SunsunEternity

Increasing Percentage of Students Who Found Work

2006-01-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

Declining birthrate, that is the Japan is facing now, affects education system negatively, that’s we learned in Darren’s class. Nevertheless, the percentage of university students who are graduating this spring who found work has improved 3.1 point from last year and became 77.4 percent. Also the percentage of high school students has increased 5.1 point. Not only those percentages but the number of people who wish to work, that had reduced for 15 years, has increased this year. The quality of education system might be becoming lower, but if the number of job applicants would continue to improve, they might study harder to get better jobs and the effects on society might be able to remain.

Selling Off of Osaka Dome

2006-01-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

In recent years Osaka City is suffering for deficit. The third sector of Osaka City that runs Osaka Dome, Osaka City Dome, is also not an exception and has decided to sell it to a third party. The bid will be started in a month with the lowest bid price, 10 billion yen. 2 big companies have already inquired about it. Osaka Dome is the home ground of the baseball team, Orix Buffaloes, and also many concerts are held in it. I think nobody is sure which company or organization can run Osaka Dome the best but hope they will keep the dome very entertaining for everyone like now.

Into the Woods!

2006-01-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

Today we saw a DVD called “Into the Woods ~~ (I don’t know the exact title)” that mixes various fairy tales that was filmed playing in the theater. Various characters such as Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella were singing “Into the woods♪” that I could not forget for a while. Since I love musicals, I really enjoyed the DVD that composed most of lines from songs. I’ve seen some musicals by Gekidanshiki such as Cats and the Beauty and the Beast then have a dream of watching a musical in Broadway one day. The schools that students of degree program are going were announced today and Yuu is going to Albany University in NY. Yes! I thought a chance is coming and someone is saying I should go! If I have enough money, I’ll visit Yuu during her staying there cause I’ll miss her, and go to see a musical before coming back to Japan! One of my dream will come true in a few years?

Why more men writers than women?

2006-01-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

A few days ago we discussed why many of bs came up with more men writers than women writers, after reading “In Search of a Room of One’s Own” written by Virginia Woolf. Why do women have less room in literature? There are less women writers or men are better writers? Maybe so, maybe not. I’m not sure about it. But there have been less opportunities for me to learn works written by women in school than by men. Especially in Japanese classes from elementary school to high school, there were always more works by men in the texts thus naturally teachers chose to use men’s works in class. But I think this situation is changing as the status of women is becoming more equal to men. Women in the past were often driven to spending hard time as men regarded them as inferior. But they aren’t today. So teachers of Japanese might be going to take women’s works for class as much as men’s in the future.

What Do Pigeons Carry?

2005-12-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

I’m researching about “Carrier Pigeons” with Tomoko for Media class. Carrier pigeons used to be around as important messengers especially in battlefields. Though radio was already used during WWI, sometimes the lines was damaged or some locations did not allow for radio use, so carrier pigeons often helped people communicate each other. Eventually they carried thousands of messages that saved thousands of lives during WWI and WWII. Today carrier pigeons are never common but a shocking event happened a few months ago. A carrier pigeon brought a love letter from a girl in Israel to her boyfriend in Lebanon. It caused a big trouble to the Lebanese. They were scared suspecting the pigeon might be carrying a bird flu virus. I am sorry that fear of bird flu influences even such communication in a peaceful couple.

Are You Artistic?

2005-11-20T11:27:00.000-08:00

In the last class of Peter, we learned a little about art. He explained the meanings of some famous works and the connection with literature. Some of bs seemed to have no interest in them, but I found it really interesting. Because I gave a presentation about Cubism last year in Allison’s class and the works we learned on Friday were painted around the same age as Cubism. I’m not artistic and can’t tell good from bad, but learning the hidden meanings or the details behind, or only imagining the world in works, I think it’ll be enjoyable. I can’t tell Peter but I personally wanted to learn works of art more rather than difficult works of literature.

Familiar With Murder?

