Manyoshu museum to be built in Nara's Asuka Village
The Nara prefectural government announced June 4 it will build a museum inAsuka Village for the study of Manyoshu, the earliest-known collection ofJapanese poetry.Manyoshu contains approximately 4,500 waka poems composedover a period of 350 years through 759 A.D.Of these poems, the most,about 900, were written about Nara.Tentatively named the Manyo Museum, it will exhibit about 150 Japanesepaintings based on Manyoshu poetry.The world of Manyoshu will also bere-created through the use of dioramas and other audio-visual media.Agarden designed to evoke the imagery of Manyoshu poetry will adjoin themuseum.
In addition, the facility will house a research institute for the study ofthe historical and sociological background of Manyoshu as well as a Manyolibrary, making it a leading Manyo information center.
Asuka was the main stage of the ancient history of Japan from the 6th tothe 7th century, often referred to in Manyoshu poems.The museum will belocated on a hill near other important historical ruins and cultural assetssuch as the Asukadera Temple, Ishibutai Burial Mound and Sakefuneishi, orSake Vat Rock.Construction at the 42,000 sq. meter site will begin infiscal 1998 for a scheduled opening in fiscal 2000.
Kobe Chamber says 20% of displaced firms may not return
The Kobe Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) reported on June 3 that 61firms or about 20% of companies that movedafter the Great HanshinEarthquake see no prospect of returning to Kobe.After the earthquake, 293 of the 14,000 KCCI member firms relocated toother regions, citing earthquake damage to their facilities, problems withroad access and others as reasons for leaving.Among the firms that weredisplaced, 56 returned to Kobe by April 1995, and another 112 returned bythis April.But 125 firms - 42.7% of the original group - have not comeback.
KCCI sent out questionnaires to the 125 companies, asking them about theirplans to return to Kobe.Of 91 respondents, only 30 companies said theyplan to return to the city, while 45 said they have not decided if theywill return.Sixteen said they have no plans to come back.About 5% ofall firms that relocated, therefore, have given up their hope for returningto Kobe.
Asked about their reasons for not returning, the largest number attributedtheir decision to the difficulty in finding appropriate rental facilitiesin Kobe.Other reasons included shortages of funds, decreased managementefficiency and traffic-access problems.
The survey shows 86.6% of the companies that have returned to Kobe areconducting the same business as before the earthquake.The largest numberof firms chose the early restoration of traffic access as their request forthe earthquake reconstruction works.In this light, the Septemberreopening of the Kobe Route of the Hanshin Expressway, one month ahead ofschedule, is expected to accelerate the city's economic recovery.
Kansai needs more large projects: Sanwa Research
The Kansai economy will likely grow 3.5%, or 0.9 of a point above thenational average, from fiscal 1995 through fiscal 2000, supported by largeprojects worth 34 trillion and earthquake reconstruction demand, Sanwa Research Institute predicts in its Kansai Economy in 2005 report released May30.Kansai's so-called big three projects - Kansai International Airport,Kansai Science City and the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge - are included in theforecast, as well as Universal Studios Japan.Kansai's share of Japan'sgross domestic product has been falling from a peak of 19.5% set in fiscal1970, but the report predicts a reversal in this trend.
>From fiscal 2001, however, investment in already approved projects isexpected to fall sharply to around 8 trillion.The economic growth rate through fiscal 2005 will decline to 2.1%, 0.3 of a point lower than thenational average, and the GDP share will resume its downtrend, the reportwarns.To prevent this, more large projects, such as the Kitan Routelinking Wakayama Prefecture and Awaji Island of Hyogo Prefecture and the2008 Olympics in Osaka, need to become a reality.Transformation ofKansai's industrial structure in which raw materials industries haveconsiderable weight is also necessary to prevent the predicted drop in thegrowth rate, according to the report.
To revitalize the Kansai economy, continuous promotion of large projects,especially those capable of attracting touristsand high-value addedindustries, is essential.In this light, it is important to invite andnurture new businesses in the information technology field, a sector inwhich Kansai has a relatively weak presence, the report says.
Businessmen find PCs a mid-life crisis: survey
An increasing number of middle-aged businessmen find personal computershave become a business tool they cannot avoid, but many of these economicwarriors say they feel old and outdated when they try to tame PCs, TanabeSeiyaku Co. found in a recent survey.The Osaka-based pharmaceutical company surveyed in Tokyo and Osaka 400businessmen 40 years of age or older who started using personal computerswithin the past three years, to assess the degree of physical exhaustioncaused by PCs.
