Vol. 3 No. 2

WINTER 2005

The Filipino Christmas
and
The Japanese New Year…and a lot more!
EGPSEE-SU activities
Interview
The More You Know...
Travel Diary

Editor in Chief
Hiroe Hara
Publication Officer
Nirajan Shiwakoti
Editorial Members
Aileen Parra Huelgas
Arshad Baharudin
Dhannyanto Anggawidjaja
Jacqueline Satur
Michael Angelo Promentilla
Mintesnot Gebeyehu
Philip De Guzman
Yadab Dhakal
Yogarajah Elakneswaran
Layout Design
Katia Andrade
Sofren Leo
Thithiwat May
Publication and Circulation
Ryota Kondo
Thambiah Muraleetharan

Editorial
The beautiful yellow leaves of ginkgo trees in thecampus have already gone, and remaining black trunks
and branches of the trees are telling us the coming of
the bitterly cold winter of Hokkaido. But the activity of
EGPSEE-SU never knows to cool down! Elevenstudents in April and twelve more in October joined theprogram. Also, more and more students and staffs
outside EGPSEE are getting involved in its activities.
This 5th issue of E-Vision provides you not only with abrief look at the recent events in and around EGPSEE,
but also the interesting, exciting and sometimes
thought-provoking articles delivered by family andfriends of EGPSEE. In addition to the regular sections
such as ‘Interview’ and ‘International Pages’,
Christmas and New Year lifestyles in a couple ofcountries are featured especially for this festive season.
At the same time, the ‘Interview’ section has Ms. Itofrom the academic affairs office as the interviewee.
We thank all those who gave a helping hand in thecourse of publishing this issue: Prof. Fujii and the
EGPSEE-SU president Dhanny who kindly provided
messages, students and Mrs. Werawan who enriched
the E-vision a lot with their articles, Ms. Ito who gave
her willing agreement with the interview and all those
who supported E-Vision and EGPSEE.
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new
year!!
The Editorial Board

E-Vision is a biannually released bulletin of the English Graduate Programin Socio-Environmental Engineering – Student Union (EGPSEE-SU)
The web edition in full colors is available at: www.eng.hokudai.ac.jp/EGPSEE/notices.htm
For comments and suggestions, please write to: egpseesu@eng.hokudai.ac.jp©EGPSEE-SU PUBLICATIONEGPSEE-SU and E-vision logos are properties of the
English Graduate Program in Socio-Environmental Engineering - Student Union

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Table of Contents

Editorial

Page 1

International Page
The Potato- Pepe Rodrigo Herrera Salgado

Messages

From the EGPSEE Head
Page 3

From EGPSEE-SU President

Page 12Interview

For Your Eyes Only
- Arshad Baharudin & Nirajan Shiwakoti

Page13

Page 4

Travel Diary
Projects and Activities of EGPSEE-SU- Hiroe Hara

Internship in Germany- Aileen Parra Huelgas

Page 5

Food Corner

Featured Articles

Tough Guy’s Favourite Restaurant

Ang Paskong Pinoy Pagdiriwang at
Tradisyon

Page 16- Richard Diaz Alorro

Page 7The Japanese New Year

Voice of New Students
Life is Good in Sapporo-Chukwuemeka Peter Asiegbu- Masashi Matsumura

Page 9The New Students

The More You Know

Have You Ever Got a Stomachache?
- Thithiwat May & Akinobu Ito

PuzzleThousand Days in My Life

EGPSEE Student Union

The Graduates

Page 10

Article- Werawan Manakul

Page 15

Page 17
Page 18

Page 20

Page 22

Page 112

English Graduate Program in Socio-Environmental Engineering
Hokkaido University

My wife and I bought new cellular phones. Now I can enjoy my TV phone even outside Japan. My wife canwatch and record TV programs anywhere without a television. The prices for the dream machines were both 0
yen. The progress in high-technology is incredible. On the other hand, in the 21st century, numerous people
were killed by such natural disasters as the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the hurricane which attacked New
Orleans and the earthquake in Pakistan. Don’t you think something wrong?
Of course, information technology is one of the important elements in infrastructure and it supports rescue
activities and reconstructions. For example, cellular phones, if there is an access to the battery charger, arevery useful in an emergency. High-tech robots can find buried people just as clever rescue dogs from France
do. However, is high-technology only so important against natural disasters? What about the system which
predicts the possibility of a tsunami when an earthquake occurs to warn the public in real time, the structures
which minimize tsunami or seismic damage and large scale evacuation centres? There are many themes that
relate to natural disasters in EGPSEE. I suppose some of you are doing research on these themes. They
should be from academic points of view. However, I don't want them to pursue only high-technology or virtual
things. Don't forget "real technology".
Anyway, it is a great pleasure for us to welcome 12 new students from all over the world in this Octoberintake. I would like to say to the new students, except for the Russian girl, "Be prepared for the snow!".

Yoshiaki FUJIIHead of EGPSEE (2005-2007)

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This semester EGPSEE again celebrated the graduation of 12 great students. I would like to say thank you
for your participation and wish you good luck for your career and life in the future. EGPSEE also have twelve
newcomers. To the new students, welcome to Sapporo and enjoy the life, natural beauty and kindness ofpeople in Sapporo. We will be expecting a great contribution from all of you, no less than our previous
graduates.
In the last semester, new EGPSEE-SU officers were elected for 2005-2006 period. I also would like to forward
my gratitude for all your work to make EGPSEE a better place for socialization and information-sharing. Many
activities have been held like sports day and our trip to Chubetsu dam. These events would not have beenrealized without you, EGPSEE supervisor Mrs. Werawan, and others. Being an international program here in
Japan, EGPSEE may seem “foreign” to Japanese students at first. Nevertheless, this feeling has faded awayfrom last semester, with the enrolment of many Japanese students. As a matter of fact, many of our activities
last semester were able to be organized thanks mainly to the Japanese students. Again, we would like tothank you for your active participations. It is great that we have such a global student community here in
EGPSEE with Japanese students as contributing participants.
Soon we are going to start our winter semester. I believe we are going to get busy with research and the
preparation for the winter, especially if it is your first time. Yet, I hope you can continue to participate in our
activities.
Finally, I wish you all the best for your studies and lives!

