The number of visits by foreign tourists to Tokyo dropped in 2009 for the first time since the Tokyo metropolitan government began compiling such data in 2004, sliding 10.8 percent to 4.76 million, a recent survey showed.
The Tokyo government's Tourism Division under the Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs attributed the decline to the economic slowdown following the global financial crisis since late 2008 and to the spread of the new H1N1 strain of influenza in the reporting year. (AP)
Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) is to launch a low cost carrier, a decision set to be formally approved at its special board meeting on Thursday, reports said.
The new budget airline, to be based at western Kansai International Airport, will start both international and domestic passenger services as early as autumn 2011.
With the budget carrier, passengers are expected to be able to fly between Kansai and Tokyo's Narita airports for around 5,000 yen (60 dollars), about a third of the shinkansen bullet train fare linking the two cities. (AFP)
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, putting aside differences over whaling, yesterday congratulated Julia Gillard on returning Labor to power.
Mr Kan and Ms Gillard spoke for 10 minutes by telephone yesterday, Japan's Foreign Ministry said.
"Prime Minister Kan congratulated Prime Minister Gillard on her reappointment as Prime Minister after her victory in one of the closest elections in Australian history," the ministry said.
Mr Kan told Ms Gillard he was looking forward to seeing her at the APEC leaders meeting in Yokohama in November. (The Australian)
Japan's ruling party kingpin Ichiro Ozawa, who is seeking to become prime minister next week, signalled Wednesday he has no plans to visit Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni war shrine.
Ozawa also said convicted World War II criminals should not be honoured at the site, which enshrines the souls of 2.5 million dead -- including 14 leading war criminals -- and is often seen as a symbol of Japan's past aggression. (AFP)
Despite recent efforts to tamp down territorial disputes, China and Japan are jostling elbows over one of their thorniest such conflicts: control of a tiny, uninhabited island chain in the East China Sea.
On Wednesday morning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry summoned Japan's ambassador for the second time in 24 hours to protest Japan's response to a Chinese fishing boat that had entered disputed waters.
On Tuesday, two Japanese naval vessels tried to intercept the Chinese boat, but the three collided. On Wednesday, the boat's captain was taken to the Japanese island of Okinawa for questioning. (New York Times)
Japan said Tuesday it plans a nationwide survey to assess the spread of an antibiotic-resistant "superbug" that surfaced in South Asia and was this week confirmed for the first time in Japan.
The bacterium carrying the New Delhi metallo-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) gene was found in a sample taken from a man in his 50s who was hospitalised with high fever for several months last year after returning from a trip to India.
Health Minister Akira Nagatsuma said the government may start a survey as early as this week of how far the new type of bug has spread, while also tightening reporting requirements on hospitals. (AFP)
With Japan's tobacco taxes scheduled to jump by 60 yen on October 1, Japanese smokers are stockpiling cigarettes. Tobacco companies and convenience stores are racing to keep up with the increased demand.
Drug stores are looking to cash in after the tax hike by expanding their lineup of smoking cessation products, while Japan Tobacco Inc. will be remodeling its products to counter any decline in sales.
Japan will raise taxes on most cigarettes brands by more than 50 percent, the largest hike ever. (nacsonline.com)
An area near Japan's famed Mt. Fuji is having increasing trouble with rowdy local inhabitants - monkeys that are stealing food and starting to attack humans.
According to Japanese news report on September 8th, 81 people have been reported being injured by an unknown number of wild monkeys in Mishima and three other nearby cities and towns in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture since August 22nd. The majority of the victims, which have included people of all ages, were bitten on the arms or legs.
Mishima had previously reported that monkeys were, most recently, causing trouble starting around June, mainly by stealing fruits and vegetables - such as bananas and corn - from local residents' houses. (examiner.com)
The yen's recent spike against the dollar has dealt a heavy blow to exporters, but the trend has provided perfect shopping incentives for women going after imported fashion-brand items. An annual special bargain began Wednesday morning at the Hanshin department store in Kita Ward, Osaka, with thousands of bags, jewelry items and accessories from top foreign fashion houses being offered at a 15 to 20 percent discount, store officials said. (Japan Times)
A Buford family is struggling to unravel the mystery of their son's death in another country 6,800 miles away. Hoon "Scott" Kang, 20, was vacationing in Tokyo with friends when he was found lying in an emergency stairwell with blood trickling from his left ear early on Aug. 27. He died three days later in a hospital, never having regained consciousness.
