aeho11 comments

@Steve Agree - I'd like to see the same sometimes too (that Canadian band singing in Japanese would be great for an interview for sure)! But put yourself in JT's shoes - they have to satisfy everyone's needs. And don't forget that AKB have lots of fans among the foreign community as well. ;)

Come on put something up for us adults.

What part of Japanese entertainment can actually fulfill your needs as an adult?!

By enforcing labor unions and making the compliance department actually work. They don't do anything in practice, especially in traditional Japanese companies, where the boss is the God. Abolish the 'jo-ge kankei' in companies too. Everyone should act with respect towards the superiors and other colleagues, but doesn't mean that they can't object or question them. I hate having to look up to someone only because he/she is older or in a better position. Many people just use that to abuse yonger employees (a huge sign of lack of self-esteem imo).

This article was a bit difficult to read - style and info-wise. There are many factors that need to be addressed in order to see the whole picture: residence, family, education, etc, etc.

One is of a 27-year-old TV station executive who’s managed to save far more than anyone else profiled here – 8 million yen. “Ever since I was small I liked saving money,” he says. By the time he graduated from college he had 3 million yen in the bank – a rare feat.

How much was his allowance? 10万 a month? This example speaks more of his parents' generation than of his own. A kid who just got out of college with 3 million in the bank is a very rare case. I'm sure he didn't earn that from his izakaya part-time job.

I want to see these statistics compared with other countries - how many of the men in their 20s in Europe or in the States have savings and earn more than that. It's interesting to make a comparison. Without that this article is just poor/dangerous journalism and just another example of random statistics.

The results are in the New England Journal of Medicine.**** The 1950 edition ??

Haha - totally! I remember my bio professor telling us (way back in the old days) that one of these potato chips equals one slice of bacon in terms of calories and fat. Scary stuff.

Finally!!! Can't remember how many times my heart was about to stop while driving because of such people.

great - now how about cracking down on car drivers who text with one hand while holding a ciggarette and drive at the same time while an unrestrained kid bounces around on the front seat of the same car....

Police have been way harsher on car drivers up to now. I've seen a lot of people being caught because of using their cells while driving. They implemented that as a law a few years ago and media made a big fuss over it at the time. The same should've been done about bicycles at the same time, because cars and bicycles are no different as far as traffic regulations in Japan go.

I just can't understand how someone who feels remorse about what he's done can undergo a couple of surgeries to change his face, then write and publish a book bragging about his surviving skills without mentioning about WHY he had to run away. On top of that he had the arrogance to announce that he'll donate all profits of the book to the victim's family....It is so obvious that the only reason why this guy feels sorry now is because he fears going to jail for a long time. And his lawyers...'Lindsay-san was STILL crying loud at the time, so he tried to keep her quiet" And what exactly did they expect her to do? Fighting for her life quietly???

The video was quite shocking indeed. It is one thing to say 'We're not helping people who don't want to think' and another to say "We have to work on this together and we will welcome any suggestions/recommendations from the devastated prefectures as you are the ones who know the best what you currently need." He had to assure them that the country is ready to help 100% because what is happening in Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima is not a problem of only these prefectures. His tone of conversation and his excuses later on that he is from Kyushu and has B blood type were just ridiculous. People like him, no matter how intelligent, should never be put in important positions.

The thinking goes that stations tend to be less crowded during the mid-afternoon

I was on the train today exactly at that time and it was completely full. Doubt that these people have done a proper research. Also, I think that Keio line isn't saving much electricity as I was freezing on the train today. Seems like there are a lot of meaningless actions going on. Stop the AC at stations, but have some trains set the temperature to 20? (that's how it felt, not sure what the exact temperature was...) It'll be much better to establish clear standards and have all lines and all stations follow the same rules until September.

JT, the executive impact features makes it look like there are only men doing business in this country. It will be nice to see some women here as well! Thought I'd finally mention this as it has been on my mind for some time now...

I had a professor (American) who told me that I shouldn't be worried about getting a job in the future, because of my looks. I remember being quite shocked at the time as I was always trying to be the good student rather than the hot chic back in college. So, the story may not only apply to Japan.

I think that the way Japanese and foreigners think of 'samurai' is different. For many Japanese it is the spirit of endurance, patience, 'ganbaru till the end' type of thing. I don't think this magazine's aim is to publish articles about chommage and the sword. I think it is more of the latter, as they seem to be talking about 'soul'. Anyways, I'll be interested to see how this magazine evolves. As a foreigner who's been in Japan most of my life I'm not interested in sushi, geisha and what not. But I'm open to learning things I don't know about Japan yet, which despite the long years, I am affirmative are more than the things I know.

tmarie, I still can't believe you are on the side of this guy. Obviously, you can't put yourself in her shoes and imagine what's it like for her. Wondering why you can identify so passionately with him though.

