Rare, brackish water fish ushers in hot summer in southwestern Japan

June 26, 2018

Rare, brackish water fish ushers in hot summer in southwestern Japan

River fishermen living near the mouth of Chikugo River flowing into Ariake Sea, a deep inner bay in southwestern Japan, have busy days catching a rare, brackish water fish from late May to June.
Etsu, the fish so called in Japanese, lives in certain areas in Ariake Sea, their only habitat in Japan.
Dishes of fresh etsu are served at 20 or so Japanese-style restaurants in the lower reaches of Chikugo River. This is because the freshness of the fish declines quickly after catch.
The catch of the fish, a kind of grenadier anchovy, is allowed from May 1 to July 20, while the season for etsu dishes runs from June to early July.
Some restaurants with etsu dishes served are run by etsu fishermen, and these restaurants attract many people loving the local rare cuisine in the season.
"My boss goes for fishing everyday during the season, sometimes alone, sometimes with fellow fishermen," said a young waitress working at a riverside etsu restaurant in Johjima, in the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture.
"He catches 50 or so fishes, when the tide is good," she said, while looking down at a few etsu drift net boats moored on the river behind the restaurant.
Etsu fishes swim upstream from the sea for spawning early summer, up as far as about 10 kilometers from the river mouth.
Roes spawned there stream down the river, and baby fishes grow up while living deep in the sea. Then, grown fishes go up the river for spawning, and to complete the life cycle, most of them die after that.
Etsu is classified as an endangered species on the Environment Ministry's red data book.
The fish has a leaf-like flat, slender body, which is about 30 centimeters long. The female fish has a swollen belly with roes.
The fish is cooked in various ways -- deep fried, simmered in sweetened soy sauce, boiled and seasoned, and sliced fresh sashimi.
Slicing the etsu fish for sashimi needs a special cooking technique; because it has many small bones contained, the body must be finely sliced with the bones cut. This leaves a crispy taste, the reason why the etsu sashimi is so loved by fans.
The stock of the etsu fish was once threatened with over fishing and changes in the environment due in part to the construction of dams upstream in Chikugo River.
Because catches of the etsu continued to decline from around the 1980s, groups of local fishermen have tried to improve the environment for its habitat, but the situation is yet to be fully improved.
Local people involved hold a service every year for the rare brackish water fish on May 1, when the ban on its catch is lifted. Further efforts to preserve the environment for coexistence of the fish and the community are expected to continue so that the unique food culture may be maintained over years.

Areas hit by last year's floods in Japan alarmed by early start of rainy season

May 29, 2018

Areas hit by last year's floods in Japan alarmed by early start of rainy season

Hydrangea, the moisture-loving plant, is beginning to color in various parts of Japan as Japanese are bracing for the upcoming sweaty, hot days in summer.
The "tsuyu" rainy season usually starts early June and runs until around the middle of July in most parts of Japan, but the Meteorological Agency declared that this year's tsuyu season began in Kyushu and other southwestern Japan regions on May 28. This was 23 days earlier than last year or 8 days sooner than the average year.
The start of the rainy season allows farmers to prepare rice paddies for this year's crop by bringing in water from irrigation canals. But those in mountainous areas damaged by floods in northern Kyushu early July last year are concerned about the outlook of weather this summer.
People affected by the floods are returning to their areas, but some people are still living an uncomfortable life at temporary housing.
Rehabilitation work at farming areas near flooded rivers and valleys in Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, is getting into full swing, but damage near smaller rivers largely remains to be attended.
A rice farmer, in his 70s, saw his rice paddies in a hilly area mostly washed away in a mudslide last year, but he expects to prepare unaffected paddies soon for this year's crop.
The tsuyu season begins when the rain front emerges over the Japanese Archipelago between the cold air mass from Siberia and the hot air mass south from the western Pacific. The tsuyu rain front is getting activated earlier than usual this year because the high pressure system south of Japan is strong amid the high temperature observed in regions from the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia, weathermen say.
This year's summer in Japan is expected to be hot and long. Hot weather contributes to a good rice crop, but too high a temperature may lead to a drought, while a long spell of rain and floods are threats to rice farming.
Rice growers hit by last year's floods are hoping that rehabilitation work will be finished as soon as possible at the damaged areas, before the start of the full rainy season this year. Farmers, while working on rice planning, may be finding themselves consoled with hydrangea flowers seen here and there around rice field footpaths.

