Living in Japan

DPJ elects Yoshihiko Noda as party leader and PM

2011-08-29T18:48:00.001-07:00

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has a new prime minister and party leader Yoshihiko Noda. The 'anti-Ozawa' member of the party will need to appoint a new cabinet which is likely to include some members of the other 'Ozawa faction', in order to satisfy both sides of the party which have been struggling with disunity. With a general election 2 years ago, Noda will need to offer in this period to give the party the best possible chance in the election.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Discount airlines enter Japanese domestic market

2011-08-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Japan has been a notoriously difficult place to fly with discount airlines. In the past there have been a few Chinese airlines, along with Jetstar and Air Asia X and Cebu Pacific, which have been servicing the major cities of Osaka and Tokyo.

Japan's two major airlines - ANA and JAL - have entered into arrangements with two discount airlines - Air Asia (Malaysia) and Jetstar (Australian, Qantas subsidiary) respectively to offer cheaper domestic connections. Really this gives these domestic carriers greater access to tap into the local market, as well as allowing the majors to retain high prices for Japanese customers who are not price-sensitive.

See the story at the Japan Times - my favourite newspaper in Japan.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Japanese brewer decision-making questionable

2011-08-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

Asahi Brewing Group is about to buy into Independent Liquor of New Zealand. This is a bizarre acquisition for the Japanese brewer for several reasons:

1. There is an alcohol consumption or cultural shift taking place in NZ, which is likely to see per capita consumption fall

2. The country's population is static - the young go to Australia, UK or Japan for work, and they are replaced by Asian immigrants or retirees who are less likely to drink beer.

3. The currency is at a high - though not as bad against the yen.

4. The economy is in a slump. Commodity prices are high, but then so is the currency

5. Japanese beers have no presences or reputation in NZ

Unless the corresponding price for the asset is good, then I don't think I'd be discarding those yen so easily. Their purchase in Australia makes more sense. I'd be buying San Miguel Brewing in the Philippines. The population is growing at 2%, and there is always the prospect of the poor, whom consume their own domestic brew, opting for a branded 'club' product.

Japanese companies seem seldom to exercise good decisions when investing in foreign markets; this looks like another case. Sorry, NZ, I'm more critical when we lose the footy...but only because I can't stand the game.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Interactive map of earthquake activity

2011-04-13T04:06:00.000-07:00

Take a look at a NY Times interactive map prepared by NASA. It shows the distribution of radiation, loss of lives from the earthquake & tsunami, as well as the centres of the aftershocks since the main earthquake. It also offers a probable death toll of 14,554 people, though at this point the confirmed deaths are 13,232.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

The death of a sushi franchise

2011-04-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

Spare a thought for the endangered blue fin tuna the next time you have your next sushi - in Japan or outside, since this type of Japanese cuisine has become very popular around the world in the last few years, precipitating over-fishing.

NY Times covers this story. Mind you, this could be a liberal in the media having a panic attack. Irrespective this is a valuable resource that needs to be managed...and given Japan's obsession with all things 'sushi', I bet they could care less about the long range implications of tuna stocks...In Japan, sushi is political.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Tsunami imagery from Japan

2011-04-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

Imagery of Japan's tsunami. Weeks after the event here is some more imagery of the tsunami. It is among the best imagery I have seen. It will be interesting to see if they ever track down the guy running away from the tsunami.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Might Japan face civil war?

2011-03-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

We are accustomed of course to Japanese people being so obedient and civil, you might be inclined to question my thesis that Japan might well be confronting a threat of civil war. But consider the following:

1. There are a great many Japanese people who are struggling to make a living; to get ahead in this economy.

2. There is this nuclear program opposed by the public, launched by the government irrespective of public concerns.

3. There is the lying by the government about the dangers

4. There is the fact that people have no effective voice in government, and never had. It was all a delusional pretense. People did not think it through. They still don't.

5. There is a great deal of unrest around the world; most particularly in the Middle East

6. There are issues endless corruption in government

7. There is the spectre of a huge public sector debt of 220% of GDP, with plans for another spend on this earthquake funding of $US0.5 trillion. There is the problem of 20 years of economic stagnation.

8. There is the prospect of increasing hardship as the population comes to terms with fuel shortages, higher taxation.

We might asks - what could happen? Already many Japanese decide to take their lives. We might expect more suicide. Might we expect a charismatic leader to emerge given the political stalemate in the parliament. The parliament seems to be bogged down by corruption issues.

