my HASHI “chopsticks” case

Yesterday, I got a sweet present from my friend Satoko.

It was pretty handsewn chopsticks case with original embroidery on it. It embroidered Sun of the peace mark, Mt.Fuji and a wave. it's very pretty.

Speaking about waste disposable chopsticks, annual use of waste disposable chopsticks in Japan is $25 billion and annual consumption per person 200 sets. Those waste disposable chopsticks are imported 97% , about 90% come from China.

Producing disposable chopsticks has led deforestation, eliminating 30 hectare of forest a minute, 14 thousand hectare are lost annually in the world.

Forests play a vital role in the earth's ecosystem. They are essential for maintaining healthy soil and water, and reducing greenhouse gases. And the chopsticks used mildew-proofing agent and bleach, so using my own chopsticks is also healthy for us !

There is called My Hashi (chopsticks) project in Japan. Using my own HASHI is the one we can be earth-conscious .

I carry my own chopsticks around instead of having to waste disposable chopsticks. so she made my chopsticks case. It was BIG present.... she sewed each stitches thinking of me !

Satoko is Remaker. She makes little things with used clothes. This is the one thing she is trying living environmentally friendly. Everything she makes shown her warm heart . I look forward to her future... she makes many people happy with her arts !

Let's enjoy living environmentally friendly !

UME

''One idiot who cut branches from a Cherry blossom tree, One idiot who not cut branches from a Plum tree.''

This is Japanese old saying.

We can not cut branches from the cherry blossom tree. The best thing is viewing but We can cut branches from the plum tree. Plums will set very well.

I visited my grand mom and dad and helped cutting branches of the plum tree together.
We got many plums from the tree. They are going to make a Japanese plum wine called UMESHU. Plum(apricot) is UME . Japanese people like UME very much !! We pickled UME for preserved food too. It's a very sour,but known as healthy food from long time ago.

Picking plums is an annual event. They look forward to doing it this time of every year. And I am looking forward drinking the UMESHU when the time is come !

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AFRICA

Japan co-hosted Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) this year in Yokohama. TICAD was launched to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners.


This Summer, Japan also has a opportunity to make sure the G8 leaders keep their promises to the world's poor as they host the G8 summit.


so now, many movement-related those international events are everywhere in Japan.
Last week, I participated an event named ''ONE FOR ALL''. Antony Gormley the artist from England led us and over 500 people became one art . It taken a picture from the sky and will spread all over the world as a symbol of the peace....
I am looking forward to seeing how the art will go all over as a message.

It was raining at the event but He speeched in the beginning , ''In Here, We say this rain is unfortunate. but some of the countries in the world need this rain...'' It is .... It's very important to think that way I thought...

After the event, I went to two Picture Exhibitions, Pictures taken in Africa. It was not a Pub claw but a Exhibition claw... The exhibitions named ''A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AFRICA'' and ''THE LAND OF AFRICA National Geoglafic presents''.

The faces of Africa, civil conflicts,epidemics,poverty and public health sanitation...They have faced with various difficult problems however on the other hands, The barefaced of brightness they have, and Beautiful and Grand nature... I pondered many things...

One message caught my eyes.
''Yesterday was just a dream and Tomorrow only a vision. But today well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.Look well, therefore to this day.''

I just wanna live with people who take life one day at one time with all over creation in Africa. I pondered the memories of the places I have been in Africa.... Kenya, Egypt, Eritrea and Morocco....and many more deeply continuing land I saw in the pictures this time..... I wanna visit there again definitely...


My friend Hachi is working as JICA members in Niger.... I ponder how is she... and how are people backside of the planet.... always.... Peace for our only planet...

This is Sarah Mclachlan Music Video

This vido clip is about what can we do for the people in Third world, their education, medical care, food... how much we can help using the same cost as this video clip... What a ironic world we are living...

Please Watch the video clip !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzoNInZ2ClQ&mode=related&search