"Daily rord" Echoes
P.O.BOX 30, MORIYAMA POST OFFICE, NAGOYA 463 Tel.(052)794-6422
NOVEMBER 29, 1992 Number 40 Y200
(Essays submitted by listeners on themes of "Daily Word" telephone messages
between September 1 and October 6,1992 and other "echoes" of this telephone
service. Corrected and edited by Clark Offner.)
*************************
Seotember 1 Message (Subject-1-224)
In English, 'chop"m eans to cut with a
heavy; sharp toot We may chop wood with
an axe or chop meat with a cleaver. When
playing tennis, I enjoy using 8 chop stroke,
which is a cutting or slicing motion that
puts a spin on the ball, causing it to bounce
in an irregular way In Oriental countries
influenced by China, a couple of long, thin
sticks are called chopsticks. Their primary
function, however, is not to cut,,but to pick
up articles In Japan, chopsticks are used
to pick up pieces of cold black or burning
red charcoal in ahibachi,pieces of food being
fried in oil on a stove or the remaining
bones of a corpse following its cremation.
The more common si7orter, chopsticks are
used to convey food to the mouth from ci
bowl or dish Many adults these days are
distressed at the lack of ability on the
part of children and young people to manipulate
chopsticks in the proper fashion. In
Japan, there are a number of sayings, superstitions
or traditions related to chopsticks
What do you think about chopsticks,
their history and uses, sayings about them
and proper chopstick etiquette?
I have heard that it was late in the
16th century that forks and spoons were
used at a dinner for the first time in the
West. The custom of using chopsticks in
our country is much older than that. We
find such evidence in a story in the 1(1o/1k/
When Susanoo, younger brother of Amaterasu,
was traveling in lzumo after being
banished by his sister, he found a pair of
chopsticks floating down a river and firmly
believed that people were living up the
river. The use of chopsticks will certainly
be traceable to remote antiquity along
with the habit of eating rice.
Concerning the word "chopsticks", I am
rather skeptical about connecting the word
to the English word "chop". The verb "chop"
signifies a very. forceful action. (The word
reminds me of a trick karate-chop of RikidOzan,
a former famous professional wrestler.)
An English dictionary gives its meaning
as "cut with or deliver blows of axe or
heavy edged tool". Our chopsticks are literally
a pair of small sticks to pick up or nip
something. Another dictionary I consulted
indicates that "chopsticks" is derived from
an old.Chinese word, ch 0, which meanshashi
in our present-day language. I think this
theory is more reasonable.
We Japanese are strictly taught from
childhood how to use chopsticks correctly.
It is often said that using chopsticks stimulates
our brain. The secret of Japanese
dexterity may be traced to the use of chopsticks.
Recently many foreigners use them
very skillfully. On the contrary, Japanese
young people today are often very awkward
in using them. I think there are two main
reasons for this. One is that young people
at present tend to be clumsy because, in
2 NOVEMBE2R9, 1992
their childhood, they were not given a
chance to make or process things by themselves--
making toys with their own hands
or sharpening pencils with a knife, for example.
Another reason is the lack of home
education. Parents neglect teaching them
how to use chopsticks properly when they
are small and, to our great regret, this
tendency applies to every kind of home
discipline today.
There are certain manners and etiquette
relating to the use of chopsticks.
For example,utsuri-tashi (moving chopsticks'
over various dishes) and name-tgsbi
licking chopsticks) are disapproved. Sticking
chopsticks into rice is also considered
inauspicious because it may suggest death.
Apart from these offensive acts, ways of
using chopsticks should not be overemphasized.
After all, chopsticks are merely
tools. People may use them as they wish.
When a foreigner finds it hard to use chopsticks
eating Japanese food, naturally he
should be allowed to use a knife and fork.
Likewise, when we eat Western-style food,
I think we may use chopsticks as supplementary
utensils. It is nonsensical to eat
rice by putting it on the reverse side of a
fork. We should always fix our sights on
the real nature of things.
(MIKIHIKOY OSHIMOTOG, ifu)
Meaning of chopsticks: a pair of sticks
used to pick up and eat food. They are usually
made of wood, bamboo, ivory, etc.
Sayings: Hashi ga koronderno okashli
toshigoro (The age when they giggle even
when chopsticks fail). This refers to the
age when girls (especially teenagers) giggle
even when nothing funny happens.
Hashi nitro be /71^77k0a k eranal (It cannot
be hung using either chopsticks or long
sticks). This refers to a very difficult condition
when nothing can be done. (fromDelfir-
in) ((ASUKO 1ZUMI, Seto)
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
learned two prohibitions related to
chopsticks from my mother when I was a
child. One was that one must not pass food
from one pair of chopsticks to another . The
other is that one must not use chopsticks
made of two different kinds of material
together, for example, one made of wood
and the other of bamboo. The reason for
these prohibitions is that that is what is
done at the crematory when we pick up the
bones of the deceased. I do not know, however,
why we do so only at the crematory.
I remember when I went to Greece
with my friend. We stayed at the home of
an American. I gave chopsticks to her cute
son. He was very glad and began trying to
use them skillfully. He washed them himself
and would not let anyone else touch
them. Another memory is an experience at
an old town, Furukawa, north of Takayama.
This town continues the famous festival
called "Furukawa Taiko", when a big drum
is beaten. I had lunch at an old-style restaurant
there and used chopsticks made of
/77/SCafitI7US The mistress said that she had
made them herself, cutting down the wood
and bringing it back. It added a primitive
charm to our meal.
I remember roy grandfather used chopsticks
made of ivory. My husband and I use
lacquer ones. Yesterday I saw a television
program on NHK about Aizu lacquerware.
Recently most lacquer products are imported
from China, but the quality of Japanese
lacquerware is better.
Acts, words, thoughts, lifestyles
change, but we must not change our faith
which should continue forever.
(MICHIKO 5ANO, Minami, Nagoya)
Chopsticks are used in Oriental countries
everyday when we take our meals. In
the Legendary Stories of Old Japan we read
that Susana no Mikoto, the brother of Amaterasu
Omikami, saw chopsticks floating
NOVEMBE2R9 , 1992
down the Hinokawa River and knew that
people must be living along the upper
course of the river.I am wondering if there
were chopsticks in Japan before it was influenced
by China. Anyway, chopsticks are
suitable utensils for people who eat rice.
I hear that they should not be inserted upright
in the boiled rice in a bowl when we
leave before the meal is over lest something
unfortunate occur. I also hear we
should not pass food from our chopsticks
to another person's chopsticks because
that is the way the remaining bones of a
corpse are picked up following its cremation.
I think this is table manners rather
than superstition.
I heard that Mrs, Schroer, who has been
living in Japan for many years, was distressed
at the lack of ability on the part of
Japanese people to manipulate chopsticks
in the proper fashion. I don't remember
when I began to use them, but looking at
my twin grandnephews, who are six years
old, I remember when they were weaned
from their mother's breast and began using
spoons to convey food to their mouths. A
year after that, they began to learn how to
manipulate chopsticks. At first, they
grabbed the chopsticks and tried to convey
food to their mouths in great haste as they
were very hungry, but more food was scattered
than entered their stomachs. It is
difficult for beginners to learn to eat with
chopsticks, but now they can do that well
and can pick up a small bean with chopsticks.
Every mother in Japan must have
patiently taught her children to do that.
I know some sayings related to chopsticks.
If someone is very particular even
about trifles, we say A1101 71101 3 178517/no
age-oros12/ 17M701 7 70/71a(U l el And if a girl
is spoiled by her parents at home, we say,
Kanojo wa hasni yori mo 0/770/ mono a matte
Iota ge nal. And if there is someone who
cannot be controlled by others,we say, bare
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 3
we to n/mo nashi /1/1170k ekerenal. These
sayings are all negative, so I want to add
another one, Hash/ we inoc171 o sesaeru mono,
which means "When we can use chopsticks,
we are living." I thank God who
gave us food which we can convey to our
mouths by manipulating chopsticks.
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
One of the common Japanese stereotypes
of Westerners,especially Americans,
is that they cannot use chopsticks well.
This idea may be the result of the influence
of English conversation textbooks.
Such textbooks often include a description
of a Japanese host family welcoming their
American exchange student with a Japanese
dinner and teaching him or her how to
use chopsticks.
In real ity,however,there are many Chinese
restaurants in the United States and
Americans often eat there. Consequently,
they have many opportunities to use chopsticks.
This reminds me of the difference
between what is learned from books and
the real situation.
(NIASAMI NAGATA, Muzuho, Nagoya)
In the "Daily Word" message -#A053, I
read the following words: In Japan, chopsticks
are used to pick up pieces of cold
black or burning red charcoal in a hibachi,
pieces of food being fried in oil on a stove.'
These words stimulate pleasant thoughts,
but the following words,"remaining bones",
"corpse"
, and "cremation" are very dark,
gloomy and cheerless for me. But as we
know "man is mortal", isn't he? And "all
phenomena are transitory!" This is a great
mystery. Don't you think so?
At any rate, we have many memories
about using chopsticks. When 1 was a young
child, it was very difficult for me to use
chopsticks. Using chopsticks is harder than
writing letters with a pencil. Now, I'll mention
NOVEMBER 29, 1992
 a few rules of etiquette which were
taught me by my mother. In Japan, holding
chopsticks between the teeth is very rude,
especially while slowly looking from dish
to dish. My mother used to give me the following
admonition: The boy who holds on to
the upper part of the chopsticks will get
married late in life. As she predicted, I
was married when I was 32 years old. This
was one of my mother's jokes.
