De eerste dame blogt

De grote vakantie-uittocht is begonnen. Nieuwjaar is een belangrijke verlofperiode in Japan. Vele bedrijven hervatten pas hun werkzaamheden op 4 januari. Kerstmis is dus al lang vergeten. Kerstdag is trouwens geen vakantiedag en wordt op een ietwat verrassende wijze gevierd, zoals ik verleden jaar al heb verteld.

In ieder geval, de nieuwsgierigen die graag een glimp van premier Shinzo Abe’s kerstfeest opvangen, kunnen naar de blog 'Akie Abe's Smile Talk' surfen. Akie is de 44-jarige vrouw van de premier. In de laatste blogberichtjes kunnen we onder meer de kerstbol bewonderen die Akie van Laura Bush heeft gekregen; of ook nog hun kerstmaaltijd bij vrienden.

Akie Abe is een maand geleden met haar sympathiek blogje begonnen. Haar man kan de extra blogaandacht zeker gebruiken want de populariteit van de premier is de laatste tijd fel gezakt.

Akie Abe’s Smile Talk Blog:
http://www.abe-akie.jp/

(Origineel: in De Standaard expat-blog gepost)

'Japan is not lovable, but it's supremely interesting'

Donald Richie in the Japan Times:

'People say, "When did you fall in love with Japan?" I never did; Japan is not lovable, but it's supremely interesting. I put a great prestige on learning, and in Japan you learn something new every day.'

Donald Richie. A lifetime’s observations (JT – 2006/12/28)

I cannot agree more. I live only in Japan since 1997. Donald Richie is 82 years old, almost 60 years in Japan. If he says it, I can be assured that it is impossible to get bored in this country. Everyday something new to learn.

De wereld feest

Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal (RVi) heeft juist voor kerstmis een kleine reportage gemaakt over de eindejaarsperiode n verschillende landen. Ze hebben me gevraagd iets te vertellen over kerstmis en nieuwjaar in Japan. Tekst: hier

4 executies

Maandag 25 december 2006. Japan heeft op kerstdag vier terdoodveroordeelden geëxecuteerd door ophanging. Een gesprekje over de doodstraf in het programma 'De Wandelgangen' van Radio 1.

Audiobestand: via de website van VRT Nieuws of Klik hier (mp3 - 870kb)

Mt. Fuji from plane

Some pictures from Mt. Fuji taken from a flight Tokyo – Kumamoto. 10 minutes after take off form Haneda, Wednesday morning:




And again Mt. Fuji from when returning back to Tokyo, Friday:



More pictures Kumamoto trip

Japan stemt voor meer patriottisme

Vrijdag 15 december. Voor het vrt-radionieuws en het middagprogramma 'Lopende Zaken' van Radio 1 heb ik uitleg moeten geven over in het parlement net gestemde wetten: de omvorming van het Defensieagentschap tot een volwaardig ministerie en de schoolwet die voortaan scholen verplicht leerlingen vaderlandsliefde bij te brengen.

Nieuws 12u, 13u: audiobestand (295kb - mp3)

Lopende Zaken: audiobestand (1195kb – mp3)

Wereldnet 11 december

Vandaag was het Wereldnet. Drie correspondenten: in Costa Rica, in Tasmanie en in Japan.

Ik heb iets verteld over 1) het Parijs-syndroom (パリ症候群), 2) diefstal van metalen spullen, 3) de blog van een maiko.

Audiobestand: via de Wereldnet-site.

Ijime

Maandag 4 december. Pesten op school en tienerzelfmoorden. Kort interviewtje in het nieuwsmagazine 'Voor de Dag' van Radio 1.

Audiobestand: Klik hier (mp3 - 1411kb)

Herfstkleuren

Het is al december, maar in de Tokio-regio is het nu pas dat de herfstkleuren op hun mooist zijn. De Japanners houden erg aan hun seizoenen. Eigenaardig genoeg, vraag aan een Japanner om typisch Japanse dingen op te sommen en de kans is groot dat hij zal vernoemen dat Japan vier seizoenen heeft. Niet echt typisch Japans me dunkt, maar het is waar dat de seizoenen hier zeer uitgesproken zijn. Vooral de 'kouyou'-periode ('rode bladeren'-periode) is een toptijd voor uitstapjes in de natuur, wandelingen in de parken, mijmeren in de tempeltuinen. Ik heb even een ommetje gemaakt langs het Rikugien-park in het centrum van Tokio:

An American visit to Japan, 1923

Surfing randomly I stumbled this:

"This is the diary kept by my grandfather on his visit to Japan from August 6 to September 10, 1923, an idyllic travelogue culminating in the cataclysmic Tokyo Earthquake and Fire. Aside from a few commas, this transcript is verbatim":