Japanese authorities initially concluded that he fell down the stairs accidentally. Kang's family believes he was a victim of something much more sinister. The surveillance video shows Kang in the elevator shortly after 11 p.m. with a man in a black hat. Kang gestures with both hands out, as if to say "I don't have anything," and the man appears to punch Kang in the stomach. (ajc.com)
The education ministry has decided to continue free distribution of "Eigo Noto" (English Notebook) teaching aids for primary school English classes even after fiscal 2011, although discontinuation after that time was decided in last year's budget screening, it was learned Tuesday.
Primary school English classes will be compulsory for fifth- and sixth-year students from the 2011 academic year, which starts from April next year, but it will not be regarded as a "subject" that requires student evaluations. Each school year, 35 classes are held for each grade. Eigo Noto supplements use abundant illustrations. Greetings and how to count can be learned through games and quizzes. (Yomiuri)
The āenergy scavengingā campaign has been formed by 23 Japanese companies, including bitter rivals Honda and Toyota, with the aim of filling homes, offices and cars with electronic devices that can power themselves.
As well as heat, even the smallest movements of the most determined couch potato, according to Japanese researchers, could be converted into useful energy for powering a battery-free TV remote or video games controller. (Herald Sun)
Fresh from his release in Afghanistan, freelance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka said Tuesday in Tokyo he was probably freed after five months in captivity because his abductors' demands for ransom failed. "I always spent time with them, and I didn't see any indication of success" that the militants were able to extort a payment, Tsuneoka, 41, told a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan. (Japan Times)
For decades, the model for selling luxury imported goods in Japan has been simple: plush surroundings, attentive service-and the "Japan premium." Taking advantage of the luxury-goods appetite and high incomes of Japanese consumers, foreign high-end retailers have been able to charge much more than in other markets for the same goods.
But the cozy system may be cracking, thanks in part to a surging yen - it hit a fresh 15-year-high against the dollar Tuesday - that's encouraging third-party websites to jump in with deep discounts. (Wall Street Journal)
Eri Fukatsu has won the best actress award at the 2010 Montreal World Film Festival in Canada for her performance in "Akunin" ("Villain"), directed by Lee Sang Il. Fukatsu, also known for her role as the mistress of a gang boss in the 2008 movie "The Magic Hour," became the second Japanese actress to take home the best actress trophy, after Yuko Tanaka, who won the prize in 1983 for "Amagi Goe.". (Japan Times)
There's this image that the Japanese are drop-dead, go-all-out kaimono-chudokusho (shopaholics), despite whatever the latest dreary news bulletin on the global recession says. While that may be true, it's also a fact of our collective lives that the Japanese hate spending, with every fiber of our being.
Call it the Japan paradox, or just plain perverse, but while many of us won't blink twice at buying some luxury-brand handbag - or blowing 10,000 yen on an Italian dinner, even though we're on extremely modest incomes - we're also adept at keeping our wallets tightly shut come flood or tsunami, or even the whirlwind that was Julia Roberts' first visit to Japan last month. The truth is that the Japanese are better at saving than spending - we have about 1,000 years of poverty and deprivation behind us, while the hankering to buy La Perla lingerie is less than three decades old. (Japan Times)
The combined cost of suicides and depression cases to the Japanese economy totaled 2.68 trillion yen in 2009 due to lost incomes from the deaths and social security payments necessitated by the mood disorder, the government said Tuesday.
Health minister Akira Nagatsuma released the figures at a meeting of relevant Cabinet ministers on measures to deal with suicides and depression, held at the prime minister's office, Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry officials said. Among the 32,845 people who killed themselves in 2009, about 26,500 were aged between 15 and 69, the ministry said. If these people had lived on and worked until the age of 70, they would have earned an estimated total of 1,902.8 billion yen, it said. (AP)
For decades, the standard career path in Japan was to join a company after graduation from college and to stay there until retirement - one job for life. But with salaries down more than 12 percent over the past decade and with the labor market uncertain, young, mostly single Japanese are increasingly making ends meet by working second or even third jobs.
Some deliver leaflets or work in convenience stores. Some trade foreign currencies online, while others sell items on Internet auction sites. Data released last week found that almost 56 percent of workers between 15 and 34 years old needed another form of income to help pay living expenses. (New York Times)
The government is set to introduce a new program that will encourage more students to study abroad by giving them financial assistance to stay overseas for a short period of time, it has been learned. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is launching what it has dubbed a "short visit" program from next fiscal year to boost the number of students who study abroad. In a bid to encourage more students to go abroad, the ministry will solicit students who are willing to stay overseas for a period of two weeks to three months so they can get a taste of what an overseas education is like. (Mainichi)
A Japanese journalist returned home Monday after militants in Afghanistan released him from five months in captivity.