2005-10-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

I checked the today’s news on Internet and found 2 injury cases. One case is that a man and a woman were stabbed in the platform of Sinjyuku station, and the another is that a 12-year-old boy was slashed in a park in Nagano. I was relieved to read that all the man, the woman, and the boy got light injuries, but realized it can never be a relief. All three happened to be targeted at random and surely got injured though injuries were not heavy. Such injury cases or murder cases became too familiar for me and don’t give me a shock any more. I think it’s not only for me but for everyone. It’s a kind of sensory paralysis and we can no longer feel real fear sensitively. But we have to realize the necessity of early change of this situation so that we can live safely in this country…

Japanese Literature

2005-10-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

I think I need a rest today, so let me talk about not social science. As many of bs know, I’m taking Japanese literature class in CIE. A disadvantage of this class is that I have to read many books, but an advantage is that I can read most of them in Japanese. Every book I’ve read for this class was that I had never read before. So it’s a good opportunity to read various Japanese books as Japanese. Here’s the books I recommend: Oe Kenzaburo’s “A Quiet Life(静かな生活),” Enchi Fumiko’s “Masks(女面),” and Tsushima Yuko’s “An Embrace(don't know what the Japanese title is)”. I’m not sure you’ll like them because each of you has their own taste, but reading books in Japanese will refresh our minds and relieve stress. I think many of bs look really tired lately from school and other tough stuff. I’m sorry for not having enough ability to deal with other’s problems, so hope everyone can find a good way to feel better…

Air Gun in Japan

2005-10-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

The affairs of air gun shooting have come out one after another recently and have frightened people in Japan. I have been proud of Japan’s safety because the Firearm Control Law has guaranteed security since early times that prohibits the procession and use of guns. But the fact’s revealed that we are not in the safe country any more. People can easily get the parts of gun on Internet and remodel by themselves to the guns that can hurt and kill others. Before others jump on the bandwagon, we have to crack down on the remodeled air gun. It’s necessary to strengthen the law or maybe reform it in order not to increase victims immediately.

Textbook for Amblyopia (Weak Sight)

2005-10-02T03:59:00.000-07:00

Do you have good eyes? I don't. I cannot see anything clearly without glasses or contact lenses. This is the result that I brought by myself, but there are many people who cannot see well since they are born. I think everyone has seen such children who were wearing thick glasses. They have troubles with reading textbooks. Even with their glasses, letters on textbooks are often too small to recognize. I don't know what other countries do for them but in Japan there are little support by country. Only a few major textbooks are published in enlarged letters and the others need help of volunteers. But the actual condition faces the lack of volunteers. Though Japan has other big problems to slove, this problem of children with amblyopia also cannot be solved without national help.

Start Again!!

2005-09-30T04:48:00.000-07:00

Blog life started agin! I was not supposed to write again, but it's good that Darren gave me a chance to restart blog. I'd like to write about social science as much as possible, but this is the first blog after return to blog spot so I'm gonna write what happend today. It was a really unlucky day.. I fell down a stair in the station (everyone just ignored me and passed) and found a bird dropping on my bicycle saddle (I had to ride it out of the saddle). But it was Friday! I went to MisterDonut with Yuu and Midori after school and enjoyed chatting and relaxing time. Everyone will be busier and busier but I hope there will be such time sometimes.

Party!!! and Summer Vacation

2005-07-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

I just got home, feeling happy about having a fun party with many people in IESb, Scott, and Peter, with bad smell of garlic. It was so fun! It’s been a long time since I chatted away with no worry about homework or paper. I am so relieved to have finished the 1st semester, though I have to take an exam. But at the same time, I’m so sad because I cannot meet some people in IESb until the next semester starts. I hope I can make more time to see them during the summer vacation, but it seems difficult because of many things to do. So I only wish everyone can return to school in high spirits.

