"DailyWord" Echoes
P.0 Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463 Tel.(052)794-6422
August 31, 1997 Number 57 \200
(Essays submitted by listeners/readers on themes of "Daily Word" messages between July 1 and August 5, 1997. Corrected and edited by Clark Offner.)
*********************
July 1 Message (Subject #326)
Our next meeting will be held on
August 37st. The theme for that meeting
is "Daily Word and I". I am always
interested to know how these messages
are being used by listeners and readers
and how they have been helpful so that
will also be the first theme for essays
to be included in the next issue of "Daily
Word" Echoes, which is expected to be
available at that meeting. 1 hope many
listeners and readers will write an essay
and send it to me.
*********************
I know that Dr. Offner began the
"Daily Word" telephone service on September
4, 1980. About 17 years have
passed since then. It has truly been a
long time. What was the world like in
that year?
In 1980, in our country, a general
election of the House of Representatives
was held and; as a result, the Suzuki
Cabinet was formed. In the United
States, Mr. Reagan of the Republican
Party won the presidential election,
defeating Mr. Carter of the Democratic
Party. In regard to my own family affairs,
in that year, I constructed my own
house and gained my "naturalization" in
Gifu. At that time, I held the position of
Director of the Prefecture.
During the initial stage of my listening
to the messages, sometimes I had
trouble grasping the meaning, so I dialed
the number again to hear the message
repeated. Soon I became able to understand
the message on the first call with
few exceptions. I consider the telephone
message system very worthwhile because
it certainly helps us improve our
listening ability. "Daily Word" Echoes is
also very useful for our English training
because we can compare our original
manuscript with the printed version following
Dr. Offner's corrections and thus
improve our composition ability.
I pay my respect to Dr. Offner for
his efforts to continue the telephone
service for such a long time because
can easily imagine how difficult it is to
look for and find a suitable topic or subject
everyday and to put the idea into
shape in short sentences. Anyway, 17
years is a very long time. A baby born
then is a high school student now. To
continue something like this for such a
long time deserves our admiration.
would also like to express my gratitude
and respect to Mrs. Offner for her support
for her husband for I believe Dr.
Offner's work is greatly dependent upon
her assistance. We have an expression,
naijo no ko, in Japanese, but in the case
of Mrs. Offner, she has her own sphere of
activities in various areas in addition to
being a so-called naijo.
Here, I wish to introduce another ('
way I make use of "Daily Word". When I
talk with someone about English con2
MARCH2 3, 1997
versation, I often test his or her listening
ability by letting him or her listen to
a "Daily Word" message. I dial the number
and give the receiver to the person
without any previous notice. When the
message 'is completed, I ask the person
to give me a summary of the message.
One having a good command of English
can tell the story in detail.
I have had a long acquaintance with
"Daily Word". It is certain that this association
will help much in keeping my
English conversation ability constant
and.will prevent me from getting senile.
When a person reaches my age, it is hard
to enhance one's ability. It is as much as
one can do to keep the present level.
"Daily Word" will continue to be my good
friend still more in the future.
(MICCIHIKO YOSIIIMOTO, Gifu)
I am very grateful for "Daily Word".
I try to write an essay for "Daily Word"
Echoes on every theme even if I have not
thought deeply about it. I remember the
first time I wrote an essay. It was January
15, 1985. I have continued to write
on each theme except for three times
last year when I had eye surgery. I am
thankful for that now because my eyes
can see well as though they were rejuvenated.
It is easier for me to write letters
to foreigners since I began writing essays.
Another good result of "Daily Word"
is that I am better able to understand
the speech of foreigners. My study at
college in my youth was almost limited
to reading and understanding grammar.
Therefore, I was able to read books but
could not make much practical use of
English in my daily life at that time.
I shall continue to be a "Daily Word"
fan in the future.
(MICHIKO S:TM11M3, inami, Nagoya)
Today I will write about the usefulness
of "Daily Word" in increasing our
English vocabulary.
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
As is often pointed out English vocabulary
can be divided into two groups:
"active" and "passive" . The former refers
to words and expressions people actually
use, the latter to those they understand
but do not use themselves. I do
not know how other listeners listen to
the "Daily Word" messages, but, as for
me, I listen to them to increase my passive
vocabulary when 'I am very tired or
busy, while I try to memorize a message
when I have plenty of time. When trying
to memorize, I find myself using a dictionary
to make a thorough study of an
interesting word. The words for this
careful study are determined as a I try
to memorize the message.
A second use of the messages relate
to the Monday messages which usually
include interesting stories regarding
various words and phrases, so I refer
to those messages when I try to tell my
students an interesting story of an English
word and recommend those messages
to my students for they are read more
slowly.
In order to increase the "active"
vocabulary of my students, I recommend
that they listen to the Tuesday messages,
some of which include essay subjects.
No matter how hard we try to
write a fine essay, the essay will be far
from perfect. It will be corrected and
printed in "Daily Word" Echoes, a collection
of such essays from listeners or
readers. By reading the revised version
of our essays, we can learn how to use
certain words more appropriately and
effectively.
(TOMOYFISH [MAUD, Nishi, Nagoya)
Nine years ago, when I was working
at NTT, a senior official introduced this
"Daily Word" telephone service to me . He
.knew my personal history from the beginning:
first; an English teacher at a junior
high school, then working at KDD and f i nally
at NTT. I have continued to study
English after my retirement from NTT.
MARCH2 3, 1997
I could not speak English well, however.
The first time I attended the "Daily
Word" meeting, I felt uneasy and could
not express my opinion well. But someone
gave me some advice and I felt encouraged.
Little by little, it became pleasurable
to attend. Also, I made several
friends with people having different occupations
who inspired me to improve
my English-speaking ability. Fortunately,
there was another reason for the pleasant
atmosphere. Dr. and Mrs. Offner
treated everyone with a gentle, kind attitude
that gave us a good impression.
Dr. Offner is a hardworking, sincere
person with a solemn look who is always
thinking seriously not only about political
and economic matters but also about
life itself. Dr. Offner knows Japanese culture
well, sometimes better than us Japanese,
I'm ashamed to admit. in Japan,
there are few persons who study hard
and continue to think seriously who are
about his age. I have been taught many
things through the "Daily Word" meetings
as well as the daily telephone service.
I am very happy and proud to have
been given this fine opportunity to meet
this most unforgettable foreigner.
(I,11EKO OKEIMUFM, Mizuho, Nagoya)
About two years have passed since I
started to listen to the telephone messages
by Dr. Offner. do not claim that
my English ability has noticeably improved
since then, but I am sure it has
become easier for me to understand
what is spoken in English than before.
Usually I can .understand the messages
by listening only once, but at times when
I cannot, I listen to them twice. However,
it is true that some messages are
difficult to understand even when I listen
twice.
I usually listen to them around nine
o'clock in the morning. It seems to me
that they are easier to understand in the
early morning because my brain is not so
tired. I have had no experience of the
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 3
line being busy. Whenever I call the number,
I immediately hear Dr. Offner's clear
voice saying "Hello". The messages are
not only interesting and instructive,
they are also not too long. it is impor
tant for us to keep listening every day.
In regard to expense, this service is
very favorable. When I was in my forties,
I entered an English school for the purpose
of conversing personally with an
American teacher. Surprisingly enough, I
paid six thousand yen for an hour's lesson.
It would be more expensive today.
Contrary to my expectation, I made little
progress in my English ability. I think
the telephone messages are more effective
in elevating our English ability than
such a school.
I highly appreciate Dr. Offner's efforts
and I earnestly hope that he will
continue transmitting the telephone
messages as long as possible.
(HAMM! MUM, Minami, Nagoya)
I am sorry that I cannot attend the
meeting on the 5th Sunday in August. I
am writing this because I would like Dr.
Offner to know how I enjoy "Daily Word"
telephone messages and how I appreciate
his devotion to the service. I have listened
to his telephone messages for
more than two years. At first, I was
just curious to make a call to listen to
an English message. .Soon I realized that
it was not only educational but also interesting
and enjoyable.
We can listen to English programs on
radio or television too, but a unique feature
of his telephone messages is that
we can hear about Dr. Offner and his
family's daily life following the main
topic. Though I have never met him, I
know where he plays tennis every Monday
morning, where his wife and daughter
are working, where his granddaughter
changed her plane on her way to Phoenix,
Arizona this summer and so forth.
Listening to his message is like listening
to a call from my old friend. I also
4 MARCH 23, 1997
know that he_often rides his bicycle for
a long distance to attend meetings.
When I knew he had gotten wet due to a
sudden shower while riding his bicycle, I
prayed that he would not catch a cold.
I sometimes write Dr. Offner a letter
when I have questions about a message.
I am always thankful that he finds
time to reply to my trivial questions. I
felt ashamed of my ignorance when he
taught me about the Japanese traditional
sekku. I also appreciate his sincere efforts
related to the editing of "Daily
Word" Echoes. When I read his words in a
recent issue that some essays needed
much correction before being printed, I
immediately understood he was speaking
about mine. f Editorial comment: "Not
so."] After I receive every issue, I check
where he made corrections in my essays.
I type them with letters to compare
with my original manuscript. I think I
have finally found a true English teacher.
I hope it is not too late for me to study
English as Dr. Offner noted in a recent
message.
look forward to listening to his
message. But once, I felt very sorry to
hear his weak voice. It was clearly recorded
when h:,2 was very tired. I hope it
is not too hc2vy a burden for him to
write and record a message late at night
every day. It might be a good idea to ask
Mrs. Offner to fill in for him once or
twice a week. She did a wonderful job
while he was in the Philippines.
Incidentally, I know that telephone
numbers can be replaced by letters of
the alphabet in the United States. That
makes it easier to remember some public
telephone numbers. In Japan, we
cannot use karr,3 for telephone numbers.
We can, however, make up a sentence or
a word from the pronunciation of a telephone
number.. When I dial 794-6422, I
always say naku-yo, mushi ni-ni, meaning
that a niinii zerni (a kind of cicada)
is making the sound nil--nil.
(TOSOIW:(1 Tsuzuki,Yokohama)
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
"Daily Word" is now at the center of
my life and it often gives me a chance to
think about faith.
When Shusaku End6 wrote Silence
more than 30 years ago, it was severely
criticized by the Roman Catholic Church,
both in Japan and abroad: "That's not
Christianity, but Japanized Christianity";
"Only a kind of Jodo Shin Sect";
"Christians must not read it". Later, Mr.
