My daughter is a super-friendly two-year-old girl. Every time she goes to the park near our house, she tries to talk to the children there. My husband and I are happy about her outgoing attitude. Some people had said that this social distancing under the Covid-19 pandemic would harm the children's ability to communicate, but her attitude seemed to drown out our concerns.

Her motivation is great, but there is always something wrong. Her routine at the park is like this. First, she approaches the targeted child. Then, she speaks to them. This is the strange part. She describes what the child is doing: "(He’s) playing with the ball," "(She’s) riding her bike," and so on. The children she talks to usually ignore her or give her a quick glance and resume what they were doing as if nothing had happened. If you were nearby, you would feel sorry for my little one. The problem is not only about what she says. She usually talks to older children, like primary school students. In their eyes, a two-year-old is just a baby. Babies are not good for their playmates.

Looking back on my own childhood, I don't remember how I made friends. Do you remember what you did? Perhaps I made friends during activities in kindergarten or when I had the opportunity to meet the children of my parents’ friends, and we played together. I never really thought much about how I made friends myself.

Let us look at her situation. She also goes to daycare every day. But there are few children, and she has only about 10 friends there. According to the teachers, she is having a good time with her friends there. Since parents are not allowed to enter the nursing rooms to see their children, we learn how our children are doing through the notebook we exchange with the teachers. When my friends bring their children to our home, of course she’s happy to play with them. The other day, my friends came over to see us from Nagoya with their children. Their four-year-old daughter was kind enough to take care of my daughter, and they became nice friends right away! I wish they would live around here.

As a parent, I want to fulfill her desire to make more friends. One option might be to send her to a larger daycare or kindergarten. Another option would be to send her to a music club or an exercise class. We’d like to take her to places where she can interact with other children. But the important thing is that when she gets a little older, she will have the skills to initiate friendships on her own. I hope she will bring her best friends to our home in the future.

Photo Credit: Anna Shvets@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. What is the second thing the author’s daughter does when she finds children at the park?

Q2. According to the daycare teacher, how is the author’s daughter doing at school?

Q3. How old was the author’s friends’ daughter?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

A1. She talks to the children.

A2. She’s having a good time with her friends.

A3. Four years old.

My students in a business administration presentation class asked this question and in groups researched and presented on five companies that you may not have heard of doing interesting things. Here is a description of them.

One interesting company is called Caulipower, which has a range of food in which high calorie ingredients are replaced with low-calorie cauliflower. The presenter opened by asking the audience if they like eating junk food. Most of the audience raised their hands. Then she followed up by asking for a show of hands of people who think junk food is bad for them. Again, almost everyone raised their hands. However, with Caulipower, people can eat pizza, pasta, and even fried chicken made with low-calorie ingredients. The group presented some interesting charts comparing the calorie differences between Caulipower and its rivals and displayed some pictures of mouth-watering examples of tasty meals, such as Buffalo wings pizzas and cauliflower linguine. In addition, the products are gluten-free. The presenters ended with the company slogan, urging the audience to come on and “Join the Vegolution!”

Another delicious-sounding company was Oishii Farms, founded by a Japanese CEO and operating in the United States, which uses vertical farming to produce strawberries all year round. The strawberries are just like those that you can get in Japan, and the environment they are grown in is exactly like a perfect day in Japan and yet, the farms are in New Jersey in the United States. Furthermore, there is no need for pesticides or GMOs. The presenters made good use of satellite images to show where the farms are located and pointed out that there were opportunities within the company for those with skills in sales or engineering.

Innovation can also include how people live. Two companies were presented that aimed to revolutionize our lifestyles, and these were Sonder and VR Chat. Sonder is ranked as the number one most innovative travel company by the online magazine Fast Company. It is a competitor of Airbnb and has a similar booking system, but it also includes design and furnishing to guarantee quality accommodation. Finally, VR Chat takes its customers into cyberspace using virtual reality. In addition, those who work for the company have a lot of freedom by being able to work from home, play games, and work on their own projects.

From food to virtual reality, innovative technology, and social concerns means work opportunities will continue to change in the future. There are many more innovative companies in the world, so consider researching something fresh and interesting!

Photo Credit: Solare Flares@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. What makes Caulipower low calorie?

Q2. Where is the strawberry farm run by Oishii farms?

Q3. Which company is a big rival for Sonder?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

A1. High calorie ingredients are substituted with cauliflower

A2. In New Jersey, USA

A3. Airbnb

The progressive rock band, Pink Floyd sang “We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control” and the musician, Paul Weller sang, “All I see, the more I know. The more I know, the less I understand”. What do you think these artists are saying with their words? Do they sound anti-education? And, for that matter, what is education?

University education, as you should be aware, is more than just learning facts to regurgitate at an end of year/term test. Education is a never ending process that should continue for life. That is what Paul Weller was saying – the more one learns, the more one realises how little one knows. This can be an intimidating thought for some people. For others, it’s an exciting thought – there’s always more to learn! That is how you should be as a university student. The root of the Latin-derived word university means the whole – everything. We should all be curious about everything and not just our own country or area of study, but the whole world. It’s big and there is a lot to learn about it.

I used to conduct a lesson on intelligence in which I asked the question “Who is the most and least intelligent between Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein and David Beckham?” For pretty much everyone the usual answer was to place Einstein first and the students would then often debate who was last between Monroe and Beckham. What do you think? If you said Einstein as first too, you might be wrong as it’s widely believed that Monroe had a higher Intelligence Quotient than Einstein. However, it misses the point. Neither Einstein nor Monroe could mentally calculate the necessary dynamics that made Beckham a world-class football player. Equally, neither Monroe nor Beckham could perform the physical calculations of Einstein, and the other two could not act, dance and sing in a way that made Monroe a cultural icon. There are different kinds of intelligence.

The key is to always have curiosity. Always ask why and never be afraid to say I don’t understand. Your teachers want this. They would rather you said “can you repeat that?” if there is something you do not understand. The mathematician, Charles Proteus Steinmetz said “There are no stupid questions and a person only becomes stupid when they stop asking questions.” So many ideas have come from that one question why…? As the American financier, Bernard Baruch, said “Millions saw the apple fall, but only Newton asked why?”

Education is a life pursuit. Enjoy it and never stop asking questions. Play to your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Einstein may have said “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”. This is true. Always learn. Always ask questions. This is the point of education. Failing that, “It’s good for an uneducated man to read books of quotations” (Winston Churchill).

Photo credit Pixabay@Pexels.com

Q1. Who sang “we don’t need no education”?

Q2. What does the word “university” mean?

Q3 When does education end?

Scroll down for answers 

A1: Pink Floyd

A2: The whole/everything

A3: Never

Every day, we are reading in the news media and experiencing the effects of climate change. Often here in Japan, this may seem unconnected with our daily lives, and it may seem like there is nothing we can really do about it. We may think that one person's actions will not make any difference. But remember, this global problem that will affect our future was caused by a lack of awareness of how our daily lifestyles were creating all the environmental problems we are now facing. Therefore, since we humans are the cause of the problem, we can also be the solution.

Many people may think that adapting our lifestyle to one that is more sustainable and eco-friendly means giving up things that we enjoy.  However, discovering new environmentally friendly activities can actually bring us a sense of joy and a renewed sense of hope. They can also be a gateway to meeting young people all over the world who are exchanging creative and innovative ideas.  The solutions to this issue are connected with three main parts of your daily lifestyle: what you eat, what you buy, and the energy you use. The greenhouse gases we are producing (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) come mainly from these three parts of our life and do not just lead to climate change but are also poisoning and polluting the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil from which our food comes.

Here are some simple suggestions that you can try, step by step, to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle.1. Eat less meat and buy organic and locally produced in-season food whenever possible. 2. Think “quality” rather than “quantity” when you shop. Be prepared to pay more for something that is durable and well-made and that you can use for a long time. 3. Spend just five minutes switching your energy provider to a company that is using renewable energy to provide your electricity. There are many such small companies now in Japan and you can easily find them on the internet and decide which one is best for you.

Finally, remember that humans are the only species that make garbage (waste) and that often this 'waste' can be made into a resource, such as by composting your leftover food, using old clothes for rags, or to give to younger friends as presents, or reusing plastic bags as many times as you can. Remember, it is YOUR future and you are the ones who can make a difference!

Photo credit Markus Spiske@Pexels.com

Q1: What are the three main parts of our life that are connected to climate change?

Q2: What are the three main greenhouse gases our lifestyles are creating?

Q3: How long will it take to find a utility provider that is eco-friendly?

Scroll down for answers 

A1: What we eat, what we buy, the energy we use for electricity and travel.

A2:  Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide

A3: It only takes a few minutes.

