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#68 SEPTEMBER 2013

JAPANS NEW WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE SITE

MOUNT FUJI

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COPYRIGHT 2013 CABINET OFFICE OF JAPAN

The views expressed in this magazine by the interviewees

or contributors do not necessarily represent the views o

the Cabinet Oce or the Government o Japan. No article

or any part thereo may be reproduced without the express

permission o the Cabinet Oce. Copyright inquiries

should be made through a orm available at :

www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/mailorm/inquiry.html

Also

Feature

s

WHERE TO FIND US

Tokyo Narita Airport terminals 1 & 2 JR East Travel Service Center (Tokyo Narita Airport)

Kansai Tourist Inormation Center (Kansai Int'l Airport) JR Tokyo Station Tourist Inormation

Center Foreign Press Center/Japan Foreign Correspondents' Club o Japan Delegation o

the European Union to Japan Tokyo University Waseda University Asia Pacifc Univeristy

Ritsumeikan University Kokushikan University University o Tsukuba Keio University

Meiji University Osaka University Kyushu University Kyoto University Tohoku University

Nagoya University Sophia University Doshisha University Akita International University International University o Japan

4 22 24

|highlighting japan2

PRIME

MINISTER'SDIARY

STUDENT'S

CORNEROtsukimi

SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY"K" Computer

6Mount Fuji,

Now a UNESCO World Heritage site

8A Diplomatic Home Run

An interview with Mr. Seiichi

Kondo

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ON THE COVER

Mount Fuji refected in Kawaguchiko Lake in Yamanashi Preecture.

EDITORRoger D. Smith (EDITOR)PROJECT MANAGERJonathan GroganCONTRIBUTORS Alena Eckelmann, Terrie Lloyd, Selena Hoy,

Chris Barnes, Virginia Gomez(CONTRIBUTORS)

Anna Cock Gibson (PROOFREADER)

DESIGN Louise RouseART DIRECTOR

Payoon Worachananan DESIGNER ADMINISTRATION/

ACCOUNTING Emi Sakuyama, Michiko Anezaki, JeanetteKomatsuADMINSTRATION

26 28 30

september 2013| 3

JAPANESE

ABROADTakako Yamada

47 PREFECTURES

FROM A TO YHiroshima

47 PREFECTURES

FROM A TO YHokkaido

Theme for September:

MOUNT FUJI

ount Fuji is the

quintessential

symbol of

Japan. In this

issue, we examine the various

aspects of Mt. Fuji that have

culminated in its recent

attainment of UNESCO World

Heritage status. These include

indigenous belief, Mt.Fuji as a

source of artistic inspiration,

tourism, and the challenge

of environmental protection

posed by the expected rise

in visitors to Mt. Fuji and its

associated sites.

ISSUE 68, SEPTEMBER 2013

Mount Fuji

Road to the soul

10

Alone in its Union of Grace

and Majesty

Mount Fuji in art and culture

14

Protecting the Outstanding

Universal Value of Mount Fuji

18

Journeying to Fuji Country

Tourism information for Mount

Fuji and environs

20

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Prime Minister's Diary

PRIME MINISTER VISITS

THE MIDDLE EAST ANDTHE REPUBLIC OF DJIBOUTI

Prime Minister Shinzo

Abe visited the Kingdom

o Bahrain, the State o

Kuwait, the Republic o

Djibouti and the State o Qatarrom August 24 to August 29.

The objectives o Prime Minister

Abe's visit to the Middle East

were (I) to urther strengthen

and expand the "comprehensive

partnership towards stability and

prosperity" between Japan and the

Middle Eastern countries, and (II)

to encourage Japan Sel-Deense

Forces personnel engaged inanti-piracy activities in a tough

environment and strengthen

Japan's relations with Djibouti.

Based on the strong bonds with

these countries, as demonstrated

by the 40th anniversary o the

establishment o diplomatic

relations with Japan and the

heartelt support given to Japan

in the wake o the Great East

Japan Earthquake in March 2011,

Prime Minister Abe conrmed

with their leaders plans to build

a "comprehensive partnership

towards stability and prosperity,"to cooperate in wide-ranging

areas o the economic eld

beyond resources and energy, and

to build multilayered relations,

including political and security

areas as well as cultural and

personnel exchanges.

Seeds sown by Prime Minister

Abe when he visited the Middle

East in 2007 have borne their ruitone ater another. He conrmed

Japan's policy to continue to

contribute to the region in various

elds, including education,

inrastructure, medicine and

agriculture, using its technology

and know-how in coordinated

eorts o public and private sectors.

The Middle Eastern leaders

expressed strong hopes that the

Japanese economy will become

rejuvenated by utilizing the vitality

o the ast-growing Middle East

and that Japan will play an evenmore active role in the region not

in the eld o economy but political

area as well. They highly valued

the JSDF, and Prime Minister Abe

afrmed the need or Japan to

urther contribute to the region's

peace, stability and prosperity.

Following Prime Minister Abe's

visit to the Middle East in May this

year and the hosting o the FithTokyo International Conerence

on Arican Development (TICAD

V), Japan took a big step toward

strengthening its relations with the

Middle East and Arica with this

latest visit. The visit marked also

as a historic visit or building a new

relationship between Japan and

the Gul countries.

Left: Prime Minister Abe with Prime Minister Khalia bin Salman Al Kha lia in Bahrain

Right: Prime Minister Abe shaking hands with Prime Minister Jaber in Kuwait

Above: Prime Minister Abe with Amir HisHighness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al

Than in Qatar

Below: Prime Minister Abe with President

Ismal Omar Guelleh in Djibouti

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September 2013| 5

TOKYO ELECTED AS

THE HOST CITY OF THEOLYMPIC GAMES IN 2020

On September 5,Prime Minister

Shinzo Abe, who

visited the Russian

Federation to attend the G20 St.

Petersburg Summit, held talks

in the morning with Ms. Dilma

Vana Rousse, President o the

Federative Republic o Brazil,

and Ms. Cristina Fernandez

de Kirchner, President o theArgentine Republic.