I have forgotten to note some Japanese
expressions related to chopsticks. Myoi-
.'nes/7/ denotes looking for various kinds of
food while holding chopsticks. 11tsuri-Z23s171
denotes eating from one side dish and then
the other. 0c/7i-bash/denotes dropping food
from the. chopsticks. Nogi-Lustilmeans to
tear food from the chopsticks with the
teeth. (HYOWAYO HWAY,K ami, H yOgo)
A pair of chopsticks is an indispensable
tableware for us. In ancient times,from
about 200 B.C. to 200 A.D., the Japanese
used their fingers to pick up their food.
Afterwards, they used a pair of bamboo
tweezers instead of their fingers. Since
about1000 years ago, chopsticks have been
used for our three daily meals plus other
snacks. They are used not only in Japan,
but in China, Korea and Vietnam also.
There are long or short, round or
square chopsticks made of wood or metal,
lacquered or plain, and so on. Especially,
splittable, wooden chopsticks in a paper
container which are used in restaurants or
in a lunch box on the train are very handy,
cheap, sanitary and disposable. At one
time, it was said that Japanese cut down
many trees in Southeast Asia to make
splittable chopsticks. Fortunately it has
been made clear that they are made from
lumber residue. These chopsticks are the
best for eating noodles for the noodles do
not slip off into the bowl filled with good
soup. If lacquered chopsticks are used,
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
however, the noodles slip off. It is said
that willow is so tough that the branches
are not broken by a heavy snowfall. Generally,
willow chopsticks are used for festival
or New Year's dishes.
Here are some sayings related to chopsticks:
1) She has never held anything heavier
than chopsticks (used for a rich woman
of leisure); 2) He/She complains about how
chopsticks are raised or lowered (used for
a faultfinder, often between a daughter-inlaw
and mother-in-law); 3)5he laughs even
if chopsticks roll over (used of a teen-aged
girl); 4) He cannot make use of a chopstick
nor a stick (meaning he is useless).
I do not think there is a special etiquette
for using chopsticks. But I may say
that it is better not to suck, bite or lick
them. Food must be carried to the mouth
with chopsticks, mouthful by mouthful, not
too fast and not too slowly. When using
chopsticks, one should not shovel food into
the mouth directly from a dish or bowl.
When a meal is finished, the pointed end of
the chopsticks is quietly dipped into a cup
of tea and put in a chopstick box. Unfortunately,
such manners are gradually disappearing
with the changing times.
(TAMAKO MOR1MOTO, Tsuyama)
I got a box lunch at a nearby convenience
store. When I unwrapped it, I found a
small paper sheath containing a brand-new
pair of disposable chopsticks, which reminded
me of the theme Dr. Of fner suggested
in his message of September 1st. It is a
good opportunity to think about something
that is taken for granted in our daily lives.
In Oriental countries under the influence
of Chinese civilization, people use
chopsticks to lift food to the mouth, but I
hear it is only Japanese who use disposable,
half-split chopsticks at the table. The
disposable chopsticks are made of a slender
piece of wood, divided to make it convenient
NOVEMBER 29, 1992 "DAILY WORD" ECHOES 5
to split them apart before using.
This handiness or simplicity comes first
in enumerating the merits of disposable
chopstickS. To explain the source of this
merit would require research going back to
ancient times. I presume that old Shintoism
has something to do with it, but here I
will not go into any more detail because of
my unfamiliarity with the subject.
Second, the disposable chopsticks are
very economical. Years ago, some conservationists
took objection to making and using
the disposable chopsticks saying that
it endangered the conservation of valuable
wood resources of the planet earth. But I
think that criticism is off the mark and
that making disposable chopsticks is nothing
else than an effective use of otherwise
useless bits of wood. Nothing is more commendable
than to make what is otherwise
useless useful for people.
Third, disposable chopsticks are always
new and are used by only one person.
This merit needs little elucidation. Not
only is each pair brand new and unused,
once they are used, they can be easily disposed
of by the user.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO,S uginarni, Tokyo)
with her whenever she eats in Japanese
restaurants. But, on the other hand, I hear
that the wood for chopsticks or warthash/
comes from the trees thinned out or from
branches remaining after lumber has been
cut. Now, I don't know which is right. So
when I split the chopsticks at restaurants
I tell myself that sometimes two objective
ideas may both be true.
(YOSHIKOT OYOTA,K anie, Aichi)
Many years ago, I first learned the
word "chopsticks" when I used waribashiat
a party where a few Americans were present.
As I already knew the word "chop",
meaning warn, I thought that only waribashi
were called "chopsticks" because we chop
(split) them just before using them. Later,
I found out that the word "chopsticks" is
used for all kinds of hash!, though I cannot
forget my first impression.
By the way, war/bash/in Japan are often
used as an example of wasting natural
resources. I read an article entitled "Let's
Stop Using War/bash/to Avoid Wasting Natural
Resources" in a magazine. The writer
said that she takes her own chopsticks
September 8 Message (Subject"225)
Although it has never been officially
designated as such, Kimi ga yo is now considered
Japan's national anthem. On September
8, /870, /22 years ago today, a melody
to accompany that poem was first publicly
played by a military band in the presence
of Emperor Meiji, but the melody was
different than the one used today. The original
melody was composed by John Fenton,
en English military bandmaster. It was
aver ten years later, that the present melody,
nominally composed by court musician
Miramar! Hayashi and arranged by 66T1723/7
bandmaster Franz Eckert, came to be used.
This melody is heard at the close of sumo
tournaments, at the end of the NHI( television
broadcasting day during Olympic gold
medal presentations as well as at national
ceremonies What do you think about that
melody? Is it appropriate as the national
anthem of modern Japan.? Do you like it or
would you prefer that it be changed? rears
ago, I asked for comments regarding the
words of the song Today 1 am asking for
views on the melody, but comments on the
words of the song are also invited
**444k4E-X*4-X44-X4*******4k4(40k-X.
6 NOVEMBER 29, 1992
Not only national anthems but all
songs are made up of both melodies and
words. Pleasant songs have light melodies.
Solemn words and light melodies do not f it
together and the same can be said about
frivolous words and solemn melodies.
There are, however, exceptional cases.
"Auld Lang Syne"
, which we call Hotaru no
lithori .: is a Scottish song. This song is
sung when friends meet after a long time,
but it is sung at farewells in Japan. This
calm melody seems to suit our feeling at
that time.
I do not have a good feeling about the
melody of It is not a melody that
penetrates.my mind. The Japanese national
anthem should be brighter because all Japanese
hope for peace all over the world.
I will not comment about the words of
the anthem because they seem worthless
to me. (MICHIKO SAT], Minami, Nagoya)
As Dr. Of fner implied,' think our national
anthem,Kimigayo, is quite unsuitable for
the feeling or mind of the Japanese people
at present. The melody itself is rather oppressive,
heavy and gloomy compared to
that of the U. S. A., for example. Moreover,
1 think most people in modern Japan do not
respect the present Tenna as the words express.
From my point of view, I would prefer
to sing another song, if I sing.
Nevertheless, I am deeply impressed
when 1 see the 12Momeruf lag rising up the
pole at the Olympic gold medal presentation
ceremony accompanied by this melody.
So I think we must be cautious about changing
either the words or the melody of our
national anthem, KO/goy��.
(YASUKO IZUM1, Seto)
As I explained in this periodical previously,
ffimigayo, the Japanese national anthem,
expresses the hope for the longevity
of the imperial reign. The words of the an-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
them mean: "May the reign of the Emperor
continue for a thousand, nay, eight thousand
generations, for the eternity it takes for
small pebbles to grow into a great rock
and become covered with moss." The Japanese,
since early times, have been very
fond of the word chiyooryachiyeas an auspicious
word. The name of "Chiyonofk.iji",
the retired yokozuna,was derived from this
word and there are many women having the
name of "Chiyoko". There is a restaurant
named "Yachiyo" in Gifu. (By the way, ya
ibacM, eight] generally means "many" and
the word itself is thought auspicious because
the shape of the Chinese character,
/7achi, widens toward the endisue-hiregari:
and therefore suggests increasing prosperity
as time goes on.) Some people are very
concerned about the words, "the imperial
reign", but we need not develop the jitters
because it also means "the prosperity of
the whole nation". We should follow the
boldness of the French who, in preserving
their national anthem, are indifferent to
the bloody expressions dealing with the
war against Germany.
Some people are opposed to nmigayo
saying its melody is depressing or gloomy.
This is a question of people's preferences.
I like the melody which has accompanied
the joys and sorrows experienced by our
nation since the Meiji era. I consider the
weakest point of Kimigayo to be that the
lyrics are not in harmony with the melody.
The lyrics are very short compared to the
length of the melody so the anthem may
sound dull to our ears. When a person hears
the anthem for the first time,he will probably
say he cannot grasp the meaning. In
particular, the first part, lamigayo W3, and
the last part, kokeno musumade are difficult
to understand. In my own case, it was
after I reached the last stage of my elementary
school days that I could understand
the meaning. Our teacher often adNOVEMBER
29, 1992
monished us not to draw a breath halfway
through534-3re-7's/7/because it is one word
without a break. It was very interesting to
read an essay of 9 years ago of one who
wrote, "I felt as if I was singing a song in
a foreign language." I imagine many pupils
are having the same experience even today.
I think this irrationality comes from the
fact that the melody was composed separately
from the lyrics without much concern
about the sound of the phrase. I recall
the story of a famous composer who wrote
music examining every note to make it harmonize
with the accent of each phrase of
the lyrics. (MIKIH1KO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
As we were given the theme relating
to our national anthem, I sang kimigayo
loudly, recalling the days when we were
forced to sing it before we praised our God
at morning chapel in Christian schools. Although
the poem was considered very good
in those days, it affirms only the continued
existence of the Emperor's family for
eight thousand generations but not the
happiness of the Japanese people. So I
think it is not acceptable in modern Japan
nor to me.
