how to get gimelim comments

Talking of middle-aged people, I am thinking of those at age of 30 to 50 years old, not 60+ - those are retirees.

As expected. If you have some dignity and some skills that could be used outside Japan just run for your live. There is a subtle difference between the way Japan and the Middle Eastern oil producers such as Kuwait or Qatar treat their migrant workers. Very subtle. Hope she would sue Toyota back in the USA for the damages she has suffered.

(I would try once again)

What makes you thing that a Shinto ceremony, especially at Meiji Jingu, is not a commercialized fakery, just for the pics/thrill?

Wish them happiness and godspeed

A person I know working for a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo got audited by the American HQ. It turns out that person and a colleague completed the work for 16 persons (not sure if the whole company has similar performances but I know the other in the sale division and those are measurably identical). Enormous overtime levels, huge sales targets and so on. The companies I am very familiar with has experienced a severe drop in sales in last several years which resulted in lay-offs or put it exactly - failure to replace the people who resign or are let go. As a result, in times of serious inflow of customers - you could see how even senior management has to deal with sales rather than to do their own tasks. As a result, some of day sleep at least one a month in the office.

Very sorry to be blunt, but I really love reading illiterati and people with very rudiment knowledge about scientific processes talking and in fact arguing about science and especially GMO. Thank you very much for the entertainment you are providing. Just a hint: when you quote a scientific study, please, take 5 minutes out of your time and read at least the summary and the methodology to understand what the article is about.

No science exist, so far, (because science is always transitional) to back up any fear-mongering against GMO. But idiots do exist.

For those able to read Japanese or have someone else to read you the explanation, just look at the explanation on the back of any dish soap in Japan and especially the purpose of use section. Yasai kudamono, shokki in that order. Case closed.

In my country, one should go and personally collect their pension each and every month after identifying themselves at the pension distribution office with an ID which has their picture . Of course, they should be accompanied by their carers, if they have some illness and/or disability.

It is tiresome to listen how great the shinkansen is and how only the Japanese humbleness and shyness and those pesky foreigners prevent it from being more widespread worldwide. If there is in which Japanese world experts are - it is packaging and presenting products of questionable quality to look "kawaii".

There is a reason the people rip off the German and French technologies, as the Japanese did in their time, and then the Japanese ones. Do not get me wrong - they all have great technologies, something like picking up between some A-,A and A+.

What French have achieved in engineering department is beyond marvel. There is a reason for the smaller carriages there and bigger here and it is not engineering related. And there is a reason why European-based companies predominantly win contracts.

Out of stubborn stupidity.

Seriously though, despite the legislation enacted in 1975 and despite the fact that all science and major business operate in metric system, what has stopped US so far from having all-encompassing metric system implementation is basically the automative industry: cars and the inconvenience it would have caused to change everything to a metric based system: road signs, car boards, gas indicators etc.

Not that the metric system is perfect, a kg is yet to be defined as a base unit under a new measurement system.

Contrary to the popular belief on this board, it might have something to do that are East Asian models, and women in general, are not so much attractive - shortish, enormous heads, big/flat buttocks, huge pigeon-toe feet, often bow-angled legs, in need of face shave daily etc (everyone is beautiful in their own way but just their look do not appeal to general public and need separate clothing than normal one - there are Asian lines for most bigger brands accommodating the different shapes here). Not to mention that they hardly retain any beauty after their 24-25 birthday.

It is not about walking/posture/confidence whatever........Forget about Tokyo Fashion Week, look at the number of East Asian models working in Europe and N. America and type of shows they are part of it - some gothic chic or some supposedly unattractive model in some rebel clothes.

Yes, those models might be thin and "pale", whatever that might mean, but unattractive? - most probably out of your league.

There was a segment on the TV yesterday night where they showed a company which have increased the base payment for its young employees under 30 by 4,000¥ as a means to spur new wave/type of consumption driven by young people. When the TV reporter asked some of them, what they do intend to do with the extra money, all of the interviewed said that they would save it (which does not imply that all of them would do so). Then, the program went on with a segment on several part-timers working as contract workers sent by a dispatch companies at elderly homes. The dispatch company tried to negotiate a 50¥ increase in their payment with the elderly home owner, but the manager of the elderly home said that it is impossible for him to pay that extra 50¥ a day per worker. So....... Looking around me, all of those with internationally competitive skill sets have left or are in process of leaving the country. Only people invested in family with a native of Japan and/or some small business here, even though not necessary, stay in Japan. From all of those foreign students who have graduated with me from one of the top 3 universities here, only a handful are still employed Japan. Smarter people jumped the ship long ago and currently in well paid positions.

Looking though various employment ads recently, I have noticed that there is the reverse racism/selection based on one's nationality related to this line of work. There are many job ads were the employers specifically underline that they would hire/consider only people from the Phillipnes, Indonesian or Vietnam, which I find a bit odd. Why shouldn't an Ethiopean or an Italian person willing to work in welfare facilities considered on equal footing?

Just last Saturday, picked up a wallet inside the train, which everyone pretended not to notice, and handed it to the nearest koban. Right away, I gave up the right for any benefit or prize. The previous time that happened to me, however, the police officer had given my address to the person whose wallet I found and one morning a young girl rang on my door bowing, thanking me and with two hands stretched handed me a bag with varieties of cookies bought at the poshest pasterie in the neighborhood. I had given up my right to receive any reward that time as well. But either she was very pushy or the police officer forced her to make me a thank you gift. So, I learned my lesson - just hand the wallet or the item found and reject filling out any documents.

