Now before I begin I need to state where I come from. I’m from Singapore (no that’s not in China) with a similarly brutal Asian education system. That means that I will probably have a very different perspective on Japan’s education system compared to the other writers. For example, one striking thing to Americans in Japan is perhaps the relatively low school dropout rates. To me however, that’s taken for granted, as is the exam stress of the Japanese system.

But, anyway. As Koichi stated, there was (and still is) a trend to hail the Asian countries’ education system. It may have shifted away from Japan specifically, but US President Obama’s praising of the Korean education system shows that this trend is still going strong.

However, and to be very frank, whenever this happens, many of us on the other side of the Pacific just simply arch our eyebrows. Partly because we don’t know how “bad” it is over on the other side – my friend talking about gang fights in his Los Angeles school was eye-opening to me. But also partly because on the flip side many Westerners have an overly rosy view of Asia and its education – it seems as if the education systems of Asia are praised more outside of Asia than within it.

Some of the stuff in this article is very generalizable to other Asian countries as well – there really are a lot of similarities. Some of it is specific to Japan – read on to find out.

Non-Cognitive Skills

Koichi in his article (I’m very sure I’m not doing it justice by summarizing here) pointed out that the amae as well the ganbare culture in Japanese society are the core reasons why the the Japanese youth tend to stronger non-cognitive skills, which in turn leads in the long run to higher personal performance. This also translates to their ability to endure the punishing stress of the Japanese education system and life thereafter.

This is true in terms of perseverance, stress tolerance and conscientiousness. However, there are also other non-cognitive skills which cannot be lumped together with the above. Consider the following:

Self Confidence: A survey published in 2011 (Source in Japanese) stated that 37.3% of Japanese high-schoolers “somewhat agreed” or “completely agreed” with the statement “I am a human being with worth” (私は価値のある人間だと思う). This is contrasted with 75.3% in South Korea, 88.0% in China and 90.4% in the US.

Furthermore the same survey also asked whether participants agreed with the statement “私は努力すれば大体のことができる” (I’ll be able to do most things if I put in effort) – 44.4% of Japanese participants agreed as compared to above 80% for the other countries. Therefore it’s questionable whether Japanese students work so hard because they really believe they can achieve or because they’re simply being pressured to do so.

Shyness: described as an “overgeneralized response to fear” in this article, Carducci and Zimbardo continue to say that Japan (along with Taiwan) display the highest shyness among surveyed countries and that:

In Japan, if a child tries and succeeds, the parents get the credit. So do the grandparents, teachers, coaches, even Buddha. If there’s any left over, only then is it given to the child. But if the child tries and fails, the child is fully culpable and cannot blame anyone else. An “I can’t win” belief takes hold, so that children of the culture never take a chance or do anything that will make them stand out. As the Japanese proverb states, “the nail that stands out is pounded down.”

Curiosity: An international survey conducted on adults by the OECD over 2011-2012 asked the question “Do you like learning new things”. Japan had 20% of respondents answering “Not at all” or “Very Little”, the highest number excluding South Korea which had near 29% answering so. 36.8% in Japan answered “to some extent”, however the total for “to a high extent” and “to a very high extent” (42%) was significantly lower than other surveyed countries, except for South Korea.

Whether the education system is the main factor in this is unclear. However, rote memorization based exams may disincentivize students from exploring outside the fixed curriculum – after all, extra knowledge does not beget results.

There’s a lot to be said about the interpretation of data because perhaps the above is just reflecting Japanese humbleness. Nonetheless, the margins between countries suggest that in the field of non-cognitive skills the field is rather mixed when you add the above to perseverance.

Curriculum

Moving on to the education system proper, it’s also worth looking at what cognitive skills – and skill sets – the education system imparts. While Koichi stresses that non-cognitive skills play the largest part in a person’s success I think it’s also important to also stress that cognitive skills play a significant role as well. For example, a study by Heckman, Stixud and Urzua in the US (accessible here) suggests that both cognitive and non-cognitive skills play heavy roles in a person’s wages.

As Koichi did argue, non-cognitive skills do tend to lead to cognitive skills, which are important for future successes. Non-cognitive may be the “origin” of my success – working harder at math may improve my math skills enough to qualify me to be an accountant in the future – but without those cognitive skills eventually developing I could not have been an accountant.

Therefore, the cognitive skills taught in an education system are important too. Japan has clear successes in literacy and mathematical ability but there are some drawbacks to the Japanese system as well. These include:

Foreign language skills including English: ’Nuff said. This can be an entire article by itself. Despite all of the years spent studying English, the average Japanese person is nearly helpless when put in an English-speaking-related situation.

Presentation Skills: Actually a mix of cognitive and non-cognitive skills (likeability etc). Not very well taught at all. There’s no data on this but a majority of my classmates say that the first time they’ve ever done a PowerPoint presentation was in University. Body-language, reading-from-a-script and extremely wordy PowerPoints are still very common from my experience.

Written expression: Sumitani and Robert-Sanborn have written an interesting essay here (In Japanese) about the role of essay-writing in education and society. Anyways, essay-writing is not emphasized greatly at the pre-university level given that the University Entrance Examination (センター試験; 2013 sample can be found here) have no essay based component and are entirely multiple choice. Individual universities may choose to add essay-components in their additional secondary entrance examinations though.

IT education: Perhaps a surprise? The PIAAC survey published in 2013 noted that while Japan as a whole scores average among surveyed countries in terms of “problem solving in technology rich environments”, the group aged 16 – 24 years old performed below average compared to the youth of other countries. IT education is a subject in school so it’s not as if they have zero technology education. My view is that the lack of personal research projects, computer presentations etc in other subjects inhibit Japanese youth in developing these skills.

So as with the non-cognitive segment, the cognitive skills segment for the Japanese proves to be mixed in terms of its limitations and successes (reading, writing, numeracy). As you can see, the Japanese education system’s effectiveness really gets hit hard when you step outside the bounds of “facts that you can learn.” Creativity, the ability to take those facts and apply them to something else (language speaking, presentations, written expression, etc) are all what I’d consider weak points of the Japanese education system.

