JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
-
- Translator
- ZAIHON, Inc. (日本財務翻訳株式会社), Tokyo
- Salary: ¥6.0M / Year Negotiable
-
- Full-time English Teacher - Osaka
- Epion English Language Schools, Osaka
- Salary: ¥200,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month Depending on your ability and experience
-
- 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
2
gaijintraveller
Of course, cost-cutting was the cause of many of the problems. They cut costs when it came to safe construction. Why? To get money to build resorts?
It seems that there are many assets that should be sold off so that they can pay their debts.
Posted in: Panel on TEPCO reform calls for more cost-cutting measures
0
gaijintraveller
Weedkila, thank you for some excellent posts.
In my opinion come of the biggest counterfeiters are the companies that the regulations are trying to protect.
Many large food companies fall into this category. Many people people would consider much of the beer sold in the world by big companies not to be real beer. A Japanese and some American companies spring to mind when I think of a rubbery substance sold as cheese. "Orange" juice should refer to the fruit and not the colour. What is "instant coffee"? Calling that product coffee again must refer only to the colour as there is little similarity to the real product. What about mayonnaise that is not made of eggs, olive oil and wine vinegar as it should be?
Next consider the brand names. Many of them sell us a product produced in a developing country in near slave labour conditions as a highly prized and priced product of France, Italy or some other country with all the profits going to a huge corporate organisation based in the developed world.
When it comes to computer software, it seems it is in many cases not even possible to buy it. You think you have bought it and then after you purchase it, you find, if you read that small print, that it does not even belong to you: You just have a license to use it on one computer. Also, if you open the packet, you automatically agree to predatory terms. You can even install use it unless you agree to such terms. "Press Agree to Continue"
I am sure this legislation will do nothing to protect the weak, the small company, the individual designer or inventor, and everything it can to protect the strong and rich, not to mention some monopolies.
Posted in: 8 nations sign anti-counterfeiting treaty in Tokyo
0
gaijintraveller
Weedkila, thank you for some excellent posts.
In my opinion come of the biggest counterfeiters are the companies that the regulations are trying to protect.
Many large food companies fall into this category. Many people people would consider much of the beer sold in the world by big companies not to be real beer. A Japanese and some American companies spring to mind when I think of a rubbery substance sold as cheese. "Orange" juice should refer to the fruit and not the colour. What is "instant coffee"? Calling that product coffee again must refer only to the colour as there is little similarity to the real product. What about mayonnaise that is not made of eggs, olive oil and wine vinegar as it should be?
Next consider the brand names. Many of them sell us a product produced in a developing country in near slave labour conditions as a highly prized and priced product of France, Italy or some other country with all the profits going to a huge corporate organisation based in the developed world.
I am sure this legislation will do nothing to protect the weak, the small company, the individual designer or inventor, and everything it can to protect the strong and rich, not to mention some monopolies.
Posted in: 8 nations sign anti-counterfeiting treaty in Tokyo
1
gaijintraveller
Bad Migraine, says, 'As an American, would I write this as "No Thru Street."'
As a Brit, I would say, "Dead end" or "No through road."
Posted in: KanjiSpy iPad app ends Tokyo street-walking frustration
2
gaijintraveller
Drivers sometimes have some pretty bad thoughts about the car in front.
Posted in: Swiss, Nissan research car that reads driver's thoughts
0
gaijintraveller
What is a digital amp? I thought the amplification was done by an analogue process and digital signals were converted into analogue before amplification.
Editor, could we clarify whether the amplification system is digital or analogue?
Posted in: Compact hi-fi system from Yamaha
2
gaijintraveller
If the yen is high, why not take advantage of the situation and buy from overseas. Companies can buy overseas assets and stock up on raw materials while the yen is strong.
Also, the problem is not so much a strong yen, but a weak dollar and euro.
Posted in: Gov't unveils series of measures to deal with strong yen
1
gaijintraveller
It was probably nothing to do with China. I expect it was caused by some MHI employees using Mixi. That seems to be how most viruses get on computers in Japan.
Posted in: Japan says no key data lost in cyberattack; China denies responsibility
-1
gaijintraveller
Unfortunately, they are teaching people, or at least kids, in other countries to do it, too.
It may look stupid, as sillygirl says, when teenagers and kids do it, but when middle-aged people do it, it looks ridulous and childish.
Posted in: Why do young Japanese make the V sign when they pose for photos?
0
gaijintraveller
Their lowest point in more than 29 months if you think in Yen. Have they fallen if you think of their price in dollars?
Posted in: Tokyo stocks close at 29-month low
1
gaijintraveller
And it is so long since I had it, I forgot to mention roast pork with crackling.
Posted in: Living in Japan, which food or drink item do you miss most from your home country?
0
gaijintraveller
Coming from Britain, I would say what I miss most is good doner kebab and curry. Doner kebab in Japan always seem to be chicken or beef with shredded cabbage and an industrial sauce, never a pickled chilli. You can ask to have a hot curry, but then, if they do make it hot, it just tastes of chilli and the balance is lost. More Indian restaurants should serve long grain rice. The only curry Japanese rice only goes with is Japanese curry.
