Japanarama
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Japan
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Ops Normal, my views are appended.
1. Share a clean (furnished) unit (with another expat?)
No problem, but it will be a long way from anywhere if in Tokyo or Osaka, and the transport costs to anywhere meaningful will probably exceed the cost of moving in closer. Balancing act.
2. Drink lots of beer ?
Provided you drink it at home. Beer from the supermarket is quite reasonably priced, but from the bar quite unreasonably. In Tokyo a cheap bar will cost upwards of US$5 a jug and almost half of that will be `head` (without the `job` suffix; that`ll be another 500!!) An expensive bar will be US$20. If you want conversation from a lovely, it will be another 50.
3. Eat some cow every now and then ?
Achievable if you pick the right place, and Australian beef is reasonably plentiful and available in supermarkets at what I considered an acceptable price.
4. Go out and enjoy the nightlife at least a night a week ?
OK, but not much of it considering your other goals. Better to lure them home if you can. You could use the line that you are a great chef of Japanese cuisine, because most of them aren`t adventurous eaters...Japanese is first choice.
5. Do my job, go home, and stay out of the politics ?
Do your job and go home is an easy one. Stay out of politics not nearly so easy. You will (unknowingly) be discussed at all levels within the company.
6. Have lots of meaningful very short term relationships with the local lassies even though most western girls wouldnt piss on me if i was on fire ?
I get it...nothing serious, just deep and meaningful sex. How crass you are! Your type aren`t welcome in Japan Ops Normal. Seriously, if you like crooked teeth and legs like bent chopstix, then you could be OK in this department.
I recalled reading in Lonely Planet Japan before going there that `Japanese girls fall in love faster and deeper than those in any other country` so be prepared for some problems if you only want to wet the wick and bail out.
Ever hear the joke about the difference between a hostie and washing machine? Well a washing machine doesn`t continually `phone you after you dump a load in it. That`s no joke. It was written about Japanese hosties...so I`m told.
7. Save some money that I could send home to dear old mum ?
Forget the saving money of 3.5K a month. That is barely subsistence level in Nippon.
Thats the dream..... Is its feasible or do I need a reality check ??
Dream on. Actually, you will see from the above that some of the dream is achievable, but you`ll do it tough on that booty.
Bleep, bleep, bleep.....reality check MAY be required
Stereolab, as KM says, gomi isn`t the biggest problem, it`s the gomi nazis who are the big problem.
Low crime rate??? Certainly at a personal level it`s low. Petty crime is almost non existent; e.g., the chances of having your pockets picked, or mugged are zero, but big crime is BIG. Murders are frequent (temper that with the knowledge that this country has 125 Million sphincters walking the streets so a lot of people to murder) but I don`t know if any higher, per capita, than anywhere else on the globe.
EVERY day politicians and business leaders are indicted on SERIOUS crime charges, (embezzlement, issuing false prospectuses, publishing false company figures, fraud, etc., and all this on a bigger than grand scale, zillions of yen at a time) and this in a country where corruption oils the wheels. I think the police have a cutoff point of about a billion yen..over that and you`re in deep $hit, but under you`re OK.
Certainly suicide seems to be a LOT higher in Japan, and they recruit eachother on the net to perform group suicides. Sort of like an ad on a swingers` site.
`Attractive couple, good income, nice house, seek like minded people to top themselves Saturday night, your place or ours. Coal burner provided, but attendees must share cost of coal`. The preferred method is small coal burning heaters.
Cases of medical negligence seem to be very high there, but once again I don`t know the figures or comparisons. My view was that if I even thought I had something that may be serious, I`d be on a flight home or at least to Singapore.
Nobody has yet mentioned the sensitive topic of halitosis, or for those challenged inthe English language, dogs` breath. Japan is the halitosis capital of the world. This country leads the world in dental research, (my dentist told me) but dental hygiene is a very low priority. $hit, even the people in third world countries take better care of their teeth.
I remember many years ago, in India, talking with a tooth powder salesman. Big market he said, and everybody used it, but they used water from the Ganges, so it negated the effect anyway. But they tried. In Japan, it seems they don`t.
I used to think they wore masks because they had colds and didn`t want to pass them on, but I now know it`s an attempt to shield themselves from the vile breaths of their countrymen. You don`t have to worry about farting in a train there; it`ll be disguised by the halitosis.
I believe a good part of the problem is caused by a very high protein diet, but can`t say for sure. Certainly they don`t have a lot of veg or carbs in an average meal.
And smoking!! It`s a huge problem in Japan, for non smokers atleast, and along with Italians (in Italy) are the most inconsiderate smokers in the world, but is there anything such thing as a considerate smoker? Maybe not. This no doubt contributes to the above problem. If you really like smelling like an ashtray most of the time, and one that hasn`t been emptied for a month, then go to Japan.
