JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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1
Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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2
Confrontation
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3
U.S. Navy investigating how parts fell off aircraft near Atsugi
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4
California court to decide if SeaWorld whales are illegal 'slaves'
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5
Kuroki reported pregnant 2 weeks after denying relationship with Akanishi
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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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- Assistant Language Teacher - Kanagawa Prefecture - late-March start
- Interac, Kanagawa
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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westurn
Cleo... I thought with all the time you spent posting here at Japantoday that you would at least be aware of the headlines... which read:
-Butter supplies running short at supermarkets; price hikes planned Sunday 06th April
-Japan running short of butter Friday 02nd May
-Calpis to raise butter prices Wednesday 26th March,
-Japan to import 5,000 tons of butter over fear of shortage Thursday 26th June,
But hey, if you insist there's lots of butter out there... who am I, and Japantoday, to quibble !
And prices ? For the small box of Hokkaido butter... 458 yen ! As for changing my shopping districts... you realize it costs bus and train fare to do that ! I think Carrefour learned the hard way, folks aint gonna travel an hour by train to save 30 yen on milk ! best brush up on your Econ 101 Cleo !
Posted in: Tokyo 2nd most expensive city for expats after Moscow
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westurn
freakashow cracks me up ! he starts out with this...
"Westurn's facts are obviously off" and ends with this...
"For better quality ramen? 750-900 yen."
Hmm, isn't that what I said ??? I mean how far "off" am I ?
On dogs he asks...
"Why a west coast hot dog?" I dunno... why not !
"Your $2.18 dog couldn't even begin to fill up the average salaryman"
I dunno, filled me up, but then again I'm an American... can't compete with them metabolic salarymen I'll give you that !
but fyi... A 7/11 dog with all the trimmings including chili, cheese, kraut etc... just over $2 ! I was in Ueno station tonight... crummy dog runs ya almost $5 ! And for an extra 60 cents I can get a large drink stateside ! There ya go, a drink and a dog with all the trimmings or... a puny bite sized dried bun dog from downtown tokyo for twice the price... gee mensa, which you gonna choose ?
Now look at this deception from freakashow...
"Uh, yeah, but on "tightwad" couples day, ladies day, and the first of every month, it's 1000 yen ($9.00). In New York, $10 for the price of a movie (and that was back in 2003)."
Lemme see, yer actually comparing the "specials" with the everyday prices ??? Hmmm, you best concede that point ! Hell specials in the states go from $1.50 kiddie matinees to $3 Tue/wed night specials !!!
And this ???
"You obviously don't know how to shop, do you? The local sake shop I go to sells a tall can of Asahi for 149 yen."
Wow, at the current exchange rate thats a $1.40 !!! I can get two quality cans of beer sateside for that... 3-4 if its the same quality as Asahi !!!
and finally... for the math challenged out there...
"uh, where the hell did you get $20? Last I heard, the dollar was trading at 104, so that would mean 1800 yen is roughly 17 dollars!"
And today it's trading at 107 ! so... thats $16 and 80 cents... for a regular ticket... but if ya want the reserved... gonna cost ya more bucky ! Yep, bend over one more time !!!
freakashow, kwabish, zenbuilder et al... get real ! There's a reason why this article continues to get recycled every 6 months... its a fact ! Japan is expensive ! Damn expensive ! Because markets are closed to free trade ! Japan is run by powerful lobby groups that scandalously work together to keep out foreign competition ! Cartels, kickbacks, media campaigns against foreign products... you think its all coincidence ??? Bwahahaha !
Posted in: Tokyo 2nd most expensive city for expats after Moscow
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westurn
Now for roomtemp...
"I'll have oishii Aussie beef. Available everywhere at cheap prices. Keep the arrogant US beef to yourself!!"
Arrogant beef ??? I dear say could you explain that tantrum to the rest of us ?
"Butter, you say? What about it? My supermarket is loaded with it. So, what are you trying to say with "butter"?
Butter has been missing from the shelves of Japanese supermarkets for months now ! And when it does appear... almost 480 yen for a small cube... thats almost $4.50 US for a cube !!! Why hasn't Japan opened its doors to importing this product from other nations that can offer it cheaper and more efficiently ??? Becasue ??? The markets are closed ! And... the customer gets screwed in the end ! thats why, as this article states Tokyo Japan is, once again, in the top 3 of the worlds most expensive cities... why the Euro crowd can't understand this seems to reflect on a poor education or lack of common sense. Which is it ? I mean the numbers are pretty clear here in this article... and the hundreds before it stating how expensive Japanese cities are ! Year after year the same thing ... Japanese cities rank in the top 3 as most expensive !
