Poor Little (Kawai So Na) Frog! カワイソウな蛙！

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Poor little frog

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! 

Can you hear it? I heard it and couldn't help but chuckle because this poor little flog poked with a stick, flying on something like fish or alligator with both arms raised was so kawaii, isn't it?....   

The above picture is a magnified center left (red circled) part of "The Temptation of St. Anthony" by David Teniers, the Younger (below) at The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo.

The Temptation of St. Anthony" by David Teniers, the Younger

The painting depicts St. Anthony (in the center), a hermit living in the desert, being tempted by the Devil sent to test his faith. It is so religious, but that's not what grabbed my attention but this little frog and although I should have felt "sorry (kawai so)" for the frog, I found it cute (kawaii)...

"Kawai so" differs from "kawaii."

kawai so ni (adverb):
その蛙をかわいそう/可哀そうに思う
I feel sorry for the frog.

kawai so na (adjective):
かわいそうな/可哀そうな蛙
poor frog           

kawaii (adjective):
かわいい/カワイイ/可愛い蛙
cute frog

上野の国立西洋美術館に行きました。常設展、ほとんど人がいませんでした。その中で目を引いたのが上の一枚、ダフィット・テニールス（子） の「聖アントニウスの誘惑」。絵の中央左のカエル君に目が釘付けに｡｡｡ 悪魔が聖人を誘惑して試すという宗教画なのに全然別のところに目が行ってしまいました。テニールスさん、そしてカエル君、ごめんなさい🙇

Kawaii Transformer Rats ネズミの変身！

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I wrote about Christmas trees made of mini Santa rats in the Tokyo International Forum a few weeks ago. These trees were made of dolls of rats, the Japanese zodiac sign for Year 2020. They are so cute with Santa Clause outfits.

Santa rats

Santa rats wearing Santa Clause outfits

However, look at the rats in the photos below!!! Can you see them changing? They have changed their outfits and ornaments on December 25 to welcome New Year.

New Year rats

Rats with New Year ornaments

This transformation, which materializes the spirit of "mottainai (i.e., waste nothing)," is so funny and made me smile!

12月26日の帰り道、「サンタネズミ」が「干支ネズミ」に変身しているのを発見！お着換えまでしていてびっくりしました。もったいない精神の究極とでも言いましょうか｡｡｡ しかも面白い！カワイイお着換えに思わずクスリとしてしまいました。

Showa Emperor's Remorse Does Not Make His War Responsibility Go Away NHKスペシャル「拝謁記」を見て

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What do you think is common between the Showa Emperor and Japanese people complaining about their lives but voting for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ("LDP")?

They are irresponsible, i.e., what they say does not match what they do. I thought so while watching a TV show about "Haietsuki" aired in early December.

"Haietsuki" is the detailed records kept by Michiji Tajima about his meetings with the Showa Emperor from June 1948 to December 1953. Tajima was a former businessman and upper house lawmaker turned into the first post-war Grand Steward of the Imperial Holding Agency and had had such meetings during his term of 5.5 years.

Tajima's records vividly show the emperor's agony from being unable to show his remorse to the public because he was stopped from doing so by Japanese and US politicians. The conversation between the emperor and the Grand Steward reproduced by two actors moved me.

However, that does not change the fact that he was responsible for the war. The Showa Emperor was not prosecuted at the Tokyo International Military Tribunal, but that's only because he was "useful," the exact word used by an American official, to contain the opposition against the US occupation of Japan. Also, although there might have been mitigating factors, that doesn't make his responsibility for the loss of millions of lives go away, either.

Tajima wrote that the emperor had repeatedly said during the meetings that he had been against the military's decisions but couldn't help but accept them, but it's easy to complain after the event. The emperor's excuse that he had no choices reminded me of people complaining on Twitter that they don't like Prime Minister Abe, but have been voting for the LDP saying that that's because they have no choices.

The Showa Emperor had choices and was responsible for the war as those complaining but doing nothing to change the status quo being responsible for allowing the current scandal-ridden Abe administration to continue.

What scares me more is that very few Japanese have blamed the emperor for his role in the war. How can the Supreme Commander during the war be not responsible? Treating the emperor in such a way, i.e., denying him the opportunity to admit his wrongdoing, apologize and be punished for it, and learn from it, is a breach of his human right. And such treatment has been infringing the human rights of other imperial family members, such as Princess Mako.