Endo confessed in another book he wrote
that he had become discouraged when he
was rebuked, even by a French Father
whom he had respected very much. But
through those difficult experiences, he
never gave up his attempt to deepen his
thinking in relation to faith. By the time
his Deep River was published in 1993,
the situation in the religious world had
greatly changed and. there was a definitely
more progressive attitude in the
Roman Catholic Church. Leaders of the
major religions in the world began to
meet together for discussions and recognized
one another in a desire to make the
world more peaceful.
"Japanized Christianity" may not be
allowed by Christian theologians, but it
is actually "Japanized Buddhism" that we
Japanese have accepted, supported, reformed
and believed in for many centuries.
And that is why a complicated Indian
religion, Buddhism, has been able to
survive in this country becoming a part
of the customs or habits of our daily
lives. Actually, many new Buddhist
sects were produced one after another
from the Heian to the Kamakura period,
formulating:their doctrines from certain
sutras. The founders of those new sects
were very eager to save or comfort increasing
miserable people in their difficult
situations.
Against these innovations, orthodox
Nlara Buddhism, represented by the Hosso
Sect, made severe criticisms, for the
busstro, or "Buddha nature" doctrine, was
quite different from the teaching of Shakarnuni
in India. But even in India, with
MARCH2 3 , 1997
the development of a great number of
DaijO Buddhist agiptur_es, Buddhism has
not been a religion preaching only Shakamuni's
teaching, and we can see some of
those doctrines criticized in certain sutras.
In the Nara period, Buddhism was
strongly supported and used by the government
to control the nation. Priests
were an elite, chosen people, devoting
themselves to learning difficult Indian
philosophy relating to human subconsciousness
but had nothing to do with
common people in need. So Amida was
not the main Buddha image in every temple
in the Nara period. For example, the
famous huge bronze image of TOclai-ji
Temple is Birushana Buddha (Vairocana),
or Dainichi Nyorai in esoteric Buddhism.
Among crucial BUddhist doctrines i s
chi') (middle) along with CCU (emptiness).
It teaches that emphasis should be
placed on the middle, not on the two extremes.
I think that this may be a key to
understanding the blurry, vague and ambiguous
nature of Buddhism. And it may
have been one of the factors in the facile
Japanese acceptance of a foreign religion,
because it is surprisingly similar
to the character of the Japanese people.
Or we Japanese may have developed such
a character through various ways of
thinking and acting supported by this
chi) doctrine, which suited the Japanese
mentality well. Western people are good
at dividing concepts distinctly into two
boxes--good or evil, light or darkness,
dependence or independence, heaven or
hell, and God or human beings. But we
Japanese usually need one more box--in
the middle. In it, sometimes, two opposites
are complicatedly united, mixed
and melted to make an inconsistent or
ambiguous color or character with different
degrees of color depending on the
particular situation. I feel this kind of
nature in the flow of the Deep River in
India. Its flow includes everything, even
life and death, without rejecting or dividing
anything, which makes people feel
"DAILYW ORD" ECHOES 5
comfortable, just like being in -their
mother's womb.
Every time I listen to "Daily Word"
messages, I feel as if I were listening to
messages from God through Dr. Offner,
not only on Sundays, but on other days as
well, because I feel his strong love and
faith in God in this great daily service
with his unbelievable fotitud . "Daily
Word" always urges me to open the Bible
to consider how to live in this difficult
society, how to raise my children, how
to look after my old father, how to do my
work, and of course, how to get a better
command of English. Everyday and to
everyone it is open just like the Deep
River. Theists, deists, polytheists, pantheists
and atheists all can taste and
enjoy it, flawing down the current of
life alL together_ In that sense, I think it
_ancLthe differences_of faith,
transmitting God's Word and stimulating
listeners' minds with Dr. Offner's profound
faith in God.
(KIKUKO KLIWIIIHRIIII,Nakagawa,Nagoya)
I am grateful for all the effort and
trouble involved in producing the "Daily
Word" messages. I listen to the messages
twice every day. I try to learn how to
compose sentences and the usage of good
expressions as well as to understand the
messages themselves.
MOM BOWIE, Kasugai)
For the past ten years, I have regularly
looked forward to the mail every
Friday. In the mailbox, I find a letter
from Nagoya in which is the weekly copy
of the "Daily Word" messages.
I first learned of "Daily Word" when
I read an essay in which Mr. Kimura, a
high school English teacher, introduced
it. Earlier, in the fall of 1986, I began
subscribing to a small but venerable organ
of an English-lovers' society. The
organ carried Mr. Kimura's essay in the
spring of 1987. Soon I wrote to Dr. Offner
and then my happy experience with
6 MARCH 23, 1997
_"Daily Word" began. Please allow me to
say repeatedly, "Thank you very much,
Mr. Kimura."
Thanks to Dr. Offner's constant effort
to compose the messages, I have
been enjoying them. It is truly a valuable
experience to read the messages
which give us a variety of interesting
topics, including the meaning of words
or phrases, the history of nations, episodes
of famous people as well as such
serious matters like the recycling of
natural resources and so on. I have often
been impressed by his knowledge about
old Japanese customs I had never known.
It is true that reading the messages
has given me much food for thought. But
it is even more valuable for enriching
thought to write on themes Dr. Offner
suggests in Tuesday messages. On top of
that, I can enjoy reading my corrected
essays in the "Daily Word" Echoes periodical.
It is also very delightful to read
essays by other contributors. It is quite
interesting to find different opinions on
the same theme. Here again, I am grateful
to Dr. Ofther and his wife for producing
the periodical.
In conclusion, I would like to express
my deep gratitude to Dr. Offner for
the messages. I repeat over and over,
"Thank you very much , Dr. Offner.
(SHEldi FI:_:1311v10-1S1u1g,i nami, Tokyo)
-.;:********************
July 8 Messaae (Subject #327) .
Eight years from now, in 2005,
there will be an influx of Westerners and
other foreign ;.?urists to the city of Sew
in suburban Nagoya to visit the World Exposition
which is being planned there.
After many anxious months for both the
promoters and opponents Of a Japanese
Expo, the decision was made to designate
Sew the host city. Even now, voices
are raised both in support and opposi-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
tion to the plan. What do you think of
the idea? Are you in favor or opposed to
it? Why or why not?
*********************
Seto is in the countryside, so I was
surprised to hear that Expo will be held
here. But as a result, many fine roads
will be built, so I am in favor of holding
the Expo in Seto. (YFISUKU 1ZUMI, Seto)
I am in favor of the plan for the
World Exposition to be held in the city of
Sew in 2005. My reasons are as follows:
1) Japanese economic power is now
strong enough to sustain the big event
and the central and local governments
will be able to lead the city of Seto to a
successful accomplishment.
2) Japanese people can have contact
with first-rate cultures from abroad, on
both intellectual and material levels,
without leaving their homeland. Especially,
the city of Nagoya, which has been
ironically called "the great country
town", will receive a strong stimulation
to attain to a higher level of culture.
3) Conversely, people from other
countries who come here will understand
present-day Japan through first-hand,
personal experience.
4) Now that the decision has been
made, we must have a positive attitude'
to make this big event successful. Negative
thinking or opposition tactics will
result in a most unfavorable result for
Japan.
Many good things are expected to be
introduced to us by holding the World
Exposition near Nagoya. On the other
hand, we will have some bad things
brought from abroad at the same time.
We must promote this event with our
utmost efforts while working to prevent
an invasion of undesirable things from
outside into this area.
0-111110Ui I, Minami, Nagoya)
MARCH 23, 1997
It was December 24, 1994 when I
visited Mr. Muramatsu and his family in
Seto, staying overnight after the party
at the Takahama Church to commemorate
the publishing of Dr. Offner's book, Kokoro
no Sanpo Michi. Yes, it was my one
and only chance to visit that city, so I
cannot say now whether I saw the area
of the city which will become the site of
the World Exposition in 2005 or not. As
the decision has been made by the responsible
persons, Seto will be in better
condition to welcome Westerners and
other foreign visitors in eight years.
Now I am thinking of a world exposition
in Japan. It is a very big event, similar
to the Olympic Games. It requires a
very spacious ground for such an exposition.
I am afraid that many trees will be
cut down to erect buildings in each section
and that the air will be polluted.
Hotels will be needed for the tremendous
crowds of people from all over the world.
Also, it will be wasteful to tear down
the buildings after the event is over.
Japan is a small, over-populated
country. From now on, Japan should return
to nature rather than trying to keep
up with other big countries. Our present
level of civilization is sufficient. Artificial
things are seen everywhere. I hope
that all people may easily visit anyplace
in the world and enjoy the beauty of nature.
They should responsibly dispose of
their own rubbish, of course. Then anyone
can enjoy the scenery comfortably
as they wish. This would be the best
World Exposition.
World expositions that have been
held in the past, however, have been
wonderful. All who visited them must
have benefited from them. And I am
happy that the city of Seto will become
well-known all over the world. I hope
the Exposition there will be successful.
(Minn THUCI-H, Fukushima)
If I am asked to give a "yes" or "no"
answer regarding Expo, my answer is
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
7
"no". Most of us who live in Aichi Prefecture
did not have a chance to express
our views. Thus, in the first place, I
think it is strange that the government
makes decisions arbitrarily without consulting
the citizens. If the city of Seto
takes some action in this regard, I shall
be happy.
I read in a newspaper today that
more important problems for Aichi Prefecture
than hosting Expo, include the
following: 1) Comprehensive coverage
for welfare and health for all ages; 2)
Lifelong education opportunities; 3) Encourage
volunteer activities; 4) Cultural
activities for citizens; 5) Technological
exchange; 6) Cooperative international
exchange; 7) Promote commerce and service
industries; 8) Promote tourism as a
principal industry; 9) Improve international
transportation; 10) Improve local
transportation; 11) Protect the natural
environment; 12) Recycle resources.
I hope these projects are advanced
and that we can cooperate in achieving
them. (MICHIKEI SAND, Minami, Nagoya)
Anyhow it was good news that the
city of Seto in Aichi Prefecture was selected
as the site of the World Exposition
in 2005. (I use the word "anyhow"
advisedly because this selection poses
many problems that must be solved in
the future, as I will note later.) I think
it was good for Aichi or the central district
as a whole when I look back at the
history of defeats this central district
has experienced--related to the 1988
Olympics and Wad Cup Soccer in 2002.
