Japanese scientists have invented “elastic water”, a new material that consists of 95 percent normal water with added 2 grams of clay and a small amount of organic components, according to this article by Malaysian National News Agency.

A detailed report about the work of the scientists — published in the latest issue of Nature magazine — suggests that the substance is safe for humans and friendly to the environment and as such, could therefore be used in medicine in the future.

The new material is elastic, transparent and looks like jelly. Furthermore, the report says it can be quickly produced and molded into shape-persistent, free-standing ohbjects because of its exceptionally great mechanical strength and can quickly and completely self-heal itself if it becomes damaged. It also preserves biologically active proteins for catalysis.

If they succeed in icreasing its density, the material could be used for the production of ecologically clean plastic materials without depending on petroleum which is today used in production of conventional plastics.

Last time we had fun with some unusual Japanese inventions, today let’s talk about something more serious.

The more we see what’s happening in the world and the worse the global economic and social situation becomes, the more we’re convinced that our praised capitalistic system without morals and ethics–which only makes the rich even richer and pushes the poor into an even bigger hole–is but detrimental for human society.

It’s quite possible that just like we think today about the brutal Medieval feudal system from 500 years ago which seemed to those poor peasants like a normal way of life, that’s how 500 years from now they will think about our cruel capitalistic system which seems just normal to us but has in the 20th century help us cause more damage to nature and ourselves than in all human history combined.

But things are changing. Increasingly more newly established companies around the globe are becoming aware of the urgency of changing the direction and it all seems like future textbooks for economics will teach differently than they do today. Since we’re a blog about Japan, let’s focus on one of those companies which I came across in an article for Reuters.

Kamakura Investment Management was established in November 2008 and is headquartered in ancient Kamakura, a popular seaside tourist destination about 50 km from Tokyo. According to the owners, unlike short-term profit oriented companies, their investment strategy works on a principle that offers “long-term harmony with the society”. They plan on investing into about 100 small and medium-sized domestic companies that focus on the environment.

Yasuyuki Kamata, the company president in the interview for Reuters says that they don’t want to think about investments that will conclude in our generation but instead they focus on the next generation.

The firm’s high-tech equipped dealing room with tatami floor overlooks a traditional Japanese garden.

Kamata continues by saying that investors will feel good if they know that money goes to companies that provide good contributions to the society.

Time will tell if they are on the right path. One thing is certain; we are entering an era of some radical economic and social changes where it won’t be easy to crawl out of the abyss into which we fell with our own greed.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B71GY20091208

The famous Amida Buddha Daibutsu statue attracts visitors in Kamakura, Japan, 2008.

Today I came across a Japanese design company called Funfam that creates interesting eco-friendly products for kitchen and dining.

Among other things they create table manners sets for children to learn and practice good manners at the table in a fun way while using natural materials.

All the pieces are made of laminated bamboo which is light and a good antibacterial material. Cute hand-engraved icons indicate where to put utensils and plates.

They are selling sets with forks, knives and spoons as well as chopsticks. There are even larger sets meant for adults.

Tokyo has plenty of parks and one of those is Toneri Koen in Adachi Ward which is a huge park for recreation and other activities. Thought I’d write a post about it since it’s located not far from our place, about 10 minutes walk. Comes in handy when you want to relax your nerves, stretch the muscles and breathe some fresh oxygen. By the way, the word koen in Japanese means – park.

The park itself, besides grass and trees obviously, has ponds, streams, small lake, children paygrounds, tennis courts, fields for baseball and athletics, more than enough space for picnics and one interesting thing that’s not so common in public parks — equipment for doing various exercises, along with instructions on how to use them.

Many Japanese give a lot of importance to recreation and often even at 7 in the morning, you’ll see parks full of sporty seniors jogging around and practicing some intense exercise that would shock a lot of today’s teenagers who train their finger muscles with the help of Nintendo Wii and Playstation.

Japanese parks typically look very natural with greenery growing without human interference. Some parts are taken care of where necessary, but mostly they let nature create the scenery by itself.  The result is that the parks look very fresh and you have a feeling that you’re indeed in a natural environment instead of in a place where everything was exactly planned out by whoever built the park, and — let alone — have some statue of an important political leader jump out from behind a bush. Toneri Koen is no exception and just by looking at photos, I’d find it hard to believe it’s not far from central Tokyo that a lot of people would imagine is nothing but highrise and crowded streets.

Tokyo Bureau of Construction has a brochure of Toneri Koen which you can download here as a PDF file.

Last weekend I took a few shots around the park:

A view from one of the hills in the park.

You can’t see the water, but there’s a lake under these plants.

Another senior gymnast who pulled himself up so many times I had to stop counting. Is the secret in food, green tea, sitting on the floor instead of chair?

Erika shows how to get your feet massaged.

Free exercise equipment.

In Japan one can hardly find a naked dog. Nearly all of them are dressed up or use some kind of a fashion accessory.

Surprisingly, many people who fish do so just for fun, then they throw the fish back into the water.

Toneri Koen station right next to the main park entrance.

A herb garden managed by volunteers. The structure in the background is the rail for Toneri Liner.

A zeppelin in sunset.

The 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival opened on Saturday, October 17th, and will last until Sunday, October 25th.

The festival which aims to emphasize the importance of the global environment, is green-themed and focuses on environmental problems. The Green Carpet was unrolled instead of the usual red one, green energy will be used on screenings, and a symposium on environment will be held. “Toyota Earth Grand Prix” will be awarded to an outstanding new film from natural section that will give best consideration to nature, ecology and the environment.

This year, the festival established the Green Carpet Club with a goal to further develop ecological initiatives and projects for filmmakers, film fans and the future for next generations.

The 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival is held in Roppongi Hills and other venues in Tokyo metropolitan area.

For the official web site with all the information, click here.