Of Health Care

I know this is a fairly contested issue in the States right now, but despite this, it really does need to be addressed. This is due primarily to funding issues, but at times unfounded accusations of "socialism" or other such nonsense. So, you know what? I'm going to come right out and say it. Japan has a universal health care system, and I love it. It's phenomenal, and despite all of the resistance that it may receive abroad, I'm completely behind the idea.

In the health care system, the government pays 70% of the fee while the individual pays 30%. Hospitals are run by doctors, not by companies for profit. Clinics are also owned and run by doctors. For those who live in Japan, enrollment is mandatory. If you are foreign though, you sometimes fall into a grey area. It's still strongly recommended that you join the health care system though.

There are two types of health care here in Japan.

1. Employees' Health Insurance (健康保険) - This is run by companies or associations, and it provides health insurance to employees. Care for employees' families is also provided through this.
2. National Health Insurance (国民健康保険) - This is normally for students or for those who are self-employed.

Individuals can go to any hospital or clinic. It's best to go with a referral though. Cost is extremely low, which is why individuals will often go to the hospital, even for minor problems. In some ways, this is beneficial. You don't have the problem of people staying sick for weeks because they can't afford to go to the doctor. They just go to the doctor and get medicine and get better. They can then go to work, and stop being a burden on their fellow coworkers who would have to cover them. On the other hand, this is a negative thing. People go to the hospital for literally anything, and for this reason, people with serious problems often have to wait.

Understand though that people can get private insurance for certain cases, and some things are not covered, like dental work. For this reason, things like braces are extremely expensive (as they are in the States as well), which is often why the Japanese will have less than stellar dental hygiene.

So, what does this mean for Japan? People do not stay sick very long, and although it may be more expensive at the onset, it is significantly less expensive as the society grows older. By protecting people when they're young, they will live longer and therefore healthier. People with serious issues will also go to the doctor, and those who just wonder if something should be checked out or not will also go to the doctor before it becomes serious. There's something to be said for this. When I went to the doctor here, it cost be 800 yen total, medicine included. That's roughly $9.50 US with the current exchange rate. I'd spend $50 just to go to meet with a doctor in the US, and my medicine would cost far more. From my humble opinion, its clear why Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world. Although its not just due to health care, and its surely due to diet as well, there is no doubt that health care cannot harm a person.

Can it be implemented elsewhere? That's what it all comes to, isn't it? And I'd say yes, it's possible, but there would have to be some changes. Certain things are efficient. Others aren't. I'm not saying to adopt the entire system, but I do think this is a good option, and if the US could adopt it, I'd back it 100%.

Of Gion Matsuri 3

Today was the day of the parade. Here are some more videos. The first is moving the 鉾 (hoko). The second is just general parade fun. In order to see the second one, you'll need to have Facebook. Otherwise, it's all good.

Of Gion Matsuri 2

There are two more videos that I'd like to post. The first is the 鉾　(hoko), or floats on yesterday night playing music. The second is some amazing street performers. The first is playing what is called a shamisen, which is a traditional Japanese string instrument plucked with a brush, and the second guy is playing a drum.





Michelle

Of Gion Matsuri

Gion Matsuri (祇園祭) started the other day, but it's officially in full swing now. So, what is the matsuri about? It began in the 11th year of the Jougan Era (貞観11年), or the year 869 A.D. here in Kyoto as a way to prevent disease. At that time, people feared what was called the a curse from Emperor Kozu (来ず天皇の祟り). Therefore, in the southern part of Nijo Castle (二条城), there is what is called the 神泉苑, which as far as I can tell means a park which contains a fountain for the gods. In those days, to protect Japan, the festival was fheld. Furthermore, portable shrines (神輿) were carried around Kyoto, and so this is how the festival's name came to be called the 祇園御霊会(ぎおんごりょうえ), or the Gion Festival to Meet with the Spirits. A Goryoue - the word listed above - is a festival that is held in order to appease evil spirits that would otherwise do harm.

