Yokohama holds gala to mark its 150th year

By SETSUKO KAMIYA

Staff writer

YOKOHAMA — More than 3,400 people gathered Sunday for a ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the opening of Yokoyama port and its role as Japan's gateway to the West.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko as well as Prime Minister Taro Aso were among the dignitaries at the Pacifico Yokohama convention center for the celebration of the nation's largest port.

Mayor Hiroshi Nakada said the 150th anniversary will be a year for Yokohama to reflect on and appreciate the port town's rich history, while vowing to improve its functions as a port and convention host. Next year the city will be the venue for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.

"Yokohama has been built on a history full of challenges. Our seniors have made Yokohama into what it is today by meeting these challenges, overcoming hardships and preserving traditions. . . . We promise to continue meeting challenges in the future," Nakada said.

Guests included envoys from the United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Russia and France — the five nations that signed trade agreements with the Tokugawa shogunate in 1858 that led to the opening of the port a year later.

Gerard Collomb, mayor of Lyon, France, one of Yokohama's eight sister cities, said the international community coming together to celebrate Yokohama's success at this time of economic crisis sends a message against protectionist trade policies.

Ambassadors from around 30 African countries who participated in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, held last year in Yokohama, also attended the event.

The ceremony was followed by a show on Yokohama's 150 years staged by celebrities with ties to Yokohama, as well as 500 Yokohama residents. The show was produced by Amon Miyamoto, who was nominated in 2004 for a Tony Award.

Let's Have dinner Tonight

U.S. journalist Roxana Saberi arrives in Austria

84% Say English Should Be America's Official Language

Eighty-four percent (84%) of Americans say English should be the official language of the United States. Only nine percent (9%) disagree, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Seven percent (7%) are not sure. The support for English as the country's official language remains steady from three years ago.

Cutting-Edge Robots Show Off in Japan

Technology Review, May 12, 2009
Researchers at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation are discussing the latest advances in robotics--from robotic cars to cutting-edge climbing machines and robots that can find their way around a city by asking pedestrians for directions and using gesture tracking and voice recognition to interpret commands.

Tokyo population nears 13 million

The population of Tokyo stood at 12,942,366 people as of April 1, an increase of 33,510 over the previous month, according to a metropolitan government estimate.

According to the estimate, women significantly outnumber men, with 6,502,937 women in the area versus 6,439,429 men.

The estimate is based on increases and decreases in the Tokyo residency register as compared with national census figures from Oct. 1, 2005. The estimate pegs the population of Tokyo's 23 wards at 8,772,826, that of the cities at 4,083,610 and that of rural districts and counties at 58,540. The islands under Tokyo jurisdiction had an estimated population of 27,390.

The area with the greatest population increase as compared with both the previous month and the previous year was Koto Ward, a trend the metropolitan government said was related to a rapid increase in housing construction in the ward.

'Sushi expo' offers exotic cuisine

Sunday 26th April, 05:17 AM JST

SHIZUOKA —

Sushi chefs from around the world provided creative dishes with even pineapples and tacos among their favorite items as a ‘‘sushi expo’’ opened Saturday in Shizuoka. In an exhibition to show how sushi has become global, the opening-day program featured a competition attended by chefs from the United States, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Mexico and Russia.

‘‘Japanese food has grown popular among young women in our country,’’ said 32-year-old Czech chef Marek Hora, who served sushi with tuna dipped in Czech-brewed black beer, called ‘‘Prague-nigiri.’’ And his idea gained instant support from at least one ‘‘customer’’ from the host city on the Pacific Ocean, which boasts some famous mother ports for various sushi items. ‘‘It’s a little bit different from what I usually eat, but it tastes good and refreshing,’’ said the 67-year-old man, who attended the two-day event sponsored by a local commerce and industry association.

Title World Sushi EXPO in SHIZUOKA 2009

When April 25th (Sat.) - 26th (Sun.)

What Time 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Where Granship ( 79-4 Ikeda, Suruga-ku)

How much Free

Inquiries Shimizu Sho-ko- Kaigisyo

Tel 054-353-3401 (Japanese only)

URL http://sushihaku.com (In Japanese)

For Japan's Young Families, a Little Good News

Next U.S. ambassador to Japan confirmed

Harvard University Professor and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Nye has been confirmed as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan, a senior Japanese government official has revealed.

Nye, 72, is known as an expert on Japan who has advocated strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance, and his appointment to the post can be seen as a sign of the importance the administration of President Barack Obama assigns to Japan. Nye is expected to take up his ambassadorial duties sometime this summer. Read more....

Farming fad takes root in Japan

YAMANASHI, Japan

Hiromi Otake used to spend her weekends as a hobby farmer in the peach orchards of central Japan.

After retiring, she moved there to take up farming full time, joining a group of 24 women to set up an Internet farmers market selling high-quality produce online.

Not long ago, Japan's retirees were better known for shopping in Hawaii, relaxing in hot springs or toting cameras on group tours overseas. Read the article here.....