Voices for Umekoji: One Night of Musical Protest against the Kyoto Aquarium- Friday, January 21

Kyoto’s Mayor Kadokawa has given Orix Corporation the go-ahead to build a massive aquarium/dolphinarium on Umekoji Koen, a public park, despite local protest. On Friday January 21st The Commitee to Protect Kyoto (京都を守る会) will be hosting an awareness raising musical event at Urbanguild to let people know what they can do to protest against this ridiculous decision. 

Deep Kyoto believes it is paramount that they act  on behalf of the public's interest: 

Besides issues such as the cruelty of keeping dolphins in confined conditions, the 5,400 tons of carbon dioxide that the building will exude per year into the atmosphere, and the lack of vision in developing this city with its unique position in Japanese history and culture, there is the issue of public accountability. Umekoji park is very popular with the local people but the aquarium that will be built on it is not. The plan for the aquarium was made behind closed doors between the city administration and private business with very little public input and despite strong public protest. There is something inherently wrong with a system that allows the city mayor to arbitrarily dispose of public land in this fashion.

Now, there are those who say, “Look they’re already building this aquarium. You can’t stop it now. Isn’t it a done deal?” Well, no doubt we can’t stop the Kyoto Aquarium being built. But we have to try. This beautiful city of Kyoto, is considered the “heart of Japan”. How can we not fight for it? And if we can focus enough national and international media attention upon this, perhaps the city administration will be more careful about making this kind of decision again.

For more information, click on this link to access the Deep Kyoto page or follow the links below for details on the (de-)construction:

• Raw Feelings for a Fish Tank (Chris Rowthorn writing in Kansai Scene)
• Fury at Kyoto Aquarium Plan (my piece for Japan Today)
• Why you can’t read my KVG article on the Kyoto Aquarium online…
• Our Protest Against the Kyoto Aquarium at Kiyomizudera
• Think Outside The Tank (a selection of local opinions)
• Information in Japanese here: 京都水族館（仮称）と梅小路公園の未来を考える会
• Sign a petition against the aquarium!

Peace and Human Rights in Palestine- Anna Baltzer lecture @Kyoto University Tues, November 16

A Palestinian Protester with hopes that peace will come
(Photo Courtesy of Annainthemiddleeast.com)

Anna Baltzer serves as the voice of the voiceless. The granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, and a Jewish-American human rights activist, she speaks on behalf of the Palestinians and Israelis alike searching for a peaceful solution to the war and aggression confronting the people living in Occupied Palestine and Israel. As part of a speaking tour throughout Japan, this Tuesday, November 16th, Anna will address an audience at Kyoto University about the occupation of Palestine and the search for peace and respect for human rights in the region.

Anna writes on her blog about how she first learned of the Palestinian Occupation:

Like many Americans and many Jews, I grew up with a positive view of Israel as a peace-seeking democracy. Israel symbolized to me the one protection that Jews had against the type of persecution that had plagued families like mine throughout history. I saw the Jewish state as a tiny and victimized country that simply wanted to live in peace but couldn’t because of its aggressive, Jew-hating Arab neighbors.

In 2003, during a backpacking trip through the Middle East, I began to meet Palestinian refugees from 1948. I didn’t know who the Palestinians were, or where Palestine was, and through my new acquaintances I began to hear a narrative about the history and present of Israel/Palestine that was entirely different from the one I had learned growing up in the United States.

My first reaction was disbelief, and anger. Families told me stories of past and present military attacks, house demolitions, land confiscation, imprisonment without trial, and torture. It seemed that these actions were not carried out for the protection of Jewish people, but rather for the creation and expansion of a Jewish state at the expense of the rights, lives, and dignity of the non-Jewish people living in the region. It was hard for me to believe that Israel could act so unjustly.

Not believing what I heard, I decided to do some research to prove myself right. Immediately, I was shocked to find how much I didn’t know about the situation on the ground. Not knowing who or what to believe anymore, I decided to go to see the situation with my own eyes. Since I returned, I’ve dedicated my life to informing fellow Americans and others about what I found, and what they can do to support a just peace for all peoples in Israel/Palestine.

After spending eight months as a volunteer with the International Women's Peace Service* in the West Bank, she has written countless articles about the Palestinian experience in Israel, and has detailed her experiences in her critically acclaimed photo reportage, Witness in Palestine (available for screening). She also supports the work of a the Palestinian group, Slingshot Hip Hop, who utilizes hip hop as a "tool to surmount divisions imposed by occupation and poverty."