Have you ever seen a toad? Toads, called "hikigaeru" in Japanese, have very interesting features. Unlike most frogs, they do not live in water, except during the breeding season. However, during the very short breeding season between February and May, after they awaken from hibernation, they congregate in watery areas and engage in breeding behavior. Japanese people call this “kawazu gassen" (frog war) because of the large number of toads riding on each other while fighting for female toads. It is said that toads have an excellent sense of smell and remember the pond where they were born, so they can go back to the same place at the same time every year for breeding. When the breeding season is over, they leave the pond and return to the mountains.

Their movements are so slow. You might wonder how these creatures survive from predators, but they have two strategies for survival. The first method is to secrete a strong poison on their skin when attacked by other animals. This poison is called "toad oil" (“gama no abura” in Japanese) and is sometimes used as a medicine. However, the secretion of the poison is very rare. I have two toads in my house and they have never produced it. The second method to protect themselves is mimicry. Toads in Japan are colored with a brown base with black lines and red spots. This color pattern provides excellent camouflage in mountains with dead leaves, and it is very difficult to find them hiding there.

In the past, most toads lived in the same habitat as humans, so they are often mentioned in stories. The toad is often represented as a symbol of ugliness, but it is also portrayed as a creature with mystical powers, appearing in Naruto and Harry Potter.

Toads are very interesting creatures. However, their numbers are dwindling due to the development of mountainous areas, and it may be difficult to see these creatures near your house. When they appear in your path on a hike or mountain climb, please don't tease them, but cheer them on so that they can reach their goal safely as they move slowly.

Photo credit: Jose Aly Hoyo@Pexels.com

Q1: What is "toad" in Japanese?

a.    Hikigaeru

b.    Kamakiri

c.    Kaeru

Q2: How can toads go back to the pond where they were born every year?

a.    They are smart

b.    They go back to the pond by tracking the smell of the place.

c.    They know the mountains well

Q3: Where do toads usually live?

a.    In the city

b.    On paths near the river

c.    In the mountainous area

Scroll down for answers 

A1: hikigaeru

A2: They go back to the pond by tracking the smell of the place.

A3: They live in mountainous areas.

I hate applying for jobs. Like many countries around the world, there is a culture of changing jobs on a regular basis in my home country of the UK, but I still do not enjoy it. The whole process of selling your best features to companies does not feel particularly modest. And the judgment process of job interviews feels even worse. A panel of three or more people judging your appearance and every response to their questions is a little scary for everyone. There is also only so much preparation you can do. You can research the company and prepare yourself for the obvious questions, but there are often unexpected questions and surprises.

This is the same in Japan to some extent. Many Japanese companies will have a first interview at a job event and then a series of interviews afterwards, all within the hiring season. However, the graduate hiring season is more organized in Japan, usually being held at one time of the year as specified by the government. This is different from many other countries where hiring events are organized at a more local level. Outside Japan, companies may tour around several universities over a series of months holding many events to attract potential employees. Second and third interviews may then be held up until the time when the student graduates or afterwards. In Japan, most companies would like to secure graduates even before they enter their final year, but the labour shortages in Japan are causing this practice to change. Many companies now fail to hire as many full-time permanent workers as they would like and so are hiring graduates and other workers outside of the traditional student job-hunting season.

Another change that has happened because of Covid is the move from paper applications to online applications. Many large corporations now process all applications online. Resumes submitted online can be screened using Artificial Intelligence to save time and money. Applicants can upload their application documents without having to print out and post them. This enables the company to attract more applicants and saves applicants time and money as well. It also means it is cheaper and easier for applicants to apply to multiple companies in the search for their ideal job. This change can also be seen in Japan with some of the larger corporations. It may be a matter of time before paper applications are a thing of the past.

These changes do not make the job application process any less scary though. There will always be job interviews, even if these are done online and not face-to-face. The best advice is to just try and relax. Research the job before the interview, make some possible interview questions, and practice answering them. On the day, take your time and answer their questions slowly and carefully. Finally, remember that there are always more chances out there. Your job should fit you well.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki @Pexels.com

Q1 What does the author think about interviews?

Q2 How is the hiring period in Japan changing?

Q3 How are companies using Artificial Intelligence with Job applications?

Scroll down for answers

A1 The author finds job interviews scary.

A2 More companies are hiring outside of the official “hiring season”.

A3 Companies are using AI to filter job applications.

Do you usually clean up your house at the end of every year? Are you good at arranging your belongings? Simple living is known as dansyari (断捨離) in Japanese, and it is presented in books and TV programs these days.

