JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
-
- 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
-
- Assistant Language Teacher - TOKYO - late-March start
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
-
- Assistant Language Teacher - Kanagawa Prefecture - late-March start
- Interac, Kanagawa
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
0
TPOJ
My family and I all supported each other by talking about how enjoyable life was with him.
Is she really Japanese? o_0
Posted in: Reaching for the universe
0
TPOJ
I have to agree with both Coligny and rjd_jr. Many Americans would go ballistic if something similar happened on the Japanese end.
That said, most wouldn't: just a very vocal, whiny minority. I don't take this seriously in the States, and I don't take it seriously here. This is not intended as disrespect for anyone's memories or ultimate beliefs, but there does have to be a point where you stop victimizing yourself over it.
The removal of NK from the list is a much bigger (and, frankly, relevant) issue. Don't trivialize it by complaining about sand.
Posted in: Iwo Jima sand souvenirs grate on Japanese sensibilities
0
TPOJ
I would go with a guy that experienced war and has seen the downside and the cruelty of war.
And normally I would agree with you, if it weren't for McCain's behavior in the last four years.
I was a McCain guy in 2000 and 2004. Not now. Bush crapped all over him and he took it.
Posted in: Obama vows not to question anyone's patriotism
0
TPOJ
"“I cannot imagine why he would say it; it’s not true."
The Hell it isn't. The right has ridden the terrorist angle for all it's worth and then some. People have bought into it a lot more than they should.
Is he honestly saying that, if there were (God Forbid) a terrorist attack just before the election, that a significant portion of the chickens**t contingent wouldn't swing to the Right so fast it would leave a vapor trail?
You can not continually attack the Left for being weak on Terrorism, then pull off that quote. Mutually exclusive, sorry.
Posted in: McCain disavows aide's comment about terrorism
0
TPOJ
An "individual" problem? What, everything that person was involved in is wiped out along with them when they die?
At least this guy is waking up...
Posted in: People used to say 'why do we have to use tax money to deal with suicides, when this is an individual problem?' But unless the entire community understands that this is an issue, it can't be solved.
0
TPOJ
Are we really trying to make some sort of value judgment of society based on a group of dumbass girls in a fishing village?
People have always done stupid stuff. This is not a frightening sign of the new direction that society has taken in modern times. It IS a sign that people are dumb, and that sometimes, they're dumb in groups. Why this merits more than a shrug of the shoulders genuinely perplexes me.
When I was a kid, a neighbor broke into my house while my family was away. The cops caught them. Apparently, one guy kept saying "this ain't for me," then tried to walk out on the guy questioning him. He genuinely seemed to think they would let him go simply because he wasn't enjoying himself.
Was this a sign of how severely society had declined...in 1975? Or was this guy just a dumbass?
Posted in: 17 Massachusetts girls may have made pact to get pregnant
0
TPOJ
Nearly 70 percent of the country now acknowlegdes the media in America is hopelessly biased. And it ain't in favor of Bush and Cheney's party.
First off, I refuse to believe that "statistic" unless you source it.
Second...Who cares?
I have a confession to make: I voted for Bush the first time around. For that I genuinely apologize: that was a BIG ^&#@ing error. Very few mistakes in my life have proven themselves to be mistakes with that degree of speed and completeness.
Since that revelation, I have been absolutely ashamed at how my "party of responsibility" has adopted the "blame everyone but the people in charge" attitude with such enthusiasm and arrogance.
If "media bias" is to blame for the current state of the country, then Bush is even more unfit to lead than I thought.
Conservatives were also angry with how poorly the WH communicated its message these last 7.
Yeah, they've really let him have it (cough.)
Just once, I'd love to hear a right winger criticize Bush without immediately shifting attention to something else. Case in point:
Most recognize though that all 3 major networks were(and still are)prepared to openly lie (so long, Dan Rather).
Dan Rather did not "openly lie." The documents he reported on were forged, he did not know this, and the information the documents themselves contained was found to be accurate. Interesting how, even now, some people don't realize this. Do you also still think Saddaam was responsible for 9/11?
There was little the Bush WH could have done to dispel the image the MSM created.
Then they shouldn't be in charge. Period.
Bush's failures belong to him. Bringing the media, Liberals, whoever into the picture is pure, uncut apologism. THE. BUCK. SHOULD. STOP. HERE.
Moderator: Readers, stay on topic please. Posts that do not refer to McClellan will be removed.
Posted in: McClellan: Bush must blame himself for mistrust
0
TPOJ
Which actually demonstrates the problem. Most teachers, like most journalists, are left-of-center. The elitist nature of the jobs attracts leftists better than jam bands and Che t-shirts. If you're a leftist, you'll have a natural tendency to be anti-American
This statement has so much dumb I don't know where to begin.
