Author: Masahiro Matsushita

Eiichi Shibusawa, who has many titles, is from the Fukaya city in Saitama Prefecture. The two in three great men from Saitama Prefecture, Ginko Hagino, and Hanawa Hokiichi were introduced by my Japanese blog, and I visited the Eiichi Shibusawa Memorial Hall (Hachiki Public Hall, which opened on November 11, 1995). I do not have enough time and paper to introduce him in all, so I would like to write about my visit and what I cannot understand until I see it.

Once, I visited Fukaya City, at a time of a local movie fan who bought a store of a former bank was playing a film, and when I went to care for a Thai who came to Japan for computer training in Saitama Prefecture.

The specialty product of Fukaya City is Fukaya green onion. However, Shibusawa Eiichi is revered as a great man and is proud of Fukaya, Saitama, and Japan. The location of the Tomioka Silk Mill, which has become a World Heritage Site, is in Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture, but Eiichi Shibusawa has been introduced to know raw silk and indigo dyeing and supported it, a brick manufacturing company has also been established, which is necessary for the factory building with him.

In 2024, the reason the portrait changes of Yukichi Fukuzawa on the 10,000-yen note was deciding to replace with Eiichi Shibusawa was “the father of the modern Japanese economy,” “the theory of moral economy,” and “the last 15th shogun of the Edo period, Yoshinobu Tokugawa.” Above is because they have a track record of “encounters” and “efforts in welfare and education other than the economy.” It is not just a god of management of only one company (involved in about five hundred companies), but this is saying that his skill is in the modernization of the Meiji era, so he is supported by many people and is suitable for becoming the face of the world.

“Modern Japanese Father Eiichi Shibusawa” (published by Fukaya City) is a leaflet printed in March 2021 before the NHK TV dramatized him, but it is well organized.

1. Father of the modern Japanese economy 2.The starting point of businessman 3. From the Joint Staff to the shogun’s vassal 4. Dispatched to Europe 5. From the government to the business world 6. The heart of mercy Social welfare activities 7. Efforts for international goodwill 8. The Analects Village 9. Eiichi and Tomioka Thread Mill 10. Origin of Eiichi’s “Seien” 11. Eiichi, Brick and Fukaya City 12. Boiled noodle with ｗelsh onion* 13. Thirteen items of Eiichi Shibusawa that are currently attracting attention.
Some titles are not understandable without reading, but they are almost covered. There were many signboards in the city, making the most of Eiichi Shibusawa in promoting tourism in Fukaya.

* I have never eaten Niboutou (boiled noodle with onion). However, Fukaya’s local food variety, a soy sauce-flavored noodle dish with plenty of vegetables such as green onions, radishes, and carrots in handmade flat noodles, is introduced in the pamphlet. There are many restaurants in the city with agricultural products sales offices in the suburbs, and the well-known shops I searched for in anticipation of Japanese buckwheat used Shinshu buckwheat flour.

*There are people who have discovered and invented Japan, the world, and everything from many towns and villages, not just Saitama Prefecture. The background for the episode will be known in future research and history. However, some cases do not seem to be great just because they appear in the media and textbooks. Just in case.

In the case regarding a passport, I sometimes forget where I put it while handling it every time. Often you will find it out its necessity for your next action. I took it out and forgot where I put it on because I was changing minds in something else.　Since I remembered it was on the desk, I had contacted him to keep while I was on the way. However, in Thailand, there are frequent inspections by border police officers and the military at strategic points on the road, and I haven’t carried it with me, so I have had a chilling experience.

When I was a fellow passenger in my acquaintance’s private car, they were tolerant of foreigners, and I was relieved that I was stopped several times out of 8 checkpoints but no passport checks for me for a round-trip on overnight trips.

What I forgot was to keep it on the desk in the dining room at the departure point until returning. However, since the copy* has been always in my wallet, it is recommended because you can quickly reissue it in case of emergency, loss, or theft. * Please be noted a copy is not trusted.

