Regstry

I've come to Kashiwara City in Nara Prefecture for a Seicho-No-Ie Public Lecture. Using satellite broadcast communication, over 10,000 people in three locations, the Kashiwara Prefectural Public Gymnasium" and Nara 100 Years Hall and Nara Historical Landmark Cultural Center-- both in Nara City--participated in the event. I learned the day before, on December 1st, at about 4:15 pm, at the Kintetsu Kyoto Station, on my way here, that Crown Princess Masako had given birth to a baby girl. This is wonderful news, and at the Public Lecture the next day, everyone's eyes were shining, and it seemed that their voices were full of joy as they sang the Japanese national anthem, Kimigayo. The venue in Kashiwara is right next to Kashiwara Shrine, where Emperor Jimmu is enshrined. I don't think it's coincidental that we were near the resting place of the first Emperor of Japan when the much-anticipated child of the Crown Prince, the "heir" to the imperial family, was born. After the seminar, not wanting to let this opportunity go by, I visited Emperor Jimmu's tomb which is next to the grounds of the Shrine.

I'd visited this mausoleum when I was in either junior or senior high school. According to the Nihon Shoki (the oldest chronicles in Japan), the emperor's death dates back to 584 B.C. I remember being moved at the thought that it all existed since such ancient times. However, the brochure I was given at the site says that this imperial tomb was built for a cost of 15,612 ryo, at the end of the Edo Period, in 1863 (FYI--Kashiwara Shrine was built in 1890, which is also relatively recent). This disappointed me a bit. But the further reading tells me that the location is chronicled in the Kojiki and Engishiki, but the exact location is unknown. Archeological traces are also not clear. That's how rare it is that one country can remain unchanged from so long ago. It's all the more so, then, when it comes to the Imperial Household which has remained at the center of it all, uninterrupted through the years.

After paying my respects at the mausoleum, I was walking towards the Shrine Office, when I saw a small building with a sign hanging from it that read "Office of Unebi Mausoleum Maintenance Division, Records and Mausoleum Department, Imperial Household Agency", where you could write down your name and address for congratulatioo on the birth of the new princess. Since it was Sunday, there were families standing in groups of three and four, who had come to visit the shrine and mausoleum, waiting to sign the registry. I lined up at the back of the short line, and, shortly thereafter, signed it in pen. Right in front of us, there were two men, dressed in what seemed to be the navy blue uniforms of the Imperial Household Agency. I was surprised to see that the younger man had dyed their hair brown. Even those young people unsatisfied with the black hair of time immemorial, work in the Imperial Household Agency, the epitome of the upholding of tradition. It's no wonder that there are discussions on a female inheriting the Imperial throne.

- MT

Let's Stop Smoking

The third round of discussions, being held in Geneva, amongst nations that are, for the first time in history, trying to reach an agreement regarding health issues through the "Framework for the Cigarette Restraint Regulations Pact", ended on November 28th. It was reported in the evening edition of yesterday's Asahi Shimbun that the 191 countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) met to sort the points in question, and it seems that opinions are intensifying to go in the general direction of banning of cigarette vending machines. Japan, where influence of the "cigarette promoting forces" have been strong and, therefore, the vending machines are virtually unregulated, are trying to keep this to "regulating", rather than "prohibiting" the vending machines. But, since the United States, too, supported the "ban", based on some conditions, these forces seem to be in a difficult situation. Cigarette advertising in Japan is generally given free reign, but, under this agreement, it looks like it will either be banned, or subject to "appropriate regulations." It seems that Japan is behind when it comes to awareness in this area.

Amidst this, it is only natural but, at the same time, pleasurable that the Japan Medical Association has officially acknowleded that "Cigarette smoking is harmful." We should also give credit to the fact that an increase in tobacco tax is being considered. According to one report, revenue from cigarette taxes is approximately trillion yen annually, while overall losses by society, which include cigarette smoking-related medical expenses, is about 3.2 trillion yen. In other words, although some companies may profit by cigarette sales, the people of Japan as a whole are suffering losses. Non-smoking areas in public places are becoming more predominant. For example, three-quarters of all trains are non-smoking and airplanes are all non-smoking. Despite this, though, I see people who've been affected by this, light up a cigarette as soon as they step out of the train stations and go walking down the street, a cigarette hanging from their mouths. And, of course, they throw the cigarette butts on the streets, ignoring the Tokyo, Shibuya Ward "Regulation Against Littering""

I started smoking while I was in college. I'm not sure what actually got me started? Probably because people around me were doing it, so I thought, "Oh, yeah, right," and began smoking "Seven Star." That's the brand that was popular at the time, and I myself liked the design. Looking back at this now, though, I think there's a problem with this "smoking for some reason or another" attitude. This doesn't mean that there is no reason, but, rather, that one isn't conscious of a reason. Most all of the actors I liked at the time all smoked in their movies. The young, naive subconscious in me thought that was really "cool." I also had that old conception that "Cigarettes are proof of adulthood." In novels, comics, and in advertising, there were always scenes of people "stylishly" throwing the cigarettes butts away. Moreover, there was the incorrect information circulating amongst young people that, "Smoking prevents weight gain." In other words, you began smoking in order to show off and from sheer ignorance, which is probably the case with young people these days, too.

So, adults today must teach young people what they know. We shouldn't have that, "I did it, too, so it's okay" attitude. Only adults can say, "I did it and it was wrong, so you shouldn't." Along this line, I think the Board of Education in Wakayama Prefecture made a wise decision when they decided to make the grounds on all elementary, junior and senior high schools non-smoking areas. President of the Board of Education, Mr. Youji Koseki, said, "Smoking amongst minors has gone from starting at junior high age to the elementary school age children. Even with the traditional separation of smokers and non-smokers you cannot avoid second-hand smoke. Smoking prevention is the first and most important fact of education, with the effects on education being tremendous." You don't have to be an educator to send out the same message. The youngest of the former Beatles, George Harrison, died on November 29th of cancer of the larynx--A much too early death at the age of 58. He was a heavy smoker.

- MT

Cloned Human Embryo

It seems that the human embryos have been cloned for the first time. Just as when scientists cloned Dolly the sheep, a single adult cell was fused with a nuclear-derived egg and tricked into behaving like a newly fertilized embryo. If this is implanted into the uterus, a child would be born, and that is, in essence, a clone. Therefore, scientific technology has brought mankind to the brink of producing a human clone. Although the purpose of this experiment is said to be the development of a way of obtaining embryonic stem cells matched to patients for tissue engineering and transplantation medicine, what is concerning is that, once technology develops, there are many instances when it is used for an entirely different purpose than originally planned.

Researchers from Advanced Cell Technology in the United States used somatic cell nuclear transfer in which the nuclear DNA in an egg is replaced from an adult cell and then fused to form pre-implantation embyos. Of the 19 eggs used, three went on to develop to the six-cell stage. According to the evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun, in a separate experiment, researchers used a technique in which an egg cell is activated without being fertilized by a sperm cell. A special chemical was added to 22 egg cells and six of them reprogrammed themselves to develop blastocoele cavities. That means the embryo had developed an inner and outer group of cells--the inner cells being the potential source of embryonic stem cells. This technique is called "parthogenesis."

In the Seicho-No-Ie Japanese magazine Hikarino Izumi (Fountain of Light), I have already expressed my opposition regarding fertilized eggs produced from the union of egg and sperm for use in creating stem cells and other purposes. However, the cloned embryo in this case is not created from a fertilized egg that would eventually develop into a fetus. The egg cells are, of course, "alive", but they are, if left unfertilized, destined to die. It's difficult to say, then, that using this for medical purposes is entirely unethical. On the other hand, however, if cloned embryo created through techniques such as this are transplanted into a uterus and the process of creating humans is established, the cloned embryo would be extremely similar to "normal" fertilized egg or embryo. To use this as a means to create human organs, I think, brings forth some ethical questions. In other words, at this point, it's still unclear as to how to determine the ethics of embryo cloning. That's why the "Human Cloning Law" created by the Japanese government this summer does not prohibit to create a cloned human embryo itself.

According to news reports, successful cloning of human embryo have been reported in Korea in 1998 and in China last year, but no details have been disclosed. This is the first time that the "know-how" has been announced. If, from this announcement, the cloning of embryo is facilitated, the use of stem cells and human cloning may become easier as well. In this sense, I think there is an urgent need to expedite the establishment of a worldwide moral/ethical standard for this field.

- MT

From Mad-Cow to Cow-Dreading Disease

A second case of mad cow disease has been found in Japan during a nationwide inspection of all cows. Since this inspection of all beef focusing on that for consumption began on October 18th, 87, 872 were negative, so that means that 1 out of every 88,000 (0.00114%) has been infected with the disease. If we include the first infected cow discovered on September 22, the ratio would be 1 out of every 44,000 (0.00228%). Approximately 1,300,000 cows are said to be slaughtered annually in Japan, so that means there is a possibility that anywhere between 15-30 infected cows may be found within the next year. In that case, then, it may be possible to control the situation with the system of nationwide inspection of all cows now in place and prevent human infection. There are predictions, however, that it may not be all that easy.