In the aternoon, Prime

Minister Abe held talks with

Mr. Vladimir Vladimirovich

G20 ST. PETERSBURG SUMMIT

Photographs courtesy o the Public Relations Oce o the Government o Japan.Text courtesy o the Ministry o Foreign Afairs o Japan website.

Let: Prime Minister Abe with President Barack Obama at G20 St. PetersburgRight: Prime Minister Abe with President Vladimir Putin at G20 St. Petersburg

Putin, President o the Russian

Federation, and Mr. Barack

Obama, President o the United

States, ollowing which the

Prime Minister attended the frst

working meeting o the G20.

On September 8, at the

125th International

Olympic Committee

(IOC) Session held in

Buenos Aires in Argentina, Tokyo

was elected as the host city o the

32nd Olympic Games and the 16thParalympic Games.

Prime minister Abe gave a

presentation in this session.

Distinguished members

o the IOC, I say that choosing

Tokyo 2020 means choosing a

new, powerul booster or the

Olympic Movement.

Under our new plan, 'Sport or

Tomorrow,' young Japanese will

go out into the world in even larger

numbers. They will help build

schools, bring in equipment, and

create sports education programs.

And by the time the Olympic torchreaches Tokyo in 2020, they will

bring the joy o sports directly

to ten million people in over one

hundred countries.

Choose Tokyo today and

you choose a nation that is

a passionate, proud, and a

strong believer in the Olympic

Movement. And which strongly

desires to work together with the

IOC in order to make the world a

better place through the power o

sport.

We are ready to work with you.

Thank you very much.

The 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires in

Argentina

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Lake Kawaguchi

YAMANASHI PREFECTURE


MOUNT FUJIFeature

Mount Fujinow a UNESCO

World Heritage Site

ALENA ECKELMANN

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SEPTEMBER 2013| 7

R

ISING 3776 meters

above sea level,

Mount Fuji towers

majestically over thelandscapes o Yamanashi and

Shizuoka Preectures and stands

tall as an enduring symbol o

Japan. On June 22 this year, it

was decided that Mt. Fuji would

become the 17th place in Japan

to be added to the UNESCO

World Heritage list. It became

ormal on the 26th o the same

month. Twenty-ve properties,a combination o natural

and historic sites located in a

20,702.1 ha area, were given the

inscription, Fujisan, sacred

place and source o artistic

inspiration.

Gaining UNESCO World

Heritage status or Mt. Fuji

has been a long journey. One

challenge in attaining this goalwas to prove that the mountain

and surrounding environment

possess outstanding universal

values that are important

to the common legacy o

humankind.

Mt. Fuji meets two o

UNESCOs registration criteria

or becoming a cultural heritage

site: 1) To bear a unique or atleast exceptional testimony

to a cultural tradition or to a

civilization which is living or

which has disappeared; 2) To be

directly or tangibly associated

with events or living traditions,

with ideas, or with belies,

with artistic and literary works

o outstanding universal

significance.

Mt. Fuji met these criteria ater a

UNESCO committee considered

the evidence that the mountain

and environs representedoutstanding universal values on

the basis that it is both an object

o worship and source o artistic

inspiration.

The 25 sites listed as World

Heritage Site include the

mountain itsel, Lake Yamanaka

and Lake Kawaguchi, the

Oshino Hakkai springs (eight

ponds ed by Mt. Fuji subsoilwater), the Funatsu and Yoshida

lava tree molds, the Shiraito

no Taki waterall and the

Mihonomatsubara pine tree

grove, as well the Oshi Jutaku

Lodging Houses, Hitoana

Fuji-ko Iseki and eight Shinto

shrines.

Mt. Fujis selection as a World

Heritage Site will surely have a

Lake Motosu

Oshi Jutaku Lodging Houses

Shiraito no Taki waterfall

YAMANASHIPREFECTURE

YAMANASHIPREFECT

URE

SHIZUOKAPREFECTURE

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SEPTEMBER 2013| 9

it must represent outstanding

universal values. The

conditions or the International

Council on Monuments and

Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body

to UNESCO, is very strict.

As Kondo explains, The

ICOMOS panels look or clear,scientifc evidence to prove that

a proposed site has cultural

value and to our surprise, it

was recommended in May

that while Mt. Fuji deserves

inscription as World Heritage,

Mihonomatsubara, a pine tree

grove which is 45km away

rom the mountain, should be

excluded. We had to explainthat Mihonomatsubara is

an integral part o Mt. Fuji.

The mountain has been the

source o inspiration or many

amous art works and literature

throughout the ages, such as

Hokusais ukiyo-e images, and

Mihonomatsubara has requently

been depicted as a part o the

mountain.

Luckily, the Japanese

government had chosen its World

Heritage representative well.

In act, ormer Prime Minister

Yasuhiro Nakasone, president

o the National Congress or

the Inscription o Mt. Fuji as

World Heritage is said to havetold his close aids that he would

not leave this world until he

saw Mt. Fuji inscribed. Raising

his spirits, Kondo brought his

prior UNESCO relationship

and strength o character to

bear in convincing the various

opinion leaders within the

World Heritage Committee

that Mihonomatsubara mustbe included as a part o World

Heritage.

Kondos diplomatic skill was

put to the test in Phnom Penh in

June 2013 when he had to court

the World Heritage Committee.

He started with the least

agreeable representative, taking

his time to explain that there

is an intangible link between

Mt. Fuji and Mihonomatsubara,

thereore the latter must be

inscribed. He eventually swayed

this member not to dissent by

using the non-conrontational

style that is Kondos trademark.

The next candidate took hal a

day to persuade to vote in avorand the remaining committee

members eventually ell in line

with the consensus view. In the

end, the support or the Mt.Fuji

listing was unanimous a home

run or the Japan team.

The inscription o Mt. Fuji

has strong personal meaning or

Kondo. When he frst became

aware o the Advisory Bodysrecommendation to support the

listing in early June 2013, he

called on his ather, Yoshikazu, in

hospital to share the good news.

Having happily received the news

o his sons success, Yoshikazu

passed away the ollowing

morning a bitter-sweet moment

or Seiichi Kondo.

