More photographs can be seen on Picasa at Hanami.
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Hanami
Tuesday April 10, 2012 I took Muku for a morning walk on the road to Ono where the cherry blossoms or sakura were in full bloom. I took a number of photographs with a camera in one hand and a dog leash. Sakura are the favourite Japanese flower. Cherry trees have been planted in honour of their flowers for hundreds of years. Then at lunch time I persuaded Yayoi to come for a walk along the same route and see the sakura in early full bloom. We met a group of ladies who had the same idea in mind. The ephemeral nature of the blossoms, the subtle colour and the delicate blossoms are some of the reasons why the sakura are admired so much. There are double flowers and some variation in colour, but the single flower with just a hint of pink on a tree that can grow 10 meters high is the most admired.
More photographs can be seen on Picasa at Hanami.
More photographs can be seen on Picasa at Hanami.
Monday, 9 April 2012
Flower viewing party
It is a tradition in Japan to have a little party when the cherry blossoms (Sakura) are in bloom. This is called hanami with hana meaning flower. Kenji one of Okano-san's childhood friends came by Saturday with his older sister to pick up some veggies from the farm and suggested we have a flower viewing Easter Sunday at lunch. That evening Okano-san's wife Shigeko-san invited us to go to St. Barnabus Anglican church for the Easter service and we accepted.
The church service was followed by a true potluck lunch with a variety of very interesting dishes. We stayed for a while and then rushed back to the farm for the flower viewing.
There is a very narrow lane meandering on the edge of the farm. More than forty years ago when Okano-san's oldest brother was born the parents planted many cherry trees on a stretch of road. This combined with other plantings has resulted in nearly a kilometre of cherry trees. The ones nearest the farm were only about ten percent in bloom. But any excuse for a party.
When we got there we realized they were in the greenhouse as the air outside had been quite cool. Kenji's sister had brought a lot of food and there were a variety of fruit juices. The conversation flowed freely and later Okano-san's wife Shigeko-san showed up. She works in a school frequently till nine in the evening and we had never seen her out in the farm area before. The three men have been friends since forever. Okano-san the farmer, one friend who is a teacher in Tsukuba and the other is a junior high principal and artist like Okano-san.
When it finally wrapped up lettuce, spinach and Japanese green onion were harvested and given to the friends marking the end to a very nice Easter Sunday.
The church service was followed by a true potluck lunch with a variety of very interesting dishes. We stayed for a while and then rushed back to the farm for the flower viewing.
There is a very narrow lane meandering on the edge of the farm. More than forty years ago when Okano-san's oldest brother was born the parents planted many cherry trees on a stretch of road. This combined with other plantings has resulted in nearly a kilometre of cherry trees. The ones nearest the farm were only about ten percent in bloom. But any excuse for a party.
When we got there we realized they were in the greenhouse as the air outside had been quite cool. Kenji's sister had brought a lot of food and there were a variety of fruit juices. The conversation flowed freely and later Okano-san's wife Shigeko-san showed up. She works in a school frequently till nine in the evening and we had never seen her out in the farm area before. The three men have been friends since forever. Okano-san the farmer, one friend who is a teacher in Tsukuba and the other is a junior high principal and artist like Okano-san.
When it finally wrapped up lettuce, spinach and Japanese green onion were harvested and given to the friends marking the end to a very nice Easter Sunday.
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Easter Weekend Flowers
Although Japan appears to have flowers year round Easter weekend is still a very special weekend and a reminder that spring and renewed hope are here. Yayoi and I have seen many flowers, but one of the reasons is that we have been avoiding northern Japan and even more importantly western Japan on the Japan Sea side because they have a lot of snow and it has been quite cold this winter. The east side or the Pacific Ocean side is moderated by a warm ocean current.
I did some work this morning cleaning up piles of weeds and unsaleable spinach that we had pulled and hoed yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny shirtsleeve morning. At lunch the clouds rolled in and the temperature appeared to plummet. I had promised myself the afternoon off to do a bit of flower photography in honour of Easter weekend.
