The impact of privatization in Japanese public libraries

The management of public libraries in Japan faced a big change in 2003. Public institutions had been privatized in the world from the 1970s, but privatization of public institutions was late in Japan. Public institutions came to be privatized in Japan in the 1980s, and the public library finally became a target of the privatization in the 2000s. The numbers of libraries which introduced the privatization increases year by year. Research in the arena of library information science had been accomplished about arguments of privatization in Japanese public libraries. However, most of studies were sets of opinions to object to privatization. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine opinions of various stakeholders about privatization of public libraries by content analysis. The authors succeeded in collecting opinions of stakeholders from newspapers. They clarified characteristics of privatization and present arguments in Japan

BATTING AND BUTTON-PRESS REACTION TIME IN PRIMARY, JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL PLAYERS

The focus of this study was how baseball players acquire rapid visuo-motor processing during developmental stages. We compared simple and Go/Nogo reaction times in a button-press task and a swing-a-bat task between different age groups of teenage baseball players. Though reaction time, swing time and total reaction time were shorter in the older group, baseball-specific visuo-motor skills could not be investigated by our experiment. These results indicate that the general neural foundations underlying baseball performance develop over the school years

On the possibility of body in reading : the examination of ""Shindoku""

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the possibility of body in reading by examining ""Shindoku"". First, we must examine the concept ""Mi (body)"" in Japanese and clarify the function of ""Mi (body)"". ""Mi (body)"" can synchronize with another ""Mi (body)"". And this is why ""Shindoku"" can be possible. Second, we would examine ""Shindoku"" as a method. ""Shindoku"" is classified into two. One is ""reading with body"" and the other is ""reading to body"". The method of ""reading with body"" contains ""reading with hand"", ""reading with mouth"" and ""reading by getting body ready"". Michio Namekawa, a pioneer of reading education in Japan, told that we need concentration in ""reading by getting body ready"" in order to get reading more effectively and deeply. Kakichi Kadowaki, a Christian, told that he could read Bible more deeply by practicing ""Zen"". We must walk the same way with all our body and soul as the author walked in order to ""read to body"". If we read a book as a purpose of ""Shindoku"", we should not receive the book as only written sentences but we should receive what the author says as his own experience. And we should take the author\u27s problem as our own problem. From the viewpoint of ""Shindoku"", we can see the problem of practice and posture in reading

Mindfulness and the Japanese body culture : The mindfulness pelvic breathing method and "Koshi-Hara culture"

近年、マインドフルネスのブームともいうべき急速な拡大に伴って、実践上の問題が生じ、「瞑想難民」と呼ばれる人々を生み出す事態になっている。またマインドフルネスを日本に移入することに伴う問題、あるいは日本的マインドフルネスとはいかなるものかという問題も存在する。本研究では、この2つの問題に対応するため、「腰肚文化」と呼ばれる日本の身体文化に着目する。日本では伝統的に身心一如の観点から、腰や肚に身体だけでなく精神の中心があると考えられてきた。大正期に流行した岡田式静坐法では、肚に身心の重心があるとし、そこに自然に力が集まるように静坐の姿勢をとり、呼吸法を行う。その影響を受けて、成蹊学園創設者の中村春二は凝念法を開発し、森信三は立腰教育を提唱した。どちらも肚や腰を身体の一部位としてではなく、精神の要と捉え、それを教育の中心に据えている。本研究では、これら日本の身体文化にもとづいた身体技法の知見を踏まえ開発されたマインドフルネス骨盤呼吸法について検討する。呼吸のみに着目する一般的なマインドフルネス呼吸法とは異なり、マインドフルネス骨盤呼吸法は呼吸をすることに伴う骨盤や背骨の動きに着目する。はじめは骨盤を意識的に動かし、それに呼吸を追随させ、徐々に骨盤の動きと呼吸とを連動させていく。その一連のプロセスを眺めていく技法である。この技法は実践することにより、マインドフルネスワーク実践時に生じる眠気や、「モンキーマインド」「マインドワンダリング」と呼ばれる思考の氾濫状態に対して、ある程度の対応をすることが可能となると考えられる。また自然と腰が立つ状態になり、姿勢の崩れも少なくなる。腰を中心に身心ともに整えられることになるのである。With the rapid expansion of the mindfulness boom in recent years, some problems have emerged in practicing mindfulness. These problems include the emergence of "meditation refugees" and the problems caused by the transfer mindfulness to Japan or Japanese mindfulness. This study focused on the Japanese body culture called "Koshi-Hara culture" to understand these two problems. Traditionally in Japan, from the perspective of Soma (body and mind), the mind and body are thought to be centered at the waist (Koshi) and belly (Hara). In the Okada-style Jing Zuo sitting method, which was popular during the Taisho era, the center of gravity of the body and mind is thought to be in Hara. In this method, people sit and breathe so that their abdomen naturally gathers force. Under the influence of Okada, Haruji Nakamura, who founded Seikei Gakuen, developed the "Gyounenhou" method, and Shinzo Mori advocated "Rituyou" education. Both of them regarded the waist (Koshi) and belly (Hara) as the core of the spirit, not as a body part, and made this the focus of their study. This study examined the mindfulness pelvic breathing method developed based on knowledge of body techniques derived from these Japanese body cultures. Unlike the general mindfulness breathing method, which focuses only on breathing, people focus on the movement of the pelvis and spine that accompanies breathing in the mindfulness pelvic breathing method. People start by consciously moving their pelvis, breathing, and gradually linking the pelvic movement to breathing. This technique helps in becoming aware of a series of processes. By practicing this method, it is possible to deal with the drowsiness that occurs when practicing mindfulness and the flood of thoughts called "monkey mind" or "mind wandering." Additionally, it naturally becomes a good posture, which does not collapse easily. The body and mind naturally adjust around the waist (Koshi) and belly (Hara).狭間香代子教授退職記念号本稿は、2019年度関西大学若手研究者育成経費「マインドフルネスを基盤にした教育―中村春二と成蹊教育―」（研究代表者小室弘毅）の研究成果の一部である