The second is the story of the theft case. A friend of mine took a long-distance night bus from Bangkok to Chiang-Rai, where I was, and when he put his bag on the bus seat and went to the toilet, he noticed that his passport was lost at the front desk of the hotel and reported it at the police as the theft. With the certificate, I obtained a temporary travel document for returning to Japan from the Consulate-General of Japan in Chiang-Mai, and it took me six days to get an immigration certificate and a temporary visa for immigration in Bangkok.

I had my photo, but I didn’t have a copy of my passport. At the Consul General’s office, I was coldly treated as to how I could tell that you were Japanese.

I remembered that I gave my passport number to an agent when I bought the ticket, so I checked with the travel agency and escaped the difficulty. When I returned to Japan, I was interviewed in a separate room at the airport.

Another friend, a former JAL staff member, is the secretary of the group trip, and when I put my passport on my desk for check-in on behalf of everyone at the front desk of the hotel, someone took it from behind him and escaped It is a method of a professional thief who skillfully slipped through the blind spot and the line of sight of his friends. As a rule, be sure to wear your passport.

The photo is a commemorative photo of grandchildren living in the United States when they went to the Atlanta Consulate to receive a Japanese passport. My grandchildren have Japanese and American passports, but this is the second time for the girl and the first time for the boy. In Japan, mother, and child (father and child) are listed together with the infants, but in the United States, they already have their own passports because of their individuality. If you are a dual passport holder, the foreigner’s booth for immigration to Japan is always congested so you can use a booth for Japanese to avoid congestion and can be used well depending on the country, which is the best.

The above was the episode about passport.
Thank you for checking!

I posted an article that I was getting to know Ms. Kato Fujiko paper-cutting artist at the fate of the Okinawa Flower Hobby Association on July 24, 2020.

Even before that time, her handworks were introduced in Facebook post for each season and event, and I was her fan since then.

And more than a year after I asked for it for the first time, since I thought that I would like to decorate my house, and the Wat Japan (10th anniversary in 2023) for which the center of the entrance and the living.

I would like to donate one for Renna the landlord of the temple.

So, I asked for three pieces to Kato, and she accepted it with kind heartedly.

The basics are lotus flowers and Okinawan hibiscus. “Lotus” is a Buddhist pedestal that is also useful in Buddhism. Nichiren saint is also named “Lotus” by the Lotus Sutra. I gave the name of Renna in about 10 years ago because I thought that the Japanese name, Renna, was also suitable for Thai people who have a serious faith. It was planned to commemorate the 10th anniversary.

*There are many types of lotuses. Can you tell the difference from water lilies?
You can see that has the long stem is “Lotus”.

There are Kurds (tribes) who live mainly in Turkey and live as refugees in neighboring countries and around the world (mainly Muslims and Kurds, which is said to have about 40 million people).

Most Japanese do not know that there are about 2,000 Kurd people living in Japan. Approximately 1,500 people live in Kawaguchi City, probably because they are a strong ethnic group.
* Approximately 500 people are temporarily released, and their lives are … (The Asahi Shimbun, September 16, 2021)

The theme of this movie is “refugee and immigration” issues. The Japanese government is actively engaged in exchanges and business with foreigners who are wealthy and willing to drop money, foreigners with technical capabilities, skills (power), and countries with diplomatic rights, but immigrants are not allowed. However, as a labor shortage, 3K (3Ds: Dangerous, Dirty, Demanding) workers are conditionally accepted from developing countries under the name of “technical intern trainees”. Other than that, there are few political refugees, but there are many illegal immigrants (persons who are engaging in activity outside scope permitted, over-stayers) and stowaways.

This movie is a story that reveals “accusation of immigration administration of the Japanese government” and “zero international sense” not someone else’s problem but from interviews from 6 years ago dating from 2021, instead of personnel affairs. If you have a chance, please must see this movie, and know this story.

Koti: Please contact the website of Shinjuku Q Flat Building 306, 5-4-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. Voluntary screenings are most welcome.