The last day of the 1st semester…

2005-07-18T04:25:00.000-07:00

Finally we are going to make it to the last day of school. Before taking this global issues’ class I got interested in global issues, but when I think back, it was like a lie. I hardly knew what is happening in the world actually. The all lessons taught me something and I could learn the truths that I hadn’t known and that I had gotten wrong. And now I pay attention to the news such as about environmental, food, hunger, and population problems. Summer vacation is coming and it would be so nice to get rest, but I will miss Scott’s class. To tell the truth, I was sometimes worried if Scott was treating us as little children, but thanks to that, I could understand problems and had fun! (though the air conditioner was too strong for me..) I hope we will have a nice teacher in the next semester like Scott.

Welfare Services in Japan

2005-07-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

The law to help handicapped people become financially independent has passed on July 15. The law aims at unifying welfare services and changed the situation of people with disability mentally or physically worse. From next January those people have to pay meal expense and 10% for many other services. This seems like a little change, but a really big and serious problem for those who cannot earn much money with disability. Now at many places in Japan people have carried on campaigns against this law, but their movements might become only vain. I really hope Japan becomes the kind country for weak people.

Collect Plastic Products Separately?

2005-07-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

I talked with Saki yesterday about garbage collection. Hirakata city and Suita city, where I live in, do not collect plastic products separately from burnable garbage. So I was surprised to hear that many other cities do. Maybe the reason my city does not separate plastic products is that it needs time and work to change the rule and also it needs some money to hire people who collect them. But it is obvious that we should collect separately because burning plastic products emits dioxin. My family keeps plastic bottles at home and brings them to close supermarkets. If my city began to collect separately, we don’t have to waste my time and energy, and more people can do so too.

Korean Food

2005-07-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

Do you like Korean food? I love it! I often eat Kimuchi, for example mixing with fried rice or Nattou and putting it on Okonomiyaki. Most Korean food is hot because Korean people often use red paper to their food. Red paper contains capsaicin that helps to lower cholesterol and prevent high blood pressure and diabetes. It can also keep the body warm and decompose fat, so it’s good even for diet. Japanese people tend to eat much more western food today than fish that used to be our major diet. But if you got boring with Japanese food, it’s better to eat Korean food that is good for your health rather than western food.

Blood Donation

2005-07-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

People get injured or sick continuously and need blood to cure. Blood donation plays a great important role on such occasions. In Japan about 5.6 million people give their blood every year. It sounds a lot blood is given but the amount of blood can never be enough. Because it can be conserved for only 2 or 3 months after taking from human’s body. A few weeks ago, some blood donation buses came to Kansai Gaidai and many students including some in IESb gave their blood. I think this campaign, moving to university to university with donation buses, is very successful. Because many people don’t take a step to donate blood, even though they have a mind to do that and there are lots donation rooms near their houses. It’s not hard to give blood a little when you are fine and healthy. Help people and yourself with your blood!

Gay Marriage

2005-06-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

Canada's parliament decided to legalize same-sex marriage in July. It made Canada the third country after the Netherlands and Belgium to allow gay marriages. The law that will allow gay marriage nationwide was drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal minority government. In Japan people don’t care much about gays because of the small population of gays compared to other western countries. So I think gays in Japan have difficulty to make people understand themselves and uncomfortable situation for them is difficult to be improved. I believe people have rights to love whom they really love, so Japan needs to think about gays more closely and make a better society, learning from watching Canadian proud change.

Pay Plastic Bags

2005-06-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Japan is a rich country and people can get many things such as tissues for free today. When we buy something at a shop or a store in Japan, they usually put it into a plastic back, even it is very easy to carry without back. These backs are free and people easily throw them away. However from 2007 you will have to pay for plastic bags at supermarkets or convenience stores. It was decided by Ministry of the Environment, aiming to reduce the number of plastic backs. It is because plastic products now account for the highest rate of garbage from our houses. Actually my family keeps many plastic bags after shopping, but what we do with them is only to use for putting garbage in them and throw them away. It will be sometimes tiresome, but will be really helpful for environment if everyone would get accustomed to buying stuff without backs and to bringing eco-backs.