No one says he was suffering from development disorder, right? At least I didn't see it in the article.

but also why my husband and I discussed it BEFORE getting married. That being said, trust me, no way in hell will I stay home. I am not some starry eyed kid who might change her mind.

I think you can discuss things forever before they happen, but you can never be 100% sure that things will go as planned. I have the feeling that when you eventually have a kid you wouldn't be as assured as you are now. It's easy on you to blame the J-women for this and that only because they are not thinking like you. But you can't really know what it's like for them until you experience the same. So just wait and see. Come back to this forum a few years later and post again!

marriedawitch, IMO you should start familiarizing yourself with your wife's disease. Read books about it, consult a doctor, etc. You say you've been patient for 8 years, but I tend to agree with the others that you may be part of the problem - if not the bigger part of it. It is obvious that your wife has a problem. You should be the one she relies on to speak about her problem. Obviously, you are not. How do you imagine she feels all day? Taking care of 4 small kids, living in a trash, knowing she has a problem, has a complete loss of identity and on top of that she gets pressure from you all the time, which she obviously is not capable of coping with. I bet that she blames herself deep inside, but she just doesn't know how to change things. And that is not because of her character but her disease. Obvious. And that thing you ask her about how has her day contributed to achieving your goals..that just sounds like a very self-assured, arrogant and abusive (not physically) husband who thinks that he and his goals in life are above everything else. My advice is to move, change location, hold your wife real tight and let her know she can count on you (if she can...)and you will go through this together. Clean the house yourself. Uni jobs are busy for sure but you also have more vacations than a regular salaryman. So use that time wisely. Also, you mentioned your wife had a secret blog - has it ever occurred to you that she wouldn't need it if she could talk to you?! Don't call on her mother and a priest - how lame. I have the feeling your wife is on the verge and you should really do something about it. The problem here is obviously not being a NEET or anything else. It's a matter of a serious depression that shouldn’t be categorized as unique to Japan or women's problem.

Haha this is so funny. Of course those examples are rare cases, but obviously people go online and share them - it's fun reading. There was a bell at the 'foreign' company I worked for some time ago. The last time I heard a bell was in high school...but things seem connected here.

timtak>> "This article is typical in its misrepresentation of Japanese society as a oppressive, heirarchical society" Well, it was the Japanese guys who went online to post their experiences and the original article was by a J-sourse. Don't see your point. I guess they were just trying to make people laugh. No one in their right state of mind would conclude that 'that's Japan' after reading an article like this. You're obviously going a bit too far with your conclusions.

EUcitizen, completely agree with you. The whole world has been donating to Japan Red Cross, but the truth is that they are so slow at distributing the money that it aches to watch them. They keep all the money in empty rooms, but have failed to distribute them. It took them a year and a half to distribute the money in Kobe after the 1995 earthquake. Wonder how long it will take them to do it this time. People need urgent help right now. They need temporary houses as soon as possible. Donating to NGOs like Peace Boat who are really working up there on the spot is much better than donation to J red cross. They are slow like all old-fashioned Japanese institutions.

This article is written entirely from a man's perspective, which is sad. While I know some women whose dream is to be housewives (just because working in Japan is not exactly paradise for women, hint hint), it is also true that many guys tend to pity themselves too much. These guys married the ladies knowing them well (I assume) and instead of talking with them about their problems (or divorce them if they're so unhappy) they go to Shukan post to complain about life. Not very impressive. Also, it depends a lot on the husband how a wife behaves. I bet these women just stopped being interested in their husbands and that's not hard if the guys are non-stop on the job, go out for late drinks with coworkers and don't take care of their wives' needs. Plus, the age is also a factor. I'm not sure how old are the wives in question, but judging from their husbands' age (40s) it may be simply a difficult age period. Men rarely pay attention to those things. So I suggest Shukan post interviews the women and writes something from their perspective just for the sake of a fair game.

illsayit>> Well, I suggest you start by reading the article first. If you are going to criticize something be sure you have familiarized yourself well enough before that. First, it says it clearly in the article that the woman is an experienced educator (see 3rd paragraph) So, she was a director of two preschools, one for 8.5 years on top of having several diplomas in the field of education and you still think she lacks the training?! Also, I tried finding her age online and it seems like she's in her 50s, so I guess she's not exactly the young and inexperienced woman you talk of. I also personally like what she's saying about a home away from home. Just think about the amount of time kids spend at school and the influence they are exposed to through that. A school should be a home away from home, meaning that they should be in the hands of teachers who care about them and look after them. Makes perfect sense to me.　

dirisaya>> Mao - first name, Inoue - last name.

combinibento >> I find it ironic that you'd actually sit down and 'lose' your time posting a comment when you're not interested... I like her singing, especially the husky voice.