Sense and sensibility of younger generations

Under a program known as "Gendai Gakusei Hyakunin Isshu" (100 poems by 100 students today), now in its 23rd year, Toyo University invites mainly high school students to submit their tanka classical Japanese verse poems.

Takuma Nakajima, a first-year student at a technical college, wrote: "A photojournalist was gunned down in Myanmar/ Your courage has inspired me to pursue my dream."

The photojournalist, Kenji Nagai, was slain in 2007, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of many young Japanese.

Teenage romance can start with a thumb that punches text messages into a cellphone.

A poem by Nozomi Shibuya, a second-year senior high school student, goes: "After feeling cold and bleak in winter waiting for your response/ Your reply is like a hot water bottle."

Romance like this blossoms in the palm, but Maiko Ogawa (third-year) wrote with a touch of humor: "Thanks to the flu that's going around/ I have to wash my hand that held my boyfriend's."

Romance isn't the only thing that can make human relations challenging at times.

Haruka Kozaki (first-year) had this to say: "Left alone on the train after my friend got off/ I end my act with a deep sigh of relief."

Putting up an act or telling a lie is sometimes done out of kindness to the other person.

Tomoaki Nakagawa (third-year) observed: "My best friend and I had a long day of fun together/ Sharing our dreams on our way home/ I fibbed a bit."

For teens, acquiring this sort of sensitivity is part of their journey toward adulthood.

School life and self-examination go hand in hand.

"The classroom where I was a nervous wreck on the day I sat for the entrance exam/ Is now my No. 1 comfort zone," wrote Kimie Hoshi (first-year).

There is no better proof of growth than "change."

Takuma Sekine (second-year) described his growth this way: "My uniform hung on me two years ago/ Now stuffed with many memories, it's a perfect fit."

Some poems reveal their authors' exquisitely tender feelings toward their families.

Takahiro Naraoka (first-year) wrote: "Grandma, look at me in my new high school uniform/ I strike a pose before her grave on a spring day."

Satomi Kaneko (second-year) recalled: "I overslept and said I didn't need breakfast/ I later found a salmon onigiri (rice ball) tucked in my schoolbag."

We should never assume teenagers have no interest in politics.

A poem by Hanako Ogasawara (second-year) goes: "I was able to witness a historic regime change/ Would love to look at school textbooks that will be used years from now."

A primary school pupil, sixth-grader Takehiro Yoshinaga, submitted this one: "There was a TV program I wanted to watch from 6/ But every channel was about the regime change."

Don't forget, Mr. Hatoyama and Mr. Ozawa, that young generations are watching you closely.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 15