Presently, the government suspects the source of infection to be contaminated animal feed made from meat-and-bone meal imported from England and other contaminated areas. The two infected cows found so far (1) are both five years old, (2) were both born in Hokkaido, and (3) are both Holstein dairy cows. Since meat-and-bone meal increases the milk in dairy cows, the possibility of feeding it to dairy cows is greater than beef cattle, and, since the incubation period is so long (two to eight years), cows that have been given this animal feed long enough and have grown old are finally killed for human consumption, then tested "positive." However, there is also data that contradicts this. That is, in each of these two cases, those raising the cows deny having given them any of this animal feed. The government blames the lack of thorough administrative guidance for the situation, but, if what the breeders are saying is true, that means there is a source of infection other than the meat-and-bone meal.

One possibility that has been given is infection from mother to child. In the cases of this disease found in England, approximately 10% are thought to have been passed from mother to child. If that is the case, then, the second infected cow found in Japan has already had three calves, so it is possible that one of the three is infected with the causative agent, a prion or abnormal partially-proteinase K-resistant protein. Dr. Richard Lacey, authority on Mad Cow Disease commented about this parent to child infection in the December issue of Bungei Shunju as follows, "The blood is the most suspicious route for prion infection." According to Dr. Lacey, "In many instances, there have been confirmed cases in which the protein antibody has been inherited from mother to child, so we can conclude that prion, which is a type of protein, can be passed through the bloodstream from mother to child. Even in areas of the body other than those known to be dangerous, as long as there is blood circulating through that area, we cannot say they are entirely safe." If we can't say that the blood is safe, then we cannot say that steak or barbeque meat are safe either, so the problem is quite serious.

Since the government issued assurances that homegrown beef was safe to eat, consumption of beef was slightly on the rise, but, with this second confirmed case of Mad Cow Disease, it will more than likely decrease once again. "Mad Cow Disease"" where the brain of the cow is affected, has become a "Cow-Dreading Disease" in which humans are now afraid of cows. As I have written before, I would like to encourage readers to take this opportunity and stop eating beef altogether. Eating beef not only has these safety issues, but it isn't good for the preservation of the environment, nor is it desirable from a religious perspective either.

- MT

A Mother's Strength

In my April 20th entry, I introduced the results of a study on how, during the years before entering kindergarten, children who spend long periods of time in daycare facilities and such, away from their parents, often times become more aggressive and rebellious than those who have been brought up by their parents. This was the finding of a psychological study of 1300 children, and a recent study in the field of neuroscience concludes that there is a possibility that the brain of children whose mothers do not look after them in early developmental stages, may not develop normally. This was confirmed in an experiment with mice, and specialists believe that the same may be true for the human brain. These findings were published in the November 15, 2001 issue of New Scientist.

According to this report, Dr. Bruce McKewen of Rockefeller University and his team conducted an experiment on newborn mice. During the seven days immediately following birth, a period when they would normally be under their mother's constant care, the mice were separated from their mothers for three hours a day. After this, the team studied the 30,000 genes of the mice and found changes in two cranial areas. Thereupon, they found that, compared to normal mice, the nerve cells in the brain that seemed to connect the genes had changed. Dr. Wayne Brake of the University of California, Santa Barbara stated, "This indicates that the brain is developing differently in the mice in this experiment, and perhaps that the nerve cells are connected differently." A similar change is found in the study of production of dopamine in the brain. It is said that increased levels of dopamine in the brain are responsible for the symptoms of schizophrenia, while decreased levels have to do with depression.

With all the technical terminology, it may be difficult to understand, but, put simply, it means that the brain of the mice who grew up without enough of their mother's love were different than that of those which had not been separated from their mothers. It is very possible that the same mechanism as this works in the brain of a human child. In that case, it is possible that the child might develop schizophrenia or depression. This shows what a tremendous influence a mother has on her child. Therefore, mothers should not use the TV as a means of "baby sitting" and avoid leaving children at a daycare center, particularly in early developmental stages.

After the Seicho-No-Ie Public Lecture in Takasaki City, I went to see a statue called the Goddess of Mercy in a White Robe (AKA Takasaki Goddess of Mercy) in that city. When we hear the word, "Goddess of Mercy", we tend to think of an "affectionate", "child rearing" Goddess -- symbols of "mother" or "women." Looking at this statue, however, for some reason, it struck me as being quite masculine. The mouth was set in a firm, tightened way, and the eyes were clear and dignified. It occurred to me that perhaps it is just this type of strong will, faith and conviction that young mothers nowadays need to bring up their children with.

- MT

A Detention Center in Harajuku

At a press conference called yesterday, Governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, announced that there are plans to build a large-scale detention center in the Harajuku area of Tokyo, very near the Seicho-No-Ie Headquarters. Apparently they are going to build a new Harajuku Police Department building on the site of the old Japan College of Social Work, and, at the same time, build a new detention center that can accommodate approximately 600 people. That property, however, is adjacent to Harajuku-Gaien Junior High School, the Shibuya Ward Central Library, and Togo Kindergarten (Togo Shrine). I can see it, too, from my office at Seicho-No-Ie Headquarters. Local residents have collected 25,000 signatures on a petition to stop this plan, but, according to The Asahi Shimbun, the Governor said, "Tokyo residents want measures for public order. Any opposition to this plan is the ego of the area getting in the way."

The November 2nd edition of The International Herald Tribune--The Asahi Shimbun reported that, due to the increasing crime rate, the prison system is operating at maximum capacity. Officials at the Justice Ministry report that, although the capacity of Japan's prisons is 64,300, the system is now operating at 108%. To explain this in more detail, there are usually six people to a cell in Japanese prisons, but now there are seven, sometimes eight. With these overcrowded conditions come hostility between prisoners. The number of rule violations increased from 3,729 in 1996 to 6,033 last year. Also last year, 29,000 new inmates were imprisoned, 4,000 more than were released, and the average prison term served was 26.4 months, four months longer than in 1991. During the first half of this year, the number of reported crimes was up over 16% from last year.

It seems that an aging society and prolonged recession are behind the increase in crime. Prisoners over the age of 61 have increased; the number of elderly inmates in Tokyo's Fuchu Prison is 13% of the total (2,870), whereas 20 years ago, it was only 4.7%. Immediately after taking office, Governor Ishihara cited the increase of foreign laborers as a major reason for the increase, but it seems from this that there are other reasons.

So, then, should Seicho-No-Ie approve or oppose this plan? There may be many ways of thinking, but, since this jail is not a large-scale condominium complex, there probably won't be any problems with the "Right to Sunshine." It's also a little different from a prison, and it's not a sex-related business nor a nuclear power plant or biological/chemical weapons factory. With the cooperation of the City and Harajuku Police, it might be an opportunity to propagate the teachings to the 600 detainees in the new facility. Is it possible to offer some Seicho-No-Ie "sunshine" to these people? Ummmmmm. What do you all think?

(This photo was taken from the top of the pedestrian bridge over Meiji Blvd. You can see the greens of Togo Shrine in the distance.)

Afghanistan Frontlines

After breakfast, I returned to my room in a hotel in Kobe where I was for a Seicho-Noi-Ie Grand Seminar. Opening the newspaper, I listened somewhat absent-mindedly to the BBC World News on TV. Before I knew it, I was drawn to the images of John Simpson, reporting from Afghanistan on the frontline confrontations between the Taliban and Northern Alliance troops. Different from the Gulf War, there are almost no raw, detailed reports from the frontlines. What we do get are cut and dried facts--names and numbers of how many locations the U.S. bombed, how many combat aircrafts went out, which cities/towns were attacked--devoid of human pain and sorrow. Then again, similar to what we saw during the Gulf War, computerized images of Taliban buildings and tanks destroyed by the guided missiles from U.S. bombers are shown repeatedly. This, too, is devoid of the cries of those who lose their lives, or the images of the people who are suffering because of this destruction. It's almost like a computer game.

The newspaper reports, which have no visual images, are even more abstract, with many vague, ambiguous references to, "Attacks today were more intense than usual," or "U.S. bombers today concentrated attacks on such-and-such?" In today's edition of the Nihon Keizei Shimbun (Japan Economic News), there was an article which said, "Bombing continued, the most aggressive to date, on the 26th and 27th, as more than 30 bombs were dropped successively on the base positions of the Taliban troops north of Kabul in an air strike which was said to reach near civilian homes." We who read these articles, are surprised and shocked at the descriptions--"most aggressive to date," "dropped successively," "reach near civilian homes"--and tend to imagine, not only that the Taliban forces are experiencing huge losses at the hands of the violent U.S. bombings, but also that there are many Afghan civilians who have become victims of these attacks.

However, reports from the "frontlines" by Mr. Simpson, showed no exchange of gunfire, no soldiers flinging themselves at the enemy, nor carpet bombing upon the Taliban troops. In a moment before dawn, in 25 degrees (Centigrade) weather, with no wind, bombings occur only sporadically. Even those are from one or two U.S. bombers whose silvery wings look small against the clear blue sky. There are no sounds of return fire from the anti-aircraft guns, and, amidst it all, there are small explosions that occur and little mushroom clouds billow sporadically here and there. Soldiers of the Northern Alliance look out at it all calmly, chatting amongst themselves. Moreover, according to the explanation given by the commanding officer of the Northern Alliance unit, the Taliban frontline base immediately in front of them was not touched, but the backup trucks and tanks were being shot, in sniper-like fashion from above, and destroyed . In other words, U.S. forces avoided hitting the Taliban main positions, and were, instead, attacking the peripheral areas. Come to think of it, it was strange that there were "over 30" (in other words, less than 39) bombs dropped in what was touted as "the most aggressive attack to date." Even at a rate of one every 15 minutes, it would have been 40 within the span of 10 hours.

