To talk about belly dancing in Japan, we have to first meet the history of belly dancing.
Japan is not the first country in the word to have belly dancers in. In fact, when you combine the words "belly dancing Japan" people look at you as if you were totally mad. In fact the phrase "belly dancing Japan" has a lot of sense because there are really good belly dancers in Japan, so to speak. But let's see where and when belly dancing originally comes from.
The history

Belly dance comes from Arabia in Asia. In Arabic (raks al-baladi) it means dance of the people. It is an art form with a long history. The origins of Bellydancing can be traced back some 5,000 years. Belly dancing was originally for women only. No men were allowed to participate or to watch the dance. It was for women and only for women. It helped women in childbirth, as the intense undulations helped to more or less remove birth pains. Later still, belly dance moved to the harem of sultans.

There, beautiful ladies danced for the pleasure of the sultan (Arabic king) and his bezyrs (Arabic ministers). When there were diplomatic guests from China and Later (During Osman's empire) from Japan, coming to sultan's palace, they had to watch and finally they started to love the dance. That's how, firstly by vague, unsure descriptions, "belly dancing Japan" started to make a little more sense. But it was really hard to make it just from being a spectator. The girls, even, in Japan were considered as "exotic dancers" which is not true nowdays anymore.

Why were they considered "exotic dancers"?

Because opium in Japan was very very popular. It was very probable, when in Japan, when a visitor wanted to try their opium, it was served by a beautiful Japanese woman, who, as a bonus, as a belly dancing Japan girl, offered the stranger a belly dance. As belly dancing propagated in Europe too, European prostitutes often offered them a belly dance as a bonus, as something "exotical", as something "Japanese". So western people started to call belly dancing "Japan" girls exotic dancers and more offensive things, while it was exotically only for them …

Nowadays

Nowadays, belly dancing "Japan" girls and boys are common but they are not very famous …

As the sun goes down and the roar of another bustling day begins to soften, along the winding streets and corners of the city, the glow of the lanterns of the izakaya begin to turn on, inviting you to the refreshing comforts of a drink and freshly prepared food, for this is only the start of a magical entertaining night before another bustling day of work.

Izakaya which means 'stay-in snack shop' (sakaya) are Japanese pubs where people can relax and enjoy freshly prepared small plates of food along with their drinks. In the Western world, the izakaya would be thought of as a Happy Hour venue, where people come after work for cheap food and drink to relax after a day at work. Izakayas vary greatly in style, price, menu and atmosphere. Approximately 1 out of every 5 restaurants in Japan can be considered an izakaya.

History and Culture

The origin of Izakaya goes back as far as the Edo period (1603-1867). They began as liquor shops, where one could buy a bottle of sake and sit to drink it. Event food was added to menus and the drink lists started to expand with the introduction of foreign liquors.

Typically at an izakaya, customers can see over the counter and watch chefs prepare the dishes. It is this closeness between the customers, the chef and the food that makes izakayas deeply rooted in daily life creating a community. People in Japan do not commonly have house parties, dinner parties or backyard barbecues; coworkers, friends and social clubs typically use izakaya as a venue for get-together and social interactions.

Traditional-style izakaya, which are called akachochin for their red lanterns, are usually smaller establishments that may play folk or traditional music. These shops tend to draw regulars from the surrounding neighborhood and are favorites among older patrons.

There are also western style izakaya, which are more stylish and modernized to draw in visitors and the younger generation. Izakayas can also be found in many cities around the world.

Tradition

When you sit down at an izakaya in Japan, you may be given some small dishes and a warm wet towel before you order anything. Called 'otoshi' or 'tsuki-dashi', these are part of a Japanese custom to supply small appetizers before customers order; in no way are you being forced to order these. These are part of the cover charge which is added to your bill at the end of the meal. You can also judge the character and atmosphere of the restaurant's food from the contents of the otoshi.

Food

One of the largest difference between izakaya and restaurant is that the food portions are served in small plates, something to go with the drinks. These small plates are called 'tsumami' which can vary based on the seasons and places.

Most izakayas almost always have skewered items on the grill called yakitori (which includes chicken, meats, and vegetables on skewers), sashimi, sushi, tofu, stuffed peppers, soups and many other dishes traditional as well as modern.

The dining experience at an izakaya is to try different types of food along with your drink, in the company of family or friends.

