Japanese Princess Aiko, 8, attended elementary school again March 8, the first time since she stopped going to school March 2 after complaining of being bullied by some boys at school. Princess Aiko is in the second grade at Gakushuin Primary School in Tokyo. Princess Aiko is the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako.

Princess Aiko has complained of an upset stomach and has showed deep anxiety since March 2.

The Imperial Household Agency said that Princess Aiko and several other students had been "treated harshly" by boys in another class. A school official said the incident may have been a misunderstanding.

Crown Princess Masako accompanied Princess Aiko to the school to attend the fourth period of morning classes. They then left the school together.

The outing was a rare public appearance for Crown Princess Masako, 46, who was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder in July 2004. Her condition is attributed to the difficulties of adjusting to palace life and the pressure to bear a son. Crown Princess Masako hasn’t attended most official duties for several years.

Doctors monitoring the health of Crown Princess Masako said March 5 her condition has vastly improved but she needs more time to reach a level that will allow her to expand the scope of her official duties.

Princess Masako "has gotten better and is now in a state incomparable to" five and a half years ago when she started to receive treatment, the doctors said in a statement issued through the IHA.

"However, considering her long battle with the illness and the stress she has been under, it will take more time for her to expand the scope of her activities," the statement said, noting that she "has made surprisingly great efforts" to overcome the illness.

In the statement, the doctors noted that the support of people close to her, especially members of her family, has played a key role in helping her to recover. "Watching Princess Aiko growing up and her increasing exchanges with her friends is a joy as well as a remedy for the crown princess," it said.

The doctors mentioned the crown princess’ presence last year at events commemorating the 20th anniversary of Emperor Akihito’s ascension to the throne as well as at a ceremony last month to mark the 15th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake.

The visit to Kobe for the quake memorial ceremony was her first official trip outside Tokyo involving an overnight stay since January 2008.

The statement warned, however, that high expectations for more public appearances could hamper her recovery.

"Although expectations for her to perform more official duties are expected to grow as her recovery progresses, it is necessary to consider the workload that she would shoulder so that it would not impose a heavy burden," the doctors said.

Some medical experts outside of the imperial family are skeptical about the prospects for a full recovery being achieved quickly.

"Although the cause of her stress is not clearly shown in the report, I assume there may be a gap between the feelings of Crown Princess Masako, who is longing to live the way she wants to, and the Imperial Household Agency, which tends to put things in a mold," said Masaaki Noda, a professor at Kwansei Gakuin University. "It looks like her illness could last longer judging from the doctors’ opinions," he said.

(Above compiled from news reports)

Princess Masako’s condition could have an influence on her daughter. 

The reports about Princess Aiko’s experience at school seem to indicate nothing more than normal, temporary fears.

However, studies suggest that children or adolescents are more likely to have an anxiety disorder if they have a parent with anxiety disorder.
(more…)

The top ten booms in Japan now.

Forest girl boom. Fashion inspired by Anne of Green Gables. For your fashion life in the forest.

(9)
Tokai region local government mascot character boom. More than 30 municipalities in Tokai have mascot characters.

Calligraphy boom
Influenced by "Tomehane Suzuri High School Calligraphy Club" TV show on NHK-TV. Click here to try NHK calligraphy.

Running boom
A survey by Sasakawa Sports Foundation indicates the number of runners who ran two times or more during the week increased from 2.15 million in 2006 (the previous survey year) to 2.48 million according to the 2008 survey.

(6)
Eco boom
Japanese follow the green theme, from carbon offset mindfulness, recycling clothes, and shorter showers, to eco-cars and eco-bags.

(5)
Castle boom
Influenced by "Taiga" historical stories TV series on NHK-TV.

Sakamoto Ryouma boom
Includes TV programs, books, movies, tours, fairs, restaurant menus, and ramen. The ronin Sakamoto led movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu period.
 (3)
History boom
Inspired by television quiz programs featuring questions about Japan history.

(2)
Quiet life boom
Leading a slower-paced, low-stress life. Volunteerism, continuing education, personal growth, cultural pursuits, and contribution to society. Also includes leaving big cities to start a farm in rural Japan. (related:  Slow food life.)