Anna is not alone in her struggle for peace in Palestine. In fact, she is just one of many Palestinians, Israelis, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Americans, and other people from diverse backgrounds working for a peaceful solution. By working side-by-side with Palestinians and speaking out against the occupation, Anna gives us hope that there will one day arise a non-violent, peaceful solution that will allow the people in Israel and Palestine to live in peace with one another once again. She also gives us hope that the voices of the countless numbers of Jews and Christians and Muslims and peoples of all faiths working together to overcome the painful violence that characterizes the lives of people in Palestine and Israel, will be heard.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Anna Baltzer & Mustafa Barghouti Extended Interview Pt. 1
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

"Israelis will never be free unless the Palestinians are also free"- Mustafa Barghouti in a joint interview with Anna Balzer on the Daily Show

Event information
--------------------------------------------------

[Date] Tuesday, November 16, 2010, from 18:30 to 21:30 (doors open at 18:00)
[Venue] Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies,
Kyoto University, Yoshida Minami campus, Basement Lecture Hall (Map)

Registration - Advance registration is required at: anna.in.kyoto [at] gmail.com

★Please register in advance so handouts and brochures can be prepared
Brochure fee: 1000 yen

[Languages of event] English and Japanese (Japanese translation is provided)

For all enquiries, contact: anna.in.kyoto [at] gmail.com

ACCESS:
★ Yoshida Minami campus is the south campus, on the opposite side of the road from the main campus with the famous clock tower. The closest entry point to the site is from the west gate of Higashiooji Street. Enter the west gate, go straight and then turn right towards the venue: a modern five-storey building. The venue is in the eastern side with glass facade on the first storey. The building houses the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies. Please check the map before visiting. An image of the building can be found here and here (the photograph of the building is on the right).


*The International Women's Peace Service welcomes human rights volunteers. Click here for more info.

Charity Concert for Nepalese Orphanage @Kyoto Sat, Nov 13

Keep your calendars open for "Get on the Mat!" a charity concert for Nepalese Orphans to take place in Kyoto on Saturday, November 13 at Honen-in Temple.

Performances include shakuhachi/calimba player Robbin Lloyd , +RAW- elements featuring Max and yun-han and Shohei Kuratsu on sax (click here to listen to one of their collaborations), and accordion/trumpet duo Garage.

This is one of several annual events to raise money for the Laliguras Children's Home in Kathmandu, including a concert and a charity walk (organized by Kevin Ramsden).

According to event organizer and +RAW- elements member Max Dodds:

'Get On The Mat!' is part of a series Kevin started years ago and has included Get On the Desk/Bus/etc., which refers to the goal of the charity event at the time. The children consist of five boys and five girls, most of whom are orphans and had nowhere to go. We provide all of their expenses: food, clothing, health, education and shelter. Part of the proceeds will also go into a fund we are starting to build a school in Kathmandu. This is a long term goal; however, we are committed to meeting the needs of ten kids at a time until we can expand. We also have ten sponsor families in Kyoto who pay for roughly half the costs. Occasionally when they need something else, we arrange to buy it with any funds we have left over from the charity events. These have included a generator, a mini library, medical expenses, and soon a laptop. The goal [of the event] hasn't changed this time, so we are going to get on the tatami mats at Honen-in.

When asked about what prompted him to start organizing these events for the Nepali orphanage, Max responded:

Initially I was doing gigs and donating proceeds to charity when Kevin approached me about organizing music for his events. It has led to our collaboration in the laliguras project. ('Laliguras' refers to a Nepalese flower.)

Max also explained how his relationship with the Nepalese orphanage began:

I have visited the orphanage once so far (Kevin has twice). I met the director in Kyoto some years back and made a connection with him. I started sending books and school supplies at first and later generated a little money from small charity events. Kevin expanded everything by asking friends to sponsor a child and the orphanage grew from there.

I made an instant connection when I met the children. Even though we cannot communicate linguistically, we played in a park for a few hours one day, running races, arm wrestling, playing badminton with ancient racquets, singing and laughing, and I look forward to seeing them again, hopefully next year.

Other than live music, baskets from Zimbabwe will be sold to help fund the Zienzele AIDS children organization. Items will also be sold to support a Guatemalan women's empowerment NPO.

The entrance fee is only 2000yen- a small price to pay to bring smiles to the faces of the children of Nepal. Hope to see everyone there!

Kyoto Professor Negotated Secret nuclear trade-off deal for Okinawa: NHK documentary Monday night.