MihonomatsubaraS

HIZUOKAPREFECTURE

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MOUNT FUJIFeature

Mount Fuji

Roadto the soul

ROGER D. SMITH

Mount Fuji, orFujisan as it is called

in Japanese, is an object o aith or

Japanese people and a place that

their hearts draw support rom, as

expressed by the ocial name that it is registered

as a Cultural World Heritage Site under: Fujisan,

sacred place and source o artistic inspiration.

The culture o aith relating to Mt. Fuji can

be generally classifed into three types. The frst

is a aith expressed through actually climbing

Mt. Fuji (mountain pilgrimage, or thai), the

second is a aith expressed through viewing

Mt. Fuji rom a distance (worship rom aar, or

yhai), and the third is a aith expressed through

creating pictures or l iterature eaturing Mt. Fuji.

What ollows is an explanation o two o these

types mountain pilgrimage and worship rom

aar provided by Mr. Yukie Takeya, Proessor

Emeritus o Takushoku University and leading

scholar on the subject o Mt. Fuji.

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SEPTEMBER 2013| 11

Following a route that is meant or thai at Mt. Fuji is itsel an

act o aith and is said to be a way o perorming Fujizenj

(Fuji ascetic training), which is the practice o reaching

enlightenment through climb Mt. Fuji. There are many

thai routes, but only our are registered as part o the Cultural

World Heritage Site: the Omiya-Murayama thai route, which was

established as the frst thai in the 12th century; the Yoshida thai

route, which takes pilgrims rom the base o the mountain to the

peak; the Suyama thai route, which begins at the Suyama Sengenshrine at south east ace o the mountain; and the Subashiri thai

route which begins at the Subashiri Sengen shrine at the eastern ace

o the mountain.

The Ochd route that circles around the Mt. Fuji mountainside

is a sacred path that traditionally, only those who had climbed to the

top o Mt. Fuji three times were permitted to walk. Although today

only part o this route can be walked due to a danger o rockslides and

alling rocks, it is popular as a trekking course rich with highlights

such as orests flled with greenery and the Osawa collapse, an area

where erosion o the surace is in progress.

Sengen Shrine

SHIZUOKA PREFECTURE

Mountain pilgrimage:

Thai

Top of Mt.Fuji

People aiming for the

peak of Mount Fuji

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At the crater o the summit, one

can nd the Fuji eight peaks,

which include Ken-ga-mine, the

highest point in Japan, as wellas Hakusan-dake. The journey

around these peaks, o-hachi

meguri, is also amous.

In Japanese olklore, caves

among the mountains and coasts

are regarded as a metaphor or

the womb, and passing through

such caves is a rebirth ritual that

allows one to obtain a new lie.

The entirety o Mt. Fuji itsel canbe thought o as a large womb,

and the caves at the base o the

mountain have the name o-tainai

(inside o the womb). There are

eight representative examples

o these that are called the Fuji

8 tainai o those, the Funatsu

tainai and Yoshida tainai are

registered as part o the World

Heritage site. Since these twotainai are located beside the

Yoshida thai route, people visit

them the day beore embarking

on thai and perorm rituals

such as puriying their bodies

in the water in the cave. They

are considered sacred ground at

which to express aith during the

Mt. Fuji pilgrimage.

Although in the past womenwere not allowed to climb Mt.

Fuji, women were allowed to

enter the tainai, which made

them important places o aith

that woman o the time could

access directly.

Highlighting Japan took the

opportunity to interview some

pilgrims who had climbed Mt.

Fuji or the purpose o thai.


MOUNT FUJIFeature

The signicance behind

climbing Mt. Fuji is what you

learn about yoursel says

Mr. Tadokoro, kannushi atShibuya Hachimangu shrine.

Climbing Mt. Fuji is similar to

lie. Reaching a goal is an uphill

struggle, but there is also the

descent ater reaching the goal.

Having the courage to aim or

something and the courage

to back out is important. One

attraction in climbing Japans

highest mountain is nding outones limits and experiencing

with ones body how strenuous

the ascent is. Tadokoro

attempted his second climb at

night, rst paying homage at

Hongu Sengen Shrine. According

to Tadokoro, kannushi take it

in turns to attend to the shrine

at the peak o Mt. Fuji. In times

past, the kannushi would placeessentials such as ood and

water in a wooden rame lined

with canvas and ascend to the

peak. Tadokoro's assistant and

ellow priest, Florian Wiltschko,

rst climbed Fuji when he was

24, considered an unlucky age in

Shinto belie. During his ascent,

the weather deteriorated, and

the wind blew so strongly thatwithout his stick, he would

not have been able to stand.

Looking back on his unlucky

age, Wiltschko considers

himsel lucky to have descended

unscathed.

While Mt. Fuji is a symbol o

Japan, or those who choose to

climb it, this amed mountain is

also a route to the sel.

Even i Mount Fuji is

an object o aith, it

can only be seen as

a ar-of mountain

when viewed rom Edo/Tokyo.

Nonetheless, rom the middle

o the Edo period (16031868),

many maps o Edo began to

eature Mt. Fuji as a major

landmark, and an awareness oMt. Fuji as a symbol o Japan

spread among the people o

Edo. Many places in Edo began

to take on names eaturing the

word Fujimi (view o Fuji),

such as Fujimi town, Fujimi

hill, Fujimi bridge, etc., and the

yhai o Mt. Fuji became central

to the culture o the residents o

Edo.

Worship

from afar:

Yhai

Mt. Fuji from

Tokyo

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An explosive boom in the

aith surrounding Fuji arose, as

did a group called Fuji-k who

regarded Mt. Fuji as an objecto aith. However, since it was

not easy to travel rom Edo to

Mt. Fuji and since women were

orbidden to visit at the time,

only young groups o men rom

among the Fuji-k group were

able to perorm thai. Thus, in

order to allow men and women

o all ages to enjoy Fuji thai,

miniature imitations o Mt. Fujicalled Fujizuka (Fuji mounds)

were constructed. Although

they are not included among the

objects that make up the Cultural

World Heritage Site, there are

many Fujizuka that have been

designated as Cultural Properties

by the national government o

Japan or by local governments.