Dhannyanto Anggawidjaja
President of EGPSEE-SU (2005)

EGPSEE Student Union

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English Graduate Program in Socio-Environmental Engineering
Hokkaido University

Projects and Activities of EGPSEE-SU
By Hiroe Hara*

April

summer semester starts

8
14
Welcome Party
With the coming of the slow thaw
in Sapporo, we took 11 newstudents (one doctoral and 10
master) in EGPSEE family. One
was from Nepal and the others
were the Japanese.
All enjoyed the games and foodarranged by the brand-new
EGPSEE-SU officers and volunteers.
May and Hiroshi together hosted
the proceeding of the party, andbrought a lot of fun to audience.

May

24
June

2nd Elympic
It was on the very fine day that
2nd Elmpic was held. We playedsoccer and a couple of games
unique to Indonesia and Japan.
Our cheer leading team speciallyorganized and trained for thisevent performed their perfectly
matched dance!!

July
Field Trip
summer semester ends

28
August18
19

5This year, We visited Tobetsu
dam and the tunnel
construction site. We had adetailed explanation at eachsite and deepened ourunderstanding.
Also, we deepened ourunderstanding of each otherthrough this trip.

EGPSEE Student Union

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Sept

Graduation Party

1

People often have mixed feeling at a
graduation party: glad but sad tosay good-bye to friends.

26

This September, 6 doctoral and 6
master graduated from EGPSEE. We
had a very good time together,eating delicious food and reminiscing
the days at Hokudai.

OctGraduation Ceremony

7
11
Nov

Welcome Party
Separation with some friends wasfollowed by new meetings in October.
We took 12 more students ( 5 doctoral, 6
master and one research student) in ourfamily.

winter semester starts

Games, food and talks helped us, andwe become friends in a not so long time.

Dec

16

Bonenkaiwinter break begins

27

What’s next???

We hope that we will have more of you andyour friends in the next event!!

*Laboratory of Water Quality Control Engineering

EGPSEE Student Union

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English Graduate Program in Socio-Environmental Engineering
Hokkaido University

ANG PASKONG PINOY: Pagdiriwang at Tradisyon
The Filipino Christmas: Celebration and Traditions