Recently, the first civil action for damages caused by passive smoking was successful. The plaintiff was awarded US$700 (Yep, 700, not 7,000, 70,000, or 700,000) and the judges noted that there had still been no definite link established between passive smoking and heart/lung disease!!! Wonder if the judges were smokers and where they`ve had their heads for the past 20 years?
It`s a fact that smoking kills a person`s sense of taste, so that may explain why they`re so keen on raw fish, raw donkey, raw chicken, raw whale, raw etc..
Town Planning. It`s like theGold Coast, but much worse, sort of like, what town planning?? We had an FO who was a former architect/town planner, and if his architecture/town planning was anything like his flying, then it`s no surprise.
Houses are made of plastic...plastic, but it looks like stone, brick, weatherboard, or almost anything you want it to look like, but not much like them. For a supposedly affluent country, the standard of housing is very poor indeed.
There are a lot of third world things in Japan, a first world economy (still, in spite of theri efforts), and one of the BIG plusses is that you can drink the tap water...it`s clean.
Something positive to finish off on.
Grab a copy of Alex Kerr`s book, The Fall of Modern Japan. It tells it all.
1. Share a clean (furnished) unit (with another expat?)
No problem, but it will be a long way from anywhere if in Tokyo or Osaka, and the transport costs to anywhere meaningful will probably exceed the cost of moving in closer. Balancing act.
2. Drink lots of beer ?
Provided you drink it at home. Beer from the supermarket is quite reasonably priced, but from the bar quite unreasonably. In Tokyo a cheap bar will cost upwards of US$5 a jug and almost half of that will be `head` (without the `job` suffix; that`ll be another 500!!) An expensive bar will be US$20. If you want conversation from a lovely, it will be another 50.
3. Eat some cow every now and then ?
Achievable if you pick the right place, and Australian beef is reasonably plentiful and available in supermarkets at what I considered an acceptable price.
4. Go out and enjoy the nightlife at least a night a week ?
OK, but not much of it considering your other goals. Better to lure them home if you can. You could use the line that you are a great chef of Japanese cuisine, because most of them aren`t adventurous eaters...Japanese is first choice.
5. Do my job, go home, and stay out of the politics ?
Do your job and go home is an easy one. Stay out of politics not nearly so easy. You will (unknowingly) be discussed at all levels within the company.
6. Have lots of meaningful very short term relationships with the local lassies even though most western girls wouldnt piss on me if i was on fire ?
I get it...nothing serious, just deep and meaningful sex. How crass you are! Your type aren`t welcome in Japan Ops Normal. Seriously, if you like crooked teeth and legs like bent chopstix, then you could be OK in this department.
I recalled reading in Lonely Planet Japan before going there that `Japanese girls fall in love faster and deeper than those in any other country` so be prepared for some problems if you only want to wet the wick and bail out.
Ever hear the joke about the difference between a hostie and washing machine? Well a washing machine doesn`t continually `phone you after you dump a load in it. That`s no joke. It was written about Japanese hosties...so I`m told.
7. Save some money that I could send home to dear old mum ?
Forget the saving money of 3.5K a month. That is barely subsistence level in Nippon.
Thats the dream..... Is its feasible or do I need a reality check ??
Dream on. Actually, you will see from the above that some of the dream is achievable, but you`ll do it tough on that booty.
Bleep, bleep, bleep.....reality check MAY be required
Stereolab, as KM says, gomi isn`t the biggest problem, it`s the gomi nazis who are the big problem.
Low crime rate??? Certainly at a personal level it`s low. Petty crime is almost non existent; e.g., the chances of having your pockets picked, or mugged are zero, but big crime is BIG. Murders are frequent (temper that with the knowledge that this country has 125 Million sphincters walking the streets so a lot of people to murder) but I don`t know if any higher, per capita, than anywhere else on the globe.
EVERY day politicians and business leaders are indicted on SERIOUS crime charges, (embezzlement, issuing false prospectuses, publishing false company figures, fraud, etc., and all this on a bigger than grand scale, zillions of yen at a time) and this in a country where corruption oils the wheels. I think the police have a cutoff point of about a billion yen..over that and you`re in deep $hit, but under you`re OK.
Certainly suicide seems to be a LOT higher in Japan, and they recruit eachother on the net to perform group suicides. Sort of like an ad on a swingers` site.
`Attractive couple, good income, nice house, seek like minded people to top themselves Saturday night, your place or ours. Coal burner provided, but attendees must share cost of coal`. The preferred method is small coal burning heaters.
Cases of medical negligence seem to be very high there, but once again I don`t know the figures or comparisons. My view was that if I even thought I had something that may be serious, I`d be on a flight home or at least to Singapore.
Nobody has yet mentioned the sensitive topic of halitosis, or for those challenged inthe English language, dogs` breath. Japan is the halitosis capital of the world. This country leads the world in dental research, (my dentist told me) but dental hygiene is a very low priority. $hit, even the people in third world countries take better care of their teeth.
I remember many years ago, in India, talking with a tooth powder salesman. Big market he said, and everybody used it, but they used water from the Ganges, so it negated the effect anyway. But they tried. In Japan, it seems they don`t.