For soldiers and civilians hurt or killed in combat or bombings, war is definitely horrible, but there seem to be wars carried out for political reasons which "pull some punches". I recall that President Bush said recently, "The Taliban are tough." This seems very strange. Not giving it their all, and yet calling them tough? It seems that in this war (and in other wars as well), we ordinary citizens are getting news that is "turned around."

Placing it on a piece of dark colored paper, I tried drawing a picture of a bottle of liquid soap that was in my hotel room. It had a strange effect--like the entire picture was somehow "turned around."

- MT

My Father's Birthday

Today being my father's birthday, we invited my parents to a dinner party tocelebrate the event. By "dinner party", though, I mean, a modest gathering with the five of us and my parents, 7 total, partaking in a meal together. My twosons, who are attending college and living on their own, were there too, so it was the first time in a while that we were all together. Although dinner wasn't until 6 pm, I, being the chef, got home at about four, and my wife and I got started on the preparations. We shared the duties with me making the sushi and my wife making various side dishes. Since my father likes rolls, I made two each of two different types of rolls, and rounded things out with tuna, salmon, and yellow tail, arranged on a platter in an attractive color scheme.

Whenever we make sushi rolls at our house, we usually make something called "Asahi Maki." This goes back about 4-5 years ago, when I was in Otaru City, Hokkaido for a Seicho-No-Ie Grand Seminar, and refers to a roll that I tasted when I went to a sushi restaurant called "Asahiya," on Sushi Restaurant Row there. It was so delicious that I jotted down everything that went inside the roll, went home, made it and served it to my family. It was such a hit that it's become a family tradition of sorts. You wrap lots of the ingredients--which include tuna, squid, seaweed, cucumber, shiso and sweetened ginger--firmly into a roll, and you get something with an indescribable taste and texture. It probably has to do with the contrast in the different textures of the tender tuna and the crisp cucumber and ginger. The other type of roll I made has crab legs, avocado, cucumber and shiso -- a variation on the California Roll.

Our second son, who's a college freshman, and my daughter, who's in her second year of high school, came home around 5:30 and began helping to get things ready. Our older son, who's a junior in college and had had classes until the last minute, arrived several minutes after 6:00 pm. The two boys, who don't get much from us as a monthly allowance, work part time to supplement their incomes. As a result, they don't get to eat sushi very much, so really took advantage of the opportunity and enjoyed the meal. Anticipating something like this would happen, we cooked five cups of rice for the sushi for the seven of us, and the sushi, as well as the leftover fish, was all gone before we knew it. It was gratifying to see it disappear so quickly, and made the preparation all worthwhile.

After dinner, we gave Father his gifts. My wife and I gave him a compact flashcard for the new digital camera he bought and has started using recently. The grandchildren gave him a leather book cover to put on the paperbacks that he reads. Although they probably had no way of knowing that he's started reading the paperback version of "Before the Dawn" by Touson Shimazaki, I thought it was a very well thought out gift. Thinking perhaps that my mother had something todo with it, I looked over at her, but couldn't tell from her smiling face whether or not she had.

- MT

Three Beliefs in One

Several questions regarding the terrorist attacks were raised by the attendees of the Seicho-No-Ie Public Lecture in Mito City, Ibaragi Prefecture. There were such general questions as, "What do you, as a religious leader, think of the attacks?" to more specific questions such as, "As Japanese citizens, is it right for us just to be grateful for being as blessed as we are?" or "Shouldn't we concern ourselves more with our relationship with the Muslim influence?" Time constraints prevented me from answering all the questions in depth, but I did emphasize the following points: That is, the recent events were not conflicts between religions, but, rather, one between nations or countries, and/or a political problem between a small group of radical extremists versus countries. Not too long ago in Japan, there was a group of radical extremists called the Aum Supreme Truth who believed in a very unique, very unusual, doctrine, and they tried, using armed strife, to take on the Japanese government. The recent events in the United States are similar to this but have been taken to an international level. Just as the former was not a battle or conflict between the Aum Supreme Truth and Japanese Shintoism, or one between Buddhism (Members of the Aum Supreme Truth claimed to be Buddhists.) and Shintoism, the latter is not a battle or conflict between Islam and Christianity or Judaism.

Another thing I emphasized at the lecture was that Judaism, Islam and Christianity are much like "spiritual brothers and sisters" in that they all share belief in the same God (one Absolute God). So one God is not being pitted against another. This is an extremely important point. If one "God", supposedly of more merit, is pitted against another, it is impossible for both to coexist peacefully. However, in reality, that is not so. These three monotheistic religions all share the same absolute God. But they differ in their view on who communicates God's words or teachings better. This "difference in interpretation" is the reason for these three religions. Broadly speaking, to those of Judaism, the Old Testament is the best, to those of Christianity, the New Testament completes the Old Testament, and to those of the Muslim faith, the Koran completes the sum total of the prophecies in both the Old and New Testaments. In this way, if the three would stop being so attached and adamant that their interpretation is "the one absolute", and, as seen in the diversity of nature, recognize the fact that there are a probable diverse number of ways for expression of the One Absolute God, and, furthermore, show their respect for this diversity, the three would not only live together in coexistence, but also develop and grow.

Theoretically, that is how it goes, but, things don't always go according to theory. After the lecture, I stopped by Lake Semba, which sits adjacent to Kairakuen Park in Mito City. The gingko trees had already started to turn a golden color and the cherry trees were starting to turn red. Looking at all the beautiful colors of the fall--colors somewhere between green and yellow, a gradation of colors from green to red, and neutrals between red and brown--spread out and layered, creating a truly complicated yet delicate mosaic of colors, my thoughts turned to how, since we all love this diversity of nature, there was no reason why we cannot recognize and appreciate the diversity of religions and cultures and celebrate them all.

- MT

A Heartfelt Invitation

Results of an experiment have shown that the prayer, "Please bless (this person) with a baby" are actually effective. This study was written up in a recent edition of the "Journal of Reproductive Medicine", a respected medical publication, so must be scientifically sound. Since there have been a number of past studies that have verified the effects of prayer, it can be said that this experiment has gone further in confirming that "prayer is effective." However, the "whys" and "hows" of the connection between the mind and pregnancy, and the prayer mechanism are not known.

It's probably safe to say that the stage for this experiment was "the whole world." Those who were receivers of the prayers were 219 women who, from December 1998 to March 1999, were undergoing treatment for infertility at Cha General Hospital in Seoul, Korea. Those who were responsible for giving the prayers were members of various Christian denominations in the United States, Canada and Australia. The prayer givers were only given photos of half the women in the study, in batches of five at a time, and during the course of the three weeks of treatments, they gave direct prayers such as, "May this person definitely get pregnant" or indirect prayers such as, "May our prayers for her pregnancy be answered." As a result, of those who did not receive prayers, 26% became pregnant, but, of those who did receive prayers, 50% became pregnant. None of the women in either group knew that the prayers were taking place.

The women in this study were undergoing in vitro fertilization. The fertilization rate was about the same for both the prayer receivers and non-receivers, but the big difference came when the embryo was transferred to the woman's uterus to develop naturally. Although the probability of multiple births increases due to the administering of hormones during the in vitro process, the proportion for these multiple births was greater in those who received prayers than those who did not. Dr. Rogerio Lobo, Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University, who headed the team conducting this study said, "We set out with the expectation that we would show no benefit of prayer."

We can't blame them for thinking that since the predominant thinking of modern day scientists is that our mind's are generated by electro-chemical reactions within our brains. So, it would be impossible for such a faint, miniscule amount of energy such as that to cross the Pacific Ocean and travel to Korea, through the concrete walls of the hospital in Seoul, and stimulate the fertilized eggs in the uteri of the women there. This time science proved that "there actually are things that science cannot explain." It's no mistaking, then, that the hearts of many Japanese citizens played a large part in Crown Princess Masako's pregnancy.

- MT

A Prayer to Dispel the Dark Clouds of Battle

(Please feel free to make copies of this prayer and share it with those around you.)

Though scenes of conflict are shown on TV day after day, this is false appearance. Though people, consumed with hatred, stand on street corners waving their clenched fists, this is false appearance. Though there may be reports of "hundreds have died", this is false appearance. This is not to say that these facts do not exist in the phenomenal world, but rather that, in the True Image World created by God, there is no hostility, animosity, hatred, anger or sadness. That which appears as though it "exists", does so because of our minds--our minds that recognize the enemy and our minds that hate, get angry and mourn. It is because we believe that that mind to be the "true mind." Once we release that mindset, conflict will disappear because God did not create a world in which His creations hate each other nor did He create a world in which those created "in His image" need to kill each other in order to fulfill His will.

The act of killing in the name of "God" is delusion. The mind that vows revenge while calling upon the name of "God" is delusion. Thinking that God has to fight against evil, is delusion. Thinking that the world of God will not be manifested without "God" judging other children of God, is delusion. This is all delusion, but it is played out in the phenomenal world created by children of God. Though none of this is the will of God, if man has the wild idea that this should be, it is reflected in the phenomenal world and these feelings are expressed in fighting. Like a play acted out in a theater, this is not "real" or "genuine", but is fictitious and imaginary. However, we, as "actors" not only perform this play physically, but also by skillfully combining stage props, lighting, and sound effects, we throw ourselves into the play feeling as though it is all, indeed, "real." This is a play that we wish for. This is a play that we wrote. This is how one act of the battle began. It is by no means something begun by God.