The melody of the Japanese anthem,
however, is very good, wonderful and excellent.
It is regrettable than Hirornori
Hayashi is considered the composer, but I
presume that he must have given helpful
suggestions to Franz Eckert who arranged
this noble melody. I have peace of mind
when I hear the melody. Especially if I
happen to hear it in a foreign country, I
will be choked with tears. So I hope it
will be kept as Japan's national anthem as
long as Japan exists on the earth.
It was very sinful that we sang it before
singing hymns and bowed toward the
Emperor's residence before praising God.
However, I am happy to hear the melody on
radio or television.' enjoy making parodies
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 7
of songs, so I composed a poem to accompany
that melody.
Aseht notorite Yorno o tereseba
Ktgt we odor! Kolar/ we utai
Hilo we mi.-kern! o Hometatou
Koko mo mi-karn/ no Oserne-temaeru
M!-kunt, /yo-!yo Mt-megurnt efure
Towe no yasuk! Are ye
The sun is rising High in the morning
Shining around
All the trees dance on the ground
The birds merrily sing there
We hear the voice of God everywhere
This is the land which God reigns over
His amazing grace and mercy cover
All the people of this land forever
em
pan.
I hope the day will come when this poin
Japanese is accepted throughout Ja-
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
Reading your questions about Kim/ ga
yo., such as "What do you think about that
melody? Is it appropriate as the national
anthem of modern Japan? Do you like to
sing it?" etc., made me think that maybe
you do not like our national anthem. Of
course, sarere never become /4/30.,
but I have never criticized it since I was a
child. Even though I could not grasp the
reasoning in it, but I have respected it as
the most precious song in Japan.
If you were to ask me "Do you like to
sing it?", I'll surely answer, "Yes,' do!" And
if you ask me "What do you think about that
melody?", Ill certainly answer, "It's very
sacred!" because I am a Japanese. About 70
years ago, when I was a student at a normal
school,' naturally liked13/Varsetlletse
in spite of not knowing the meaning of that
song. I was especially charmed by its melody.
But I will say that I have come to
grasp the meaning of A7/77/ c p ye positively.
At any rate, yesterday I tried to make
8 NOVEMBER 29, 1992  "DAILY WORD" ECHOES
my own national anthem as you suggested.
Pardon me if this makes my essay too long.
Umashi kuni? wasp Hi/7017701y1r0/
Tokotowa a/ yurugazaru hint 651.'731Y1
Koh? 177(15/UW M Saaggi:Zra 171
0/7I 1/177351A721/ 1 7/Y urugazaru Kuni
Waga Hinamoto yo/
Now, to put it into English for me, not
for you, who has mastered our Japanese
language perfectly through and through:
"Our Land of the Rising Sun
, Fine Country,
Everlasting, Firm Country. /ens.
Like a very great rock covered with lich-
Ohl Our Land of the Rising Sun is a Fine,
Firm Country."
(HYOWAY OHWAY [87], Kami, Hyogo)
European,
can and other foreign countries have a
swinging rhythm and depth. I like such
melodies better than that of Kimigayo.
Regarding the words of Kiml ga I
will make a brief comment. The new Constitution,
which was established in 1946,
states that imperial sovereignty has been
changed to sovereignty of the people. The
Emperor is only a symbol of the state now.
The sovereignty of the people is more significant
than a symbol. I think the words
are strange and not in keeping with the
viewpoint of the new Constitution. Even
though the Ministry of Education encourages
the singing of A-fm/ qa yoat ceremonies,
schoolmasters and principals in the compulsory
education system have been perplexed
about whether or not to sing it for
the past several years. I wonder if there is
any other country in the world like Japan.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)
In terms of melody,the song is so somber
and solemn that it merely suits some
solemn occasions like pompous ceremonies.
It even makes one sleepy. The source of the
solemnity comes from its birth and subsequent
growth as referred to in the message
of September 8. Indeed, the song reflected
the surge of the Meiji Era Imperialist Japan
aiming at building a modern nation to
catch up with the leading European and
American nations as soon as possible. In
this sense, the:song does not suit presentday
Japan seeking international peace
among nations of the world. Rather, I
Frankly speaking, the melody for /am/ would prefer that a new national anthem
ga yo is too short and too solemn for an ? be composed some day.
anthem. It is neither a vibrant nor a cheer- In regard to the words, the song was
ful tune. It is not appropriate as the na- meant for the Emperor. Again, it does not
tional anthem of modern Japan. I do not suit present-day Japan under the1946 Conlike
to sing it. I hear that mission schools stitution. After all, general neglect and
in Japan do not sing 161771g a ye. Rather, inertia alone allows the song to continue
they sing hymns on ceremonial occasions. its pretense to be the national anthem.
The national anthems of Eurobean, Ameri- (SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
September 15 Message (Subject2226)
Today is 'Respect for the Aged Day; a
Japanese holiday. The general subject of
"Old a ge" was suggested 501170y ears ago
,
but / will suggest a related theme today
Legally speak/riga person becomes an adult
at a certain age, even though the maturing
piocess is different with each individual
The same can be said regarding "old age':
One doesn't become 'Old" all of a sudden,
when a certain age is reached. Whatever
our age we should seek to keep our minds
active and seek greater knowledge, Wisdom
NOVEMBER 29, 1992
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 9
or truth. lifbether . you yourself are "old"o r
young what suggestions do you have fop
people to keep growing mentally or spiritually?
/1173td e y ou think of civiceducation(
shi min kyoiku) or about /earning some
new art or craft? How do you aim to keep
mentally alert? Pk at do you think about
the influence of a religious faith. does it
encourage people to broaden and deepen
their knowledge or.to become narrower and
more confined in their thinking? "keeping
mentallyc ac: is the suggested theme
*************************
To keep mentally alert, I'd like to suggest
the following things (at least for me):
1) Read newspapers as much as possible.
2) Listen to the radio, even for a short
time, including music and English conversation
programs (using earphones).
3) Make my own clothes, if possible.
4) 1 recently read in ther.:77uniciiinewspaper
that using make-up is very effective
in helping women to keep mentally or spiritually
active.
5) Have contact with other persons, including
talking about religious subjects.
6) Gardening
7) Going outdoors for a certain purpose
as often as possible.
Now that our children do not need so
much care, I'd like to do the above-mentioned
things as often as possible after
finishing my household chores.
(YASUKO1 ZUMI,S eto)
We will certainly become old whether
we want to or not, so we must not avoid
thinking about growing old. My age is considered
old by statisticians, but I do not
think of myself as old, except for my age. I
have hope for the future and try my best to
gain knowledge and truth, even though my
efforts may be in vain. I have nothing if I
lose my will.
Older people provide an example for
younger people, so we need to always manifest
our earnestness. I sometimes ask and
seek divine help to do what is right. I know
well it is difficult, but when I go astray, I
ask for God's help.
We say demo and shika in Japanese. I
hope to have faith sbikaonly until the end.
(111CRIKO SAN()) Minami, Nagoya)
In this periodical about 6 years ago,
wrote as follows about what we should do
as we advance in age after retirement: "we
must develop an interest in something. It
is desirable that this interest be something
requiring the use of both our bodies
and brains. It is better if it is something
useful for society, because to be useful to
other people is something to live for." After
the lapse of 6 years, recently I saw my
kanreki arrive before I was aware of it.
Today (September 15th) is "Respect for
the Aged Day". According to the stated reason
for the holiday, it is a day for showing
respect and affection to the elderly who
have devoted themselves to society for
many years and for celebrating their long
lives. In many cities, towns and villages,
the elderly are invited to some kind of entertainment
and are given gifts to mark
the occasion. It is a good thing for the aged
to be respected and honored, but we shall
be in error if we consider them simply as
beings to be protected.
In the long history of human beings,
traditional customs of killing or abandoning
the old have been observed here and
there. The story of Narayama shows evidence
of the same folk custom here in Japan.
When people are absorbed in economic
growth, they are apt to think that only competition,
efficiency or output is important.
Something incongruent with that purpose
10 NOVEMBER 29, 1992
seems useless. When we affirm such a
scale of values, we tend to ignore, at least
in mind, the old who have little to do with
competition and efficiency. At the present
time, we are not allowed to actually abandon
them. Therefore, we pretend to "respect"
them instead of "abandoning" them.
However, I think this way of thinking is
not right. We should not only respect them;
we should also utilize their high degree of
maturity and experience which can only be
attained with the advancement of age.
,Recently, many remarkable, highly motivated
activities of older people have
been publicized. We have read many article's
concerning their volunteer activities,
such as teaching children how to make bamboo
stilts and beanbags, presenting handsewn
dustcloths to primary schools, planting
flowers in empty lots in apartment
building complexes, alongside the street,
etc. But these kinds of activities are not
enough.The aged should endeavor to acquire
new knowledge and skills themselves, not
only preserving and handing down old ones.
Today, many old people desire to learn
what they wished but failed to learn in
their youth. To meet this unprecedented
eager and varied demand for study, many
local communities have established "Universities
for the Third Age". It is often
said that the most important things for
the aged are three kaku, that is:ji o kaku(to
write letters), ase o kaku (to work up a
sweat) and 4,31/o hoku(to disgrace oneself
in public). The aged should not avoid disgracing
themselves in public because that
provides an impetus to their brain, preventing
them from becoming senile.
