JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- 秘書及び業務サポート
- 加治金属工業株式会社, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥4.0M / Year
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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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- ALT - Mie Prefecture - Yokkaichi City - June start
- NPO法人グローバル教育推進機構（GLAD), Mie
- Salary: ¥230,000 / Month For a full working month. Some months differ.
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japan_cynic
Societally I'm sure it's better than paying them social security benefits. But on the other hand there might be something productive they could be doing.
Posted in: Daily life in Japan is punctuated by mind-boggling encounters with gross inattention to or tolerance of clearly excessive, unnecessary, easily reducible costs that are, in any case, being incurred and must at some point be paid for.
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japan_cynic
That's surely a quote for every day. You can't spend a day here without noticing the useless wand-wavers at any sort of roadworks, to name but one grotesque waste of time and money.
Posted in: Daily life in Japan is punctuated by mind-boggling encounters with gross inattention to or tolerance of clearly excessive, unnecessary, easily reducible costs that are, in any case, being incurred and must at some point be paid for.
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japan_cynic
I'm neither a civil servant nor even at a university, but still the same for us too.
I even got a letter a few weeks ago specifying my salary (new job), now a few weeks later they renege on the offer. Apparently the head honcho's inkan isn't worth the ink it's stamped with. They haven't even been able to tell us exactly who gets what cut, but it will range from 5-10% for most I think.
If they were making any effort to cut the staggering waste, I would be more sympathetic. But it's all about show and politics, nothing meaningful.
Posted in: 241 civil servants file suit over salary cuts
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japan_cynic
However, it helps to have at least permanent residency if you want a mortgage. (though it's not always necessary)
Posted in: Buying real estate in Japan
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japan_cynic
“Below 100 mSv, the studies have not been conclusive.”
This is potentially a bit misleading. Below 100mSv, it is clear that the effects, if any, are incredibly small. So small, that you had far better worry about the fat in your burger (or choking on your ozoni) than the microscopic amount of caesium it may contain.
I wonder what the WHO thinks of the "Radium Onsens" in Japan and elsewhere, which are promoted (laughably) for their cancer-CURING properties?
Posted in: WHO releases mixed Fukushima radiation report
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japan_cynic
Nutcases the pair of them. People call Boris Johnson (Mayor of London) eccentric, but he has nothing on these jokers - not forgetting old blinky either).
Posted in: The Fukuoka mayor is banning public servants from drinking alcohol for a month; the Osaka mayor has declared war on tattoos on civil servants. What do you think of all this?
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japan_cynic
I don't think the Queen (or Japanese Emperor) is a bad person, I do question whether we should still have them. It's the 21st century, if anyone is counting...
Posted in: Emperor, empress leave for UK to attend queen's diamond jubilee
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japan_cynic
I don't know what is normal for pro drivers around the world but 670km as a solo driver is too far IMO. When I got a long ride in Japan there were two drivers. My employer back in the UK didn't let me drive more than 2h or so without a break.
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japan_cynic
Burial is definitely possible in Japan, but it's very rare because of tradition and cost. I know of someone who was buried a few years ago. Friends attended the funeral (I didn't know the person directly).
But good on the emperor for taking one small step towards normality...
Posted in: Emperor, empress express desire to be cremated after they die
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japan_cynic
(non-) Tipping culture in Japan is one of the things I really love about this country. You know what you are expected to pay, and almost always get great service guaranteed. Sure, prices are a little high, but by the time you add random extra taxes and service charge and tip on to the headline USA price, there often isn't so much difference.
Posted in: What do you think of the system of tipping waiters, taxi drivers, etc?
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japan_cynic
I know plenty who want the reactors on.
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japan_cynic
More pointless panic. BSE only ever killed a small number in the UK where it was endemic through the farming industry and human food chain. A handful of cows out of millions is probably even less of a risk than the radiation nonsense.
If you want to get worked up about something, how about the millions killed by smoking, or even the thousands killed on the roads.
Posted in: Mad cow disease found in California
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japan_cynic
"Radiation rich"? get a grip.
Posted in: Volleyball, soccer ball among tsunami debris reaching Alaska
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japan_cynic
10,000 deaths is very few. And without so many wooden buildings, there can't be the huge firestorms that killed 140,000 last time.
The message is be prepared, but don't be scared.
Posted in: Tokyo mega-quake would kill over 9,600, simulation shows
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japan_cynic
It's clear from casual observation that Japanese attitudes to food hygiene are in some aspects primitive by comparison to UK (animals in kitchen area, separation of cooked vs raw, etc). OTOH the culture of cleanliness is pretty strong, anecdotally food poisoning seems generally at a low level.
Posted in: 68 people suffer food poisoning at Hotel New Otani in Tokyo
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japan_cynic
The Japanese limit is just stupid. Some foods have higher natural radiation levels. Just because it is measurable, does not mean it is remotely close to being significantly harmful.
Posted in: Smelt in Gunma lake four times over new legal radiation limit
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japan_cynic
JR east info here:
http://traininfo.jreast.co.jp/train_info/e/kanto.aspx
(the japanese version is more reliable and accurate)
Posted in: 3 dead, 306 injured in 33 prefectures by typhoon-strength storm
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japan_cynic
I'm confident that my Japanese company will tell us to go home early, as they always do when there is severe weather.
Posted in: 3 dead, 306 injured in 33 prefectures by typhoon-strength storm
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japan_cynic
Net effect of 100Bq of cesium is non-measurable too
Posted in: New safety standards for radioactive cesium in food products go into effect
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japan_cynic
Ah, so naturally-occurring radiation is good radiation, and man-made radiation is bad radiation? Or what, exactly? Your body's cells certainly don't care too much one way or the other.
Posted in: New safety standards for radioactive cesium in food products go into effect