Concerning the "phantom" Olympics
in Nagoya, I experienced the defeat personally
as one of the persons concerned.
I was the Director of the Planning Depart
ment of the Prefecture in 1982 when Nagoya,
was defeated by Seoul as the site
of the Olympics. In the evening the decision
was made (I do not remember the
date), we, the persons concerned, were
waiting for the glad news from Governor
8 MARCH 23, 1 997
Nakaya (who was attending the 1. 0. C.
conference in Baden Baden, Germany),
watching television in a hotel room in
Nagoya. In the next room, splendid dishes
were already prepared for a celebration,
waiting for us. At. last, the name
of the city was announced by Mr. Samaranch,
the president of the I. 0. C., but
the name was Seoul, not Nagoya. The announcement
struck us all speechless for
a while. A little later, Mr. Nakaya conveyed
word of the defeat by telephone
and Vice-Governor Suzuki received it. it
was all over. liVe turned our steps homeward
in knots, silently, leaving the dishes
prepared in the next room untouched,
which I feel was regrettable even now.
Before the selection of Aichi this
time, ,two kinds of proverbs were prepared
by journalists to express the result.
One was "What happens twice will
happen thrice", and the other was "All
things thrive at thrice". We were happy
to see the latter expression hit the mark
but I think we cannot welcome the selection
of Aichi without reserve becaur,--.-e;
there are many problems which must he
salved in order to host the exposition.
The first problem is environmental
disruption. A large area of forests and
fields must be destroyed to prepare the
site. How can the site be utilized after
the exposition is over? The second problem
is financial. The prime minister has
already declared that the central government
cannot provide very much money.
And the business sector cannot be expected
to contribute so much because they
must also provk!e funds for the new airport
which is expected to be completed
by the opening day of the Exposition.
There is a basic controversy why the
central district ,must compete with the
Tokyo and Oi:-A,!(a districts in hosting
such events as the Olympics or the Exposition.
They say that the subsiding of
the Nagoya district is remarkable in every
area these days, but that does not
seem to matter. Anyway, the die is cast.
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
There is no longer room for hesitation.
Aichi Prefecture (Governor Suzuki is my
old friend) should aim at bearing its full
fruit with the least expense since things
have come to this place.
(lvilKIHIKO VOSH1MOTO, Gifu)
It was reported that on June 12, the
city of Seto, Aichi Prefecture, was designated
to host the 2005 World Exposition,
winning the support of 52 of the 81
voting members of the Committee. Calgary,
in Canada, was the only other city
seeking the designation. There was
much criticism that Japan had been too
active and spent too much money to win.
Now, the. city of Seto Must host the sixmonth
extravaganza which. will open in
2005. Seto is famous as a historic pottery
center on the outskirts of Nagoya.
After the end of the Second World
War, Japan expanded her economy and
became a great economic power. She is
no longer allowed to iDe a threat to the
rest of the world by expanding her exports.
To survive, she is urged to increase
her domestic consumption, It
would be quite natural for her to expect
a vitalizing of her economy by hosting
such a bio, event as the World Exposition
or the Olympic Games and to anticipate
that, ultimately, the world at large
would be benefited through it.
We cannot deny that in all things
there are both' a positive side and a negative
one. The Expo will draw a large
number of visitors from inside and outside
the country. The construction of
various kinds of facilities will destroy
the environment. It is quite uncertain
whether or not the project will be profitable
in the long run. However, we
should. not overlook the positive value
the Expo may have in the future.
Consider the main theme of the Exposition.
It affirms the cohabitation of
nature and human beings, seeking for a
way to face the coming of a new civilization.
The site oF the Expo is divided
MARCH 23, 1997
into_ several zones, such as a pavilion
zone, a natural forest zone and a village
mountain zone. They are planning to compel
visitors to seriously consider the
question of how to live with nature.
There, villagers will be seen gathering
firewood in the mountain, where plants
grow and animals live peacefully. Visitors
will come to understand how villagers
in the Edo Era lived, in a way that included
some recycling. The area is famous
as the habitat of Gifu butterflies
and Shide magnolia, which have been
designated natural monuments.
Japan has achieved economic growth
so rapidly that we have destroyed nature
too much and have forgotten its importance.
If we can learn something of value
regarding the way of cohabitation of
nature and human beings, the Expo would
be quite successful. Since the Expo will
draw many visitors from inside and outside
the country, we hope that through
the Expo, mutual understanding and
friendship with other countries will be
deepened. Today it is quite desirable
that in the planning of any project, the
future use of the facilities be carefully
considered beforehand. The pavilions
will be used as an educational and research
center. I pray that Expo will be
quite successful.
ICHIKO Meguro, Tokyo)
The only thing I know about Seto is
that it is a city in Aichi which produces
pottery. I didn't know that people there
wanted to host the World Exposition until
I read in anewspaper that the decision
was make in Paris.
It was very strange to see the pros
and cons begin to appear after the news.
It seemed that there had been no serious
discussions in the city before they decided
to become a candidate. I think it
is very similar to the case of the Winter
Olympics in Nagano. Now is the time
that they should discuss how to carry i t
out successfully.
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
9
We have seen or heard much bleak
news lately. Therefore, it might be a
good idea to have another international
festival in Japan. It may help us to forget
many problems we are facing for a
while.
(TOSHIRKI MIYAKE, Tsuzuki,Yokohama)
Frankly speaking, I didn't expect A ichi
Prefecture to win the prize of becoming
the host city for Expo 2005 for
Nagoya failed in a similar competition
for the 1988 Olympics and there was a
strong protest against the development
of the Seto area for the world exposition.
Two colleagues of mine at Chigusa
High School are actively involved in efforts
to protect nature from being damaged
and I recall how impressed I was by
their enthusiastic campaign to preserve
the forest called Kaisho-no-Mori. So I
came to agree with them and didn't expect
Aichi to be chosen as the host prefecture
for the exposition to be held i n
the fifth year of the 21st. century.
Now that the decision has been made,
however, 1 am very happy about it and
sincerely hope this gigantic project will
be successful and meaningful. To me, the
last exposition in Japan was very special,
for 1 met a wonderful lady from Canada
when I visited the Ontario Pavilion.
Her name is Beverly Neeb. She lives
in Stratford, Ontario, working as a secretary
for a local newspaper, The Beacon
Herald. Bev and I have been corresponding
with each other for the past 27 years
since we met and exchanged addresses i n
Osaka. In March,. 1970, my father took
me to Osaka as a kind of celebration for
my success in passing the university entrance
exam. As you can imagine, we visited
many pavilions and enjoyed various
events. Toward the end of our visit to
the Expo, we were tired and wanted to
enter a pavilion that was spacious, uncrowded
and comfortable to be in. The
Ontario Pavilion was one such place.
Soon after we entered we were led into
10 MARCH 23, 1997
a_theater where we saw a documentary
film on the natural beauty of Canada. After
the film, I noticed three Canadian ladies
sitting behind us and tried to speak
to them in English. One of them was Bev.
She and her friends were at the Expo as
members of a Canadian choir of high
school students. Thus the 197^ Exposition
at Osaka gave me a wonderful
chance to make friends with a Canadian,
with whom I became a good friend.
When I went to the United States in
1974 as an exchange student in a special
program co-sponsored by Nagoya Broadcasting
Network and the University of
Utah, I rode a Greyhound bus to Ontario,
and on a holiday we had while in England,
I took my family to Stratford.
The World Exposition will be held
after developing some wild areas in Seto,
but I don't think such c!evelopment i s
always related to their destruction. So I
hope this international cultural fair will
be held in 1-1-2,-i-clownyit h nature. Apart
from this, I aril sure it will provide a
good opportunfty for those who are interested
in niecting people from different
countries, just like Bev and me.
(TONIDYFE'l Kimunn, Nish', Nagoya)
Of the 81 voting members of the International
By Lauof Expositions (BIE)
meeting in France, 52 supported Seto,
Japan, 27 favored Calgary, Canada, one
abstained and another cast an invalid
ballot. Setoites and Owariasahians (Seto
and Owariasahi are neighboring cities, in
one of which my family and I have lived
for three decades) rejoiced as Seto got
the nod over Calgary to host the 2005
Exposition on inne 12, 1997.
It was decided that "The 2005 World
Exposition, Japbn" will be a six-month
extravaganza opening on March 25 and
closing on September 25, 2005 with the
slogan: "Beyond Development; RGdiSCOVering
Nature's V.,isdorn" along with the
sub-themes of "Eco--Communities" and
"Art of Life". Includi_c_in the 504 hec-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
tares of the Kaisho-no-Mori zone in the
southeastern part of Seto will be: Experimental
models for 21st century cities
and human societies in 1-jar-r-ion witithe
eco-system; A testing ground for building
an attractive model of a highly creative
. socio-economic activity; A "global
clearing house of wisdom", offering a
forum for the consideration of global issues;
Global communication by permitting
people from all around the world to
participate in interactive dialogue and
exchange through the use of sophisticated
telecommunications technology; Focus
for interaction among peoples of the
dynamic Asia-Pacific region and an opp^
rtunity for them to share their ideas
with the rest of the world. Now that
people have begun to realize the serious
state of environmental contamination
and pollution, the destruction of nature,
etc. which had been ignored during the
period of economic growth, an EJ,Kp.s9:tion
for sliLerweening pride is needed at the
start of the Aichi Exposition.
If you are wonciering when I will get
to the dieme, pay attention! I'm there! I
believe beyond all doubt that for the
time being it is impossible for me to
decide whether I am for or against the
hosting of "The 2005 World Exposition".
I am, to tell the truth, in an .a,_r -nhiNalant "pro and con" attitude . because I succeeded
in li.coming one the 444 volunteer
staff mGrnbers and 70 corporate bodies
of the Seto International Center which
was organized on April 1,1997. NOW that
I have joined the volunteers, together
with some of my acquaintances, including
Ms. Kazue Okuzawa, who has written
for this periodical, Ms. Teruko Hasegawa,
who is a superintendent of Kasugai Cultural
Center, Ms. Mina Hiei, who is a
camera woman for Green City Cable Television
Broadcasting Corporation, Mr.