Wakaizumi negotiating secret deal with the U.S. (Image courtesy of NHK)

According to the original agreement between Japan and the U.S., Okinawa would be reverted to Japan in 1972 without the presences of nuclear weapons. However, behind the scenes, a Kyoto Sangyo professor, Wakaizumi Kei convinced then Prime Minister Sato Eisaku that Okinawa would not be handed over to Japan unless Japan allowed U.S. nukes on Japanese soil. In 1969, Sato gave Wakaizumi the green light to draft a secret proposal where Japan would eventually concede the condition calling for a nuke-free Japan, in order for it to be reverted to Japanese sovereignty as planned.

On Saturday night, NHK showed a documentary "The Truth Behind the Reversion of Okinawa" detailing these behind the scenes negotiations. It is based on the 1994 memoirs of late confidential agent Wakaizumi entitled, I wish I could believe there were no other options (Tasaku nakarishi woshinzamuto hossu). After 25 years of silence, he revealed documents which verifying the existence of a secret agreement on nuclear weapons between the U.S. and Japan. NHK will air the program in English and Japanese on Monday, June 21st at 8pm, Tokyo Time. That NHK would show a documentary about such a controversial topic certainly is proof that the majority of Japan is disillusioned by and fed up with the games being played with Okinawan lives.

In an introduction to a November 2009 article that appeared in the Asia-Pacific Journal, research professor for Hiroshima Peace Institute Yuki Tanaka demands that any agreement like this based on nuclear deterrence be considered a "crime against humanity":

The revelation of the details of the secret agreements on nuclear weapons in itself cannot bring about a decisive solution to Japan’s nuclear problems, above all since irrefutable evidence has long been available in U.S. documents and circulated widely among Japanese journalists and researchers. The most important question is not the secrecy concerning the U.S. nuclear weapons program in Japan, but the foundations of that secrecy, i.e., Japanese support for the U.S. policy of nuclear deterrence. In the absence of a clear DPJ policy on the issues, it can be expected that similar secret deals will be made to sustain Japanese support for the U.S. policy of nuclear deterrence, including the presence of U.S. nuclear weapons in Japan....

Thus, the question that requires urgent attention is not whether U.S. nuclear weapons have been or will be brought into Japan secretly, but the entire structure of U.S. nuclear deterrence deployed in Japan. It is precisely this structure that leads American policymakers to view Japan as a “vassal state”; without transforming this policy it will remain impossible Japan’s democracy and freedom of information to function autonomously. If Japan’s new Democratic Party government genuinely wishes to establish an “equal partnership” with the U.S. based upon the principle of national “independence,” it must seriously consider freeing Japan entirely from the U.S. nuclear umbrella and its nuclear deterrence strategy.

It is important to recognize nuclear deterrence policies for what they are: a “crime against peace” as explicated in the Nuremberg principle. This is because “nuclear deterrence” effectively means planning and preparation to commit indiscriminate mass killing, or in other words a “crime against humanity,” using nuclear weapons. In this regard, “nuclear deterrence” is no different from the “nuclear terrorism” that the U.S. and other nuclear powers so strongly condemn.

Okinawa has been the pawn of U.S. and Japan policy games for long enough. It is time to end Okinawa's status as a "vassal state" by halting the secret deals. It is time that the Okinawan people be able to take control of their own destinies.

For more information about the NHK documentary in Japanese, click here. You can watch a preview of the documentary if you click on the grey button on the top right of the page which has a green play button on the left of it (The button reads: 番組予告動画を見る). For information in English, click here.

-Posted by Jen Teeter

Emergency Appeal to Hatoyama: Listen to the Voices of the Okinawan People

Today Kyoto Action held an emergency appeal to Prime Minister Hatoyama--urging him to listen to the voices of the Okinawan people.

Kyoto Action members gathered in front of Takashimaya Department Store in the busiest shopping district in Kyoto and distributed flyers about Hatoyama's trip to Okinawa, his first trip to the island prefecture since taking office. Although Hatoyama previously promised he would not permit the construction of new bases in Okinawa, he has since done an about face: proposing the construction of a new base on Tokunoshima island and also the expansion of Camp Schwab in Henoko.

The site Kyoto Action chose is the most difficult place in Kyoto to distribute information. Most passersby are preoccupied with shopping and tend to ignore protesters. However, today it seemed as though Kyoto Action members were handing away free newspapers. People approached them first--asking for more information about the situtation in Okinawa--rather than the other way around. Members succeeded in passing out 450 flyers with the following information in only an hour:

“We don’t need military bases!” rang the voices of over 90,000 people who participated in the Prefecture-wide rally on April 25th. Okinawan citizens raised their voices, demanding that Futenma, known as the world’s most dangerous military base, be returned to the Okinawan people, and that plans to move bases to other places in Okinawa such as Henoko or White Beach, be cancelled. According to a census, over 90% of Okinawa prefecture residents are opposed to the relocation of bases. 75% of US bases in Japan occupy Okinawa. We can not allow any more bases to be pushed on Okinawa and the lands which the bases occupy must be returned to Okinawa at once.

