Wednesday February 15, 2012

sk4ek's past comments

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    sk4ek

    I enjoyed Everywhere But Japan Sinks (Nihon Igai Zenbu Chinbotsu). It dragged a bit towards the end but the high parody concept was great.

    Posted in: What are your favorite movies that deal with the destruction of the world?

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    sk4ek

    Now that it's a World Heritage site, the home owners are obliged to maintain the structures--thanks to a shortage of domestic thatch, it now costs several million yen to re-roof one of these homes, something which generally needs to be done every 30-40 years. The structures themselves are remarkable for their longevity--the tradition of having a central, wood-burning fire pit has the effect of preserving the timbers--but it's no wonder these fire drills are considered an important part of daily life in Shirakawa-go (as well as being an attraction for visitors).

    Article Unavailable

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    sk4ek

    The problem with the Japanese title is not whether it properly represents "basterds" (vs. "bastards), but that it is the same as the spelling used in "Busters" (as in "Ghostbusters"), which regardless of the fact that no one will understand what "ingurouriasu" means, sets up a whole different set of expectations...

    Posted in: Inglourious Basterds

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    sk4ek

    Certainly Edo itself was home to a sophisticated populace, and even the traditional lifestyle of the countryside (aspects of which remain today) certainly was what we might call "in tune with nature." But vast segments of the population lived in dire poverty and despair, and by the end of the Meiji, entire prefectures were depopulated as peasants took up offers of work in Hawaii and other distant ports.

    So no, not all was happy and peaceful. But I look forward to reading this book.

    Posted in: Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan

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    sk4ek

    Remember when restaurants used to have little "Please Refrain from Using Mobile Phones" cards on the tables? No more, except in a few hotel coffee shops--they've all given up. And somehow, a conversation carried out by mobile phone tends to be perceived as more irritating than the same conversation carried out by two people sitting at the next table--perhaps because we only hear half the discussion??

    Manners begin at home. Good breeding is just what it's always been--common sense and concern for others.

    Posted in: Self-centered zombies running rampant through Japanese society

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    sk4ek

    I don't see how Japan is any better or worse in this respect. The U.S. has its "Gentleman's Clubs", its lap-dancing, its "escort services" where women end up exploited, abused, and dead with equal or greater frequency.

    All reports indicate that this was a hard-working college student who had aspirations to teach (she'd done a summer of intern teaching at her former high school this year, and was praised by the other teachers there), was well-liked, intelligent, and outgoing. Like many part-time "kyaba-kura" hostesses, she probably looked at it as just a job--more lucrative than working at a convenience store, but not particularly risky for someone who thought she could take care of herself.

    I suspect in Japanese the "pursued aggressively and forcefully" comes across as somewhat less dramatic than it does in English. "Sekkyokuteki na otoko ga suki" is really a pretty common way of saying you prefer a guy who'll take the lead in things. Unfortunately, in this context it comes across as a marketing-driven invitation to have one's way, something the club owner was no doubt perfectly aware of.

    Even 80 officers are unlikely to have much luck, but I hope they find the perpetrator and bring him (the chances of it being a her are slim to none, I think) to justice.

    Posted in: Police investigate possibility of stalker in slain Chiba university student case

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    sk4ek

    This is only a problem if the behavior of older employees at large companies is taken as "normal" and that of new recruits seen as aberrant. I think it's the other way around--the older generation is out of step with new ways of conducting business, and can't understand that the gap is as much their doing as it is a problem with their recruits.

    Still, I think the yutori kyoiku policies are a net negative--they took out huge chunks of curriculum, and essentially replaced them with nothing of value.

    Posted in: New breed of employees can’t communicate and wilt under pressure

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    sk4ek

    These are cool but overpriced. I use a rechargeable LED table lamp from Muji for nighttime al fresco dining on my roof that works just as well for half the price (and has an auto-off feature, though it doesn't get near 45 hours of on-time per charge). And it's shaped like a do-not-disturb sign, so can be hung just about anywhere.

    On the other hand, Eneloop batteries have replaced single-charge alkaline batteries in almost every device in my home that uses them, from remote controllers to game controllers to electric shavers.

    Posted in: Light of life

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    sk4ek

    And as wibble points out above, compared to the premium associated with buying and shipping books from the U.S. (either directly through Amazon, etc. or a Japanese equivalent), this could be a great deal, at least for books and periodicals for which having the physical copy isn't such a priority.