In a series of messages from his Twitter account, freelance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka said he had thought he would be killed, and that he was not being held by the Taliban, as reported in the Japanese media. His abductors were local militants posing as Taliban to deceive the Japanese government, he wrote.
Tsuneoka's captors apparently decided to release him because he is a fellow Muslim, Japan's Kyodo news agency said. According to his personal website, Tsuneoka converted to the religion in 2000 while in Moscow. (AP)
Japan may be on a slow decline as far as being a global economic force, but the "soft power" of its modern entertainment genres, from manga to "anime," has global appeal, especially among young people. Why and how did this entertainment media thrive? How popular is it overseas? (Japan Times)
Two members of environmentalist group Greenpeace Japan were each sentenced Monday to one year in jail, suspended for three years, for stealing in 2008 a package of whale meat which a Japanese whaling ship crew member was trying to send home.
The sentence was handed down by the Aomori District Court in northeastern Japan against Junichi Sato, a 33-year-old antiwhaling campaign coordinator, and Toru Suzuki, 43. (AP)
Japan's colossal 117 trillion yen Government Pension Investment Fund is poised for an unprecedented asset sell-off.
The move comes as the country heads towards a potential retirement crisis.
Over the next few months the largest pension fund in the world will liquidate more than Y4 trillion of assets to make its required payments to pensioners as the country's army of baby boomers finally hits retirement age.
However, driven by a growing desperation to meet its payout obligations, the conservatively managed GPIF is also considering a radical change of tack.
It is studying whether it should divert at least a portion of its huge asset base towards higher-risk venture capital-style investments, unlisted companies and higher-yield infrastructure projects at home and abroad. (The Australian)
It turns out that a surprisingly high number of grade schools in Japan are serving their students more than just a well-rounded education. According to the results of a survey released today, whale meat is back on the menu at about a sixth of Japan's public elementary and junior-high schools. In recent years, the nation has stirred the ire of environmentalists for continuing to hunt whales despite a decline in the meat's popularity -- to feed their kids, apparently. (treehugger.com)
A dead body found in a sack outside a house in Tamana, Kumamoto Prefecture, was identified Monday as that of Akira Higashi, who had lived in the house and was missing for the last month, police said.
Fingerprints of the partially decomposed body - which appeared to be that of a man who died about a month ago - confirmed it was that of the 78-year-old Higashi, police said. (Japan Times)
Japan
Mont Fuji Japon
Japan is known equally as a hard working, hi-tech company obsessed with miniaturising everything and as a land of ancient temples, martial arts and origami. Whichever definition appeals to you more, you will find plenty to satisfy you, from the bustling neon capital of Tokyo to the ancient temples and shrines of Kyoto. All set against spectacular natural scenery such as Mount Fiji and bubbling volcanic hot springs. On top of all this, the Japanese people are famous for being friendly and gracious hosts, especially to hotel ists who can expect a warm welcome to one of the most interesting countries in the Far-east.
Currency: Japanese Yen. („)
Time Zone: GMT + 9
Language: Japanese
Telephone Services: Country code +81, International access code 001
Emergency Numbers: Tokyo English Life Line 3403 7106, Japan Helpline 0120 461 997
Climate
In general Japan benefits from a temperate climate with cool sunny winters and very hot summers. The most pleasant time to visit is the milder Autumn and Spring seasons. Rain can fall throughout the year but is not generally too heavy. Typhoons can occur during September or October but generally don't last for longer than a day. Okinawa has a sub-tropical climate and Hoikkaido boasts a climate similar to that of Washington with Siberian blasts blowing in during the winter providing great skiing spots. Winter can get very cold with temperatures as low as 2 degrees C and in the North temperatures can drop to below freezing.
BASIC DO'S AND DON'T'S ( adapted from Japan Made Easy, by De Mente as featured in the Travel Japan Bookstore)
DON'T:
Eat food while walking down the street.
Blow your nose in public. Sniffling is okay.
Wear shoes or slippers on tatami mats!
Give someone 4 of anything( or any number that is
"even").The Japanese word for "4" is similar to the word for death.
Smile in formal pictures.
Stick your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice.
