Spanishwoman comments

Because Japanese pop sounds like the opening themes of anime... Like songs for children. Inluding the voices. Well, not always, but most of the times.

Why don't they mention Giampaolo Giuliani in this news? This scientist predicted a few days ago, in a TV interview, that there was going to be a big earthquake in the region and nobody believed him. He should be making news as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WieaAPrQEN4

Both were stupid, but anyway, is it logical that a job like taxi driving allows anybody to get 360000 yen in 2-3 days?

And what about the parents? Does the police know who they are?

I've recently read that there is an increasing criminality in the British youth, and specially in girls (!)

Having a child at 13 is not a crime, but is a big sign of dissorientation.

This makes me feel sad, I spent 5 days in London last year and I really loved it. I thought it would be a nice place to live. I walked around the pubs south of Soho square and I did not feel a great danger as it was really crowded (in Soho square, however, I noticed the posts warning of thieves).

My hotel was in Southwark, which I had read is very dangerous, but it looked safe to me. And nothing happened.

Now I think I have just been lucky.

How does the car look inside? Maybe small diamond stickers all over the dashboard? Because that is the brilliant idea that the mobile phone marketing departments had when targeting their merchandise to young Japanese women T_T

I think that not only for English, but also for any language, it is wrong to write the pronounciation of the words in katakana. My husband is learning Spanish and I read the katakana spelling of the Spanish sentences only to laugh.

Or to cry...

The pronounciation should be taught as in a good dictionary, with universal symbols that everybody can learn with help of a native teacher or a good CD.

This is my view about the bad pronounciation.

I can't believe a jewelry shop leaves its cash overnight at the store. Good lesson.

I have the feeling that a woman is NODOBY in Japan without a man. My mother in low told me they have a saying: when a woman is born, she follows her father. When she marries, she follows her husband. And when she is old, she follows her son. Another "unique" aspect of the beautiful Japanese culture. As long as they accept this and don't want to change it, Japanese woman will be always wearing pink and putting diamond stickers in their mobile phone and absolutely ridiculous fake nails. I still have a hope that my husband will be sent abroad in a few years with his company, because I do not fit in here.

It is indeed return, but you have to try different dates to find it:

Try this: February 1st 17500 yen NRT-LHR February 7th 17500 yen LHR-NRT

Final price with surcharges: 85120 yen

The dates are wrong: this is a copy&paste from the web: Special offer - London return from JPY35,000

Book by 28 February 2009 and fly to London from just JPY35,000. This fare is available for departures from Tokyo between 10 January 2009 and 31 March 2009.

Fare does not include airport taxes, fees, charges and fuel surcharges.

I think Japan has a problem with lack of laws and I think this is also a good example of this. May I encourage Mr. Nakazawa on this respect? His Company is aimed at something very respectable (make other businesses aware about the needs of the disabled persons) but maybe they could also aim at the lawmakers, to let them consider this barrier problem more deeply. I think new buildings, stations, and streets should include "by law" escalators for wheelchairs, etc. Another suggestion would be to make some "campaign" in TV to let the general public be aware about the problems, with some messages between the commercial breaks, for example. To "talk more" about it, in TV programs, inviting disabled people to talk about their experiences...

I wish Mr. Nakazawa's Company the best results in his efforts.

And they think Japan is a democracy that protects human rights... I guess this has a lot to do with the women-only trains. Too many men feel that women are just like plastic puppets waiting to be touched for the pleasure of the "superior gender". "I am a man and you are a just woman. If I want to touch you, there is nothing you can do. I am the boss, you are just a human being of class B".

If I am one of the people waiting in the line or one of the employees, I don't know if I would have fled and/or called the police immediatly, but of course I would not have stayed there as if nothing happens. In Spain, my bank has a double-door system. You can enter freely the first glass door, but the second one is closed. You have to push a button, then they see you with a security camera and open only if you don't look suspicios. If you are aregular visitor, of course it takes only a few seconds, so normally the procedure is fast. So this would have never happened in my bank. What a relief.

Wow, I am Spanish and I can tell his Spanish is perfect, no grammar mistakes, proper vocabulary, elegant speech... He has an Argentinian accent, but I can not judge that. Now some from Argentina please give an opinion on his accent :)

I can't believe it. Unless if there were psichological problems, I would never change the appearance of my children. And of course, never to make them look like some celebrity. I am not at all a beauty, but I would be happy if my child somehow resembles me :)

Totally agree with tkoind2. I have thought the same way many times. Specially in that the politicians here are too old and have no sense of priority.

