New Authentic Japanese Translation

読んでみよう
 1. What am I?
Who is the real me?
If someone asked you, “what kind of person are you?” how would you answer? “Quiet” “caring”
“talkative” “lonely” are some of the words you might use as an answer. But, is how you perceive yourself
a true reflection of who you are? Have you ever felt surprised to hear your friend describe you in a way
you never would describe yourself, such as “you’re really outgoing”? Perhaps you know yourself, but
have some parts you don’t to show other people? Some may especially feel reluctant to talk about
themselves with someone they just met. On the other hand, have you ever had the person you just met
talk all about themselves and thought “this person talks too much about themselves”?
What parts of yourself do you show someone you just met? Age? Occupation? Hobbies? Family?
Do you have parts of yourself you “show” and “don’t show” to people?
Confiding in someone about parts of yourself such as attitude, opinion, hobbies, work, and
personality is called “Self-Disclosure”.
From when an American exchange student and Japanese student had a discussion. An American
student posed the question “who in here has a significant other?”, to which most of the American
students raised their hand all at once, but the Japanese students shyly looked down and none raised
their hand. Even when asked “why? You don’t have a significant other?” they just vaguely laughed. The
American students feel frustrated because they “want to ask about how they date and have a
discussion”. This class discussion highlights the difference between who can and can’t be open to others
about whether they “have a significant other or not”.

Johari window
Here, “Johari window” will be introduced. Johari window was proposed by Luft and Ingham (Luft,
Joseph & Ingham, Harrington 1955), named after the two of them by combining their first names.

p.12
 Known to self Not known to self

Known to others 1 2

Not known to others 3 4

Image 1: Johari Window (Barnlund, 1979) *

Look at the above image. It looks like the Kanji “田”. Place what is known and unknown about
yourself to yourself in the vertical axis. Then place what is known and unknown about yourself to others
in the horizontal axis. Doing so will give you the four boxes. The 1st window is for the parts of yourself
that are known to yourself and to others, the 2nd window is for the parts of yourself that are known to
others but not yourself, the 3rd window is for the parts of yourself that are known to yourself but not to
others, and the 4th window is for the parts of yourself that are not known by yourself or by others. If
window number one is large, meaning that there is a lot that both yourself and others know about
yourself, then you can say that your Self-Disclosure is also large. What would happen if person A and
person B were, with different sized windows, were to communicate? Let’s say person A, compared to
person B, has a larger window number one. In this case, person B will likely think that person A “talks
too much about themselves”, while person A will likely wonder why person B “doesn’t want to talk to
me about themselves”. These two different interpretations can create a divide between these two
people. Even more so, if this was the first time meeting one another, they will leave each other with a
bad first impression.
Moreover, from the idea of the Johari window, Barnlund proposed that the part of you that you
and others have of yourself is called the “public self”, and the part of you that you don’t open up to
others about called the “private self”. If a person with a larger “public self” were to communicate with a
person with a larger “private self”, they would likely feel frustrated by the thought that “this is a person
that doesn’t show much of themselves”. Of course the size of the Johari window, private self, and public
self, differ from person to person and depends on place and situation.
It is important to keep in mind that “how can I show myself to this person” will vary from person
to person.
(ALC Press Inc. “Tabunkakyousei no Communication” by Tokui Atsuko)

* D.C. Barnlund (1979) Nihonjin no hyogen kozo – The Public Self and the Private Self in Japan and the United States.
Simul Press

p.13
 2. Japanese and American University Students
Communication Style
Recently I conducted a survey to compare the communication styles of Japanese university
students and American university students. Although there were various interesting remarks, what I
found particularly interesting was how different “confidence” in relation to communication styles were
different for Japanese university students and American university students. The following question
yielded the biggest difference between Japanese university students and American university students.
Of course, the American students were provided an English version of the survey.
Out of the following, which are do you feel the most confident in? Circle as many as apply. Please
circle the number.
1. Physical fitness 11. Knowledgeable / Cultured
2. Sense of responsibility 12. Care for others
3. Decision making 13. Fashion sense
4. Open-minded 14. Sensitivity
5. Manners 15. Having many friends
6. Focus 16. Social Status / Assets
7. Morals / Values 17. Parents occupation
8. Skills / Hobbies 18. Looks
9. Sense of humor 19. Popular with the opposite sex
10. Can talk about many topics 20. Personality

