A Nice Waterfall, Niigata

Cod: Putin, North Korea, and Stupid Policy

Japan has imposed bans on certain Russian imports (lumber, LNG) but not on the fish. Why? Don't know. But what I do know is it's boneheaded: cod is caught in Japanese waters. Support of Russia means support of NK, which is clearly against Japan's interest. Not to mention Ukraine.

Yahiko Shrine Ride Video: Big Red Gate

To Yahiko and back today, 80K. The torii gate is most impressive.

New Japan by Bike Videos

Here Here And Here

Weekend Cycling: Niigata, Yamagata, Fukushima

Nobel Peace Prize, 2024: Hidankyo, Japan

The Japanese association Hidankyo, which represents atomic bomb victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-Bomb attacks and currently numbers 106, 825 survivors (average age 85) of the indiscriminate targeting of Japanese civilians in those cities in 1945, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. Congratulations. So, what did Hiroshima look like after the bombing?

Crickets

One of the things I like most about this time of year is the crickets, who make their appearance in late August or early September and hang around until October. There are numerous species, and autumn evenings offer a symphony of cricket chorus, as the following files record.

Grannie Chops Wood To Heat Water for180+- year-old Public Bath

I watched a TV program this evening about unique people and places in Japan. From Iwate Prefecture comes the story of Hiryusan no Yuu (飛龍山の湯) a 180+-year-old bath (not onsen) located in the mountains 40 minutes by car from the nearest city. Tsubuhari Kimi, who gave her age as 88, is the 7th- generation caretaker of the bath. Every day she cleans the bath and chops wood to heat the water. The bath is free, by the way. She explained that she does this out of a sense of loyalty and responsibility as well as a wish that the medicinal properties of the water heal the sick. I couldn't find a YouTube video, but there's this.

Cycling Video: North by Niigata (and a monkey, briefly)

The plan was to ride to ramen town Hakata, Fukushima, via Niigata and Yamagata, but the weather didn't cooperate. No worries, saw some nice scenery. And a monkey.

Fresh Produce from an Unstaffed Stall

I rode home from work along a different route today and discovered a roadside veg stand, where a local woman on her bike was purchasing some onions. After exchanging a few words about the unseasonable heat, I lifted the lids from the styrofoam boxes and selected purple onions and eggplant. Payment: 200 yen, placed in a wooden box visible in the bottom right of the photo. Honor system.

Froggie

I nearly overlooked this frog atop a garbage can at Kajikawa Roadside Station in Shibata City.

Japanese Child Killed in China

Japan operates schools overseas for children of diplomats, businesspeople, etc. Recently, a 10-year-old Japanese student in China was murdered while on his way to school. Days later, a local official commented on social media that killing Japanese in China was a duty. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/7da53d7d20ad48e9122347ed0107ced8b70307c0

Sado Cycling: Nashinoki Jizo

I've never seen so many statues or figures of Jizo-sama at one place. The story of the Nishinoki Pass Stone Jizo is legendary. Long ago, a fisherman from the coastal village of Toyoda set out in his single-mast vessel. Some distance from shore, the sail unaccountably went slack, and his boat stopped. Peering into the sea, he noticed a shiny object on the sea bottom; diving in, he retrieved a small figure (30cm) of Jizo-sama. Abandoning the fishing, he returned to port, where he summoned his neighbors to discuss what to do, as this eerie and unprecedented experience clearly required a response. The result: a shrine to the Bodhisattva. Some time later, as the votive figures to Jizo-sama increased, it was decided to move the shrine to Nashinoki Pass, several kilometers from Toyoda Village. As the video shows, there are thousands of Jizo-sama figurines. The shrine has an air of isolation (though it is no more than 100 meters from the road, the sign announcing it is parallel to the roadway, not perpendicular), dereliction, even abandon. The pinwheels and stuffed animals were especially poignant (as appeals are made to Jizo-sama by pregnant mothers and parents of children suffering from illness).

Goddess of Mercy

A temple to Kannon in downtown Niigata.

Niigata, 1859

In 1858, the Edo shogunate named Niigata one of 5 treaty ports open to international trade, ending more than 200 years of isolation. Ganzuiji a temple near the port, hosted discussions between local authorities and foreign emissaries who visited the following year, 1859. https://note.com/brian_southwick/n/ne5c716f2b50a#:~:text=%E6%97%A5%2017%3A10-,Niigata,-was%20named%20one

Sado Cycling Photos

Monday was a holiday in Japan - Respect for the Aged- and as Sunday (ordinarily my only day off) was a washout, I postponed my 1-day cycling trip to Sado to the following day. It started out overcast, but by lunchtime the sun was out, and unlike the recent past, the humidity was not outrageous. So, a great day on the bike on Japan's largest island that is not a prefecture. Photos of the trip to follow. Video here.

