MANGA / GARFIELD/ PEANUTS

This is our final full day in Japan.  Woke up to Mount Fuji,

There was an early thought to return to Sankeien Garden in Yokohama, but we had our fill of Fall Colors in Nara.  Plus, you can read what we saw exactly 4 years ago.  Here are two photos from our previous visit.

So what are we going to do?  Almost nothing.  There is a huge shopping mall below our hotel, so we'll walk around a bit.

As I'm in the Orient, I could provide a summary of news items from this region.  But nothing much seems to also be happening here.

• There is that matter between China and Taiwan, but there is no war today in this part of the world.

• 
  No typhoons.  There was a Sunday 7.4 Philippines earthquake, killing one, but no noteworthy tsunami.
• In fact, the weather throughout this whole trip has been outstanding, with one or two cloudy days.  It did snow when we were on Hokkaido, but only a few snowflakes.

• 
  North Korea?  Nothing.  If Kim Jong Un suddenly dies, will his 10-year old daughter, Ju Ae, inherit his leadership?  Nothing will happen until something happens, and he is only 39.

• 
  Hong Kong.  Democracy got squashed.  Activist Agnes Chow was let out of jail, then went to Canada, and recently jumped bail by defying orders to return.  Now 27, she was supposedly going to school at a university in Toronto, but has said that patriotism is too dangerous and might never go home.

• 
  South Korea?  Their concern is a declining population.
• Current population, 52 million
• There is a 98% chance that this number will fall below 40 million by 2070.  If this trend occurs, there is a 68% chance that their economic growth rate will drop below 0% in the 2050's.
• Why the drop?  
• Fertility rate was 0.81 in 2021, but dropped to 0.78 in 2022.
• Of all OECD countries, SK has the lowest.  Hong Kong, actually, is lower yet.
• Each couple now wants 0.73 children.
• The New York Times indicated, Is South Korea disappearing?
• At the current SK birthrate, 200 people will be 70 in the next generation.
• Then 35 in 2067.
• 
  Of course, Japan, too, is suffering this same plight,
• Population peaked in 2008 at 128 million.
• Last year was the 12th consecutive year of declination, dropping to 124.5 million.
• In 2020, one in 1500 was 100 or older.
• Foreigners account for 2.2% of the population.  This figure is 13.6% in the U.S.
• Is Japan heading for a population of zero?  Watch this video.
• Back in 2018, one headline said that at current birth rates, the Japanese population will disappear by 2500.  The likely population will drop to 85 million by 2100.

I'll close with manga.

• Manga means whimsical or impromptu in Japanese.
• These are comics or graphic novels.
• Read by people of all ages, but half of Japanese people in their 50's daily read digital manga.
• Think that is high?  57% of American adults read the daily comic page.
• Popeye, which came in 1919, is #2?
• How many of you knew that Garfield is #1?  This overweight orange cat first appeared in 1978. 

• All-time favorite?  From 1950-2000, Peanuts.  #2 Krazy Kat (1913-1944) and #3 Calvin and Hobbes (1985-1995).  Hard to believe that was almost 30 years ago.

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