An American visit to Japan, 1923

Maiko Blog

"Ichimame works at Ichi, a teahouse in the Kamishichiken district, one of Kyoto's five geisha districts. She started the "Maiko Blog" on the teahouse Web site last December to inform people about the world of apprentice geisha or ‘maiko’. She writes about the everyday business of a maiko's life, such as the training she receives in traditional dance and singing. In September alone, her blog received 300,000 hits. And, not only is it being read by hundreds of thousands of people, but it has already encouraged one 16-year-old girl to follow in its author's footsteps":

Hits keep coming for Web-savvy 'maiko' (IHT/Asahi)

Ichimame's blog is at http://ichi.dreamblog.jp/

Wellbeing Index

A global poll of 16-34 year olds, conducted by MTV Networks International, has put Japan at the bottom of a “Wellbeing Index”. Fretting about job prospects and their place in society, only 8% of young Japanese describe themselves as happy:

Young Indians happiest, Japanese most miserable (Reuters)

Mt. Fuji from Enoshima

Mt. Fuji. View from Enoshima


10 pictures

Launch PS3

The launch of the PlayStation 3: The dark side (via Gen Kanai)

Learning Japanese

Learning Japanese is so awful difficult. At my intermediate level I find it so difficult to find good textbooks and learning material. Some time ago I discovered 'Kodomo News' on the NHK1 (Saturday from 18h10 to 18h45). This is my level! That is Japanese I can understand. The program is really useful for intermediate learners: simple language, use of furigana and a lot of illustrations.

Watch for example how clearly they explain the recent curriculum scandal:




Or watch this about the correct use of keigo (敬語):

Part1:



Part 2:

Wereldnet 31 oktober

Dinsdag was het wereldnet. Drie correspondenten: in India, in Nigeria en in Japan.

Ik heb iets verteld over de herfst in Japan en toerisme.

Audiobestand via de Wereldnetsite.

Parents in Japan (3)

    

More parents trip pictures:
In Tokyo, Oct 25th
Father's digital pictures

Parents in Japan (2)

More parents trip pictures:
In Boso Peninsula
In Kyoto

Parents in Japan

My parents for the first time in Japan. Pictures:
In Yokohama
In Kamakura
In Tokyo

Noordkoreaanse kernproef

Maandag 9 oktober. Een zeer kort interviewtje in het nieuwsprogramma 'De Wandelgangen' van Radio 1. Er werd me gevraagd hoe Japan reageert op het nieuws dat Noord-Korea een ondergrondse testproef zou uitgevoerd hebben:

Audiobestand: Klik hier (mp3 - 480kb)

Japan Ichiban

In pure nihonjinron style, Abe finished his policy speech in the Diet with the following words, according to the Mainichi:

"In his conclusion, Abe called for people to maintain Japanese traditional virtues by quoting the famous physicist Albert Einstein: "I wish they don't forget to keep those treasures pure which they have in excellence over the west: their artistic building of life, the simplicity and modesty in personal need, and the pureness and calmness of Japanese soul."

Abe uses inaugural policy speech to call for flexing of Japan's military muscle (Mainichi - 2006/9/29)

Nieuwe regering

Het actualiteitenprogramma 'De Wandelgangen' van Radio 1 heeft me dinsdag vlug enkele vragen gesteld juist na de samenstelling van de nieuwe Abe-regering: Audiobestand (mp3 – 965kb).

Wereldnet 25 september

Gisteren Wereldnet. Drie correspondenten in Canada (Westkust), Rusland (Moskou) en Japan.

Voor Japan heb ik gesproken over: 1. De vereniging van chauvinistische mannen; 2. De strijd tegen dronken rijden in Japan.

Audiobestand via de Wereldnetsite (of download hier – 5285kb)

Wa

You can agree or disagree the legacy of 5 1/2 years Koizumi reign, but one thing he certainly did:

"In Japan, the wa surrounds you. You can feel it in the priciest sushi bars and lowliest noodle parlors. Call it the particular Japanese way of looking at the world; of harmony, of collectiveness with a do-not-rock-the-boat spirit. In the mythology of "Star Wars" movies, the wa is like the Force. To mess with the wa is a cardinal sin.

Junichiro Koizumi messed with the wa. (…) But most Japanese discovered a shocking truth: Maybe the wa needed to be messed with."

Exit Koizumi, Japan's Relentless Jedi Knight (Washington Post - 2006/9/23)

Radio-interviews over Koizumi, Abe

Dinsdag en Woensdag heeft het nieuwsprogramma 'Voor de Dag' van Radio 1 me geïnterviewd over het einde van het Koizumi-bewind en het aantreden van de nieuwe leider, Shinzo Abe:

Terugblik op het Koizumi-bewind (mp3 - 1070kb)
De verkiezing van Shinzo Abe (mp3 - 1244kb)

Luister ook naar de analyse van Prof. Dimitri Vanoverbeke van de KUL in 'De Wandelgangen' en 'Lopende Zaken':
Waarom stopt Koizumi ermee (mp3 - 1381kb)
Wie is Shinzo Abe (mp3 – 834kb)

Old & New

A bicycle tour with Stefan from London last Tuesday. Waterfront area near Yokohama Station and Higashi-Kanagawa Station: the latest new buildings and an old neighborhood nearby.

