Which Country Is Kind to Dogs, US or Japan?

An Indoor Dog Park is opened in Japan, I have heard a while ago.  I have noticed that there is a difference of approaches to pets between US and Japan.  However, it is nice surprise to learn that Japanese attitude toward animals and pets are improving.  Although US situation for pets are not totally friendly, Japan was more or less worse.  I hope Japanese people more conscious and awaken about their pets and the animals we live with.

I have never heard that there is a dog park in Japan, but the indoor one opened recently looks nice including indoor dog run ground and cafe in which dog owners can enjoy eating with their favorite dogs.  I do not buy the admission is $10, because dog parks in here in US are free admission.  Still it is good going that some Japanese people are aware of their dogs' amusement and health.

One another thing I see a difference between Japan and US is that there is "No Wild Dog or Unleashed Dog" wondering around in cities in Japan.  Here in Hayward, I occasionally come across dogs wondering around unleashed and unattended.  If a wondering dog was found in Japan, he would be taken immediately.  It is why there is no non-attended and non-leashed dog found in Japan.  It is interesting to know that even the treatment of dogs have a difference in different countries.







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The Big Oak Tree and a Philosopher

Zhuangzi was an ancient philosopher who lived around the third century BC. He was one of the founders of Taoism, along with Laozi. His style of delivering his principles and ideas was a little different from that of other philosophers. He did not leave any written records explaining his philosophy. Instead, he left many stories that contain significant and profound meanings. From the written records that do exist, he seems to have been a naturalist. His stories tell us a lot about nature and natural features, such as a tree, an insect, a fish, a bird, or a spirit. He uses trees several times in his stories to teach people the true nature of existence. A mahogany tree appears in several of his stories, but for this story he used an oak tree.

In one part of ancient China there was a gigantic oak tree. The tree was so immense that 100 cows could stand under its shade. The trunk was so thick that 200 people would not be enough to encircle it. A lot of people came to see the tree every day from sheer curiosity. A carpenter and his disciples lived nearby, but the master carpenter did not pay any attention to the oak tree. One of the disciples asked his master why he did not cut the tree down and build houses; after all, the tree could be used to build hundreds of houses. The master answered that the tree was useless because it was too old and too hard to cut and craft.

The best thing to do was to leave it alone.

The oak tree appeared in the master's dreams that night. The tree asked; "How dare you call me useless?" It then mentioned how other oak trees were cut and killed by human beings to build houses, ships, or furniture, and to serve people's selfish reasons and purposes. "Being useless was useful for me as it meant I could survive." The oak tree pointed out that, despite its uselessness to human beings, it had been useful in providing nests for birds and insects. Its leaves, falling down in autumn, gave nutrition to the land and grew other trees, plants, and flowers. The oak tree finished by saying: "Do not judge usefulness only by the measures of human beings. Nature is not only for human beings. Human beings should not forget that they survive only thanks to nature."

The carpenter woke up the next morning and thought about what the oak tree had said. He talked with other villagers and decided to make the oak tree a subject of worship as a part of their local religion.





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A Story About Big Calabash

One day, an ancient Chinese philosopher, Hui Shi, was visiting his philosopher friend Zhuangzi. Hui Shi told Zhuangzi that the Calabash tree presented by his king bore a large Calabash fruit. The Calabash was too large to be used as a bottle like it usually would be. Hui tried to use it as water jar, but it was too heavy to carry when full of water. He cut it in half and tried to use it as a water ladle. Again, Hui found it was too big, and that it would not work. He could not come up with any other good ideas for its use. He decided that it was useless, and threw out it.

Zhuangzi looked at Hui shook his head, telling him that Hui did not know how to determine the value of things or how to use them. A cat is not as big as a bull, but it catches mice. A bull is not as fast as a cat, but it provides milk. Everything that exists in the world has value, characteristics, and purpose, regardless of its size. It was not the big Calabash that was useless. It was Hui's vision that made it useless. Zhuangzi continued, "If I were you, I would have cut it in half and made each half a boat. One could be gifted to your king as a token of appreciation. You could use the other to enjoy nature out on the West Lake."

Zhuangzi told him not to determine the value of things by size, appearance, or weight. He said everything that exists in the world has value, characteristics, meaning, and purpose. It is only humans who do not understand the value, characteristics, meanings, and purposes things.

This is where the story ends. The author sees more meaning behind the story. There are more interpretations between the lines. Zhuangzi, a naturalist and a philosopher, always took the position of upholding something natural, instead of artificially changing things based on human beings' selfish reasons. The author believes Zhuangzi is not just saying this about nature. His intention might be to extend this thinking to people. I wonder what readers would think if I replaced the above key sentences with: All the people who exist in the world are valuable, and have characteristics, meanings, and a purpose. Do not judge them by height, weight, appearance, personality, scholastic background, or behavior. If you say someone is useless, they are not the one who is useless; it is you who is the useless one.