It’s a non-fiction, documentary film about two young people and their relatives’ uncle. Nowadays, it is a social situation that accepts refugees in various countries around the world, and the cause is that killing, and discrimination are rampant due to differences in domestic political positions, and there is also the involvement of suzerains. There must have been a time of the one-flag sect. Why do you flee to Japan from Europe (around Turkey) instead of talking about Japan’s neighboring countries? I didn’t do much in this movie, but maybe I happened to have the opportunity to choose a country called Japan, and my passport and visa would be legal. What does not accept families in Japan is the immigration control system of Japan’s foreign policy, which is cold for “exiles and refugees.”

However, it is a common understanding in the world that the right to study and live in Japan is equal, but that is lacking in the first place. (Can’t work with a special visa [provisional release permit], can’t join the welfare system, and don’t know when will be imprisoned [despite not being a criminal]).

An officer says that he always says to those who come to re-apply, “Get out of Japan and go to another country.” And the standards and human rights that imprison violators (not criminals) have not been published.

Of course, there are Japanese laws (although there are refugee policies that lag the rest of the world.), but it is the government officials who operate them. And the money that supports them comes from our taxes. This is the second problem (it costs money, so if you want to repatriate it, it’s wag-the-dog!). You should be more interested and know the reality. Even in my personal experience, there seems to be many immigration officials who are arrogant and ruthless.

The third, lack of international sensibilities is the reality of Japan, which is not only in the country but also in the region and everywhere. Public and private education are important for these improvements, but there are also problems with the awareness and awareness of schoolteachers, as well as in the media, politics, and academia. I think, especially there are many patriotic conservatives in Japan. There is a problem with people who has difficulties in interacting with foreign countries. It would be great if this could be improved. However, there are cases where things are changing little by little… Japan still has shameful cases that lag the rest of the world, such as ratification of the Treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons, delays in the equal gender system and the notification system for married couples, the abolition of the death penalty system, and the imperial system. There are still shameful cases that are less recognition compare with the world in Japan. We really hope that the democratic opposition party will play an active role and that lawyers and volunteers will support us.

The conclusion is that the Japanese (government) should take measures for more tolerant residence permit conditions (VISA) for foreigners and make efforts to guide and care for Japanese language and culture so that foreigners can adapt to Japan. I want you to do it, and I strongly request government to implement coexistence support measures in the area including housing agenda.

This post is written about international exchange and goodwill in the thesis. 

I learned that there is also a picture like the lantern (Buddhist temple Kanji-in in Kumagaya), and I felt that it might fit this article.

“Tokyo Kurds” on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tokyokurds

Please visit my website for Wat Japan also.
http://marsk.html.xdomain.jp/

It was scheduled to be posted in December 2021, but the “Saitama version” of this project was not published.
Only 3 photos can be posted on this BLOG, so I will narrow it down. I chose something that seems to be “Saitama” that I couldn’t post in the 2021 video series 1-3.
Posted themes are four. There are photos taken before 2020, and also in 2022.　Only the list of posted articles is as below.

1. Hot spring (Chichibu area)
https://www.chichibu-cci.or.jp/guide/chi-e_s.pdf

2. Two of the three (Hanawa Hokiichi ”Blined scholar”/Ginko Ogino ”Female doctor for wemen”) and Eiichi Shibusawa “Father of capitalism” are the great persons not only in Japan but also in the world. (Scheduled to be interviewed again at a later date)

3. Kaikiin as National Treasure Temple and Taiwan’s Palace are also a tourist spot.

4. Aizome Kobo (Musashi Nakajima Konya)
Indigo dyeing workshop named Musashi Nakajima Konya
Indigo dyeing method from indigo plant originated from India.

Self-introduction of Suchitoo:
Born in Tokyo. I graduated from Chuo University, worked for an airline company, and was a guest professor at Tokyo College of Transport Studies.