  
Flickr set : 20 foto's

Prinselijke geboorte

Het VRT-Radionieuws heeft me woensdag enkele vragen gesteld over de geboorte van de prinselijke baby voor het programma 'Voor de Dag' en het ochtendnieuws:
Audiobestand (mp3 – 1005kb).

Nationalist Tide

Koichi Kato repeated again that a right-wing nationalist tide threatens Japan. He told the Foreign Correspondents Club yesterday that the right-wingers are like drifting balloons. Interesting comparison.

Kato said Japan had lost its moorings and that individuals, disconnected from traditional family, work and community anchors, were floating like helium balloons on air currents.

"Even in the slightest breeze they will all start floating in the same direction," the one-time prime ministerial candidate said.

"And if there is a nationalistic mood that takes over the country, all of these balloons will begin to drift in a very strong way along this current."

Right-wing nationalist tide threatens Japan, warns political veteran (The Age 2006/08/29)

Wereldnet 23 augustus

Gisteren was het alweer Wereldnet. Ditmaal met de drie Belgische correspondenten van het Nederlandse Wereldnet: Bart Van Bockstaele in Toronto, Canada , Armando Janssen in Venezuela en mezelf in Japan. Dit was een van de laatste middaguitzendingen van Wereldnet op Radio 747. Vanaf 4 september verhuist het programma naar de nachtprogrammering op Radio 1.

Voor Japan heb ik gesproken over: 1. Obon-verlofperiode; 2. Het Japanse kroonprinsenkoppel in Apeldoorn; 3. Overstromingen en tyfoons; 4. Het populaire baseballtornooi tussen middelbare scholen

Audiobestand via de Wereldnetsite (of download hier – 9376kb)

Elderly Foreigners

I do not intend to go back to my country. Probably I will die in Japan. Hopefully at an old age after a rich life. What is my wife dies first and I'm left behind as an old man? There will to many old people in Japan. The health care system will be under pressure. Will foreigners get similar levels of medical and nursing-care services as the Japanese? I'm not sure:

"Terri Nii, who has lived in Japan for more than 20 years and speaks fluent Japanese, is far from being dependent on her Japanese husband. But the 49-year-old resident in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, is concerned what her life in Japan will look like in another 20 years.

She fears that the Japanese government may single out foreigners as the first target when it reduces medical outlays, nursing-care benefits and pension payouts.

Japan is expected to become unable to maintain the same level of social security benefits because of its aging population and declining birthrate, unless it slashes expenditures and raises taxes.

Nii, a California native, is arguably one of the most visible foreign residents in Kanagawa Prefecture. She runs a company in Fujisawa and sits on advisory panels to the municipal and prefectural governments.

But she said foreign nationals are in a sense invisible in Japan, where they are not granted what she calls regular status.

One reason is that foreigners are not covered by the resident registration systems, managed by local governments.

"I am a producing, tax-paying citizen in Japan, but I am not considered an official resident," said Nii. "I am uneasy about my status in the future when I may need to receive benefits rather than pay into the system."

Growing Old in Japan: Future care (Asahi – 2006/08/12)

Lovely Voices

A Japanese man was arrested this week after making 37,760 silent calls to directory enquiries because he wanted to listen to the 'kind' voices of female telephone operators.

"When I made a complaint call once, the operator dealt with it very kindly, so I wanted to hear these women's voices," the daily Mainichi Shimbun quoted him as telling police in Hiroshima, western Japan.

Japan man makes 37,760 calls to 'kind' operators (Reuters – 2006/10/06)

Local Tokyo Shopping Street: Past and Present

Roger Pulvers in The Japan Times:

"In 1983, I conducted a survey of all of the goods and services offered on the kilometer-long shotengai (shopping street) running from the station up to the turnoff to our little flat (...)": See article (JT - 2006/7/30)

"Now I have gone back to resurvey the shotengai, to find out how a Tokyo neighborhood has changed over the course of a generation": See article (JT - 2006/8/06)

The Japanese should worry about Yasukuni 'in defense of their own freedoms'

Foreign Minister Taro Aso proposed on Tuesday making the Yasukuni Shrine for Japanese war dead a secular, state-run memorial. This could clear the way to remove the 14 Class-A war criminals from the lists of those honored there.
(See: Japan’s Aso wants state to run Yasukuni war shrine – Reuters 2006/8/08).

In my humble opinion Aso’s proposal is totally useless. First of all, I’m not sure that a state-run Yasukuni state-run would be a good idea as it will remember some of the wartime policies when Yasukuni was used by the government as a political tool to indoctrinate the population.

But more importantly, even if the 14 Class-A war criminals are removed the controversy around Yasukuni will not end for reasons Ian Buruma explained very well in an opinion article several months ago:

"To focus only on the Class-A war criminals is to ignore the essence of the shrine. Koizumi's claim that Japan is now a peaceful nation with no military designs on its neighbors may be true, but it is beside the point. And he is either ignorant or dishonest when he claims that visiting the shrine is simply 'a matter of the heart.'