How The Japanese View Their Own Education System

But perhaps one linked (but important) topic that needs to be touched on is how the Japanese evaluate their own education system.

The first thing that needs to be said is that in Japan now, there’s a lot of pessimism about the future. Part of this pessimism is a tendency to blame and criticize the young. Perhaps the pessimism is justified by genuine issues among Japanese youth but then again the general pessimism may tint the evaluation of the youth by the people living in Japan (including me as a resident).

We don’t know how strong the effect of each direction is but any self-evaluative surveys must be qualified by this possible bias. However, one question which I expect many Japanese to ask is: if our education is so good, why is our economy still doing so badly?

There is in general a perception that Japan’s academic standards have been declining. Nakai has written a very complete article here about the debate and its history. Furthermore, there was a survey published in 2004 showing that employers were by and large very dissatisfied with the skills of high-school and university graduates. Given that the Japanese economy has not experienced any significant improvement so far I doubt if the appraisal today would be significantly different.

Given this, it probably would seem odd to many Japanese to hear their education system described in such a positive light. In fact if it were not for widespread dissatisfaction with or fears about the quality of education in Japan, the government would probably not have announced wide ranging reforms last year.

Given The Above…

I really have to caution people about treating Japan, or any other Asian country, as shining beacons of academic excellence. We all have our problems and unless you know a lot about the other side, it’s very easy to fall into “grass is greener on the other side” pitfalls.

So while we may laugh at articles from the Onion titled Chinese third graders falling behind US high school students in Math, Science, let me just end by saying that there’s actually a lot that Asians (at least those that I know) admire about Western education too. Like the high emphasis on debate, discussion and communicative skills, for example.

But not the math, oh no no no certainly not the math standard. But that’s for another article someday.

Other Links:

• Japan Times: Education in 2013: an “A” for ambition but Japan will have to do better
• The Guardian: Why do Japanese children lead world numeracy and literacy
• Higher Education and the Japanese Disease

Chinese Origins

China has been using chopsticks since 1200 BC, maybe even earlier. The first known sets were made of bronze and were mainly used for cooking as they were handy for reaching into boiling pots of oil or water. It wasn’t until 400 AD that people started eating with the things and then by 500 AD or so, chopsticks had spread all over Asia.

China also experienced a population boom around this time which forced folks to start pinching pennies (or yuan, if you prefer). Chinese people started using chopsticks because with more people there was less fuel, and with less fuel there was less fire. In order to cook things more quickly, people would cut their food up into smaller pieces to cook them faster. Can you guess what was just perfect for picking up smaller pieces of food? That’s right – the chopstick.

Since food was more or less already bite sized at this point, knives started to serve much less of a purpose at the dinner table. Confucius also played a part in the popularization of chopsticks as an eating utensil in China. Confucius believed that sharp utensils like knives had no place at the dinner table. He thought that knives represented things like violence and warfare which did not go along with the feeling of joy and contentment he believed should be present at every meal.

Chopsticks In Japan

So chopsticks in China really got popular around 500 AD. How long did the chopstick craze take to get to Japan? Well, the oldest official records of chopsticks being used in Japan is from the Kojiki, written in 712AD, but they probably made it over there even sooner than that. Chinese culture made its way over to Japan through Korea earlier than that, and the chopsticks were sure to have been one of the things that made it over.

In the beginning, chopsticks were only used in Japanese ceremonies. These early Japanese chopsticks were made from bamboo and were joined at the top, kind of like those “trainer” chopsticks you see today.

Gradually these chopsticks made their way into the home and became used for eating on a regular basis. The first recorded instances of separated chopsticks being used for normal eating don’t show up until 10th century Japan, but like before, people were probably doing this for a long time in some areas before someone thought it was a good idea to actually write down “Hey guys, we’re using chopsticks to eat with now, k?”

Japanese Chopsticks Vs. The World’s

From top to bottom: Plastic chopsticks from Taiwan, porcelain chopsticks from mainland China, bamboo chopsticks from Tibet, Vietnamese style palmwood chopsticks from Indonesia, stainless flat chopsticks from Korea with spoon, a Japanese couple’s set, Japanese child’s chopsticks, and disposables

Did you know that not all chopsticks are alike? There are distinct differences between Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese chopsticks.

Japanese chopsticks are usually shorter than other chopsticks and taper to a fine point. They are traditionally made of bamboo or wood and are often lacquered. Japanese chopsticks also come in kid sizes and woman sizes which are even shorter than standard sizes. Bento sized chopsticks, which fit inside of bento boxes, can also be quite short and sometimes made of colorful plastic.

In Korea, chopsticks are a medium length with a flat rectangular shape. They are traditionally made from brass or silver and are used simultaneously with a spoon.

Chinese chopsticks are longer and thicker than both Japanese and Korean chopsticks. They have squared or rounded sides and end in blunt, flat tips. They can be made from many materials but are most commonly made from melamine plastic or lacquered bamboo.

Vietnamese chopsticks are usually longer than most. These chopsticks taper to a blunt point like Chinese ones and are traditionally made from lacquered wood or bamboo.

In Japan, the lacquered wood tradition started in the 17th century. The extravagant had their chopsticks made from jade, gold, ivory, or silver. Speaking of fancy, if you want a nice set of chopsticks to go with your fine tableware, Kyoto is considered the center of chopstick design. In terms of production, 85% of the country’s chopsticks are made in nearby Obama, Fukui Prefecture.

But it’s not all fancy pants chopsticks in Japan. In 1878, Japan produced the world’s first disposable chopsticks, and today China and Japan use the majority of them. China is responsible for using 45 billion disposable chopsticks a year. Japan is about half of that at 24 billion.

A lot of deforestation has been linked to disposable chopsticks, so hopefully something here changes soon. You do see a lot more “bring your own chopsticks” holders on sale in Japan these days. They’re kind of like travel toothbrush holders, but instead of a toothbrush, you have chopsticks. Still, that might not be enough so I hope people become more aware. Tell all your friends!

