Posted in: Even though we are in Asia, which is the growing engine for the whole world economy, Japan is not a part of it. See in context
After 6 years of English instruction, countless hours at juku and eikaiwas, most Japanese can barely utter a passable "Hello" let alone have the guts to want to work overseas.
Wasn't their a report a couple of weeks ago that said something like fewer than 20% of non-managerial employees wanted to work overseas?
I remember when I was at uni in California, every August a huge number of Japanese high school students would descend upon the campus to learn English and to experience America. When I was visiting a former English prof last xmas, he told me the students were now from China and South Korea. Maybe 1 or 2 from Japan. Go figure?
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Posted in: SMAP kicks off international tour See in context
50,000 in a city of 12 million?
2 shows?
If they were truly popular, even in their own country, they could have sold out much larger venues for several days. Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Madonna, and dare I say, Billy Joel, can sell out massive venues for multiple shows in smaller cities.
3.5 hour show??? Hah! And you'll get about 45 minutes of actual music, the rest of the time will be spent on inane banter, costume changes, and videos of past concerts. BFD!
Over-rated, talentless poofs, whose longevity is due to the marketing whores that sell them to every advertiser they can.
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Posted in: Kanagawa's new anti-smoking ordinance a bane on businesses See in context
I was in Kanagawa last month, puffing away. When some ojisan walks up and tells me to put it out. So I did. IN MY HAND. On the calluses I have from working with ceramics (my hobby). He about freaked. Then I lit up another one and walked away.
If you all are so concerned about air pollution, I hope you are all driving a Prius.
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Posted in: Coast to coast, tea partiers promote their cause See in context
“We’ve lost respect in the world. We are going broke. The American dream is dying and our social and cultural fabric is unraveling,” said Republican Congressman Mike Pence
So, let's take them one at a time...
Lost respect: yes, Bush went to war on lies and deceit...No WMDS
Going broke: uh huh, 2 costly wars and the deregulation of the banking industry did that
American Dream: yeah right, wake up dude, the dream died a long time ago, you're just having flashbacks now
Social & Cultural fabric: these are right wing catch phrases for gay marriage, and white people in charge, respectively. Need I say more.
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Posted in: Unusual bond heals wounds for American WWII POWs who will visit Japan See in context
Too Little, Too Late should replace "Yokoso Japan."
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Posted in: U.S. airlines squeezed as Haneda goes international See in context
This article fails to mention it isn't just flights on US carriers, it's flights to the US, period. My flight on JAL was transferred to Haneda, from Narita. I thought, OK, no problem. Until I saw the take off time: 12:05 am. WTF??? Thus, I had to change my car rental, meeting times, etc... I'm not the only one. Anyone else out there been bumped by JackassAirLines?
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Posted in: Victory See in context
They look like guys.
You look human, I don't hear anyone complaining.... yet.
She's Russian?
Undoubtedly from Siberia or somewhere in the far eastern area, perhaps near the Chinese or Mongolian border. They don't all have fair skin and blue eyes.
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Posted in: How do you think Ichiro Ozawa will do as prime minister if he wins the DPJ leadership election on Sept 14? See in context
I some times wonder what "Matrix" version of Japan you live in
LMAO
But seriously, I really don't care who gets elected to the revolving door show... just please have the chutzpah to serve your term.
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Posted in: Tokyo beats Hawaii to take Little League World Series title See in context
ANOTHER Japanese baseball world champion !! USA needs to come on over and study our training set-ups,you know,get an idea...5-0 baby !!!
Obviously YOU DIDN'T READ THE ARTICLE BABY! The USA has won it 5 times in a row. Guess it was the Japanese studying OUR training techniques.
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Posted in: One reason for the lack of Japanese teachers is because it is not a well-paid job. See in context
According to these statistics, Japanese teachers are the 5th highest paid in the world:
http://www.educationworld.net/teacher_salaries.html
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Posted in: The people should be ready to entrust the Democratic Party of Japan for four years without complaining about every detail once it took power after an election. See in context
Why should I trust a government I pay tax to but can`t vote out?
MOVE HOME
This quote wasn't directed at whiners like you.
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Posted in: Fixing American 'dumbocracy' See in context
I think the author was trying to be satirical.
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Posted in: Couple charged with killing son of Japanese film producer in Beverly Hills See in context
Huh, I thought Chie was a Japanese name.
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Posted in: Mitama Festival See in context
Laughing at a memorial for the dead IS NOT COOL. Children even know better. There is no laughing at Arlington, USS Arizona, Punch Bowl, or others. Just goes to illustrate the lack of maturity/sensibility the young have in Japan.
Terrible pic JT, get something that doesn't reflect so negatively on the Japanese.
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Posted in: Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds of silence? See in context
All the dingbats that posted such inane comments as
Why don't the drivers realize they are driving a vehicle that could kill somebody, and watch where the f*** they are going?
or
if you are walking in the street pay attention.