On the floats, which are called hoko (鉾), there are a group of musicians who play flutes (笛), drums (太鼓), and bells (鉦). These bells have a very distinctive sound, and this music commonly associated with summertime in Japan. It's been playing throughout the grocery stores for the past month. Most Japanese characterization this sound as kon-chiki-chin.  For the past week or so, in the Shijo-Kawaramachi area, they have been building these floats. They weigh around 30 tons, and are made of wood. They are decorated with parasols, trees, figurines, images of battles, etc. They represent the moon or the like.

Last night was what was called 宵々山 (yoiyoi-yama). This is two nights before the parade. It's when most of the food occurs, and people can go to listen to the music.

Tonight was what is called  宵山 (yoi-yama), the night before the parade. This morning was a formal tea ceremony and tonight was a traditional dance. The dance included defeating evil spirits and other such traditional stories.

Tomorrow is the big parade, which is characterized by the act of having these 30 ton floats. It takes a team of around 50 guys per float, which is quite impressive. Unfortunately, they have to turn them around corners, and since they're made of wood, this isn't the easiest task. Luckily, through sheer will alone, the team is able to do it. What they do is put a bunch of wooden planks beneath the wheels, and then soak these with water. They then literally drag the float across them. I've found some handy videos below that you all might enjoy.

Gion Matsuri
Turning the Float

Michelle

Of Blood Types

There's a fairly strong belief in Japan associated with blood type, or ketsuekigata (血液型) in Japanese. Like people's astrological signs, Japanese tend to identify themselves by their blood type. This is the same as you saying, "I'm a Virgo." Instead, this time, it's "I'm blood type A." Although you may scoff at the astrological signs analogy, perhaps it would be better to bring up the idea that birth order determines personality, which is a fairly common belief in the States. As far as I can find, positive and negative don't factor in to one's blood type personality.

This began around the 1900's while trying to classify ethnic traits. Perhaps the most influential of the writings on the effects of one's blood type can be seen in Takeji Furukawa's study titled "The Study of Temperament Through Blood Type." Despite the fact that Furukawa lacked a significant amount of credentials and the study was limited to about 20 people, the idea took hold. When Japan occupied Taiwan, a search was began for why the Taiwanese resisted so much to Japanese takeover. When it was found that they had type O, interbreeding was suggested in order to dilute the genes that had apparently made them so resistant. In the 1970's, several books were released, this time by Masahiko Nomi, who was a lawyer at the time. Nomi's works also lacked scientific evidence, but the idea remains popular today.

In the modern world, these are everywhere in Japan. Facebook and Twitter allow Japanese users to put up their blood types on their profiles. Matchmaking agencies will ask that their customers reveal their blood type in order to ensure a successful match. References to it are frequently seen in magazines, and Japanese Wikipedia actually lists celebrities' blood type in their info. Friends will often ask you what your blood type is, and not knowing it blood type can lead to mixed degrees of shock.

So what makes these blood types so important? It's believed that they determine one's personality as well as one's compatibility with another individual. People will not date certain blood types because of their "negative" traits.

But surely this is just popular culture right? It's just a bunch of teenage girls with nothing better to do than look in their Cosmo magazine and try to figure out if they match up with their potential crush. Sadly, that's not the case. This is believed by everyone from youths to adults, from the common man to the most educated. In fact, the other day the head of the reconstruction effort up in Touhoku had to resign after only a week in office because he said something extremely insensitive to the victims of the disaster. By stating basically that "the country will not help you until you find decent plans to help yourself," calls for resignation rose. He blamed this on his B blood type, and although no one accepts that from a politician - because it really is a sorry excuse - people will blame their faults on their blood types normally. So, let's look at them shall we? These are divided into their positive and negative traits for each type. Whether one is A+ or A- does not matter to this chart.

A: Positive: Creative, sensible, reliable, patient, responsible, neat, takes care of others before oneself
     Negative: Overly detailed, overly earnest, stubborn, tense
B: Positive: Wild, active, creative, passionate, strong, does things that they set their mind to
     Negative: Selfish, irresponsible, unforgiving, unpredictable
AB: Positive: Cool, controlled, rational, sociable, adaptable
        Negative: Critical, indecisive, forgetful, irresponsible, has a "split personality"
O: Positive: Agreeable, sociable, optimistic
     Negative: Vain, rude, jealous, arrogant

Just for your information, type B tends to be the most common here, while back in the States, it's type O.