At some point people tend to break. People who have repressed their anxieties or frustrations are the worst. In Japan, it poses a systematic risk. Already many Japanese children decide to live and marry abroad. Might we expect another exodus? The Japanese have traditionally made a virtue of suffering. Is there any sign that that will finally break? I don't see it. I think they would need to be lead by some charismatic leader, and there is no sign. Having said that there might be a political campaign that I am not aware of. The Japanese are among the most organised people in the world; but most organisation is government-driven. Anyway, it is something to watch for. The tsunami might be another step towards chaos. I don't see any trigger for Japan to reach its tipping point. Perhaps one might emerge out of this crisis. Many a city mayor who is heralded for their courage and quick thinking who becomes a national hero.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Hague Convention poor system for arbitrating international marriages

2011-03-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Japan is considering its policy stance on the Hague Convention governing International Child Abduction. The reality is that its not really even abduction so long as Japan offers its citizens another legal standard.

Japanese women can be just as manipulative as (Western) men can be abusive. There is no question that some Western men are predators when it comes to their pursuits of Japanese women. Japanese women are famous for being submissive. That is a cultural generalisation that has allowed a great many men to play the odds. Some men denied validation seek out Japanese partners because they can also have intimacy issues. Likewise submissive Japanese women can tolerate abusive Western men enabled by their 'mute' compliance.

This ought not dispel the possibility that Japanese women are capable of manipulation. Whilst Japanese women do not generally display a great sense of ambition; make no mistake they will distort reality to achieve their subjective, nurturing desire to retain their children. The prospect of a Japanese government which retains the stereotype of Western men being abusive is of course not helpful. Japanese culture upholds this 'superiority' based on their notion of civility which is based on some notion of 'sensibility', 'courtesy' or consideration for others. The reality is that value system is far more a pretense than a genuine respect for rights or the interests of others, and the stereotype of Westerners being 'aggressive' or uncivilised 'egoists' plays into such issues where Japanese women are able to 'play victim' without proper scrutiny of the issue. Consider the following quote from a women in the Japan Times article:

"If Japan were to sign the Hague Convention . . . (my child would) be forced to live with an abusive father and be exposed to violence again....And I will become a (declared) criminal."

When I first read this I assumed she was concerned about some form of prejudicial treatment....but in fact she is worried about having broken the law in the West, and being accountable for that. Her desire is to avoid Western legal enforcement because the Japanese system created a loophole. The reality is that this woman does not deserve to be in prison. Her actions speak more about the poor legal system which turns people into adversaries.

Many years ago I was interested in a relationship with a Japanese girl in Cairns, Australia who had a child with an Australian man. What struck me as telling was that she displayed no empathy for the guy who was preventing her from getting a passport for her child; precisely because he was aware that Japan had not signed the Hague Convention. If she was genuine in taking her child to Japan for a visit, she was being punished by the Japanese government because her partner needed to taken precautionary measures to protect his interests.

Labelling Westerners as abusive or 'aggressive' is cultural cringe. In my relationship with a Japanese lady. She was the 'abusive' one in a sense....though it was not threatening to me. There was one incident where she pushed me up against a wall. In another case, she came at me with a knife in anger because an argument ensued over the fact that I said "I wanted to cook a roast lamb the way my mother used to cook it". That is the kiss of death to a Japanese wife who sees cooking as her domain. I don't believe she intended to hurt me with the knife. I think she did not even realise she had it in her hand when she came at me, but I pushed her away in self-defense. The reality is - women can react very emotionally, and very defensively to 'cold logic', which she got in spades from me.

These is a problem. Couples who break up and who want to part ways divide the interests of the children. How to deal with this issue when - only Japan - has a different legal system. The problem of course is that these (usually) women usually have no desire to live in the West after their relationship ends. Where does the child go? commonsense says its best left in the country where it has pre-existing relationships. Abuse of course needs to be investigated...but its not the role of a partner to be the presiding judge and determine the interests of the child if they have a conflict of interest. Japan knows that...they have laws against conflict of interest. Why the obstinate delays to signing this convention.