Ever since the Liberal-Democratic Party decided on a plan to relocate the Airfield at Futenma to Henoko 13 years ago, there have been movements in Okinawa in opposition. Why must yet another military base be built in Okinawa? While emphasizing how dangerous Futenma Air Field, they want to build another one in Okinawa? This irrational plan is what the LDP was trying to force onto Okinawa. Yet, despite pressure to accept the plan, the Okinawan people relentlessly struggled against it, and eventually the Henoko plan was retracted.

However, PM Hatoyama, while saying he will not build another base in Okinawa, is resurrecting the idea of constructing bases in Okinawa again after being denied by the U.S. government. These proposals are practically the same as the LDP’s.- to create a base off the shore from Henoko or at White Beach. This will end up destroying nature and building yet another dangerous base in Okinawa. This is absolutely ludicrous. “We are going to build a base even if Okinawans oppose it.” This seems to be the opinion of some members within the Democratic Party of Japan. We should not be listening to the U.S. government any longer. Isn’t it the voices of the Okinawan people who have been suffering under the pressure of the bases for 65 years since the end of the war whose voices need to be heard? We must join together and oppose the bases in Okinawa!

Today, after meeting with Governor Hirokazu Naikama, a pale-faced Hatoyama dressed in a yellow, short-sleeved Okinawan print shirt, told members of the media at a press conference that he owed an apologies to the Okinawan people for causing them to suffer while searching for a solution and asked for the Okinawan people's understanding in his inability to relieve the burden of the bases.

Prime Minister Hatoyama answering questions about the deterrent power

of the Marines at a press conference after meeting with Okinawan Governor Naikama

For a previous TTT posts about Kyoto Action, click here for a summary of the group's action and here for information about the April 25th Solidarity Demonstration and a video.

- Jen Teeter

Kyoto Solidarity Rally and Prime Minister Hatoyama to visit Okinawa Governor Hatoyama hopes to meet Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima May 4th

This just in: NHK just showed clips of Prime Minister Hatoyama, dressed in an light yellow Okinawan-print shirt, presenting his thoughts on bases in Okinawa after meeting with Okinawa governor Hirokazu Naikama. He emphasized the inevitability of some bases remaining in Okinawa and is suggesting that Futenma Airfield be relocated to Tokunoshima and Camp Schwab. In response, Nakaima stated that Hatoyama is clearly ignoring the voices of the people.

Over 100,000 people joined together in Okinawa to protest against U.S. bases this past Sunday, April 25th. Around 400 people participated in a solidarity open-air tea party, demonstration, and rally where community members could enjoy Okinawan food and music while discussing the occupation of U.S. bases in Okinawa. The following is a video with highlights from the event organized by Kyoto Action (For a previous entry on Kyoto action, click here):



More photos and information in Japanese can be found at the Kyoto Action website.

Coverage in Japanese can be found at Kyoto Shinbun, Asahi Shinbun, and the Mainichi Shinbun.

Despite Prime Minister Hatoyama's proclamation that he will not allow new bases to be built in Okinawa, he is now reconsidering those plans. He is meeting with 3 mayors from Tokunoshima in Tokyo when he returns. Kyoto Action wants to make sure that we all keep an eye on PM Hatoyama in his negotiations and make sure that bases are no longer pushed on Okinawa.

To that effect, there will be an emergency action today (May 4th) in front of Takashimaya Department Store in Kyoto from 5:30pm. Participants will get the chance to engage in dialogue about the bases, receive information, or help pass out information about the danger of U.S. bases and collect petition signatures. Here is a translation of the flyer for those who can not attend:

“We don’t need military bases!” rang the voices of over 90,000 people who participated in the Prefecture-wide rally on April 25th. Okinawan citizens raised their voices, demanding that Futenma, known as the world’s most dangerous military base, be returned to the Okinawan people, and that plans to move bases to other places in Okinawa such as Henoko or White Beach, be cancelled. According to a census, over 90% of Okinawa prefecture residents are opposed to the relocation of bases. 75% of US bases in Japan occupy Okinawa. We can not allow any more bases to be pushed on Okinawa and the lands which the bases occupy must be returned to Okinawa at once.