Atsuyasu Fujii, who is a councilman of
S,2,-toM unicipal Assembly, and other staff
iw:cnbers,1 am and f;-3.1 compelled
to do what it to make his project
MARCH 23, 1997
succeed, to develop relationships- with
visiting customers from abroad and/or
to find solutions for the bewildering array
of nuts we need to crack. "Let the
rain feed the rice paddies." "Open up the
door to gain various opinions."
No matter how much time I spend,
there is always more to learn. I realize
that I cannot do everything, but I would
be very upset if I chose to quit. I am
still very immature, but I would not be
content to stay uninvolved. I have decided,
therefore, to reincorporate some of
the activities that used to mean much to
me. I do not know whether this will
help or harm my health, but I'm sure it
will improve my mental well-being.
Though I have already used up too
much space, I wish to conclude with the
thought that to make such a project as
the 2005 World Exposition succeed, the
greatest possible effort must be put
forth. Mr. Hiromichi Inoue, mayor of
Seto, explained that the previous world
expositions have been only exhibitions,
but we should make the 2005 World Exposition
the greatest one ever, in which
people from all over the world can participate
so as to solve problems and to
make it popular among the younger generation
for the next millennium. Offering
the most sophisticated environmental
technology, Japan, as a leading progressive
nation, should provide progressive
Asian nations with example model
cities which are harmonious with the
natural environment, showing how it is
possible to solve difficult problems.
The theme of "Beyond Development;
Rediscovering Nature's Wisdom" challenges
us to create a natural environment i n
which we can peacefully coexist together,
to visualize this noble ideal and to
find a shortcut to solve a problem common
to the entire human race. I think
that . along with its broadening and
strengthening the economy the 2005
World Exposition will provide limitless
opportunities to experience new life
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 11
styles and social systems firsthand for
many people as it encourages community
prosperity and social harmony. As the
first environmental exposition in history,
there may be many people who object
to it, but even so, it must succeed.
It should be remembered that all information
on the concrete measures suggested,
data of environmental assessment
and/or details of expenditures
should be open to the public. Consequently,
it is well to get the approval of inhabitants
of the related regions and the
Japanese nation. The entire idea related
to the theme is only in abstract form on
a desk. About seven years are left until
the opening of the exposition, which is
not enough. It is high time we hammered
out a clever solution.
(JAIME I WA I, Owariasahi)
The Seto Expo Committee has hoisted
a grandiose banner: Creating a New
Globe with the Wisdom of Nature.
Now that Japan is to host Expo 2005
in Aichi Prefecture, it becomes imperative
for Japanese people to work for the
success of the grand event. In view of
the circumstances, however, we cannot
ignore the fact that the planners have a
long, bumpy road ahead of them. There
are many difficulties in their way.
First of all, in regard to the site of
the Expo. I hear it includes a forest with
an area of about 250 hectares and surrounding
hills and plains of 540 hectares.
Of course, the forest must be destroyed
before it can become the site of the exposition.
Naturalists have every reason
to be concerned about keeping the surrounding
environment intact during and
after the construction of many pavilions.
They will be intolerant of the forest being
destroyed merely for the purpose of
building pavilions. How will the planners
be able to persuade the conservationists
to cease their opposition? How will the
theme of the Expo, "Creating a New
Globe, Wisdom of Nature" be harmonized
12 MARCH 23, 1997
with the destruction of- the forest? We
should keep close watch on what is going
on with this grandiose project.
The above-mentioned problem is
nothing but the tip of an iceberg. According
to newspapers, proponents of the project
declare they have a grand design to
demonstrate the great challenges facing
not only Japan but all nations as well,
such as the environment, food, natural
resources, health and education. They
proudly assert that the coming Expo will
build a model city recycling its waste
perfectly They should remember the saying,
"Easier said than done". After ail,
there is not much time left. I cannot help
but pray that they will put forth their
utmost effort make their grand desicin
bear fruit that will go down in history.
(SHOJI Si: ;AMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
.:.,-..:*******************
July 15 Mess: 2 (Subject #328),
Today's theme is: "Diet". Perceptive
listeners/readers will immediately
recognize that there are two very different
meanings of this word. One kind of
diet is the usual food one eats, or a special
selection of food chosen for medical
or health reasons. Do you watch your diet
carefully? What kind of diet do you
prefer? What do you think of the diet of
your country compared to that of other
countries? A homonym of this kind of
diet is used to denote the national legislative
assembly of Japan. What do you
think about the present state of the Japanese
Diet? Are you happy with its composition
and its recent activities? Either
of these meanings of "diet" may be
chosen as the theme for an essay.
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
Diet is one of the most interesting
and familiar subjects for me. I always
pay attention to my diet to keep healthy.
For example, I put special encapsulated
tablets into a bottle of tap water for
eight hours to make the water purer.
I don't use chemical stock in my
cooking. I prepare my own out of several
kinds of vegetables or small dried sardines
(niboshi). Furthermore, my cooking
is only slightly seasoned. I also try
to eat food containing minerals and calcium
to prevent my bones from becoming
weak. Hence, I eat the small dried sardines
after I prepare stock, but I think
most people who use them to prepare
stock throw them away afterward.
In addition, since one of my acquaint.
ances recommended that I imbibe more
vinegar, I sometimes drink a little bit of
it. However, I love Japanese sweets. I f
I eat them often, I ingest too much sugar,
so I eat them only moderately.
(HIROMI :=CRUTFIK, i'La, Nagoya)
I co not want to write about the
Japanese Diet, or national legislative
assembly, because it seems to be a place
for political struggles only at
party interests raiTher than the pursuit
of hap;::iness . for the people.
Generally speaking, to maintain our
good health it may he advisable to put us
on a diet. However, I do not like to follow
instructions that I should eat some
things but not other things. We should
be allowed to eat any food whatever, but
the important thing is we should not eat
too much of anything. Our stomach
should be kept a little empty, about 20
to 30 percent, even after taking a meal.
To make our stomach feel at ease is
the first condition for maintaining good
health. This kind of knowledge has been
conveyed in Japan from about 300 -years
ago. Some f radical researchers in the
Edo era, such ?ts Ekken advocteci
this idea published a book abcut
how to keep
MARCH 23, 1997
I'm afraid today's medical researchers
are apt to mislead patients by giving
them too much medicine, too many injections
and consign them to medical machines
which are not completely reliable.
Rather than relying on those methods
based on human knowledge, we should
control the quantity of food and drink
ourselves, exercising natural prudence.
(1111RUJI FUKUNII, Minami, Nagoya)
Dr. Offner referred to two different
meanings of the word "diet". As I have
touched upon the second meaning (assembly,
congress) several times in this periodical
before, here I will consider the
first meaning of the word.
An English dictionary gives the meaning
of "diet" as follows: 1) what one usually
eats and drinks, 2) a special choice
of food eaten in sickness. There, I could
not find the meaning which we usually
give it: restriction of quantity or kind of
food for reasons of health or beauty. I
may go further and say the word means
to grow slim or to lose weight by reducing
the quantity of food. This may be a
special meaning which we have added to
the former, original meaning. Here I will
write about "diet" in the nuance we have
given it.
Today, a matter of primary concern
in regard to our. health is how to prevent
obesity, for excessive fatness is thought
to be one of the main factors in many
diseases. But it is very difficult to lose
weight (to remove surplus fat) while
keeping healthy. I, like others, usually
try to watch my diet carefully because
fat is accumulating in my belly. I have
learned from experience that we should
avoid fatty oil in our food for that reason.
For example, we should eat red
(lean) meat, avoiding fat. Once I abstained
from eating tempura even though
it is one of my favorite dishes. Alcoholic
beverages should also be avoided because
they are high in calories. For a
while I also practiced self-control in
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
13
drinking at supper, but soon I realized
that it is difficult to continue such an
unnatural way of dieting by controlling
one's appetite.
The most reasonable way is to remove
surplus fat by exercising, using the
energy supplied by food. But it is also
very difficult to remove excessive fat by
physical exercise alone. One hour's jogging
is offset by one glass of beer. What
I learned at last was the remodeling of
the body, bringing into active play all
the muscles of the body. The method I
adopted is an exercise using dumbbells.
Ten minutes a day, I engage in gymnastics
grasping a 4-kilogram dumbbell i n
each hand. An hour's jogging everyday is
beyond my ability, but I can endure ten
minutes of exercise using dumbbells. I
have continued this exercise for about
two years. I no longer need to care a bit
about taking fatty food or an alcoholic
beverage.
I hear that an unnatural way of dieting
is prevalent among young girls. They
abstain from even basic nutritional
foods that are needed to keep the body
healthy. Preserving a healthy body i s
important for becoming a wholesome
mother in the future. In former days, a
plump, round body was the symbol of a
lovely woman. Why do young girls today
yearn after a thin body beyond necessity?
We cannot find beauty in a girl who
has an unsound body. "A sound mind in a
sound body."
(MIKIHIKO. YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
I will write about the diet related
to food with few calories, for I have no
interest in the Japanese Diet even
though I am Japanese and live in Japan,
because I feel that. that Diet is far removed
from my life. I used to express
my view of the Diet previously by voting,
but by expectations were not realized.
After repeated disappointments, I now
feel unrelated to the Diet and there is an
emptiness in my heart as a result.
14 MARCH 23, 1997
Another kind of diet is aimed at becoming
slim or healthy. Such diets seem
to be popular among Japanese young women.
Physicians say that this kind of diet
is not good for the health. It may cause
anemia and sterility in young people and
loss of strength for all persons. Who
says that a slim body is good? I hope to
have a healthy body and heart to honor
God. (11 CH 1!(.3 SONG, Minami, Nagoya)
I looked up the word "diet" in a katakana
dictionary. It stated that it is a
regular meal or a special kind of meal to
avoid getting fat. Movie stars in Hollywood
began it and it is now popular
among women around the world.
(YRSUKO Seto)
. .
I have lived for many years. Even
now, I cannot forget the shock I had in
my childhood to see the miserable conditions
and the poor diet of the peasants
working hard all day long in the country.
I also rememh-r that in the cities, especially
in Tokyo, some people could enjoy.
various kinds of delicious food, which
was not so d:.":-Ferent from the situation
today. During the Second World War, city
dwellers seriously suffered from a shortage
of food. In comparison, farmers were
much better oft. For a while after the
end of the wa:-, conditions were still bid
but gradually iHlproved.