How to Use Chopsticks in Japan

Different countries have different rules for chopstick etiquette, so if you want to impress people with your chopstick skills and knowledge in Japan, here’s what you need to know.

• You should hold your chopsticks towards their back end, not in the middle or the front third. “Choking up” on your chopsticks is a surefire way to look like a noob.
• You also shouldn’t spear food with your chopsticks, point or wave them around, or move bowls around with them. I feel like lots of people do this anyway though, even native Japanese people.
• To separate a larger piece of food, you’d exert controlled pressure on the chopsticks while moving them apart from each other. Controlled pressure is the important part. You don’t want to end up flicking your food halfway across the room.
• Food should not be directly transferred from your chopsticks to someone else’s. Transferring directly with chopsticks is how bones are passed as part of Japanese funeral rites, so it’s not viewed as good practice at the dinner table. Unless you’re a cannibal, then maybe it’s okay. Maybe.
• Chopsticks also shouldn’t be crossed on a table, as this symbolizes death, or vertically stuck in the rice, which is another funeral practice. See how these manners relate back to chopsticks that were originally only used in Japanese ceremonies?
• The pointed ends of the chopsticks should be placed on a chopstick rest when they’re not being used. If a chopstick rest is not available and you’re using disposable chopsticks, you can make a chopstick rest by folding the paper sleeve they came in. You could also rest it on a plate or lay it on top of a bowl. Just don’t stab it into anything!
• Chopsticks should be placed horizontally with the tips on the left. Any other orientation would make you look like a hooligan.

If you’ve been to Japan before, I’m sure you will have noticed that not everyone commonly adheres to all of these chopstick rules (I’ve seen it happen plenty of times), but I think they’re good to be aware of just in case you find yourself in a super formal chopstick using situation. Wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself!

Speaking of embarrassing yourself, for some good tips on how not to do this, I’d recommend checking out our guide on How to Save Yourself from Embarrassment in Japan and How to be a Baka Gaijin while Eating. You’ll learn a lot, I promise.

Modern Iterations

Chopsticks have had quite the journey. But it’s not over yet! Chopsticks are always evolving and changing even though the basic purpose remains the same. Check out some of these modern iterations.

Always find yourself needing chopsticks when there are none to be found? Store some in your glasses! Problem solved!

Don’t wear glasses? No problem! Store these collapsible chopsticks in your bag or pocket!

Remember those “trainer” chopsticks that were mentioned before? Well here’s an example of what some of those look like. Cute, huh?

So, are you a chopstick master? Do you remember what it was like the first time you used chopsticks? When I was growing up I used to always eat rice and pasta dishes with chopsticks because I thought it was cool. Luckily this helped me not embarrass myself while at Asian restaurants and while studying abroad in Japan. I was prepared.

Have any interesting chopstick related stories? Share them in the comments!

Bonus Wallpapers!

[2560x1600] • [1280x800] • [1280x800 Animated] • [700x438 Animated]

Sites Referenced:
Wikipedia.com
History.com

In 1895, Japan claimed the Senkaku Islands for themselves. Five years later in 1900, a bonito factory was built, making it just about as inhabited as it will ever be. In 1940, the bonito factory closed down (I’m guessing to save resources for WWII), and then after Japan’s surrender, they gave the island, empty bonito factory and all, to the United States. Fast forward a few decades to 1972, where we see the US giving the islands back to Japan. At this point, both China and Taiwan are claiming the islands are theirs, seemingly out of nowhere. China said they discovered it in the 14th century. Taiwan, on the other hand, is just very close to the islands (a mere 76 nautical miles). It’s that little white dot with a red circle around it.

In recent times, the dispute mainly seems to be between China and Japan who have been on fairly tense terms for a long time. Recently, China has sent military vessels to and around the islands in a “military exercise.” If you’re from Taiwan you’ll know what “military exercises” should also include the word “muscle flexing” and “threat” somewhere in between. In addition to this, Chinese company “Giant Interactive Group” just released the video game “Glorious Mission Online” in collaboration with the Chinese military. In this game, it simulates the attack and invasion of the Senkaku Islands!  Quote: “Players… will fight alongside Chinese armed forces and use weapons to tell the Japanese that they must return our stolen territory,” they say in a press release. While this is entirely virtual, you can see why people might think of this as a wink wink nudge nudge saynomore saynomore situation.

But, why is this island so disputed? It’s an uninhabited island, after all. Does it just come down to a bunch of politicians trying to compare, uh, katana sizes? Or, is there something else going on here? Something ominous? Wait, is that a mysterious hatch I see in the satellite images? 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42…

The CIA’s Report

First of all, you can find the entire CIA report on the Senkaku Islands here, should you be interested. The report was written in 1971 and then “approved for release” on May 2, 2007, which hopefully means nobody in dark suits will be knocking on my door anytime soon. Interestingly enough, that dates the release of this article to before the recent flare-ups between Japan and China, so it’s not entirely new. It does, however, bring up an interesting perspective and thus allows us to see what part of the report has come true (or not true), as well as have an idea of what may be to come.

Still, there are some secrets. Several parts of the document are redacted, meaning anything could be in there. Oil? Weapons? Aliens? If nobody says it’s not aliens, I’m going to just assume it’s aliens, okay? Let’s go through this sucker.

The Discovery Of Oil

In 1969, the Japanese government sponsored a survey of the underwater geology around the Senkaku Islands. At this point, there really was no thought from really anyone that the Senkaku Islands belonged to anyone but the Japanese. After the survey, they released newspaper accounts that they had confirmed an earlier UN survey saying there was possibly a lot of oil to be had.

Niino’s team of Tokyo University scientists confirmed the UN survey findings. It established the existence of marine tertiary deposits, more than 6,000 feet thick, in the area surveyed. It also discovered that folding structures, identified as three large barriers and numerous small ridges, existed in several places. This was a significant finding, for it indicated the possibility that geological formations exist to entrap the oil forming elements that are almost certain to be found in the thick marine sediments.