Japan will always say that "it is the tradition". They don't need to excuse themselves anymore with the "research" lie, for them, "tradition" is a powerful reason for everything, be it right or wrong for the rest of the world. In Japan, "tradition" = "God's word". This is my conclusion after having received the answer "it is the tradition" to anything I dare to complain in front of Japanese people. Amen.

Wow BurakuminDES, “keep these buffoons in check.” Sounds like a great idea, since very little crimes are committed in Japan by US military members (less than 2 percent) compared to domestic crimes

It would be very interesting to know how much is the US military members population in Japan. It must be well over 2% I guess...

Too much domestic violence in Japan. Is the government considering any measures to fight it?

I don't sympathise with Aso but it is a good thing that he tries to know what young people like. Now the interesting question is, what did they tell him?

Juan Carlos and Sofia, who will stay in Japan until Nov 14, will visit various areas outside Tokyo, including the ancient capital of Kyoto.

In Spain we call them Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía as a form of respect, rather than using simply their names :)

They were yesterday in the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo and they had a reception for us Spanish citizens living in Japan. They gave a brief speech and then mixed with the people and talked and greeted any one who wished to aproach them. I myself shook hands with them and exchanged a few words. Some other people really chatted with them for a while. It is amazing to meet them in person, they are extremely polite but they also are down-to-earth people. I can only be thankful to them for that.

Obama said he would like to build a personal relationship with Aso and said that he feels a strong affinity

I have heard that in Japan, one must be "pure blood" Japanese to be a politician, that is, your grand-grandparents must be Japanese on both sides, or something similar. Can anyone confirm this?

Because Obama would have been automatically discriminated if that were the rule in USA, as his father was from Kenia. I wonder if he knows about this, and I hope the Japanese lawmakers consider this rule twice and change it for the sake of Human Rights.

They should legally include always the fuel surcharge when saying the price. Not doing so is already illegal in many countries because it is misleading for the customer.

It was about time to make some solidarity campaign here. Good news.

Looks like the plane had problems already the day before and two days before: it was diverted to Mallorca for technical problems. This could have been avoided. I just hope someone will assume responsibility and pay for this tragedy.

Quote: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/08/20/espana/1219259725.html

Let's look at the positive side: he had stress at work, but at least he did not stab anyone

Dear Sallysky, I guess you are in a crucial moment of your life and feel insecure about what decission to make.

Please don't feel bad for not taking care of your child personally. I was myself raised at home by a hired person because my mother was a chemistry teacher at a high school. We are 4 sisters and none of us ever felt bad or complained to our mother about this. Just the opposite: we are very proud that our mother was a career women until she retired and never gave up her job despite the difficulties until we grew up.

By doing this, my mother had herself some role in society to be proud of (educating teenagers, such an important thing!). Moreover, she got her own money, she had her independence economically and thus more freedom to spend as she liked. Now she is retired and loves travelling around with all the money she got these years :)

Having both parents a job, we 4 sisters were able to be paid for our university studies and moreover we had second houses on the beach and so on. My mother contributed to that with 50% of her effort and money and I am sure she felt happy about it.

I can only thank my mother for all her effort on contributing to the wellfare of the family. She sometimes meets old students on the street who thank her ans show their appreciation for her well-doing. That makes her profoundly satisfied.

And I have only very little memories about the hired persons who took care of me, as I was so little. My memories with my mother are much stronger because she is the person I really loved, other people taking care of me were just "passing by".

If my western point of view has any value to you, please think that in Europe this is the general procedure as there are kindergartens everywhere for that purpose. No one I ever knew complained about his/her mother working at his/her childhood. It is only fair to let mothers have a career as well.

I encourage you strongly to fill up your life having such an important career as a high school teacher and at the same time spending very lovely time at home with your kids in the evenings and do something outside at the weekends (what about visiting the sections for kids of the science museums?)

Good luck and all the best wishes for you.

I think money and holidays are not the key factors in quality of life. You must also count on a fair society, low criminality, working conditions, good weather, good food, open character of people...