Recently, some of my friends discussed about Chubu International Airport, or Central Japan International Airport. The conjunction city was going to change its name to "South Centrair city" due to the fact that the pet name of Chubu Airport is "Centrair", which is a synthesised word of "central Japan" and "airport." (Later, this naming was rejected by citizens of the city.)

To my surprise, though my friends knew the "Centrair," they did not recognise once-called New Tokyo International Airport had become Narita Airport last April....orz

I should say that public relations department of Narita Airport Authority has not made enough efforts to advertise its name.

http://www.cjiac.co.jp/foreign/english/faq/index.html

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/index.html

Wmn, looking the positions of these two airports, I wonder if the Chubu "Centrair" Airport is "centre" of Japan.

Postscript: Oops, I borrowed this map frim CIA site... there written "Occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, administrated by RUSSIA, claimed by JAPAN."

 

When I discussed the crisis of Darfur among Japanese bloggers, a friend of mine, Mr. Yamaguchi, told me that my logic and usage of "Democracy" are not persuasive. I explained what I felt about Democracy and he suggested me to write it in English. Therefore, I write.

When I was in the US, in the "Business and Society" class room, an American girl student made an impressive speech. She expressed the world without Democracy was where one cannot walk streets with her heads up.

I find the Democracy is more than a mere political decision-making system. It means that one accept the other's presence and existence. It means that one permit others to survive, to live, and to share communities. It is a reciprocal process. A person has to bother each other from the moment she was born. I believe Democracy has ethical aspects and ethics is the way to coordinate interests among the community members.

On the other hand, "MINSHUSHUGI," which is a translated Japanese word of Democracy, means a little different in Japanese people and the definition of "MINSHUSHUGI" is a little narrower than that of Democracy.

By the way, Mr. Joi Ito wrote very charming essay titled "Weblogs and Emergent Democracy." It shows how our net community affects the real world by emergent power and I found a new hope of Democracy and MINSHUSHUGI.

[Reference]
-Views from Japan
-Joi Ito

Some Japnese bloggers introduce English articles about Darfur into Japanese blog society, however, I do not know any case of vice versa. As Mr. Munaguruma suggests in his article (Japanese), it is significant to introduce to English-speaking bloggers on how some international problems are discussed among Japanese bloggers.

I believe the crisis in Darfur is the most urgent problem in the current international problems because it touches the life of Democracy. Those bloggers started a wiki site to collect and share the information in Japanese #1.

I am not sure how the Crisis in Darfur is reported, discussed and treated in English-speaking bloggers, but some might understand there are people who care about this problem in the far east Asia.

#1
Trial translation by Google:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://wiki.fdiary.net/sudan/

It is my regret that Google translates "Darfur" as "dull fool." Also, "Bu logger" means "blogger."

February 2nd, 2005, Future Planning Network (FPN) chose 11 alpha bloggers. "Alpha bloggers" means originally technological mentor on the net, however, they intentionaly meant very affective bloggers to lead opinions in Japanese net world. The event was so popular that FPN site down on the day.

The chosen bloggers are;

[Rondan Blogs] (The Best Opinion Leaders)

Mr. Ichiro Yamamoto on
Kirikomi Tiachou Blog (Drawn Sword Platoon Leader)
http://kiri.jblog.org/

Mr. Finalvent on
Kyokutou Blog (Fareast Blog)
http://finalvent.cocolog-nifty.com/fareastblog/

Mr. R30 on
R30::Marketing Shakai Jihyou (R30:: Marketing Socio Critiques)
http://shinta.tea-nifty.com/nikki/

Mr. Tetsuya Isozaki on
isologue
http://tez.com/blog/

[Antena Blogger] (The Best "Antena" Leader)

Mr. Hajime Taguchi on
100Shiki.com (Dot-com of the day)
http://www.100shiki.com/

Mr. Daiya Hashimoto on
Passion for the Future
http://www.ringolab.com/note/daiya/

Mr. Koichi Orita on
Ad Innovator
http://adinnovator.typepad.com/ad_innovator/

[Tech. Blogger]

