yagura comments

I like Tokyo. It has it flaws but it's still a pretty interesting place to live. I was born and raised in a huge city so maybe that's why all of the noise, etc. doesn't bother me too much.

And, why it's is true that things can be pretty expensive, "fun" does not always have to cost an arm and a leg. Sometimes just going for a walk and exploring the different neighborhoods can turn out to be quite fun.

I am so glad I deleted my FB account earlier this year. What was once an enjoyable way to kill some time was becoming more and more of a hassle. Formats and privacy features kept changing and they just kept asking more and more personal information ( which they claim was needed for account verification purposes). Just not for me.

smithinjapanFEB. 29, 2012 - 05:16PM JST It's classic that almost HALF of the article is an explanation of what is meant with the English words 'gatekeeper' and 'basic'. As others have stated it's a pretty silly use of the term, and I also wish Japan would use more Japanese. On that note, pretty much every AKB48 song misuses or abuses English, so perhaps they are the proper representatives for this 'campaign' gone awry. While they are of course popular and liked by many in this nation, it was an absolutely horrible choice to do this. All of the money being spent trying to promote the idea that it is our duty to look out for one another would be better spent setting up places where people can get easy, 24-hour help, without any stigma attached to it. Instead of posters like this have posters with people (not AKB48, but someone people will take seriously) who say "It's okay to be stressed out" and that there is help available

The use of the term "gatekeeper" in this context is not related at all to how AKB48 misuses or abuses English in their songs. Once again, this usage of "gatekeeper" in this context does not seem to have originated in Japan. It is used in the same context in English speaking countries as well. So if it's silly in this context, that silliness has nothing to do with Japan.

Seems people are focusing so much on their dislike for the messenger when they should be focusing on the message. What difference does it make who says it as long as its finally being said?

People have been suggesting that since this is Japan, the Japanese should use more Japanese. First of all the word "geetokiipaa" is Japanese and not English. Secondly, why is it OK to use gairaigo such as "pan", "terebi", "hoteru", "intaanetto", etc., etc. etc., but not a word like "geetokiipaa"? If the word "geetokiipaa" is inappropriate then what would be an acceptable Japanese term to use in its place?

This campaign is primarily directed at Japanese people, right? If from this campaign, they come to associate the word "geetokiipaa" with helping others who might be contemplating suicide then that is a good thing, isn't it?

tmarieFEB. 28, 2012 - 08:18PM JST They're popular with otaku.

It seems to me that their appeal goes beyond just "otakus". They may not be the favorite of every single Japanese in the country, but enough people must like them for them to be so popular.

Did you read my post above where I ask the implications of not trying to prevent suicides and the cost to society?

I imagine there have been a number of studies done on the economic impact of suicide on a society. It seems to me that any society that loses 30,000 plus people per year is going to be affected in some way (economically or otherwise), both in the short term and in the long run. This impact might even be further exacerbated in the case of a country like Japan when combined with the problems of a rapidly aging population and declining birthrate.

But, if you're looking for more concrete numbers with respect to Japan then maybe this will suffice. It's from September 2010, but it doesn't appear that much has changed so perhaps the numbers are still fairly accurate. Maybe the figures given in the article are just made up, but 2.7 trillion yen seems like a lot to me.

http://jp.wsj.com/japanrealtime/blog/archives/1692/

I guess the real answer to that question depends on how you decide to assign a value to an individual life. Now, if want to you assume that it's primarily "outcasts from society" in Japan (and other countries) who end up committing suicide and since these "outcasts from society" provide no value which means that they, therefore, have no value then I guess that's your right. Personally, it think every member of a society has the potential to make a unique and positive contribution to their society in some way, so the loss of a single member (no matter how insignificant that member may seem to some) is still a loss in some way.

tmarieFEB. 28, 2012 - 04:04PM JST Then perhaps they should've picked better spokesmodels. Any salaryman with his wits about him isn't going to pay attention to this. Same goes for ols, unis students... Everyone I know roles my eyes at akb and comments they are for otaku and sexless men. Can't say I disagree and based on this thread, I'm not alone.

Perhaps. But, also just maybe some of those people will find in within themselves to focus more on the message than the messenger.

Regardless they are quite popular at the moment (whether that popularity is deserved is not really relevant). If they are somehow able to use their popularity to help others then that seems to be a good thing.

tmarieFEB. 28, 2012 - 10:49AM JST I mean, the fact that they are using AKB is a very telling sign as to which demographic they are aiming this campaign at - it certainly isn't the young girls, the housewives nor the well adjusted salarymen who are married with kids...