Before the war, some people enjoyed
Western dishes and ate bread, milk and
meat, but they were exceptional. After
the war, Japaciese came to be strongly
influenced by American diet. Elementary
School lunch programs came to
include bread, milk and meat. When
those children c:,-me of age in the early
1970s, Japan's first fast-food hamburger
.shop opened on the Ginza in Tokyo.
Now hamburger's, 'fried chicken and
home-delivered pi7:2 are quite common
all over the country.
'A'hile I was mi:::ng my children, I
tried ::o prepare vai.',7:.us kinds o eutri-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
tious dishes for them. Now, they have
left home and my husband and. I live
alone. I try to make food good for old
people's health. I try to take calcium as
much as possible and 30 items of food a
day. I deplore the fact that I am obese
and cannot lose weight, though I try hard
to avoid calories. Fortunately, I am quite
healthy and so is my husband, despite
having a minor heart problem.
Today, many women working outside
the home may not have enough time to
prepare meals for their families by themselves,
carefully watching their diet.
Census statistics indicate that the number
of single households, including young
and old people, is increasing. Such people
are apt to depend on eating out or on
take-out services. It is quite remarkable
that in my neighborhood fish dealers
and vegetable stores have decreased rapidly
because they could not survive and
supermarkets, take-out shops and restaurants
.a-3ve increased. Maybe no area of
Japan can remain untouched by this trend
Surely those establishments will
satisfy our needs tiuite easily, but I cannot
accept the trend as a healthy one. We
should realize the importance of following
a balanced diet with sensibly combined
::ood to maintain sound health.
Women especially should make every possible
&Hort as a mother or a wife to prepare
good meals for their families with
loving kindness and tender care. no matter
how busy they may be. Thereby family
love and bonding will be strengthened.
Today, Japanese have come to enjoy
the highest longevity in the world. Their
standard of living ha's risen remarkably
and sanitary conditions have greatly improved.
The Japanese way of cooking,
using various kinds of foods, lightly seasoned,
has come to be recognized as good
for the health. At the same time, we
should be aware that Japan's food se Ifsufficiency
is among the lowest of the
Thdustrialized nations and that the
trends nowadays are not desircLie.
MARCH 23, 1997
for maintaining good health. We should
try to improve our diet, making it a
healthier one. At the same time, we
should try to be more aware of the large
number of people in the world who are
suffering from a shortage of food and
are living in misery. We should try never
to waste food in our daily lives and try
to give the suffering people as much aid
as possible. We old people can still remember
the serious shortage of food
during the war.
(IviI CHI K O Meguro, Tokyo)
A basic diet procedure is the development
of an eating plan. The foods we
eat have a measurable effect and influence
on our bodies.
According to the instructions of
some experts, it is good to include
light-fat foods, for the problem is not
only how much fat we eat, but what kind
of fat it is. Generally, the type of fat
found most commonly in fish is good for
one's health. Particularly bright blue
colored fish, such as mackerel and sardines
are filled with many vitamins and
minerals. Grains, starchy vegetables and
legumes are rich in Vitamin B, antioxidants,
some minerals and fiber. Foods
made from soybeans, such as tofu, contain
many beneficial compounds animal
foods lack. Carbohydrates, especially
when eaten with no protein or fat, may
be mentally soothing. We should try to
eat as many kinds of vegetables and
fruits as possible in our diet.
These are valuable suggestions for
our reference when composing an eating
plan that can help turn our brains into
lean, clear--thinking organs while, not
incidentally,. helping to protect us
against cancer, heart disease, diabetes
and premature aging! The last thing I
want is to become ill, mentally weak and
silly in my old age!
My recent physical checkup showed a
rather high (-Tholesterol level. I have an
zppointment with a dietitian. It is my
"DAILY WORD"
ECHOES 15
daily concern to maintain a balanced diet
and to lower my cholesterol.
(SHORE HIISHIMOTO, Minami, Nagoya)
When I hear the word "diet", it reminds
me of some people, including men,
who try to reduce the amount of food
they eat and to exercise to keep themselves
slender and tall. But many of
them cannot get slender even though
they try to become a vegetarian and eat
fruits instead of cakes. Some others
were told by physicians to eat a spare
diet to overcome glycosuria. They made
an earnest effort. Now they seem to be
healthy, but they must still watch their
diets carefully.
In the old days, Japanese ate much
fish meat rather than beef, pork and
chicken. We used to eat the food with
miso, flavored with soy sauce at home.
Sometimes, we ate the food flavored
with curry or tomato ketchup. When
somebc'ly visited us and joined us i'or a
meal, chicken steak was served. I knew
there were hams, sausages and bacon in
the bu,:cher shop near our house, but I
liked the fish tempura that mother
cooked. I am sure we were all qule
healthy. Even now, I continue to
fish meat and vegetables, but sometimes
I enjoy eating Kentucky Fried Chicken
and cheese or some other . foods that
came from the West. I am sure that my
cholesterol is low.
Previously I thought that fruit did
not make us fat, but I soon learned that
some fruit contains much sugar which
makes us fat. We sometimes avoided potatoes
to keep from getting fat. Someone
said that bread has fewer calories
than rice. Someone else said that they
eat many cucumbers in summer to fill
their stomach. Although it is true that
eating too many carbohydrates makes us
fat, it is necessary for us to take some
every day. Bread, rice or noodles are
necessary for bodily growth. If we eat
only cucumbers ':0 satisfy our appetite,
16 MARCH 23, 1997
we will suffer from the results of an
unbalanced diet which is not nutritious.
So I enjoy eating and chewing well the
necessary food and engage in moderate
exercise.
(IMMO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)
I am not sure when the fashion of
following a diet to become slimmer took
root among healthy-looking girls in this
land. It is absolutely ridiculous to see
young people in their growing period going
so far as to follow an unbalanced diet
only to become as slim as fashion
models. In doing so, they throw away
their own health for the diet.
To begin with, they ought to have
some knowledge of dietetics before deciding.
on any kind of diet. I am dumbfounded
to learn how easygoing some
girls are in being taken in by showy ads.
They forget to take care of themselves
seriously just to get slim. Getting slim,
even at the cost of their own health is
the supreme aim for them. I urge them
to follow a proper diet.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
*********************
July 22 Message (Subject #329)
. There are a number of ethical problems
at the .present time that require
serious consideration on the part of re-,
sponsible, conscientious thinkers in both
medical and religious professions.
Among them are the removal of life support
systems under certain conditions
from people who are expected to die
without them, euthanasia, the advisability
of cloning human beings and the transplantation
of organs from people who are
brain dead. Needless to say, consideration
of such problems should not be limited
to professionals. The public at large
also needs to be informed about the actual
situation and possible implications
of such
matters
personal
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
measures. Have you given these
much thought? Have you had
experiences related to them?
*********************
Whenever I am asked questions
about such serious problems as the physical
treatment of human beings, I am
afraid I tend to give an emotional response
rather than a reply based on reason.
My basic thought about the human
body is that it was created by an almighty
creator, not by any human being
no matter how capable. The almighty
creator may be called, in my opinion, nature
or God. Therefore, a normal body
can never be created or recreated by any
human being who is unable to be perfect.
It may be a bit extreme to state that
I do not trust doctors or medicines, but I
regret to say that, except for some conscientious
ones, what they think and do
seem to me to be unreasonable in many
cases. I do not mean to say, however,
that weakened people who cannot alleviate
their sickness by themselves should
not rely on a reliable doctor and other
medical aids. Those aids may be, in some
degree, helpful for them. The most important
thing is for them to adjust their
daily lives in keeping with the natural or
divine Providence and make their body so
sound that it would not be necessary for
them to rely on doctors or other medical
treatment.
(1-111FIUJIM OW, Minami, Nagoya)
The percentage of aged persons is
increasing year after year, and, accompanying
this phenomenon, ways of meeting
death are becoming more diverse and
difficult. The question is: how to recognize
when death occurs and how to give
one's consent regarding it.
It is a universal fact everywhere in
the world and throughout history that
people desire to die in peace and quietMARCH
23, 1997
ness when the time comes. There are
many temples in Japan which are called
pokkuri-dera. People with a certain kind
of faith are said to be able to greet
death suddenly (pokkuri) without suffering
from a lingering illness. Everyone
knows that "man is mortal" and if there
is no alternative, one will surely wish to
die peacefully.
How to attend to a terminally ill patient
is a very difficult problem. Doctors
make plans for prolonging a patient's
life even when the patient is expected to
die very soon because that is their duty.
But it is a controversial problem if the
medical treatment gives much pain to
the patient and if the patient has already
lost consciousness. If a family member
is in such a condition, most people would
give their consent to having the lifesupport
system removed. At least, I
would do so. The word songen-shi (dying
with dignity) is being used very often
these days. It is based on ,-.1na dvanced
directive, a living will, to decide one's
tern ,ration for oneself, re acting purposeless
prolonging measu-:33 to keep
one's body alive. I hear that this system
is alr.zady recognized by law :n the state
of C.,-,!ifornia. Euthanasia 1-K-.bs een discussed
for a long time. Many people have
been concerned about it from of old. I
also hear that in the Netherlands a new
law was enacted in 1994 imder which
doctoi-s can practice euthanasia on a
terminally ill patient, based on the patient's
will and with other conditions
attached, related to medical prescriptions
ci injections. It is, so to speak, a
kind of self-generated euthan2sia. Euthanasia
in the traditional sense of the
word (not necessarily with the consent
of the person involved) has not yet lawfully
been adopted anywhere.
The problem of "brain death" is also
very controversial today. Recently the
government introduced a bill concerning
brain death. The bill reo-,:ircis brain death
as human de;-7,: 1 and approves the extrac-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 17
tion of internal organs--such as the heart,
the liver or the kidneys from the body on
the assumption that they will be transplanted
in another person's body. For a
long time, human death had been judged
by the cessation of cardiac or respiratory
functions. Can we agree to give up
our family member's body even when the
heart is still beating and breathing is
continuing even though the brain is
dead? In order to avoid disputes, the
bill prescribes that the judgment of
brain death be adopted only when the
body is needed for the transplantation of
organs.