The photograph displayed here is a humourous prelude to what can be seen on Picasa. It is a "tanpopo" and in places in Japan is actually grown as a flowering plant.
The Picasa photographs can be seen at Easter Flowers.
I did some work this morning cleaning up piles of weeds and unsaleable spinach that we had pulled and hoed yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny shirtsleeve morning. At lunch the clouds rolled in and the temperature appeared to plummet. I had promised myself the afternoon off to do a bit of flower photography in honour of Easter weekend.
The photograph displayed here is a humourous prelude to what can be seen on Picasa. It is a "tanpopo" and in places in Japan is actually grown as a flowering plant.
The Picasa photographs can be seen at Easter Flowers.
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Japanese Birds
Yayoi has always been excited when she hears the song of the uguisu or according to Wikipedia the Japanese bush warbler. Its song is described as hoohokekyo and Wikipedia confirms what Yayoi has been telling me that the birds learn the song and improve as the season progresses. The description of the song above does not do it justice. It is a very cheerful unmistakeable sound and a sign that spring is imminent. The website Bush-warbler has more information.
The song can be heard on YouTube at Bush-warbler video.
I have been seeing a number of Japanese pheasants with quite distinctive colouration and interesting behavior. The first time I saw one it was just a blur as it flashed by and into the bush. Subsequently they have been playing games of hide and seek with me, such as peeking at me from behind a shrub thinking I cannot see them. This morning I saw a colourful red headed pheasant in an unused remote field after first hearing its eerie call. As I spotted it it ambled into the bamboo and cryptomeria forest. Ths afternoon I saw a hen near our host's pig barn. More information can be seen on Green Pheasant website.
The song can be heard on YouTube at Bush-warbler video.
I have been seeing a number of Japanese pheasants with quite distinctive colouration and interesting behavior. The first time I saw one it was just a blur as it flashed by and into the bush. Subsequently they have been playing games of hide and seek with me, such as peeking at me from behind a shrub thinking I cannot see them. This morning I saw a colourful red headed pheasant in an unused remote field after first hearing its eerie call. As I spotted it it ambled into the bamboo and cryptomeria forest. Ths afternoon I saw a hen near our host's pig barn. More information can be seen on Green Pheasant website.
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Suicidal Planet
I have been warned not to take an American (Canuck) attitude or impose my criticisms. People in glass houses should not throw stones. But that is not my intention, any criticism is self intended as well, as I frequently detect hypocrisy in my desires and thoughts. Being in and observing another culture simply clarifies thoughts that pre-existed. An analogy that I like to use is the criticism that one feels in a city being visited for the lack of visibility or improper placement of street signs required for navigation, whereas being familiar with one's home town one does not feel the same criticism at home, unless you cultivate a tourist's mind as you travel in your home town (let's ignore GPS navigational aids).
Energy
April 1, 2012 we were at a demonstration protesting the danger of keeping nuclear reactors functional. This stimulated thinking. Japan like most developed or developing countries probably is experiencing increased electricity demands each year. Shutting down reactors will not permit unfettered energy demands. So called green sources of energy such as wind turbines and solar panels will not fill the gap in current political environments. Wind turbines are an eyesore protruding from the tops of formerly scenic mountaintops. Unless installed on or incorporated unobtrusively on rooftops, solar panels can also be an eyesore.
Maybe it is time to modify our daily cycles. When the sun rises so should we. When it settles down for the night so should we. Winter in extreme latitudes could encourage partial energy saving "hibernation".
Housing
Houses need to be made much more intelligently. There are too many instances of cookie cutter houses. After tolerating non-centrally heated houses I am not certain any more whether American style central heating is essential. One Japanese product that makes a cool room much more bearable at night is the electric heating pad which can be placed n the floor to sit on or under futon heating pads. With proper futons sleeping in a five degree Centigrade room can be quite comfortable.
Garbage
Why do we tolerate it? A ditch/water canal I observed recently has given me nightmares. I could not believe what people discard. Signs with significant financial penalties are no deterrent. Vending machines and the cans and bottles they dispense are one of the primary sources of roadside debris.
