JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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Confrontation
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U.S. Navy investigating how parts fell off aircraft near Atsugi
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4
Apple dethrones Google as company with most respected image in eyes of consumers
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5
JFA plans to hold Under-20 Women's World Cup match in Fukushima
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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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- Assistant Language Teacher - Kanagawa Prefecture - late-March start
- Interac, Kanagawa
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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TheNewZen
Forgot:
Example: We voted in heavy right-wing leader, 2yrs later we kicked him out as he did nothing good for us. His ideas sounded good we gave him a try/chance but didn't pan out so he was a goner.
That for me is true democracy, when the populace can evict a poor leader. No need to wait for the next election if he don't perform he is gone.
Just my view.
Posted in: Why is the U.S. presidential campaign generating so many vitriolic comments from both sides?
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TheNewZen
As an european I find the whole he is half-black, half-white, half-hispanic, etc side-splitting.
If you classify him as anything other than an american you are showing racist tendencies and biases, IMO. Heck, in the US no immigrant can run for presidency, how will that work out when you got more immigrants than naturally born US citizens? I foresee a situation like south africa where only members of a minority group(need to be born in the states) can run for presidency.
Anyhuh back to diversity. Why do I say that most european family trees go wildly across the nations, etc. same counts for many asians, etc
My nationality is austrian & identity, yet my mother was born in germany(grew up in austria) and my father is hungary descent(both were born during the end of WWII and lived the 10yr occupation of austria) as you go down the line it gets funnier my grandfather was french his wife was german. Other side of the family we go into the austro-hungarian empire, never mind that I got a swedish uncle and a jewish aunt, etc. My sister married a spanish guy.
My Wife is japanese and my son(austrian citizen) has also japanese citizenship. We are mixed bunch but we are ONE family.
Those whole US election is a hoot as people tend to focus more on personal details, etc than the candidates policies and what they can really produce.
Just look at the recent VP affair, in europe no-one would care about it nor would they care about the religion of a candidate.
Yeah we get slammed as leftist, liberals, whatever by the US posters but we don't have the drama and arguments you guys have before an election.
Heck in my country the leading party and president can come from different parties. Why because we got separate elections and it works for us.
Over and out.
Posted in: Why is the U.S. presidential campaign generating so many vitriolic comments from both sides?
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TheNewZen
NetteMarie.
Myself not that familiar with "religious" Buddhism, but familiar with Zen-Buddhism. Might sound weird but true buddhism like confucism is a philosophy and not a religion. Yeah plenty of cults out there. And you can be a buddhist as well as christian/muslim/etc at the same time too. Most asian religions/beliefs simply say if you follow our rules you are one of us. Hence why the majority of japanese can follow buddhist and shinto rites, there is simply no conflict.
Also why one of my martial Dojo's was in the basement of a Zen-Buddhist temple. We trained 2 styles there, one japanese and one chinese.
Buddha & Confucius were living persons not gods. There is no concept of creation or miracles in either, just a following of the teachings of an enlighented person. Like Gandhi, etc.
AFAIK, to become a buddhist monk you need to take certain vows(all are optional). So you can have a buddhist monk that eats meat or has sex depending on their vows.
Said that I have known some monks here that drove mercs, etc and we got 2 monks that stand outside my station with a bowl and traditional garb.
Temples and shrines were always places of study, most schooling before public schools(both academic and martial) was done there same for east and west.
As for the hornets, etc you need to smoke them out, than get rid of the nest. Taking fire to a wooden or hatched structure is NOT a good idea. I myself took out 2 wasps nests in my parents garden.
Posted in: Temple burns down as monk attacked by hornets
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TheNewZen
I don't mind the kids so much, what gets me are the old guys/gals peddling down the road a high speed ringing their bells and expecting everyone to move out of the way. Quiet a few times I didn't move deliberately, they lost the argument afterwards too.
I live fairly close to a big station so we get tons of bicycles. Salary-men and OL trying to catch a train, lots of people concentrating more on their keitai than the road and don't even ask about a rainy day when the umbrellas come out and the speed picks up.
Seen one lady texting and steering while holding an umbrella.
To be honest I found students and mothers taking/fetching their kids to be better behaved than your average Salary-man/OL or pensioner.
As for getting kids to respect for that you need to be an authority figure, actually true for all situations. This don't mean being tough and using strong-arm tactics either. It all boils down to confidence and showing it.
Posted in: 60-year-old woman arrested for threatening to kill all students at Tokyo school
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TheNewZen
In my last job I have had to travel quiet a bit. We been to all the corners, never mind the annual company trip that went as far as Cuba.
I can do without United and AA, their food and service was bad. Same of the stewardesses scared me and were very unfriendly. For a flight from Tokyo to Bangkok with United they plopped some sandwiches and peanuts down as a meal. Never mind that my Wife had booked a vegetarian meal which never came.
For good service I must say that the Asian airlines in general are were good. Also flown Aeroflot and a few charter & minor lines in my time. The best service I have ever had so far was on Lauda Air and he was a pilot on 2 flights.
For private I tend to use economy and business of course is business class.
All the new charges, fees & airport hassles are really putting me of flying privately. Add bad service into that and I rather find a local destination to safe money and spend my money there.
My company hasn't send anyone to the states in 5yrs now, most of our trips are to europe now even for US business partners who got european offices. I don't mind as I got an EU passport.
Posted in: United drops planned meal charges on Europe flights
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TheNewZen
CavemanLawyer.
I agree, but it is too late now to say "what if ..". Like I said we can only improve for the future soldiers.