The Japanese government is creating a lot of paranoia and injury with this law. I do however think there needs to be special international tribunals to deal with such issues. I suggest that each country appoints an advocate for its culture and that two advocates and one independent 'third party' advocate provide arbitration on these cases, because there is a rich personal and cultural context which needs to be explored. This approach is far better than a Family Court which has no informed understanding of the cultural context. The implication is that the Hague Convention is not an adequate framework for dealing with these issues. In the current system people's interests are going to be prejudiced by uninformed courts.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Japanese translation of 'Atlas Shrugged'

2011-02-25T12:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a Japanese translation of a book that all Japanese 'free-thinking' people should read. Too many Japanese people who lament the Japanese way of living challenge the values of Japan. This book 'Atlas Shrugged', by Ayn Rand, goes a long way towards developing a coherent intellectual framework to challenge and understand the values of contemporary life. I don't believe Rand achieved complete appreciation of the problem, and certainly she offers only limited 'political inspiration' for Japanese people, however the themes have pertinence to all of humanity.

Her book is among Random Houses' top 100 of all time - the readers choice. Not bad for a book as controversial as this. She is either hated or praised. She has changed people's lives including mine. Japanese people might avoid such controversy. I say they need to confront it. People hate the book and the author precisely because the ideas are threatening. That is reason enough to analyse its content - because you might well be scared of it. Its a horrid little tale about contemporary society....even it its set in a fictional period 50-odd years ago.

Find the book here. Discuss the book here.

Rand is the closest approximation to my own ideas. Eventually I will publish these, but they are still work in progress. One cannot just write one book; one has to write a system of them. In the interim, I only deal with concrete political, relationship, investment issues on my blogs. The coherency will eventually come with publication of the philosophical content.

I personally agree with about 95% of what Rand wrote, and intend to add about 30% to what she didn't say; mostly in the realm of psychology and politics. This is not a criticism, but rather recognition that she was foremost an author who developed a philosophy to develop her characters. If she had written just philosophy, its probable that she would not have bad any influence in her lifetime. She was foremost a 'targeted' purposeful missile, and she struck her target audience. The role of post-Randians like myself is to refine or extrapolate her ideas to give them greater pertinence and coherence. Some ideas are merely implicit in Randian philosophy; but in other areas, there are gaps. Those gaps are often true to her purpose. i.e. Her lack of politics might be construed as a desire to avoid controversy which would bury her deeper convictions.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Japanese CEOs offer solutions to age-old problems

2011-02-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

Does the world have anything to learn from Japan's business executives? Reading the CNN press responses to this article, you would think so...but I say think again. This story is about the Japan Airlines CEO who earns less than his pilots.

If such thinking was not based on a collectivist pride, maybe that value system would work wonders for Japan. i.e. If it was about earning your salary. As it stands, it is only delaying the inevitable 'real reform' of values in Japan. The values which mean that people work twice as hard for the same money. The Japanese take pride in suffering to new levels....its about time they gave up working hard and used their brains. They can run around like 'worker ants', but they sadly live by that old thinking...'work hard and you will get ahead'....better to work smart.

The Japanese system is based on collectivist or fascist values with a capitalist facade.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

WIMAX services in Japan

2011-02-22T13:57:00.000-08:00

Japan is one of the most communications-friendly countries in the world, and that reputation is only going to get better with the roll-out of WIMAX services. KDDI, the largest cell phone company is developing a WIMAX network through UQ Communications. You will need a USB modem - see this gizmo. There is a 2 month free period, though this might be tied to a contract. You will need to assess the coverage in your areas of interest. It is good however the network is supported by KDDI. The cost is Y4650 per month I believe.

This is great news. Even better if they offer a volume plan for those intermittent visitors to Japan.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

The Japanese constitution is 'unconstitutional'

2011-01-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

The Japanese High Court has ruled that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Board of Education did not breach the Constitution "by requiring school teachers and other staff to stand when the Hinomaru flag is raised and the national anthem sung during school events". This is the right decision by the Japanese judiciary for the following reasons:

1. The teachers had the option of teaching in the school

2. The imposition is frivolous upon the teachers - required only to stand up and sing

3. The teachers action was in act the wrong one. They should have argued that 'nationalism' is contrary to the national constitution, and that the actions of the government ought to be compatible with the preservation of human rights. Nationalism is an abstract policy which is destined to elevate the threat of collectivism. This places the onus upon the government to stipulate the reasons for adopting a nationalist policy. This requires it to adopt a scientific perspective to defend the policy. It has not done that.

