Japan's topics - tribe.net

I love Japan, but...

purrverse — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 19:11:20 GMT

...I feel really frustrated with the dolphin/whale slaughtering that goes on.
Is there outcry going on over there? Protests? Organizations one could support, or people to write to?
Is there much outcry here?
I mean, some of the whale species who get hunted for "science" are about to go extinct.
I'm not a crazy PETA type, but I am conscious of eating sustainably and humanely. How can I support the efforts in Japan to do the same thing?

(this is brought about by http://www.glumbert.com/media/dolphin, which I'm having a hard time even watching).

posted in Japan - 23 replies

Questions from a visitor

imagebliss — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:07:53 GMT

Hello everyone my wife & I are planning to visit Tokyo this summer.
I have 3 questions I am hoping you can answer.

1) From June onwards what weeks are the best for sunny weather in Tokyo?
Or what weeks should I avoid for rain?

2) What's the best priced airline to Tokyo from USA- Los Angeles to be exact?

3) What's the best priced Hostel in Shibuya or Shinjuku for people in their 40's?

THANKS!

posted in Japan - 5 replies

hi from a newbie

stefsvoice — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:57:26 GMT

I love Japan - having studied Japanese for about 9 years and visited seversl time. I am very happy to have found this group.

Take care all!

:D
stefania

posted in Japan - 0 replies

Abduction is Abduction

db — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:06:57 GMT

PLEASE WATCH

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ko_o6Qm98QM

posted in Japan - 0 replies

Japan appoints cartoon ambassador

Moriji — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:11:37 GMT

TOKYO - Japan has created an unusual government post to promote animation, and named a perfect figure Wednesday to the position: a popular cartoon robot cat named Doraemon.

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura appointed the cat an "anime ambassador," handing a human-sized Doraemon doll an official certificate at an inauguration ceremony, along with dozens of "dorayaki" red bean pancakes — his favorite dessert — piled on a huge plate.

Komura told the doll, with an unidentified person inside, that he hoped he would widely promote Japanese animated cartoons, or "anime."

"Doraemon, I hope you will travel around the world as an anime ambassador to deepen people's understanding of Japan so they will become friends with Japan," Komura told the blue-and-white cat.

The appointment is part of Japan's recent effort to harness the power of pop culture in diplomacy. Japan also created an International Manga Award last year under comic enthusiast former Foreign Minister Taro Aso, who likened it to a "Nobel Prize" for an artist working abroad.

Manga, the name used for Japanese-syle comic books, often combine complex stories with drawing styles that differ from their overseas superhero counterparts, particularly in their emphasis on cuteness.

This year, the ministry plans to arrange showings of a Doraemon film in Singapore, China, Spain, France, and at other Japanese diplomatic missions around the world.

Doraemon — through voice actress Wasabi Mizuta, who spoke from behind a sliding paper screen — promised Komura that "through my cartoons, I hope to convey to people abroad what ordinary Japanese people think, our lifestyles and what kind of future we want to build."

Created by cartoonist Fujiko F. Fujio, Doraemon is a Japanese cultural icon and is popular around the world, especially in Asia. The robotic cat travels back in time from the 22nd century and uses gadgets such as a "time machine" and an "anywhere door" that come out of a fourth-dimensional pocket on his stomach to help his friends, allowing them to travel anywhere and to any time they wish.

Astro Boy, another cartoon icon, was named last November as ambassador for overseas safety.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080319/ap_on_fe_st/odd_japan_cartoon_ambassador

posted in Japan - 0 replies

I'm still bored

Sayari — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:29:01 GMT

I'm bored to tears here in the middle of nowhere, WV, what's going on in Japan?

posted in Japan - 0 replies

Business networking and Events

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:09:19 GMT

i would like to invite my Tribe network to join me on www.connectture.com - its a social business network based in Europe with a growing base of users from all over the world. Easy way of keeping track of your Business Network.

Cheers

Sarah

posted in Japan - 0 replies

ONSEN FUN

88Esq — Thu, 19 Feb 2004 07:57:06 GMT

Hey, who loves onsen ryoukou? I think one of the pinnacles of my life was drinking Denshu (very fancy sake) in a private onsen in the dead of winter surrounded by snow and overlooking Fuji-san with my girlfried of the time. CHOICE.

Where is your favorite onsen or your number one onsen expereince?

posted in Japan - 15 replies

Teaching English in Japan

theInsaneMind — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:31:42 GMT

I've been researching teaching English in Japan. No teaching experience or knowledge of Japanese. Do have a BA. I've seen a few companies/programs besides NOVA for Teaching English in Japan. AEON, WinBe, and JET. Does anybody have an experience with any of these programs?

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Kyoto Hostels/Cheap Accomodations Recommendation?

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:52:43 GMT

I plan to go to Japan in October and would like to stay there for as long as my money and tourist status permit me. I am in love with Koyto. Does anyone know cheap but decent hostels/hotels in or near Koyto?

Thank you!!

posted in Japan - 10 replies

Berkeley-Sakai City's 40'th Anniversary Sister City Celebration.

Kerry — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 03:45:21 GMT

On October 19th of this year, I had the very great pleasure of attending The Berkeley-Sakai Sister City Associations 40'th anniversary banquet at the Righa Royal Hotel in SakaiCity,, Japan, located smack-dab, dead-center at the terminus of the Marinouchi subway line from the Osaka train Station.

Sakai is a justly famous, and an historically important city in th Kansai Area, (or "Kinki" area), known principally for early contact with Chinese traders in the 7th century, and later, with the Portugese in the 17th Century. Sakai was know nationwide since the midaeval period, for fine laminated steel knives, iron work, the very best samurai swords, and in ancient times, as the center of Imperial power, and the largest key-hole shaped burial mounds, (or "Kofun"), in all of Japan.

In fact the great "Nintoku Tumulus", or burial mound, a part of the great Mozu Kofun area, is symbolic of Sakai City, and has a baseline exceeding that of the Great Pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops), on the Giza plarteau, in Egypt.

Khufu, Kofun?

Hmmm...

Omoshiroii desune?

Anyway, Sakai City did us proud, they put on a huge banquet, with lots of the most delicious foofstuffs from sush i to sashimi to gyoza and Chinese food, sukiyaki to petit-fours.

What the Japanese don't know about feasting, really doesn't matter, as far as I am concerned.

I stood at a small table wirth several jolly Sakai citizens, each vying with his or her fellows to top up my beerglass, before it was 1/2 empty.

(As far as I know, most Japanese have not really discovered "microbrews", the way we have, but their mainstream brews, Kirin, Asahi, Sapporro, ansd Ebisu beers are really quite excellent.)

Then the tumblers of whiskey were sent around...

Sakai City had provided the best desserts and the best coffee for us.

Omedetto Gozaiimasu!

Kerry Drew BSA 510-677-6912

(I'd like to talk with anyone abvout Japan.) kerryika@gmail.com

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Does anyone in this tribe teach English in Japan?

Mike-108 — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 22:51:48 GMT

I´m thinking about going there to teach English, so if anyone is doing that there please let me know.

posted in Japan - 8 replies

Cost of Living-Help!

Leah — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:09:27 GMT

Hi,

My boyfriend and I are going to be studying in Japan for two months and are wondering if anyone can help us out with how with estimating about how much food and transport might be. We are staying with friends the whole time and will be living in Osaka for the most part. We are not picky eaters and will be cooking most of our meals at home (we also only spend about 75$ a week on food here in the states for the two of us). So, if anyone can give suggestions on how to eat/travel cheaply in Osaka it would be great (I know it can be done!).

Thanks

posted in Japan - 8 replies

Australian Djs in Japan

Naish — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:45:35 GMT

Hey guys, myself Naish and Dj Square eyes will be in Japan Nov 22 to Dec 3rd, we both are from Australia. We both play a mixture of progressive house, electro, and techno and have been playing for over 7 years. We both have supported international djs such as Phil K, Klauss Hill etc. Anways we both would love to play at a gig over there and we will do it for free So if anyboyd would like to have two fun loving, talented djs play, I can be reached at naishr@gmail.com

posted in Japan - 3 replies

My band is touring Japan!

treiops — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:25:21 GMT

Hey all you Progressive, Postrock, New Wave lovers! Come see my band TECHNOSTRESS play in Japan in a couple weels. We're playing Tokyo twice, Kobe, Osaka, Nagoya.