Became a priest of Wat Pak Nam, Thailand, acquired Japanese Buddhist qualification at Ritsho University, established Japan-Thai Culture Exchange Center and Nichiren sect Thai Temple in Thailand (currently: Nichiren Sect Hoshinji Master, Japan Health Taikyokuken Association Master), and I set up the WAT JAPAN private temple in Chiang-Rai, Thailand in 2013*.

My hobbies are posting articles on social media, and music, travel, food connoisseur, photography, biking, gardening, visiting hot springs, etc.

Suchitoo opened the Japanese version of “Suchitoo’s Soliloquy” ** blog in 2004, and I’ve been for the next 18 years, mainly introduced Thai Buddhism, and responded to posts about meditation and tourism, as well as questions and consultations. The articles in the Japanese version of the blog have been said to be wonderful and useful, so I wanted people all over the world to read them, so I decided to open an English version of the blog site.

Because of that, I first picked up 2-3 articles from the Japanese version of the blog, translated it into English, and posted it on the newly constructed blog site *** to see what would happen. When I tried it, there was good feedback that we could understand it because it was in English, the content of the article was very good, I wanted you to include a lot of explanatory photos, and I was interested in Japanese culture so I would like you to share with us such kind of information. So that I was convinced that I should continue do it.

Therefore, as the next step, I increased the types of articles to be selected, selected multiple articles from the Japanese version of “Suchitoo’s Top 10 Most Popular”, and translated them into English so that I could continue to see reactions from visitors for a while.

Then, I posted 19 articles and received 145 comments, but most of them are compliments.
We apologize for the delay in replying to those who commented.

Let me introduce some comments for my articles as below.
・This is the first great blog, I’ve been searching around for.
・The article is great from a blogger’s point of view, thanks for your efforts. Please continue forever.
・ Each article is really wonderful and very useful information. Thank you for sharing such information.
・ I’m working on an e-book, but please consider sharing some of the articles.
・ If there is a donation button, I would like to donate. Should have a button.
・This really responded to my (human) shortcomings, thank you!

Almost half a year has passed since the English version of the blog was opened, but since we are receiving great praise from foreigners like this, it is important to continue posting so that everyone will be pleased regardless of genre. I believe it does.

As you praise, “The first blog I’ve been searching around for,” it may become a special presence in the blogosphere.

With the support of everyone who has been highly evaluated as an article that can change the feelings of those who read it, notice it, and have a chance to take some action in life, I can continue to do so for a long time. I hope I can do it. Thank you for always browsing.

*Wat Japan
261moo3, Meakautomtashut, T. tashut, A. Muang, Chiang-Rai, Thailand 57100
Phone: +66-80-135-1773, Web: http://marsk.html.xdomain.jp
** All are original articles by the poster Suchitoo.
*** This blog site uses a theme chose from WordPress themes.

Mother Teresa (1910-1997), a Christian evangelist of “love”, was active in helping the poor in India. We overlap her with the Buddha, who enlightened in the 5th-6th century BC and preached the teachings to many believers in India.

It travelled all over Japan, and when he saw the Mother Teresa exhibition being held, while rescue people by “love”, and the other was a Buddha who taught the philosophy of living as a human being and rescued from suffering.  There are 10 other names that call the Buddha. There is a great deal of weight in “the words left behind” other than the commonalities of the word “India”.

Please let me introduce you that three big words, Living, Goodness, Death as below.

1. The words of the Buddha (Sutta Nipata): “A person does not become humble by birth but does not become a Brahmin by birth. By daily actions he becomes a humble, and by daily actions he becomes a Brahmin”.

・Don’t ask your birth, ask your actions. (a short word with the same meaning as above)

Mother Teresa’s words: The greatest misery of the world is not poverty or illness. It’s about feeling that you aren’t needed by anyone.

2．Buddha, Rokanitei* words: Good people’s fortunes are as good for people as well water. No matter how much the bad people’s goods are piled up, they are not as useful as seawater**.

