Posted in: Mass sardine beaching hits northern Japan See in context
Lots of fertiliser for some lucky gardeners
7 ( +8 / -1 )
Posted in: Japanese rice price to wholesalers hits record high in October See in context
I really applaud you for giving this a go. Your yield will increase with your experience. You obvously have land, have you considered sharefarming? Getting a more experience rice grower to grow it for you. They will probably get the 110kg and your half for minimal work would be 55kg :)
We tried growing our own rice this year. Regular expected yield 110kg. We got 55kg. We are only hobbyists but it still takes a lot of work, and as with the rest of the world, Japanese farmers don't get paid enough for their produce.
Sorry, but food prices should be higher, and to help get prices down, more people should be engaged with growing their own food.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Japanese rice price to wholesalers hits record high in October See in context
The rise is prices is about tourism but not too a significant extent. Prices in Japan for many commodities are inflated by the number of transactions before it gets to consumer. Consumers need to find rice farmers who are selling rice direct and cut out the middle men especially JA and pay the farmer without the price rise demanded by middle men. This is a win for the farmer and consumer. Consumers in Japan have to free themselves of the supermarket convenience and take direct action. If supermarket sales go down then the price will go down as supermarkets try to regain sales.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: New rules drive Japanese trucking sector to the brink See in context
The delivery of goods is insanely cheap in Japan. Now I know how companies can afford to charge such small amounts because they are keeping their drivers poor. This is a simple method of raising wages for Japan's working poor and respecting the work they do.
7 ( +10 / -3 )
Posted in: Japan's revised laws criminalizing cannabis use to take effect Dec 12 See in context
Prohibition has never stopped young people from anything. Provide them with purpose, employment and hope and you will not have a drug problem. People will want to party and relax, but they get too busy doing the activities they love to waster too much time with drugs. Drug driving must be prohibited though!
18 ( +23 / -5 )
Posted in: Foreign English teacher in Japan calls student’s ability garbage; says it was an 'American joke' See in context
The teacher did wrong. No excuses.
In the future the teacher must identify positives as well as offer constructive feedback that enables the student to improve their competency with a skill set. This teacher failed to achieve this. In this case the criticism was not constructive and could be born out of the frustration of a devalued industry.
The school should be acknowledged for being open minded enough to have a conversation class. For languages to be learned they need to be lived and the best motivator and experience is human interaction. That is a step in the right direction, just need to educate this educator on how to get the best out of their students.
0 ( +4 / -4 )
Posted in: Do you think manga and anime are good language study tools for children? See in context
Japanese Manga and anime is not good for a language teaching tool because it is difficult to find school age appropriate content. While the level of engagement is high for some students especially with anime, most want to watch in their native tongue not Japanese.
-1 ( +1 / -2 )
Posted in: Japan household assets reach record ¥2,115 tril at end of June See in context
An odd news article. Two grafs about household assets and then - without any transition - it spends the rest of the article talking about the BOJ's bond buying program.
Is this article trying to argue that the household assets are tied up in government bonds? I wouldn't have thought that was a wise investmest since the government is deliberately trying to keep yeilds low. It is also highly unlikely as most Japanese like cash savings as a means of security.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Surge in Japanese online dialogue propagating 'good Nazi' myth See in context
This normalisation of far right views in Japan is very concerning. This is pretense to advocate for autocracy and facism which is never good for the people who have to go and fight the wars for the vane leaders who do not care about them. Whether it is in Germany, Russia or Japan, autocracy is never good for any of us.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Sumo wrestler catches on quick as he learns to be defensive lineman for Colorado State See in context
Since he is learning from Buddha he has a very wise teacher who should be able to guide him on the correct path :)
5 ( +5 / -0 )
Posted in: Abandoned houses providing new source of valuable old timber See in context
This situation where old houses are being torn down is sad for the heritage and history of these areas, but it is better to recycle the products in the houses than simply leave them to go to ruin. I hope this business model can be replicated in other parts of the country where remote owners have no interest in maintaining these properties anymore.
12 ( +12 / -0 )
Posted in: Political boys club staining reputation of Japan's winter wonderland See in context
"Ganbatte", the only way to bring about change is to challenge the existing order. The harassment and other behaviours of these 'men' is unconscionable. Japan will change because of the hard work of ground breakers such as Umeko Saito. I have enormous respect for all of Saito Sans effort to progress Japan and no respect for the actions of those politicians.