Also, hit up our Myspace page and hear some of our music. Friendify us and let us know if you like the music.

http://www.technostress.net

Cheers!

TTINLA

posted in Japan - 0 replies

Gives new meaning to "going in the car"

Moriji — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:22:49 GMT

TOKYO (Reuters) - If you're stuck in traffic when Mother Nature calls, Japan's Kaneko Sangyo Co. has developed the loo for you.

The manufacturer of plastic car accessories drew back the curtain on Tuesday on its new portable toilet for cars.

The toilet comes with a curtain large enough to conceal users and a plastic bag to collect waste.

"The commode will come in handy during major disasters such as earthquakes or when you are caught in a traffic jam," a company official told reporters, according to Kyodo News.

Japan is situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

Drivers stranded by tectonic movements or stuck in tailbacks simply assemble the cardboard toilet bowl, fit a water-absorbent sheet inside and draw round the curtain.

The product is small enough to fit inside a suitcase, the company said.

But prospective customers will have to hang on until November 15, when the firm begins selling the new product online.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=2007-10-23T153000Z_01_T58712_RTRUKOC_0_US-CAR-TOILET.xml

posted in Japan - 5 replies

Dance with fan

Istar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 11:26:04 GMT

When I saw the movie: "Memories of a Geisha", I fall in love with her ability with the fan, and I would like to see some videos of you tube or others web of this.
Can anybody help me?? Do anybody can put me the names of this videos??
Or If you know some place (in Spain better, ja ja) that teach to dance with fan...
Thanks to all.

posted in Japan - 0 replies

Finding an English-speaking conversation partner in Japan?

gibosi — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:48:14 GMT

A friend of mine, a 30-something Japanese married woman, spent four years in the US and returned to Japan earlier this year. She has become alarmed at the rate she is losing her English and would like to find an English-speaking conversation partner who lives in the Tokyo area. She lives in Tochigi-Ken. Does anyone have any suggestions I could pass along to her as to how she might find someone?

Thanks! :)

posted in Japan - 2 replies

Okinawans protest revisions to World War II history

Moriji — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:04:04 GMT

The Reverend Shigeaki Kinjo, 78 years old and in failing health, no longer wanted to talk about that fateful day 62 years ago toward the end of World War II when he beat to death his mother, younger brother and sister.

Brainwashed by Japanese Imperial Army soldiers into believing that victorious U.S. troops would rape all the local women and run over the men with their tanks, Kinjo and others in his village here in Okinawa thought that death was their only choice. A week before U.S. troops landed and initiated the Battle of Okinawa in March 1945, Japanese soldiers stationed in his village gave the men two hand grenades each, with instructions to hurl one at the Americans and then to kill themselves with the other.

Most of the grenades failed to explode. After watching a former district chief break off a tree branch and use it to kill his wife and children, Kinjo and his older brother followed suit.

"My older brother and I struck to death the mother who had given birth to us," Kinjo said in an interview at the Naha Central Church, where he is the senior minister. "I was wailing, of course. We also struck to death our younger brother and sister."

Kinjo agreed to tell his story again because the Japanese government is now denying, in new high school textbooks, that Okinawans had been coerced by Imperial Army troops into committing mass suicide.

The proposed changes to the school textbooks - the deletion of a subject, the change to the passive voice - amounted to just a couple of words among hundreds of pages.

But the seemingly minor grammatical alterations have led to swelling anger in the Okinawa islands in Japan, cresting recently in the biggest protest here in at least 35 years, stunning the Japanese government and leading some publishers to say they are ready to restore the existing passages.

For the past quarter-century, Japan's high school textbooks had included the accepted historical fact that Okinawans had been coerced into mass suicides by Imperial Army soldiers.

But six months ago, the Education Ministry said that government-endorsed textbooks would eliminate all references to Japan's soldiers. According to the revised passages, the Okinawans simply committed mass suicide or felt compelled to do so. But by whom?

"If Japanese soldiers had not been there, the mass suicides would have never occurred," said Kinjo, who said he decided not to kill himself after he saw that Japanese soldiers were not committing suicide.

The ministry said that it "is not clear that the Japanese Army coerced or ordered the mass suicides" but cited no fresh evidence to explain its change in policy. What was clear, though, was the timing of the announcement, which came a few months after the Japanese government passed a new law emphasizing "patriotism" in public schools.

In fact, for at least the past decade, nationalist scholars and politicians, including the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, had fought to cleanse textbooks of passages on crimes committed by Japanese soldiers. If the deletion of passages on wartime sex slaves or massacres angered Asian nations in recent years, this was the first time that the government's whitewashing of the past had caused this kind of anger in Japan.

Some publishers are preparing to reinstate references to the military's role in the mass suicides, according to NHK, Japan's public broadcaster. The government would then review the changes before handing out a final decision.

The uproar presents a serious challenge for the new government of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who needs Okinawa's consent to carry out the reconfiguration of U.S. military bases here. A moderate, Fukuda has signaled that he is seeking a compromise on the new textbooks, which are scheduled to go to the publishers in November and be introduced into classrooms with the start of the new school year in April.

But Fukuda is in a difficult position. Abruptly overturning the revisions would anger his party's powerful right wing; it would also belie the government's longstanding assertion that school textbooks are free of political interference.

Okinawa, which suffered the only battle on Japanese soil involving civilians during World War II, was an independent kingdom with its own culture and language until it was officially annexed by Japan in the late 19th century. During the war, Japanese soldiers distrusted Okinawans and feared that they would act as spies for the Americans.

After U.S. troops landed, Japanese soldiers expelled Okinawans from shelters and used them as human shields. Thousands are believed to have committed suicide in villages occupied by Japanese soldiers; mass suicides did not take place where there were no soldiers.

Nobuyoshi Takashima, a professor of social sciences at the University of the Ryukyus, said Tokyo's initial reaction to the textbooks deepened Okinawa's fury.

Local television stations showed how senior Okinawa politicians visiting Tokyo to protest the revisions could not get an appointment with the minister of education or even a vice minister.

Instead, they were met by midlevel education officials.

One of the visitors to Tokyo was Toshinobu Nakazato, chairman of Okinawa's assembly. Angered by the revisions, Nakazato broke a 62-year silence and talked about his own wartime experiences.

Inside a shelter where his family had sought refuge, Japanese soldiers handed his family members two poisoned rice balls and told them to give them to Nakazato's younger sister and a cousin, he said.

Instead, his family fled into the mountains, where his younger brother died.

"I'm already 70," he said in an interview, "and the memories of those over 80 are already fading. So perhaps this time was the last opportunity for us to resist."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/08/news/japan.php

posted in Japan - 1 reply

help, bad spirits (mostly funny, a little sad)

mofo — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 19:43:18 GMT

TOKYO (Reuters) - A woman invaded a sumo ring -- a sacred arena from which females are banned -- in Tokyo during a major tournament, domestic media said on Thursday, then was pulled down by a referee and one of the sport's huge wrestlers.

The middle-aged woman dashed from the side of the Kokugikan sumo stadium on Wednesday and shoved away a female security guard before rolling onto the ring just as a bout was set to begin, the Yomiuri newspaper said.

The Japan Sumo Association insisted that though the woman did enter the raised platform around the batting ring, she did not set foot on the ring, or dohyo, itself.

"It's bad for the heart," said Takamisakari, a popular wrestler who helped catch the woman, told the Sports Nippon daily. "What was the person trying to do while we were wrestling seriously?"

It was not clear why she had attempted to reach the ring during one of the sport's heavily televised six big tournaments, but she was carrying a bundle of flyers saying "help, bad spirits," Nikkan Sports daily reported.

Such an intrusion would be a severe faux pas for the ancient sport, which is so serious about keeping females out that a female governor of Osaka had to delegate prize-giving duties to a male subordinate at a 2001 tournament.