Though Act One of this play may be "Conflict", we can perform "Peace" and "Trust" in Act Two. This is possible not only because we can perform "Peace" and "Trust" in the same way we performed "Conflict", but also because both "Peace" and "Trust" are real, and, from the onset, have always existed in the world of God. There is no need for man to try and forcibly create on earth something that already exists in the world of God. If man simply recognizes that which already exists, it shall appear. Since "peace" is God, it is already in the hearts of all children of God. Since "love" is God, it is already in the hearts of all children of God. The only problem is that this is open only to some and closed to others.

We are children of God, and, as such, we have within us God's infinite love, peace, and trust. God does not discriminate between His children because of differences in religion, race or ethnicity. Neither should we discriminate between our brothers because of differences in religion, race, or ethnicity. God blesses all with His infinite love, peace and trust, and so we, as children of God, spread that love, peace and trust amongst all mankind. We are so very grateful that God always blesses mankind.

(The "Prayer for World Peace" may be given after this.)

A Prayer to Praise the March of Light

(Please feel free to make copies of this prayer and share it with those around you.)

Repeated reports on preparations for war in retaliation for the terrorist attacks are shown daily. These reports are, however, not the truth itself. The recent trend in reporting is the rarer the incidents and facts, the more widely they are treated and information is reported repeatedly. Since this is an unprecedented incident, there is all the more reason for the concentrated focus. It's not that the media is to blame. However, there is an undeniable reality that is not being reported. That is, if we are to think of this incident as "darkness", there is a tremendous outpouring of "light" to dispel that darkness, proceeding at a heretofore unheard of scale, with a heretofore unheard of number of people participating. This "light" is, without a doubt, proof that man is a child of God.

This light is being emitted from our country, too, but it is most remarkable in the United States. Many show business celebrities, singers and musicians came together to put on a show and raise money for the victims of the terrorist attacks in a two-hour commercial-free program broadcast in a collaborated effort on four major television channels. This was a very "showy" light, but individual donations, relief efforts for the family of the victims as well as to those injured--simple and inconspicuous acts of love--are being done daily, in innumerable numbers, by "ordinary" people. This movement is similar to the internal physical process our bodies go through when healing a wound. When a part of our body is hurt, our entire immune system is activated, and it fights bacteria and tries to heal the wound. Without asking for any compensation, the individual immune cells rush to the "scene", and, at times, even do not begrudge self-sacrifice for the benefit of the entire body. However, the "entire body" that is suffering now, is not just one country, the United States, but the entire world. The immune system of the entire world must be activated and heal the wound.

There is a true story* shared by Stephen Gould, PhD. Someone set up a depo near ground zero to distribute needed supplies--from face masks to shoe inserts--free of charge, to the relief workers. Many people who heard of these efforts joined in, bringing batteries and even hard hats. Then one night, a cook brought a shopping bag and said, "There's a dozen apple brown bettys, the best dessert in our restaurant, and still warm." A firefighter who received one of them, said, with a smile restored to his weary face, "Thank you. This is the most lovely thing I've seen in four days--and it's still warm!"

Unity and love are expressions of God's "Light." We must not change this into the "darkness" of hatred. Let us not extinguish this light, but spread it rapidly and steadily, to all corners of each and every country. Moreover, let us transcend narrow-minded national interests and spread this light so that it overflow into the entire world. Let the "Light" within us bring forth the "Light" within others. Darkness cannot stop this advancement of light. That is because God's infinite Love is within us and within others as well. I give my heartfelt gratitude to God who has given us all the realization that "Man is a child of God."

* Stephen Jay Gould, "Decency Trumps Depravity at Ground Zero, Too", International Herald Tribune, September 27, 2001

May God Bless!

I received an e-mail message in response to my September 19th entry, "A Prayer for Love and Forgiveness", from a Japanese iving in the United States saying, "It lacks love and is too harsh a message to the Americans who are suffering so much." For a moment, couldn't believe my ears (eyes). That is because I had no intention of being offensive. But, after re-reading the words in that "prayer" again, I could see why people might misinterpret if they read this one piece only. In that respect, I feel badly for the misunderstanding. However, I would like to offer three explanations: 1. This column is too short to allow me to say all that needs to be said, 2. My personal feelings, albeit only a part, were written immediately following the tragedy, in my September 12th entry, 3. The reference to "We" in "the prayer" was used assuming that people in Japan would also offer this prayer. In other words, "We" does not mean the United States only, but rather refers to all developed nations, including Japan. That is why, my feelings are together with the United States.

Seicho-No-Ie International Headquarters has decided to donate $300,000 which will be disbursed through SNI New York Center to a non-profit organization or two in New York as the relief fund. That is not to say that donating money is everything. However, by donating what is needed at the time needed, we wanted (it was my hope) to show that Seicho-No-Ie is not insensitive nor oblivious to the tremendous suffering and sadness of the American people. I wrote my own personal thoughts and feelings about New York in my February 6th entry*, and one of the reasons I decided a couple of years ago to translate the novel, The Greatest Spiritual Secret of The Century, now running in the SNI magazine The Risosekai, is because it is set in New York. Nevertheless, there shouldn't be a war based solely on the feeling that, "I'm going to get back at and destroy the enemy because they destroyed the city that I love""

Despite the tremendous sadness and grief that people in New York are experiencing now, I understand that there were people who, after President Bush's Congressional Address, participated in "anti-war" demonstrations. I have an even greater respect for the American people than ever before. This "anti war" sentiment is probably because the United States is a country where people of many races and nationalities live, and, through their contacts abroad, know the tragedy that is brought about by war. They know that what is needed now is not retribution, but, rather, building. President Bush also said that New York should "rebuild." In the drawing that accompanied my September 12th article, I, too, wrote "Build More."

Actually, the idea behind my comment was the exchange between the two gods, Izanagi and Izanami, as described in the Japanese classic Kojiki. Izanami, the god of after life, said, "I will kill 10,000 people a day!" To this, Izanagi replied, "Then I will create 20,000 people a day!" This was not using destruction to oppose destruction, but, instead, using something greater than destruction--that is construction or building. And I believe that many New Yorkers are moving forward in that very direction to try and rebuild their lives with that same mindset. God bless New York! God bless America and everybody!

- MT

A Prayer for Love and Forgiveness

(Please feel free to make copies of this prayer and share it with those around you.)

The world now stands at the brink of war. Four bombs of hatred were dropped on densely populated areas of a major power, giving way to screams of pain, suffering and destruction. In answer to this, plans of counterattack and revenge are being made. With the major power at the lead, there are plans for a full-scale assault on a small country harboring the group that waged this attack of hatred. This is, however, delusion colliding with delusion. Even if this battle is carried out in the name of God and religion, God, who, "created Man in His own image", does not hate one and love the other. This is, Man, who, because of his tremendous hatred, has lost sight of the light and forgotten the "God's image" of his own true nature and that of others, and is using darkness to battle darkness.

The terrorist attack is a warning to those who, in their own material wealth, have forgotten the suffering of their spiritual brothers and sisters. We grieve for the many friends whose lives were lost. However, we must not forget that our own economic blockades took the lives of other spiritual brothers and sisters in other countries as well. Living our lives concerned only with the abundance and wealth of those immediately around us, and forgetting about the suffering and poverty of those far away brought about this tremendous jealousy and hatred. This "darkness" came from Man's ignorance and delusion and is not God trying to punish nor discriminate. We are, from the onset, spiritual brothers and sisters, and friends, working together cooperatively. It is our minds that divide our spiritual brothers and sisters into "enemy" and "ally" by looking not at the "God's image" within others but only at the darkness in them, and that actually brings enemies and allies to bear.

No matter how we may confront "darkness" with "darkness" it serves only to spread darkness further. Children, wanting their parents' love and attention, sometimes deliberately do things that their parents don't like. Children who do this are prepared for the worst. Although "parents" were born before their "children", they are still human. In this way, there may be countries which are economically and socially more advanced, while there are others that are not, but we cannot say that one exploiting the other, and remaining unconcerned, is in tune with God and a right way of life. Even if we are hurt by our "children", do we banish them to oblivion as "Satan"? Perhaps it is that we lacked the necessary "love" for our "children"? Or, even if we did love them, perhaps it is that we were concerned only with ourselves, and did not have the opportunity to express our love enough?

We are hurt by these rebellious individuals, but we believe in the "God's image" within them and forgive them. That is the only way we can dispel the "darkness", for darkness always disappears when confronted with light. The "God's image" within us makes that possible. May all our hearts be awakened now to the common bond of our humanity. We are so very grateful to God's infinite love and compassion.

- MT

Omens of War

It appears that the terrorist attacks on the nucleus of U.S. society is leading to a new war in the Middle East. President Bush has not only received promise of cooperation from NATO, but also has "the complete and total cooperation" of Afghanistan's neighbor, Pakistan. Another neighboring country, Iran, in order to obstruct an influx of refugees, has decided to close its borders. Omens of war are pronounced. This is extremely unfortunate for all mankind, but, with no credible mediator between the United States and the terrorists, the gap in their "world views" can probably only be filled with a "collision of hatred""

On an ABC TV broadcast this morning, children, six years old and older, were invited to the studio, along with their parents, and the newscaster asked their opinions on the recent incidents. One teenage girl asked, "There are people who hate the U.S. this much, so what exactly have we done to them?" To this, a teenage boy, about the same age, said something to the effect of , "Even if we did do something, it probably wasn't done intentionally, so the killing of so many innocent U.S. citizens is unforgivable." I cannot help but think that answering this question accurately holds "the key" to this situation. A tremendous gap in world view that has grown between people living in parts of the Middle East and people in developed nations, including Japan, is probably behind these horrible events.