Most particularly the action is a sham because there are so many other more significant breaches of human rights to protest, and these 'liberal' teachers chose such an incidental issue. Why not protest the fact that the Japanese extorts wealth from Japanese people and wastes it with dubious measures of accountability. Why don't they challenge the veracity of the Japanese constitution, in as much as it facilitates this, and is thus a crime against human nature.

We are very much interested in the issues of justice. In fact, we are establishing a consulting service to help people pursue legal remedies in so far as they correspond to constitutional matters.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Prospects for change

2011-01-12T11:09:00.001-08:00

The Japanese political scene is looking pretty dismal. The nation's finances are in a tragic state, with the public sector deficit exceeding 200% of GDP. The good news is that this money is owed by the Japanese people, which means that the government need only extort the money from its citizenry, or more likely print money to pay it off.

Since Sept 2007, Japan has had 6 changes in its prime ministers. This does not auger well for political direction. What does the future hold for Japan? In all probability, the future of Japan might be sooner than you think. The Japanese people were once a proud people, but after 2 decades of stagnancy, we might ponder just how soon their tolerance will break, or how soon a young, charismatic capable leader emerges. More probable perhaps is the spectre of a 'false hope'; a leader who promises much, but delivers very little.

This is a theme we have discussed before. Historically, the Japanese people, a repressed culture, when they have augmented change, have done so with great gusto. I suspect we will see a revival, perhaps of the nature we have come to expect from Apple Inc....and still maybe from Microsoft. We live in hope. I have yet to see a leader conveying the required skills.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Cheap thrills in Japan

2011-01-01T19:03:00.000-08:00

Riding a bike is the cheapest activity to do it Japan. You might think that its hard because there is so much traffic, but in many respects its easier and more fun to get around than by car. I would find driving in Japan frustrating because of the slow pace of the traffic. The secret is:

1. Using pathways along rivers, drainage channels and parks. These paths can go for kilometres, e.g. Along the Arakawa River is the best way to get around Tokyo, plus the creek and main road at Nerima. Most main roads have paths.

2. Riding up mountain river valleys

3. Taking back roads

I even was given a very good mountain bike by going to the local recycling centre. The Japanese govt reclaims a lot of bikes abandoned at stations. Japanese abandon them, so that is where you can find them. I got mine from a suburban fringe recycling centre in Saitama.

It is amazing where you can find mountain biking trails. I found a really good one near Ranzen-machi in Saitama. It runs along a mountain range before dropping down to a road, then along the side of a golf club, another saddle, then down a creek bed. You can of course ride around rice padis or a long rivers in rural areas, simply by packing your bike into a bag for the train. This makes sense if you want to rail to a location and drive back. Make it a real challenge by taking a GPS and going 100-200km away. See if you can find your way home.

I could almost turn this into a sport. Cross-country riding around Japan. All it needs is a website where people can go for GPS coordinates, places to stay for cheap, good bars. Nice website idea. I'll do the website if someone helps me on the content side. I already have GPS coordinates for about 30% of JR railway stations after using several Japan Rail Passes.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

The low cost and benefits of property in Japan

2010-11-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

One of the appeals of having a house in Japan is the low cost of maintaining it. I paid just Y2.8mil for a house 1 hour from Tokyo, and 7kms (i.e. a bicycle ride) from a major station. The house is by no means a great house. Its traditional in style, 5br, it has a standard amount of land, its 18yo, but its close to Tokyo and it was very cheap. The other appealing aspect it had for a holiday house is that it costs me only $300 a year in local govt taxes. I pay no other charges. Japan is so safe I do not even both insuring it.

Compare that with say NZ...which is by no means an expensive place to buy property, and the cost of a basic house 1 hour from the city would be $150,000 minimum, and I would be lugged with land taxes of around $NZ1,000 ($US750). I would need to ensure it, I'd need to mow the lawns, I'd need to have someone watch it. None of this is necessary in Japan.

I bought my house below land value because of its location and 'apparent' condition. It was a place I could store stuff, work from when I visit Japan in Spring/Summer. I get the benefits of being a tourist - namely the Japan Rail Pass - but I also have a place I can work from for 3 months, before I skip over to Korea/HK/the Philippines with a discount airline, or a base from which to travel around by rail pass. Importantly, there is a great deal to see in Japan, and I never get sick of the place. The railway is so efficient, I can shoot up to northern Honshu on a shinkansen, then explore the regional areas on the local trains, and be back in my house to sleep. I don't even have to rent a room. Hokkaido is a bit far to do this.....and of course I sleep out if going into more remote areas.

