VOX POPULI: Spring can't be that far away now, can it?

Feb. 4 was risshun (beginning of spring) by the lunisolar calendar. In parts of northern Japan, the first day of rain without any snow after risshun is called ame ichiban (first rain of the season).

Below are some interesting comments that appeared in the vernacular Asahi Shimbun during February, the month of eager anticipation for the arrival of spring.

"Tono Monogatari" (Tales of Tono), a record of folk legends compiled by Kunio Yanagita (1875-1962), was published a century ago. Haruo Unman, 61, is a self-appointed "keeper" of kappa (mythical river sprites) at Kappa-fuchi river pool, a tourist spot in the city of Tono, Iwate Prefecture.

According to Unman, kappa have a solid presence in tales of day-to-day life recounted by the people of Tono. "The locals don't bother asking themselves if kappa are for real," said Unman. "Everyone accepts kappa as creatures that exist in their hearts."

The terror-inspiring ritual of Namahage (men impersonating ferocious demons and bogeymen), observed in Akita Prefecture and designated by the government as an important intangible folk-cultural property, is said to have become tame in recent years.

Norio Akasaka, 56, president of the graduate school of Tohoku University of Art and Design, pointed out that the ritual today tends to mirror the emergence of a new generation of non-aggressive and non-threatening men. "Society today is losing its ability to make wise use of the power and energy inherent in festivals," he noted.

Masako Shimizu, 68, a writer of children's stories and known for her Japanese translations of the "Earthsea" series of fantasy tales by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, is leaving her teaching post at Aoyama Gakuin Women's Junior College.

In her final lecture, she told her students, "Great works of children's literature encourage their young readers to persevere when the going gets rough, and reassure them that they'll be fine. That is how I would like each of you to become."

Tota Kaneko, a commentator for the vernacular Asahi Shimbun's Haidan haiku section, received this year's special award of the Mainichi Art Award. His work that was reviewed by the judges goes: "The male organ/ Dangles listless/ Like an ochi-ayu (sweetfish coming down the river to spawn)."

Referring to this piece in his acceptance speech at the award-giving ceremony, Kaneko said, "I want you to know that this haiku is about myself." And the unflappable 90-year-old cracked up the audience with this comment: "I would like to add that my organ still has the substantial presence of an ochi-ayu (in its final journey)."

Kaneko recently selected a haiku by Takehiro Adachi for the top prize in the Asahi Shimbun's Haidan section. Adachi's work goes: "I eat/ The finest dirt/ Called satoimo (taro)." It is precious to be able to truly appreciate one's life as a gift. The appreciation enriches not only the tuber's flavor, but one's life, too.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 28

* * *

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.