A supertyphoon headed for Japan hit Manila, Philippines instead this past week and these increasingly powerful supertyphoons will strike Japan if global warming continues to affect weather patterns in the western Pacific Ocean. Supercomputer simulations show there will be more of these typhoons with winds of 288 km (179 miles) per hour by 2074.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/090925-supertyphoons-japan-global-warming.html

Seems like the airline I once worked for, Japan Airlines, is in major crisis these days so much so that it may disappear all together! Anyway, I came to like ANA much better after I used it countless times for business trips with NTT and have realized it is by far the best airline in Japan in every way...

Can reform help Japan Airlines soar again?

Mainichi News - Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey," features space planes operated by Pan American World Airways (Pan Am). At the time the film came out in 1968, Pan Am was the United States' flag carrier.

For Japanese living at a time when overseas travel was something people admired, the Pan Am logo was a symbol of American affluence. But by 2001, the airline had already disappeared. The carrier collapsed in 1991, and the brand name alone was carried on by another company.

It was the debt that emerged in the 1970s that claimed the life of Pan Am, which had dominated the world's skies against a background of American power and prosperity. After the collapse, the United States was described as a country without a flag carrier. It is a rule of the market economy that if a company loses out to competition, then it will disappear, even if is an airline representing a great country.

Japan Airlines was born shouldering the earnest desire of Japanese in the postwar period to once again take to the skies. The airline was semi-private until 1987, when it became fully privatized. But for Japan Airlines, being a flag carrier appeared to have meant that it relied on the government to foot the bill, and the airline's chronic deficits brought on by high costs were preserved.

In addressing the issue of Japan Airlines' financial reconstruction, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Seiji Maehara scrapped a panel of experts set up by the former government administration and set up a new team of specialists to consider how to revitalize the airline's business. The team will lead Japan Airline's business plans, and is set to outline the framework in about a month.

As a flag carrier under politics of the past, Japan Airlines was saddled with such burdens as being made to fly on unprofitable routes due to the construction of regional airports. Will the change of government administration open the way to revival and independence for Japan Airlines? It is not only the directors of futuristic films who are watching the situation.

Taketomijima in Ginza brings the feel of subtropical Okinawa to central Tokyo!

Southern comfort Okinawan style

Everybody loves Okinawa. Japan's southernmost prefecture boasts sun-kissed beaches, coral reefs, an easy-going lifestyle and a culture unlike anywhere else in the country. These days, the islands and their distinctive cuisine enjoy a certain hip cachet; this has not always been the case.

Classic Okinawan dishes served at Taketomijima include goya champuru (stir-fry with bitter melon, slivers of pork and tofu) and tofuyo (fermented tofu), best accompanied by a glass of awamori.

No longer regarded merely as an exotic honeymoon destination with a tragic wartime history, there is now a wider appreciation of the vibrant traditions of the former Ryukyu Kingdom. This has been mirrored by the growing popularity of the distinct food and drink and the proliferation of Okinawan restaurants and bars on the mainland.

One of the new wave of casual watering holes in Tokyo is Taketomijima. Named after one of the most beautiful of the prefecture's islands, this basement dining-bar in the backstreets of Ginza manages to marry the simple feel of rural Okinawa with a sense of big-city style. It's a blend that proves most seductive.

Descending from street level, you find yourself in a space decorated to evoke the traditional architecture of the Yaeyama islands, in the far south of Okinawa. Walls are plastered with rough brown mud; tiled roofs jut out above alcoves along the sides; a low stone wall separates the main dining area furnished with tables and chairs from the zashiki area where you sit on cushions on the raised wooden floor.

If that's not enough to put you in the mood, then settle back and take in the scenes of island life that are projected onto the entire length of one wall. There are narrow lanes of crushed white coral running through lush, subtropical greenery; glimpses of the open sea; and fields of waving sugar cane.

Yes, undeniably it veers close to being a theme restaurant. But anyone who has ever traveled through the Yaeyama archipelago — especially to its spiritual heartland, Taketomi itself — is likely to feel themselves transported in a trice. Those who haven't may find a couple of drinks will do the trick.

T here is Orion beer both in bottles and on tap to slake a thirst. But to truly get into the spirit, an order of awamori is imperative. The traditional clear hooch of the islands can range from basic firewater to smooth liquors that might almost be called sophisticated, with alcohol content and prices to match.