I used to think they wore masks because they had colds and didn`t want to pass them on, but I now know it`s an attempt to shield themselves from the vile breaths of their countrymen. You don`t have to worry about farting in a train there; it`ll be disguised by the halitosis.
I believe a good part of the problem is caused by a very high protein diet, but can`t say for sure. Certainly they don`t have a lot of veg or carbs in an average meal.
And smoking!! It`s a huge problem in Japan, for non smokers atleast, and along with Italians (in Italy) are the most inconsiderate smokers in the world, but is there anything such thing as a considerate smoker? Maybe not. This no doubt contributes to the above problem. If you really like smelling like an ashtray most of the time, and one that hasn`t been emptied for a month, then go to Japan.
Recently, the first civil action for damages caused by passive smoking was successful. The plaintiff was awarded US$700 (Yep, 700, not 7,000, 70,000, or 700,000) and the judges noted that there had still been no definite link established between passive smoking and heart/lung disease!!! Wonder if the judges were smokers and where they`ve had their heads for the past 20 years?
It`s a fact that smoking kills a person`s sense of taste, so that may explain why they`re so keen on raw fish, raw donkey, raw chicken, raw whale, raw etc..
Town Planning. It`s like theGold Coast, but much worse, sort of like, what town planning?? We had an FO who was a former architect/town planner, and if his architecture/town planning was anything like his flying, then it`s no surprise.
Houses are made of plastic...plastic, but it looks like stone, brick, weatherboard, or almost anything you want it to look like, but not much like them. For a supposedly affluent country, the standard of housing is very poor indeed.
There are a lot of third world things in Japan, a first world economy (still, in spite of theri efforts), and one of the BIG plusses is that you can drink the tap water...it`s clean.
Something positive to finish off on.
Grab a copy of Alex Kerr`s book, The Fall of Modern Japan. It tells it all.
Last edited by JapJok; 17th Feb 2005 at 23:05.
Moderate, Modest & Mild.
Thread Starter
I'd have to agree with JapJok, ON, if you hope to achieve some of 1-6, you can forget about sending any money home to dear old Mum on 31/2 grand/month.
The usual price for a beer is 500 yen a glass (that's close to $5), so a few hours of drinking with a young bijin
whilst trying to impress on her how lost and lonely you feel in this foreign country, is going to set you back at least $100.......$300 or $400 is not uncommon for a full night!
The Japanese ladies often undergo strange transformations though, once a male decides to give them some attention.
They suddenly change from being a girl who will sit on ONE glass of orange juice ALL night, to a dehydrated, bottomless well capable of consuming their own body weight in cocktails (at 800-900 yen....$8/9 dollars each) in an hour!!
And guess who's going to get the bill??
On the subject of teeth, it seems to me that although there are still quite a few who have some pretty ugly smiles, there is an awareness of what seems to be a Japan-wide problem, and many have undergone teeth straightening and whitening.
Perhaps, again, it's part of an old Japanese cultural tradition, when women blackened their teeth.
The women that you might find appealing, ON, may be totally UNattractive to Japanese males, who look for traditional Japanese facial features that Westerners don't.
So there you go - YOU may well find that YOU are a high demand item in Japan!!
Yes smoking is prevalent here - I was reading that 70% of Japanese males, and over 40% of Japanese women smoke. Cigarettes are relatively cheap, compared with other countries, and many restaurants make no provision for a non smoking section, so it's not unusual to be seated next to a table of smokers, who have no consideration for non-smokers....."Do you mind if I eat while you smoke??"
Actually, JJ, I am quite impressed with some of the building materials used here - it's not all plastic, much of it is a combination of compositions.
As all building specs are standard sizes here, it's not unusual to see a vacant block of land one day, and a fully completed house on it two weeks later - pretty amazing really!
But of course, NOTHING in Japan is made to last for more than about 5 years - it is obsolete and out of style by then, and houses here depreciate as they get older....like a car. So although a building might be in good repair, and look solid, it's value is far less than a comparatively new one.
As a result, older houses and buildings are regularly demolished and replaced, for no reason other than their age.
I tend to think that is why some of the very old shrines and castles are so revered - they have been LUCKY enough to have escaped this urge to continually rebuild the nest!
Hmmm, I awarded THAT title to Korea - the combination of kimchi and garlic is almost life threatening!
The usual price for a beer is 500 yen a glass (that's close to $5), so a few hours of drinking with a young bijin
whilst trying to impress on her how lost and lonely you feel in this foreign country, is going to set you back at least $100.......$300 or $400 is not uncommon for a full night!The Japanese ladies often undergo strange transformations though, once a male decides to give them some attention.
They suddenly change from being a girl who will sit on ONE glass of orange juice ALL night, to a dehydrated, bottomless well capable of consuming their own body weight in cocktails (at 800-900 yen....$8/9 dollars each) in an hour!!
And guess who's going to get the bill??