The international organization known as Rotary promotes yearly travel that all people between the ages of 26 and 40, male and female, and of all backgrounds – should know about – because it is a Rotary-funded six week study aboard and anyone can apply to be a part of this significant life experience. If you are this age group – you could enjoy the kind of experience that is described in my notes in this article. To find out more about the program go to the Rotary International website and search for GSE – Group Study Exchange – and contact your local Rotary Club for more information.

Our adventures continued:

April 20th – Wednesday:

Harry thinks that the small Japanese cars are cute, but he says that he’d need one for each foot if he lived here.

Mr. Tachiabana drove me to Fukuoka today – and the rest of the team was on their way there too – and some upset was caused by a 5 point earthquake at 9AM this morning. We did all meet though, in the Nishitetsu Grand Hotel where we stayed the first night that we arrived. We visited the Fukuoka Rotary Club in the Hotel for their lunch meeting, and were warmly received – this is Hisa’s Club. I spoke and the team introduced themselves – and the video was good – I have quite a collection of Club flags now. They took our luggage by truck – and we got on the train – a fast one – and were off to Kitakyushu-City. This is where Kenji Ogawa lives, the incoming team leader. We were later greeted in the City Mayor’s Office – and learned that Kitakyushu-City is a prime industrial city in Japan – where steel is made, and a very well known port – and has historic castles that people come to visit. Antonio was curious about a new airport opening here soon, and Monica was inspired by questions about a new shelter for the homeless that has just opened. We also learned from a representative from the board of education – that the philosophy of education has been changed in Japan – now instead of teaching knowledge, they are much more concerned with teaching how to use knowledge. Coffee – we all needed a lift – and Starbucks was the ticket at the moment. We walked through the downtown streets of the city, by stores and through shopping arcades – across the bridge – it’s a pretty city – and back to the Station Hotel, where the Kokura East Rotary Club meets for dinner. This was a lively group – maybe because they stand up for their whole meeting – and Kenji’s Club. Oh, and nope – no women, and little English in either of these Clubs. We all have new host families – and Kenji and I head off to his house in a cab.

Kyushu Island has many typhoons – and that’s why they build the heavy roofs on the houses here.

April 21st – Thursday:

Hiroshi Tanaka’s business, Tanaka Sanjiro ltd, is importing specialty items for the Japanese fish industry – which include large rolls of varying sizes of mesh (used for plankton filtration etc), values, and fish tags – and Teiko and his son Tomo work in his business. Their company does business in 24 countries and with 3400 world-wide companies. Kenji Ogawa owns a business, Ken Corporation, that exports second hand large motor equipment – including tractors that run through the grapevines picking grapes – heavy equipment, agricultural machines, trucks and buses that are sent around the world. The Japanese Rotarians like cars – they drive Land Rovers, fancy Mercedes, Ferraris — and have more cars in a family than we seem to have.

Kenji and I drove in his Land Rover this morning to Nippon Steel – where Hitoshi Adachi (Rotarian and General Manager of the Plant) hosted us to see the Steel Plant. Monica and Antonio joined – and we all dressed in coats, white gloves, glasses, hard hats – with microphones – to walk through the blast furnace and steel making operation. If you have never been in a steel plant, it is an awesome thing to see. Huge (I mean huge) cranes moving huge pots of molten steel (burning orange-red and spitting fire) – massive furnaces to heat the raw material at fearsome temperatures – neon red rivers of ore leaving the big furnace – rail cars accepting the liquid material (and how do they ever get all the stuff that is in a steel plant put together??). We entered the next plant – noisy and with such complicated machinery – and learned that the carbon was being extracted from the pig iron to make steel in a furnace that was one of two in the world (U.S. Steel plant in Alabama has the other one). Big buckets swung from the ceiling as new liquid steel was transferred to molds – you feel small in a steel plant. Antonio said that it felt like we were in the movie the “Terminator”. For lunch we went to the Kokura West Lunch Club. Report: no women or much English – and not the kind of fun that we have in our Club (not too much difference in men’s Rotary Clubs across Japan).