Famous Fujizuka within the

precincts o Tokyo include the

Shitaya-sakamoto Fuji (within

the grounds o the Onoterusaki

shrine), the Nagasaki Fuji (besidethe main shrine building o

the Fuji Sengen shrine) and the

Ekoda Fuji (within the grounds o

the Ekoda Sengen shrine).

One such Fujizuka is ound at

Shinagawa Shrine near Shinbanba

station in Tokyo. According to the

shrine's kannushi, Mr. Suzuki, the

Fujizuka, built between 1869-72,

is a relatively late addition, and issaid to bestow the same beneft

on those who climb it as climbing

Mt. Fuji.

The Sengen shrines, which

are distributed in all regions

o Japan rom Hokkaido in the

north to Nagasaki in the south,

are also important relics o the

oundations o the Mt. Fuji aith

culture. From the late Nara period

Shinagawa Shrine (main gate)

SEPTEMBER 2013| 13

Shinagawa Fuji

to the Heian era, an increase in

Mt. Fujis volcanic activity led

to Mt. Fuji being called the great

god o Sengen rather than justa mountain, and the peoples

awe and ear o the mountain

(god) increased. This great god

o Sengen was enshrined by

the Sengen shrines, eight o

which are registered as part o

the Cultural World Heritage Site

including the Mt. Fuji Hongu

Sengen shrine (located in

Fujinomiya, Shizuoka) and theKitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen

shrine (located in Fujiyoshida,

Yamanashi).

Such aspects demonstrate the

depth o the aith surrounding

Mt. Fuji, and it is hoped that its

registration as a Cultural World

Heritage Site will serve as a

chance to learn even more about

the mountain o aith, Mt. Fuji.

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MOUNT FUJIFeature

Mount Fuji in Art and

Culture

M

OUNT Fuji and

its environs have

inspired poets,

painters, artistsand travelers or generations.

One criterion required or

UNESCO inscription is that Mt.

Fuji must refect outstanding

universal values as a source o

artistic inspiration. Since the

earliest portrayal o Mt. Fuji in

Japans oldest written poetry

anthologyManysh (Collection

o a Thousand Leaves) and oldest

story Taketori Monogatari (The

"Alone in Its

Union of Grace

and Majesty":

ROGER D. SMITH

The Great Wave,

Hokusai, c.182932

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SEPTEMBER 2013| 15

Tale o the Bamboo Cutter), the

magnicent orm o Mt. Fuji has

inspired Japanese and oreigners

alike across the ages and reectsupon the universal spirit o these

artists and poets.

One o the rst depictions

o Mt. Fuji can be ound in the

Manysh, an anthology o 4516

waka poems dating back to the

7th and 8th Centuries. Tago no ura

yu/ uchidete mireba/ Mashironi

so/ Fuji no takane ni/ Yuki wa

furikeru (Passing through Tago

Bay and coming to a clearing, I

see snow alling, pure white, on

Fujis loty peak). Other waka

eulogize Mt. Fuji as a divine peak

that has stood since the partingo heaven and earth. Around

this time, the image o Mt. Fuji

began to appear in paintings,

including the oldest example o

an illustration on a paper screen

rom Shtoku Taishi Eden (The

Illustrated Biography o Prince

Shtoku) dating rom the Heian

period (794-1185).

When the political center

o Japan shited rom Kyoto to

Kamakura (Kanagawa Preecture)

in the latter hal o the 12th

Century, more people began to

traverse the road linking thecapital cities that ran to the

south o Mt. Fuji. Hereater, large

numbers o people, including

travelers and artists, began to

record their impressions o Mt.

Fuji and it consequently acquired

an even greater symbolic meaning

in the Japanese consciousness.

From the 14th Century onward,

Mt. Fuji became a popular moti

in painting, literature, crats,

It is a grand scene beyond all description. It

was covered in snow. In the shining of the sun,it looked like frozen silver. I even thought thatits awe-inspiring, lofty form was yet moreinspiring than that of the famous Dhaulagiri in theHimalayas, which I saw in January 1855.

Townsend Harris (1804-1878)

First United States Consul to Japan

Left:The Sea ofSatta, Hiroshige,c.1858

Below:Red Fuji,Southern Wind, Clear

Morning, Hokusai,c.1830

Right: The Sea Of

Miura, Hiroshige, c.1858

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MOUNT FUJIFeature

I stopped the palanquin to take a look at it,

as the mountain stands soaring high and

penetrates the blue sky like a white gemhairpin, while the lower part below the

middle is shaded under the cover o clouds.

It is as beautiul as the white lotus fowering

in Gem Pond o Mt Huashan in China.

Shin Yu-Han (1681-?)

Visited Japan in 1719 as the Documentation Ocer

o the 9th Korea Communication Mission

...We got a beautiul view o Fuji, the

Peerless One, springing rom the

ground as it seemed almost behind the

inn, and liting its beautiul head into

the pale blue sky, above horizontal

wreaths and stretches o cloud.

Ernest Satow (1843-1929)

British Diplomat

gardens and other artistic

elds to the extent that it was

becoming a standard image o

Japan. O the many popularrepresentations o Mt. Fuji in

popular culture, the three best

known are those produced by

Hiroshige (1797-1858) in the

ukiyo-e prints, Tkaid gojsan-

tsugi (Fity-three Stations o

the Tkaid Road) and the

Fuji sanjurokkei (Thirty-six

views o Mt. Fuji), as well as by

Hokusai (ca. 1760-1849) in the1834 publication o the ukiyo-e,

Fugaku hyakkei (One-hundred

Views o Mt. Fuji). The Tkaid

Hiroshige Art Museum that

houses many original Hiroshige

works can be ound in Shizuoka

Preecture. As pointed out by its

curator, Mr. Katsunori Takahashi,While Hokusai's woodblock

prints place emphasis on orm,

Hiroshige's woodblock prints are

aithul to the subject matter. The

dierence between the two lies in

Hiroshige's depiction o scenery

as it is. Hiroshige's depictions o

Mt. Fuji leave a strong impression

as landscape images, and many

people have had a near lieexperience o viewing Mt. Fuji

rom dierent places through the

woodblock prints o Hiroshige.