First off, there's begging the question. Namely, you assume the problem is more in people's perceptions, and not in the actual actions that they're perceiving, as if you have some natural right to favorable bias. This attitude has always infuriated me, and it's damn near driven me away from the Republican party (yes, I am a Republican.)
Most teachers, like most journalists, are left-of-center.
Define "center." Hint: it's not where you're standing, token annoyance at right wing problems aside. This is also called a bear assertion, and it's also logically invalid. REALLY, REALLY, logically invalid.
The elitist nature of the jobs attracts leftists better than jam bands and Che t-shirts.
The elitist nature of your attitude attracts people who habitually over estimate their personal intelligence and importance better than televangelism. And THAT, all subjectivity aside (as much as it can be, anyway,) is a LOT more supportable than your flippant BS.
Such is the nature of ingrained bias.
You mean, the kind of bias that makes someone complain about REPORTERS for two paragraphs before making a token acknowledgment that things aren't perfect in the States? That kind of ingrained bias?
If you're a leftist, you'll have a natural tendency to be anti-American
This sentence is beneath contempt, but I'll address it anyway.
Since the media has been addressing everything anti-American as leftist (yes, the media. There's always political bias, but the delusion that the left has some unfair advantage is ludicrous, no matter how snippy some people get) then by that definition OF COURSE the "left" is "naturally" anti-American. If you go by actual standards, however, they're anti American government, which is a COMPLETELY different thing.
I'm disgusted by my government's actions, and I AM NOT OF THE LEFT. I am disgusted on many levels: incompetence, hypocrisy, selfishness, greed. But I'm considerably more disgusted and disheartened by the attitude that some of my fellow Americans have adopted: they're more concerned about "liberal" bias than with dealing with the problems the "liberals" point out.
Every time an article like this is commented on, I always cringe internally and wonder how the "concerned" Americans will find a way to blame everyone except the people in charge THIS time. It's cowardice. Stop shooting the messenger and work on the mess. PLEASE.
One more time, for the cheap seats. ACTIONS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE REPORTS OF THEM. I'm not suggesting the media is clean, but grow up.
Posted in: Anti-Americanism at record levels worldwide, report shows
0
TPOJ
Men...at least non-womanizing men...don't really go after women unless they feel strong in themselves. Occasionally they might take a stab at it, but the low confidence that comes with low job prospects pretty much hurts that one. Underemployment pretty much guarantees a lack of scoring/girlfriend.
But...
“Give these young people stable employment,” says Akaeda, “and you’d solve the birthrate problem.”
Yeah, because the wealthier one is, the more kids they have.
/sarcasm
Posted in: Sex becoming a luxury for working poor
0
TPOJ
OK, so you and a fellow soldier are in the same platoon, arguing over a girl. It gets really nasty, and you pretty much hate each other. Then the enemy comes in with both guns blazing, and you fight for your platoon.
Would that be a "shameless about face"?
Infighting does not alter the goal of the team. Infighting does not even effect the sincerity of the team's goal. Anyone with a mental age over 8 knows this.
On a personal note, I hate you with the burning intensity of 1000 suns for making me come to the defense of Hilary Clinton :P
Posted in: Clinton ends campaign, urges supporters to work to elect Obama
0
TPOJ
The mother, 41, whose name was not disclosed because she has not been charged, lent her taspo to her son Monday so he could buy cigarettes to smoke in their home, a police official in southwestern Fukuoka prefecture said Tuesday.
Y'know, call me an optimist, but she could have had him buying them for her.
Granted, if that were the case the sentence should read "so he could buy cigarettes for her to smoke," but we're reading this through the dual filter of translation and, possibly, confirmation bias.
I just remember in the States when kids would buy cigarettes and alcohol for their parents. (In small towns, this worked, since everybody knew everybody else.) I would imagine, since there was no age verification on machines until now, that (lazy) parents had their kids running out on cigarette runs all the time.
Old habits die hard :P
Posted in: Mother who gave new smoking smart card to teenage son may face charges
0
TPOJ
My experience (not that I've had a lot) has been mostly positive, although I have been stopped on suspicion of being blonde a couple of times.
The problem isn't police per se. The thing about any society that values harmony and authority over competence and fairness is that it's easier for the scum to rise to the top. There's a lot of checks and balances necessary to keep ANY group of people from going soft, and a lot of those checks and balances are considered rude here. So you end up, on one hand, with some guys who are so clueless that they can let a murderer escape an apartment full of cops (the Lindsay Hawker fiasco.) On the other hand, you get, uh, "situations" where a guy soaked in kerosene is given a cigarette in a no smoking zone.
