Secrets About Daiso, Japan's Fun and Quirky 100-Yen Shop!
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VOLUME 7 NO. 15 SEPTEMBER 4 – SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 SUBMIT STORIES TO: [email protected] STRIPESJAPAN.COM FACEBOOK.COM/STRIPESPACIFIC FREE INSIDE INFO Mental Notes with Hilary Valdez INNER MANAGEMENT PAGE 3 7 secrets about Daiso, YUGAWARA BEACH Japan’s fun and quirky A GREAT PLACE TO HANG 10 Japan Photos courtesy of Live PAGE 7 100-yen shop! Pages 8-9 JAPAN TAKES BAKED GOODS ANOTHER LEVEL PAGE 10 GEISHA STRUGGLE TO PROTECT TRADITIONS AMID COVID-19 PAGE 16 Iwakuni family barred from bases after travel incident BY JOSEPH DITZLER, orders in place from U.S. Forces Japan and LIKE US ON STARS AND STRIPES MCAS Iwakuni to control the virus’ spread. FACEBOOK Published: August 28, 2020 The family violated Japan’s Japan at the time was experiencing the onset of a second wave of coronavirus cases. TOKYO — An American family that drew Quarantine Act, along with Friday’s release came with an apology: rebuke from Japan’s defense minister after orders in place from “The air station expresses sincere regret skirting coronavirus restrictions in July has U.S. Forces Japan. to our Japanese neighbors for any anxiety been barred from Marine Corps Air Station caused by this incident and we will continue Iwakuni, and all U.S. military installations, to strictly enforce appropriate COVID-19 for 10 years, according to Marine statements. risk mitigation measures.” The family of four arrived July 12 at Hane- COVID-19 is the respiratory disease da International Airport in central Tokyo by Japanese authorities at Haneda later caused by the coronavirus. and the following day boarded a commercial showed three of the family members were The family left Iwakuni on Aug. 25 for flight for Kintaikyo Airport, which shares a infected with the coronavirus. the U.S., according to an email from 1st Lt. runway with MCAS Iwakuni, according to a According to the Marines, the family vio- FACEBOOK.COM/STRIPESPACIFIC news release by the air station Friday. Tests lated Japan’s Quarantine Act, along with SEE TRAVEL ON PAGE 2 2 STRIPES JAPAN A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC SEPTEMBER 4 − SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 TRAVEL: Family gave false information CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Phillip Parker, a spokesman for Max D. Lederer Jr. MCAS Iwakuni, to Stars and Publisher Stripes. Parker said a family Lt. Col. Richard E. McClintic member employed by the De- Commander fense Department has resigned Joshua M Lashbrook Chief of Staff that position; Parker declined to Chris Verigan identify the organization. Engagement Director Earlier reports about the inci- Marie Woods dent indicated a family of three; Publishing and Media Design Director however, only three of the four Chris Carlson Publishing and Media Design Manager family members tested positive The family’s ban, Eric Lee for coronavirus, according to the Advertising and Circulation Manager release. or “debarment,” Monte Dauphin Defense Minister Taro Kono Japan Area Manager singled out the family at a news followed a misconduct Kentaro Shimura Production Manager conference July 15 and called on hearing Aug. 7, one Rie Miyoshi the U.S. to tighten up its corona- Engagement Manager virus testing and isolation proce- day after the four were Denisse Rauda dures. Publishing and Media Design Editor medically cleared. Publishing and Media Design Writers Kono said the family gave ChiHon Kim false information about its trav- Shoji Kudaka Takahiro Takiguchi el plans. He also cited the U.S. Layout Designers practice, afterwards curtailed, Mamoru Inoue of housing military personnel Yukiyo Oda Yuko Okazaki newly arrived on Okinawa in an A flight takes off from Haneda International Airport in central Tokyo, March 18. Photo by Akifumi Ishikawa, Stars and Stripes Kayoko Shimoda off-base hotel during their 14- Multimedia Consultants day mandated quarantine. family members, to test free of indicated the family arrived at entering quarantine, according Max Genao Doug Johnson Brian Jones Jason Lee At the time, U.S. personnel ar- the virus before exiting quaran- Haneda via a commercial flight to the Marines. Hans Simpson Chae Pang Yi riving at air bases in Japan were tine. from the United States. From Contact tracing found no con- Gianni Youn Robert Zuckerman subject to quarantine but were The family’s ban, or “debar- Haneda, Japanese authorities tacts linked to the family on the Graphic Designers Kenichi Ogasawara Yosuke Tsuji not tested unless ment,” followed cleared them to travel directly to air station; of six traced off the Sales Support they experienced EXCLUSIVE NEWS FROM: a misconduct their quarantine site, but not on station, none apparently con- Kazumi Hasegawa Hiromi Isa symptoms. hearing Aug. 7, public transportation. The next Ichiro Katayanagi Yoko Noro tracted the virus, according to Yusuke Sato Saori Tamanaha Not long after one day after the day they took the commercial the Marines. Toshie