We make mistakes, so we have a judicial system under which those making mistakes are tried but at the same time be given the opportunity to make them right or make up for such mistakes. This is a cornerstone of democracy.

It's so wrong to claim that the Showa Emperor was not responsible for the war and moreover scary because those saying so should apply the same rule to themselves to evade their responsibilities and this may erode the foundation of democracy already in danger...

NHKで「拝謁記」に関する番組をやっていました。「拝謁記」とは初代宮内庁長官田島道治氏と昭和天皇との間の5年間（1948～1953年）の対話を田島氏が克明に記したメモです。

番組の制作趣旨に興味があったのですが、思った通り、そして悲しいことに「天皇に戦争責任はない」ということを訴えるためのようでした。

統帥権者だった昭和天皇に戦争責任がないなんておかしいと思います。東京裁判で起訴されなかったのは、日米で天皇を「使って」反米勢力を抑えようという合意があり（番組の中で実際に天皇が「useful」と表現されていたのには驚きました。）、「天皇は便利」→「だから起訴しなかった」だけのこと。情状酌量の余地があったというなら分かりますが、起訴すらされなかったのは逆に天皇の人権を無視した話だと思います。

昭和天皇の戦争責任であれ、好きになった人と結婚して失敗するかもしれない自由であれ（眞子内親王）、天皇そして皇族が人間の成長に必要な「間違う権利（もちろん戦争における間違いと婚姻における間違いはその影響度合いが違いますが）」そして「間違いから学んで成長する権利」を奪われていることは人道的に大きな問題だと思います。そして、それを理解しない日本人がこんなにも多いということは日本人の人権意識そして民度の低さを物語っていると思います。

Is Kumamon Kawaii? くまモンだけは分からない｡｡｡

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Kumamon

This is Kumamon, a mascot character of the Kumamoto prefecture in the southern part of Japan. He (yes, he's a boy) is popular not only in Japan but around the world and said to be five years old (although he hasn't disclosed his age officially). His name comes from the Japanese word for bear (i.e., kuma) and a unique honorific suffix of his home prefecture, (i.e., mon). For more details, read this website.

Everyone says that Kumamon is kawaii, but I had never thought so. His disproportionally large white part of the eye compared to the black part always scared me....

However, a strange thing has happened. As I see it almost everyday since this statue is near my office, I have come think that he is kawaii.

People's perception of something may be proportionate to exposure to it.

数か月前から勤務先の近くのベンチに座っているくまモン｡｡｡ 黒目の割に白目が大きく、これまではカワイイというより気味悪かったのですが、あら不思議。何度も見る内に慣れていき、ついにはカワイイかも？と思うようになってしまいました。洗脳されてしまったのでしょうか。怖い（笑）｡｡｡ くまモンファンの人、ごめんなさい🙇

Crepuscular Rays At Dawn and Sunset 薄明光線

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Crepuscular rays at sunset

I often look up to see the sky. One day before the sunset, I found these crepuscular rays, or angel's or Jacob's ladder or God rays.

I had never heard of the term "crepuscular rays" or even its literal Japanese translation of "薄明光線" until looking it up to write this post. Instead, I just said, "It's like Buddha halo shining." I don't believe in any religion, but these rays always make me feel that up there, there might be something greater than ourselves.

I took the photos below at dawn on different days.

Crepuscular at dawn

  

Crepuscular at dawn

最近朝早く起きるせいか、薄明光線をよく見かけます。1枚目は日の入り、2枚目、3枚目は日の出の時の写真です。「薄明光線」という言葉、このブログのために調べるまで知りませんでした。天使のはしご、天使の階段、ヤコブの階段、とも言われているようです。でも私にとっては「後光がさしている」という感じでしょうか。無宗教ですが見るといつも敬虔な気持ちになります。

Negative Capability - Essential Skill for Japanese Simultaneous Interpreting ウィスパリング通訳 トンネルを抜けると予期せぬ結論があった？

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What do you think are essential skills and capabilities for simultaneous interpreting from Japanese to English? English speaking skills? Yes, of course, but there is another key capability. That is "negative capability." And this does not apply to other language interpreters. Before jumping into details, let's check out what "negative capability" means.