Mr. Mochio Umeda on
Eigo de Yomu IT trend (Reading IT Trend in English)
http://blog.japan.cnet.com/umeda/

Mr. Chika Watanabe on
On Off and Beyond
http://www.chikawatanabe.com/

Mr. Naoya Ito on
NDO::Weblog
http://naoya.dyndns.org/~naoya/mt/

[The Best News Site Bloggers]

Mr. Masato Kogure on
[N]Netafuru (Give you a Dope!)
http://netafull.net/

[Lady's Selection]

Ms. Ramune Murayama et al (Group Blog) on
Working Mother Style
http://www.wmstyle.jp/

I just read an micro-economic analysis which maximize our utilities whether we should have two children or, say, four.

http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2005/01/the_selfish_rea.html

Have the number of children that maximizes average utility over your whole lifespan. When you are 30, you might feel like two children is plenty. But once you are 60, you are more likely to prefer ten sons and daughters to keep you company and keep the grandkids coming.

I was so surprised how different people think about the number of children between in US and in Japan. Writing blog articles in Japanese, I found many people in Japan, especially those who write their blogs, do not like the idea of having children. Some of them want none. It seems having children is a burden both economically and psychologically for young generations in Japan.

While people in the U.S. wonder to have their fourth children, in recent article, there is a discussion if Japanese people would have their second children or not.

http://nv-club.nikkeibp.co.jp/members/COLUMN/20050111/105697/
(in Japanese)

I hope someone explain why.

Today, I am trying to discribe why I dont like THE LORD OF THE RING...

I really love to read some fantasy story from a young age, and I had hope would like to read it long time. so I thought it is a chance when I knew its filmization.

But I watched the movie after, unfortunately I didnt enjoy it profoundly.
In that story, I feel have no place for me. and I felt a doubt to expression of Gollum.
But I know it needs a great prepared to render.
I tryed to read the book too, but I gave up. It is difficult for me same as James Joyce or more.

Anyway, Earthsea stories and Narnia now on picturization! I hope I can understand them and fell cozy...

Earthsea Director, Cast Named
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-04/05/16.00.film

THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS ENTERS INTO AGREEMENT WITH WALDEN MEDIA TO PRODUCE "THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE"
http://www.narnia.com/movie/news/movienews_030104.htm

I just made a presentation at our Christmas meeting of "Power-law and Net Credibility Currency Talking Night." My presentation is based on the idea that our thinking process, conversation and social networking process are all similar by "emergence."

• The Moment of AHA! (PowerPoint Slides)

Though I finished writing an article on my Japanese weblog, I found Mr. Joi Ito already wrote this kind of idea and made advance to the future democracy. The paper titled "Emergent Democracy " hit me.

• Joi Ito's Socialtext Workspace

*iAi-jp
http://www.iai-jp.com/

"BOKUNCHI" is a comic of Rieko Saibara, who is a famous comic artist. The word "bokunchi" means "my home" in a little boy's way. Her comic pictures seem so comical that no one expect any serious drama. Overall, most of Saibara's pieces are slap-stick comedies. This "BOKUNCHI" is quite different from her other comics, because it reflects her personal history until 7 or 10 years old...

At the time of "BOKUNCHI", maybe 30 years ago, Japanese people were incredibly poor. Most of Japanese worked as fishermen or as farmers, or as factory workers. Due to their poverty, there were innumerous remedies and violence in all the families. Many children had to do gang like jobs, drags, KYOUHAKU, on streets.

This book is about a history of children where mother had left them alone. The children had to support each other in troublesome life. In these years, I believe such poverty rarely exist in Japan. But still we sympathize such children because we share some experience with them.... Our personal history had some episode like the children in BOKUNCHI.

It is quite strange for me that I can be subjective when I wrote about BOKUNCHI in English. On my Japanese version of critiques of BOKUNCHI, I was quite emotional. I could nor write details of this story. My heart almost physically ached. Now, I see this story quit straight...

http://hidekih.cocolog-nifty.com/hpo/2004/09/bokunchi.html