The vivid images displayed

in these ukiyo-e were later a

source o inspiration or many

western artists who were part o

a new Japonisme movementin Europe, whereby Mt. Fuji

became well-known abroad as

a symbol o Japan. The iconic

mountain infuenced the works

o Impressionists andfn de sicle

artists, such as Monet, Van Gogh

and Henri Riviere.

As Japan began to accept

greater numbers o oreign

visitors in the 19th Century,overseas explorers, traders and

diplomats began to transcribe

their impressions o their outings

to this holy volcano. Perhaps

best expressed by Henry Heusken,

interpreter and secretary to US

Ambassador Townsend Harris,

Glory orever to the mountain

o mountains o the Pacic Sea,

which alone raises its venerablebrow covered with eternal snow

amidst the verdant countryside

o Nippon! Jealous o its beauty, it

will not suer a rival which might

lessen its splendor. Its crown o

snow stands out alone above the

highest mountains o Nippon.

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SEPTEMBER 2013| 17

Georges Bousquet (1845-1937)

French lawyer

Fujiyama, ever all-knowing,

divine, and entire, rises shrouded

in the color o rose like a giganticstamen in the center o a fower.

Natives and oreigners, artists

and holiday-makers, alike all

down in adoration beore the

wondrous mountain which

stands utterly alone in its union

o grace and majesty. Basil Hall Chamberlin (1850-1935)

Famous Japanologist

...The beauty o Fuji sticking out proudly into the ar reaches

o the sky is the most elegant spectacle in all Japan no, it

is, in act, one o the worlds greatest spectacles. Because the

oot o the mountain, ree o snow, is largely o a blue that

could be mistaken or the sky, people can only look at the

cone-shaped mountain, bristled with the white o snow, as it

reaches up to the heavens.

Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)

Japanologist and Writer

Nowadays, Mt. Fuji is closely

associated with the best

in Japan and something

auspicious. Thus it is oten usedas a standard when comparing

the magnifcence o other

mountains (such as reerring to

Mt. Rainier in the United States

as the Tacoma Fuji) and the

iconography o Mt. Fuji is still

largely depicted in everything

rom high-class artwork to

mass-produced goods and tourist

trinkets. It is also a avorite choiceo mural or Japanssent (public

bath houses) and many replicas

o Mt. Fuji are incorporated into

garden landscapes, much as the

Daimy (lords) had done in the

18th Century.

The scenic grandeur o Mt.

Fujis nearly perect, solitary

volcanic cone inspires a sense

o majesty, introspectionand beauty that has been the

subject o creative endeavors or

centuries. As a volcano, it also

evokes ear, respect and awe,

which may be one o the reasons

that it has become a widely

understood symbol. When oreign

travelers visit Japan rom abroad, Mt. Fuji can be ound not only in

representations in vases and ans, but in the many portrayals displayed

in popular advertisements, art posters, and murals. The UNESCO

designation is an attempt to not only draw attention to this ount oinspiration, but to also provide the means to protect the high level o

integrity associated with its grandeur.

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MOUNT FUJIFeature

Environmental andConservation Eforts in the newUNESCO World Heritage Site

Protecting the Outstanding Universal Value of Mount Fuji

ROGER D. SMITH

MT. Fuji is a verypopular destination

or visitors rom

home and abroad.

On the other hand to reduce the

mischie brought by climbers and

tourists, a durable conservation

plan to protect the environmental

integrity o the Mt. Fuji region

is required. Suitable control and

protection o the mountain isrequested.

During the two-month

climbing season in the summer,

approximately 300,000 people

climb the peak. The mountain

has many man-made acilities,

such as lodges or hikers to stay

overnight, rest stops where the

weary can take a drink break,

restaurants or rereshmentsand even a bulldozer that is used

to maintain the trails, whereas

the surrounding areas have

many conveniences built or

tourism, including gol courses,

hotels, ski runs and, o course,

hiking trails. It is rather unique

that even a mailbox is put up

on top o the Mt. Fuji during

the months o July and August

so that the climber can send

the postcard to their riends

and amilies. With the newWorld Heritage designation,

however, even more tourists are

anticipated in the uture and

one o the primary concerns

o UNESCO is how to properly

balance the conservation eorts

o the area with the renewed

interest in Mt. Fuji as a visitor

destination. Local, preectural

and national governments arenow coordinating eorts to

conserve historic and cultural

sites while also acilitating access

to travelers to the region.

To protect the integrity o the

mountain itsel, the Preectural

governments o Yamanashi

and Shizuoka passed the Fuji

Charter in 1998 which became

the origin o the nationalmovement to instate Mt. Fuji as a

Japanese symbol which Japanese

are proud o. Today, however, the

obligation is to protect not only

the ecology o the mountain, but

the various historical and natural

sites in the environs surrounding

Mt. Fuji that presently alls under

various jurisdictions.

For the conservation o Mt.

Fuji and the surrounding area as

a world heritage, the Mt. Fuji

comprehensive conservationplan was established. At the

same time Mt. Fuji cultural

heritage council was constituted

or the preservation o the

property and the vicinity surely.

This involves the cooperation o

many government ministries and

levels, including the Ministries

o the Environment, Cultural

Aairs, Deense, Forestry andInrastructure, Transport and

Tourism as well as the Preectural

governments o Shizuoka and

Yamanashi and their various city

councils. Some residents, asset

holders, concerned afliates

are the member o the sectional

meetings which regulate the

council. An academic committee

has also been ormed to assistinvestigations and counsels.

The upper reaches o Mt. Fuji

has been designated as a special

protection zone o the national

park in order to oer the highest

degree o natural conservation

possible. For example, in the

Shizuoka preecture, the Mt. Fuji

Eco-Rangers which is organized

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SEPTEMBER 2013| 19

by local volunteers can oer

guidance and lectures relating

to hiking manners, the Fuji

Charter and the abundant naturalwildlie. Representatives o the

Shizuoka Preectures Group or

Environmental Protection o Mt.

Fuji, Bureau o the Environment,

state that Now that Mt. Fuji

has been designated as a World

Heritage Site, it will become even

more imperative to protect and

preserve the natural environment.