However, "the first shot" has already been fired by one side. If it had been before this, there may have been hope of mending the relationship. It's difficult, after the massive killing of over 5,000 U.S. citizens, to say, "Don't retaliate." Moreover, considering the fact that "the first shot" ignored all international laws, and the unprecedented fact that it was done, not by a "nation", but a group of people full of hatred, many countries with similar groups must do something now or risk the possibility of facing the same problem of public order in their own countries. Therefore, it is probably impossible to stop military actions of retaliation.

Up until this point, this has been a discussion of "politics." Terrorism and war are clearly "darkness". In the Seicho-No-Ie teachings, it is said, "Dispel darkness with light"" In order to apply this, there may be some who say, "Even though the hijacked plane was crashed into a building, give only words of the Truth in return"" However, we also have studied the law of cause and effect, "Evil brings about evil". "Express words of the Truth because the hijacked plane was crashed" is not enough. It's because "expressing words of the Truth" has not been enough that the hijacked plane was crashed. In order to prevent hatred from spreading any further, it becomes increasingly critical to expedite the dissemination that "Man is a child of God", "We are all spiritual brothers and sisters".

- MT

Religion and Terrorism

On Tuesday, September 11th, the entire world was thrown into mass chaos after the coordinated acts of terrorism in the United States. According to media reports, "Muslim extremists" are responsible for these crimes. I think that the pairing of the word, "religion" with the word "violence" in this way, and having this association broadcast around the world, is very unfortunate for the people of the world who believe in any God/religion. For those people living under cruel and harsh circumstances, belief in God or Buddha helps make the decision between right and wrong and also gives a reason and hope for living. Religion has also helped their survival and development. On the other hand, for those who are seen as "evil" or "wrong", the religious movement can be a threat and even becomes the object of oppression and obliteration. What happened to Jesus and his followers 2000 years ago is a prime example of this.

Many people living in a complicated real world, look for simple, easy-to-understand principles and answers or solutions. Religions that provide this, at times, increase membership and strengthen their movement and can become great political powers. However, even then, society does not actually become simple and easy to understand. Nevertheless, if religion tries to control society, they must color things in "black" or "white." If not, then the doctrines cannot explain reality. In this way, a forced/strained explanation of reality is born, and, in order to fully support that explanation, manipulation and falsification of facts, unconsciously at first, but eventually consciously, is done. And, when this type of "religious outlook on the world" itself becomes the object of blind faith, reasons to fight and destroy in the name of God or Buddha are created.

So, when it appears that religions employ violence or destruction, the cause lies not in God or Buddha, but in the deficiency and negligence of the people who fail to understand (or don't try to understand) the complexities. Consequently, we should not address this destruction and violence with the same deficiency and negligence. In other words, exhibiting a simplistic "black-and-white" picture of the world and indiscriminately obliterating and destroying that which is branded "evil," simply creates more violence out of violence. Those who blatantly disobeyed the rules of the international community and committed acts of terrorism should be punished according to international rules and regulations, under legitimate means and measures and mutually agreed upon proceedings. Unfortunately, however, in today's international society, there are areas without such legal framework and there is not total agreement on the means and processes. With this unprecedented incident, I fervently hope that the world will come to a stronger agreement--socially, legally, morally and religiously.

Lastly, to all those living in the United States, particularly to the citizens of New York that helped me personally in many ways when I lived there a couple of decades ago, I would like to extend my heartfelt sympathy and condolences, and, at the same time, pray that you not, in reacting to the destruction and violence of this horrifying tragedy, use the same destruction and violence to take revenge on innocent spiritual brothers and sisters.

- MT

After the Passing of Typhoon

The Seicho-No-Ie International Headquarters offices were closed on August 22nd due to a major typhoon. It was a slow moving one, traveling at a speed of 15 km/hour, but it didn't show any signs of weakening, and kept pounding Japan with torrential rains. Since the Kanto Region had a serious water shortage this summer, this rainfall was very much appreciated. The 23rd was my day off, though, and my daughter, wife and I had initially planned to go to our villa in Ohizumi village on the evening of the 22nd. Due to this slow moving typhoon, though, it didn't seem as though we'd be able to go at all. In the morning of the 22nd, the typhoon had reached Mie Prefecture, by noon it had gotten to the Izu Peninsula, and by 3 pm it had hit Tokyo. However, it was only sprinkling in Tokyo at this time, with moderate winds--nothing at all like a typhoon. My wife phoned an acquaintance living in Ohizumi and asked how the weather was there. "Oh, I can see the blue sky among clouds," was the reply and the TV reported that there was "No danger of storms traveling at over 25 meters." So, we decided to leave in an hour.


We left our house at 4 pm, and traveled straight down the Chuo Expressway. Thanks to the typhoon, traffic was light, with very few big rigs and families going on outing. We saw some signs indicating "Rainy weather--50 km speed limit", but, since it wasn't raining, we drove normally. The hurricane clouds coiled and spiraled throughout the blue sky. The misty vapor coming from the rain drenched mountains reminded us of a person just coming out of a hot bath. The clouds and the misty vapor caught the light of the sun from the west and glittered with a shimmering golden glow. "Wow!" "My, how beautiful," my wife, who was sitting in the passenger seat next to me, exclaimed repeatedly. But, since I was driving, I didn't have an opportunity to appreciate the scenery. After about two hours, we got to Ohizumi, bought something for dinner at a convenience store, and the three of us had dinner out on the deck of our villa. The clouds were moving from south to north and the rain had stopped. I took a bath after dinner and came out and found the room in total darkness, and my wife and daughter were outside on the deck exclaiming in wonder. They said that they couldn't see the stars as clearly if the lights were on. I went outside, looked up and saw a beautiful glittering starlit sky.

The next morning--in other words, this morning, I woke up when my wife got out of bed. It was before 5 am. She likes to go out on the deck early when we're staying here, and likes to enjoy the beginning of the morning in the mountains. I dozed off for a while again but ended up getting up about a half hour later. The south side of our villa faces the Southern Alps and Mt. Kai Komagatake, but in the summertime, with the high levels of humidity, you rarely see these mountains. But, we'd seen all those stars the night before--So thinking, I walked straight out onto the deck, and saw the green Kaikoma clearly, bathed in the brilliant morning sun.

- MT

Figs

The fig tree at our home in Tokyo bore few fruit this year. That's because, we had the tree, which had grown a little too much, pruned at the beginning of the summer. They took off a lot of the branches with the fruit buds on it at that time. Still, we had some small fruit on the tree, and last week my wife picked the biggest, about 4 cm in diameter and 5 cm long, and put it in the refrigerator. Figs are very unusual--although they have no blossoms, fruit suddenly appears.

You can now find the large figs grown in Aichi Prefecture being sold in the supermarkets and fruit specialty stores throughout Tokyo. When I went to Uji City in Kyoto for the Seicho-No-Ie Urabon Ceremonies, I had some beautifully purple ripened figs that were just as big as those, about 7-8 cm in diameter and length. We heard that they were grown in the neighboring city of Johyo City. It had a refined, delicately sweet taste, and there was a pleasant crunching sensation of the little seeds as you chewed. We were talking about this at breakfast, and my mother asked rather demandingly, "Are you going to draw it?" Since I had drawn a picture of a fig when we came to Uji at about the same time last year, I really wanted to draw something else, but I answered somewhat vaguely, "I'm trying to decide what to draw?.." But then, after our meal, she had someone send 3-4 figs to our room, so I couldn't let it go.

Figs are actually the oldest cultivated fruit in the world. They were first found in either Turkey or the southern part of Arabia, and, from there, were widely cultivated in Israel and along the Mediterranean coast from about 2000 BC. The passage in the chapter on "Genesis" in the Bible where Adam and Eve, after having partaken of the "forbidden fruit" realize that they are naked and "they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" is widely known. So, it follows that there was a fig tree in the "Garden of Eden"" It's said that fig trees came into Japan, through Nagasaki, at the beginning of the 17th Century. Although I said that fig trees have no blossoms on their branches, the flowers are inverted and actually develop inside the fruit. The seeds are drupes, or the real fruit. The many tiny flowers produce the crunchy little seeds that give figs their unique texture. It's really amazing.

Pollination is done by a tiny wasp. This stingerless insect, no bigger than a gnat, enters the open "eye" at the bottom of the fig, and unwittingly pollinates it by brushing pollen onto the female flowers. The tiny wasp then exits the fig to pollinate other fig flowers. However, these wasps cannot survive in the weather in Japan. I wonder how they reproduce then? If it's done by cuttings, then that means that all the fig trees in Japan are clones.

- MT

An Unmanned Vegetable Stand

In areas which grow vegetables, it's probably not very unusual, but, in and around the Northern area of Yamanashi Prefecture, where our villa is located, there are a number of unmanned vegetable stands along the road. It's not that this is the only place that you can buy vegetables. Right off the Nagasaka Interchange, the main thoroughfare here, there's a large supermarket, not much different from those in the city. In the town next to ours, Takane, there are shops where you can buy vegetables by the cardboard boxfuls. But what's best about these unmanned stands is that you can get fresh vegetables picked that very morning. Unlike those sold in supermarkets, you can buy fully ripened tomatoes and things at a very cheap price.