・Hurry up to do good. If you are slow to do good, your heart will enjoy evil.

Mother Teresa’s words: The important thing is not how much you have done, but how much you put your heart into it.

3. The Buddha’s words: The teachings I preached and the commandments I controlled will be your teachers after my death. Ask questions about the Buddha, the law, the collection, the way, and the practice so that you will not regret it after I’m gone. 

[The last word of the Buddha]

Mother Teresa’s words: Death is not a sad thing. The only thing we should be saddened is the fact that we are not holy.

@The teachings of Shaka (The Buddha) are from oral traditions to sutras, and since about 1000 years after entering Nirvana (Eden), evangelism by the “law” has expanded. The amount is enormous. In Christianity, it is the “Bible”.

Mother Teresa’s words are the words and teachings of the founder Christ, which are derived from faith and practical activities. Mother Teresa is a modern mirror (practice rather than theory, theory and practice), which should not be compared in the same line.

* The precept for one`s life (Rokanitei) is described as a bible for Burma people.
**In Indian Buddhism, well water was regarded as important in daily life, and seawater was not regarded as important because it cannot be drunk on a daily basis.
(Buddhist term) The infinite suffering of every sensitive being is called the sea.

Suddenly my left knee joint hurt. I left it for about a month, saying, I think I missed the exercise. I went to see the orthopaedic surgeon who was once taken care of the treatment of my low back pain (herniated disc).
Doctor took an X-ray, checked it, and was diagnosed with “Gonarthrosis” (knee arthritis). After receiving a poultice and Voltaren gel 1%, I went back to Thailand for “Buddhist training” on the next day. A few weeks after my arrival, I was able to live a comfortable life, so I decided to go to a hot spring and a Massage shop.

There was information that the first store I went to had a shortage of female masseur, so I was told that I would have to wait, so I went to another Marie massage clinic, although it was a little expensive. I especially asked her to “knead the affected area lightly”. I went back a few days later because it made my life more comfortable, and the owner, Marie, gave me a Thai traditional massage and a hot compress (herbal ball compress).　 I like this clinic so I would like to introduce it to everyone.
She also wanted to spread it in Japan.

・I am using a Looper cup (Term Simon Paitai). If you buy it, it costs 60 Baht (about 200 yen).
・ Warm this ball (Looper cup) with steam and apply it to the affected area to relieve pain. *see photo
・ One can be used 4 to 5 times. *Store it in a refrigerator after each use.
・ Service charge starts from 300 Baht (about 1000 yen) per hour. When combined with Thai traditional massage, it will be a special discount rate of 500 Baht for 2 hours.
・ If possible, continue treatment about 3 times. *There are individual differences.

* In Japan, when I had low back pain, I practiced and experimented with electrical treatment, acupuncture treatment, manipulation treatment, tai chi and rock bath. I also recommend a Thai herbal compress (method).

＠Digression：
A: There are quite a few people who treat illnesses and recover their health in tropical Thailand. Especially between December and March, it is the best to “hibernate”.

B: In the past, I introduced the herbal bath in Chiang-Mai in the Japanese version of BLOG (2009.09.28). The materials and therapeutic effects are almost the same as the hot compression method, but the treatment is performed while lying down on the bed wearing thin clothes. You can also do it yourself (I was pleased with the electric kettle made by Nitori, which was purchased in Japan (see photo to the right).

C: The Nuat Marie store is located along National Highway No. 1 near Mae Fah Luang University in Chiang-Rai Province, northern Thailand. We also present Japanese Massage service charge menu, Japanese phrase book and Japanese CD.
(Phone: Thailand+66-85-1074391)

The difference between a lotus and a water lily is basically whether it blooms on the surface of the water or has a long stem and a flower bloom along the stem. In Buddhism and lotus, it can be said that the fact that there are many lotus seats on the pedestal of the Buddha statue is a symbolic flower of the “purity” and “praise of Buddha” of Buddha’s teachings.

However, in Myanmar, we find turtles, birds, and animals like pedestals.

