I heard about this a couple of weeks ago but only found the story recently. It not something I wanted to comment on without seeing myself but now it’s here for all and sundry to take a look at. Those in the diving community know that multiple dives per day are allowed by all major [...]
You Are Viewing Japan stuff
Nukes in Japan… they’re “Regrettable”
Posted By Dave on March 10th, 2010
Another world news story involving Japan hit the streets in the past 24 hours and made me smile. As soon as I read the headline “Japan confirms secret pact on US nuclear transit“, I knew that somewhere in the story would be the word “regrettable”, in quotation marks and offered by a Japanese government member. The only surprise was that I ad to get halfway through the article before I saw it.
Now the fact that there have been nukes in the air & oceans around Japan is no secret at all, and possibly some have touched Japanese soil, despite what their “non-nuclear principles” declare. These nukes have always been linked to the US military presence here in Japan, which many anti-US protesters will use as ammunition. But the fact is that the Japanese government has agreed to these things, and have just kept it hidden from public view until now. The protesters may use this to attack the incumbent Democratic Party of Japan, as most of them have alliances to the Liberal Democratic Party, which held power almost constantly for half a century.
I’ve said it before, but the use of “regrettable” is a favourite of Japanese government officials. It is used to say something is bad but without actually apologising for anything. For example, I could say “It is extremely regrettable that I was caught speeding” (which I haven’t been, by the way!). So the incident is a bad one, but I’m not actually sorry I did it. And that latter part is the key with the common Japanese way of using it. It could be a little different here as the DPJ actually started this nuclear investigation, but is also saying that they as the current ruling party have no intentions at all of apologising for this.
Encouraging to see a little more transparency in Japan, although I feel it’s more to do with the fact that the previous political party was involved in it, rather than some national movement.
Doctor in Okinawa Decides the Diving Rules Should Change
Posted By Dave on March 2nd, 2010
I heard about this a couple of weeks ago but only found the story recently. It not something I wanted to comment on without seeing myself but now it’s here for all and sundry to take a look at. Those in the diving community know that multiple dives per day are allowed by all major diving organizations in the world, with most people doing 2 or 3 dives per day. There are considerations to take into account when planning multiple days per day and/or multiple days of diving, but as long as you adhere to these instructions then you are pretty much going to be fine.
Well it looks like an Okinawan doctor has decided he wants to turn the recreational diving world on its head, as you can see.
Forum educates doctors on diver decompression sickness
Date Posted: 2010-02-11
A noted medical doctor who specializes in diver’s decompression sickness warned “if divers dive three times in one day, and continue two or three days in a row, divers will get sick with decompression sickness” during a forum at Ishigaki City’s Civil Hall.
Doctor Masato Uehara, who works with the Prefectural Hospital in the Yaeyama District, was keynote speaker at the forum on ocean leisure. He says many divers don’t recognize decompression sickness, pointing out that between 1997 and 2009 he treated nearly 100 patients with decompression sickness at the hospital. The frightening part, he pointed out, was that roughly 80% of the patients were experienced divers or diving instructors.
“Divers believe in their computers for diving too much, or the manuals,” he says. He called for more caution and common sense, noting a 56-year-old tourist form mainland Japan who dived three times in a single day. When she tried diving on the fourth day, after her first dive her legs and hands became numb and she couldn’t walk. A bit later, as she walked again, she dived again. By that night, her hands and legs were again numb, so she visited the hospital where he had to treat her for decompression sickness.
Dr. Uehara says decompression sickness can only be treated with high oxygen treatment machines. He called the treatment “drastic measures for the sick” and encouraged divers to be more careful.
Source: Japan Update
If any of you out there are divers your reaction is probably similar to “What the…”. So a doctor (although how he is “noted” I have not been able to find as there is very little mention of him in English or Japanese online) at a relatively small hospital out in Ishigaki has now said that if you dive three times a day for 2 days then you will get decompression sickness. Note that this doesn’t say your chance of catching decompression sickness will increase (which is possible, hence the increased care in multiple diving days) but that it will happen without a doubt. And his evidence is treating under 100 people over a 13 year period.