Anyhows, a friend, a foreigner, of mine found a wallet with more than 200,000¥, and according to the his words took the money and threw the wallet away. So, not all is recovered and handed back to the koban. I have noticed that the police officers always ask whether you are familiar with the contents of what you bring to them, so I make the effort and explain to them that I will see it for the first time with them as witnesses. Another one of my friends have checked for three months every week whether the owner of a wallet he had found came to claim it. Strangely, two or one day before that term was to expire, the wallet was claimed, so we both thought that something fishy was going on.

As some have pointed out, sometimes at university or at work, some things have disappeared from my possessions and more than often it have to do with a theft rather than with something being lost.

Come on, there are companies which would comply the relevant laws and secure accordingly everything possible to their female employees. I could think of several Nikkei 225 listed ones where friends from university work for. Of course, smaller and middle sized companies might be much more hardly pressed to secure their survivability. I am currently associated with a larger one, which unfortunately tries to push, as the general manager has put it recently, out of employment or full-time employee status, once they get pregnant. The trouble is not with the existing laws, the enforcement should be improved and assisted by further normative acts and punishing powers.

Why should be a news that a citizen of a Western country of non-Asian heritage is being able to speak and address a public in an Asian language? Pure case of a reverse racism and xenophobia demonstrated by the students of one of the top two schools in China, if you watch the actual videos of the event. There was that news of an Australian reporter who asked a question to a Chinese minister in a perfect pronunciation and who praised her for her Chinese language in the worst possible accent and intonation, giving out his lack of formal education. Speaking a foreign language in 2010s is a must, not something exotic.

"Ha! I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he was waiting for all that money and instead got busted. Good call on the woman, the husband and the cops."

To be arrested here, the perpetrator needs to get hold of the money and only after that fact the policemen appear from their hiding spots and take him in their custody.

Only people who have not encountered those situations would behave and talk lightheartedly about it. Replace female boss and the male subordinate with the opposite sex and ask yourself whether would you give a female friend of yours the same advice? It is all about power and being dominant over others, some people need the kick coming from humiliating physically and sexually their peers. Record everything, take notes, if gropped and they are visible signs - try to take pictures or certified. But be very firm and determined about your refusal. If it reaches the courts, try to stick and get the company sued and do not settle outside the court. A friend of mine works for a company who failed to stop harrasment over one of their female employees, she had proofs, sued, went along and held over for a court decision. She left the company but when you google its name in Japanese one of the first things coming up is that court decision. In the wake of that, the internal regulations were changed and according to my friend currently it is unthinkable something similar to happen again. So, what I am driving at is if everyone who has suffered sued and did not settle for the money we might have a better working environment in Japan. But sadly greed rules over everything here.

Acquaintance with several fashion Japanese models here. With the three I have talked about payment in the industry, all have told me that they get charged at 30% by their managers. So, if someone pays your for the photoshoot 10,000¥, the agent takes away 3,000¥ for just hanging around and watching over. I find that cut high but not sure what the norm in the industry is.

SamuraiBlue

So what you are saying is that having to build a separate, wider gauge tracks system is somehow a better technology than using the traditional gauge tracks that French trains run on?

The world record is a world record and since you have mentioned publicity stunt - you would know better than me that Japanese would have done it too if they only could run faster, regardless of what conditions or what calibrated instruments were used to measure the speed. There are limitations on the speed in France as well, as far as I understand, not allowing the rail operators to run faster.

SamuraiBlue

Isn't TGV using the same type rail tracks as other trains do rather to have special one built to run their trains on as the shinkansen technology does? Do not the French trains maintain the record for highest speed achieved on normal rail tracks and stopping themselves from going higher by quoting air friction issues with higher speeds?

Glad to learn something new.

The question has to deal with the best technology. As it stands currently, TGV without any doubt. Japan would pull back in the game once it implements the maglev system.

As overall experience, well the shinkansen is quite good. But who takes Hakata - Tokyo shinkansen these days - you lose 5 hours of your day in what you could accomplish in 3 hours with a flight and getting to and from the airpor.

Having travelled and lived in different countries around the world, I would agree that Japanese people tend to be extremely adversely over-anxious and worried about the future and what might happen as whole. Many poorer communities and nations have much more fun, smiles on their face and open-mindness in their daily lives despite economic and lifestyle hardships they face on day to day basis.

Not that Japanese can not relax, they just do not allow themselves to do so. More of the illnesses they suffer are from lifestyle choices - like let's save 15 yen on moyashi by walking/cycling for two hours around the neighborhood without questioning the nutrition value of the said moyashi in the first place, when combines with deep fried pork and a huge bowl of rice, and the wasted time, which might have been used for one hour part time job and earning them thus an income.

They are many blogs in Japanese on household keeping, written in majority by women. You would be surprised to what lengths some of them go to save a yen from having a healthy nutritious meal for their children when they had just received a great bonus or whatever.

I would like to point to the fact that when the general public talks about "genes", as a sequence of DNA, what they have in mind is an "allele", probably.

Would not recommend any of the Indian food chain stores. All taste cheap and awful.

I like a place called Delhi Dining close to DENA baseball stadium/Chinatown in Kannai, Yokohama. Mix of Southern and Northern cuisine without trying to save on adding spices like all those big places.

Once I got into an argument with the chef of a P***s restaurant. Basically he did not add any spices which he denied but refused to cook the same curry I was offered in front of me event hough I would have paid the extra charge for it. Pretty shoddy places and pretty shoddy owners exist here in Japan.