In the afternoon we went to Antonio’s – he was fascinated by this one from the beginning of the trip – company, TOTO – which makes (with 18,000 people worldwide) – toilets and bathroom fixtures (like Koller). TOTO is publicly traded on the Japanese Exchange under the symbol toto. It’s peculiar – but toilets here are modern technology compared to the basic fixture that we have. The Chairman of TOTO world-wide, Keizo Hanamura (a past president of Kenji’s Club) hosted us. We walked through the plant and saw how the ceramic is made from raw material, formed into molds, fired (where it shrinks by 30%), is sprayed (by a robot) for the glaze – and finally comes out looking like a toilet. We learned about the different flushes – and the technology behind creating the most modern toilet on the planet – warm seats, remote control, special glaze – new appreciation for toilets – even the toilets give you a warm welcome in Japan… The showroom was filled with beautiful bathroom items – all small to fit into Japanese homes. Antonio took many pictures. At Kenji’s house – Emi, his wife, offered a good dinner -and Cleo (7) and Arisa (10) were fun to enjoy. Ken and I played on the internet and I showed him our LGRMC newsletters, Club site and pictures – and he says that he is looking forward to coming to America and seeing “not your father’s Rotary Club” – he says that Rotary needs to do something here because it’s filled with older men with older attitude and not expression on their faces – Ken is funny when he imitates this – and we laugh. He is going to fit right into our Club and not want to leave it – because he has a picture of this kind of a Club in his head as “life that rotary needs”. No doubt from our hosts today though – Rotary is powerful economically – I think that all of our concern is that it continues to inspire people and gain membership in the future by our experiences in our Clubs.

This article is a series – so read on – and many days follow in our splendid adventure!

In a country bubbling with volcanic activity, you find hot springs everywhere you go. But these hot springs in the Kyushu city of Beppu are not for the faint-hearted Japan travelers. The eight “hells,” as they’ve appropriately been named, are unique, even for Japan — the temperatures of these steaming ponds rise way above comfortable bathing levels, so this isn’t the place to go for silky skin benefits. A visit to these hot springs isn’t for bathing, but for sight-seeing only. It’s still eight hells of a sight that you won’t see anywhere else.

The Eight Hells (åœ°ç „ Jigoku) of Beppu:

1. Umi-Jigoku (Sea Hell)

A beautiful blue steaming pond makes for a picturesque site. Don’t miss the greenhouse at this hell where lily pads large enough to hold small children (on top of the water!) are grown.

2. Oniishibozu-Jigoku (Shaven Monk’s Head Hell)

This hell offers numerous puddles of boiling gray mud that bubble up to look like the shaven head of a monk. It’s a unique spectacle.

3. Yama-Jigoku (Mountain Hell)

A cross between a mini-zoo and hot spring, this hell has several animals, including a hippopotamus, an elephant, and some monkeys (among other animals) who supposedly enjoy dwelling around the hot spring. They are caged in confined spaces far from the small, shallow hot spring pools. This is probably one of the least impressive hells.

4. Kamado-Jigoku (Furnace Hell)

A must-see among the eight, this hell offers a variety of different steaming pools that come in blue, grey, and more. The snack bar at this hell offers some interesting local treats.

5. Oniyama-Jigoku (Demon Mountain Hell)

Many crocodiles have found their home at this hell. Enough said.

6. Shiraike-Jigoku (White Pond Hell)

This serene garden houses a beautiful white pond of extremely hot water. It’s picturesque and quiet.

7. Chinoike-Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell)

Though it is difficult to get to, this hell is worth a visit to see its impressive blood-hued pond.

8. Tatsumaki-Jigoku (Geyser Hell)

Neighboring the seventh hell, this geyser is as impressive as old faithful. It consists of a tall fountain of water that now has an arena constructed around it for tourists to sit and watch.

The hells in Beppu are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and you can get a combined ticket to all the hells for ï¿¥2,000, while each hell separately costs ï¿¥400 to enter. The first six hells are all within walking distance of each other, but you’ll have to get in a car, bus or taxi to see the last two hells. If Kyushu is part of your Japan trip itinerary, this would make a great day-trip.

The Toyota Group (Keiretsu)

A keiretsu is a cluster of interlinked Japanese firms, centered on a bank, which lends money to member companies and holds an equity stake in these companies. By combining forces, these companies are able to reduce costs and risk, better facilitating communication, ensure trust and reliability and provide insurance from outside competition. There are two types of keiretsu, horizontal and vertical. Horizontal, inter-market keiretsu are diversified networks of large companies. These included the three aforementioned descendents of the pre-WWII zaibatsu. Vertical manufacturing and distribution keiretsu are asymmetric networks where small-firm sectors are controlled by large sectors.

