JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- Corporate Business English Trainers
- ACT Systems, Inc.（株式会社アクト・システムズ）, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥269,500 ~ ¥280,000 / Month
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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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peachy871
Most people in my neighbourhood get very excited about Obon matsuris! I love going to them too; there is always such a good buzz in the air! Everyone has a great time, lots of socializing, the dancing is always graceful and at the matsuris, (not the parade itself), lots of locals jump and try to dance along. Tons of fun to be had if you enjoy having time away from being uptight.
As for not having enough pizazz, not everything entertaining has to be an over the top production. Simple down-home fun can be really great. Also, I don't really think dancing for the dead is their motivation for this, either. That is how it started thousands of years ago, but now it is a time-honoured tradition that gives everyone a festival with food stands, dancing, drinking and lots of fun. Oh, and holidays too.
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peachy871
Holding doors for others, holding out a chair, etc, are all just common human courtesies; random acts of kindness. I sincerely appreciate when someone does something like that for me and I do the same for others. It just makes people feel good when someone does something considerate for them. The small things like that really count.
And of course, it should go without saying, in this day and age, that women and men should be able to extend little kindnesses like that both to each other and members of their own sex. Just because a member of the opposite sex happens to do something nice for you does not mean anyone needs to jump to conclusions about it being a sexist gesture; that individual could just be (gasp!) genuinely kind and thoughtful toward their fellow human beings!!!
Thoughtful gestures and good manners go a long way and you never know, by being polite and doing something as small as taking a few seconds' break out of this rat race and opening a door for another person, could just make that person's day!
Posted in: Do you think a man holding a door open for a woman, holding her chair for her when she sits down, or giving up his seat for her are outmoded gestures of politeness or do they still have their place in today's society?
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peachy871
LOL...I suppose she could do that if she suddenly thought that not being able to turn her head or even hold up head, would help her to win!
Seriously, the photo is absolutely stunning and definitely a piece of art. Haven't seen national costumes from anywhere else but from this, it looks like she is definitely going to be tough competitition for others!
Posted in: Reaching for the universe
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peachy871
Yeah, and the protesters are getting a bad rap because of a few idiots. Wow...set police cars on fire? Looted some shops? That hasn't been done a zillion times before. Not really sure how stealing crap and costing taxpayers more money is getting the message across or helping the cause of the protesters who want real issues to be heard. Who cares what the real issues are when you get to say, "Hey, bro! check it out! We set that there car on fire, eh! Wicked!"
What a bunch of knobs.
Posted in: Police arrest more than 600 at Toronto summit
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peachy871
Not assuming...just being hypothetical. There are probably lots of factors at play that none of us really know about. Too many on here were just too eager to condemn in a situation that we don't have all the facts for. Just saying they could be right and they could be way off base. Sorry about missing that last sentence in the article above (am almost positive it wasn't there when I read it originally, but my brain might be hitting old age faster than the rest of me!) And you are completely correct: the school is in no way responsible but just the same, I am sure they are all wishing they had just even mentioned the baby's name to the grandfather. I am sure every party involved, especially the grandfather, is just sick over the fact that something so small could have made such a huge difference.
Posted in: 9-month-old boy dies after being left in car by grandfather
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peachy871
my2sense...hahahaa!! Loved your response! :-) Seriously, you would actually have to be living in a vacuum to not know that boars are common in Japan and that they are not always far away from cities. And actually, the research I did re guns here had nothing to do with college (if only I were that age again!); had to do it for my job. That being said, most Japanese have no clue about guns in their own country. And despite all that rigorous testing and regulations about having one, it looks like actual skill or proper precautions when out hunting are not deemed important enough.
Still sounds like a fishy story though.
Posted in: Hunter commits suicide after accidentally shooting friend
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peachy871
my2sense...yes there is indeed hunting in Japan. Actually, due to the strict gun laws, hunters are among the very few permitted to have guns here. And even then, they are usually rifles only. They have to go through a LOT to be permitted to have a firearm, and have to renew that license every few years, going through all the courses and testing again each time. (If memory serves...had to do research on gun control in Japan a few years ago).
As for wild boar in Japan...you just gave yourself away as either not living here or as not having been here very long. It is very well known that inoshishi are around and abundant...and occasionally you will hear a news report of one that wandered down out of the mountains, attacking and injuring people in more urban/suburban areas in its confusion and panick.