If the Buddha’s belongings are lotus, it will be the statue of sacred Kannon.

In Thailand, these are commonly sold in the flower market, and the lotus is often used in Buddhist events (for example, priesthood ceremonies). Many people also eat lotus seeds.

Lotus blooms beautiful flowers, even in dirty water, so it is often found in ponds and reservoirs in tropical regions such as India. And it is a teaching that connects the beautiful flowers (flowers) and the fruit with a pure heart.

The “Lotus Sutra,” which is said to be the most victorious sutra among the five o’clock religions taught by Shaka, is translated as “Saddalma Bundalika Sutra = Lotus Sutra.”

There are many kinds of lotus in the world. In Japan, the ancient lotus village in Gyoda City, Saitama Prefecture is famous. The best time to see is from late June to early July. Mochiran Mainly pinks ancient lotus (Gyoda lotus) from 1400 to 3000 years ago, but there is also colorful lotus from China and the United States.

@ I saw the Oonibasu (victoria amazonica), a “lotus” on which a human can ride, in a rural area of Chiang-Rai, Thailand.　Please see the picture below.

It can be said that the “Buddha statue” is the object of worship (the form that expresses the figure of the Buddha) that respects Buddha who has gained “enlightenment” as the object of worship. In Theravada Buddhist country (Thailand) and Mahayana Buddhist country (Japan), the objects that appear in the original scriptures are Buddhist statues and stupas.

This article gives an overview of the differences between Thai and Japanese Buddha statues. In Thai it is called Probate Loop, and in English it is called Image of Buddha.

Shaka Nyorai statues are common in Thailand, but there are also Kannon Bodhisattva statues. In Japan, there are the Amida Nyorai statue of the Jodo sect and the Dainichi Nyorai statue of the Shingon sect. In the Zen sect, the statue of Shaka Nyorai is the principal image, and there is also a mandala of the Nichiren sect.

Nyorai → Bodhisattva → Myo → Tenbe and the statue of the grand master (founder) are also included. (Left to right, higher rank)

The color and shape are generally gold colored (gold) sitting or standing in Thailand. In Japan, sitting statues are mainly made of the ground color of the material rather than gold. There are also eleven-faced Kannon and horse-headed Kannon with different faces, and there is also Senju Kannon with plenty of hands. There is also a statue with one leg upright

In Thailand, there are many seals* (traditional seals) such as legal seals “Hokkaijo-in” (zen seals), abhayamudra (a symbolic gesture of fearlessness, protection and peace), Yogan-in (wish-granting mudra), and Sokuchi-in (Earth-Touching Mudra)

In addition, there are various shapes of hands in actual meditation (Zen Dhyāna Mudrā). The statue of Amida Nyorai in Japan is generally a combination of nine types of seals.

In Thailand, there is a Wat Traimit Golden Buddha with a purity of 60%, but when installing it outside, it is mostly made of stone (concrete), and indoors it is mostly made of gold and copper. In Japan, the Todaiji Temple and the Great Buddha of Kamakura are mostly made of gold and copper. Some statues are made of wood, dry lacquer, or clay.

In Thailand, the life of a monk is enough with “one garment, one bowl” (deemed as the minimum required clothes and eating utensil), so he doesn’t have anything to bring. In Japan, as represented by the statue of Yakushi Nyorai, there are many Buddhists implements that you can hold in your hand or use for events. There are also “armpit samurai” pairs.

*The shape that the Buddha image represents with the fingers of both hands is called a symbolic sign.  The hands of the Buddha statue have meaning in all its shapes.

A typical form is the Buddhist meditation (Zen meditation), which represents the state of stabilizing the mind and entering into meditation. The shape of Shaka (Nyorai) has forms such as preaching, wishes and exorcism, and mitigate of awe.

@The Homepage for Wat Japan (Japanese temple in Thailand)
http://kawai.servebeer.com/~masahiro
http://marsk.html.xdomain.jp