Kawaii Ultraman Monster "Kanegon" 祖師ヶ谷大蔵のカネゴン

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"Kanegon" statue

Do you know what this is? This is a statue of "Kanegon," a monster of "Ultra Q," i.e., the first series of Ultramen, Japanese fictional superheroes, aired since 1960s.

Kanegon used to be a boy named Kaneo Kaneda before being turned into a monster because of his money grubbing personality. Kanegon has a coin purse head and needs to eat notes and coins of 3,520 yen (about 30 dollars) every day and can tell their authenticity. "Kane" means money while "gon" is a Japanese honorific suffix, showing friendliness like "mon" of "Kumamon," a mascot character for promotion of the Kumamoto prefecture. 

My hubby & Kanegon

The statue is in Soshigaya Okura in Setagaya ward, Tokyo where Tsuburaya Productions producing this Ultramen series for such a long time is located. If you are interested in Japanese superheroes and their lovely antagonists, why don't you go there to see this silly but kawaii monster and Ultra superheroes!

祖師ヶ谷大蔵で出会いました。カネゴンです。リアルタイムで見たことはないのですが名前は有名ですよね。間抜けなイメージがありますがそうなのでしょうか。

Wikipediaで調べたら日に3,520円のお札と硬貨を食べなければならないとのこと。知らなかったです。でもそれも間抜けっぽくてかわいいです。祖師ヶ谷大蔵ってウルトラマン（円谷プロ）の街だったんですね。ほっこりした一日でした。

LEGO Made "Kawaii" Darth Vader レゴのダースベイダー！

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I met these 2-meter-high 2.5-heads-tall Darth Vader and R2-D2 on the first floor of the Shin Tokyo Building in Yurakucho, central Tokyo. Both are made of Legos and so cute, aren't they!!!

Lego-made Darth Vader

Lego made R2D2

The kawaii villain and tall droid are only a few minutes away from Tokyo International Forum where there are two Christmas trees made of mini Santa Claus rats, so why don't you come around the Yurakucho/Tokyo station to see these chubby dark hero, square droid and many many mini Santa Rats!

By the way, my husband had been often said to resemble C-3PO until he got pot belly... Can you imagine C-3PO with pot belly?

有楽町の新東京ビルの1階で会いました。レゴでできてます。R2-D2はいいのですが、ダースベイダーってこんなんでしたっけ（笑）？ちなみにうちの主人はよくC-3POに似てると言われてました、🐽腹になるまでは｡｡｡｡

東京国際フォーラムのクリスマスネズミツリーからもすぐ近く。是非、見てみてください！

Is Japan Heading Toward Authoritarian State? 日本人は権威がお好き

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I live in Japan, and people here doing things such as the following puzzle and scare me because they clearly show authoritarian personalities:

- Waving national flags with tears at the new emperor's accession event
- Using eerily polite words when speaking about the imperial family
- Supporting Prime Minister Abe despite a series of nepotism scandals
- Flocking around Prime Minister Abe to shake hands with him at a tax funded party
- Call themselves "pure" Japanese to differentiate them from Korean people

If you find my view to be a big leap in logic, then read the "elements of the authoritarian personality" on the Psychologist World website listed below.

- Blind allegiance to conventional beliefs about right and wrong
- Respect for submission to acknowledged authority
- Belief in aggression toward those who do not subscribe to conventional thinking, or who are different
- A negative view of people in general - i.e. the belief that people would all lie, cheat or steal if given the opportunity
- A need for strong leadership which displays uncompromising power
- A belief in simple answers and polemics - i.e. The media controls us all or The source of all our problems is the loss of morals these days.
- Resistance to creative, dangerous ideas. A black and white worldview.
- A tendency to project one's own feelings of inadequacy, rage and fear onto a scapegoated group
- A preoccupation with violence and sex

The five behaviors I mentioned in the beginning show these elements, don't they? I analyzed these behaviors from the following three perspectives:

1. Blind respect for the imperial family

The Showa Emperor declared in 1946 that he was a human, but obviously this message didn't reach commoners. It's absurd that he had to make such declaration, but it's frightening that so many Japanese still treat the imperial family as gods or goddesses as shown in their excessive use of honorific prefixes and suffixes for the family. One such example is "o kotoba." "O" is a honorific prefix and "kotoba" means words, and this combination of "o" and "kotoba" is only used for speeches made by the imperial family.