It must be possible to properly dispose/recycle anything easily. Recycling must be built into products. Manufacturers need to take much more responsibility and deliver quality not quantity. Planned obsolescence is not feasible any longer. Appliances should not break down and should be easily maintainable/repairable. Electronics are a major headache with innovations occurring daily. Sending obsolete electronics to other countries to be handled is a very irresponsible answer to the problem.
Economy
The measurement of Gross Domestic Product must be eradicated. A country's health is measured by increases in the GDP. What a gross concept! This concept is predicated on an increasing population and increased demands for consumer goods. An increasing population is not sustainable. This is a very unpopular topic, but any thinking person must agree. There are finite resources on this planet and no one person or country has the right to more than their share for themselves or their family. Life is a privilege and a responsibility not a right.
If the GDP flattens out, presumably the investment world will be in chaos. Is a healthy economy really dependent on an increasing GDP? The financial problems currently being experienced by many countries around the globe is a symptom of a flawed system.
Food
An increasing population is a guarantee of eventual collapse of world food supplies. There have been warnings that the world's store houses are losing ground yearly. Agricultural technologies are based on flimsy foundations and cannot be expected to reliably feed the planet much longer. Events such as climate change could wreak havoc with food production.
The waste of food in developed countries is inexcusable. Substantial percentages of food purchased is simply discarded. If you want to eat you should be involved in food production, such as a vegetable garden. Or maybe all of us carnivores should help slaughter some pigs or chickens. Vegetarianism is arguably a positive trend, but some marginal land is only useful for raising livestock. In extreme latitudes an animal diet is the only viable choice. Transportation of food around the world needs to be discouraged in favour of locally grown products.
Cities
What is their purpose? Are we leaches on our agrarian neighbours? Population needs to decrease to less than one billion people or a level that people can live on and off the land. If technology (read mobile phones) is necessary it may be required to support a small urban population of experts with the skills to produce for the rest of society.
Transportation
Transportation is most easily provided in an urban environment. Since cities are likely to remain a fact of life, they need appropriate public transportation that can replace our insistence on the rubber legged quadruped most of is insist on driving. "Public" needs to be defined as government sponsored to such an extent that convenience and expense would encourage everyone to utilize it. Bipedal transportation is the most ideal and people should live close to where they work and where they shop for essentials.
Manufacturing
Probably half or more of all products sold today are non-essentials. Advertising is the modern curse and we primitives continue to be susceptible to its allure. Where do the expressions "downsizing" and "minimalist lifestyles" come from? They are obviously a reaction to impulse purchasing of frivolous non-essentials.
Energy
April 1, 2012 we were at a demonstration protesting the danger of keeping nuclear reactors functional. This stimulated thinking. Japan like most developed or developing countries probably is experiencing increased electricity demands each year. Shutting down reactors will not permit unfettered energy demands. So called green sources of energy such as wind turbines and solar panels will not fill the gap in current political environments. Wind turbines are an eyesore protruding from the tops of formerly scenic mountaintops. Unless installed on or incorporated unobtrusively on rooftops, solar panels can also be an eyesore.
Maybe it is time to modify our daily cycles. When the sun rises so should we. When it settles down for the night so should we. Winter in extreme latitudes could encourage partial energy saving "hibernation".
Housing
Houses need to be made much more intelligently. There are too many instances of cookie cutter houses. After tolerating non-centrally heated houses I am not certain any more whether American style central heating is essential. One Japanese product that makes a cool room much more bearable at night is the electric heating pad which can be placed n the floor to sit on or under futon heating pads. With proper futons sleeping in a five degree Centigrade room can be quite comfortable.
Garbage
Why do we tolerate it? A ditch/water canal I observed recently has given me nightmares. I could not believe what people discard. Signs with significant financial penalties are no deterrent. Vending machines and the cans and bottles they dispense are one of the primary sources of roadside debris.