For this reason, expectations arehigh to start some environmental

initiatives in the area. Moreover,

road signs and interpretation

boards are being installed in our

languages (Japanese, English,

Chinese, and Korean) and new

thematic hiking courses at the

lower reaches o the mountain

have been assigned according to

the interests o visitors.Since Mt. Fuji is a volcano,

the ground changes to sand and

lava detritus beyond the 2500

meter point, but the surrounding

oothills are lush in ora and

auna. The water on Mt. Fuji

is well known or its clarity,

reshness and invigorating

coolness, and hikers passing

streams and wells can enjoy

drinking it as a rereshment. The

water not only supports trees and

vegetation, but also the manydeer, bears, mountain goats and

tanuki (racoon-dog) and also

a variety o buttery and bird

species that thrive in the orests

and felds as well. Currently,

several scientifc stations have

been established to study

wildlie in the area, including an

international feldwork survey

o butteries as a measure oecosystem health.

Mt. Fuji is a masterpiece o

earth orogenic movements.

The registration o this sacred

mountain as a world cultural

heritage means the original

Japanese valuejudgemnt onature and culture which fnds

out spirituality, artistry and

religionality in nature itsel was

recognized internationally. The

registration isnt a goal but a

new start to keep this mountain.

The eort such as, environment

conservation, security o the

climbers, accepting visitors, all

links to the succession to themountain surely to the uture

generation is the essential

challenge.

Mt. Fuji Eco-Rangers

SHIZUOKAPREFECTURE

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MOUNT FUJIFeature

Journeying to

Fuji Country:Tourism Information for

Mount Fuji and Environs

MANY people are inspired to visit Mt.Fuji each year, but have you ever

considered the challenges o getting

there or the special rewards involved?

Many transportation links and tourist acilities exist

or those people wishing to visit the Mt. Fuji area or

ascend the peak o Mt. Fuji. The climbing season or

Mt. Fuji runs or only two months between July 1st

and late August each year. Approximately 300,000

people hike to the top o the mountain via one o our

trails (Fujinomiya, Gotemba, Subashiri and YoshidaRoutes), and many more travelers visit the Fuji Five

Lakes and the surrounding areas each season.

The closest train stations are either Fujinomiya

sta., Gotemba sta. or Kawaguchiko sta., you can

catch local buses departing to the 5th Station o the

mountain rom each station. Alternatively, it is also

possible to take a tour-bus shuttle that is operated

by Fujikyu Shizuoka, Fuji Kyuko and Fujikyu

Yamanashi bus lines that run daily during the open

season.For those hikers who wish to try visiting Mt. Fuji

without climbing all the way to the peak, thirteen

nature trails have been built at the lower reaches o

the mountain that traverse orests, hills, streams

and elds and have a longer open season than the

national park at the upside. Several Preectural parks

can also be ound in the vicinity o Mt. Fuji that ofer

options or camping, swimming, picnicking and

cycling.

Guide books are available to provide basic

inormations related to ascending Mt. Fuji,

including the guidelines or manners and saety

as well as instructions on adequately preparingor the challenges o the climb. Various volunteer

groups and nature studying groups ormed the

Mt. Fuji Network which copes with environmental

conservation synthetically.

The summit stands at 3776m in height and

weather can be unpredictable at higher elevations,

so altitude sickness and hypothermia are concerns

or mountain climbers, as well as adequate water

supplies and proper boots and clothing. Visitors

must come prepared, since the ascent to the top is aphysical and mental challenge.

As or tourism destinations beyond the

mountain itsel, many cultural and natural wonders

draw people to the region. For instance, the Fuji

Five Lakes, the Sengen shrines, Shiraito no Taki

wateralls and Mihonomatsubara pine tree grove.

You can enjoy boat riding, driving, camping in the

Fuji Five Lakes. Its not only the place or summer

resort but you can also experience various kinds

ROGER D. SMITH

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SEPTEMBER 2013| 21

o activities there throughout

the year. In the spring Cherry

blossoms and Azaleas , in

the summer Lavenders andHydangeas color the beautiul

views o the mountain. Many

oreigners look orward to see

the reworks displayed above

the lake. People are delighted to

see the colored leaves in the all,

the mountain covered with white

snow in the winter. Not only the

nature is the entertainments,

numbers o museums andart galleries dotted around

the Kawaguchi lake. You can

relish the arts Mt. Fuji in the

background.

A new recreation initiative

known asFuji-no-kunior Fujisan

country oers various green

tourism options to visitors. Found

in over ty locations around

Shizuoka Preecture, visitors are

given an opportunity to try their

hand at various arts and crats,

participate in outdoor excursionsand experience a traditional

Japanese inn or restaurant.

Fuji-no-kunidraws upon the

connection that Mt. Fuji provides

in linking various locations

in Shizuoka together through

sights, sounds and tastes.

Preectural delicacies are also

a draw or travelers. Yamanashi

Preecture is an abundant ruitgrowing region that produces

peaches and grapes, whereas

Shizuoka is amous or its green

tea,Mikanoranges and seaood,

so visitors are encouraged to try

these locally produced goods

as well. Most travelers to the

Mt. Fuji region are not only

struck by the magnicence o

Cycling


the countryside, but also the

bountiul oods and varied

favors that are on oer.

Ms. Nicole Bauer a touristwriter rom America, climbed

Mt, Fuji in August 2012 and

had this to say about her

impressions: Watching the

sunrise rom the top o Mount

Fuji, Japan's highest mountain,

is an unorgettable experience

incomparable to any other

sunrise I have ever seen. The

views are magnicent and thelight is magic; plus, it's dierent

every time, depending on

general weather conditions,

especially the clouds. This is

my second time to climb Mount

Fuji, and I'm bringing my best

camera with me this time!

Further inormation can

be ound online at the JapanNational Tourist Organization

(JNTO, http://www.jnto.go.jp/),

the Preectural Government

o Shizuoka (http://www.pre.

shizuoka.jp/a_oreign/english/

index.html) and the Preectural

Government o Yamanashi

(http://www.pre.yamanashi.jp/

oreign/index.html).