(MIKIHIKOY OSHIMOTO,G ifu)
How do we define an old person? In
most cases, we decide on the basis of his
or her age, features and movements, but
my feeling is a little different. I put more
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
weight on one's responsibility in business
or social activities. The person whose decisions
are still very influential and who
is feared by others, who may be admired
but at the same time criticized by others,
I would never call an old person.
A good example is the Japanese political
world. There, political careers are begun
in the latter half of one's fifties or six
ties, when most ordinary persons are ready
to retire from their businesses. Even a politician
who is over seventy has a chance to
become prime minister. We can't call such
a person an old person. I think that whether
or not one becomes an old person depends
on one's social and mental attitudes.
(MASAMI NAGATA, Mizuho, Nagoya)
Keeping mental active is important for
us, especially for me. The other day, I composed
a Japanese poem, tanka, for example.
87 sal ware wa muyd no CboblIESU ia/C/71
liliga suredo iZeamuilkaku. Now, put it
into English. (But wait a moment. 1 hear
that you have mastered our Japanese language
and are able to write and speak it
perfectly. But, for me, translating Japanese
into English is one of my ways of studying
English, so pardon me, please.) "Now,
I'm 87 years old and I said to myself, I'm a
good-for-nothing and as blind as ever."
Yesterday,1 suddenly composed another
Japanese poem as follows: AS8118 Safla aiken
Popo to 5(.7400 sure ware wa sukoyaka
87 sal. May I put it into English also, although
I presume it is unnecessary for you.
"Early every morning
,I take a constitutional
walk with my pet dog, Popo, and, fortunately,
I'm now a very healthy 87-year old."
This morning, I read that there are two
kinds of old age:. chronological age and socalled
mental age. I'm afraid there is nothing
that can be done about chronological
age because if we live another year we'll
surely grow one year older, but the other,
NOVEMBER 29, 1992 "DAILY WORM ECHOES I I
mental, age is more enigmatic, isn't it?
Even if I'm 87 years old, by trying to be
younger, I'm able to become younger. To always
keep smiling, to be slow to get angry,
to talk with younger people every day,
etc. are very important to me. Finally, I '11
take a meal and keep my bowels functioning
without the use of medicine. To do
that, l must keep healthy.
Now, I'll conclude with this poem. Oonataka
ga dokoka d e k 0110a no ik / fru tivoyerokobi
kururu ware toshi saran. "As I grow
older, someone somewhere rejoices that I
am alive." (HYOWAYO H WAYK, ami, H yago)
It is very good for people who are old
or young to participate in civic education
to upgrade their level of education. It encourages
them to broaden and deepen their
knowledge. Unfortunately, as I am not interested
in civic education, I have never
participated in such courses, but I have enjoyed
trying to learn some arts and crafts
through self-education in past years.
I was very fortunate to read an article
about the "Daily Word" telephone service in
the .Aseilinewspaper in 1988. Since then, I
began listening to the messages. It is very
difficult for me due to my poor ability in
English. I am slow to remember, quick to
forget and slow to make progress. The messages
of "Daily Word" and Ayci no messej,
have been of no little help in broadening
and deepening my knowledge. I hope I will
not suffer from Alzheimer's disease in the
future. (TAMAKOM ORIMOTOT, suyama)
One of the easiest ways to stimulate
our curiosity is to read books. Books are
full of subjects, from natural to human, exciting
enough to arouse our curiosity. So
reading books can be an answer. Needless
to say, reading includes thinking and even
writing. For reading is a dialogue with the.
author. Without thinking about what the
author means, the reading in the true sense
of the word does not proceed at all. To
write down what the reader thinks is to
deepen what he reads. It goes without saying
that "Daily Word" messages give me
precious food for thought.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
444**-X.X.X4E*.X**********
Curiosity is the name of the game. We
are mentally active as long as we are interested
in something unknown. "What is
the matter?" "What makes it be or do so?"
"How did it happen'?" O
ne question after another
comes to our minds. Then our minds
cannot be idle, but become active in order
to answer such questions.
September 22 Message (Sub lect-'227
In ancient China, a person's name was
sometimes carved into bamboo or wood,
which is the reason why the Japanese word
in e i sh i, is made of characters meaning
"178171a0n"d "st
ab". In English, meishi may be
translated as "calling card" or 'business
card I never possessed such a card until I
came to Japan and In my limited experience
as an adult in the United States, such
cards are used in a very limited fashion,primadly
for strictly business purposes People
who own or carry such cards with there
are comparatively few In Japan, however;
a person on a trip or in a social gathering
where new people are met would feel quite
lost without a supply ofmeishi. Why do you
think m e I sh i are so important in this country?
What is their function? Do you have
your own me i sh ? When and for what purpose
do you use them .11e i sh i, calling cards
or business cards is the suggested theme.
12 NOVEMBER2 9, 1992
I havemeisfilin my handbag whenever
go out. Neishiare very convenient for indicating
my address and telephone number. I
use two kinds: one in Japanese and the other
in English. When I go abroad and meet
new friends, I exchange cards with them.
If I take a snapshot, I can send it to the
address on the card. In a short time, we
can have much communication.
I am careful, however, how I use /77611
5/11. I do not give them to people 1 don't
know in Japan because I will be troubled if
they are misused. But I think I will be
more blameworthy for giving them to people
who will misuse them. .
(MICHIKO SANG, Minami, Nagoya)
Reading your message of September
22nd, I tried to consider many of your
questions about meistV. For example, "Why
do you think meisNare so important in this
country? What is their function?" etc.
Anyway, I'll relate an experience of
mine when meishlwere necessary. About
50 years ago, when 1 became a schoolmaster,
I had to make a visit to the P.T.A. leaders'
homes and hand my meishi to all of
them. Of course, if I couldn't meet one of
them,I had to leave myinei:17/Vin that home,
because my meishiwas the evidence that
had visited that person's home.
I think meisbiwere necessary in that
case, but they are not so necessary ordinarily.
(HYOWAY OHWAY, Kami, Hyogo)
Are name cards so popular among Japanese
people? In regard to the Japanese
business world, this is true, but I wonder
how many ordinary people have name cards.
Usually we don't print our home address
and telephone number on them, so they are
only used for business purposes. Of course,
some persons who participate in social activities
have name cards which indicate
those activities.
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
Name cards are almost always made of
paper, but sometimes we use other materials,
like wood or steel. Especially recycled
paper has become popular.
One of the most surprising things to
me about name cards is that most foreigners
have them in Japan though they don't
have that custom in their own countries.
Maybe they realize that having a name card
in Japan is very effective in promoting
their business.
(MASAMI NAGATA, Mizuho, Nagoya)
One very important function of meishi
is to identify the person we meet for the
first time. It is very convenient for a businessman
like me to know relevant facts
about a person. I have exchanged business
cards with many foreign businessmen.
think that they have realized the value of
business cards. When I receive a business
card, I write such things as the date, some
characteristics of the person, etc. on it.
Then I insert it in a business card file and
my area of business relationships expands.
(TSUGUO TABATA, Midori, Yokohama)
It is a strange sight to see adult men
exchanging their/776)/5/7/0n the road or at a
social gathering. First, they take out their
mei5121 frorn their pockets or wallets and
exchange them,saying DOzo yoroshikuwhich
means "Let's be friends" or "Do me a favor".
This has become a men's custom in Japan.
I'm surprised that it is only a Japanese custom.
Now that there are more and more businesswomen,
they do the same, I suppose.
For me, I don't do so. I don't have my
own me/s/y. Once, for a while, I was the
only woman teacher at a co-ed schbol.. The
head teacher ordered my mefshi at the
school's expense. When we visited other
schools, I used my me/5171 unwillingly. Now
I have some left over, which are in the
corner of my desk drawer.
NOVEMBER29 , 1992
What is the merit of meishi 7 If I were
a man, I'd have collected many of them, so
I'd use them to check and correct my address
book for the New Year's cards. As for
my left-over meishi: I will put one in my
purse. lf I lose my purse, the finder will
see my address and telephone number. Then
my purse will be sent back to me safely.
(KIMI KONDO, Miura)
Thank you ever so much for informing
us why the Japanese word mek7/7/is made
up of hanjimeaning "name" and "stab". It
seems to be more reasonable for "paper" to
take the place of "stab", but the customs in
ancient China, upon which Chinese characters
are based, are more meaningful. In Japan,
people like to have calling cards, especially
when they get titles or degrees.
Calling cards of ladies are a little
smaller than those of men and they exchange
their cards when they meet for the
first time. I have received several kinds
of such cards and have sometimes been
amazed at the high-sounding titles on
them. I confess that I have never had my
own me/sin-because calling cards or business
cards were not so indispensible as
seals in my business life. On the other
hand, salesmen or saleswomen have to use
their names as well as their products in
their commercial dealings. In some respects,
this is the best use of business
cards--to inform others of not only their
names but also the addresses and telephone
numbers of their homes and offices.
I feel regretful that I will never have my
ownmeishi throughout my life, but I will
keep the calling cards of others out of respect
for those who kindly gave me their
precious cards.
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
It is no wonder that not only Japanese
businessmen and businesswomen in or out
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
. 13
of Japan but foreign business persons in
Japan also take business cards with them
wherever they go because Japanese people
have made it an important custom to have
such cards. They are .embarrassed at social
gatherings at their inability to remember
the names of the people there.
I think that most business people in
Japan have at least one name card file in
which name cards they have accumulated
are arranged. Japanese are fond of taking
a moment to look back and recollect while
looking at these cards. That is why stationers
produce newly designed deluxe name
card files every year with such added conveniences
as spaces to enter dates, comments,
etc. Japanese are very fond of collecting
many things, ranging from cheap to
expensive things,including postage stamps,
postcards, coins, prepaid telephone cards,
tickets, name cards, diaries, series of novels,
comic books, LP record jackets, CDs,
kitchen utensils, fishing tackle, golf clubs,
wearing apparel and many other things.