The Toyota Group is considered to be the largest of the vertically-integrated keiretsu groups. The United States and most Western countries looked unfavorably upon the keiretsu because they interpreted such a business scheme to be that of an outlawed monopoly or cartel.

The Toyota Group is a terrific example of a highly successful, complex and prominent keiretsu in Japan. It is a member of the Mitsui Group, which is one of its main banks, but functions very independently of the bank. In the past couple of decades, Toyota has been on the top of the list domestically in the United States as well as abroad in terms of sales and profits. The parent firm generates, on average, $ 72 billion each year in sales with 72,000 employees. That equates to one million dollars in sales per employee, which is roughly six-times that of competitor, General Motors. Toyota has been the best selling car in Japan for over twenty-four years. This alone shows the clout and power of the Japanese keiretsu.

This company is the largest industrial combine in Japan and one of the largest keiretsu in the nation. Another amazing fact is that Toyota is much more than a car manufacturer. In fact, Toyota is a major participant in three telecommunications companies; it is a president investor in a computer system development firm; and it holds stakes in an insurance company specializing in automotive insurance. Furthermore, Toyota operates four real estate firms, two financial firms and is currently exploring opportunities in the aerospace industry.

Due to the prominence of keiretsu in post-WWII Japan, only those employees that worked in core firm sectors benefited. Those who were forced to work at small firms suffered from low wages, limited career mobility and job instability. Much can be said for the keiretsu system, which, as seen in the case study on the Toyota Group, can yield much power and success.

Mono no aware: the Japanese beauty aesthetic

Meaning literally “a sensitivity to things,” mono no aware is a concept describing the essence of Japanese culture, invented by the Japanese literary and linguistic scholar scholar Motoori Norinaga in the eighteenth century, and remains the central artistic imperative in Japan to this day. The phrase is derived from the word *aware*, which in Heian Japan meant sensitivity or sadness, and the word mono, meaning things, and describes beauty as an awareness of the transience of all things, and a gentle sadness at their passing. It can also be translated as the “ah-ness” of things, of life, and love.

Mono no aware gave name to an aesthetic that already existed in Japanese art, music and poetry, the source of which can be traced directly to the introduction of Zen Buddhism in the twelfth century, a spiritual philosophy and practise which profoundly influenced all aspects of Japanese culture, but especially art and religion. The fleeting nature of beauty described by mono no aware derives from the three states of existence in Buddhist philosophy: unsatisfactoriness, impersonality, and most importantly in this context, impermanence.

According to mono no aware, a falling or wilting autumn flower is more beautiful than one in full bloom; a fading sound more beautiful than one clearly heard; the moon partially clouded more appealing than full. The sakura or cherry blossom tree is the epitome of this conception of beauty; the flowers of the most famous variety, somei yoshino, nearly pure white tinged with a subtle pale pink, bloom and then fall within a single week. The subject of a thousand poems and a national icon, the cherry blossom tree embodies beauty as a transient experience.

Mono no aware states that beauty is a subjective rather than objective experience, a state of being ultimately internal rather than external. Based largely upon classical Greek ideals, beauty in the West is sought in the ultimate perfection of an external object: a sublime painting, perfect sculpture or intricate musical composition; a beauty that could be said to be only skin deep. The Japanese ideal sees beauty instead as an experience of the heart and soul, a feeling for and appreciation of objects or artwork–most commonly nature or the depiction of–in a pristine, untouched state.

An appreciation of beauty as a state which does not last and cannot be grasped is not the same as nihilism, and can better be understood in relation to Zen Buddhism’s philosophy of earthly transcendence: a spiritual longing for that which is infinite and eternal–the source of all worldly beauty. As the monk Sotoba wrote in *Zenrin Kushū* (Poetry of the Zenrin Temple), Zen does not regard nothingness as a state of absence, but rather the affirmation of an unseen that exists behind empty space: “Everything exists in emptiness: flowers, the moon in the sky, beautiful scenery.”