There is no distillery on Taketomi Island — there's no industry at all; indeed there are few roads and virtually no cars. But the cellar at Taketomijima, Ginza, holds more than 40 varieties from around the prefecture. Some are smooth and easy-drinking, such as Omoto, from Ishigaki Island; others are best diluted or served with a mixer — try the classic sour, mixed with the tart juice of the shikuwasa citron.

Connoisseurs tend to prefer aged awamori, known in Okinawan dialect as kusu. These are aged for a minimum of 3 years, usually more, and frequently served from the ceramic pots in which they are matured. Our choice from the upper end of the drinks list would be Sangosho, a 10-year-old kusu best drunk straight with some iced water on the side. At ¥1,100 per glass (¥12,600 for the whole bottle) and 40 percent alcohol, this is booze that demands to be appreciated slowly.

Thankfully there is plenty of good food to keep you anchored to your seat. Much of the menu is devoted to appetizers, such as umi-budo, a crunchy seaweed whose appearance is hinted at by its name (literally "sea grapes"); jmami-dofu, cubes of smooth, thick tofu-like custard made from creamed peanuts; and that classic Ryukyu drinking snack, tofuyo, a spicy, fermented tofu whose pungent, lingering flavor and cloying texture are an acquired taste only for the acclimated and the very adventurous.

Taketomijima produces a particularly good version of Okinawa's "national" dish, goya champuru. The half-moon slices of bitter, green goya (bitter melon) are stir-fried with slivers of pork and shima-dofu, firm, island-style tofu that is made in-house.

Alternatively, if goya is too abrasive on the palate, order fu champuru, made with wheat gluten cakes; or somen champuru, with fine wheat noodles.

Other dishes from the standard Okinawan repertoire include hja (goat meat sashimi) and delectable rafut (soft-simmered cubes of pork belly). Vegetarians can find respite with deep-fried goya chips or the croquettes of beni-imo, a strain of sweet potato that grows a spectacular shade of crimson.

Everything is prepared with great competence. This is no surprise, given that Taketomijima is an offshoot of Little Okinawa. This well-established hole-in-the-wall at the Shinbashi end of Ginza was one of the first generation of eateries to present Okinawan cuisine in Tokyo in a cheerful, upbeat way — not as an exotic regional curiosity but the straightforward fare you would find in a typical izakaya tavern in Naha. It's still as casual and popular as ever.

www.little-okinawa.co.jp/ 

Hawaii hopes to cash in on Japan's "Silver Week"



HONOLULU (AP) — Japanese tourists have long been golden for Hawaii. The islands now hope to cash in on Japan's so-called "Silver Week."

Hawaii and other vacation destinations are expecting to see a much-needed boost in Japanese travelers thanks to the first-ever Silver Week, a series of national holidays that provide a five-day respite starting this weekend.

It couldn't come at a better time for Hawaii, which has been reeling from a drop-off in the highly coveted visitors because of the stumbling global economy and swine flu fears.

Japan's outbound travel is down nearly double digits this year. The ones who are traveling are spending considerably less, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue for cash-strapped Hawaii.

"This year is going to be very tough," said Takashi Ichikura, executive director of Hawaii Tourism Japan.

According to the latest state figures, Japanese arrivals to the islands have fallen 10.7 percent through July, the largest decline in Hawaii's four top feeder markets, which include the Eastern U.S. (10.4), Canada (8.6) and the Western U.S. (5.4).

Ichikura said Hawaii is actually faring better with Japanese travelers than most places like North America, Australia, China and Guam.

Japanese are treasured in tourism-dependent Hawaii for their affection of shopping and dining. They also embrace Hawaiian culture, such as hula, and outspend Americans nearly 2-to-1 on a per-person, per-day average.

"It's not just their spending, but their habits when they are here," state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert said. "They are just voracious experiential travelers."

And that's why Hawaii is not willing to say "sayonara."

The Hawaii Tourism Authority recently committed $3.4 million to stimulate the Japan market and lure visitors in the short term with a media and marketing blitz.

During the summer, the state sent a delegation to Japan to meet with travel agents. Hawaii also helped coordinate July's Aloha Yokohama festival, which attracted 300,000 people and featured Hawaii-born sumo wrestler Konishiki and musicians.

There was also Hawaiian music playing at Narita International Airport, TV commercials, and images of the islands plastered along train lines during the Japanese royal couple's visit to Hawaii in July.