There are different types of these vegetable stands: There are simple ones with vegetables laid out on wooden stands underneath a tent, and there are also those built like small wooden huts, with a roof and walls, in front of which the vegetables are arranged on a special stand. In the former, you pay for your purchase by putting your money in a box, without a lid, that's left there. If you need change, you take from the coins left by people who bought before you. In the latter case, there are often times a metallic cylinder that juts out from inside the hut and you put your money in there. It's made so that the cash isn't exposed outside the stand. In either case, however, it's selling merchandise putting wholehearted trust and good faith in the customer. It's truly refreshing to look at.

It seems, though, that there are "customers" who betray that trust. At one stand, there was a written notice, enough to dampen anyone's enthusiasm, saying, "If you don't leave payment, we'll notify the police." We've bought at the supermarket as well as at the shops, but we've also gratefully purchased tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, okra, string beans, green peppers and other vegetables at these stands. Actually we would have liked to have seen the farmers who grew these vegetables, but that's probably asking too much. They were selling large, full-sized squash at the stand, but, wanting to share in the humor of the farmers, we bought some mini-squash instead.

- MT

College Professor Next Door

My wife and I went to visit a neighbor of ours today--a college professor who lives next door. I say "neighbor", but sometimes the forest blocks the view, so, in actuality, there really isn't any house that you can see from our villa. This person lives about 2-3 minutes away from us. We'd never met him before, but the realtor who helped us with our villa told us that a "fussy, difficult college professor lives next door", so, if he was as fussy and/or difficult as he was made out to be, we thought we'd better go and say hello. We took some pastries that we had brought from Tokyo and set out for his house.

I'd seen this college professor's villa from the outside before on a number of occasions, and it's very unusual. There are two cylindrical buildings, about 4 meters in diameter, and about 12-13 meters long, connected at one point, next to each other. In addition to this, there's a separate small wooden house connected out in back. Furthermore, in the round area on the side of the metal cylinder facing the road, there was a comic-like "face" drawn in thick lines on it. From the outward appearance of the building and the rumors about him being so "fussy/difficult", I'd secretly named him "The Mad Scientist". I had to muster up a little courage to ring the doorbell to the house.

We heard the bell ring inside, and a lady, apparently in her 60's, came out and looked at me rather suspiciously. When I said, "Sorry for coming by unannounced. We're the Taniguchis. We just moved in next door and wanted to say hello", the lady's expression immediately softened. As we exchanged a few words, a bespectacled gray-haired man in his 70's, came toward us from the road. I knew immediately from the way he looked that this was the "college professor." He was much more "normal" than I had pictured him, and, from the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes, he did not come across to be "fussy/difficult" at all. My wife and I began talking to him when his wife, who had opened the door when we first got there, invited us in. It ended up that we stayed and visited with this professor for about an hour.

The professor told us that he had built his villa about ten years ago, and the odd shaped buildings were actually Chinese-made nuclear bomb shelters. He also told us about conditions in the area, past history, picking wild edible plants and mushrooms, and interesting stories about how deer run wild in the forest nearby and how an owl actually came flying up to his window. We also heard about a place where they raise rainbow trout and char fish and even sell them to individuals upon request. So, in the evening, on our drive back from shopping, we stopped by a place which was apparently what the professor was talking about. The rainbow trout were 120 yen a piece and the char fish 230 yen. We bought two char fish at this extraordinary price. We are very grateful to the professor for everything.

- MT

Reckless City Dwellers

We've been at our mountain villa in Ohizumi village in Yamanashi Prefecture for several days now, and I've really been struck both with the kindness of those that live here and the recklessness of the city dwellers who aren't at all familiar with the mountains. In order to construct our garden, we went to a home improvement center, about a 30 minute drive away, and loaded the car with some bricks and broken stone chips. As I've written before, I drive a Honda Odyssey, and, if you fold down the back two row of seats, there's quite a bit of cargo space. Taking advantage of that, we loaded 20 bags of stone chips, weighing 20 kilograms each, and 200 bricks. That was about 600 kilograms in total, the equivalent of about 10 people. Since the Odyssey accommodates 7-8 people, It is likely that we were well over capacity.

Driving slowly, we managed to get to end of the paved road. From there, however, it's about 1 kilometer up a road lined only with rock chips. The continuous rains, coupled with the traffic, had created some furrows and ditches, so as soon as we started up this mountain road, there was a big scraping sound from underneath the car. I continued on, however, thinking simply that I could somehow manage to steer the car and avoid damaging the under carriage of the car, when, about 30 meters beyond the Kohmi Line train crossing, the car started to screech and scream with shrill scraping sounds. Realizing that the car would be severely damaged if I continued on any further, I stopped the car and got out. My wife and I both looked at each other in disbelief--there was hardly any room at all between the road and the bottom of the car.

It was then that we heard someone calling from behind. We saw a lady in her 50's, probably someone who lived nearby. She said, "I don't think you'll be able to make it in that car. I'll loan you our jeep so you can move your things." We were touched at her kindness and took her up on the offer to use her car. The jeep was a Suzuki Jimny, a light 4WD that is popular amongst those living in the villas for its power and design. The only thing was the limited cargo space. My wife and I made it home safely after three separate trips to haul everything home.

Had this lady not come out and offered her help, we would undoubtedly have had to unload everything road there and make, not three, but five or six trips back and forth.

We visited this lady later, taking a melon as a small token of our appreciation, and she said, "Lots of things happen up here. Please let me know if I can be of any help." I had to catch myself because I wanted to blurt out, "Yes, please teach us hopeless city dwellers all you can!"

- MT

A Cage for the Java Sparrows

I've been using my time over the past few days to work on something like a "Summer Art Project"." That is to say, I've been building a new home for the Java sparrows we have at home. I wrote about these birds in my book Personal Reflections * At that time, we only had the two, but now that number's grown to ten. We kept them in two cages, with four in one and six in the other. Somehow, it seemed the cage with the six in it was too "densely populated" because, at times, they began shrieking shrilly and fighting. Java sparrows have a wild temperament. When they fight, they use their red beaks and attack each other at point blank range, aiming at the other's face. It makes one very nervous watching them, thinking they might actually hurt each other, but, similar to kendo, Japanese fencing, when you use your own bamboo fencing stick to defend yourself against the opponent's fencing stick, the birds use their beaks to fight so the tender parts of their bodies seem to be safe. However, it isn't very pleasant to see this, so I've been meaning to build them a "fight-free" environment for a while.

Another reason I've wanted to build a "bird house" is that I felt badly having to leave the bird's in my mother's (who lives next door) care whenever we travel during the summer and such. This is something that all pet owners have in common, but one can always take a dog or cat along on a trip but not birds. So, when you ask someone to take care of them, the person in charge must wash out the water dish and seed container all covered with droppings and change their food and the green leafy vegetables they like to eat. Java sparrows also like to take baths in the water, so the bottom of the bird cage becomes a miserable mess of water and bird droppings. Asking someone to clean something like this up is very difficult. However, if we were to build a large birdhouse and put it in the yard, we could leave enough food for them to last several days. If we were to also make the floor of the "house" like a drainboard, the water and droppings would "drain" and not be as annoying or bothersome.

This is what I had in mind, so I started working on the bird house for the Java sparrows in August, when I have more free time than usual. Just make a box and nail some net on it--I thought it would be relatively simple, but, when I actually started the building, it didn't go as planned. The worst part was putting the squared pieces of Japanese cedar that I bought at a home improvement store together into a right-angled frame. It's probably easy if you're working with something small, but, with something as long as 180 centimeters, the lumber itself is quite heavy, so just hammering nails in it won't hold it in place. Somehow, though, I managed to put it together, but the right angles ended up being a little crooked and irregular. I didn't think this would matter much to the birds, so I went ahead and finished the project in what ended up being about four days. I wasn't totally happy with the results, but, for the Java sparrows, it should be a significant upgrade in their living quarters and environment.

(*Not yet available in English)

- MT

An Itchy Souvenir

From Thursday through the weekend, our family went to the mountains in Northern Yamanashi Prefecture, but I brought home a souvenir we weren't very happy with. I have red swollen insect bites all over my hands and feet--and do they itch! My daughter is in an even worse predicament: She was bitten on her ankles and thighs and is all swollen and puffy. My wife, however, came out of it all unscathed, and she says things like, "I don't have any feelings of wanting to bite at or sting anyone-that's why I wasn't bitten! Hahahahaha?"" The people who live there told us that "You might get bitten by the gnats at first, but you'll be fine once you get used to it." Since we don't stay long enough to get used to things, I guess this "souvenir" is something we can't avoid.

I'm not even sure that gnats are actually the ones that "gave" us this "souvenir." That is, I haven't actually seen them. I did go outdoors, but I was outside of the woods, and it wasn't as if I went into any thick shrubbery, so I really think it's strange. I looked it up in an encyclopedia and found that adult gnats are small--about 1-5 mm.--long, so it's possible that I was bitten by a gnat from the woods nearby without realizing it. The male gnats are particularly active in the morning and evening. They apparently bite and pierce human skin and suck the blood from the cut. But it's not as though the blood comes gushing out of the bite, so it must be an appropriately small amount that the gnat can get with its small mouth.