It must be possible to properly dispose/recycle anything easily. Recycling must be built into products. Manufacturers need to take much more responsibility and deliver quality not quantity. Planned obsolescence is not feasible any longer. Appliances should not break down and should be easily maintainable/repairable. Electronics are a major headache with innovations occurring daily. Sending obsolete electronics to other countries to be handled is a very irresponsible answer to the problem.
Economy
The measurement of Gross Domestic Product must be eradicated. A country's health is measured by increases in the GDP. What a gross concept! This concept is predicated on an increasing population and increased demands for consumer goods. An increasing population is not sustainable. This is a very unpopular topic, but any thinking person must agree. There are finite resources on this planet and no one person or country has the right to more than their share for themselves or their family. Life is a privilege and a responsibility not a right.
If the GDP flattens out, presumably the investment world will be in chaos. Is a healthy economy really dependent on an increasing GDP? The financial problems currently being experienced by many countries around the globe is a symptom of a flawed system.
Food
An increasing population is a guarantee of eventual collapse of world food supplies. There have been warnings that the world's store houses are losing ground yearly. Agricultural technologies are based on flimsy foundations and cannot be expected to reliably feed the planet much longer. Events such as climate change could wreak havoc with food production.
The waste of food in developed countries is inexcusable. Substantial percentages of food purchased is simply discarded. If you want to eat you should be involved in food production, such as a vegetable garden. Or maybe all of us carnivores should help slaughter some pigs or chickens. Vegetarianism is arguably a positive trend, but some marginal land is only useful for raising livestock. In extreme latitudes an animal diet is the only viable choice. Transportation of food around the world needs to be discouraged in favour of locally grown products.
Cities
What is their purpose? Are we leaches on our agrarian neighbours? Population needs to decrease to less than one billion people or a level that people can live on and off the land. If technology (read mobile phones) is necessary it may be required to support a small urban population of experts with the skills to produce for the rest of society.
Transportation
Transportation is most easily provided in an urban environment. Since cities are likely to remain a fact of life, they need appropriate public transportation that can replace our insistence on the rubber legged quadruped most of is insist on driving. "Public" needs to be defined as government sponsored to such an extent that convenience and expense would encourage everyone to utilize it. Bipedal transportation is the most ideal and people should live close to where they work and where they shop for essentials.
Manufacturing
Probably half or more of all products sold today are non-essentials. Advertising is the modern curse and we primitives continue to be susceptible to its allure. Where do the expressions "downsizing" and "minimalist lifestyles" come from? They are obviously a reaction to impulse purchasing of frivolous non-essentials.
Monday, 2 April 2012
Farming in Ibaraki
Apparently Ibaraki-ken is the second largest farming prefecture next to the island of Hokkaido. And what a lot of work it is. As a close look at the photos indicates some plants are protected by a pyramidal white enclosure barely covering the plant and a clear plastic one meter high greenhouse like structure covering the whole row. This greenhouse is partially covered with straw bundles. Later I found out that these plants are the famous Edosaki kabocha (pumpkin) which need to be ready for the consumer in June. Frequently a variety of plants or seeds are planted in holes in plastic stretched over the soil. This acts as a mulch and keeps the soil warm.
The field of purple flowers is the Japanese variation of creeping charlie and today April 2, 2012 these were simply being tilled into the soil. Two of us have spent many hours weeding and collecting this pest as can be seen in the pile in the one photo. Why farmers tolerate this weed and let it grow on the edges of the fields and presumably produce seeds as evidenced by the millions of baby creeping charlies? Is it because in Japanese it's name designates a sitting Buddha? As Kenji, a friend of Akio Okano, states one season of seeds is followed by ten years of weed growth. Organic gardening aside this noxious pest deserves a lot more killer instinct.
When the government today lowered the allowable radioactivity level from 500 to 100 becquerels, Japan will need all the production it can muster.