Obviously you have no concept of how much pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists rely on sound to make decisions. We expect, as peds and cyclists, to hear vehicles approaching. It hasn't got jack t to do with paying attention. Drivers expect people to hear them coming, again, not having jack t to do with paying attention. That's how it's been for a very long time. You just don't unlearn these things.
I was saying this when the Prius debuted, what 8-9 years ago in California. People were always surprised when I said the damned things need to be noisier.
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Posted in: Last Airbender See in context
@paulinusa I wasn't referencing any reviews... I was talking about friends who have seen it. Hell, I haven't paid any attention to reviews since the "Star Wars" thrashing by reviewers.
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Posted in: Japan's forestry management system a mess See in context
Excellent article... too bad the "insert expletive here" xenophobes that run the show are probably equally incapable of reading your article.
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Posted in: Last Airbender See in context
Heard the movie really blows hot air. Had some friends see it in the states and their kids were bored... Really sad, considering all the money spent on this thing. Then again, M Night (what the hell does the M stand for???) wouldn't have been my first choice for directors.
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Posted in: Does Cool Biz help or undermine productivity at the workplace? See in context
the sight of some of the battleaxes unclothed would probably make me feel ill and lower productivity!
I'm sure they would feel the same toward you
Cool biz doesn't fly because if you really want to save energy in the summer just go home on time. I've heard, but don't know if it's true, that the reason DST isn't used in Japan is that the dimwit salarymen will keep working until the sun goes down. How daft is that?
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Posted in: Sancta Karina See in context
Doesn't this look like something a Las Vegas hooker would wear?
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Posted in: Dolphin hunt film canceled in Tokyo after protests See in context
Why wait for the lame rentals which will probably be vandalized. Go watch it on Bestdocumentaries.com right now.
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Posted in: Real estate agents and landlords often say they are interested in renting out houses to foreigners, but they hesitate to do so due to concerns. See in context
Simple workaround that worked for me and a couple friends.
1) Make friends with an older Japanese person who has lived in the area all/most of their life. Should be easy in bigger cities, I don't know, where I live there are only about 75,000 people.
2) Live in a business hotel for a month or two while pursuing #1, and working. Most of these places have discounts for long term stays. I was paying about 55,000 a month.
3) Broach the idea of an apartment with your new found friend who then can introduce you to a landlord directly. Once this happens, the landlord loses face if he/she refuses their friend, so they are compelled to deal with the situation.
I have never paid key money, or resigning fees. I've been here 7 years and still cannot speak Japanese worth a damn. It's called being smart.
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Posted in: Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's decline is reviving an old question about Japanese politics: why does the world's second-largest economy produce such lackluster leaders? See in context
1)Too much emphasis on preserving the 'wa' and not enough stones to tackle the tough issues with the forethought that not everyone will be happy.
2)Too many backroom dealings instead of transparency or at least the illusion thereof.
3)Too many unelected, over privileged wankers in the bureaucracy.
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Posted in: Here people don't like to be upfront and open about their opinions. So if you can hide behind blood types you can then tell someone indirectly what you think about them. See in context
Which is why when people ask me, I tell them "Vulcan." It pretty much ends the conversation.
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Posted in: What do you think are some of the most spectacular scenes ever filmed in movies? See in context
The opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan."
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Posted in: Children fear that in a society with a widening gap between the rich and the poor, making a big mistake will prevent them from moving up in the world, which diminishes their ambition and motivation. See in context
"Wahhh! Wahhhh! I want it easy... like, like my grandparents after WWII."
What a load of crap. Images and idiots on TV are what these overprotected wimps see as success. Monster parents who don't allow their child to taste defeat or real success early on are creating children incapable of thinking and acting for themselves.
I just had some kids mother write yet another note to the school. This is the third in, you guessed it, 3 years. Each year it's the same old BS: "My son finds English difficult. He has problems speaking in front of others. He gets easily intimidated." And on & on it goes. When this kid was in first grade he still couldn't use chopsticks, let alone a spoon and fork. Why? You guessed it, right? Mommy was still feeding him.
Anyway, rant over. Off to Kamakura for the day.
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Posted in: I want these events to help make the world a place where people don't need to be afraid of dying in childbirth, just like in Japan. See in context
Ah Pukey, you beat me to the punch.
Yeah, my friends in the states have read about the hellish ambulance experiences in Japan and just hope National Health care won't lead the USA down that path. I tell them not to worry since western doctors actually have to take AND pass (college courses in) AND practice ethics.
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Posted in: Want to look like Aki Hoshino? Read her book See in context
She wrote a book? Didn't think she could even read.
Ghostwriting in Japan is a VERY lucrative business.
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Posted in: ‘Game of Thrones’ dragon-forged Iron Throne fetches nearly $1.5 million at auction
Posted in: Poland's leader plans to suspend right to asylum as country faces pressure on Belarus border
Posted in: Japanese researchers tapping microbes' potential for power generation
Posted in: China offers $325 bil in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy