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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peachy871
Ha ha! I have photos of this guy too. Saw him in Yokohama with all the same type of gear, except the dress he was wearing was white and he had some sort of plastic boobs underneath that were poking out quite prominently at the time. He seemed pretty darn happy!
Posted in: Colorful character
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peachy871
Airlines don't have to go overboard with resizing seats. There should only be two sizes: standard and (as someone put it), comfort sizing. But there should be standards in place that stipulate the range of sizes passengers would fall in, which means most people would qualify for standard seating and those who fall in the larger range qualify for comfort seats, which would be priced a little higher.
To me, the idea of comfort seating is not primarily about pandering to the obese, rather it is about pandering to the needs, safety and comfort of the passengers they would otherwise be compromising in standard sized seating because they just don't fit in there.
Of course people come in all shapes and sizes and we could talk about all the different types of seat sizes but just two sizes would probably be sufficient to ease the burden of almost everyone. And once the larger seats are all booked up, that should be it, done. If an extremely obese person can't get a comfort seat, they should have two more options: either book on another flight that still has availability in the comfort seating section, or if really desperate, book 2 standard seats at full price for each seat. Just as we now have the option that if economy or business class is full on a flight, we have the option to either upgrade, downgrade or try to book on another flight.
Posted in: How should airlines handle obese passengers?
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peachy871
Sorry, I am just not on a huge hate rant with regard to people who are different sizes. Yes, I see some folks that are so huge that I just cannot understand how they let it get that far. Yes, I think people should take care of themselves and watch their weight and size. But for now, the reality is, there are a huge percentage of folks who are very obese and although it is not fair for me to suffer because the person next to me spills over into my seat, I know that problem is not going to disappear overnight and something has to be done to address it. Various seat sizes and corresponding fares seem like a good idea to me.
Seats of larger sizes need not only be aimed at the obese. There are plenty of other folks who would need larger seats as well and would be happy to pay for them in order to actually experience a comfortable flight. Sure, if they were marketed as "jumbo seats" or some such thing, folks could cry discrimination, but surely the airlines are not that daft. Obese people don't cry discrimination because they have plus-size clothing stores available to them. Present things in the proper manner and they will be seen as an advantage to all who are within the demographic for such a product.
Wait a minute...sf2k if you are going to do the designing, would you like a partner to help out with promoting them? lol
Posted in: How should airlines handle obese passengers?
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peachy871
limbo...your argument regarding obese passengers opting for seats that are too small because they are cheaper may hold water in a few rare cases. For the most part, those who take up more room...not just the obese...would be relieved to have the option to have the space they need...and would pay more for it...just like they have to pay more for clothes in their own size. You don't see really obese people walking around wearing jeans that cannot be pulled up past their thighs just because the smaller size was cheaper. Same goes for taller people or folks who are larger yet not overweight (i.e. athletic builds). People are generally happy to buy what fits them.
I am not by any means overweight, but have felt horribly self-concious on commuter flights because my hips were touching the person next to me...or were their hips touching mine? Neither one of us were overweight, yet we were uncomfortable and kept trying to squirm away from each other to keep from touching. I would imagine, for all the space and discomfort an obese person causes the person next to them, they feel just as uncomfortable because obviously they don't fit, plus they have the added stress of folks' hostility toward them.
And how does one gauge when a person is fat out of their own fault? There are probably some obese people out there with valid medical disorders, just as pointed out by limbo. But what about those who are never diagnosed by their doctors and despite proper eating and exercise, are still overweight? Does everyone have to supply their life story to prove whether their size is excusable or not?
Oh and by the way, there are already larger seats available on many flights. It is called business class. Of course, those are far more expensive because it is a higher class. Yet I have observed obese people getting on my flight, wondered how they are going to cope then saw them in the business class seats on my way by to economy. So, yeah, some obese folks are willing to pay top dollar for the comfort of themselves and those around them. If economy class had optional sized seating, I am sure it would work. Be more expensive than a standard seat but less expensive than business class because there are no other perks other than the perk of not being an inconvenience to others.
