My New Year’s greetings!
This year I changed the format of this blog.
Now it has a new column “Japan Diary”, where I will post my daily impressions on life.
They, with your comments, will someday develop to more full theses.

And so starts this new column--- From year to year Japan’s New Year, supposedly the most important holidays, is losing its lure.
Now many shops are open on Jan.1st. Before no shops and restaurants were open, so people could realize that everything has totally changed---a New Year. But today, with shops open, our life goes on and on without any rest and new resolutions in mind.
Before many women were dressed in beautiful Kimono on these holidays. But now only few of them can be found.

This year is full of tragic news: Iraq, Iran and North Korea. But I want to start the year with something more positive---
For me every day starts from taking out garbage to the street and then walking the dog (my wife is working).
I pay a large sum of municipal tax only to find out that I have to sort out the garbage into three kinds: paper, plastic and metal. Newspapers and journals should be even “cross-tied” as the city’s instruction says.
When I go downstairs with the garbage, our dog is already there, wagging her tail and eager to go outside.
One day, when I went by a small Shinto shrine nearby, dragged by the dog, I saw there about 20 elderly people doing some exercises, which resembled the Chinese taijiquan.
It’s impossible—I thought. This is a Shinto shrine anyway. It is sacred for Japanese minds. How come they can engage in foreign exercise?
But when I listened carefully to the sound which came out of the cassette recorder placed on the ground, I realized that it is the Chinese counting one, two, three, “ii, er, san”.
I am not religious, but nevertheless I got surprised and then bitterly smiled.
These elderly Japanese, when the press is talking about strains in Sino-Japanese relations, without any qualms in their mind practice the Chinese taijiquan.
Well, well, but maybe it is OK--- I thought. Nowadays even Buddhist temples host rock concerts, so why not Shinto shrines, too?
When the press and the politicians talk about Japanophobia in China and Chinaphobia in Japan, ordinary people enjoy and use for their health the Chinese culture in a very natural manner.
This was fresh to me and at the same time it was even a revelation.
Things, including the international relations, cannot be judged by mere theories. Peoples’ sentiment matters more.
Last year I attended one year-end party for the Chinese living in Tokyo area. How strong and deep their presence is in Japan! They are hired not only in almost all big companies, but also in medium and sometimes small companies, not to speak of teachers in universities and colleges. Well, the Sino-Japanese relations should be OK in future, I hope.

This is for now. I might develop this topic into a bigger article “Foreigners in Japan”, but I do not know when I can have time for it.
I wish you a good luck in this year, too.