13 ( +14 / -1 )
Posted in: Japan's Indigenous peoples fight stigma to reclaim identities See in context
It is excellent to see people express their culture and maintain traditions that will enable young people to connect to their cultural identity. I'm very impressed! The world is a richer place when we can learn from the past.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Activists fight Tokyo gov't over historic Jingu Stadium demolition See in context
Japan has long promoted the interest of business over the interest of people and the loss of public green space is totally unacceptable. Sure, knock the stadium down if it is unsafe, but replace it was public facilities not hotels and more exclusive Tokyo apartments.
6 ( +7 / -1 )
Posted in: Are you optimistic about Japan's economy this year? See in context
If the question was: Is the cost of living crisis going to abate in Japan anytime soon, the answer would be no. Companies will be profitable but the standard of living will decline
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Are you optimistic about Japan's economy this year? See in context
I voted yes for three reasons
The rebirth of foreign tourism in Japan will bring in much needed foreign capital
Japanese brands are still incredible positive around the world and people will pay a premium to access them
Japanese technology companies are world class and will lead Japan into a positive economic future, this includes investments by companies like Toyota and many others into electric, hybrid and hydrogen powered vehicles0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Letters from Japan: A confusing situation over an ended relationship See in context
Good advice, relationships can be messy in Japan just like anywhere else. Fellow Canadian is better off finding a new partner.
6 ( +6 / -0 )
Posted in: Russia deploys defense missile system on Kuril island near Japan See in context
The world is going crazy, what are the Russians concerned about? The US seizing their oil reserves because Russa has attacked the territorial integrity of a UN Member? Next craziness we will read about is that Trump will accuse the Russians of having Weapons of Mass Destruction. The World is going Crazy!!! I hope you understand sarcasm, before you tear my comment apart, please read it as thought provoking Joke. I wonder if those missile launch systems actually have missiles, isnt Russia meant to be running out of them?
0 ( +3 / -3 )
Posted in: Russia deploys defense missile system on Kuril island near Japan See in context
ZorotoToday 05:08 pm JST
That's what happens in response to warmongering Japan.
You are about 86 years to late for that comment, so it is very strange. While Japan does have an advanced self defence force, Japan has only participated in peace keeping operations for over 77 years.
4 ( +8 / -4 )
Posted in: Trial of English-speaking test for Tokyo high schools face opposition from some parents See in context
I applaud the Japanese Metropolitan government for introducing a speaking test as part of the High School entrance pathway. Developing speaking skills is the most beneficial outcome of a learning a language. It creates connections and life opportunities.
Im a little dissapointed that they have outsourced the test to a private contractor. There is plenty of experience with language teaching methodology within Japan itself and within the Tokyo Metropolitan government. This includes within Tokyo itself at the Tokyo Foreign Language University where Professor Yukio Tono has been promoting a standards based approach to teaching, learning and assessing English language. I'm sure he could have consulted for the Tokyo Metro government and they could have designed an in-house test that would have guaranteed fairness.
These standards are based on world class teaching methodology and you will note in the link below a clear focus on understanding-listening and speaking.
https://tufspods.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/cefr-j-english-version.pdf
I have set in on a few of his professional development sessions and he knows his pedagogy.
The only other observation I make is that it should not be compulsory, but an elective where students who wish to go in certain directions in their life or apply to certain schools would sit the test. If you want to technical high school, taking an English speaking test is not relevant to your future life goals.
-1 ( +0 / -1 )
Posted in: The U.S. dollar’s appreciation is bad news for the global economy. Do you agree? See in context
A higher US dollar will increase the cost of energy which will cause short term pain for consumers but encourage them to move towards renewable energy sources. This increase in the cost of energy can be good for the environment. It will also be good for the Japanese export sector as the price of their iterms becomes cheaper in a key market. This will include Japanese automakers especially those with elecrtic vehicles and green technology such as pumped hydro electricity. However, there will be short term pain for the average consumer.
-1 ( +1 / -2 )
Posted in: Do you believe there are still Japanese abductees alive in North Korea? See in context
It is possible some of the abductees are alive. I can think of two possible reasons.