For Yasukuni Shrine is in fact a deeply political institution, established in 1869 to remember the men who died for the emperor. Japan did have an ideology that glorified militarism, racial superiority, and emperor worship. Going to war to bring Asia under the roof of the divine emperor was promoted as a sacred mission. Dying for the emperor was propagated as the highest virtue. That is why soldiers believed that they would meet after death at Yasukuni Shrine.

The glorification of militarism was not unusual at that time. Most European countries did the same, at least until the end of World War I. The association of monarchs with military glory was not unusual either. What made Japan unique was that this association became both a state religion and a political ideology, of which Yasukuni Shrine is the prime symbol.

The Japanese should care more about this, not because of Chinese or Korean protests, but because it did such harm to Japan itself.

For the blend of religion and ideology represented by State Shinto and emperor worship not only justified military aggression in Asia but also destroyed every attempt by the Japanese to establish a liberal democracy at home.

It deprived the Japanese population of the right to free speech. It demanded blind obedience of the Japanese armed forces to the emperor, and not to elected civilian governments. It led Japan into a brutal war, and it wrecked any chance for Japanese civilians to stop it.

Walking around Yasukuni Shrine today, you get the impression that none of this ever happened. Instead, a visitor to the museum is subjected to the same old excuses used by the military leaders of wartime Japan: Japan was forced into a war by foreign powers; Japanese soldiers fought bravely for freedom in Asia and peace in the world; their sacrifice should be a shining example to future generations, who owe their prosperity to these selfless martyrs of the imperial cause.

This is what makes the shrine such a disturbing place. Not the Class-A war criminals, but this destructive ideology, which has survived intact, despite war crime trials, democratic government, and more than half a century to analyze, debate, and reflect on the catastrophes of the past.

Japan is a free country, of course, and if people want to continue believing in emperor worship and wartime propaganda, they should be allowed to do so.

But if the prime minister himself insists on paying his respects at a place that represents these views, then it is not only other Asians that should worry about whether the Japanese have learned the lessons of the past. The Japanese should worry about it too, not to appease foreign critics, but in defense of their own freedoms."

Ian Buruma: The Yasukuni Problem (Kyodo News- 2006/1/30)

I think that the only solution will be to create of a new secular state war memorial totally separated form Yasukuni symbolism.

Japan scoring low on the list of happiness

World map of happiness. Japan only 90th:

"If it is happiness you are seeking a move to Denmark could be in order, according to the first scientist to make a world map of happiness. Adrian White from the University of Leicester in the UK used the responses of 80,000 people worldwide to map out subjective wellbeing.

A nation's level of happiness was most closely associated with health levels. Wealth and education were the next strongest determinants of national happiness.

Denmark came top, followed closely by Switzerland and Austria. The UK ranked 41st. Zimbabwe and Burundi came bottom. Mr. White said he was surprised to see countries in Asia scoring so low, with China 82nd, Japan 90th and India 125th" (...)

Denmark 'happiest place on earth' (BBC News – 2006/7/28)



Happiness Map (pdf - 146 kb)

Working but poor

Sorry, again about the widening income gap. As I said last week in Wereldnet: it will become that bad that some will work but still be poor:

"In Japan the poverty rate is higher for single-parent families that work than for those that do not work," said OCDE’s senior economist Randall Jones. "In Germany the solution is, get those single families to work and then they escape poverty. In Japan they're already working. The problem is the income is too low. So there's not the easy solution to say 'let's just find them jobs'."

OECD Concerned About Rising Poverty in Japan (VOA – 2006/7/20)

Widening income gap

A few months ago Koizumi downplayed social polarization. He said in the Diet: "Statistics haven’t confirmed that the income gap has widened"

Hopefully PM Koizumi will take a good look at the statistics the OCDE published today:

Japan ranked second worst among advanced economies in 2000 in terms of the relative poverty rate partly because non-regular workers with low wages increased amid the prolonged economic slump, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday.

The proportion of the population living in relative poverty, defined as less than one-half of the median household disposable income, came to 13.5 percent in 2000, the second highest among OECD members following 13.7 percent in the United States, the OECD said in a survey on the Japanese economy.

Japan ranks 2nd worst among OECD nations in relative poverty (Kyodo – 2006/7/20)

Don't get dumped by your wife

Those are married to a Japanese woman will know that Japanese wives can be pretty scary. Here is some useful advice from a group of men who don’t want to get dumped by their spouse:

The group's main activity is regular get-togethers at local izakaya Japanese-style pubs. They discuss what their wives are like and how to deal with them depending on the situation.

"For example, we've come up with a rule never to sit opposite your wife when she says, 'Could you please sit down. I have something to say to you,'" Amano says.

"In most cases, their eyes are too terrifying to face, and it's most likely things will start flying across the room at you."

Amano says the best thing to do on these occasions is to sit beside your wife, hold her hand until her anger passes, and then apologize profusely before she even brings up what you did wrong.

