Last year the chinese character ability test association announced the result of its poll "The one Kanji = Chinese character to express the current year" "love" (Ai in Japanese ) was chosen because that year Princess Nori was wed and Princess Ai-chan (the Kanji is pronounced “ai”) played very well in sports. In 2004, it was "disaster" because we had a big typhoon, earthquake, big rain, etc. in the world.
This year's Kanji was released at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto yesterday and it is "life". Prince Hisahito was born, and though this was good news, people chose this Kanji because we should think again about the value of human life. This year, actually, every day I read news of drunk drivers and bullying at school.
By the way, it's 9am now. I am leaving on a trip to the U.S.; hopefully I can write often during this trip.
Oh my..I didn't knew ijime was such a problem in Japan...
This is really a big issue :(
Posted by: 41nano | Sunday, December 31, 2006 at 08:17 PM
Hi Merry Christmas everybody
I am back now.
Posted by: Mari | Sunday, December 24, 2006 at 12:34 PM
merry x'mas!
Posted by: wingtsing | Saturday, December 23, 2006 at 11:43 AM
Have a good trip! :) i can`t wait to read your notes about this experience (hope the sake got safe to its destination :o). Do you intend to spend the New Year`s Day there?
Posted by: Misha | Thursday, December 21, 2006 at 05:41 AM
Nice and informative blog! By the way, I have linked your article about Peko-chan on Sep. 7, 2005 to my blog. While I was looking for the detailed English information of peko-chan, I happened to see your blog.
Have a nice day and bon voyage!!
macky
TokyoDailyPhoto: http://artofjpn3.blogspot.com/
KyotoDailyPhoto: http://artofjpn2.blogspot.com/
Posted by: macky | Monday, December 18, 2006 at 05:12 AM
Mari, Ive just discovered your blog last month..(I was searching on something about hikkikimori) I am really enjoying your writings! still going through older stuff and find many things Ive been interested in you are writing on and thankyou all the references...wow. Im living in japan for a long time now but dont read or write J. and last few years Im not keeping up..you keep me up with things. thanks! and yes, Ive been just plain glum about all the bullying, youth suicide and murder reported recently but somehow I think its ongoing and just once in a while the media decides to highlight it...maybe ne? Ive been following futoko and school problems and such and they are happening for a long time now. myself i am a serious supporter of 'futoko', many of them are very very fine people, intelligent,creative and tough to fight a controlling system. Because they are not made dumb in schools they will have a freer mind. I say, the more power to them! possibly they are the positive future of japan? a radical small group now but growing and growing and getting the power to say 'no' to alot of oppression and control in their lives. I give them all my support. I would love to start a resource center for them, there are MANY ways to self educate and grow up.
something I find shocking these days and for a number of years now is the number of mothers that murder their children...mothers???!! or of the boy found starved to death in kyoto last month...in one of the richest nations, children can still starve to death? is this the year of 'love'??
well, i do enjoy watching those korean TV love dramas!
and you wrote about the magician Cyril. I saw him for the first time on J TV last summer. I was mesmerized! I thought he was really special and unique and had a warm distance with people, a calmness or something, did you? anyway he has a great aura! and your blog has a great feel to it too. please keep doing it and Happy New Year, Happy Travels. I will try to comment more next year.
Posted by: johanna | Friday, December 15, 2006 at 04:11 PM
I wish you good luck and safe travel.
Posted by: Randy | Friday, December 15, 2006 at 03:03 AM
Have fun in the States. Ja, mata... ^_~
Posted by: ミカエル | Thursday, December 14, 2006 at 09:36 PM