Wheat ripening, summer just around the corner in Japan

April 28, 2018

Wheat ripening, summer just around the corner in Japan

Green wheat fields spread in many parts of Japan, telling people that summer is just around the corner.  Rice is Japan's staple food, but wheat has also been favored over years mainly as an ingredient of noodles.
Domestically grown wheat draws attention for use to other new purposes, notably bread making, as many Japanese people have come to favor bread meals.
Japanese people's food life has been westernized in recent decades. As a result, domestic rice consumption has been on the decline. In turn, wheat consumption has been growing year on year, with breads favored rather than cooked rice.
Domestic wheat had been little used by Japanese bread makers, however, because of its poor protein content, higher prices and limited lots. But the problem has been cleared in recent years, with new species of wheat domestically developed  for bread making.
Japan's wheat self-sufficiency rate is 13 to 14 percent, against domestic wheat demand estimated at 6.3 million tons.
Imported wheat is entirely bought by the government and then, the government sells the imports to domestic flour makers at regularly set prices. Meanwhile, domestically grown wheat is distributed basically through commercial vendors, freed from the country's food management system.
A government-set target calls for increasing domestic wheat production to 1.8 million tons from about 770,000 tons at present by 2020, while supporting efforts to develop more new species and encouraging consumption of domestic products. The move comes at a time when Japanese people are becoming more aware of the importance of  food security.
Bakers using domestic wheat are still limited, but the number is gradually increasing. As a reason for this change, some bakers mention that there is no fear of post-harvest chemicals used for domestically made wheat and flour. 
Two crops can be grown in Kyushu and other regions of southwestern Japan, wheat late spring and rice from summer to autumn.
In the northern part of Kyushu, wheat turns brown to be harvested toward May and weeks later, work starts to bring in water there to make rice paddies.
The beginning of summer, "rikka" in Japanese, on the agricultural calendar falls on around May 6. The day of rikka represents the middle point of the vernal equinox and the summer solstice.
Japanese farmers have prayed for a rich harvest of the five grains--rice, wheat, millet, barnyard and bean--since the old times.
Rice is the most important of the grains, but wheat also has played an important role as a key buffer crop when a poor rice harvest is to be endured. Wheat should be more important than ever to support Japanese people's food life from now on.

Japan remembers Meiji Restoration on 150th anniversary

March 29, 2018

Japan remembers Meiji Restoration on 150th anniversary

The statue of a main architect of the Meiji Revolution which paved the way for Japan's modernization drive in the 19th century stands on a hill right above the scenic Katsurahama beach facing the Pacific.
Sakamoto Ryoma is just one of many revolution heroes hailing from Tosa, currently Kochi Prefecture, southwestern Japan, but he is much more popular than other figures, not only from Tosa but also from other regions, who contributed to the revolution in the stormy years of the 1860s. One of the reasons for this is his free, realistic way of thinking, a character which was quite unique at that time.
Kochi Prefecture is excited about bolstering itself this year, as Japan marks the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Revolution, or the Meiji Restoration, in 2018. Prefecture organizations and many private-sector entities are busy promoting various campaign events in honor of local heroes who worked for the revolution.
Ryoma (he is usually called with his given name) stands in the center of a main campaign picture on the official guide book produced by the prefecture.
The Meiji Restoration put an end to the 260 years of rule by the Tokugawa shogunate government, but Ryoma could not see Japan's rebirth to be a modern state under a new political and social system which he had dreamed of. He was killed by a group of unknown assassins, exactly on his 32nd birthday, Nov. 15, 1867, when he was at a hideout in Kyoto, then Japan's capital. This was only two months before the first bloody battle occurred between the new Meiji government and the Tokugawa regime at the beginning of 1868.
Japanese people's tendency of feeling sympathy with the underdog is believed to be behind the fact that Ryoma has been popular among Japanese over years.
Revolution leaders who survived the war with the Tokugawa regime worked to start a new state by inaugurating various industries and building a strong army under the restored Emperor system. The newly launched Japan won wars with China and then with Russia, to be equally ranked with the western powers like Britain early in the 20th century. But this contributed to giving too much power to Japan's military, causing Japan to be a militarist state under the name of the Emperor, called His Majesty the Great Marshal.
Recent researches about the Meiji Restoration call for taking a fresh look at the process before and after the revolution year of 1868. Some of them say that the past studies excessively glorified the revolution heroes, including the so-called Meiji patriots who played major roles for building the new state system. Others say that Japan's excessive emphasis on strengthening its army became a remote cause for Japan's tragic defeat in World War II.
Ryoma showed flexible ideas while negotiating between the interested parties on both sides, at a time when fears grew among Japanese leaders that Japan would be invaded by Western powers, just like China. His mediation helped the two rivaling warlord clans of Satsuma and Choshu to reach a secret alliance to topple the Tokugawa shogunate government. This was two years before the Meiji Restoration.
Ryoma believed that the two clans should join forces to end the old regime, by a peaceful means, not by force. He also believed that Japan should reinforce itself as an ocean state after its rebirth. This is why he tried hard to build Japan's naval fleet by gathering ambitious young samurai from across Japan.
Ryoma's statue, 13.5 meters high, was  originally built in 1928. The statue is clad with the samurai costume, but he is in Western style boots with a handgun in his  breast pocket.
The manly statue looks as if he is dwelling on new designs for Japan's future with his eyes kept far ahead to the Pacific ocean. What should Ryoma say about Japan's recent inclination to have a stronger defense capability by reinterpreting its pacifist constitution?