Husbands reform to keep from getting dumped (Asahi – 2006/7/15)

Interview Wereldnet - Portret

Tijdens de zomermaanden voert het Nederlandse radioprogramma Wereldnet lange gesprekken met zijn correspondenten over heel de wereld. Dinsdag 11 juli was het mijn beurt. 'Het verhaal van een Belg in Japan':
Audiobestand via de Wereldnetsite (of download hier - 16220kb)

Interview: N-Koreaanse dreiging

Uit peilingen blijkt dat vier op de vijf Japanners zich bedreigd voelen door de Noord-Koreaanse raketlanceringen.

Gisterenavond kreeg ik een telefoontje van het nieuwsprogramma 'De Wandelgangen' van Radio 1 met de vraag hoe erg Japan zich zorgen maakt:
Audiobestand (mp3- 1020 kb - 4min 30sec)

'Just watch and find out'

De dreigementen van het Noord-Koreaanse regime nemen een belachelijke wending. "Just watch and you will find out", zou ik eerder verwachten uit de mond van een puber:

A North Korean ambassador Friday blamed Japan for Pyongyang's missile launches and warned that any complaints from Tokyo would be met with "an even stronger physical response".

When reporters asked the ambassador if a "strong response" meant new missile launches or nuclear weapons development, he said, "Just watch and you will find out."

N. Korea warns of 'stronger' action (Asahi – 2006/7/08)

Rakettencrisis

Het was niet zo aangenaam om deze morgen op te de staan en onmiddellijk de crisissfeer aan te voelen tijdens het ochtendnieuws: 'Noord-Korea heeft drie raketten afgevuurd', hoorden we tijdens het nieuwsbulletin van 6h30. Daarna was er sprake van vier, vijf en uiteindelijk zes raketten. Alle raketten zijn tussen 3.30u en 8.30u afgevuurd en in de Japanse Zee beland.

Het nieuws was zo overweldigend dat de NHK, de openbare omroep, besliste dat het ochtendfeuilleton moest wijken voor de actualiteit. Hoogst ongebruikelijk in tv-amusementland Japan. Dit was niet meer gebeurd sinds de grote Hanshin-aardbeving van 1995.

Ervaring met dreigende Noord-Koreaanse raketten hebben we al. In 1998 heeft Noord-Korea een Taepodong 1 afgevuurd die over het Japanse grondgebied is gevlogen. Noord-Korea beweerde toen dat het om de 'lancering van een satelliet' ging.

Veilig voelen we ons allesbehalve om naast zo een grillig en onvoorspelbaar regime als Noord-Korea te moeten leven.

Noord-Korea ligt al een hele tijd in de clinch met Japan over diverse zaken, onder meer de trieste ontvoeringszaak die geen oplossing vindt. Maar de provocatie van vandaag moeten we plaatsen in het kader van het zeslandenoverleg over het Noord-Koreaanse kernprogramma. Dat overleg ligt al maanden in het slop. Het is aannemelijk dat de Noord-Koreaanse leider, Kim Jong-il, de Verenigde Staten onder druk wil zetten om het overleg weer op gang te trekken.

Japan heeft 'strenge tegenmaatregelen' beloofd. Zeker is dat de samenwerking tussen Japan en de VS nog verder zal toenemen: levering van Patriot-raketten, samenwerking voor de ontwikkeling van een rakettenschild…

Japan en de VS zullen alles doen om een brede internationale veroordeling te bekomen. Als er één ding is dat Noord-Korea vandaag bereikt heeft, dan is het om zichzelf nog verder te isoleren op het wereldtoneel.

In Japan zijn we er niet helemaal gerust in. We kunnen niet uitsluiten dat het Noord-Koreaanse regime de ene of de andere dag helemaal doorslaagt.

--
Oorsponkelijk gepost in de De Standaard Expatblog (2006/07/05)

Interview

De nieuwsredactie van de VRT-Radio heeft me enkele uren na het uitbreken van de Noord-Koreaanse rakettencrisis geïnterviewd over de kwestie voor ochtendnieuwsbulletins en het actualiteitenprogramma 'Voor de Dag'.

Het interview met de correspondent in Washington en mezelf in Japan: Audiobestand (mp3 – 1.677kb)

N-Korea fires 6 missiles

N-Korea has fired 6 missiles this morning between 3.30am and 8am. What does N-Korea think to gain? No doubt that Japan will impose economic sanctions. The whole civilized world condemns N-Korea.

Cooperation between Japan and the US will certainly intensify. Within hours (around 7am) the American ambassador in Japan had already talks with the foreign minister, Taro Aso, and Chief Cabinet Secretary, Shinzo Abe. Significant is that this meeting with the American ambassador took place even before Premier Koizumi started a security meeting with is top ministers.

N Korea tests long-range missile (BBC News - 2006/7/05)

Murakami worried about nationalism

Novelist Haruki Murakami has attacked Japanese nationalism in an interview with an English-language newspaper based in Hong-Kong. He also revealed plans to deal with the issue in his next novel.

