VOX POPULI: Subtle hints of spring amid the winter chills

"Ode to the West Wind" by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) begins: "O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being ... ." The poet asks in closing, "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"

The following remarks were made during January when subtle hints of spring could be felt in the air.

Nobuyasu Okabayashi, a 63-year-old folk singer, has released a CD in which he sings some numbers immortalized by Hibari Misora (1937-1989).

"I have to conclude that Ms. Hibari was a natural phenomenon unique to Japan, like Mount Fuji and the Jomon cedar (on Yasushima island)," Okabayashi said. "Born from the rubble of war, she was a symbol of Japan's postwar growth and remained a constant source of hope and encouragement for the Japanese people."

Satoshi Yamagishi, director general of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, believes there are two reasons for toki (Japanese crested ibises) in captivity to be returned to the wild.

One is to increase biodiversity, but the more important reason is to "recreate an environment in which these birds can survive." Yamagishi went on to explain, "The return of toki signifies regional revival."

Visitors from all over the country flock to Asahiyama zoo in Hokkaido because the animals there are more or less in their element.

Gen Bando, who became the zoo's director last year, noted: "All the staff here have their distinctive personalities. But with everybody sharing the zoo's basic philosophy, the zoo's characteristics should remain intact."

Tomohiko Murakami, 48, a doctor who inherited the bankrupted Yubari municipal hospital in Hokkaido, reduced the number of beds drastically to focus on in-home health care through house calls.

"The health care system collapsed in many communities because it was like a department store when what the communities really needed was a convenience store," he noted. "What's needed is for people to be able to maintain their quality of life in old age and know they can die in peace."

Katsuhito Iwai, an economist, observed: "If striving for frugality becomes a national virtue, this could actually make people's lives even harder. The economy cannot be sustained unless it is stimulated by certain consumer vices such as buying things they don't need or going for expensive gourmet food."

According to Iwai, the economy hitting the "bottom" also spells hope because it will start to pick up eventually.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 31

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.