Susumu Yamada｜KnowLedge World Network｜Activities

Spain Madrid
REPORTERSusumu Yamada

It’s been almost 37 years since I received a residence permit and work permit from the Spanish government and paid my first tax and social insurance premiums. Now that I’m at that age where I will soon go and register at the senior human resources center, I’m grateful to have this opportunity to introduce you all to this country that has taken care of me these many years.

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2020.02.07
Five ‘A’s
About 30 years ago, a project was undertaken to support the Spanish steel industry by building the most up to date steel plant using Japanese technology, with more than 30 engineers and construction workers being sent from Japan.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2020.01.24
Exhibit featuring Goya’s drawings
The Museo del Prado is coming to the end of a series of commemorative events to celebrate its 200th anniversary, and this is the last exhibit. Goya was selected as the featured artist.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2019.10.30
The Exalted “Potties”
The Prado Museum, Spain's pride, is currently commemorating the bicentenary of its opening this year with numerous special exhibitions and related events. I’d like to tell you about a slightly unusual exhibition called Their Majesties’ Retiring Room.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2019.08.14
Barcelona, City of Art
Hearing the word “Spain” has long brought up the old stereotypes of a country known for passion, paella, bullfighting, and flamenco.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2019.08.06
Prado Newsletter
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Prado Museum with a huge range of special exhibitions and another unique, special exhibition recently opening.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2019.06.04
Spain’s Official Languages
Please stay with me as I follow my last post with further discussion about language. There is no mention of an official language in the Japanese constitution. It’s self-evident that Japanese is the national language universally used in every nook and cranny across the whole country, in the north and the south, in the east and the west, so there would be no need to deliberately stipulate it in law.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2019.05.16
“Standard” Spanish
When I saw an article by Ms. Miki, a correspondent in Dublin, Ireland, she referred to a comment by a Spanish colleague of hers to the effect of, "South American Spanish isn't standard Spanish," and that got me thinking about what "standard" Spanish is. Perhaps this "standard language", to use Japanese as an example, is the language used in educational settings, public broadcasts, official documents, and so on, and also the pronunciation and intonation that goes with it.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2019.05.07
A miraculous reunion.
This is the latest hot topic. Yesterday, April 7, in the Culture section of the Sunday edition of ABC, a Spanish newspaper with nationwide circulation, an article with the following headline appeared: The movie-like reunion between a Prado Museum visitor and El Escorial’s Virgin Mary that happened at the museum this week.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2019.03.19
The Mediterranean Diet and Olives
I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Juan Manuel Ruíz Liso, Spain’s leading proponent of the Mediterranean diet, so, following on from my last blog, I’d like to discuss again this lifestyle focusing on diet, which people have been taking up in Japan.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2019.03.05
The Inland Diet
Well, what’s that?In Spanish, it’s called the “Dieta Mediterránea”.The first word, “dieta”, translates as “diet”. In one sense of the word, it means how and what you eat.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2018.12.04
The Sea of Plastic
Orbiting the earth some 400 km above its surface is the International Space Station sending live images of earth to NASA, who have recently made them available free to the public, so now we are in the age when anyone can get on the internet and enjoy images in real time that previously were only available to astronauts and Martians.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2018.11.09
Spanish dry-cured ham
In early summer, Mikami-san, the special correspondent in Milan, talked about dry-cured Italian ham. I’m not trying to start up a rivalry here, but I did think it would be good to share some information about Spanish dry-cured ham as well.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2018.10.01
Patata Means Potato in Japanese
he potato that was cultivated in the Andes of South America made its way to Spain in the 16th century and spread to the world from Europe.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2018.08.28
Some Homework for Mr. Manolo
In mid-June, at the start of the long two-and-a-half-month summer vacations, an Andalusian boy in the Japanese equivalent of 4th grade at elementary school shows his mother the summer vacation homework list that his home room teacher, Mr. Manolo, has handed out.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2018.08.21
The Ghosts are Here!
This year marks exactly 150 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Spain with the conclusion of the Spanish-Japanese Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation in 1868.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2018.06.14
Córdoban People’s Love of Snails
My last post was about Córdoban flower patio festivals. This one, that is about ‘the practical over the aesthetic,’ is about snails, a Córdoban specialty, called caracoles in Spanish.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2018.05.30
Spring has arrived in the courtyards of Andalusia!
Festivals celebrating the arrival of spring start popping up everywhere around Holy Week and Easter.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2018.02.13
Prado Newsletter - Extra
Although I’m the Knowledge Capital reporter for Madrid, I’m writing this time about a topic concerning Japan. In April last year, His Highness King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Abe were present at the Akasaka Palace to exchange an agreement to hold Prado Museum exhibitions in Tokyo and Kobe.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2018.02.08
The Main Act is the Beans
The widespread impression of Spain is that because it’s in southern Europe, it’s warm. Madrid, on the contrary, experiences harsh winters because it’s located inland at altitude, so hot meals permeate both body and soul.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2018.01.09
Prado correspondence
I have blogged about special exhibitions held at the Museo Nacional del Prado (Prado Museum) in Madrid several times.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2017.11.14
A Sheep Parade
Once a year, cars are expelled from the center of Madrid and sheep take over. On Sunday, October 22 this year, sheep paraded through the city center, where 10 days previously soldiers and armed forces vehicles had paraded.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2017.10.31