"I'm worried about my country," the author told the South China Morning Post. "I feel I have a responsibility as a novelist to do something."

He singled out Shintaro Ishihara, the right-wing governor of Tokyo, for particular criticism, calling him "a very dangerous man" (...) "He's an agitator," Murakami reportedly said. "He hates China."

Murakami hits out at Japanese nationalism (The Guardian - 2006/7/04)

Off-Topic: How to get music OFF your iPod

My computer broke down this week. Too lazy to back up regularly my files, I lost of lot of data. All my music files vanished, except the 3,5 GB music files in my iPod. I tried to transfer the music files to the hard disk drive of my new computer, but amazingly is it impossible to transfer files from an iPod to anywhwere else! I thought Apple was user friendly, but this is awful bad.

Via googling I found finally a neat little program to circumvent the iTunes limitations:
How to get music OFF your iPod (via Engadget)

Ridiculous

Kim Young Nam, kidnapped by the North in 1978 has denied he was abducted during a press conference in North Korea. The man said that he was "rescued", not abducted, by Pyongyang in 1978.

Of course, the man cannot take the risk to say the truth. Having to depict the horrible N-Korean regime as a rescuer is painfully ridiculous:

"Pyongyang has never admitted to kidnapping South Korean citizens. And Kim Young Nam could hardly say otherwise. His words were spoken inside North Korea under the watchful eyes of authorities. It would be unreasonable to expect Kim to be able to speak freely under such conditions(...)

Reading from what appeared to be a prepared script, Kim soundly condemned Japan's handling of the matter, echoing the official line spouted by Pyongyang(...)

Seoul has certified Kim Young Nam as an abduction victim. Former North Korean spies have testified that he was indeed abducted. Meeting the press, however, Kim denied he was abducted. He has since remarried, and has a son with his new wife. Under these circumstances, he obviously cannot afford to say much about how he arrived in North Korea."

Megumi’s Husband (Asahi – 2006/7/01)

Computer problems

Computer hardware problems. Off-line for some days. Naar Akihabara in de volgende dagen om een nieuwe computer te kopen. Mijn laptop heeft de geest gegeven.

Home Sweet Home

Salarymen, ho boy! When will they realize that they have to leave the office earlier and help in the household?

"Home is not sweet for the vast majority of Japanese couples, who feel exhausted and believe inconsiderate spouses are to blame, a survey has said (...)

Men say they are exhausted because they are nagged by their wives or asked to clean up, while women point to their husbands' uncooperative attitudes, the poll said(...)

So what's the solution? Forty-seven percent of men say they want their wives to tell them, "Take it easy," while 43 percent of the women want their husbands to offer to cook."

Most Japanese stressed out by spouses (AFP - 2006/6/26)

Worrying

Kent E. Calder director the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, Johns Hopkins University:

"Throughout the entire U.S. State Department and the National Security Council, there is not currently a single Japan specialist in a position of significant authority"

Broaden the U.S.-Japan alliance (IHT - 3006/6/27)

Supreme Court not fulfilling its role

A missed opportunity. The Supreme Court has a duty to judge the constitutionality of Koizumi’s Yasukuni visits:

"When Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Class-A war criminals alongside the nation's war dead, did he violate the constitutional separation of state and religion?(...)

On Friday, the top court sidestepped the issue altogether, rejecting the plaintiffs' claims without ruling on the visit's constitutionality.(...)

If the Supreme Court continues to avoid making judgment calls about the separation of religion and state--a major pillar of Japan's Constitution--then it is not fulfilling its role as 'guardian of the Constitution'."

Koizumi visit to Yasukuni (Asahi - 2006/6/26)

Uniqueness

This morning I read an opinion article in the Asahi:

"We must not think that Japan is the only country with good qualities or believe that our 'unique culture' is better than others (...) There is no reason we should feel superior to others".

This is such an evident truth that I'm amazed it is still necessary to publish something so basic in a big newspaper. But then, after all, maybe the writer is right to recall this evidence. He writes a little bit further:

"Some people are calling for the revival of so-called Japanese virtues. There are moves under way to introduce this idea in schools, and the Diet recently debated a revision to the Fundamental Law of Education. Such moves are aimed at strengthening moral education and promoting patriotism (...)
In my opinion the moves only encourage the view that Japan is somehow special. If the argument for patriotism is abused, it could lead the public toward the same nationalism we had in the prewar years."

Point of view: Japan is good enough to be an ordinary nation (Asahi - 2006/6/26)

Gadgets

Top 10 Strangest Japanese Gadgets and Accessories (Tech Blog - 2006/6/25)

Growing Gap

"a Tokyo-based think tank, provides an analysis of household income over the past five years. The results are unmistakable:

Japan is shifting from a society where the overwhelming majority of households once considered themselves middle class, to one in which clearly pronounced classes, including the very rich, the affluent, and those less fortunate -- such as temp-help staff who carry home 2 million yen a year -- are relegated to the bottom rungs (...)

