And this is the three of us. Shinshin specially dressed up for the occasion.

This is a yearly tradition, where we take themed family photo shoots. I want the next one to be in Kimonos

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Two weekends ago, we went on a magical trip to Okinawa. The trip was perfect, starting from being the first on and off the plane (which was more about the fact we had a wheelchair)

We ate lots of yummy food. Here, I’m about to dive into a lovely bowl of soba. I’ll save the rest of the food photos for a separate food-update.

We went for a stroll down a colourful market in Naha.

And some bigggg blowfish

As you can see, we had a tropical theme going.

The trip was actually Kapu’s birthday present trip. So we had a lovely birthday cake!

And here we are taking a rest from the rigours of holidaying.

And enjoying an amazing cocktail at dinner.

Swimming in the sea was the highlight of the trip! It was amazingly fun.

I could do it alllll day long!!

Visiting the famous Churami Aquarium was another fantastic experience.

Here we got to see the amazing Okinawan tropical fish – alive and swimming.

But the most amazing part was the massive shark tank. Words do not do it justice.

The glass is a couple of foot thick.

Everyone enjoyed looking at the hundreds of fish, sharks, mantra rays and who knows what else inside the massive tank.

We even stopped to have a drink with one.

Ooops, slipped in another food picture. Yummy Okinawan rice!!

At the village, there was the opportunity to dress in traditional Okinawan clothes. History shows that Okinawa was heavily influenced by neighbouring countries, such as Taiwan, Korea, etc.

Okinawa was an amazing experience. Returning/going to other tropical islands is definitely on my to-do list.

Now, back to work!

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During my time in Japan I’ve gone to quite a few onsens. Some have been in hotels, others have been public bathhouses. Some have even been mixed baths. But while you are naked (with a small towel for modesty), the only other people who can see you are fellow bathers.

But last weekend, at Misasa Onsen, I had my first public public bath. Imagine an onsen ‘pool’ in the middle of the river in the middle of town. Only one side is vaguely protecting the modesty of bathers.

As you bathe, you can see people in the hotel rooms looking out at you. Not to mention the people walking by on the road.

The water was beautiful. Quite the experience.

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We are really lucky to have such great friends and colleagues.
Our dear friend outdid herself with her latest creation for us. We are super touched. The cake even tasted better than it looks

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Privacy – the web of emergencies

When a disaster or emergency strikes, privacy is often the last thing on the minds of those involved or affected. Most privacy and data protection laws have provisions to deal with emergencies, and clarifying instruments are often published, such as New Zealand’s Christchurch Earthquake (Information Sharing) Code 2011 (Temporary). However, due to limits in the reach of privacy laws, such guidelines typically and necessarily stop short where the actions of individuals  (as opposed to entities) are concerned.

While the internet and other forms of social media are often cited as the cause for privacy issues and concerns, such outlets also serve to enable people to manage their own (or, indeed, communal) safety and security interests in the face of emergency – such as the several environmental disasters that have occurred this year.

The Japanese earthquake and tsunami, which left epic numbers of people dead, missing or displaced, has become one of the first natural disasters to be seen and reported in real time on the internet – with some people even tweeting that they could see the tsunami coming towards them. A vast array of video footage (both of the event and people affected) was also taken using smartphones. After the tsunami, telephone networks across the country were (at best) patchy, which heightened the level of concern as people reached out to contact friends, family and colleagues. Naturally, the still-functioning internet was turned to.

The amount of personal information posted online in the aftermath of Japan’s tragedy is staggering, with most of it posted on websites designed to be viewed on mobile devices –

- Google launched a Person Finder website, which tracked around 500,000 publicly available records of people feared missing.

- Popular mobile blogs of Japanese celebrities quickly developed alphabetically organised sections with tens of thousands of posts asking for confirmation of well-being of those feared missing. These blogs provided names, addresses and contact details of those searching for loved ones (just in case their friends/family had lost their phones and couldn’t remember the phone numbers).

- Social networks such as Facebook, Mixi and Twitter were also used on a large scale for people to stay in contact and confirm with others that they were safe.

With all of this online activity potentially comprising the personal information of ‘the missing’ (or ‘the searching’, or ‘the found’), the privacy concern was arguably seen as a counterpoint to the imperative that, simply, we must survive this as a community.

The internet has become a significant enabler for disaster management and community reassurance, including the sharing of vital information in real time. It is clear that, in the face of adversity and uncertainty such as that experienced recently in Japan, the behaviour and expectations of individuals in relation to personal privacy changed – or were, at least, temporarily suspended as the more pressing need for information arose.

The internet is known for its ability to store information forever, as well as for being open for anyone to access for any number of purposes. With the high level of disclosure of personal information that Japan’s recent disaster brought, and the resulting innumerable up-to-date records now readily available online, time will tell how third parties choose to treat such information.

Japanese privacy law does cover private parties (either an individual or business) who handle more than 5000 records. No doubt, how online platforms – such as celebrity blogs, which don’t normally handle the levels of personal information experienced during the disaster – will now manage such information will be a matter of interest for the community, privacy advocates and regulators.

Moreover, how the internet is used in any future disasters will largely depend on what happens with the personal information posted during Japan’s crisis. I wonder whether any negative consequences arising from the mountain of personal information now readily available will be viewed by the community as having been worth it…?

This article represents the views of me, as a privacy professional, and should not be taken to represent the views of any government or cosmic entity.

Image by Kz-xnx21

The above painting was a birthday present for my last birthday.

It’s me, my puppy and Ginkaku-ji in Japan, on a snow-scape. But you can see that. A picture is worth 1000 words, not that my photo taken on my tablet does the painting full justice.

Ginkaku-ji is the Zen “Temple of the Silver Pavilion” and is the the sister of the more famous Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji.

Both temples are located in my favourite city in Japan, Kyoto, and are well worth a visit if you’re in town.

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As anyone who has followed or read my blog knows, I generally only tend to blog when I am overseas. Because that’s when the interesting and awesome stuff happens. And when I get to eat some seriously awesome food. Doesn’t that sushi look good?

I’m super looking forward to all the awesome food that Japan has to offer. Each area has their own speciality of food and items. This thread at the official JET forums is covering some of the food we have to look forward to: http://lyte.in/mp1RHv

Since I’ll be in Japan for a year, I’ll be blogging a LOT, so I’ve decided to try and spruce up my blog, not only for myself, but for my readers. I’ve added a shoutbox, a Katakana and Hiragana character table page for easy reference, and a JET Programme calendar so that I can access info on the go.

The blog has also passed 20 000 hits, which in the scale of things isn’t much (my other websites used to get 10k individual hits per day), but for my own boring blog, it’s quite a milestone.

I’m excited!!

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But in Japan, I’ve been enjoying myself. Had an awesome lunch. Sashimi, sushi, tempura, miso. But I forgot to take my camera (or phone) into the restaurant! Silly me. Won’t make that mistake again

My short Japan trip begins here. There’s lots planned, so I’m super excited! !

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