日本擁有1200年歷史的櫻花資料庫迎來新主人（1/2）

Recently the New York Times reported the following:

Japan’s Cherry Blossom Database, 1,200 Years Old, has a New Keeper (1/2)

The remarkable catalog of dates is one of the longest-running records of climate change. Its creator died, setting off a search for a successor.

The NYT - By Hiroko Tabuchi - Hiroko Tabuchi covers pollution and the environment for The Times. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years in Tokyo and New York.

Published April 17, 2026

Updated April 18, 2026, 10:43 a.m. ET

For more than 1,200 years, Japanese noblemen, monks and bureaucrats have carefully recorded one of the most eagerly awaited days of the year — when cherry blossoms bloom in the ancient capital, Kyoto.

In recent years, a climate scientist, Yasuyuki Aono, has been the keeper of this trove of dates, one of the world’s most remarkable and longest-running climate records. Cherry trees, or sakura, are particularly sensitive to changing temperatures, and as the planet has warmed, they have bloomed earlier and earlier.

Then last summer, Prof. Aono, who had meticulously updated the record year after year, died after a battle with cancer. That prompted supporters of his work to start looking for a worthy successor.

“We need help from a botanist or someone local to Kyoto, Japan!” Tuna Acisu, a data scientist at Our World in Data, posted on X this month. The key qualifications, she wrote, were scientific expertise and being “local to Arashiyama,” a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto famous for its cherry trees.

Initially, they didn’t have much luck. No other researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University, where Prof. Aono worked, would be taking over his record-keeping, Hiroko Nishino, a university spokeswoman, wrote in an email.

But now, just as Kyoto sees the last of the year’s cherry blossoms, Prof. Aono’s successor has been found, Ms. Acisu said. On Friday, a Tokyo-based environmental biophysicist, Genki Katata, said he had agreed to be the new custodian of the records.

“Making sure the Kyoto data lives on is a very important job,” Dr. Katata, a senior fellow at the Canon Institute for Global Studies, said in an interview from Tokyo. “I want to carry this forward for as long as I can.”

Cherry blossoms are beloved worldwide. Crowds flock to see them in Washington, D.C., and Vancouver, both recipients of trees gifted from Japan, as well as in Wuhan, China, and Jinhae, South Korea. But perhaps nowhere are they as deeply enshrined in history and culture as in Japan.

Cherry blossom viewing, or hanami, has been a part of daily and aristocratic life in Japan for more than a millennium, celebrated in haiku, depicted in paintings and meticulously recorded in court diaries and chronicles. Today, hanami season is a boisterous affair, marked with bento picnics under the trees and drunken parties that stretch into the night.

The historical records Prof. Aono compiled weren’t originally intended for science. But the dates, locations, and other details contained in the scripts have proven to be a rich source of data from an age that precedes the birth of thermometers.

In one diary entry dated April 14, 1644, Tokitsune Hiramatsu, a court noble and scholar, referred to a cherry blossom viewing party on the grounds of the Seiryoden palace at the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the residence of Japan’s emperor for centuries. “We enjoyed watching cherry blossoms, and took sake provided by the emperor,” he wrote.

Over the centuries, various chroniclers would note the progression of blossoms — whether they were just starting to flower, were in peak bloom or were beginning to scatter their petals, adding a level of specificity that has allowed for relatively consistent data through the generations.

Prof. Aono focused on a sturdy native variety called Yamazakura, highly sensitive to spring temperatures and long Japan’s standard cherry tree, before the more delicate Somei-Yoshino hybrid gained popularity.

Prof. Aono pored over those records, teaching himself ancient Japanese script. The effort took more than 15 years. “I was never good at literature in school, and at first I had no idea even where to look,” he said in an acceptance speech for an academic award he received in 2017. “Incredulous colleagues would ask, ‘Are you still studying cherry trees?’”