Japan's goal of a nation in which nobody was really very rich or very poor proved to be unsustainable. "Freeters" -- male part-time service industry workers with no fringe benefits and little job security -- could earn enough to sustain their livelihood, but not enough to marry and raise a family. This suggests that society may soon find itself with a permanent underclass, unable to even afford a college education or other things that would give a foothold, however tenuous, on upward mobility."

Wealth, poverty and the shrinking middle class (Mainichi - 2006/6/25)

'Wij zijn uniek, ook als we verliezen'

Waarom heeft Japan slecht gepresteerd tijdens Wereldbeker voetbal in Duitsland?

Omdat 'wij klein zijn en zij zo groot'. Rare theorie, merkt conbinibento terecht op:

One can often hear the “Japan-is-a-small-agricultural-country” mentioned as the reasoning behind just about any possible shortcoming of Japanese society. Soccer team isn’t doing well? “We are a nation of small farmers.” Defeated in WWII? “We are a peaceful farming nation.” Increasing crime and weakening social fabric? “Western influences are destroying our small, harmonious nation.” Am I exaggerating a bit? Yes, but I’m not pulling it out of my ass completely”.

Physically we are small (conbinibento.com – 2006/6/20)

Japundit voegt er een logische vraag aan toe om de nihonjinron-theorie definitief van tafel te vegen:

"I wonder if it ever once occurred to these people that the other countries might just have superior teams."

It’s how you play the game (Japundit – 2006/6/20)

Puzzling

A good question:

"Given widespread indifference among the Japanese public about whaling and eating whale meat, why is the government pursuing such a confrontational foreign policy?"

Japan heats up whaling wars (JT - 2006/6/24)

Vleespotten in walviswereld

Dat is toch wel veel belastingsgeld voor een 'lekkernij' die we niet meer eten in Japan:

"In a written reply to a query on Japan's "marine aid" to developing countries, the government acknowledged pouring 617 million yen ($8.7 million) last year into St Kitts & Nevis, the tiny Caribbean nation that hosted the IWC conference.

Nicaragua, the top recipient of Tokyo's largesse, was awarded about $17 million, and the Pacific island cluster of Palau got $8.1 million. (...)"

Scale of Japan's aid to pro-whaling nations revealed (nzherald - 2006/6/24)

'Stijve harken'

Dat het daar een verstarde boel is bij de keizerlijke familie weten we al lang. Maar ik slikte toch even toen ik las dat de het gezin van Kroonprins Akihito pas voor het eerst op privé-vakantie mag naar het buitenland.

"Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Princess Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, will vacation in the Netherlands in August in part to treat the crown princess' stress-induced illness, an Imperial Household Agency official said Friday.

The trip, scheduled from mid- to late-August, will be the family's first overseas. No imperial family member has ever gone abroad for recuperation purposes."

Crown prince's family to vacation in the Netherlands (Kyodo - 2006/6/23)

Ik ben niet zeker of Nederland een goede keuze is. Hadden ze niet kunnen kiezen voor Hawaï, de Côte d'Azur, de Seychellen of zoiets?

Seksloze huwelijken

Zonder communicatie, geen kinderen:

"A survey conducted last year of 936 people, aged 16 to 49, conducted by JFPA and Jichi Medical University in Tochigi Prefecture shows that 31 percent were "sexless" (...)

"Japanese people simply aren't having sex," said Kunio Kitamura, executive director of the Japan Family Planning Association Inc. adding that "as much as subsidies and welfare programs are important, sexlessness is also a critical issue in this problem" of the declining birthrate (...)

What stood out in the JFPA results was the lack of communication between the couples."

Japan sagging in sex department, hence fewer kids: expert (Japan Times - 2006/6/22)

Les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas

De meest begeerlijke vrouwen volgens Japanse mannen:
Top 25 potential Japanese girlfriends (Japan Probe - 2006/6/22)

Te heet om te voetballen

Zico, De Braziliaanse trainer van de Japanse voetbalploeg, heeft zwaar uitgehaald naar de organisatoren van de Wereldbeker. Het was 'crimineel' om het Japanse elftal tweemaal (tegen Australie en tegen Kroatië) in de namiddag te laten spelen. Presteren in de zomerse hitte heeft de krachten van de Japanse ploeg ondermijnd, weeklaagt Zico.

Japanse voetballers kunnen niet tegen de hitte? Is dat een grap of wat? De zomermaanden in Japan zijn ongelofelijk heet en vochtig. Verstikkend, uitputtend, ondraaglijk. Niets liever zou ik doen dan de verzengende Japanse zomers om te te ruilen voor Europese zomers. Voor mij is het duidelijk dat het lichaam van de gemiddelde Japanner beter tegen de hitte kan dan het lichaam van de gemiddelde Noord-Europeaan. Japanners zweten minder, raken minder snel gedehydrateerd. Zelfs als het asfalt in de Tokiose straten bijna onder de voeten wegsmelt, zie je de salarymen nog lustig en probleemloos met zwart maatpak en strakke das door de stad snellen.