I saw a psa (video) for this campaign on the 'Train News' on my commute into work this morning. Most of the people on the train at that time were those heading off to their respective jobs or schools. This psa repeated maybe 5 or 6 times during my ride. This campaign does not just seem to be for the "outcasts of society"; it seems to be directed at all of society. Perhaps there was somebody on that train who knows somebody, maybe a relative, coworker, classmate, neighbor, friend, etc., who might be currently going through some rough times. Maybe part of the goals of this campaign is to try and encourage more of "the strong" to be more aware of and more open to helping "the weak".

tmarieFEB. 27, 2012 - 06:36PM JST Sometimes it seems to me that some JT readers are in such a rush to click "submit" and so determined to find even the slightest bit of wrong/stupidity in anything that Japan does that they don't even bother to try and check the facts. Doesn't the fact that YOU had to Google the word indicate that this is not a common English meaning? GK is certainly not used to mean "gatekeeper" in English. You can goggle it and get back to me on that if you like. Use Japanese for Japanese issues.

I am not arguing whether term is appropriate or not. I just pointed out that it being used in this context is not another case of Japanese-English gone wild that your first post implied. Once again, it is a term that appears to be used quite a lot in English speaking countries in the context of suicide prevention. Also, just because I (or others) are not familiar with the particular usage of a word, does not make such a usage is incorrect.

Moreover, sure in the context of soccer the antonym "GK" stands for "goal keeper" or even perhaps "goal kick" (sorry I don't play soccer so I may be wrong there). But, this story is not about soccer. There is no reason why "GK" cannot be used as an acronym for "gatekeeper" in the context of suicide prevention. In fact, I googled "GK" and I found that it certainly is recognized as an acceptable antonym for the word "gatekeeper". In fact, the following site lists 23 possible words that "GK" may serve as an antonym for, each in a particular context.

http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/gatekeeper

As for "Use Japanese for Japanese issues", the only "foreign sounding" word on that poster is "gatekeeper". Everything else is in Japanese. People may indeed not be very familiar with this term at the moment. Perhaps one of the goals of this campaign is to enlighten people and make them more aware of its use in this context and, therefore, make them more aware about and open to discussing issues related to suicide.

sf2k at Feb. 27, 2012 - 05:58PM JST Also obviously that's not the connotation a suicide program would want and would be the total complete opposite meaning. The meaning in is poor taste and an embarrassing fail to the English ear.

I agree that this an unusual way to use the term, but it does not seem to be a usage that originated in Japan. If you google it, you find that is used quite a lot in the United States and other English speaking countries in the context of suicide prevention. It maybe in poor taste but that has nothing to do with the English speaking ability of Japanese people.

tmarieFEB. 27, 2012 - 03:58PM JST The acronym GK is short for “gatekeeper,” which in Japan is used to refer to a person who recognizes symptoms of depression in someone else and recommends that they seek treatment Perhaps in Japan this is what GK is short for and what "gatekeeper" means. No wonder the locals can't speak English! They take English words, make up new acronyms and meanings for whatever they like. I look at GK and think goal keeper and think "gatekeeper" is the one who gets to decide who gets in and is an authoritative position. Nope. Not here. Perhaps they could have stuck to Japanese, just this once??

I too was unfamiliar with the term "gatekeeper" being used this way. So I googled it. It seems to be used in this context quite a bit in other countries as well.

Here are just a few examples I found. There are many more. http://maine.gov/suicide/professionals/program/gkinfo.htm http://www.hss.state.ak.us/suicideprevention/gatekeeper.htm http://www.suicidepreventionsussex.com/gatekeepers.html

So it does not seem to be another case of "taking English words, making up new acronyms and meanings for whatever they like". Rather is seems to be a correct usage of the term in the context of suicide prevention. If the acronym "GK" helps people better remember the term then that seems perfectly fine to me.

Sometimes it seems to me that some JT readers are in such a rush to click "submit" and so determined to find even the slightest bit of wrong/stupidity in anything that Japan does that they don't even bother to try and check the facts.

I may be in the minority, but if this campaign (even in all of it's AKB47ness) is able to help people start talking more about suicide and overcoming their fears of seeking out help when feeling depressed and out of options then that is a good thing. Even if it's only one tiny step in the right direction, I'd rather have the government spending my tax dollars on stuff like this then on bids for things like the Olympics, etc.

There's so much crazy stuff posted on Facebook that I sometimes feel that it should be monitored by somebody.

