Archive for April, 2010

Japanese Airport Gives Free Showers to Dirty Foreigners

For several days now, groups of European tourists have been living inside of Narita Airport, unable to return to their countries because volcanic ash clouds have canceled almost all fights to Europe. If you’ve been watching Japanese news broadcasts, you’ve probably seen comments from foreigners complaining about having no food, no place to shower, and nowhere to sleep.

In fact, Narita Airport does have shower rooms. Many of the stranded tourists didn’t feel they should have to pay for such a service, deciding to keep complaining about the situation until they got what they wanted for free. As this FTV news report snows, Narita has finally caved in and started giving out free shower room tickets:

The airport has also been giving free food, water, and sleeping bags to those who need them.

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2010 Shanghai Expo Asks Permission to Use Japanese Song

Consider this news an admission that the official theme song of the 2010 Shanghai Expo was plagiarized:

The organizers of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai have asked Japanese singer-songwriter Mayo Okamoto for permission to use one of her songs, which a Chinese composer had been accused of plagiarizing, in its promotional activities, her office said Monday, adding the artist has approved the request.

“I am honored to have a chance to cooperate with the Shanghai Expo, to which the whole world is paying attention,” said Okamoto in a released comment.

The unusual request by the secretariat of the expo, starting May 1, in effect admits to the allegations of plagiarism that had been widespread on the Internet, with critics saying it is aimed at preventing the image of the expo from deteriorating and criticism of authorities for failing to detect it.

[hat tip to Ponta]

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Japan’s Outstanding Debt

A graphic from ATV compares the size of Greece’s outstanding debt (38 trillion yen) to Japan’s outstanding debt (825 trillion yen):

The news program was quick to point out that Japan’s economy is a lot bigger and stronger than the Greek economy, so Japan is not yet close to collapsing into oblivion. However, 2010 will see the debt rise to 862 trillion yen, a new record. That’s something the Japanese people should probably be worrying about…

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Raccoons Damage Japanese Temple

The famous Phoenix Hall of Byodoin Temple in Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been damaged by raccoons:
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While the temple is busily trying to seal off any points of entry for a would-be pest, Monsho Kamii is worried that the temple could be damaged again. “I hope the government quickly comes up with protective measures,” he says.

According to Kamii, in spring of last year, a pillar on the outer side of the south corridor of Phoenix Hall suffered 14 scratches that were four-to-five centimeters wide and about five centimeters long. The Kansai Wildlife Research Association, a local citizens’ group, judged that the scratches were the work of an adult raccoon, four-to-seven kilograms in weight, that had been sliding on the pillar when going to and from an attic area. Attempts to capture the animal failed, but in summer of last year metal screens were put up to seal around 20 areas where animals could sneak about, such as holes under the temple’s eaves, and no further damage has been seen since.

Raccoons are a type of animal that is not native to Japan. According to the above-embedded ATV news report, they are designated by the government as a harmful alien species. Thousands of wild raccoons are captured and disposed of by authorities in Japan each year, but they continue to thrive and cause trouble.

Why are there raccoons in Japan? A Japan Times article from 2008 has the answer:

Japan imported North American raccoons as pets in the 1970s when they became popular on an animated TV show. Many ended up being discarded or they ran away.

At the peak, Japan was importing more than 1,500 raccoons a year. The government has since banned importing them or keeping them as pets.

The article states that in 2006, Raccoons were blamed for over ¥160 million in damage to agricultural produce.

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Volcanic Ash Traps Tourists in Japan

The eruption of a volcano in Iceland continues to cause cancellations of flights going to and from Europe. Thousands of people who had planned trips to Europe are finding themselves unable to go, while Europeans who were on vacation are now unable to return home.

This report from NDTV shows some frustrated people waiting at Narita Airport

And here is a FTV report about the problem and how it is causing a huge headache for Japanese travel companies:

The first week of May will be Golden Week, one of the few times a year in Japan when there are than 3 consecutive holidays. If the volcanic ash does not clear up by then, Japanese travel companies will likely lose millions of dollars due to cancellations.

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Security Guard Cat

FTV introduces Uni, a cat that hangs out at the guard house of the Kiryu Campus of Gunma University:

One year ago, Uni was found injured on the campus and was brought to the guard house for treatment. Since that day, she’s stuck around – much to the enjoyment of the bored guards.

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