With its roots in Zen Buddhism, *mono no aware* is bears some relation to the non-dualism of Indian philosophy, as related in the following story about Swami Vivekananda by Sri Chinmoy:

*”Beauty,” says [Vivekananda], “is not external, but already in the mind.” Here we are reminded of what his spiritual daughter Nivedita wrote about her Master. “It was dark when we approached Sicily, and against the sunset sky, Etna was in slight eruption. As we entered the straits of Messina, the moon rose, and I walked up and down the deck beside the Swami, while he dwelt on the fact that beauty is not external, but already in the mind. On one side frowned the dark crags of the Italian coast, on the other, the island was touched with silver light. ‘Messina must thank me,’ he said; ‘it is I who give her all her beauty.'” Truly, in the absence of appreciation, beauty is not beauty at all. And beauty is worthy of its name only when it has been appreciated.*

The founder of *mono no aware*, Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801), was the pre-eminent scholar of the Kokugakushu movement, a nationalist movement which sought to remove all outside influences from Japanese culture. Kokugakushu was enormously influential in art, poetry, music and philosophy, and responsible for the revival during the Tokugawa period of the Shinto religion. Contradictorily, the influence of Buddhist ideas and practises upon art and even Shintoism itself was so great that, although Buddhism is technically an outside influence, it was by this point unable to be extricated.

Meaning literally “a sensitivity to things,” mono no aware is a concept describing the essence of Japanese culture, invented by the Japanese literary and linguistic scholar scholar Motoori Norinaga in the eighteenth century, and remains the central artistic imperative in Japan to this day. The phrase is derived from the word aware, which in Heian Japan meant sensitivity or sadness, and the word mono, meaning things, and describes beauty as an awareness of the transience of all things, and a gentle sadness at their passing. It can also be translated as the “ah-ness” of things, of life, and love.

Mono no aware gave name to an aesthetic that already existed in Japanese art, music and poetry, the source of which can be traced directly to the introduction of Zen Buddhism in the twelfth century, a spiritual philosophy and practise which profoundly influenced all aspects of Japanese culture, but especially art and religion. The fleeting nature of beauty described by mono no aware derives from the three states of existence in Buddhist philosophy: unsatisfactoriness, impersonality, and most importantly in this context, impermanence.

According to mono no aware, a falling or wilting autumn flower is more beautiful than one in full bloom; a fading sound more beautiful than one clearly heard; the moon partially clouded more appealing than full. The sakura or cherry blossom tree is the epitome of this conception of beauty; the flowers of the most famous variety, somei yoshino, nearly pure white tinged with a subtle pale pink, bloom and then fall within a single week. The subject of a thousand poems and a national icon, the cherry blossom tree embodies beauty as a transient experience.

Mono no aware states that beauty is a subjective rather than objective experience, a state of being ultimately internal rather than external. Based largely upon classical Greek ideals, beauty in the West is sought in the ultimate perfection of an external object: a sublime painting, perfect sculpture or intricate musical composition; a beauty that could be said to be only skin deep. The Japanese ideal sees beauty instead as an experience of the heart and soul, a feeling for and appreciation of objects or artwork–most commonly nature or the depiction of–in a pristine, untouched state.

An appreciation of beauty as a state which does not last and cannot be grasped is not the same as nihilism, and can better be understood in relation to Zen Buddhism’s philosophy of earthly transcendence: a spiritual longing for that which is infinite and eternal–the source of all worldly beauty. As the monk Sotoba wrote in Zenrin Kushū (Poetry of the Zenrin Temple), Zen does not regard nothingness as a state of absence, but rather the affirmation of an unseen that exists behind empty space: “Everything exists in emptiness: flowers, the moon in the sky, beautiful scenery.”

With its roots in Zen Buddhism, mono no aware is bears some relation to the non-dualism of Indian philosophy, as related in the following story about Swami Vivekananda by Sri Chinmoy:

“Beauty,” says [Vivekananda], “is not external, but already in the mind.” Here we are reminded of what his spiritual daughter Nivedita wrote about her Master. “It was dark when we approached Sicily, and against the sunset sky, Etna was in slight eruption. As we entered the straits of Messina, the moon rose, and I walked up and down the deck beside the Swami, while he dwelt on the fact that beauty is not external, but already in the mind. On one side frowned the dark crags of the Italian coast, on the other, the island was touched with silver light. ‘Messina must thank me,’ he said; ‘it is I who give her all her beauty.'” Truly, in the absence of appreciation, beauty is not beauty at all. And beauty is worthy of its name only when it has been appreciated.

