My visit to Tokyo 2018 (6)

          On the 21st, I visited the Ueno Park. The Tokyo Travel Guide introduces the park in the following manner:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

This park is conveniently located next to three train stations: the Ueno Station (the Metro Line), the JR Yamanote Line station, and the Keisei Line station. At the south entrance of the park there is a small restaurant where one buy food and drinks. Immediately outside this restaurant is an open space with tables and chairs where one can freely sit to enjoy the sunshine and the park’s green environment.  The zoo is at the western side of the park while several museums and art galleries are located at the eastern part of the park. 

Lotus is grown in the Shinobazu pond (located at the south of the zoo) and carp fish up to two feet long can be seen swimming under the lotus leaves. In the zoo one can see the panda after paying an entrance fee. For me the attraction of the Park is the different art galleries and museums nearby, for example the National Museum of Nature and Science (国立科学博物館), the National Western Arts Gallery (国立西洋美術館), the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (東京文化会館), the Ueno Royal Museum(上野の森美術館), the Tokyo Metropolitan Arts Museum(東京都美術館), and the Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館) etc.

The lotus pond

Micro plastics: Detected in 90 percent of the rivers investigated

Recently the NHK News on-line reported the following:

マイクロプラスチック 調査した河川の９割で検出

2018年11月25日 4時45分

生態系への影響が懸念されている小さなプラスチックのごみ「マイクロプラスチック」について、東京理科大学と愛媛大学の研究グループが全国の29の河川を調べた結果、９割にあたる26の河川から見つかりました。調査を行った研究者は、ごみの削減など陸での対策の強化が必要だと指摘しています。

「マイクロプラスチック」は大きさが５ミリ以下のプラスチックのごみで、東京理科大学と愛媛大学の研究グループは平成27年８月からことし５月にかけて、全国の29の河川の36地点で水に「マイクロプラスチック」が含まれているか調べました。

その結果、千葉県の大堀川や神奈川県の鶴見川など９割にあたる26の河川の31地点で「マイクロプラスチック」が見つかったということです。研究グループによりますと、多くはレジ袋や発泡スチロールなどに使われている素材の破片で、上流域の人口密度が高い地点ほど「マイクロプラスチック」の密度が高い傾向だったということです。

「マイクロプラスチック」は、国などの調査で日本の周辺海域に広く分布していることが分かっています。

調査を行った東京理科大学理工学部の片岡智哉助教は「これまではプラスチック製品が海に出てから小さくなったと想定されていたが、陸域でも微細化が進んでいることが分かった。ごみの削減など陸での対策の強化が必要だ」と話しています。

Translation

About the small plastic trash, the "micro plastics" which was worried to have influenced the ecosystem, a study group from the Tokyo University of Science and Ehime University checked 29 rivers in the whole country, and they were found in 26 rivers and representing 90 percent of the total. The researchers who did the investigation pointed out that measures to reduce trash on land needed reinforcement.

"Micro plastics" were plastic trash with a size less than 5 millimeters. A study group from Tokyo University of Science and Ehime University examined whether "micro plastics" existed in water at 36 spots in 29 rivers in the whole country from August 2015 to May of this year.

As a result, it was said that at Obori river in Chiba-ken and Tsurumi River in Kanagawa-ken "micro plastics" were found at 31 spots in 26 rivers, equaling to 90 percent. According to the study group, most of them were fragments of materials used in disposal shopping bag and styrene foam. It was said that in the upstream region, the more densely populated the spot, the more tendency of finding "micro plastics".

About "micro plastics”, through investigating them in the country, we knew that they were widely distributed over the sea area around Japan.

Tomoya Kataoka the assistant professor of Tokyo Science University department of science and engineering which did the investigation said " up to now it is assumed that plastic produces would become smaller after going out into the sea, but now it is found out that fragmentation also developed on land. Measures to reduce trash on land need reinforcement."

So, “micro plastics” is becoming an issue in environmental protection.

My visit to Tokyo 2018 (5)

The Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple is near the Tsukiji Outer Market. This Buddhist temple is regarded by the Japanese as an important cultural property and the Tokyo Travel Guide has the following to say:

There are over one hundred seats inside the main hall of the temple and tourists are free to enter to sit down and watch the regular ritual proceeding. The architectural design of the temple is impressive. Outside the temple but within its parameter (which is quite big), there are several statues that have important relationship to the history of the temple.

A US university that a Chinese researcher once enrolled had started investigation: a baby with genome editing

Recently the NHK News on-line reported the following:

ゲノム編集で赤ちゃん 中国の研究者が在籍した米大学が調査

2018年11月30日 9時42分

中国の研究者が、「ゲノム編集」で遺伝情報を書き換えた赤ちゃんが産まれたと主張していることを受けて、この研究者がかつて在籍したアメリカの大学は、恩師にあたる教授が関係していないか、調査を始めたことを明らかにしました。

中国の南方科技大学の賀建奎准教授は、父親がエイズウイルスに感染しているカップルの受精卵に対して、ゲノム編集でエイズウイルスに感染しないよう遺伝情報を書き換え、双子が誕生したと主張しています。

これについて、賀准教授が2010年まで博士課程で在籍した南部テキサス州にあるライス大学は29日、ＮＨＫの取材に対し、大学に在籍する生命工学の教授が関係していないか、調査を始めたことを明らかにしました。

この教授は、賀准教授がライス大学で博士号を取得した際の恩師にあたり、共同での論文もあります。

また、ＡＰ通信は、この教授は中国でゲノム編集を受精卵に対して行う計画について、参加するカップルに同意を得る際に立ち会ったと伝えています。

ライス大学は、大学としては知るところではなかったが、どこで行われたとしても、科学研究の指針や倫理基準に違反しているとしており、教授が関係していないか、詳しく調べるとしています。

 Translation

Chinese researchers, after noting a researcher insisted that a baby had code-word rewritten through "genome editing" was born, had begun to investigate the American university which this researcher had once enrolled in order to find out whether the professor who taught this researcher was involved.

