JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- English Instructor (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
- Berlitz Japan, Inc. (ベルリッツ・ジャパン株式会社), Kansai
- Salary: ¥125,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month
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- FT English Teachers for Kids - Osaka
- Kohgakusha Co., Ltd. （株式会社興学社）, Osaka
- Salary: ¥255,000 ~ ¥275,000 / Month Travel Expenses, Encouragement of Japanese learning*
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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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gonemad
Wow, first class marketing blurb. Have to get a pair to see what it is about riding the supersonic wave. Oh, what does the "SP" mean?
Posted in: Super Sonic Wave SP spikes
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gonemad
These results are not new, because they have been previously reported by Japanese scientists. And the Japanese have reported data about the concentrations not only in the blubber, but as well those in the meat and organs. I mean, have they?
Posted in: Toxins found in whales bode ill for humans: report
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gonemad
caldina, with this dual screen thingy you will get the worst of two worlds. When you type, you will only have a tiny screen for use, while the other serves as a touchscreen. Typing on a touchscreen is a pain in the *ss. The only use I can see for such a device is when you want to be able to easily switch between different keyboard layouts.
The RX3 will probably be a nice machine, and despite Toshiba's claims I'd say it comes out a bit heavy. Previous models from the same maker were about 2/3 of the weight while the screen was only slightly smaller at 12.1". I guess the price tag will be heavy as well...
Posted in: Toshiba unveils world's lightest laptops
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gonemad
Watching sports is mostly boring, doing it is fun.
Posted in: What for you is the most exciting sport to watch and what is the most boring?
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gonemad
When you see the legal limits for endurance (just raised to 35 years not so long ago, if I remember correctly; I wonder what it was 25 years ago?) and the way how many houses in Japan are built, then I think it is indeed risky to buy an older house without previous professional examination of the structure.
Recently I started considering to buy an old house, so this article came just in time.
Article Unavailable
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gonemad
Except the screen size, it doesn't offer anything what a decent smartphone doesn't offer as well. But who wants to carry around such a beast all the time? On the other hand, what smartphones are missing, a decent keyboard, is not so much better on the iPad. For anything beyond occasional typing I strongly prefer a "real" keyboard. Between smartphones and sub note PCs, I'd think there is only a small niche market for the iPad, so the hype around this product is surprising. Now the whole industry seems to be jumping onto the bandwagon. Will they get burned?
The lack of important connectivity and they ugly way how Apple tries to lock you into their products would anyway make me look for an alternative from another vendor.
Posted in: What do you think of the iPad?
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gonemad
Many things have been said, so let me just add some few thoughts and observations.
I think there is a lot of creativity in Japan, but compared to other places it seems more unevenly distributed among the population, the average Tanaka Tarou being rather dull and uninspired while there is a fantastic creativity at the small top.
As much as I personally like controversial discussions, that's impossible in Japan. But that doesn't mean Japanese don't have opinions, they will just not articulate them in the same way as "westeners". The Wa is more important. You have to read more in between the lines.
It's better to hold back your opinion - or "have no opinion" as the author writes - than proselytizing uninformed drivel, isn't it?
The problem with the Japanese education system is not so much the tests per se, but the way they are used. Because children have to outperform their peers in order to proceed to the "right" school or university, these tests have become overly important and hence too much effort is wasted on them.
Posted in: Japan and its standardized test-based education system
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gonemad
Art or obscenity? Both, neither or either of them and the judgement will vary with time. Simple answers are for simple minds.
Posted in: Sexual images of minors in manga: Art or obscenity?
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gonemad
To those who argue about equal working times for the foreign and Japanese staff: these foreigners have special contracts which account for the prayer time. There is no reason to assume they get any preferential treatment.
limbo, almost 40% of all full-time workers are haken in the meantime, so the probability that low-wage foreign workers are unionized is rather small.
Why that? Have you ever heard about flexibility? Even in production, what this article is talking about, you need an ever increasing level of flexibility to meet diversifying customer demands. It's mostly the same internal processes which you have to change in order to meet your customer's and workforce's flexibility demands.
I wonder whether this guy would have asked his Japanese staff to postpone or skip their lunch break in order to meet the deadline? Probably not, because he understands the importance. Obviously he didn't have the cultural sensitivity to understand how important the prayer is to his employees. Or did he, and not the Japanese employees? The article is not detailed enough. If the latter is the case, then it's time for him to explain it to his Japanese staff.
Last but not least, I'm pretty sure that this particular religion does allow for some flexibility about the praying times as well...
Posted in: Reconciling foreign workers' prayer breaks with production deadlines
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gonemad
Come on Marc, are you getting old? Where are your visions? Still ranting about Microsoft? The outdated ipod nano as an example for Japanese technological innovation?
Anyone else who gets lost on this reasoning?
Posted in: Why Japan matters: iPad mania, cloud computing and social intelligence
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gonemad
There is one more thing which is not mentioned in either article or comments: it doesn't matter so much whether your flight is east- or westbound, but the actual time of your flight. When you arrive in the morning, use the time in the plane to sleep as much as possible. Then stay up all day and be active all day so that you fall into bed really tired. In case you arrive in the afternoon or evening, absolutely don't sleep on the plane, even if it means you have to stay up very long, often more than 24h.