Contrary to popular belief...Japan is not simply an industrial wasteland. I think you could argue that it is architecturally homogeneous, but it is culturally interesting...that's an understatement...and it has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes anywhere. It has appealing village and city cultural elements....which will fascinate all. I have seen the most ardent 'redneck', truckie, KKK-lifetime member-types transformed by a visit to Japan. They really did not expect it to be as it is. They are accustomed to those silly, giggling girls that travel to their home country. There is more to Japan. I think its an opportunity more than anything else to observe a different perspective or display of differing human values...regardless of how sick or distorted those values might be.

Nope...I am not a fan of Japanese values. But then, neither are a great many Japanese...though they don't have the intellectual skills to understand why....well, except for 0.00011% of the population....who never developed a personal identity, i.e. egoism. There are the exceptions. I have met Japanese people who are more American than Americans.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Japan extending the working years of their slave labour force

2010-11-22T18:52:00.000-08:00

Japanese robotics herald the way of the future. Are you worried that your bones are not as nimble as you would like; that you can't walk after a spinal injury, or that you might lose your job as a nurse because the patients are too heavy for you? Are you wondering when Schwarzenegger will be back?

Wait just a little bit longer. The movie will one day be a reality. The concept of Robocop is taking on new life in Japan, where bodily movements are used to instruct robotic limbs to move, and in the process to deliver strength to those who currently don't have it. A person might ask - where will they draw their power supply from? Maybe there will be circuitry in hospitals, etc. Check out this video. Personally, I await the day when Arnie will be beat up by an old Japanese geriatric patient. I'd pay to see that movie spoof.

In any case, this guy might be one of the few Japanese people who like their job.

This is far better than the technology I saw modelled by NZ academics working on the same theme. Their robot was so slow and cumbersome.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Japan's Democratic Party - new era?

2010-09-17T20:02:00.001-07:00

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has retained Prime Minister Naoto Kan as the party leader, leaving faction heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa in the cold. This is old news. The party last week had a party meeting to test the popularity of each leader in the party, and Kan retained his winning lead, largely due to the lost credibility of Ozawa, in response to corruption links.

Just yesterday, Kan announced that he had appointed a new cabinet, which included 10 new faces among the 17 members. It is noteworthy that the new team will result in a weakening of Ozawa's power in the cabinet. It will of course mean a fresh start for Kan, and possibly the start of a new era if he can restore confidence in the party.

Refer to the Japan Times for the full story.

Recently we reported on a different path to reform in the Liberal Democratic Party. The LDP has experienced an increase of MPs migrating to new parties. This break up of old political ties is destined to create all manner of new relationships, both with the main LDP party, and perhaps even with the DPJ. This could see some of these smaller parties controlling the balance of power. It should assist the Japanese parliament find some new leadership talent.

Japan's Miss Universe candidate

2009-08-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

Last year I surveyed the Miss Universe candidates because one really does get a sense of national values from the candidates that each countries put forward, particularly those from larger countries with more entrants. Perhaps the most disappointing candidate this year comes from Japan. I believe she got the lowest score at 1.9/5. This does not just reflect on the girl, but on the Japanese judges who assessed her to be the best candidate. In any respect, you can hear her response to questions.

