Burning Japan

[Epicuro Kishore]

Onthe morning of the Yamayaki, Akiyoshidai is set aflame at once following the sound of sirens. The sight of the flames and smoke reaching a height of 16 feet, the crackling sound it makes, and the powerful visual spectacle awe the many spectators that come to watch. Measures are taken to prevent the spread of the fire, but depending on the wind direction, there is a risk of being caught in the smoke. Therefore, approaching the burn site is strictly forbidden. Visitors and spectators present at the burning must follow the instructions of the people in charge.

The purpose of this tradition is to maintain the unique landscape dotted with white limestone, to control pests, and to protect the ecosystem. By May, the burnt grasslands of Akiyoshidai will be covered with fresh greenery while preserving its ecosystem, thanks to the Yamayaki.

After years of anticipation we were finally able to try burning sugi with the traditional Japanese method ourselves earlier this month. We found the process fun, rewarding and we learned a lot from spending a day getting our hands dirty.

Early on a clear Friday morning, six of us loaded up 80 boards of unburned sugi stock, an eclectic mix of tools and a bunch of camera gear, and set out to the country. Check out the video recap we made for a look into how challenging it is to make charred wood siding by the traditional Japanese flue technique:

All in all, we learned that making shou sugi ban is not so easy without an experienced hand present, and it took us about half a day of practice to get to the point where our boards consistently had the proper degree of char end to end and edge to edge. Here are some lessons we walked away with:

Quick decisions by cabin attendants and cooperation by level-headed passengers contributed to the safe evacuation of 379 people from a burning Japan Airlines plane at Tokyo's Haneda airport, an escape described in overseas media as a miracle.

The nine flight attendants overcame several obstacles during the emergency deplaning after a runway collision. With only three of the eight exits usable, cabin crew had to carry out a rapid evacuation of the 67-meter fuselage with only limited input from the cockpit as communication systems failed, according to officials of the major Japanese airline.

"I felt a shock, like somebody slammed on the brakes. Then I saw flames rising outside the window," a passenger said, explaining what happened in the cabin soon after Flight 516 landed and struck another aircraft on the runway at around 5:47 p.m. Tuesday.

Upon confirming a crew member's report that the left engine was catching fire, the chief cabin attendant managed to notify the cockpit and was ordered to launch the emergency evacuation, according to the officials.

At the plane's rear, however, only one exit was usable. A crew member saw flames outside that would prevent safe exit from the right side, but observed that the left side was clear and had adequate space on the ground to put down a slide.

But the in-flight system to communicate with the captain was not working. With more smoke coming into the cabin, the staffer opened the left rear exit and released the slide without the cockpit's permission.

A college student from Tokyo heard a cabin attendant urging other passengers not to try retrieving luggage from the overhead bins. They ended up complying, and headed quickly for the exits with only small personal items such as smartphones.

Shigeru Takano, a former senior official of the transport ministry's Civil Aviation Bureau, said the smooth escape was made possible both by the crew's response and "the passengers cooperating with them even in such a critical situation."

Yakisugi production is usually divided into manual burning (手焼き) or machine burning (機械焼き), where the burning process is largely automated.

Here we will concentrate on the traditional, craft manual burning procedure, as demonstrated in the video below.

In the traditional procedure, three boards of Sugi will be bound together to form a triangle. After binding the boards tight, fire is lit on the very bottom with some paper or newspapers. It then takes a minute or two for the fire to proliferate, usually it starts to spread fairly quick due to the chimney or stack-effect from the triangle of boards. The time required until finish depends on the initial moisture grade of the timber as well as the desired degree of burning. In order to let the outer 3-4 mm charred, it usually will not exceed ca. 5 minutes. In this traditional way to burn, the heat inside the triangle needs at least 250, but mostly reaches >400C. After reaching the desired grade, the triangle is opened and the fire extinguished by applying water.

Also in Europe, quite a few providers have been established in recent years, proof of the rising interest in Yakisugi also here. Nakamoto Forestry Europe, being the distributor of Nakamoto Zourin, the biggest producer of Yakisugi, is the only one supplying the original Yakisugi from Japan, made from Sugi (Japanese cypress) timber.

