Today in Japan

On October 5th, 1894, Japan's first full nationwide timetable came out. Called Kisha Kisen Ryoko Annai, or "Guide to Travel by Train and Steamship," it put stations, departure times, and fares for trains and steamships across the country into a single book. The man behind it, Takemasa Tezuka, is said to have started the project on the advice of Yukichi Fukuzawa.

October 5th is traditionally remembered as the day Bodhidharma died. He was the Indian monk said to have brought Zen to China, and some Zen temples in Japan hold a service for him today. The round red daruma doll is modeled on him sitting in meditation. Legend says he meditated facing a wall for nine years, and some people say that's why the doll has no arms or legs.

UNESCO made October 5th World Teachers' Day in 1994. The date marks October 5th, 1966, when UNESCO and the UN's labor agency, the ILO, adopted guidelines on the status of teachers. The day isn't widely known in Japan, but it's a good excuse to talk about Japanese teachers, who often do much more than teach, from watching over cleaning time to coaching club activities.