Volume 16, Number 5 |
Often described as the "Last Paradise on Earth", Bali is the place where you can enjoy diving and surfing in the breathtaking seas to your heart's content. Traditional dances called "Kecak" and "Barong" will also ease your eyes and mind. If you are into history, you should surely visit Borobudor, the Buddhist shrine built back in the eight or ninth century. It sounds like a heavenly holiday that anyone would dream of. However, this is just one small piece of Indonesian charm. Take a close look at a world map. Stretched along the equatorial zone for about 5,100 km West to East, and 2,000 km North to South, Indonesia contains as many as 14,000 islands. Hundreds of tribes and ethnic groups with different cultures and religions live together and about 300 languages are spoken. Each island has different things to offer. Where is your next holiday destination?
Mr. M. Faiz Syuaib will introduce you to the nature, history, culture and education of Indonesia. He lives in Ami town now and he is a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Agriculture, Ibaraki University.
| Date: | May 22 (Wed) |
| Time: | 14:00 - 16:00 |
| Place: | Tsukuba Information Center 3F |
| Guest | Mr. M. Faiz Syuaib |
The Tsukuba Information Center offers Japanese Chatting Time on the 2nd and 4th Friday every month. This month it will be held on May 10 and 24 from 13:30 to 15:30. Admission is free. It is designed for people who have studied Japanese but do not have much time or opportunity to talk with Japanese people. Why don't you come and join us? You don't need to speak Japanese fluently. For further information, contact Tsukuba Information Center at 0298-52-6789.
A traditional Korean cooking class will be held this month. A Korean member of our group will teach Korean dishes and which we will eat together. If you can come to our class, please contact us at least 3 days in advance.
| Date: | May 13 (Mon) |
| Time: | 10:30 |
| Place: | Ninomiya Public Hall Cooking Room |
| Bring: | Apron |
| Cost: | 200 yen per person |
| Contact: | (English) Ms Ohtake at 51-3721 (aml00801@mail1.accsnet.ne.jp) or Ms Okitsu at 51-7958 (gingakun@hotmail.com)
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The annual Tsukuba Festival will be held May 11 and 12 along the bicycle pathway leading from Takezono Park near Daiei up through the Center Plaza area at Tsukuba Center and on up into the Expo Park to the north. Numerous volunteer groups, international student organizations, etc. have booths to sell a wide variety of foods and other goods. Tsukuba International School will also have a booth in the Center Plaza area selling pop corn, candy and other items. This is a great opportunity to just walk around and see what there is to see.
Mary Sisk Noguchi of Meijo University, writer of the column Kanji Clinic (wwwkanjiclinic.com) for the Japan Times, will present "Which Kanji Dictionary Can Best Meet Your Kanji-Learning Needs?" Sunday, May 26th, 13:30-17:00; (Registration from 13:00) at Tokyo Kasei Gakuin ? Tsukuba Women's University. Sponsored by JALT (Japan Association for Language Teaching), members are free, and one-day members are \500.
Are you learning kanji? Are you teaching Japanese to foreigners from non-kanji using countries? If so, we hope to see you at this active workshop. Japanese-English character dictionaries are highly comprehensive tools for mastering kanji and vocabulary, indispensable to the attainment of literacy in Japanese as a Second Language (JSL). There are currently four such dictionaries in print. At least one of them may be on your bookshelf already! Using a variety of hands-on activities, this workshop will demonstrate how the four dictionaries differ in their indexing systems, overall aims, and numerous features. Kanji learners will be enabled to knowledgeably select the dictionary best suited to their own kanji learning needs. Japanese teachers will learn how to advise their students about character dictionaries. Tokyo Kasei Gakuin Tsukuba Women's University is about a 15-minute walk straight north (towards Mt. Tsukuba) from Tsukuba Center Bus Terminal on the pedestrian path which runs the length of Tsukuba City. It is about a 2-minute bus ride from Bus Stop #1 of the Tsukuba Center Bus Terminal. Any bus which goes to the University of Tsukuba stops at the bus stop beside the University.
Prior to the build-up for the Expo'85 World Science Fair, shopping in Tsukuba was almost non-existent, and residents had to go to Tsuchiura or elsewhere for their shopping. Then, in rapid succession, Daiei, along with Seibu and Jusco, built new department stores in central Tsukuba. Daiei, with its two floors of shopping with three floors of parking directly above, made life easier for "Tsukubaites" (or would it be "Tsukubans"?)
After the "burst of the bubble" a few years ago, numerous Japanese companies and banks have been struggling with huge debts that have forced scaling back on many fronts. The Sogo department store chain went completely under some time ago, and Daiei has been closing stores that haven't been doing so well. One problem the local Daiei store faced was that they didn't own the land, and so along with reduced sales caused by the downturn in the economy and the increased competition of new stores, they also have had to pay rather substantial rent. Thus, the decision was made to bow out of the Tsukuba market.