(to be continued)

Translation

日本擁有1200年歷史的櫻花資料庫迎來新主人（1/2）

這本非凡的日子目錄是紀錄氣候變遷持續最長時間的册子之一。在它的創建者去世後，人們開始尋找繼任者。

1200多年來，日本的貴族、僧侶和官員們一直認真記錄著一年中最令人期待的日子之一 - 古都京都櫻花盛開的日子。

近年來，氣候科學家青野康之(Yasuyuki Aono) 一直負責維護這份珍貴的日期記錄寶藏，這是世界上最引人注目、持續時間最長的氣候記錄之一。櫻花樹 (sakura) 對氣溫變化特別敏感，隨著全球暖化，它們的花期也越來越早。

去年夏天，青野教授因癌症過世，他生前一直一絲不苟地逐年更新著這份紀錄。他的支持者們開始尋找合適的繼任者。

資料科學家Tuna Acisu本月在X網站上發文說道:「我們需要一位植物學家，或是一位居住在日本京都的本地人！」。她寫道，關鍵條件是具備科學專業知識，並且「“是嵐山(Arashiyama)本地人”。嵐山位於京都西郊，以櫻花聞名。

起初，他們的進展並不順利。大阪市立大學發言人西野弘子 (Hiroko Nishino) 在一封電子郵件中寫道，青野教授生前所在的大阪市立大學沒有其他研究人員接手他的記錄工作。

但就在京都櫻花即將凋謝之際，Acisu女士表示青野教授的繼任者已經找到。週五，東京環境生物物理學家片田元氣(Genki Katata)博士宣布，他已同意擔任新的記錄保管人。

作為佳能全球研究所的高級研究員的片田博士在東京接受採訪時說道:「確保京都的數據得以保存是一項非常重要的工作」;「我希望盡可能長久地將這項工作傳承下去」。

櫻花深受世界各地人們的喜愛。在華盛頓特區和溫哥華（這兩個城市都曾收到日本贈送的櫻花樹），以及中國武漢和韓國鎮海，人們都蜂擁而至欣賞櫻花。但或許沒有哪個地方像日本一樣，將櫻花深深融入歷史和文化之中。

賞櫻，或稱為“花見”( hanami)，在日本已有超過千年的歷史，是日常生活和貴族生活的重要組成部分。人們用俳句歌頌櫻花，用繪畫描繪櫻花，並在宮廷日記和編年史中一絲不苟地記錄下賞櫻的場景。如今，賞櫻季已成為一場熱鬧非凡的盛事，在樹下享用便當野餐，以及持續到深夜的醉酒派對。

青野教授收集的這些歷史記錄最初並非用於科學研究。但這些手稿中所包含的日期、地點和其他細節，已被證明是了解溫度計發明之前時代的寶貴資料。

在1644年4月14日的一篇日記中，宮廷貴族兼學者 平松時庸 (Tokitsune Hiramatsu)提到了在京都皇宮青陵殿（日本天皇數百年來的居所）舉行的賞櫻活動。 他寫道:「我們欣賞了櫻花，還喝了天皇賜予的清酒」。

幾個世紀以來，不同的史官都會記錄櫻花的生長過程 - 無論是剛綻放、正值盛花期，還是花瓣開始凋落，這增加了一定程度的精確性，使得幾個世代的數據都相對一致。

青野教授專注於一種名為「山櫻」的本土櫻花品種，這種櫻花對春季氣溫非常敏感，在更為嬌嫩的染井-吉野雜交品種流行之前，它一直是日本的標準櫻花樹。

青野教授仔細研讀這些記錄，自學日本古文，這項工作耗時超過15年。 他在2017年獲得學術獎時的獲獎感言中說道:「在學校時我的文學成績不好，在開始這時工作甚至不知道該從何入手」;「同事們會難以置信地問， ' 你還在研究櫻花樹？'」。

 （待續）

Note:

1. Tokitsune Hiramatsu (平松時庸)（ひらまつ ときつね） (1599-1654) was a court noble during the early Edo period holding the official rank of Junior Second Rank, Provisional Middle Counselor (従二位、権中納言). He was the second son of Tokiyoshi Nishinotōin (西洞院時慶) （1552 - 1640）. He established the Hiramatsu family (平松家), a branch of the Nishinotōin family (西洞院家). (https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/)