The average age of the respondents was 46.In terms of company position,the largest number, 182, were section chiefs.The average length of PCexperience was 25.8 months, and the respondents spent an average of 120.2minutes per day using PCs, while 53.3% also have a PC at home.
When asked why they started using PCs, 70.8%, the largest portion, saidtheir jobs require it.However, one out of three respondents said theyhave yet to get accustomed to using computers.
Regarding the influence of PCs on their physical condition, 70% said theyhad become more conscious of their age as they found their memory,cognitive ability, stamina and other capabilities deteriorating.More thanhalf the respondents complained of physical fatigue.Major symptoms oftheir exhaustion are blurred vision, bloodshot eyes and stiff shoulders. This suggests mastering personal computers is a laborious task formiddle-aged businessmen, the survey says.
On the other hand, with 95.3% saying they have benefited from learning howto use PCs it is apparent from the survey that the experience has been amixed blessing for mid-career businessmen.
Kobe Asian fashion contest set for October
The Association of Total Fashion, a group of Kansai-based firms in thetextile and fashion industries, announced June 4 its 1996 plan, includingmajor events such as Asian Fashion Grand Prix Contest '96 and Total FashionFair '97.The Asian Fashion Grand Prix Contest was started in 1994 to discovertalented young Asian designers.Although the final open judgingandawards ceremony had been held in Osaka for the past two contests, theevents will be held in Kobe this year to help revitalize theearthquake-damaged city.
Contestants must be less than 30 years old and entrants from Japan mustsubmit unpublished design drawings by June 28.The first round of judgingwill be held around mid-July.Foreign entries are expected from China,Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.Theirapplications will be initially processed by qualified authorities in theirhome countries.
The final judging, at which winning designs will be presented, is scheduledfor October 29 at Kobe Fashion Mart on Rokko Island.A grand prize of 2 million will go to the designer of the best work.
Kansai in Focus: Fukui Prefecture shows 'green thumb' in UAE desert project
A desert greening project conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) byIndustrial Technology Center (ITC) of Fukui Prefecture is showing somepositive results.Fumio Kasashima, the ITC senior engineer in charge ofthe project, reports that his UAE counterpart judges the effort to be"successful."Although other experiments and measures aimed at combating global desertification are under way, few have shown positive results.Asenvironmental preservation has become an ever more important task forhumankind, ITC's research in this field is the focus of attention and muchhope.
The desert greening project is being conducted in the Ras al-Khaimahemirate, at the northern agricultural testing center of the UAE's Ministryof Agriculture and Fisheries.ITC researchers will go to the site in lateJune, for their fourth visit since the project started last November.The experiment entails dividing a tract of desert land into several lots,laying special Moisture Absorbent Textiles (MATs) in some of those lots,planting the entire area with the same vegetation, watering the tract for30 minutes every morning, and comparing the growth of the vegetation in thevarious lots.In February this year, researchers laid six types of MAT ata depth of about 10cm, and then planted grass seeds over the entire tract,including untouched control lots.Watering volume was adjusted to threedifferent quantities and instruments measuring the amount of sunlight wereplaced on the ground surface.When the grass was checked in March, lotshaving MATs under the surface were covered with thick turf, while thecontrol lots had only scattered vegetation: the difference was clear.UAE researchers praised the effort as an unqualified success, and askedKasashima to try the same experiment with melons.In June, ITC researcherswill record the final results of the grass-growing experiment, and monitorthe progress of the melons planted in March.
MATs are textiles coated with water-absorbent resins.They absorb greaterquantities of water than ordinary textiles, and retain the water for longerperiods.Making the desert green would be out of the question withoutwatering, so the point is to use as little water as possible.MATs seem tobe the answer.MATs were developed by the collective efforts of the ITC,Fukui University and local industries, bringing government, industry andacademia together.Textile mills developed rapidly from the late 19th century to the early20th century and textiles are still Fukui Prefecture's dominant industry,with production centering on synthetic fibers.The prefecture remains asone of Japan's top textile producing regions.As most textiles produced worldwide go into the fiercely competitiveclothing industry, the prefecture set its sights on finding applications incivil engineering and agriculture.The result of its R&D are MATs."WithMATs, Fukui Prefecture's textile products and technology can contribute tosolving problems of the global environment," says Kasashima."This will inturn highlight the excellence of our products and technology both in Japanand overseas, and we expect a consequent rise in demand in theinternational market.For these reasons, we are working very hard to makethis desert greening project a success."