The final sales are going on this month, and the store, along with all of the smaller businesses within it, will close completely at the end of May. How the building will be used from June has not yet been announced, but with such a nice facility and no rental income coming in, one can bet that some sort of store will open up there again. Wouldn't it be grand if Costco came in and took it over! (For those of you who don't know about Costco, it is a giant, American wholesale store that opened its first outlet in Japan near Makuhari Messe in Chiba.)
The headlines of the May, 1988 issue of the Alien Times read "'Don't Hold Your Breath' Tsukuba Residents Told, As JR Debates New Joban Line." For a bit of historical perspective, we thought we would run that article once again.
In the early '70's, the original mass transportation plan envisaged a high-speed transit system connecting Tokyo, Tsukuba, and the New Tokyo International Airport at Narita. Planners interviewed by the Alien Times offered two main reasons why this system (which also included a monorail from Tsukuba to Tsuchiura) never materialized. The first "official" explanation blames it all on the Oil Shock, which stymied government-funded projects throughout the country. The other, and probably more significant reason, is political. Merchants in Tsuchiura had a great deal of clout in the prefectural assembly, and they were not at all enthusiastic about any plan which would make it easy for Tsukuba people to whiz directly into Tokyo or beyond and completely bypass Tsuchiura. The government also realized that there was considerable reluctance on the part of the families to leave Tokyo and establish their homes in the new city. If high-speed travel were available, they feared that Tsukuba would only have a commuter population.
Until 1985, local residents had to do most of their shopping in Tsuchiura. Then came Expo '85 which changed all that!
During the preliminary planning for Tsukuba Expo '85, transportation again came under discussion. The Joban Expressway was opened and a temporary train station was added between Arakawaoki and Ushiku with an increase in the number of trains. This arrangement was a substitute for an earlier proposal, which was to have the Japanese National Railroad buy right-of-way to construct a "second Joban Line" which would split off at Toride, pass through Tsukuba, and rejoin the present tracks at Ishioka. Again, commercial and political considerations helped to kill the project, although the enormous expense was a factor even for the government-supported JNR.
For a while, it seemed that the "New Joban Line" idea was completely derailed, but local politicians looking around for new campaign promises, have lately brought it back. Earlier commercial opposition in Tsuchiura has dwindled, and the merger of local towns and villages into the new Tsukuba City has produced new political strength in favor of the rail concept. Discussions have even progressed to such matters as where the line would enter the city and where the stations would be located. Again, commercial and real estate interests would likely supercede public convenience, although it seems certain that any central station would be near the Tsukuba Center Building, the bus terminal and major department stores.
Can we rely on this fresh interest to at last bring rail service to our city? Local political leaders have assured us that we can expect action in the near future. However, railroad planners contacted by the Alien Times warn us that there are major obstacles which mean that rail service is years away, if indeed it materializes at all.
Since JNR has become the private JR, they must plan with shareholder profits in mind. Purchase of right-of-way, a process which alone takes several years, is almost prohibitive due to rising land prices in southern Ibaraki prefecture. Also, JR requires a minimum population of 500,000 people to install a new line, and that leaves Tsukuba (with its 150,000 residents mostly scattered over a huge area rather than concentrated near a potential station site), off the beaten track.
Unless the government provides a major infusion of tax funds and directs private corporations to get "on board", it is likely to be a long, long time indeed before any of us can hop a train from Tsukuba Eki.
In 1988, this is how things looked - not very promising. In fact, a local joke was to refer to the "Joban Shinsen" (New Joban Line) as the "Jodan Shinsen" (the New Joke Line), as it seemed like it would never get off the ground. With construction of "Tsukuba Eki" (Station) and major portions of the rail line well under way, no one is calling it the "Jodan Line" any more. While it remains to be seen if the planned opening in 2005 will be on schedule, given the rapid progress being made now, it looks like a good bet. So, barring any major catastrophe, it will only be a relatively short 3 years until we can "hop a train from Tsukuba Eki."
The final campaign for bringing to completion the long-awaited train line to Tokyo was officially begun at Tsukuba International Congress Center on April 24, as approximately 40 dignitaries gathered on stage before more than 1000 guests. Gov. Hashimoto began the string of congratulatory speeches that included many local, prefectural and national government politicians. The climax to the almost one hour of speeches, however, were two 6th grade children from local schools who read their compositions about their dreams for the future. Both stressed how the Tsukuba Express will broaden their horizons, allowing them easy access to numerous sites in Tokyo and beyond. It will also allow "city folks" in Tokyo easy access to the "rural pleasures" of Mt. Tsukuba and its environs. One child added that his dream was that a great theme park like Disneyland would also be built to attract people to the area.
