Volume 13, Number 5 |
One perennial complaint among foreigners living and/or working in Tsukuba has been the poor quality of the public transportation system. Kanto Tetsudo, the private company that runs the buses in Tsukuba (as well as throughout Ibaraki) has come under fire numerous times in the past for ignoring requests to at least put numbers on the buses. The Feb. 1998 Alien Times featured a petition drive to get signatures to present to the bus company requesting they take this seemingly simple step. Several hundred signatures were presented to the head office in Tsuchiura a few weeks later, and local Japanese newspapers featured articles about the problem.
Promises to consider the issue and see what could be done were made (in the typical bureaucratic vagueness), but in the intervening year, very little progress has been accomplished. The perception of it being of vital interest to the company has been lacking, and thus there has been little motivation to move this item up the priority list. Without a sense of the non-Japanese-reading foreigners as a significant percentage of their customers, simply having the city or some other entity make a request to a private company that it spend its own funds to solve a problem it doesn't see as its hasn't gotten very far. Tsukuba, the International City is of little significance to a private, prefecture-wide company struggling to make a profit.
It has become clear that both the carrot and the stick are necessary to get things moving. Actually, it is more accurate to say mostly carrot; the only stick so far has been a petition and a few phone calls, and any talk of boycott or other such action isn't very realistic. Any company will respond to a request when they see it as in their own self-interest to do so. This is especially so if help is offered to accomplish the goal.
This is the approach being taken by Tokio Kenneth Ohska of the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), who heads up a consortium of Japanese representatives from various government and private research institutes who deal with foreign researchers and their needs. One April 26, Mr. Ohska and several other representatives (including Alien Times representative, Tim Boyle) went to the company headquarters in Tsuchiura to discuss the needs of the foreign community. Mr. Ohska made a detailed presentation of the make-up of the foreign community stressing that many are relatively short-term residents who cannot purchase a car and have to rely on the buses (or a bicycle). If the bus system was easier for them to use, there would be a significant increase in ridership (and therefore income) for the bus company. He even offered the services of the consortium to help the bus company to prepare the signs as well as to publicize the effort and encourage foreigners to make use of the buses.
One interesting point that he brought up was that the work schedules for many researchers are quite different from that of the normal 9 to 5 type job, and the fact that there are few, if any, buses running later in the evening on some routes forces Japanese researchers to buy a car even if they would prefer not to. In his own case, he has had to buy a second car in order to get home in the evening. The last bus leaving for points north, including KEK, is 6:40 pm. Thus, not only does this tend to isolate the large number of foreign researchers living at KEK, but with no way to get back home in the evening, he and other Japanese researchers have to buy a second car (assuming the sibling likewise needs a car for work, etc., which is often the case). Likewise, the government's reimbursement system for transportation is set up so that a researcher gets a salary supplement for public transportation to and from work, but a totally insignificant amount for the use of personal autos. But without a bus available at a reasonable time, there really isn't even an option. Even just one bus in the 9 pm range would ease this problem.
This approach seems to have moved Kanto Tetsudo into action, though the specifics are yet to follow. Hopefully, this time, things will move along quickly to a positive resolution and buses and bus routes will have easily distinguished numbers.
One other helpful suggestion coming out of the discussion is to begin having regular meetings of representatives of all agencies that provide for the needs of foreign residents so that each is aware of the needs and so that positive responses can be more easily coordinated. In light of this, foreigners are encouraged to make specific suggestions of what could be done to make their lives in Tsukuba easier and more enjoyable. Obviously, such suggestions must be reasonable and feasible. Nevertheless, the persons best able to communicate the needs of the foreign community are foreigners themselves. So do let your needs and suggestions be made known. You can reach the consortium of Japanese representatives who deal with foreign researchers and their needs (TIN: Tsukuba Internataional Network) at:
Tokio Kenneth OHSKA
International Collaboration Office
High Energy Accelerator Research Organization
1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan
phone 0298-64-5123, fax 0298-64-5195, e-mail tokio.ohska@kek.jp
or
Yasuhiko Komatsu / Fumie Ichimura
Tsukuba Research Administrative Office
Agency of Industrical Science and Technology, MITI
phone:0298-55-1250, fax 0298-55-3833, e-mail koma@tra0.aist.go.jp
Professor Paul Axton, of the American Christian College, is again offering a continuing education course that can be taken for credit. The Spring Term begins May 12 and extends through July 14. It consists of a one hour class each Wednesday evening from 8 to 9 pm and is held at the Ibaraki YMCA building in Tsukuba. It is an in-depth study of contemporary Japanese thought at the popular and intellectual levels which accounts for the modern Japanese worldview. Topics include the origins and development of cultural nationalism, Japanese religion and religiosity, the idea and function of knowledge in Japan, the shift in attitudes surrounding returnees and American colleges in Japan, and recent attempts to reform higher education. The cost is 22000 yen per course. To register or for more information, contact Paul Axton at 56-2167 or email axtonpf@compuserve.com.