We should welcome the development
of medical science, but, at the same
time, anxiety caused by the new technical
knowledge is serious. If techniques
related to life-support systems or
transplantation of organs had not been
developed, we would not be concerned
about the ethical problems mentioned
above. (MIKIII Ka YOU 1 Gifu)
First of all, I must say that I feel a
contradiction within myself regarding
this theme. In regard to euthanasia, or
transplantations and so on, my primary
concern is for the other person. Perhaps
I shall say "No". It is not easy to make a
law relating to these matters for our
thoughts are different even when ourreligion
is the same. All people have different
ways of living and thinking. This
cannot be decided by a law. Each person
must decide for himself or herself.
SF1N3, Minami, Nagoya)
One Sunday last April, I was invited
by my friend, who is ten years older than
I, to attend a seminar on "Life and Death
in the Present Society" under the auspices
of both the Aichi and TOkai Buddhist
Associations. Following lectures by two
professors in the morning, there was a
panel discussion in the afternoon by
three other prol'essors of medicine,
and re!igion regarding euthanasia (a:;--
18 MARCH 23, 1997
raku-shi) and death with dignity (songen-
shi). it was a very interesting
three-hour discussion and included listeners'
participation by their asking
questions or being asked for opinions.
The law professor introduced various
cases of euthanasia and death with
dignity in Japan and abroad and indicated
the conditions under which euthanasia
was permitted (by doctors) in a Yokohama
Court ruling in 1995: 1) Patient is
suffering from unendurable physical
pain; 2) Patient is expected to die in the
very near future; 3) There are no other
means to alleviate the pain; 4) Patient
clearly gives assent to the shortening
of life. Especially for #4, there remain
difficult problems and controversy relating.
to the time of the person's giving
assent: cases of children under 14 years
of age and patients with mental illness.
He also asked us listeners three questions:
"If you were a patient under conditions
#1-#3, would you choose euthanasia?"
"If the person were your spouse,
would you prefer that he or she choose'
it?" "If you were a doctor and the la w
permitted it, could you perform a mercy
killing with your own hands?" As_for. the
first question, more than 2/3 of the listeners
answered "Yes", including me. In
contrast, when one of the listeners
asked the same question to the panelists,
their answers were all "No".
The professor of medicine .frp_m .Nagoya
University explained his "No" answer.
Today's medical progress is so remarkable
that most unbearable physical
pain can be alleviated. Previously, using
morphine had been said to shorten a patient's
life, but now many cases show
that removing severe pain by morphine
results _ in a longer_ life_ because patients
feel better- without pain. So he stated
that:he felt little necessity to choose
euthanasia himself.
The religion professor's answer was
based on his Buddhist belief. Life should
be left to the "law of nature" and should
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
not be relegated to the hands of human
beings. To shorten life artificially is
against the dignity of life as well as to
prolong vainly the life that is expected
to end soon by connecting many tubes to
the body. At present, euthanasia suggests
the danger of mercy killings of
weak, sick and old people who actually
want to live longer, only to satisfy their
families. If a person is bedridden and
cannot live a meaningful life, must he or
she feel useless in society? No. There
is no being that is useless in this world.
Each being is valuable in itself. Every
being in nature has a valuable life which
constantly teaches us something important.
Human beings should not be viewed
only from the standpoint of rationality
or utility. Before legislating on euthanasia,
we must build a society in which old
and sick people do not feel the futility
that may make them choose euthanasia.
The professor of law, who was found
to be a Catholic by chance at the end of
the meeting, stated that the problem of
euthanasia can never be solved simply by
enacting laws because every patient has
peculiar circumstances relating to age,
thinking and family situations. Thus each
case should be given careful consideration
by a group, including the patient,
the patient's family as well as the doctors
(more than one) without simply depending
on a law.
Songen-shi was another problem.
Actually, at the meeting, I came to recognize
clearly the difference between
anraku-shi and songen-shi, which denotes
death resulting from the cessation
of medical care to a patient who is w i t h -
out severe pain but who cannot avoid
death in the near future.
In this aging society, more and more
people are interested in these problems.
I have deepened my thinking and recognize
that life is u_nfathomable to us and,
even more, to human-made laws.
GC1(IEU3 KULUMMEA,Nakagawa,Nagoya)
MARCH 23, 1997
It was in 1978 that the first testtube
baby was born in Britain. That was
a marvellous achievement enabling childless
couples to have children, but at the
same time, it was the beginning of many
kinds of problems related to childbirth.
It was reported that Steptoe and Edwards,
the doctors who masterminded
the conception and delivery of the baby,
would have been able to determine the
child's sex and that Edwards advocated
test-tube selection of the offspring's
sex in order to reduce such sex-linked
diseases as hemophilia.
Now, in 1997, it seems fairly easy
to discover whether a fetus is male or
female. According to my son, who had a
third child born in March, the doctor said
it seemed likely it would be a boy, as far
as he could tell by ultra-sonic diagnosis.
It was indeed a boy. In our son's case,
the first child was a girl and the second
was a boy, so we would have been happy
whether it was a boy or a girl. But some
couples fervently want a boy or a girl. In
countries such as China where only one
child is allowed per couple, they may
naturally want a boy. To such couples,
making use of the technique to know the
fetus's sex may be irresistible.
Will not the day come when a doctor
asks a pregnant woman if she wants to
give birth or have an abortion after knowing
the sex of the embryo? My wife was
asked if she wanted to have the baby or
not when she first went to hospital and
learned she was pregnant. She said she
did and so my son is living now and has
his third child. . But in a country like Japan
where abortions are easily available,
the above-mentioned fear is not totally
groundless.
The question of surrogate mothers
can be a problem, too. For reasons of
health on the part of the mother, another
woman can receive the fertilized egg in
her womb and give birth to the other
woman's child. But I wonder if there rare
not complications about such a matter.
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 19
-F-urthermore, it has now become possible
to produce clones of sheep. It must be
possible to produce clones of human beings
if so desired. Will people be ethically
allowed to do such a thing?
The first offspring of in-vitro fertilization
must be nineteen years old
now, if that person has continued to live.
I hope such people will become normal
members of society, just like everyone
else. (MAIZE! SHOW Ishibe, Shiga)
A bill on organ transplants passed
the Diet last June, paving the way for
transplanting the heart and other organs
from brain-dead donors. This legislation
was a victory for some medical professionals,
who are impatient about using
their surgical knives, over their opponents
who wanted to give the issue more
consideration from every aspect.
On one hand, Japanese patients have
received organ transplants in foreign
countries. On the other hand, people remain
opposed to coming to terms with
brain death as human death. They are on
the horns of a dilemma. It is true that
paving the way for heart and other organ
transplants from brain-dead donors i s
one solution. But a question remains. A
critical patient is deemed brain dead
when doctors think it necessary to take
the patient's organs out for transplantation.
And yet at the same time, the patient
is still not dead in terms of the
conventional standard of life and death.
All is up to the doctors who are going to
use surgical knives for the operation. It
would be no problem if brain death
should be equal to human death. But
nobody can deny the position that brain
death does not always mean human
death. Doctors concerned would be at a
loss which patient's life to save if two
patients are present before them: one
who is willing to give part of his or her
body after he or she is dead or the other
who could be freed from a critical condition
through transplantation. Can i t
20 MARCH 23, 1997
not be helped that the general public can
only stand by and see what happens i n
the medical world?
(SHOJI SUG I MOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
*********************
July 29 Messaae (Subiect #330
Forty years ago, the International
Atomic Energy Agency was established
under the sponsorship of the United Nations.
The aim of this intergovernmental
organization with headquarters in Vienna,
is to promote the safe and peaceful
uses of atomic energy. It is authorized
to purchase and sell fissionable materials
and to offer technical assistance for
the peaceful application of nuclear energy.
Since atomic power was first utilized
in the production of devastating
bombs that were dropped on two Japanese
cities in 7945, the problem of what
use to make of this awesome source of
energy has become an international problem.
What are your thoughts regarding
atomic energy which is widely used i n
Japan? Do you think Japan relies too
much on atomic power? What are the
advantages and disadvantages of using
atomic power? What other sources of
energy would be preferable and why?
Would you oppose having an atomic power
plant built in your area--or a plant to
dispose of radioactive materials?
*********************
In the final stage of the Second
World War in 1945, the United States
dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on
August 6th and on Nagasaki on August
9th. Both cities were thoroughly devastated
and many lives were lost. The
United States would say that it was the
least objectionable choice to bring an
end to the war, but we cannot deny that
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
it instilled in us a strong resentment
and indignation against atomic weapons.
The Japanese constitution of 1947
contains the renunciation of war clause
in Article 9 and laws limit the use of
atomic energy to peaceful purposes.
Consequently, the Basic Law concerning
Atomic Energy contains the three principles
that nuclear research, development
and utilization will be for peaceful purposes
only, that there will be full public
disclosure, and that its administration
will be autonomous and democratic.
Before the war, Japan largely depended
on hydroelectric power. I remember
many somewhat sad stories about villagers
who had to leave their homes because
of the construction of dams in the
mountains. Personally, I remember with
joy the thrill of seeing a powerhouse
from a train window while traveling
through a mountainous area when I was a
child. The powerhouse in a deep valley
with two large concrete pipes rising up
to the top of the mountain looked quite
spectacular in the green woods.
The situation changed. After the end
of the war, especially after 1960, Japan
entered a period of high economic
growth. Iron and steel, chemicals, machinery
and other heavy industries expanded
rapidly. As individual incomes
increased, electric appliances became
common household items and the demand
for electricity increased. In those days,
thermal power was most popular, but in
1966, Japan's first nuclear power plant
began operating.
Japan is the only country to have
experienced the devastation of atomic
bombs and an anti-nuclear power plant
movement was prevalent in those days,
but after the 1974 oil shock, the importance
of the development of nuclear
power came to be realized by the general
public. In those days, I had a chance to
look around the Tokai nuclear power
plant, located by the sea. There, I saw a
boiling water type Of reactor, which
MARCH 23, 1997
boiled water in the _..reactor core to produce
steam which was transferred to the
turbine generator. The radioactive waste
was encased in concrete boxes and
stored by the sea. I could not understand
what I saw there very well, but I was
deeply impressed with the sight.
Japan is a small country, poor in natural
resources and her industries demand
a huge amount of energy. Japan's
dependence on imported energy sources
rose rapidly and is now about 90 percent.
