Konnichiwa (Archived)

A New Accessory
(reported on ZIP, news programe, Nov. 28)

We all know how much Japanese adore their surgical masks. (read chapter 12 of 'I am an Alien') Japanese use masks when they are having the flu. They use masks when they don't want to catch viruses from other people. They use masks to avoid allergies to flower pollens.

Now young ladies have found an ingenious use for the surgical masks. On days when they don't feel like wearing make-up or have no time to put on make-up, they use surgical masks to hide their 'su-pin' faces. A 'su-pin' face is a face void of make-up.

Another fancy use of the surgical mask involves placing it under your chin, instead of across your face, to make your whole face look smaller, and thus cuter.

To cater to this new market, mask markers have come out with a mask with sharp features that makes one looks prettier with a sharper nose and chin, albeit a fake one.

Weird, the next time you come across a lady who looks pretty, take a closer look, it could just be her mask!

No Time to Eat
(reported on Mezamashi TV, June 26)

Primary school kids are reported to have only about 15~20mins for lunch even though the stipulated government guideline is for 50mins. Most teachers have to gather for a mid-day meeting before they are able to come back to class to direct the distributing of lunch. By the time lunch is doled out, kids have only about 15mins to eat, maybe less. Most schools realised that it is not healthy for kids to be gobbling up their lunches, but pointed out that there is just no time in the school curriculum.

With the abandonment of the 'Utori' education, most schools are hard at finding extra time for lunch. More time must be allocated to studying. The news commentor however correctly pointed out that schools missed the point. To give up on 'Utori' does not mean to increase the time for studying, it means to increase the content of study.

Japan's education system is too used to measure the quality of studying by the time spent studying instead of the content of study. Which is why kids spend so much time in school and yet they are not necessarily learning more things than kids in other countries.



"Unhealthy" lifespan
(Asahi Shimbum, June 19)


We all know that Japanese has one of the longest lifespan in the world. In a report by the Ministry of Welfare, in 2010 the average lifespan of a Japanese male is 79.64yrs and that of a female is 86.39yrs. The report further segregates lifespan into "healthy" lifespan and "unhealthy" lifespan. "Healthy" lifespan is the period in which a senior is not in need of nursing care or medical attention. Compared to data collected 9 years ago, the average lifespan of a Japanese has increased by about 1 and a half year, whereas the average "healthy" lifespan of a Japanese has only increased by about 1year. In 2010, the average "healthy" lifespan of a Japanese male is 70.42yrs and that of a female is 73.62yrs. Compared that to the average lifespan, "unhealthy" lifespan works out to be 9.22yrs for males and 12.77yrs for females.

All this means one thing, we can expect increase in demand for medical and nursing care for seniors going forward.


Japanese are Super-Cool this summer

(Reported on NHK news, June 1)

Starting today, the Japanese government is promoting a casual-dress code for all business and official functions. This is in tune with the threat of a power shortage this summer. The government is taking the lead at reducing the use of airconditioning, hoping to help conserve the use of electricity. To cope with the seething heat, suits and ties are giving way to T-shirts and casuals.

Past summers, it was CoolBiz, a term meaning dressing light for business. Many businesses have already given up shirts, suits and ties (a regular Japanese dress code) in favour of short-sleeves shirts without ties. This summer, CoolBiz is just not enough to help cope with the imminent power shortage, a result of the continuing shut-down of various nulcear power plants in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. This summer, it is SuperCoolBiz!

So, expect some SuperCool dudes on the streets of Japan this summer!

No Pace at Cremation

(Article published in Asahi Shimbum, May 14)

Among the nation's 1500 crematoriums, some were reported to have rejected deceased persons who had pace-makers left in their bodies. As bodies are subjected to high heat while being cremated, the lithum batteries in pace-makers can cause explosions and may cause harm to the workers at the crematoriums. Workers normally have to open a small window to adjust a body during cremation. If and when the batteries of pace-makers disintegrate and explode then, workers will be injured. Actual cases had been reported.