China is such a huge market. The NBA has been searching for another "Chinese" superstar to take the place of Yao MIng and got really lucky that Lin fell into their lap. Also, because of the recent squabbles between FIBA (i.e. the NBA) and the CBA over the contracts of Kenyon Martin, etc., Lin-sanity allows both sides to focus on something positive.

If Baron Davis had been ready to play at the start of the season, Lin might not even had made the Knick's opening day roster. He's made the most of his opportunity so far but only time will tell if he can keep it up until the end of the season. It going to be interesting to see what happens if/when BD comes back. Will D'Antoni go with the "star" or stick with the "kid"?

Maybe it's an unfair comparison, but too bad Tabuse-mania never really got off the ground.

Al StewartFEB. 13, 2012 - 12:25PM JST not to be a down but @yagura did it seem like that had good fencing or rails to deter people from jumping. Many times bridges like these become famous suicide locations. ie: Golden Gate Bridge I wonder what kind of precautions have they taken.

Nope. Just some metal rail barrier/fence on the walkway side that isn't very high at all (probably 150-160cm high at most; I'm about 190cm and it didn't even come up to mid chest on me). It definitely doesn't seem like it would be much of a deterrent to anybody trying to jump. Also, easy for people to climb up on and look over the side because the middle hand rail is just wide enough and far enough from the ground to be used as a step.

There were signs warning people not to climb the fence, but that was about it. I am a bit surprised they didn't do a little more considering how windy it can get and how high it is. I am guessing that they did it this way so that they wouldn't obstruct the view from the walkway. I only hope they don't come to regret it.

Tried to find a good picture to show what i mean, but this was the best I could find. This the how it is at the ends. http://clicccar.com/2012/02/13/113532/20-38

This is from the middle of the bridge. A bit higher than at the ends but not by much. http://clicccar.com/2012/02/13/113532/22-32

The park seems to have been around for awhile. Bike rentals, a camping area, fishing and some other stuff. Part of it is built around a golf course. Nice walking/bike path along Tokyo Bay. Think one time around is about 6km.

Pretty impressive. Was a bit chilly so we only walked about halfway across before turning back. Nice view though so probably will go back when it gets warmer. Wakashu Park was nice as well.

One thing that did surprise me was how low the railings were. Seems like they should be higher. Too easy for somebody to climb over with nothing between them and Tokyo Bay below.

I'm upset his staff never helped him when he was being beaten though. If they would have joined in and tried to fight the guys off, his death may have been avoided. True homies will stand for you till death.

Apparently they tried, but he told them not to get involved out of concern for their well-being.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120130p2a00m0na006000c.html

"According to Dhamala's Nepalese friends and other sources, the four attacked him on a street in the early morning of Jan. 16 after a New Year's party with friends at his restaurant in Tennoji Ward. He apparently warned the two employees, both in their 20s, in Nepalese to stay out of the altercation when they tried to help him. One of the employees phoned Dhamala's 36-year-old Japanese wife while the other dashed to a nearby convenience store to call for help, Dhamala's friends say."

The Beach Boys burst onto the pop music scene in the early 1960s with hits like like “Good Vibrations” and “Surfin’ USA.”

Actually, Good Vibrations was not one of their early songs. It was released in 1966. By then the Beach Boys had pretty much established themselves as a successful band.

Perhaps it would've been better to write:

The Beach Boys burst onto the pop music scene in the early 1960s with hits like "Surfin' USA" and "Surfer Girl".

Both "Surfin' USA" and "Surfer Girl" were released in 1963 when the band was just beginning to make waves. :D

And now she's pregnant and they're getting married. What changed since Jan. 27?

http://www.tokyohive.com/2012/02/sponichi-reports-akanishi-jin-kuroki-meisa-getting-married-2-month-pregnancy/

Here's a little more info in English

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/02/06/2003524818

Had know idea who this person is so I googled her. Something about this incident has already been posted on her Wikipedia Japan page. Interestingly it also says that Mr. Taketoru Tomonori is an "Amerika Shuushin no Nihonjin" who manages a club in Roppongi. Wikipedia goes into a little more detail for those who are interested, but it appears that Makiyo lied to police about the incident among other things. Looks like she and Mr. Tomonori are in some serious trouble.

Then again, it is Wikipedia so it's possible that some of the things have been embellished.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B7%9D%E5%B3%B6%E8%8C%89%E6%A8%B9%E4%BB%A3

The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding. --- Albert Camus

Why not try to get groups like AKB48, pop idols, talento, pro athletes, etc., etc. more directly involved in something important like this instead of just indirectly (sneakily) trying to leverage on their popularity and "trick" people into paying attention? Why not just have one of those 24-hour TV shows devoted to something like this? Why not some PSAs?

