Goodwill_Hunting comments

Spent over a decade teaching English to business people here and can't recall any of them using English indirectly. I do recall them using English awkwardly and unskillfully, but not indirectly. In fact, many of the males often commented that, "English is nice because you don't have to be polite or considerate when you speak." Boy were they wrong.

Bill Pearl's the man now (a model vegetarian), but he took roids back in the day. People who take powdered protein don't seem to know about tofu. They just want to get bigger. It's all in their head. Read Dr. Weil to learn about how much protein a typical person really needs.

The Descendants was at least partially (mainly?) shot on Kauai's north shore....

Prof. Yuko Kurokawa is the resident Japanese expert on punk fashion, particularly its effects on Japanese clothing.

ANA usually has better quality control than this. I can't imagine that the sexual connotation was intentional (right?). Which means this ad phrase got in through the editors without anyone raising the alarm ("Um, pardon me CEO Ito, but this will lead to ridicule. Sure you want to use it?"). Shocking that this could happen at such a prominent company. Two steps back, Japan. More minus points in English for you.

"... the one time things were just right." Great quote. With other movies like Always - Sunset on 3rd Street, it is certainly true that there is a very real nostalgia here for that point in time. Perhaps people were more hopeful. Roles were simple (if rigid). War was over. No Internet. No cell phones. Kids played outside not inside. Neighbors talked/gossiped over the fence. People weren't yet beaten down by becoming cogs in Japan, Inc. and working like robots.

Agree with Goals0. The translation appears to be incorrect. Folks here sniffle like nobody's business. It's horribly irritating and, well, gross! Not that logical prevails much, but wouldn't it be better to blow your nose once rather than sniffle for 15 minutes? I had a co-worker who would rip out a pack of tissue and shove it in people's faces on the train! Bold, but effective.

True, it is easy to pay in the store. Swiping your phone will only save a few seconds compared to swiping a debit/credit card. However, what about on the bus? In a taxi? At the gas station (think of those pumps that say, "No, pull your card out once more, this time a bit faster")? How about at a vending machine? NFC could change the whole way we think about paper money (recall how many people in Tohoku lost their savings that they had stashed in their homes). NFC just might make purchases more efficient and cheaper for consumers (lower surcharges perhaps?). Consider buying stock in NXP Semiconductors. I did.

Quote: "For the Japanese, the approach of a stranger is an act of almost biblical transgression."

Totally hit the nail on the head. Couldn't agree more (sadly) :-(

WALL-E spaceship syndrome in effect. How about we do the opposite and have desks where you have to stand at regular intervals.

I left for 9 months to work outside Japan. When I came back, I eventually got the tax bill mentioned above, but not right at the moment I arrived (the article makes it sound like they hand you a bill at the airport -- is that even possible?). Anyway, I went to the local tax office and talked to them. They let me file a belated tax return claiming various expenses and proving that I had no income in Japan while I was away. As a result, my tax bill was negated. I haven't dealt with Immigration directly (my new employer hired a judicial scrivener to do that). I think there are a lot of ins and out to this process, but it is generally wise to go talk to Immigration before making a change (or move) and to save your expense receipts and end-of-the-year salary adjustment slips for dealing with the tax office.

How about snorkeling and kayaking opportunities? Hiking? Nearby Niijima gets a lot of press as a great getaway, which it is. But I found that the lifeguards there stopped us from snorkeling on any of the beaches (despite the cool fish to see).

I understand that it's supposed to be funny/cheeky, but the guy wearing it is probably thinking, "Yeah, I've got a hot picture of a girl down on my manhood right now," which is not funny at all. Maybe it is junior high school level funny, but for an adult it is shameful. Is this guy supposed to now think he's cool or has a special thing going because the juxtaposition of a woman's face and his underwear? And if the junior high school kids actually do take to this sort of idea, then they are poisoned from early on to objectify and fantasize women this way. Of course, this is a country of rampant porn, so the dye is cast, but the whole idea of this underwear is troubling once you get beyond the initial chuckles. Want to get your kicks the real way? Treat a woman like a human being and see how she appreciates it.

Um, no. Not a chance. Just checked her out on YouTube and found nothing but crap.

Set aside for the moment the unnatural strength of the yen and look at the fact that ANA's net income (what really counts) in the fiscal year ended Mar. '12 was barely north of $300 million. For a major national air carrier and dominant brand like ANA, that is peanuts. $300 million for an entire year? That's a bit more than the cost of a single new 787! It underscores the fact that airlines are hardly profitable and, by the way, they are hugely subject to swings in the economy. Add to that the fact that ANA tickets are consistently overpriced and you have a company that is asking for trouble. So they float new shares now when they have the chance. With a 4 yen dividend, you aren't getting much. And as the weakness of ANA's final profit starts to show, current happy share prices will likely decline. The 4 yen dividend is little solace in the face of declining capital gains. ANA is a good company, but not a good stock.