Associate professor He Jiankui of the Southern University of Science and Technology was insisting that towards a fertilized egg of a couple with the father infected by AIDS virus, he had rewritten the code-word using genome editing so that it would not be infected by AIDS virus,  and that a twin was born.

About this on the 29^th , in responded to a NHK coverage, the Rice University in Southern State of Texas which was enrolled by associate professor He JianKui in a Doctoral course until 2010, had made it clear that it began to investigate whether or not the teaching professor of biotechnology in the university was involved.

This professor was the former teacher of associate professor Gu when the latter acquired a doctorate at Rice University; they also had joint papers.

Furthermore, the AP News reported that about the plan of using genome editing in a fertilized egg in China, this professor had witnessed the moment when the consent of the participating couple was given.

For the Rice University, nothing had come to its attention as a university; but no matter where the editing was performed, it was assumed to have violated the guidelines of scientific research and ethical standards, and a detailed investigation was supposed to examine whether the professor was related.

              It is shocking to know that this researcher has violated the guidelines of scientific research and ethical standards.

My visit to Tokyo 2018 (4)

Tsukiji Outer Market, Tokyo

On the 20th I visited the Tsukiji Outer market, it was next to the main market where bidding by wholesalers for all kinds of seafood were held everyday. It was at the outer market that tourists gathered. The Tokyo Tourist guide book has the following to say about the Tsukiji Outer Market:

At the outer market, there were a lot of small stalls selling all kinds of seafood, from crab to shrimp, from eel to tuna. I found the that the outer market was consisting of many temporary stores. Apart from selling fresh seafood, some were small stalls selling cooked food such as Ra-men and sashimi. A lot of tourists came it everyday. 

If you want to know the cultural and social importance of the Tsukiji market, please read Theodore Bestor’s book entitled “Tsukiji: The Fish market at the Center of the World” of 2004 by Berkeley: University of California Press. This book is about Japanese markets, it explores the current of collusion, favoritism, and efficiency in the markets. Also, it touches on the relationship between trade cartel and government bureaucracies, and patterns of insider trading.

According to Bestor, his book is an ethnography of trade and economic institutions as they are embedded in and shaped by the cultural and social currents of Japanese life. Also, he suggests that Tsukiji represented the national cultural identity that cloaked cuisine; it was also an international market connecting global fishing industries.

My visit to Tokyo in 2018 (3)

Location of Telecom Square in Narita Airport

For me it is important to have access to the Internet and phone service while visiting foreign lands. The Internet enables me to check e-mails etc. and to read maps handily. The phone enables me to reach for urgent assistance in case of an emergency such as an accident while traveling alone.

When I arrived at the Terminal Two of the Narita airport, I immediately went to its basement to buy a SIM card. There were many phone card shops, but I bought the prepaid data SIM card from the Telecom Square. The SIM card was for Data and voice. I chose this company because the price seemed reasonable and that not many companies offered data and voice prepaid SIM cards. This company had seven airport counters at Japan’s 7 main international airport. Once you were outside the airport, it should be difficult to find a similar SIM card.

The lady of this shop had provided me a good service because she helped me to insert the card into my phone at my request, and tested the result for me before leaving.

My visit to Tokyo in 2018 (2)

There were several ways to travel from the Narita Airport (成田空港) to Tokyo downtown (首都圏 the metropolitan area). I chose the railway line, the so-called Keisei Express Railway(京成高速鉄道). It took slightly over 40 minutes to travel from the Narita Airport to Ueno (上野)Station in Tokyo downtown. Ueno Station was a big station for interchange. After getting off from the Keisei Express Railway in Ueno, one could change line and go to all parts of Tokyo downtown and beyond by using the JR lines. The JR line inside Tokyo downtown was called the JR Yamanote Line(山手線). It was a circular line, traveling in one big circle inside the metropolitan area among all big districts for example Ueno, Akihabara(秋葉原), Ikebukuro(池袋), Nippori (日暮里) and many others. Apart from the JR Yamanote Line, there was the Tokyo Metro lines and the Toei Subway, they were useful for traveling around the Metropolitan Area. To put it simply, one can travel to almost all major districts in Tokyo downtown by merely going into a JR Yamanote line station, or a Tokyo Metro line station, or the Toei subway because all lines were inter-connected at certain stations, either about the ground or below.

Metro Lines and Toei Lines Map

JR Lines map

To make my travelling easier, I purchased two kinds of pre-paid IC cards, respectively they were the Suica Card and the Pasmo Card. They were accepted at all stations (the Yamanote line, the Metro lines and the Toei Subway) which could automatically debit the right amount of traveling fee for a trip using their lines.  I bought these two cards at the basement of Terminal Two of the Narita airport when I arrived there, before going into the Tokyo downtown. Apart from traveling, these two cards were accepted for payments in some retailer shops and supermarkets.