Side-note: For the "What if crowd":
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=hrnLkd3UFo8
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4G2iKDzHrs
Posted in: U.S. Army suicide rate may hit new high
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TheNewZen
DenshaDeGO.
That won't work as the article states many of the suicides are related to problems back home. Relationships breaking down, divorces, job-related, etc.
Read it often a soldier gets back home, wife and kids are gone and he is divorced now or similar. Those types of problems.
Stopping the war will only benefit the soldiers that haven't been to the front yet. The suicides even if the war stops now will be going on for some time.
Apart from improving services/benefits for soldiers and their families I don't think there is much that can be done. But again those changes will be for the future soldiers not the current bunch.
Posted in: U.S. Army suicide rate may hit new high
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TheNewZen
Edgar2.
Chinese characters were developed to create a free exchange of information, etc. China always had lots of tribes and thus many languages and dialects.
The Goverment created a unified writing system that was/is used by all, readings/pronounciation is regional but everyone can communicate using the written word. As the meaning don't change
Kinda like using High German or Queens English.
I can travel to any place that uses kanji and by writing down in kanji a place-name, food, etc I can communicate. No need to actually speak the language. Same way I can read most signs, yeah not perfect but good enough to get the meaning.
Posted in: No longer lost in translation
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TheNewZen
Actually I used to struggle a lot with Kanji till a friend recommended the J.W. Heisig Books and Study method.
Once I started on it I threw out a lot of my study aids and books.
Posted in: No longer lost in translation
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TheNewZen
I find trying to read japanese in all romaji makes my head hurt. Especially with the spelling used on that site.
Once I also thought that kanji were a waste till I learned more Japanese and found that they have their uses. Japanese has many words with the same pronounciation but the Kanji make their meaning immediately obvious. Example: Kami can mean God/Spirit, Hair or Paper. You can get it if you see the whole context but as a word alone its meaning becomes unclear.
As for the advertised device, IMO, good for the tourists and novice learners but like with any language aids may they electronic dictionaries, Furikana, etc they will hold you back if you rely too much on them.
Look at what has happened to the average japanese learning to speak english they pronounce everything in Katakana english as they rely on the Furikana for pronounciation.
Those aids are nice but nothing beats language mastery like studying and learning it.
Just my view.
Posted in: No longer lost in translation
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TheNewZen
Not sure if Japan has it, but in my country you can make a "Citizens Arrest".
Works well too.
Posted in: Man slashes two men with cutter knife after attempting to steal 91-year-old woman's bag in Tokyo
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TheNewZen
I would go for a downhill board, myself.
Used to have a very nice wooden one, got some wicked speeds with it. The carver should work but I would change the suspension rubbers & Tires to make it a bit more responsive.
I often had to start weaving to prevent too high speeds, hence why I don't know how he will control the speed as he can't with the board shown.
Also hope he will upgrade his protective gear from the one shown.
Posted in: Adventurous Brit plans to skate down Mt Fuji for charity
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TheNewZen
They been doing similar stuff for decades in Italy, etc. Drive by a tourist snag the bag of the shoulder and go on.
Posted in: Motorcyclist snatches handbags from three women cyclists in Chiba
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TheNewZen
I don't think they get themselves arrested for the money.
But from what I heard the legal system in Japan is why many come here and do their criminal activities here rather than at home.
Sentences here tend to be shorter and also there is less violence, etc in Jail. In some of their home-countries they might even face the death sentence for some of their crimes. Also the pickings seem to be richer here.
If they get deported some are back 1 or 2yrs later with a new identity.
Posted in: Cozy prisons coddle foreign inmates
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TheNewZen
Not quiet sure how it exactly works in Japan. But we got a similar system in my country. An Inmate works and earns(usually making stuff for the goverment), on the release they deduct a certain percentage to help pay for his stay in the nick.
He usually only receives a small monthly allowance during his imprisonment the rest is savings for when he gets released.
Maybe not the best system but it helps reduce costs of housing and feeding them and also helps some to get re-established in society. The money he gets is designed to help him get setup once he is in the outside world.
Posted in: Cozy prisons coddle foreign inmates
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TheNewZen
Maybe they didn't want to open the bag as it would contaminate the evidence. Crime labs get rather upset when people temper with evidence and/or crime-scenes.
Just guessing.
Posted in: Police fooled as 'body' turns out to be life-sized doll
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TheNewZen
I also think she ahs started to age fast a few years back. IMO, she should start concentrating less on her looks and more on her personality for ad-campaigns, do more family orientated ads, etc.
She is now what 37, still good-looking for her age though.
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TheNewZen
How about a She/He sex-changes those are very common too. Or are those ok because they get a fruit and veggies?
Many years back I worked out with a guy that went through a sex-change, watched the whole transformation over a 2yr period. She in the end was happy but one thing she regretted that she had to give up her reproductive ability to do it. Same counts for both changes.
Posted in: Transsexual celebrity Ayana Tsubaki introduces Coppola's new film
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TheNewZen
Personally I prefer Panini over Filone. Mahlzeit.
Posted in: Starbucks introduces filone sandwiches
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TheNewZen
I agree I often get food-stuff customised for my son and my wife. Yes, easier at some places than others.
As for starbucks way to pricey for what you get. I like ”Cafe De Crie” they make their sandwiches fresh when you order (so can ask to have staff replaced or dropped), plus they are tasty and in decent serving sizes.
Many other places have pre-packaged foods delivered.
Posted in: Starbucks introduces filone sandwiches