I should Not Read Newspaers?

　　My husband says, “You always get angry after reading newspapers. Don’t read newspapers.”  Yes, my usual life is not so dramatic or exciting, but commonplace local one’s.

Four days ago, a neighbor woman I have known long was killed in a traffic accident in front of her house. I was shocked. She was gone. She was killed.  The driver is a single mother raising three boys in this town. What a sad story!   

    Talking about driving, in the local area like my town, most aged people are worrying when to stop driving. Without cars we can’t go shopping or to doctors because there isn’t enough traffic system. Only big cities are prosperous and busy, but old people living in the small towns and villages have to live other kind of lives.

 

    What was the first thing I felt unfair and got angry?  Some of my friends could not get jobs after graduating the university because of their activity in it, like students committee, students theater (I was there), or some groups studying socialism or communism. The educational board of the prefecture had (has?) a blacklist and eliminated (eliminates?) those dangerous(!) students, they say. Clever students smartly avoided such activities and friends and never gave any political comments, I could see. They got jobs and were promoted easily after that. I could not accept such a despotic Power and servile people. Since then I am angry, ha, ha!  But not always, not at all the people, and not with all the news. Don’t be afraid of me, please!

What We Sould Learn From the Walking People Who Traveld Thousands Years Ago

   It snowed before dawn this morning, so everything was white and beautiful. But now  the snow is melting under the blue sky. This is also beautiful. We need snow in winter for the crops in spring.   

I am now reading a big book whose title is ‘ The Walking People’. It is an oral history of a Native American tribe told by a woman whose name is Paula Underwood. It is an amazing story of the people who started Africa, crossed the Eurasian Continent to North America, and the span of their travel seems around ten thousand years. One thing I am impressed about them is the way they decide things and carry it out. They get together around the fire and talked and talked. Men, women, and children seem to have the same right to talk and to be listened with respect. Thus they share all of their knowledge, experience, and idea even of the very young ones. They confirm where they are and decide what to do next through the discussion. They seem so wise and united. This is an original DEMOCRACY, don’t you think?     .    

  The people I met yesterday in the meeting agreed that we, Japanese people, have not  fought for democracy ourselves, so we don’t know what is democracy, or how important it is though Japan seems advanced nation . I am ashamed to admit it, but it is true. They are easy to obey and don’t stand up against injustice. We should learn from the walking people many thousands years ago. What 

New Years Is Also Changing

　New Year’s holidays are now over though the schools are closed some more days. In this season, sons and daughters go back home and stay with their parents and families. Our younger son came back with his wife and daughter and stayed with us for three days. Then both sons and their families left to visit their wives’ families.  

  New Year’s holidays have changed a lot these years. When I was young these holidays was quiet time for families. I was told not to go out on New Years day. The towns were  very quiet because all the shops, stores, and restaurants were closed. It was the holiday for everyone. The only persons working were mail deliverers who were delivering New Year’s cards. But now the convenience stores are open all the time. Most stores are open on January 2^nd,even on 1^st. People go out and enjoy eating,, shopping, many kinds of events like concerts or sports.  Yes, everything changes.

  For New Years they make special food, but when I was working I didn’t. I just arranged things I bought on the plates. Now I make most of them in my kitchen!  Everyone changes.         

       

Santa Claus Came Earlier

Most people in Japan are not Christians but celebrate(? ) Christmas. We don’t go to churches , but eat cakes and chickens, display the trees, send presents, especially in families with small children. In my family my son smoked chicken, my elder grandson made a big round cake. When we talked on the phone on Christmas Eve, my youngest granddaughter said, ”This is the present Santa Clause gave me.” “Oh? When did he come to you?” I asked. “Yesterday. He can’t visit all the children in one night. So he came to me earlier.”  Wow!  

 

The government proposed and the Diet passed a bill that permits the companies to hire more foreign workers. Even now there are foreign workers named “skill practicing students”. But the truth is that they are not students but just cheap laborers and they are sometimes treated illegally like slaves. Most of them are from poorer Asian countries. It’s so shameful. I worry how they think of Japan. Many of us think we should change the situation , then accept more foreign workers. But Abe government works only for the economic circle that give him great money. They wants more laborers to work cheaper only when they want. So when you come to Japan to work, be careful to check the labor condition. Never give your passport or money in the employers’ keeping. Ask for help to a labor’s union or a lawyer if you are in trouble.           

Japan Is 111th.

　　Do you know Japan is 111^th in the gender equality ranking in the world?  The ranking of the freedom of the press is 67^th.  Japan is one of the developed nations in the world, we have believed, but it is not. The war expenditure is fifth or sixth in the world and expanding year by year.  What a nation!  I feel ashamed and scared.

   About the issue of the freedom of the press, the things are getting worse these years. There are journalists working hard to inform the truth, of course, but not many. The government and the Power try to crush journalists and press companies that try to invest and inform the truth they don’t like if not kill. Yesterday I knew that DAYS JAPAN , a great photo journal will end. The reason is, the editor says, the difficulty of the management: money problem, and his health problem. I’m so shocked and regretful for it. I have read almost all the issues for about thirteen years, and I learned a lot from it about the world and the journalism. But the journalism that is independent from the Power and criticizes keenly is difficult to keep on .       

    I joined a meeting about the next Diet election in this prefecture yesterday. It is absolutely necessary for citizens and the opposition parties to work together to defeat Abe’s party and make a better country for the younger generation.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I don’t believe in God nor pray, but I hope a peaceful and better year to come. Oh, in this season we say each other,” I wish you’ll have a good year!” instead of “ good bye.”      .