Papua New Guinea: School demolished without the Japanese side knowing it

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

日本側が把握しないまま学校が取り壊し パプアニューギニア

2020年10月20日 18時08分

日本の無償資金協力で建設が進められていた南太平洋のパプアニューギニアの学校が、日本側が把握しないまま現地当局の指示で取り壊されていたことが分かりました。

会計検査院は、現地の大使館が進捗（しんちょく）状況を適切に確認していなかったのが原因で援助の効果が発揮されていないと指摘しました。

この「無償資金協力」は、パプアニューギニアの子どもたちの学習環境の改善を目的に、平成27年8月に日本政府が返済義務を課さずにおよそ800万円を提供したもので、現地の学校と契約を結んで校舎1棟の建設が進められていました。

しかし、会計検査院が調べたところ、完成間近となった、契約からおよそ10か月後の平成28年6月ごろ、安全性が確保されていないとして現地当局から工事の中断を命じられ、12月に取り壊されていたということです。

現地の大使館は、平成28年8月ごろから学校の代表者と連絡が取れない状況が続き、翌年4月に敷地の所有者から連絡を受けて初めて、校舎が取り壊されたことを知ったということです。

会計検査院は、現地の大使館が進捗状況を適切に確認していなかったのが原因で援助の効果が発揮されていないと指摘しました。

取材に対し外務省は「今後、工事の進捗の確認ができなくなった場合は、確認のための必要な措置を行っていく」と話しています。

Translation

It turned out that a school in Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific which was being constructed with Japanese grant aid was demolished at the direction of local authorities without making known to the Japanese.

The Board of Audit pointed out that the aid was not effective because the local embassy did not properly check the progress.

This "Free grant aid" of approximately 8 million yen was given out without imposing a repayment obligation by the Japanese government in August 2015 for the purpose of improving the learning environment for children in Papua New Guinea by providing a local school. The construction of one school building was underway with a contract with a local school.

However, according to the investigation by the Board of Audit, around June 2016, about 10 months after the contract, when it was nearing completion, the local authorities ordered the construction to be suspended because its safety was not ensured and it was demolished in December.

The local embassy, starting from around August 2016, was continuously unable to contact the school representative. It was only contacted by the owner of the site in April of the following year for the first time, and learned that the school building was demolished.

The Board of Audit pointed out that the aid was not effective because the local embassy had not properly checked the progress.

In response to a press interview, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "in the future, if we cannot confirm the progress of the construction, necessary measures to obtain confirmation will be taken."

              So, Japan is all along trying to maintain a cultural connection with the island countries in the South Pacific through its "Free grant aid" programs.

Kozushima Village Applies to become a "Starry Sky Reserve"

Recently NHK News On-line reported the following:

神津島村「星空保護区」申請へ

08月01日　11時37分

東京・伊豆諸島の神津島村は、国際的な団体が認定する「星空保護区」を目指して今月下旬に申請を行います。

「星空保護区」は、美しい夜空を守る取り組みを評価しようと、世界の天文学者らでつくるＮＰＯ団体が認定していて、国内では沖縄県の西表石垣国立公園が認定されています。

この「星空保護区」を目指して、都心から南へおよそ１８０キロにある離島の神津島村が今月下旬に申請を行います。

認定には、夜空の暗さや屋外の照明が基準を満たしていることや、星空ツアーなどの体験プログラムを実施していることなどが条件となっています。

神津島村では、屋外の照明の明るさや点灯時間などを定めた条例を制定しているほか、星空をガイドする人材育成などを行っていて、国内で２例目の保護区認定を目指します。

神津島村の前田弘村長は「島の自然を守りながら観光の活性化につなげられるように、認定に向けた取り組みを進めていきたい」と話していました。

Translation

Kozushima Village in the Izu Islands of Tokyo later this month would apply to become a "Starry Sky Reserve" to be recognized by an international group.