On the subject of teeth, it seems to me that although there are still quite a few who have some pretty ugly smiles, there is an awareness of what seems to be a Japan-wide problem, and many have undergone teeth straightening and whitening.
Perhaps, again, it's part of an old Japanese cultural tradition, when women blackened their teeth.
The women that you might find appealing, ON, may be totally UNattractive to Japanese males, who look for traditional Japanese facial features that Westerners don't.
So there you go - YOU may well find that YOU are a high demand item in Japan!!
Yes smoking is prevalent here - I was reading that 70% of Japanese males, and over 40% of Japanese women smoke. Cigarettes are relatively cheap, compared with other countries, and many restaurants make no provision for a non smoking section, so it's not unusual to be seated next to a table of smokers, who have no consideration for non-smokers....."Do you mind if I eat while you smoke??"
Actually, JJ, I am quite impressed with some of the building materials used here - it's not all plastic, much of it is a combination of compositions.
As all building specs are standard sizes here, it's not unusual to see a vacant block of land one day, and a fully completed house on it two weeks later - pretty amazing really!
But of course, NOTHING in Japan is made to last for more than about 5 years - it is obsolete and out of style by then, and houses here depreciate as they get older....like a car. So although a building might be in good repair, and look solid, it's value is far less than a comparatively new one.
As a result, older houses and buildings are regularly demolished and replaced, for no reason other than their age.
I tend to think that is why some of the very old shrines and castles are so revered - they have been LUCKY enough to have escaped this urge to continually rebuild the nest!
Japan is the halitosis capital of the world.
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You crack me up!!!
The Japanese ladies often undergo strange transformations though, once a male decides to give them some attention.
They suddenly change from being a girl who will sit on ONE glass of orange juice ALL night, to a dehydrated, bottomless well capable of consuming their own body weight in cocktails (at 800-900 yen....$8/9 dollars each) in an hour!!
Thats funny
They suddenly change from being a girl who will sit on ONE glass of orange juice ALL night, to a dehydrated, bottomless well capable of consuming their own body weight in cocktails (at 800-900 yen....$8/9 dollars each) in an hour!!
Thats funny
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Yep, the chicks in Japan will out drink any Frat boy from Ohio State...and that's saying a lot. They will easily outdrink any gaijin.
I agree with Japjok on the ladies. Chicks from Tokyo are PLAYERS, and they will play you like a 3 dollar fiddle...you think your the shizzle...but the cutsey girl high pitch voice and feminine demenor is deception at it's greatest. You'll get p#$$y whipped...trust me. And you'll never "go back"...
Osaka/Kansai woman are very friendly...I've been approached a couple of times in Osaka...wifey was pi$$ed.
But I do disagree on one point. The women in Tokyo are the most emaculate women in the world. They are very well dressed, thin and fit. They really focus and keeping themselves looking very pretty...and it shows. Come over to the States....you'll love the "fatties"...
As far as the "choppers" go...gen x and younger is a lot better at going to the dentist.
I agree with Japjok on the ladies. Chicks from Tokyo are PLAYERS, and they will play you like a 3 dollar fiddle...you think your the shizzle...but the cutsey girl high pitch voice and feminine demenor is deception at it's greatest. You'll get p#$$y whipped...trust me. And you'll never "go back"...
Osaka/Kansai woman are very friendly...I've been approached a couple of times in Osaka...wifey was pi$$ed.
But I do disagree on one point. The women in Tokyo are the most emaculate women in the world. They are very well dressed, thin and fit. They really focus and keeping themselves looking very pretty...and it shows. Come over to the States....you'll love the "fatties"...
As far as the "choppers" go...gen x and younger is a lot better at going to the dentist.
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Asia
I have spent a few years traveling in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok and must say the Japanese ladies are certainly a sight, but so are the Hong Kong gals and the Thai gals.
Sooooooooooooo true about getting reeled in with the charm, but hey, beats the hockey player types in the states.
Give me the sight of Asians or Colombians any day
Sooooooooooooo true about getting reeled in with the charm, but hey, beats the hockey player types in the states.
Give me the sight of Asians or Colombians any day
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Some more positives.
Anybody who likes it hot will enjoy living in Japan. They set their aircon, buildings and aircraft, at about 30 C. It feels more like 300 though when you step onto a Tokyo train from a platform that is about -10 including wind chill. Your spuds are in danger of shattering from thermal shock.
On 1st November, summer is declared to be over, and aircon in many hotels is switched off and heating on. No reverse cycle here; well maybe but they don`t admit it, and the japanese themselves never complain. As happens everywhere else in the world, there are some unseasonally hot days in winter and vice versa, so too bad.
Like all good Japanese, they believe everything their government says, and if summer is decalred over, then it is over. It doesn`t matter if there are a run of 25-30 degree days in late Novemebr/early December, the beach is deserted because summer is over.
Likewise in reverse come the end of winter.
I thought it appropriate to move on; the gomi discussion has had its run.