The founder of mono no aware, Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801), was the pre-eminent scholar of the Kokugakushu movement, a nationalist movement which sought to remove all outside influences from Japanese culture. Kokugakushu was enormously influential in art, poetry, music and philosophy, and responsible for the revival during the Tokugawa period of the Shinto religion. Contradictorily, the influence of Buddhist ideas and practises upon art and even Shintoism itself was so great that, although Buddhism is technically an outside influence, it was by this point unable to be extricated.

Japan is the second largest market for pharmaceuticals, with the US being the largest. It represents almost 10% of the world pharmaceutical market. One of the major driving force behind this large market size is the aging of Japanese population i.e. 26% of the Japanese population is 65 years or older. Keeping a higher life expectancy, Japan tops the world list both in male and female population. Consequently, the medical needs are at a surge; thus, boosting the number of pharmaceutical companies, importers, and exporters in Japan.

The Japanese government has taken multiple steps to address the medical needs. The government’s aim is to reduce the overall expenditure in delivering the adequate healthcare to the Japanese population. Recently, two major breakthroughs were regulated; biennial drugs price revision and promotion of generic drugs instead of branded drugs. The branded (patented) drugs are costly as they bear the cost of research, development, and commercialization. Japanese medical industry, especially those who focus on branded drugs, now need to increase its global presence to relieve this competition with generic drugs industry. Back in the 1990s, the government’s decision to allow import of medicines had already restricted the business available to the domestic-only pharmaceutical companies.

In this context, it has become vital for the Japanese medical industry to invest in clinical research facilitating the globalization. It has been observed that the Japanese companies have been spending less budget on research & development as compared to the American and European companies. Japanese pharmaceutical companies have long been using the in-house clinical trials for the domestic testing. However, the increasing global demand for new drug development necessitates the R&D including the clinical trials. This provided a space for contract research organization (CRO) to come forward. The local and international CRO industry is, thus, one of the immediate focus markets for the Japanese pharmaceuticals.

As the Japanese government is well-aware of all ongoing changes, steps are being taken to reduce the length of the review process for the introduction of a new drug in Japan. The recent guidelines have allowed the use of non-Japanese trial data for facilitating a quick introduction of novel drugs in the market. Likewise, it necessitates the export of Japanese medicine to clinical research organizations worldwide for use in clinical trials. Consequently, most the Japanese pharmaceutical companies have already started exporting the drugs for clinical CRO examination.

With a high number of pharmaceutical companies in the market, it is now unavoidable to use technology in development, testing and promotion of Japanese medicine. The department of health also helps the companies who are technologically advanced and are planning international expansion. In this context, the online availability of Japanese pharmaceuticals has become vital for effective marketing.

In conclusion, it is to reiterate that the Japanese pharmaceutical industry needs to expand their business worldwide for a long-term sustainability. Contract research organizations can provide them a big support for benchmarking their inventions by organizing structured clinical trials.

You know what irritates me when I travel? Being a vegan and not finding a good restaurant to satisfy my growling stomach and being a Muslim having to find Halal food is a big task in itself. When I visited Japan I had no idea I’d find vegan restaurants so easily and finding halal restaurants in Japan is a piece of cake nowadays since the government has announced Muslim friendly policies. All I had to do was a simple Google search on the super fast internet in Japan and there was a huge list of Halal Vegetarian restaurants in Japan. Out of the many choices, I found these three the best. Go ahead and read my reviews on these famous Halal restaurants in Japan.

Bejita Hamamatsu

Bejita Cafe offers brown rice and vegetable which is useful for health. To guarantee nourishment and health, they are specific about the cooking process. There are regular dishes, for example, the Month to month Special Kobachi platter” and additionally treats not using ingredients like white sugar, eggs, dairy product. This restaurant also features a Kid’s play area and small shops that sell reliable ingredients from known sources. The overall ambience is very good and the food served is fresh and mouth watering.

Recommended Dishes: Café Latte, Apple Pie and Monthly Plate.

Kishin

This restaurant serves delicious, healthy and natural vegan meals by utilizing precisely chosen ingredients that stimulate your body while putting your brain at ease. They serve BENTO box snacks and cooked food for take away. They avoid using any animal extracts, chemical substances, flavor enhancers, additives, or sugar. The best thing is they offer “meat taste-alike” dishes that utilization millet, dried food, and vegetables as different options for fish, eggs, or ground meat, and simple side dishes and delicious desserts. It is highly recommended that one make prior reservation since this restaurant is always bustling with diners. It also makes sure that they have enough food prepared because the only drawback of this restaurant is that they stop taking orders once the food and boxes finish.