Japanese man put-down

2008-10-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

Its interesting dealing with Japanese men; though I can't say I have strictly had any relationship with any. I've shared an apartment with one, talked to heaps, but with the exception of a few old men I've met with overseas experience, I can't say I'd want to be friends with them. One Aussie girl I used to work with had a pretty cool Japanese BF. My brother recently married a Japanese girl in Japan, and I was surprised that all her brother's friends were really cool! Having been married to a Japanese girl myself at some point, this was not the first wedding I went to without some form of prejudice. Usually its older arrogant men from the countryside. But if I was to sum up the attitudes I have crossed, its the following:
1. Cultural put down: Many Japanese guys like to put down my country because we are a small population. It does like this... 'Really..you are from Australia? Oh. Kangaroo, koala..he he. Really amusing when it happens several times in the same bar.
2. Nice guy put down: This is when strangers want to do nice things for you. e.g. A Japanese person is at a vending machine before you. He decides to give you a free drink. Maybe you are thinking..nice guy. Nope, arrogant dick. He did it because generosity is a sign of superiority in Japan. Older men treat younger men & women to drinks because they are arrogantly superior. The young Japanese employees or girls just like to get free drinks and take off, unless they feel compelled to be polite. One Japanese guy told me he had to pour his bosses drinks all night, at every session of weekly Friday drinks, but he was pleased to get free drinks none the less.
3. Runnaway Dave: These are the ones that wait until they pass you before they have their snickering joke with their disabled mates.
4. Throw Up Tom: These are the guys who carry on all the time and get excessively drunk, or pretend to, and then drop up anyway just to prove they are men. When he gets older, he is likely to require a loan from his parents to pay for the damage he did to your apartment because he drank & drove, drank more and fell asleep smoking a cigarette. Oh, and you had to drive him to the hospital to sew his burnt hand back on.
5. Silent Sam: This is the type of Japanese guy who is very quiet and just wants to take-take-take. Mummer's boy to be sure. Very insular, so very hard to relate or get humour from these guys. They are generally honest though.
6. Sly Stud: Stud is the guy who charms the lady and has a lot of confidence. He is usually successful in business and plays around with married women.
7. Working Jay: Jay is a son of the company president. He feels a great sense of obligation, so he feels obliged to work as hard as his father. He eats and drinks at the bars, often by himself. He has dates organised by his mother because she is concerned he doesn't eat well, and he needs to settle down. He probably has the most tragic sense of life.
8. Prancing Pete: Pet also has wealthy parents, but Pete can't stand to be around his parents because they are so pushy about him being a real man and facing up to his responsibilities. Instead he works a part time job selling cell phones in the city, or goes abroad and works in a Japanese call centre. He is gay or close enough, which is just another element of his 'tough dad's disappointment.
9. Korean Ken: Those tough minded men which remind you of tough-minded Korean men, through whom ideas will just not permeate. Ken is this type of man that Pete wants to escape. He is often a farmer, construction worker, lumberjack or real estate agent.

Ok, so let me identify the positive experiences with Japanese men:
1. Teddybear Ben: There are those old Japanese men who are soft, gentle and friendly. Nice people, often educated, often engineers.
2. Countryfolk: I have had some very positive experiences with Japanese country people. A lot of them have not had much interaction with foreigners, so they won't speak much English, but you can have a lot of fun over a few beers.
3. Suicide Joe: This is the guy who tells you his life story, how unhappy he is, how lucky you are, and just appreciates that you spent 30 minutes talking to him.
4. Downsyndromes: These ones tend to be confined to the outskirts of the cities, I guess where its cheaper and less possibility of a drive-by. All types of weird people on trains in Japan. Never had an experience like it. They are included in the census so we include them here. Not among my friends but good to observe.
5. Tecky Ted: Ted is the guy who wishes he was an American, or might be properly be identified as one. These are the types who are the most interesting to talk to because they don't possess the collectivist identity that maligns other Japanese men. They account for the creative, conceptual genius behind Japan, and highlight the point that if you have a population of 95 milliob people, you are bound to get a few hundred thousand ones like Ted. Great for a chat, and the only typecast I can respect.
6. Bureaucrat Bob: Bob is a very rigid fellow, very shy, no chance in hell of getting a girlfriend. He wants to be a computer programmer but spends only 1 hour a day studying compared to 8 hours for a housewife. He speaks like an android and wears all his buttons up, and he runs to the station at 5am so he's not late for work. And he liked Japanese history and literature. He just loves Japan because there are rules that he can count on. He'll never leave the country unless its to find a wife in the Philippines.

Well I wish I was joking, but this is the summary of the types of men I have met in Japan. Am I missing anyone?