Wear shorts to temples or shrines.
Point your feet at anyone when sitting on the
floor. Its insulting.
Be direct.
Laugh with your mouth wide open.
Do:
Slurp while eating noodles.
Give a slight bow when meeting someone who is your peer.
Give a lower bow if they are your elder or boss.
Say "susimasen" after everything you say. It is the
all-in-one politeness word, meaning "excuse me",
"thank you," "hello" etc.
Give your business card, with a slight bow, immediately
when meeting a business colleage.
Give your seat up for children on trains.
Wear skirts or long pants, especially when visiting
temples or shrines.
Give a gift when visiting a Japanese home.
Listen to what is NOT said.
Wash before you get into the tub, and save the bath water
for others.
For more basic tips, go to:
Good Manners.
GIFT GIVING:
Unless you are not meeting with anyone in Japan, be prepared to give gifts. Gifts from your home area are especially appreciated. If there is a number to the items, like candy, try to avoid even numbers, especially "4." If you are meeting with a group, bring a consumable gift so everyone can enjoy it equally and no one is left out. Tee shirts with sayings in English are very popular in Japan. Pencils or pens with company or school name would be admired and plentiful to have enough for an entire group.
GREETINGS:
While some Japanese have become somewhat accustomed to shaking hands, it is still awkward for most. It is best to bow slightly when greeting someone. The lower the bow the more respect. If you are meeting someone for work-related business purposes, it's important to have a business card, preferably with a Japanese translation on one side. After bowing, with respect, extend an immaculate business card from a business card holder, preferably in a breast pocket or purse. When receiving a business card, admire it for a moment and keep it out to refer to. Don't fold it, write on it, or stuff it in a pocket. See this site for further information:
Bowing.
Visitors bowing before entering a temple.
SHRINES: Just a reminder: when visiting these beautiful shrines, please remember they are sacred--be respectful and wear long pants or a conservative skirt (no sleeveless tops or shorts).
VISITING IN THE JAPANESE HOME:
The Japanese will expect that you will be from another culture, but keeping these tips in mind will help the visit go more smoothly. The host family will want to "spoil" you, basically. They will want to have thought of your every need. If they realize you need something not already provided by them, they will be disappointed. Its best to graciously make do with what is provided and be thankful. If anything inconveniences your host, be apologetic. Before entering the house, you will leave your shoes where the others have left them outside the door. Then you will wear slippers provided or just your socks. Before entering a room with tatami mats on the floor(likely to be the main, multi-purpose room), its important to remove your slippers so as not to damage the mats.
For more information, see:
Customs in the Home.
A room at a Ryokan, a Japanese inn. Notice the tatami mats on the floor.
Golden Pavillion
Things to see and do
Unlike most cities, Tokyo is not a city littered with interesting or ancient architecture. Having been almost completely rebuilt after the heavy damage sustained during the Second World War the skyline is dominated by modern hi-rise skyscrapers. While in the suburbs some tradition clings on by its fingertips, certainly central Tokyo can be described as nothing short of a modern metropolis. Most visitors spend a lot of there time in the Ginza shopping district which contains boutiques, shops and galleries of all kinds. Its fashionable status does make Ginza somewhat expensive so unless you want to blow your whole trip's budget in one day it is best to take it easy here. Some of Japans finest museums and galleries are located around the Ueno-Koen park including the Tokyo National Museum and the National Science Museum.
After experiencing the new Japan in Tokyo there is no better place to discover a taste of old Japan than Kyoto. The city boasts literally hundreds of temples, shrines and gardens and was even the nations capital for over a thousand years. Although even here, modern buildings have started to encroach on the tiled roves and pebbled gardens of the temples there is still plenty left to see. There are a number of suberb temples including the Kinkaku-ji temple and the Sanjunsangen temple which houses 1001 statues of Kannon the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Also worth a look is the Imperial Palace in central Kyoto and the Himeji-jo Castle located just outside the city itself.
Those with a penchant for modern history often visit Nagasaki, the city decimated by the second nuclear bomb dropped on Japan during Worl War Two. The city has now been rebuilt as a prosperous example of Japanese urban life but its grisly past is recorded in the A-bomb museum situated at Urakami, the centre of the explosion. Also of interest in the city is the Fukusai-ji Zen Temple, Glover Garden and the Hypocentre Park which has a monument to mark the exact centre of the blast which decimated Nagaski.