The "Starry Sky Reserve" was a recognition by an NPO organization created by astronomers from all over the world for the purpose of evaluating efforts in the protect of the beautiful night sky. In Japan, Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park in Okinawa Prefecture has been certified.

Aiming to become a "Starry sky reserve", Kozushima Village, an outlying island located approximately 180 km south of the city center, would make an application later this month.

The certification would be based on the fact that the darkness of the night sky and outdoor lighting could meet the standards, and the conditions that experiencing programs such as starry sky tours had been organized.

In Kozushima Village, in addition to implementing ordinances that determine the brightness of outdoor lighting and lighting time, they were also holding training program for human resources to guide the starry sky tours, and to became the second certified protected area in Japan.

Mayor Hiroshi Maeda of Kozushima Village said, "We would like to proceed with the efforts toward certification so that we can stimulate tourism and at the same time protect the nature of the island."

              So, apart from Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park in Okinawa Prefecture, Kozushima Village in the Izu Islands of Tokyo probably will soon become another "Starry Sky Reserve" in Japan to be recognized by an international group. I will consider including these two locations into my future sight-seeing trips to Japan. All things on earth were from the star-dusts in the universe. To watch the galaxy in a sense could enable us to feel and see our origin, and to understand where we come from.

 

On the notation of "last name / first name", foreign media are not willing to listen even if requested by MOFA?

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

日本人の「姓・名」表記、外務省が要請も外国メディアは聞く気なし？

2020.03.24 Tue posted at 17:53 JST

香港（ＣＮＮ Ｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓ）  米紙ロサンゼルス・タイムズは１９７９年、中国の固有名詞のローマ字表記を変更し、首都北京は「Ｐｅｋｉｎｇ」から「Ｂｅｉｊｉｎｇ」に改めると発表した。

しかし、当時はこれを行き過ぎと受け止めるメディアもあり、シカゴ・トリビューン紙は１９９０年代までＰｅｋｉｎｇを使い続けた。一方、ニューヨーク・タイムズ紙は１９８６年、Ｂｅｉｊｉｎｇの採用を発表し、この表記が古い表記と同じくらいなじまれるようになったと指摘した。

そして今度は日本がそうした変化を求めている。外務省は昨年、新元号の制定を好機ととらえ、日本人の氏名の書き方を変更するよう外国メディアに要請した。

例えば「シンゾウ・アベ」は姓を最初にして「アベ・シンゾウ」とする。各国のメディアが中国の国家主席を「シー・チンピン」、韓国大統領を「ムン・ジェイン」と表記しているように。

もっとも英語メディアがその要請に応えてくれるまでにはまだ相当時間がかかりそうだ。

日本では昔から姓が最初に来る表記が使われていたが、明治時代に入って西洋にならい、英語の表記についてはこの順序がひっくり返された。

だが「姓」が最初に来る書き方に外国人が対応できることは、日本の近隣国が間もなく実証した。日本政府もほぼ２０年にわたり、明治時代に覆された順序を再び覆そうと試みており、今回の外国メディアに対する要請もその一環だった。

ただし変化が遅いのは外国人だけではない。ほとんどの日本人は、英語で自分の名を書く場合は姓を後にする書き方になれている。日本政府が首相をはじめとする高官の氏名表記を変えた今も、国内の英字紙などの大部分は依然として「シンゾウ・アベ」を使い続けている。

外務省広報によれば、２０１９年１１月の通達により、姓を最初にする形式を１月１日から全省庁で採用することになった。「日本人の氏名については、問題がなければ姓が最初に来る表記を検討するよう、メディア各社に要請している。だが判断については各社に委ねる」と広報は説明している。

今のところ、ほとんどの報道機関は、他社が変更しない限り率先して変更する意向は見せていない。日本の首相の名を「アベ・シンゾウ」と表記する大手報道機関は、ＣＮＮ Ｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓが調べた限りでは見つからなかった。

ＣＮＮは現時点で「日本人の氏名については名前が最初で姓を後にする形式を使っている。日本の当局者も英語でのコミュニケーションではこの形式を使う傾向にある」とした。「ただしスタイルは進化するものであり、日本政府からの正式要請など重要な変更があれば、当然ながら再考する」と言い添えた。

Translation

 Hong Kong (CNN Business) - The Los Angeles Times announced in 1979 that it would change the Romanized notation of Chinese proper nouns, and that the capital, Beijing, would be changed from "Peking" to "Beijing."