Japan's giant wrestlers battle it out in a ring with a diameter of 4.6 meters (15 feet) set in the centre of a sand stage raised around 50 centimeters (19 inches) from the ground.

Tradition forbids women from entering the ring on the grounds that it is sacred and their presence, considered unclean, would pollute it.

"It's just the way it's been from the past," an official from the sumo association said.

Women were also banned in the past from climbing mountains or entering mines in Japan.

posted in Japan - 7 replies

full moon campout on miyajima this weekend

spiraltime — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:48:33 GMT

details on the gethiroshima.com site

http://www.gethiroshima.com/en/Events/details?eventid=1077

there is a nice google maps satellite view of the beach (iri-hama) where it is happening. relatively small and mostly chill; this looks like a fun camping+musician/dj party.

i will be there with my better half shiho, i am flying out from sf to hiroshima wednesday and will be at momiji-so ryokan friday (is it worth it?) and camping on the beach saturday...

is anyone from tribe going to be there? it would be nice to connect ;)

posted in Japan - 2 replies

going to Kyoto in late Oct

Esther — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 06:50:18 GMT

I'm going to be in Kyoto at the end of October. I'm interested in finding out where people who like books hang out. Can't seem to find English bookstores in any of the guidebooks. I'll be close to the Universityif that helps.

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Shinzo Abe

Moriji — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:54:01 GMT

So I'm happy that Shinzo Abe resigned. He was a Japanese neoconservative who supported Bush's "war on terror." Now I hear he's in the hospital because of "stress." Jeez, what's going on with the LDP these days? I even hear they are thinking of bringing Koizumi back.

posted in Japan - 2 replies

visiting next week....

james — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:52:09 GMT

I'm going to be in Japan next week (20 August to 25 August). I'll be working days...but have some free evenings.

What's happening?

PS staying in Yokohama...but can easily get to Tokyo on the train.

posted in Japan - 3 replies

Tracking someone down

Johnny — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:30:44 GMT

Hello,

I'm trying to track down an old friend in
Jonan-Ku Fukuoka City.

Anyone know the best way to track someone down?
I'm currently living in the States, so i can't just go to the old address.
I know there are "find someone" sites.. but I just don't see any for Japan.

Thanks

posted in Japan - 2 replies

Earthquake

chrisgib — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:40:43 GMT

TOKYO—Japanese government officials confirmed Monday that the damage wrought on Japan's national infrastructure by the July 16th earthquake—particularly on the country's protective force field, quantum teleportation system, zero-point fusion energy broadcasting grid, and psychodynamic communications network—was severe enough to set the technologically advanced island nation back approximately 300 years to a primitive mid-22nd-century state of existence.

"Japan finds itself in crisis, with our society and culture temporarily reverting to a pre-cyberunification era," said Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, communicating non-telekinetically for the first time in his nearly 150 years of post-cryogenic life. "Though many citizens have been limited to algorithm-based emotion detection, neutron baths, speed limits below the speed of light, and other barbaric inconveniences for over a week now, I promise we will pull through."

Abe rejected persistent calls to simply reboot the damaged nation, saying that such a measure could result in the loss of vital data, such as Niigata Prefecture and sections of Mount Fuji.

The quake, which was centered in the bluefin tuna–cloning fields near the northwest city of Kashiwazaki, measured bb460.c22/k, or the rough equivalent of 6.8 on the less sophisticated Western Richter scale. It resulted in the first confirmed human or human-hybrid fatality in Japan in over 60 years, and more than 700 injuries. Citizens' protective exoskeletons reportedly remained operational through the first wave of seismic activity and three of the four aftershocks. According to first responders, injured exoskeletons were hastily repaired with antiquated third-generation nanotechnology, while subatomic robots were released into the bloodstream to fix any irregularity they could recognize.

"The earthquake destroyed our connection with the Trinity Flow, the frequency that harmonizes the...you would say, I think, 'computer'?...with the daemonetic implants in our citizens' overbrains," scientist Hiroshi Ishiguro-Prime of the TechnoDiet told Western reporters.

Teleportation of food and water remains at a standstill as technicians in Kobe continue to fix the extensive damage to the eight-million-yottabyte mainframe computer, a four-by-three-inch quantum femtoprocessor responsible for accessing and fulfilling the thoughts and desires of all Japanese.

Quake victims wander the streets in search of synthetic water and a neural implant charging station.
The United States' offer of $20 million and a shipment of steel, tractors, forklifts, and cranes was politely declined.

The prime minister said that the greatest effort would be exerted on rebuilding the Procross Buster Quasigravitic Lensing Frame, the motive force behind Japan's automated network of roads, aerobuildings, and levitation canals. The total cost of the project, the prime minister speculated, is somewhere in the ë70 trillion range, a majority of which will be underwritten by Nippon Tertius, a transubsidiary civilization in the Haltropic galaxy.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people throughout Japan continue to live in desperate circumstances. Those whose metahabitats were destroyed in the quake are being issued replacements, though citizens are expected to grow them themselves. Kyoto resident Aiko Shunji criticized the homes' reconfiguring walls and blink-controlled climate as "relics of the past" that are "barely suitable for humans, let alone for members of Japan's Glorious and Peaceful Ninth Recension."

"The older generations can talk all they want about the virtues of eating meals in pill form and taking the moving sidewalk instead of the wormhole, but this is just plain deprivation, and it sucks," Shunji, 92, said. "It doesn't help that recovery efforts have been so slow. Why is it taking so long for officials to reconnect something as basic as the Neural Net?"

Abe reassured citizens that the disaster was merely a temporary setback.

"It should only be a matter of days before the Asahi Ultima Crisis chronotriggered reversion engine is once more online," Abe said. "Citizens of Japan, I promise you: Once our folded-space-time technology is again functional, this whole earthquake will never have happened."

posted in Japan - 0 replies

where to stay and where to rock

thegoblinqueen — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 02:39:07 GMT

Hello!
I am planning a trip to Japan this summer (July) and I'm looking for places to stay. I'm planning on perusing Tokyo first, and then moving my way around if I have the means to do so.
I'm excited to experience art, anime, egl awesomeness, rad parties (with some dubstep, jungle, dancehall/reggae, dub, psychedelic, booty bass, breaks, etc.), engrish, food, and much, much more.

If any of you have been to Japan, or are in Japan, or whatnot, and can provide some suggestions, that would be awesome
I would prefer places to stay that are safe, friendly, quiet, clean, non-smoking, and affordable, as I am working on a budget.

Thanks so much for your help!

^_^

-Meghan

posted in Japan - 4 replies

Tanabata

hikaru — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:54:50 GMT

Dear friends,

What is (are) your tanabata wish(es)?

Blessings,
HIkaru

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Singing/Modeling Gigs in Japan

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:55:33 GMT

Has anyone tried to get singing gigs in Japan at some restaurants or clubs? I sing standards, torch and sultry songs and was wondering whether I could use it somehow in Japan.

Also, how difficult is it for a decent-looking white person to get modeling gigs in Japan? I am not a model in the U.S. but have heard that the market may be easier to penetrate in Japan.

posted in Japan - 3 replies

Butane tanks (small)

Soxhaya — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 08:00:00 GMT

Does anybody know whether the small, ubiquitous gas cans used here in small stoves for shabu-shabu & sukiyaki in homes, are available in the USA? I don't even know what they are called... sekiyu kan?

posted in Japan - 0 replies

Software Work in Tokyo

dr-tommy — Thu, 10 May 2007 19:11:18 GMT

I just came back from a 3 week stint in Japan and absolutely LOVED it. Seriously thinking of moving over there for a little while (6months - 2 years). I'm an Oracle applications software developer. One possibility is trying to do Oracle consulting over there, but I'd like to do something new.

Anyone have any recommendations on getting a software position in Tokyo? Also, how tough is the business culture in Japan? That's the one warning I get - it's a great place to visit, but very tough to work in. Any truth to that? Maybe if I worked for an American software company.

Thanks for any guidance... I'm just beginning my research.