Had a Tempurpedic mattress for 10 years (paid the freight costs to get it from Kentucky before any stores carried them in Japan - but it still was less than the 120,000 yen quoted above!). It was an awesome bed. Tough to transport when you move, but I guess so is any bed. I wonder if a thinner, more transportable size also exists? Mine was about as thick as half a dozen futons. There seem to be lots of knock off foam beds out there. Could they be as good as Tempurpedic?

"Pour Some Sugar on Me" - wow! what a great song. Really defines the genre. Really brings it home. Can't say enough about that one. (!).

All of this is extremely opaque. We need a master like Richard Werner to come in and cut to the chase. Most of the information presented by the press is utterly unhelpful. What is certain, at least, is that the yen is far too strong at the moment (which the BOJ can fix, instead of blaming it on Europe). The gov't is buried in massive debt levels (which the BOJ can monetize if it wished). And the "slow progress in ending deflation" cited in the article is laughable. There has been no progress in ending deflation. How many years has it been now? Other countries are holding up Japan as a negative example. A 1% inflation target is ridiculous. I think most can agree that average inflation should be around 2%, which means that short-term inflation should be higher than that if we are to return to a more normal average figure. What the BOJ did back around Valentine's Day obviously shows that is they who have the power to effect change here, and yet now they try to come back and argue that "further easing will not have much direct impact on the economy." If that is true, which is doubtful, then the system is broken. But if the system is broken, then the Valentine's Day actions would not have been effective. And what's the deal with having to get information from mysterious "anonymous" sources rather than from the BOJ itself? Isn't it amazing that in this day of information liquidity we can't seem to get a straight story about what's going on? Bring in Dr. Werner, please.

Tried it. Didn't like it. Too sweet and the "pudding" wasn't good.

They call it free only to fool the fools. These types of apps are divided into two categories: those that charge a fee up front (like Wizard Publications' Hawaii guide apps) and those that flood you with ads. Personally, I much prefer the former because they are cleaner, tidier, and more trustworthy. Any app, or service for that matter, that is supported by ads (perhaps JT included?) is fundamentally suspect in this Internet age. How do we know that the JTB apps don't recommend only places that they are sponsored by?

Apparently the crux centers around dysprosium. It is pretty much found only in China. Other rare earths exist in the U.S. and Australia, but dysprosium (used in permanent magnets in motors for hybrid cars) does not. So manufacturers are making dysprosium-free magnets, though R&D can take a long time to come to market. In the meantime, China has to be called out for playing hardball while cloaking it in the guise of "environmental policy." Maybe it's over-blown. Maybe it's a year or two too late. Maybe it's just a matter of principle.

Lynas Corp. and Northern Minerals in Australia mine rare earths. Molycorp, Inc. in the U.S. also does (possible investment opportunity here for individuals purchasing stock). However, certain rare earths are only found in certain locations. The dysprosium and neodymium used in magnets for hybrid car motors are found in limited quantities in the U.S. and Australia. However, it takes years for a mine's production to fully come on line. China is already being successful at luring some foreign manufacturers to build products within China due to the rising costs of rare earths. One interesting thing is that some of China's rare earth deposits seem to extend into Vietnam. But again, production startup takes years.

In order of appearance.... Takasaki is lame; I thought only politicians painted daruma dolls.

Snow festival gets mobbed with people and hotel prices are confiscatory.

Shinto ceremonies are dull.

How can I time my visit to those fickle trees?

Sky Tree's just a glorified flag pole. And $50 to go up and see the brown sky? Hecks no. Lines'll be as long as Tokyo Disneyland.

Seriously? Have you seen Noh? Cure for insomnia. Not even the locals understand the words.

If I wanted to stand in line, I'd skip the path on Fuji and save the frustration.

Not gonna talk trash on the devastation in Tohoku.

Makes TDL look like it's not crowded.

Too far from home; best seen on TV.

Kinda need a helicopter for that one. And Kamakura is well crowded.

The transportation to get to the slopes is a test of attrition.

Oh did I mention I can't even remotely afford it with the value of the yen these days?

Have very much the same experience in this translation business. Often wonder, "Why put so much effort into a project when the client inevitably mucks it up at the end?" English language issues in Japan are a quagmire whether one is teaching or translating. My Japanese colleagues at the office say, "Just make the client happy and sacrifice proper English. We've got to bring in business." What a crock. The control-issues that exist in this culture rear their head again and again.

Nemoflow, thank you for pointing out the ちびくろサンボ books! I'd forgotten all about them. Some things really need to be challenged head-on, and that's one of them!