By Richard Diaz Alorro*

When I was still young, like most Filipino kids do, I dreamed of waking
up one Christmas morning with snowflakes by my window, playing withsnowballs, and making snowman. I was 6 years old then. Now 25, I’ve
simply grown too old for tales of knights and kings, so to say, my
childhood fantasy is about to come true. Yes, I’ll wake up on the 25th ofDecember with snow by my window. I’ll be excited and probably takephotos of it. But, in spite of the excitement and the many good things thatJapan could offer me this Christmas, there is still a longing in my heart. I
can’t help it but I will surely miss the way Christmas is celebrated in thePhilippines.
The Philippines is the only Asian country where Christians
predominate. Around 80% of the Filipinos are Roman Catholic. Christmas, therefore, is an extremely
important and valued holiday for most Filipinos. It is the time for remembering and rejoicing on the birth of
our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also a time for family, for sharing, for giving, and a time for food, fun, andfriendship. The Filipino Christmas celebration is probably the longest and merriest in the world. It begins as
early as September and ends as late as the end of January. As soon as the BER months start (SeptemBER,
OctoBER), strains of Christmas songs can be heard everywhere. Malls and houses begin to display Christmas
decorations and showcase colorful lights. The Christmas spirit dominates the air. Various events are happening
within the BER months, which are simply indicators of how near Christmas already is. It seems that Filipinos
cannot wait for Christmas to come. The wonderful climate, lovely landscape, multitude culinary delights, andabove all the affectionate people with true devotion to family and faith, make the Philippine Christmas
celebration incomparable. It is a mixture of Western and native Filipino traditions. Santa Claus, the Christmas
tree, sending Christmas cards, and singing Christmas carols have all been inherited from the cultures of theWest. However, they have all been adapted to fit the nature and personality of the Filipino people.
There is no winter or snow in the Philippines at Christmas time. Thus, playing snowballs and making
snowman are also unlikely to ever happen. There are also very few pine trees. But the Filipinos found a way
to include these Christmas icons through dummy snowman and the Christmas tree mostly of plastic,
sometimes of paper or twigs.
Although Santa Claus is visible in displays andbelieved by most Filipino children to exist, he rarely comes bearing gifts. But
Filipino children still hang their socks and stockings in the hope that Santa Claus
would come in the middle of the night and fulfill their wishes, ending up to findthat it was their parents who put gifts in their socks when they grow up.
Even without snow or pine trees, there's no doubt it is Christmas in thePhilippines. Filipino Christmas decorations are abundant and beautiful. The
Filipinos enjoy decorating their homes not only with star lanterns but also with allsorts of Christmas decors. Most Filipinos think that decorating their homes for the
Christmas holidays is a necessity. The following are the traditions that make a
Filipino Christmas. Christmas in the Philippines is above all religious celebrations.
It officially starts on the 16th of December. This is when the Filipinos begin
attending Misa de Gallo, which is Spanish for “Mass of the Rooster”. Misa de Gallois a mass celebrated for nine days until
Christmas Eve. It is also commonly called
Simbang Gabi in Tagalog, which means “Night Mass”, because it starts atfour o’clock in the morning. It is said that this tradition was introduced by
the Spanish friars to allow farmers to hear mass before going to the fields
early in the morning.
Waking up every early morning for Misa de Gallo is considered as asacrifice for Christ. In order to wake up people in the community, the town
band may play carols an hour before mass or the church may play carols on
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a loud speaker system. Most Filipinos start the Simbang Gabi with a prayer request in their hearts and adetermination to finish the Simbang Gabi without any absent. There is a belief that, if the 9 morning masses
are completed, their prayer requests will be granted.
This tradition is being held on the night of December 24. This is a reenactment of the search of Mary andJoseph for shelter. A young couple dressed as Joseph and a pregnant Mary wanders along the streets,
knocking at the doors of houses, asking the occupants if they have room for them. The couple, as depicted in
the Scripture, is unable to find a house willing to take them in and so take refuge in the church instead. The“panunuluyan” ends right before the Misa de Aguinaldo begins.
The Misa de Aguinaldo is a midnight mass on Christmas Eve (December 24). It means “Gift Mass” andusually starts at 10:00 o’clock in the evening immediately after the panunuluyan. Young and old Filipinos go tochurches dressed in their Sunday’s best. It is a sacred tradition for every member of the family to be present
in the mass. During this mass, the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated and the crowd sings “Gloria in Excelsis
Deo”, to rejoice in the coming of Christ.
Noche Buena is the family dinner immediately after the “Misa deAguinaldo” on Christmas Eve. It is meant to be a sumptuous feast: fruits,
ham and cheese (specifically Queso de Bola), native dishes such as lechon(roasted pig), pansit, puto, leche flan, menudo, embutido, rice cakes, andlumpia. There are also abounding San Miguel beer, wine and liquor, whichmake the celebration of Christmas indeed intoxicating. After the dinner,family members gather around the Christmas tree for gift-giving. The
Christmas Eve gathering provides an opportunity for a reunion of immediate and distant family members,
friends, and former classmates. Family members who work or live abroad usually return home for thisoccasion or, if not, make a long distance call to their families in the Philippines. The main purposes of theevent are promoting unity within the family, having a chance to get together and celebrating the season.
Music is an integral part of Filipino way of life. A richcompilation of songs for various occasions and seasons ispresent. Christmas is celebrated from the simplest to the
grandest of music. Aside from playing Christmas songs,
Filipinos are also fond of caroling. It was adopted fromthe West and became the tradition cherished by theFilipinos. People gather together: friends, officemates,
church groups, choirs, students and even street kids.
They knock on the doors of every home to sing Christmas carols, bringing good
cheers and wishes for happy holidays. In return, the home gives coins or a few pesos, or even some
The most famous Christmas symbol in the Philippines is the parol. It is a handmade, star-shaped lanternused to decorate homes, churches, schools, streets and stores. The parol is usually made of bamboo sticks,
tied to form a star skeleton and on which a colored paper or cellophane is pasted. At present, parols of
various shapes and materials can be seen. It symbolizes the star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Wise
Men to the new-born Jesus. Competitions on the biggest, brightest and the most beautiful parol are also being
held during the season.
The Filipino Christmas season ends with the Feast of the Three Wise Men (The Three Kings) or the
Epiphany. This is celebrated on the 6th of January or on the 1st Sunday of January. All Christmas trees anddecorations are detached and kept until the next Christmas season.
In spite of the materialism, extravagance, commercialism and exhaustion, the Filipino Christians try topreserve the true meaning of Christmas. The church always reminds and empowers its people of the real spiritof the celebration. The center of Christmas celebration is Jesus Christ, the greatest demonstration of God’s
love to us. No matter how simple and meek the celebration is, as long as there is thanksgiving and joy in ourhearts, Christmas will always be a memorable one. I will spend my Christmas and New Year away from myfamily for the first time. There will be neither lechon nor puto-bumbong. I will not wake up as early as 4:00
a.m. to attend the misa de gallo. I’ll have my first taste of Japan’s Christmas celebration: an entirely new
environment, a new experience and a different celebration. But no matter how far I am from my family,
Christmas will always be Christmas to me. We won’t be together this Christmas but we will always be one byheart.
A holy Christmas and a prosperous new year to all!
*Laboratory of Mineral Processing and Resources Recycling
EGPSEE Student Union

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English Graduate Program in Socio-Environmental Engineering
Hokkaido University

The Japanese New Year
By Masashi Matsumura*

New Year is the most important event for Japanese. We spend several days in preparing for this event. We
clean the whole house and make special ornaments (Kagamimochi and Kadomatu) and foods (Osechiryori).
On the New Year’s Eve, we eat Japanese noodles (Toshikoshisoba) and toll a bell (Jyoyanokane). Then, on the
New Year’s day, we go to Shinto Shrine (Hatsumoude) and enjoy New Year’s cards and Osechiryori.

New Year’ Eve

December 31st is New Year's Eve. We have a custom of eating Japanese noodles (Toshikoshisoba) on thatday. We eat it to finish off this year, wishing that we will live long and thin as noodles.
At midnight, we go to a temple near our houses, and listen to Jyoyanokane. It is thetolling of temple bells. The temple bells are stroked one hundred and eight times. This
has a religious meaning. In Buddhism, it is said that humans have 108 kinds of ourworldly desires. By tolling the temple bell, they are driven away.