Table 0-1 compares the proportion of Japanese and American students who answered "I am
confident" for each item. Table 0-2 shows the distribution of students who answered “I am confident”
for each item (Confidence Score), again divided into answers from Japanese students and American
students.
As you can see from Table 0-1, the Japanese university students did not reach a 50% “I am
confident” response rate for any of the items, while the American university students achieve over 50%
“I am confident” response rate for all items. Even looking at the Table 0-2, most Japanese students only
circle 2-3 items (at most 5 items), with an average score of 4.2, while the American students circled 17-
19 items, with an average score of 14.1. One even circled all the options with one giant circle. It is rare to
see such a clear difference in results from a survey. So what does this mean?
One interpretation is possible. One is a natural interpretation that Japanese students do not have
any self confidence, while American students have a lot of self confidence. Another interpretation is that
Japanese students pretend to lack confidence, while American students do not hide their confident
attitude.
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 The two interpretations are derived from different premises. Supporting the first interpretation is
that confidence itself was measured in this survey, whereas the second interpretation is based on the
idea that this service did not measure confidence itself, but the expression of confidence. Which
interpretation is correct? (approx.)
Although this is nothing more than a hypothesis, as I believe “people are frantic animals trying to
prove their existence”, I can’t help but support the second interpretation. In all likelihood, the Japanese
students did not answer “I don’t have confidence” because they don’t have confidence, and the
American students did not answer with “I have confidence” because they have confidence. The Japanese
students acted in accordance with the communication style that Japanese culture expects of them, as
did the American students, act in accordance with the communication style that American culture
expects of them.
(Shinhyoron Publishing Inc. “Identity Game – Sonzaishoumei No Shakaigaku” by Ishikawa Jyun)

Table 0-1 Percentage of Items Selected as “I am confident” by Japanese and American University Students
(94 Japanese, 90 American, Unit: %)
Physical Fitness Sense of Decision Making Open-minded Manners
Responsibility
Japanese 27.7 44.7 16.0 42.6 47.9
American 57.8 90.0 84.4 68.9 87.8

Focus Morals Skills / Hobbies Sense of Humor Range of Topics

Japanese 22.3 30.9 25.5 16.0 11.7
American 67.8 67.8 63.3 78.9 68.9

Knowledgeable / Care for Others Fashion Sense Sensitivity Many Friends

Cultured
Japanese 7.4 37.2 11.7 28.7 20.2
American 78.9 70.0 62.2 83.3 57.8

Social Status / Parents Looks Popular with the Personality

Assets Occupation Opposite Sex
Japanese 0.0 6.4 5.3 6.4 13.8
American 55.6 50.0 70.0 62.2 88.9

Table 0-2 Distribution of Confidence Score by Japanese and American University Students
(94 Japanese, 90 American)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Japan 1 10 17 21 10 14 5 8 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0
Americ 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 3 4 4 2 7 9 5 7 5 7 8 10 10 5
a