I think it might have been on the morning of the 29th when I was outside sketching the mountain villa we had been staying at. The garden of this villa was not completed and looked shabby so I filled it in and sketched it as I pictured it. I was just outside the entrance of the forest for about 30 minutes, so I must've been "perfect prey" for the gnats. At our home in Tokyo, we get a large number of mosquitoes in the summer and I get bitten by them a lot. My wife wrote about this in her book, Hana no Tabidachi*, but those mosquito bites go away after about a day. However, the "souvenirs" from our trip to the mountains don't just get swollen, the bites are "weepy", and, even after two days, they are still "making a strong statement". I guess I'm stronger when it comes to the mosquitoes in the city, but not when it comes to the gnats in the mountains. I've learned that I "shouldn't underestimate Nature", so, next time, I think I'll take along some insect repellent.

(*Not yet available in English)

A Squall of Blessings

The Tokyo area had a real rain storm today, the first in a while. For a month beginning June 22nd, we'd only had 2% of our annual average. I heard the rumbling sounds of thunder somewhere in the distance as I was sitting in my office at Seicho-No-Ie Headquarters working at my computer. I didn't expect much to happen since the same thing had happened the day before and it had only rained a little. But, I remembered my wife, who had been listening to the weather report, say, "It's supposed to rain today." The sound of the thunder got closer and closer and soon became so loud that it could've startled anyone out of a drowsy afternoon in the intense heat of the season. Eventually, huge droplets of rain began to fall.

Some crows, seeking refuge from the rain, flew from the building. Passersby began to run and the grayish asphalt ground became darker. Knowing that I'd get wet, I leaned out of the open window, and, from the garden spread out below, came the smell of the soil--the earth. "This is the smell," I thought. I hadn't smelled this in a while. There was a certain dusty smell mixed into it at first, but, as the ground turned from a yellowish gold, to a dark earthy tone, it became the rich, moist smell of the rain drenched earth. The sound of the rain against the trunks of the cherry and camphor trees right in front of me resounded pleasantly, much like the sound of a running river. It was drowned out at times by the sharp explosive sound of the thunder. The thunder is sometimes far in the distance, and at other times gives a deafening roar from somewhere surprisingly nearby. This squall went on for about an hour and a half.

The day before, on the 24th, we had a record breaking high of 38.1 degrees Centigrade (100.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in Tokyo and 40.0 degrees Centigrade (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Maebashi City. One of the reasons for this was the lack of rain, but I'd like to hope that it'll cool down a bit with this rain. The day before that, on the 23rd, negotiators from 180 countries, including Japan, reached a compromise agreement to salvage the Kyoto Pact, clearing the way for the first treaty to combat global warming. The U.S., by refusing to join the effort, was the only major country to remain "outside the circle", but, for now, we can only begin with those who are in agreement. We can't waste any more time.

The U.S. rejected the Kyoto Protocol as harmful to U.S. business. It may be that, in the short term, global warming does, indeed, contribute to economic development. According to today's Asahi Shimbun, department and convenience store sales, power companies and gas stations are reportedly doing brisk business. This is, however, simply like people who have been "tortured" spending money to protect themselves. Some time ago, people argued that "wars help the economy", but we all know that a world without wars or torture is far superior and desirable to one with.

- MT

A.I. and Global Warming

On my day off, my wife and I went to see the movie, "A.I." Since it was a movie by Steven Spielberg, I thought it was going to be something deep and new, but, unfortunately, I was very disappointed. Unlike "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "E.T.", which had those intense, thought provoking scenes, the plot was very affected and strained, and, as a result, was not very realistic. One thing, though, that does stand out in my mind, was the scene in which the main character, the robotic boy, enters "Manhattan", an area where only humans are allowed, on a spacecraft. Because the movie is supposedly set in the not-too-distant future, I thought we'd see a New York not much different than we know it now, with its skyscrapers and all. However, what we did see come slowly in from the horizon was a post-apocalyptic world. It was, indeed, the high-rise buildings, outlined like geometric cutouts, but most of them were submerged below sea level. In other words, because of global warming melting the earth's ice caps, water had covered most of the earth. This is the world dealt with in this movie.

Presently, the discussions between various countries to salvage the Kyoto Protocol, which deals with global warming, are in an extremely critical situation. If these discussions break down, and mankind does not protect itself against global warming, a submerged New York City becomes less of an unreality. If something like this happens to New York, then it only follows that Hong Kong, New Delhi, Sydney and Tokyo would also be in danger. Not even learning from this situation, we see in scene after scene as this movie develops, that mankind proceeds to use "mechas" (robots/mechanicals) as servants or slaves, uses them for their own pleasure and even revels in watching their demise or destruction. It depressed me somewhat to think that Spielberg is so pessimistic about mankind and the future. Is it that mankind can do nothing but stand idly by and watch New York and Tokyo submerge underwater? I still think that, while these rounds of negotiations may fail, and global warming may well progress even more, mankind will learn and realize that we need to control our own desires, thereby leaving much room for hope of successful implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.

After seeing this movie, I was reminded of "Astro Boy", the cartoon character by Osamu Tezuka. I think the heartfelt exchange between humans and robots was depicted quite naturally here, despite the fact that Astro Boy and the other robots weren't made to look exactly like humans. However, in "A.I." this type of relationship is shown as being very difficult. This is particularly true with the main character of the movie, the young boy robot. Although he was made so human-like as to fool even the experts, this made his human "mother" extremely uncomfortable at the beginning. She next becomes very fascinated by him, and finally must sobbingly give him up. Although the young boy robot is programmed to love his "mother" forever, it takes 2000 years for that love to manifest itself, and, even then, it lasts for only one day. Could it be that on one hand, to Mr. Tezuka, there is no significant line between "things" and "people", while Mr. Spielberg believes that the gap between the two is so very great?

- MT

Boxed Lunches with California Rice

According to this evening's paper, boxed lunches packed with American-grown rice went on sale today at 26 JR stations throughout the Tokyo metropolitan area. A subsidiary of JR East Group, Nippon Restaurant Enterprise Co., imports the "frozen boxed lunches" which use the California-grown organic rice, "Akita Komachi". Some years ago, when rice crops in Japan suffered due to a particularly cool summer, the government immediately imported rice from other countries. I took advantage of the "importing by individuals is tax free" situation and served as an intermediary for those who wanted California or Thai-grown rice. There are those who probably wonder why a religious leader would do something like this, but it was because I wanted the members of Seicho-No-Ie, at the very least, who were of the "Anything other than Japanese rice just isn't rice" mentality to free themselves of that "A frog in a well does not know the great ocean" mentality. Compared to those days, it seems as though we are in an entirely different world.

When I was in Chiba Prefecture the other day, I went to an American wholesale store and noticed that Thai Jasmine rice was being sold at less than half the price of domestic-grown rice. This was imported by a first class domestic rice wholesaler. This fragrant rice is a long grain variety that has a distinct fragrance, and, even when cooked, is non-sticky. As such, it doesn't go very well with Japanese foods, but it does, however, go quite well with curry or as a pilaf. Basmati rice grown in India is another high grade of rice which is now being sold in import markets throughout the country. I mentioned "Wild Rice" in another journal entry, but this is still very expensive in Japan. While it is of the same rice family, it is different than the Makomo variety, and the taste and texture are also quite different, so I don't think we need to expect any competition with this and rice grown in Japan.

I'm grateful that we in Japan can partake in many different varieties of rice, but I don't think that because of this Japanese will stop eating domestic-grown rice. Incidentally, at our house, we buy pesticide-free rice (3300-3800 yen/5 kg) and usually only have Jasmine or Wild Rice about once a week. The reason we buy the pesticide-free rice is because pesticides are a concern when it comes to something we eat daily and, although it might be a little more expensive, it's a small price to pay for our health. And I'd like to support the efforts of those who grow things free of pesticides. According to the newspaper, Japanese rice growers are protesting the importing of these boxed lunches, but the Japanese people know how delicious domestic-grown rice is, so I don't think the frozen boxed lunches will take over the country. It may catch on within the ranks of the younger generation, but I'd like to think we can forgive and be a little more broadminded when it comes to things like this. I also think that, if we are to be culturally diverse, it's good to eat a special rice from another country every 10 days or so?

- MT

Choosing a Chair

On my day off, my wife, daughter and I went to a furniture store in Odaiba (Tokyo) to look for chairs for our dining room. In the showroom which prides itself on being "#1 in the World" as far as square footage, there was American, European, Japanese and antique type furniture in a variety of colors, designs and fabrics, attractively displayed. While we were looking around, I was delighted to note that each chair had its own style and characteristic. Although one may think of a chair as an inanimate object, it's interesting to see how the craftsman's idea of how a chair should support the person who sits on it is reflected in the style, fabric/material, and the durability, delicacy and softness of the piece. Each also shows the culture and characteristics of a nation. For example, American sofas are soft and roomy, while the cushions on European sofas, particularly those made in Germany, are firm, and those who sit on them can function effectively.

Our selection of dining room chairs was finally narrowed down to two. I have a tendency to put functionality before design, and that does, at times, conflict with my wife who focuses more on the design. But, the first and foremost function of a chair is only "to seat" and the question of how comfortable it is becomes a problem for only the 30 minutes to an hour it takes for a meal. If I think of it in those terms, I didn't think it would be a problem to choose a chair based primarily on design. Comparing the two based on their design, our three opinions matched perfectly.