Potted bonsai ume Japanese apricot trees tell late arrival of spring

February 28, 2018

Potted bonsai ume Japanese apricot trees tell late arrival of spring

The 80-year-old residence, built in a largely rural area in southwestern Japan, becomes a display pavilion for hundreds of potted bonsai ume Japanese apricot trees from February to March.

The two-story house stands on a site of about 6,500 square meters, surrounded by nursery tree fields, in the Ono district of Miyama City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Placed in the center of the garden is the 300-year-old Beniohshuku tree, the oldest among the bonsai ume collection at the site.
Supported with three steel props, the tree looks almost dead but it has vermilion flowers from late February to early March on upper branches of its twisted trunk.
Visitors enjoy strolling around various species of white, red and pink ume bonsai trees placed not just in the garden but also in the tatami mat rooms. A bill posted on the door to the rooms says, "Please do not leave the door open so that birds may not come in."
Ume bonsai trees are moved into the rooms for indoor display before the season. This requires hard work, but it allows visitors to appreciate their beauty in an intimate atmosphere.
The Seikien (Blue Glow Garden) residence attracts hundreds of tourists a day toward the high season. But the blooming this year is a little slower than usual, "because of the cold days since the beginning of the year," said a shop girl at the garden.
Cherry blooming trees are the most favored among Japanese people, but ume apricot trees have a much longer history of entertaining Japanese since around the Heian period, as their pure, elegant appearance is linked to the deep part of the Japanese culture and spirits.

Well, I wonder if your heart has not changed. It is quite unknown, but ume apricot trees at my native place must be giving off their sweet odor as before. 

(A personal translation)

This is a waka poem made by Tsurayuki Ki, a distinguished poet in the Heian period. He is known as the chief editor of the Kokinshu waka anthology compiled early in the 10th century.   

The estate in Miyama dates back to the middle of the Edo era early in the 18th century, when a local nursery tree grower made its fortune on mandarin orange tree cultivation. The Tanaka family then started producing various fruit and garden trees, particularly ume apricot and Japanese white pine trees on bonsai trays and pots.
The current residence is occupied by the eighth in the line of proprietors. The Seikien residence started an indoor display of its bonsai ume tree collection to the public in 1962.
Tourists can find a few other sites with ume bonsai trees for public display in the district. This reflects the decades-long custom of showing bonsai and other plant collections to guests outdoor or indoor in the area. 
The estate also attracts many foreigners in recent years as Japanese miniature bonsai trees have caught on well with plant lovers in other countries.
The fragrance of the Seikien ume trees lets visitors breathe a sigh of relief at the much awaited arrival of spring and reminds them that they live in a culture- and season-rich country.