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 3. Men’s Cooking - Social Norm
Jobs are for Husbands – Households are for Wives From 70% to 40%
A comic called “Cooking Papa” that follows a quiet father who enjoys cooking as the protagonist
through his day to day encounters of familial and occupational drama, just celebrated its 1000th feature
in the “Weekly Morning” (Kodansha Ltd.). While it was rare to feature a father who is good at cooking
when the comics started back in 1985, 23 years later it is a norm. “As long as the readers are reading, I’ll
continue providing”. The author’s motivation does not wane.
The protagonist, Arai Wakazumi is an employee of a trading company from Fukuoka City. While
he has a large build, rugged features, and is shy, he has a friendly personality. As he loves to cook,
instead of using words to encourage and comfort, he gives his broken hearted co-worker soup and his
eldest son preparing for exams, carrot rice.
The author, Mr. Ueyama Matochi (53) = living in Fukutsu City, Fukuoka = says that “Arai is a
depiction of the ideal man”. Due to his own fathers transfer at work, he learned how to cook when he
lived alone with his three brothers during high school, and enjoyed it. All the recipes he introduces in the
comic are ones that he has cooked on his own.
However, when the series first started, this kind of depiction of a father was not common. Six
years prior in 1979, in an Opinion Poll conducted by the Prime Minister’s Office (Prefectural Cabinet
Office), more than 70% of respondents, including those who “agreed” and “somewhat agree” that “Jobs
are for Husbands, Households are for Wives” (= Graph (Next Page)). In an early meeting with the
publisher, there was even the suggestion to “set the scene as the father to be living on his own due to
work or the wife is sick”. Ultimately, the series started with the scene set as Arai hiding his love for
cooking from his company.
How would the public respond to a series about a family where the father does the household
chores, and the wife continues to work after having children? Mr. Ueyama’s thoughts were this. “I
thought it would be pretty cool if, when I brought my friends over, I didn’t have to wake my wife up for
food. That’s the kind of man I wanted to depict”. In episode 221, published in 1990, there is a scene
where one of Arai’s eldest sons classmates asks him “why do you cook if you are a man?”. Arai replied
with a smile.
“Cooking is like gifting energy and fun to those who eat it. I love that kind of thing. Doesn’t
matter if you’re male or female.”
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 Family drama is also incorporated into the story. In episode 230 (1990), the difficulties of
managing both work and child care after Arai’s wife goes back to work after maternity leave is depicted.
In 1992 the series was televised as an anime. Yoshimura Kazuma, born in Fukuoka and now the
Associate Professor of the Faculty of Manga at Kyoto Seika University breaks it down as “not only a
depiction of flipping gender roles, but that it became a long living series because it showed readers that
things like marriage and raising children can overlap with your own life”.
Arai’s love for cooking becomes public to his work in episode 504 in 1996. Mr.Ueyama felt a shift
in the culture. “I thought, it’s no longer a time to hide it”.
In last years December 27th issue, episode 1000, Mr and Mrs Arai travel to Italy and reflect on
the last 20 years as they celebrate their anniversary.
“I’ve just continued to write stories that I think are fun. I didn’t try to preempt the culture, but I
am happy that the readers accepted it”.
(“Asahi Shimbun”, January 21, 2008)

p.46
 4. Japanese People Don’t Say “No”?
Why can’t (or don’t) Japanese people say no? It’s a question that comes up a lot. But this is like
asking a soccer player why he doesn’t carry the ball in his hands when he runs. In either case, the person
asking the question thinks their way of doing something is much faster, more effective and "better".
However, they are a player from a different game. (approx.)
Although Japanese and Americans use “no” differently, it is not so far apart. In Japanese there
are many ways to express “no” without using the word “no”. As introduced in a previous paragraph
“that’s a bit…” is one of them. To say something like “definitely not” might cause a crack in your
relationship with the other person, and so a softer version is preferred.
Quite a long time ago when I worked part time at a Japanese restaurant, I found this Japanese
way to be very useful. The owner asked me out on a date, and although I wasn’t interested I couldn’t flat
out say “no” - after all he is my employer - so I said “please let me think about it”. This is a conventional
Japanese phrase that means “probably no”. If the owner reminded me to give him an answer, I probably
just would have confused him. But my Japanese employer understood exactly what was intended by my
reply. By being able to give a soft reply, you are able to refuse the offer without making the other person
feel bad. (approx.) This way of saying “no” may not sound like a “no” at all to others, but for Japanese
people this is an undeniable expression of “no”.
This vague kind of “no” is used among Americans in private conversations, but is never heard in a
public conversation. But Japanese people do use this in public conversations, and that is the hotbed of
this misconception. The famous Nixon - Sato meeting is also an example of this. In regards to the
liberalization of the Japanese textile market, Prime Minister Sato said “I’ll see what I can do”, which
Nixon interpreted as a “yes”, but was later disappointed. Although “I’ll see what I can do” is not a clear
expression of denial, it means “I’ll see what I can do, but it probably won’t work out” - contrary to the
expectations of Americans who understand it as “I’ll see what I can do, and I think it’ll be okay”.
Essentially, just because Japanese people are not saying the word “no”, does not mean they are
saying yes to everything. (approx.) Understanding how certain words are used in other languages is not
as simple as finding a translation for the word in a dictionary. So the question of this example itself - why
don’t Japanese people say “no” - is almost nonsense.