--tom

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Gaijin hair opinions.

marshallelliott — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 18:22:27 GMT

I was curious from those who have been to Japan or live there: what is the image that most Japanese seem to have about foreigner's (particularly Americans) hairstyles. Does long hair elicit any type of different treatment? Dreadlocks? Beards? Any experiences?

posted in Japan - 17 replies

Man sleeps buried in lingerie

Moriji — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:39:55 GMT

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- Police found more than 8,000 pieces of women's clothing and lingerie in the home of a Japanese man who stole the items so he could sleep buried in them.

Maeyasu Kawamura, 60, was indicted for theft on Friday, police in Osaka prefecture, western Japan, said.

Police found 2,400 pieces of lingerie, 600 kimonos and 5,200 items of other clothing all piled up high in his small apartment room.

Kawamura has confessed to stealing the items, which included a wedding dress.

"He seemed to get a thrill out of sleeping covered in women's clothes," a police spokesman said. "He seemed to like the smell."

No further details were available.

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/06/01/japan.clothes.reut/index.html

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Sigh...

lx — Tue, 15 May 2007 20:23:31 GMT

Great. Just great. As if Shinzo Abe and Shintaro Ishihara weren't bad enough, now Tojo's granddaughter is running for parliament.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070515/ap_on_re_as/japan_tojo

Dear Japan - WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? I really hope we start to get some international pressure on Japan for its resurgence of nationalism and historical revisionism - this is getting out of hand.

posted in Japan - 4 replies

Report: Teen holding severed head

Moriji — Tue, 15 May 2007 04:20:28 GMT

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- A teenage boy holding a severed head appeared at a police station in northern Japan on Tuesday, saying he killed his mother, an official said.

The 17-year-old boy turned up at the police station in Aizu Wakamatsu city in Fukushima prefecture (state) Tuesday morning with the severed head, local police official Hisayoshi Watanabe said.

The boy told police officials that he killed his mother but it was not immediately clear if the head was the mother's, according to Watanabe.

No other details were immediately available, Watanabe said.

Kyodo News agency said that the boy, a high school senior, brought the head in a bag. A body without a head has been found in the boy's apartment, Kyodo said.

The incident follows a string of high-profile dismemberments in Japan.

On Monday, a severed human leg was reportedly found in a small river in central Tokyo. Kyodo said the leg was believed to be that of an adult but other details were unknown.

In January, a 32-year-old woman was arrested after she confessed to killing her husband, dismembering him with a saw and dumping body parts around Tokyo.

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/05/14/japan.boy.arrest.ap/index.html

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Hokkaido

spectral — Wed, 16 May 2007 22:51:46 GMT

Anyone spent anytime up in north of Japan in Hokkaido region?

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Arriving Today!

dr-tommy — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:27:27 GMT

... er, tomorrow, I guess.

Anyway, I'm flying from SF to Tokyo at 1:45pm today... landing sometime on Thursday, Nihon-time. I'll be traveling by myself, so if anyone has any recommendations, please let me know. First time in Japan!

I booked a room at the Sakura Hotel north of the Imperial Palace... basically, because I didn't know where else to stay, but I heard decent enough things about it.

Excited!!!

~tommy

posted in Japan - 4 replies

Finally got here!

marshallelliott — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 06:36:34 GMT

Well, I finally made it here to Japan. Already spent three days in Kyoto, which was nice, although I'm a bit fried on temple-watching (Ryoanji and Sanjusangendo were my faves...)

I love the constant exposure to new design...so many little ideas. I love the sink on top of the toilets utilizing the same water twice, the three-wheeled motorcycles, my sister's fridge with the door that can be opened from either side...

I think it's great that so many people will spend so much time looking so nice, dressing up, etc. and then plop on a goofy looking surgical mask to lower their exposure to pollen and/or prevent the spread of their illness. I was told when Sting first visited, he thought it was "good style" and put one on himself!

Now I've got a good solid month without a whole lot of itinerary, and a JR railpass. Of course, I'll have to make it to Tokyo, but some other things I'd like to do:

-visit an onsen
-see a Butoh performance
-Visit Miyazaki studio
-See the Ise shrine
-maybe Kamakura,Nara?

Otherwise, I don't have a very concrete idea for travelling. It seems that sights alone will quickly become overwhelming and cloying, returning me to the search for that which we long for the most: connection with others, a daunting task in a foreign land. Without an extensive grasp of the language, it leaves the likelihood for such a thing in the cities with English-speakers, or fellow travellers. I don't get too far with the folks here where my sister lives, Kagawa-ken on Shikoku. But then, I've got plenty of Udon to keep me company.

What do you do when travelling to prevent the decline into the numbing world of sightseeing and break through into the world of vivifying travel?

posted in Japan - 18 replies

survey - 'japanese too stressed for sex'

spiraltime — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 05:46:52 GMT

'Bad news for the nation's plunging birth rate, expert says'

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17619467/

AP story....

"TOKYO - The secret behind Japan's plunging birth rate? A record 39.7 percent of Japanese citizens ages 16-49 have not had sex for over a month —up 5 percentage points from two years ago — according to a survey published this week by the Japan Family Planning Association."

My S.O. (from Japan) has told me that there are two main reasons for the declining birthrate

1. too expensive to have kids
2. people are working too hard to enjoy that part of life... (sex. and family.)...

sad, sad. where will this country be in 20, 30 or even 50 years?

well, when i think about it, where will *everyone* be that far down the road? i don't see a 'miracle' cure for transforming economies based on never-ending growth (china, us, etc.) or fixing environmental issues.... maybe this is natural selection at work so those children won't live in a harsh world? just speculation here.

I'll leave further discussion to this tribe...

posted in Japan - 7 replies

Shibuya's 'loyal dog Hachiko' vanishes

Moriji — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 02:48:45 GMT

A team of audacious thieves, apparently disguised as a cleaning crew, made off with one of Tokyo's most famous landmarks in the early hours of Saturday.

The statue of "loyal dog Hachiko," a popular rendezvous spot on the north side of JR Shibuya Station since 1934, was reported missing shortly after dawn, when a newspaper delivery truck driver spotted the bare pedestal and notified policemen at the nearby "koban."

While police have yet to issue an official statement concerning the statue's disappearance, The Japan Times has learned the entire scene was recorded by NHK's 24-hour monitor camera affixed to the Shibuya Station building.

A network technician described what clearly appears to be a well planned caper. "Five men in khaki work duds, wearing hats, safety glasses and gauze masks, moved in about 1:43 a.m., after the trains had stopped running," said the man, who declined to give his name.

"They set up traffic cones and 'Men Working' signs, and then raised several blue vinyl work sheets around the statue. It took them about 10 minutes to get it off the pedestal.

"They put it on a hand truck and threw a drop cloth over it. On the video you can see them wheeling it toward the street before they disappear from view."

While motives for the theft are uncertain, speculation has focused on the soaring prices for copper and other metals, spurred by the construction boom in China leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The National Police Agency reported 5,701 metal thefts in 2006, with losses valued at 2 billion yen. The 198 thefts reported in Tokyo during January and February 2007 represented a fourfold jump from the same period last year.

"I'm not surprised -- nothing is sacred for these thieves," said a source in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

"They made off with 200 incense burners at a cemetery in Kanagawa and a bronze bell from a fire watchtower in Ibaraki. They'll clearly stop at nothing. I fear Hachiko might be on his way to China," he added.

As news of the theft spread, a large crowd gathered, with several teenage girls appearing close to tears. "Can't somebody do something? This is really vexing," sobbed Saitama teenager Satoko Kawasaki, who held up the image of Hachiko she had recently shot using her cell phone camera.

"Without Hachiko, Shibuya Station won't be the same any more. I might as well tell my boyfriends to meet me by the statue at Ebisu."

Shibuya's illustrious icon, a purebred Akita dog born in November 1923, was owned by Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor of agriculture who taught at the University of Tokyo Komaba Campus.

After Ueno passed away in May 1925 the dog continued to wait for him outside the station. To commemorate the animal's loyalty, sculptor Sho Ando was commissioned to produce a bronze statue, which was unveiled in April 1934 with Hachiko in attendance.

