Reflections on Japan

Back in April-May we spent a fascinating 2 weeks in Japan, mainly in Tokyo and surrounding districts. It was an opportunity to glimpse another culture as well as experiencing a super-mega-city (at 35 million it is almost twice as big as Mexico City, the second largest city in the world).

Despite a falling birth-rate and inverted population pyramid, Tokyo seemed full of young people – young men with highly contrived hair-styles and shaved eyebrows, and doll-like young women in lacey blouses and pastel pleated skirts. There were lots of babies, too, many carried in slings. People were everywhere - every shop, restaurant, and museum was packed to the rafters, though it was possible that  ‘Golden Week’ - a week of public holidays-  artificially increased the population. Nonetheless, given the vast number of shops etc – grid after grid of streets packed full of huge department stores as well as Starbucks and MacDonald’s - this was quite an achievement. And expense didn’t seem a deterrent, either (a cup of coffee was around £3; costs for most things are far higher than in the UK).

I loved the beautiful parks and the splendid butterflies (swallowtails; huge blue and black ‘bluebottles’), and I loved the way the Japanese manage to create gardens in the tiniest of spaces, even a piece of pavement near a door. I marvelled at the weather (heat, rain, thunder, tornadoes), and the way the forest marches down the steep hillside into the edges of the towns. I admired all the temples and shrines, and found the Japanese approach to religion – basically, doing a bit of venerating on special days or at times of need but otherwise not being too bothered - was quite healthy. And I really relished Japanese courtesy, the bowing in shops, the endless ‘thank-yous. This seems to have extended into the street-signs, and the generous provision of English signs everywhere - particularly welcome in the exceptionally tangled Metro system.

But there were unsettling aspects of Japanese society also, such as the way many people create babies out of lap-dogs, even pushing them around in prams. The prevalence and popularity of Pachinko – slot machine venues – was also peculiar, particularly as money cannot be acquired (gambling is forbidden) and no skill is involved. And the Japanese attitude to women can sometimes be a source of discomfort, for example in the ‘waitress cafes’ common in places such as Akihabara, the electronic district of Tokyo, where the young waitresses display both innocence and sexuality. Last, but not least, down at the coast at Hase we saw tsunami warning signs, a small indication that in Japan, the natural world is magnificent but also threatening.

What makes schooling good?

Last Monday, a Radio 4 'Analysis' programme discussed what makes good schools good. Ethos and environment were important, and of course the quality of teaching. The programme also pointed out, however, that family background/influences account for 90% of a child's progress, with only 10% due to schools. Put another way, 'successful' pupils are mostly from middle class homes. But it's not the bigger house or fancier food that makes the difference, though no doubt they help. The things that predispose children to succeed include discussion, questionning, curiosity, and a sense that the world is full of wonderful things that are worth discovering.
These are intangible yet profound benefits, and can only be acquired by a close and happy relationship between parent and child. If we want to improve the lives of children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds we should focus on ensuring that their parents have or gain these skills. If we want to increase the influence of schools, and make schooling good, we should ensure that teachers behave like the best parents and interact with children at a personal level to help them not only understand and learn, but to make their lives happy and exciting. And we need to reduce class size. Actually, I'm probably describing Eton without the boarding and flogging, and I'm implying cost. But fulfilled children are more important than a handful of satisfied bankers.

Migraine II

My last migraine episode reminded me in no uncertain terms about the gastro-intestinal aspects of the condition. The complete lack of cold symptoms at the time also made me doubt my previous ideas about a viral origin (though I still think it was an interesting idea!). This has led me to a re-think, and a realisation that the emetic centres of the brain ( specifically the area postrema in the medulla) must have some involvement. This links to some extent to the observations from PET scans (as reported by the Migraine Trust) that brain stem areas appear to be active during migraine attacks. The Migraine Trust article indicates that current thinking is more in favour of neurological origins of migraine than vascular, but I wonder if both are involved. The area postrema is a curious structure that by-passes the blood-brain barrier to some extent and is sensitive to several circulating chemicals. One substance for which receptiors have been found is prolactin, which apparently is associated with osmoregulation in lower animals. Perhaps migraine attacks are associated with changes in prolactin levels - these can vary diurnally and seasonally, and perhaps might peak after periods of stress; the osmoregulatory aspect of its function may cause changes in intra-cranial pressure associated with headache.The involvement of prolactin - or something like it - might also help explain why females are more affected than males, and why women tend to suffer less after menopause (see Migraine Trust factsheet). However, migraine does not seem to be a major symptom of hyperprolactinaemia. Apparently, dopamine tends to inhibit synthesis of prolactin, so the ultimate orgin of migraines may be disturbances to dopaminergic pathways - this could be tested by appropriate use of dopamine agaonists/antagonists.
It's another idea, anyway!