A difference between Japanese and f oreigners
is that the former tend not to remember
the names of persons they met during
meetings while the latter try to remember
them carefully as they deem it a sign
of respect if they do so. Japanese do not
make an effort to remember so after meeting
a person they cannot recall the person's
name without a name card. Although
I realize it is advisable to call people by
name and to cite their situations when
they are known, it is difficult to instantly
remember all the names of people we meet
when there are many new persons.
This reminds me of a situation that occurred
when I served as the interpreter for
fourteen Australians who visited my city
of Owariasahi in September 1992 when
they met the mayor during their stay. One
of them, who seemed not so young, was embarrassed
when he ran out of name cards.
14 NOVEMBER 29, 1992
After giving them to many Japanese, he
needed still more to give to others. He
would not have expected such a situation
to occur considering the original function
of a name card.
To get to the point, my answer to the
question of when and for what purpose 1
use my name cards is complicated for I
have three kinds of name cards: one for official
business, one for voluntary activities
and the other for general usage. On
some of my name cards, I have printed a
special telephone number for those who
wish to listen to daily.information in English
and enhance their international understanding,
i.e., the "Daily Word" telephone
number through which English messages
have been transmitted for more than 1.2
decades since September 1, 1980 by an
American missionary who is also the editor
of this periodical, Dr. Clark B. Of fner.
It is quite beneficial for foreigners among
residents and/or visitors from various
countries to receive my name card with
the "Daily Word" telephone number on it.
This not only publicizes this service more
widely but appeals to the foreigners. On
the other hand, I try not to distribute my
name cards indiscriminately because some
people use other person's name cards for
i 1 l e gal purposes.
What is important is that my name
cards are providing foreigners with this
English information. The more I give them
out,the more foreigners become interested
in them. Because I am in an administrative
position rather than in the sales department,
however, I give out fewer cards than
salesmen and because of changes in business
circumstances (such as the development
of new businesses and new offices),
my cards sometimes become out-of-date
before they are used up. But for me, nothing
is more important than distributing my
name cards with the "Daily Word" informa-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
tion on them, which is something like volunteer
service primarily for the benefit of
foreigners, but also for Japanese who
learn of the "Daily Word" activities. I may
say that the purpose of my name cards is
to benefit foreigners.
The situation of foreigners who spend
their precious time in Japan reminds me of
the time I was wandering from street to
street in Germany, alone, without a map
and with no one to talk to because of my
inab i 1 i t y to speak German.
Different languages have been and are
a barrier between different nationalities
even now. Don't you agree?
(JAMES IWAI, Owariasahi)
A me/s/7/is an important document for
businessmen or women and social workers
in Japan, It serves as an advertisement for
themselves and their companies or organizations.
tie/s/7/ received from others are
kept for a long time, but introductions by
spoken words only or by handshakes may be
soon forgotten. The person's name, title,
address, telephone number and so on are
printed on one side.The many organizations
which the bearer is related to are printed
in smaller letters on the reverse side.
The popular size for meishi is 9 cm. x
5.5 cm. and the smaller size of 6 cm. x 3.5
cm. for women. The cards have four corners
and some have gilded edges. I have
seen me/s/2/made of thick Japanese paper
or with the design of little flowers. As I
am a housewife, it is unnecessary for me
to have my ownme/s/7/
A businessmen who was transferred
to another place after he had ordered 1000
me/s/7iused only 100 of them so the remaining
900 were wasted. There are many
similar cases among businessmen. I am
afraid this may be a waste of resources in
Japan. (TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)
NOVEMBER 29, 1992
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 15
In my family, only I do not have a meishi
Even our young daughter has had her
own ineisbisince getting a job last April.
My husband is proud of his splendid memory
of a person's name and face. There is a
reason for this special ability. When he
meets someone for the first time on business
or socially, he exchanges meishi After
returning home, he writes the date and
a characteristic of the person on it: fat,big
eyes, similar to someone else, and so on.
He files them in a box in order, like book
cards in a library. Later, when he receives
a telephone call and can't remember who
the caller is, he continues talking while
looking for the person's me/17M.. Then he
mentions when and where they met previously,
almost all people sound happy and
have a good feeling.
One evening when my daughter asked
him about exchanging /77e/5/7/at a meeting,
he also told her about his method of using
meisfit I don't know whether or not she
will adopt the same method, butmeisMare
very helpful for business and for people
like me who have poor memories.
(YOSHIKO TOYOTA, Kanie, Aichi)
got off the train, she handed me her business
card that was much appreciated. But
I was sorry that I was without a supply of
such personal cards!
Now I enjoy working on the /77e/3/7/collection
of my husband, putting a pile of
cards in order, inserting them in their individual
holders. It is a real history of his
social life!
(SADAE HASHIMOTO, Minami, Nagoya)
****44k*************4E4*
Me/St/provide information, including a
person's occupation, company and position
as well as his or her name and address. If
a man changes his behavior and language
after his first glance at another'sme/5/24
which played an important role in their
meeting, I would be disgusted. Isn't that a
kind of discrimination? Yet, I know that
we often adjust our way of speaking, depending
upon the person with whom we're
talking and to know the social position of
the person with whom we're dealing is of
vital significance.
The other day in a subway, an American
lady happened to be seated next to me,
so I tried to speak to her. Short as it was,
I had a nice conversation with her. As she
September 29 Message (Sub iectz228)
As an island nation, Japan does not
share its national borders with any other
country. Across an expanse of water, its
closest neighbors are Korea and Russia
with which it has had complex relationships
over the years In the past year cataclysmic
changes have occurred in the former
Soviet Union and repercussions of
those changes continue to affect not only
the Russian people but the whole world
Recently, Russian President Boris Yeltsin
suddenly postponed leis scheduled visit to
Japan because of opposition by conservative
compatriots As a result, important
talks on the territorial dispute and financial
aid between the two heads of governments
did not take place. What is your impression
of this huge neighbor of Japan, of
her people and of Mr. Yeltsin .? What do you
think of the past and present relationships
between Japan and Russia? What is your
thinking .about Russia's present condition?
Are , you optimistic or pessimistic about
her future and about Japanese-Russian
relationships?
*****X*******************
16 NOVEMBER 29, 1992
When I was a student, I went to Hokkaido
with Yoko and two other classmates,
so I have seen Kunashiri Island, though
from very far away. At that time, I thought
it was one of the problem northern islands.
I hear that the water around the four islands
is a fishing area for salmon and
trout. I hope they will be returned, like
Okinawa was, as quickly as possible. But I
hear that to resolve this problem, we must
reconsider Japanese history up to the Japan-
Russian War in the Meiji Era. Besides,
Prsident Yeltsin's visit to Japan was postponed
indefinitely, so it seems to be very
difficult to resolve this problem. it is
doubtful, however, if these four islands
truly belong to Russia as she did not sign
the San Francisco Treaty.
Russia is a country that is still militarily
powerful, but because of its cold
weather, its agricultural products are said
to be not so good. I hear that Japan is superior
to Russia in technology. Since Japan,
Russia and America have made joint
suggestions concerning how to solve the
territory problem Otti;flic-../7n/e wspaper),
we should begin a campaign and techincal
aid to attract the hearts of the people on
the islands and express an apology for the
past invasion. As for Russia, she should
officially announce the end of her occupation
of these islands and apolgize for forcing
the Japanese people to leave them. She
should also begin a program to make people
understand the benefit of normal relations
with Japan. As for the U. S. A., she should
announce her willingness to play the role
of a mediator and to admit that she was
part of the cause of this confrontation in
the past. (YASUKOI Z UMI, Seto)
One day I talked with my friends about
Russia and President Yeltsin before the
news of his postponed visit. I said that I
thought there would be some meaning in
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
his visit but since Russia and America are
different, we could not expect the northern
territories to be returned like Okinawa. My
friends responded, "Yes, yes." I myself am
surprised that my anticipation was right.
. I can understand the difficult situation
of Russian President Yeltsin,but I think the
decision to postpone his visit was not good,
It is good to rest and refresh our bodies
and minds by stopping work, but we must
not continue to rest. If we do, it will mean
a regression little by little. Not only President
Yeltsin but all governements must go
forward, even though it is a difficult road
that is not liked and brings no benefit to
oneself. I hope that the relationship between
Russian and Japan will improve and
that both of them are able to have happy
and peaceful days under God's mercy.
(MI CHI KO SAN��, Minami, Nagoya)
Russian President Boris Yeltsin onesidedly
postponed his planned visit to to
our country. This decision is quite regrettable
and undermines international trust.
It is not surprising that some of our leaders
called him a "liar" although this kind of
expression should be used with care.
Given the yet-unresolved status of the
Northern Terri tories,Japan and Russia have
yet to sign a peace treaty. Japan has been
pushing tenaciously for the return of the
territories even as it has maintained economic
and cultural relations with Russia,
but Russia has been unrelenting on this issue
and there is little likelihood of a peace
treaty being signed soon.
There are various opinions about the
reason for the sudden change of the Preside-
nt's plans. The clear fact is that President
Yeltsin's leadership has been weakened
by the failure of economic reforms,
the increased strength of conservatives
and militarists and the common people's
dissatisfaction. So long as Russian poliNOVEMBE2R9
, 1992
tics and economy are- unstable, we cannot
expect, to our great regret, action toward
solving the territorial problem which may
stimulate Russian nationalism. The rapid
decline of influence of the Russian Foreign
Ministry, the channel of Russo-Japan relations,
was one of our government's strategic
miscalculations and makes it difficult
to say how things will turn out. There is also
talk that the pro-Japanese group in the
Russian government is in danger of being
changed. As a result, we fear that relations
between the two countries,which are
weak even now, will be further impaired.