Columbus Day
Columbus Day was celebrated around the world on October 12. As Patrizia Margherita, the Knowledge World Network Reporter based in Genoa, Italy mentioned in her article, Christopher Columbus (or “Cristoforo Colombo” in Italy, his home country) landed on an island off the coast of the American continent on October 12, 1492, which is now known as the day commemorating “Columbus’s discovery of America.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2017.08.30
Obon, Kisei, Oyabuiri – Festival of the Dead, Returning Home, Servants’ Holiday
Terms like these often make an appearance around this time of the year, but if you live overseas, it’s no simple matter to go back to your family home, so if you do go back after being away for some time, you start thinking six months beforehand about who you’re going to meet, when and where, as well as what you’re going to see, buy, and eat, to narrow down your itinerary.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2017.08.09
Japanese craftsmanship in an unlikely place
Places of worship are a standard sightseeing attraction all over the world—East or West. The cities of Spain are no exception, and their noble churches draw many out-of-town tourists and local faithful alike.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2017.07.11
Prado Pride
Last year, we had reports on Gay Pride Parades from our special correspondents in Amsterdam and Berlin.This year, Madrid celebrated 40 years since holding the first pride parade in Spain in 1977, and it was in particularly extravagant style.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2017.05.25
A Museum Inside a Museum
Like other national capitals, Madrid has numerous art galleries and museums.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2017.03.28
Abdication
While the announcement by Japan’s Emperor of his intention to abdicate has provoked much debate, the way forward remains unclear. Three years ago in 2014, however, Spain’s King Juan Carlos I relinquished the throne after 39 years
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2017.02.14
Iberian Pork
More than a hundred years ago, an association between Portugal, Spain, and France formed in Madrid to sign an international agreement.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2016.12.26
The Best Bench of the World
There is a bench with the ostentatious Spanish name, “el banco más bonito del mundo.”
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2016.11.08
Bonito Flakes at Land's End
Galicia, which we first introduced for its Celtic ruins, lies at the western edge of Western Europe—a
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2016.09.13
The Recent Popularity of Things Japanese in the Capital
○Yakisoba (fried noodles) and okonomiyaki (savory pancakes)A quiet boom has been taking place.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2016.08.23
Madrid – City in the Highlands
Because my current home Madrid is the capital of Spain, it is the center of Spain’s politics, economy, and culture.It is also geographically located in the center
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2016.07.26
Visiting the Historic Remains of the Celts
1,900 years ago, in the days when Trajan from Seville was emperor of the Roman Empire,
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2016.06.07
The San Isidro Festival
In Spain, April 23rd is “La Diada de Sant Jordi” or “Saint George’s Day” – a celebration of the patron saint of Catalonia. I have already written about
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2016.03.01
Picasso and pigeons
As I was eating breakfast at a sidewalk café in the port city of Malaga in the Mediterranean, lots of pigeons came to the people at the tables to beg for bread.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2016.01.18
An Eel Restaurant in Andalusia
Last May, I told you about tuna fishing in Spain. In this post, I’ll talk about eels.People in Spain also eat eel (anguila) prepared in a variety of ways,
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.12.24
Paella
Today, paella is a world famous rice dish, but a look at its origins shows it was a local dish from the Valencia region of Spain on the coast of
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.11.27
Spain’s Version of Bon Festival and the Equinoctial Week
Bon Festival is a time when the spirits of the ancestors revisit their homes and ceremonies are held for them, after which the families see the spirits off again.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.11.06
Small “Prado Museum” Exhibition
The Prado Museum of Madrid was originally established to exhibit art pieces collected for decorating the court of Spain’s royal family.That’s why this collection is
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.10.02
Fish Shop Cafeteria in Barcelona
Trying something you do not regularly eat in a place that is different from your everyday surroundings is one of the true pleasures of travel. Not only the eating,
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.08.14
Midsummer Spain, B-Grade Drinks
Just like Osaka, Madrid is in the midst of a blistering heat wave compared to its usual weather. And that’s where the signature cocktail of summer,
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.07.24
What is the strange coincidence between Osaka Tenjin Festival and Saint James’ Day celebrated on July 25th?
In a previous post, I talked about the patron saint of Catalonia, Saint George. In this post, I will tell you about James, a saint who safeguards
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.07.17
From Granada to the Ohatsu Tenjin Shrine
The bar is a type of eatery essential to daily life for the Spanish. A bar is sometimes called a cafetería or a taberna, but the concept is much the same.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.06.26
Man of La Mancha
On May 19, 2015, a production announcement for the musical Man of La Mancha was held in Osaka. Exactly ten years and one day prior to that date,
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.06.12
179.3 Million US Dollars for a Picasso
On May 11th, Pablo Picasso’s “Les Femmes d’Alger” (Women of Algiers) was sold for 179.3 million dollars at Christie’s, an art objects auction house in New York.
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.05.28
The Tuna Festival of a Tuna Village
Around the time you start seeing Jacarandas on the streets blooming in purple throughout the towns of Andalusia, the tuna*1 migrating in the waters of the
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.05.15
World Book Day and Sant Jordi Day
April 23 is World Book Day, also known as the World Book and Copyright Day, which was established by UNESCO.On that day in 1616, two symbolic events
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.04.24
Spain, the Land of Passion　
Previously, I wrote about Madrid, the city of passion. However, as you probably know, “passion” is a term commonly applied to all of Spain,
Continue reading

Spain Madrid
Susumu Yamada

2015.04.09
Touching the Mona Lisa?
Currently, a rather peculiar mini exhibit is quietly being held at the Prado Museum.Only six pieces of art, such as that of Velazquez, Goya, El Greco,and
Continue reading