Posted in: Tokyo 2nd most expensive city for expats after Moscow
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westurn
This idea sucks rocks ! Why punish the workers, many of whom would gladly do dispatch work for a few weeks or so ? This is not the solution ! The solution is to simply uphold the law that clearly states that anyone dispatched to the same place/position for more than a year must be hired on as a full time employee ! In short, if the company likes your work ethic... they should offer you a job !
Posted in: Gov't eyes banning dispatch of temp staff for jobs of 30 days or less
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westurn
Face it... Sushi is bad for the environment and should be banned !
Posted in: Japanese sushi rage threatens Mediterranean tuna
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westurn
Looks like the Euro Japan apologists are out in full force...
Roomtemp writes: "Opened markets...closed markets....BS!!!"
Hmmm, not BS... explains why Japanese rice prices are 10x's the world average ! Ever try to get oishii American beef ? How about some butter !
Zenbuilder chimes in: "You need to compare prices vs income(ie percentages not figures). Salaries are adjusted."
Wrong again bucko ! You need to compare prices in terms of "purchasing power" !!! Just exactly how much does your salary purchase is a better key to understanding "expensive versus inexpensive". And by this scale... as you can see by this article.... Japan is expensive ! Your ol mighty yen in Japan just doesn't buy as much as the ol mighty dollar does in the USA !!!
Zenbuilder then goes on with this nonsense, or should I say "zenbuilder logic"... "There is NO WAY that an imported item will cost the same as in its origin country even with open-markets, etc. The profit margin just isn't there."
Hmmm, so why does a large can of Kirin beer sell for $2.18 at Uwajima on the west coast and almost 500 yen here in Nippon ??? Dumping maybe ??? Wouldn't be the first time for Japan ! Actually Uwajima is an interesting store... they mark everything up, all the imports from Japan, across the board a mere $1.00 ! Now Japan ??? Ever try to get a magazine from the states here ??? Double the price ! Why ??? It's just a magazine ! Because kiddies... Japan's markets are not open to free trade ! America is ! Which is why we shop on-line at Amazon !
And poor kwabish... sucked into a discusion way too deep to handle... get out mate yer drownin here !
"K" writes..."Ah... open markets...That must be why cigarettes costs $8 a pack in New York"
Uhhh, no kwabish... cigarettes are expensive as they are taxed to the hilt ! Interestingly enough America is so open you can pretty much get any kind of cigarette you want from almost anywhere on the planet in NY !
And this kwabish ... speaks volumes !
"I don't mind paying a little extra in Japan for the reserved seats as opposed to the non-reserved system in the States..."
"Reserbed seats for a movie ??? Care to explain why they have such a system here in Japan ? Never mind... I will ! In Japan it is common to "oversell" the theatre. And in some cases you have to either stand in the aisle to watch or wait by the door till the movie has ended and then rush and fight your way to a seat... I'm speaking from experience now ! I can't believe they "oversell" the seats ! It's a fire danger in most first world countries but Japan... thank god for reserved seating heh ! And at almost $20 bucks a ticket... by god there better be a seat available !!! "Reserved seating" for a movie ??? Bwahaha !!!
Final note to the above posters who consistently post during late hours of the night here in Japan. If you don't live in Japan and suffer from it's poor quality of life, please don't try to lecture us about how wonderful it is or try to tell us "other parts of the world" are the same ! We know better !!!
Posted in: Tokyo 2nd most expensive city for expats after Moscow
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westurn
"don't expect to see same prices around the world as in the US. Clear?"
Very Clear ! The US system of open markets, efficient distribution networks, and free trade are the envy of the planet ! Why is pointing this out such a problem for roomtemp ? Tokyo ??? 2nd most expensive for many reasons... the main being closed markets and unfair trading practices, plain and simple !!!
Posted in: Tokyo 2nd most expensive city for expats after Moscow
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westurn
"Americans constitute 5% of the world's population but consume 24% of the world's energy."
Which produces vasts amounts of food to be shipped to poor nations around the world thus reducing starvation and mass food shortages on a yearly basis. And when America sets aside just a few thousand acres for biofules, and interupts this food supply... boy you outta hear the Europeans whine !