Ever since the Liberal-Democratic Party decided on a plan to relocate the Airfield at Futenma to Henoko 13 years ago, there have been movements in Okinawa in opposition. Why must yet another military base be built in Okinawa? While emphasizing how dangerous Futenma Air Field, they want to build another one in Okinawa? This irrational plan is what the LDP was trying to force onto Okinawa. Yet, despite pressure to accept the plan, the Okinawan people relentlessly struggled against it, and eventually the Henoko plan was retracted.

However, PM Hatoyama, while saying he will not build another base in Okinawa, is resurrecting the idea of constructing bases in Okinawa again after being denied by the U.S. government. These proposals are practically the same as the LDP’s.- to create a base off the shore from Henoko or at White Beach. This will end up destroying nature and building yet another dangerous base in Okinawa. This is absolutely ludicrous. “We are going to build a base even if Okinawans oppose it.” This seems to be the opinion of some members within the Democratic Party of Japan. We should not be listening to the U.S. government any longer. Isn’t it the voices of the Okinawan people who have been suffering under the pressure of the bases for 65 years since the end of the war whose voices need to be heard? We must join together and oppose the bases in Okinawa!

Charles Douglas Lummis on U.S. Military Expansion @Osaka (Tues, Dec 22) @ Kyoto (Wed, Dec 23)

Charles Douglas Lummis at a book signing event

Charles Douglas Lummis, a San Francisco born, resident of Okinawa who contributed extensively to the anti-Vietnam movement in Japan has been invited to speak in Kyoto and Osaka this week about U.S. military expansion. He is prolific author, most well-known for his book Radical Democracy and for his outspokenness about his experience in the U.S. Military as noted in his self-introduction at the Oakland Table:

I entered U.C. Berkeley in 1954 on a Navy ROTC contract, and accordingly, when I graduated in 1958 I entered the U.S. Marines for three years, the third of which I spent in a military base on Okinawa. (Much of my life since then has been spent trying to figure out how I could have let such a thing happen.)

In a recent article entitled Yes We Can (But We Won't): Obama, Hatoyama, and Okinawa, Lummis writes about the resilience of Henoko and Futenma residents in opposing U.S. military bases.

Tuesday, December 23rd, Osaka: The Relocation of Futenma & Okinawa's Burden

Two Kansai organizations, the Citizens Group Against the Imposition of Bases in Okinawa and Osaka Action to Prevent the Construction of Bases in Henoko have invited Lummis to share his thoughts on the burdens that Okinawans face because of U.S. military colonization.

The event will take place at the Hirao Okinawan Kaikan which is in the heart of the vibrant Okinawan community in the Taisho ward in Osaka. This Okinawan community was born after the further amplification of Japanese colonization during the Taisho Era (1912-1925) brought economic crisis to the Ryukyu islands. This period is otherwise known as the "sotetsu jigoku," or "Cycad Hell" because the cycad was the only food that many Okinawans could find to eat at the time.

Mass starvation forced many Okinawans to migrate to Osaka in search of work in factories, although they were often turned away from employers, many of whom displayed signs on their windows stating "Ryukyuans and Koreans need not apply!" Facing ethnic discrimination and difficulties finding work, Japanese assimilation policies wreaked havoc on Okinawan culture and language. However, after ownership of the Ryukyus was transferred to Japan in the 1970s, a grassroots movement in the Taisho ward gained strength and started a housing movement to address Okinawan homelessness while the community began revitalizing its culture making the Taisho district a hub for lovers of the Okinawan festival dance Eisa.

This event on such an important issue in a region so rich in cultural survival is one not to be missed.

To get to the Hirao Okinawa Kaikan, get off the train at JR or Subway Taishou (大正) Station and then take the bus at platform 4 or 5 to Hirao (平尾)
A map in Japanese can be found on this page.

Event start: 7pm (Doors open at 6:30pm)
Entrance fee: 1000yen

For more information about the Osaka event contact the Okinawa Bunko.
Telephone: (06)6552-6709

Wednesday, December 23rd, Kyoto: U.S. Military Realignment and Okinawa

The Kyoto Organization Against the Strengthening of the Imperial System has also invited Lummis to speak in Kyoto on Wednesday, December 23rd at the Kyoto Buraku Liberation Center which is located five minutes walk on foot to the north of Kuramaguchi Station.

Event start: 1pm (Doors open at 12:30pm)
Entrance Fee: 500yen

How to Cool the Earth: Vegetables and Walking (Cool Earth Parade: Sat, Dec 12th)

"A lot of people with similar motivations to better the world all congregated in one place. I wish it would happen more often!"