The dog expired a year later of filaria, a parasitic disease, at age 11. Its body, preserved by a taxidermist, can be viewed on the second floor of the National Museum of Science in Ueno. Ironically, Ando's original statue was also melted down for its metal during the Pacific War.

After the war a replacement was recast by Takeshi Ando, the original sculptor's son, and dedicated in August 1948.

When the plaza was extended in 1989 the statue was moved and turned facing eastward, the original direction.

Theft of the icon has spurred an international outcry. Shibuya Ward's Sister City, the Sixth Arrondissement of Paris, France, expressed its "profound sympathy" and promptly offered to cast a new replacement for "le toutou fidele," provided Shibuya agrees to accept a poodle.

Meanwhile, city authorities in Odate, Akita Prefecture -- Hachiko's birthplace -- have requested police to boost security measures for an identical statue located in front of the main station.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070401x1.html

posted in Japan - 6 replies

Nagisa Music Festival

Max — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 12:24:51 GMT

Electronic Music fans - today and tomorrow (Apr 07-08) in Tokyo (Odaiba) is the Nagisa Music Festival (http://www.nagisamusicfestival.jp). In particular, appearances by Hallucinogen (Simon Posford) and Derrick May (both Apr 08, see http://www.nagisamusicfestival.jp/english/images/timetable2007s.pdf ) should be noted. It's pretty cheap too by japanese standards - only 4000 yen :). If you are going, see you there.

posted in Japan - 0 replies

Live in Japan? Learning english? Need a Teacher?

NICKINGLISH — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:09:24 GMT

Hey my name is nick and i just move to japan 2 weeks ago and i love it here,And i from Hawaii. So the only way i can stay is teach english, or find a job to sponsor visa, or get married haha. if you guys can help me out with any of these things i would really appreciate it. I have been tutoring english students in hawaii for the past year so if you are interested please contact me my email is [email]inglish@softbank.ne.jp[/email] or call #090-8489-2423
thanks guys!!

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Cell Phones

macguys — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 21:40:48 GMT

I know that this topic has been covered before, but I have heard that things have changed recently. Is it possible for a non-resident to buy a prepaid cell phone in .jp now or are we restricted to high cost rentals?

posted in Japan - 5 replies

What's a recommended book-on-tape thing for learning Japanese?

purrverse — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 18:51:17 GMT

I'd like to start learning the language, any recommendations?

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Places in/near Tokyo for bikes and magic

macguys — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 01:40:45 GMT

I'm getting ready for a trip to Japan and would like some suggestions for parts of town or specific shops for commuter bikes, and a direction to a part of town where theatrical supplies, and especially magicians supplies can be found for sale. I'l be mostly hanging in Tokyo and Yokohama.

posted in Japan - 1 reply

"Japanese Only Signs"

jorene — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 18:43:54 GMT

I came across this website which was posted in 2002 and was wondering if this practice still exists today. Here's the link:

http://www.debito.org/misawaexclusions.html

posted in Japan - 22 replies

I WANT TO VIST JAPAN

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 19:20:52 GMT

my husband is japanese well at lease a part an i would love to vist there to learn the lang too! he is teaching me alittle bit what he remebers but i want to learn more!!! how much is it to go there?

posted in Japan - 6 replies

Japan PM war slavery denial uncovers old pain

Moriji — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:53:33 GMT

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Yasuji Kaneko, 87, still remembers the screams of the countless women he raped in China as a soldier in the Japanese imperial army in World War II.

Some were teenagers from Korea serving as sex slaves in military-run brothels. Others were women in villages he and his comrades pillaged in eastern China.

"They cried out, but it didn't matter to us whether the women lived or died," Kaneko said in an interview with The Associated Press at his Tokyo home. "We were the emperor's soldiers. Whether in military brothels or in the villages, we raped without reluctance."

Historians say some 200,000 women -- mostly from Korea and China -- served in the Japanese military brothels throughout Asia in the 1930s and 1940s. Many victims say they were kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops, and the top government spokesman acknowledged the wrongdoing in 1993.

Now some in Japan's government are questioning whether the apology was needed.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday denied women were forced into military brothels across Asia, boosting renewed efforts by right-wing politicians to push for an official revision of the apology.

"The fact is, there is no evidence to prove there was coercion," Abe said.

Abe's remarks contradicted evidence in Japanese documents unearthed in 1992 that historians said showed military authorities had a direct role in working with contractors to forcibly procure women for the brothels.

The comments were certain to rile South Korea and China, which accuse Tokyo of failing to fully atone for wartime atrocities. Abe's government has been recently working to repair relations with Seoul and Beijing.

The statement came just hours after South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun marked a national holiday honoring the anniversary of a 1919 uprising against Japanese colonial rule by urging Tokyo to come clean about its past.

" I was so young. I did not understand what had happened to me. My cries then still ring in my years. Even now, I can't sleep." - Lee Yong-soo

Roh also referred to hearings held by the U.S. House of Representatives last month on a resolution urging Japan to "apologize for and acknowledge" the imperial army's use of sex slaves during the war.

"The testimony reiterated a message that no matter how hard the Japanese try to cover the whole sky with their hand, there is no way that the international community would condone the atrocities committed during Japanese colonial rule," Roh said.

Dozens of people rallied outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to mark the anniversary, lining up dead dogs' heads on the ground with pieces of paper in their mouths listing names of Koreans who allegedly collaborated with the Japanese during its 1910-45 colonial rule. Protest organizers said the animals were slaughtered at a restaurant; dogs are regularly consumed as food in Korea.

Roh's office said late Thursday it did not immediately have a direct response to the Japanese leader's remarks. In Beijing, calls to the Chinese Foreign Ministry seeking comment on the remarks were not immediately returned.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack would not comment on Abe's statement. "I'll let the Japanese political system deal with that," he said.

Abe's comments were a reversal from the government's previous stance. In 1993, then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono apologized to the victims of sex slavery, though the statement did not meet demands by former "comfort women" that it be approved by parliament.

Two years later, the government set up a compensation fund for victims, but it was based on private donations -- not government money -- and has been criticized as a way for the government to avoid owning up to the abuse. The mandate is to expire March 31.

The sex slave question has been a cause celebre for nationalist politicians and scholars in Japan who claim the women were professional prostitutes and were not coerced into servitude by the military.

Before Abe spoke Thursday, a group of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers discussed their plans for a proposal to urge the government to water down parts of the 1993 apology and deny direct military involvement.

Nariaki Nakayama, chairman of the group of about 120 lawmakers, sought to play down the government's involvement in the brothels by saying it was similar to a school that hires a company to run its cafeteria.

"Some say it is useful to compare the brothels to college cafeterias run by private companies, who recruit their own staff, procure foodstuffs, and set prices," he said.

"Where there's demand, businesses crop up ... but to say women were forced by the Japanese military into service is off the mark," he said. "This issue must be reconsidered, based on truth ... for the sake of Japanese honor."

Sex slave victims, however, say they still suffer wounds -- physical and psychological -- from the war.

Lee Yong-soo, 78, a South Korean who was interviewed during a recent trip to Tokyo, said she was 14 when Japanese soldiers took her from her home in 1944 to work as a sex slave in Taiwan.

"The Japanese government must not run from its responsibilities," said Lee, who has long campaigned for Japanese compensation. "I want them to apologize. To admit that they took me away, when I was a little girl, to be a sex slave. To admit that history."

"I was so young. I did not understand what had happened to me," she said. "My cries then still ring in my years. Even now, I can't sleep."

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/03/03/japan.sexslaves.ap/index.html

posted in Japan - 13 replies

origiami

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 03:15:18 GMT

I was just turned onto origami artist Robert Lang, an American. Check it out:

an article:
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/070219fa_fact_orlean

his site:
http://www.langorigami.com/index.php4

I've never gotten into origami before, but this is amazing stuff.

posted in Japan - 2 replies

MySpace Faces Stiff Competition in Japan

Moriji — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 20:15:20 GMT

Anyone here on Mixi?