Niino did go on to say that the report, while optimistic, was not enough evidence to really prove there was a bunch of oil down there. But, when oil is involved, people start to listen (and lay sovereignty claims to islands, apparently). You also have to understand the oil situation in Asia back in this time (and even now).

• Japan: Japan, in the 1970s, required the most oil out of all the involved parties. They were consuming 3.8 million barrels of crude oil per day, and it was expected that would quadruple in the next 15 years. 90% of Japan’s crude oil came from the Persian Gulf, and this oil represented 10% of Japan’s foreign imports.
• Taiwan: Petroleum products consumption doubled in the four years between 1965 and 1969 and oil accounted for 30 percent of the country’s energy requirements. Like Japan, they don’t have much domestic oil production, and they import over 90% of their crude oil.
• China: At this time, only around 10 percent of China’s energy consumption, and almost all of the oil needs are met with domestic production. Only 3 percent was imported, amazingly! But, we all know China was going to grow like gangbusters, so they were eager to find more oil to keep up with that demand.

So, there’s the oil situation for the three countries. All of them could use more oil, just like any country, to be honest. But, these were the three that had the best claims to the islands and the (possible) oil that lay below. So, in order to get all this oil, according to the CIA report, different parties did different things, some more persuasive than others.

What Everyone Thinks

It’s almost like Season 4 of Arrested Development. Everyone has their own perspective and story explaining why they think the islands belong to them or why they think the islands belong to someone else. I’m still trying to figure out who’s G.O.B. in this situation. I will make this island… disappear! du du duuh duhhhh. duh duh duh duh duhhh ♬

Kaw, ka-kaw, ka-kaw, ka-kaw

By looking at the various parties and positions in this CIA report, you can see how the story unfolds on parallel paths. What will happen when these paths converge to this story’s climax? Well, actually we don’t know yet, as there’s been no conclusion. But, we can see how it all got started, thanks to the CIA and their central intelligence.

Relating To Japan:

Of course, according to the CIA document Japan had quite the position on this dispute. They are, arguably, the center of the dispute. In fact, until the 1969 survey done by the Japanese government to try and confirm oil, pretty much everyone thought that the Senkaku Islands belonged to them, which means the burden of proof is put on everyone else, and Japan ought to be on the defense.

• 1970: Taiwan queries the Japanese Embassy in Taipei about the exact meaning of the term “Nansei Shoto” (Ryukyu islands) and whether or not it includes the Senkakus. While this is an innocent enough question, it’s the first time someone officially possibly maybe is going to challenge who the Senkaku Islands belong to. Japan immediately puts together a foreign office task force to “study international law pertaining to the continental shelf and territorial claims.” They know something is up.
• Summer 1970: A Taiwanese flag shows up on the Senkaku Islands and is removed. Also, the slogan “Long live President Chiang” (Taiwan) painted somewhere on the island is destroyed. A little bit later, Taiwanese fishing boats were allegedly told to leave by Japanese naval patrol boats. Both sides pretty much denied any involvement in either incident, but tension is obviously rising.
• Mid-September 1970: It goes without saying that the Japanese government officially lays down saying the islands belong to Japan and were not a matter of negotiation.

From the report, it basically says that Japan owns the islands. Anyone else who wants the islands will have to prove that it’s theirs, otherwise it defaults to Japan. Of course, not everyone was going to just lie down and take this, though.

Relating To Taiwan:

Out of all the involved parties, Taiwan is the closest to the Senkaku Islands. That being said, they haven’t had much contact or concern with it until now.

• Before 1969: Taiwanese fishermen came here. Sometimes they’d go on the island to collect bird eggs as well. When this happens the United States Civil Administration and the Ryukyu Government usually protests. The Taiwanese government is usually nice and cooperative about it, never claiming the land is theirs or anything like that.
• 1968: The original UN led survey that suggested there might be oil down there (this is the one that prompted the Japanese to run their own survey) had Taiwanese nationals aboard. Despite this (therefore knowing about the oil before the Japanese survey) they made no claims on the oil until a year later in 1969 after the Japanese survey.
• Taiwan grants a concession to American oil firm Gulf to explore the Continental shelf area around the Senkakus. One way they (informally) disputed Japan’s claims over the islands was by basing their case on the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which limited Japan’s sovereignty to the “four main Japanese islands.”
• 1969: Using Continental Shelf rules from the 1958 Geneva Convention, they claimed the Senkaku Islands should belong to them due to the natural prolongation of of their land territories. While I think this digs their hole deeper, they claimed that the Senkaku Islands were an extension of the China mainland, which is true, but they also claimed to be the rightful government of said China mainland. That didn’t work out for them, obviously, so this statement basically is saying they think that the Senkaku Islands belong to China, not them.
• 1971: In February, Taiwan publicly claimed the islands were theirs when the Taiwanese ambassador in DC requested that the United States “respect the sovereign rights of the Republic of China (Taiwan) over Tiao-yu Tai islets (Senkaku Islands) and restore them to the GRC (Taiwan)” when the US occupation of the Ryukyu Islands terminates.

Nowadays, I wouldn’t say Taiwan is really in the game for getting the Senkaku Islands anymore. I want to say a big part of it is 1) It’s going to be hard for anyone to claim these islands from the Japanese without some damning evidence and 2) they basically said it was a part of China, and even though they thought China ought to be Taiwan, times are a bit different now. They dug their own grave on this one.

Relating To The Ryukyu Government

The Ryukyu Islands, which were currently occupied by the US (and eventually to be given up by the US at a later date), were of course a little worried about this. The Senkaku Islands were part of the Ryukyu, after all! What would happen if the US government decided to give them to Japan? Or even Taiwan! If there’s going to be some oil let it help out the Ryukyu people (aka Okinawa), you know?