What is Sam Dreskin (pictured left) referring to? The 7th Annual Kyoto Vegetarian Festival of 2009 held in Okazaki Park last October (formerly the "Veggie & Peace Festival"), an annual event to bring together:

vegetarian-, environment-, and peace-minded people from all over the country. An event for all ages, the festival gives you a place to enjoy vegetarian food and listen to music while learning about vegetarianism,the environment, and more. The Vegetarian Festival provides a place for people of all ages and nationalities to learn about a healthy lifestyle, while bringing attention to problems like the degrading environment and World Hunger.

With the goverments of the world waking-up to the realities of global warming and climate change, this year's festival focused on the following themes:

★Living a healthy life, both mentally and physically
★Respecting life, not just of humans, but of the animals with which we cohabit the world
★Realizing how pollution and food over consumption can degrade the environment
★Introducing organic retailers throughout Kyoto
★Providing a place to learn from NPOs

Over 80 different organizations, earth-friendly goods suppliers, and NPOs converged together sharing the multitude of ways in which we can fulfill the festival's ideals. Local vegetarian cuisine, including Deep Kyoto favourites Deep Kyoto favorites like Sunny Place, Falafel Garden, Mikoan, Caffe dell' Orso and Cafe Millet were cooking up a storm while masseuses from Malinka were soothed our souls with their dexterous hands.

Organic Beer from Yamaoka (left) and healist Malika(far right) from Malinka

NPOs such as Make the Rule/Kiko Network were informing the public of the need for Japan to move beyond the Kyoto Protocol and make even more drastic cuts in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in order to prevent further global warming.

Members of the Kyoto Make the Rule/Kiko Network Team selling furoshiki to raise money.

Seven activists from the Make the Rule/Kiko Network team are in Copenhagen at the Climate Conference advocating that Japan makes a law to reduce greenhouse emissions. One of the members, Mutsumi Hirooka explained:

Although Japan is obligated by the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse emissions by 6% against 1990 levels by 2007, emissions had actually increased by 8.7% . While government officials misleadingly brag about meeting the Kyoto Protocol goal in 2009 by reducing emissions by 6% in one year, the accumulative effect of the increase in GHG in the atmosphere is not taken into consideration, meaning the emissions are now 15% higher than the original target.

At present, Prime Minister Hatoyama is pledging to reduce emissions in Japan by 80% by 2050, on the condition that other countries make the same pledge to reduce emissions, increasing his pledge for emission cuts by over 65%. The highest Former Prime Minister Aso would commit to was 8%.

While the festival has come and gone, the Vegetarian Festival 2009 website provides a wealth of information for those interested in pursing a lifestyle sustainable to the environment in both English and Japanese. The meat industry wreaks havoc on the environment, 18% of greenhouse gases originating in the livestock industry. When one beef rice bowl requires over 2 tons of water to produced, versus 120 liters for a bowl of udon, the benefits to the earth of reducing meat consumption are quite obvious.

As Sam noted:

It is important that we see this as part of a daily lifestyle instead of a one day thing. The vegetarian festival inspires us to make the change by showing how easy, delicious, and full of love a vegetarian lifestyle can be.

In addition to reducing our consumption of animal products, walking is much kinder to the earth than riding around in gas guzzling automobiles. This weekend, walk a little more in solidarity with the "Cool Earth! Kyoto Action 2009” Parade. The Parade will send a message from citizens in the Kansai Area to the Climate Conference in Copenhagen taking place December 7th – 18th.

DATE: Saturday, December 12, 2009
PLACE: Kyoto City, Japan


Download English flyer here:
http://gaj.s263.xrea.com/internal/091212_flyer_eng.pdf
Download Japanese flyer here:
http://climatekyoto2009.blogspot.com/

PARADE STARTS AND ENDS AT KYOTO CITY HALL
2:00pm Gather in open air space at front entrance of Kyoto City Hall /
Rally begins
2:30pm Parade Departs
4:30pm Parade returns to Kyoto City Hall / Parade ends


Dress colorfully, bring instruments, carry a placard you made, or just
bring yourself.

Organized by:
“A Cool Earth! Kyoto Action 2009” Organizing Committee
Co-sponsored by: Kyoto Ecology Center
Supported by: Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City
Endorsed by: Japan Environment Exchange (JEE) Kyoto International
School and other organizations.

Details follow:
The parade will leave from Kyoto City Hall at 2:30pm, go west to
Karasuma Rd., turn south to Shijo Karasuma, turn east to Shijo
Kawaramachi, turn north, returning to Kyoto City Hall at around 4:30pm.

