Some Thoughts on "Cool Biz" | Yoshikazu Yoshino (Dean, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)
2005.06.23
Twelve days ago, on the 10th, the rainy season was declared for the Kanto-Koshinetsu region. This was two days later than average, yet the earliest on the main island of Honshu. At the time, some people wondered if the rainy weather was just the effect of Typhoon No. 4, and it has rained so little since that I thought they might be right. The weather has been particularly fine on weekends, which is great for gardening and golf, and I'm endlessly pleased about it. This morning, however, it really rained.
The editor of "Okashira Nikki" (The Dean's Diary) requested that this time I write about "a current topic." I had a vague feeling that this "current topic" would be not just a little, but quite difficult, and now that I'm faced with it, I've experienced its "unpleasantness" firsthand. In other words, I am forced to carefully consider what to choose from an endless flood of topics and which theme can be smoothly presented (without political considerations) without causing any issues.
This summer, something called "Cool Biz" was launched under the government's leadership. The website of the Ministry of the Environment's Global Environment Bureau (I never knew such a grand-sounding bureau existed) explains its background. I will quote a part of it verbatim: “We will name the ‘light summer attire’ that allows people to work coolly and efficiently even with air conditioning set at 28°C as ‘COOL BIZ’ and promote it.”
So, I looked up the unfamiliar English word "biz" in the dictionary. It's a shortened, colloquial/slang form of "business," meaning profession or trade. Examples of usage included "show biz" and "Good biz!" (colloquial English for "Well done!" or "Great job!"). In any case, it's hard to imagine that a native English speaker would interpret "cool biz" as energy-saving light attire; they might think it means a cool (as in "hip," a term from Yujiro Ishihara's era half a century ago) profession or business (this part has been checked by Mr. Sugimoto and Mr. Hardy, who teach English at the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care). Nevertheless, I can't help but feel a certain awe at the courage it takes to coin such a term. Furthermore, in newspaper terminology, the general rule has been not to place a middle dot (･) between the words of a two-word compound. However, this principle began to break down around the time of "informed consent."
Let's return to the main topic of "Cool Biz." A quarter-century ago, during Prime Minister Ohira's time, short-sleeved suits, promoted under the name "energy-saving look" and championed by Mr. Hata (who later became Prime Minister), were heavily publicized but sadly failed instantly. There was virtually no one who would go out of their way to buy those uncool, unattractive short-sleeved suits. Still, as there are some unusually persistent people in the world, I've been desperately searching for a scene where someone has carefully stored that short-sleeved suit in the back of their closet and brought it back for this "Cool Biz" campaign, but I have yet to find one. In any case, this "Cool Biz" will likely be more popular than that time. This is largely because, basically, all you have to do is take off your tie and unfasten the top button, so it requires no initial investment. Of course, I know that wearing a shirt designed for this purpose is preferable.
I'd also like to touch upon "shirt out," another element of the "Cool Biz" style, although it's a much smaller component compared to going tie-less. "Shirt out" is the style Prime Minister Koizumi demonstrated on the first day of the "Cool Biz" initiative, leading the public by wearing an Okinawan *kariyushi* shirt with the hem untucked from his trousers. As for me, I've long been a big fan of this "shirt out" style and wear it whenever permissible. It feels light and airy, the air around my navel is constantly replaced with fresh air, which feels pleasant, and it's also incredibly comfortable. Until a little while ago, it was frowned upon on golf courses, but now it has gained full acceptance, so like Ai-chan, I let my navel enjoy the delicious green air. However, in my case, as I am approaching the age of the "early elderly," some faculty members at the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, unaware that I'm fond of the "shirt out" style, kindly point out to me, "Dean, your shirt is untucked," and they do so repeatedly. On these occasions, it's a bit difficult to say, "No, this is the 'shirt out' style," so they might be worried that the dean is finally showing signs of cognitive impairment. There are also shirts specifically designed for the "shirt out" style, varying in length and design, but as for me, I make wide use of any shirt that fits the so-called "loose look," as it suits that relaxed style. Recently, a cabinet minister was criticized for wearing a crisply ironed dress shirt "untucked," but I see young people striding about stylishly with a similar look, so I don't think it's something that warrants criticism.
As for me, I hope to be healthy and continue with "Cool Biz" and "shirt out" next year as well.
End
(Date of publication: 2005/06/23)