New Year’ Day

New Year's Day is considered to be one of the most important days in Japan. We
exchange New Year's cards called Nengajo on the day. We send New Year's cards tofriends, relatives and colleagues to exchange formal greetings. Also, some people express
their New Year's resolutions on them.

On the New Year's Day, we go to Shinto Shrines. It is called Hatsumoude. We are in ourbest dress and we pray for good luck and happiness for the year. We also visit our relatives and friends toexchange New Year's greetings face to face. At that time, children are given a gift of money from theirparents or relatives. It is called Otoshidama. It is customary in Japan that parents and relatives give a small
sum of money as a New Year's present to young children.
At our, or relatives’ house, we eat Osechiryori. Osechiryori is specially prepared as
New Year's food, beautifully arranged in lacquer boxes. It contains colorful vegetables,
fish, black beans and so on. The foods that make up Osechiryori can be prepared inadvance and then left out in a cool area for a few days, in case they are spoiled.
Usually, foods are placed in compartmentalized lacquer boxes that are stacked in layers.
We enjoy our food twice, first by looking at it, and second by eating it.
In a Japanese alcove, we place Kagamimochi. It is two round
rice cakes piled up, with an orange on the top. Some of these are presented with lobsterand dried persimmon. The rice cake is shaped like a flat round mirror and that's thereason why it is called Kagamimochi. This meaning comes from Shinto. Kagami means
mirror, and Mochi means rice cake. The mirror is a god's symbol. It has been generalized
since the Muromachi period with the appearance of Japanese alcove.
During New Year’s Day, streets look different. Many Japanese decorate the front door of shops, company
buildings and houses with a pair of Kadomatsu during the New Year holidays. Kadomatsu is a decorationconsisting of bamboo and pine branches symbolizing longevity and prosperity. It is said that this is theappropriate way to welcome gods.
Thus, New Year’s Day is important for Japanese people. It is the time when not only New Year starts but
also some religious acts and social relationships are deepened. So most Japanese people stop working, returnto their family homes and stay with over. We value, are looking forward to and enjoy this period.
*Laboratory of Structural Mechanics and Systems
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Have you ever had a stomachache?
What is the reason?
You may say stress, food poisoning or anything else, but may be not…..

By Thithiwat MaY & Akinobu Ito*

This article is relevant to the scientists who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine this year. You
should know about it because 15% of humans have this symptom and this topic has been recognized as the“remarkable and unexpected discovery".
Until Warren and Marshall's finding in
1979, physicians had thought that an excess of
stomach acid caused by stress ate away at thestomach lining and lead to ulcers. The
treatments prescribed ranged from a bland
diet to drugs that blocked stomach acidproduction to, finally, surgery. Then, while
examining tissue samples from the stomachs
of ulcer patients, Warren noticed the presenceof spiral-shaped bacteria. No one expectedthat such organisms could withstand the harshacidic conditions in the stomach (the pH in thestomach is 1.0-4.0). But these crafty microbes
appeared to live under the thick mucus layer of the stomach lining and, in Warren's observations, suspiciously
close to areas of inflammation. It took Warren, with the help of young trainee, Marshall, to finally cultivate thebacterium in the laboratory in 1982. The microbe was named Helicobacter pylori.
However, the clinical community was suspicious
about their finding and it took a remarkable length oftime for their discovery to become the mainstream. In
the standard medical teaching at that time students
learned that there were no bacteria in the gut
because of extremely acidic habitat and everybody
thought Warren and Marshall were mad to propose
this project. In 1985, Marshall performed experimenton his body to prove that these bacteria caused
gastric illness. He infected himself with this bacteria
and he got stomach ulcer.
Nowadays, peptic ulcer is no longer a chronic or
disabling disease. Researchers now know that about
50 percent of humans host the bacteria in theirstomachs. Fortunately, not every person who has the
microbe in residence will experience ulcers, but symptoms do occur in some 10 to 15 percent of those who do.
H. pylori creates problems, because it naturally releases chemicals that attract cells thatinduce stomach irritation. The organism is also a good swimmer and easily evades thestomach's muscle contractions, which work to flush out other contents. Without treatment,
the bacteria can cause large ulcers and also predispose a person to stomach cancer.
Today, the most effective remedy for ulcers is a regimen of antibiotics. There is somedebate that eradicating the bacteria could lead to other diseases. This discovery of the link
between stomach disease and microbe suggests possibility that microbe cause otherchronic inflammatory conditions such as ulcerative colitis, atherosclerosis and stomach
cancer. Let’s appreciate their discovery to improve the human welfare. For more details,
please visit http://nobelprize.org.
*Laboratory of Water Quality Control Engineering

EGPSEE Student Union

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English Graduate Program in Socio-Environmental Engineering
Hokkaido University

