JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- Corporate Business English Trainers
- ACT Systems, Inc.（株式会社アクト・システムズ）, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥269,500 ~ ¥280,000 / Month
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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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JohnBecker
I guess this might affect me if I were a bigger fan. I liked the Jackson 5 hits, I liked a couple of songs from "Off the Wall", and I think "Thriller" is a pretty safe inclusion in the top 10 pop/rock albums of all time. For better or worse, his videos for the "Thriller" hits solidified MTV's place in music. Since that time, I haven't paid much attention. I kinda wish he'd done a few more albums with Quincy Jones. That was a match made in heaven.
I never met the guy; I know absolutely nothing about him. Anyone who thinks he/she knows who Michael Jackson (or anyone) was, based solely on press releases/news reports/tabloid journalism/hearsay is pretty clueless. You know a public persona, nothing more.
It's a shame he died young, and I hope his kids will be OK.
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JohnBecker
There have been ionization air cleaners for quite a while now. In simple terms, the ions stick to airborne particles and eventually to the walls or other surfaces.
I gave one to a friend who is a heavy smoker. He was happy to have clear air, but he didn't like having to scrub and re-paint the walls every year.
Posted in: Imperial Hotel to install new Plasmacluster Ion generating unit system
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JohnBecker
None of them seems to be carrying a ton of gear; that suggests they'll be shooting outdoors in available light. This could explain the glum expressions - outdoor photography at this time of year in Japan can be a challenge. I'm surprised I only see two tripods.
Posted in: Photo ops
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JohnBecker
As someone who has traveled to Japan twice as a tourist, I can say that I never had any trouble coming up with things to see or do, or with getting there. Never a problem with the Tokyo subways, with the shinkansen, or even with a little streetcar-sized train bumbling through backyards to get from Matsumoto station to Ooniwa station on my way to the Japan Ukiyo-E Museum.
For my last visit, I got a 3-week JR Pass that was a bargain at about $520. I didn't mind using the Hikari trains; I just made sure I had a schedule and used it. Traveling from Hiroshima to Tokyo, I didn't feel it was a hardship to have to change trains in Osaka. I took the opportunity to buy a bento lunch right on the platform. (Sure, it's not gourmet food, but whatever.) Riding the rails in Japan is an endless pleasure for someone like me, who can't even consider using trains to get around in his home country (U.S.).
Japan is not anti-tourist. In the 5 weeks I've spent there over two visits (as a tourist), I've felt absolutely coddled. I never had a language problem, and I don't know much more than "sumimasen" and "...wa doku desu ka". Anywhere I went, I ran into people who were willing and able to help when I needed it. And they almost always spoke just enough English (or considerably more) to answer a question or help me get my bearings. When I was trying to find a particular shop somewhere between Ginza and Shinagawa stations, a flower shop manager who didn't speak any English at all walked me a block and a half to where I was going. And he was happy to do it. That's just one example of many, and that's one of the reasons why I love visiting Japan.
Anyone who thinks Japan is anti-tourist or has nothing to see or do is just wrong. I'm sorry that your "honeymoon" period has ended. Mine, thankfully, continues unabated.
Posted in: JAL, JR Tokai team up to boost inbound tourist demand
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JohnBecker
@TimorBorder: Elvis Presley didn't live in Nashville. Graceland is in Memphis.
Maybe we should be sending the threat of trade prohibitions to China. They're the key to all of this and aren't doing near enough to help stabilize the region.
Posted in: Will denying Kim cognac have any effect on N Korea?
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JohnBecker
Just what you would expect from someone called "Dubya". Midnight is 12:00 am and Noon is 12:00 pm.
Posted in: Woman found murdered in Nagano hotel room
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JohnBecker
If the Japanese government would just dump a buncha yen into the marketplace and buy up dollars, this situation would fix itself pretty fast. The Japanese economy isn't built to function well with a strong yen.
Posted in: Sony reports Y98.9 billion annual loss; says it will close 3 plants in Japan
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JohnBecker
Small distinction, but one worth making: keep in mind that the officer wasn't investigating a murder, he was going to a house to see why someone hadn't shown up for work.
I wonder why every police officer isn't carrying a radio on his person?
Posted in: Aichi murder suspect was in house for 10 hours after killings
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JohnBecker
Foreigners are often the most enthusiastic about a nation's culture. They see it as romantic, while the locals think of it as mundane. It's hard not to be swept up in a culture as distinctive as Japan's.
Kudos to Miss Whatley for taking this part of the culture to heart.
Posted in: Confessions of a teenager in kimono
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JohnBecker
Microsoft operating systems aren't "near final" until they get past Service Pack 2.
Posted in: Microsoft releases near-final version of Windows 7
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JohnBecker
Wow. Somebody in Japan got hold of a 40 year old R. Crumb comic.
Posted in: Avant manga
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JohnBecker
Damn right it hurt. Those baseballs are hard as rocks.
Posted in: Uehara struck in chest by line drive
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JohnBecker
Errata:
The John Lennon Museum is in Saitama Super Arena, not Tokyo.
George Harrison was the lead guitarist, not the rhythm guitarist.
I once spent an evening at the Tokyo Cavern Club listening to the Silver Beats and had a ball. Anyone who loves the Beatles will enjoy one of these shows.
Posted in: Beatles remain popular in Japan
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JohnBecker
Olympics for amateurs??? When was the last time you actually watched the Olympics? The Olympics have been infested with professionals for the last 20 years!
I personally would like to see the elimination of all sports dominated by professionals. A 30km walk by amateurs is a lot closer to the Olympic ideal than a 100m dash by highly paid professionals.
Posted in: Hakuho supports more foreign wrestlers in sumo
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JohnBecker
Why wait until after you've done the deed? Why couldn't he have called the police before he killed her?
The Tokyo police need to hire a suitable tarento to promote a "Call before you Kill" campaign.
Posted in: Man held for allegedly strangling girlfriend in Tokyo apartment
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JohnBecker
Just a year and a half ago, I was led to believe that a glowering Tommy Lee Jones was "BOSS".
Posted in: Yuki Amami’s the boss in upcoming Fuji crime drama
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JohnBecker
Harry Houdini died from a punch to the stomach that burst his already infected appendix.
Hey, if Endo-san plays his cards right, he could become known as the Japanese Sean Penn!
Posted in: Husband of Sakura Uehara arrested for assaulting cameraman
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JohnBecker
Doesn't NK ever get tired of being the stupid one in the room? As USNinJapan said, the U.S. has no need to enter NK airspace. That's what spy satellites are for.
Still, it would be kinda cool to pull a Blackbird out of mothballs and send it in for some low-level recon... about 50 feet off the deck. By the time they were done pissing their pants, it would be long gone.
Posted in: N Korea threatens to shoot down U.S. spy planes
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JohnBecker
That's probably true of any president in U.S. history, don't you think?
By the way - did you get that tidbit from a conversation with Mr. Biden, or did it come from somewhere else?
Posted in: Iran's supreme leader dismisses Obama overtures
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JohnBecker
Even a first time visitor to Japan can see that Japanese zoning laws are pretty much non-existent.
Posted in: Local planning laws defy understanding