Stories about Japan from January, 2010
Japan: Sit-In Protest against US Helipads in Okinawa
TenThousandThings from Kurashi blogs about a sit-in protest against the construction of US Helipads in Yanbaru Forest, a mountainous region full of biodiversity in the northern part of Okinawa.
Japan: Micro-gardens
Palmsundae from Tokyo Green Space blogs about the micro-gardening practice in old Tokyo neighborhood.
Japan: In Choosing a Job (or Company)
With limited work experience, how does one make the decision on which company to work for, straight out of university? The question carries weight when you take in the fact that there's a good chance that some of these students might work for that company until they retirement.
Japan: Itami Airport
In response to the news that the Osaka Governor is talking about closing down Itami Airport, Joe Jones at the Mutant Frog Travelogue contemplates obsolete airports and suggests alternate uses.
Japan: Peace walkers
TenThousandThings from Kurashi reports on a 4-month peace walk from Okinawa to Tokyo calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
Japan: The Japan-China-U.S. trade relation
MTC from Shisaku shows the changes among Japan, China and U.S relation with a statistical illustration on foreign trade.
Japan: Website Localization
Motoko discusses the need for foreign websites to be localized into Japanese: If your website is not in Japanese, it would have little to no chances of being found in the search results in Japan.
Japan: Pokemon in Japanese Style Paintings
Mari from Watashi to Tokyo links to a pageful of illustrations of Pokemon done in ancient Japanese style.
College Students Protest on Japanese Employment @ TOKYO
Spurred by a protest late last year by a small number of college students in Hokkaido Prefecture, a number of students in Tokyo organized for a demonstration protesting against Japan's employment system. Coming together under the name “College Graduates Protest on Japanese Employment @ TOKYO” (就活くたばれデモ＠TOKYO [ja]) , the organization...
Japan: Grand Sumo Tournament
Godo Chillida published a photo reportage on the final day of the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament. The photographer captured intense pictures of the wrestlers and the decisive match.
Japan: Doraemon Jet
Pink Tentacle reports on the Japan Airline's anime-themed aircraft, Doraemon Jet.
Japan: Kawaii Ambassadors
Harvey blogs about the appointment three Kawaii ambassadors by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government expects they will increase international understanding of Japan and its people.
Japan: Tweeting Politicians
The Twitter application Politter offers lists of tweets from the official accounts of Japanese politicians. It also has an interface for hashtags related to politics. @masamix0417 uses it instead of following the politicians on Twitter. [ja]
Japan: Differing viewpoints on the US base relocation issue
The southern Japanese island of Okinawa, the first colony of Japan in the 19th century and the site of one of the bloodiest battles in the WW2, has become in the past months both the symbol and the object of a diplomatic dispute between Japan and the U.S. It began...
Japan: Tokyo as example for how to rebuild Haiti
palmsundae comments on New York Times’ story about post-war Japan's experience in rebuilding Tokyo. The blogger provides more background on the idea of “user generated-cities”.
Japan: Blogosphere Opinions on “Climategate”
This article is a little late to the fray, but “Climategate” was also a topic of interest in Japan. Although the controversy was not as strong say compared to the U.S. or U.K., many Japanese bloggers voiced their opinions.
Japan: QT is a Variation of ReTweet
Satomi Uchimura explores the meaning of QT (Quoted Tweets), which is used in some parts of the Japanese twittersphere.
Japan: Shifted Stances in News Reporting
In a post titled ‘Media Shifts Make Japan A Harder Read‘, the Shisaku blog describes the changes in the way major news outlets have been reporting news since the establishment of the new administration and why “the world is relying more and more on unfiltered retransmission what Japanese media outlets...
Japan: Remembering the Great Hanshin Earthquake
As images from Haiti circle the globe, people in another part of the world are remembering an earthquake which wreaked havoc in their own country. On January 17, 1995, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Kobe and surrounding areas. 15 years later, we today give voice to those who experienced the disaster.
Japan: For Haiti it may be too little, too late
In an odd twist of fate, the worst earthquake to hit Haiti in two hundred years has erupted within days of the 15th anniversary of Japan's worst earthquake since the second world war: the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. Given the timing of the catastrophe, one might have expected a strong Japanese presence in Haiti. To the frustration of many in Japan, the opposite was in fact the case.
Japan: Analyzing the Bathroom
Alastair takes an in-depth look at Japanese bathrooms from an architect's point of view – “Technology is at the heart of the Japanese bathroom. Speaking digital control panels in the bathroom and kitchen (or hallway) allow the user to set the hot water temperature and fill the bath remotely.”
About our Japan coverage
Nevin Thompson is our Japan editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