• Using the World Meteorological Organization, the Ryukyu government recognized Uotsuri-jima as part of the Ryukyus. They also claimed that before WWII the islands were under the jurisdiction of Ishigaki, the largest  city on Ishigaki Island of Yaeyama Gunto, a part of the Ryukyu that is fairly close to the Senkaku Islands.
• They also pulled up the USCAR Proclamation, Article I #27, which went over the “Geographical Boundaries in the Ryukyu Islands.” This proclamation put the Senkakus easily within US administration at the time.
• Ryukyu officials then announced that they had been receiving taxes annually from an individual who had the title to four of the Senkaku Islets. We’ll see more of this guy in a moment.
• September 1970: The Ryukyu government sent a delegation to Tokyo in regards to the protection of Ryukyu territorial rights over the Senkakus. It claimed the Senkakus were a part of the Ryukyus, and it also made it so that Japan had land very close to the Senkaku Islands. This is useful in case it comes down to the distance between the islands and various nations. You don’t want to be too far away from the islands you’re wanting to claim. The Ryukyu government knew this, and by trying to get Tokyo to agree, they were also making them agree that Ryukyu would get the islands and therefore help out the Ryukyu people (Oil moneeeyyyy!).

In the end, though, the Ryukyu were under the control of the US. And, whatever the US wanted to do, they could do. Still though, it helped to set the stage for later on after the US handed control of the islands to Japan, possibly.

Relating To China

China was a fairly new nation during this time, so it’s interesting to see what they were doing. Of course, the CIA had their eyes on China to see what they’d do (along with Taiwan).

• 1958: China proclaims a 12-mile territorial sea. This does not put the Senkaku Islands within their territorial grasp.
• 1969: Taiwan and Japan issues start to flare up. While it’s said China was probably interested in this oil, they didn’t show it (yet). They kept quiet and let Japan and Taiwan duke it out. It’s probable they didn’t have the offshore drilling technology needed to even take advantage of this anyways.
• August/Sept 1970: Hsin-wan Pao and Ta-kung Pao published articles talking about how Japan and the US were “plundering” the oil reserves of China. They also claimed that Taiwan was selling out to the United States, so nothing new here. It is, however, the first wrinkles of Chinese interest in the Senkaku Islands.
• December 1970: The New China News Agency broadcast claimed that the Senkaku Islands were part of China’s continental shelf, making it Chinese. They claimed that Japan’s push for the oil under the Senkakus was to fuel their growing military establishment.
• China was also worried that this would cause cooperation between Japan and Taiwan, further complicating the whole “Taiwan existing” thing.
• Peking also begins to support a “200-mile territorial sea” claim, like those in Latin Amercan nations. They also go on to support the right of countries to determine their territorial sea limits “in accordance with their geographical conditions and geological and biological characteristics as well as the need of a rational use of their own resources.” Basically, they tried to make things as loosey goosey as possible so that they’d be able to claim the Senkaku Islands (and Taiwan itself, theoretically) based on this.

Based on Continental shelves, China does have a moderately decent claim, though. It’s the same claim Taiwan was trying to make while it was saying China ought to belong to them as well.

You can actually see the continental shelf right here. The dark parts are where things get really deep, and in theory they sort of break apart regions under the water. You can see the Senkaku Islands are Northwest of that small dark spot, showing where the (Chinese) shelf ends. On the other side is the line of Ryukyu Islands, which belongs to the US (at the time) and Japan (now). By this logic Taiwan would be a part of China as well.

While I don’t agree, it is the strongest claim the Chinese have for the islands. If this thing is banged out enough and gets to some kind of world court, they could use this evidence to claim the islands. It’d still be a long shot, but anything’s possible if the glove doesn’t fit.

Relating To The US

At this point in time, the US is occupying the Ryukyu Islands, and in their minds, the Senkaku Islands as well.

• Early in their administration of the Ryukyus, the US set up two of the Senkaku islets as gunnery ranges, one of which they paid $11,000 in rent for in 1971. The person receiving the money, the US says, pays taxes to the Ryukyu government (remember that from the Ryukyu section?), thus making the land Ryukyu territory.
• The other islands, however, were considered Japanese territory, so now during the occupation the US can use them without cost. Obviously, the US considers the Senkaku Islands as Japanese. They also consider themselves occupying it.
• 1969: USCAR established a policy stating that US approval was necessary prior to Ryukyu (or third party) use of the tidelands or waters. Once again, US controlled.
• 1970: The US tried not to get involved until now, when the Taiwanese and Japanese government started to really heat up about who owned it. After making some statements on the situation, they helped to form the Tripartite Committee in the summer of 1970. The committee between national leaders in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea (where’d you come from, South Korea?) thought it would be a good idea to create a join-venture company for ocean development. This is what triggered the 1970 Chinese accusation that the joint development plan was really a trick “instigated by Japanese militarists, aided and abetted by “the Chiang Kai-shek bandit gang and the Pak Jung Hi clique, and whose purpose was the plundering of the seabed and undersea oil resources of China and Korea (I’m guessing North Korea is what they’re talking about here).
• December 1970: The Tripartite Committee met again, and agreed on a broad purpose: the “planning and execution of surveys, research and development of marine resources.” They also agreed to keep their negotiations out of formal international diplomatic channels unless it seemed favorable. They agreed they’d be able to do independent surveys around the islands.
• Due to the domestic troubles of the various nations, though, the Tripartite Committee was falling apart. On top of this, China was expressing its concern over the whole matter, supposedly (according to the CIA) trying to delay everything until they had the technology to go out there and run their own surveys / drill their own wells. Their oil economy was still maturing, and they needed some time, so they were stalling.

Mainly, though, the US played a watchful role, only stepping in when things got a little too spicy. They had their opinion, sure, but they also didn’t want to get too involved. They would have to hand off the Ryukyu Islands at some point anyways, so its best not to get your hands too dirty, right?

Relating To The Cartographers

Apparently old maps is one way that people settle claims on what belongs to who. So, the cartographers get a say! Let me “map” the whole thing out for you.