Recommended Dishes: Agemono and seasonal cake.

Café Magnolia

Cafe Magnolia is situated in Tamagawa-cho, Imabari City (Ehime prefecture) with wonderful views of the countryside and scenery. The dishes are prepared with natural wheat, rice and beans vegetables and kelp for four seasons. The owner, Rumiko SEO is a very decent and welcoming woman. She has travelled and eaten all around the globe amid her exchanging organization days. Krial Kayoko who lived in the U.S. for a long time is also a co-owner and is glad to welcome diners.

Recommended Dishes: Organic Spaghetti and Gateau Chocolate Tofu Whipped Cream.

1. Introduction

Japanese economy has caught in a stagnation and deflation in almost a decade. Svensson (2003) summarizes that two factors which trigger Japan caught in a trap are policy mistakes and a failure to coordinate policies to recover Japanese economy.

There are some debatable arguments related to the Japanese policy to escape Japan from the liquidity trap. One of debates comes from Krugman that said Japanese economy has caught in a liquidity trap. He highlights the importance of a negative real rate of interest to equilibrate the economy, to match saving with investment in Japan.

This paper will outline Krugman’s point of view on his article “Japan: still trapped”, and give an opinion about his argument that a negative real rate of interest is necessary to restore full employment. This paper will also relate cagan’s stability model to krugman analysis and point out the role of fiscal policy in maintaining stability of the Japanese economy.

2. An overview about Japanese economy and Krugman’s argument

Since 1990, Japan has fallen to a stagnation and deflation in economy. There are several causes which make Japan continued to recession. A high saving’s rate and low consumption rate in Japan, for example, have led to a terrible drop in demand and cause Japan difficult to recover the economy. Furthermore, yen appreciation to dollar has also been a serious problem which led to cause the economic bubble, asset price deflation, and the liquidity trap. (Okimoto, 1999)

Krugman reveals some facts that Japan caught in a trap, such as : the low short term interest rate which have reached nearly zero, BOJ actions to stimulate demand by lowering interest rate is ineffective and some money hoarding transactions. To explain the economic situations on Japan, he started his analysis from the basic IS-LM model. (1) (2)

From the first equation, saving (S) and investment (I) are contingent on the level of real income (y) and real interest rate (r). Meanwhile in the second equation, i is the nominal interest rate, the real rate plus expected inflation.

He argues that the concept of liquidity trap happens when saving exceed investment at full employment even at zero real interest rate – that . It can be clear from the graph above that the solution for the interest rate to match saving and investment equal at full employment is a negative real rate of interest. This is the critical point for Krugman to stress the importance of negative real rate of interest to restore full employment. In this point of view, he argues that, given zero interest rate, a positive expected rate of inflation is needed to generate negative real interest rates, which will stimulate aggregate demand and restore full employment.

3. Critiques on Krugman’s argument

In order to make an understanding about Krugman’s argument, its better to review about the concept of liquidity trap. What make Krugman’s is incomprehensible is about the distinction between the cost and the return on capital. Rogers (n.a) argue that Krugman is not clearly to explain about the distinction between the cost and the return on capital. Furthermore, he also think that Krugman’s concept to come out from liquidity trap by setting a negative cost of capital to equate to the negative return on capital makes no economic sense.

From Roger’s idea, what is important for Japanese economy to escape from liquidity trap and to recover the economy is the positive marginal efficiency of capital (MEC). It means that to induce new investment the rate of return over cost must exceed the rate of interest. Thus, as the difference between what is returned and the costs constitute the profits, to induce new investment, the rate of profit (marginal efficiency of capital/MEC) must exceed the interest rate.

Roger also reveals the relevance of Wicksell theory to recover Japanese economy. This idea is understandable because if the money rate of interest was below the natural rate of return on capital, people would borrow at the money rate to purchase capital, thus rising demand for some resources and also their prices. In this terminology, price stability would result only when the money rate of interest and the natural rate of return on capital-the marginal product of capital-were equal.