A THOUSAND DAYS IN MY LIFE
By Werawan Manakul

When Hiroe asked if I could write something about my daily life that I found exciting, interesting or
impressive for E-Vision, without any hesitation I said “Yes”. I did not realize that it is not easy for a person
who has lived over 19,000 days, so much has happened in her daily life, to identify what was and is still
exciting, interesting or impressive. As a result, I decided to write about a fraction of my life.
I was fourteen when my mother decided that my sister and I should stay with her sister who lived in
Malaysia (then, Malaya) and attend high school there. She believed that it would be better for us to have an
English education early. At that time English was Malaysia’s official language. It is difficult to imagine how,four decades ago, my mother who only had a minimum formal education could envision that English would
play an important role in our society.
Life in Malaysia was quite challenging. At school, English which I studied as asecond language in Thailand became a medium of instruction and Malay became thesecond language. I still remember how my classmates giggled or whispered among
themselves when I could not understand the questions teachers asked me. Besides
my inadequate conversational English ability, listening to Malaysian English was noteasy. I had to adjust my ears to different accents since teachers had different
origins. Fortunately it was not long before I became a “normal” student like myclassmates. I guess it was because English had always been my favorite subject andMalay language was not complicated.
At home our neighbors on the right, whose native language was Cantonese,
spoke to us in Hokkien – a Chinese dialect commonly used in Malaysia at that time. Our neighbors on theother side who were originally from Sri Lanka communicated with us in Malay. My aunt spoke little English
but, like my mother, was fluent in Thai, Hokkien and Malay. My Chinese Malaysian uncle-in-law spoke Thaiand Malay with some accent but was fluent in English and Chinese (both Mandarin and Hokkien). During ourstay, he was our personal English tutor. Everyday, after school, we selected an article from that day’s
newspaper and read out in front of him. In selecting the article, we had to predict what questions we would
likely get from him and prepare appropriate answers in our head.
My three cousins were already working and living somewhere else. Whatone of them left behind at his parents’ home was a huge collection of English
manga. Whenever I had time I would sit in the room with cabinets full of
copies of manga. I slowly went through each one of them and referred to thedictionary when necessary. I loved reading those manga. I did not realize thatwhat I enjoyed had, at the same time, improved my English ability.
That was 1/19 of my daily life more than 30 years ago. Because of mymother’s vision and my aunt’s and uncle’s kindness, my sister and I had an
opportunity not only to learn English but also to experience Malaysia’s uniquemulti-cultural environment. Although my mother, aunt and uncle have all passed away, those 1,000 days theygave me left a lasting impact on my life.
*EGPSEE program Officer

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THE POTATO
Where does Potato come from?

By Pepe Rodrigo Herrera Salgado*

The majority of the world population relies for their staple food on
indigenous or cultivated varieties of four main crops: rice, wheat, maize, andpotatoes.
Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, a teamled by a USDA potato taxonomist stationed at the University of WisconsinMadison has for the first time demonstrated a single origin in southern Peru forthe cultivated potato. The scientists analyzed DNA markers in 261 wild and 98
cultivated potato varieties to assess whether the domestic potato arose from asingle wild progenitor or whether it arose multiple times - and the results were clear, says David Spooner, the
USDA research scientist who led the study. "In contrast to all prior hypotheses of multiple origins of thecultivated potato, we have identified a single origin from a broad area of southern Peru," says Spooner, who isalso a UW-Madison professor of horticulture. "The multiple-origins theory was based in part on the broad
distribution of potatoes from north to south across many different habitats, through morphologicalresemblance of different wild species to cultivated species, and through other data. Our DNA data, however,shows that in fact all cultivated potatoes can be traced back to a single origin in southern Peru."
The potato (Solanum tuberosum), a tuber that originated in the upper reaches of the Peruvian Andes, hasserved as a foodstuff for Man over the past 8,000 years. However, it was not until the Spaniards took potato
samples to Europe in the sixteenth century that the tuber rose to become a universal foodstuff. In fact,
slightly less than a century after the potato was brought over to the Old World, the potato was alreadymassively consumed, and during the industrial revolution turned out to be a key energy source.
Down through the ages, the potato has been blamed for causing everything from lust to leprosy.
Europeans at first sight thought that the potato was poisonous, a common accusation against members of thegenus Solanum, which includes deadly nightshade and tomatoes (another new world food that was also
considered poisonous when brought to Europe). Potatoes were not so popular, despite their reputation as an
aphrodisiac. Shakespeare mentions them in this context in “The Merry Wives of Windsor”. In the Andes, theIncas thought the potato made childbirth easier and used it to treat injuries. The Protestants in Northern
Ireland and Scotland refused to plant potatoes, since they were not mentioned in the Bible. The Catholic Irish
overcame this obstacle by sprinkling them with holy water. By the 1800s, the Irish hadcome to depend on the potato almost entirely. A fungus spread totally wiped out thecrop in the 1840s, leading to the tragic and famous potato famine.
Marie Antoinette reportedly once wore a potato flower as a corsage. She decided totake a break from eating cake and so ate potatoes, and what the queen did was what
everyone did, so the potato became fashionable and entered French cuisine and then,from France to the world.
During the last centuries the farming of potatoes has grown tremendously and it still
continues growing, with potato production in developing countries expanding at an unprecedented rate.
Annual production has grown from 30 million tonnes in the early 1960s to 85 million tonnes today. This
popularity is hardly surprising. Potatoes yield twice the protein per acre of wheat, and provide more edible dry
matter annually than the combined world output of fish and meat. Potatoes are virtually fat-free and contain aprotein that is nearly the equivalent of milk, along with substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals. In
addition, potatoes produce more nutritious food faster on less land than any other food crop.
The International Potato Center located in Peru maintains the largest gene-bank of potato and sweetpotato genetic resources in the world, including some 1,500 samples of about 100 wild species collected ineight Latin American countries and 3,800 traditional Andean cultivated potatoes. The germplasm is held in
trust by the Center under the auspices of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and isavailable to plant breeders worldwide free upon request.
So it seems that the potato is finally getting the recognition that deserves.
(Reference: http://news.cals.wisc.edu/, http://www.perutravels.net/peru-travel-guide/art-gastronomy-potato.htm）*Laboratory of Terrestrial Environment Engineering
EGPSEE Student Union

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English Graduate Program in Socio-Environmental Engineering
Hokkaido University

For Your Eyes Only
The Top Secret E-vision Interrogation
Subject: Itou-san!