• 1966: The “Red Guard” atlas published in Peking during the Cultural Revolution includes a map of the internal administrative areas of Communist China. It indicates the Senkaku Islands area as someplace that’s not within China’s border. It also indicates the Ryukyu Islands as Japanese, though there’s nothing new there. Another map in the same atlas shows Taiwan as part of China, but excludes the Senkaku Islands unlike later maps which quietly add the islands in with Taiwan as part of China.
• 1967: The same maps are shown in the “popular edition” of Atlas of China, a book published in Peking. In these maps, though, they also include “areas of dispute” on the maps. The Senkaku Islands are not included in these areas, so according to this map, at least, the Senkaku Islands are indisputably Japanese.
• 1970: After oil was discovered, Chinese maps began including the Senkaku Islands as Chinese. China’s Ministry of National Defense published an Atlas of China showing the Senkakus in both the Chinese and Japanese language. In 1962, the earlier version of this map didn’t name the islands at all.
• A random selection of maps printed in Europe and privately published do not indicate the area of the Senkakus to be Chinese. Also, the 1967 version of the USSR’s official Atlas Of The World specifically indicates the Senkakus to be Japanese.

Who knew maps could be so useful! It’s interesting to see how they quietly change depending on what’s going on with oil and politics. Looking up the Senkaku Islands in Google Maps right now, it seems they’ve taken a safe stand on the issue. There’s both the Chinese/Taiwanese name and the Japanese one with no country attached at the end. Well played, Google Maps. Well played.

Who Does It Belong To?

So that’s the report given by the CIA! It’s surprisingly not that much different from the way things are now. Nobody’s drilling the Senkaku Islands, and China’s still claiming the islands are theirs. In fact, tensions only seem to be rising in recent months/years, despite all this time going by. Can you believe that 1970 was over forty years ago? I know I can’t. I guess some things will never change.

If you want, you can read the original CIA report here. I wonder what’s in the redacted parts! Dun dun dunnnn.

Bonus Wallpapers!

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Thanks to /r/Japan for the lead!

To those people I say “bah” and “pshhh, you don’t know what you’re missing out on,” because there’s a whole category of places you’d never think of visiting in Japan that aren’t on the radars of pretty much any Japan travel resources. Some of these areas are what’s known as Bkyuu (B級 = B-rank) spots. As in, where the “Akyuu” spots are the Golden Pavilions and the Todaijis and the Tokyo Towers of the world, the “Bkyuu” spots are the less touristy, weirder, and usually harder to get to. Luckily for you, these are the places I tend to spend most of my time in.

Some of these places we’ve written about – others we’ll be writing and doing video about in the future. All of them are Bkyuu and off the beaten track. The kinds of places people aren’t telling you about.

Okunoshima aka Rabbit Island

In WWII, Okunoshima had a big ol’ poison gas factory. Now, it’s an island covered in rabbits (and possibly some buried containers of poison gas, but that’s just in case the rabbits grow intelligent, I’m sure). One theory is that after the war they were going to kill all the rabbits to help hide the evidence, but local youngsters let them all free before anyone could do that. Today, with a lack of predators and 50+ years of breeding time, there’s a rabbit infestation. Thankfully, tourists seem to like rabbits. It’s also home to a government-run hotel (very nice, I’ve been there), a museum, and some haikyo (ruins) if the rabbits aren’t doing it for you. If you like to feed rabbits, hang out on islands, and walk/bike around a lot, Okunoshima’s your very own rabbit paradise. Be warned, it’s gotten pretty popular in the years since I’ve been there, so grab a reservation to the hotel a few weeks in advance.

Location: Map

Makomanai Takino (aka Easter Island, Japan)

You could go to see the the Moai statues over on Easter Island, or, you could just head on up to the Makomonai Takino Cemetary in Hokkaido, Japan for a somewhat less original experience. It’s a little ways outside of Sapporo, and hard to get to in the winter (all that snow!), but seems like a nice and relaxing (and bizarre) day trip to me. I’m hoping to make it here the next time I’m in Hokkaido when it’s not during blizzard season. If the Moai statues aren’t enough for you, there’s also a Stonehenge replication and daibutsu (giant Buddha) there as well and 1,800,473㎡ worth of land to explore. It’s also a cemetery too.

Location: Map

Meguro Parasite Museum

A half-day is all you need to visit the Meguro Parasite Museum in the Meguro district of Tokyo. Why would you want to visit a parasite museum, let alone this one? Well, first of all, this is the only parasite museum in the world. So, if you’re going to visit one, it’s going to be this one. Second, you’re never going to be able to see things like this in person unless you’re the proud host of said parasites. Come here to enjoy giant tape worms, parasitic turtle heads, educational maps, and more! We spent maybe an hour or so here, but it was very educational and interesting. So, if you’re into science, or if you’re just into weird things, head on over to the Meguro Parasite Museum. Give them a donation, though, they need your yens to do all that parasite-related research upstairs!

Location: Map

Jesus Christ’s Gravesite

We wrote about how Jesus trekked over to Japan (while letting his brother die on the cross) a couple thousands years ago, but it’s worth bringing up again for this Bkyuu list. Why? Well, I think it’s an interesting story. That being said, I wouldn’t make a pilgrimage out here (even for the Christ Matsuri), but if you are in Aomori already, perhaps traversing the distance between Hokkaido and Central Japan, it might be worth the trip. You may even meet one of Jesus’ Japanese ancestors, if you’re lucky!

Location: Map

Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

I’m not super into Osaka, but there were times in my (younger) life where I was really into instant ramen. Of course, the king of instant ramen is Cup Noodle, and yes, there’s a Cup Noodle Museum. Not only can you learn about the history of Cup Noodle (pretty interesting, actually!) but you can also make your own Cup Noodle, which I think is the best part. I’m not going to be eating mine… that is until some future night where I’m really hungry and really desperate.

Oh, and if you haven’t eaten Japanese Cup Noodle, you’re in for a treat. It’s quite different from the non-Japanese version and actually tastes good, I think. You’d be surprised at the difference.