There is also no evidence that it is the multiple diving days that have caused this (or it is not stated in this article, and I’m going to hazard a guess that there is no concrete evidence). Kind of reminds me of the Brass Eye special all those years back: “This is scientific fact. There’s no real evidence for it, but it is scientific fact”. I will agree that people believe in their computers too much for diving, so will give him that. Although diving to the tables is pretty much safe as houses as long as you know how to use them (which is becoming less the way of the world with PADI’s endless dumbing down of the theory part of the RDP).
I would say much bigger contributions to diving would be people who have to have their gear carried all the way to the entry point by an instructor as they are unable to don it themselves, being people who dive once a year on their trip down to from Tokyo to Okinawa and try to cram as much diving into their time as possible, leaving minimal saturation time before their flight back, and those who light up a cigarette or open a can of Orion beer before they’ve taken their BCD off following a dive. Should note that all of those are pretty common occurrences here in Okinawa.
Or maybe I’m wrong and people all over the world should be cancelling dive trips and only doing one day of diving at a time. What do you think?
Magnitude 7 Earthquake Strikes Okinawan Coast
Posted By Dave on February 27th, 2010
This morning at 5:31am there was a huge earthquake which struck 80km east of Naha, and around 29km underground. It was classified as a magnitude 7 quake and was easily the strongest I’ve experienced in my 5 and a half years here in Okinawa. Put it this way: I have never before considered hightailing out of my apartment and getting to somewhere open. Given my position in Okinawa on the southeast coast, I was probably one of the closest to the epicentre of it, too.
Woke up with my phone going off making a strange noise (which I later found out to be the earthquake alert). Seconds later the apartment started shaking violently. This was accompanied by a roaring noise which sounded like a bulldozer was passing by or something of that nature, but the shaking that came with it was too strong for that. I sat up immediately and for a few seconds was ready to grab my dressing gown and getting out. Things fell of my shelves as the seconds ticked by, and it seemed to go on for an age. In fact, the violent shaking lasted around 40 seconds with the earthquake continuing for over a minute I would guess. Eventually it died down and all became quiet again. I checked out the apartment to look for damage to the apartment and to do a little cleaning up.
There was a tsunami warning issued for coastline areas, but nothing on the village PA system was broadcast so I just stayed up watching the NHK reports for a little while. There are only a few reports of minor injuries I think and only a little damage has been sustained (mainly ruptured water pipes). Need to check in with people today to make sure everyone’s ok, but I wanted to check in on here first.
Take care folks, and let me know if you were in Okinawa and what your experiences of it were. Personally, I don’t want another one of those in a hurry.
A Few Photos From a 60s Bar in Naha
Posted By Dave on February 14th, 2010
Been pretty busy with work recently and so haven’t had as much time as I’d liked to write here. But it’s Sunday morning and I woke up early so what better time than now to start tapping away at the keyboard. No huge news of note, but I wanted to share with you a few photos from a night out last weekend. Some co-workers and I ended up at a 60s bar in Naha called Kentos. The bar was also a Live House and had a pretty good house band playing. While my co-workers proceeeded to drink copious amounts of alcohol, I enjoyed the music and snapped a few photos. Was pretty pleased with the results too. Take a look below and let me know what you think.
Posted in Japan stuff
Okinawan Police Learn Drifting from Tsuchiya
Posted By Dave on January 16th, 2010
One of the biggest motorsports to come out of Japan in recent years is drifting. Everyone is getting in on the action, even the police it seems! These cops in Okinawa had the chance to go up to Nago Circuit in the north of the island and get drifting tips from the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya. Looks like they had good times and I thought some of you folks might appreciate the video.
November 15th: Omega Drags in Okinawa
Posted By Dave on November 17th, 2009
The Omega Drags was the last racing event of 2009 in Okinawa and unsurprisingly, I was a spectator for this event. And to be honest, as long as I have the Alto Works that’s all I will be. People keep asking me why I don’t pick up another early Evo; a model of car I know quite a bit about and love. But the sad truth of the matter is I doubt I’d have the funds to keep it filled with petrol & oil, nevermind the modifications needed to make it competitive. The time when I have money will come again at some point (fingers crossed), but until then it will probably be watching from the pitlane only.
I got up to Nago Circuit at around 0945, and when I arrived I questioned if I’d got the date wrong for the event. There were no flags up at the entrance and only 3 cars in the parking area. My fears were soon put to bed though when I opened the car door and heard loud engine noise from beyond the circuit wall.