(Seikou Shobou Publishing. “Different games, different rules: why Americans and Japanese misunderstand each other”
by Haru Yamada / Translated by Sutou Masako)

p.62-63
 5. “Health Disease” is Gnawing at the Mind and Body

Being sick is always unpleasant, but something called "health disease" has become recently
popular, and as defined, the person themselves do not think they are sick, and so the disease remains
undiscovered which is what is scary. Health Disease, to put it simply, is always thinking "health first", to
the point that* you ignore the other things. Although in regards to being a nuisance as a result of that, it
is a state of being “mostly sick”, the person themself is completely unaware of that.
For example, person A is annoyingly particular when it comes to food. But not about the taste.
They read something in a book about how cholesterol is bad for you, and so cholesterol becomes their
enemy and they start cutting down or avoiding certain foods, but then their friend tells them about how
cholesterol can also be beneficial, and so they suddenly become worried and starts reading various
books about nutrition. Then the big problem in person A’s life is now “how much is a moderate amount
of cholesterol?” With a sigh they say “even experts are unreliable with what they say”. Based on their
own calculations they start saying what is good and what is bad. Their family, who has to listen to this
every time they eat, start to feel like they are being robbed of their enjoyment of meals, to the point
that even person A themself starts to abandon the idea of enjoying the taste of a meal.
Another reason Health Disease is scary is because it is infectious, and people with Health Disease
seem to find something to live for by trying to infect others. They infect others with a disguise of
kindness by saying things like tobacco is not good for you, or alcohol should be drank in moderation. I
want to tell them to leave other people alone*, but they won’t let me do so. Why do people with Health
Disease care about others? That’s because they are somewhat worried about themselves. Even if I cling
to the idea of “health first”, they are still somewhat uneasy, and so they want to make friends so that
they can increase the number of people they can cling to. (approx.)
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 How did it come to this? (approx.) It seems to be related to the fact that we no longer seem to be
able to appreciate the value of the “heart” that we had always been told as valuable. Even the things of
highest value such as loyalty and filial piety are starting to lose its value. It’s tempting to say that how
things used to be were much better, but such things won’t attract the hearts of people now. When the
competition seems to be so intense, even if you say things like kindness or love, I feel like they’ll tell me
now’s not the time for those things.
In Ancient Greece, it was thought that the three ingredients to create a human was mind, body,
and soul. With this idea in mind, modern people are giving up on the “heart”, do not know enough to
consider the importance of the soul, and so they jump to taking care of their “body”. They try to trick
the anxiety they feel about not knowing the importance of the soul, by taking care of their bodies. With
this in mind it makes sense that sometimes you can feel “religious passion” from joggers. By investing in
thinking of the soul, they will be able to recover from their Health Disease.
(Shinchosha Publishing Co, Ltd. “Kokoro no Shohou Sen” by Kawai Hayao)
To the point that = troubling oneself
Leave somebody alone = ignore
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 6. Feed with “Surprise” and “Joy”
In 1976, Iwata*1 is recounting a story to the internet site “Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun” about the
struggles of programming in their second year of highschool, using the first computer they ever had, the
“Pocket Computer”. (approx.)
Iwata: Back in highschool, I happen to sit beside a friend in math class, and so we always joked around
and played games instead of listening to our math class.
Itoi: Did that friend like computers as well?
Iwata: That friend...how do I put this, they enjoyed anything I made, and so that friend was my first
customer. User Number One.
Itoi: Essentially, like a comedian having someone who laughed at his jokes.
(Ellipsis)
Iwata: I don’t think anyone would climb a tree, without someone to encourage you and cheer you on.
So meeting that friend during my high school years, I think affected my life immensely.

This high school scene was Iwata’s first experience, which ultimately lead to becoming the
president of Nintendo. When asking if the motivation for Nintendo was “wanting to make money”, Iwata
said this.
“The main point is to be accepted by the people. I do it because I want it to be accepted, but as
the number of customers who accept it increase, the feeling of achievement towards our job increases.
The core purpose of Nintendo is for customers to feel joy. For customers to be smiling because of
something we made.”
After the DS being a hit and the Wii came out, Iwata talked within his company a lot about
creating a chain of smiles. Smiles for having fun playing a game, smiles for increased conversation
between parent and children, smiles for grandpa as he stays cheerful despite getting older, doesn’t
matter what it is as long as the customers are smiling. Thanks to this, even the Nintendo employees can
smile.
p.96
 As a result, products sell, customers smile, and with improved performance in the market,
investors smile. With that chain being the ultimate mission of Nintendo, as the chain moves well then
Nintendo becomes a sustainable organization and can fulfill its responsibilities to society as well. It
intertwines perfectly.
So what kind of company is Nintendo? Iwata smiles and says this.
“It’s a smile making company. That’s what the entertainment industry should look like”.
To be accepted and to have people smile. In order to achieve this mission of Nintendo’s, the
necessary ingredients are “surprise” and “joy”.