In both cases, you will be tired enough to both fall asleep and sleep through to the next morning. For me, it works well, no other means required. On the following day, I usually have no problems - or let's say not more than I might have on any ordinary working day :-)
paulinusa, I have to agree and disagree with you. Taking short naps works wonders, but only in case you are disciplined enough. The duration depends very much on how long you personally need to fall asleep. You must not fall into deep sleep. For me, in most cases something like 30 to 40 min overall works best. When you exceed that time and get into a deep sleep phase, you're in for a really fantastic jet lag afterwards.
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gonemad
Japan's 安全第一 at it's best again. Don't count on the law or police. That simply doesn't work in Japan. But as other have mentioned, even the most stubborn people get convinced when you show them some pictures or videos of what happens in case of an accident.
Posted in: 40% of child seats in cars remain unused: police survey
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gonemad
Technically interesting. But there is no content - films - yet which would make it worthwhile to invest. First all the effect guys are jumping on the bandwagon and during that time I can wait for the equipment to come down to normal prices...
Posted in: What do you think about the whole 3-D thing, with PC and TV makers rushing out new models, and more films being made in 3-D?
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gonemad
Wow, what a bunch of non-problems...
Mayhem, common sense is the primary attribute of totalitarian societies.
Posted in: People turn to advice column to air quirky family concerns
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gonemad
jason6, it's mostly "private" meetings at works, email, phone. You don't discuss those things during drinking after work.
Posted in: Japanese company meetings: Getting by at the table
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gonemad
One more remark about the many meetings in Japan: I actually find them useful for networking and information spread inside the company.
Posted in: Japanese company meetings: Getting by at the table
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gonemad
Again - as in comments to some other articles before - I cannot confirm most of the points risen by the author or other posters here. Am I working in the "wrong" company?
Funeral atmosphere? Never seen it except when there was a real reason like before the announcement of business results and corresponding bonus cuts.
People too shy to counter superiors/seniors? Never seen that. Just the opposite, I've seen people in Japan criticizing their boss in a meeting much more heavily and openly than anywhere else. Factually justified, of course.
Bullying in company meetings? Never seen that.
Meticulousness and going into all bits and pieces? Yes, I've seen that. It usually happens in meetings that were badly prepared.
Meetings taking too long? Not any more since our company took a strong policy on meeting times a couple of years ago. Only meetings with colleagues from overseas tend to run out of time consistently.
Meetings just to nod off decisions which were taken previously already? When you want to take a controversial decision with broad support, you discuss it with key decision makers before and try to arrange a majority before you go into the meeting. That's how it works everywhere, not just in Japan, doesn't it?
Too many meetings? Yes and no. Actually the overall number of meetings seems to be about the same as in other places, but Japanese tend to invite every Tom, Dick and Harry, who could potentially make a contribution or might feel left out. So as an individual, you have to join more meetings. No real problem any more since the advent of laptop computers and WLAN everywhere. Before that time, you could use the meeting productively to take a nap :-)
Posted in: Japanese company meetings: Getting by at the table
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gonemad
tmarie, you seem to be too focused on the apartments. Your primary concern must be how to sell your story to the real estate agent before they even have the chance to contact the landlord. Depending on your situation, make up your strategy about what you want to tell them and how before you go there. When you have a high income, tell them that the rent will only be a small part of your income. When you have permanent residence status, make sure they get to know it. Tell them what famous and wonderful company you work for and how much people there rely on you. All kind of stuff, whatever small it seems, which could work in your favor. If necessary, talk a lot, about many things, and here and there drop your points so that it doesn't become too obvious. But make sure they get your points. Don't boast in the "western way", do it humbly. Make appeals to the agent personally as to how much you rely on his professional help (here you may turn some weak point into a positive, like being a foreigner). The real estate agent has two aims, your money and usually the long-term business relation with the landlord. For the first one, he will listen to you with some patience. For the second, you have to convince him. If he sees a chance to get your money quickly while keeping his good relation with the landlord, you got him. After that, you can start with the detailed selection of your apartment.
If you go without having made up your strategy before, you risk to fail. Just look at Hatoyama as a prime example :-)
If you feel you absolutely cannot communicate this yourself due to language problems, take a Japanese friend with you, although you should be aware that a Japanese will not be able to capitalize on cultural differences. Make up the strategy together, so that he/she knows what to tell.
Sure, it will not always help. Then don't get angry or disappointed. Instead make fun out of it and enjoy how the agent is struggling to extricate himself from the embarrassing situation :-)
Posted in: Real estate agents and landlords often say they are interested in renting out houses to foreigners, but they hesitate to do so due to concerns.
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gonemad
This one made me smile. The rest of this article just made me yawn...
Posted in: Salarymen (and women) reveal their most embarrassing moments while drunk
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gonemad
Look at it from the landlord's perspective. When selecting a tenant, their primary target is to avoid risk. Objectively speaking, a foreigner can be a risk, whether it is due to visa status, higher risk of losing the job or simply, maybe the worst, language problems. So as a foreigner, you should address these concerns first and build up trust. I would say, in most cases the problem is the real estate agent and not the landlord. Therefore I second CoolCali's proposal to bypass the real estate agents wherever possible. I've never found a problem when I was able to talk to the landlord directly.
Caveat: my view my be distorted by the fact that I'm a Caucasian with relatively high income.
Posted in: Real estate agents and landlords often say they are interested in renting out houses to foreigners, but they hesitate to do so due to concerns.