Continuing Agonies of Kumamoto

The God Kashima let the Namazu move and thrash the Kumamoto prefecture. As we were watching NHK News on Saturday morning that showed devastated landscapes, fresh alerts of aftershocks started appearing on the screen. This time, Namazu's chosen playground was in the Kyushu Islands. Scores of people have been buried alive by Namazu's foul play. Scores of people were feared buried alive after two powerful quakes hit Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu that killed at least 37 people (officially).

To add more pain to the wounds, a storm is also forecasted in the region. Seismologists predict an eastward movement of the tectonic activities, injecting fears in the minds of people living in the Kansai and Kanto regions. The Kumamoto earthquake is the biggest in the history of earthquakes in Japan after the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011. Though there were drills and training to face an impending earthquake given by the school, we did once again insist our kids be mentally strong to stand in times of difficulties.

Kumamoto is in real trouble now. NHK footage of the collapsed buildings, eroded valleys of Mount Aso, and people in shelter houses shows only a glimpse of the biggest disaster in the country after 2011. Rain with strong wind has also started in the area, threatening the rescue operations. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake, which struck at 1:25 a.m. Saturday in Kumamoto Prefecture, had a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale and originated at a depth of 12 kilometers.

Reporters of NHK News and News 24 channels have been trying their best to cover the disaster-hit areas. Houses, roads, and railway lines were swept away when huge hillsides collapsed and tons of mud were dislodged by the tremors. Buildings were reduced to rubble, taking dozens of lives unaccounted for over a wide area. Some villages in the valleys of Kumamoto were completely cut off by landslides and damage to roads. The NHK news said that at least 1,000 people believed trapped in one of such isolated areas.

The possibility of an eruption of the nearby volcano is adding to the worries and was discussed in the channel. Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture is the largest active volcano in Japan. There is one nuclear power plant located in the southwest direction of the epicenter of Saturday's quake but was unaffected so far.

The demons are restless and hungry. What people can do is pray to the gods to control these demons. The Japanese myth says the cause of earthquakes is the giant catfish Namazu that lives in the underground. Namazu is one of the monster creatures of Japanese mythology and folklore that brings misfortune or disasters. Namazu moves his tail and shakes the entire earth. Namazu loves to play with his tail and cause trouble to bring disasters. The God Kashima can only control Namazu's evil doings. People living on the earth are indebted to the God Kashima as he keeps the earth's surface from moving. Unfortunately, Kashima gets tired sometimes or gets distracted from his duty. By taking this opportunity, Namazu moves a bit, and his movements cause the tremors.

Even now the aftershocks are continuing in Kumamoto and its surroundings. If the Gods do not act in time to control the demon, his movements will get transferred to other parts of the country.

Cross-Border Marriages on the Rise in Japan

Has Japan started shedding its obsession with a homogeneous racial society? If data from government records and the news reports can be taken into account, there are indications towards a growing number of cross-border marriages. Government data released recently says that one in every twenty-nine babies born in Japan in 2014 had at least one foreign parent.

The population data compiled by the Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry reveals that out of the 1.02 million babies born in 2014, approximately 35,000 babies had at least one non-Japanese parent. Discussions are going on on one side about the declining interest of Japanese youngsters in the institution of the family. 

The Japanese government is trying to encourage reproduction in the country at a time when the Japanese population recorded a negative growth by losing almost one million people in the last five years. The declining population has its great impact on industrial growth. Japan is a country that almost entirely depends on its manpower and technology. An increasing number of interracial marriages hints at a growing number of foreigners in Japan.

Traditional Japanese society has a conservative attitude towards cross-border marriages. Japanese people judge cross-border marriages as either "marriage up" or "marriage down.". This is what I could understand from the discussions with local friends so far. This "marriage up" and "marriage down" thing and attitude is highly prejudiced. Japanese society looks down on some countries while they place high regard for some countries.  If I elaborate more on this subject, it would not do any good to the readers. Common sense may please be applied to guess about “Marriage up” and “Marriage down” or just Google.