The rest of your post, and numbers especially, are absolute rubbish Tigris. I hope to god you don't believe any of that crap. I mean, just who exactly was collecting this data, and how ? And are the same standards applied around the world ? You'd be surprised at how many nations openly admited their co2 numbers were fudged during the run-up to the kyoto protocol ! Having lived in Japan for numerous years I can assure you I've never seen such a wasteful nation... yet they avoid the scrutiny and brow beating so rightly deserved year after year ! Carbon footprinting ??? WTF !
Posted in: America is the most selfish country.
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westurn
More confusion for poor roomtemp...
"A can of Budweiser on the West Coast costs you about 95 cents, right? So it should cost the same in Tokyo....right?"
The same ? No... but twice the price ??? You be gettin' price gouged ! What happened to all that price defla we been hearin about ? And isn't the dollar pegged at almost 104 yen to the dollar... almost even ? But thats all moot cause everyone will tell you, alcoholic drinks are expensive in Japan because of the taxes levied ! Pretty plain and simple ! Beer is a luxury item here in Japan... a simple thing in life in the US... now which would you prefer ?
Posted in: Tokyo 2nd most expensive city for expats after Moscow
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westurn
Typical roomtemp, kickin', spittin' and clenchin' those toofers to the grinding point ! Bwahaha ! Listen up Euro... you about to get worked again !
"Everything in Japan is expensive BECAUSE it's all cheaper in the US?? So...the US sets the standards..right?"
Ummm roomtemp... did you even read this article ??? If you had then you would have realized that it was not me who or the US that sets the standards at all. Here, lemme help ya...
"The weakening dollar has a key impact on costs for expatriate staff, making American cities comparatively cheap for non-Americans while U.S. executives sent abroad by their firms face huge bills in dollar terms."
Now roomtemp, when you throw in the fact that the US has the worlds most open markets and ranked once again #1 in terms of international competitiveness... well, it all makes sense ! At least for some of us ! Bwahaha !
Posted in: Tokyo 2nd most expensive city for expats after Moscow
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westurn
Mikejb... puleeze !
"Their problem is that over 90% don't own a passport and have no experience of the rest of the world and other cultures."
WTF is this "uneducated" nonsense about ? First Mikey whether or not you have a passport is hardly indicative of how selfish or unselfish one might be. As I mentioned before Americans were directly responsible for 60% of the worlds donations last year ! And thats what is measurable ! Americans are known to actively donate their time, skills, and knowledge in thousands of hours of volunteer work every year... and none of it has any monetary value and is not measured in actual financial terms !
Second, I don't know where that hogwash about passports comes from but I will tell you this.. there are over a million US service personnel stationed overseas, they all have passports ! There are more than 50 million current residents in the US brn outside of its shores, they all got passports ! Millions of Americans visit their international neighbours to the north and south every year... so what if you don't need a passport to get there ! Americans are not like Europeans. When we drive 6 hours in any direction we're usually in the same country !!! Europeans make me laugh with their haughty attitudes about internationalization ! Hey.. if you all were so internationalized, why can't you make the European Union work ???
Posted in: America is the most selfish country.
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westurn
"The television said the 29 were hanged at dawn inside the notorious Evin prison, north of the capital Tehran. The broadcast said the convicts included those found guilty of murder, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking. The hangings were carried out at 5:10 a.m., after the death verdicts were ratified by the country’s Supreme Court, the report said."
Good for Iran ! Nothing wrong with ridding your nation of convicted felons, murderers, and rapists ! But alas... what would Mohammad say ?
Posted in: Iran hangs 29 convicted of rape, drug trafficking, murder
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westurn
Cartman, well said...
"And for JapanToday to flash such a misleading headline, should bring the shame of a thousand cowards upon them. Anyone who studies the Kyoto's protocols without just a knee jerk reaction will see how it punishes larger, industrialized nations like the US and China, while giving a blank pollution check to "emerging filth perpetuators like India and other not-so-third-world countries."
Not to mention that the vast majority of nations that did sign on have failed miserably in their attempts to fulfill their Kyoto Protocol obligations... including Japan !!! Ishihara should hold his tongue and reserve his criticism for his own nation. Once again he comes off sounding like the racist biggot he is... and where is the national outcry from local citizens ? Is it common for political figures to openly stereotype whole nations like he has here ??? I think not ! And the blaring fact that Americans provide as much as 60% of the worlds charitable donations simply flys in the face of this morons comments... screw him !