Ichikura said Hawaii is now working on having a strong presence at travel agencies, where 80 percent of Japanese still go to book package tours.

"We want to show there's so much to see and experience," he said.

Meanwhile, Japanese-dependent businesses are trying to survive the downturn. Luxury retailer DFS Galleria in June launched its first-ever, global storewide sale at its 150 stores stretching from New York to Abu Dhabi.

"We've never had a storewide sale before where almost every brand in every category had some merchandise on sale," said Sharon Weiner, global vice president of communications for DFS Group Ltd.

DFS operates four stores in Hawaii, including a 180,000-square-foot location in Waikiki, where 90 percent of duty-free sales are to Japanese.

Since the Japanese aren't spending like they used to, despite the favorable exchange rate, Weiner is worried about what would happen if the yen declines. She remains hopeful of a quick recovery.

"Hopeful is a better word than optimistic," Weiner said. "We are still planning very conservatively."

DFS and other retailers, along with hotels and restaurants, are counting on Silver Week. The week was created this year because two holidays — Respect for the Aged Day and the Autumn Equinox — fell a day apart this year. In Japan, any day in between two holidays becomes a day off as well.

Besides Silver Week, the royal visit in July provided priceless media attention and helped mitigate concerns about the 2009 H1N1 virus known as swine flu.

"It was a huge hit for Hawaii. We were the envy of every travel destination in the world," said Weiner, who also serves on the state tourism board. "Because the emperor came here, and he didn't wear a mask, it was very positive. The trip showed how much they clearly love Hawaii."

The market isn't expected to fully rebound until the world's second-largest economy shows improvement or flu fears subside.

Hawaii is expected to fall short of its original 2009 target of 1.17 million Japanese visitors, which is far less than the 1.5 million that visited in 2005. The projection was made before H1N1 became prevalent.

Another major challengefor Hawaii is fuel surcharges being imposed by struggling airlines, which are cutting flights and staff. Japan Airlines incurred its biggest-ever quarterly net loss of $1 billion in the three months that ended in June. Asia's biggest carrier is restructuring and plans to cut 14 percent of its work force and raise capital.

Hawaii had high hopes after a strong showing in April when Japanese visitors to Hawaii actually rose 8.8 percent to 84,387 because of the annual "Golden Week," when many Japanese vacation.

Then the peak summer travel season arrived, along with fears of swine flu. Japanese arrivals plunged 32.8 percent in June. July fared much better because of heavy discounting and the royal couple, but arrivals were still off 9.2 percent.

"It takes awhile to get a market motivated again," Wienert said. "It just doesn't happen overnight."

Togakushi, in Nagano Prefecture, is renowned for its delicious noodles and scenic strolls

The lump of dough in the large mixing bowl in front of me doesn't look like much, but soba-making instructor Hatuko Tokutake isn't concerned.

Layers of leaf: A stone statue keeps watch over pilgrims (top). Above: Okusha shrine amid a blaze of autumn color. Below: Steps lead toward Okusha shrine.

"You have to knead it at least 150 times," she coaches me, confident in her 10 years experience as a soba maker. "Then you will see it start to take shape."

Under her patient guidance, I work my hands through the fine buckwheat flour so famous in this region, taking turns with my husband and fellow soba devotee Paul. Several long minutes later, Tokutake nods her approval at our efforts, and we slap the dough down on the large wooden cutting board nearby. Before we roll it out, however, she stops to make sure we understand the technique.

"Start with your hands facing in this direction," she explains, the rolling pin angled away from her at a 45 degree slant. When I ask her the reason, she smiles and says simply, "It's the way we do it here in Togakushi."

No matter how they choose to roll their soba dough in Togakushi, there's no doubt that this mountainous region north of the city of Nagano is renowned for producing some of Japan's tastiest noodles. High elevations and drastic temperature changes combine to form the perfect growing conditions for the white-petaled buckwheat plant that blankets the hillsides in summer and autumn. Not only does it paint a scenic tableau — especially in the harvest season — but this simple crop has solidified Togakushi's reputation as a top-notch soba region, and the Togakushi Soba Museum is more than happy to show visitors why.

Paul and I have dropped by for a morning course on how to prepare Togakushi's signature dish and veteran instructor Tokutake is putting our culinary skills to the test.