Incompetence can be found anywhere and everywhere, but I do think it's given a lot more free reign here.
Posted in: Are Japanese police really as incompetent as readers on Japan Today make them out to be?
0
TPOJ
Am I the only person who thinks this is staggeringly childish?
“Mr Kawabuchi suggested creating an ‘honorable chairman’ position so he can have influence over the decision-making process in the JFA. I think that’s why he got so angry.”
So the guy demanded an apology because someone challenged his transparent attempts to remain in charge after he retired.
What kind of overly entitled mindset do you have to have to think you deserve that? Don't have him retire, just send him to his room without dessert.
Posted in: Internal politics imperil Japan's soccer future
0
TPOJ
Yet, most Japanese would ask pointedly, “Attack from whom? From those the United States threatens?””
Uh, I dunno, China? North Korea?
Anyone in the East with expansionist policies?
The article certainly has a point, but there's a big, thick streak of naive in there. At no point in history has anger been the sole reason for attack. Seriously, these people think that a big, wealthy, technologically advanced country like Japan somehow wouldn't be invasion bait?
They say, “Let us live in peace and our example will hopefully make the entire world more peaceful.
There are two countries that are very close to Japan that have (1) a history of hating Japan, and (2) emerging military capabilities. Sorry, anyone thinking "Japan can live in peace" with no military protection (US or otherwise) is stupendously clueless. And that's even assuming that Japanese culture is somehow completely free of chicken-hawk tendencies, which only the most deep in denial could believe.
Posted in: From war to peace - Japanese style
0
TPOJ
You think the Dems are going to be any better?
WHO CARES??!?!!??!
I'm sick of the "we're no different" excuse. Bush should be bashed for what he's done, same as any Democrat should be for doing something similar. If society spent more time holding people to their responsibilities, and less time brining up the other side, we might actually see some accountability. Eventually.
Enough with the distractions and apologism. Deal with the world the way it is before you deal the way it probably would be.
Posted in: Senate deals Bush a defeat on Iraq war spending
0
TPOJ
Not nearly as much as actually dealing with crime fairly and competently.
Posted in: Is there anything to be gained by the media reporting the names of minors involved in crimes?
0
TPOJ
Y'know, when I woke up this morning, I thought "I need another reason to worry."
Good thing this came along.
Oh yes, almost forgot...AAAAAAAHHHH! TERRORISTS!!!!!
Posted in: Hydrogen sulfide gas suicides raise specter of terrorist attacks
0
TPOJ
And I applaud this article for at least headlining him as an "American" singer, unlike most of the Japanese media, which insists on referring to him as the "Black enka singer," as though his color has something to do with the phenomenon of his popularity.
It does.
Are you genuinely suggesting that the novelty of his ethnicity in his chosen genre of music has NO relevance to his fame?
Come on. Not saying it's right, but come on. A lot of Japanese tend to be amazed when gaijin speak their language...you're honestly saying that a black American singing enka isn't going to attract some attention purely for that reason?
Posted in: American singer Jero to appear in TV ad
0
TPOJ
Er, 26 letters, not 24...damned newfangled keyboards...
Posted in: 'What are Nazis?' Today's kids can't handle movie subtitles
0
TPOJ
But the comprehension problem may also be indicative of the dumbing down of the nation. Young adult moviegoers’ lack of familiarity with many basic historical facts, says the Sankei, in some cases has not progressed beyond middle-school level.
Seems obvious, but it's not just Japan.
Being an American and a movie geek, I'm used to people being unable to handle subtitles. And it is worth noting that Chinese characters are MANY times more complicated and compact than the simple 24 letter alphabet the West uses. Two lines of kanji is a bit more information than two lines of English.
The whole "what are Nazis" thing though...
This anecdote might be relevant: recently, an American friend's band toured over here, and naturally, we hung out the few days they had off. They had a handful of rabid fans, and the band had befriended one.
We're obviously both music fans, so we started talking. He knew Western music inside out: names, dates, albums, etc. But when I mentioned a Japanese band...one that was not only in the same vein and had collaborated with many of his Western heroes, but was absolutely enormous here in Japan...he had NO IDEA who they were. NONE. Even pointing them out on billboards solicited no recognition.
My rather long winded point is this: I've met many Japanese who hyperfocus on one topic, and seem bizarrely oblivious to other things that might seem to be common knowledge, even things that may be directly relevant. This isn't everyone, of course, but I've never seen this anywhere else. They aren't ignorant (in the general sense,) and they're certainly not stupid, they just don't retain information that isn't of immediate interest.
Kinda like Americans ;)
Posted in: 'What are Nazis?' Today's kids can't handle movie subtitles