Spirituality between Somatic and Somatic Psychology : Through comparing Taiwanese culture and Japanese culture

近年日本において、「ソマティック」や「ソマティクス」という言葉が人口に膾炙し始めている。「ソマティック」はこころとからだを同時に意味する用語である。2014年に設立された日本ソマティク心理学協会は、その英名を見ればわかるように、「ソマティクス」と呼ばれるボデイワークとソマティック心理学との両方を含みこんでいる。ソマティクスはからだの視点から、ソマティック心理学はこころの視点から身心一如である「ソーマ」を見ている。しかし、同じ協会に属するこれら2つの領域は、協会趣旨にもあるようにその統合が課題とされている。本論文では、2つのメタファを用いて、ソマティクスとソマティック心理学との関係を考察することを目的としている。その際、台湾文化と日本文化との比較を通して、「ソーマ」やその形容詞形である「ソマテティック」におけるこころとからだのあり方について検討する。それによって、ソマティクスとソマティック心理学の間にあるスピリチュアリティの問題について考察していく。In recent years the words "somatic" and "somatics" have been expanding in Japan. "Somatic" is the word meaning both mind and body at the same time. Japan Association of Somatics & Somatic Psychology founded in 2014 includes bodyworks called "Somatics" and somatic psychology. Somatics looks at the "Soma" from the perspective of the body and Somatic psychology looks at the "Soma" form the perspective of the mind. However, it is considered that integration of these related areas is an issue. This paper aims to examine the relationship between somatics and somatic psychology using two metaphor. At that time, through comparing Taiwanese culture and Japanese culture, we examine the mind and body of "Soma" and "Somatic". Through that, we will clarify the problem of spirituality between somatics and stomatic psychology

How to use "Directions for use" of Arakawa＋Gins\u27 architectural works : "losing balance" and the bodily set of "Positive Passivity"

Contemporary artist Shusaku Arakawa(1936–2010) published a series of architectural works since the 1990s. The most important concept of Arakawa and his partner, Madelin Gins, is Reversible Destiny. They created these architectural works to realize "Reversal of Destiny," and most of these architectural works are accompanied by "Directions for Use." Only when the "Directions for Use" are used in an appropriate way will these architectural works become the "Reversible Destiny" architectures. Arakawa＋Gins\u27 architectural works are full of tricks aimed at "losing balance." They hold the view that "losing balance" physically is important in "Reversible Destiny." However, this paper opines that "Directions for Use" exist so that when persons who experience the "Reversible Destiny" architectures become the sense of somatic "losing balance," they can respond more effectively in the direction of Arakawa＋Gins\u27 goal of "Reversible Destiny." In our discussion, we use the term "the bodily sets" to describe how we interact with the world (environment) somatically. First, we examine "the bodily sets" and consider them in relation to the state of consciousness and technique of mindfulness. Second, we clarify that Arakawa＋Gins\u27 architectural works are aimed at "losing our balance" and examine their intended meaning. Therefore, this paper explores how to use the "Directions for Use" presented by Arakawa＋Gins along with their architectural works

First-Year Education and Active Learning from the Perspective of "Bildung"

新学習指導要領では「主体的・対話的で深い学び」が謳われ、今後はその学びを体験した学生が大学に入学してくる。大学の初年次教育もそれをふまえた対応が必要となることが予想される。本稿では、「教養」という語に着目し、それをかつての学生たちの中にあった知と自らの生とを結びつける動機と力であり、大学内に雰囲気として存在していた知と生とを結びつける無言の圧力としての機能と理解する。その上で、「主体的・対話的で深い学び」を読み解くことで、対話＝協同の重要性を指摘し、アクティブ・ラーニングの導入において、学生同士の関係性構築が最重要の課題であることを示す。その課題に対応するため関西大学人間健康学部で行われている初年次教育の取り組みの事例を取り上げ、体験学習プログラムにより学生同士の協同性を高めることがリーディングやライティング等スタディスキル向上においても効果をもたらしていることを示す

The concept of cultivation in "Santaro\u27s Diary" by Jiro Abe : reexamination of the criticism on the "Taisho culturalists" by Junzo Karaki

This paper attempts to reexamine the criticism on the "Taisho culturalists" in "the Attempt to modern histoy" by Junzo Karaki. Karaki criticises "Santaro\u27s Diary" by Jiro Abe for its dilettantism. I divide the ideology of the culturalizum into the concept of the cultivation in the "Taisho culturalists" and in the next generation. I attempt to prove that Karaki really attempted to criticise not the concept of the cultivation in the "Taisho culturalists" but in the next generation. For that, I classify the cultivation into "the cultivation as lived" and "the cultivation as written". "The cultivation as lived" is the self-cultivation. "The cultivation as written" is the view of cultivation and the result of "the cultivation as lived". I attempt to examine how "the cultivation as written" is read

A proposal for a school counseling for enhancing group adjustment to school and the classroom : Focusing on consultation for a class teacher and developmental/preventive approaches

The central purpose of this study is to examine the current status of school counseling, which aims to prevent the emergence of school adjustment problems in children and youth, by focusing on consultation for a class teacher and developmental/preventive interventions in school -settings. As a developmental/preventive school counseling, the author reviews two scientific approaches: (a) universal prevention education, named "TOP SELF" and (b) developmental contemplative science (DCS). Then, this article describes contemporary views and implementations of consultation. Finally, it discusses that the potential for an integrative perspective on TOP SELF and contemplative approach in education practice and that future directions of research in consultation field