Chinese food does seem a problem here. For those who worry about the standard of Chinese food here. I would suggest they check the menu first. If there is no duck on the menu, there will be no real Chinese food, just Japanese dishes with extra oil as Japanese think Chinese food is all oily. Chinese people love duck, and I had never been to a Chinese restaurant that didn't serve duck until I came to Japan.
Then there is the choice of cheese. Someone, I think ,mentioned Cheshire: what about Blue Cheshire or Shropshire Blue?
What is really hard to get is a good pickle that goes with cheese. American pickles are available and maybe acceptable for Americans, but we need Branston and Piccalilli. Tesco has their version of Branston. I must get some before they disappear.
We mustn't forget tea. We can get good tea if we make it at home, but why do cafes and restaurants always serve Liptons, which is definitely not British tea. They even use tea bags to make it and are not ashamed of putting tea bags in a pot.
For those who want good brown bread, I would suggest they make their own. It doesn't take much of your time with a breadmaker. Tomiyama Shoten is a good place to buy the flour.
Posted in: Living in Japan, which food or drink item do you miss most from your home country?
-1
gaijintraveller
Konsta says: The problem with "Cool Japan" is that I never can tell whether 'cool' is a noun or a verb??
I would tend to think it is probably an adjective in this context.
Cool Britannia had a ring to it as it rhymes with Rule Britannia, which is the name of a song. Apart from not being very original, "Cool Japan" just doesn't hit the mark. Other Asian countries seem to do somewhat better in their choice of slogans.
Posted in: 'Cool Japan'
0
gaijintraveller
I agree with Paulinusa. If the chicken and broccoli contains oyster sauce, it is Chinese. I have never found orange chicken in a Japanese restaurant. Fried rice is only Japanese if it is made with Japanese rice, which is the wrong kind for frying as it is too sticky.
Posted in: Walmart bringing real Japanese food to the United States
0
gaijintraveller
A lot of software cannot be bought. This includes Windows and Office. It can only be licensed. When you buy an new computer, you are virtually forced to buy a new version of Windows. I wonder how many people who were forced to buy the unloved Vista, and then downgraded to XP, which they had on their previous computer, have since pirated software. Maybe they got a free upgrade to Windows 7.
It seems that Windows 7 was designed not to run older versions of Ms Office unless you had the Pro version and ran a virtual XP machine. Practices like this encourage piracy.
Selling software so that purchaser actually owns it and doesn't find when he opens a packet that he has just purchased a licence to use it would go a long way to reducing piracy.
For example, if someone wants to upgrade his computer, which is running XP, to newer hardware, what kind of discount will he get for buying a computer without Windows installed? How does this discount compare with the price of a copy of Windows? Imagine the person may be satisfied with XP and an older version of Office and not want to spend (waste?) time learning new interfaces.
On the subject of Ms Office, how many people have actually found Office 2010 any better than say Office 97 or even 95?
Then think about where most of the piracy takes place. If Office an Photoshop seems expensive in Japan, try to imagine how expensive they seem to be in less developed countries.
I suspect that some software manufacturers have an ambivalent attitude to piracy in developing countries. They want market share. I imagine they would prefer users in developing countries to use pirate software now, become used to their product and buy it in the future, than use a free operating system and free software, become used to that and realise that they will never need to pay for software.
Posted in: Half of world's PCs use pirated software: survey
1
gaijintraveller
No mention of which political party he belongs to? I think that information is relevant as the LDP keep blaming the DPJ for the current nuclear problems.
Is any action going to be taken against Nakamura for destroying documents?
Posted in: Commission names Saga governor as fake email scandal ringleader
-4
gaijintraveller
Can anyone complaining about service in a company be arrested for obstructing a business? It seems as if this guy went over the top, but I feel people could be arrested when making reasonable complaints. Sometimes, it may be necessary to be a little obstructive to counteract some businesses obstruction of complaints and some action taken instead of the usual smile. gomenasai, shoga nai and inaction.
I suppose after drinking alcohol, he could not drive his car off the premises.
I also wonder if the yakusa or sarakin have ever been arrested for obstructing a business. Is it only the weak who are arrested?
Posted in: Enraged customer parks car at McDonald's drive-thru window for two hours
1
gaijintraveller
And the green rice fields have gone, too. The rice has been harvested.
Posted in: Discover 'Little Hawaii' just an hour from Tokyo
1
gaijintraveller
Beachside stalls? That was last month. They have a short season. They have gone.
Across the road from Namioto there is an Indonesian restaurant.
I think you use the Wangan from Rainbow bridge, not the Higashi Kanto,
It is a pity the sand is blackish and the view has been destroyed by tetrapods, but that is Japan.
Posted in: Discover 'Little Hawaii' just an hour from Tokyo
1
gaijintraveller
Raising the minimum age for buying tobacco products is a complete waste of time. How many people, if any, have ever been prosecuted for buying under the age of 20 or selling to under-20s?
I seem to remember reading in JT about a mother who was prosecuted for giving her child a cigarette. I also remember that it was news because it was the first time anyone had been prosecuted for that offence.
It seems the the current government is much more likely to crack down on smoking than the LDP, who are closely connected by amukudari with JT (Japan Tobacco, this time) and tobacco farmers, who, like most farmers, support the LDP to protect their interests.
Posted in: Health minister wants to hike tobacco tax so pack of cigarettes costs Y700