Nintendo recently developed a “ray gun” using solar cells as sensors, surprise and entertaining
the whole world. Whether it be games, watches, or Famicom, people are continuously surprised and
entertained at seeing machines they’ve never seen before and seeing screens they’ve never seen
before. As semiconductor technology advances, the screens of the video games become more beautiful.
However, in the world overflowing with high-definition televisions, personal computers, and
smartphones, people are becoming "bored" having to move what’s on the screen by their own
operation which has led to a decline in the game industry.
Then, what was born out of the agonizing hardships Nintendo faced, was a game console never
seen before, and games never played before. They were able to surprise the world again, and that is
why they are successful today. However, it is easy to say and difficult to do. Will Nintendo be able to
continue to produce surprises despite the hardship and suffering that it takes to do so?
“When our customers are surprised or happy, that is probably the most rewarding feeling, and
we change that into energy. For example, no matter how great Miyamoto*2 is, if they ignore all the
reactions from the, I don’t think they’d be able to continue working. Because I get reactions, I’m able to
continue working.”

With that said, Iwata is able to kick away his worry about hardships and suffering. How about
Miyamoto, whose skills as a global creator are constantly being questioned? I ask him to divulge.
- Do you ever get tired of having to constantly surprise?
I don’t get tired of it.
- You never run out of tricks up your sleeve?
Every year I say that I am. (Laughs).
- Do you already have an idea of what theme your next surprise is?
Not yet. I haven’t had any ideas for a few years now. But when I look back on the last 5 years, I don’t
think the me back then could envision what it would look like now, so I’m sure I’ll think of something. So
I’m not worried that I can’t do it.
p.97
- There’s no pressure?
If you start feeling pressured, that’s only going to make you feel tired. I only think about how I
can make my work fun.
By feeding people with surprise and joy, the company will reap the rewards and flourish. That’s is
Nintendo.
(Nikkei Publishing Inc. “The Philosophy of Nintendo” by Inoue Osamu)
*1 Iwata Satoru: President & CEO of Nintendo since 2002.
*2 Miyamoto Shigeru: Nintendo Game Creator, Nintendo CEO. Creator of the Mario series.
p.98
 7. How “Transboundary” Can Expand Words Japanese
Literature Written by Foreign Writers
The 141th Akutagawa Prize attracted attention as Iranian woman Shirin Nezammafi, entered as a
candidate. As a writer born outside of a Kanji culture, although she did not win the award, being
nominated the year after Chinese award winner Yang Yi, it demonstrates how “transboundary
literature" is expanding Japanese literature for non-native writers.
Nezammafi’s interest in Japan started when she lived in Tehran during high school. After moving
here 10 years ago, she started learning Japanese seriously. She started writing short novels in Japanese
because “after living in Japan, Japanese became the easiest language to write in” says Nezammafi.

Swaying Words
It is thought that learning Japanese for Foreigners has a high threshold, but Nezammafi says “it
depends on how much that person is willing to delve into Japan. For some it is easy, and for others the
bar is extremely high.”
The “White Paper” that lead her to candidacy was a love story about two young Iranians set in a
rural town during the Iranian-Iraqi war. In Yamada Eimi’s, of the Akutagawa Prize selection committee,
introduction, she said “there were many opinions that recognized her detail of tracing in detail, Iran in
Japanese.”
A Japanese novel, without Japan or Japanese people in it. How is it different from a translated
novel, and was there necessity to write it in Japanese? These doubtful questions have existed since the
same work was selected as a literary award winner this spring.
Although it is a “White Paper” of a story with a strong impression of a different world, Professor
Numano Mitsuyoshi from Tokyo University breaks it down saying “there is purpose in depicting a reality
unrelated to Japan. Just like stories about places around the world are written in English, Nezammafi’s
work inquires about the possibility of Japanese.”
Professor Suhara Satoru of the International Student Center at Tokyo University says that the
beauty of foreigners writing in Japanese is that “they are free from the Japanese framework that
Japanese people think in, and therefore the words “sway”. Nezammafi served on the selection
committee for the International Student Literature Award that she was awarded in 2006 for her work
"Salam".
p.118
 Both the "White Paper" and "Salam" discuss the theme of an individual's' fate being played with
by the nation and the times. "She has plenty of things she wants to write about. Whereas the creative
world of young Japanese writers feels narrow” says Suhara.

