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Topic:  Homegrown chestnuts a seasonal treat By:  C.W. Nicol Publish Date: 21  December 2017 Published on :  The Mainichi News Homegrown chestnuts a seasonal treat One of the wonderful smells I remember as a boy in Britain back in the 1940s and 1950s was the fragrance of roasted chestnuts. Street vendors would sell them from barrows with wood-burning stoves. My mother would also buy fresh chestnuts, which we would take home and roast by lining them up on the grate in front of the living room fire. You had to remember to prick them first, or they were liable to explode! I was introduced to Japanese chestnuts at a friend's house over celebrations for the new year in 1963, where they were served with those special dishes that were such a culinary adventure to me. The following autumn, walking in the woods, I picked a whole pocketful of the small wild chestnuts and took them back to a mountain hut to roast them on a stove. They were ...

Topic:  Using 'tradition' as an excuse against things one disagrees with By:  Yuko Tanaka Publish Date:  22 December 2017 Published on :  The Mainichi News Using 'tradition' as an excuse against things one disagrees with The reason that was given by Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) General Council Chairman Wataru Takeshita when asked why he opposed the invitation of same-sex partners to banquets hosted by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko was this: "It doesn't fit with Japan's traditions." I wonder how he defines the word "tradition." It's likely that he has little knowledge of Japanese culture but believes that he does, and defines tradition as things that match his own views. Back in the day, there was no other country as unprejudiced toward homosexuals as Japan. This lack of prejudice began in ancient times, and was passed down as a beautiful part of the culture among aristocrats, monks and warriors, ult...

Topic:  Kaleidoscope of the Heart: The need to have a 'secret space' By:  Rika Kayama Publish Date:  Sunday,  17 December 2017 Published on :  The Mainichi News Kaleidoscope of the Heart: The need to have a 'secret space' Recently, when I was catching up with the latest showbiz news, I noticed an item asking whether a certain celebrity had split up with their partner. The celebrity had been posting photos of their sweetheart online, but later, the mood began to change. The partner had started releasing intimate photos taken with another person. Nobody said, "They've split up," or, "There's a new partner on the scene." However, it was fairly easy to imagine from the new set of photos that the relationship had probably broken down. I believe people have it tough nowadays. When I was young, we used to have phrases such as, "secret love," in an era when many people would be discreet about their love life. We...

Topic:  Popular giant panda cub shines ray of light on Japan-China relations By:  EDITORIAL Publish Date:    19 December 2017 Published on :  The Mainichi News Popular giant panda cub shines ray of light on Japan-China relations The giant panda cub Xiang Xiang, born in June at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, was unveiled to the general public for the first time on Dec. 19. It was the first time in 29 years for a giant panda cub to be unveiled at the zoo, after a cub named Yu Yu made his debut in 1988. Viewing is limited to about 400 groups of visitors per day for the remainder of the viewing period this year. The number of applications to view the panda was 144 times the number of available spots on the busiest day. The sight of the panda cub climbing a tree in her enclosure and chewing on bamboo branches has charmed visitors. It must be a great pleasure for zoo officials to reach this point of the cub's unveiling. Th...

I'm not considering firing special counsel Mueller by Trump Topic:  I'm not considering firing special counsel Mueller By:  Trump Publish Date:  Sunday,  17 December 2017 Published on :  The Mainichi News I'm not considering firing special counsel Mueller President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, on Dec. 17, 2017, after returning from Camp David in Maryland. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is not considering firing special counsel Robert Mueller even as his administration was again forced to grapple with the growing Russia probe that has shadowed the White House for much of his initial year in office. Trump returned to the White House from Camp David and was asked if he would consider triggering the process to dismiss Mueller, who is investigating whether the president's Republican campaign coordinated...

Income redistribution should be heart of ruling bloc's tax system reforms by EDITORIAL Topic:  Income redistribution should be heart of ruling bloc's tax system reforms By:  EDITORIAL Publish Date:  Sunday,  17 December 2017 Published on :  The Mainichi News Income redistribution should be heart of ruling bloc's tax system reforms The ruling coalition has approved an outline of tax system reforms for fiscal 2018 with special emphasis on a review of tax deductions, a system aimed at reducing the income tax burden on taxpayers. However, the government was supposed to consider how the entire tax system should be reformed ahead of the consumption tax hike from 8 to 10 percent scheduled for October 2019. The consumption tax is increasingly important as a stable financial resource for snowballing social security spending. However, the indirect tax levied on virtually all goods and services is regressive, placing a heavier burden...

As the needy increase, how to save Japan's social security system? by EDITORIAL Topic:  As the needy increase, how to save Japan's social security system? By:  EDITORIAL Publish Date:  Sunday,  17 December 2017 Published on :  The Mainichi News As the needy increase, how to save Japan's social security system? "I can't remember everyone's faces," a caseworker who supports families on welfare at a ward office in Osaka said apologetically. "I probably remember about 40 percent." By law, a single caseworker is meant to oversee about 80 households. The abovementioned caseworker, however, is in charge of some 280 households comprising the elderly. Every day, he's swamped with reports from contract workers who handle phone consultations and home visits. The Osaka Municipal Government explains that it uses contract workers to make up for the shortage of caseworkers. However, one 73-year-old woman on welfare says, "I ...