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Fragrant Olive Tree and Rain in Tokyo

There were several empty houses in my area when we moved into this house in May 2009. The number of foreclosure and short sale houses increased in 2010, when we were getting settled. The worst timing was from the spring to summer of 2010: The house on the northeast corner of our block was vacated in April, and our next-door neighbor disappeared in June. It appears that the situation is getting better, although the pace of improvement is painfully slow. A family bought our next-door neighbor's house in August 2010, and another family is moving into the house on the northeast corner of our block. The following is the story of my friend, Sean, whose next-door neighbor house had been empty for a while, as my case. See what happened when a new family moved into the house.

The house next door to Sean was vacant for a relatively long time. It is not a good feeling to have an empty house next door. So when a family finally moved in, Sean's family welcomed them, and the new neighbor family started to settle in. Their house needed a lot of repairs and renovations, and in their repair work, they cut several trees in their backyard. One of the trees was a fragrant olive tree, which used to give out an aroma in autumn. Because the tree in their neighbors' backyard was Sean's wife's favorite, she was sad when she saw her neighbor cut it.

One day Sean and his wife met the neighbor family outside their house. Sean asked how the backyard work was going, and the neighbor answered that is the work was progressing slowly. Sean's wife mentioned that they had cut the fragrant olive Tree. The neighbor family was surprised. They did not know the tree they had cut was a fragrant olive tree.

They did not even check what type of tree they were cutting down. They said they would not cut it if they knew. They were in such a hurry that they did not pay attention to what they were cutting. The tree was cut. It was too late.

This story reminds me of a Japanese proverb referring to rain in Tokyo: "If he were not in a hurry to go, the traveler would not have been wet; rain finished after he ran into the rain, as the rain in Tokyo is fickle."

In today's age of personal Computers and digital technology, people like speed. Company management teams teach employees that it is more beneficial to work at a fast pace even if it sacrifices their work's quality. I doubt it is right to emphasize speed and ignore output results. I believe the age of speed is close to its end. We should take our time when we think and do things, especially important work.





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Thinking About Nature and Us

The stock market is still facing many ups and downs. The international community is not stable due to earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant damages in Japan. Despite the uncertainties in the economy and society, our lives continue. There is a middle school in the block next to our home. As a part of the park that they call "Green Road," there is a vacant land covered with grasses in the north side of the school. It looks like an idol land, but it used to look lovely and green, adding a breathing space in our neighborhood.

It was November last year when they started to build huge buildings on that vacant space. As construction went on, we found that they were constructing gymnasium buildings forming a part of the middle school. The buildings look stylish and elegant. However, I sometimes miss the sprawling green space that exist before they started to build these buildings.

This construction reminds me of an ancient Chinese myth. It is a story showing a naturalistic character of "Taoism." In the North Sea, there was a kingdom ruled by legalism. Its king's name was "Shuku." In the South Sea, there was a kingdom ruled by emotionalism. Its king's name was "Kotsu." There was a kingdom in the Central Sea. Its king's name was "Konton." The three kings often met in Konton's palace. King Konton did not have a fix body shape. He did not have eyes, ears, noses, and mouth. He looked like a cloud, which could not be touched.

Since Shuku and Kotsu had an excellent time in Konton's palace, they decided to give Konton a gift. They decided to give Konton eyes, ears, nose and a mouth. Despite the expectation of Shuku and Kotsu after they finished making holes for Konton, Konton died.

Konton is a Japanese words meaning 'Chaos'. According to the Japanese myth, Konton controls nature. Shuku means 'people who emphasize order'. Katsu means 'people who advocate the importance of human emotion'. Based on good will or human wisdom, if human beings change nature too much, it will nature to be destroyed. This myth teaches us it may not be smart to change nature too much. If we destroy nature, it destroys us directly or indirectly.

I personally believe building a new facility and buildings is a good change for the school, students and our neighbors. However, as you see what is happening with the Japanese nuclear power plant, human beings would never be able to predict what happens after they make a change. I hope this new development of our neighborhood middle school will not cause any destruction of nature, giving an adverse affect to our neighbors.






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Dr Hua Tuo and a Jail Guard

There is always a point where legend or myth takes shape as the beginning of history, as if there were an overlapping period between myth and history. This transit time is rather long, longer than people often imagine. Some people lived in the transition period as legend became historically proven fact. Dr. Hua Tuo was one of these. He was a legendary physician in ancient China. His birth year is unknown; his death, according to records, was in 208 AD. He was a doctor who performed surgery in the early third century, and he was the first doctor to use anesthesia for his surgeries in China. He treated and cured several historical figures who would have died without his care. These patients include Cao Cao, the first emperor of the Wei Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms.

