meiji Emperor died, Nogi went ahead and did what he had long felt he had to do: atone for all the death and devastion he had caused, and take responsibility for the serious mistakes he had made in the past.
The Nogi Shrine and the old Nogi Residence are located just past the new Tokyo Mid-Town Complex, a few minutes’ walk from Roppongi Station. The ever-encroaching brand name luxury and decadence must surely have the General wincing in his grave. The Shrine can be visited any day, and if you go, you are likely to see a traditional wedding. The shrine office sells small gourds, the type in which the General used to keep his Sake stash in (they also sell his favorite sake, from Tochigi, which is where he had long been stationed).
Of interest is also a dogwood tree planted by none other than Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was apparently an admirer of Nogi. Some actually believe that American bombers purposely spared the shrine (could this be true?), under orders from the very top.
Every year on September 12 and 13th (the anniversary of the couple’s suicide), the old house is opened to the public. I have gone in past years (on the 12th or 13th) and wandered about, looking at all the clothes and accessories laid out on display and trying to conjure up images of the old couple as they prepared for their end. The house itself is a spartan, wooden structure based on French military barracks Nogi had seen while in Europe. Across from the house are the brick stables where the white horse, presented to the General by his Russian counterpart,Stessel, after his victory at Port Arthur, was housed.
A steady stream of visitors is always cheerfully greeted by the staff. Most of them linger longest in front of the room where the couple died, which is marked off with bits of sacred paper. Among the medals and uniforms laid out are a bit of cloth, bloodied from the ritual suicide.
Looking at the old clocks and telephones puts me in a contemplative mood. But the bath and various toilets really bring forth images of the old couple back before my eyes.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not a glorifier of SEPPUKU or ANYTHING military, for that matter. I do however, think that a visit to the old Nogi residence and shrine is important food for thought regarding both Japan’s past and its present. I also have to say that the General DOES set a good example. I think that ALL people of power, who benefit from sending soldiers off to kill and be killed, or likewise profit from death and destruction, should follow the Nogis’ lead and disembowel themselves. That would be quite appropriate, don’t you think?
A tree planted next to the Nogi Residence by General Douglas MacArthur in honor of the late great general whom he admired
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The Legend Returns to the Place of Origin
Following is the article submitted to the Alien Times by the TAIHEN "The legend of Maha-Laba Villege" Performance Executive Committee. You can also read this article in the current issue of the Alien Times. [Find a copy of the latest Alien Times]
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The Legend Returns to the Place of Origin
～Internationally Acclaimed Performance Group to Perform in Tsuchiura～
By TAIHEN "The legend of Maha-Laba Villege" Performance Executive Committee
Maha-Laba Mura (Maha-Laba Village) was a commune of people with cerebral palsy which existed in Ibaraki prefecture in Japan from the mid to late 1960s. The conditions and experiences in this isolated commune led to the development of the ideas and policies of the Blue-Lawn Party. This party led an intense liberation movement of disabled people in the 1970s. The party's beliefs and actions were a challenge directed toward the value system of non-disabled society and its eugenic ideology. The party's intensity was a shock to the non-disabled world, but the movement collapsed before long.
It is a story about the genesis and decay of an isolated microcosm. People with no place in society escaped into the microcosm and built their own life. Taihen tries to picture this story as a myth, to symbolize true nature of the
universal existence of human beings.
TAIHEN has been invited by a group of Ibaragi residents to perform "The Legend of Maha-Laba Village" in Tsuchiura. This is significant both for the performers and the audience in that Maha-Laba Village was once located in Ibaragi.
TAIHEN is a physical theatre troupe of physically disabled people which has been actively performing professionally since 1983 in Japan. They have been performing internationally since 1993. Manri Kim has found that the disabled body has an expression that none other can create. Their twisted, distorted bodies, normally considered to be ungainly are transformed into peculiar beauty. What she has started is a completely new genre, neither Butoh nor dance, that has given much inspiration and hope to all people, whether disabled or not. All performers have polio, cerebral palsy or other conditions and most require 24 hour care, so they need unique backstage crews and Kurokos (assistants dressed in black as in Japanese puppet theater), who help
the performers to enter and exit the stage.
"If you are wishing to express the universe and yourself,
the means of manifestation may be found in authentic
inner motion, which might be unrecognized motion in a
customary movement".
TAIHEN is a troupe of physical performers deeply expressing
their inner selves. The performers' motions are far from
standard but they crawl, wriggle, squirm, walk, run and jump
unaided. Though their individual expressive line may not look
straight nor look stable, their inevitable movement is finely
balanced. One's movement is directly connected to one's
inner life. In Taihen's creation, the audience can unite with
the performers to sense and to experience the unity of
microcosm (physical body) with the universe.
TAIHEN's stage works are without words. The works are "physical theatre" in which physically disabled performers try to turn their distorted bodies and ungainly movement into symbolic expression. TAIHEN will speak about "Maha-Laba village" confronting a civilization steeped in the ideology of erasing disabled people, but it is not a story about the disabled people only. Rather, we speak of universal human existence.
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"The legend of Maha-Laba Villege" performances
Sunday, May 10th, 2009
Morning performance starts at 11:30, doors open at 11:00
Afternoon performance starts at 17:30, doors open at 17:00
Place:
Ibaraki Ken-nan Syogai-gakushu center
(Urara building 5F, Front of JR Tsuchiura St. West gate)
Tickets:
Adults: 3,000 yen (2700 yen advance),
students or elderlies: 2,500 yen,
A pair of the disabled and the attendant:
3,000 yen, the disabled: 2,500 yen
* You can also reserve tickets online:
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~TJ2M-SNJY/upcoming/mahaibaragi_res.htm
Information:
TAIHEN "The legend of Maha-Laba Villege" performance Executive Committee
Tel: 080-5097-2288 (Orito), E-mail: oriton435[at]yahoo.co.jp
Wesite (English): http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~TJ2M-SNJY/
Blog: http://taihen.tsukuba.ch/
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Tsukuba People (and Robots)
Here is a post from from Robots Dreams:
In the US, Jin Sato is probably most well known for his LEGO Mindstorms creations - especially MIBO, the Mindstorms version of AIBO. But here in Japan, Jin is one of the top ROBO-ONE competitors, an active robotics business developer, and a researcher at the AIST laboratories in Tsukuba - a real hot bed of advanced robot projects.
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