In 1989, the relevant authority issued a guideline to advise the extraction of pace-makers from bodies prior to cremation. Where extraction is not possible, notice must be given to the crematorium handling the cases. Many crematoriums have rules that require the relatives of the deceased to declare the existence of pace-makers left in the body. In such cases, workers will not open the adjustment window until it is considered safe.

Last year, in the Nara Prefecture, cases of crematoriums refusing to handle bodies with pace-makers left inside them were reported. At the public crematoriums, extraction of pace-makers is a compulsory condition.

According to the 'Irregular heartbeat' (不整脈）association, other prefectures may have also adopted measures to enforce the extraction of pace-makers prior to cremation. The association is studying this situation and is expected to have a report ready by this summer. The association will then request the government to set up a guideline.

The Shrinking Babies
(Reported on Asahi Shimbum, April 29)

Babies in Japan are born smaller compared to 30 years ago, about 250gms smaller. This is partly attributed to mothers wanting to stay in shape and who have dieted during their pregnancies. Another contributing factor is the trend of more women giving birth at a later age. Babies born to them tend to be smaller than the average. Highlighted in the article was also the excessive weight controls recommended during pregnacy. Many gynaecologists have traditionally been very strict with the weight increase of pregnant mothers, citing possible health effects and complications during pregnancy and birth.

In a 2010 report, the average weight of a baby boy is 2980gms, and the average weight of a baby girl is 2930gms.


Japan - Unplugged

(This subject is widely reported in the local media, appearing on NHK online Apr/23 & on Asahi Shimbum Apr/24)

You have read about the 2011 Mar/11 earthquake and you must know about the ongoing nuclear crisis in Fukushima. But unless you are living in Japan, you may not be aware of the ongoing power crisis that had been going on ever since the earthquake.

The world came to realise that even for a highly advanced and efficient country like Japan, nuclear power is never 'safe'. The earthquake had made all Japanese realise that there can never be a 100% guarantee in safety, and when it comes to a nuclear accident, the costs can outweigh all the benefits of this so called 'clean power'.

In the wake of the nuclear crisis in Fukushima, all the other nuclear plants in Japan have come under tight scrutiny. One by one, they have been shut down for safety checks and security improvements, while awaiting permission to operate again. But residents near and far from these nuclear plants have protested the re-start of these plants. Without these nuclear plants running, Japan is once again facing a power shortage this summer. Last summer, Japanese were told to conserve power. In winter, they were again told to conserve power. This coming summer, with all the nuclear plants out of operation, the power situation is said to be worse.

Base on last summer's consumption, and a forecasted scorching summer, power shortages are expected to occur all over the nation, with Kansai and Kanto worst hit. Kansai Power is expecting a power shortage of as much as 16.3%. If demand outstrips supply, large scale black-out is expected in major cities this summer.

Japanese have heeded calls to cut down on power demand last summer and winter, and Japan has managed to stay afloat afterall. Last summer, air-cons were set at 28 degrees celcius; lights in all supermarkets and stores were dimmed; unused home appliances were unplugged. Businesses are already feeling the stress from increasing costs and decreasing productivity.

I wonder just how long can Japan stay unplug?

More than 1000 children missing in Japan!

(This news appeared on Asahi Shimbum on April 20th)

There are more than 1000 primary and secondary school kids who are considered "lost" for at least a year and more.

Earlier this month, a boy who should have been 9 years old was reported "untraceable". Four relatives, including the boy's grandparents, who had been collecting subsidy payments for the boy, have been arrested. The boy, who was last recorded as living with his great-grandmother, had not attended school and may be unaccounted for since a toddler. Last August, his great-grandmother requested her city council to delete the boy's name from its list of residents, citing that the boy is not living with her. She had heard that the boy was left at a home by his father. Further investigation did not turn up the boy.

According to the authorities, a child can become "missing" when he/her parents moved to a new place and failed to register their new residence with the local city council. In the case where a child followed his/her foreigner parent home, his/her status may become unaccounted for too, and thus he/she becomes "lost". It can only be hoped that these "lost" children are just "lost" on paper, untraceable because of some human error, and not human terror.