Location: Map

Yoro Park: The Site Of Reversible Destiny

Also known as the “Site of Reversible Destiny” (that should give you an idea), this park was made by Shusaku Arakawa and Madeline Gins, and is one of the most bizarre places I’ve ever been. It’s designed to be that way, though, so you can go there expecting upside down buildings, giant dangerous tree holes, and places scary for people who don’t like heights.

I also made a video about it a while back, when I visited with my friend Hiroyuki.

This was one of the most interesting places I’ve been to, I think. Every turn was a mini-adventure with something to explore and discover.

Location: Map

Tashirojima, aka Cat Island

A “bizarre places Japan” list wouldn’t be complete without Cat Island! I visited here a couple months before the Tohoku Earthquake. Then, we visited it again in February of this year (“Return To Cat Island” anyone?). If you’re into cats, this is your cat paradise. The island has had it rough with an aging population and damage from the Tohoku Earthquake, but you can get there again now and there are plenty of cats ready to try and murder you for sustenance the moment you turn around…

Here’s Part 1 of the Cat Island Trilogy…

Bonus: Did you know a group of cats is called a Clowder? There are many clowders here.

Location: Map

Robot Restaurant

While some of these places have been around a while, this one is fairly new. The Robot Restaurant in Tokyo is… uh… I don’t know how to describe it, to be honest. You pay your 4000ish yen, you go inside, you sit, and you eat your terrible bento (you’re not here for the food, that’s for sure). Then, the show begins. Scantily clad ladies do battle in giant robot / panda / Captain America suits. Then, they ride out on giant robot ladies. Then there are dinosaurs. Then, people fly around slowly and you give them high fives. Not sure how else to describe it, but it’s a weird experience leaving me scratching my head while smiling and laughing at the same time.

Location: Map

Jigokudani (aka Monkey Park)

I’ve been here a couple times now, and it’s verging on not being a Bkyuu spot anymore, but I’m going to include it anyways. You can do a day trip from Tokyo to here, but I recommend staying the night somewhere nearby so you can arrive early. There are other things to do here, but of course the main attraction is the macaques. They spend time warming themselves in the hot springs (uh oh, they’re leaaarrnninng). They’re also very tame, and will often let you get within inches of their face to take pictures. Don’t blame me if they tear off your face with their monkey strength. They’re still wild after all.

Mostly, though, I’d recommend you get there early. People will snag the best spots and never, ever leave (I’m looking at you Australian tourists). I’m thinking that they’re peeing into catheter or wearing Depends™. It’s the only way.

Location: Map

World’s Shortest Escalator

We found this gem thanks to hippikiller (his video below)… the world’s shortest escalator! This is like… ironic tourism at its best. You can go down this escalator hundreds of times if you want, and nobody will care, you included! Afterwards, I recommend going up one of the longer escalators so you can really feel the difference. Also, go to the game center in the building because you’ll probably be really bored by this point.

Still, it’s an easy day-trip out of Tokyo, so if you need to mark another check off your Guinness Book Of World Records checklist you can do it quite easily (and quickly).

Location: Map

More Bizarre Japanese Tourist Spots

So, I know there’s a lot more out there worth visiting, but these were my ten. I was thinking about throwing in Naoshima for the James Bond Museum or perhaps Zauo, the restaurant where you can catch your own fish (indoors!). What (odd/Bkyuu) places do you recommend in Japan? I know there’s a million more Bkyuu places in Japan worth (or not worth) visiting, so what are your tops?

Bonus Wallpapers!

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Yes, Japan is Sinking

But only a little bit. Mostly, no, it’s not. There is a lot of seismic activity going on in Japan. It’s the most seismically active country in the world, but that should come as no surprise to anyone given the terrible earthquake tragedies that have happened in Japan over the years. Japan sits atop an intersection of several tectonic plates and the shape of the country has been gradually transformed by these plate movements.

But while Japan’s shape is changing, it is, on the whole, not sinking. Some parts of Japan (the mountains mostly) are actually getting higher as the plates collide. However, earthquakes such as the Tohoku one in 2011 do cause some parts of Japan to sink. A 250 mile stretch of land along the Tohoku coastline dropped by about 2 feet as a result of the quake. On the other hand, other parts of Japan got wider and the seabed off the coast of Tohoku raised by about 10 feet.

This picture is from Yonaguni, not actually a sunken continent.

As mentioned above, continents have sunk before. Take Zealandia, Mauritia, and the Kerguelen Plateau. While they did find themselves submerged a long, long time ago (think 23 million years), it still makes you pause to think what might happen to Japan eventually if everything goes right. Or wrong, depending how you look at it.

I actually didn’t know that these “sunken continents” existed until not too long ago, but I find the idea of them fascinating. I guess it makes sense once you think about it though. Once continents break up into microcontinents it’s only a matter of time before some of them start going under. But like I said, Japan is not one of these places. Not yet, anyway.

Propagated Sinking Myths

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjTw9qaiE5w']

Despite the evidence, there are still a decent amount of Japanese people who believe that their country is indeed sinking. In 1973, Sakyo Komatsu wrote the best-selling earthquake novel Japan Sinks. The novel led to a film that same year, a television show in 1975, and a film remake and a sequel to the novel in 2006. A parody movie by the title Everything Other than Japan Sinks was released in 2006 as well. This movie sounds hilarious and I kind of want to see it.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCbPbV_W0hg']

In the movie Japan Sinks (the real one, not the parody), Japan sinks in just a few days. Realistically, this would never happen, but if it did, it would release a tremendous tsunami upon most all the coastal cities of the world. So even if you’re not living in Japan, you really wouldn’t want it to sink. Not that you would anyway though, that’s just mean.

Should Japan be Worried?

Japan’s going to be fine. At one point in time, all the continents were joined as one and Japan used to be attached to the main Asian continent. Since then, Japan has slowly drifted further and further east. While this trend is likely to continue, it is no means for concern. Japan is moving east, not down.

