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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taiko666
American politics is just a ridiculous, polarised mud-slinging match. And as a mildly amused independent observer with no axe to grind, I can say that supporters of the Democrats are the more infantile in their abuse.
Posted in: NAACP accuses tea party of tolerating bigotry
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taiko666
Good point!
Posted in: Japan split over maiden names, foreign suffrage
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taiko666
So what happens when the offspring of Takahashi-Suzuki and Ito-Yoshida marry. Do they become Takahashi-Suzuki-Ito-Yoshida?
Posted in: Japan split over maiden names, foreign suffrage
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taiko666
I really doubt that.
Posted in: Guidebook of Tokyo restaurants where you’re allowed to smoke
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taiko666
You have a point. But then, Japanese cyclists regularly ignore laws of which they're well aware, the easiest example being the masses of bicycles left in areas clearly marked as no parking.
I rarely use the train these days, as I cycle anywhere within 45mins ride. I'm sure it can't be legal for cyclists to ride on the wrong side of main roads, haring along against the traffic, but I have to avoid several on every journey.
Some sort of safety culture seems to be taking root though. 5 years ago it was extremely rare to see anyone wearing a cycling helmet, but they're getting quite popular now. What still gives me the shivers is seeing a mum and 2 kids on a mamachari hurtling round bends on the wrong side of the road and narrowly avoiding disaster every few metres.
Posted in: Confused by Japan’s cycling laws? You aren’t the only one
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taiko666
@sushisake
I'd say that if somebody didn't know enough about the person they're talking about to know whether they're 'half-French' or not, they should refrain from making any assumptions or comments at all about their ancestry or racial make-up. It's time to ditch this obsession with race.
When is a general term actually needed? Only in intelligent discussions dealing with general cultural issues- in which case, a more appropriate and considerate term than "HALF" should be used.
Posted in: What do you think of the word "hafu," the Japanese term used to describe anyone who is half-Japanese?
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taiko666
Apart fom exemplifying the unhealthy Japanese obsession with race, the use of 'haafu' also seems to imply Japanese complete disinterest in the 'foreign half' of the person in question. What matters is that they're (only) 'half' Japanese. Why not acknowledge the other 'half'? It's a simple courtesy, the same courtesy that's lacking when somebody is referred to as a 'gaijin' instead of an American, Briton, Indian etc.
Posted in: What do you think of the word "hafu," the Japanese term used to describe anyone who is half-Japanese?
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taiko666
Several of my English speaking Japanese friends have used the word while speaking English.
Posted in: What do you think of the word "hafu," the Japanese term used to describe anyone who is half-Japanese?
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taiko666
An excellent sentiment. Many parts of the world are already there, or very nearly. Japan is nowhere near, and use of the word 'haafu' is one of the reasons why things aren't going to change for a long, long time...
Posted in: What do you think of the word "hafu," the Japanese term used to describe anyone who is half-Japanese?
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taiko666
I accept that the word 'haafu' is usually not used in an intentionally derogatory way, but I don't think that's the point. To the Japanese, race continues to be of paramount importance. Using the word 'haafu' is a symptom of this. And the suspicious closeness of the expression to 'half breed' means that it grates on the ears of, or downright shocks, people who are new to Japanese culture (and its unhealthy obsession with race.) I'm sure that Japanese people using 'haafu' outside Japan come a-cropper very quickly. As would people like Cleo, who I'm sure would never refer to her children as 'haafu' while back in the UK.
Posted in: What do you think of the word "hafu," the Japanese term used to describe anyone who is half-Japanese?
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taiko666
Even though this is a knock-out round, a draw is enough for Germany, because England are psychologically incapable of winning a penalty shoot-out. The Germans haven't missed a single kick in shoot-outs since 1982.
It's pretty obvious that it didn't :-) That remains England's most recent slice of good fortune... 44 years ago. Hurst's 3rd goal was a screamer though. Defence to attack to almost breaking the net in about 5 seconds.
5 1/2 hours to go and I'm almost puking with nerves!
Posted in: England needs Rooney to hit form against Germany
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taiko666
... and anyway, the Japanese didn't stop using SMS; they never had it in the first place, since it's a GSM / 2G / 3G feature. The rest of the world uses SMS heavily, even for commercial services. Japan doesn't, because it's an isolated mobile backwater.
Posted in: New iPhone arrives
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taiko666
People around the world use SMS as opposed to e-mail because it's cheaper and faster. And you can be sure that sending an SMS to a mobile phone number will work. Except in Japan of course.
Posted in: New iPhone arrives
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taiko666
@grafton
The UK goes further: you can actually suspend your UK citizenship for up to 6 months solely in order to obtain a passport from a 1-passport country like Japan.
Posted in: Japan weighs up whether to give foreign residents the vote
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taiko666
Japan still hasn't got SMS working properly between its major carriers. As a said, a backwater.
Posted in: New iPhone arrives
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taiko666
While it's probably a bit dodgy for a US citizen to try to possess a J passport (the US would probably grass you up) the UK actually operates a scheme specifically designed to sidestep restrictions imposed by countries like Japan.
Posted in: Japan weighs up whether to give foreign residents the vote
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taiko666
I agree that Apple products have snob value, and I think that many Apple fans are semi-religious fanatics, but the iPhone is way ahead of 'standard', staid keitais (the ones into which people are gazing cross-eyed as they bump into you in the street.) Then again, so are Android phones and Nokias (not that you can buy Nokias in Japan any more.) J-phones were ahead of their time 10 years ago, now they're a backwater.
Posted in: New iPhone arrives
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taiko666
@OssanAmerica
Disregarding all your insults, which also seem par for the course, we're not debating the IWC proposal here, we're debating Japan's sleaze as reported in the article. You still unable to criticize this sleaze, stating instead that it was copied from other IWC members. So, it's copycat sleaze? Guess that makes it ok then.
BTW, your understanding of blackmail seems to be a little askew.
Posted in: Japan bribed small nations with cash, call girls to get whaling vote: Sunday Times
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taiko666
@OssanAmerica
It seems you're not particularly angry about Japan's underhand and sleazy schemes. However, you are indignant that somebody has reported them. I would think this is a pretty common stance in the pro-"scientific whaling" camp.
Posted in: Japan bribed small nations with cash, call girls to get whaling vote: Sunday Times
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taiko666
Japan's pop. is 128m. Current World Champions are Italy, pop. 57m
They came 8th, which isn't bad at all. Great Britain came 4th with nearly double Japan's medal haul but less than half Japan's population. Size really doesn't matter...
Posted in: World Cup probably already over for Japan