The bike on the boat

Nagano Soba: Uzuraya, Tokakushi

I visited Tokakushi Shrine in Nagano last weekend. Uzuraya (opposite the main gate at 中社, the central of Togakushi's three shrines) served up the best soba I've ever had.

Artist Tana Keiichi

A bit ago I switched on the tele to public broadcaster NHK's education programming and discovered the work of prominent contemporary Japanese artist Tanaami Keiichi, of whom I had never heard. He died today. Either the broadcaster hastily prepared a program to honor his life, or, knowing the seriousness of his illness, had already planned to air a program about Tanaami on September 9, which just happened to be the day he passed. He was 88. https://images.app.goo.gl/emhS558Fhggss9Gm8

Heavenly Veg: Amanoya 天野屋

You couldn't devise a better name for a veg shop:Heavenly (天 ama) Vegetable (野 no) Shop (屋 ya). Moreover, and you can't make this up: a homophone for 天 is 甘 (ama, sweet). 天野屋: my Japanese family have been shopping there for generations, first served by the elder Amano, now the son (who has children of his own). Grandma 天野 asks about my mother-in-law (roughly the same generation), wife, and children (whom she remembers from their childhood) and usually adds a few extras to the order free of charge.

A Nice Story

A nice story about a primary school student who helps an elderly woman with dementia. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240904/p2a/00m/0na/009000c

Equal Work, Unequal Pay

While women in Japan enjoy reproductive freedoms and paid maternity/ child-rearing leave (1-2 years, depending on circumstances), they are not paid the same as men for the same work, in certain sectors. The photo of the front-page story in today's local paper shows the percentage of men's pay received by women.

In other words, in Niigata (highlighted), women in these sectors earn 77.1% of their male counterparts. The figures on the right show the average number of consecutive years women work less than men at the same job.

やなぎ庵立喰そばや

立喰い means eating while standing, and such 'stands'are not uncommon at larger train stations. Yanagi-an serves udon, Japanese curry and rice, and assorted side dishes in addition to soba. I usually get Tororo Soba, tororo being grated yam.

Blessed Are the Tofu Makers

Oboro tofu from local tofu maker Masato Kobayashi with homemade umeboshi. While the tofu is still warm, bittern is added, resulting in a soft, puffy tofu. Oboro is not readily available in supermarkets or convenience stores.

An Invitation

I suspect the posts are not particularly interesting to most, but the subjects are to me (at least at the time of uploading), and that's why I'm sharing. Anyhoo, please ask questions, send feedback. (Or not) よろしくお願いします。 In other words, if there's something you'd like to enquire about, 是非. 遠慮なく。

Typhoon 10

As one of the strongest typhoons (台風, taifu) in years approaches the southern island of Kyushu and its offshore islands, the most vulnerable are seeking shelter in hospitals, among other facilities. This man explains that he has nowhere else to go. Currently, the typhoon is essentially stalled, with a barometric pressure of 940 and wind speeds equivalent to that of a bullet train. Massive amounts of rainfall are expected in southern Japan, exceeding 1000 millimeters in some areas. That's over 39 inches.

Japan's Rice Shortage

A former Agriculture Ministry bureaucrat explains the current 'shortage' of Japan's staple crop.

Uniqlo and Japan's Future

Mr Tadashi Yanai, President and CEO of Fast Retailing, parent company of Uniqlo, shares with reporters his grave concerns about Japan's future.

Poverty in Japan: Nagaoka, Niigata

From the Niigata Nippo, the newspaper of record in the prefecture: The Board of Education in Niigata's second-largest city, Nagaoka (pop. 256,000, households 110,460), has conducted a survey of households with at least one child under the age of 18, of which there are 4,000 in the city (You read that right: fewer than 4% with children). Questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 2964. The results? 11% of kids are growing up in poverty (defined as a household of 2 on an income of less than 2 million yen a year, currently $13,828 USD), 11.2 % report a child mising school to take care of the family, with 4.5 reporting that the child (aged 12-17) takes care of family members. This is probably not your image of Japan.

Codpiece, or Putin's Pudenda

My enemy's friend is my enemy, no? Considering that Russia purchases North Korean weaponry to prosecute its invasion of Ukraine and commit war crimes there, in the process propping up cash-starved nuclear power aspirant and arch- enemy of Japan the DPRK (sic), it makes no sense for Japan to import anything of Russian origin. Especially cod. And yet, there's this: Some faerie whispers "Putin in a codpiece I know, I know, it's serious..." To The Smiths "Girlfriend in a Coma" (I'm working on the lyrics.)