-----

TOKYO (AP) -- Visit Japan's top social-networking site, the 8-million-strong "Mixi," and you'll see prim, organized columns and boxes of stamp-size photos - not the flashy text and teen-magazine-like layout of its American counterpart, MySpace.com. The difference in appearance between the two online hangouts reflects a broader clash of cultures - and illustrates the challenge News Corp.'s MySpace faces as it jumps into the Japanese market.

Mixi knows how to thrive off the nation's cliquish culture so different from the aggressive me-orientation prevalent in American culture.

"MySpace is about me, me, me, and look at me and look at me and look at me," said Tony Elison, senior vice president at Viacom International Japan, which is offering its own Japanese-language social networking service here. "In Mixi, it's not all about me. It's all about us."

Mixi Inc. President Kenji Kasahara, 31, and others say the services merely reflect the cultural differences.

While self-assertion is quick and direct on MySpace, with posted profiles upfront about personal views, Japanese tend to be more reserved and prefer to gradually get to know each other.

The messages on Mixi are surprisingly positive: You look great. It's so nice seeing you. I feel the same way. Kasahara calls it a "friendly mood that values harmony."

"I feel people speak their minds on MySpace," he said. "Japanese tend to like peaceful communication. We're often told how heartwarming Mixi is."

That doesn't mean MySpace won't try to compete. Analysts say MySpace, which arrived in Japan in November, has a chance for success because of its 50-50 partnership with Japanese Internet company Softbank Corp., which owns a part of Yahoo Japan and took over Vodafone's mobile business in Japan last year.

"The key is having a viable mobile strategy for MySpace in Japan," Ko Orita, a Seattle-based advertising consultant who gives advice on U.S.-Japan partnerships in the online media industry. "MySpace's openness has a very good application if you are a musician or a filmmaker and promote your content."

MySpace allows anyone with a valid e-mail address to sign up for free accounts. By contrast, Mixi requires an introduction from someone who is already a Mixi member, a bit like winning entry to an old-style club in this society long reputed as guarded against outsiders.

That feature, designed to give a sense of security and in-group feeling, has been critical in Mixi's success among shy and conformity-driven Japanese. Mixi soundly defeats domestic social networking rivals as well as all other sites except Yahoo and Google.

Understanding Mixi's appeal is easy when you watch Jun Yamagishi, a 27-year-old salesman, during his lunch break. He connects with old friends casually and less obtrusively than with e-mail or telephone calls, which are better for more direct communication.

"It's been really easy to be able to keep in touch with all my friends," said Yamagishi, who checks Mixi every other day to see what everyone is saying. "I find Mixi really helpful, really useful for life."

Meeting friends of friends is just a click away on Mixi. Simply send a message and the person will either accept or reject it. Acceptance means Yamagishi has another friend.

The replies get forwarded to Yamagishi's cell phone through Mixi's mobile service that started in December. Yamagishi has also joined about 100 "communities," or clusters of Mixi members who gather around common interests, from orchid-growing to snowboarding.

Mixi has evolved to be first and foremost a communication tool for people who are already friends, rather than an opportunity to meet new people or to express yourself - both widespread goals on MySpace. (Smaller U.S. services such as Facebook also encourage in-group networking. Facebook has no Japanese-language version.)

Launched in 2004, Mixi arrived early and used that advantage to grow into a successful service used by one in every three Japanese in their 20s.

Kasahara dismisses MySpace's arrival with a nonchalant shrug.

"It's not going to be easy for them to increase market share in Japan," the Mixi president said in a recent interview. "This tends to be a winner-take-all market, and also-rans have a hard time. No one is going to want to join (a social-networking site) that their friends aren't in."

Kasahara says Mixi is even considering challenging MySpace's turf abroad, although he said there are now no specific plans. South Korea's Cyworld Inc. launched a U.S. version of the site in August, though its millions of users are still mostly in Asia.

Mixi is projecting 4.8 billion yen ($40 million) in sales, mostly advertising revenue, for the fiscal year through March, more than double what it made the previous year. Its initial public offering last year earned more than 6 billion yen ($50 million), catapulting Kasahara to dot-com stardom.

Fumi Yamazaki at Technorati Japan, a blogging search company, isn't too upbeat about MySpace's chances in Japan as people usually don't want to switch social-networking services.

"Mixi and MySpace may be able to appeal to different needs," she said. "But there are some hurdles MySpace needs to overcome."

Even MySpace Japan Vice President Naoko Ando acknowledged MySpace isn't about to put Mixi out of business, but she believes Japanese can use both.

Ando is hoping that Japanese may want to check out American musicians, who offer tunes, messages and virtual friendships on MySpace. The site plans to use its Softbank partnership to sign on Japanese artists.

MySpace also has strengths in video sharing. It's among the leading sites where users post video clips, but MySpace does not yet offer video sharing in its Japanese service and is trying to win over copyright protection groups here, said Softbank spokesman Takeaki Nukii. Mixi started offering video sharing earlier this month.

The look and mood of MySpace's Japanese site, however, will not differ from the American original.

MySpace claims it has drawn more than a 100 million people worldwide, including thousands of Japanese who already used MySpace in English, according to the company. Softbank declines to say how many have subscribed to the Japanese version of the site

Michiko Yoshida, who studies social networking at Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo, thinks MySpace's emphasis on self-assertion will have only niche appeal in Japan, but she also believes people may be slowly outgrowing Mixi.

"There may be a lot of information," said Yoshida. "But people are starting to realize that much of it is simply garbage."

http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/J/JAPAN_SOCIAL_NETWORKING?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

posted in Japan - 11 replies

What is Japan?

Moriji — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 04:11:36 GMT

Is Japan an Asian country? Is Japan a Western country? Is it something in between? Is it in its own category?

I've heard people talk about how there are other countries with a lot more discrimination than Japan, but should we really compare Japan with Third World countries? I think a big reason why many foreigners bring up discrimination in Japan is because they regard it as a Western country and hence compare it with other Western countries.

But maybe we need to have this clarified first. Should they be held to the same standards as other Western countries or not? I know the Japanese generally do not regard themselves as part of Asia (kinda like how the British don't consider themselves European) and see their country as something unique. But are they? Should they be treated differently?

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Kyoto ryokan / shukubo recommendations?

warabi — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:50:03 GMT

Hi there,

I'm going to Japan with my girlfriend in May and am just starting to look for accomodations in Kyoto. I've got Tokyo covered I think, since I lived there for a year...but I don't know as much as about Kyoto and would love to get some recommendations on a nice ryokan! We're also interested in shukubo accomodations as well...not really because they're cheap, just because it would be an interesting experience. So recommendations there are welcomed too!

Cheers!
Justin

posted in Japan - 0 replies

Ryu ga Gotoku - new Miike movie!

chronovore — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 01:33:30 GMT

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20070130/ryu.htm

It's going to be outrageously bad, but at least it will be intentionally outrageously bad!

posted in Japan - 1 reply

2/11 H.E.L.P. Tokyo Shelter Benefit

Eshe — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:34:35 GMT

Bwana, I hope this is ok to post here. I put it in the listings, so you can delete this one if you want. I just wanted to make sure people saw it. It's such a good cause....If you are in Tokyo, come on out and support H.E.L.P.

On Sunday February 11th, The Afet Collective will perform and donate 100% of their proceeds to V-day and HELP. DJ B Krishta will rule over the grooves. The Afet Collective are a group of professional bellydancers from around the globe who've come together in dance to make the world a better place. 'Afet' means catastrophically beautiful in Turkish.

The Afet Collective are: Anaan, Henna, Yoko, Suiren, Farasha, Ozma, and Eshe.

1500 Yen (1 drink)
Doors open at 5:30.
There will be 3 bellydancing stages honoring women from the past, present and future. Dancing starts at 6:30 and continues until 10:30.

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls.
More info @ http://www.vday.org/

Our local charity will be HELP (Housing in Emergency of Love and Peace) Asian Women's Shelter in Tokyo, which provides emergency housing relief and support to approximately two hundred needy recipients annually. Just under fifty percent of these are from Japan, the remainder being mostly from other Asian countries - essentially Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan - with some from other developing nations such as Colombia and Iran, and a handful of Western women from the US, Canada and the UK. HELP is also able to aid its residents with legal, medical and nationality problems.

