It used to be once said that clean water and security are free in Japan. However, the myth is on the verge of collapse. I have read an article in the Nikkei newspaper on 11.05.2008 about Japanese water consumption. What I found really interesting is how much water requires in our meal. To make the explanation clear, the concept of "Virtual Water" is introduced in the article. Virtual water is the amount of water that is used in the production of food. For example, a cup of milk requires 110 liters of water in the production process. A kilogram of beef costs 2 tons of water. I was astonished that a huge amount of water is required if we convert our meal into virtual water.
Japanese annual rainfall is 1,718 mm, which is double the world average. However, if we look at the amount per capita, it is only one third of the world average. An expert explains in the article that one of the reasons we do not feel seriously water shortage in Japan is that we import plenty of food from abroad. Japanese self-sufficiency rate of food is only 39%, which is the lowest rate among the developed countries. If Japan tries to produce all the amount of food we need in Japan, it will costs 62.7 billion tons of water. It is quite difficult to achieve it, according to the university of Tokyo. The nobel prizewinning organisation IPCC reported that water resource in the globe will be dwindling to 10% to 30 % by 2050 in the face of global warming. I think food shortage results in water shortage. It seems to me that all the problems in the world are linked to water shortage. I have no idea how to find the solution, but I have to keep in mind, our days of plenty are numbered. It is time to live with frugality, which is a phrase I was taught by my grandfather.
6.5.08
3 things I do not agree with in modern life
The top 3 things I personally feel really annoying in my life in Japan are crowded transportations, uniformness and too much cleanliness.
The inhabitants of Greater Tokyo are faced with a lot of problems such as traffic jam and overcrowded trains and so on. Though Japanese cars are one of the best cars in the world, there is little space to drive with them in Greater Tokyo. Once you start driving, you get stuck soon. I hope that the government will control and restrict the number of cars in the Greater Tokyo area. I think we do not have to own a car. Toyota and Honda have sold too many cars in the small islands.
What I find incredibly embarrasing is why everybody is doing the same thing at the same time. When I was a student, students wore a uniform and I felt teachers prefered middle, which top end and bottom end students were not welcomed in all the subjects. I remember in my school life that I learnt how we work well with others, but not how we recognise and encourage diversity. When I grew up, people still wore uniforms at work, work on same days and took a holiday on the same days. Fortunately, our income also tends to come middle compared with other developped countries. I think most of the Japanese think of themselves as middle class. Whenever I think about this topic, I remember my professor when I was studying economics at university. He told me that Japan might be one of the most successful socialist countries in the world.
The last topic is cleanliness. I am proud of the cleanliness of the Japanese. One of the members of Oasis told an interview that he visited Tokyo to go shopping and he purchased a toilet (Washlet). We prefer clean, but sometimes it is too much. When I buy a lunch box, called bento, at a convenience store, it is wrapped too much. It takes a lot of time and makes litter. It really makes me annoyed. I think onece we start doing something, it tends to be escalating. Nobody could stop it. The same as plastic bags, I have got a bunch of plastic bags in my house. I am sure it is unnecessary.
Though I have written 3 complaints, I know that we enjoy benefit from them. However I am sure that there is room for improvement.
The inhabitants of Greater Tokyo are faced with a lot of problems such as traffic jam and overcrowded trains and so on. Though Japanese cars are one of the best cars in the world, there is little space to drive with them in Greater Tokyo. Once you start driving, you get stuck soon. I hope that the government will control and restrict the number of cars in the Greater Tokyo area. I think we do not have to own a car. Toyota and Honda have sold too many cars in the small islands.
What I find incredibly embarrasing is why everybody is doing the same thing at the same time. When I was a student, students wore a uniform and I felt teachers prefered middle, which top end and bottom end students were not welcomed in all the subjects. I remember in my school life that I learnt how we work well with others, but not how we recognise and encourage diversity. When I grew up, people still wore uniforms at work, work on same days and took a holiday on the same days. Fortunately, our income also tends to come middle compared with other developped countries. I think most of the Japanese think of themselves as middle class. Whenever I think about this topic, I remember my professor when I was studying economics at university. He told me that Japan might be one of the most successful socialist countries in the world.
The last topic is cleanliness. I am proud of the cleanliness of the Japanese. One of the members of Oasis told an interview that he visited Tokyo to go shopping and he purchased a toilet (Washlet). We prefer clean, but sometimes it is too much. When I buy a lunch box, called bento, at a convenience store, it is wrapped too much. It takes a lot of time and makes litter. It really makes me annoyed. I think onece we start doing something, it tends to be escalating. Nobody could stop it. The same as plastic bags, I have got a bunch of plastic bags in my house. I am sure it is unnecessary.
Though I have written 3 complaints, I know that we enjoy benefit from them. However I am sure that there is room for improvement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