Posted in: America is the most selfish country.
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westurn
Nice to see them consuming the watermelon instead of just busting it open with a stick and letting it rot like they do on the beaches here in Japan. I guess its some kind of "pinata" game, whatever the case it's extremely wasteful... so this is a pleasant surprise for me.
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westurn
A bowl of Ramen in Tokyo ??? 700-900 yen ($6.80-$8.80) ! A west coast hot dog ? $2.18 !!!
Cost of a movie in Tokyo 1800 yen ($17.00) ! Cost of a ticket on the West Coast, varies... tightwad tuesday ? $3.00 ! Otherwise, $6.00-$7.00 !
Beer ??? Hell a Budweiser goes for $1.89 a can in Tokyo !!! I get em for half that price on the west coast !
Sorry... but Japan remains ridiculously expensive... and it doesn't need to be so ! if they would just open their markets to free and unfettered trade ! But as is... apples at 189 yen each ($1.70) !!! Or 6 slices of bread for 178 yen ($1.60) ??? I get 20 slices for that price !
Oh and Sarge..."Foreigners who don't think twice about spending 400 yen for a frappachino"
Actually, it's McDonalds coffe at 100 yen a shot that outsells the competition in Japan... BTW, whatever happened to starbucks big $1.00 coffee campaign ?
Posted in: Tokyo 2nd most expensive city for expats after Moscow
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westurn
Wonderful event that is totally ruined by holding it in the hottest, muggiest, stinkiest (just get a whiff of the locals around you, you'll know what I mean), most unbearable conditions known to mankind. And whats even more bizarre... if you ask the average Japanese about these fireworks festivals... they'll say the same thing... too damn hot and crowded ! Fortunately I saw a wonderful display already this year. Outdoors, clear sky, cool weather, from the comfort of my blanket with a chilled wine... in America !!! Great 4th of July !
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westurn
"GM needs to worry about making profits before worrying about how many cars Toyota sells."
Hmmm, being at the top as numero uno for 77 years running leads this cowboy to believe GM doesn't really have much to worry about. So what if they slip a quarter or two, hell even lose the coveted number one slot for the year.. you can't win-em-all all the time ! And looking at fuel prices... they may not want to compete to be number one anymore ! That market is about to be obliterated !
Posted in: Toyota overtakes GM in Jan-June global sales
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westurn
Wrong Larquero... and Sarge for that matter !
According to Wikipedia:
"Worldwide, baseball is estimated to be the seventh most popular sport, behind Association football (soccer), cricket, field hockey, tennis, volleyball and table tennis."
Imagine that... top 10 !
Posted in: Japan, US and Cuba chase baseball gold in likely Olympic farewell
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westurn
Who writes this crap ???
"World Baseball Classic winner Japan, defending Olympic champion Cuba and a talented U.S. squad lead the chase for baseball gold at Beijing in what looks to be the sport’s Olympic farewell."
A talented US Squad ??? Try reigning world cup champions, having defeated the Cubans 6-3 last November in the "International Baseball Federation Baseball World Cup held in Taiwan from November 6 through November 18, 2007." !!!
And lets not forget July 13th 2008 !
"Cal State Fullerton's Jared Clark homered in the top of the sixth to break a 1-1 tie as the U.S. national team defeated Cuba 4-1 today in the championship game of the 24th Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands.
The U.S. improved to 14-0 on the 2008 tour and finished 7-0 in the Haarlem Baseball Week.
The Cuban team is the same team, minus one player, that won the silver medal in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and the gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics. It also is the same team that will compete in the Beijing Games.
Today's victory marked the first time, according to the USA Baseball, that a U.S. collegiate national team defeated the Cuban Olympic team in a tournament title game. The Americans also beat Cuba 1-0 last Sunday."
Thats the college kids ! Bwahaha ! Good Luck USA, it should be a great tourney !
Posted in: Japan, US and Cuba chase baseball gold in likely Olympic farewell
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westurn
Calicocat... actually the story I'm quoting is off the AP news wire. This other mess was nicked of Kyodo !
Moderator: This story is in fact from the Associated Press.
Posted in: Toyota overtakes GM in Jan-June global sales