His name appears historical documents including the "Book of Later Han" and the "Records of Three Kingdoms". Both records are reliable sources. Historians have concluded that Dr. Hua was a genuine historical figure, but the stories about him are full of myths. For example, one story states that when he treated a general, he predicted that the general's sickness would return in 18 years. It happened, but as Hua Tuo was dead when the general was sick again, the general died because Hua Tao could not treat him. Another story tells how people believed that Hua Tuo had invented a prescription for the elixir of life.

In later life, Dr. Hua served Cao Cao, the first emperor of Wei Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms period. Dr. Hua was the only one who could ease Cao's chronic migraines. Dr. Hua eased Cao's pain whenever it occurred, but did not cure it completely. The emperor asked the doctor if he knew any way to get rid of his migraine forever. Tuo thought for a moment, and then answered that he would be able to cure the migraine, but that the cure involved surgery on the emperor's head. Emperor Cao was old and suspicious.

He did not believe the doctor could cure his migraine by cutting open his head. Instead, the emperor, Cao, suspected the doctor was trying to kill him. He put the doctor in prison and later executed him.

While the doctor was in jail, he met a young jail guard, Wu. Wu had studied medicine before becoming a jail guard. Wu treated Dr. Hua like his father during the doctor's time in jail. Dr. Hua told Wu, before his execution, that Wu could have all of his medical books after his death. Wu received Dr. Hua's entire collection, including a book describing a prescription for the elixir of life. Young Wu was glad. He resigned from his position at the jail and went home to study the doctor's books. At home, Wu found his wife burning the entire collection. He was upset and asked his wife why she was burning them. She said it did not make sense to be a general surgeon because the emperor had put Dr. Hua in jail and killed him. Hua Tuo's entire collection of medical books was burned to ashes. Nothing significant was left. This is why human beings today do not have the elixir of life.

Even though there is no elixir of life, it is unfortunate that the genius doctor's medical books were lost. However, the author understands Wu's wife's reasoning and actions. Which would you prefer: life or execution? Would you run the risk of being executed if you could be a legendary doctor?



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Chinese Version of the Story of the Phoenix

It is delightful to find some same or similar figures in Western and Oriental cultures. This mythological bird is one of them. In the Western world, it is called the "Phoenix" or "Fire Bird." Oriental culture represented by the Chinese call the bird "Fenghuang." Japanese uses the same Chinese characters and call it "Houou." This sacred bird appears in various mythologies. It is not just a European and East Asian creature. The bird appears in mythologies of the Greeks, Romans, Persians, Egyptians, and Indians. The common characteristic is that this bird has eternal life. It jumps into a volcano to refresh its life and body, and flies again.

The Chinese version of this bird also appears in Zhuangzi, an ancient story by a Chinese philosopher, as the gigantic bird with eternal life called "Huang." According to the Zhuangzi story, a gigantic bird lives in the northern ocean. Under water, the ocean is shaped like big fish eggs. When the stormy season comes, it flies from the deep ocean. It looks like an island coming out of the sea. Emerging from the water, it now looks like a bird. It spreads its wings and flies south where the water of the Milky Way pours into the land. Huang flies high with its wings creating massive wind. The wind from Huang's wings gives new birth to plants, grasses, flowers, fruits, and animals in these lands. The bird is the origin of life, giving new life on earth by flying.

Sparrows and pigeons watched Huang flies long distances, laughed and said migrating 10,000 miles or more does not make sense, since they can fly 10-20 miles and find enough food.

These birds never understand that the foods they are getting are grown because the Huang bird flies.

This story contains some intriguing meanings. Those who are satisfied with the small world in which they are living can never understand the big picture. For sparrows and pigeons, the world is restricted to 10 - 20 miles from where they live. They will never understand that there is a wider world outside their territory. Those who stick to their own small world can never understand the expanse of the whole world.

The second interpretation of this story is to be one's own size. The Huang can fly high in the sky and travel around the world because it was created that way. If sparrows or pigeons tried to fly the same distance the Huang flies, they would get lost and die. It is safer and smarter to stay within ones own size and ability.

In ancient China, when a farmer dreamt of being a king, his family, relatives, and friends laughed at him. He told those critics that sparrows and pigeons will never understand the spirit and ability of the Huang. He did not become the king of the entire Kingdom of China, but instead became a regional lord, while his friends were required to serve him and follow his orders. The final point this story makes is that one can never be a Huang if he does not dream big.



