Crow Problem in Japan

Yesterday, the cawing of the crows was nearly constant! I don't know what was happening but they were very vocal. Today, they seem quieter. Maybe some of these techniques are working!
Here is an article about the problem and some interesting solutions.

Using Bees to Battle Crows in Japan

Crows are considered a menace in Japan and for the last 10 years, the country has been waging a war against them. There's been a range of tactics, but one that catches our eye is using one animal species to ward off another. Specifically, bees.

NPR reports that crow populations are booming in Japan, and while efforts have been made to improve trash services to cut off food sources, the birds are still considered too numerous and too much of a nusance to keep around.
The inhumane tactic being used is traps, luring the birds into giant cages, then gassing the captured crows.
"We do get complaints from people opposed to the crow extermination. But this is the policy of the environment bureau. People should also learn to deal with garbage better," says Koji Takagi, manager at Tokyo's Yoyogi Park, which has three traps.
But there's a more humane way created by a privately funded project called the Ginza Honeybee Project. We first heard about the project back in 2008, and it's a series of rooftop hives that are home to 300,000 honeybees. While the project is more about making honey in urban spaces, it has a handy side effect for the crow situation.
The bees literally chase the crows away when the birds get too near, yet they're still docile honey producers for humans.
Strategically placing honeybee hives can help reduce the number of crows in an area, reduce the frustration level of people dealing with the crows, and benefit honeybees by giving them more homes. It's not practical on a widespread level, but for particular areas, it's a more eco-friendly solution.
Another idea could be to make crows useful, such as using a crowbox to train them to be city street cleaners. Again, it could be difficult to implement on a wide scale, but it would certainly turn them from a nuisance into an eco-sidekick.
Still, cutting off the source of the problem - easy access to food scraps from garbage cans - should be the primary focus. Not only would it improve sanitation, but it could reduce the amount of funds spent on keeping the crow population at bay, the government budget for which is currently at $700,000 - about $50 per crow killed.

New Mission Presidents Arrive!

Here we are in our bibs at a Korean restaurant. We are at a dinner to welcome the new mission presidents and their wives. This year 141 new mission presidents, wives and some children left their homes yesterday to begin a three year term. They serve as mission "parents" to up to about 200 young men and women who are serving as missionaries. In the Asia North Area, we received two new presidents last night. Almost as soon as they were off the plane from the United States, they were whisked off to this dinner. I know that they were tired but it was great to get acquainted with them. These are the Watabes, the executive secretary and his wife, who were our tablemates.

This is the grill in the middle of the table with the various sauces for us to dip our meat in. What kind of meat, you ask? Well, we started with slices of beef TONGUE! I did eat two slices and it was very tender. If I hadn't known what it was, it would have been better. Elder Watabe loved helping me out with the things that I didn't eat. We also had other meats - one was an organ near the stomach or maybe it actually was stomach. I ate the vegetable that they grilled. Also, we had sushi with vinegared rice, smoked salmon, pickled ginger, OCTOPUS slices. I did eat the octopus and it was not bad. We also had a yummy salad, rice and some Korean dishes including the famous "kimchee".

Here is my favorite part of the meal - yummy desserts!

President and Sister Furniss are going to be serving in Daejeon, South Korea. He served in Korea as a young missionary.

And these are the Bairds and their daughters, Kathryn and Whitney. When we were first introduced, they exclaimed that they know Larry and Shirley and love them. I guess he took Larry's position on the scout council. They are going to be in Nagoya, Japan. He served in Japan as a young man. They are delightful people. We will be visiting both of these missions and staying with the Furniss's and the Bairds at some point in our mission.

This is a sad day because the Robertsons will leave for the States. They are the Public Affairs missionaries and have been here 3 years. They live downstairs from us and are wonderful neighbors. But they will be back to train the new couple so we will see them at the end of the summer.

This is for Claudia! Here is your name in Japanese. It is on a building not far from here. I always think of you when we walk past it.

Another fun poster from the fruit stand. How do you like his ears and "hat"?

We also had a meeting with President Stevenson yesterday to see how we are doing. He told Rulon that he has heard a lot of great things about the work he is doing with missionaries who are struggling. He also wants me to start working a couple of days a week in the office. I will be making sure that the stake conference reports that come in from all over the area are distributed and read by the president, his counselors, and some others. We also visited with the head of the Welfare and Humanitarian department to see if there is something I can help with in that area.

President Stevenson just got back from NORTH Korea where he inspected the 100,000 apple trees that the Church has planted for that country. Apparently they don't take aid or help from many organizations but we have developed a relationship with them and they were glad to have these trees planted. He is going to tell us more about it in a Family Home Evening for the senior missionaries.

