http://www.candle-night.org/en/ ja Copyright 2012 Wed, 13 Jun 2012 09:28:21 +0900 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.1 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Turn off your lights for two hours from 8 to 10 p.m. on the evening of June 21, 2012. Do something special . . . Read a book with your child by candlelight. Enjoy a quiet dinner with a special person. This night can mean many things for many people. A time to save energy, to think about peace, to think about people in distant lands who share our planet. http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/candle-night-summerwinter-sols-1.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/candle-night-summerwinter-sols-1.html 2100_what_new Wed, 13 Jun 2012 09:28:21 +0900 At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2012--a year after the devastating earthquake occurred--silent prayers and memorial services were held all around Japan. The Candle Night Committee called for people to turn off the lights that night. The Candle Night website featured many messages sent from many different places. They were in response to the Committee's questions, "Where do you observe Candle Night? What do you pray for and with whom? What do you do by the candlelight?" Each message was displayed one by one just like a flicker of light, showing the sender's deep feeling. The messages were shared by all the Candle Night participants. At the beach in Tairatoyoma, Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture, screenwriter Sou Kuramoto lit candles to commemorate victims of the disaster. In Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture, "Yuriage-no-Tsudoi" (meeting at Yuriage) was held. Gomagi (special firewood) was burned to make holy fires, decorative lanterns were placed and candles were lit. Osaki City in Miyagi Prefecture hosted an event called "Candle Night in Osaki--Lights for Restoration." Memorial candles were lit and fireworks were shot off to commemorate victims. Hibiya Park in Tokyo was the venue for an event combining live music, a talk, and candle night, which was titled "Peace on Earth." Many of those who called for 3.11 Candle Night attended the meeting, including Kazuyoshi Fujita, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tokiko Kato, Shin'ichi Nakazawa, and Miyako Maekita. On March 10 and 11, a message "KIZUNA NIPPON" (meaning a bond of Japan) was lit on the Tokyo Tower and powered by solar panels. Especially on March 11, the lights of Tokyo Tower were turned off except for this message in order to express a feeling of mourning. The embassy of Denmark in Japan reportedly observed Candle Night on March 11, too. In addition to these events, numerous people all around Japan prayed for and talked quietly about the year after the earthquake with their families and friends by candlelight. http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/reflecting-on-311-candle-night.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/reflecting-on-311-candle-night.html 2100_what_new Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:14:39 +0900 Junko Edahiro (Chief Executive of Japan for Sustainability/President of e's Inc.) -- Promoter of Candle Night Up until now, the Candle Night Summer/Winter Solstices encouraged people just to turn off the lights for two hours, no matter how different their reasons were. I hope Candle Night 3.11 will be an opportunity to think about what really matters to us. To increase GDP to 1.4 times the current level, it is estimated that nuclear power plants are required. However, is that GDP growth really necessary for us? We need to consider this question fundamentally. It is really a critical moment for civil society. http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/share-the-moment-thinking-abou.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/share-the-moment-thinking-abou.html 2100_what_new Sun, 11 Mar 2012 12:16:28 +0900 Shin-ichi Takemura (Cultural Anthropologist, Professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design/Earth Literacy Program) -- Promoter of Candle Night There are three "fires" in Candle Night: the sun's "fire (sunlight)" on the longest/shortest day (summer and winter solstices) of the year, the "fire" on the candle, and the fire in our hearts. After March 11, 2011, two fires have been added: an entirely different type of "fire (energy from atomic fission)" in nuclear power, and the "fire (energy)" of the earth and the universe that formed our world and caused the earthquake. Owing to the time difference, as the earth rotates a relay of candle fires could be observed as a belt around the earth. Nuclear power is a global issue, so we need to think about the issue globally. http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/significance-of-candle-fires.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/significance-of-candle-fires.html 2100_what_new Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:17:25 +0900 Miyako Maekita (President of NPO Sustena) -- Promoter of Candle Night When asked, "What is Candle Night," I would often reply, "It includes diversity, initiative and cohesion. I never imagined such a catastrophe would happen to Japan. On this occasion, it will be more important to live a better life while remaining conscious of those three values, by sharing time talking with people who live in our same era. http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/diversity-initiative-cohesion.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/diversity-initiative-cohesion.html 2100_what_new Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:16:46 +0900 Shin-ichi Tsuji (Cultural Anthropologist, Founder of the Sloth Club/Professor at Meiji Gakuin University) -- Promoter of Candle Night In 2001, a voluntary blackout movement started in Canada in response to the US Bush Administration's energy plan to build one or two nuclear power plants a month, in order to maintain its status as the #1 GDP country in the world. In time, this movement spread all around the world, and Candle Night was inspired by this movement. The earthquake and the following nuclear accidents on March 11, 2011 added a significant meaning to Candle Night that encourages us to turn off the lights on the night of March 11. It is the time to fundamentally question what we are and what the society should be. Perhaps what is necessary is not "addition" but rather "subtraction." http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/subtraction-should-be-valued-i.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/subtraction-should-be-valued-i.html 2100_what_new Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:58:38 +0900 Kazuyoshi Fujita (President of Daichi-wo-Mamorukai) --Promoter of Candle Night Regrettably, the March 11 Earthquake was the kind of disaster that completely altered the course of the lives we have been living ever since we started Candle Night 10 years ago. On this occasion, we need to rethink Japanese society, rebuild it in a way we can be proud of, and pass it on to the next generation. Candle Night will be an opportunity to take time to think. What it means may be different for each of us. One million ways to participate in Candle Night for one million different people. http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/one-million-ways-to-participat.