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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- Full-time English Teacher - Osaka
- Epion English Language Schools, Osaka
- Salary: ¥200,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month Depending on your ability and experience
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- Part-time English Teacher - Osaka
- Epion English Language Schools, Osaka
- Salary: ¥10,000 ~ ¥15,000 / Day Depending on how many days a week are worked
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escape_artist
Although I agree with this statement, no one, let alone a whole society/culture, "socially and culturally reinvent[s] themselves" overnight. I expect this to take a very long time, if ever. One smart thing to do in the meantime is find a job that Japanese people can't do, i.e., that only non-Japanese can do as speakers/users of their native non-Japanese languages or mother tongues.
Posted in: One essential thing is to get rid of the tendency to regard foreign workers as cheap, expendable substitutes for a decline in the domestic labor force. Japanese need to socially and culturally reinvent themselves to live with the foreign population.
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escape_artist
buttamimi... I don't think voter turnout alone is a valid or true indication of people's active interest, understanding and involvement in politics or in their own governance.
Elections everywhere -- but I think more so in Japan with so much focus on talento and entertainment-ization of society -- tend to be more about who's more popular, not who has the skills to be an effective leader to address the issues. I think this is why Gov. Hashimoto in Osaka-fu has shaken things up so much among the OBs and apathetic populace. He dared to respond to the people who DID care to be involved (over Osaka's runaway debt problems) rather than just be another political figurehead collecting a fat paycheck as his successor Ota was.
Simply voting here in Japan to me doesn't say very much on its own.
Posted in: Why are Japanese people so apathetic toward politics?
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escape_artist
Seems to me that anyone who's had representative democracy forced on them rather than building it from the grassroots, from the people, on their own initiative and from their own blood, sweat and tears (with rep. democracy as a goal), would rather naturally remain apathetic toward their own governance. The general apathy in Japan toward government and politics is no accident, most letting the "experts" (aka just another type of "talento" but with Diet pins) take care of things as they for the most part stay back and watch. Same general attitude toward doctors and probably many others in positions of authority/control/power.
Yes, such apathy can be found in other countries, like the States, but as an American I can say that the apathy and ignorance I see & experience in Japan are a lot deeper and more systemic. It is part of the "system", and the way people are "educated". Seems hard to have a true representative democracy when one's society and culture continually teach you & reward you to essentially stay mute, to be quiet, in the face of adverse conditions, lest you upset the status quo. (Hence, why gaiatsu on occasion has been effective through history.)
But, I have found that in neighborhood and very local politics, as I've seen in the States too, people do tend to get involved more, I imagine because they feel they can make a difference, have a real voice, actually BE the ones in control (and without having to get the certification), whereas at higher levels of government, the same folks tend to fall back and for various reasons meekly follow the so-called "experts".
Depends on the issue too. I think the number of people interested & wanting to get involved, learn about the issue, etc. would be very different between, say, Japan's involvement in Iraq & Afghanistan, whether or not foreigners should be fingerprinted, and the politics around building a brand-name flagship store or newfangled shopping complex somewhere (there is a growing NIMBYism here). Some issues will excite people to get involved beyond the cultural/societal blocks, others won't. Same everywhere, but different, too.
Posted in: Why are Japanese people so apathetic toward politics?
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escape_artist
If a woman is in need -- disabled for any reason, carrying a lot of things, has small kids she needs to hold, looks tired, is elderly, pregnant, etc. -- or I know them, like my wife, then mostly like for men, yes, I'd give up my seat. But not simply because she's a woman.
I don't expect it, but would a woman give up her seat to me in similar situations? After thousands of miles logged on trains in Japan, I've never once experienced this. I would also never expect anyone to give up their seat to me just because I'm a guy. And all this applies to any seat, not just in the so-called silver seat areas.
Definitely outdated.
In the same manner, I try to always take a peek and hold a door open for someone behind me, regardless of their gender, and especially if she/he needs help getting through. This is another form of thinking of others I don't see enough of in Japan, mainly in the big cities. I don't go abroad often, though... is it really any different in Australia/NZ, the U.S., Canada, Britain or the like?
Posted in: Is a man giving up his seat to a woman on a train or bus an outdated form of respect?
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escape_artist
Everything at Starbucks is overpriced in Japan, no doubt elsewhere too. I mean, 200 yen for an amazingly tiny coconut-bran cookie? (their replacement for the tastier (IMO) oatmeal-bran cookie that they'd gotten rid of) and no fresh or other orange juice anymore, now just an overpriced, designer-label-type orange-juice-like drink Puhleeze. If only more people in Japan knew how much they're being ripped off, but then it's the trendiness people go for when they go to Starbucks, a feeling that they're hip practicing their kokusaika. Nowadays I go to regular Dotouru joints: less pretentious, a bit cheaper, and often quieter.