I would imagine that some of them would be interested in being able to give back to Japan in such a way.

I've watched from afar as this bring has been constructed. If the weather's nice this Sunday, I think I'm going for a drive.

lostrune2FEB. 02, 2012 - 07:43PM JST Only in America can one go from dorm room to billionaire in 8 years.............. People would had wished they were his roommates then, haha!

Actually, here's a story about one of his former roommates from back then. He seems to be doing OK without any regrets or bitter feelings.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/zuckerbergs-roommate-made-expensive-mistake-declining-offer-co-070628912.html

This all looks good on paper. I only hope that AEON is also preparing to support these employees and help them cope with all of the stress they'll feel from living overseas. They will not just be seen by the locals as representatives of their company; they will also be seen as representatives of their country.

This may be the first time opportunity for many of these young people to actually "live" in a foreign country. Visiting as a tourist on vacation is one thing, but living and working there for an extended period of time is totally different. For the first time in many of their lives , they will be the gaijin. For the first time in many of their lives, they will be exposed to overt anti-Japanese sentiment and/or nationalistic politics. These people will need to be properly prepared so that they have at least a fairly good idea as to what is in store for them and how to cope.

So while it is true that this kind of thing can indeed turn out to be a rewarding experience, it can, however, also turn out to be a pretty negative one. Hopefully, AEON will be taking steps to provide the support that these people need so their experience turns out to be a truly rewarding one. It certainly won't help either the company or the country if these people end up coming back home with a bitter taste in their mouths and/or leaving the locals with a bad taste in theirs.

This very thing is sort of a cause celebre of conservative/nationalist bloggers in the United States. They claim that the U.S. Government petitioning for National Parks and other historical locations to be designated as World Heritage Sites and/or Man And Biosphere Reserves is just part of a conspiracy to cede sovereignty over these sites to UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). Just fear mongering in my opinion but quite a few people (especially among the anti-UN, anti-Obama, anti-anything non-American crowd) seem to believe it's true.

Is this also an issue among the rightists groups here in Japan?

tmarieJAN. 26, 2012 - 10:11AM JST I don't get it. Name me one other non-contact sport where people grunt? None that I can think of.

Ping pong. Quite a few of the famous Japanese players ( most notably Ai Fukuhara) do let out a "Saaaaaaaaa" at key points during a match. Marital artists also let out kiais during their katas. These might not be as loud or as prolonged as the grunts of Ms. Sharapova, but I think the basic idea is pretty much the same: psych yourself up, find a comfort zone and self focus. Probably being done more subconsciously than consciously and the result of years and years of practicing a certain way.

There's a certain degree a gamesmanship involved, sorta like trash talking, but if you're a pro athlete and you let something like this bother you, then you're probably not gonna be very successful until you learn to block it out.

I used to play lots of tournament chess and shogi. Although most people don't grunt or shout, you'd occasionally come across a few who would like to slurp really loud every time they took a sip, or sigh/sneeze/cough/blow their nose, etc. constantly during a game. Had one shogi player (who wasn't my even opponent, but was playing somebody else on the board next to me) who was for some reason so amused by my last name that he decided to hum it non-stop throughout his game. Luckily he wasn't very good so his game didn't last very long. Ha, ha, ha.

Lots of non-verbal stuff (twitching, shifting, tapping, constantly adjusting pieces, squeezing of the forehead, scratching, etc., etc.) too. One chess player I knew used to like to eat Big Macs during important games. He said it helped him relax and concentrate. Also, probably helped because he would eat it piece by piece with his fingers, starting at the top bun and then working his way down through the patties and secret sauce to the bottom bun. This was probably not very relaxing for his opponents though. Pretty gross. :D

This is all part of the game and you just gotta learn to block it out. Also, it's just part of the experience of seeing a professional sporting event in person or watching it on TV, at least that's how I look at it.

tkoind2JAN. 25, 2012 - 10:54AM JST With regards to cost, the nationalized system will still charge for services and will be able to carry on as the company had. But it will be far more subject to national oversight and management which will make decisions more about concern for society and less so for concern for the bottom line. This is a win.

As I said, "nationalized" does not always lead to better, more efficient and safer service. Often it leads to more corruption, waste and cronyism. Politicians and/or bureaucrats do not always make the best owner/operators. Profit maximization may not be the publicly stated goal of such companies, but the temptation for some people to exploit the situation to feather their own personal nests is always there. The bottom line of a government is to stay in power (that's their "profit"), so it's not unheard of for a government to do things (even if they are against the public good) to do just that.

