White

2025/06/27

Hiroko Maekawa

Professor, Faculty of Letters, Kanazawa Gakuin University; Member of Toyama Prefecture Mita-kai; 2000 Letters, 2002 Master of Sociology, 2005 PhD in Sociology

Glass shrimp (shiro-ebi) landed in early spring are one of the symbols that signal the end of Hokuriku's long, harsh winter and the arrival of spring. These small, translucent, pale pink shrimp make our hearts dance as much as the blooming of the cherry blossoms.

For me, having been born and raised in Toyama Prefecture, glass shrimp were just a normal food item. At home, they were served as tempura or karaage, and while sushi at a restaurant was a treat, it was a common sight. However, through conversations with friends from various places I met at university, I was made to realize that glass shrimp are a precious specialty unique to Toyama. Studying at university became an opportunity for me to rediscover the merits and food culture of Toyama, and through interaction with people from diverse backgrounds, new value was given to the everyday scenery.

In recent years, partly due to the impact of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the catch of glass shrimp has been decreasing. Thinking that a day may come when we cannot eat them as easily as before makes me feel a little lonely. I want to continue to cherish life in Toyama along with the glass shrimp.

Junya Ota

Chairperson, Medical Corporation OJC; Director, Ota Dental Clinic Yoga; 2024 Law (Correspondence)

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has settled down, and many people have likely ended their lives of wearing masks at all times.

In the dental industry, there seems to have been a very high demand for orthodontics during the period of living with masks. Reasons might include the fact that masks make braces less noticeable, and that people had fewer expenses because they weren't going out, allowing them to spend money on their teeth. I think many people recognized the importance of the mouth area more by feeling a large gap between a person's face with a mask on and their face with it off when meeting for the first time. It feels as though its importance was highlighted by being hidden.

And now that the life with masks has ended, the demand for whitening is increasing. This can be considered an expression of increased awareness regarding the mouth area.

Because highly effective substances like hydrogen peroxide cannot be used without a dentist, whitening at a dental clinic results in whiter teeth than at beauty salons, but I believe there is little difference in technique between individual dental clinics.

I hope to continue to increase the awareness of local residents regarding oral health, using whitening and other services as a starting point.

Go Koshino

Professor, Faculty of Letters, Keio University

St. Petersburg, the capital of Imperial Russia, is a mysterious city where at night the Bronze Horseman statue might start to move, a human nose might ride around in a carriage, or one might encounter a double exactly like oneself on the street. In Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel "White Nights," during the fantastical nights of St. Petersburg where the sun does not set, a lonely young man offers unrequited love to an unhappy girl. The girl is unhappy because she loves her absent lover but also hates him for not returning to her. The young man's love is unrequited because one cannot love a flesh-and-blood human being with only a bright philanthropy that lacks the shadow of hatred. The young man accepts the reunion of the girl and her lover with a strangely bright joy. It resembles a white night, where it is night yet there is no darkness. By the way, in places where there are white nights in summer, there are polar nights in winter where the sun does not rise even during the day. The violence of war, where only hatred can be felt, resembles the polar night. Russian President Putin, who started the never-ending war, is also from St. Petersburg.

Chieko Fujii

Professor, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, Keio University

The Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year. 2018 marked the 100th anniversary of nursing education at Keio. At that time, we compiled a history of clothing, such as white uniforms and practice wear, based on illustrations by Yoshiko Nozawa, a former head nurse at Keio Hospital, and graduation albums. Shintaro Ishida, the Juku Secretary at the time of the founding, designed the plum blossom collar pin. In 1927, Taichi Kitajima, Director of the Department of Medicine Nurse Training Center, celebrated the graduation with the words "White Garments and Pure Fragrance: Protectors of the Sick." The round nurse caps and lapel pins that were symbols of Keio nursing always displayed The Pen Mark. However, because nurse caps were stiffened with laundry starch, they were abolished in the 2000s from the perspective of infection prevention. The current practice wear for the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care no longer includes skirts and has become navy blue pants. In recent years, white uniforms in the nursing field are increasingly chosen in colors other than white, and uniforms have changed with the times.

The significance of grooming oneself when donning work clothes continues along with the thoughts of the predecessors of Keio nursing. I hope that Keio nursing in the future will continue to be as dignified as a single plum blossom and continue to have a pure fragrance.