Meer nog, het Japanse voetbalseizoen overspant de volledige zomer, terwijl in Europa de hele winter wordt gespeeld. Als de zomerse hitte een factor is, dan zou het in het voordeel moeten spelen van de Japanse voetballers.

Na het verlies tegen Australië en de match zonder doelpunten tegen Kroatië, is het begrijpelijk dat de Zico onder druk staat. Japan moet donderdag (avondmatch ditmaal) met twee goals winnen tegen het machtige Brazilië om door te stoten naar de volgende ronde. Een onmogelijke taak, oordelen de realisten. Het objectief van de Japanse ploeg is niet meer om te winnen, maar wel om eervol te verliezen.

Zico hot under the collar as Japan exit looms (smh – 2006/6/20)

Taepodong 2

Na een protesten over heel de democratische wereld dreigt Noord-Korea met straffe woorden:

This issue concerns our autonomy. Nobody has a right to slander that right"

Als een verongelijkt baasje zegt N-Korea dat de Taepodong hun ding is dat ze mogen afvuren waar en wanneer ze willen.

Volgens mij wil dit zeggen dat ze redelijk onder de indruk zijn van de wereldopinie en hun raket niet gaan durven afvuren. Het enige dat ze nog kunnen afvuren is straffe taal.

N Korea defies missile pressure (BBC News - 2006/6/20)

Rustpensioen?

Ik heb het vroeger al eens gehad over het stijgend aantal echtscheidingen bij langgehuwden. Het aantal echtscheidingen tussen koppels meer dan 20 jaar gehuwd, is verdubbeld ten opzichte van 1985. Bij koppels die 30 jaar huwelijksleven achter de rug hebben, zijn de echtscheidingen zelfs verviervoudigd.

Het hoeft dus niet te verwonderen dat in de Yomiuri te lezen stond dat man en vrouw het niet eens zijn hoe de oude dag door te brengen:

Men and women in their 50s in the Tokyo area differ markedly over how they would like to live following retirement, with a majority of men wishing to live in the countryside and a majority of women favoring a conveniently located condominium, according to a survey of married couples who are not living with their children.

Tokyo couples divided over how to spend twilight years (Yomiuri 2006/6/19)

Unharmonious Foreigners

Bad spirits in Roppongi? It’s because of redevelopment projects and... foreigners:

"It all began in 2003 when a 6-year-old boy from Osaka was fatally crushed in one of Roppongi Hills' revolving doors. Three years on, one of the complex's most celebrated residents, Livedoor CEO Takafumi Horie, finds his IT company in shambles as he faces a litany of criminal charges. And earlier this month financier Yoshiaki Murakami, another denizen of Roppongi Hills, was arrested on suspicion of insider trading (…)

These front-page stories aside, Roppongi's cosmopolitan image seems to have attracted the wrong kinds of people (…)

The answer is bad fengshui (…)

The many shrines and temples in Monzencho -- as Roppongi was called in olden times -- were situated to ensure the proper flow of ki (spiritual energy), and with the kimon (devil's gates) aligned -- north, south, east and west -- so as to direct bad spirits from the area. But they were successively demolished to make way for new redevelopment projects that have upset the balance.

Foreigners worship their own countries' deities, so one might say the old spirits that protected Roppongi have lost their force. Then came redevelopment, which was aligned unfavorably, which also affects the corporations quartered in Roppongi Hills. All these corporate crimes are a result of the bad spirits that converged on the district."

Is Roppongi cursed? (Japan Times – 2006/06/18)

Yamato Battleship

"I suspect we will not see this sake for sale outside of Japan" (Japundit - 2006/6/17)

Working less? It will not work

From the Financial Times:

"Workers who put in more than 40 hours of overtime a month will earn the right to an extra day off the next month, according to a policy paper prepared by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (...)

Sceptics wonder whether the government’s new ruse will work. This is the land of “service overtime” – unofficially working extra hours for free (...) The average worker in Japan uses less than half of his or her annual holiday and the rate is falling every year.

This suggests two possible flaws with the new law, say cynics. The first is that most overtime is not officially recorded, so employees working too hard will not qualify for the extra time off.

The second is that if workers take less than half their usual holiday entitlement, they are even less likely to take the extra day they have earned through their labours. But “it’s difficult to make the extra holiday compulsory”, says a research officer at the ministry."

Japan tries to cut hours for overworked salarymen (Financial Times - 2006/6/17)

False alarm

If you want to give a present to the local police, don't leave it on the counter of a koban:

"Police in southern Japan closed off roads, evacuated residents and even brought in a bomb squad after spotting a suspicious box in a police station (...)

A bomb squad was rushed to the scene after an X-ray scan showed metallic cylinders inside the box. A local television station broadcast the incident live using helicopters(...)

But police found out the true contents after a woman, having seen the TV report, contacted them saying that she had left the cans of beer on Friday morning in return for receiving advice on home security."

Japan bomb squad mobilized over six-pack (Reuters - 2006/6/17)