Yes, I agree folks have to take responsibility for their weight and cannot blame society or genetics for their condition in most cases. However, there are many other people who are in great health but who also have trouble in the standard seats. Some might even weigh more than average but are of average size and would have to pay as much as someone who is considered overweight, if airlines were to impose total weight charges. Perhaps that is fair in light of safety and fuel charges, etc. but again, does not really address the space issue. Simply have two types of seats recommended for folks of one size range and seats for others above that size range. Not that complicated.
Posted in: How should airlines handle obese passengers?
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peachy871
A lot of you seem to feel that having folks pay according to total weight might have been a good point had you not lost sight of what the real problem is here. The problem with obese passengers, according to the gripes written about in the wrtie-up above, is that they take up more space; two people could weigh a lot but one could be muscular and one could be obese. Or the obese person has really light luggage and a lighter person has heavy luggage. In the end they would each pay the same amount but the obese person is still not going to fit properly in the standard seats...so, the "skinny" person is still paying the same as someone weighing twice as much AND you still have to sit next to someone taking up a portion of your space. So basically, that argument is all about hating folks who are obese, wanting them to pay for their "crime" of weighing more; that argument does nothing to solve the issue of having enough space in the seat you paid for. Not a lot of problem solving going on here.
People are going to come in all shapes and sizes. Airlines should look at seating of different dimensions and rates for said dimensions. As someone else pointed out, we buy clothing, shoes, etc. in different sizes, so why not airplane seats? You could argue that airlines can't always be revamping their planes, but if different sized seating were implemented as the norm, they wouldn't have to revamp all the time, would they? If airlines can install things like beds, showers, bars, etc., surely seats of various sizes with economy class service is not that big of a stretch. If someone needs an extra large seat (and cannot fit into anything smaller) and those seats are all booked up, they would have to look at booking another flight, just as now, when all the "standard" economy seats are full, we have to search for other flights. Not really a difficult issue. Of course, as for really small commuter planes, perhaps various sizes of seats is not realistic, however, a passenger who would normally get an extra large seat on a larger aircraft, could still have the option of paying the rates for an extra large seat and have the two seat in his/her row.
Sure, folks should look at getting healthy but while on the road back to healthiness, there will still be reasons for obese folks to have to travel. It is a reality.
Obesity aside, there are still lots of reason for folks to need different sizes of seats as well. The tall, the well-built (seat me next to him, please!! ha ha!), the short, the "standard", and so on.
Posted in: How should airlines handle obese passengers?
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peachy871
Klein2 and Cos have some good ideas there! Perhaps the airlines should actually look at having varied options for seating within economy class...with different pricing for the different options, perhaps?
There are a lot of ignorant comments being posted. Ok, yes, it is not a good thing to have someone else taking up one's seat space but that does not mean all overweight folk are lazy or slobs...perhaps many are, but that is not always so; everybody has a story. Also, how much one weighs does not always make them obese, so having folks pay for total weight is not the best solution when it comes to "handling" obese passengers. There are many large athletes out there who actually work hard at weighing more...and are by no means fat but will definitely weigh in at the higher end of the scale. Plus, you could have shorter folks who are obese but don't weigh as much as someone of "standard" (or taller) height, yet take up lots of space. No, total weight is not a good way to gauge having enough space or allocating seats, etc.
No doubt extremely obese people cannot fit into a standard seat and it causes discomfort to the folks around them, that is true. But some "standard" seats are too small for even the "standard" sized person. My husband is slim but because of being a former rugby player, his shoulders are on the wide side and thus he takes up a bit of my space on flights. No big deal to me, he is my husband so it doesn't bother me too much to be in constant contact like that, but what about when he is seated next to other people? The seats are just too small.
Posted in: How should airlines handle obese passengers?
