JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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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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- Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Kanto region
- RCS (RCSコーポレーション), Kanto
- Salary: ¥180,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month includes performance bonus
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- Assistant Language Teacher - TOKYO - late-March start
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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Orchid64
The problem is that wealthy countries that start to see a back-slide in economic conditions tend not to revert to the values of a "simpler time" (assuming such values actually were embraced in the past). They tend to have increased crime and people's lives fill with stress and fear about their future.
Scaling back and embracing the value of non-material possessions is great in theory, but in practice the Japanese business culture has given many people very little to value except their jobs and the security that working hard brings them. In order for Japan to make a transition to valuing loved ones, nature, or whatever over prosperity, they have to give people the time outside of the office to realize these things have value and to cultivate relationships with family and friends.
Posted in: Recession a good opportunity to return to Japan's core virtues
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Orchid64
It boggles the mine that some commenters are so ignorant of the real situation in Japan regarding kanji. It takes Japanese children 4 more years to reach the same level of reading as a child in countries where romance languages are spoken because they have to remember so many characters. Also, I have never met a Japanese person who could read a newspaper and understand every word. In fact, everyone I meet says they either guess or skip over characters they don't understand. I rarely meet foreigners who can't understand every word in a paper.
The kanji system is cumbersome for the Japanese and it's absurd to suggest simplifying it is for the benefit of foreigners who study Japanese.
Posted in: Aso's reading blunders spark study spree
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Orchid64
I've also had leftovers wrapped up for me at restaurants in Tokyo and have never gotten any guff for asking. I think it's just less common in Japan because portions are smaller.
I've always considered the "doggy bag" concept as a feature of American restaurants. You aren't supposed to eat it all and part of the appeal is that you can enjoy another meal the next day from the leftovers and without having to get dressed up and go out. I explain this to Japanese people who visit the U.S. all the time and most of them are amazed at how easy it is to get everything packed up for later consumption.
Posted in: Doggie bag
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Orchid64
@sydeham: The main problem is that your argument, while a good one, presupposes that we all have the same flexibility in choice-making and therefore are equally responsible for our lot in life. We do not. People are not born with the same potential by no fault of their own nor do they have the chance to expand whatever potential they are born with by pursuing a variety of educational options. Many people have very narrow selections to make because of their social or economic situation.
The conservative argument is always that people should be responsible for themselves, but that argument is made by people for whom life has offered up a variety of opportunities and who believe others could have made the same choices as they if they wanted to or worked hard enough. Not everyone can do what the people who find themselves in the most secure and comfortable positions in life have done. Sometimes people find they're at the bottom with no way to climb up.
Posted in: The worst thing is that they are treated like they are things, not human beings.
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Orchid64
People get the spouses they deserve based on their values, behavior, and expectations. If you have a "list" and things like wealth and beauty are high on that list, then you deserve whatever unfulfilling, shallow relationships you get. Ultimately, money doesn't make people happy and beauty fades. Most men realize this more slowly than women, and the foreign men on the prowl in Japan even more slowly than others. Foreign women usually know better, but they also sometimes pay more attention to the appeal in their mates' faces and bodies than to the quality of their companionship. I've met few foreign women who have married Japanese men who are really satisfied with their relationships in the long run.
Every person in an unhappy relationship has made choices that have lead to their situation. If you end up with losers and cheaters, you have no one to blame but yourself as you prioritized the wrong things when you made your choice.
Posted in: Dating in Tokyo is pretty easy—if you’re not looking for a single guy
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Orchid64
@robbienz: Japan doesn't want skilled foreign employees. They want people who will do the grunt work at lower rates than Japanese people.
Regarding the 12,000 yen hand out, it's silly and I'm sure most people feel the same way, but they won't turn down free cash.
Posted in: What do you think of the government's plan to give a Y12,000 cash handout to members of the public in an effort to stimulate the economy?
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Orchid64
@escape_artist Jesus did exist if you believe the best archaeological evidence. Whether he was a messiah, a prophet, or whatever is a matter of opinion, but it's as close to fact as possible that he existed as a human being at some point in history.
I don't understand why this woman and her sign are news. Christians feel it is part of their duty to God to try and "help" people by teaching their beliefs. The vast majority act out of a genuine desire to "save" people because they deeply believe their eternal souls are at risk. I don't believe this, but I do know that these people mean no harm.
If their message doesn't appeal to you, ignore it. That's the freedom we all have when being exposed to the viewpoints, dogma, etc. of others. There's no need to malign them or cast aspersions on all Christians (or all of any group of people) because you may have witnessed bad behavior from a few.
Posted in: Ginza
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Orchid64
What did musicians do to earn a living before technology allowed their work to be recorded and distributed? They were paid by the performance or by the work. When a work was commissioned, the composer did not get paid for every performance.
