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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- 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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kirakira25
There are many traditions around the world that may be part of historical culture but shouldn`t necessarily continue in a modern, civilised world.
In this case however I don`t know what theya re so afraid of. The idea of millions of Japanese getting up to protest...well...anything....is pretty laughable to me.
Posted in: Dolphin hunt film canceled in Tokyo after protests
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kirakira25
I had to go to my daughters school unexpectedly the other day and I was shocked to see kids running riot unsupervised as I walked through to her classroom.
Posted in: Young girl dies after falling out of window at school
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kirakira25
What gets me every time here is the Japanese culture of never letting the glass get empty - I can never measure how much I have had and it usually doesn`t really hit you until you stand up and leave!
If the guy who gave me a bottle of water after I threw up on Roppongi station platform 8 years ago is reading this I woul just like to say thank you! Although that time was dodgy shellfish, I swear it!
Posted in: Salarymen (and women) reveal their most embarrassing moments while drunk
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kirakira25
You know what - maybe - just maybe - they really liked each other but found the long distance thing too difficult in the end. Just a crazy wild thought.
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kirakira25
Stabbed in the back - not as if there is anything you can do to prevent that. Wonder if it will turn out that she knew her attacker...?
Posted in: Woman stabbed in back on Ibaraki street
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kirakira25
I came across a guy idling in a home centre car park last week, right in front of a sign that said "no idling". We had to park next to him, and when I got my son and baby out of the car the fumes were disgusting. I asked him politely if he would switch the engine off, and he replied with the Japanese equivalent of...how can I put this politely?...I should go do to myself what I did in the past to make said baby and son.
Well, at least I tried!
Posted in: It’s time to penalize drivers who leave their motors running
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kirakira25
The only use I can see for this is when you have to take the temperature of a wriggling screaming baby.
Digital ear thermometers are useless. I used it once 3 times - 3 completely different readings.
Posted in: Thermometer measures temperature in 20 seconds
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kirakira25
EEeeuuuwww!
Posted in: Severed legs discovered in Niigata parking area
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kirakira25
Oh man. Here`s another one.
Aside from the mental health issues these stories raise, the other issue in society is that these little kids on the street are easy-pickings for anyone wanting to relieve their issues.
My daughter has just started elementary school and I have been highly-pressured by everyone - other parents, other kids, the teachers and even my own daughter, to let her walk to and from school alone. She`s never really alone in that there are loads of kids out on the street too, and often adults watching them but I hate it and worry all the time, and it only takes one nutjob. Even if I am with her I may not be able to prevent it, but surely it can help.
The mothers had a meeting the other day about it because the groups they walk to school in are getting too large and at the meeting they asked my opinion. I said that in my opinion we should be getting together and taking it in turns as adults to take and pick up the kids. They just laughed at me, rolled their eyes and said "Oh, but she
s from England, its really dangerous there!".Not saying it isn
t, but it sure as hell isnt Utopia here either.Posted in: 8-year-old girl in critical condition after being stabbed on Osaka street
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kirakira25
How romantic.
Can anyone spot the difference between the robt and the fake J vicars anyway? I think not....
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kirakira25
You can buy them quite easily in Akihabara. My husband wouldn`t buy me one though - I ended up with pepper spray! He was worried I might use it on the PTA !!! (he he he!)
So you can definitely get them but as for possession - I don
t know. mindovermatter says they must be kept at home. So what is the point in that really? Unless someone breaks in youll never need it. I got my pepper spray after being belted in an elevator by a crazy woman. But I don`t walk around with it brandished out in front of me waiting for trouble and if someone hits me from behind again (like she did) I would never have time to get it out of my bag anyway! I agree with djuice - learn how to use what god gave you to best effect!Article Unavailable
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kirakira25
Really interesting article and something I have been thinking of doing for a long time.
Posted in: Setting up your own business in Japan – Is it worth the risk?
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kirakira25
My husband was pretty average intelligence at school. However, he busted a gut to learn English - the official story is he recognised how important it would be to his future. (The true story is he discovered a preference for blondes on a trip to Australia!) His friends all took the P out of him.
Fast forward nearly 20 years later - those same friends still don
t speak English (I have learned Japanese to communicate with them) and they are pretty much stuck in dead-end jobs in Japanese SMEs grinding the wheel for another 20-odd years until retirement.My husband has always worked for foreign companies, travels the world, and has seen his salary sky-rocket in the last 10 years compared to his friends. He works in a very "traditional" Japanese industry where virtually no-one speaks English. The foreign companies trying to break into this market can`t get enough of him.
The point is - languages open up opportunities for someone way beyond their own personal sphere. The problem is - most Japanese are so conditioned to believe this place is the centre of the universe they can`t see a need or reason to study English.
Unfortunately as globalisation continues Japan`s tendency towards isolationism and lack of a decent English language education system, coupled with the rigid hierarchical culture that seems incapable of change and is still harping back to the "good old days" is going to mean that it becomes less and less competitive in the new world. Certain, intellectual Japanese friends of mine are starting to realise this for themselves and ask me how they can possibly get out of here. A girl waits years for marriage proposals and suddenly they all come at once ;) !!!
My feeling for the moment from a purely personal perspective is that, if Japanese don
t feel English is necessary, bring it on. Less competition for the rest of us, and we can always get out in the future. But more fool them. It certainly wont affect the current generation of soon-to-be retirees, but it will certainly affect our children. Mine speak 3 languages. I`m not worried. They should be.Posted in: Back to the 'eikaiwa' drawing board
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kirakira25
My Mum just said she would like to take umbrage at the description of a 65 year old couple as "elderly"!!!
Posted in: Elderly couple found stabbed to death on street in Kyoto Pref
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kirakira25
These women who cry "chikan" have no respect for themselves, their victims and especially not for the real victims of this crime. How can it ever be taken seriously with people like this around?
Posted in: Mother of falsely accused groper who killed himself seeks justice
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kirakira25
TokyoGas - Who considers Japan the fashion capital??!
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kirakira25
perspective - hilarious!
Posted in: Police recapture escaped peacock
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kirakira25
I was about to say that they obviously lost my award in the post this year - but I am happy to conceed it to YouDontKnow`s wife - sounds like an amazing woman.
Posted in: Best Mother of 2010 winners announced
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kirakira25
Yes Dolphingirl, I was having a good laugh at that too - one soon-to-retire guy gets caught stealing panties, and this is suddenly extrapolated to every retiree having an underwear fetish because of the stress of retirement???!
Better watch my smalls when FIL comes to stay - he`ll be retiring soon!
Posted in: Retirement blues spur some older men to crime, suicide
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kirakira25
My 3 year old is exactly the same. Japanese balcony doors can be locked but the locks are often low down and easy to manipulate. You can buy locks and fix them higher up but they are really flimsy and easily broken with a sharp tug on the door, even by a 3 year old. And when the weather is warm the doors are often open anyway.
Unfortunately the balcony is often the only place where you can store stuff.
So what to do? We have drummed into our kids that they NEVER EVER - literally on pain of death - go out on the balcony without us. At the moment, it is OK anyway - we are on the 3rd floor with a wide ledge just underneath us so worst case scenario we have to climb down and get them, but we will shortly be moving to the 17th floor, and then the training we have instilled in them will be worth it.
But it is still a scary thought, and absolutely NO substitute for not being supervised in the first place.
I also have to wonder what the grandma is doing cleaning the bathroom at nearly 10pm at night? My MIL does it at 5am too!!! Doesn`t anyone do cleaning at normal times here???!
Posted in: 3-year-old boy falls to death from 13th floor of Nagoya apartment