Why? I would say a need for something to worship which fills a void in the heart. Using such excessively polite words makes them feel closer to that family, enabling them to forget the emptiness.

2. A false sense of superiority to Korean

Many Japanese still use the phrase "pure Japanese" to emphasize that they are a different race from Korean despite that DNA shows that Japanese have been mixed with Korean (National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo). The previous emperor also said in 2001 that the imperial family had its roots in Korea (Press Conference on the occasion of His Majesty's Birthday (2001)).

This false sense of superiority reminds me of Nippon Kaigi (Japan Conference), a Japanese ultra nationalist organization, which has double standards for the so-called "Korean comfort women" issue.

In 2012, this organization posted an opinion of a member (Mr. Kunitoshi Matsuki) denying the existence of Korean women forced by the imperial Japanese army to be sex slaves during the war ONLY IN JAPANESE. In 2019, however, the organization released a statement BOTH IN JAPANESE AND ENGLISH to distance itself from its other members expressing the same view in the documentary film "The Main Battleground of The Comfort Women." The group obviously doesn't want their discriminatory view to be heard by those outside their closed community.

Mr. Matsuki authored the book titled "Japan's Annexation of Korea saved Korea (kankoku heigo ga kankoku wo sukutta)." Prime Minister Abe is an adviser of Nippon Kaigi.

3. Prince charming syndrome

Shinzo Abe is now the longest-serving prime minister in Japan despite a series of nepotism scandals, e.g., the land sale scandal in 2017 and the tax-funded cherry blossom viewing event this year.

What puzzles me most is the so-called working poor, who haven't benefited at all from Abe's economic policies since 2012 and so should first say no to Abe, although complaining about the status quo on Twitter, still keep voting for his ruling party saying that they have no choices... They have had choices and it's them who have made choices themselves that have resulted in the current situation, like teenage girls dreaming of a prince charming to rescue them some day ...

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I think nothing of someone doing stupid things but am scared by someone doing something without thinking (e.g., worshiping emperors as others do so or believing in Japanese superiority to Korean) or someone giving up before trying. They all are irresponsible for society and themselves.

What turns society into an authoritarian or totalitarian state is not a single individual like Hitler or Stalin, but those who complain about the status quo but do nothing to change it. Their irresponsibility really scares me...

最近ニュースを見ていて、つくづく日本人って「権威主義的」だな、と怖くなりました。例えば、

- 即位の礼でたくさんの人が旗を振って、泣いている。
- 皇族に気持ち悪いほどの敬語（例：お言葉）を使う。
- こんなにスキャンダルが多いのに安倍政権が続いている。
- 桜の会で安倍首相に群がって握手を求めている。
- 「純粋な日本人」と言う人がたくさんいる。

Psychologist World というサイトでは「権威主義的な性格」として以下を挙げています。ほぼ全て該当しています｡｡｡（注：訳はナルジマ）

- 善悪に関する従来の考えを盲信する。(Blind allegiance to conventional beliefs about right and wrong)　
- 従来の権威に服従することを尊ぶ。(Respect for submission to acknowledged authority)　
- 伝統的な考えに従わない人や自分とは違う人に敵意がある。(Belief in aggression toward those who do not subscribe to conventional thinking, or who are different)　
- チャンスさえあれば人は嘘をつく、物を盗むといった風に、人を否定的に一般化する。(A negative view of people in general - i.e. the belief that people would all lie, cheat or steal if given the opportunity)　
- 断固とした力を示すリーダーを欲する。(A need for strong leadership which displays uncompromising power)　
- マスコミが我々をコントロールしている、全ての問題の根源は最近のモラル低下にある、といった簡単な答えや論争を信じる。(A belief in simple answers and polemics - i.e. The media controls us all or The source of all our problems is the loss of morals these days)　
- 創造的で危険な思想に抵抗感があり、白か黒かで判断する。(Resistance to creative, dangerous ideas. A black and white worldview)　
- 不全感、怒り、恐れを他集団に投影・転嫁する傾向がある。(A tendency to project one's own feelings of inadequacy, rage and fear onto a scapegoated group)　
- 暴力や性に没頭している。(A preoccupation with violence and sex)　