I wonder how much Starbucks paid JT to run this ad...
Posted in: Starbucks introduces filone sandwiches
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escape_artist
I'm sure he's only thinking of Japanese people when muttering this. This undoubtedly doesn't apply to foreigners working in Japan, even if they've (we've) been working in a Japanese company for many years, as I have. I agree with his sentiments, but so far for me, things like 国際化 [kokusaika] and making long-time foreign employees feel like they're real members of the company are just empty buzzwords and facades, with the lower pay and short-term contracts to match. Image -- looking like one is doing something useful and important without actually doing it -- is infinitely more important, I find.
Posted in: The era of companies just adding temporary workers is probably over. Full-timers are crucial for companies to increase productivity, accumulate knowledge and develop human resources to expand.
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escape_artist
I wouldn't know about Tokyo since I stay far away from the place. But I thought Osaka had the title of "Ugliest City in Japan". I never think of Osaka -- or Kansai -- as boring, though. Quite the contrary. Lots to do here without Tokyo's supposed craziness and big-ego attitude of we're-special-because-we're-the-center-of-the-world nonsense.
Posted in: You look at the city and you realize that Tokyo has been created from an economic point of view. The aesthetic point of view has been completely lost. Areas like Roppongi Hills and Shiodome are so boring.
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escape_artist
Monsanto will attempt to do in and to Japan what they've been doing so many other places they force their way into. The question is... how willing, how quiet, will Japanese people remain? We all know that the current Japanese government -- essentially the same part in power since WWII -- are nothing but lackeys to the corporate, monied interests like Monsanto. People in Japan are so concerned about contaminated foods from China, but to me this is infinitely more important. To stop if at all possible.
Problem is, if Monsanto's GM seeds are used even on a small scale, just ask farmers in Canada who've been fighting them for years... the wind will blow the seeds into areas supposedly organic, and Monsanto will be right there to either sue or claim de facto dominance. The farmers' only recourse has been to sue back. And any talk of "benefits" of GM foods is a ruse, full of mistruths, and extremely debatable. When companies are allowed to patent lifeforms, such as seeds, all for profit, as Monsanto has so very aggressively championed worldwide, then something's outa whack.
Check it out...
The World According to Monsanto [Le Monde selon Monsanto] 2008, 108 min On March 11, 2008 a new documentary was aired on French television (ARTE - French-German cultural TV channel) by French journalist and filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin, The World According to Monsanto - A documentary that Americans won't ever see. The gigantic biotech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years.
http://tinyurl.com/5gd5vk Info: http://www.inteldaily.com/?c=172&a=5653
also... The Monsanto Story: Part 1 - 22 min - May 25, 2007 http://tinyurl.com/6grute
GM Crops 2006 Factsheet Friends of the Earth International, January 2006 http://tinyurl.com/57shu3
Plus... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189345/
Posted in: Monsanto to promote GM soybeans in Japan
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escape_artist
Could nimbus's article be this one? It's possible JT's commenting eats special characters like underscores. The preview I did prior to posting here left them out.
China spying on Internet use in hotels http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/apongoco/chinaspying_2 or http://tinyurl.com/5hotye
Another related article from Yahoo News... http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080729/plnm/olympicschinaspyingdc_1 or http://tinyurl.com/6cz5zv
Posted in: China reneges on Internet freedom during Olympics
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escape_artist
[/cynic flag ON]
Perhaps what Kono really means is that Japan, Inc. will use the Olympics as a means of finding as many opportunities as possible to push so-called "green" businesses, a way for the masses -- now worldwide -- to spend more money on Japanese goods. What a perfect advertising opportunity for Japanese firms with an int'l event like the Olympics! (Sure, sure, it could be argued that every Olympics has become like this, but IMO Japanese politicians and business leaders are quite a lot more up front about it, in a nonchalant,-why-should-there-be-any-other-way sort of way, then other nations.) When business and moneymaking hold such high priority in society such that nearly everything in life is looked at and treated first & foremost on how it can best make money, it's no wonder it should be any other way here.
The whole thing about companies, especially big global companies, being "green" is a ruse for the most part, too, just another marketing ploy to latch onto to sell more widgets. This is generally true in Japan as well as anywhere else. It's a symptom of the globalized corporate state we live in now. And it's not an issue of "jumping on the Japanese" here, either. This is simply the way it is. Kono's (or the English editor's) use of the word "concrete" here is a bit telling as well, even if this word is way overused in J-E translations. In Japan, it's been proved time and time again that making money & the ability to do so trumps all, including taking care of the environment so it's preserved & conserved for future generations as naturally as possible (and I don't mean making theme parks out of it, fer chrissakes)..