Launched in 1961 and implemented by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), this program supports travel and subsistence costs required for cooperative research. Japanese counterpart scientists and engineers are typically associated with universities and colleges. American researchers from any sector may apply. Cooperative research projects may be supported for 1 to 3 years. Visits made in conjunction with such projects are short-term, usually several weeks to three months each year. Support is also offered for travel and living expenses for graduate students and postdoctoral investigators who can contribute significantly to a project.
Proposal Deadline: NSF: June 15 of each year JSPS: May 23 of each year
The Japanese counterpart principal investigator must submit a proposal to JSPS. Joint approval of such projects by NSF and JSPS is required, and the U.S. investigator's proposal to NSF must include a copy of the cover page of the proposal submitted to JSPS.
Detailed project description and budget can be found by visiting: http://www.twics.com/~nsftokyo/home.html
As part of its activities, the Tsukuba Information Center sponsors a bilingual discussion group the fourth Wednesday of every month from 2 to 4 pm, with invited guests giving a presentation from their area of expertise or experience. This month, we are pleased to have Ms. Emily Katai, who came to Japan 6 years ago. She is married to a Japanese man and has two small children. During her life in Japan, she has notice that Americans and Japanese often behave very differently in the way we make friends, react to miscommunications, express ourselves, take care of our families and ourselves, etc. Because of these differences, Americans and Japanese often feel awkward towards each other. She hopes that by discussing our different ways of relating and our experiences, we can see our common humanity.
She will talk about issues related to being a housewife, such as washing rice, stirring nukadoko, hanging up laundry and how one can make one's family life richer.
The Coffee Hour is meant to be an informal exchange of information and opinions. English and Japanese are both used with efforts made to make sure those who can't understand one or the other are able to at least get the gist of the conversation. Likewise, you don't need to commit yourself to the entire two hours and can come and go freely. So drop by, whether for a short time or for the entire two hours, and enjoy some free refreshments along with the stimulating conversation.
Second year graduate students majoring in teaching Japanese as a second language invite you to join a 5-day intensive course for beginners. The course will focus on basic conversation skills. The classes will take place from July 2nd through July 7th every day except Sunday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm at the 2G building of Tsukuba University. There will be 2 classes of 10 people per class. Applicants must be over 18 years old. There is no tuition fee, but 500 yen will be charged for teaching materials.
For more information and to register call Barbara at 55-5345 (English), Duan at 56-7663 (Chinese), Chon at 54-8742 (Korean), Saranya at 53-9150 (Thai) or contact Masumi (s973020@ipe.tsukuba.ac.jp). We will send you an application form and a questionnaire.
There is a movie documentary of life in Sarajevo during the ethnic conflicts that still rock Yugoslavia and its former states. It is subtitled in English and is a good opportunity to sense first hand the frustrations of ethnic conflict. The 81 min. movie will be shown on June 12 at the Arusu Hall at 2:30 and 6:30 pm as is followed by free discussion. Tickets are 1000 yen prepaid and 1200 yen at the door. Child care is available. For more information, call 60-6097.
The AIST related Techno-Growth House is sponsoring a lecture by Dr. Edward Murdy, the director of the Tokyo office of the U.S. National Science Foundation. Dr. Murdy's address is entitled International Activities of the U.S. National Science Foundation and is open to anyone who is interested. The lecture begins at 3 pm on Thursday, June 1 and is followed by a reception from 4:30 to 6 pm. All who are interested in attending are requested to let the Techno-Growth House know by Friday May 28. Fax 53-0802, email: tgha@jitl.aist.go.jp
The Gitah Bunkakan, as it is known in Japanese, is a small concert hall and museum of guitars and other related instruments. Located over the mountain in Yasato Machi, Palacio De La Guitarra is about a 40 minute drive from downtown Tsukuba.
Open only on weekends and during Golden Week, the palace offers several interesting concerts every year. The upcoming June concert features a joint concert of a Japanese duo, Masayuki Kato and Kenji Tezuka on June 5 at 6 pm.
Other upcoming concerts include: August 28, 6 pm, Maria Estelle Guzman Guitar Recital; Sept. 9, 3 pm, Yuki Taira, Songs of Okinawa (with guitar accompaniment); Oct. 3, Emiko Iwabuchi, a non-guitar concert on piano; Oct. 24, The Hollan Baroque Orchestra; Nov. 14 and Dec. 5 (both at 3 pm) feature European artists whose name in katakana are rather difficult to decipher. The first is something like Wolfeen Liske from Germany and the second is Jens Bang Rassmusen from Denmark. All concerts are 3000 yen, and since the seating is rather limited, they usually are sold out rather early.
There are also mini concerts every day the hall is open and cost 800 yen for admission. The times for these 30 minute or so concerts are noon, 2 pm and 4 pm (except on regular concert days), and provide very pleasurable listening in a small, domed hall with excellent acoustics. If you are not staying for a mini concert, then admission is only 500 yen. For more information, call Palacio De La Guitarra 0299-46-2457, or call the Alien Times for directions in English. Web page site: http://www.guitar.or.jp/palacio/index.html
An English language interdenominational worship service is held once a month normally on the fourth Sunday of every month at 2 pm. at the Tsukuba Gakuen Church near Daiei. The May service is on May 23, and as it is Pentecost, there will be a barbeque between the Japanese and English services. Services are followed by an informal fellowship time at the Tsukuba Christian Center next door. The Japanese language congregation meets every Sunday morning at 10:30, and the service is translated into English over headphones. There is also a Bible Study in English every Tuesday evening at 8:00 am in the Christian Center. For more information or help with transportation, call Tim Boyle at 55-1907.
The Tsukuba Catholic Church has an English mass at 8:00 am every Sunday and the Japanese masses on Saturday night (6 pm) and Sunday morning (10 am) are accompanied by a summary of the message in English. There is even a Spanish mass on the 3rd Sundays at 3 pm. On the last Sunday of the month, there is a coffee social after the English mass. For information, call the church at 36-1723. The Tsuchiura Catholic Church offers an English mass on the last Sunday of each month at 3 pm (tel. 21-1501). There is also a Portuguese mass on the 3rd Saturday at 7 pm.
The Tsukuba Baptist Church offers an English language Bible study before the Japanese service every Sunday from 10 to 11 am. It is located in Inarimae just east of Nishi Odori on the street closest to the meteorological observation tower. Tel. 58-0655.
The Megumi Church in Tsuchiura (489-1 Kami Takatsu) also offers English translation of their 10:30 am Japanese service over ear phones. An English Bible class is held every Sunday morning at 9:00 am. There is also an International Fellowship group that holds a monthly pot luck dinner usually on the third Saturday. For information on that, call Melissa Ishio at 38-1374. For more information, call the church at 22-2244 or e-mail LDN03144@niftyserve.or.jp (Also see their Tsuchiura Megumi Church Web Page at http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/ro/tmc/index.html).
The Tokyo International Church, Tsukuba Branch in Amakubo 3-3-5 (across from Tsukuba Univ.) offers a 10:30-noon Chinese (Mandarin) service interpreted into both English and Japanese. There is also an English language Bible study every Sunday evening at 7 pm. For information, call Rev. Huang at 52-6820.
The International Christian Assembly meets every Sunday at Free Space K (in Shimohiratsuka next to Kasuga 3 chome) from 10 am for Bible Study and 10:30 am for worship. For more information, call Richard Swan at 36-0993.
The Nozomi Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tsuchiura (23-27 Komatsu 3-chome) also offers programs in English, including a worship service Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm and a Bible class on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am. English Bible information courses are available any time. For more information, call Glen Hieb at 0298-21-3578.
The Tsuchiura Christian Church offers an English message translated into Japanese every Sunday morning at 10:30 am. For information, contact Paul Axton at 56-2167.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Tsukuba ward is located at Higashi 2-21-22 by Higashi Middle School between Doho Park and Tsuchiura Noda Sen. Services are translated into English over headphones. The Sacrament Meeting begins at 10 am followed by Sunday School at 11:10 am and Priesthood and Relief Society at noon. A Gospel Doctrine class in English is also offered. For more information, contact 52-6548.
The Jewish Community of Japan invites anyone of the Jewish faith in the Tsukuba area to feel welcome at any of their programs in Tokyo. Sabbath services are each Friday at 6:30 pm followed by Sabbath dinner; Kosher Kitchen, Saturday morning, 9:30 am. Contact 3-8-8 Hiroo, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 150; tel. 03-3400-2559, fax. 03-3400-1827.
1915: German Submarine Fires Warning Torpedo Into Lusitania
1916: Army Physicians Laud Mustard Gas as First Inhalable Condiment
1920: Women Experience Futility of Voting Firsthand
1925: Heisenberg Says Uncertainty Principle May or May Not Be Greatest Discovery Ever
1927: Supreme Court Rules Films Do Not Have Right To Remain Silent
1929: Stock Market Crash Linked to Jews, Blacks, Catholics, Radicals, Foreigners, and Anyone Who Looks Funny
1933: FDR's "The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Eleanor" Speech Calms Nation
1933: New Deal, Same Deck
1934: Newborn Ralph Nader Files Suit Against Mother for Ejecting Him Into Hostile, Unsafe Environment
1937: Jobless Rate Tops 110 Percent With Many Unemployed at More Than One Occupation
1939: Lou Gehrig Comes Down With Lou Gehrig's Disease; "With My Name, I Figured It Was Only a Matter of Time," Says Yankee First Baseman
1947: FAA Charges Drunken UFO Pilot in Roswell Crash
1948: Truman Defeats Dewey; Huey and Louie Have Yet To Concede
1968: Hippies, Beatniks Sign Historic Personal Hygiene Ban
1968: Nonproliferation Treaty Strictly Limits Nuclear Weapons to Nations That Can Afford Them
1969: Teddy Kennedy Charged With "Leaving the Scene of a Successful Cover-Up"
1977: IBM Monopoly Threatens Free Market, Warns Head of Tiny Start-Up Microsoft
1979: U.S. Embassy in Iran Under New Management
1989: Chinese Authorities Kick Off "Keep Tiananmen Square Clean" Week With Special Tank Sweepers
1989: Scientist Achieves Cold Fusion on Honeymoon
1996: Desperate Postmaster General Tries To Hand-Deliver E-Mail
1997: AOL Offers 50 Hours of Free Downtime
1998: ACLU Targets Lactose Intolerance
1999: Turnout for Apocalypse Lighter Than Expected; Most Prefer To Be Elsewhere When World Ends
Come on and participate in the "International Women's Conference in lbaraki!"
Admission free. The lbaraki Prefectural Government is working to create a gender-equal society. The International Women's Conference in lbaraki will provide a forum for participants to consider how to guarantee human rights and ensure gender equality from an intemational perspective, together with women in government from East Asian nations.
Date: 10:00 - 17:00, Saturday, June 19, 1999
Location: Tsukuba Intemational Congress Center (EPOCHAL TSUKUBA)
Program
10:00 - 12:00 Workshop: "Empowerment of Women" (Reports, discussions, and presentations on daily activities and opinions)
13:00 - 17:00 Keynote Address: "Toward the Gender-Equal Society" Speaker: Haniwa Natori (Director of the
Office for Gender Equality, Cabinet Councilor, Prime Minister's Office)
Panel Discussion: "Let our Voices from Beijing Reverberate into the 21st Century" Coordinator: Kaku Sechiyama (Assistant Professor, University of Tokyo) Panelists: Senior Officials of National Institutes for the Advancement of Women in East and Southeast Asian Countries and the Director of Ibaraki-ken Women's Plaza
18:00 - 19:30 Informal Gathering at Sansuitei
Participating countries: Brunei Darussalam, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Kingdom of Thailand, Malaysia, Union of Myanmar, Mongolia, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Singapore, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, and Japan
Application: Send an application either by mail (post card) or facsimile, specifying your address, name, telephone number, and the session(s) in which you wish to participate (workshop, international conference, and/or informal gathering), to the following address or facsimile number. Please let us know whether or not you may wish to use the babies' room.
Mailing address: Women's and Youth Division, Ibaraki Prefectural Government, 978-6, Kasahara-cho, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, 310-8555 Japan Telephone number: 029-301-2178 Facsimile number: 029-301-2189
Deadline: Applications must be received by us by Wednesday, June 2, 1999. We will select participants by lottery and send them a registration card.
* Simultaneous interpretation and sign-language interpretation will be available.
* Brochures will be available at Tsukuba City Hall and the Tsukuba Information Center.
By Victor Heese
What can fifteen enthusiastic volunteers armed with garbage bags do to celebrate Earth Day' Not much, as members of the Tsukuba Walking and Mountaineering Club (TWMC) found out on April 18.
Over the past year, the TWMC has enjoyed many trips to various places in Japan ranging from easy day trips to 4 day excursions in the mountains. In return for all the pleasure that we have had hiking around Japan, the TWMC decided to sponsor a clean-up effort in our own backyard; Tsukuba-san. To maximize effectiveness, volunteers were enlisted from the club and from the general community. Announcements were made, including on TAIRA, a local e-mail list devoted to the concerns of foreigners living in the Tsukuba area. One non-TWMC volunteer was successfully recruited. Apparently, the other TAIRites were occupied with the more worthwhile effort of searching foreign dictionaries for long words.