Following a brief ceremony with the traditional "kusudama" ball that spills out its contents of a banner along with lots of streamers, confetti and balloons as it opens up, the audience was treated to a celebrity presentation. The guest was Daniel Kahl, a well-known foreign "TV talent" whose imitation of the Yamagata accent has particularly endeared him to the Japanese. Kahl first came to Japan from his native California as a 17-year-old high school exchange student. He later spent part of his college study in Japan as well before coming back a third time as an AET teacher in Yamagata. He said he really fell in love with the Tohoku area (which was no doubt enhanced by his falling in love with one of the locals who became his wife!), and that is how he came to master the local dialect and make it his trade mark.
Kahl's hour-long message had the audience spellbound, as it was both very entertaining as well as thought provoking. The core of his message was to encourage local people to take pride in their city as it further develops around the new train line. He pointed out that the Japanese virtue of "kenson" (humility) can become a negative thing when taken too far. While commending the virtue of humility in general, he pointed out that Japanese etiquette calls for a whole range of expressions that literally translated would be considered the ultimate in self-depreciation in western societies. People will introduce their family members with "This is my 'baka musuko'" (stupid son) or my "gusai" (foolish wife), etc. - something that would likely result in a slap across the face in America! When people are given a gift, the standard phrase is "Tsumaranai mono desu ga" (This is just a worthless thing) - even when the gift is really valuable. And when it comes to talking about one's hometown, people will almost invariably say, "Nani mo nai tokoro desu" (There is nothing there). "When interacting with someone, it is good to lift that person up through appropriate expressions," he said, "but you needn't put yourself down in the process." Basically, he was saying to treat others well, but in doing so, there is no need to treat yourself as trash.
A variety of colorful pamphlets and other literature concerning aspects of the new train line were given to all who attended. Some of the interesting facts presented include the projected total cost, which comes out to 1.05 trillion yen, or about 8 billion US dollars. For the 58.3 km of line, that works out to about $137 million per kilometer! As to where that money is coming from, a corporation was established that borrows the money from national and local coffers as interest-free loans. This money is then repaid from the revenues generated from operating the trains. Presumably the cost of a ticket will be approximately the same as the equivalent distance on other lines, or something a bit over \1000. One wonders how many years it would take to pay off 1.05 trillion yen. If we presume a net profit of \500 per passenger trip (which may be a bit generous) that would take 21 billion individual trips. The literature claims that 327,000 people are expected to use the line daily (roughly twice as many people as live in Tsukuba!), but even with that generous estimate (admittedly, people all along the line will be using it, and that is many times the population of Tsukuba), it comes out to about 88 years. Whatever the actual figures turn out to be, it is obvious that it would take many years to pay off from ticket sales alone.
Some other interesting facts are that like the Joban Line, the electrical system used to run the motors will be switched mid-route. From Tokyo out to Moriya, the system will use the standard 1500 volts of DC current, but from there to Tsukuba, it will be changed over to 20,000 volts of AC current. The reason for this seemingly strange set-up is that on the backside of Mt. Tsukuba in the town of Yasato, there is a sensitive observation station for the earth's magnetic field, and the "normal" DC current system would interfere with its operation.
The 58.3 km route is to take 45 minutes, with the maximum speed of the train being 130 km/hr. There will be 20 stations including Tsukuba and Akihabara, with 4 stations located within the Tsukuba city limits. After leaving the underground station at Tsukuba Center, the line will surface to the west of Nishi Odori and swing through what is now the Japan Automobile Research Institute testing grounds. Katsuragi Station is to be developed there, along with a whole new section of the city. After that, the line crosses over Tsuchiura-Gakuen Sen a few hundred meters west of the Tokodai intersection and heads south to the next station of Shimana a couple of kms. south of Tsuchiura-Gakuen Sen. The last station in Tsukuba will be Kayamaru near route 354 a couple of kms. west of the Yatabe Branch Office. All of these areas along the route will have substantial developments of new housing and businesses.
In conjunction with this development, the new expressway is under construction that will run more or less perpendicular to the Joban Expressway and connect Tsukuba directly with Narita Airport as well as going across to Saitama to complete a circular route around Tokyo. This project, however, will take much longer to complete as much of the land is not even purchased yet. As anyone who has tried to drive to somewhere on the other side of Tokyo knows all too well, the expressways serving the greater Tokyo area all run into the heart of Tokyo with nothing going around the crowded city. This, of course, is a major reason for the jams on the expressways leading into Tokyo, as many of the cars and trucks in the long lines are just trying to get to the other side of the city to proceed along their merry way. Thus, developing bypasses around the city will take a considerable amount of the traffic away from central Tokyo, where the drivers don't want to be anyway. The present situation is like have a wheel with only the spokes and no rim - not very efficient at carrying the traffic along.