morotoy comments

I totally support the view provided here by smartacus.This is not the time for us to sit still, but IS the time to keep on going. That means not only to meet our basic needs but also to reward ourselves for the hard, no hardest, work we have to endure during this period. As a seasoned event organizer, I would like to see if I can contribute to this cause. Thanks, smartacus, for your precious views.

Having spent an hour at Ise Shrine today, the Gods that created this land now called Japan are of the view that we deserve the challenges that are in front of our eyes. This is the time for revelation of the true inner strengths of the people who inhabit this land. Chapter Three. Time to wake up - Japan.

Someone had to stick her/his neck out and bring back a hint of normalcy to life. It could have been a Japanese singer or indeed somone from planet X.

Point on electrical consumption - valid - and it would be interesting to see how they will rejig the whole show with their lighting design.

A passionate point made by GW. Your position is clearly understood and is a commendable one. Myself, also being a stage person, might have left the scene or might not have depending on many factors. The point is that there are many more out there, on stage and back, willing to be a part of this show. Why not have fun while you are at it.

I think it is time for all sides to drop the guns, leave the theatre and concentrate on the crucial work at hand - get a life back.

Travelling through half the stretch of the country for 3 days following the disaster, I have witnessed the resilience and calm of ordinary people on the streets. They are doing what they can to get back to normality quicker that anyone can possibly imagine, and they are achieving just that.

Kan's task is to lead as well as to show his passionate self to applaud that resilience of the people and get the political as well as administrative processes to work as one united front and serve his populus.

Only time will tell - perhaps he will be known as the best PM ever to have emerged in a crisis, or perhaps not. However, it is too early to be handing him a term report.

cleo san; I appreciate your opinion. "Time is money" as they say. However, precisely because "time is money", these age old traditions are so precious and should be something that is worthy of retaining. As a Japanese we need to hand down to our children what it means to be a Japanese, much rather like the Welsh have kept their love-spoon tradition or the Lao(tians) have kept their katip. If we allow the industry to take over our critical ethno-cultural identities for the sake of Globalization, our diversity shall end with the demise of commercialism.

If we, the Japanese, have kept our traditions properly, we would never have a situation where you "order" OSECHI, let alone through the internet. We might as well celebrate our new year with our usual set meals from a fast-food chain. What the story has revealed in one sense is 'the absense of positives' VS 'the presense of negatives' discussion. I would question, with all my faith for the nation, what is it that we need to get done now for Japan?