On the morning of April 18, some of the volunteers met in Tsukuba and drove to the rendezvous point close to the Tsukuba shrine, where they were joined by others who had bicycled. After a representative from the Tsukuba City Office took photographs, the larger group then divided into 4 smaller groups, grabbed some garbage bags and headed off to assigned areas to pick up litter.
Three hours of trash collecting later, some of it in the rain, the group rejoined. As about 80 bags of garbage were sorted into burnable and non-burnable, the group recounted stories of adventure and weird things found on the mountain. Perhaps the most common sentiment, however, was how little territory had actually been covered. Fifteen enthusiastic volunteers; a small mountain; the expectation had been that a lot was going to be accomplished; a lot of ground was going to be covered. But, the common experience was that, once we stepped off the path into the bushes, there was so much to be picked up, that only a small area could be properly cleaned.
Later, after we had washed off the grime and the disappointment, we soaked up some satisfaction in an onsen. Sure, it hadn't been much, but it had been something. Although there was a certain amount of frustration at how little had been accomplished, there were still 80 bags of garbage no longer on Tsukuba-san.
(For more information on the TWMC, check out our homepage at eve.bk.tsukuba.ac.jp/twmc/ or join us at our weekly meeting in Hot Stuff Wednesdays at 8:30pm).
Well, actually, many of the most spectacular flowers come in April, but certain varieties are at their peak later this month. Two really great poppy displays are coming up near Tsukuba, with the best time being late May. The poppies bloom for quite some time, however, and are still good into early June.
The two displays are at the Kokai River Flower Festival in Shimotsuma just off of Route 125 along the river, and the Flower Canal Spring Flower Festival in Fujishiro also along the banks of the Kokai River about 1 km north of the intersection on Route 6 that leads into Fujishiro Station. Both places have several special events on weekends, but the flower fields are open any time and are best viewed in clear weather. Thousands of people come each Spring to view the many acres covered in brilliant red, pink and white poppies. The Shimotsuma event claims to have 50 million poppies on 5 hectares, with events (concerts, etc.) scheduled 5/23, 5/30, 6/5 and 6/6. The 6/5 event is a fireworks display from 7:30 to 8 pm. The Furishiro main event is a concert on 5/16, with a rain date of 5/23.
Also worth mentioning is the rose displays at the Flower Park in Yasato, just over the mountain from Tsukuba. The rose is the official flower of Ibaraki Prefecture and is the main attraction at the Flower Park (though many other varieties are in bloom at various times of the year). The Rose Festival runs from May 22 through June 27. Admission is 640 yen for adults and 320 yen for children.
The following are some of the winning entries in a competition sponsored by the online magazine, Salon (www.salon.com), which invited readers to send in haiku versions of typical computer error messages (such as "Bad command or file name," etc.).
Serious error.
All shortcuts have disappeared
Screen. Mind. Both are blank.
The code was willing,
It considered your request,
But the chips were weak.
Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent, and reboot.
Order shall return.
Three things are certain:
Death, taxes, and lost data.
Guess which has occurred.
Everything is gone;
Your life's work has been destroyed.
Squeeze trigger (yes/no)?
I'm sorry, there's... um... insufficient?
what's-it-called?
The term eludes me....
Windows NT crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.
Seeing my great fault
Through darkening blue windows
I begin again
Printer not ready.
Could be a fatal error.
Have a pen handy?
A file that big?
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone.
Errors have occurred.
We won't tell you where or why.
Lazy programmers.
Login incorrect.
Only perfect spellers may
enter this system.
First snow, then silence.
This thousand dollar screen dies
so beautifully.
The Web site you seek
cannot be located but
endless others exist
There is a chasm
of carbon and silicon
the software can't bridge
Having been erased,
The document you're seeking
Now must be retyped.
Memo to Data Management Office:
Our staff has completed the 18 months of work on time and on budget. We have gone through every line of code in every program in every system. We have analyzed all databases, all data files, including backups and historic archives, and modified all data to reflect the change.
We are proud to report that we have completed the "Y-to-K" date change mission, and have now implemented all changes to all programs and all data to reflect your new standards: Januark, Februark, March, April, Mak, June, Julk, August, September, October, November, December. As well as: Sundak, Mondak, Tuesdak, Wednesdak, Thursdak, Fridak, Saturdak.
I trust that this is satisfactory, because to be honest, none of this Y to K problem has made any sense to me. But I understand it is a global problem, and our team is glad to help in any way possible. And what does the year 2000 have to do with it? Speaking of which, what do you think we ought to do next year when the two-digit year rolls over from 99 to 00? We'll await your direction.