EUgirl comments

In Finland 86% say they will take the vaccine. Which is a good number to create herd immunity after which by next Xmas life in Finland will be back to normal.

The problem is if only half of any nation takes the vaccine, the virus will keep on circulating.

Why would anyone refuse to go to the hospital? I mean you have to be pretty sick if they suggest hospitalization. How are you going to survive at home?

What does this "From Sept 1, those conditions will also apply to foreign nationals in other categories, including permanent or long-term residents and spouses and children of Japanese nationals or permanent residents." mean? Does it mean people in these categories stranded abroad?

"But how do you go about that? You don't want people with coughs, runny noses or fever flooding into hospitals or clinics."

Different countries have come up with different systems. In S. Korea they have movable test stations on streets, in America they have drive-in test stations, In Finland they separated ER and clinics into two: special ones where you come if you have corona symptoms, and the rest where you should go with any other problems.

Now UK shut down everything, and Boris Johnson said on TV that it is only work, shopping food and necessities, medical needs, and one walk, jog and cycling a day that you are allowed to do.

Is Japan's gov. even following what other countries are doing?

The problem is also the Japanese thinking of the mask as a talisman, that protects you like a religious object. If you have some kind of thing in front of your mouth nothing can happen, seems to be the common thinking. Even public information is always wear a mask and gargle. No one talks about proper 30 second hand wash with plenty of soap.

Have you thought another option: that Japanese government is deliberately going for herd immunity tactics? The same that UK gov. was still going for one week ago, until after public cry and the Imperial College report they were forced to change their tactics.

There is the one subcategory of Free English lessons hunter: the ones who suppose that all countries in Europe and Americas have English as their native language, and who are shocked to hear that yes, people in Sweden speak Swedish and people in Finland speak Finnish.

Agree. In some other country this might work, but in Japan - no. Those people on the same flight have to say goodbye to any normal life for at least for a year.

I read somwwhere that to gain a native accent of any language require that you move to that country before you reach 16. After that you cannot gain a perfecr accent. This I found true: I moved to both U.S. and Japan as an adult and was never able to gain a native-sounding accent of either American English or Japanese.

I talked with one European documentary filmmaker, who was invited by NHK to shoot a doc here, and she had a lot of trouble with shooting and permissions. For ex. you are not allowed to shoot in the trains. If you shoot a scrnery where the electricity poles show up, you have to get permission from Tepco. Ridiculous rules like this.

Re: trying to help other foreigners in Japan, this came to my mind. I was at Yurakucho, when 2 American women asked me where the International center is. I pointed where it is and explained where they have to go. They started whining really unpolitely that I pointed towards a building. Well, I did, as the int. center was right behind that building. Some American man came to the same spot and the women immediately turned to him, asking the same, and then thanking him with all smiles etc. without giving even a look at me or thanking me. I swore this was the last time I try to help American b-tches with no manners nonesoever. Any Japanese woman in a similar situation would have looked at everybody and thanked everybody who tried to help.

Great! I fly mostly Finnair, when I go to Europe.

I read this at the university as well. It did make me understand some things, but beware of overt nihonjinron-type of interpretation. After all, not all of us WEsterners behave according to Freud's theories either. Or do we?

I met somebody, who had trained with this system. Her arms got a lot of muscle in 2 weeks!

Workplaces, fitness clubs etc. should put up free bike parking places, or come up with a very cheap monthly parking bike park. Workplace, of course, should compensate for it, they way they give money for train passes.

Why do you have to spend time with your co-workers after spending 8 hrs in the same office. It is time for the couples to start builöding a real relationship - also in Japan.

IvanGoughalot: Both the JT review and Galbraith's book are about 100 times more interesting than your message.

I've lived in L.A. and Tokyo certainly beats it.

Never heard before of this Tyler Brule, but checked on the web. He is some handsome guy, so he must have good time with the local ladies here. Good for him!

Bogus medicine salesmen started on the web around the world about the next day when news from Mexico appeared in papers in April. There are homeopathic medicine, pils, god knows what.

sydenham: Tokyo is quite comfortable, especially if you think of it's size - the largest metropol in the world. It is safe, clean, offers a lot in terms of freetime activities, shopping, entertainment, good public transportation system. I lived 6 months in the Kansai area, which is better in some terms (not so crowded, easier access to nature, friendlier people).

I am not a true expat either, so don't know their criteria.

Non-scripted documentaries? What are those? I did film studies at uni, and never heard of such.

I like Love Exposire also a lot. It is 4 hours, but did not feel as long.

I think NHK is pretty decent as compared to the commercial channels. Sometimes they are a bit preacherly (the other night at the 10-min before midnight teach-in some specialist talked about why in Mexico 100 people have died of swine flu, kind of making the assumption that in Japan no worry, as there is national health and better knowledge...he forgot to mention the 90-something U.S.deaths..).

I guess soft focus conference is the kind is arranged with the release of Japanese movies: nobody asks questions about the meaning of the film, filmmaking choices or anything relevant, it is just goody-feel and the actors going one after another "It was an honor to work with director X and my co-stars. Please all enjoy the movie."

flyingfish: Really? Can you give an example of this kind of story before?

I wonder how widely this news has been reported in Japanese-language news...it is now Japanese bringing the disease to another country.

Beerplease: I agree. The reason is not the yutori education at elementary, mmiddle or high schools, but the university education. A lot of students just sleep their way through the uni.

Japan does not respect architecture at all. The nostalgic post-war buildings of Omotesando, with listeria on the walls, and a horribly ugly mall was built instead. I am surprised to read above that it is actually designed by somebody. In the U.S. they at least have the decency to put these malls outside of the city center.

Cleo: If somebody applies to a company as a bilingual (Japanese and English), clearly they should expect their bilingual skills to be used for the benefit of the company at some point.

In the same company, this foreign worker said the Japanese co-workers were often amazed that she initiated to do some tasks herself, when nobody had even asked her to do them.

ViginJapan: around 550.