Statistics show that in Japan, energy
sources that generate electric power
are: oil 32%, natural gas 19%, coal 14%,
nuclear power 24% and others (including
hydroelectric power) 11%. AS for nuclear
energy in 1990, Japan had the
fourth largest capacity in the world, after
the United States, France and the U.
S. S. R. In 1990, Japan had 39 reactors
and plans to construct additional reactors.
Consequently, anti-nuclear movements
concerning the location cf such
reactors, especially in regard to safety
measures relating to strong earthquakes
and the disposal of radioactive waste
products, have had wide support. It is
quite reorettable that in some plants accidents
\vhich might have caused serious
disasters were slyly concealed to avoid
outside inspection. We should not forget
the catastrophe in 1986 at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant in the U. S. S. R.
We Japanese cannot forget the annihilation
caused by the atomic bombs and
have been reluctant to receive nuclear
power as an energy resource, but we
should realize .the situation and try to
use energymore efficiently and not to
waste it in any aspect of our lives. Today,
the amount of hydroelectric power
is comparatively low and geothermal
energy, solar power and wind power are
still unable to satisfy our demand.
C7,I1 K O in3,WIMILIBIFIM, eguro, Tokyo)
The more convenient our daily lives
become, the more energy we use. As our
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 21
energy consumption is represented by
electric power, here I will note how we
consume electricity. In my boyhood, it
may have been enough to use only electric
lamps and a radio in our home. Now
we usually have a television set, a refrigerator,
a video and so on. School
children think it natural to use an electric
pencil sharpener. Use of air-conditioners
is also very common today. In
August, the consumption of electric
power peaks because people watch high
school baseball matches on television
while drinking cool drinks in a cool
room. It is easy to say that this kind of
life is luxurious, but it is very difficult
for us to go back to the former life.
So far as we accept our present life,
we must obtain the necessary energy for
it. When we examine the source of energy
(electricity) statistically, petroleum
still is at the top (about half of the total),
followed by coal, natural gas, atomic
energy and water power in that order.
Concerning petroleum, we must import
all of it from other countries. From a
common sense standpoint, water power
is thought most suitable in our country
because it causes no environmental pollution.
But we cannot construct so many
dams in the country because our country
is very small. Thus, nuclear power generation
is an attractive goal we should
aim at. I experienced the great destructive
power of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima
and I thought then that if the energy
were used in a constructive way, it
could be a great boon.
Nuclear power generation is a system
of generating electric power by utilizing
thermal energy which is produced
by nuclear fission.' if this method is promoted
without any trouble, it will enhance
the welfare of human beings. To
our great regret, however, there have
been many serious accidents at nuclear
power plants, both foreign and domestic.
The most serious one was at the Chernobyl
plant in the Soviet Union. The acci22
MARCH 23, 1997
dent at the Monju plant in Tsuruga, Fukui
is fresh in our memory. Though nuclear
power generation involves a risk, still
we should promote the system, because
it is the most suitable way of getting
energy in our country where we lack natural
resources. The cost of construction
of a nuclear power plant is rather high
compared to other plants which consume
petroleum or coal, but fuel expenses for
nuclear power plants prove to be economical
because we can get enormous energy
from a little bit of nuclear fuel. Therefore
the cost of production of electric
power in the case of nuclear fuel is comparatively
low when the price of crude
petroleum is high as at the time after
the so-called "oil shock".
Now that it is impossible for us to
cut our connection with modern conveniences
supported by electric power, we
must produce the energy by freely using
every possible way. Some people are opposed
to the construction of nuclear
power plants while consuming much
electric power for their daily luxurious
lives. They should notice the contradiction.
(MIKHIKO VOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
I remember the frightening event of
the atomic bomb during the Second World
War. I did not know about atomic power
until the time when it destroyed two Japanese
cities. Now, I know a little more
than before. Atomic power may be important
for us to live a useful life. Perhaps
we cannot live without it now. Therefore,
we must not forget its awesome
power and take care not to overlook its
dangers. We are apt to ignore a little
accident as unimportant, but we must
remember its great power.
I.want to emphasize this point for
those who have some relation to the
Atomic Energy Act. On the other hand,
we must be concerned not only about
atomic energy but about economically
using all things. Nothing is inexhausti-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
IA. Those of us now living must think
about our descendants.
(MICHIKO SONO, Minami, Nagoya)
Many things have been invented by
human beings. Most of them are useful
for our lives, but others are not. Dynamite,
for example, was first used in a
helpful way, but when used for a bomb,
it became harmful. Dr. Nobel, who invented
dynamite, left his inheritance to
be used for prizes, including the Nobel
Peace Prize, for outstanding achievers i n
certain areas.
Speaking of atomic energy, it was
originally developed for the purpose of
creating an atomic bomb during wartime
when an abnormal atmosphere prevailed
throughout the world. At that time, an
atomic bomb might have been considered
reasonable under such abnormal circumstances,
but its use should not even be
dreamed of in the peaceful atmosphere
of today. Due to the fact that atomic
bombs were dropped on two Japanese
cities, Japanese people in general cannot
forget the dreadful images of those
events, which will be conveyed to their
descendants forever.
Even in peacetime, when people generally
recover a sane way of thinking,
some people may insanely consider using
atomic bombs. Such people must be silenced
by the cooperative movements of
conscientious people. In order to avoid
the use of atomic bombs, constant, careful
observation is necessary, but the
most important thing is to lead people
away from such dangerous thinking even
if it takes a long time.
(11111111,1F1H HI, Minami, Nagoya)
I am surprised to learn that atomic
power accounts for more than one-third
of the total electric power now used in
Japan. It has been my unsupported assumption
that it accounted for no more
than twenty percent at the most, so oneMARCH
23, 1997
third is too much in relation to my vague
supposition
Atomic energy was first introduced
as a supplement to petroleum energy
which had it been feared would become
exhausted in the near future. I hear that
only one gram of uranium can produce a
great amount of energy equivalent to no
less than 2000 kiloliters of oil. But it
has the fatal disadvantage of producing
nuclear waste which cannot be disposed
of effectively even by the latest advances
in modern technology. It is commonly
said that we live in a nuclear age, but
that is not correct as long as we have
yet to do away with nuclear waste. In
my view, the use of any source of energy
is complete only when disposal of the
waste material involved leaves no problem.
Indeed, the disposal of nuclear
waste has issued a great challenge to
the world. The discharge of untreated
nuclear waste should constitute a sinful
misuse of a valuable resourceof energy.
As long as there is no way of using nuclear
energy without discharging its
waste untreated, we have no alternative
but to use it as little as possible.
Come to think of it, we should ask
our descendants if they will allow us to
use nuclear energy to sustain the current
level of civilized life. How much, if any,
would they allow? What if they do not
approve? We should disdain to use nuclear
energy without effectively disposing
of its waste. I wonder if the 21st
century can solve this self-imposed
dilemma of mankind.
(SHOJI SI.J.GINIOTOS, uginami, Tokyo)
*********************
Auaust 5 Messaae (Subject #331)
Since Japan is an island country surrounded
by the sea, it is natural that
fish have become an important element
in the Japanese diet. Many kinds of fish
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 23
_are available in fish markets and supermarkets.
Some fish are used for the sashimi
raw fish slices in sushi. It is interesting
that, traditionally in Japan,
the eating of fish meat was acceptable
but the eating of the meat of four-footed
animals was not. Whether meat comes
from a beast, a bird or a fish, however, a
living creature is killed to provide food
for human beings. The final theme sugg"
eDsateildy Wfoor rda"n Eecshsaoye s fiosr: t"hFe i s nhe"xt issue of . Have you
ever gone fishing? Do you like fish? Do .
you enjoy watching living fish as well as
eating the meat of dead ones? You may
write about any experiences or thoughts
you have related to fish.
************-k********
I have never gone fishing, whether i n
a boat or from the seaside because I am
a woman and, previously, Japanese women
did not have the hobby of fishing. For
me, another reason is that I do not like
to eat fish nor do I like their smell. I
once went to the Nagoya Aquarium as a
guide for a friend and watched living
fish, but I disliked the fish smell and
never went back again.
I used to eat fish when I was young.
I lived in Hamamatsu at that time. A fish
seller came every morning calling out
"Fresh fish" which were caught early in
the morning. They were very tasty. I am
sorry that I cannot find tasty ones now
and have become a woman who does not
like fish.
Recently, I had two experiences related
to horse mackerels on the BOsO
peninsula,. I had presumed that horse
mackerel were not tasty, but these were
really good. One was sliced raw and the
other was deep fried. Both of them were
caught in the morning and I ate them in
the morning.
Now, I have a question for myself. I
do not think I live luxuriously, so why do
24 MARCH 23, 1997
I say I do not like fish? Do I like fish_or
not? I cannot answer exactly.
(MICHIKO SHNO, Minami, Nagoya)
Since I was raised in a small town
with a tiny fishing port in Mie Prefecture,
fish were familiar to me in my
boyhood. I used to see dorados with
bright yellow and sky-blue colors or sunfish
in queer shapes, which were on sale
at the fish market. In my hometown,
there was a large catch of bonitos every
year, so processing foodstuffs from bonitos,
like dried bonito bars, is a major
industry of that town. At times, sharks
are caught and become the raw material
for kamaboku or chikuwa (boiled fish
paste). My hometown of DaiO-cho features.
salted guts of bonitos which we
call katsuo-no-shiokara. They are quite
delicious despite their characteristic
smell. I hear that there is also a similar
fermented food like kusaya in some
parts of Southeast Asia.
In those days, when I lived in the
country, there were no supermarkets, so
we bought food at a small grocery store
or from peddlers. We often bought mackerel
pike (sanma) or horse mackerel
(aji) and, in winter, raw oysters from
one of those peddlers because there was
an oyster farm in the vicinity of our
town. My father, who died last November
at the age of 86, loved sashimi (raw
fish slices). His favorite cuisine, other
than sashimi, was herring eggs dressed
with mayonnaise.
During this Ban Festival, which is
celebrated from August 13-15, we are
going to observe several rituals for the
deceased. On the morning of August 14,
religious services are held at the Buddhist
temple we belong to. In the eve-
.ning, we will join in a special gathering
held on the seashore called kasabuku,
which has been handed down from ancient
times. At that time, each household
which had a family member who
died during the previous year occupies a
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
certain space of a square to erect a parasol
decorated with many small articles
which belonged to the person who died.