(1)
Fried chicken boom
Started in Oita and is now spreading across Japan. More chicken is consumed in Oita Prefecture than any other prefecture in Japan.

The bow that US President Barack Obama made to Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko in Tokyo Nov. 14, 2009 has been criticized by some US media pundits and news outlets. In the US the Obama bow debate has focused on whether the form of the bow was correct, if Obama should have only shaken hands instead of bowing, and the implication of the bow. In Japan, the bow was not critiqued in the media. The reports from abroad have become more interesting to Japanese media than the Obama bow itself.

The Obama bow-handshake combo, though not especially elegant, was appropriate given the situation and the hand-thrust maneuver presented by Emperor Akihito.

The US media has mostly taken only a superficial look at bowing in Japan. While reporting on Obama’s alleged bowing gaffes, the media has overlooked the tremendous number of bowing options available in Japan. President Obama could have selected from several bow versions. Here is the Lets Japan Guide to Bow.

The Ten Bows Obama Did Not Do

  photos Degrees man; woman. White shirt.

Posters promoting longer skirt lengths in Niigata high schools are causing a controversy. A group of high school teachers who also act as guidance counselors made the posters and distributed them to all high schools in Niigata prefecture in December 2008. At the end of January, school principals started the "Proper dress all at once together campaign". Parents were sent a follow-up document about the dress-code campaign in February. The material asks parents to instruct their daughters about skirt lengths.

There are three posters (pictured):
"It’s undignified for women" (white); "You can smarten your mind and your skirts if you’re motivated" (pink); "Beautiful style - Why don’t you change your skirt length?" (yellow). 

Many schoolgirls object to the prohibition of short skirts. Some schoolgirls wear sweat pants underneath so they can continue to wear short skirts during winter.

Hiroshi Uchikawa, principal of Koshi High School in Niigata city, and head of the student guidance staff, said, "We’d like students to think (about the issue) through the posters, rather than ordering them to change (the length of their skirts). There are some moves to make skirts longer."

Some teachers at high schools in Japan keep watch for too-short skirts, and if a surprise inspection catches too much exposed thigh, students are told to immediately correct the situation. Sometimes skirt hemlines have been shortened by rolling up the waistband of a skirt. Schoolgirls can quickly oblige a request to lower the hemline. But once out of sight of inspectors, the gals often re-roll-up the waistband.

One TV news report determined the average school uniform skirt lengths in Japan. FNN news reported school uniform skirts come to an average of 13 centimeters above the knee. FNN said high school girl skirt hems in Niigata are 15-18 centimeters above the knee. According to FNN, the shortest school uniform skirts are worn in Niigata, Sendai, and Mito. Medium-length skirts prevail in Tokyo, Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa. The longest are in Osaka, and Kobe.

Some high school students from Niigata on a school excursion to Okinawa received complaints about the length of their skirts from Okinawa locals. The students were told their short skirt length was "unpleasant." The average high school uniform hemline in Okinawa is 7.7 cm above the knee.

Hiroshi Uchikawa, head of Niigata City Taka-shi high school and chairman of the Niigata District Student Guidance Liaison Council Assembly, says he’s aware that girls change clothes on the way to and from school. "The child shortens it according to surroundings and changes into a long skirt at the station on the way to school. A station employee confirms that."

Lets Japan asked two Japanese ladies about skirt lengths, Yoko (age 27) and Keiko (33).

LJ: Do public and private elementary, junior high, and high schools have rules about length of girl’s skirts?
Yoko: Girls is not allowed to shorten their skirt…also.. too longer skirt is not ok.
Keiko: It depends on the schools. There are a lot schools which have the rules about "appearance" including uniforms, hair styles, nails, make-up, shoes, and so on. Some schools are very strict and they never allow the students to make it short. Other schools don’t say anything.

LJ: Who sets the skirt-length rules?
Keiko: I think individual schools set the rules on their own.

LJ: How do the students know the rules?
Keiko: Parents knew the rules because they needed to go to the school orientation meeting. Parents and students receive the document at the orientation. In my school days the rules were written in the student’s pocketbook.