Travel
When travelling in the mainland of Japan, it is dubious if the distances warrant air travel, however when travelling throughout the Islands it does become a viable possibility. Several airlines offer domestic flights throughout Japan and its islands including Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airlines and Japan Air Systems. Tickets can be bought from hotel operators, or at the airports from both airline counters and automatic ticketing machines in the larger airports.
Japan Railways Group is the rail operator throughout Japan. The service is one of the best in the world with some of the most hi-tech trains in existence. Many travellers will be familiar with the famous "bullet trains" which reach speeds in excess of 300km/h, which serve the busiest lines on the Japanese network with some routes offering as many as six trains per hour. Other lines run limited express, express or local services, generally each type of train ryokanries a different supplement with a further supplement being charged for travel in the first class "green" ryokans, seats on which must usually be reserved in advance. Tickets can be bought from stations, most commonly from automated vending machines. For some short distance, local trains, this is the only way to obtain a ticket.
A "Japan Rail Pass" is available, which is usually purchased through Japan Airlines or a hotel operator which is only available to foreign hotel ists. This pass allows unlimited travel on Japan Rail trains, buses and ferries. Passes start from £150 for a 7 day pass and are without a doubt one of the most economical ways to get around in Japan.
Bus travel is highly developed in Japan, but in most cities has been superseded by the underground metro system for local travel, similarly the rail network has mostly replaced the inter-city bus network. Services do still exist in appreciable numbers but the fare system are confusing and almost always highly automated so for most travellers it is wisest to just stick to the train.
Taxis are plentiful but they can be veery expensive, especially at night but if you are travelling in a group and can share the cost they could be a good transport option.
hostel, guesthouses in Japan are sub-divided between Western and Japanese style hostel, guesthouses. While the Western style hostel, guesthouses are much the same as those found in Western Europe the Japanese style ones are a unique experience. On arrival guests are given kimonos and rooms are decked out in traditional Japanese style complete with paper sliding doors and Japanese bathtubs. These Japanese style hostel, guesthouses are known as "ryokan and the Japan Ryokan Association can be contacted for more information. For general information on all kinds of hostel, guesthouses the Japan hostel, guesthouse Association can provide further information.
There are over 400 youth hostels in Japan which are regulated by Japan Youth Hostels Inc. In general guests must be a member of the International Youth Hostel Association although guest passes can be obtained from Japan Youth Hostels Inc's headquarters in Tokyo or from some hotel operators.
Health
The provision of healthcare in Japan is excellent, easily on par with the standards of the US or western Europe. The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers will provide English speaking doctors where appropriate and all western medications are widely available. Treatment costs can be extremely high in Japan so it is essential that you have adequate insurance cover when planning a visit to Japan.
There are no special precautions or vaccination recommended before visiting Japan, food and drink is considered safe and normal everyday precautions should be observed when buying food from street traders.
A valid passport and a return ticket is required by all visitors to Japan. Visas are not required by US or EU nationals for a stay of up to three months. Further visas and visas for other nationalities are issued at the local Japanese Embassy or Consulate and their exact validity and price varies widely with nationality.
Addresses
Visa and immigration related enquiries should be directed to the nearest Japanese Embassy of Consulate;
Embassy of Japan
101 Piccadilly
London
W1V 9FN
Tel: (020) 7 465 6500
Fax: (020) 7 491 9348
If you require UK representation while in Japan you should contact the British Embassy;
British Embassy
No 1 Ichiban-cho
Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 102-8381
Tel: + [81] (3) 5211 1100
Fax: + [81] (3) 5275 0346
embassy@tokyo.mail.fco.gov.uk
Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) is to launch a low cost carrier, a decision set to be formally approved at its special board meeting on Thursday, reports said.
The new budget airline, to be based at western Kansai International Airport, will start both international and domestic passenger services as early as autumn 2011.
With the budget carrier, passengers are expected to be able to fly between Kansai and Tokyo's Narita airports for around 5,000 yen (60 dollars), about a third of the shinkansen bullet train fare linking the two cities. (AFP)
Despite recent efforts to tamp down territorial disputes, China and Japan are jostling elbows over one of their thorniest such conflicts: control of a tiny, uninhabited island chain in the East China Sea.
On Wednesday morning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry summoned Japan's ambassador for the second time in 24 hours to protest Japan's response to a Chinese fishing boat that had entered disputed waters.