The field of purple flowers is the Japanese variation of creeping charlie and today April 2, 2012 these were simply being tilled into the soil. Two of us have spent many hours weeding and collecting this pest as can be seen in the pile in the one photo. Why farmers tolerate this weed and let it grow on the edges of the fields and presumably produce seeds as evidenced by the millions of baby creeping charlies? Is it because in Japanese it's name designates a sitting Buddha? As Kenji, a friend of Akio Okano, states one season of seeds is followed by ten years of weed growth. Organic gardening aside this noxious pest deserves a lot more killer instinct.
When the government today lowered the allowable radioactivity level from 500 to 100 becquerels, Japan will need all the production it can muster.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Demonstration
It is April 1, 2012 and at 0715h we get in the mini-mini van to drive to a location 30 minutes away. A chartered bus waits for us there. What in Manitoba would be a one hour ride by bus takes almost three hours here.
We are off to Hitachi-naka-shi which is 3km from the Pacific Ocean where a 34 year old nuclear power plant exists in the same prefecture, Ibaraki-ken, where we are currently living. The gathering is to primarily request the closure of this nuclear plant to prevent the possibility of a meltdown such as happened in Fukushima a year ago on 3-11.
When we got there, there was a large expanse of concrete awaiting us with a stage at the apex and food stands and people with petitions to be signed. We made the rounds, bought some vegetables and signed petitions.
The entertainment in the form of music began shortly. People had spread out the ever present blue tarps on the concrete and we sat down. There was current music, folk songs and a trumpeter even played the tune "Amazing Grace" as a request for all of Japan affected by the events of the past year.
Then the speeches began. Besides the politicians there was a son whose father was forced away from the Fukushima nuclear affected area after having farmed there for 30 years.
A mother with a baby on her back was concerned about the effects of radiation on children.
A "salary man" who left Tokyo to farm in our prefecture of Ibaraki which is south of Fukushima, told us that being an organic farmer and selling direct instead of through marketing agencies such as JA saw his sales drop to zero immediately following 3-11.
Many banners and placards surrounded us protesting ageing nuclear plants, nuclear weapons, taxes being raised (when Fukushima needs government support) and other assorted issues.
There were also proponents of wind farms, geothermal energy (Japan is an obvious for this, but other than hot spring resorts, I see little evidence of) and of course solar energy of which quite a few water heating systems and solar electrical panels are seen on roof tops.
And for most of us present it was a chance to get away and enjoy a huge well behaved party.
The photograph shows just a few of what was being reported as a crowd of 3000 people with maybe two policemen present at the entrance to the grounds.
We are off to Hitachi-naka-shi which is 3km from the Pacific Ocean where a 34 year old nuclear power plant exists in the same prefecture, Ibaraki-ken, where we are currently living. The gathering is to primarily request the closure of this nuclear plant to prevent the possibility of a meltdown such as happened in Fukushima a year ago on 3-11.
When we got there, there was a large expanse of concrete awaiting us with a stage at the apex and food stands and people with petitions to be signed. We made the rounds, bought some vegetables and signed petitions.
The entertainment in the form of music began shortly. People had spread out the ever present blue tarps on the concrete and we sat down. There was current music, folk songs and a trumpeter even played the tune "Amazing Grace" as a request for all of Japan affected by the events of the past year.
Then the speeches began. Besides the politicians there was a son whose father was forced away from the Fukushima nuclear affected area after having farmed there for 30 years.
A mother with a baby on her back was concerned about the effects of radiation on children.
A "salary man" who left Tokyo to farm in our prefecture of Ibaraki which is south of Fukushima, told us that being an organic farmer and selling direct instead of through marketing agencies such as JA saw his sales drop to zero immediately following 3-11.
Many banners and placards surrounded us protesting ageing nuclear plants, nuclear weapons, taxes being raised (when Fukushima needs government support) and other assorted issues.
There were also proponents of wind farms, geothermal energy (Japan is an obvious for this, but other than hot spring resorts, I see little evidence of) and of course solar energy of which quite a few water heating systems and solar electrical panels are seen on roof tops.
And for most of us present it was a chance to get away and enjoy a huge well behaved party.
The photograph shows just a few of what was being reported as a crowd of 3000 people with maybe two policemen present at the entrance to the grounds.
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