Artists and their distributors have been on a technology-provided gravy train for a long time, but now they have to actually keep working to earn a living like everyone else (and artists who have been working in such a manner for centuries). Essentially, people are crying about not being able to make a killing off of a limited creative output.
While I don't think anyone should profit from the work of another, I think the long tendrils of copyright shouldn't allow people to abuse people who are essentially their patrons so that they can get paid for the same job until they pass on.
Posted in: Creative industries get ready for an offensive in copyright war
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Orchid64
Isn't it premature to be talking about whether or not we can believe in Obama's change? He's not really in a position to do anything yet given that he is not the president. The writer of this piece seems to be pre-judging rather seriously. It's important to remember that George Bush is still president.
Posted in: Where is Obama's change we can believe in?
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Orchid64
Setting aside the fact that few readers are qualified to diagnose or cure anyone or anything, there is the fact that we don't know what is wrong with her. How can we recommend anything? It's tantamount to being told someone has a bodily illness and asked to help them get better without knowing if that illness is cancer, a common cold, or a broken leg.
Posted in: What's your recommendation for helping Crown Princess Masako recover fully from whatever is ailing her?
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Orchid64
It's not illegal to bike on the sidewalk if there are signs saying it is okay to bike on the sidewalk.
The laws regarding cycling in the street or sidewalk are purposefully ambiguous so that the police have the latitude to act as they please. In some places, being in the street is illegal. In some places, being on the sidewalk is illegal. In some both are okay. The police in my area are always on the sidewalks (and I'm near a main ward station and see lots of them all the time), so I'm guessing it's okay to be on the sidewalk in my area.
Posted in: Cyclists using phones to be fined up to Y50,000
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Orchid64
From a personal viewpoint, I can say my experience concurs with the author's perceptions. I've noticed an increase in the number of people who are serious and aggressive about improving their skill set and are willing to pay more for private lessons with qualified teachers to get them.
Also, keep in mind that the government supplements the expenses of certain types of study including English study. I don't recall the exact information, but I believe they will pay 50% of the tuition for one year of study out of every three. Many companies will match the investment of an employee in his English study so between these two supplements, English study (and other skill building) can be very cheap for people interested in building skills.
Posted in: Strong year ahead for language schools
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Orchid64
Guns are not entirely illegal in Japan. Hunting guns are legal. Most people don't have them, but it is possible to get them. These guys made their own, but it wouldn't be surprising to see future crimes committed with guns in Japan as the number of poor people increases and people become desperate and social order breaks down more and more.
Posted in: Two elderly men arrested for robbing supermarket in Sapporo
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Orchid64
Alphaape, foreigners working in Japan pay Japanese taxes. There's no escaping it as it is deducted from your pay check and the city will send you tax statements that you have to pay.
Posted in: Japan's relative poverty rate is one of the highest among the OECD nations. The reason is that our taxation and social security systems are so feeble, making it impossible to rectify female poverty or the income gap between men and women.
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Orchid64
The comments here show that all roads lead back to America, eh? Here's a thought. It's not a competition. One can discuss the shortcomings of Japan without using America as a way to elevate the weaker points of Japanese culture.
The problem with the cooking shows, as those with reading comprehension might realize, is that the cooking shows lack depth and are mainly commercials for the dishes with pretty people endorsing them.
Posted in: Japanese cooking shows and the loss of sanity
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Orchid64
If anyone was under the illusion that America was going to cease its position as a friend of Israel any time soon, they were fooling themselves. Being pro-Israel is a non-issue. It's a given and there's no point in fighting about it. The only question is how that support will manifest itself. That remains to be seen.
Posted in: Obama begins assembling team
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Orchid64
It's tough for America, being such a flawed place in a world of perfect countries. I'm sure all of the Americans who were excited about Obama's election had the approval of the rest of the world forefront in their minds. Thank goodness you all might love us now. We were all really worried about that. :-p
Posted in: World hopes for a 'less arrogant America'
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Orchid64
Posted in: What does Japan need to do in order to attract more tourists?
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Orchid64
I can't help but note the irony of calling for balance in the same sentence as a heavily prejudicial statement about anyone who puts forth a negative view of Japan.
Certainly two births under unusual circumstances does not indicate a trend, but there haven't been only two of these cases. If you do a search, you'll see that there have been other cases that were not cited in this article. One occurred in a net cafe on October 3 in Yokohama, for instance. There's also the well-known "baby hatch" situation where mothers abandon their babies. It had been shut down for awhile, but was reopened and is seeing notable business, particularly in a country where the birth rate is low and adoption is nearly unheard of.
The problem is that Japan's large middle class is starting to separate into lower class and the safety nets, which have largely been part of the family structure, are changing. It used to be that family took care of their elderly, less financially well-off, etc. members. Now, they're doing so less and less and there's nowhere else for them to turn to. The culture hasn't experienced such things long enough to set up services or to educate people about which ones are out there.
Posted in: Net cafes becoming delivery rooms for poor pregnant girls