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

California Raisins

We're down to the last of the red boxes of raisins that we bought in bulk some time ago. About the size of a box of caramels, they came 24 in a package. In about 2 months, we've had them for breakfast, used them in cakes, and gave them to friends. At about 27 yen a box, that means we used about 1/3 of a box per day for a cost of 8 yen/day. It may seem like a lot, but my wife also made a jar of rum raisins which we still have. I'd be interested in knowing just what the raisin consumption is in the United States, the heart of the world's largest producing region.

When she saw the red box of raisins, my 77 year old mother exclaimed, "Oh, this really brings back memories." My mother used to eat these raisins out of the box when she was young. That means, then, that the packaging hasn't changed since the mid 1920's. Although the United States is the world's leader in technology, it also seems to respect time-honored traditions. Raisins are produced in Kingsburg, California, located in the San Joaquin Valley. A huge 9 feet replica of the red raisin box is at the entrance to the 130 acre processing plant. Founded in 1912, the grower-owned cooperative presently consists of 1600 vineyards located within a 25 mile radius of the plant. They decided on the name "Sun-maid" in 1914, using a play on the words "made" and "maid". The picture used on the front of the box has changed slightly three times since then, but the model has always been the same.

Sun-maid raisins are produced from Thompson Seedless Grapes. This thin-skinned, light-green grape, when dried in the sun, becomes the dark purple color, characteristic of raisins. Beginning in the spring, the grape vines are regularly irrigated, a process which continues through the summer. During late August, when the grapes have attained their optimum sweetness, the grape bunches are hand-picked and arranged on rows of clean paper trays next to the vines. They are left to dry naturally in the sun for two to three weeks and then placed in wooden bins and transported to the processing plant. One pound of raisins is equal to approximately 4 pounds of grapes! The size package that I bought was first introduced in 1921. Mothers in the U.S. apparently packed them in lunches for their children to take to school. So, on average, children in the U.S. would eat a box a day--three times what we consume here in Japan!

- MT

Cabbage Seedlings

My wife bought us a cabbage seedling to grow in a planter. At our house, we already have a planter with lettuce, and two pots of eggplant, and one each of bell peppers, green peppers, mini tomatoes, paprika and parsley, all of which my wife bought. The lettuce is already big enough to eat, so, once every 4-5 days, we take a few leaves from the outside of the plant and use it in salads and such, but since it isn't enough to use everyday, we bought another seedling today. Watching my wife make this purchase, I asked her to buy the cabbage seedling as well.

When young, the leaves of the cabbage plant, like any other type of vegetation, are turned upward. However, as it grows and matures, the leaves begin to curl into a sphere shape. Wanting to see this, I asked my wife to make this purchase. Moreover, cabbage is delicious, can be used in Japanese, Western and Chinese-style cooking, and is also very high in Vitamin C. Although quite hardy, and comparatively resilient against garden pests, it's the worms that hatch from the eggs of the white diamond-back moths that are the most troublesome. These moths come to our yard, but, not too many in number, so I'm optimistic about our "crop."

My wife once read the following story in a book. It seems that a visitor to Japan was surprised at one thing in particular. That is, he could understand the lack of space in this crowded country, but he couldn't get over at how, in Tokyo, and other large cities, the Japanese planted cabbage, right in the middle of the street in the center dividers. The author of the book, being Japanese, couldn't quite understand what this visitor meant, but finally realized that the personwas referring, not to cabbage plants, but to kale. Since hearing this story, I laugh when I drive along the streets of the city and see kale planted in these center dividers. But, since kale is a member of the cabbage family, perhaps this type of mistake isn't all that outlandish. Also in the same category are Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.

Everyone knows the story of how the stork brings babies into the world, but, in England, legend has it that babies come from cabbage patches. Looking at the firm, round cabbage heads, doesn't it seem somehow as though there is, indeed, something very precious inside?

- MT

Smoking Kills

The EU today announced a regulation for tobacco companies, stating that the warnings, "Smoking kills", "Smokers will die early", be printed clearly on all cigarette packaging beginning the end of September 2001. Furthermore, starting in September 2003, the use of brand names with wording such as "Mild" or "Light" will be prohibited.

For those, including me, who dislike smoking, this is a welcome move. I would like to see similar measures taken in Japan as soon as possible. However, JT (Japan Tobacco), which makes a great profit from the "Mild Seven" brand, has issued a statement saying that the use of the terms "Mild" and/or "Light" is a trademark right and they "will be taking appropriate measures, including litigation" to contest this decision. From the standpoint of business ethics, I think this is a shameful attitude.