Join any part of the parade. Come with fun costumes, placards, musical
instruments, or just bring yourself.


Kyoto City Hall access:
Tozai Line (Kyoto municipal subway line)
Get off at: “Kyoto-shiyakusho-mae”, and you are there.

Contact information:
Kiko Network: 075-254-1011 E-mail: Kyoto@kikonet.org
Chikyu Ondanka Boshi Kyoto Network: 075-251-1001
E-mail: syodanren@mc2.seikyou.ne.jp

The Ainu Art Project meets Kyoto (Dec 1-6) and Oki Tonkori Set (Fri, Dec 4th)

"Politics" can often be a huge turn off for many people. Mastering the art of political discussion often involves access to control over media, and actions based on "realpolitik"concerns, rather than the real issues. Therefore, it is no wonder, that politics, often driven by its left hand, consumerism, many times leaves a bad taste in the mouth, breaking down vehicles of communication. Keeping that in mind, the Ainu Art Project was formed to achieve what is considered a very political objective, the survivance of Ainu culture within Japanese society, through art that inspires people, encourages communication, and leaves a positive impression that lingers in the soul.

At a lecture at the Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture in Tokyo, Koji Yuki, one of the founders of the project, emphasized the importance of sustaining the activism of Ainu people like his father, who fought constantly against an extremely difficult situation. The project's activism, however, comes to life in a different form- art. Realizing the power of art and culture in transforming negative stereotypes in society, the Ainu Art Project offers more than just a performance for the audience, but a glimpse of life and Ainu people taking on Ainu culture in various ways through their everyday lives. He provides reggae as an powerful example of a form of music helped people through a difficult period and emerged as a status of "cool" amongst younger generations. In a Reuters interview he noted, "By using the important cultural tool of music instead of speaking to an audience from a stage, Ainu feelings can be communicated differently. I think it's very effective."

Voices has another excellent interview with Koji Yuji, where he describes that through through coming to terms with his Ainu identity, the Ainu Art Project was born:

I was born in Hokkaido as an Ainu. During my childhood, discrimination against the Ainu took many forms. So, I did not like to be Ainu at all. I left home early for Tokyo hoping to have nothing to do with the Ainu. However, I could not escape from a burning question of who I am. When I heard that the Ainu People were building "Itaomachibu", Ainu"s traditional wooden ship, I came back to Hokkaido to join. While building the ship with friends young and old, I felt at home. I was deeply grateful for learning the wisdom of our ancestors. I enjoyed picturing us going to an open sea in this special ship.

However, the ship was actually sent to a museum. I was shocked. I was deeply sad to see the ship leaving our hands without even touching the ocean of our land. Our ship became a showpiece. I felt that the ship was dead not alive. At that moment, I asked myself again, "Who am I?" My response was "I am Ainu, not dead. I am living in this modern society." I did not want our culture to become only "good and old." I did not want our identity represented as a souvenir for tourists. I really wanted to carry our voices and expressions as Ainu from our generation. In 2000, three of us who worked together building the ship formed an artist group called the Ainu Art Project.

The Ainu Art Project will be displaying woodblock prints and embroidery work at Sakaimachi Garaw, a beautifully maintained machiya in the heart of Kyoto from December 1st through 6th from 11am-19pm. Machiya are known for their distinctive long shape that facilitated the business endeavors of merchants by opening up a space to display goods in the front of the house and a place to live in the back.

Each woodblock print has a story to tell about Ainu conceptions of coexistence with nature, each story encapsulated in one powerful image. The prints are available for purchase and the one below will be welcomed into my home soon.

Although the wolf no longer exists in the lands of Japan due to the ravishes of humankind, it lives on through the voice of this woman who continues to tell the wolf's story.

The week of art, expressing the Ainu in modern society, will culminate with Ainu storytelling and a talk led by woodblock print artist and Ainu Art Project founder Koji Yuki, and a live performance by Nagane Aki on the tonkori and mukkuri, two Ainu instruments.

Reservations are required for Sunday's December 6th's performance from 3pm-4pm (Email- sakaimachi-garow@h8.dion.ne.jp).

Entry is 2500yen. Kabocha Ratashikep, a traditional Ainu dish, and Ochatsuke flavored with the fruit of the Kihada tree, the only citrus fruit native to Hokkaido.
The fruit of the Kihada (ki =yellow hada =bark) tree, used extensively in traditional medicine, cooking, and in dyeing fabrics.

On another note, Oki and his tonkori will be funkin' up Kyoto Friday night at Club Metro at 10pm.