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peachy871
semperfi...you must have some amazing software that sharpens an image to know for sure what this person looks like. When I look at the photo, I find it extremely difficult from the tiny bit of face shown here, to ascertain whether he is Japanese or not. In fact, bundled up like that, it isn't even easy to tell if the perp is male or female. Obviously, the police have more to go on than we do, but with only that pic above, there is not much for us to go on to be able to say one way or another.
american bengoshi...did they actually say that in the news? The part about nearly all crime? I find it hard to believe the news would put that out there.
Poor Yamazaki san. And his family...this will be so hard for them.
Hope they catch the coward and throw the book at him.
Posted in: Security camera footage reveals murder of Lawson manager in Ishikawa
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peachy871
hoserfella...he does have a good point though, and they are wise to avoid Roppongi. Trust me, if you were a gal hired to work at Hooters, and there were a Roppongi branch, you would probably wouldn't want to be working at that one. I love Roppongi, I love going out in Roppongi, and that area is no place for a Hooters restaurant. They have very valid reasons to avoid opening there. And yeah, we foreigners are the biggest problem .
Posted in: Hooters to open first Japan restaurant in Tokyo on Oct 25
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peachy871
Northlondon...I for one am glad to see that the president spun it into what it should be: something to be overjoyed about! It is all about the miners and the rescuers who gave selflessly and in some cases risked their own lives to help and it is about the fact that every one of these people made it out alive. Celebrating and being exuberant over such a thing was the right way to be. President could have easily turned it into something political, promoting himself and his policies with regard to overhauling mine safety, etc. The duration of the rescue was neither the time nor place for that and the president allowed himself to be as swept away by the joy of it all as other people were. May more leaders be like him.
Posted in: Last trapped miner pulled to surface in Chile
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peachy871
I have had great customer service in Japan. I have had moments of frustration too, where inflexibility reigned. But for the most part, I have been to places where they are usually willing to accomodate. But then again, I am not referring to McDonald's or other cookie-cutter type places. Try going to places that are either higher-end international chains (ex. Lawry's) because they do have higher standards and are trained to go the extra mile for customer satisfaction. Of course high-end = expensive, so go to one-off type restaurants (ex Baan Thai in Kobe) and Mom and Pop type places. Small places that don't have to adhere to some head office protocol is where you are going to get the real warmth, flexibility and true customer service we all want.
To be honest, most of us living in Japan tend to put on rose-coloured glasses with regard to what certain things (such as customer service standards) were like "back home" vs. Japan. I just recently arrived back home to a slightly rude awakening with regard to how customer service standards don't quite measure up to what I thought I remembered. And they certainly didn't measure up to Japanese standards, that is for sure.
Posted in: In Japan, the customer is not king
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peachy871
Actually it is newsworthy and relevant...just because violence doesn't end in death doesn't mean it is a "silly" story. Really??? In fact, because it didn't end in death, it is a very good story, just pathetic this idiot had to commit violence in the first place. As for not printing his reason, the news source prints news as they get it. There was likely no statement released yet as to what the suspect said...perhaps because they hadn't gotten that far with him at first. But if you read Japan Times long enough, you will know that they usually print updates as they come in.
Posted in: Mother, son found stabbed on Kawasaki apartment stairwell
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peachy871
Actually northlondon...either you misquoted or they edited it after your commented. The article does state that it was "the birthplace of such famous brands as...", not that the Genius Group created these brands. The brands listed were all known as the Genius Group.
That being said, I do like Diesel. They are definitely not individualistic in that they mass produce and are a huge chain but individualistic in that they are pretty trend setting and stand out from other big chains.
Moderator: The paragraph was changed to make it clearer.
Posted in: Diesel power
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peachy871
LoveUSA....You think something as graceful and beautiful as rhythmic dance makes her look mannish? I must be missing something here. When I was a little girl I wanted to be a rhythmic dancer; I loved the pretty costumes and the flowing grace of it all.
Posted in: She's got rhythm
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peachy871
LOL @DarkKnightNine....best post on here yet! It is funny because it's true!
