JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- English Instructor (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
- Berlitz Japan, Inc. (ベルリッツ・ジャパン株式会社), Kansai
- Salary: ¥125,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month
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- FT English Teachers for Kids - Osaka
- Kohgakusha Co., Ltd. （株式会社興学社）, Osaka
- Salary: ¥255,000 ~ ¥275,000 / Month Travel Expenses, Encouragement of Japanese learning*
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- Translator
- ZAIHON, Inc. (日本財務翻訳株式会社), Tokyo
- Salary: ¥6.0M / Year Negotiable
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Antonios_M
Hmm...the term "influential" does not necessarily mean "celebrity" or what media consider as powerful. Thus, i would definitely characterize as influential: the Israeli lobby in the U.S., the financial institutions, the oil/energy lobby, the church, and 2-3 corporations such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, GM and Toyota. As for 5 people: George Soros, Bill Gates, Abdullah Abdul-Aziz, the pope and the U.S. president just for being who they are regardless of their actual level of influence in social and political matters.
Posted in: Name 5 people who you think are among the most influential in the world.
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Antonios_M
The problem is that tourists are not willing to travel to Japan in general. It doesn't make any difference if we are talking about Fukushima prefecture or Kansai or even Okinawa. A large majority of people who were going to visit Japan for the Hanami period canceled their trips (even if they were going to visit...Hokkaido) mainly due to fears of the nuclear crisis and the aftershocks. Therefore, hotels around Japan MUST drop the prices in this crucial moment for the Japanese tourism industry (at least the major hotel chains that can afford this policy). There is no other way to attract tourists.
Keep in mind that with all the sensationalism from the foreign media, just being in Japan makes you a hero (or a lunatic)!
Posted in: Tourists wanted
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Antonios_M
If they want to boost tourism more effectively, they should just drop the prices of hotels and air tickets. I was looking to book a hotel in Kyoto for the Golden Week and i was surprised to see that the prices were actually the same as before the disaster. This is not very attractive for foreign tourists.
Posted in: Tourists wanted
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Antonios_M
Yeah, like you don't know how politics work.
Posted in: Visit from PM
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Antonios_M
I agree that ALL people living in Japan should contribute in one way or another to the reconstruction progress in Tohoku. It is our responsibility and everyone else's who either chose to live in this country or was born here. I really hope though that this crisis won't become an excuse to raise even more the taxes permanently.
Posted in: The government is considering the introduction of a new tax to finance the huge costs of reconstruction in the Tohoku region following last month's earthquake and tsunami. What are your thoughts on such a tax?
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Antonios_M
Nice photo!!! Ganbatte, Kimura - san! It is hard to imagine how it feels like being born in the late 1890s and actually being able to see the 2010s.
Posted in: Happy 114th birthday
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Antonios_M
I totally agree. It is a very clever decision in the long run.
Posted in: Sightseeing boat still perched atop Iwate hostel roof
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Antonios_M
Ah, that's Japan that we all love!
Posted in: Park place
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Antonios_M
To the average and naive western customer's mind, sushi = fish coming from Japan and thus, contaminated with radiation. (even if the tuna used for nigiri is coming from...Alaska). Therefore, it is quite possible that some Sushi restaurants not only in Japan but also around the globe would suffer a lot because of this crisis.
Posted in: Safe sushi
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Antonios_M
She is soooo cute!!!
Posted in: Radiation test
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Antonios_M
I think Japanese gov needs to improve Japan's safety measures for big earthquake, tsunami and nuclear emergency in the future. Japan took a great lesson from the Hanshin earthquake 16 years ago. It's time for a new one. Areas that were devastated by the tsunami must be rebuilt immediately. There is always the possibility that this major catastrophe will boost Japan's economy and things will be better than before. Mr. Kan, please lead Japan out of this crisis as soon as possible.
Posted in: Kan says Japan will remain on 'maximum alert' to deal with crisis
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Antonios_M
That's why i have high hopes for this country! With people like Ayumi, Japan can reach a better future!
JT, this and the Karate kid man photos in front of the magnolia tree are hands down the BEST PHOTOS i have seen since the first time i've visited JT years ago. Well done!!!
Posted in: Beautiful flower
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Antonios_M
In order to take a good photo of both the Karate Kid man and the magnolia tree, you need to bend your knees. Otherwise, you would have a photo of a Karate kid man in front of something that looks like a magnolia tree.
(what an optimistic photo after all this disaster! Great photo, JT)
Posted in: Spring has sprung
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Antonios_M
Regardless of the natural source of this disaster, the Tepco is responsible to some extent for the inefficient safety measures in the Fukushima plant and the way it handled the emergency situation. I think the first priority of the Japanese government is to force all nuclear factories in Japan to improve their safety measures in order to stand against an earthquake of 8 magnitude (or more if it is possible), as well as a tsunami of 10 plus meters. As for the Tepco, i think its CEO and board of directors would have to resign. I don't think that becoming a government-owned corporation is appropriate though.
Posted in: In the future, what should the government do about Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO)? How do you think that company should be run?
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Antonios_M
Great picture! It would be awful if the hanami parties are canceled. I understand that according to western norms it would be considered inappropriate to have parties while there are still many people suffering in the Northeastern areas of Tohoku but Japanese culture contains the notions of happiness and beauty that follow the pain and misery of a terrible event. Life goes in circles.
I was happy to see people in evacuated areas of Miyagi-ken laughing with manzai comedians setting up performances in shelters.
Posted in: Spring has sprung
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Antonios_M
I also agree that the contamination of food is a very serious issue. Even more serious than the direct harm to human beings. Most of the cancers in people around Chernobyl were caused by the contamination of food and not by the immediate threat to human beings. It's a very very serious issue and government should monitor it very carefully.
Posted in: Radiation detected in Fukushima milk, Ibaraki spinach after nuclear accident
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Antonios_M
Haha, that made me laugh after a long time.
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Antonios_M
I have to agree with that. At the beginning of this crisis, i was really afraid with everything i was watching in international news, as well as reading in the articles. However, i feel much more secure now as i accessed rational sources by professionals (not propagandists though). Sensationalized titles such as "Nuclear Disaster", "Japanese Chernobyl" etc are ridiculous when they come from what it is supposed to be a professional source of information.
Btw, there is no mass exodus from Tokyo. My gf works in Narita airport so i can confirm that. Yes, many foreigners are leaving (especially Chinese and some Europeans) but thats a result of irrational panic.
Posted in: Comments from U.S. Embassy and British Chamber of Commerce on radiation danger to Tokyo
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Antonios_M
USNinjapan 2,
thank you for the useful site. If the numbers over there are accurate (which i assume they are), then there is absolutely no need to worry.
Btw, i am pissed off with how the international medias deal with this issue. The lack of professionalism among them is ridiculous. These comments from the U.S embassy and British Chamber of commerce are also extremely useful. Nothing in common with the irrational panic coming from the Germans and the French.
Posted in: Comments from U.S. Embassy and British Chamber of Commerce on radiation danger to Tokyo
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Antonios_M
Dreams of a colonial past? I think Libyans themselves must solve their own problems. As far as i know, they haven't asked so far for any kind of western assistance.
Posted in: Gadhafi forces overcome defenses in rebel town