All of the major manufacturers have been producing Yakisugi for decades. While all of the major parties do machine burning, there are still quite some craftsmen burning the traditional way, many of them known only locally. A few artists and architects also are experimenting with the manual burning process. Among others, the most promiment one is Fujimori Terunobu (see video above), an internationally known architect, who has also designed the Japan pavilion at Venice biennale before. He loves to burn and has showcased several contemporary works incorporating Yakisugi and thus sparked new interest into this old tradition.

The Wakakusa Yamayaki is an annual festival during which the grass on the hillside of Nara's Mount Wakakusayama is set on fire. The mountain is located at the eastern end of Nara Park, and when it is set alight it can be seen throughout the city. The burning of the mountain itself is preceded by a fireworks display. The festival takes place every year on the 4th Saturday of January, but is cancelled or postponed in case of bad weather.

Todaiji Temple, Kofukuji Temple and Kasuga Shrine are all involved with the ceremonies of the festival. The Wakakusa Yamayaki has been taking place for hundreds of years and its precise origins are unclear. One theory claims that the burning of the mountainside began during boundary conflicts between Nara's great temples, while another claims the fires were used to drive away wild boars.

The festival officially begins at noon, after which a variety of minor events take place around the base of Wakakusayama. Among them is a throwing competition of giant rice crackers (sembei) that takes place from 12:30 to 15:00. Travelers will recognize the sembei as giant versions of the rice crackers that are on sale throughout Nara Park as food for the wild deer.

Around 17:00, a procession of people involved in lighting the mountain on fire departs from the Tobino area of Kasuga Taisha towards the mountain, making a stop at the Mizuya Shrine along the way in order to light the torches. Around 17:30, the procession arrives at the base of Wakakusayama where several hundred spectators have already gathered, and a large bonfire is lit part way up the mountainside, just past the barrier restricting access to the public.

At 18:15, a firework display is held for about 15 minutes. Afterwards, the fire from the bonfire is used to set the grass on the mountainside alight, and the fire gradually spreads all across the mountain. It usually takes 30 minutes to one hour for the entire area to burn, depending on the conditions of the grass each year. When the grass is dry, the entire mountain is burnt relatively quickly, while wet conditions can result in only slow and partial burning of the grass.

Because of Wakakusayama's elevation over Nara, both the fireworks and the fire are visible throughout the city. In addition to the view from the base of the mountain, there are several other good vantage points throughout Nara Park and the city. The view can also be enjoyed from further away, for example from the former Heijo Palace site.

Wakakusayama is located about a 10-15 minute walk from both Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Taisha. The mountain can also be reached on foot from Kintetsu Nara Station in about 35 minutes or from JR Nara Station in about 50 minutes. Buses run from either station as far as Kasuga Taisha (220 yen).

In the short story, the relationship between the narrator and his female friend, aged 20, is portrayed as something of an odd-couple friendship. The two met randomly at a party, and the narrator takes on kind of an older brother role in their relationship. He enjoys spending time with her because her simple, carefree attitude helps him forget about his ordinary life struggles.

One of the things I liked about the story is how the rich boyfriend was so easily able to get in the head of the narrator. Despite being a stable and mature man living out an ordinary life, the narrator becomes so entranced by images of barns burning that he starts thinking about it all the time. As the story ends, he even fantasizes about picking up the hobby himself.

TOKYO -- Deep down on the ocean's floor lies a sherbet-like substance that could revolutionize the way the Japan consumes energy, but there's just one problem: extracting the fuel from the dark depths of the seas.

One Japanese company believes it has the solution. Modec, a maker of offshore oil platforms, has plans to develop a system that is designed to extract methane hydrate, also known as "fire ice," from the ocean bottom and become a source of clean-burning hydrogen.

The park is an expansive green space and historical area only 20 minutes walk from JR Nara station. Every year, over 10 million people visit the park to feed the wild shika deer and explore over five square kilometers of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The reason for the first yamayaki is a mystery. The most widely accepted explanation points to a disagreement between the closest Buddhist temples, Todaiji and Kofukuji. The feud resulted in the purposeful or accidental burning of Mount Wakakusa. The ceremonial burning came to represent the resolution of the conflict.

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