“Cool Biz”

2005-06-05T04:08:00.000-07:00

I was really surprised to see Prime Minister Koizumi and other government officials wearing so casual clothes last week. The Japanese government started “Cool Biz” campaign on June 1. It recommends that central government officials leave their jackets and ties at home in summer. Promoting “Cool Biz,” they can develop economy by buying new clothes and they can reduce greenhouse-gas emission by setting the office temperature at 28℃. It might be difficult for other businessmen to change greatly their clothes suddenly but only taking off their jackets, still wearing ties, can be really effective in global warming.

A crying boy on the train

2005-05-26T04:42:00.000-07:00

When I luckily found a seat on the train this morning, a boy who was in the same car started crying. Many people in that car smiled, I think it was because they understood children easily cry but are very cute. I also thought he was cute though his voice was loud. But gradually, everyone’s smile has gone and uncomfortable faces started appearing. Because the boy cried soooo loudly and seemed to never stop crying. His mother and grandmother stayed with him, but they didn’t try to force him to stop crying. At last he kept crying until they got off the train. I think this happened maybe because of declining birth rate so that parents spoilt their few children and cannot scold them. The train is not a place where people have to keep quiet, but I think, where people have to somewhat keep manners. And parents should tell them to their children.

Yoga will be a helper..?

2005-05-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched a Japanese TV program, “SmaSTATION-4” and that was focusing on Yoga. Yoga is now used as exercise by lots of people all over the world. It was said in that program yoga has many different forms and works various ways such as relaxing, curing stiff shoulders, insomnia, or diarrhea, and even losing weight. I had known yoga was good for health, but thought it was difficult to do because I was never flexible. But I could! Imitating the people stretching on TV for about 10 minutes made me hot and feel better. So it seems even people who are not flexible like me can start a yoga practice. Recently I spend much time in bad sitting posture and suffer from backache, so yoga will help me if I could keep doing it…

UTAGE 2005

2005-05-04T05:07:00.000-07:00

I went to "The International Festival UTAGE 2005 IN OSAKA" with Midori, which was recommended in yuri-san's blog. We tasted various foods from foreign countries and various parts of Japan. (But it's a pity that we had to give up sausage in German booth because of too much people...) What I enjoyed the most in UTAGE is "NANTA"!! NANTA is a south Korean exciting musical drama performed in the set of kitchen. 3 men and 1 woman play melodies so passionately using knives, frying pans, and other kitchen utensils on the stage. I was lucky to live in Osaka and to visit there. Though I've just learned about many poor countries and that lots of people are suffering from hunger in global issue class, I couldn't stop enjoying luxurious food.

Poor Knowledge

2005-04-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

The 2nd week was speeded up and we have almost finished chapter 1 about Wealth and Poverty. I'm so shamed to tell, but I knew almost nothing about political spectrum such as what communism is or who were fascists. So it was a good oppotunity. Actually though I've lived in Japan for 19 years, I hardly know about politics even Japanese one. And that's why I took political class this year in order to gain at least basic knowledge. I've not taken interests in various fields and now don't have enough knowledge as 19-year-old. So I hope I can learn many many things like politics though global issues.

Environmental Science Class

2005-04-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

Does anybody take Envirnmental Science? I take Mr. Maeda's one and I just finished the first class of it yesterday. It was only the guidance of this class, but I found that environmental science is similar to global issues in some part, such as asid rain, fossil fuel, and renewable energy. So I am lucky!! This class will be boring and no fun, I think, after the guidance, but thanks to this class, Scott's Global Issues' class will probably be easier to understand than I don't learn anything in another class. I am very interested in global issues, but actually I hardly know what global issues are. So I hope my classmates in IESb would teach me what you know. Maybe I can share what I learned in Environmental Science class with you in return.

What my goals for IES this semester are..

2005-04-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

IESb this year will be much harder than I expected.. Lots of reading, lots of typing, lots of things to do... So my goals are 1. Survive in this class whole year 2. Get used to using English for everything 3. Become a perfect blog user 4. Learn global issues as much as possible 5. Have fun!! I am not sure if my goals will be accomplished or not, but this year is the most important year at university, I think, so I'll try hard and do my best! And Study Abroad next year!

My First Blog

2005-04-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hello, this is my first blog.