. It is quite deplorable that the President
stated that the Japanese . side should
be blamed for the postponement of his visit.
But we must keep in mind that nothing
will be produced by mere exchanges of emotional
words. This is the time for the two
countries to think coolly about their bilateral
relationship. Our government declares
that our diplomatic policy toward Russia,
based on promoting the territorial issue
and the economic issue in parallel, will
not be changed. In my opinion, I would be
reluctant to give Russia financial aid, bypassing
the territorial issue, when I recall
her unlawful invasion of that territory
just before the end of the war. She is not
in a position to say that Japanese financial
aid is small and should be expanded. Obviously,
Russia is one of our neighbors. There
are some neighbors, however, whom we do
not want to associate with, which is no different
from our individual lives. But, after
all, to think like this will not be helpful.
Deepening the mutual relationship through
aid on humane grounds, in the long-range
view, will contribute to the solution of the
territorial issue and help stabilize Russo-
Japan relations. I sincerely request in this
difficult time that the two countries continue
constructive and long-sustained dialogue.
(MIKIHIKOY OSHIMOTOG, ifu)
"DAILYW ORDE" CHOES 17
This week's subject is so large that I
don't know how to confront it. Russia was
so huge and militarily strong that we Japanese
have always been afraid of it. But
after the collapse of the Soviet Union, that
country has been suffering economic and
political confusion, so the fearful feeling
has gradually been declining.
The pending problems between Japan
and Russian are the northern territories
off of Hokkaido and a peace treaty. The
Japanese government insists that the four
islands off of Hokkaido are historically
Japanese territory and asks Russia to return
them immediately. Of course, if these
islands are returned to Japan, it will be
very gratifying. But, on the other hand,
only big companies will make a profit from
them and their natural beauty will be destroyed.
In addition, the Japanese government
may have to pay a huge amount of
money to Russia. I always ask what kind of
benefit ordinary Japanese people will get
from the return of these four islands. Our
only benefit will be the possibility of visiting
them, but I doubt that their return
will bring greater prosperity to Japan.
(MASAM1 NAGATA, Mizuho, Nagoya)
My first impression of Russia is the
large Red Square and the gorgeous Kremlin
Castle. Next, I think of Russia as being a
cold and dark country but with kind and
affable people. I think that Mr. Yeltsin is a
great and thoughtful Russian statesman.
Unfortunately, Japan made war on Russia
for a year from 1904 to 1905. Fort6-
nately, it was ended due to the mediation
of the president of the U. S. A. at that time.
Present relationships are much better than
those in the past. Children who suffered
from the Chernobyl radiation accident are
staying in Japan now to receive treatment .
The government and the Minister of Foreign
Affairs in Japan recently attached con18
NOVEMBER 29, 1992
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
ditions to its aid to Russia, which is troubled
and confused in every area Economic
problems are especially serious following
the collapse of the Soviet Union. Japan
said, "Return two of the four northern territories
and we will give relief money."
This was the worst and poorest example of
the Japanese government's diplomacy. I
deeply sympathize with Russia.
It is disagreeable to me that all Japanese
politicians are so selfish and think only
of the convenience of their own country
It reminds me of the fairy tale, Momataro.
Dogs, monkeys and pheasants found some
millet dumplings. which were hanging at
Momotaro's side. They begged to be given
one of them. "Come along with me. If you
join me in an expedition against Onigashima,
I will give you a dumpling," replied
Momotara. Isn't it similar to the conditions
given to Mr. Yeltsin? It is a matter
of course that Mr. Yeltsin has hesitated
and delayed coming to Japan.
In my opinion, it is better to let the
situation relating to the islands be frozen
for some years. Japan ought to give relief
money to Russia immediately. I sincerely
hope that Russia will be prosperous in the
future which will be favorable for Japanese-
Russian relationships.
I khoW a little about Russia. For example,
two great writers are Tolstoy and
Gorki. Davis Oistrackh, father and son, are
famous violinists. The Bolshoi Ballet is
excellent. Russian cooking is good too. 1
once enjoyed borsch and piroshki. Two Russian
cooks have visited Hiroshima City to
learn how to cook okonomiyakt There are
also exchange students in both countries.
We Japanese ought to respect and be
friends with the huge neighbor of Japan forever.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)
"Love your neighbour as you love
yourself." (Mark 12:31)
October 6 Messaae (Sub iect-*229
When a Martine breaks down or fails
to function as it should, /tweeds to be repaired
When a political system has obvious
defects and is seen to be unjust and
manipulated for the good of a few ratter
than for the benefit of the many, it needs
to be reformed So-called political reform
has been on the agenda of Japanese governments
for a long tine, but there seems to
be little progress made and little genuine
incentive for such reform by the party in
power Another financial scandal of illegal
political donations continues to unfold and
the disparity of the effect of individual
votes in various districts has long been
recognized. Yet the necessary reforms are
not made. What do you think about this
problem? Why do the same kind of financial
scandals repeatedly arise? Why are
not changes made to make the weight of
the votes of all voters more equal? Why
don't Japanese voters insist upon political
reform? Why do the same politicians continue
to be elected to public office despite
their illegal or unethical activities? I
would like to read opinions regarding this
matter and any suggestions-about how to
change the situation for the better
4E**-X.X.-X-X44-X442-4-)E*****
Mr. Kanemaru, the former vice-president
of the Liberal Democratic Party, was
fined 200 thousand yen for violating the
Political Funds Control Law. Many people
say that the amount of the fine was too
small compared to 500 million yen, the
amount of political funds he received. But
the judicial decision itself cannot be faulted
because the violation was just formal,
NOVEMBER29 , 1992
not having the nature of a bribe. The problem
here is that he distributed this money
to other members of his faction who are
also Diet members. it is really regrettable
that this financial scandal is not the first
one in Japanese politics. The Lockheed affair
and the Recruit affair are still fresh
in our memories. A valuable insight gained
through these scandals is that, under the
existing circumstances, Diet members (in
common with local assemblymen) need
much money for their daily activities.
In a television program I saw the other
day, a Diet member gave one example of a
necessary expense for his activities saying,
"We have to send a great number of
postcards to let voters know the details of
our daily political activities." He handled
this matter with kid gloves, I guess, but
the reality is quite another story. If politicians
complain that politics cost too
much money, they are probably being exploited
by the voters who make them spend
money for all kinds of things. Voters require
contributions for village festivals,
for athletic meetings of a town association
and so on. Taking members of the supporters'
association on a trip may cost a
great deal. This kind of expense is a sort
of shakedown. For the -sake of the "clean
vote" movement, it is the voters themselves
who should shoulder a great part of
the responsibility.
It is said that Yukio Ozaki, who was
called the god of constitutional government,
said,"From around1894-95, the power
of money replaced physical strength
until finally the rise or fall of a political
party was decided by the amount of money
it attracted." ("Vox populi,vox der; Aseti
Shinto?) The structure of political corruption
we see today already existed one
century ago. Needless to say, voters' shakedown
is bad. But at the same time , there
are many payments made to politicians in
"DAILYW ORD"E CHOES 19
return for favors, which is much worse.
Political funds themselves are not bad,
but the important thing is what kind of
transactions there are between the companies
which make contributions and the
politicians. I am not saying that all contributions
by companies are wrong. The
basic principle of the Political Funds Control
Law is that politics should be performed
in full view of the public. These
days the cabinet reveals cabinet members'
assets at the time of inauguration and
resignation. Going one step further, 1
would suggest that all candidates in any
election reveal the funds they received (to
the smallest amount) in their campaign
brochures. (MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
Recently in my home, a rice cooker, a
television set and a cordless phone part
broke down, though not at the same time.
Similarly, I think present Japanese government
policies do not seem to reflect the
majority opinion. I hear about the "black
mist" of politicians who receive questionable
financial donations to win elections.
A few months ago, 1 learned from a
television program that even to become a
candidate, two million yen is needed, so 1
discovered that the poor cannot even become
candidates. Moreover, today I learned
that even a campaign to collect signatures
is prohibited. Finally, I realized how difficult
political reform is. Therefore, as
Charles Dickens wrote in Oliver Twist, I
think there is no suitable way to change
policy except becoming rich oneself. ("Oliver"
was raised in a workhouse but in the
end became a son-in-law of the wealthy
Mr. Brownlow.) (Noted in the conclusion of
my graduation thesis.)
(YASUKO !ZUNI, Seto)
I imagine that you cannot approve of
the recent scandalous activities of Japa-
.4
20 NOVEMBE2R9 , 1992
nese politicians. I feel ashamed in the presence
of foreigners about such unethical
activities. I wish the Japanese Constitution
were changed because such scandals
were beyond our imagination when the
Constitution was drawn up.
I cannot understand the word misoglin
Japanese. I think that politicians who are
known to have participated in illegal activities
should not participate in politics
again. I hope the changed Constitution will
make this clear because the thought of the
majority is not able to change the mind of
such politicians. This is the great problem
confronting us and the reason it is difficult
to reform or change the Constitution.
I think that we should not keep silent now.
If a mass protest occurs, I shall join it.
(MICHIKOS ANG, Minami, Nagoya)
Helmut Kohl, the chancellor of Germany,
has been governing his country for more
than ten years. France's Mitterand has the
right to be president for 14 years and the
American president is guaranteed a four
year term. If he wins the next presidential
election he can continue for another four
years. In most of the developed countries,
with the exception of Italy, political leaders
retain power for relatively long terms.