Interview by Arshad Baharudin* and Nirajan Shiwakoti**

Time: 1800 – In the early evening after official hours are complete
Setting: Secret back room of the administration office. The interview takes
place over a low wooden table facing a blinded window that overlooks theengineering entrance hall. Itou-san, professionally dressed and somewhat
nervous, faces her two interviewers codenamed ไอโซ and ア シ ャ . They
hesitantly begin conversing, speaking in a mix of English and Japanese,
assisted by a trusty pink electronic dictionary. The following is a heavily edited
summary of the top secret discussion, marked for the perusal of the E-vision
Organization.

For your eyes only!

A: Sorry for making you take time out from your busy schedule Itou-san. As
you know we’d like to interview for a piece in the E-vision magazine…

I: No, not at all, just a little nervous, Hara-san said that the interview
would be in Japanese?
She looks hopeful…

A: Hohoho, I am afraid there must have been a little mistake…
Further small talk and banter ensues in a mix of English and Japanese as we get into a rhythm, speaking in a
strange mix of Japanese and English.
A: So Itou-san, can you tell us a bit about yourself to start with? For example, your name, your family and soon?

I: My name is Itou Fusae (伊藤房枝). Itou is my husband’s name…
S: Oh, so you are married??? Zannen… I had thought…

I: Yes, I have been married for two years.
A: Any, please continue with your self introduction!

I: I come from Sapporo and I attended Ritsumeikan, a private university near Kyoto. I returned towork in Hokudai as it was near my home. I majored in Japanese Constitutional Law (wow!-ed) and I

now work as an administration officer in the Hokkaido University Engineering Faculty. I enjoy reading
and listening to music, and my hobbies include admiring and working with Japanese paper andearthenware.

A: Very interesting indeed! And how did you get involved with EGPSEE? What do you think of the EGPSEE
program and its activities?

I: I am good friends with Mabuchi-san and Werawan-san. I think Werawan is very suteki – a verystrong woman! EGPSEE is a great program and the standard of the students is very high. It is also a
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great chance for the Japanese students to study and learn English. I find the EGPSEE activities to bevery interesting and I always look forward to it.
S: Any particular events that were particularly memorable? How about the cooking?

I: Hmm… I was very moved by Iqbal’s singing at the graduation party last autumn. As for the food,it’s all very delicious but if I have to choose a favorite it was one of the Filipino dishes… ‘adobo’ I
think it was called. The Thai food was also good!
A: What of your hopes for yourself and EGPSEE?

I: Hmm… Well if Mabuchi-san was not here I would worry very much as my English is not so good –‘itsumo gomenasai’. I want to speak English better, though. So I practice with Werawan-san. I also
listen to English conversation practice tapes as well as Coldplay, one of my favorite bands.
A: Perhaps this is also a great chance for the foreign students to improve their Japanese! Maybe next timeItou-san, you can submit to E-vision some simple Japanese poems or stories with an English translation. We
can learn Japanese and you can practice your English!
Itou-san just nods.
A: Do you have any final words for the readers to round off the interview, Itou-san?

世界で活躍してください！少しでもあなたたちの研究勉強の手伝いができたらうれしいです！
Please liven up the world! It would give me great pleasure to help you all in your research studies in any way I
can!

*Laboratory of Transportation and Traffic Systems Planning**Laboratory of Traffic Control and Safety Engineering

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English Graduate Program in Socio-Environmental Engineering
Hokkaido University

Internship in Germany
By Aileen Parra Huelgas*

Last August 2005, I had a chance to take part in the internship program sponsored by CEED (Center of
Excellence for Engineering Education), with the recommendation of my professor, Prof. Funamizu. The
Internship Program. GTZ is a German aid agency whose work involves international cooperation forsustainable development. It is a technical support company that has offices worldwide and provides support insocial, political, economic and ecological developments with the aim of improving people’s living conditions. Its
main office, where I stayed for 1 month working under ECOSAN project, is in Eschborn, Germany (nearFrankfurt).
My one-month internship generally covers preparation of project and technical data sheets under theknowledge management and networking. Field visits on graywater treatment plants were also undertaken in
SheratonArabella Hotel and in KfW Bankengruppe located in Frankfurt. Travel. One of the perks this internshipprogram offered me is my weekend travels to the places within
and outside Germany. As such, weekends are the most looked
forward to after a 5-day toll of work.

Frankfurt. Home of the EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK----This city

is considered to be the economic center of not just Germany, but
the whole Europe. One of the main attractions in this area is the
Romer, the center of economic exchange in the past. And now it’s
the area for festivities. Not so far is the river Main where people
spend their summer by enjoying a cool beer or whatever drink
there may be in a setting of a beer garden.

Rhine River. The Rhine River cruise which I took from Koblenz to Bingen showed me castles and villages
along the stretch of the river. This made me imagine how wonderful it is to live in one of those castles withking and queen during the middle ages. These castles are all ruins but some are preserved for tourist
attractions. Mostly are built on hilltops as defensive structures to protect their properties and inhabitants.
Paris. Eiffel Tower-the world renowned attraction which

I used to look only in pictures before, but I had the chance
to lay my eyes with. It is a very romantic place to go, and
how I wish, at that moment, I had someone special withme. I spent my last two hours here before going back toGermany. During my short visit there, I was also able tovisit the Louvre museum, where the famous painting ofMona Lisa is displayed. Furthermore, among the famousplaces I laid my eyes here in Paris include the Notredame
Church and the Moulin Rouge viewed from the outside.