Anyway, as for the point in the article above where they say they heard gunshots...perhaps was a bad translation. Can't imagine the guy being able to shoot himself more than once (if he hadn't offed himself with the first shot). And if shooting his friend was truly accidental, he probably killed himself out of shame and to atone for what he did. If it was murder, well, if he was cowardly enough to kill another, then he was obviously too cowardly to stay around and face the consequences.
My heart goes out to the families of both hunters.
Posted in: Hunter commits suicide after accidentally shooting friend
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peachy871
TSRnow...LOL...thanks! I just felt the need to say more than "What a stupid comment"...sometimes folks just need to have it spelled out to them as to what exactly was stupid. ; )
Yes, the nursery is in no way responsible but just a simple "Oh, is little Hiro not joining us today?" would have made all the difference. But then again, having worked at a nursery in the past, it comes to mind that perhaps it was routine for Grandpa to bring the 2 year old in from the car first, then bring in the infant afterward. Perhaps the staff never had the opportunity to question where the baby was after he dropped off the sister as they were used to him going back out for the baby. That particular morning, it tragically slipped his mind and he never came back in,so the staff figured the baby wasn't coming to school that day. If nothing had ever been amiss before, they would have had no reason to worry about the fact that he left after dropping off the oldest child.
There are just so many variable and possibilities to this situation that really, no one on here can pass any sort of judgement. The whole story is not reported. Simple as that.
Posted in: 9-month-old boy dies after being left in car by grandfather
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peachy871
Hmmm...perhaps to make money to support their children? Just a hunch. Unfortunately not every family can afford the luxury of a stay-at-home parent these days and pay for the upbringing of a brood. It is ridiculously expensive in Japan to raise a child, let alone 2 or more.
Full time workers are entitled to a full year of parental leave, by law. Perhaps the mother had reasons to return to the workforce before the 12 months were up (i.e. financial...parental leave does not cover full salary), perhaps she had started her parental leave a little early for some reason so the 12 months was up while the baby was still less than a year old. Or perhaps she only works part time. None of those details are apparent in the story. And for the record...parental leave is in no way, a vacation.
Well, firstly, they were not fobbed off on the grandfather (as you noted when you asked why the kids were in daycare), he was merely transporting them to the daycare. Secondly, why is it wrong for working people to have children? The world is an expensive place. Many couples simply cannot afford to have children and have a parent stay at home. Some can, but that number is decreasing rapidly due to societal and economic situations.
Posted in: 9-month-old boy dies after being left in car by grandfather
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peachy871
And just for the record...yes he should be held accountable. I feel for him and for the whole family but anyone who made such a mistake would be held accountable no matter how badly they feel about it.
Posted in: 9-month-old boy dies after being left in car by grandfather
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peachy871
Umm shufu....correct me if I am wrong, but I assumed that a "nursery" was English for hoikuen or something along those lines.. Which is where the grandpa was taking the kids. He was not taking care of them all day long. I don't know where in there that it shows information that the nursery was free or how you assumed the parents were getting free daycare but it juuust a hunch on my part that perhaps you didn't really take in what you were reading. He was merely transporting the children to a nursery where they take care of children.
Unfortunately, grandpa committed a horrible screw-up that will never be reversed. He probably loved those kids like mad. It is very possible that he never had a problem before and this was a first time mistake. And the worst possible one.
And for those of you on here implying that elderly people should never be left alone with infants or shouldn't drive, etc. I hope you remember that when you are old and I hope that you are on the receiving end of the very same attitudes. Everyone is different and for some, being 73 would not be an issue with regard to driving skills, memory, etc. For others, being 73 could mean being as frail as a dry stick and having the worst memory in the world. It all depends on the individual. With this man, it is possible he never showed signs of poor memory and everything was fine until that day. We don't know. And there is no indication in this story that he was ever left alone with his grandchildren other than the drive to the nursery each day.
Posted in: 9-month-old boy dies after being left in car by grandfather
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peachy871
ivancoughalot...according to the very first words of the article above, one theatre dropped it.