HELP Asian Women's Shelter
Hyakunin-cho 2-23-5
Shinjuku-ku Tokyo Japan
Tel: 03 3368 8855 Fax: 03 3368 9791
http://web.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~thiesmey/notices.html

The Afet Collectiveのダンサー達がショーの全ての売り上げをV-dayに寄付します。

V-Day は女性と子供たちに対する暴力をなくす為のグローバルな活動です。女性の三人に一人は人生の中で暴力を経験すると言われています。V-Dayはクリエイティブなイベントを通して収益をあげ、今のアンチバイオレンス組織の精神を活性化し、認識度と高める事に務めています。The Afet Collectiveはダンスを通してこのV-Dayをサポートします。

18:30～22:30までの間に3ステージあります。過去、現在、未来の女性に敬意を表してそれぞれのステージが構成されます。

Cozmos Cafe and Bar
www.cozmoscafe.com
1-6-3 Shibuya, Tokyo
03-3407-5166

posted in Japan - 2 replies

VHS tapes to DVD ?

Eshe — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 07:52:03 GMT

Anybody know a shop(s) that do this in Tokyo or Yokohama?
Peace,
Eshe

posted in Japan - 2 replies

Moving There

DarkSunAngel — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:18:48 GMT

How difficult is it really to move and get work. Can americans get hired or must it be and american company ike in France?
I'm learning Japanese now and I'm obsessed.......advice? Oh, I'm a freelance writer but, it won't pay for Tokyo. Thanks ^_^

posted in Japan - 3 replies

Japanese clothing stores online

chrisodell — Mon, 25 Oct 2004 10:43:26 GMT

Does anyone know where I could buy Japanese style clothing either online or near San Francisco? I'm looking for more modern things too not just traditional styles. Thanks in advance.

posted in Japan - 4 replies

01-30-2007 - 'Japan's Lost Generation' SF

liabear1 — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 03:31:22 GMT

Posted: 15 Dec 2006 06:41 PM CST

Who: Michael Zielenziger, Visiting Scholar, Institute of East Asian Studies, U.C. Berkeley

Event: The world’s second-wealthiest country, Japan once seemed poised to overtake America. But its failure to recover from the economic collapse of the early 1990s was unprecedented, and today it confronts an array of disturbing social trends. In Shutting Out the Sun, Michael Zielenziger argues that Japan’s rigid, tradition-steeped society, its aversion to change, and its distrust of individuality and the expression of self are stifling economic revival, political reform, and social evolution. Giving a human face to the country’s malaise, Zielenziger explains how these constraints have driven intelligent, creative young men to become modern-day hermits. At the same time, young women, better educated than their mothers and earning high salaries, are rejecting the traditional path to marriage and motherhood, preferring to spend their money on luxury goods and travel.

When: Tuesday, January 30; Check-in: 5:30pm; Program: 6:00pm. Book signing to follow.

Where: World Affairs Council, 2nd Floor Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., San Francisco

Admission Costs: Council members: FREE; Students: $5; Non-members: $15
Info: 415-293-4600; info@wacsf.org; http://www.itsyourworld.org/

posted in Japan - 0 replies

sexual culture

adrienne — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 03:09:30 GMT

I just started to learn Japanese and am wondering if they are so polite what is their sexual culture like?
Polite in bed too or wild and "free"....

Any dating experience???
Just curious.. :)

posted in Japan - 5 replies

slang terms

Sayari — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 14:15:12 GMT

hello over there in Japan, can someone give me some fun Japanese slang words to use around here:) my hand writing and pronounciation suck so keep em simple please

posted in Japan - 20 replies

Hardboiled Haiku

Made in DNA — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 07:52:08 GMT

There seems to be a prolific amount of haiku and tanka on the other online networking communities I hang in, so I thought I would try my hand at it.... hardboiled style. Follows traditional Japanese form though.

MUZZLE FLASH BALLET
-------------------
Muzzle flash ballet

Night autumn rain and bone chill

Spilling blood my own

DANGEROUS DAMES
---------------
Expensive slim curves

Winter vixen steals my heart

Bullets and hard cash

ORIENTAL PLEASURES
------------------
Broad from overseas

Exotic Asian beauty

Sultry summer lips

posted in Japan - 1 reply

Yakushima

Yadira — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:12:17 GMT

I'm going to Yakushima over New Years and was wondering if anyone has been there, any words of advice etc? I'm staying at the Yakushima Youth Hostel (any reviews appreciated!) and will be there for a week, so I have plenty of time to explore.

posted in Japan - 0 replies

KUNLUN ANYONE???

son2k — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 06:04:28 GMT

I live in Hawaii with MAX and i was curious to know if there is any KUNLUN students here?

posted in Japan - 0 replies

Best things to do in Tokyo?

imagebliss — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 00:15:25 GMT

Ok, my wife and I are going to Tokyo May of 2007.

What are the best, coolest, and maybe overlooked
greatest things to do, see, or go to in Tokyo?

Places, neighborhoods, stores, bars & clubs, restaurants, etc.
Tell me, tell me, tell me.

Thanks!

posted in Japan - 11 replies

Queer Japan Tribe

Soxhaya — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 15:03:32 GMT

Greetings!

Anyone interested in gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans issues in Japan, check out this tribe. Places to go, experiences, tips, history, anything goes. Help start it!

http://tribes.tribe.net/queerjapan

This isn't spam, I'm sure there are a lot of members who'd find this info relevant. Peace! (^_^) V

posted in Japan - 2 replies

Japanese instruments

Sayari — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 20:19:33 GMT

I'm not sure on the spelling, but does anyone know where to get a Tako drum in America

posted in Japan - 11 replies

does anyone know...

miki79 — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 15:19:44 GMT

where i can get provolone cheese in Japan???

posted in Japan - 5 replies

KQED Forum Talk on Japan

TaroT — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 01:32:41 GMT

I thought this discussion was extremely interesting, even to a native Japanese like me.
The host Michael Krazney and an author Michael Zielenziger talk about the current
state of Japan, with a focus on "Lost Generation": what they are, why they are, what
would happen in the future.

If you are interested in the general state of Japan from foreign relations, politics and
social issues, I highly recommend checking this out:

http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R610171000

This program can be downloaded or streamed.

posted in Japan - 0 replies

shinto supplies?

Dr-Bob — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 20:25:38 GMT

Does anyone know where I can get shime nawa, rope woven of rice straw and fastened to rocks and trees inhabited by spirits in Japan?

posted in Japan - 4 replies

Hachijojima

Yadira — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 16:35:56 GMT

Has anybody travelled to Hachijojima? I have heard it is the most beautiful of the Izu Islands. How about accomodation? Anyone used the free campsite there? I can't seem to find much info on it, even on the Tourist Informatoin Centre site.

posted in Japan - 3 replies

internet password

Eshe — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 01:21:13 GMT

....just got my new asahi password it is something like "po921asshead"

Are they sending me a message or what?
Eshe
xo

posted in Japan - 2 replies

Cross-cultural flirting

Yadira — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 13:33:07 GMT

Hi! I already posted this in Flirting Shamelessly but thought it would be relevant or at least interesting to get people's perspectives here.

I have recently moved countries and have found since I have arrived in Japan, my flirting radar has been waaayyy off. I have no idea about what constitues as flirting here. Many times I have thought a Japanese guy was hitting on me when I really don't think that was the case (don't think it helps either my Japanese is close to minimal, but all these guys have spoken English so I don't feel it is such an important factor). I can (sort of) understand the argument of the 'International Language of Love', but in many ways I feel Japan has a unique culture and many things just really don't translate here. So, my questions are as follows -

1) Has anyone else experienced this 'radar scramble' when moving to or traveling in a non English-speaking country? I am really intersted in hearing about people's experiences.

2) Does anyone have any experiences relating specifically to Japanese boys or (girls)? I have spoken to a few Japanese girlfriends about dating in Japan, and compared to Western dating it is a whole other planet! I am wondering if their views are ultra convservative or just standard.