Generally in Japan, I think, viewing the earth as a resource to be used for human needs & desires -- the Olympics being just another avenue -- rather than being nurtured for the long term for all creatures seems like the LDP's SOP, yet another manifestation of today's so-called "conservative" ethos. Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if every CEO and LDP member were forced to pay homage to the god of concrete as part of their initiation into the cushy ranks of political & business life (and oh how these are intertwined!). Surely there's a god for this too in Japan...
But OK, if the business leaders and politicians driving the Olympics bid here are sincere about focusing on the environment (a rather vague term here, no?), then that's great, and everyone, all of us, should be eager to participate, especially in learning new ways each of us can do small things to make life, urban areas like Tokyo, countries like Japan, and the world more more livable and "green". I'd be interested to see what forms his/their concern will take, though, and whether it's just words, or again just business leaders calling the shots, and whether it helps spur on genuine citizen involvement in changing our lives to fit the current energy and environmental crises we face. Tearing down some buildings and putting in parks or planting community gardens, for instance, would help convince me of their sincerity. The Olympics is a perfect forum with which to do this, too.
I remember all the hype about how "green" Expo 2005 in Nagoya was to be, and then was somewhat disappointed when I went to see it not as "green", or environment-conscious, as it could have been. Unless you consider robots and newfangled techie gadgets part of the "green revolution", that is. Let's hope Kono and his committee is truly sincere on what's being planned for the 2016 Tokyo Olympics bid. We all stand to gain if his/their concern is real.
[/cynic flag OFF]
Posted in: Tokyo 2016 is making the environment an absolute priority as we bid to unite Green with 2016. This is a concrete commitment that we will offer the world.
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escape_artist
Did citizens (i.e., male non-slaves) of outlying regions have a say in who was emperor of Rome at the peak of its hegemony? I doubt it.
Although the US does have an extended reach around the globe, with its actions affecting so many more than just US citizens, I would have to say no, non-citizens should not have the right to officially vote. I'm a US citizen, but I would guess that any nation's citizens would feel similarly about non-citizens casting votes for its top leader. Polls and surveys are good, though, and can be interesting as well as instructive. Even if terribly skewed (toward Internet users who care about such stuff), this is one example... http://www.whowouldtheworldelect.com/
And FWIW, VoXman, many non-citizens do indeed pay taxes and serve in the US military in Iraq & Afghanistan, the latter with the promise of a relaxed and sped-up path to citizenship (though which for many has been an empty promise [1]). According to one source in late 2006, "[t]here are currently about 30,000 noncitizens who serve in the US armed forces, making up about 2 percent of the active-duty force." [2] More about this at [3].
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/us/24vets.html
[2] http://tinyurl.com/yyoh54
[3] http://tinyurl.com/3e2ler
Besides now recruiting more convicted felons and high-school dropouts into the army (and other services), primarily in Iraq, making wild promises of scholarships, citizenship and more to non-citizens (and citizens as well) is another ploy by the US govt to get folks to carry on building an empire many Americans are not even sure they want (certainly not in the way it's unfolding, anyway).
Posted in: If it were possible, do you wish non-Americans could vote in the U.S. presidential election?
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escape_artist
Yeah, I agree... The Japanese title (最高の人生の見つけ方) is pretty lame considering it doesn't really have much to do specifically with what the film is about.
But then, Japanese titles from English are often off the mark and too obvious or direct, especially if the title was a play on words or had subtle meaning in English. This plays along with how movie critics here on TV like to explain the entire film before it starts, ruining any spontaneous discoveries that a viewer may experience along the way.[Note below] I wonder if title-mangling is done from other languages into Japanese too.
More here... http://www.allcinema.net/prog/showc.php?numc=329594
Sounds like a pretty good film, though. I look forward to the longer article on Nicholson later this week, too.
NOTE: On a similar note, I was reading about the film "Yasukuni" recently and learned that many Japanese folks who had seen it complained that it "wasn't clear". The contentious topic aside, so many in Japan have been bred on "over-narrated" NHK (in the words of the article I read) documentaries, essentially telling viewers how to watch them and what to get out of them, i.e., not letting viewers think for themselves. So since "Yasukuni" basically has no narrative, or very little, it's natural that many Japanese viewers will feel a bit lost without someone telling them what's going on. A bit of cultural discovery from films...
Posted in: Jack Nicholson