Yoshimizu Un Chong Yu Kono’s statement, four were medi- flight to Iwakuni. “While deeply regrettable, USFJ ordered cally cleared. At the air station, they did this incident caused no addi- For feedback and inquiries, anyone affiliated with the U.S. They spent 24 days of isolation not immediately enter quaran- tional cases of COVID-19 within contact [email protected] military, including service mem- in their base home, according to tine, a violation of USFJ and Japan,” the statement said. To place an ad, call DSN 227-7370 bers, Defense Department civil- the statement. base orders. The three learned stripesjapan.com/contact [email protected] ian employees, contractors and The Marine statement their positive test results after Twitter: @JosephDitzler SEPTEMBER 4 − SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 A STARS AND STRIPES COMMUNITY PUBLICATION 75 YEARS IN THE PACIFIC STRIPES JAPAN 3 Mental Notes with Hilary Valdez Inner management BY HILARY VALDEZ, STRIPES JAPAN hinking is natural. We all have a conscious mind from the second we are born. However, improving positive T thinking involves becoming more self-aware and using positive affirmations help to replace less positive thinking. Understanding your thinking process, then gaining and predicting what you need in the future, is important. And in this global world where everything is interdependent and in- terconnected, the need to understand and how to react is key. In 1967, Marshall McLuhan wrote: “The Medium is the Massage.” He described a future where our senses would be massaged by technology and how it would become integrated into our daily lives. However, this environment seems to drag us down with daily negativity which is perpetuated by our own negative thoughts. As humans we routinely use judgment in determining what to accept and what to reject. Two thinking routines to ponder. “See-Think-Wonder” and “What do you see?” To start, name the qualities of the image you see. What do you think? What does the image make you think about? And, what do you won- der? What questions do you have about the image? According to Dr. Linda Elder, educational psychologist, all reasoning has a purpose, so state your purpose clearly. Exam- ine your assumptions, identify your point of view, verify your information, then look at the implications and consequences of your reasoning. Our everyday thinking patterns determine our abilities, tal- ents and personal attributes. To function efficiently in today’s world, we need to determine between what works for us and what works against us. This is where self-awareness comes into play: Don’t worry so much. Don’t procrastinate. Have a schedule with deadlines. Set goals. Start early. Listen actively and ask questions. If your thoughts are calm, you are calm, and so is your mind. You are what you think you are. Don’t be smothered by global events. Here’s the hard part, a convergent thinker sees limited options. A divergent thinker constantly explores options. We need insightful, problem-solving thinking skills. But when we are emotionally fired up, those grumbling thoughts stay with us for a while. Watch people when you’re walking out in town, you’ll no- tice people talking to themselves, answering themselves, and arguing with themselves. This is called incessant thinking. Do you do that? To stop this, just focus or observe details around you. When you analyze little things, the brain starts process- ing the little things and your brain begins to switch gears. This also works for stress reduction. Here’s the bad news about balancing all the global news, misinformation, multitasking, and talking to yourself: Your mental health could suffer. Pay attention to your well-being. If you are chronically tired, avoiding social activities, having changes in weight and eating habits, frequently angry, have a bad temper, or displaying memory problems— it’s time to re-boot! Be proactive, think positively, declutter— both physically and mentally, take notes, journal, and multi-task. Be more selective of information to read and receive. Don’t overload yourself with trivial and useless information. Your thoughts create your environment. Use what we learn in basic resiliency training: your thoughts affect your feelings; your feelings affect your behavior. Your mind is connected to your thoughts, and your thoughts to your actions, which is in turn connected to our consciousness. Finally, you’re human. You’ll have moments of anguish and despair, just release that energy. Don’t dwell on it. An- ger is a dangerous place to stay. Work towards managing your thoughts, navigating out of troubled thinking and then make a plan. It takes practice, but it works when you work it! Stripes Japan is A Stars and Stripes Community Publication. locations where overseas DOD personnel are located. Hilary Valdez is a retiree living in Japan. He is an experienced This newspaper is authorized for publication by the Department The appearance of advertising in this publication, including Mental Health professional and Resiliency Trainer.