The backrest of the chair we selected was delicately curved, but, when we sat in it, it supported us firmly, and the armrest was curved naturally. It might be nice to use it, not only to sit in, but also to place a vase full of beautiful flowers on it. All this, and, at the same time, it was a little less expensive than the other chair we had considered.

I thought about this process after we made our selection. We make so much out of simply choosing something that will hold/support our bodies during meals. We aren't satisfied with nature's own materials, but have to stretch things to the absolute limit in order to create something that suits our image. And there are those who walk around looking and searching for these things. This mentality has shaped our culture, but, at the same time, has led to the endangerment of Nature itself. Are we (and am I) a friend of nature, or, in actuality, an enemy?

- MT

Being Cognizant of History

While there are clamorous discussions and debates surrounding the history textbooks used in middle schools throughout Japan, it seems that the problem of citizens not understanding their country's history is not a phenomenon unique only to Japan. According to a survey published to celebrate the 225th July 4th Independence Day, more than 1/5 of American teenagers asked didn't know which country the U.S. declared independence from, including 14% who thought it was France. My 16-year-old old daughter was amazed to hear this. I wonder what the figures would be if Japanese teenagers were given the same survey?

The fact that, following World War II, the Japanese have lived their lives following the United States is undeniable. This may be for security reasons, but, even so, it's unbelievable that an important fact such as this that happened 220-some-odd years ago, could be so incorrectly answered. If we were to compare it to Japanese history, perhaps it would be like saying that the Muromachi Shogunate perished with the Meiji Restoration.

Ignorance about the history of your own country is serious, but being ignorant about neighboring countries may give rise to other problems. There was an article in today's International Herald Tribune--The Asahi Shimbun about how little Americans actually know about Canada. For example, although students studying political science at a college in Boston were asked, "There are discussions about whether or not Canada should become a part of North America. What do you think?", they answered, "I don't know." And, when asked, "Should the killing of polar bears be outlawed in Toronto?", they answered, "Of course, it should definitely be outlawed." (You know what the correct answer is, right?) However, what would happen if we were to ask Japanese people about South Korea or China? "What did South Korea do during the Viet Nam War?" "Who fought against Japan during World War II? Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Tse-tung, or Sun Yat-sen?" "Who is the most popular singer in South Korea?"

In other words, even in a day and age when globalization has come this far, very few people know much about countries other than their own. People who concern themselves about the history of other countries are even fewer in number. This can easily give rise to discrimination and misunderstandings. There is a need to know the history of your own country, and, at the same time, try to study the history of other countries as well.

- MT

The Death of the Mother Cat

I wrote about the cat and kiwi incident in my June 27th column, but it seems that the pregnant cat referred to in that entry has had her litter. I say "seems" because I haven't actually seen the newborn kittens.

The other day, before leaving for an Seicho-No-Ie Public Lecture meeting in Hokkaido, I stepped out onto the wooden deck outside of our living room and saw the Mother Cat quietly drinking some water. I noticed then that her stomach, which had once been so swollen that it touched the ground, was now small and back to its normal size. However, I also saw that she had a large red something protruding from her birth canal. My wife was actually the first one to notice this and shouted for me to come. Since I've never been through childbirth myself, I'm not sure, but she must have known instinctively that something was very wrong. The Mother Cat, while drinking the water, would lift its head up at times and look far into the distance, but it didn't appear to be suffering or in any pain.

Returning from the seminar, my wife told me that they'd found the Mother Cat dead by the well near the side of the pond. The first thing I thought about were the kittens. I even wondered whether all the kittens had actually been born. In the "Human World", if the mother dies, it's only natural that the father tries his best to bring up the children. But, in the "Cat World", the male cat is far from being a "father." He simply impregnates the female and takes no further responsibility for anything. He doesn't even come to see the newborns. This particular male cat may not even be anywhere near the house anymore.

The Mother Cat has had two litters within a four-month period. Cats usually have about five kittens per litter. Of the ones born in April, two have grown and are running around our yard. However, they aren't "full adults" yet, and still this Mother Cat had another litter. According to some books, female cats go into heat twice a year, once between January and March and again between May and June, with pregnancy lasting anywhere from 63-65 days. So, in other words, this Mother Cat looked after her first litter for about a month after giving birth in April, and became pregnant with her next litter at the beginning of May.

On the morning of the second, my daughter heard what she thought was the sound of kittens crying. The weak mewing was coming from somewhere beneath the floor of the "Western Style Room" of a vacant house next to ours. Cutting away at the weeds, we peered inside, but, although we could hear them crying, we didn't see anything. There was a rather wide opening in a squarish vent under the floor. This was probably how the Mother Cat went underneath the floor and had her kittens. The average cat usually has 4-six kittens per litter, but, after we pulled up the flooring, we saw that, this time, she had given birth to seven. It's all too horrible if this was the cause of her death. I wanted to go and find the male cat and bring him here. "These are your children. Take care of them!"

- MT

The Cat and Kiwi Plant

With the continuing heat wave, the plants are growing rapidly. In an earlier entry, I wrote about our kiwi fruit plant which has been growing at an unbelievable rate. It's now intertwined in the surrounding trees and plants, and, because it's now grown so high that it "looks" through the windows of the second floor of our house, my wife decided to cut the vines back. She left the vines lying in a heap on the ground, and went to cook dinner. As we began our meal, I happened to look outside and noticed a young white camp jump up into the plum tree in our yard. From the tree, it could possibly climb over where we were having dinner and to the kiwi plant. Not wanting to have our dinner disturbed, I stood up, went over and glared at the cat. The cat, catching sight of me, too, stopped midway on the plum tree. However, since it didn't seem as though it was going to run away, I picked a white stick that was nearby and shook it. This surprised the cat, and it jumped down from the tree.

Thinking that the problem had been resolved, the three of us went back to our dinner. But, this time, my daughter mentioned that the cat was sitting unmoving, crouched on the ground. I looked out again and saw the cat postured low on the ground, peering inquiringly under the kiwi trellis. In time, a dark, roundish something appeared. It was a pregnant female cat. It must've, at one time, been someone's pet since it didn't seem to be too concerned about us. With its huge, heavy belly rocking slowly, the cat rubbed its nose against the leaves of the kiwi plant. It was almost as if the cat was trying to say, "This smells soooooo wonderful." Soon, with an ecstatic drunken expression, it began chewing on one of the thicker plant stems. It wasn't long before the white cat made its way slowly to under the vines and began to do the same thing.

It wasn't the first time I'd seen a cat act like this around kiwi fruit, but, all the same, it was an odd feeling. It was something like running across a young couple embraced in a corner of the park. Kiwi plants are from the silvervine family. I'm curious as to whether this mysterious relationship between cats and this plant is coincidental or a wonder of nature that has some special meaning.

Kiwi, or Chinese Gooseberries as it is known to some, are originally from the Anbgtze Valley of Southern China. The first commercial planting in New Zealand was made at the beginning of the 20th Century on the coast of the country's North Island. The Chinese Gooseberry grown in the mountains of Japan is a close relative of this variety, but, due to the recent popularity of imported fruit, the foreign variety is now widely cultivated and it seems that I've seen them a lot in various regions throughout the country. But, from the point of maintaining diversity of life, there is a definite need to be cautious about this type of phenomena.

- MT

Left-over Sushi

I made sushi for dinner tonight--the first time in a while. For various reasons, I had drifted away from sushi making, so I had to try and "feel" my way back into the process. I made a few little mistakes, though. First of all, I made way too much. Second, I put a little too much of the vinegar mixture into the rice, and, third, I made mistakes in the way I cut some of the fish. The reason I made too much was because, when I made sushi before, my two sons, who are now away at college, were at home, and so I misjudged the amount of rice I needed to cook. I'd forgotten that they used to eat more than the other three of us put together.

It's not that I'm really all that fond of cooking. My repertoire definitely has its limits, but, somehow, making sushi is really fun. Perhaps it's because, using both hands to "create", it reminds me of how I worked hard on my small art projects when I was a child. I started making sushi when our eldest son was still at home, so it's been about four years now. At first, I'd make sushi on my days off, every Thursday, so, as you can imagine, I really was quite obsessed. But, this eventually started taking a toll on our family budget and threw my diet off whenever I made sushi, eating too much red fish, such as tuna, that is high in purine, can cause elevated levels of uric acid in the body, which is what happened to me. Since this, in turn, can lead to gout, I reluctantly had to reduce my sushi intake.

But, having just received some fresh fish from the members of Seicho-No-Ie in Ishikawa Prefecture, where I visited on a lecture tour the other day, I decided to resume my sushi making for the first time in a while. We had red snapper, tile fish, and some other types of fish and calamari. Since I'm not too adept at skinning and de-boning the fish, my wife took care of this, and I was in charge of making the rice mixture, cutting the fish and making it into the nigiri sushi. When my sons lived at home, I'd fill three large platters with sushi, but, today, we couldn't even manage to finish one. After dinner, we were trying to decide what to do with the leftovers--send it overnight delivery to our sons, share with our neighbors, or give some to the stray cats--but, as it turned out, the three of us decided to try and finish it up the next day. Looking at the leftovers, I realized for the first time just exactly how blessed we are to have children who really dig in and enjoy everything (the food) that is prepared for them.

- MT