Presently in Japan, the greatest cause for unnatural deaths is lung cancer. Up until a few years ago, the leading cause was stomach cancer, but, as the Boomer Generation reaches their 50's, the number of lung cancer-related deaths has increased dramatically. Behind these deaths is the sad fact that the cigarette-loving Boomers have not been able to give up smoking. In a symposium, "Cancer Prevention in the 21 Century--Learning from the Decline in the U.S.", held on April 27th of this year, the President of the Japan Medical Association, Dr. Eikou Tsuboi, emphasizing that the first and foremost cause for lung cancer is smoking during adolescence, stated that, "Lung cancer is 30 times more prevalent in those who began smoking at age 15 or under than those who did not." "Furthermore, results of a study show that, the lung cancer death rate is 4.5 times higher in smokers than in non-smokers, 32.5 times higher in larynx cancer cases, 2.9 times higher in cancer of the mouth, and 2.2 times higher in cases of cancer of the esophagus."

At Seicho-No-Ie International Headquarters, smoking and non-smoking areas were established some time ago, but it's only recently--this year in fact--that general "No Smoking" regulations have been implemented at my Grand Seminars. With this decision by the EU, Japan should change the vague packaging labels that state, "Smoking may be damaging to your health". In the United States there are warnings on cigarette packs that clearly state, "Surgeon General's Warning: Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight", or "Surgeon General's Warning: Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy." Some states even prohibit outdoor advertising for cigarettes within a certain distance from schools. Increasing the cost of cigarettes may be another deterrent. In Canada and/or Northern Europe, a pack of cigarettes costs anywhere from the equivalent of 500 yen to as much as 700 yen. If we, too, (in Japan) take similar measures, as well as outlaw cigarette vending machines, we should, at the very least, be able to significantly reduce the number of middle school-age smokers.

- MT

Children and Time Away from Their Parents

In a recent NHK satellite broadcast of an edition of ABC news, it was reported that a 10-year, 10-city federal study, found that children who spent the most time in day care away from their parents were more likely to be aggressive and exhibit behavioral problems when they got to kindergarten. This same report was taken up in the International Herald Tribune-Asahi Shimbun where I read about it in more detail.

In this study, billed as the largest long-term study of child care ever conducted, over 1300 children in a variety of settings were followed, not only in day care situations, but with baby-sitters and with other care-giving relatives as well. It was found that children in day care scored higher in terms of aggression. The study found the findings held up regardless of family background, i.e. male or female, parents' annual income, etc. The article cautioned, however, that the results of this study do not in any way mean that "education by anyone other than the parent breeds aggression." The children in the study (age 3 months to 4 year olds) spent an average of 26 hours a week away from their parents.

According to this study, children who spend more than 30 hours per week in an environment away from their parents "scored higher on items like 'gets in lots of fights, 'cruelty,' 'explosive behavior,' as well as 'talking too much,' 'argues a lot,' and 'demands a lot of attention.'" So, Dr. Jay Belsky, a principal researcher on the study, commented that, "If it follows that the more time the child spends away from the parent, in various child-rearing settings, the more disorderly he/she becomes, to avoid these possibilities, less time should be spent with non-parental care-givers. Parents should spend more time caring for their children and work part-time."

Problems arise when small children spend significant time away from their parents. I wonder, then, how those in the United States, where there are a countless number of single parent families and families where both parents are working, will deal with this dilemma?

- MT

My Wife's First Publication

My wife's first book, entitled Essays on Each Season*, was recently published by Nihon Kyobunsha. It is a collection of the essays she wrote for the Japanese White Dove magazine over a six-year period. Each essay was about five pages long, which is relatively short, but, with all 42 combined, it makes for quite a bit of reading. I, too, had my first book published some four years ago, and I can tell you from experience that writing a book and publishing it for the general public, requires a certain amount of courage and is even a little embarrassing. I would, therefore, like to ask for your warm support and encouragement on this, my wife's first venture.

I personally have had the opportunity to publish three books thus far, and, in each case, I reached the deadline date, still not satisfied with the end product and reluctantly had to approve the final copy with corrections. Thinking about it, though, there probably isn't a writer who exists that is truly satisfied with his or her final manuscript. It seems that there's been a recent increase in people writing their "memoirs", and I think that, in some ways, my three books have all been just my "memoirs." In other words, they were accountings of my inner thoughts at the time. Since we are all never the same for any prolonged period of time, conquering one book and going on to the next is good. And, "the next book" leads to the next book and the next. In this way, if the author matures and develops with each new publication, the readers will excuse the small mistakes. A problem arises, though, when the book that follows isn't quite as good as the one preceding it. We'd like to try our best, though, to "avoid" that problem.

Included in my wife's book, there are five sketches of mine as well as five photos that I took. Four of those sketches are posted on this website, under the "On Drawing" link. They, however, pale in comparison to the magnificent drawing on the front cover of cherry blossoms in full bloom, done by master artist, Tadashi Asoma. Although mine are all embarrassingly poor, I trust that you will understand that it all comes from a loving husband trying to support and encourage his wife.

(*Not yet available in English)

- MT