Tickets 3000yen at the door, 2500 in advance (Ticket Pia Code = 339-170 and Lawson Code = 55616).

See you there!


- Jen Teeter

Actualize Ainu Self-determination Workshop @Kyoto Sunday, November 22nd- Featuring Kawamura Kenichi and Oki Dub Band member Kano Rumiko!

Pressured by the United Nations adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Japanese government is finally making a move to renew their policies about Ainu people. In deliberating these policies, it is paramount that the policies are not be decided in favor of Wajin, the majority Japanese, but rather understood as an issue of Ainu people’s self-determination. When it comes to the issues of Ainu people, shouldn’t Ainu people themselves be in charge of making decisions?

We have invited two Ainu guests from Yaunmosir (the island of Hokkaido) who have been active in various Ainu activities. We hope to learn and think deeply about the rights of indigenous people and the relationship between Japan and the Ainu people while also enjoying Ainu songs and dances.

Date: November 22^nd (Sunday)

Time: 17:30-20:00 (17:00 Open)

*There will be a dinner with the guests after the event. Please stay and socialize if you are interested.

Guest: Ainu rights advocate Mr. Sinrit-Eoripak-Ainu (Kawamura Kenichi) & Musiciaon Ms. Kano Rumiko (from the world reknowned Oki Dub Band)

SIMULTANEOUS ENGLISH TRANSLATION PROVIDED

Venue: Kazenone (7-2 Shimoyanagi-cho Tanaka Sakyo-ku Kyoto 606-8204)

Organized by Ainu-Okinawa wo Kangaeru Kai and other volunteers

Blog in Japanese: http://blog.namako.versus.jp/

email: ainu.okinawa@gmail.com

(Correspondence in English, Spanish, and Japanese. We will have a go at other languages)

Fee: 1000yen, 500yen (student discount, etc. please ask if you have special circumstances)

Below you'll find Sam Dreskin tagging the billboard displayed at Hyakumaben in front of Kyoto University.

The government has neglected to recognize the Ainu as indigenous people for years because recognizing their indigeneity means coming to terms with Japanese history, in particular, the Japanese colonization of the Ainu people and their land. This recognition comes in conflict with Japan’s desires for control over the distribution of resources, as confronting Japan’s colonial history comes part and parcel with providing apologies, compensation, and other rights.

The United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was adopted in 2007 and it was publicly recognized in the eyes of international society that indigenous peoples around the world are entitled to indigenous rights. The declaration marks a breakthrough since Columbus’ colonization of the Americas- a global trend to revitalize collective indigenous rights.

In accordance with these international trends and pressures, the Japanese government recognized the Ainu people as indigenous people last year. The government has created a consultative body on Ainu issues and is in the midst of drafting new policies. However, their report is by no means satisfactory; although some constructive suggestions have been made, the report does not discuss the need for an apology and compensation for Ainu people.

Before discussing each policy recommendation, we have to ask why Wajin have the right to decide the future of the Ainu people. In the consultative body, there was only one Ainu representative. If Ainu people are not allowed to make decisions about their issues by themselves, if we look away from the issue of self-determination, then can we really assure the true revitalization of their rights?

Mao Ishikawa- The people living around the U.S. Bases in Okinawa November 7-14th.

Kaze no Ne is hosting a photo exhibition of Mao Ishikawa's photographs of Okinawan islanders living around the US Bases from November 7th to November 14th.*.

Okinawawan photographer Mao Ishikawa, and author of Okinawa Soul (pictured below) is known to be one of the first female photographers to break into to the male dominated field.

According to Eyecurious:

Mao Ishikawa grew up on the islands of Okinawa, which meant a childhood where the US military was a major and unavoidable presence. Speaking about her relationship with the American military, she has said, “I have two hearts in one body,” describing her love for American soldiers and hatred of the American government.

 The 50 photos displayed at the exhibitoin, provide insight into the Okinawan self-determination movement to discontinue Futenma Airfield reconstruction plans.


At present, 75% of the funding for U.S. bases on Japanese territory comes directly from the Japanese government. This revenue would better serve Okinawan citizens if it were redirected to create a self-sufficient Okinawan economy, rather than relying on military colonization.


This exhibition marks the first time that Ishikawa's photos will be presented in Kyoto.

*Kaze no Ne is closed on the 9th and 10th.

075－721-4522

Japanese map available here. 

The event is brought to Kyoto by  Kyoto Action.

Actualize Ainu Self-Determination Event @Kyoto 11/22(Sunday)

Sunday, November 22, 2009 at Kaze no Ne
6:30pm to 8:00pm (Social dinner to follow!)
More details coming soon...