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I went to see the spring-time special exhibition at Fukui City History Museum “Edo, Kyoto, Osaka and a castle town Fukui”, which began on March 24th.

Major exhibits of this exhibition are a commanding view of the castle town Fukui, a landscape of Edo and a panoramic screen painting of Kyoto and Osaka etc. Of course, there was no aerial photography at that time but the purveying painters to the government drew such detailed pictures. I have respect for their remarkable ability.

From the Edo bird’s eye view screen painting, I noticed that Edo developed around rivers. Actually, there was “Nihonbashi Bridge” for real. If Tokyo had been developed utilizing more these canals, part of the city might have been a tourism district like Amsterdam or Venice.
It’s fun to imagine like that. (H.S)

*Some exhibits are replaced in the middle of the exhibition.

This year marks the 150 year since the era changed from Edo to Meiji.
In Fukui, many events are coming up with the title of late Edo and Meiji Fukui 150 year Expo.

I attended a lecture of Mr.Tetsuro Ikema held at Phoenix Plaza in Fukui City the other
day. Here is his profile.
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Mr. Ikema was born in Okinawa Prefecture in 1954. He is an active photographer and
a lecturer at Okinawa University. Besides managing a video picture production, he started international cooperation activities in 1987. Currently, he heads a NPO Asia Child Support and supports over ten countries. The activities that he started all by himself but the group has become one of the largest international cooperation groups in Japan and it is highly appreciated. Because he thinks “Loving our country is fundamental for international cooperation”, he continues long-term support against The Great East Japan Earthquake reconstruction and youth development. He hopes that
Japanese people should learn from people trying hard at life of developing countries and
has given lecture at companies, organizations at schools over 3,400 times.
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I was moved by each topic he talked, caught up and tears filled my eyes. I’m afraid I cannot introduce the details of his lecture but I will write down partially.

Mr. Ikema met a girl at a dump in Philippine.
He asked her “What is your dream?”
She replied “My dream is living to adulthood.”
Can Japanese children of today understand what she said?

He strongly advised that you must not over-parenting and doting to your children.
Also, he said “Happiness is the strength of heart that you feel happy. Love must be accompanied by severity. You don’t need to be liked by your children at all.”

And he said today’s Japan is unusual condition.
According to Sankei Newspaper, from a survey of high school students,
*Do you respect your teachers?
Other country average 85%
Japan 21%

*Do you respect your parents?
Other country average 90%
Japan 25%

Have Japanese children forgotten “respect”?
But Ikema said that it wasn’t childrens’ fault, it was the fault of adults.

The topics at the lecture covered a wide variety such as the state of Asian countries,
a lie of the term “the Age of Discovery”, the true state in white colonies, moral education in Japan before the war, the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese soldiers in the operations of Imphal, GHQ, WGIP, justice of the victor countries etc., and I was shocked at the many facts which were not taught in school. I thought that I need to learn more by reading books which review history. (H.S)

“Don’t worry. I will raise my younger brother.”
It was about twenty years ago, I cannot forget the girl whom I met in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The girl under the age of ten begged her bread having her younger brother
in her arms. She came from the border village of Thailand. Her parents died. She crawled and begged in the street to survive. She protected her younger brother with her little body. Although I was forty at that time, I felt like a child for myself compared to her.
Also, I felt the meaning of life and the severity of life. I was ashamed of myself being sloppy.
(Photo and text are from Tetsuro Ikema’s facebook) 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

*Interview with Mr.Ikema(only in Japanese)