Stories about Japan from December, 2008
The Death of Ai Iijima, the End of an Era
For many men in Taiwan, this Christmas Eve was a day of regret and disappointment. It is not because that at this eve some of us would need to spend a significant amount money to please our lovers--thanks to the endless bombing from merchants and commercials. And neither it is because that others would be upset due to lack of lovers for the holiday--yes, for most people, Christmas in Taiwan is more like Valentine's Day--perhaps the forth or the fifth one. It is that in the era of closure on any discussion of sex issues, an ex-AV porno Japanese actress who accompanied us during much of our private time, and later successfully transformed into an entertainer in show business, was found dead in the afternoon at her house in Shibuya, Tokyo: her name is Ai Iijima.
Global Health: 2008 Blogs In Review
Bloggers in 2008 showed all the ways in which global health is interconnected with other issues, by covering health stories that touched on everything from poverty and women's rights to...
Japan: Un-hiring fresh graduates
Job hunting for fresh graduates in Japan is an intense trial called shushoku katsudo or shukatsu for short. University students in their third year start shukatsu during the winter in hopes of receiving several naitei (informal job offer/promise of employment) in May at the earliest, to start their new jobs on April 1st of the following year.
Northeast Asia: 2008 Review
The northeast Asia region is becoming more integrated politically, economically and socially. State leaders from China, Japan and South Korea recently signed a Joint Statement for Tripartite Partnership to address...
Bahrain: Comparing the Bahraini and Japanese work ethic
Bahraini blogger Yagoob is currently studying in Japan - and has seen firsthand the legendary Japanese work ethic. In this post he compares the attitude of many Bahrainis towards work with that of the Japanese.
Japan: The year in Japanese blogs
What were bloggers writing about this year in the Japanese blogosphere? The year in Japanese blogs at Global Voices included posts on everything from an American Enka singer making waves in Japan, to debates on the regulation of “harmful” Internet content, to the Olympic torch relay in Nagano.
Japan: Christmas illuminations within a click
Blogger Happy Kernel suggests a website that collects videos of Christmas illumination along the streets of every Japanese city. The idea of this website's creator, Shinya, was to make it...
Japan: The early salaryman catches the worm
Blogger Yoshihara (吉原) at Engineer Live no Henshûchô (エンジニアLiveの編集長) comments about a new trend which is spreading among Japanese salarymen. As a response to the Japanese practice of working overtime...
Japan, Brazil: A centenary of Japanese Immigration to Brazil.
In June 1908, the Japanese ship Kasato Maru docked in the Port of Santos after a 52-day voyage, bringing the first Japanese families to Brazil. A hundred years later and after a hard period of adaptation, Japanese and Japanese-Brazilians reflect on the history and cultural heritage of this cross ocean cultural mix.
Japan: Digital mech art
Edo from Pink Tentacle has a collection on digital illustrations of mechs, droids and borgs.
Japan: 2008 Politics
Neojaponisme has a roundup on 2008 Japan Politics, in particular concerning the dynamics within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Japan: Economy Needs A Green Revolution
Martin J Frid from Kurashi discusses the potential and advantage of green revolution for Japan economy.
Japan: Controversy over Imperial Succession
On the 1st of December, the seventh birthday of Princess Aiko (official title: 敬宮愛子内親王殿下, Toshi no miya Aiko naishinnō denka) [en], while the mainstream media in Japan were busy reporting...
Japan: Dr. Shochi's trip around the world
Follow the adventures of Dr. Shochi Saburo (曻地三郎), a 102 year-old Japanese Doctor of Literature, Doctor of Medicine, Honorary Doctor of Philosophy and Poet who came up with the Parent...
Japan: “Change”, the ideogram of 2008
Every year on the 12th of December, the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society announces the Kanji of the year [en]. This year the kanji is 変 (hen), the ideogram representing “change”....
Cameroon: Africa meets Japan via the kimono
Kamer Stories features Cameroon-born fashion designer Serge Mouangue, who created the brand WAFRICA that blends the traditional kimono with the classic African cotton fabric.
Japan: Crisis in primary news reporting
The shifting landscape of news media in Japan has triggered its fair share of debate recently, with many criticizing the mainstream press for major slip-ups and what some perceive as an attitude problem. On August 4th in a popular entry at Hatena's AnonymousDiary, one blogger picked up the theme of the crisis of primary news reporting in Japan, recounting the story of a friend who works as a fledgling reporter at a major local newspaper.
Japan: How to learn a foreign language
Britty at Brittys Wake gives suggestions to Japanese about how to learn a foreign language [ja]. “There are two things that are absolutely necessary if you want to learn a...
Japan: Bloggers’ Meeting on Dec. 18th
Agile Media Network announces [ja] a bloggers meeting on December 18th starting from 19.30 at the Nomura Research Institute [ja]. The event is free and in Japanese. More info in...
Japan: Hatena Bottle a spam trap?
In a post entitled, “I realized for the first time yesterday that Hatena is doomed” [昨日初めて「”はてな”はダメだ」と思った], blogger id:grgr56 explains how they tried out the new service “Hatena Bottle” yesterday [ja]...
Japan: Japanese Language Proficiency Test Day
Takeshi at Saigon kara kita tsuma [サイゴンから来た妻] writes about his Vietnamese wife who took the Japanese Language Proficiency Test [en] [日本語能力試験, nihongo nōryoku shiken] today, as do thousands of other...