4. Cagan convergence condition and Japanese economy

In order to simplify an economic instability in Japan, I will use a Cagan convergence condition, which has developed by Cagan in 1956. He has developed a model of hyperinflation by deriving such condition, as shown below. (3) (4) (5)

We can substitute to the equation. So. From the first equation, we substitute, and drop variables that are not involved in this convergence analysis, so we set. Thus, We can apply that equations to the matrix.

To solve simultaneous differential equations, the necessary and sufficient conditions for stability are that the determinant of 2×2 matrix be positive and that the trace be negative. Thus, it must statisfied, or So.

In early 1990s, Japanese economy has fall into the bubles economy in property and share price. In such situation of liquidity trap, the interest elasticity of money demand is to be expected so high. Furthermore, ZIR Policy of Bank of Japan Then would set nominal interest rate nearly to zero. Another component in cagan model (speed people adjustment expectation) is likely to rise, thus from the condition, the Japanese economy is predicted unstable and would fall into a deflation spiral.

This term-deflationary spiral-can clearly explained by Svensson (2003) that the situation of deflation would give a negative consequence to Japanese economy. First of all, deflation situation would increase the real value of nominal debt which may cause some indebted households and firms to bankrupt and fall in asset prices. Furthermore, this problems would trigger instability in financial system due to banks would face a collateral loses value and bad loans.

He also reveals that instability in Japanese economy is deteriorating with a deflationary spiral due to a rising unemployment rate in Japanese economy and a rigid wage. In this case, due to deflation the real wages would not go down, but increase, further escalating unemployment rate. All in all, this may contribute to a further drop in aggregate demand, a further increase in deflation and a further increase in the real interest rate.

5. The role of fiscal policy in Japan

The role of fiscal policy to escape Japanese economy from a liquidity trap is still debatable. Although some people might argue that Expansionary fiscal policy is powerful to be a stabilization policy when economy goes into the recession, to restore full employment in a liquidity trap. This policy, instead, has led Japan to a massive national debt. Krugman (1998) actually pay almost no attention to the role of fiscal policy in Japan. He argues that the fiscal policy would have no effect if consumers really do exhibit something like Ricardian equivalence. In this case, People would anticipate a policy of higher government debt by increasing their saving, because they expect that there would be a tax increases or a reduction of government benefit. Furthermore, he also argues that some fiscal spending in Japan are unproductive to stimulate its economy.

What is the Meiji Era?

The Meiji Era was a time period in Japan, under which Emperor Meiji started Japan's modernization. Under Meiji, Japan climbed to world power status. Emperor Meiji's rule ran from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji restoration effectively approached the Shogun feudal system to an end and restored imperial rule.

The Effects of Meiji and the Restoration

The Meiji and imperial restoration was largely responsible for the industrialization of Japan which allowed Japan to rise as a military power by 1905. This was basically accomplished in two ways: the first was the 3,000 or so foreign experts that were brought into Japan to teach an assortment of specialist subjects; the second was government subsidies to students to go abroad into primarily Europe and America. This vast influx of western culture and ideals affected many aspects of Japanese life in this era, one being the arts.

Art in Japan during the Meiji Era

These new western ideas split Japan in two directions, upholding traditional values ​​or assimilate these new, different – sometimes radical – new ideas into their own culture. By the early 1900's, many European forms of art were already well known and their intermingling with Japanese art created some noteworthy architectural feats such as the Tokyo Train Station and the National Diet Building. During the Meiji Era, manga were first drawn; manga was inspired from French and English political cartoons. The diversity of traditional versus western cause two distinct art styles to develop: Yooga (Western-influenced) and Nihonga (Traditional Japanese style).

Yooga was characterized as Renaissance style painting – oil paintings on a canvas, dramatic lighting, the subject matter is adorned in western attire, using the third dimension and using techniques such as vanishing points and having distant objects be vague. Two artists who were important to the expansion of western style painting and art were Kawakami Togai and Koyama Shoutaro. Because of these two men, and Togai's assistant Takahashi Yuichi, western art became a school of art in the Meiji period. However the pendulum swung both ways; While many appeared to embrace the new western lifestyle, there were also those who opposed change. This rapid influx of foreign culture also caused a state of confusion, many Japanese felt that Japan had lost its identity and would often look towards Asia for a reminder of where they fit in. This also had an influence on the style at the time, Yokoyama Taikan's "Ryuutou" or "Floating Lanterns" is an example of an attempt to confirm Japan's identity as part of Asia. The Meiji era ended in 1912 with the death of the Emperor.