‭2023 NCL‬‭[ Japanese Water Quality ]‬‬‭Contents‬‭1. Introduction‭ 1 Research Motive‬
0‭02 Significance & Purpose of Research‬‭03 Research Method‬‭2. “Tap Water” in Japan‭ 1 Japan’s Drinkable “Tap Water”‬
0‭02 Where does water for households come from?‬‭03 How safe water arrives from the water source‬‭3. Differences between “Water” in Japan and Rwanda‭ 1 Water Problems in Rwanda‬
0‭02 What we can learn from Japan’s water‬‭4. Why water in other countries isn’t drinkable‭(Main/ The Philippines)‬‭5. Hard Water & Soft Water‭6. Conclusion‭1. Introduction‭1. 01 Research MotiveI‭ researched about the “Water Quality In Japan”. I was interested in this topic‬‭because this summer my family and I went on a vacation to the Philippines, and‬
‭when we went to a region called El Nido Palawan, our tour guide told us to‬‭never drink tap water there because we might get sick. We weren’t able to use‬
‭tap water for drinking,‬‭gargling‬‭, and even for tooth‬‭brushing.‬‭I was very surprised because here in Japan we can use tap water for almost‬‭everything we do. There are no effects when we drink tap water in Japan. We‬‭even used tap water to wash the rice we eat. From this experience, I‬‭remembered that when I was a first year high school student we had a chance to‬‭listen to several college courses. I listened to a professor from the Faculty of‬‭International Liberal Arts in Juntendo University. The professor talked about‬‭water in Rwanda and how he grew up with the environment. I remembered that‬‭I was shocked when I heard about it. So, I got interested in why Japanese tap‬
‭water is drinkable.‬‭In this paper I will summarize why tap water is drinkable and safe in Japan, and‬‭why it is not safe to drink tap water in The Philippines and in the Republic of‬‭Rwanda.‬‭1. 02 Significance & Purpose of Research‭ rom this research I am going to find a solution‬‭to make other countries’ “tap‬F‭water” drinkable and safe, to make water problems less in our societies. I hope‬‭that this paper could save people that have problems with tap water in their‬‭lives. By doing this research, I will help people notice how Japanese tap water is‬‭clean and that having clean water in our lives is not usual but very special, and‬‭that it needs to be appreciated.‬‭1. 03 Research Method‬‭ or‬‭my research method I will use the next 4 resources.‬
F‭From the internet I am going to search for how tap water is being delivered and‬‭how the other countries need to beware of the water, how is the water kept in‬‭Japan, what materials are included in the water in Japan, Rwanda, and the‬‭Philippines.‬‭From papers and books, I will be researching about the culture that Japan has in‬‭water, and how water is used culturally in Japan.‬‭I will also research about how water in Rwanda and the Philippines is used and‬‭the effects of the water. I am going to be hearing from my parents who are from‬‭the Philippines and have lived in the Philippines since their childhood.‬‭Regarding Rwanda, I will be researching about people that study about Rwanda‬‭and people who have gone to Rwanda.‬‭2. “Tap Water” in Japan‬‭2. 01 Japan’s “Tap Water” is Drinkable‬J‭ apan’s tap water is drinkable and safe. The national‬‭water infrastructure is‬‭reliable, and purification facilities are well maintained, so the tap water is good‬‭quality and easy on the stomach. Most of the water supply in Tokyo and major‬‭cities comes from dams, reservoirs, or rivers.‬‭Tap water in Japan is purified at water treatment plants through precipitation,‬‭filtration, and disinfection, so it can be drunk as it is. Residual chlorine in tap‬
‭water is caused by the treatment process at water treatment plants. Some‬‭European water supplies are disinfected with chlorine and others are not.‬‭ rom the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, it is stated‬F‭that there are only 12 countries in the world, including Japan, where you can‬‭drink tap water straight from the tap. “2021 Edition Current Status of Japan’s‬‭Water Resources”‬

‭図1‭国土交通省(‬‭国土交通省「2021年版 日本の水資源の現況」)‬‬‭2. 02‬‭Where does water for households come from?‬I‭ n 2.01 we learned that Japan’s water is drinkable,‬‭but how is the water kept‬‭and why is it said that it is well maintained?‬‭From the article that the public relations office government of Japan posted‬‭online,‬‭Where does drinking water come from? Where‬‭does the used water‬‭go? “Water circulation” that supports life,‬‭it is‬‭stated that the main source of‬‭water that we use daily comes from the river, its source is rainwater that falls‬‭from the sky. Rain is caused by clouds that form in the atmosphere when water‬‭from the sea and land evaporates. The rain that falls on the ground becomes the‬‭river or the underground water, and eventually returns to the sea. The ocean‬‭water then evaporates back into the atmosphere, forming clouds and producing‬‭rain.‬‭The earth’s water has been circulating in this way since time began. and its total‬‭amount has hardly changed.‬‭However, river water also contains substances harmful to the human body,‬‭viruses, and bacteria such as E. coli. Therefore, various efforts are being made‬‭to ensure that safe water can be obtained at any time, such as by building‬‭various facilities such as water purification plants.‬

‭2. 03 How safe water arrives from the water source‬*‭ Dam - A facility that stores water so that it can be supplied at any time. The‬
‭amount of water is regulated to prevent flooding during heavy rains and to be‬‭available during droughts.‬‭* Water Intake Facilities - A facility that takes in river water or dam water and‬‭sends it to a water treatment plant.‬‭* Waterways - Transport the raw water taken to other rivers, water treatment‬‭plants, and other locations where it is needed.‬‭* Water Purification Plant - A facility that processes the raw water it takes to‬‭produce safe and delicious tap water that you can drink with confidence.‬‭* Water Distribution Plant - A facility that temporarily stores tap water that has‬‭been purified at a water treatment plant.‬‭* Water Pipes - Transports tap water from the water distribution plant to the‬‭water supply pipes that connect to the faucets in each household.‬‭ fter we use the water in our homes, such as in the kitchen, bath, toilet, and‬A‭laundry, it returns to the ocean. However, if we pour dirty water directly into‬‭rivers or the ocean after use, the rivers and oceans become polluted, making it‬‭difficult for living things to live there and having a negative impact on our‬‭health. Therefore, in order to protect the clean water of rivers and oceans,‬‭domestic wastewater that has been used at home is purified at a sewage‬‭treatment facility before being returned to the river.‬I‭ n order to comprehensively and integrally promote measures to maintain or‬‭restore a healthy water cycle, the “Water Cycle Basic Law” was enacted and‬‭came into effect in July 2014.‬‭The Water Cycle Basic Law stipulates that “when using water, efforts should be‬‭made to ensure a healthy water cycle.”‬‭ eeping safe and drinkable water depends on our daily actions. We can reduce‬K‭the time we wash our clothes and wash them all at once, or don’t leave the‬‭shower running when washing your hair or body. These actions can save water.‬‭ e can also wipe off oil stains with paper before washing, to wash away the‬W‭source of dirt. These small things that we can do in our daily lives can keep the‬‭water that we use clean and safe to drink.‬

3‭ . Differences between‬‭“Water” in Japan and Rwanda‬‭3. 01 Water Problems in Rwanda‬‭ ccording to the Rwanda government, basic access to safe drinking water‬A‭requires water supply facilities must be within 500 meters of the house, and‬‭within 200 meters in urban areas. In Rwanda, efforts are being made by donors‬‭such as Western countries and Japan. Water supply facilities have been‬‭improved, with underground pumps and pumps pumping groundwater being‬‭constructed. As a result, access to improved water sources is increasing.‬‭According to JICA, donor countries and aid organizations other than Japan,‬‭such as UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, African Development Bank, Arab Bank‬‭for African Economies, European Union Germany, Austria, and the‬‭Netherlands, provide assistance in the water supply sector to Rwanda with‬‭development being carried out by their respective donors. The regions are‬s‭ cattered in Rwanda. These donors provide little assistance in the water supply‬‭sector. Most of this is grant aid.‬‭Access to safe water is hampered by water quality issues, insufficient public‬‭awareness of hygiene, and lack of spring water protection facilities. It has been‬‭pointed out that there are few water sources that have been improved due to‬‭poor water quality, and that women and children spend time and effort fetching‬‭water because of the distance from each house to the water source. Also, issues‬‭such as lack of experience in the water supply business of private contractors‬‭and a shortage of manpower are causing problems in the operation of water‬‭supply facilities.‬‭3. 02 What we can learn from Japan’s water‬‭ ven in areas like Japan, where it rains a lot, if the population density is high,‬E‭there will inevitably be a shortage of water.‬‭In order to use safe water stably, it is essential that in addition to facilities to‬‭store water, systems to disinfect water as needed and waterways to transport and‬‭distribute water to appropriate locations are in place and maintained.‬‭Even though Japan is blessed with an abundance of water, this is not because‬‭there is a lot of rain, but because the social infrastructure and mechanisms are‬‭stable.‬I‭ f a country is economically underdeveloped or if the country’s system is not in‬‭place due to civil war, the water infrastructure may be inadequate, making it‬‭impossible to provide a stable supply of safe water, resulting in water problems.‬‭The water problem is not a problem because of a dry climate, but it's a social‬‭problem.‬‭4. Why water in other countries isn’t drinkable‬‭ s I stated earlier in my paper, tap water in the‬‭Philippines is not drinkable.‬