For the rest that think xenophobia is driving the robotics industry...are you frikkin serious???? Desire for advancement and to be number one in the field is driving it. Cost efficiency is likely right behind that. Trying to keep foreigners out? Not likely why robots are being made. Seriously could not believe my eyes when I read that.
All that aside...those robots creep me out. Saw on the news a couple of years ago, one of these robots that could do certain tasks based on watching a human do it first. It had a video camera in its head through which it "watched" a person do something like sweeping or chopping a carrot. It then mimicked those actions afterward. Really freaked me out watching that. It learns by watching and doing without actually knowing what it is watching or doing...how many ways could that go wrong? The robot was creepy-looking to boot. In fact, it looked a lot like the silver HRP in the background up there. Anyone else see that on the news back when it was on?
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peachy871
Sarge, don't forget the very exciting activity involved too...Let's Facelift bar! Sounds almost as fun as staying at home with crappy imitation beer!
Posted in: Keiko Kitagawa hawks beer in TV ads for first time
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peachy871
When did folks ever find that acceptable? It is completely unacceptable on both sides of the coin.
These kinds of acts are.
The man simply is not a true Christian. He may follow his Church but he doesn't follow Christ or any of Christ's teachings. Radical Christians are very similar to radical Muslims; they may not use the physical violence but they still employ and spread hate and are in no way representative of those who really understand the word of the teachings of their religion.
Posted in: Pressure builds on Florida pastor who wants to burn Quran on Sept 11
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peachy871
Sorry...typo!
This:
should have read as:
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peachy871
Kyrie, please do more than check Wikipedia real quick. Yes, there are several sources with regard to Halloween and its origins. One of them is also Halloween...it explains just what I was talking about. So do many other websites. But the point is, these traditions, in their original form are all very similar all around the world across several cultures. In this case, I was drawing a parallel between Obon and our own tradition of Halloween...or the origins of Halloween, that is.
By the way, yes, you are right, All Souls' Day is Catholic. They had to sort of re-do the pagan tradition called All Hallows' Day, in order to make it more palatable for pagans to convert. As you will see for many Christian traditions, if you were to delve into them. But I digress...
Yes, I agree, many come out on Obon. Originally to nurture their dead, but these days, as others mentioned, that is not really what people are thinking about when they come out. They are out to socialize, have fun, party, etc. The fact that people also visit family graves and pay respect to their family members who have passed is indeed very similar to when people visit graves and put flowers on them in the U.S. How odd that you find the tradition in Japan to be creepy but the U.S. one you seem to be ok with...or did I misunderstand?
Yes, there are probably many Japanese who strongly believe in the reasons behind these traditions. There are also many Westerners who also hold very strong beliefs with regard to things such as the afterlife. I can respect that. There are also very many people in both cultures who don't hold those beliefs but still love the traditions.
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peachy871
kyrie....Halloween originated because folks believed that was the night that the dead return to walk the earth. The costumes today are a sugar-coated, cutsey version of the fact that many disguised themselves to protect themselves from the spirits they believed were roaming. Treats? Originally offerings to the returning spirits to appease them so they will leave you alone. All Souls' Day was also to honour the spirits of folks' ancestors. It is all very, very similar to Obon traditions. The difference is, Obon traditions here are more well preserved and stayed true to their ancient roots and still have a level of respect present in them that got lost in our culture through the Americanization of Halloween. In fact, Halloween pretty much died out in the places where it originated.
While Obon traditions may not have as deep meaning as they once did, the bottom line is, it is all about remembering and honouring the memory of your family members who came and went before you. I think it is great that people have that kind of respect. And what better way to show that respect than through fun, family getting together and celebration?
If you find that deep kind of respect creepy, no problem, that is your take on it.
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peachy871
P.S. Kyrie, I don't know where you are from, so perhaps your culture doesn't celebrate this, but millions of people do...ever hear of Halloween? It also has to do with the dead returning.
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