JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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1
Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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2
U.S. Navy investigating how parts fell off aircraft near Atsugi
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3
Confrontation
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4
California court to decide if SeaWorld whales are illegal 'slaves'
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5
Kuroki reported pregnant 2 weeks after denying relationship with Akanishi
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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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imacat
These "look how weird Xmas is in Japan" articles are always very bemusing.
The main point is: CHRISTMAS IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT!!
If you are waiting for Xmas to fall into your lap then good luck to you. However, if you plan your Xmas with near ones and dear ones then you'll have a wonderful time, wherever you are.
The Christmas illuminations in Japan are lovely, and free!! See them with your date, your kids, your friends... Make some mulled wine, put it in a flask, buy some stollen cake... a fun evening under the Christmas lights.
Japan does actually have some church services. There are some very nice services around Christmas. Choir concerts, too.
If you live near a big city you should be able to find turkey, Christmas pudding and all the trimmings at one of the big international supermarkets.
Ikea is selling real Xmas trees... and if you take them back after Xmas they'll give you a shopping voucher equivalent to the same amount! Free trees! WTG Japan! The trees themselves are small but maybe that's best over here ;-)
If you're working on Xmas day (as I will be) it's none too great but, hey, lots of people back home work on Xmas day too. I have two close relatives working as health professionals who regularly have to work all through Xmas.
Finally, the fact that Japan is a buddhist/shinto-ist country gives some idea that it won't be quite the same as back home.
But my advice is quit whining, plan your festive activities in advance, make a charity donation and drink as much as possible :-) You'll have a great time.
Posted in: A very Japanese Christmas
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imacat
Every single country around the Antarctic is opposed to whaling... every single one: South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand. All of them oppose whaling.
Japan's ludicrous Victorian-era style expeditions traveling 1000s and 1000s of kilometers to the furthest reaches of the globe to grab whales are making Japan look like the fool on the world stage.
As Japan keeps telling everybody, whaling is part of their culture. Japan has understand that a culture which is miraculously stretched half way around the world to include the Antarctic is plain ridiculous. And to ignore all those countries around the Antarctic is the height of arrogance.
Posted in: Daryl Hannah makes splash with whale campaign
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imacat
I have posted exactly what you said.
If you want to refer to that as the "old cr#p" then does that mean your posts today are the "new cr#p"?
Moderator: Readers, enough of this sniping. You are to focus your comments on the story, not at each other.
Posted in: Australia invests in whale research to challenge Japan
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imacat
How about South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Australia and New Zealand. Every single one of them opposed to whaling. Every single one.
Way to go Japan! Ignore the lot of 'em.
How about the wonderful spirit of the Madrid Protocol? Not even on Japan's radar.
Japan knows all about considering huge areas around "little islands thousands of miles from the mainland" to be part of their backyard. Just look at tiny speck of coral called Okinotorishima. How much concrete have they poured on it to make it a bit bigger than a twin bed?
Don't sweat it. It's fine for you to "personally think" that a compromise "will need to be found" under which Australia accepts Japan taking whales in the seas around Japan and in return Japan gets out of the Antarctic. You've finally come round to my way of thinking.
Posted in: Australia invests in whale research to challenge Japan
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imacat
That's not true. You clearly said:
"I personally think some mid-point will need to be found"
Look at the phrases that you used: "I personally think..." and "will need to be"
These aren't phrases outlining the appearance of a possible compromise. It's clear you are stating a personal belief which by definition you support. I'm sorry but you can't just change it now because it doesn't suit you any more.
And why would you want to change it? Your belief is one that many people here share.
Posted in: Australia invests in whale research to challenge Japan
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imacat
Oh, don't be silly. If you going to quote Wikipedia have a look at the entry for Heard Island:
Heard Island and McDonald Islands are barren islands located in the Southern Ocean... They have been territories of Australia since 1947
Posted in: Australia invests in whale research to challenge Japan
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imacat
to david@tokyo:
You accept that you said this. Good. At least your memory seems to be intact if none of your other faculties.
From the context of the thread where you made this statement, it is clear that you advocate a deal whereby Australia accepts Japan whaling in its own backyard in return for Japan getting out of the Antarctic.
I mean, it's great that we are on the same wavelength. Well done. But what I can't understand is, if that is your position, why are you still blathering on about Antarctic whaling?
Posted in: Australia invests in whale research to challenge Japan
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imacat
Japan likes to remind the world about its unique culture and history.
Well, how about Japan start to think about how unique Antarctica is?
To understand how provocative Japan's Antarctic whaling really is, try this:
Next time you look at a globe, hold it upside down in your hands and look directly at the Antarctic. What countries do you see nearest to this unique and precious environment? You will see South Africa, Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Every single one of them opposed to whaling.
When it sends its huge whaling fleet every year, why is it that Japan chooses to completely ignore the views of those countries who consider this area (perfectly reasonably) as part of their backyard?
Add to this the wonderful spirit of agreements such as the Madid Protocol which designates Antarctica as a 'natural reserve, devoted to peace and science' and also manages to prohibit mining there, and we can see that Japan's activities belong to a bygone era.
The whole exercise is made more mystifying by the fact that, according to Japan's own data, there are abundance of whales in the seas around Japan.