Grape Picking


Tea feld

SHIZUOKA PREFECTURE

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CHILDREN'S SECTIONFeature

SELENA HOY

THE moon can be viewed

in many ways. In some

countries, people see

a man in the moon,

whereas in others, they see

handprints, or a tree. But in

Japan, many people think o a

rabbit when looking at the moon.

Do you know why? Generations

o Japanese children have learnt

about the origins o the moon

through this traditional olk tale.

Once, long ago, there were

three riends: Fox, Monkey, and

Rabbit. One day, while out on

walk they came across a rail old

man in the road. The man was

sick and weak, and the riends

elt sorry or him. They decided

to oer help and went in search

o ood.

The nimble Monkey ound

uit and vegetables in the orest

and brought back his bounty.

The clever Fox caught some

fsh in the river and came back

proudly. They made a fre to

stay warm and prepare the ood.

Meanwhile, Rabbit was not able

to fnd anything except grass

to contribute and came back

OtsukmiThe rabbitin the moon

empty-handed and ashamed. In

a desperate eort to help the old

man, she threw hersel on the

fre, oering hersel as ood.

Right at that moment, the old

man transormed into his true

sel, a god who came down rom

the heavens to test the riends.

He quickly pulled Rabbit rom

the burning fre and, as a reward

or her help, took her to the moon

to live with him. You can see her

there now where, some people

say, she can be seen making

mochi (rice cakes).

Today, moon-watching or

otsukimi is still a tradition in

Japan. People say that the most

beautiul view o all is the

harvest moon in all when the

moon looks bigger and more

reddish than any other time.

When people used the old lunar

calendar, the moon-watching

ceremony was held on the

15th day o the eighth month.

Nowadays, we use a dierent

calendar, but we still use the

name jgoya, (the night o the

15th) to reer to the moon-viewing

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYSeries

ALENA ECKELMANN

K" is short or the kanji kei, meaning

10 quadrillion (1016) that serves

as the name o ourth most powerul

supercomputer in the world.

Developed by RIKEN, a Japanese natural

science research institute, in partnership

with the electronics rm Fujitsu, the K

computer is hosted at the RIKEN Advanced

Institute or Computational Science (AICS)

on Kobe Citys Port Island. K computer ispart o the High Perormance Computing

Inrastructure (HPCI) promoted by the

Japanese Ministry o Education, Culture,

Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

Supercomputers have tens o thousands

o processors enabling a hitherto unknown

speed o calculation to develop algorithms

that provide solutions to sciences most

difcult problems. In the case o K

computer, there are 82,944 2.0 GHz 8-coreSPARC64 VIIIx processors which are

contained in 864 cabinets. Each cabinet

houses 96 computing nodes and each node

consists o a single processor and 16 GB o

memory.

Such a speed is almost like a miracle.

It makes simulations that seem impossible

come true, says Dr. Ryutaro Himeno,

Director o the Advanced Center or

Computing and Communication (ACCC),

which manages RIKENs computing

and communications inrastructure. Dr.

Himeno has been involved in a K computer-

related lie science project, or six years.

As a Project Leader, he contributed to the

development o more than thirty sotware

applications.Operational since June 2011, the rst

public research projects with K computer

were launched in September 2012. There are

currently 62 projects, including 29 general

use projects, 8 young researcher projects

and 25 industry-related projects.

One recent other project was the

development o advanced novel data

sotware or the brain simulation sotware

NEST. Conducted in collaborationwith the German research institute

Forschungszentrum Jlich, the Okinawa

Institute o Science and Technology (OIST)

and the RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI),

the NEST team successully simulated a

brain network consisting o 1.73 billion

nerve cells connected by 10.4 trillion

synapses by using the 82,944 processors o

the K computer. To complete the simulation

o 1 second o neuronal network activity inreal time, K computer takes 40 minutes.

International cooperation is an important

component o these research initiatives. Four

members hail rom China, Korea, Germany

and the United Kingdom. As Dr. Himeno

observes, Computer coding must have

international acceptance in oreign scientic

communities to survive. Utilization by

oreign users provides proo o international

support and trust in our work.

K COMPUTERScientist's

best partner

Dr. Ryutaro

HimenoDirector o

the Advanced

Center orComputing and

Communication

(ACCC)

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SEPTEMBER 2013| 25

One o the oreign researchers at RIKENis Dr. Florence Tama. Originally rom

France, she is now a Research Unit Leader

o the Computational Structural Biology

unit. Her research group is trying to

determine the dynamics and structure o

biological molecules.

Dr. Tama notes that Computers such

as K computer provide the resources that

enable us researchers to think ahead and

nd solutions to global problems. I cansee a huge impact on society rom the

progress that is being made as a result o

our research endeavors. RIKEN and Japan

are very open to international collaboration

and there are several unding mechanisms

in place. Such cooperation is critical

or sharing ideas within the scientic

community.

Perhaps put most succinctly by Dr.

Himeno, Diferent native languages exist

around the globe, but computers like K computer shareone common language. Even i there are borders between

countries, there are no borders in science.

Riken

Advanced

Institute forComputational

Science

K Computer

housed in RikenAICS building

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JAPANESE ABROADSeries

AT a comparatively

young age, Takako

Yamada has already

started her own

company, travelled extensively

around the Philippines in her

humanitarian work, become a

Global Shaper with the World

Economic Forum (WEF) in

Switzerland and has earnedthe kudos o her community

back in Japan. In short, Ms.

Yamada is one o Japan's up-

and-coming young leaders who

has demonstrated perseverance

and ingenuity in the ace o

considerable hardship.

During a trip to Cebu City in

the Philippines seven years ago,

Ms. Takako Yamada was still a

youth who was struck by thecontrasts with her own home

town in Japan in terms o wealth

and opportunity. One important

point o commonality, however,

was the emphasis that Filipinos

placed on the bonds o amily,

community and trust. It was

this point more than any other

that drew her to this southern

island to start her lie anew.Ms. Yamada hails rom

Yugawara, Kanagawa

Preecture. She grew up in an

environment that had a very

supportive amily, school and

community that encouraged

her to pursue her ambitions

beyond the normal limits. Her

rst trip abroad as an exchange

school student in Australia let

A Dandelion in Cebu

Ms.TakakoYamada

an indelible impression thatstoked her passion or travel.

