‘Japan Related’ Archives
Rain, Rain and More Rain
While the end of rainy season may be less than a week away, it is however not ending subtly for tonight a typhoon arrives in the Kansai region of Japan. Typhoon Man-Yi, or typhoon #4 as it is called here, at one point reached category 5 status. After passing through Okinawa the storm has slowed to a category 2 typhoon. As [...]
Typhoon Man-Yi Coming This Way!
A very large category 4, soon to be category 5, typhoon is heading toward Japan. Right now, the winds are pushing 145 mph/233 kph, enough to do some serious damage if it hits land like the weatherman predicts. If it follows along the predicted path, it should make its way into the Kansai region around Saturday or Sunday. So tie down any [...]
Crime Increasing in Japan
Japan is known for being a safe place to live and visit. It still is. However, crime is on the rise, mosly theft. The majority of the victims are elderly and the perpetrators are young adults. Most of the cases involving elderly are cases where someone poses as a family member over the phone asking for money. With elderly having problems hearing, [...]
Election Week
Cover your ears if you don't like loud noises because it's election week in most towns throughout Japan. In Japan, it's normal to see cars with loud speakers attached to the rooves blaring someone's voice, live and taped, for passersby to hear. During election time, candidates go around in cars, vans or trucks speaking over loud speakers [...]
Are Foreigners a Burden or a Resource?
Anthony Crooks of Sendai said in The Daily Yomiuri, "Foreign presence in Japanese society, outwardly promoted by the government as being a resource, seems to be haunted still by the "burdensome and troublesome" tag, no matter how these people choose to live their lives. The popularity of such beliefs continues to make foreigners' existences [...]
Foreigners Blending into Japan
I am a foreigner and I have to admit after living in Japan for over 10 years, I am sometimes surprised when I see another foreigner nearby. My surprise from seeing a foreigner is basically because there is one…other than myself. Japan is still in this day and age a pretty much a homogenous nation. 99.999999999999999999% of the people are [...]
NHK Broadcast TV Mandatory Viewing Fees
NHK is trying to make it mandatory for residents to pay for viewing their TV services by introducing a bill to the Japanese Diet. If the bill becomes law, a system would be created to impose penalty charges on those who fall behind on payments and extra charges on those who try to evade the fees. For more on the matter, read.