A surrealistic short story, "Missing Heels," written by Yoko Tawada, tells the story of a Japanese woman who traveled to a European country to live with the husband she has yet to meet face to face. Though the story is about the mail-order bride, it reveals pretty well the preferences that Japanese women who seek interracial marriage keep while searching for their life partner. The story also tells us about the upward mobility of women when seeking partners from other countries. Economic equations are changing now, and China and South Korea have also achieved, to some extent, the status of developed countries, or, at least, a considerable percentage of the population can afford rich lifestyles materialistically.

A working paper named “Brides for Sale: Cross-Border Marriages and Female Immigration” submitted to Harvard Business School by Daiji Kawaguchi and Soohyung Lee also studies the increasing cross-border marriages and migration of brides from developing countries in East Asia to the developed countries such as Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and Korea. Their study reveals the fact that a large number of women migrate as brides from developing countries to developed countries in East Asia, a phenomenon the researchers say did not exist in the early 1990s. They also found that foreign brides currently comprise 4 to 35 percent of newlyweds in these developed Asian countries. This paper argues that two factors account for this rapid increase in “bride importation”: the rapid growth of women's educational attainment and a cultural norm that leads to a low net surplus of marriage for educated women in their homeland.

Apart from the above-stated “intentional migration by marriage or for marriage,” cross-border marriages happen at workplaces, where foreigners work with Japanese nationals. In such workplaces, Japanese and foreigners get chances to know each other well, similar to the love marriages between two Japanese nationals. I know many foreigners married to Japanese and leading happy lives either in Japan or in another country.

The percentage of babies of cross-border parents in 2014 was 3.07 percent, which is close to the record high of 3.44 percent in 2008. With the percentage trending higher over the long term, 1.7 percent in 1990 and 2.6 percent in 1995. It is predicted that the proportion could rise even higher if more foreigners come to Japan as guest workers through deregulation of work visa rules.

By nationality, Chinese nationals accounted for the largest number of foreign-born fathers of babies born in 2014. Koreans accounted for the second-largest and Americans the third-largest number of foreign-born fathers. Chinese nationals accounted for the largest group of mothers, while Filipinos constituted the second largest group, followed by Koreans. The study has included the second generation of Chinese and Koreans as well.

The trend indicates increasing business opportunities in sectors such as education. Japan has been witnessing a surge in the number of international schools and universities to cater to the needs of international communities.  Local governments in such prefectures as Shizuoka, Aichi, and Mie take steps to ensure such children enroll in schools and provide special language training. International school is the choice when either of the parents is on a short-term work visa status in Japan.

O-Hanami Party in Komatsugawa Park with Friends

Around five in the evening, we returned home from nearby Komatsugawa Park after an almost three-hour Hanami party with friends. It had been a delightful O-hanami gathering, with nearly eighty friends coming together to enjoy the season and each other’s company. After such a long and cheerful afternoon, a short break felt necessary to re-energize the body, so I decided to take a nap. However, I couldn’t extend it beyond twenty minutes. The thought that daylight would soon give way to darkness nudged us awake and drew us back toward the park.

That quiet urge led our steps once more to the place where nearly a thousand Sakura trees stood dressed in their latest spring kimonos. Shades of pink and white blended effortlessly, mesmerizing Komatsugawa Park and everyone who visited it that day. The cherry blossoms were at their finest, and the evening felt like the perfect moment to savor their beauty.

A mischievous wind swept along the road running parallel to the Arakawa River. It rushed through the trees without mercy, plucking delicate Sakura petals and sending them swirling through the air. We overheard two Japanese children scolding the wind for its cruelty, pleading with it to stop its mischief. Meanwhile, our own children were busy collecting fallen blossoms from the ground, posing happily for photographs with fully bloomed Sakura trees behind them.

Though we were tired, the worry that wind and rain might carry away this miraculously woven wardrobe of the blossom princess, Konohanasakuya-hime, kept us going. In Japanese mythology, Konohanasakuya-hime (木花咲耶姫), also known as Konohananosakuya-hime (木花開耶姫), is the daughter of the mountain god Ōyamatsumi and the princess of blossoms. She symbolizes the delicate and fleeting nature of earthly life.

