＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:https://skawa68.com/
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
<Added on 2022/2/17> Reports say “Prince Hisahito passed the entrance exam for Tsukuba University High School through a ‘special route'”
On February 13, 2022, I saw him heading to the entrance exam venue for the University of Tsukuba High School together with other general applicants, and I was surprised to see that he had actually taken the general entrance exam without using the “affiliated school system.”
But as expected, he was accepted through a special route called the “affiliated school system.
In addition, it has been reported that suspicions of plagiarism have emerged in some parts of a composition by Prince Hisahito, which was selected as an honorable mention in the 12th Children’s Non-Fiction Literature Award sponsored by Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture in 2021.
Prince Hisahito was able to enter high school this time using a special recommendation system called the “Affiliated School System,” but the problem with the plagiarism allegations in this essay contest is that, first, Prince Hisahito wrote about winning an award in this essay contest in the materials for the judging. Secondly, Prince Hisahito’s acceptance was decided based on a comprehensive evaluation that included his award history, even though he did not have sufficient grades.
The Akishino family has always been a troubling one, and it looks like these suspicions will continue for some time until his “recommended admission to the University of Tokyo,” which makes me feel like he will become a “disappointing emperor.”
<Added on 2022/1/21> Reports: “Will Prince Hisahito be admitted to Tsukuba University High School via a ‘special route’?”
When he entered kindergarten, there were doubts about this being a “royal privilege,” but when it came time to enter junior high school, perhaps due to issues with his academic ability or Mako’s marriage issues, he went to Ochanomizu University’s junior high school instead of the University of Tsukuba’s junior high school.
If we, ordinary citizens, think about it logically, we should have gone to Gakushuin, so it was hard to understand why he would go to a junior high school attached to a “women’s university.” This was because of the strange “affiliated school system” between Ochanomizu University and Tsukuba University, which was a “special system created just for Prince Hisahito” (no written exams, only interviews and document screening).
Regarding this “affiliated school system,” which could easily be described as “backdoor admission,” Ochanomizu University and Tsukuba University, as national university corporations, should clearly explain the purpose of the system in a way that the public can understand.
Furthermore, I believe that if the person who is to become the future Emperor were to use such a special system, which could even be called an “Imperial privilege,” he would not gain the trust of the majority of the people, let alone be respected.
On August 16 2019, Prince Hisahito and Prince Akishino and Princess Akishino went on a goodwill visit to Bhutan. We hope they will visit and see for themselves the current state of Bhutan, a country that was once said to have the “happiest citizens in the world.”
By the way, the Akishino family is currently in the news for a number of reasons, including the postponement of Princess Mako and Mr. Komuro Kei’s engagement, Prince Akishino’s own complaints about the financial burden of the ceremony surrounding Emperor Heisei’s abdication, and comments that could be interpreted as him declining to ascend to the throne in the future due to his own advanced age. However, Prince Hisahito’s decision to attend Ochanomizu University Junior High School is also puzzling.
In the first place, when he was chosen to attend Ochanomizu University Elementary School instead of Gakushuin Elementary School, everyone in Japan must have wondered, “Why?”
Furthermore, everyone is left wondering, “Why? What was his intention?” when he “internal transferred” to Ochanomizu University Junior High School.
1. Agreement between Ochanomizu University and University of Tsukuba
Of course, men are not allowed to enter Ochanomizu University, and neither are men allowed to enter Ochanomizu University High School.
However, in 2016, Ochanomizu University and University of Tsukuba, both national universities, signed an agreement, making it possible for students to advance from Ochanomizu University Elementary School to Tsukuba University Junior High School, and from Ochanomizu University Junior High School to Tsukuba University High School.
If Prince Hisahito intends to go to the high school attached to the University of Tsukuba, it would normally be more convenient for him to take the entrance exam for the junior high school attached to the University of Tsukuba, as this would allow him to receive a continuous junior and senior high school education.
However, the reason they didn’t do so is probably because, in the case of boys, the Ochanomizu University Junior High School had a lower deviation score. By the way, Prince Hisahito’s grades are said to be average.
2. Recommended admission to the University of Tokyo from Tsukuba University High School
And I think he plans to take advantage of the “agreement” mentioned above to “internal transfer” to the Tsukuba University High School and “admit to the University of Tokyo on recommendation.” Incidentally, the University of Tokyo’s recommendation admission system also began in 2016.
If he enters the University of Tokyo by taking the “general entrance exam,” he should not be able to complain to anyone. This is because there is no room for opaque “consideration.”
However, when it comes to “recommended admission” to the University of Tokyo, I think it is generally difficult unless he has evidence of exceptional talent, such as winning a prize at the Mathematical Olympiad.
However, there seems to be a loophole in this as some professors at the University of Tokyo are of the opinion that “if it’s a member of the imperial family, we would definitely like to accept them.” If they were to have the experience of studying abroad at a university overseas, such as Oxford University, like the current emperor, it may not be so difficult to provide a reason for recommending them.
As an aside, Empress Masako graduated from an American high school and the Harvard University School of Economics before entering the University of Tokyo as an undergraduate. She then dropped out and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where her father, Tsuneo Owada, was then Vice-Minister.
3. If Hisahito’s recommendation for admission to the University of Tokyo is realized, won’t it mean that the “National University Corporation” has been privatized by the Akishino family?
As an agreement between national university corporations, the previously mentioned “Agreement between Ochanomizu University and Tsukuba University” also does not fully clarify its purpose, and the suspicion that it is a “system for Prince Hisahito” cannot be eliminated.
Furthermore, if the University of Tokyo were to approve Prince Hisahito’s admission through recommendation, it could lead to criticism that the national university has allowed backdoor admission.
Princess Kiko seems to be very enthusiastic about Prince Hisahito’s admission to Tokyo University. Is this out of rivalry with Empress Masako and Princess Aiko? Princess Aiko has excellent grades, and an emergency opinion poll conducted by Kyodo News on May 1st and 2nd this year showed that 79.6% of people were in favor of a female emperor, so there is room for discussion on the possibility of a female emperor. It will be interesting to see whether there will be any changes in the order of succession to the throne, including future discussions on amendments to the Imperial Household Law.
Both of these stories will be revealed soon, and I look forward to watching with interest.