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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Kuroyama
Agreed, Jero does dress like an idiot. I understand he wants to differentiate himself from other enka singers... but as a Black guy who sings enka... I can tell you firsthand, Black enka singers dont need outlandish costumes to stand out.
Posted in: Jero tries a new look for latest song
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Kuroyama
I'm already an old man in all this. I like to go and get my drink on like anyone else... but I know when I'm reaching "the edge". You know what Im talking about. That, if I drink one more drink I will: (miss work tomorrow, get sick, not make the last train home, get sick, get sloppy drunk, get sick, insert-your-undesired-consequence here..) So you know what magic trick I use? ...ready? ...I stop drinking.
Posted in: Salarymen (and women) reveal their most embarrassing moments while drunk
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Kuroyama
It's not impossible, I uses to bullseye womp rats in my T16 back home they're not much bigger than 2 meters!
All BS aside though, there's a difference between securing every inch of rail on this rock, and just doing nothing. Of the some 36000 people that killed themselves last year, how many of them went out by train?? Do YOU remember how many times you were train delayed by suicide last year? I stopped counting after 10.
Posted in: 8 bullet trains delayed after 14-year-old boy walks onto tracks
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Kuroyama
Eikaiwa is done. It has been for years now. Of COURSE it makes sense from an international perspective to learn English! But, simply stated, most Japanese people DO NOT CARE. Most have never been outside Japan, do not care to go outside Japan, and have little interest in what transpires outside Japan with the exception of things like foreign foods, fashion, or entertainment. Most "students" take up English because it is fashionable to do so. Most have no interest in pursuing any real competency at it.
Eikaiwa sets up its teachers for failure. Too many work to establish themselves in a system they forget is temporary AT BEST. Honestly, what are they hoping for when they leave Japan? To teach ENGLISH back in the US, England, Australia, or NZ? Let me know how that works out for you!
Japanese people who are SERIOUS about learning English will leave the country to do so. How many here know Japanese people who speak strong English that have NOT ever lived abroad? I dont know any. Those with conversational level or greater, have all lived abroad.
Honestly, let this Eikaiwa thing die a deserved death already. IMO there is a stronger business case for pet rocks, hula hoops, and mood rings.
Posted in: Back to the 'eikaiwa' drawing board
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Kuroyama
A FOREIGN thief??? Well OF COURSE he was!!! Happy New Year!
Posted in: Man steals 4 rings from Tiffany store
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Kuroyama
Reflections... be careful about committing real time to "learning Japanese" from video games and anime. It wont take you long to offend the locals and make an ass of yourself in front of those who took real courses. Learning in a formal environment is IMO a required foundation. Your friends will help you with the "living Japanese" Japanese spoken in real life. But, video games, anime... that stuff is pure entertainment. Can you imagine a Japanese person learning all their English from watching Star Wars, or from playing the "Grand Theft Auto" series??? It wouldnt take long before someone asked; "Where did you learn English???" They would lie, and the English speaker would know it was a lie. Dont expect learning Japanese from Mario or Zelda will produce very different results.
Posted in: Video games -- the best Japanese teacher money can buy
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Kuroyama
While its obvious that the world doesnt need more junk food... theres something to be said for the occasional burger.
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Kuroyama
Right, OK so...not a lot of turkey here now. They cant put some turkeys on a plane and spin it up? I find the whole KFC thing sad and pathetic. I wont argue the nutritional benefit of their chicken... its just NOT Xmas dinner. Its like saying, hey we got no fish, so where gonna eat raw hot dogs and call it SUSHI!!! It isnt sushi, and KFC is NOT Xmas dinner.
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Kuroyama
@FromEurope
Agreed. This is like awarding the builder of a better horse carriage when the automobile is already in its 3rd or 4th generation. Move on already.
Posted in: Mazda i-stop Wins 2010 RJC Technology of the Year Award
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Kuroyama
I wish the Japanese the best of luck in their efforts to square things with the Chinese and the Koreans. They will need it. I also agree that Chinese language classes may start replacing all those English language classes they dont study for now.
Posted in: What do you think about Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's proposal to create an East Asian community, to promote what he calls fraternity in the region?
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Kuroyama
The author of this piece has no leg to stand on. GET IT???
Lady, you cant have it both ways. Either be equal, or dont. Pick.
Personally, I choose chivalry. Thats how I was raised. But, Ive also been subjected to a generation of women who just dont care for that. Funny how they might cry "chivalry is dead!" once subjected to men from a culture that hasnt had it for centuries.
Try reading BUSHIDO by Inazo Nitobe. Its got its share of some self-hatred and Anglo-worship, but its main premise is sound. The character of the Japanese male has declined over the centuries.
Now, having known many great Japanese guys (who lived abroad), I've come to see what Japanese people will be the first to tell you. "Japanese people who live abroad are NOT the same as those who live here." I'll go one step farther to say: "Japanese people who live abroad OR LIVED ABROAD are NOT the same as those who live here."
Its not the Japanese male... its the culture and its acceptance of "might equals right". Those with a more global perspective understand. Problem is that too many people here are happy never understanding the world outside this tiny island. Then again... they arent the only people we can say that about eh?
Bottom line is... men physically coercing women is wrong. BUT, a woman who preaches equality should be prepared to fight for herself, WITHOUT protection of men.
Posted in: Is chivalry dead on Tokyo trains?