What Should Be Welcomed

How will Japanese literature change as more writers write novels beyond linguistic and national
borders?
Levy Hideo, who was born in the United States and writes novels in Japanese, said that "it has
been too closed off until now. An increase in foreign writers should be welcomed" and points out that "it
is not about good or bad grammar or about the passport, what is important is whether or not that writer
is conscious regarding Japanese.”
Levy says that “literature is born within the relationship between the individual and the world.
What is born from how an individual uses Japanese words as a means of expression. The goal of
‘transboundary literature’ is the adventure of words, the fact that possibility is expanding is not wrong.”
(prefix omitted)
(Kyoto Shimbun, August 3rd, 2009, “Kyoudou Tsushin Haishin”)
p.119
 8. The Awareness of the Waste of Living
How far do we go? 80% “can live without” Vending Machines and 24-hour Convenience
Stores
Air conditioning and electronic toilets. If you were inviting the deterioration of the global
environment in exchange for the comforts of everyday life that you can get with a single switch, how
much can you endure in order to prevent that? As a hypothetical, we asked “what you could endure in
order to prevent global warming?”
The top two answers that respondents selected "I can live without" for was 84% "vending
machines" and 83% "late-night stores such as convenience stores".
24-hour convenience stores started domestically in 1975. Now there are 43,000 convenience
stores, half of which are open past midnight, and 4.27 million vending machines representing how easy
it is to shop. Given how permeated this is within society, it is worthy to note how many answered that
they could “let it go” if it meant it was necessary for the global environment. However, there are various
opinions as to just how much benefit can be seen in exchange for minimizing carbon dioxide emissions.
Air conditioning and electronic toilets are raised as things “individuals can do to combat global
warming” by the Ministry of the Environment. Respondents who selected “can live without it” for air
conditioning stopped at 45%. Especially in regions south of Kanto, this number was smaller at 30-40%,
meaning they are not willing to sacrifice enduring the heat for global warming. 67% “can live without”
electronic toilets. Despite being a product that has a relatively short history, people would rather “live
without” vending machines and 24-hour convenience stores.
There is a opposing generational trend when it comes to air conditioning and electronic toilets.
As the age increases more and more people “can live without” air conditioning, but that number
decreases when it comes to electronic toilets.
I asked drivers about “giving up their car”. 3 people out 4 people said they could “give up their
car” if it became illegal to drive them into the city center.
Moreover, when asked “how much can you reduce your car usage?”, 23% said “fairly”, 63% said
“a little”, with a total of 86% responding that they can “reduce their usage”. CO2 emissions for a single
car per capita are 9 times more than trains, and 3 times more than buses, and so we hope to see more
people reconcile with the idea of “giving up their car” and hope that future government policies will tap
into this idea to combat global warming.
p.134
* Questions and Answers (Some of them) (Numbers are percentages % )
1) How concerned are you about global warming?
Very concerned 27
Somewhat concerned 60
Not very concerned 10
Not concerned at all 2
2) If you were to describe Earth’s current health, how would you describe it?
Healthy 2
Somewhat healthy 20
Sick 60
Serious illness 16
3) Do you take out the plug when you are not using electronic products?
Always 28
Sometimes 22
Rarely 23
Never 26
4) Do you take your own bag to the grocery store to reduce the use of plastic bags?
Always 29
Sometimes 17
Rarely 11
Never 39
5) If it meant preventing global warming, would you be okay giving up some luxuries in life?
Yes 51
No 43
6) When you think about the global warming crisis, how often do you feel you are contributing to the
problem?
Always 15
Sometimes 66
Rarely 13
Never 4
p.135A
7) When thinking about ways to prevent global warming in the country, which one do you think needs to
make the most efforts between the government, businesses and households?
Government 28
Businesses 29
Households 33
8) In order to suppress greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, there is an idea to have an
"environmental tax" that applies taxes to oil and coal. As a way to fight against global warming, are you
in favor for introducing an "environmental tax"? Or against it?
In favor 48
Against it 41
9) While nuclear power does not emit carbon dioxide during operation, safety issues are being pointed
out. The government considers using nuclear power to be one of the pillars of preventing global
warming, but do you think that this government policy is reasonable?
It is reasonable 49
It is not reasonable 33
10) Currently it is expensive to use natural energy such as wind power generation and solar power. In
order to prevent global warming, do you think that it is better to increase the use of natural energy
resources even if electricity prices increase?
Yes 64
No 26

***
<Survey Methods> Three thousand people were selected from the nationwide voters electoral registry,
and on the 17th and 18th of November last year, student investigators conducted individually
interviews. There were 1,867 valid responses, or a 62% response rate. Respondents were 47% male and
53% female.

