PWRI Web Magazine Editorial Staff
P.R. Managerial Meeting
<Tsukuba>
General Manager: Dr.Kazunori Wada Representative managers: Mr.Tomio Akita, Mr.Ryoichi Kurosaki, Mr.Toshio Yarimizo, Mr.Masuo Kondo, Mr.Minoru Kikuchi, Mr.Makoto Kimura Managers: Mr.Yoshiaki Sato, Mr.Shinsuke Setoshita, Mr.Akira Kamakura, Mr.Yoshinori Nonomura, Ms.Yuko Nagaya, Mr.Yuya Kato, Dr.Mamoru Suwa, Mr.Yuji Okayasu, Mr.Naoyoshi Hayashi, Mr.Koji Ishida, Mr.Masaru Terada, Mr.Tomoyuki Noro, Mr.Yasushi Josen
<CERI>
Mr.Nobuhiko Komachiya, Mr.Tadayuki Wada Representative managers: Mr.Naoki Yorozu, Mr.Toshihiro Nakamori, Managers: Mr.Hirofumi Kitsuta, Mr.Masashi Mori, Ms.Maiko Kawanaka, Ms.Sayaka Okazaki

Editor´s Note

The Meteorological Agency announced on February 13 that the first spring gale occurred in the Kanto, Hokuriku, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu regions. The temperature tends to suddenly increase after the first spring gale has blown and decrease again afterwards. Please take good physical care of yourselves. However, the land of Japan extends from north to south and offers varying seasons and climates as in subtropical Okinawa, where one can enjoy bathing in the sea, areas along the Sea of Japan, where there is heavy snowfall, and Hokkaido, a cold latitude area where harbors freeze. The research on VOC reduction mentioned in this issue shows that the drying process and strength of paints applied on bridges and roofs vary depending on climate and environment. Uniform research attached to a single idea only produce things that cannot be used nationwide.
Since ancient times, Japan has valued the sense of seasonality in areas such as food and literature. In haiku and tanka poems, seasonal words are used to represent the seasons. For example, sushi, which is a representative Japanese food, represents summer when used as a seasonal word in haiku and other forms of poetry. Japanese cuisine is said to be a work of art that creates the seasons. Ingredients that are just coming into season are often used to invoke a sense of that season. Osechi ryori, traditional Japanese food that is now eaten for the New Year holidays only, was originally meant for seasonal festivals at the turn of the season and turning points in peoples' lives such as Boys' Day on May 5.
PWRI is widely and steadily conducting research and experiments with a diverse sense of the season including avalanches, flooding, freezing, and heat-shield pavement.
(Yoshiaki Sato)