Japanese prime minister's terms, on
the other hand, are relatively short. They
maintain their top governmental position
for only two or three years.Of course,there
are some exceptions like the late prime
ministers Yoshida and Sato. Mr. Nakasone
also enjoyed this leading position for several
years, but Messrs. Lino and Takeshita
were in office for only a few months. We
cannot expect many important political decisons
from these leaders who have such
short terms. Their purpose is to become
prime minister not to make important political
improvements. Of course, in the
depths of their minds,they want to become
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
a big historical success, but their energy
is exhausted in seeking to become prime
minister and then they are afraid that they
will be forced out of that position. Generally
speaking, Japanese prime ministers
are not reliable leaders. I think that is a
big reason why they can only manage to remain
in the top position for only a short
time. (MASAMI NAGATA, Mizuho, Nagoya)
Political reform? The high ranking officials
of the so-called political world are
always announcing a political reform resolution
aimed at restoring public trust in
the nation's politics. But it seems quite
evident that it will turn out to be in vain.
A mere announcement of such a resolution
will not change the current situation at
all. The problem is what to do and how to
do it, and yet they avoid even discussing
the matter despite their announcement of
the resolution.
Generally speaking, before doing something,
it is necessary to make a plan. Then
comes putting it into effect. And finally
comes reviewing what has been done. The
same principles apply to the present case.
My idea about how to change the situation
for the better is as follows: First, another
election system should be adopted. The
current local constituencies should be replaced
with a single nationwide proportional
constituency. Second, a kind of negative
ballotting should be introduced to keep
dirty or unethical politicians out of the Diet.
Voters would cast no confidence votes
against those candidates they no not want
to be elected. Third, a strict Political Corruption
Prevention Law should be enacted.
Any violation of its provisions would mean
the end of the political life of the violater.
In essence, every politician should be a
statesman in the proper sense of that word
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
NOVEMBE2R9 , 1992
At the end of September this year, I
was surprised to hear the disclosure that
Mr. Kanemaru, the strongman in the Liberal
Democratic Party, had illegally received
Y500 million from Tokyo-Sagawa Express
Company two years previously. Normally,
he should be interrogated, but he refused,
saying, "I am the strongest politician in
Japan," and was let off with a fine of just
Y200 thousand. Although I am not a judge,
am sure he is not worthy to be a representative
of our nation.
Since 1976, several kinds of financial
scandals related to illegal political contributions--
Lockheed, Recruit, Sagawa--
have been reported. For many years, Japanese
heard the proverb, "Yield to the powerful",
Aqqa/ mono 1 741/3m akorero and they
applied the law leniently against powerful
persons. However, we should not submit to
evil. Some of those got out of prison, being
released on bail after paying much money,
and regained their former positions. The
politicians in the Liberal Democratic Party
may be good at making policies. However,
there are very few Japanese politicians
who fear the Lord, our God, and conduct
government asking God what they should do
as David or Solomon did. So they fall easily
into the temptation to manipulate for the
good of a few rather than for the benefit
of the many which is much more important.
I am reminded of the fact that Mr. Tornio
MutO, the president of Meiji Gakuin,organized
a "Japanese Christian Party" soon
after the disclosure of the Lockheed Scandal
and ran for election to the Lower House
in the nationwide constituency. Rev.Ashina
and our church members also gave him our
support, uniting our efforts. To my regret,
we could not send him to the National Assembly
that year. Since then, the Japanese
Christian Party has not been active, but I
pray that this Christian Party will be reestablished
and all Christian churches in
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 21
Japan will raise up Christians who will
reform society, including the government.
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
I think the problem sterns from a lack
of morality among Japanese politicians.
Political leaders need much money to give
to their followers to maintain their own
political power. The money is obtained
secretly from business enterprises as
political funds. As such contributions are
not made public, some kind of financial
scandals repeatedly arise.
Political reform is not yet realized because
all politicians pursue only their selfinterests
and desires. I once heard that if
a m'an becomes a Congressman in America,
he moves from the large home in which he
had lived to a small apartment and makes
every effort for his country. On the contrary,
in Japan, if a man becomes a Diet member,
he moves from the little apartment in
which he lived to a gorgeous house . It
seems to me that Dietmen are wanting in
sincerity in respect to democratic government.
That is the reason that the same
politicians continue to be elected to public
office despite their illegal or unethical
activities. Some voters or hangers-on are
indebted to their political leader. They
have a regard for relationships more than
for government. Such bad customs have
been continuing for more than 100 years.
The scandal regarding Mr. Kanemaru is
unspeakable and outrageous. Mr. Kanemaru,
the public prosecutors and the faction
members are all wrong. Japan is a constitutional
state. The members of the Diet
are law-makers. We must obey the law. Only
a few faction members among the Liberal
Democratic Party support Mr. Kanemaru,
but most of the nation criticize and are angry
with him and the Tokyo district prosecutor
who handled the scandal.
Despite differences between men and
22 NOVEMBE2R9 , 1992
women, rich and poor,famous and unknown,
old and young, the law must be just and
fair. Nevertheless, Mr. Kanemaru continues
to be a leader in the Liberal Democratic
Party. He must deeply reflect on his conduct.
He who is shameless has brought
shame to Japan in the eyes of the world.
Isn't Mr. Kanemaru acquainted with Abraham
Lincoln, who was the 16th president
of the United States? Mr. Kanemarul You
ought to take a lesson from him. His famous
saying, "of the people, by the people,
for the people" "under God" is the basic
principle of democracy.
I suggest that an age limit be set at 70
years old, that free passes to go abroad be
abolished and that secret political discussions
and decisions regarding cabinet appointments
at high class Japanese-style
restaurants be discontinued.
(TAMAKOM ORIMOTOT, suyama)
********4*****************
Essays received too late for inclusion
in Echoes-1139 from SHOJI SUGIMOTOL.
5ugunamio:
(Subject 21 S: Rituals). When one
buys a gift for someone at a department
store, the clerk usually asks what kind of
gift-wrapping is preferred. Generally
speaking, Japanese wrap a gift with a
piece of white paper specifically designed
for gifts On the upper right-hand corner of
the paper is a decorative symbol to signify
the respect of the sender. The symbol varies
in complexity from an elaborately folded
piece of thick paper to a simple mark
printed in red. The symbol, called nosblin
Japanese, was originally a substitute for
shavings of dried abalone, a fish used as an
offering in ceremonies, elaborately cov-
"DAILYW ORD"E CHOES
ered with a small piece of decorative paper.
In the ordinary course of events, the
dried abalone was gradually simplified and
changed its form into the printed red mark.
NOwadays the reduced formalities alone
remain prevalent in society.
As another example, in the toilets of
some restaurants in the Hokuriku District
in central Japan one may find a pair of unglazed
pottery masks fixed to the wall.
understand they stand for the gods of the
toilet. It is the popular belief in that area,
which has come down from ancient times,
that some gods reside in the toilet. The
most popular form of these gods is a couple
of clay idols about seven centimeters
tall. In a simpler case, they are made of
paper. Curiously enough, such idols are
found even in restrooms with modern flush
toilets. As long as people believe in the
gods of the toilet, the ceremonial formalities
symbolized by the idols will persist.
(Subject 11'219: Prayer) I make it a
rule to offer a short prayer before the fam-
Hy Buddhist altar in the morning as well
as in the evening. In the morning I pray for
the peace of the whole world along with
the health of all my relatives. I also pray
that there will be no disasters or misfortunes.
I say to myself, "act in such a way
today that you will be better than yesterday."
In the evening, I give thanks before
the altar for the day's activities. At the
same time I pray for a better tomorrow.
During those brief moments of prayer
before the altar, I often feel as if I have
become identified with a certain Great Being,
the Life of the Universe,Law of Nature,
or something like that. (I do not know how
to express it.) Perhaps I may be under an
illusion. At any rate, at that time I forget
I am an ephemeral being like dust on the
planet earth. Although I do not know whether
my prayers are in line with Buddhist
NOVEMBER 29, 1992
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 23
teachings, I consider these tranquil "religious"
moments to be most precious.
Subiect Bridaes) I was born
and raised in a big city in western Japan famous
for its many waterways. It has been
said the water city has "eight hundred and
eight bridges", though I do not know exactly
how many bridges there are.I lived about
a hundred meters from the foot of one of
the most celebrated bridges called "Tenjin
bashi" of Osaka City. If memory serves me
right, the bridge was rebuilt when I was
about ten years old or around 1935. The
wooden bridge was reconstructed into a
ferroconcrete one with long, magnificent
railings built of steel painted in brownish
red. Its magnificence seemed to reflect
the national strength of Japan in its ascendancy
at that time. It was a pity, however,
that only a few years later the steel
railings were replaced with stone ones
during World War II because there was
much demand for steel for military purposes.
I have never seen the bridge since
the end of the war. I often wish some day
I could walk on the bridge again. Then I
will hear the silent message of the stone
railings: "No more wars."
******4k*W**************-`1C-A
The message about "crocodile tears" on
July 20th reminded me of men or women
keeners, employed by a sorrowing family,
who shed crocodile tears. Their wailing
creates a mournful atmosphere at a funeral
ceremony as they shed insincere, crocodile
tears. There are three rankings: iss/Onak4
nisho-nekl and se/ye-flak/. Iss10 is
equal to 0.477 U. S. gallon and is a unit of
rice or sake. The keeners perform according
to these different degrees. San./ (5 fold
is the most expensive and 155M-oak/is the
least expensive. This custom originated in
ancient China and Korea and was also employed
in Japan. Gradually, however, it disappeared
in Japan about 100 years ago.