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The Creation Myth in Japan

Much like the book of Genesis in the Holy Bible, and other religions all over the world, Japan has its own myth of Creation. The beginning of Japanese history appears in two prominent historical books, one of them being "Kojiki", which is generally translated as "The Record of Ancient Matters"; this is the oldest historical record in Japan. The other book is "Nihon Shoki", which translates into English as "The Chronicles in Japan". According to Kojiki, there was chaos before the sky and earth divided. After the earth separated from sky, the first seven gods were born. The last two gods born were the male god Izanagi and the female god Izanami.

As Izanagi and Izanami stood at the bridge between the sky and earth, Izanagi used his pike to stir the mud of chaos below them. When he lifted his pike, eight drops of mud fell back to earth, becoming the eight islands of Japan. The two gods, Izanagi and Izanami, went to one of the islands created by the mud and married. Izanami gave birth to gods of stone, wood, ocean, water, wind, and fire. When the god of fire was born, Izanami was burned while giving birth and died. Izanagi was so saddened by this that he traveled to the land of the dead in an attempt to take his wife back.

When Izanagi found Izanami, she agreed to go back with him. However, she asked her husband to not look back at her on their way out. Izanagi took his wife's hand and walked. As they approached the exit of the land of the dead, Izanagi broke his promise and looked back at Izanami, finding his wife's body half rotted. More than half of her skin and flesh was melted with her bones sticking out; she was a zombie.

Izanagi, shocked, ran away. Izanami chased after him and cursed him, saying that she would kill 1000 of his people. Izanagi responded back that he would have his people give birth to 1500 babies. Izanagi closed the exit from the land of the dead with a large and heavy rock, making it impossible for people to travel to the land of the dead in the future. Izanagi purified his body and soul and formally divorced Izanami. This was the first divorce in Japanese history. Later, he remarried another goddess and gave birth to the goddess of the sun, who became the first ruler of Japan.

This story is close to the story of Orpheus in Greek mythology. As with Greek mythology, Japanese mythology describes the gods as being like human beings. However, Orpheus' wife simply disappeared when Orpheus broke his word and looked back at his wife as he was taking her from the land of the dead. The Japanese version seems fresher and more vivid.

It is also interesting that the first ruler in Japanese history is a shaman woman, who used the power of the sun to exercise her magic power.




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Strange Tales From a Chinese Studio

The original Chinese name of this book is Liaozhai Zhiyi. It means "Spooky Stories from Teacher Liao's Study." The author's real name is Pu Songling. "Liaozhai" is the pseudonym of writer Pu. According to a record, Pu places a bench in front of his house, prepares a tea and snack, and calls travelers going by to stop for a rest. White the traveler sits and enjoys his tea; Pu asks him if he has strange stories to tell. He must have listened to thousands of travelers. The stories he published number 490.

Most of the stories are of a paranormal or mystical nature. In many Asian countries, in ancient times, people believed that foxes lived more than 100 years develop tails more than two. Then, they acquire a magical power to change themselves into human beings. There are many fox stories in Liaozhai Zhiyi. Another subject is "qui," meaning ghost. In Liaozhai Zhiyi, many ghosts appear and interact with the living. There are stories about spirits, animals other than foxes, and simply unexplainable phenomenon.

Although all the stories focus on paranormal activities, the main themes are love, life, and living. It is well-known that one of Pu's stories became the basis of the world-famous movie "A Chinese Ghost Story". As many may know, this is the story of an ordinary young merchant who falls in love with a beautiful girl ghost. In the process of fulfilling his mission, the girl ghost helps him. With the ghost's help, he accomplished his mission.

My favorite story is about a fox bride. It is the story of a student who wants to pass the examination to be an officer of the Chinese government. Because the student is not rich, he has difficulty continuing his studies.

One day when the student was working on a mountain, he saved a fox that was almost killed by hunters. Despite the fact that he did not have much money, he spent what he did have to buy the fox from the hunters and he then released it into the woods. That night, he was visited by a beautiful girl. She confessed that she was the fox he had saved earlier that day. She said she wanted to help him pass his exam. He gladly accepted her offer. He did not know where she worked, but she went out in the morning and brought him money so that he did not have to work anymore and was able to spend more time studying.

He passed his exam the following year. Then the girl told him that she would leave now since she had finished her task. He asked the girl to marry him. She said that she could not marry him because she was a fox, but he told her that he did not care. He truly wanted to marry her, he said, and he did not hope to marry anybody else, because he knew that he could not have passed the exam without her help. They married and lived happily ever after.

One day, when a visitor arrived at their house, the wife did not have time to hide her tail. This surprised the visitor. Later, she gave birth to two boys, who both had a mysterious power: predicting the future.

The story is supernatural. However, it teaches us about the importance of gratitude. The man and the fox woman built a happy life together because they were grateful to one another.




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