Anybody who likes it hot will enjoy living in Japan. They set their aircon, buildings and aircraft, at about 30 C. It feels more like 300 though when you step onto a Tokyo train from a platform that is about -10 including wind chill. Your spuds are in danger of shattering from thermal shock.
On 1st November, summer is declared to be over, and aircon in many hotels is switched off and heating on. No reverse cycle here; well maybe but they don`t admit it, and the japanese themselves never complain. As happens everywhere else in the world, there are some unseasonally hot days in winter and vice versa, so too bad.
Like all good Japanese, they believe everything their government says, and if summer is decalred over, then it is over. It doesn`t matter if there are a run of 25-30 degree days in late Novemebr/early December, the beach is deserted because summer is over.
Likewise in reverse come the end of winter.
I thought it appropriate to move on; the gomi discussion has had its run.
Moderate, Modest & Mild.
Thread Starter
What you didn't mention, JJ - but I feel sure it was inferred - was that when the aircons are switched from cooling to heating, the temps are pre-set, regardless of what the individual selected temperature in your room shows, ie. in Winter, the aircon system will deliver heat at 35 C, even if you have selected only 25 C, and in Summer, it will be pulsed through at 10 C.
It's kind of strange for a while, because in Summer, whether it's in a taxi, hotel, supermarket, or airport terminal, gaijin are donning their fleecy lined jackets. And in Winter, they are stripping down to shorts and singlets. All due to the artificial, airconditioning.
But strangely, this is NOT the case for the Japanese.
By their superior transmeditational powers, they have willed themselves to a state of higher consciousness - outside their physical anatomy - that transfers their sense of human being to one with the Overall Authority that controls their mind.
That which is pre-determined for them, MUST be RIGHT!
It's kind of strange for a while, because in Summer, whether it's in a taxi, hotel, supermarket, or airport terminal, gaijin are donning their fleecy lined jackets. And in Winter, they are stripping down to shorts and singlets. All due to the artificial, airconditioning.
But strangely, this is NOT the case for the Japanese.
By their superior transmeditational powers, they have willed themselves to a state of higher consciousness - outside their physical anatomy - that transfers their sense of human being to one with the Overall Authority that controls their mind.
That which is pre-determined for them, MUST be RIGHT!
Moderate, Modest & Mild.
Thread Starter
Just back from a few days (and nights) in 2KO, and I was shown a newsletter issued by the JAL Pilots' Union stating that 650 pilots will be retiring from JAL alone, over the next 5 years.
I imagine ANA will be in a similar predicament.
There's absolutely NO way there will be anywhere near that number of Japanese pilots available to replace those sorts of numbers, and additionally, the training system wouldn't be able to handle it even if they were......it works out at over 10 retirements per month, EVERY month, for the next 5 years!
So be prepared for some further advertising for gaijin - the first offer might not be the BEST.
I imagine ANA will be in a similar predicament.
There's absolutely NO way there will be anywhere near that number of Japanese pilots available to replace those sorts of numbers, and additionally, the training system wouldn't be able to handle it even if they were......it works out at over 10 retirements per month, EVERY month, for the next 5 years!
So be prepared for some further advertising for gaijin - the first offer might not be the BEST.
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PARC for the first time is advertising for possible A320 Japanese contracts:
www.parcaviation.aero/aviation/FlightcrewJobsDetail.asp?id=1989
I guess this will be for ANA.
www.parcaviation.aero/aviation/FlightcrewJobsDetail.asp?id=1989
I guess this will be for ANA.
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My apps are in....STILL WAITING FOR THE CALL!!!
Speaking of Japanarama....
I'm having an issue with my food being sabatoged with NATTO...I love Osaka for one reason...they hate natto...
What's up with all this snow in Tokyo?
Speaking of Japanarama....
I'm having an issue with my food being sabatoged with NATTO...I love Osaka for one reason...they hate natto...
What's up with all this snow in Tokyo?
Moderate, Modest & Mild.
Thread Starter
For those considering contracts based SOLELY on the USD, an article in the International Herald Tribune from a few days ago states in part:-
"The dollar is falling! This (Bush) administration is content to let the dollar fall and bet that the global markets will glide the greenback lower in an 'orderly' manner.
Right. Ever talk to someone who trades currencies? 'Orderly' is not always in the playbook. Many analysts believe it needs to fall another 20 percent before it stabilises, meaning a substantial and painful rise in interest rates".
I was told by a colleague, last week, that he read an article stating that the JPY (Japanese yen) could rise to as much as 85 to the USD in the near future (currently it trades around the 103-105 mark, which is a 20-30% increase in what it was 12-18 months earlier. At the commencement of my initial contract in Japan, it was trading in the 138-143 region!!)
In other words, if you are considering a contract in Japan, it would be wise to have the remuneration pegged to BOTH the USD and the JPY.
"The dollar is falling! This (Bush) administration is content to let the dollar fall and bet that the global markets will glide the greenback lower in an 'orderly' manner.