Posted in: Dolphin hunt film canceled in Tokyo after protests
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peachy871
sarcasm...part of the regulations on the "research" whaling is that the whale not go to waste, it must be consumed. Lovely little loophole they created there. The IWC needs to buck up and change its regulations.
Posted in: Australia to take Japan to int'l court over whaling
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peachy871
The case between the two is not going to be an easy win. They both have their arguments, unfortunately, Japan's whaling is covered...they are toe-ing the line with regard to the legality of what they are doing. Yes, they are indeed doing research. Yes, it is published on the IWC website. And yes it is legal; they are following the guidelines. Of course we all know the real reason for their "research", especially if you read their research, it is pretty easy to tell it is very superficial; just enough to keep their butts covered.
Australia taking them to court over somewhere Aus has no jurisdiction and over something that Japan is doing legally (I don't agree with whaling but as I said, they made sure to cover their butts) isn't going to stop what they are doing. But hopefully this sort of thing will spur the IWC to take another look at its guidelines and revamp them. Make it mandatory to do non-lethal research! Allow only traditional whaling in local waters. Traditional whaling would at least keep things sustainable because catching an overly large number would be impossible. If countries won't accept traditional whaling methods, fair enough, but make it mandatory to whale only locally. Those countries who whale their shores to depletion will just have to suffer the consequences and deal with not having any whale. If whale meat really is something folks want that badly, they will be very into sustainable whaling real quick.
I would really like to see the end of whaling altogether but I don't have a leg to stand on in arguing against a certain type of meat. I am an omnivore and always will be...I don't have the right to tell another culture what to eat and what not to eat. I do have a right though about arguing the sustainability and greed of with which they go about procuring that meat without a thought or care of shred of responsibility to the generations who come after them.
Posted in: Australia to take Japan to int'l court over whaling
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peachy871
They probably all just woke up. Likely got on the wee train and, since it is a train, instantly fell asleep. Would have happened without the jetlag, I am sure!! lol
Posted in: On time
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peachy871
I love Facebook. Don't use the games on it but use it to keep in touch and keep updated through messages, photos, instant chats, etc. However, I am not happy that every time they do something to make changes to it, it changes my privacy settings to basically make every friggin thing public again! I was also really annoyed with them when I posted a video which I set it to be blocked from all except one person. Unfortunately, there was nothing private about it; everyone could see it. Just the same, I am sticking with them in hopes that they will actually listen to members and change things to be more member-friendly and not 3rd party friendly.
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peachy871
This is Japan where the interest rate under your mattress is higher than what the banks offer...he likely had a lot more than a jar of coins at home. No matter how much he did or didn't have at home, no amount of money is worth a person's life. Hope they caught the right culprits and if they didn't, hope they find them soon.
Posted in: Police unravel Chiba arson-murder
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peachy871
Watched the video posted above. I know that most performers lip-sync during performances but they usually do their best to make it all look real. Erika didn't even give a half-hearted try at some points! She just would smile through the singing...it was great! Had a good laugh!
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peachy871
I don't think the one on the right spent the night with Big Bird, I think she might be the offspring of Big Bird...
Wow, I thought lingerie was supposed to make a woman look good and feel sexy. I was obviously way off track.
Posted in: Triumph
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peachy871
First off, Nagoyalove was being sarcastic and mocking about the fourth hand smoke stuff, smoks and Mr. Donuts truck. Unfortunately chose to do so after about 10 cups of straight caffeine, apparently! If you had been saying that stuff out loud, Nagoyalove, I think you would have passed out for failing to take a breath!!! LOL
Secondly, although I am on the anti-smoking side of the fence, I have to say...huh????:
How did JT manage to get folks in the U.S. hooked on cigarettes? I am confused.
I might be against smoking but I am not close-minded and don't think smokers are pathetic. I don't like the smoke, abhor being subjected to second-hand smoke, and yes, I wish cigarettes didn't exist. However, they aren't going to go away tomorrow and in the meantime, if there is a tobacco product that I don't have to share, against my will, with the person smoking it, I am all for it. As for people smoking, yep, cigs are horrid, poisonous and awful...but people who smoke them know this; the education and information is out there, they are grown adults, let them poison the crap out of themselves if they are consciously choosing to do so. As long as the poison is kept from harming others who do not choose to partake in smoking, I can live with that.
Posted in: Smokeless tobacco product goes on sale