A‭The biggest difference between tap water in Japan and in the Philippines is that‬‭Japan’s tap water is soft water but tap water in the Philippines is hard water.‬‭Tap water in the Philippines contains lime, which can cause showers to clog. In‬‭fact, when Japanese people who are accustomed to soft water try drinking hard‬‭water, they may find that the water is different.‬‭ here are 193 countries in the world. In at least 150 countries, tap water is not‬T‭safe to drink. Among them, more than 80% of people in countries in Asia and‬‭Africa do not have access to safe tap water. In most countries, this is due to‬‭inadequate water and sewage infrastructure. The reason for this is because the‬‭country itself does not have the financial resources to build infrastructure, and‬‭that due to the size and geographical conditions of the country, it may be too‬
‭expensive to make sewage treatment plants so that everyone can drink water‬‭safely.‬‭The Philippines is a country made up of over 7,000 islands, so it may be‬‭difficult to make tap water drinkable due to geographical conditions. On the‬o‭ ther hand, in Japan, the Japan Water Works Association sets standards for‬‭whether tap water is drinkable or not. Although there is a long way to go,‬‭Japan’s tap water is clean compared to other countries in the world.‬‭5. Hard Water & Soft Water‬‭ rom the information above, people in Japan are‬‭used to drinking soft water‬F‭and not hard water.‬‭I noticed that this relates to the culture of the "Ocha" culture in Japan.‬‭The water that is suitable for Japanese tea is soft water with a hardness of 30 to‬‭80 mg/liter.‬‭When you brew tea with soft water, the ingredients in the tea are extracted well,‬‭which gives a good balance of flavor and bitterness.‬‭ an we make Japanese tea from hard water? The answer is no. You aren't able‬C‭to make Japanese tea with hard water because hard water has a high content of‬‭calcium and magnesium, which prevents the components of tea leaves from‬‭dissolving.‬‭ hen my friends or people that I know travel to another country, when they‬W‭come back they would always say that they got skin or hair trouble during the‬‭trip. I thought that this might have some connection with how water is kept or‬‭from the places that the water comes from. From my research, I am now sure‬‭that it has no connection with it. Well, it might depend on how much calcium‬‭the water contains but I thought that it depends on if you are used to hard water‬‭or not.‬‭6. Conclusion‬‭ rom the above, I learned that tap water in Japan is safe because of the water‬F‭infrastructure that the country has. In countries where water is undrinkable, the‬‭main reason why the water is undrinkable is not because it is a dry country or‬‭has no source of water, but because the country does not have enough money to‬‭afford the water infrastructure and because they have a large population.‬‭In order to solve this problem about the undrinkable water in other countries, we‬‭can do some fundraising activities. Before doing the fundraise I can make some‬‭posters to post in the school, to let the students understand what the world's‬‭situation is. The action that Japan could do is to create an organization that‬‭specializes in drinking water. And also they could send some people who can‬‭create dams or water purification plants. This is not only the action that Japan‬‭could do, but what the developed countries could do.‬‭References‬‭[Paper]‬‭ 大幹(2013) 『世界の水と日本』‬沖‭https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/consumercoopstudies/445/0/445_5‬‭ 敏恵(2016) 『ルワンダ農村の飲料水供給をめぐる 住民意識の考察』‬乾‭ルワンダ農村の飲料水供給をめぐる住民意識の考察: ソーシャル・キャ‬‭ピタルとの関係性を中心に‬‭[Other Materials]‬‭ 飲み水はどこから？使った水はどこへ？ 暮らしを支える「水の循‬『‭環」』‬‭https://www.gov-online.go.jp/useful/article/201507/4‬‭ Drinking Tap Water in Other Countries: 』‬『‭https://www.worldtrips.com/blog/Posts/drinking-water-in-other-countries‬‭ 海外で水道水が飲めない理由とは？』‬『‭https://ethosjp.com/blog/tap-water-in-cebu/‬‭ Is Tap Water Safe to drink in Japan』‬『‭https://www.touristjapan.com/is-tap-water-safe-to-drink-in-japan‬