LJ: What is a pocketbook?
Keiko: Pocketbook is a small notebook that students have. It’s combined with student ID in my school. Students receive it from the teacher on the first day of school.

LJ: What about in Japan’s history – the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s – surely students tried to wear short skirts then?
Keiko: I guess that teachers at that time had much more authority/power than they do now, and they didn’t permit students to wear the uniforms in untidy way. Or the ordinary students just didn’t have the idea to make the skirt short. Rogue students used to wear too-long skirts instead of too-short skirts when I was a kid.

LJ: Is the Niigata skirt poster the first time a poster was made about skirt lengths?
Keiko: I’ve never seen such a poster in my life before.

LJ: Why is the poster such big news?
Keiko: Because Mainichi and Asahi have such stupid editors. (I hate both of them.)

Drink-In New Year With Cabbage-In
Anticipating a long night of drinking and eating but afraid an upset stomach will cut your night short? A little packet of powder from Japan might maximize your enjoyment.

Shin Kyabe 2 is one of three gastrointestinal products in the "Kyabe" lineup from  KOWA Pharmaceuticals. Shin Kyabe 2 (Shin Cabba 2) is a powdered OTC stomach antacid and its instructions indicate it is to be taken prior to eating.

KOWA marketing material includes information stating that Shin Kyabe 2 allows women to enjoy dining out with friends and be able to enjoy delicious meals without the stress caused by an upset stomach.

KOWA says its research shows that because of the trends of women delaying marriage and a reliance on takeout food since the bubble economy, the number of women in their twenties and thirties drinking alcohol more often has dramatically increased. It’s data indicates an unbalanced diet combined with increased alcohol consumption causes women to experience unpleasant stomach symptoms more often.

Cabagin-S for upset stomach debuted in Japan in 1960. KOWA’s Cabagin products contain the natural ingredient cabagin, which is found in cabbages. Shin Kyabe 2: 20 packets, about JPY 1100; 32 packets about JPY 1600.

Holiday postcards sent at the end of the year are called "Nengajo". The cards are based on the Chinese Zodiac calendar and 2009 is the Year of The Ox.

Cards are typically mailed in late December but are held by the Japan post office and delivered to residents on January 1. In the days following, more cards are sent by people who received a card but had not sent one to the given party.

Towards the end of the year, people mail unassuming "mochu" (bereavement) post cards that indicate a person has died or misfortune has occurred and nengajo cards should not be sent to that household.

Nengajo cards purchased from Japan Post have a lottery number on each card. The cards can be purchased with a blank back or with printed designs. Winning lottery numbers are announced January 15.

The Japan Post nengajo lottery first prize selection for 2009 includes the winner’s choice of a Sharp Aquos 32-inch flat-panel LCD digital TV, a Canon EOS digital camera, a Toshiba vacuum-pressure rice cooker and bags of different varieties of rice, a trip in Japan, a selection of furniture and goods valued up to JPY200,000, and a massage chair. Nengajo card 2008 lottery prizes.

Nengajo card examples for 2009, the Year of the Ox
Order them from a printer, card shop, or the post office. Or, download templates from the web and print your own. Some download sites are free, some require a fee.
Homemade Nengajo-zukuri
Japanese New Years Card Writing Nengajo

"Happy New Year" phrases for 2009 in English and Japanese. Copy and paste the text to customize your card. (If you don’t have Japanese fonts installed in your computer: take a screen picture and use an image-editing application to make your card.)
Haradakun
Writing New Year’s Card

Free downloads (all sites Japanese)  Nenga.org; Nengajyousozai; Nengajyo;  Nengajyo;  Kumamis;  Brother;  Mihosozai

Oxen and various card parts - make your own design.
Nenga-sozai (menu is on right side of the page)
Designbank Wanpagu (menu is on left side of the page)
Cowzen. Cowzen parts ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 4 )

Free after registration
Templatebank

Cards for sale
Examples from the Japan Post Office: Japan Post;  DEX

Others sites selling Nengajo cards
Nengajoo; Aisatsujo; Synfront; Pret-E-Shop; Cardbox

Hello Kitty:  Card: MyPrint. By mobile phone in Japan: KeitaiPost

A company that operates a ski resort in Japan regularly uses its chairlift to dry sheaves of rice.