Right. Ever talk to someone who trades currencies? 'Orderly' is not always in the playbook. Many analysts believe it needs to fall another 20 percent before it stabilises, meaning a substantial and painful rise in interest rates".
I was told by a colleague, last week, that he read an article stating that the JPY (Japanese yen) could rise to as much as 85 to the USD in the near future (currently it trades around the 103-105 mark, which is a 20-30% increase in what it was 12-18 months earlier. At the commencement of my initial contract in Japan, it was trading in the 138-143 region!!)
In other words, if you are considering a contract in Japan, it would be wise to have the remuneration pegged to BOTH the USD and the JPY.
Moderate, Modest & Mild.
Thread Starter
Regardless of which part of the world one is working in (Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, or Pruneland), if you're paid in US dollars there is going to be a "link" between it and the local currency of the country in which you are spending the bulk of your income.
The drastic fall of Bush's peso, against the Japanese yen has impacted SIGNIFICANTLY on the amount of disposable income for those working in Japan, but paid in USD's.
The drastic fall of Bush's peso, against the Japanese yen has impacted SIGNIFICANTLY on the amount of disposable income for those working in Japan, but paid in USD's.
Moderate, Modest & Mild.
Thread Starter
New airport tilts towards Asia (Japan Times)
With the opening of Central Japan International Airport (Chubu airport) a couple of weeks ago, Japan’s aviation industry entered a new age. The new terminal will serve as a gateway to the 2005 World Exposition (Aichi Expo), which opened this month.
Chubu airport is a new symbol of Nagoya, a vigorous commercial and industrial region that is home to many of Japan’s representative companies, including Toyota Motor Corporation.
The sobering thought is that Chubu airport, along with Narita and Kansai airports, is beset by problems that, according to analysts, stem largely from the lack of consistency and strategy that has bedeviled the nation’s aviation policy. The primary challenge for Chubu – and for Narita and Kansai, for that matter – is to provide customer satisfaction by dint of ingenuity and resourcefulness.
Chubu airport is a 24-hour airport built on reclaimed land in Ise Bay, off Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture. It is operated by a company that is 50 percent owned by private interests and the rest by the central and local governments. The new airport, like a compact car, is said to have the minimum necessary facilities, including a 3,500 metre runway.
The Chubu airport project is an impressive example of cost reduction. The total cost has been slashed to ¥643 billion (USD 6.12 billion), down ¥125 billion from an initial estimate. Extremely low interest rates have certainly helped. More importantly, the airport company and others have tried hard to cut costs a la Toyota Motor, which is widely known for its kaizen (improvement) system for reducing costs and raising efficiency.
One result of this is a relatively low landing fee - ¥656,000 (USD6,500) for jumbo jets. That’s about 20 percent lower than Kansai, and about 30 percent lower than at Narita, whose landing fees are said to be the highest in the world. Such a drastic cut would have been impossible had the project been carried out under direct government control.
For passengers and visitors, Chubu airport offers a number of advantages. First, it is more convenient to use, not only because the gates for international and domestic flights are on the same floor, but also because the time needed to make connections is relatively short. Chubu, which provides access to 24 cities in Japan, has a more extensive network of domestic routes than Kansai and Narita. A person departing from Sendai airport, for example, early in the morning can leave for Paris from Chubu before noon.
Moreover, the terminal building features a dazzling array of commercial facilities, including Oriental and Western style malls, a huge public bath that commands a panoramic view, and a wedding hall. Parts of the terminal appear to be designed like a theme park as a way of generating more revenue.
Chubu airport also has its disadvantages: One is that, for now at least, it offers a limited number of international flights – less than 300 a week. That’s roughly 20 percent of the flights at Narita, and 40 percent of those at Kansai. Most of the flights from Chubu are bound for China and other Asian countries. As a hub airport, Chubu will need to run more international routes to the United States and Europe.
Kansai airport, located not far from Chubu airport, may be adversely affected in terms of revenue. For one thing, much of the freight now going to Kansai from the Chubu region – such as car parts – is likely to move to Chubu airport from now on. As a countermeasure, Kansai is reportedly considering cutting its landing fees drastically. That won’t be easy, given its current project to build a second runway, and he pressing need to reform its financial structure.
Narita airport, in Chiba Prefecture, has its own problems. As the largest of Japan’s international airports, it is used by 31 million people a year – nearly three times the number projected for Chubu airport. However, Narita continues to have difficulties extending its short provisional runway because of objections from adjacent landowners.
Meanwhile, Haneda airport in Tokyo will start using a fourth runway in 2009 if its expansion project is completed on schedule. As a result, the number of its domestic routes will likely increase significantly. Haneda also plans to serve international flights in Asia. That will likely put it in competition with Chubu airport. Chubu would do well to start preparing for that competition, given it heavy tilt toward Asia.
With the opening of Central Japan International Airport (Chubu airport) a couple of weeks ago, Japan’s aviation industry entered a new age. The new terminal will serve as a gateway to the 2005 World Exposition (Aichi Expo), which opened this month.
