Archive for June, 2010

A Canadian Firefighter in Japan

Saint-Laurent has lived in Japan for nine years and works as a registered massage therapist. He used to be a member of a volunteer rescue team back in Canada, and based on that experience he was asked if he was interested in joining the local fire brigade.

He joined the volunteer fire brigade because he wanted to feel like a member of the Minami Aso community. According to his wife, Rene has always said that he feels he can never become Japanese, but through his participation in the fire brigade, he’s becoming like a real Minami Aso-ite. His fellow firefighters tell the reporter that they are impressed with Rene’s seriousness and dedication.

Kirk Masden, who uploaded this clip to YouTube, has pointed out a previous case in which a foreigner was not allowed to become a member of a volunteer fire brigade:

Actually, this is an issue of some national as well as local significance. In
other regions of Japan, foreigners who have attempted to join volunteer
firefighting departments have run up against legal barrier. The following Wall
Street Journal article explains how ‘a Japanese law that bans foreigners from
all municipal positions that “exercise administrative authority”‘ prevented
Richard Curtis from helping to put out fires in Kanazawa Japan:

http://tomcoyner.com/Richard%20Curtis%20Has%20Learned%20His%20Services.html

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Light Saber Bear

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• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Ancient Tombs Destroyed to Build Golf Course

The management of the Akitsubara Golf Club had not submitted an application to the Cultural Affairs Agency requesting permission to alter the grounds, required under the Cultural Assets Preservation Act. The violation was revealed through reports from local residents.

The Cultural Affairs Agency and the city’s board of education have demanded that the gold course restore the site to its original state, and is deliberating restoration methods with experts.

The Kose Mountain burial tomb cluster is located on hilly terrain stretching 3.3 kilometers east-west and 3.5 kilometers north-south, with approximately 700 small scale burial tombs dating from the middle of the fifth century to the late sixth century. It was designated a national historic site in December 2002.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Eyebrow Cat Stars in Cat Food Commercial

Remember the “Eyebrow Cat” I blogged about in 2009? It looks like she’s no longer a kitten, and now has a starring role in a Japanese cat food commercial:

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Naoto Kan Ignores “Don’t Walk” Signal

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• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Japan’s Prime Minister and First Lady Are First Cousins

The last few prime ministers of Japan originated from political dynasties that were the products of various marriages between political and business elites. While cases like Taro Aso presented a fascinating mix of blue blood, it would be a bit of an exaggeration to say that inbreeding had been taking place.

What about the new Prime Minister, Naoto Kan? Blogger Michael Cucek has pointed out something rather interesting about Kan’s marriage:

What everyone has either been ignoring, willfully or not, is that the PM and his wife are related.

Closely related.

First cousins, in fact. If online family trees are correct, Kan Naoto’s mother and his wife Nobuko’s father are sister and brother.

Whilst first cousin marriage is the most common form of marriage in pre-modern societies and was not at all rare in even urban areas in pre-war Japan, it has become a rarity in this modern, mass education, mobile age. While obviously legal (just barely) it has been driven out by a mass inculcation of the belief that first cousin marriage carries an unacceptable risk of birth defects, should there be children. Indeed, the prime minister and his wife’s parents vehemently opposed the two marrying.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)