The Ishiuchi-Maruyama Resort trademarked the name "Sky Rice" (tenku-mai) for the Koshihikari rice harvested in Minami-Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture.

An employee of Japan Lift Service, which runs the resort, suggested the idea. The employee grew up farming rice before joining the company. JLS  started the sun-dried rice-on-a-lift idea in 2004. 

Hanging rice to dry rather than using a combine harvester results in a moister rice grain with a distinct flavor. The 800 meter ski lift goes into normal use when the Ishiuchi ski season begins in the middle of December.


photos: blue sky; indoors, Liftman ; valley Ishiuchi-Maruyama

Can You ID The Badge?

The number of badges and pins on Japan Prime Minister Taro Aso’s suit lapel varies daily. The purple pin with gold center indicates "membership" in the Japan government House of Representatives. In the photo above, Lets Japan is unable to confirm the memberships associated with the blue ribbon badge, the gold pin, and the red item that appears to be a feather.

photos: Senkyo (9/24); Sankei (10/8; 10/14); standing related Lawyer experience badges (J); CPA badge (J); badge manufacturer (J); Aso hip with comic book crowd.

Discount Monks Comforting

The traditional all-inclusive Buddhist funeral service held at temples is being challenged by lower-cost freelance monks.

Obohsan.com is one of these independent-monk providers. It has 45 monks on it’s roster, enlightened in seven disciplines of Buddhism.

Having a monk dispatched to a designated funeral service location cuts out the payment to a temple, where the temple-associated monk usually performs such services.

According to a 2007 survey by the Japan Consumers Association, consumers paid on average JPY 549,000 for ceremonies that include posthumous Buddhist naming, sutra-chanting,  and monetary offerings.

Obohsan.com offers an à la carte service selection – JPY42,000 yen for sutra-chanting at wakes and JPY84,000 at funeral services. It offers other pricing options, including four price plans for posthumous Buddhist naming, ranging from JPY31,500 to JPY157,500.  read more: Dial-a-monk firm eases funeral cost worries

Hearses Are Too Depressing

Transport of the deceased to their final destination is becoming more subdued. Use of the traditional garish, shrine-style hearses (miyagata) is steadily declining, in part because residents near funeral homes and crematoriums have complained, saying the miyagata are tacky and depressing.

The trend of crematoriums banning miyagata became evident around 1990. Now, the longstanding bans, complaints, a desire to avoid the idea of death, and changes in attitudes about showy processions, have led to the more common selection of the unobtrusive hearse version.

The Japan Hearse Association, based in Tokyo, has a membership of about 1,500 funeral homes and operators. In total, the members own about 1,500 miyagata. The number has fallen from the 2,100 owned in 1998, its peak year. read more: Neighbors say flashy hearses too depressing

photos: Gold hearse; plain hearse;  memorial service. related: Japan Funeral Coach; hearses and funeral options.

The fear that people who have a tattoo are associated with yakuza (Japanese mobsters) persists. Tattooed bodies can be bad for business, so onsens, private pools, sento community baths, water parks and places where shirts come off and shorts are worn either ban tattooed people from entry, or require them to stay covered-up.

Stars and Stripes reports US service members who are adorned with tattoos are displeased. Of five facilities contacted by Stars and Stripes only Tobu Zoo Park allows entry to those with tattoos, but only when the tattoos are kept concealed.

Onsen spas and local communal baths also prefer to prohibit entry to persons emblazoned with tattoos.

no tattoos warning: Fujikyu Highland;  Tokyo Summerland (E) (J, Korean, Chinese); Toshimaen; Yomiuriland; Laqua;  Dekapathos; Chiba Greenery Dept. Pool; Seibu Yuenchi Pool; MobilityLand Adventure Pools

photos: montages LJ; signs  Left Shoulder; One X;  Two X; Three scenes

related: Tattoo services in Japan; Japanese Tattoos; Horiyoshi III, Legendary Irezumi Master; Art of the Yakuza - Japan’s Tattooed Men & Women; Tattoo in Japan;  Foreigners looking like fools with gobbledygook tattoos; Tattooed backsides