However, at the time, some media took this as overkill, and the Chicago Tribune continued to use Peking until the 1990s. Meanwhile, the New York Times announced the adoption of Beijing in 1986, pointing out that this notation had become as familiar as the old one.

Then now Japan wanted such a change. Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saw the enactment of the new era as an opportunity to request foreign media to change the way Japanese names were written.

For example, “Shinzo Abe” would be named “Abe Shinzo” with the last name first, as the media in each country described the Chinese president as "Shin Chinpin" and the Korean president as "Mun jein".

But it seemed that it would take some time for English media to respond to the request.

In Japan, from time immemorial the notation with the last name had been used. However, in the Meiji era, this order was reversed in its English notation to follow the western style.

However, Japan’s neighboring countries soon proved that foreigners could respond to writing styles where the "last name" comes first. For almost two decades, the Japanese government had tried to overturn the Meiji era reversal order, and the request this time to foreign media was part of that.

However, it was not only foreigners that were slow in changing. Most Japanese when writing their name in English would write the surname after the given name as a method of writing. Even now, on the occasions when Japanese government announced changes in its senior official list starting with the prime minister, most of the country's English language newspapers and the like still continued to use "Shinzo Abe".

According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman's announcement in November 2019, all ministries would adopt the family-name-first format from January 1. The announcement explained that “about the full name of the Japanese, we ask media companies to consider putting the family name of the Japanese first in their notation if there is no problem, but we will leave that decision to individual companies".

To date, most news agencies had not indicated that they would take the initiative unless others agencies took the lead to change. About labeling of the Japanese prime minister as "Abe Shinzo" by major news agencies, a study by CNN Business showed that no such thing could be found.

At the moment, CNN supposed that "regarding the full name of the Japanese, it is using the method of given-name-comes-first with the family name at the end. Japanese officials also tend to use this format when communicating in English," and added that "However, the style is evolving, and if there are significant changes, such as a formal request from the Japanese government, we will naturally reconsider it".

            The translation of Japanese (and Chinese) names into English is always an interesting matter. While English people use the given-name-first notation, both Japanese and Chinese use the family-name-first notation. I note that when English speaking scholars of Chinese history write the names of historical figures in modern China, they write them in English with the given-names-first notation as a general rule. The exception for that are the big names such as “Mao Tze-tung毛沢東”, “Chiang Kai-shek蔣介石” and “Sun Yat-sen孫中山”. Currently English newspaper reporters translate Chinese names base on pin-yin (i.e. pronunciation based), for example “Xi Jinping 習近平”. While pin-yin notation has the benefit of making no changes to the family-name-first writing style, English reader could be confused if they are not familiar with the name writing method of the Chinese and the Japanese.

The largest right-wing newspaper published for about 10 years before the War was found

Recently NHK News On-line reported the following:

戦前最大の右派新聞 約10年分見つかる

2019年8月9日 5時48分

昭和初期に発行され、戦前、最大の右派メディアとも呼ばれた日刊紙、「日本新聞」の紙面、およそ10年間分がほぼ完全な形で残されていたことが分かりました。

これまで多くが失われたとされていて、日本が戦争へと向かっていった道筋を解き明かす貴重な資料として研究者の間で注目を集めています。

見つかったのは、大正14年から昭和10年まで発行されていた日刊紙、「日本新聞」です。

元総理大臣、平沼騏一郎が設立した団体の、資料の収蔵庫に保管されていたもので、創刊から休刊するまでの10年間、およそ3000日分の紙面がほぼ完全な形で残されていました。

日本新聞は、発行部数およそ１万6000部と多くはないものの、政官財に幅広い読者を持ち、戦前最大の右派メディアとして右派思想を広めたとされていましたが、現在は多くが失われ、初期の数年間については内容もほとんど知られていませんでした。

