PHOTO of the DAY (JAPAN) Dial up warning

[AsahinaKimi]

Keiichi Kikuchi, 57, inspects apples at his orchard in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, some six months after the city was devastated by the massive March 11 tsunami. About half of the 400 apple and Japanese pear trees in the orchard were washed away by the waves, but by early May the remaining apple trees were blossoming and they later bore fruit. Kikuchi says he has been inspired by seeing the apples ripening following the disaster. (Mainichi)


Bonus Photos

A local resident releases a lantern into the air during a memorial service for the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011. On Sept. 11, Japan marked six months since the disasters. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)


Hundreds of paper lanterns are released into the air in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, on Saturday night. The event, organized by fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto, was part of a memorial ceremony for the 459 people dead or missing from the city after the March 11 disaster.




A man on a bicycle passes by a large ship washed ashore by the tsunami six months ago in Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, northeastern Japan, Friday, Sept. 9, 2011. On Sunday, Sept. 11, Japan marks six months since the March 11 disaster. (AP Photo/Koji Ueda)



High school students pose for a photo by a damaged replica of the Statue of Liberty in Ishinomaki, northeastern Japan, on Sept. 11, 2011. As the world commemorated the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, Sept. 11 was doubly significant for Japan. It marked six months since the massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)


Fourteen members of a unicycle group from Wakayama Prefecture leave Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, on Sept. 10 to travel the east coast of Lake Biwa, Japan's largest freshwater lake, in two days. The members, including 10 elementary school students, will pedal for two days to cover the 82-kilometer distance to reach their destination -- Kohoku Mizudori Station in Nagahama in the same prefecture. (Mainichi)


A Buddhist monk pays respect to the victims of March 11 earthquake and tsunami in front of the ruined disaster control center of Minamisanriku town, Miyagi Prefecture, on Sunday.




A man stands in a field of newly grown rice plants in Sendai's Wakabayashi Ward on Sept. 9, 2011. "Back in March I never thought harvesting rice would ever be possible again," he said. The devastating March 11 tsunami severely damaged his field with seawater, but life is gradually getting back to normal with new rice plants growing despite the damage. (Mainichi)



MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

This is the new logo that will be used by the Japanese government around the world to promote Japanese animation, fashion and food under the theme of ‘‘Cool Japan.’’ The logo was created by designer Kashiwa Sato, who has done work for the Uniqlo brand.

MAINICHI OHATU~ Every day something new

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. Thanks for posting. I spent a year in Japan and loved it.

Unfortunately, it was courtesy of the Marine Crotch in 1962-1963, and my real appreciation of Japan was limited to liberty and leave, but it was still a memorable experience.

Arigato.

[AsahinaKimi]

3. Dou itashimashite

Its been a couple of days, so I waited a bit until I had a few more items to chose from. Plus, traffic was heavy here in GD, so not sure my post would have gotten much of a glance. I am glad you are pleased. Yorokonde kurete ureshii desune!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. The way we remembered "You're Welcome" was "Don't touch my mustache."

I always look at your photos for happy memories even though they sometimes show the destruction.

[AsahinaKimi]

12. lately i prefer to use

"kochira koso". it has the same meaning of "the pleasure is mine". If you are close friends with some one, and rather than use the formal "Dou Itashimashite" you can use "dou itashi". Its a shortened version of the more polite "you are welcome". As I once noted elsewhere, Japanese is a language based on levels of politeness. In some situations you simply can not get away with non formal word usage. The trick is knowing when, and when not to employ these phrases!


As to the photos, I think despite all that Japan has gone though, many of the photographers are looking for that angle that best expresses hopefulness in the future, or something that is easy on the eyes. Sometimes simple is best!

[GoCubsGo]

2. Thank you. I love those lantern ceremony photos.

I would love to see one in person. Maybe one of these days...

[AsahinaKimi]

6. funny in that

Though those caught my attention, I couldn't help but go back and check out the apples in the first photo. They look incredibly delicious, don't they!! Oishii darou ne!

[Uncle Joe]

4. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the pics, AsahinaKimi.:thumbsup:

[AsahinaKimi]

7. Thank you for the K&R Uncle Joe san!

doumo arigatou gozaimasu!

[Warpy]

5. Thank you for these

I look forward to your postings, the pictures always tell such great stories.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. Thank you

I look forward to posting these when I can.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Kick

[AsahinaKimi]

13. Thanks for the Kicky Nadin!!

Yay!

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Oh you welcome.

[TygrBright]

11. Arigato. I greatly admire the Japanese people in this crisis.

Their resilience, creativity, determination to do more with less, and communitarian spirit are an inspiration.

It's so valuable to be able to see how others live and solve problems; here in America it sometimes seems like being shut into the pressure cooker of our own crazy culture.

wistfully,
Bright

[AsahinaKimi]

15. I remember once reading

Somewhere, the Japanese have a tendency not to do the blame game, like we do here in the West. If someone makes a foul up here, people want his or her head. They want to make an example out of that person, and point how how badly they messed up.

In Japan, they feel that's a waste of time and energy. In the time it takes to blame someone and make a huge stink about it, nothing is getting done to fix the problem. They prefer to fix the problem as quickly as possible, using people who they can rely on to complete the work. The person who made the mistake will be punished quietly, perhaps given a corner office, or given little responsibility in the future.

At least that is what I have read some time ago. Things may have changed in Japan. They do have a saying, "Business is War". The book, The 5 Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi has often been read, and used as a guide to improving ones Business tactics. Michael Crichton wrote about this in his book Rising Sun . (A movie and novel I most enjoyed.)

The use of the Sempai and Kohai relationship. Sempai being the Senior partner, with the Kohai being the Junior. This arrangement starts in Elementary School and is used all the way up the ladder to the University. Once out into the business field, members joining a corporation will be paired up again with their new Sempai to learn the ropes.

All of this is fascinating to me, as it comes from a culture that grew from feudal times to modern day Japan.