The lack of people watching was matched by a lack of cars taking part. There were only around 20 cars competing which is half of what is usually there. Nobody really knew the reason for it either, and November is usually the best time for the events. Yesterday was no exception, with conditions being ideal. The weather was mild with a bit of a breeze in the air keeping things cool, but the sun made regular appearances to stop people getting too cold. Only two non-Japanese drivers were taking part; a third dropped out 2 days before due to engine block problems which might require a complete engine disassembly.
The lack of entries made the day go by much more quickly than usual, and proceedings ended an hour earlier than usual. The first couple of practice runs were filled with drivers trying to get traction on the launch, and then when braking after the finish line (in the fight between mountainside and car, there is only going to be one winner). There were a couple of pretty hairy moments with some cars locking up the wheels and rear-ends looking a little twitchy, but thankfully no collisions.
Rick, currently holder of the “fastest gaijin in Okinawa” mantle, was looking impressive in his GT-R. His qualifying runs included breaking out of B-class with a time of 5.429s at 164kph for the 150m. To put that in context for the non-racers, that’s a 0-100mph time of under 5.4s. In laymans terms that’s (insert expletive of your choice) fast! The other driver, Josh, was having a tough time bringing everything together in his Mark II JZX90. Traction issues, red-lighting at the start and other little problems made for a very frustrating day. It was a shame for him, as he had high hopes and was taking part in C-class for the first time. Sad to say, but I think yesterday the Alto might have had a chance against him!
Rick managed to attain the quickest qualifying time in B-class, hitting 5.6s for the 150m, which put him straight into the final. The other cars in that class would be racing for the right to race him. Rick’s problem was that he knew if everything went perfectly for him, he had a good chance of breaking out of B-class again which would result in his disqualification from the knockout part of the tournament. The solution was just delaying his launch on the startline a tenth of a second longer or so, to ensure he would remain in his class. And when it came to the final that’s what he did. Both drivers had a good launch but Rick’s GT-R was pretty much flawless and he finished again in 5.6s, 0.3s quicker than his rival.
The final of A-class was won once again by a car tuned by Goyu, which ran the 150m in 5.1s, crossing the line at 179kph. That is a speed and time about 95% of the drivers here in Okinawa can only dream of, and by Rick’s admission is probably out of his league. But something to take into account is the type of cars. The Goyu car that won in A-class is completely gutted, geared for drag racing in Okinawa and even has parts to cut out of the bodywork to save on weight. In contrast, the Gt-R is full-weight with all the sound deadening, stereo air conditioning etc in it. If all of those things were stripped out then he would probably have a chance in the top class here in Okinawa.
To see all the photos I took at this event, take a look at my gallery here. So a year of drag racing in Okinawa has ended and the first event of 2010 will be in March. So until then, keep warm in the winter months and take good care of your cars.
Note: Apologies for the lack of quality in the photos this time. I was trying to add a bit of motion blur by taking down the shutter speed on my camera, but I took it down way too much, meaning most of my shots were good for nothing except throwing away. Will try harder next time.
JICA International Conference in Okinawa, November 14/15
Posted By Dave on November 11th, 2009
A few of the readers of this site are living in Okinawa, so I thought I’d throw this out there for those of you that like to get out into the community. The annual JICA International Festival in Okinawa will be taking place this coming weekend (November 14th & 15th, 2009) at the JICA Centre in Urasoe City. JICA is a Japanese NGO and the Centre in Urasoe has people there from a number of different countries (mainly, but not limited to, developing countries). At the festival they have presentations about their countries and areas, talks on global issues, free trade and all that kinda stuff. There is also music and events going on during the day. I’ve taken part in the conference for the past 3 years with my school as they have held a Model UN conference there, and a good number of people attend.
I’ll probably head there on the 14th, but wanted to let people know about it as the advertising isn’t what I would call “extensive”. Below are the flyers for the event.
Posted in Japan stuff
Lindsay Ann Hawker murderer arrested in Osaka
Posted By Dave on November 10th, 2009
Over 2 years after the body of English teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker was found in a bathtub of sand in Chiba, the main suspect was arrested this evening. Tatsuyo Ichihashi was captured by 
police early this evening at the Nanko ferry terminal waiting to board a ferry to Okinawa. After recent leads in the Osaka area and a new photo being published of him following cosmetic surgery he had done, a passenger in the ferry terminal reported a person bearing Ichihashi’s description to authorities at the ferry terminal. Police then approached and arrested him.