(“Asahi Shimbun”, January 7, 2008)

p.135B
 9. The Cooperativeness of New Food
Understanding Traditional Meals
In order to make society more fun and fulfilling for human beings from now on, it is necessary to
look at the act of eating with fresh eyes, in accordance with social characteristics unique to mankind.
The act of eating is the oldest form of communication for humans, and a form of communication
not found among monkeys and apes. It has existed long before humans were able to speak, and has
explicitly tied humans together, reconciled them, and aided coexistence. That is why even today we
bring food as gifts when we go to meet people and prepare meals when we welcome people. There is
nothing more convincing than a scene of people eating together, as proof that two people have reached
an agreement.
Nowadays, boundaries between ethnic groups, nations, regions, families, and generations are
questionable, and new barriers emerge suddenly, creating a space of violence that was not anticipated.
In a time where we feel uncertain about where we belong, I think that food can be used as a means of
peacefully overcoming cultural and generational barriers. As much as words are symbolic of a culture or
a group, the ingredients and cooking methods of meals are also symbolic of the unique histories of
families, regions, and ethnicities. Essentially, people from different regions and cultures can enjoy,
through food, the expression of other cultures and customs. This is a more influential and gentler way of
communicating compared to words, as it is an exchange that takes place through the body.

Food is a Place to Share with Others

While studying gorillas in the rainforests of Africa, and living with the hunter-gatherers, I
discovered that their meals are created using an amazing display of collaborative work. Ingredients are
collected in the forest and are distributed to each family, cooked, and brought back to the common
dining space. In the meantime, the elderly, the child, men and women, all work to play a role. It is not
only an act to be able to demonstrate what your role is within the group, but also an act of confirmation
as to how the group perceives you. People's cooperativeness is embodied in the act of preparing a meal.
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Moreover, what’s surprising is that they are not instructed by someone to do so, but rather go through
the motions as if it were common sense, and the fun and vibrancy with which they do so is an amazing
site to see. This kind of collaborative work does not happen unless each person understands the
relationship they have within the group, and knows how to act accordingly to the circumstances. It is
here that I think the act of eating originates. In other words, people are careful to create meals in a
certain way, and seek collaborative efforts where people understand what their role is within the group,
in different situations.
In my lab, every year in spring we “practice picking wild vegetable”. My graduate students and I
go to Kitayama in Kyoto, to look for wild vegetables such as the Fiddlehead Fern, mountain asparagus,
and Japanese angelica-tree and use them to cook later that day. It won’t help to look at a picture book
when trying to find the wild vegetables or to get an idea of what they look like. The only way to learn is
through experience. People who have done it once before can find the vegetables without difficulty, but
for beginners all the vegetables start looking the same and it’s difficult to find the specific one. While the
vegetables that are picked are not crucial for the recipe, it still requires some skill to learn how to trim
off the edible portions, season the vegetables or make it into miso soup, or make tempura with it. What
is interesting is that even my students who are new to this naturally take on a role to help prepare the
food. Whether it be chopping wood, managing the fire, washing dishes, or chopping up the ingredients,
they pick what role they want to take on. When they all come together to form one breath, you can see
the pleasures of preparing an outdoor meal. While wild vegetables have to be prepared in a traditional
way, by trying different combinations of ingredients, you discover new tastes. And it is fun to appreciate
and experience that together.
I think people today should experience how fun something as simple and natural as cooking can
be. Whether you are someone who doesn’t enjoying meeting other people or someone who isn’t skilled
at talking to others, you can coexist with others in places where there is food. That is the beauty of
places of eating, and is an individual right guaranteed by sociality.
I think that food helps people realize, from the depths of their bodies, that they are not alive alone.
Because the act of eating has been the way, since the beginning of human evolution, that people
connect with others.
Food is a source of competition among monkeys and apes, however, humans have added an
element of fun to it in order to make it something you can do with friends. You have to add fun to things