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/one-million-ways-to-participat.html 2100_what_new Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:55:57 +0900 3.11 Candle Night was first brought to life by Japanese screenwriter Sou Kuramoto, who wished to light candles on the night of March 11 this year as a memorial service for a student's family, who were victims of a deadly tsunami. Kuramoto runs a drama school, "Furano Juku" in Hokkaido, north Japan, where around the region people would customarily build a bonfire at the beach when a marine accident occurred. This custom was to lead the accident victims back to the village, even when there was no hope of actual rescue. The bonfire was the place to which the souls of the victims could come back. Kuramoto's desire to light candles on March 11 to help guide the souls of victims back to their homes led him to contact Candle Night committee members about encouraging people to observe Candle Night together. http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/lighting-candles-to-show-the-w.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/lighting-candles-to-show-the-w.html 2100_what_new Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:49:57 +0900 Candle Night 3.11 Almost a year has passed since the 2011 Japan Earthquake. Devastating earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis caused unprecedented damage and left untold victims along coastal areas in eastern Japan, from Kanto to Tohoku regions. The Fukushima nuclear disaster followed. The year 2011 was extremely trying, a time when we needed to rethink who we are and what Japan should be from various perspectives in the face of the catastrophe. Against this backdrop, "Candle Night" encourages people all around the world to turn off the lights on the evening of March 11, 2012 (at your local time). Usually, Candle Nights are held on the winter and summer solstices. It takes into consideration, however, that March 11 is an important day to remember, and we would like to share this time with people all around the world. http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/invitation-to-candle-night-311.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/invitation-to-candle-night-311.html 2100_what_new Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:31:10 +0900 On March 11, 2012, We ask for all the people in the world to turn off the lights. One year has passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. Each and everyone joining the moment, Bearing their own thoughts in mind, Each in their own way. Turn off the lights. Take it slow. Candle Night Committee Japan http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/candle-night-311.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/candle-night-311.html 2100_what_new Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:41:11 +0900 Turn off your lights for two hours from 8 to 10 p.m. on the evening of December 22, 2011. Do something special . . . Read a book with your child by candlelight. Enjoy a quiet dinner with a special person. This night can mean many things for many people. A time to save energy, to think about peace, to think about people in distant lands who share our planet. http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/candle-night-summerwinter-sols.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/candle-night-summerwinter-sols.html 2100_what_new Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:39:42 +0900 Turn off the lights, take it slow. This night can mean many things for many people. A time to save energy, to think about peace, to think about people in distant lands who share our planet. On the evening of summer/winter solstice, June 22, 2011. http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/candle-night-2011-june-22-2011.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/candle-night-2011-june-22-2011.html 2100_what_new Tue, 14 Jun 2011 09:44:36 +0900 Candle Night Newsletter December Special 2010.pdf]]> http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/2110-news-lettar/topic-th.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/2110-news-lettar/topic-th.html 2110_news_lettar Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:04:42 +0900 One of the widespread practices is taking "yuzu-yu." Several slices or a whole "yuzu," a kind of citrus, is put in a cloth bag, then the bag is placed into bathwater. It is said in Japan that if you take a yuzu bath on the winter solstice, you will never catch a cold during winter. It is also said that the strong smell of yuzu can remove evil from the body and purify it. In fact, yuzu baths smell good and an ingredient of the yuzu skin is known to be good for skin protection. Another well-known practice is to eat "kabocha," or winter squash, on the day of the winter solstice. Japanese winter squash is full of vitamin A and carotene and thus good for preventing colds and strokes. Although the harvesting season of squash is from summer to autumn, it can be well preserved and thus valued in winter when other vegetables are scarce. In addition, the phonetic sound of "kabocha," also read as "nan-ki-n", is said to be auspicious. The sound, "n" is a rhyme for "u-n" (meaning fortune in Japanese) and therefore some vegetables that end in "n," like "dai-kon" (Japanese radishes), nin-jin (carrots) and ren-kon (lotus roots) are also regarded as auspicious vegetables. There are some shrine festivals related to the winter solstice in Japan. One is "Toji-sai," the Winter Solstice Festival, held by the Issan Shrine in Saitama City in Saitama Prefecture. At the shrine, they make a path in the middle of a bonfire. The practice is called "hi-watari," or firewalking in English. Visitors walk down the path barefoot, wishing for the removal of impurities of the past year, and for good health and family safety for the coming year. After they safely finish their firewalking, yuzu fruit is given to the visitors. Thus, the festival is also called "Yuzu Festival." (Taeko Ohno) December 22, 2010]]> http://www.candle-night.org/en/candle-story/the-winter-solsticepractices-i.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/candle-story/the-winter-solsticepractices-i.html 2500_candle_story Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:44:33 +0900 Photo from the article: Message Sent from Antarctica Candle Night encourages people to spend some quality time in natural lighting, away from excessive electric lights. Please share a little moment with us and discover a new sense of values.]]> http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/candle-night-winter-solstice-t.html http://www.candle-night.org/en/what-new/candle-night-winter-solstice-t.html 2100_what_new Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:23:05 +0900