While enjoying the sceneries of these countries,
inevitable misadventures and misfortunes accompanied meduring these trips. Let me share with you some of theseexperiences. Berlin. How do I describe Berlin? It is thepast, present and future rolled into one moment. If you
look at its modern building and scratch beneath thesurface, you will find some relic of the past. Just when I
thought my trip would end well, my 2nd to the last ride in
the train shocked my wits out. During ticket inspection, theinspector demanded me an explanation as to why myticket was intended for children. Obviously, I will not pass
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as one considering my built. After series of clarification, the inspector gave me two options: call an agency
and justify this incident or pay 40 euros instant. This incident was ironic as I had availed for a discount ticket(1.6 euros less) since I am a student, but then I was fined with 40 euros. With this in mind, the first option
seems to be practical at that time. Any lessons learned? Well, always ask someone if you are not sure as there
is nothing to lose anyway.

Impressions on Internship. The whole internship program has offered me not only the opportunity to

expand the horizons and avenues of knowledge in my field of interest but also the chance to see the otherparts of the world. Economic status and culture spell out the difference between the developing (Philippines)
and developed countries (Japan and Germany) especially in the field I am pursuing. GTZ staff, specifically
ECOSAN, exposed me through their documented reports, papers and field trips about the current status,
issues, and challenges faced in sanitation system. The relics and remnants of century and decade oldinfrastructures reflect the history of European countries, which are things I have learned during my primaryand secondary schooling. These, among other things, made my internship worthy of my memory andexperiences.
*Laboratory of Urban Water System Engineering

Tough Guy’s Favorite Tempura Restaurant
By Takuma Shiozawa*

Although the restaurant looks a little bit old, its tempura tastes like a shrimp of the heaven!! Go and taste
it now! It would be a shame if you don’t（laughing）.
I definitely recommend you guys to try ebi-tempura (shrimp-tempura) set. It costs only 800 yen. Pleaseenjoy the Japanese traditional food, tempura. I’m sure it suits your taste.
Your friend, Tough Guy v(^ ^)v
Location : 北２１条東１丁目 (N21 E1)The Sosei river

Bus stop

Here!!

N21E1

N21E1

N20E1

N20E1

*Laboratory of Environmental System Research

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Hokkaido University

Life is Good in Sapporo
A long trip from Nigeria and a new life in Sapporo

By Chukwuemeka Peter Asiegbu*

Hello, my name is Asiegbu, Chukwuemeka Peter. I am the first EGPSEE student from Nigeria. Asiegbu is
my surname; Chukwuemeka is my traditional native name while Peter is my Christian name. My traditional
native name “Chukwuemeka” means that “God is magnificent”.
I was born in Enugu State, Nigeria and had all my initial education in English as it is the only official
language in Nigeria. I did my undergraduate degree program in mechanical engineering at the University of
Nigeria.
When I was leaving Nigeria for Japan, I was somewhat confused and worried as I had not traveled outside
Nigeria before. All I knew was that I was traveling to Japan, and believed that things would be well for me
over there. To make the matter worse, I had not traveled by air before and theinternational flight was my first time. So you can imagine how uncertain andworried I was. Besides, I did not even know how hospitable the Japanese would
be and I had to take four flights to travel from Nigeria to Sapporo, Japan. I felt
almost unable to make the long journey but I took it as a challenge.
I had a very long journey from Nigeria to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia; then, from
Ethiopia to Bangkok in Thailand; from there to Tokyo and finally to Chitose where
I met my tutor with his friends waiting to welcome me. So, I took four flights(three international and one domestic).
My tutor and his friends welcomed me warmly and took me to have light refreshment in Japanese style. So
the first food I tasted in Japan was “sushi” (the famous raw fish). At first, I could not imagine and believe thatpeople can eat raw fish but realized later that “sushi” is from special species of fish. Right now, I can eat“sushi” and think it is delicious.
Sapporo is a very nice place in the world for people to stay. The city is cool, well organized and quiet.
Since my arrival in Sapporo, I have never seen people (the Japanese) being angry or annoyed in any way
which is different from my country. People are always laughing and eager to help in Sapporo. Before coming
to Japan, I thought that the Japanese would have some elements of racism but they are completely
accommodating. In fact, the initial wonderful hospitable welcome I experienced contributed greatly to myadaptation here in Sapporo. But I must say that Sapporo is really very cold which is completely different frommy country’s climate. In Nigeria, there are only two seasons, dry and wet season. And the averagetemperature is 35º C. So, I first saw the real snow on 9th of September 2005 here. I also have to say that thecost of living is generally too high in Japan.
In conclusion, my life so far in Japan has been a good one and I look forward to having much moreenjoyable moments in Sapporo.
*Laboratory of Terrestrial Environment Engineering

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The New Students
We welcome twelve new students this October.

Ridhard Diaz ALORROCountry: Philippines
Division: Solid Waste, Resources and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Program: MasterSupervisor: Prof. TSUNEKAWA
Chukwuemeka Peter ASIEGBUCountry: Nigeria
Division: Field Engineering for Environment
Program: MasterSupervisor: Prof. ASAKURA
Ali AWALUDIN
Country:
Division:
Program:Supervisor:

Indonesia
Built Environment
DoctorProf. HAYASHIKAWA

Muhammad Aun BASHIRCountry: Pakistan
Division: Built Environment
Program: MasterSupervisor: Prof. UEDA

Pepe Rodrigo HERRERA SALGADOCountry: Peru
Division: Field Engineering for Environment
Program: Doctor
Supervisor: Prof. IGARASHI
Januar Fery IRAWAN
Country: Indonesia
Division: Engineering and Policy for Cold Regional Environment
Program: MasterSupervisor: Prof. SHIMIZUEGPSEE Student Union