Koshien Final

The final of the annual HS baseball tournament was this morning. Scoreless after nine, the game went to a tiebreak in the 10th, with Kyoto International HS prevailing 2-1. This article about the captain and ace pitcher of the losing side, Kanto Daiichi, is characteristic. Translation to follow. Pitcher Sakai Ryo's remarks: "I had the best teammates, coach, and ballpark to pitch in. I wanted to finish in the happiest way, but...The tears. Everyone played their hardest. There's nothing to regret."

Koshien HS Baseball Cheering Section: Shiga Gakuen HS

Unique style of cheering at Koshien from Shiga Prefecture's representative, Shiga Gakuen. Here, too. The leaders of the cheering section are the two boys at the left. Earlier this evening an interview with the two was aired, in which they were asked about not being selected to play in the tournament. They had no regrets or resentment, saying that success was a collective effort, with cheering playing a vital role.

Japan, Quintessentially

The annual summer HS baseball tournament, Koshien, is coming to a close. Winners of tournaments in each of the country's 47 prefectures (technically, four are not 'prefectures', but no matter), plus an additional team each from Japan's largest, Hokkaido, and most populous, Tokyo, traveled a couple of weeks ago to the Kansai region of western Japan for the annual 3-week tournament held at Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture ( but it might as well be Osaka) and home field of the professional team, Hanshin Tigers (who don't feel like a Hyogo team at all). The semis were today, with the finals scheduled for Friday, when Kyoto International School face Kanto Dai-ichi (Tokyo) to decide the champion. So, why is HS baseball, Koshien specifically, quintessentially Japanese? To be continued... To continue, while the games showcase individual effort- after all, it's sport- the emphasis is definitely not the individual but the school and its traditions, the community, and ultimately, the prefecture the players represent. There is heart, and there is hustle. Lots of both. There is no boasting of individual exploits or self- promotion in interviews, none of the me me me. Both on and off the field, players are self-effacing and quick to ground their efforts in something larger than themselves. And, most importantly and quintessentially, to thank those (parents, teammates, coaches, supporters) who have made the journey to Koshien possible. I find it throroughly refreshing to watch a game played at the highest level. By kids. Who behave like true sportsmen. No whingeing, no arguing of calls. So-called professionals, take note. Unspoilt by ego, by money...Koshien is a rare and joyous experience. Video from the first of the semis, Kanto vs. Kamimura Here is a video from Aomori Yamada, which lost to its opponent Kyoto.

Basho: Red Dragonfly Haiku

唐辛子 翅を付けたら 赤とんぼ A red pepper pod If you add two pairs of wings A red dragonfly Introduction to commonly observed species in Japan, with photos:

Truth Is Not Forever: Zen Temple Zuikoji

Calendar from Zuikoji (瑞光寺), a temple in Niigata of the Soto Zen sect 曹洞宗. The 'maxim' for August: "What is true today is not eternally true".

Note

To reach a Japanese audience, I sometimes post on Note. Link: https://note.com/brian_southwick/n/nd2e0d6dadebf

Not All That Glitters Is Gold

Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, is celebrating its successful 28-year effort to have Sado Kinzan gold mine designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Problem is, the Japanese don't want to acknowledge that Koreans were forced to work there in the most dangerous jobs during Japan's occupation of the Korean peninsula. Here's Korea Herald: https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20240806050713 Japan's interest is in forging closer ties with Korea, as the two share a common security concern in North Korea, but Japan's ruling party, the nationalist LDP, isn't having it. Japanese rightists are morons, as such people are the world over. Sigh. (For some perspective, here's the US on interment camps for Japanese-Americans during WW2: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation)

Revisionist History

This poster at the entrance to Gokoku Shrine, Niigata, encourages the visitor to cultivate mindfulness and reverence regarding Japan's WW2 dead, as we approach 79 years since the end of WW2. Nothing wrong with honoring those who died protecting the homeland against aggressor nations. There's just this problem: Japan was the aggressor, whether in Pearl Harbor, Machuria, or the Korean peninsula (a short list, yes). Here's a fair translation of the text: Let us remember those who paid the ultimate price protecting us. Do you know about those who fought for us? Have you heard the voices of our saviors? Do you comprehend the thoughts of those who went to war? How did that work for you, Japan? Between 2.5 and 3 million Japanese in uniform died during WW2. Including those who perished in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, civilian deaths totaled between 400 thousand and 1 million. Gokoku Shrine worthies, let us not forget the inhabitants of Nanking. The Japanese operation in that city is commonly referred to as The Rape of Nanking. During its 6-week lark in 1937, the protectors of Japan massacred over 200,000 civilians. (There are videos. I do not recommend.) Imminent invasion of the Japanese archipelago thereby prevented. To recapitulate: honor your war dead. But don't dishonor them with your lies.