Japanese man's perspective on Japan

2008-08-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting conversation with a Japanese man last night. It was special because I very seldom meet a Japanese man as insightful, intelligent and open. A true gentleman, and very honest. He was explaining that during WWII Japanese men studying at university were forced to enlist in the military. After the war these people had no money, and were living in very basic apartments with shared toilets, no heating, and bad drafts. It was typical for the parents to direct them into university. He wanted to make Japanese noodles. This was commonplace so its not surprising that he should begrudgingly accept his parents wishes. His account highlights the fact that it was parental expectations that their children should have an opportunity to study that many of them missed out on. I dare say many parents were living vicariously through their children, but I'm sure many other parents who didn't want their children to get a university education still wanted to cajoule their children towards prosperity because they were so poor.
He made the point that Koreans and Chinese people are so much like Japanese. I agree with that. Its particularly evident when you go to the Japanese countryside and you meet Japanese farmers who are just like Koreans. Mind you the educated elite in Korea are like city Japanese, and the same for the Chinese elite.
I disagreed with him on the next topic. He suggested that Japanese children today are obliged to go to extra-curricular activities in order to be competitive. I don't think that in itself is bad. One of Japanese strengths is that it is a highly organised society. The problem is two-fold:
1. Japanese kids are sometimes forced to do this. But often they enjoy the extra time with friends. I learned this from the daughter of my ex-GF.
2. Japanese children are given the same rot learning as western kids, just its more intense, and there is less respect for the kid's wishes, though that is changing.
3. Japanese kids are very innocent compared to Western kids. They really lack external experience. Outside of Japan is really a hostile world for them. They are so sheltered or protected. I readily saw the difference when I met 2 13yo NZ exchange students in Japan. Japanese would be inclined to talk about dolls, cute dogs, other frivilous matters, whereas the NZ'ers could have adult conversations. No wonder Japanese are perceived as being racist. Mostly I think its from intimidation and insecurity. The Japanese guy I met had no hint of racism or arrogance, maybe a little national pride, but not in an assertive sense. Only because he neglected to realise that his observations about Korean thinking was also true of Japan. He readily stood corrected. Its one of the nice qualities in Japan, mainly from the women because they don't feel the need to beat their chest. The problem I had with Japanese is the lack of ambition.

Youth Hostels in Japan

2008-05-21T01:18:00.000-07:00

Another great way to travel around Japan on the cheap is by staying at youth hostels. My experiences with youth hostels has mostly been in other countries, eg. Canada, NZ, Australia. In fact I have only stayed at a youth hostel once in Japan and that was in Nagoya. The reason I didn't like it was because this place has a 11pm curfew, so after clubbing until 2AM in the morning, I was unable to go to bed. Instead I was forced to walk around the city for 3 hours to keep warm. I dont know why I was unaware of the curfew. Maybe such information was in Japanese or staff neglected to tell me. Can't recall.
Youth Hostels are a cheap option and I would recommend them, particularly in the smaller cities and countryside where ryokans tend to be expensive and capsule hotels are absent. See www.jyh.or.jp/english/index.html for more information. I prefer capsule hotels in the city because I love a hot bath before and after going out, and also they have the advantage of being 24 hours and they are conveniently located close to entertainment areas (bars) in the cities, so I dont need to get an expensive taxi. Capsule hotels are similarly priced to youth hostels.

I guess both options should be tried as an experience. Capsule hotels are really only suitable for single men. There are a few I believe that cater to women, but they are rare. There are no private baths to my knowledge, so be prepared to flaunt you penis. I'm sure you'll put on a great show. The towels don't offer much shelter if you are not well endowed. But rest assured there will not be any Japanese walking around laughing at you in any language you understand. :)

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-01T04:21:00.001-08:00

Travelling in Japan

2008-02-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

The best advice I can give you if you want to travel around Japan is not to live there. The Japanese government for years has been fighting the perception that their country is an expensive place to live and travel. As a result they have for many years been offering foreign tourists a very attractive concession pass for travel on Japan Rail's network. The Japan Rail pass is only available to foreigners travelling on a tourist visa, so my advice is finish any work visa before you travel around Japan. Thus if you are based in Japan, you are better off to see neighbouring countries. I would cancel your working visa so that you can freely travel back (from say Pusan or Seoul, Korea) with a Japan Rail pass & tourist visa. Its a requirement that you purchase the visa outside the country.
My strategy was to get a pass for 1 or two weeks and to travel as much as possible. I would planeach trip at night using www.hyperdia.com, trying to maximise the number of lines I could travel on, but always attempting to return to a large city by nightfall so I could find cheaper accommodation. In the larger cities (Tokyo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka) I knew I could find capsule hotels for Y3500-4500/night, often with a concession attached to the 2nd night. They obliged when I asked if I could store my large locked case in their backoffice.
In the smaller regional cities on the west coast I was having to mostly stay in business hotels, though they were not so bad at around Y4500-5000. Occasionally I would come across an inn which was cheaper. The trick is to make use of the shinkansen fast trains to get to remote outposts before you get local trains. If I left Tokyo on the first train I might expect to be in Fukushima by 8:30AM, so I can get a local train inland, maybe spending just one night in the mountains or on the west coast. I found that the train timetables in the alpine areas were not so helpful if you were transferring to another line. You need to plan the trip before you head inland. The staff were always very helpful telling me the connections. Sometimes (say around Miyoshi, near Okayama), a line might just have 2 or 3 trains a day. This poses a slight inconvenience since you can always take a different line as I often did. On occasion the train services in remote areas has been replaced by buses.
I have used a Japan Rail Pass 4 times now - the standard pass 3 times (7 & 14 day passes) and the 5-day flexible pass (gives you 5 days in a month) offered by JR East. Each has its merits. The standard pass suits people in Japan with a fixed agenda, the 5-day pass suits people who want to travel out on variable occasions, or who might want to use it on weekends.
For more info on the Japan Rail pass - see my Global Rail Travel blog.