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Hokkaido University

Mohamed Omar MOHAMEDCountry: Egypt
Division: Built Environment
Program: Doctor
Supervisor: Prof. HAYASHIKAWA

Rengarasu Terrance MOHANARAJCountry: Sri Lanka
Division: Engineering and Policy for Cold Regional Environment
Program: MasterSupervisor: Prof. HAGIWARA
Warangkana SAENGSOYCountry: Thailand
Division: Solid Waste, Resources and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Program: Doctor
Supervisor: Prof. NAWA
Raxchaya SHRESTHACountry: Nepal
Division: Architectural and Structural Design
Program: MasterSupervisor: Prof. KOBAYASHI

Gebeyehu Aragaw TSEGAWCountry: Ethiopia
Division: Engineering and Policy for Cold Regional Environment
Program: Doctor
Supervisor: Prof. SHIMIZU
Elena Alexandrova MAKSINOVACountry: Russia
Division: Engineering and Policy for Cold Regional Environment
Program: Research student
Supervisor: Prof. SHIMIZU

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The Graduates
We congratulate the twelve graduates.

7th Graduation, September 2005
Surajate Boonya-aroonnet
Country: Thailand
Division: Environment and Resources Engineering
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Title: Computation of Turbulence and Bed Morphology in Meandering Rivers

Rofiq Iqbal
Country:
Division:
Degree:Thesis Title:

Jung Chang-Hwan
Country:
Division:
Degree:Thesis Title:

Indonesia
Environment and Resources Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy
The Conservation of Sarobetsu Mire: Restoration of Water
Chemistry Regime and Its Relevance to Vegetation Succession

Korea
Solid Waste Resources Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy
Flow Analysis of Metals in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management
SystemOlga Sergeevna Savichtcheva
Country: Russia
Division: Urban Engineering and Planning
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Title: Application of Bacteriodes spp. as Alternative Indicator of
Fecal Pollution in Natural Waters
Pipat Termkhajornkit
Country: Thailand
Division: Structural and Geotechnical Engineering
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Title: Study on Hydration, Microstructure and Performance of Fly AshCement Pastes

Sahaphol Timpong
Country:
Division:
Degree:Thesis Title:

EGPSEE Student Union

Thailand
Structural and Geotechnical Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy
Small Strain Shear Modulus Evaluation of Volcanic Coarsegrained Soils with Particle Breakage

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Hokkaido University

Alba Carolina Blanco Chaparro
Country: Colombia
Division: Urban Engineering and Planning
Degree: Master of Engineering
Thesis Title: Development of Land Readjustment in Japan and Its Possibilities ofApplication in Colombia
Norov JagvaralCountry:
Division:
Degree:Thesis Title:

Mongolia
Structural and Geotechnical Engineering
Master of Engineering
Estimation Method for Interactive Behavior between Frost Soiland Chilled Gas Pipelines

Ramil Garcia Mijares
Country: Philippines
Division: Structural and Geotechnical Engineering
Degree: Master of Engineering
Thesis Title: Deformation-Strength Characteristics of Crushable Volcanic Soils at
Various Degrees of Saturation

Nguyen Linh Vu
Country: Vietnam
Division: Urban Engineering and Planning
Degree: Master of Engineering
Thesis Title: Treatment of High Concentration of Pharmaceuticals in Urineby Ozonation Process
Mehari Alemayehu Nigussie
Country: Ethiopia
Division: Urban Engineering and Planning
Degree: Master of Engineering
Thesis Title: Effects of Road Geometry and Weather Conditions on Head-on
Collisions in Hokkaido
Vasantha WICKRAMASINGHECountry: Sri Lanka
Division: Urban Engineering and Planning
Degree: Master of Engineering
Thesis Title: Evaluation of the Current Trends and Prospects of Bus
Transportation ge

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PuzzleFour Dots make a Square: A ‘moving’ poemby Apollo Birch. TellMeAnEnigma
Once upon a time, in the world of 2D
there were four dots named A, B, C and E
The four dots stay put in its own cornerand make sure its ‘square’ is really a square
So dot A stays four steps north of dot B
and dot C stays four steps east of dot B
While dot C stays four steps south of dot E
and dot A stays four steps west of dot E
One day, they want its square to be bigger
but two dots must stay in its position
So only two can move from its location
to double the area of the square
Which pair has to be moved and please show me
how far the two can go in this 2D
For this will be my poem’s last stanza…
Double the original square’s area!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The answer to last issue’s puzzle (E-Vision vol.3 No.1)
Anag-rhyme I: Thirteen*
If I tell you now about ‘the earthquakes’,
it’s really an anagram of ‘that queer shake’.
Then, would you believe me if I tell you,‘bout the an’gram of ‘eleven plus two’ ?
It’s such a mathemat’cal beauty,
Words and numbers are in such harmony.
What’s this an’gram and tell me if you’re done,
For it will be my last line – ‘twelve plus one’ ?
*Author’s explanation: Mr. Apollo Birch. TellMeAnEnigma (his ‘anagrammic pseudonym’) was ‘inspired’ (one way ofsaying that he got bored of doing what he was supposed to be doing at that moment ) to write a poem and a riddle
for this remarkable anagram: ELEVEN PLUS TWO = TWELVE PLUS ONE
The puzzle crafted in a poem was actually composed at one Friday the 13th (guess what month is that?). That iswhy (besides the other obvious and personal reasons) the title of this poem is
Anag-rhyme I: Thirteen

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EGPSEE
STUDENT UNION©EGPSEE-Student Union 2003

©EGPSEE-Student Union 2005