Raw Japan
Slices of Japanese business, politics and life
Newly old
The character “shin”, or “new”, is on display at Kyoto’s Kiyomizu temple, selected by Japan’s kanji association as the word of 2009, with the chief priest’s calligraphy perched above the former capital, known more for its history than the au courant.
The word’s stock rose with phrases like “new Cabinet”, “new influenza”, new model Prius and new jury system. But looking at its dry, black ink on a recent trip, I wondered if the choice was also a comment on its ubiquity, or non-newness, in a marketing-saturated nation where the adjective is often pasted without any real commitment to the fresh or innovative. Two years ago the kanji for “fake” had been selected as word of the year.
Certainly, commercial hollowness is not new nor limited to Japan, while the world’s No.2 economy is undeniably home to fashion leaders, cutting-edge technology firms, and Nobel Prize and Oscar winners. But in the last two decades, Japan has seen a host of ”Shinseito”, “Shinshinto” and other “new” political parties, usually ending in tears, while its ”shinjinrui” — a new “breed” supposed to lead the country with a different drummer – are now barely distinguishable from the band they replaced.
The nation has experienced its share of “new eras”, “New Towns”, “new halfs”, even annual “beaujolais nouveau” booms, and thus “it’s deja vu all over again” when new is news. Moreover, a recurring theme about the new here is how quickly, if not already, that novelty is past tense. Perhaps, then, it is because of this penchant for making the new old, or the old new, that Japanese have applied some cultural fail-safes, at least for the major holiday of the season.
Wishing someone a “Happy New Year” before Jan. 1 is bad form, while the “nengajo” – a year-end postal equivalent of the Western Christmas card — is never delivered before the new calendar year begins, although it can be sent or received days afterwards without social stigma, with some waiting to check inbound mail before any “new” labour is undertaken.
In search of a flu shot
Take a look around any Japanese city and reminders of the H1N1 influenza threat are everywhere. Commuters in surgical masks. Hand sanitiser at building entrances. Classrooms and daycare centres being temporarily shut.
But nothing gets parents more into a panic than news reports of small children having died from the disease. Moms and dads understandably want vaccinations for their kids as soon as possible but there’s one major problem: where can you get them?
Japan has started administering the swine flu vaccine to high-risk groups such as medical personnel, pregnant women and children under the age of nine with medical problems such as asthma. But the wider school-age population will not be eligible until early next year.
One of my 3-year-old twin daughters qualified because she has a serious case of asthma, but the doctor told us to “keep it a secret” for fear of a rush on the hospital for scarce vaccine.
“This place already looks like a field hospital,” said the pediatrician at the children’s hospital, which was packed with young flu patients in the waiting room where some were even vomiting. “Everyone is desperate for the shot. We can’t work like this.”
Still, even high-priority patients have no guarantee of immediately receiving the vaccine.
We tried to get the vaccine for my other daughter, who also has asthma, but were told to call back later in the month because the doctor judged her symptoms to be too mild.
Thanks for your comment. Yes, I live in Tokyo and the city’s Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health says on its Website that those people seen as having the highest risk could get shots from Nov 9 and those classified as a “secondary risk” from Nov 16. But the reality is that many local clinics have been unable to obtain enough supplies of vaccine so they are giving shots only to a limited number of children — mostly restricted to those with the most chronic diseases.
My children’s pediatrician told me he received enough vaccine to cover only 60 children in his first delivery and he needed to prioritise patients. Another clinic said it was no longer taking reservations because all of the available shots for this month had already been booked.
I will try calling our clinic again this week as they as they were expecting additional vaccines to cover 100 more children. Let’s see how it goes.
Where’s the holy water?
My young son and I were heading into Catholic church on Sunday in Tokyo when we noticed something odd: There was no holy water at the entrance.
It felt strange. What could be more Catholic than crossing yourself with a dab of holy water as you race into Mass to find a pew?
At least that’s my image from as far back as childhood, along with all the standing-sitting-kneeling action and kids squirming in their seats anxious to grab a pastry in the basement lounge area after the service.
But we were told on Sunday that the Franciscan Chapel Center was emptying and covering the holy water basins to help prevent the spread of swine flu.
The chapel center, which caters mostly to expats in a country where less than half a percent of the population is Catholic, is also requesting that parishioners greet each other by bowing — not shaking hands – among other steps.
Who is that masked man/woman?
As the confirmed number of Japanese infected with the H1N1 flu virus rises, the growing question among many is: Where can we buy face masks?
Disposable masks have become an essential accessory in the worst-affected areas of western Japan, while a growing number of Tokyo commuters are wearing them. The government has recommended use by those who suspect infection, but some businesses are ordering employees to wear them, especially if they have face-to-face client interaction.
And Japan’s upper house of parliament is requesting that everyone, including lawmakers, wear a mask when entering the chamber.
Not surprisingly, some pharmacies and drug stores have run out of stock, while shares of medical mask makers Shikibo and Daiwabo have shot up since the first case was confirmed in Tokyo.
Osaka-based Shikibo says orders in April alone exceeded by 25 percent the volume of the previous business year, and TV footage shows lines outside stores.
My cousin in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, says more than half the people on the street are wearing masks now and the only reason she isn’t is because there are no masks to buy.
Japan says: “Now wash your hands”
The new flu strain that emerged in Mexico last month has brought Japanese TV shows, newspapers and government ads out in a rash of demonstrations of the art of proper hand-washing to avoid the spread of germs.
“First, you clean the palms, then rub the dirt off the back of the hands. Make sure you wash between fingers and finger tips. And yes, don’t forget your thumbs and wrists!!”
How to protect yourself from a new flu strain (Check out the demonstration from 7:40)
Even for the Japanese, who wear flu and hay fever masks by the million, sometimes when they’re not even sick, washing hands thoroughly for at least 15 seconds requires extra effort, as not many of us are well-versed in proper thumb-washing techniques.
The government also has a “cough etiquette” campaign calling on people to cover their mouths with a tissue when in the act, adding the rather obvious need to face away from other people. The guideline says post-cough dirty tissues must be thrown away immediately, although it doesn’t say where - a slight drawback in a country that is occasionaly trashcan-challenged.
Japan reported its first confirmed cases of the new flu recently and now has four patients, detected at Narita international Airport and sent directly to a hospital nearby to limit the spread of H1N1.
from Left field:
Ping pong players keep their temperatures in check
You could ordinarily be forgiven for having sweaty palms and a quickening heartbeat before you play a world championship final.
But not if your sport is ping pong and you are playing in the world table tennis finals in Yokohama.
Players were undergoing thermographic imaging checks upon arrival at the venue following a local flu scare.
Japanese organisers brought in the equipment, similar to machines used at the country's major airports, after a schoolboy was admitted to hospital.
The case proved to be a false alarm, but neighbouring South Korea has already confirmed its first case of the deadly new influenza A (H1N1) strain, which has killed at least 100 people in Mexico.