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Kuroyama
Just yesterday I saw a guy in a suit knock a woman with a cane to the ground in his rush to catch a train. He made the train, and I helped up the lady. I was forced to wait 3 whole minutes for the next train...
Thing is... that would shock me no matter where I went. What kind of animal does that? I dont condemn the whole nation of people. They are not "one" no matter what their politicians might say... But there are enough of them that have strayed so far away from what we might arrogantly call "human decency" that Japan is the only place they can function.
So what does that mean?
As for your friends found watch, I left a wallet on a counter at a supermarket, and it was stolen. Then the clerk looked me in the eye and said he didnt see it. The police did not help. so... whatever. Im glad your friend "knows what time it is"...
Posted in: Self-centered zombies running rampant through Japanese society
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Kuroyama
This topic deserves far more investigation and reporting than one story soon-to-be-forgotten. Japan is largely a mannerless free-for-all where ignorance and bullying are the order of the day. Im not suggesting that other societies are much better, but you HAVE to wonder how the heck Japan got a reputation for being such a well mannered society.
Clearly from a stream of foreigners who came and left before their first hot tea got cold. It doesnt take many train rides here before you spot people picking noses fervently and openly, men physically pushing women to get into trains, people coughing and sneezing right into each others faces with no effort at all to cover their mouths...
Does anyone want to mention the general lack of soap in public restroom sinks or the popular move by too-many people here to simply skip even the water, or hand washing of any kind at all??
Its an honest fright fest.
I like to laugh at the shows of Africa here where they show dirty refugee camps and unwashed people... As if it were generally any cleaner here!
Posted in: Self-centered zombies running rampant through Japanese society
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Kuroyama
I find the shortcoming of the contemporary Japanese male to be cultural. Not physiological. When I started making JPN male friends in college, many of them looked like men. comparitively broad shoulders. Short hair. facial hair... After moving to Japan I am hard pressed to find guys like that. Most guys look like girls. Not because they arent as physically big as thier western counterparts, but because they NURTURE this look!! Look at SMAP, or any current Johnnys pop group, or most all TV personalities in their 20s. When I ride the trains most of the guys are frail and waiflike! It honestly looks like if a fist fight broke out between the men and the women of any given train... the women would clean up handily!
Whats more is that most JPN women seem to like that. They buy the CDs, they watch the TV programs... they seem to support this!
I dont have issues with homosexuality. If a guy wants to be with a guy, or a girl wants a girl... hey, you do what works for you.
But I dont see how or why hetero people want to ride the fence. guys who looks like girls and girls who look like guys (breastless, hipless women being the JPN standard of beauty...)
JPN people wanna say they are unhappy in the bedroom? Reap what you sow.
Wait until you reach old age and theres no foreigners to help with labor. Better start studying Mandarin now...
Posted in: The age of the disposable male
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Kuroyama
"You get what you pay for"? Really? IMO thats typical elitist BS talking. Understanding goods is how you find quality. Not by leaving a trail of spent monies behind you. Its that "quality equals price" mentality that buoys a lot of "name brands" that cost enormous sums while they simply farm work out to the Chinese anyway.
Understand what constitutes a quality product, and you will be far better suited to know for yourself what a good price is, and what price is simply paying for the makers kids orthodonture, and kids 4 dogs obedience school tuition.
You want to follow "timeless" advice? You can go with "you get what you pay for" But I find "a fool and his money are soon parted" to be so much more applicable. It would seem as much in Japan as Europe and the US...
Posted in: Domestic jeans makers panting for survival
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Kuroyama
They say money cant buy you happiness... But Itll pay for the search!
Posted in: Thanks, honey -- put it on my AMEX card
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Kuroyama
I had a "baby" on a leash before! His name was Rex and he was The Worlds Best Rottie! As far as human kids on leashes. Meh, lots of parents these days raise their kids to be animals. Why not treat em like one?
Posted in: Tight leash
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Kuroyama
I think that in the best Bush Doctrine way Japan repeatedly demonstrates that it will do what it wants, when it wants, and doesn't care about world opinion. Knowing this, would YOU trust Japan with nuclear warheads? I would sooner trust TEHRAN with warheads than I would TOKYO. (Read: not at all). It's not about maintaining hegemony, its about the safety of the human race. To those who think Japan can be entrusted with it... simply haven't lived here long enough. Or are Japanese and haven't lived abroad long enough. Perhaps in another 100 years the issue should be reopened for discussion. But, for now count my vote with a resounding: "No".
Posted in: Should Japan have its own nuclear weapons as a deterrent against security threats or should it rely on the U.S. nuclear umbrella?
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Kuroyama
Im just shocked at Japanese behavior period. I cannot understand where the stereotype of "mild mannered Japanese society" comes from. People here knock each other over, shove each other, yell at each other, spit, pick noses, cough in each others faces, sneeze in each others faces, dont bathe, stare, ignore, and a host of other ill mannered behaviors not the least of which includes waltzing out of bathroom stalls and sashaying past bathroom sinks where they cant be troubled to WASH THEIR HANDS after wiping!!!
Posted in: Older men up in arms over slovenly female behavior
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Kuroyama
All I heard before I got here was how non-existent crime is in Japan. 1st year here my wallet was stolen. In the authors defense, although I see his intent as naked intent to twist facts to show how wonderful Japan and the Japanese peoples are... AT LEAST he DIDNT resort to the popular stance which holds that real crime is only committed by foreigners...
Posted in: Japanese urged to take pride in their safe society