Chubu airport is a new symbol of Nagoya, a vigorous commercial and industrial region that is home to many of Japan’s representative companies, including Toyota Motor Corporation.
The sobering thought is that Chubu airport, along with Narita and Kansai airports, is beset by problems that, according to analysts, stem largely from the lack of consistency and strategy that has bedeviled the nation’s aviation policy. The primary challenge for Chubu – and for Narita and Kansai, for that matter – is to provide customer satisfaction by dint of ingenuity and resourcefulness.
Chubu airport is a 24-hour airport built on reclaimed land in Ise Bay, off Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture. It is operated by a company that is 50 percent owned by private interests and the rest by the central and local governments. The new airport, like a compact car, is said to have the minimum necessary facilities, including a 3,500 metre runway.
The Chubu airport project is an impressive example of cost reduction. The total cost has been slashed to ¥643 billion (USD 6.12 billion), down ¥125 billion from an initial estimate. Extremely low interest rates have certainly helped. More importantly, the airport company and others have tried hard to cut costs a la Toyota Motor, which is widely known for its kaizen (improvement) system for reducing costs and raising efficiency.
One result of this is a relatively low landing fee - ¥656,000 (USD6,500) for jumbo jets. That’s about 20 percent lower than Kansai, and about 30 percent lower than at Narita, whose landing fees are said to be the highest in the world. Such a drastic cut would have been impossible had the project been carried out under direct government control.
For passengers and visitors, Chubu airport offers a number of advantages. First, it is more convenient to use, not only because the gates for international and domestic flights are on the same floor, but also because the time needed to make connections is relatively short. Chubu, which provides access to 24 cities in Japan, has a more extensive network of domestic routes than Kansai and Narita. A person departing from Sendai airport, for example, early in the morning can leave for Paris from Chubu before noon.
Moreover, the terminal building features a dazzling array of commercial facilities, including Oriental and Western style malls, a huge public bath that commands a panoramic view, and a wedding hall. Parts of the terminal appear to be designed like a theme park as a way of generating more revenue.
Chubu airport also has its disadvantages: One is that, for now at least, it offers a limited number of international flights – less than 300 a week. That’s roughly 20 percent of the flights at Narita, and 40 percent of those at Kansai. Most of the flights from Chubu are bound for China and other Asian countries. As a hub airport, Chubu will need to run more international routes to the United States and Europe.
Kansai airport, located not far from Chubu airport, may be adversely affected in terms of revenue. For one thing, much of the freight now going to Kansai from the Chubu region – such as car parts – is likely to move to Chubu airport from now on. As a countermeasure, Kansai is reportedly considering cutting its landing fees drastically. That won’t be easy, given its current project to build a second runway, and he pressing need to reform its financial structure.
Narita airport, in Chiba Prefecture, has its own problems. As the largest of Japan’s international airports, it is used by 31 million people a year – nearly three times the number projected for Chubu airport. However, Narita continues to have difficulties extending its short provisional runway because of objections from adjacent landowners.
Meanwhile, Haneda airport in Tokyo will start using a fourth runway in 2009 if its expansion project is completed on schedule. As a result, the number of its domestic routes will likely increase significantly. Haneda also plans to serve international flights in Asia. That will likely put it in competition with Chubu airport. Chubu would do well to start preparing for that competition, given it heavy tilt toward Asia.
Moderate, Modest & Mild.
Thread Starter
…..and on a lighter note.
Japan lets it all hang out in the Blogosphere (Asahi Shimbun)
His wife is an untamable shrew, an oni-yome “bitch wife” in the Japanese lexicon. She takes away his salary and feeds him bread crumbs rejected by his daughter. There is seemingly no indignity she will not suffer upon the 32 year-old salaryman who goes by the name of “Kazuma”.
But this victim does not keep his misery to himself. He is one of the most popular Internet bloggers in Japan. His blog – the term originated when someone squished the words “Web” and “log” together – is a haven for thousands of male readers who write in, to say their lives are just like his.
More incredibly, he has many female fans who aspire to be just like his wife. One can only smile, imagining these harpies-in-training reading Kazuma’s blog –
“Jitsuroku Oni-yome Nikki” (True story about my bitch wife) <yugure.ameblo.jp> to pick up tips.
Indeed, Kazuma’s blog is turning into a gold mine for the henpecked husband. In only four months, he’s nabbed 1,34 million yen in awards from his blog hosting service, and last month the diary-like blog was published in book form.
As possibly the most popular whinger in Japan, he has a legion of fans, and it is not unreasonable to expect they would want a hard copy of humiliation at the hands of his fear-inducing mate.