When she nally graduated rom

university, she was keen on

living in the Philippines to assist

the needy there.

Four years ago, she ounded

Waku Work in an efort to create

work or under-privileged youth

o promising talent. She hires

individuals seeking utureopportunities and involvement

in the community, and partners

them via the internet as English

language teachers with university

students in Japan. Presently,

Waku Work has links with Meiji

Gakuin University, Kaetsu

University and Kyoto-Zokei

University. Individuals can also

sign-up to the program as well.

ROGER D. SMITH

Left: Takako Yamada

holds up 3 ngersindicating 'W' or

"Waku Work"

Right: Takako Yamadaseen here ofering

some riendly words to

underpriviliged youngchildren.

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SEPTEMBER 2013| 27

The university links also oer

student exchanges. Japanese

undergraduates are given

the opportunity to visit thePhilippines or a one-week tour

to partake in lie in Cebu and

explore the city and countryside.

During this component o the

course called adventuring

by Waku Work students

take seminars that emphasize

interpersonal communication,

participate local projects and

develop a personal bond withtheir local hosts. Ms. Yamada

emphasizes, most participants

learn the undamentals required

or eective communication,

namely trust, love and

community.

The students are also guided

by an older generation, who are

dubbed Mamas and Papas.

The elderly and women play acentral role in Philippine society

and this is relected in Waku

Works exchange program.

Mamas and Papas sit in on the

seminar meetings to help oer

guidance and vision when

necessary.

In the uture, Ms. Yamada

aims to provide greater

opportunities to younger

generations, especially

disadvantaged children. I hopeto help create a world in which

our children are given greater

opportunities, irrespective o

whether they come rom cities

or the countryside, are rom

Japan or the Philippines. Being

a WEF Global Shaper also taught

her that such collaboration and

having aspirations or the uture

are o great value and can leadto betterment o ones station

in lie. Much like one can find

dandelions growing between

the cracks o pavement even in

the middle o Shibuyas urban

sprawl, the human spirit can

survive against even supposedly

insurmountable odds. It is this

spirit that can then oer lie and

hope to a new generation.

....I hope to help create a

world in which our children aregiven greater opportunities,

irrespective of whetherthey come from cities or thecountryside, are from Japan orthe Philippines.

Waku Work project members and

students share a smile

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WHEN

Japanese oer

recommen-

dations on

what to do and where to visit

while in Hiroshima City, most

people will respond with,

Hiroshima? Great ood! It

is a city amous or oysters

and okonomiyaki. Oystersare raised in the nearby

Seto Inland Sea, whereas

okonomiyaki is a dish

that must be tried to ully

appreciate.

In downtown Hiroshima,

one may nd businesspeople

rushing rom one meeting

to the next, or ans heading

to see the Hiroshima Carp

baseball team at the nearby

Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium.

Taking the tram line to

Hatchobori brings the traveler

to the amous department

store PARCO.

Behind PARCO is a building

by the name o Okonomiyaki

Kyowakoku Hiroshima Mura

that contains okonomiyakioutlets grouped together.

We paid a visit to

Jigoya on the 3rd foor o

Okonomiyaki Kyowakoku.

Outside the entrance, a large

red lantern is hung with

the name o the restaurant

written in kanji, indicating

that this is an okonomiyaki

shop. Once inside, the

DINING OUT

restaurant eatures a large

counter that also serves as

a grill where ches prepare

their dishes in ront o their

customers. Hiroshima Carp

memorabilia hangs on the

walls, since Hiroshima is also

a very large baseball town

and their ans like to gather

here or evening matches andbeers.

Skilled ches can ry up

an okonomiyaki meal in

under ten minutes with

the customer watching on.

Okonomiyaki is not unlike

a pancake or burrito that is

prepared with an assortment

o batter, vegetables, meat,

eggs and noodle. It is also

HIROSHIMAHiroshima

VIRGINIA GOMEZ

a

b

c

d

e

f

G

h

i

j

k

l

m

n

o

p

q

r

s

t

u

v

w

x

y

z

28

47 Prefectures from A to Y HIROSHIMA

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served with mayonnaise and

sweet sauces that add avor to

this layered dish. The che cooks

the okonomiyaki on a teppan,

or hot plate, that is built into

the table where the diners eat.

Hiroshima has its own version

o okonomiyaki that diers rom

those made in Tokyo or Osaka,

and essentially it consists omore toppings and less batter.

Another restaurant worth

visiting is a cozy bistro called

Kaki Tei (oyster conclave),

located in Inarimachi on the

banks o the Kyobashi River.

Its quiet and intimate terrace is

urnished with wooden chairs,

owers and colorul lights that

add atmosphere to this riverside

location. Established in 2005,

Kaki Tei serves the many oreign

guests who happened to visit

the city while also oering a

romantic environment or those

who may appreciate its European

decor and ambiance.

O course, the main eature

on the menu are oysters that are

prepared in many variations,including Salade de oyster et

bee with vino bianco or Mini

flet bee o matsuzaka steak

with oyster sauce vino rosso.

Both restaurants are good

alternatives to the crowded

ast-ood outlets located in

the city center. You can enjoy

avorul Hiroshima dishes in

an environment that is ar more

memorable and stylish. Eating out

in Hiroshima can be expensive,

but aordable options exist i one

knows where to look. Follow your

nose and you may be pleasantly

surprised.Bon Apptit!

SEPTEMBER 2013| 29

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SEARCHour database forkeywords that interestyou

www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/book/hlj/

UjkntokiUjikintoki is a cool and rereshing dessertthat is usually enjoyed during the summerseason in Japan. Ice shavings are topped with a

combination o green tea syrup and kintoki (sweet

azuki beans), and typically eaten as a dish with

a spoon. It is similar to kakigori, which is also a

shaved-ice dessert served with a colorul variety o

sweeter and ruitier toppings, such as lemon and

strawberry sauces. Ujikintoki was rst eatured in

Kyoto probably because o the area's hot summers,

but its popularity has spread throughout Japan and

it is better known as a dessert o traditional favors.

Documents

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