紙面は見開き４ページで、創刊号には編集方針として天皇中心の国家体制を絶対のものにする「日本主義」と呼ばれる思想が掲げられています。見出しには「共産主義の致命的欠陥」や「赤化売国派を掃蕩せよ」などの激しいことばが並んでいます。

日本は、昭和の初めから急速に国家主義的な風潮が広がったとされていますが、日本新聞を詳しく分析することで当時の言論や思想の移り変わりをひもとく手がかりになると期待されています。

日本の近代思想史が専門の京都大学大学院の福家崇洋 准教授は「記事を分析することで、大正デモクラシーで自由をおう歌していたはずの日本社会がどのように変化していったのか、クリアに把握できるはずだ」と話しています。

日本新聞とは

「日本新聞」は、大正から昭和初期にかけて司法大臣や鉄道大臣を務めた政治家、小川平吉が大正14年に創刊しました。当時、気鋭の国粋主義者や民族主義者らが社説や記事を執筆し、およそ１万6000部が発行されました。

創刊の際には、支持者としてのちに総理大臣を務める近衛文麿や東条英機など政治家や軍人、財界トップらが名前を連ね、当時の右派メディアの中では異例の日刊紙として国の中枢から地方の有力者まで幅広い支援者、読者を獲得していました。

日本新聞は10年間にわたっておよそ3000日分が発行され、昭和10年に休刊となりました。残された紙面は戦争中に多くが焼失したほか、戦後は右派メディアへの厳しい風当たりなどから失われてしまい、現在は後半のおよそ５年分しか見つかっていませんでした。

Translation

 Established before the war in the early Showa era, a daily newspaper being called the largest right-wing media, the Nihon Shimbun newspaper, covering a period of about ten years, was found being left behind in an almost intact form.

Up to now most of this newspaper had been lost, and it was attracting attention among researchers as a valuable resource to unravel the path on Japan heading for war.

What was found was the Nihon Shimbun, a daily newspaper published from Taisho 14th to Showa 10th.

It was kept in the material collection of a group established by former Prime Minister Shinichiro Hiranuma; about 3,000 days of paper were left in an almost intact form, covering from the first publication to its suspension in the 10th year.

The Nihon Shimbun, which had a daily circulation of merely about 16,000 copies, had a wide readership among politicians, business leaders and bureaucrats. Now most of the copies were lost. It was said that as the largest right-wing media before the War, it spread the right-wing thoughts. Little was known about its content in its first few years.

The newspaper had four pages, and the first issue had an editorial policy called “Japanese-ism” that made the Emperor-centric state system an absolute one. The headline was lined with violent words such as “a fatal flaw of communism” and “cleaning up the Sovietized traitors”.

Japan was said to have developed a nationalistic trend rapidly since the beginning of the Showa period, but it was expected that analyzing the Nihon Shimbun in detail would provide a clue to the change in speech and thought at that time.

Associate professor Takahiro Fukuya of Kyoto University Graduate School who was specializing in the history of modern thought in Japan said, “By analyzing the articles, you should be able to clearly see how the Japanese society which should have been singing for freedom at the Taisho Democracy was changed. "

About Nihon Shimbun

The Nihon Shimbun was first published in Taisho 14^th year by a politician who had served as the Justice Minister and also the Minister of Railways from the Taisho to the early Showa period. At the time, high spirit ultra-nationalists​ and nationalists wrote editorials and articles, and the newspaper had a circulation of  about 16,000 copies.

At the time of the first publication those who began as supporters later became politicians and soldiers such as Konoe Bunji and Hideki Tojo who later served as the prime minister and linked up with the names of top people in the business world. And from the center of right-wing media of the country at that time, as an unusual daily newspaper, it reached prominent local people and had a wide range of supporters and readers.

The Nihon Shimbun was published for approximately 3,000 days spanned over a period of 10 years and was suspended in 1945. Most of the newspaper left behind were burned during the war; and after the war it was lost due to the harsh winds towards the right-wing media, and currently only the paper’s last five years existed.