Kazuma’s success lies in the “everyman” quality of the posts that appear on his blog. The incidents are funny precisely because so many people can relate to them. Take the day the love of his life ordered him – after he’d put in a full day at work – out into a rainstorm, on his scooter, to pick up some vegetables at a faraway discount supermarket. She’d had all day. Why didn’t she go herself? Well, as Kazuma explained on the blog, the cruel one has an aversion to shopping on cold, rainy days. Well, who doesn’t? But in her case, it’s a non-starter – she won’t budge.
Like the freezing rain, the abuse simply pours down on our pathetic hero. He’s accused of alcoholoism because he goes drinking with friends. Not because he’s not with the boys every night, or even every week. Alcoholism is defined by the woman his readers love to hate, as three or four evenings out in a year.
In my email interview with Kazuma, he said, “I was amazed to find the same kind of things were happening in many families.”
Indeed, if the responses received are any indication, there is a massive tribe of cringing hubbies out there craving sympathy with guys in similar circumstances.
Japan lets it all hang out in the Blogosphere (Asahi Shimbun)
His wife is an untamable shrew, an oni-yome “bitch wife” in the Japanese lexicon. She takes away his salary and feeds him bread crumbs rejected by his daughter. There is seemingly no indignity she will not suffer upon the 32 year-old salaryman who goes by the name of “Kazuma”.
But this victim does not keep his misery to himself. He is one of the most popular Internet bloggers in Japan. His blog – the term originated when someone squished the words “Web” and “log” together – is a haven for thousands of male readers who write in, to say their lives are just like his.
More incredibly, he has many female fans who aspire to be just like his wife. One can only smile, imagining these harpies-in-training reading Kazuma’s blog –
“Jitsuroku Oni-yome Nikki” (True story about my bitch wife) <yugure.ameblo.jp> to pick up tips.
Indeed, Kazuma’s blog is turning into a gold mine for the henpecked husband. In only four months, he’s nabbed 1,34 million yen in awards from his blog hosting service, and last month the diary-like blog was published in book form.
As possibly the most popular whinger in Japan, he has a legion of fans, and it is not unreasonable to expect they would want a hard copy of humiliation at the hands of his fear-inducing mate.
Kazuma’s success lies in the “everyman” quality of the posts that appear on his blog. The incidents are funny precisely because so many people can relate to them. Take the day the love of his life ordered him – after he’d put in a full day at work – out into a rainstorm, on his scooter, to pick up some vegetables at a faraway discount supermarket. She’d had all day. Why didn’t she go herself? Well, as Kazuma explained on the blog, the cruel one has an aversion to shopping on cold, rainy days. Well, who doesn’t? But in her case, it’s a non-starter – she won’t budge.
Like the freezing rain, the abuse simply pours down on our pathetic hero. He’s accused of alcoholoism because he goes drinking with friends. Not because he’s not with the boys every night, or even every week. Alcoholism is defined by the woman his readers love to hate, as three or four evenings out in a year.
In my email interview with Kazuma, he said, “I was amazed to find the same kind of things were happening in many families.”
Indeed, if the responses received are any indication, there is a massive tribe of cringing hubbies out there craving sympathy with guys in similar circumstances.
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The Nippon empire is up to its old tricks of stealing real estate. They are again laying claim to the Korean Island of Tokdo which lies midway between Korea and Japan in the East Sea. (Note East Sea which is the correct name it should not be called the Sea of Japan.) Korea's claim to Tokdo Island pre-dates Japan's claim by abut 400 years so it is difficult to understand the Nippon thinking. The Russians will not yield to their claims re the South Kuril Islands and the Chinese are in no mood to tolerate much more interference around the Chinese Island of Diaoyus.
They (the Nippons) should get the message that it's not as easy to geographically change history as it is to re-write historical text books.
Prince of Dzun
The Nippon empire is up to its old tricks of stealing real estate. They are again laying claim to the Korean Island of Tokdo which lies midway between Korea and Japan in the East Sea. (Note East Sea which is the correct name it should not be called the Sea of Japan.) Korea's claim to Tokdo Island pre-dates Japan's claim by abut 400 years so it is difficult to understand the Nippon thinking. The Russians will not yield to their claims re the South Kuril Islands and the Chinese are in no mood to tolerate much more interference around the Chinese Island of Diaoyus.
They (the Nippons) should get the message that it's not as easy to geographically change history as it is to re-write historical text books.
Prince of Dzun
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Last year Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi made a big deal of going to the north tip of Japan to view [ from a distance ] the four islands annexed by Russia. At the same time he announced Russian President Vladimir Putin would be visiting Japan in early 2005 and that he [ Koizumi ] would pursue the Russians for return of the islands. The latest news from the Japan Times 12 March 2005 is that President Putin is draging his feet and the Japan trip is in limbo. One critic of the Japanese government says they are making to much noise by demanding that Russia hand over the islands forthwith or at least admit Japan's sovereignty. If the Nippons think President Putin is going to hand back those four islands [ or even two of them as suggested ] then they can think again. The Russians, along with the Chinese and Koreans have long memories and Prime Minister Koizumi and his pals would do well to realise this.
Prince of Dzun.
Prince of Dzun.