Posted in: Australia invests in whale research to challenge Japan
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imacat
To davidattokyo:
What you said was:
I personally think some mid-point will need to be found, so that whalers and non-whalers can "agree to disagree". "Not in our backyard" seems to be a likely winner to my mind.
That's what you said.
Posted in: Australia invests in whale research to challenge Japan
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imacat
What business does Japan have with whales in the Antarctic? The main reason Japan always gives for grabbing the whales for this tiny niche market in Japan is to preserve its local traditional food culture. What Japan has to understand is that it looks ridiculous and also very greedy to insist on a local "food culture" that stretches all the way to the Antarctic.
According to Japan's own data there are an abundance of whales in the seas around Japan. If Japan is so concerned with preserving its oh-so-precious whaling "food culture" then it should stick to those whales.
Even the most ardent pro-whalers on this board such as davidattokyo have already admitted that the best way forward is for Japan to give up its Antarctic whaling and stick to the whales in the seas surrounding Japan. This fits in much better with their local traditional "food culture" argument.
Anyway, this is a good PR move by the Aussies. Japan hates all this publicity surrounding its huge Victorian era style expeditions to the Antarctic each year. It would much rather quietly sneak down there, grab the whales and sneak back again. They would probably also like to put up blue tarpaulins around the whale slaughter as they do at Taiji ;-)
Posted in: Australia invests in whale research to challenge Japan
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imacat
Will we also be getting Cowboy America, Digger Australia, Charro Mexico, etc?
Posted in: Japan to be known as 'Samurai Japan' at WBC
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imacat
I thought the Klan were in town...
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imacat
Kyoko Kano is starting to look like Jocelyn Wildenstein.
Posted in: Kano Sisters
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imacat
All I can say is thank you JT from the bottom of my heart.
Posted in: Triumph Image Girl 2009
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imacat
Thinking back to my hitchhiking days, my advice for people planning to hitch in Japan or anywhere is:
look presentable! difficult when you've been on the road for a while but I'm convinced people are more likely to stop for a clean-looking presentable person.
find a good place to hitch, where a potential ride has a safe and easy place to stop further along the road. That is really important.
sew your national flag on your pack. Just a small one is fine in Japan because they are good at picking out details. Some people don't rate this idea but I think it works in your favor as it gets people in the car thinking more about you.
above all, SMILE when a potential ride passes by. Hitchhikers so often look desperate... almost like criminals on the run! A big friendly smile as you hitch will definitely help you get to your destination. And remember, you should be smiling 'cos it's your holiday and you're having fun, right?!
That's my advice! My best hitch was all the way from Cape Town in South Africa to Windhoek in Namibia... took several rides but made it in under 24 hours... those were the days...
Posted in: Want to see the real Japan? Try hitchhiking
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imacat
With regards to hitchhiking in places such as Saitama, it's a non-tourist area so I think it stands to reason that it would be very difficult to hitch a ride there. As the story confirms, hitching around somewhere like Hokkaido, where a foreigner with a backpack is obviously touring around the beautiful countryside is a much better prospect.
On the other side of the coin, I picked up several hitchers when I toured around Hokkaido by car a few years ago. One guy was hitching through during a typhoon so couldn't just pass him. We stopped for one young Japanese guy but it was difficult to speak to him because he was apologising and thanking us so much. Turned out his motorbike had broken down so he was trying to salvage his holiday by hitching. He said that the only people who had given him rides so far had been foreigners! Maybe Japanese people will tend to look more sympathetically at a foreign hitchhiker rather than a native one.
Posted in: Want to see the real Japan? Try hitchhiking
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imacat
In terms of style surely McCain is really getting hammered in these debates...
He looks like a cranky old man, compared to a fit and assured Obama.
I was suprised at how uncomfortable McCain looked in this week's debate. He couldn't stand still when answering a member of the audience. At just the point when he was delivering his important line he would suddenly lurch off and continue his old man's staggering walk around the stage.
He also seemed to have hunched shoulders and a kind of deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression.
All in all, McCain lost badly in terms of style and appearance, which anyone will tell you are important for a politician.
Posted in: Race little altered by 2nd McCain, Obama debate
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imacat
Perhaps in the future all wars could be fought with rubber weapons.
It would make war more of a sport and less of a tragedy, and also level the playing field somewhat.
Posted in: RISCON
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imacat
This is a great product.
You guys should try one of those GPS travel-loggers. Just put it in your bag when you go on a trip and switch it on.
Come home, upload your pics to your computer, upload the GPS data from the travel-logger and with a few clicks you can make a really cool map on google earth tracking your movements and the pics taken at each point. It really is a fun way to look back at your trip.
It's just inconvenient to have a digital camera and a separate GPS travel-logger, but now this camera has solved that problem! Great technology and one for the Christmas list ;-)
Posted in: GPS digital compact camera
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imacat
My idea for getting back at the black-truckers is to print up some stickers on the Tepra at work with "baka" in Japanese. Cycle up behind them at the traffic signal and put 2 or 3 stickers on the back of the truck. The only minus point is that you wouldn't see their faces when they finally found them ;-)
Minor risk is that the car behind them at the lights is full of their mates, in which case you'll be cycling off faster than a keirin champion...
Posted in: It’s time for emperor to rev up his own sound truck