(TAMAK0 MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)
July 20 Messaae Excerpt:
I-76C3Useo f a legend that crocodiles
make weeping sounds to attract their victims
and 6/76/7s h ed tears while eating
them, -crocodile tears" denote an insincere
displayof .c_rief Theyare. the ,-7/73177ell7,0-
t1/ tears indicated by- the 'Japanese tern?
sora-namida People who shed crocodile
tears may be called hypocrites and in the
sinh chapter of Matthew/ Jesus taught his
disciples not to follow Me bad exgmple of
hypocrites.
August 13 Messaae Excerpt:
A strange thing happened in the German
city of Berlin 52 years ago today, on
August LI, l.951. On that day a wall quite
suddenly appeared along the demarcation
line between East and West Berlin. The wall
was erected by the communist government
of East Germany to halt the exodus of its
citizens to the West This physical wag
has now been destroyed and Germany has
been reunited, but in other areas of the
world, walls of a political or nationalistic
nature are being erected. Are you acquainted
with the poem by Robert Frost, entitled
Mending Wall? It is about two New Englanders
who own adjacent fields divided by a
simple wall of large stones taken from
their fields and piled along the boundary
line. Every spring the two men meet and
go along the wall, each on his own side, to
24 NOVEMBER 29, 1992
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
repair gap s that have naturally occurred
during the winter months One of the farmers
questions the need for such a wall between
wooded fields where no 3111,'7731a5r e
kept. "Something there is that doesn't love
a wall, That wants it down!" he muses, but
his conservative neighbor repeats the traditional
observation that 7300d fences*
make good neighbors" In the world today,
there are still too many walls between
people., and internationally-minded ,oersons
should be engaged in tearing down walls
instead of erecting new ones
tioned a poem by Robert Frost I knew entitled
"Mending Wall". It goes, "Something
there is that doesn't love a wall." On the
earth today, we find that there are still
too many walls. between people, nations
and even in our hearts. I was happy to have
an opportunity to recall this verse I've
loved to recite.
(SADAE HASHIMOTO, Minami, Nagoya)
Auaust 18 Messaae Excerpt:
Last July, my niece Eriko and her family
went to America. Her husband was accepted
as a student at San Diego State University.
I am happy to hear from her that
they had arrived safely and were settled in
San Diego. Eriko wrote: "The weather here
is nice and it is very quiet.Theress a church
nearby. My two little sons attended a summer
school at the church and were delighted
with it. They have already made friends
even though they can't speak English."
She also wrote that one day her little
boys said to her, "We want to play with the
American boy next door. What can we do,
mommy?" So, on a piece of paper, Eriko
wrote some English greeting words, using
k3t3k3/73, and handed it to them! They
jumped for joy and with this simple manual
they called at the American home by
themselves. Eriko was a little uneasy
about it, but to her surprise they came
back home after enjoying their first visit
for nearly two hours! From what she
wrote, I learned that there is no wall in
the world of children, who are so innocent,
so open and free.
Speaking of a wall, I enjoyed the "Daily
Word" message of August 13th, that men-
Since /987, pumpkins have been raised
in Tonga for export to Japan. Last year Japan
consumed/90,000 tons of pumpkins, of
which 52 percent were imported. Over 20
percent of the imports came from Tonga
The Tongan government is now concerned
about overproduction and has decided to
limit exports to /0,000 tons this autumn.
It does not want palm trees to be cut down
to make way for pumpkin plantations and
hopes to avoid a repetition of the unfortunate
situation in which local people do not
have enough shrimp of their own to eat because
almost the entire catch is exported
The export of shrimp brings Tongans a
lot of money and thus helps them. I guess
it is very important for them to earn money
by catching, selling and exporting
shrimp. It is taken for granted that the
Tongans are not so foolish as to sell all
their shrimp without leaving some for
themselves to eat.
Unfortunately, there are a few simpletons
in certain religions, which are completely
unnecessary in such an advanced
NOVEMBER 29, 1992
country as Japan,who seek to cheat us normal
citizens out of much money by standing
in front of banks, railway stations or
along the street and discourteously and
shamelessly beg us to contribute money to
help those they consider to be poor but
whom we do not feel any need to help but
wish to cooperate in preserving this beautiful
planet for future generations.' live in
Japan which has never been a poor country
in which many people starve. Therefore, I
may not have the right to criticize the
charitable' campaigns to collect money for
those considered to be poor in countries
which are sometimes shown on television
newscasts. However, the money one contributes
so easily and unreasonably as throwing
away rubbish will certainly encourage
those considered to be poor to lose their
incentive to earn money by working and to
become lazy rascals in their communities.
I can never approve of those wretches,
including singers and religious teachers,
who cash in on those considered to be unhappy
and poor in order to survive in this
competitive society by wheedling a lot of
money from us while avoiding the kind of
work that has been sustaining the economy
even though they are less useful in society
than Japanese students who are known
around the world as intellectual children
who do not earn money nor help the economy
by taking part-time jobs but simply go
to school. Those singers seek to engrave
their names on musical history by vainly
creating and releasing albums intended to
save those considered poor in order that
religious leaders may preach to the simpletons
who cannot keep up with the rapid
changes in competitive society and who
sincerely believe in the existence of God,
enabling the religious leaders to maintain
their religions which can never be helpful
in such an advanced country as Japan in
which there are many normal people who
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 25
calmly and rationally criticize Communist
thought which has proven to be useless in
the development of the economy and has
caused people distress until the collapse
of the former Soviet Union.
(KAZUYOSHI UKAI, Ichinomiya)
Miscellaneous "Echoes"
I remember my trip to England with my
friend when I was reading Golden Treasury
You may know W. Wordsworth's poem To
the Cuckoo". It begins:"0 blithe new-corner!
I have heard, I hear thee and rejoice: 0 cuckoo!
shall I call thee Bird, or but a wandering
Voice?" We went to Lake Windermear.
It is a very beautiful lake. Wordsworth's
house, which is called Dove Cottage, is at
Grasmere, north of Windermear. When we
arrived at the cottage, an attendant kindly
struck the cuckoo clock so we could hear it
go "cuckoo! cuckoorl was deeply impressed
by this experience. I shall never forget the
beautiful landscape there.
(MICHIKO SAN��, Minami, Nagoya)
A new week has begun and I would like
to write bit by bit each day after listening
to the "Daily Word" message.Al though many
friends and former students who listen to
the messages say they find it difficult to
follow the Sunday messages, I like them
very much. In fact, the Sunday messages
get me ready for the Sunday services at my
church. The message for today [May 24],
included the statement: if people want to
be great, they must become'servants." In
a secular sense, the greater we are recognized
by the world, the more people we are
served by, but Jesus taught the opposite. I
had read another verse of the Bible before
listening to that message, which says,
26 NOVEMBER 29, 1992
"Give as freely as you have received!" (Matthew
10:8,Z/fr./figb illile.) The latter part of
this sentence seems to have answered my
question: Why should we serve people after
we have done many things for them? Even
if we have done much for other people,
where has our ability to do it come from?
Doesn't it come from our Creator? This is
especially true in my case.
Now I am teaching English at a high
school and am proud to say that I have motivated
many people to study English, but I
should stop and reflect on how I came to
be able to teach English. My serious study
began late in my junior high school days because
an American teacher of English came
to myj u kuand encouraged me to speak English
by praising my English-speaking ability.
Who sent this teacher to our juku7 In
high school, I met a very good student of
English who became my friend and I made a
great effort to catch up with him. But who
made this friend appear?
I failed in the entrance examination of
the department of my first choice at Nanzan
University, but in my sophomore year,
when I was a student in the Business Administration
department of that university
and almost gave up studying there, I visited
a former high school teacher. who encouraged
me so that '1 continued studying
business while devoting my free time to
the study of English. Who caused me to go
to that teacher? After one year of my private
study of English, I was chosen to be
one of the scholars in a study tour co-sponsored
by the Nagoya Broadcasting Network
(NBN) and the University of Utah, which
gave me my first direct contact with an
English culture in the United States. Who
gave me such a golden opportunity?
Many other wonderful experiences have
been given to me freely, so now it is my
turn to give freely to others. The Matthew
verse reminds me of another verse in
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
Psalm 103:2: "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul,
and forget not all his benefits." I'll remember
all the good things God has done for me.
Now I have begun telling my students
about nouns, and messages for this week
have provided some interesting information.
For one thing, proper nouns are usually
uncountable, but they can be counted if
they become common nouns. Napoleon is a
proper noun when it means Napoleon Bonaparte
who proclaimed himself emperor of
France in May 1804, but it becomes a common
noun when it refers to a French pastry
with a cream filling [May 26 message].
Beer is a materialistic noun, signifying a
fermented alcoholic beverage in general,
but it becomes a countable noun when it
denotes a particular kind of beer as in the
sentence:"The Stuffed Sandwich is famous
for its selection of beers" [May 27].
The May 28 message concludes with
the sentence: "All people, especially those
considered special, different or outstanding,
should be permitted to live with dignity."
I feel those of us Japanese who tend
to value conformity to our group should
keep it in mind, especially when there is a
strange person in the group. This reminds
me of an experience I had when I was teaching
at Okazaki Nishi High School, one of the
so-called newly-established schools. In order
to obtain the reputation of a "good"
school, the school was making strenuous
efforts to increase the number of successful
candidates of entrance examinations of
prestigious universities. One day one of my
colleagues suggested that we should pray
to the god of the I wazu Tenmangu Shrine
where Sugawara no Michizane, the god of
learning, is said to be enshrined, in order
to gain divine help. I was greatly surprised
to see our principal approve of the proposal.
No one except me objected, but finally
we did not have to go to Iwazu.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)