NEWS - Asia And the Meanings of the

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Subject: NEWS - Asia And the Meanings of the number '9'

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Asia And the Meanings of the number '9'

By Shihoko Goto
TOKYO (AP) -- In Japan, nine is bad. Usually. In China, it's good. Most
of the time. In Myanmar next week, it could spell trouble. 

For computer specialists around the world, the string of nines on the
calendar next Thursday -- Sept. 9, 1999 -- is being watched as a
potential Y2K-style bug that could prompt some older programs to shut
down automatically. 

But for many Asians, computers are hardly the concern. It's luck _ or
the potential lack of it. 

Four Nines Day, 9-9-99, presents a bit of a paradox for the
superstitious in Asia. 

Nine, pronounced "ku" in Japanese, is a homonym with the word for pain
and suffering, and is thus a very inauspicious number, especially at
hospitals. 

"Patients feel uncomfortable in rooms that end with the unlucky
numbers," said Kenichi Muto, a spokesman for St. Luke's Hospital in
central Tokyo. 

So St. Luke's, one of the most modern hospitals in Japan, doesn't have a
single room for patients that ends with a nine, or for that matter, with
a four (a homonym in Japanese for death) or a 13. 

But despite the bad cache of a nine by itself, many superstitious
Japanese appear to see a string of nines as lucky _ and businesses are
rushing to cash in. 

Japan Travel Bureau, the country's largest travel agency, is offering a
package tour on Thursday to commemorate the date. The package, limited
to 99 people, includes airfare to New York or Orlando for 99,999 yen
(about $909). 

"It's a great deal, and we've had a lot of interest," said Tsuyoshi
Kurata, manager of corporate communications at JTB. He said both tours
have sold out. 

Many Japanese couples are also planning to get married on Sept. 9,
according to Marie Sakurai, an editor at Zeksy, a popular bridal
magazine. 

"It's a unique date, and it's really not seen as a bad date at all. Far
from it," she said. 

Sakurai added that a similar, but bigger, nuptial rush occurred Aug. 8,
1996, which was the year Heisei 8 -- or the eighth year of the reign of
the Heisei emperor, according to the traditional Japanese calendar. The
string of eights was seen as lucky since eight on its side is the symbol
for infinity. 

In China, Sept. 9 is also seen as a good day for love. Or for
remembering the death of Mao Tse-tung, who died on Sept. 9, 1976. 

The love connection in Chinese derives from the fact that nine, "jiu,"
has a homonym meaning long, and is considered auspicious for couples
wanting to stay together a long time. To send a woman 99 roses on Sept.
9 would be a tender sign of affection. 

But not this year. 

Next Thursday falls within the inauspicious "ghost month," which is
traditionally believed to be a time when dead ancestors return to the
world of the living for an annual visit. Sept. 9 isn't always part of
ghost month because the month's observation is based on the lunar
calendar. 

Despite offers of better services and more luxuriously decorated dining
rooms, all except a few superstition-snubbing foreigners in Taiwan will
shy away from getting married on Sept. 9, Taipei hotel officials said. 

"No one would risk having their marriage harmed by any inauspicious
elements," said Liang Su-chia, a manager of Hotel Grand Hyatt. Business
at restaurants is also expected to be slow. 

In Myanmar, meanwhile, rumors are brewing that activists might be
plotting a Four Nine Day uprising. 

Sixteen pro-democracy activists have been detained there for fear they
will demonstrate against the ruling military regime on Sept. 9. 

The National League for Democracy said those detained included nine of
its members and has expressed concern there would be more arrests.
Myanmar exiles in Bangkok began a protest outside the Myanmar Embassy on
Wednesday linked to the date.