Komatsugawa Park is home to nearly one thousand Sakura trees and draws visitors from nearby neighborhoods, especially during the Hanami season. In Tokyo, the park is well known for its Senbon-zakura—literally meaning “one thousand cherry trees.” The Sakura-lined road running parallel to the Arakawa River, along with the park itself, offers an ideal setting for O-hanami gatherings. The park is well equipped, with three restrooms located in different areas and a parking space that can accommodate up to ninety-seven cars. That said, most visitors prefer public transportation, such as trains and buses, to reach the park.

Apartments surround the park on the east, west, and north sides, while the Arakawa River borders it to the south. The park serves as a recreational space for residents of nearby apartments and attracts people from surrounding areas, especially in the evenings. Many come to enjoy sports facilities or let their children play in the playground. Over time, the park has become a familiar meeting place for those of us living in the Ojima and Higashi-Ojima areas, particularly on weekends.

As we walked around the park, quietly absorbing the beauty of the Sakura, one full round brought us back to the realization that it was time to return home. A herniated disc in my lower lumbar spine, combined with the cold wind blowing in from the riverside, compelled me to give in. My spirit, however, remained tireless, longing to spend a little more time with nature. The children, too, were reluctant to leave and paid little attention to our requests.

The day was slowly retiring, handing over its treasures of earth and sky to the night. As we walked away, the clouds in the sky and the clouds of Sakura blossoms in the park began to resemble each other from a distance. Clouds are ephemeral—they appear, change form, drift, and disappear, yet they bring joy to those who observe them. Sakura blossoms share the same fleeting beauty. They bloom briefly, fade away to welcome the next season, and leave behind gentle memories.

Sakura reminds us of the impermanent nature of life. Yet, instead of evoking sorrow, it fills us with joy, energy, enthusiasm, and hope. That is why we await this season every year and celebrate each petal of this extraordinary gift of nature—the Sakura.

Is Japan Safe for Foreigners?

It was not the first time when I heard a hate speech in front of the south exit of JR Moto-Yawata station yesterday. I had paid attention in the past too to such venomous talk against foreigners belonging to certain countries. A man clad in a black dress standing in front of a black-colored wagon holding a microphone in his hand was the source of the xenophobic talk in Moto Yawata station.

On the way from Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, I was reading an article in the online edition of 'Japan Today' that boasted the efforts of Japanese authorities to show the measures they have taken to convince foreigners about the safety in Japan. Yes, Japan is safe for foreigners compared to many other countries. I have hundreds of personal experiences in the past eight years to prove beyond doubt that Japan is safe in many ways, not only for locals but for foreigners too.

I slowed down to understand more about the reasons for his talk. He was talking about the claims made by China over the Senkaku Islands, and people from such countries enjoy their stay here....and he was getting more fire in him as he proceeded. People going out of the station seldom paid attention to his speech. Nobody bothered to pause to hear him. He was full of pride in the past glory of Japan and expressed his anxiety and concerns over the lost sovereign authority. It seemed to me that the things he uttered would not do any good to Japan. He was just polluting the air.

The Japanese government has also been monitoring the hate speech in the country and had released the results of the survey it conducted. The survey conducted for the first time in Japan analyzed the rallies held by the anti-foreign ultraconservative and nationalist groups in the period between April 2012 and September 2015. The authorities analyzed online videos recorded at the demonstrations, as well as other means, including collecting information on calls for gatherings from websites of xenophobic groups.

Leading newspapers in Japan carried the survey results that show violent slogans such as “Get the hell out of Japan,” etc., were repeated frequently. The majority of those rallies were held to protest against certain political issues. Some of those issues included the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea and territorial disputes with China and Korea. Two Koreas and China were the main targets of the verbal abuse by xenophobic groups.

Yes, it is a fact that incidents such as the one I came across at the south exit of Moto-Yawata station happen here, but Japan remains a safe haven for foreigners. Unlike in other countries, such hate speeches rarely take violent, aggressive forms here. Xenophobic rallies are also becoming less common in Japan. So, the conclusion is: Japan is safe for foreigners, and the local people are friendly and helpful to foreigners.