And Japan is no stranger to man-made land, so while earthquakes will do their best to tear Japan down in an attempt to sink it into the ocean, Japan will always be ready to turn around and rebuild and recover. In Tokyo alone, hundreds of square kilometers have been added over the past 60 years. Since pieces and parts of Japan sink so slowly, this gives the Japanese people plenty of time to fill everything back in.

So tell me, what do you think about the whole Japan is going to sink idea? Are any of the ideas posited here flawed? Have any theories of your own? Let us know in the comments!

It’s only natural that these festivals are as popular as they are: there’s the shock value, of course, along with a good dose of point-and-laugh. But, to paraphrase Hashi, they have been done to death – and all this limelight-hogging means other Japanese festivals never get the attention and exposure they deserve.

So today I’m going to try and change the status quo. I’ve put together a list of a few lesser-known Japanese festivals; I hope you’ll find them interesting and spread the word.

Let’s get to it!

#1 Hetomato Festival (ヘトマト)

Where: Goto City, Fukue Island
When: The third Sunday of January
Why: Bumper crops, big catches of fish, prosperous offspring

Claim to fame: Certified important intangible folk culture asset

The Hetomato Festival is a curiously mishmashed little beastie. It’s basically a procession from one shrine to another, with a little bit of everything in between.

All the events during the festival appear completely unrelated, and any significance they have, whether singly or together, seem lost even to the locals. Ritual sumo matches? Check. A match of hanetsuki while standing atop sake casks? Check. Random guys running around and smearing charcoal on people? Check!

The highlight of the Hetomato Festival has to be the finale. A giant zouri slipper is shouldered by several men and the procession heads for Shiroyama Shrine. The fun bit? Girls and young women encountered along the way are heaved into the slipper and given a few good tosses before they are let go.

Recommended for: People who like variety.

#2 Kasedori Festival (カセ鳥)

Where: Kaminoyama City, Yamagata
When: February 11th
Why: Thriving business and safety from fire

This festival gets its name from the bird-shaped straw coats that the participants wear. Or at least they’re supposed to resemble birds, but I honestly just don’t see it.

Anyway, the Kasedori Festival dates all the way back to the Edo period, and used to be a type of New Year festival. For some reason, people stopped celebrating it in the late 1800s, but in 1959 it was revived and reinvented as a festival for thriving business and fire safety.

The heart of this festival is a procession that starts at Kaminoyama Castle and moves around the city. During the procession, the participants chant “Thriving business!” and “Beware of fire!” or break out into a distinctive kakkaka song. All the while, onlookers splash them with cold water – never mind that it’s the middle of winter!

Once the procession is over, there is celebratory sake all around, and the participants head off to an onsen for a well-deserved soak.

Recommended for: People with a sadistic streak.

#3 Marimo Festival (まりも祭り)

Where: Akan Lake, Hokkaido
When: October 8th-10th
Why: To conserve marimo

Claim to fame: Marimo are certified special natural monuments

Marimo are just round balls of algae – what makes them special is their rarity. It seems that the only significant natural colony left in the world is in Akan Lake, so not surprisingly, the official purpose attached to this festival is to conserve marimo.

Left: marimo at Akan Lake; Right: Marimokkori, Hokkaido’s marimo mascot.

The Marimo Festival is relatively new, and was held for the first time in 1950. It’s a three-day event, but the good stuff is on days two and three: several marimo are taken from Akan Lake, guarded overnight at the nearby Ainu village or kotan, and then returned to the lake. As you’ll see in the following video, there is an air of celebration throughout, with a lot of songs and traditional dances being performed:

Critics of this festival claim it was created just for tourism and money-making purposes, and I have to admit the nearby Ainu village does look kind of artificial: lots of souvenir shops, coffee shops and restaurants. But to be fair, all festivals and rituals were “just made up” at some stage, and I’m sure tourists drop coin at other festivals too.

Recommended for: Algae lovers and those interested in the Ainu.

#4 Hitori Zumo (一人相撲)

Where: Omi Island, Ehime
When: May 5th and September 9th
Why: Abundant harvest and giving thanks

All right, this one’s for all you mime fans out there. The name, literally “one person sumo,” says it all, really. Don’t confuse it with the yojijukugo though!

A sumo ring is set up on the grounds of Oyamazumi Shrine, and a lone sumo wrestler has a match with… air. Or ostensibly with with the spirit of the rice plant. It’s a three-bout match, and if the spirit wins two bouts, it promises that there will bumper crops for the year.

It looks like the sumo wrestler is giving it all he’s got, but say what you like, I still think it smells of match-fixing.

Recommended for: Mime enthusiasts.

#5 Paantu Festival (パーントゥ祭り)

Where: Miyako Island, Okinawa
When: Various times; depends on the location
Why: Ritual exorcism

Claim to fame: Certified important intangible folk culture asset

Once widespread throughout Okinawa, this festival now only survives on the remote Miyako Island for that selfsame reason. Not for too much longer, though – most women now prefer having jobs instead of becoming priestesses. So if you want to go, the time is now.

Some people believe this festival has its roots in Papua New Guinea because of the distinctive wooden mask with the slit eyes and long nose.

There are at least two locations on the island where the Paantu Festival is still held. In Hirara City, paantus are celebrated as the bringers of joy. In this version, the paantus are three young men covered in leafy vines and mud from a certain spring. They run amok getting mud on other people, and in doing so chase away any evil spirits that might be near.

In contrast, in the Ueno version of the Paantu Festival, the paantu is considered evil. Priestesses bedecked in palm leaves and armed with camphor sprigs shout, “Hoi, Hoi!” and ritualistically henpeck the paantu out of town.

Recommended for: People who don’t mind getting dirty.

I hope the five festivals I’ve covered in today’s post has piqued your interest for Japan’s lesser-known festivals. Which ones did you like? Which would you be interested in going to?

If you’ve attended one of these festivals, tell us what you thought about it in the comments! Or if there’s a festival you think I should have covered, let me know and maybe I’ll write about it in a future post.

※ Dates for some of these festivals are based on the lunar calendar.
※ Although natural colonies of marimo are rare, they are also sold in souvenir shops nowadays.