Another Adventure (Part 2)

Poster in the subway- good start for another wonderful day. This is the mono-rail track. Our train is hanging below!

Ready for another day!

This man is cutting egg noodles - he is so precise and careful. Good thing - that knife looks sharp.

Little metal birds that someone has crocheted capes and hats for!

Your guess is as good as mine on this sign.

Hoping for business from all the tourists.

"She sells seashells by the seashore..." Tons of seashells for sale in lots of shops.

Some unusual flowers along the way.

This was a picture of two young girls in their kimonos. I guess the long sleeves mean that they are "coming of age".

Another picture in the photographer's shop. I always wanted a closeup of a little girl in her school uniform.

Isn't she so cute!

Legos are big here too.

Lady in pink by pink hydrangeas.

I love the trees here!

Lily pad in small container.

Charming lantern in a peaceful setting.

Here are those balls with bean paste inside that we saw the man making (next blog).

A toy store - crazy toys.

Dragon carving on lamppost.

Map of Enoshima - the island we visited. This sign warns you to get to higher ground in case of a tsunami.

The various types of birds that can be seen here.

This one says to beware of hawks. They can get very aggressive if you are eating food. They will come and snatch it from your hands.

Here is the seashore - in the distance was Mt. Fugi but it was too cloudy for it to show well in the picture.

More fun snacks.

Another Saturday - Another Adventure

What a day! I feel like I walked my legs off but it was well worth it all. I will try to describe some of it through pictures. Enoshima is an island off the coast. We traveled there by subway, train, and monorail.

This is the welcoming kitty with a paw raised to bid you welcome (to shops, etc.).

As we were walking along a walkway that went over to the island, there were shops of all kinds and food galore. Fresh off the grill!

We watched this man making round balls -there is a bean paste inside and the ball is dipped in a flour of some sort and baked. We tried one - good!

These girls are eating something on a skewer - don't know what it was but it was some sort of seafood.

Here you get a flavor of the street with the people and the vendors.

A puffer fish in one of the shop windows.

Headed into the gate to the shrine.

A goddess of some sort.

There were definite directions on how to enter - you had to go through this circle, then around to the right through the circle again, and then around to the left. Of course, there was all the bowing and clapping too.

Such strange creatures!

People were washing their money in this little stream. It is supposed to cleanse it and make it multiply!

The shrine at Enoshima.

Colorful streamers and decorations at the entrance.

This man is folding the flag. I wish I could have got his feet - he was wearing the wooden clogs with the slats of wood on the bottom so they can walk through wet mud, etc.

Another view of the shrine entrance.

Me - Dad didn't get to go. He had phone calls all morning at we had to leave early to travel out there to the Kamakura area.

Another beast.

This was a poster but shows how the railroad was built through tunnels. I love the costumes.

Another poster -beautiful girls and their chopsticks.

Look at this tree! What do you suppose lives inside?

And this tree had such a beautiful shape - beautifully manicured.

Another goddess statue and her attendants.

The scenery is just so incredibly beautiful. It looks like it was right out of National Geographic.

Another old gnarled tree - oh, what this tree must have seen!

These iris beds were floating on the water and moved around.

You just never know what you will see around the next corner!

An incense burner. You could buy incense sticks and light them and put them in the pot.

This was the goddess of mercy for children who have died or been miscarried or aborted. You can buy a small statue to place in the garden for a little one. There were hundreds. of them.

A closer view - some were dressed in little hats and bibs.

The big Buddha! It used to be housed in a building but a tsunami washed it away (many hundreds of years ago) and now it is out in the open. Sister Watabe and I went inside - it is made of brass and is hollow inside. (Yes, I thought of the Statue of Liberty and went ahead and went in!)

Two huge sandals.

Now the hydrangeas! That was one of the main reasons we went to this area yesterday. They are in full bloom and are just gorgeous.

There were busloads of people who came. We had to wait 80 minutes for our turn to walk up the hill that was just loaded with flowers. It was just like walking into heaven. Here you can see over the roof of a shrine out to the ocean.

A view of the people on the trail. There was a light rain but it was still delightful - not too hot!

Perfection!

A many armed goddess.

One more picture - note the various colors.

And yet another shrine. These are the large ones. There are small ones hidden in every neighborhood, it seems.

A bridge leadfing to the shrine. And this is where my batteries in the camera gave out. They got a real workout today. There are so many wonderful sights I want to capture!