that are boring otherwise it won’t last and it won’t be fun. Its inherent characteristic requires people to
actively participate otherwise it won’t be exciting. Food, just like playing, is fun insofar as you make it
fun. Today, we mustn't forget this principle of food.
(Rural Culture Association Japan “Ima “Taberukoto” wo Tou - Honnou to Bunka no Shiten kara”
by Fushiki Tooru and Yamagiwa Jyuichi)
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 10. The Benefits of Laughing
Does laughing make people healthy?
Dr. Karl Saimont, a medical doctor in the United States, says that "laughter deeply exercises
many of the systems in the body including the nervous system, the circulatory system, the endocrine
system, and the immune system. The old phrase Laughter is the Best Medicine, is becoming better
understood with the help of medical technology.”
Recently, there are many observations and experiments reported on the physiology of laughter
and how it benefits health. Dr. Itami Jinrou, a medical physician working at Shibata Hospital in Okayama,
pointed out that the best health goods are packed with “laughter”, and has for the past 10 years has
conducted research with our cooperation and critically ill patients and the audience of Yoshimoto Kogyo
as the subject.
The result of this research showed that patients blood tests showed an increase in NK (natural
killer) cells several times over after laughing for three hours.
He says “the ability of killer cells to attack and destroy cancer through laughing has enhanced.
Another thing we measured was the ratio of helper T cells and suppressor T cells. If it high, autoimmune
diseases such as connective tissue disease or rheumatism are likely to occur, however it was discovered
that after laughing for 3 hours it heads to a normal value where there more people who were too low,
and less people who were too high. Essentially, we found that is can improve immune disorders such as
connective tissue disease or rheumatism.”
Moreover, Professor Murakami Kazuo of the University of Tsukuba also announced that the
blood sugar level of the audience after watching the talents from Yoshimoto Kogyo dramatically
decreased in a survey targeting diabetic patients.
In this way, the medical world has started to study the positive effects laughing has on the
human body.
However, is it possible to determine from that alone, that laughter has a direct correlation to
your health? The verdict for that is not in yet.
"Laughter" uses cranial nerves transmitted through hearing and seeing, that is, the optic nerve
and auditory nerve. Does the received cranial nerve stimulate the parasympathetic nerves producing the
result of a healthy body? Such hypotheses are being researched through additional experiments in the
medical field of this category.
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Scholars Have Gathered to form the “Laughter and Health Association”
In order to test the hypothesis of how laughter affects the human body, the “Laughter and
Health Association” comprising of scholars and intellectuals was formed in Tokyo. If this association can
elucidate a relationship between laughter and health, we can hope for a massive increase in public
health.
Mr. Matsumoto Hiroshi, former medical science and technology center professor at the
University of Tokyo, who is a member of this association, is the director of the Cardiology Laboratory
where they developed a technique to examine the condition of clogging in the coronary artery, which
causes myocardial infarction, from the outside using a laser.
He says, "endorphins and insulin are not secreted unless the Cardiovascular System receives it.
When you laugh, your sensory nerves react. The brain signals the autonomic nerves, which affects the
cardiovascular systems such as the heart and vascular system. As a result of medical research at Teikyo
Heisei University, there is now some data that indicates there is a positive correlation between your
health and the more you laugh. Since this an unexplored field, I want to continue researching with my
students." Moreover, he said "with Mr.Yoshimoto’s and the theatres cooperation, I think that I can
prove that the benefits of laughing remain for several hours after laughing at the theater. If it can be
proved that immunity goes up and blood sugar level goes down, then we can further investigate the
relationship between laughter and health." (approx.)

The “Laughing Longevity Drug” is Not a Joke

Either way, today, as an aging society becomes a reality, we must always work to be healthy.
While this is something even children understand, it might seem like a joke that “laughter” is concerned
a drug, but it is not a joke. Only human beings have been given this wonderful ability, and so we must
use it to its fullest capacity, as we cannot escape from the colossal information battles that we are
confronted with and the stresses of day to day life.
(Kobe Shimbun Publishing Center “ Yoshimoto Warai no DNA ~ Osaka / Minami / Sennichimae …
Kamigata Engei Urabanashi ~” by Takemoto Kouzou

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