     So, the finding will help Japanese historians see how Japan, which had been embracing freedom during the Taisho period, suddenly developed into a fascist state in the Showa period.

My visit to Tokyo 2018 (20)

From Taito looking east one can see the Skytree

A location map of Taito

On the third of November I walked around Tokyo’s Taito district (台東区) and enjoyed some local food as lunch and dinner. I considered it at an in-depth visit to this place. Taito district was a region that tourists seldom visited because there was no tourist attractions. My purpose was to see it first hand to know how the local people bought their daily food.

CCS. Many customers came here by bicycles

CCS had a lot of fresh fruit

In this district, there was a supermarket the CCS (Consumerism Convenience Store) and a chain food store, the Kawachiya ( 河内屋 ) which supposedly to be a food/wine wholesaler. The CCS sold all kinds of daily food items, from vegetable to fruit, from fish to sashimi. I noted that CCS was a popular place for local families to buy their daily food as during the rush hours it was full of customers. One special item of this supermarket was its fresh deep-fry items: fish, chicken and potato etc. There was a fresh sea food corner when one could buy a large piece of tuna and asked the staff to cut it into small pieces for you.

 

Kawachiya. Customers often came here by bicycles

Kawachiya was different from CCS in several areas. It sold mostly packed food or refrigerated food such as meat products.  While there was no fresh fish, vegetable or sashimi, there was a wine corner where one could buy different brand names imported and locally made spirit; and also popular Japanese sake.

In this district several things were noted. I noticed that many people here, both men and women loved riding their bicycles to work or to do their daily shopping. Many drove their bicycles on the pavement instead of on the road. Also, there were a lot of small BBQ food stores selling take-away strings of chicken meat at a price of 100 yen. I also found a small restaurant that customers had to stand while eating, the so called Risshoku(立食). 

I bought rice-omelet from this sore

The rice-omelet is beautiful

There were also many food stores selling take away bento (お弁当) or sushi tray. From some of these local shops I bought one オムライス(rice-omelet) and some sushi.

The take-away sushi that I bought

My visit to Tokyo 2018 (19)

Roppongi Hills  (Source: Toyko Metro Guide)

The Bronze Spider

The High-End Shopping Center

On the second of November I visited Roppongi Hills. There is a multi-complex building designed for different kinds of activities e.g. moving showing and shopping. One of the most iconic symbol here is the bronze spider known as the Maman that was created by the talented late Louise Bourgeois. Often people gathered underneath its legs to take photos. There is an observatory on the Mori Tower roof top where one can enjoy a panoramic view of Tokyo after paying a small fee.

 

A Theater inside the Roppongi Hills

Roppongi Hills is a place to meet international artists and their works. During my visit, the Tokyo international film festival was being held. The region around Roppongi Hills has a lot of embassies coming from different countries. Perhaps because of this reason, there are also a few high-end restaurants here, include a Japanese restaurant and a Chinese restaurant. According to my memory, a Chinese restaurant was offering a lunch that costed about 10,000 yen. Many world-wide famous brand names also open their shops here, the price of their product is beyond the reach of ordinary people. For example, a coat can cost you 388,800 yen.

The price lists of some items

Some of the Clothing on Display

At the basement floor of the building, there is a public place. It is a large  area where one can do reading and eating comfortably using the chairs and tables available there.

My visit to Tokyo 2018 (17)

Waseda Metro Station

On the 31st I visited the Waseda University by Metro in the morning.  From the station I needed to walk for about five minutes before reaching the university. On campus one could see two big statutes. One was the principle of the university 大隈英麿（Hidemaro Ōkuma）who was standing,  he was the principal of the university from 1882–1886. The other was 高田早苗（Sanae Takata） who was sitting, he was the de facto presidents from 1907 to 1915

Hidemaru Okuma

Sanae Takata

When I looked for the direction of cafeteria I tried to seek help by stopping a female student who was walking by. After telling her my intention, she was so kind as to lead me to the cafeteria. She came from mainland China and could speak very good Japanese as well as English. Through our conversation in Mandarin, English and Japanese, I knew that she was from a middle-class family in Beijing of China. She was smart and articulate and had picked up the local Japanese manner well as indicated by her deep bowing when we said good-bye.