Japan alarmed by repeated flu epidemics amid slow spread of vaccinations

January 30, 2018

Japan alarmed by repeated flu epidemics amid slow spread of vaccinations

Young people get excited toward the St. Valentine's Day gift giving season. This is the case with Japanese men and women now, but the 14th day of February is a special day for quite different reasons to a citizens' group aimed at honoring an Edo Era physician for his effort to develop a safer smallpox vaccination method.
Shunsaku Ogata, a samurai warrior clan physician of Akizuku, currently part of Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, successfully performed a nasal vaccination on two kids on February 14, 1790.
Ogata's endeavor came almost a century before Japan started introducing various kinds of technology and knowledge from western countries following the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Before Ogata's project, some cases had been made for smallpox vaccinations in other parts of Japan, but the earlier cases were largely kept secret.
Unlike the prior cases, Ogata (1748-1810) taught anybody who came to him to learn his method. His study was also supported by the then clan chief. He also compiled a book about his method.
As various kinds of vaccines were developed in recent decades, Japan was once a leading country in terms of vaccination campaigns. But the importance and necessity of vaccination have not been fully disseminated among Japanese people, experts warn.
In Japan, 20 or so cases are currently recognized as vaccine preventable diseases, or VPDs. About half of them are covered with mandatory, subsidized vaccinations, but vaccinations are voluntary for other VPDs.
A recent questionnaire shows that only about 60 percent of infant-raising Japanese mothers are ready to get their children inoculated with influenza vaccines. This is another indication of slow progress in increasing the public awareness about the need for vaccination, despite repeated flu epidemics in recent years.
The citizens' group campaigned to make the 14th day of February the Japan commemoration day of vaccination. The day was so established in 2014 when their application was granted by the Japan commemoration day association.
Why is the spread of vaccinations slow in Japan? People familiar with Japan's medical care system cite various factors, among them longstanding customs and regulations regarding the interval of vaccinations and the part where vaccination should be made.
Unlike the United States, simultaneous injections of different vaccines are little recommended, while vaccines are given usually by hypodermic in the upper arm. Doubts remain about the effectiveness of vaccines on some cases.
Regulations and rules about the method of vaccinations and others must be quickly improved, particularly for infants, said a physician who attends a clinic in Asakura. "Japan must make more efforts to protect infants from flu and other serious diseases in view of a declining birthrate."
Ogata collected smallpox scabs from patients and dried and powdered them for the vaccination on the two boys. The subjects developed smallpox two days later, but both of them recuperated in about 10 days, according to the group.
His success came six years before Edward Jenner, the British physician and scientist, developed a safe smallpox vaccination method, to be called "the father of immunology."
In Japan, about 10 million people are infected by various types of flu every year, with fatal cases estimated at 1,000 a year.
A monument in honor of Ogata stands at the front yard of Asakura Medical Association Hospital. The monument, built in 1990, has a relief which shows Ogata performing a nasal vaccination on one of the children, with the other standing by.
What should he say when he saw the slow progress of increasing the awareness about the importance of vaccinations in Japan?

Japan marks winter solstice toward resurging of sun's power

December 22, 2017

Japan marks winter solstice toward resurging of sun's power

The winter solstice for 2017 fell on the 22nd day of December in the northern hemisphere, including Japan. Weather was relatively fine almost across Japan.  Early risers waited for the sun to come up from behind the mountain or from the sea, while commuting people saw the sun set on their way back home, while thinking about things for tomorrow.
In Fukuoka City, Kyushu, southwestern Japan, the sun rose at 7:19, and it set at 17:15.
The winter solstice means the day in which the sun's meridian altitude comes to the lowest point in a year--in other words, the day which has the shortest interval between the sunrise and the sunset.
According to the astrology-based traditional theory that has been believed in Asia, the sun starts regaining its strength after waning to the weakest point in the winter solstice, called "tohji" in Japan. The season moves toward a warmer, brighter period after passing the winter solstice.
One of centuries-old customs for the winter solstice in Japan calls for taking a "yuzuyu" yuzu citron bath on the tohji day, and the one may not catch a cold in winter.
People in some regions also have "tohjigayu" rice gruel with red beans, which is said to be good for warming the body.
The winter solstice represents the 22nd point in the 24-sequence annual solar term. Only two points are left ahead to complete and restart the solar term cycle at the "risshun" first day of spring on the lunar calendar.

The moon glittering in bitter coldness/
On the ground a small temple that has no gate/
The sky broadly spreads far above/
(A personal translation)

This is a haiku short poem made by Yosa Buson, a poet and a painter who was active in the Edo era in the late 18th century.
The 22nd day of December represented the fifth day of November on the old lunar calendar this year. Actually, a thin moon of the fifth day was seen shining above the mountain skyline lit by the afterglow of the sunset in some areas in Kyushu.
"The day is getting longer and longer, isn't it?" This is a greeting people often exchange around this time of the year. Cold weather continues further, until February or early March, but Japanese know that the day-by-day delay in the sunset is a harbinger of spring.