Some abductees dont want to return to Japan because of the family they have created in North Korea and dont want to be separated from them. If they have a family with a North Korean, it would be very complicated.
It is also plauisble (but unlikely) that there could be a few Japanese abductees who have trained high level Korean spies in Japanese language, that are unable to return because these spies are embedded into important positions in Japanese society. For example this reasons has been raised to explain Megumi Yokota's non return to Japan in the Koizumi era.
However, as time passes it become more unlikely.
2 ( +3 / -1 )
Posted in: Japan’s super tight jobs market fails to deliver egalitarian promise See in context
According to the Fortune 500 ranking, the top 10 Japanese companies made over 85 billion US dollars in profit last financial year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_Japanese_companies
The minimum wage should be higher in Japan. For some reason, people keep voting in people who are not representing their economic interests. It is only when the Japanese people make change at the ballot box and become more active political will wages go up. Stronger unions would also be effective to increase pressure on government and companies to increase minimum wages.
What I have never understood about Japan is that people have to pay social unemployment insurance. They already pay tax why do you have to pay extra just to have your basic human rights met.
3 ( +4 / -1 )
Posted in: More foreign investors began looking for properties in Japan following the depreciation of the yen. Some are selling their properties at inflated prices by taking advantage of the weak yen. See in context
It's called chancing your arm. If you just try and market your property at an inflated price and a foreign investor pays up because it still seems cheap given the exchange rates, there's your market.
The sellor sets the market only if the buyer is willing to pay that price ;). You might get lucky with an overseas buyer who is cashed up and doesnt know the local market intimately, a good time to highball the market. It has been happening in Australia, people keep putting the prices up and the buyer keeps paying.
6 ( +6 / -0 )
Posted in: Do you think it is possible to remove the Unification Church's influence from Japanese political parties? See in context
Im not sure its possible to make the unification church illegal, unless they are engaging in illegal activity. However, there should be stronger disclosure laws including cash donations or other services provided where politicians and political groups keep a record of all these donations in a public manner.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: 2 arrested for stealing ATM from post office in Mie Prefecture See in context
Just a little bit silly
2 ( +3 / -1 )
Posted in: Comanche warriors take spotlight in 'Predator' prequel 'Prey' See in context
How does this movie fit into the Predator franchise?
Its a prequel, set over 200 years before the first predator movie.
2 ( +3 / -1 )
Posted in: Comanche warriors take spotlight in 'Predator' prequel 'Prey' See in context
Take an advanced, high tech alien from a warrior society and pit him against indigenous people in the 1800[s armed with bows, arrows, and spears. So we're going to get a debilitated predator who'll use primitive weapons to fight the indigenous girls and lose to them. It's woke.
Can you at least watch the movie first before you past judgement, it might not be great. But how do you know?
I'm interested in seeing some different faces on screen, I love the Tomb Raiders movies (strong female lead in an action movie), and as father of two daughters the more powerful female role models the better.
Looking forward to watching it, I hope the young heroine give the predator a run for its money. It will have to be a strong example of asymmetric warfare for her to even survive.
3 ( +4 / -1 )
Posted in: Is the world becoming more divided politically, socially and economically? See in context
ToshihiroAug. 1 08:14 am JST
It is because governments and the people tend to politicize everything and use a lot of soft power in retaliation. I think the toxic culmination of this would be cancel culture. If something offends you, you discredit it and encourage others to do so. We push inclusivity in society, but we exclude those that harbor different values to us. The dichotomy of our time really is something.
I totally agree, the beauty of democracy is the multiplicity of views that enrich all our lives
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: Is the world becoming more divided politically, socially and economically? See in context
Yes, leftists, BLM justice warriors and all those who encourage them have driven a wedge down the middle of society and caused more harm and racial tension. It's much worse than it was 20 years ago before they were born.
Im not sure if speaking uo for what you believe in is driving a wedge or just expressing your rights to self determination and expression, as long as people can have differences of opinion in a respectful manner, that is liberal democracy in action.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Arab proposal for Gaza in works, but Jordan can't take more Palestinians, minister says
Posted in: American tourist arrested in Japan on charges of pushing sexual services worker down stairs
Posted in: Arab proposal for Gaza in works, but Jordan can't take more Palestinians, minister says
Posted in: Arab proposal for Gaza in works, but Jordan can't take more Palestinians, minister says