    Posted in: Amazon cuts Kindle price, adds global version

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    sk4ek

    As a resident of Japan, I've been curious about when and how Amazon would start making this device available to overseas users (I travel to the U.S. often enough that I could, perhaps, just buy one there, load it up with books, and bring it back here, but it would just be a "dead" storage device, defeating the attractiveness of the Kindle's real-time connectivity and download features).

    It seems the new 'international" service still mainly targets U.S.-based users who are traveling abroad, but Japan is shown as being included the wireless service coverage area, and wireless service for downloads is supposedly free of charge (according to Amazon's site information for Japan-based users). However, only English-language publications will be available for download. (No surprise, as Amazon is having as much trouble as Google in dealing with foreign publishers in just about any language but English).

    At this price, with free downloads, and a reasonably good library of downloadable content available for a decent price, this is looking more attractive...though I am still basically a BOOK book person.

    I agree though, that Amazon should take the razor-and-blades approach (or the printer-and-toner approach, if you like), practically give away the devices and lock in a sustainable revenue stream from content sales.

    Posted in: Amazon cuts Kindle price, adds global version

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    sk4ek

    Museums in Japan are so expensive because they have so little to rely on in the way of private funding--no billionaire donors or private foundations (when such exist, their money often goes to private, "vanity" museums or corporate collections) to pony up every year and fill the gap between sparse public grants and the income from admissions. The tax system lacks the mechanisms to encourage large-scale private giving, which stifles attempts to raise money from individuals and corporate groups, even for government-funded facilities...

    Posted in: Shirakawa-koen: A work of art

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    sk4ek

    What an attractive couple they make. And they look like decent people, too, unlike other certain sports/celebrity couples I can think of.

    Article Unavailable

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    sk4ek

    The Jiji Press seems to be the only Japanese media outlet to have picked this up so far, and their brief report is based on US news stories:

    http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=soc_30&k=2009093000134

    Posted in: American arrested in Fukuoka for kidnapping own kids from ex-wife

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    sk4ek

    Read the article in the Japan Times this week on the subject. The health insurance "requirement" is neither a requirement nor even a law, at this point--it's a guideline, one of many that factor into the decision to give or withhold a visa. The article also raises some good points--that private health insurance for expats offers coverage for care (including the disposition of your remains should you die while in Japan) that isn't available under national health insurance, and that in some other countries, showing proof of health insurance, public or private, is often sufficient to fulfill visa requirements.

    Since I am self-employed, I need to apply for coverage at my local city office, but like many others, I am leery of the backpayment requirement, especially in this economy with money so tight... still, I've only been lucky to have stayed healthy over the past ten years, statistically I could end up in the hospital at any time, so it makes sense to get covered anyway.

    Article Unavailable

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    sk4ek

    I also find the Mixi interface to be more intuitive, oftentimes with Facebook I have no idea where things are or why it behaves the way it does. Whether Mixi really expects to capture a quarter of the nation's population, I don't know, but there is always room for a home-grown option, I think, although many of the "new" features (Mixi Voice, the Sunshine Farm game, etc.) are direct take-offs of Facebook, Twitter, and others. They're doing what they gotta do, just like everyone else I guess.

    Posted in: Mixi plans to double users within 4 years

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    sk4ek

    Well at least he didn't decide to switch sides and start dating Oda-kun. LOL Seriously though this has been in the works a long time--look at videos of them interacting at competitions, even a couple of years back...

    Posted in: Figure skater Miki Ando rumored to be in love with 3-time divorcee coach

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    sk4ek

    Just when everyone is talking about moving to LED bulbs... :-/

    Posted in: NEC has seen the light

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    sk4ek

    Glad Nagatsuma got the Health, Labor, and Social Insurance portfolio. He's worked harder than any other legislator to bring the Ministry's problems to light and try to find solutions.

    Article Unavailable

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    sk4ek

    Good luck!

    Posted in: What are your views on relationships in which one partner is at least 20 years older than the other?

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    sk4ek

    Well, before the age of the economic homeless, the term actually referred to a road of logs used to transport (or "skid") lumber, and seems to have originated in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest (Seattle in the late 19th century was even more hilly than it is now, and lumber harvested in the upper hills was often skidded downhill to the harbor for loading onto boats). These areas became hangouts for down-and-out types, and eventually the word came to mean an area where drunks, lowlifes, and other misfortunates lived on the streets or in nearby flophouses, independent of any association with logging.

    The modern Sanya district of Tokyo centers around Namida-bashi in Taito-ku, a little east of Minowa and a little south of Minami-senju.

    Article Unavailable

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