LAVA International, Inc (1). explains that the goal of simple living is understanding yourself and having more time and energy to do important things, rather than spending time on keeping unnecessary things. Simple living means not only throwing away no-longer-needed objects but also focusing on time, relationships and a way of thinking. It is said that the idea of minimalism originally comes from the three ideas behind yoga, which are discontinuance, abandonment and separation. These ideas are applied to decluttering or dansyari. In other words, you are recommended to cut out unnecessary and unimportant things in your life. According to Mynavi Corporation (2), there are four advantages in simple living:

1. Tidy rooms can make you feel refreshed. There are only necessary things in your room and you can comfortably live there surrounded by essentials.

2. You can reduce wasted time searching for something lost.

3. Having another look at yourself. You can understand your values and hopes by separating things into three groups of Needed, Unneeded or Keep.

4. Being able to put more emphasis on quality rather than quantity.

By living simply, you will naturally be able to think about what you want and how much you need. Mynavi Corporation introduces four steps to start living simply. For starters, you should classify your possessions into three groups of Needed, Unneeded or Keep. Next, you are advised to store the things in Needed in a designated place. Then, the things in Unneeded can be thrown away, sold or transferred to somebody. Lastly, the things in Keep can be considered again if they are needed or not after a certain period of time.

Are you afraid of putting too many things in the group of Keep now? Here is some advice on how to determine if something is Needed, Unneeded or Kept. LAVA International, Inc points out that you can rely on how you feel when you see the target object. Keep it if you feel excited or have a plan to use it in the future. On the other hand, don’t keep it if you have not used it for a long time. For an object you want to keep, think about changing its place or using it in another way if it has not been used for a long time.

(1) https://yogafull.jp/3606

(2) https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20201117-1492848

Photo credit Jonathan Borba @Pexels.com

Q1: Where does the idea of minimalism originally come from?

Q2: What should we do with the things in the group of Keep?

Q3: How can we decide if a thing is needed?

Scroll down for answers

A1: It comes from the three ideas behind yoga.

A2: Rethink about if it is needed or not after a certain period of time.

A3: See if you feel excited or have a plan to use it in the future.

(Please see main blog page for part 1)

After we started biking on the road, it was indeed very tough. Summer heat as well as long distances on the road made many participants exhausted. Though I could understand very little English, I helped many of them by physically pushing them on uphill sections, sharing my food and drink, and encouraging them by repeating “fight! fight! fight”, and so on. To my big surprise, through this non-verbal interaction, one American girl from California told me she liked me! She was a tall beautiful girl with shiny blonde hair. I absolutely did not know how to respond, but of course there was no reason for me to refuse her. From then on, we fell in love with each other. I struggled to communicate with her with the very limited vocabulary I memorised for my failed entrance examination for Ritsumeikan University. By the end of this 2-week event, we could exchange some easy words or phrases in English. It was such a romantic moment for me with the first foreign person I’ve ever met in my life.

Unfortunately however, a bitter end came to this romance shortly after. Right before she departed for California, she told me that it was not realistic to keep this relationship across the huge Pacific Ocean separating our countries. I was very sad and disappointed, but accepted her suggestion to stay good friends with each other. I went back to Yamagata with a broken heart. Although the romance ended like this, my sweet memory of her had triggered a strong interest and curiosity in America as a country. I started studying English like crazy. By the end of my second year in Yamagata, my English improved well enough to be admitted into some American universities. I then quit Yamagata University and transferred to the University of Minnesota to study international relations. After I graduated from the University of Minnesota, I went on to a graduate school at another university in America.

Here I am now teaching English at Ritsumeikan University where I had once failed to enter some 35 years ago. Looking back on these 35 years, I really feel that life is so mysterious that you never know how things in life would take you to what destinies. So I’d like to suggest to all my fellow Ritsumeikan students not to be afraid of following your inspiration and embarking on a new adventure to the unknown, that is to say, “go beyond borders!”

Photo credit: Buro Millennial @pexels

Quiz

Q1. Why was the bike journey so tough?

a) It was long and hot.

b) None of the participants could speak English.

c) The route was uphill.

Q2. What was one result of the writer’s break-up with his girlfriend?

a) He decided to meet his girlfriend in America.

b) He quit university.

c) He studied English very hard.

Q3. What is the writer’s advice?

a) Study as much as you can.

b) Visit Beyond Borders Plaza.

c) Follow your inspiration.

Scroll down for answers.

