Reflection, Running Man is Back In Osaka!!

This is a gigantic neon of Ezaki Glico Co along Dotonbori River lined with restaurants or theaters - the livest heart of southern Osaka City.  Ezaki Glico Co, Japanese confectionery company in Osaka , was  founded in 1922. This big neon sign has been a popular landmark of Osaka.  On March 12h, one day after the deadly catastrophe hit the northern Japan, the lights had been turned out to express the deepest condolences for the victims as well as to save energy . 

This iconic neon "Running Man" came back on April 4th with an added banner saying "We want to send a smile to everyone". Yes,we do believe that  there will be more smiling faces tomorrow!

Look at the sky. The color of the sky is changing form blue, orange, red to black with stars.

 The banner says "We want to send a smile to everyone."

 A sightseeing boat is coming.

The boat is gone.

Did you see American action film "Black Rain" starring Michael Douglas, released in 1989? This neon appeared in the film.

                                                           

Join "Operation Yashima"!!

                                                                        the first Sakura, cherry flowers in Nara

 It has been 25days since the deadly catastrophe hit the northern Japan, - earthquake, Tsunami and nuclear plant crisis. Always thinking of the people in suffering, we began to do what we can do. Especially young people's energy and contribution are the greatest.  They are  genius in using Internet or social network. 

                              a tiny,tiny bud of "Thunberg spirea"; Japanese name is "Yuki-Yanagi" meaning snow willow

The fans of "Evangelion", which is  extremely popular animation as well as manga (comics), started  "Operation Yashima" shortly after unfathomable disasters hit Tohoku area, Japan. This operation is to call for people to save energy so that more electricity can be sent to the stricken area, and the message has been sent through Twitter. In  "Evangelion" , people  need a huge energy to fight against the enemy attacking to destroy human beings. All energy in Japan is collected, so the whole Japan is blacked out. This  is named "Operation Yashima" in the story.

They tweeted "Operation Yashima" and a number of people retweeted it. The operation immediately and widely  spread and  has been echoing all over Japan. This movement is becoming a social phenomenon! The planed rolling blackouts, which are  set for 9 prefectures to prevent  sudden and massive blackout,  have been canceled many times. Let's join "Operation Yashima"! This operation is also good to save the earth from global warming.

In response of this "Operation Yashima" ,  another movement began among young people.  Volunteers set up the site for the saving-energy posters. The posters have been designed  by professional designers and amateurs. Here is the site , sorry only in Japanese, but languages are no matter, they are appealing. And you can print out any of them,  use them and link them without permission. With these printed posters,  young people have been visiting shops, restaurants, convenience stores and more to ask for their cooperatrion.  My favorite one is this.

"Tonight, Japan will become the darkest country."   

 The lit area showed by whitish yellow dots is Tohoku, the stricken area.  I wondered that  hundreds years ago, how people had lived without a flood of energy? They must have enjoyed beautiful star-filled night sky talking the legends of stars and constellations.  Where have all of them gone?

A group of  university students set up a multilingual website for foreign residents seeking information about the disasters. Now information is available in 41 languages thanks to more than 100 volunteers, including university students, professors and native speakers of those languages.

young leaves of maple tree bathed in golden sunset

One young man, who is also one of survivors, has been walking to shelter to shelter to find out accurate savivors' names and locations and been tweeting to send the information to the people who are desperately worrying about whether their loved ones are alive. How many people have been relieved to have reached his information.

  I am deeply moved in awe of tenderness and contribution of young people. They are the hope to rebuild Japan, better Japan , home for everybody.

Nara, the ancient capital of Japan, is praying for Tohoku. On April 1st, Himuro Shrine( Himuro means the ancient natural refrigerator)  held the candle lightning ceremony to celebrate 1300th anniversary of offering ice ritual. At the same time, this ceremony became the moment to think and pray for Tohoku, the stricken area. A flickering light covered with an  ice pot is so tiny but evokes firm hope-Japan will rise again.

This shrine is famous for an old weeping cherry tree which blooms first in Nara, an usher of spring in Nara.
The old weeping cherry tree is opening it's arms and bracing people.

 

Asahi Newspaper introduced Haiku, a short poem,

「生きていて生きてるだけで燕くる」 飯田操

"Being alive/Just being alive is enough/ Swallows come." by Misao Iida

Unknown flowers are beautifully  blooming.

Visit  My World site  and see more !

Prayers Since Ancient Times・・・・・

Shinto is indigenous religion of Japan and based on nature worship. It is said that there are eight million Shinto deities. They are everywhere, residing in the sun, the moon, mountains, rivers, rocks, waterfalls, trees and more.   Shinto deities are almost synonym of Nature.

Japan has been blessed with abundant harvest from the earth and sea, but at the same time Japan has suffered from many earthquakes and Tsunami.

Since ancient times, people have been thankful to nature and  continued to pray to the deities for happiness, peace, no disease, good weather and good harvest.   Now, I realize the most important prayer among them is good weather which also means no natural disasters. How powerless we are in front of  Mother Nature! So many lives were lost because of the earthquakes and Tsunami on March 11th. Our happiness, peace, no disease or good harvest - everything seems to be based on good weather.

These are sincere and quiet prayers offered to Shinto deities,  and I pray for the souls of the dead and the people in suffering. No more earthquakes, no more Tsunami, no more nuclear plant threat, no more hysteria following them.

Shinto priests pray and float white paper dolls down a river to wash away bad luck.

Torments or sufferngs, go away!.

Worshippers  pray to the deity.

Various dances dating back to the ancient times  are offered
 to the deity or deities with prayers.

This is a rehearsal. 

Miko, a shrine maiden,  quietly performs the sacred Shinto dance.

Boiling Water Ritual for purification.

Two weeks passed since March 11th.  TV news showed in a shelter  children speaking to  elderly people, and giving massage to them with beautiful smiles . The elderly people also smiled to the children. When I saw this scene, I felt this is the first  light of the hope for recovery and could believe that Japan will rise again.

A number of warm messages from the world have been arriving here in Japan through internet or social networks. This is "Pray for Japan (Your message is translated into Japanese)" of facebook, whose site is attached at the top of my sidebar. Messages sent from the world are translated from English into Japanese by volunteers so that the people can read them.  I am one of the volunteers and wish I had more time as the words have strong power. While translating them, I am moved to tears sometimes.

I thank all of you and the world for thinking Japan and praying for us.

To My Friends

Since the most devastating earthquake and Tsunami hit the Northeastern Japan on March 11th, the worst scenario has been rewritten every minute. Now nobody knows what will come next.  My heart is being rent.  Fortunately I live in Nara far away from the epicenter and these disasters could have happened anywhere in Japan. While watching TV news, I find myself not listening nor watching but just sitting there. For the time being, I 'll be absent from my blog.
How I have appreciated your warm concerns about my country and the people! How encouraging it is that global rescue teams are arriving one after another!  My deepest gratitude to you and the world.

This is a beautiful sunset. A small silhouette is the roof with a pair of "Shibi"s, of Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji Temple.

Amida Buddha resides in  the Western Pure Land of the Buddhist universe and welcomes the people who pray to Amida Buddha by name. So in  olden days, children who lost their parents would join their hands and pray to the sunset, thinking "Father is over there, Mother is over there."

The superintendent of Todai-ji Temple made the special announcement to tell us to do three things.
1.  "Pray for the souls of the dead."
2. " Think about the people in suffering and share the sufferings."
3. " Find what you can do and do your best to help recovery."

Now we are finding what we can do.