Thanks in advance for the input!

posted in Japan - 4 replies

araru daijiten

philipg — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:11:34 GMT

i will be appearing on the tv show on Sunday this weekend! They are doing a special on amazake and looked for
chefs in the US who make homeade amazake and unique things with it.
Me and my lemon amazake tart with a walnut-date-vanilla bean crust will be appearing :)
it airs on Fuji TV at 9 pm this sunday evening

phil

posted in Japan - 2 replies

Best book or CD's to learn Japanese?

imagebliss — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 01:10:35 GMT

Ok, I am going to Tokyo May of 2007.
That gives me a bit more than 6 months to get real good at the Japanese language.
Or at least to not make a fool of myself when I go (I hope.)

So, what book or CD's are excellent to learn Japanese?
Thanks!

posted in Japan - 9 replies

Which Airline has the lowest fare SF to Tokyo?

imagebliss — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 01:15:16 GMT

Hello everyone, which Airline has the lowest fare from San Francisco to Tokyo?

My wife and I want to go to Tokyo April or May 2007
and want to get the best priced airfare by buying early.

Any suggestions?
THANKS!

posted in Japan - 9 replies

Candlelight vigil to help "Save the Shimokitazawa" in Tokyo 9/23

I. — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 06:49:16 GMT

This Sunday in Shimokitazawa, a suburb of Tokyo, there is a candlelight vigil to bring attention to efforts to stop the destructon of this unique neighborhood by the construction of a large road. The Tokyo government plans to build route 54 right through the middle of this vibrant neighborhood which is home to many artists, musicians and actors. Popular opinion of the residents is in opposition to the construction of route 54 but they need your support. Many lives, business and historical structures will be destroyed by the construction of route 54. For more information please go here:

http://www.stsk.net/candle/

If you are not in Japan you can participate via google earth here (scroll down to info):

http://cfsk.exblog.jp/

and for more info on Save the Shimokitazawa go here:

http://stsk.net/en/

posted in Japan - 4 replies

Travel Channel

liabear1 — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 04:11:58 GMT

Some programing about Japan right now. This program is "Bizarre Foods:Asia" The chef just webt to a place called Asadachi", it means "morning hard-ons". He just ate a beating frog heart. Yuck.
What's the strangist food you've eaten?
For me, I guess beef tonge or uni would be it. Don't think I could eat anything still alive..ok, oysters, but it doesn't wiggle around.

posted in Japan - 14 replies

spouse visa

foolishfish — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 22:57:04 GMT

hello

i am wondering if anyone has any good sites to better understand the spouse visa for japan. Or if you have similar experience i would like to know how you went about it.

I am american and will be marrying a japanese woman (japanese citizen) although she currently is in america. she will be returning soon and i will be going as soon as i get my visa cleared so i can stay more than the 90 days.

Also is it better to get married in usa or wait til we are in japan as far as the visa issue?

ps...anyone live near kamakura? That is where we will be.

thanks

><{{{'> <'}}}.,

posted in Japan - 3 replies

help with Japanese vocabulary

Sayari — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 01:28:36 GMT

what's the term for continous improvement and how do you say it?

posted in Japan - 7 replies

swap tribe

Eshe — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:49:54 GMT

If any of you have anything to sell, trade, give away or that you'd like to buy...feel free to post here

tribes.tribe.net/japanswap

I know a lot of people get concerned over the lack of means to dispose of clothes, etc when they are here-and also a lot of people who don't want to spend a lot of money on something they may only use for a year or 2.

Cheers,
Eshe

posted in Japan - 2 replies

男です。

lx — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 16:27:04 GMT

I'm rather disappointed, really. I was looking forward to seeing Japan be forced to let a female ascend to the throne.

posted in Japan - 5 replies

orthodontics

liabear1 — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:27:48 GMT

Thinking about teaching in Japan, but I'm not sure. I need braces and I'm wondering if it would be cheaper or the same in Japan(ie Tokyo) as it is SF?
Anybody have any experience with this?

posted in Japan - 6 replies

Iseya yakitori closing (kichijouji)

I. — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 17:14:48 GMT

this is a bummer. this place is cool...

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20060916p2a00m0na023000c.html

posted in Japan - 0 replies

sumo schedule

chrisodell — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 18:28:49 GMT

Looks like I'll be in Japan probably late October or November. i wanted to see a Pride or K-1 fight but it looks like I'm SOL on that. But I like Sumo too so does anybody know how to find out what Sumo matches are going on and where?

posted in Japan - 7 replies

Izu

Eshe — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 06:05:43 GMT

Hey,

I'm heading to Izu this weekend. Any recommendations?
Thanks,
Eshe
xo

posted in Japan - 2 replies

Japanese Rice Cooker - can I use in the USA?

electrohaze — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 20:30:44 GMT

Ok, so I baught a Rice Cooker in Japan.

You may wonder why?

Many reasons; I wanted a rice cooker "made in japan," something high quality and built to last, the latest rice cooker technology... (yes, it's that crazy). and most important, I want properly cooked and tasty rice... that is kept warm, and still fresh many hours later.

---------------------------------------------------------------
JAPAN: 100 VOLTS AC
USA: 120 VOLTS AC (voltage ranges from 105 to 130 volts depending on location)

I want to use it in the USA. Voltage is higher here. I know I can plug it in, and it will WORK.

QUESTION IS, how much is the potentialy extra 30 volts of power going to effect the rice cooker? Shorten it's life? Fry it?

Who else has experience in this area? Is Japan really strictly 100 VOLTS? or does it move arround too, and it's just a secret like other things in Japan?
----------------------------------------------------------------

Any thoughts, tips, experiences would be appreacieded!

posted in Japan - 14 replies

American Dogs on Vacation

chrisodell — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 08:10:03 GMT

My wife and I will be traveling to Japan soon and we hear that taking a dog along isn't to tough these days since restrictions have been laxed. Anyone know more about how difficult it is to go from the Us to japan with a medium sized dog?

posted in Japan - 3 replies

doh! koizumi and yasukini (again!)

spiraltime — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 04:31:53 GMT

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=15

you can make some of the people happy some of the time...

i think they should make two separate shrines... but then again i am not japanese huh?

but this is just one international button that they should know better than to push, IMHO.

posted in Japan - 13 replies

Camping in Japan?

spiraltime — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 02:13:16 GMT

I will be in Hiroshima in October and am planning to go stay at the campgrounds (little summer houses actually) on Miyajima Island. Any other recommendations for places like Tottori sand dunes or Hakuba-san? The less KOA style the better...

posted in Japan - 3 replies

obon - oh no!

mofo — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 05:14:44 GMT

I totally forgot about obon. My institute is going to be closed for my last three days here. D'oh! So now I'm trying to think of what to do. I fly out of Osaka on Aug. 17. I've always wanted ot go to Koya-san. Do you think it would be fun or incredibly ill-advised to try to go during obon? Any other good ideas for what to do while I'm not working?

posted in Japan - 6 replies

Global TESOL?

jeremy_sanders — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 03:53:04 GMT

Hey guys, new here....
I've spent some time in Japan and studied the language for a while,
finally decided to look into making the move over there to teach for a year or so.

I registered with GLobal TESOL.

has anyone heard anything good or bad about this program?
it's $895 tuition (seems to be the same as oxford and others)
with guaranteed job placement,
and unlike JET, you get to pick where you end up.

Open to suggestions and feedback....
J

posted in Japan - 0 replies

Sanshin building

I. — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 04:59:25 GMT

If you're in Tokyo please stop by the New World Cafe while you still can. The historic art deco Sanshin Building is to be demolished by the mega-corporation, Mistui-Fudousan, to make way for a new headquarters for them. Seems they are in competition with Mori-san to outdo Roppongi Hills (at the expense of Tokyo's history). The New World Cafe is still open Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch. Please stop by there and support them. There's a small chance this building could be saved so please visit the building and tell as many people about it as possible.

Located near Hibiya station across from Hibiya park. Please take the Sanshin Building exit to see the building.

More information:

http://www.citta-materia.org/sanshin.php

Please sign the petition:

http://www.citta-materia.org/sanshin.php?catid=27&blogid=2

posted in Japan - 0 replies