A1. a

A2. c

A3. c

When Matsumoto supermarket opened 20 years ago in my neighbourhood in Kyoto, the store played marching band music to perk up the customers.  It used to annoy me to no end because it was so loud. I’d shop in a hurry just to escape the noise. The other day though I heard a new type of music there.  It was the song “Dynamite” by BTS, but a poor, digitised copy that made it sound like an elementary school playing their keyboard harmonicas.  Even so, I recognized it as my university student daughter’s favourite K-pop dance song. It’s a lot of young people’s favourite song around the world because it is made of positive vibes, energy, hope and love – a feel-good song during the Coronavirus pandemic.  Why do so many people like BTS?

The K-pop superstars from South Korea are loved not just because of their music and dance videos. The Seoul government signed them up as tourism ambassadors as they are the most influential celebrities of Korea.  And the United Nations loves them too: BTS has raised $3.6 million dollars (¥404,113,000) since 2017 with the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, to fight violence, abuse and bullying and to promote self-esteem in young people. On September 20, 2021, BTS made a speech at the UN urging people to “choose kindness”.

The fans love their lyrics that inspire them to be positive and happy. The seven idols are unique because they are very upfront about mental health and their own personal struggles. In the 2016 album Agust D, member Suga talks about depression and self-hate. On the same album, “So Far Away” talks about pain and loneliness. On the 2014 album Skool Luv Affair, “Tomorrow” expresses the hardship of the young generation today and how they are afraid of tomorrow. And finally there are the songs “Answer: Love Myself”, “Not Today” and “On” that are healing to fans because they address self-doubt and encourage them to have more self-esteem.

For a K-pop band to be the messenger of goodwill and hope, they are extremely successful.  Their tour “Permission to Dance” in Los Angeles, California in December 2021 sold out with tickets being sold for thousands of dollars. It is no wonder that even a supermarket likes the idea of piping in their music to lift our spirits, capitalising on their positive energy that is truly global...and cool!

Photo credit Marcello Chagas@Pexels

Quiz

1. Why did the United Nations ask BTS to give a speech?

a) They are tourism ambassadors

b) They raised millions of dollars for UNICEF

c)  They believe in kindness

2. What issue for the young generation is BTS concerned with?

a) goodwill and hope

b) raising money for charity

c) mental health

3. Why did the supermarket choose to play a BTS song for its customers?

a) They can pipe in their music

b) They have positive energy

c) It is a digitised copy

Scroll down for answers

Answers

A1. b

A2. c

A3. b

On April 23, 2021, Bill Gates was one of the speakers at the Leaders Summit on Climate, ahead of the United Nations conference on climate change (COP26) that took place in November in Glasgow, Scotland. Key figures from around the world gathered online to talk about some of the most important challenges in climate change, including reducing emissions, financing new ideas, and creating jobs during the transition to a clean-energy economy.

Most people want to continue to be provided with all the benefits of the modern lifestyle, and many others in poverty want to attain a modern lifestyle. However, continuing to use today’s technologies will prevent us from meeting the goal of achieving what Gates calls ‘a Green Premium of zero’.

These days, there are an increasing variety of zero-carbon technologies available, but most of them are more expensive than their fossil-fuel counterparts. Gates explained that we need new zero-carbon products that are just as affordable. Unfortunately, creating such products is difficult, but it can be done more easily by governments and corporations investing in innovation and building the infrastructure for the transition to a clean economy.

To do this, Gates has proposed three steps to achieve these goals, all requiring international cooperation:

First is the development and distribution of breakthrough technologies that allow us to eliminate carbon emissions.

Second is to use the power of markets to fund and deploy these innovations, such as new ways to finance technologies. This will make it easier for new technologies to have greater appeal to corporations and customers instead of continuing to use fossil fuels.

Third is for governments and corporations to begin using policies and programs such as ‘Mission Innovation’ and ‘Breakthrough Energy Catalyst’ that will make it faster and cheaper to make this transition. This requires leaders to reward those who take difficult steps to choose progress over profits.

So, what can YOU do as an individual in society? Are you reading this article because you are also a climate activist? This doesn’t mean only recycling pet bottles and switching off lights. A climate activist is someone who brings attention to problems by demanding action and change from governments and corporations. If you are old enough to vote, choose a politician who really cares about these issues. You can ‘vote’ with your money too, by supporting companies who are already taking actions to reach zero-emissions.

Photo credit: Pixabay

Quiz

Q1. In which Scottish city was the COP26 held?

Q2. What does Bill Gates call new and affordable zero-carbon products?

Q3. What are the names of the examples of policies/programs that will make it faster and cheaper to make the transition to a clean economy?

Scroll down for the answers

A1. Glasgow

A2. Green Premium products

A3. ‘Mission Innovation’ and ‘Breakthrough Energy Catalyst’