On Tuesday, two Japanese naval vessels tried to intercept the Chinese boat, but the three collided. On Wednesday, the boat's captain was taken to the Japanese island of Okinawa for questioning. (New York Times)
Japan said Tuesday it plans a nationwide survey to assess the spread of an antibiotic-resistant "superbug" that surfaced in South Asia and was this week confirmed for the first time in Japan.
The bacterium carrying the New Delhi metallo-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) gene was found in a sample taken from a man in his 50s who was hospitalised with high fever for several months last year after returning from a trip to India.
Health Minister Akira Nagatsuma said the government may start a survey as early as this week of how far the new type of bug has spread, while also tightening reporting requirements on hospitals. (AFP)
An area near Japan's famed Mt. Fuji is having increasing trouble with rowdy local inhabitants - monkeys that are stealing food and starting to attack humans.
According to Japanese news report on September 8th, 81 people have been reported being injured by an unknown number of wild monkeys in Mishima and three other nearby cities and towns in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture since August 22nd. The majority of the victims, which have included people of all ages, were bitten on the arms or legs.
Mishima had previously reported that monkeys were, most recently, causing trouble starting around June, mainly by stealing fruits and vegetables - such as bananas and corn - from local residents' houses. (examiner.com)
The yen's recent spike against the dollar has dealt a heavy blow to exporters, but the trend has provided perfect shopping incentives for women going after imported fashion-brand items. An annual special bargain began Wednesday morning at the Hanshin department store in Kita Ward, Osaka, with thousands of bags, jewelry items and accessories from top foreign fashion houses being offered at a 15 to 20 percent discount, store officials said. (Japan Times)
A Buford family is struggling to unravel the mystery of their son's death in another country 6,800 miles away. Hoon "Scott" Kang, 20, was vacationing in Tokyo with friends when he was found lying in an emergency stairwell with blood trickling from his left ear early on Aug. 27. He died three days later in a hospital, never having regained consciousness.
Japanese authorities initially concluded that he fell down the stairs accidentally. Kang's family believes he was a victim of something much more sinister. The surveillance video shows Kang in the elevator shortly after 11 p.m. with a man in a black hat. Kang gestures with both hands out, as if to say "I don't have anything," and the man appears to punch Kang in the stomach. (ajc.com)
Fresh from his release in Afghanistan, freelance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka said Tuesday in Tokyo he was probably freed after five months in captivity because his abductors' demands for ransom failed. "I always spent time with them, and I didn't see any indication of success" that the militants were able to extort a payment, Tsuneoka, 41, told a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan. (Japan Times)
Eri Fukatsu has won the best actress award at the 2010 Montreal World Film Festival in Canada for her performance in "Akunin" ("Villain"), directed by Lee Sang Il. Fukatsu, also known for her role as the mistress of a gang boss in the 2008 movie "The Magic Hour," became the second Japanese actress to take home the best actress trophy, after Yuko Tanaka, who won the prize in 1983 for "Amagi Goe.". (Japan Times)
For decades, the standard career path in Japan was to join a company after graduation from college and to stay there until retirement - one job for life. But with salaries down more than 12 percent over the past decade and with the labor market uncertain, young, mostly single Japanese are increasingly making ends meet by working second or even third jobs.
Some deliver leaflets or work in convenience stores. Some trade foreign currencies online, while others sell items on Internet auction sites. Data released last week found that almost 56 percent of workers between 15 and 34 years old needed another form of income to help pay living expenses. (New York Times)
A Japanese journalist returned home Monday after militants in Afghanistan released him from five months in captivity.
In a series of messages from his Twitter account, freelance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka said he had thought he would be killed, and that he was not being held by the Taliban, as reported in the Japanese media. His abductors were local militants posing as Taliban to deceive the Japanese government, he wrote.
Tsuneoka's captors apparently decided to release him because he is a fellow Muslim, Japan's Kyodo news agency said. According to his personal website, Tsuneoka converted to the religion in 2000 while in Moscow. (AP)
Japan may be on a slow decline as far as being a global economic force, but the "soft power" of its modern entertainment genres, from manga to "anime," has global appeal, especially among young people. Why and how did this entertainment media thrive? How popular is it overseas? (Japan Times)
It turns out that a surprisingly high number of grade schools in Japan are serving their students more than just a well-rounded education. According to the results of a survey released today, whale meat is back on the menu at about a sixth of Japan's public elementary and junior-high schools. In recent years, the nation has stirred the ire of environmentalists for continuing to hunt whales despite a decline in the meat's popularity -- to feed their kids, apparently. (treehugger.com)