もうちょっと詳しく書いてみました。

1. 天皇バンザイ病

1946年、昭和天皇が人間宣言をしたことは歴史上の事実。そんなことをしなければならなかったこと自体どうかと思いますが、それより怖いのが、今でもかなりの人が天皇のことを神様か何かのように扱うこと。「お言葉」っておかしくないですか。怖いです。

なんでみんなあんなに皇族、天皇が好きなのか。狂信？ 周囲がそうだから？ それとも気味悪いほどの敬語を使えば自分も皇族の一員になった気がするという妄想的優越感からでしょうか？

2. 人種差別　韓国・朝鮮

日本人は中国人そして韓国・朝鮮人と混血してきたことがDNAで証明されてます（国立科学博物館）。また、前天皇も2001年に天皇家は朝鮮にルーツがあると言ってます（宮内庁ウェブサイト）。なのに「純粋な日本人」と言う人は一体何を訴えたいのでしょうか。

更に言うと、安倍首相が特別顧問を務める日本会議のメンバー（例：松木國俊氏）には慰安婦の存在を否定する人がいて日本語サイトには「『慰安婦強制連行』という根も葉もない非難」とあるのですが英訳はない｡｡｡｡ なのに「主戦場」が上映されるとなると、急に「（慰安婦存在）否定派とは関係ございません、個人の意見です云々」という英訳を併記する｡｡｡ 聞いてほしいことだけ英訳して、聞いてほしくないことは日本語だけでこそこそってどうなんでしょう。

3. 「安倍さんは白馬の王子様」症候群

安倍政権、歴代最長です。生活が苦しい人が「自民党以外」に投票すればすぐに変わると思うのですがそうはなってませんね。そして先日、驚くべきツイートを発見しました。生活が苦しいと言っている人たちが「他に選択肢がないから自民党に入れている」と｡｡｡ 口があんぐり。選択肢あるでしょ。どこからともなく突然現れてお姫様抱っこしてくれる王子様でも待っているのでしょうか。いやいや道理で、森加計から桜を見る会になっても何も変わらないわけです。

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私、馬鹿なことする人って全く気になりません（私自身がそうですし）。でも「他人に言われるがままに発言したり行動したりする」人は本当に怖いと思います。権威主義的な社会、全体主義的な社会って、ヒトラーやスターリンのような個人が作るものではない。不平不満は言うけど選挙には行かない、行っても「選択肢がない」といって現状を追認する人たちが作ってるんだと思います。選択肢は自分たちで作り、育てていくものだと思ってます。

最近怖いんで書いてしまいました。

I'm Rat. What's Yours? 私はネズミ。あなたは？

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What do you think the two are talking about?

- I’m rat. What’s yours?
- Mine is ox.

They are talking about their Japanese zodiac signs, called "eto (干支)," and age. This type of conversation, "I’m XXX. What’s yours?," is very common among the Japanese elderly as they often use their zodiac signs to say their age instead of directly saying it. Japanese zodiac signs consist of the following 12 animals, forming a 12-year cycle:

2020  rat
2021  ox

2022  tiger

2023  rabbit

2024  dragon
2025  snake

2026  horse

2027  sheep

2028  monkey

2029  rooster

2030  dog

2031  boar

So, what do you think this is?

Christmas Ratree at Tokyo International Forum

The tree in the above picture is a Christmas tree made of Santa Rats, that is, stuffed animals of the zodiac sign for the following year 2020.

Mini Santa Rats

Every December, two Christmas trees decorated with stuffed animals of the following year's zodiac sign appear at the Tokyo International Forum. As Year 2020 is the rat year, the trees this year are made of mini Santa Rats, representing fertility and prosperity of descendants. If you want to know more details about Japanese zodiac signs, click here. 

Tokyo International Forum is directly connected with JR Yurakucho Station and JR Tokyo Station through the underground path.

東京国際フォーラムのクリスマスツリーです。毎年、翌年の干支の動物ツリーを飾ってますのでご存知の方も多いかと思います。来年はネズミ年なので今年のツリーはネズミサンタさんで一杯です。

これまでクリスマスなんて何とも思ってなかったのですが、なぜかクリスマスケーキを無性に食べたいな｡｡｡と感じる今日のこの頃です。（花より団子です｡｡｡🙇）