With the dough flattened into an oval-shaped pancake, Tokutake sprinkles extra-fine flour from the stalk of the soba plant onto its surface and folds the circle in half several times. She then grips a lethal-looking soba knife in her right hand and effortlessly slices up millimeter-thin strands.

"Not too thick," she cautions, as she passes us each the blade in turn. We mimic her motions and gather the finished product into a bamboo basket. "Shall we cook it now?" Tokutake asks with a smile. Our growling stomachs amplify our reply and she heads to the kitchen to prepare our feast.

Ten minutes later, a helping of soba large enough for a family of five appears at our table, accompanied by small dishes of salt and the museum's signature dipping sauce.

"Try it first without anything, then with salt, and finally the sauce," Tokutake suggests, and we follow her advice with our first bites of fresh noodles. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the museum's kitchen staff and other instructors watching carefully for our reaction. There's no need for pretenses, however. Our proclamation of "Delicious!" is genuine and we eagerly dig in.

When we can eat no more, Tokutake agrees to wrap up our remaining noodles and — leftovers in hand — we head across the hall to explore the museum exhibits.

"Soba's been a big part of Togakushi since the late 17th century," explains friendly docent Tunejirou Iijima as he leads us around the thoughtfully-prepared displays. Among the collections the museum has on offer are old ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) of soba-slurping courtesans and a variety of tools used in the buckwheat-cultivation process. Though it's unclear how the plant arrived in the region, Iijima notes that the hearty noodles have long been served to pilgrims visiting the area's mountain shrines, and yearly autumn festivals celebrate the important buckwheat harvest.

With the morning wearing on and a thorough soba education under our belts, we're ready to explore the region's aforementioned shrines and find a way to walk off the mass of noodles we've gobbled up. A short ride up the road from the Togakushi Soba Museum, the local bus terminates its route at the trailhead for the Okusha subshrine, the uppermost of the three-part Togakushi Shrine. A giant wooden torii gate stands sentinel-like at the head of a forest path lined with over 300 majestic cryptomeria trees. In autumn, hikers swirl their way through piles of red and yellow leaves on a half-hour climb to the shrine's main hall, which sits serenely against a picturesque backdrop of tall peaks. Most visitors stop here to enjoy the stunning view over the hills and write prayers of good fortune on the shrine's dragon-emblazoned ema (prayer plaques); more intrepid souls continue up the knife-edged ridge on a multihour hike to take in the scene from nearer the clouds.

Back down at the base of the mountains, we follow a side path that leads deeper into the woods and through one of the region's rare wetlands. Boardwalks crisscross the swampy flatlands and birdwatchers gather here to catch sight of more than 120 species that populate the area. Cattails soon give way to sturdy oaks as the path winds south, past tiny Inari shrines and stone statues that keep watch over passing travelers. Under the leafy canopy, the midday heat is kept at bay, though the shady path is conspicuously void of other hikers. We amble along, enjoying both the cool breezes and the lack of crowds.

Backcountry meets blacktop again a few kilometers later at the edge of Mirror Lake, which has rightly earned its moniker. Here, cars, caravans and day hikers mingle along the shores of a lake on whose glassy surface snowy clouds and azure skies are reflected. In any season, the banks are crowded with both snap-happy tourists and professional shutterbugs as they attempt to capture the surrounding scenery shining on the clear waters.

From Mirror Lake, it's a steep climb back up into the hills where we're treated to magnificent views of distant mountain ranges. We hike for a kilometer or two in near silence along the top of the ridge, both of us content just to soak in the peaceful forest atmosphere. At the hidden Kotoriga (Small Bird) Lake, we stop for one final moment of blissful solitude before a gentle descent brings us out of the woods and back to civilization.

The path ends in the hamlet of Chusha, home to the second of Togakushi's mountain shrines. Across from the base of the shrine's stone staircase, a line has formed outside Uzuraya Soba, with chattering customers eagerly awaiting their turn in one of the region's most celebrated soba eateries. We pause for a moment and debate joining the queue, until the weight of the soba leftovers in our backpack reminds us of our morning efforts. We may not have years of experience behind us, but I'm sure that today, our noodles will taste just as good.

Togakushi is reached by highway bus from the city of Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, which runs hourly and leaves from outside the Nagano Bus Office across from the JR station (¥1,000 to ¥1,170, one way). The Togakushi Soba Museum is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Soba-making courses cost ¥3,000 for two to four people; a tasting session is ¥700. Admission to the museum is included in the course fee.