Waseda helps student to get jobs

About the job opportunity of Waseda graduates in applying for government jobs, a NHK news report dated 25.6.2012 attached below could give us a hint. It was translated into English by me, please see my blog dated 3rd July 2012.

人事院は２５日、２０１２年度の国家公務員総合職試験の合格者１３２６人を発表した。応募者は２万３８８１人で、倍率は１８倍だった。 　

総合職試験は、いわゆるキャリア官僚を選抜してきた国家公務員１種試験に代わり、今年初めて実施された。女性合格者の割合は２３・１％で、１種試験を通じて過去最高となった。 　

合格者数を大学別に見ると、最も多かったのは東大の４１０人。以下、京大１１６人、早大９９人――の順だった。 　

総合職試験の応募者は、１１年度実施の１種試験と比べ１３％減（３６８６人減）となった。合格者のうち採用予定者数は５１７人で、同８％減（４５人減）となる。 （2012年6月25日16時50分 読売新聞）

In essence, in the 2012 civil servant recruitment, Waseda graduates ranked third in passing the examination.

The cafeteria

The cafeteria was relatively big with windows at one side. Some tables were designated as speed seat so that users should not use the tables for too long during the lunch rush hours (for example to use the table for studying while eating). I enjoyed my lunch which included a rice dish and a bowl of miso-soup. The soup here was not as good taste as the one I enjoyed in Tokyo University’s cafeteria.

Immediately outside the south entry of the university was a street full of small restaurants and food shops. There was also a second-hand book store. Further down the road I found a Hong Kong style restaurant. The name of the restaurant in Chinese was 香港華記米線, literally it means Hong Kong Wah Kee Rice Noodle. What attracted by attention was the egg-tarts on display at the counter.

South Gate of Waseda University

Hong Kong Wah Kee Rice Noodle

Egg-tarts

My visit to Tokyo 2018 (16)

On the 30th I visited Shinjuku (新宿) by Metro. According to the Tokyo Travel Guide Shinjuku metro station is surrounded by many electronic stores thay offer lots of choices in buying electronic equipment including personal computers.

 

Shinjuku shopping district

There are also a lot of traditional shops and department stores such as the Isetan (伊勢丹)  which is located at the east exit. At the underground, the Metro is connected to many food stores that offers different variety of food items such as Japanese and western sweets, prepared dishes lunches boxes etc. At the underground, one can walk from the metro station to the Isetan Department Store easily.

Isetan Department Store

The Isetan department store is accommodated in a building of its own with different sales focus on each floor. In the basement of the Isetan building is the food section. In this food section, beside fresh vegetable and dry food, customers can buy seafood, and some of them are swimming inside a transparent water tank. On the ground level of Isetan there is a huge area that promotes cosmetic and health care products. The building’s top floor is a restaurant area and a food corner. There are different types of restaurants, including western style, Chinese style and Japanese style. The building roof is a sitting area which customers can sit down to enjoy their take-away food.

At the west exist of the Shinjuku metro there is a twin-tower government building (東京都庁舎). This government building attracts tourists for two reasons: on the ground floor of the number one building there is the Tokyo Metropolitan traveling information center (東京都觀光情報センター). Tourists will find it very useful as there are a lot of information sheet and booklets for tourists to read and take away. On its 45th floor there is the north and south observation deck (北展望室.南展望室). 

Government building information

The Government Twin-tower building

A view from the 45th floor

The observation deck is 202 meters above ground level. It is open to the public to enjoy a panoramic view of the city free. If the weather is good one can look to the west to see Mount. Fuji at a distance. On this floor there are also souvenir shops and a restaurant. This observation deck is popular and always there is a queue waiting for the elevator to bring tourists up to the deck. A simple security check is done on tourists before they are allowed to enter the elevator.

Tourists line up for security check and the elevator

The restaurant on the 45th floor