Currently, the charge is only the complete joke of “abandoning a body”, although Chiba police are hopeful of upgrading that charge to murder. I’m usually very critical of the Japanese police but it seems like after 2 and a half years they have finally got their man. Since initial posters were released, he has undergone a number of plastic surgery operations on his eyes, nose and mouth (no doubt funded by his wealthy family) and was attempting to undergo another round of surgery at a Fukuoka clinic in the near future. It has also emerged that he has been working undetected in Osaka for over a year while managing to remain under the radar.
But he is finally in custody and now the job moves from the police to the criminal courts to ensure that justice is done. I’m trying to be hopeful but just get the feeling he may only be found guilty in the eyes of the law in Japan of abandoning a body. I certainly hope not and hope that the Hawker family can finally get some closure on this.
Nice Slow-motion Video of Drag Race Launches
Posted By Dave on November 7th, 2009
This might only be of limited appeal to those who read the articles I post, but I thought this was cool and worth writing about. As the more perceptive of you may know, one of my current passions is cars, despite having absolutely no luck with them in the past 12 months. But when I have a car that will move under its own power, I like drag racing.
One of the most vital points of the drag race is the launch, and it’s easy for people who haven’t done it to underestimate how much there is to think about. Staging, getting the rpms held just right, keeping the clutch and gas at the right points so you don’t wheelspin or bog… it really is a hell of a lot, and the quicker the car the more you have to think about. But the launch itself lasts a fraction of a second and then it’s onto flying through the gears and heading for the finish line.
This video that I came across on one of the forums I frequent shows those fractions of a second, but slowed down so you can really see what happens to the car. Even if you’re not into racing, it’s still a pretty cool video to watch. If you are into racing, it’s fascinating to analyse the launches and what is or is not going right.
Typically Okinawa!
Posted By Dave on October 20th, 2009
Some things you see when you’re walking around you just instantly associate with the place you are. Obese people – America, a juxtaposition of paleness and fake tan – England, a trail of oil/coolant leading down the road – somewhere near me. But I recently saw something that I had to smile at as I instantly said to myself, “Only in Okinawa…”
I had just got off the bus going to work and it had been raining heavily all morning. The roads were slippery and as such I was surprised I’d not passed any accidents on my way into town. I wasn’t to be disappointed though as I suddenly heard a feeble slipping of tyres followed by a thud. It wasn’t a bang to indicate vehicles colliding with each other but still made me turn round to see what was going on. Some guy in his twenties had braked too hard on his little motorbike, locked the wheels and fallen off. He wasn’t going too fast and so had therefore just landed on his side. He was wearing a helmet but, as is often the case here, the chinstrap wasn’t fastened. I don’t know what it is with not fastening a chinstrap on a bike helmet if you’ve gone to the expense of actually getting one, but I digress slightly. So the helmet fell off and goes rolling down the road. This has got me chuckling slightly, much to the bewilderment of the woman beside me who is als watching this scene unfold.
So the guy leaves his bike in the middle of the lane, blocking already packed up traffic in rush hour, and walks casually down the road to retrieve his escaping helmet. He finally gets to it and heads back to his bike. At this point I’m thinking to myself, “Maybe next time you’ll think to actually fasten your helmet to your head”. As I say this to myself the guy gets to his bike, puts the helmet in the damn basket at the front of the bike, and drives off! I’m in stitches at this point as I know that I live in one of the very few places in the world with that kind of logic absence so prevalent.
But it just sums up the mindset regarding safety, which is rather hypocritical at the best of times. While parents think walking down a brightly lit street after dark is something only a person in full samurai armour would consider, they think that having a child bouncing around in the front seat of a car with no seatbelt on (or more recently, being sat on the driver’s lap with the car in motion) is perfectly safe. It’s one of the pet gripes quite a few people I know have about Okinawa (maybe mainland also but don’t think it’s as bad there). And the only two excuses I have heard have been, “Well I’m not going to crash” and “Child seats are too expensive”. Make what you will of those particular gems of knowledge.
Posted in Japan stuff
Loading ...