Relatives and friends circle around an
altar by turns, carrying this parasol. In
this way, we comfort the spirit of the
deceased. On the following day, the
spirits return to the cemetery and the
Bon Festival is concluded.
As noted in the message, Japan is
surrounded by the ocean. We benefit
greatly from the sea. We ought to preserve
the marine resources so that a I l
inhabitants can make use of the sea products.
I do not want to see the day when
we are banned from eating raw fish due
to polluted sea water, because I am also
a raw fish fan like my father.
(SHOJI DOMHE, Kasugai)
My favorite restaurant is a certain
sushi-ya in Gifu, which I visit very often.
Whenever my wife asks me where I want
to go for the celebration of my birthday,
for example, I tell her the name of the
sushi-ya without fail. At the sushi-ya I
order many kinds of raw fish without
rice as an accompaniment to sake. I prefer
fish to animal meat as most Japanese
older folk do. This is, as Dr. Offner
mentioned, because our country is surrounded
by sea and we have lived on fish
as our protein nutrients for a long time.
It was at the beginning of Meiji that
people began to .eat four-footed animals.
Before that, people usually ate fish as
subsidiary food. This custom may have
been influenced by Buddhism. People
partook of whales as food, however, because
they did not know that whales are
mammals. By the way, I cannot understand
Westerners' argument against our
habit of eating whales. They insist that
whales should not be eaten because they
have high intellectual power. Then, are
people allowed to eat cows which have
low intelligence? From our traditional
point of view, it seems much more savage
to eat four-footed animals. This is,
MARCH 23, 1997
after all, a difference of culture. People
should not easily criticize the cultures
of other nations, including their manner
of life. Once a prime minister of Japan
was frowned upon for saying that there
are still many Chinese who are living in
caves. In certain cases, life in a cave is
more cultured than life in a small wooden
house. Therefore, these two styles of
life cannot and should not be compared
at all.
Once I heard that Germans know very
few names of fish because it is not their
custom to eat much fish. I think this i s
common for nations which eat more
meat of four-footed animals than that of
fish... In our language, the names of some
fish changes according to their stage of
growth. For example, the name of bora
(a striped mullet) changes from subashir
r to ina to bora to todo as it grows. This
is because people, mainly fishermen,
needed to distinguish the fish in each
stage. Westerners give distinct names
to the meat of different animals, such as
beef, pork, mutton, and so on. In Japanese,
we must attach the name of the
animal, such as ushi-no-niku or butaniku
to distinguish them. I think this i s
a very interesting cultural trait.
We import much fish from other
countries today even though we are surrounded
by sea. One reason is that the
catch of fish is decreasing year after
year in our neighboring waters, and another
reason is that our catch is restricted
by international treaties. There is a
large fish market in Tsukiji, Tokyo. Originally,
it was a market to handle the
enormous volume of fish from adjoining
seas for Edo citizens. Today, most of
the fish available there come from the
four corners of the world. There is no
longer a clear reason why the Tsukiji
market should remain there. It is sad
that we have to eat fish corning from the
other side of the globe even though we
live in an island country.
,'051-11M878, Gifu)
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 25
Recently,._) rarely see fishermen and
I myself have no chance to go fishing.
When I was young, I often went fishing.
Now, I have two clear memories about
fishing: one when I went fishing for fun
and the other when I was obliged to go.
When I was in middle school, I used
to go fishing with my friends, riding our
bicycles to a river in the country. I used
angleworms as bait. The fish I caught
and brought home were boiled in soy and
served as a side dish.
Another memory is of offshore fishing
off the coast of Tokoname City
where I worked in the Financial Department
of a ceramic producing company. in
the summer,, we invited some key men
from banks and securities companies to
enjoy offshore fishing. We left the -Tokoname
beach early in the morning aboard
an engine-powered fishing boat. After
about forty minutes, the boat stopped
and we began to fish. At the same time,
I began to suffer seasickness and felt
miserable for about three hours. Many
kinds of fish were caught and it must
have been great fun for the others. When
the fish were few in one place, we
moved to another place where there
were more.
In due course, a large airport will be
built off the shore of Tokoname. Then
the fish will escape to distant places to
avoid the noise caused by the big planes.
(HERM Minami, Nagoya)
It has been customary for me to eat
fish at breakfast. Please don't jump to
the conclusion that I am a whale. Instead,
you should first ask me the size
of the fish I take during the meal. Each
one of them is approximately one centimeter
long. I take them with graded radish.
This is one of my favorite dishes at
breakfast.
We cannot live on air. We are destined
to eat living things--plants or animals--
to sustain our own lives. To be
more exact, other living organisms on
26 MARCH 23, 1997
earth permit- human beings to live by
providing them food at the cost of their
own life. We should be profoundly grateful
to these organisms for letting us
live.
Saying grace before meals is a
common practice. But we had better
think once in a while why we continue
such a practice at every meal. No one
can ignore a great blessing from heaven.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)
*********************
Essays written on theme of March
22',19971aegtrigl
Memories of Elementary School Days
*********************
Three years ago I composed an essay
on this theme (Subject #260) in which I
described my boyhood, deeply concerned
about the war, so I will write something
different here, avoiding duplication.
I entered an elementary school in
Meguro, Tokyo in 1939. I was born in
Azabu-ku, the center of the metropolis,
but moved to Meguro just before entering
school because of my father's business
failure. It was only five years after the
school was .established that I entered it.
In those days, the area was just changing
from a farming village to a town and
our school was established as a result of
the rapid increase in population of that
area. By the way, it was just in the year
of my birth that Meguro was merged into
Tokyo as a ward.
In those days, at the beginning of
the Showa era,.. Meguro was still a rural
district. The area was at the edge of
Musashino (a great field) and was in the
bosom of nature. The school song proudly
extolled its fine surroundings. The
schoolhouse was encircled by rice fields
and we could hear frogs croaking in sum-
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES
mer and insects singing in autumn. As
there were no tall buildings in the neighborhood,
we could see Mt. Fuji from the
school yard on clear days.
When I was a fifth grader, I was
evacuated to Hiroshima as I have often
noted previously in this periodical. Most
of my classmates who had no relatives
in the country were evacuated in a group
to Yamanashi Prefecture a little after I
left. Two close friends saw me off at
Shinagawa Station and gave me a book to
read on the train. Less than two years
later, our schoolhouse was destroyed in
the flames of war and some friends lost
homes and families during their absence.
About teh years after the war, I visited
Tokyo for the first time and was
able to meet my old friends after a long
separation. I also visited my alma mater
and was disheartened at the completely
changed state of the school. The old
schoolhouse had burned down and a
temporary building had been erected on
the site. What reminded me of the past
was only a wisteria trellis at the corner
of the playground and the swimming pool
which had escaped damage. I visited the
teachers' room and asked to see a list of
graduates, in which I found names of my
friends and also my brother's name (who
had been treated as "missing"). Afterward,
my friends began to invite me to
alumni meetings.
Some years ago, a graduation ceremony
for our grade was held at our alma
mater. My classmates had graduated
from the elementary school in March
1945, just after the great air raid on
Tokyo and could not experience a regular
graduation ceremony. Owing to the efforts
of classmates and the school authorities,
a dream-like ceremony was
realized after the lapse of half a century.
I was also invited to attend despite
the fact that I am not a formal graduate.
When I received a diploma from the incumbent
schoolmaster, who was younger
than us, I felt a lump in my-throat realMARCH
23, 1997
izing that we had lived through a severe
wartime trial. Now I often visit that alma
mater when 1 have spare time in Tokyo
and make it a rule to stand still for
a while remembering the past.
(vIIKIHIKO VOSHIMOTO, Gifu)
I changed elementary schools three
times due to my father's changed assignments.
I attended four elementary
schools but went back to Hamamatsu,
where my grandfather lived, during holidays.
I still love Hamamatsu now. My
last elementary school was in Hamamatsu
and, fortunately, I was able to graduate
from high school there.
I wanted to meet elementary school
classmates in Hamamatsu last year and
made a plan to do so by myself. Indeed,
the plan succeeded. We were very happy
to see each other and decided to meet
once every year. We talked about our
memories and felt that we had become
young again. It was a long time since we
had seen each other. For one, it was the
first meeting since graduation, but we
could understand each others thoughts.
There were not so many words, but warm
eyes. I deeply felt that our hearts had
grown along with our years which had
been given us by God.
(NIICH1KO SIND, Minami, Nagoya)
******************-k**
must 8 Message
On August 8th, two days after the
dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima,
the Soviet Union declared war on
Japan, after denouncing the neutrality
pact it had signed four years earlier.
Japan had already lost the war, so the
Soviet declaration did not influence
the outcome o f the war, but it did result
in its obtaining Japanese territory
which Russia still occupies, which is the
reason a peace treaty between the two
countries has still not been signed.
"DAILY WORD" ECHOES 27
*********************
Today one of my students at the NHK
Culture Center mentioned listening to
the message regarding the Soviet Declaration,
so I asked the whole class to join
me in reading aloud the text for today
and then translated it into Japanese for
them. After reading it, I felt like writing
about that gigantic, complicated country.
In an NHK commentary, Mr. Hakamada
of Aoyama Gakuin University, an expert
on Russia, said that we tend to think Russia
has gone from bad to worse after the
collapse of the Soviet Union, but that the
chaotic situation there is quite "normal".
This analysis was quite new to me.
I can vividly remember talking with
colleagues at Chigusa High School. about
the hopeful signs of peace coming soon
after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, but
contrary to our expectations, the world
moved in an unpredictable direction. Not
only in communist countries, but systems
in capitalist countries have also
broken down. Consider Japanese politics,
for example. I do not understand what is
going on and the birth of one new party
after another does not interest me at all
for few if any politicians seem to care
about the welfare of the nation.
Despite this discouraging situation,
however, I'd like to see if there is anything
I can do for society. Mr. Hakamada
noted that the most serious problem in
present-day Russia is the lack of welleducated,
middle-class citizens, while
the majority of Japanese citizens are
"well-educated". I was happy to hear
this, but I am also worried about the decreasing
number of young people who can
think on their own. So here is the place,
I believe I can contribute to Japanese society
in a small way--by helping people
to write in English. Tonight I introduced
"Daily Word" Echoes to my class and en -
couraged them to write their awn essays
in English.
(1111,10T9SU K. Nishi, Nagoya)