TEPCO is a private company but I believe quite a number of it's top management officials are either former bureaucrats themselves or strongly connected in some way. Most likely some bureaucrat somewhere had an idea as to what they were doing, but for whatever reason just decided to look the other way. Plus, given the way that Japanese Government has been less than open on details of the Daiichi crisis, their concern for their citizens could be called into question. What guarantee is there that they could run things better?

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/govt-kept-silent-on-worst-case-scenario-at-height-of-nuclear-crisis

I'm not saying that it couldn't work. I'm just saying that it's not a guaranteed win and that the consequences of such a move should be carefully considered before taking such a step. Things are not so clear cut.

When I first saw her tweet, it kinda seemed like it was a lyric from a song. So I googled it. This is not really an original though of hers. It seems to have been bouncing around the Internet in one form or another for quite some time as an unattributed quote. Still sounds like something from a song to me. She probably saw it some where, liked it's meaning and it just stuck with her. Perhaps it will show up in one of her future songs.

tkoind2JAN. 25, 2012 - 09:09AM JST Utilities and basic necessities should not be profit driven. Nor should things that put society at risk. Too much of the world is driven by decisions based on profits. This is responsible for all kinds of calamities and problems. Nationalize them and take the profit equasion out of the discussion.

Taking the profit equation out of the discussion does not mean that things will turn out for the better. Nationalized companies are not always better and often come with their own set of problems. And once again, even nationalized industries have costs they need to cover. This money needed to cover these costs has to come from somewhere. There is no guarantee that a nationalized company will be operation in a more efficient and safer way than a profit-driven private one. Often, in fact, the exact opposite seems to be the case.

Chernobyl was, after all, under the direct jurisdiction of Moscow.

PizzafaceJAN. 24, 2012 - 04:23PM JST I wonder how many were single mothers basically reliant on themselves for everything? It might sound like a simple proposition to put a baby in a car seat while you drive off to the supermarket, but babies don't like to be alone. They tend to scream and wail until they finally go to sleep. And having a screaming wailing baby in the car is a good way to have an accident, not only from frustration, but the fact that you can't hear anything outside the vehicle, like police and ambulance sirens, train crossing alarms etc. While babies are safer in child seats if an accident happens, the best thing is to just not get in an accident in the first place. With that in mind, they should be allowed to have the baby strapped to their chest in a harness. Yes, I know that the baby may get crushed between mother and steering wheel in a serious accident, but you cannot guarantee survival in a serious accident anyway. No perfect solutions here.

Wouldn't it be safer if the mother just pulled off to the side of the road, stopped her car and then breast fed her child? She could wait until her child has fallen a sleep or stopped crying before continuing onto her destination. Wouldn't that possibly be an even better way to avoid an accident?

What if the baby was crying because he/she needed to be changed? How would a harness help in that situation?

Sad story for so many reasons. Sad because this man was killed. Sad for his family. Sad for his attackers and their families. So many lives ruined and forever altered in such a short period of time. Maybe there is more to this story than it seems. Who knows? However, my initial felling is that these people really had no motive for doing this other than they thought it would be "fun" (in a sick way).

Once many years ago after a late night of clubbing near JR Osaka, something happened to me while walking back to my capsule hotel. Walked my gf (at the time) back to the train station and then decided to take a short-cut down one of those narrow quasi-streets near Hep 5 (actually Hep 5 was still in the process of being built) through to Shin-MIdosuji. I had walked that route many times before but at that late at night (early in the morning) I probably should have taken the long way around instead.

I came across a group of young Japanese males and females (some who were probably drunk). I saw them and should and just gone back but for some reason I didn't. As I was passing the group, some guy came out of the shadows, screamed "kuni ni kaere", whacked me upside the head and tried to kick me. I actually half-blocked the kick with my hand, but there was really not all that much else I could do so I just pretended like nothing happened and kept walking without looking back and without stopping. Fortunately, that seemed to be enough for the dude and his friends and they didn't try to pursue me. I thought about going to the police but decided that there's was really nothing they could've done or would've done. So, I just went back to my hotel. I ended up a cut above my ear, a little swelling and some ringing in my ear but was for the most part OK.

I guess you could argue that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You could say I was also foolish for not being more careful and aware of my surroundings. I'd probably agree to a degree. But, this guy really had no reason to attack me; no words were exchanged, no dirty looks were cast his way. He just did it , I guess, because he felt he could and that nothing would happen to him because I was a foreigner and was alone and he was Japanese surrounded by his friends.