Holidays in Japan

2008-01-31T18:35:00.000-08:00

I have several other blogs that deal with my holiday escapades, and I intend for this blog to focus on my personal insights about Japan and its people. So for holiday tips please refer to my blogroll or refer to www.sheldonthinks.com.
After marriage I had a business trip to Japan, and it was not for several years that I would return. Travelling around Japan on business I had however decided that I wanted to live in Japan. On reflection it was not the best commercial decision I would make. There were several bad points:
1. I lost a regular income stream which meant that I have no basis for buying a property and thus benefiting from the property (asset) price boom
2. I lost a constant flow of information on listed Australian mining companies. Working as an analyst I got to review really good stocks first hand. Didnt have to go looking for them
3. I undermined my career credibility by going overseas. Perhaps it looked a little self-indulgent, but then I was not getting exposed to any quality Australian management either.

On reflection my personal life hads no doubt contamninated my working relationships. I was being misunderstood alot. Those experiences were cause for anxiety that tended to push me offshore. You can rest assured that by going overseas, you will not have a problem being misunderstood, as they expect foreigners to be at least slightly 'foreign'. Unfortunately there is really no market for mining analysts in Japan, and less so one that does not speak Japanese, and I did not have the head for that.
So having made good profits on mining stocks I headed off to Japan to teach English. Having divorced, being sponsored to teach English in Japan was one of the best experiences of my life. It helped at the time that I made a 3200% profit on Aquarius Platinum options.

My first Japanese experience

2008-01-31T17:38:00.000-08:00

My interest in Japan was quite late. The first instance that I thought about Japan was in a conversation with a philosophy friend of mine. He was talking about Japan through the experiences of his brother, who suggested that having a relationship with a Japanese girl was a very unique experience.
As it turned out I went to work for an energy consultancy company that resulted in me travelling to Japan to collect research as well as to sell some of our multi-client studies. I did not know it at the time but I was wasting my time because I was just an analyst, and not the people to be talking to managers about buying a report. They clearly were none the wiser. Regardless Barlow Jonker had a good reputation, its just that they were not going to buy from me.
Of course I was impressed by Japan. Months later I would meet a very beautiful Japanese girl at the bus stop in Neutral Bay in Sydney. I was going into the city to work or to walk around the botanical gardens....likely both, as I often did my casual readings at work on the weekend.

I was intrigued after those much earlier conversations with my friend, so curious to find out what Japanese people were like. She was not a 'typical Japanese person'. Her cheeks were not drawn, she was dressed very sportingly, and her teeth were perfect. Approaching her was very awkward as she could not understand my English. The problem was not however her vocab but rather familiarity with my accent. She was living with a Japanese friend, and mostly talking to Japanese people at work. I was her first Australian friend. She was friends with a Nigerian guy, but he had distanced herself from her because a friend of his had jumped on her. So I think she had a trust issue with foreigners.

I inquired further on the bus and when the bus terminated at Wynyard Station, I asked her if I could join her. It must have seemed pushy, but she was ok with it. I walked with her to her trying to establish what she was doing? Where was she going? She kept on saying 'Rock', and I was saying 'What? Roll'n'Roll'? Finally 2km later we were at her 'work'. Anyway I met he boss and asked her if I could have lunch with her.

Alot of people might ask me. Why were you interested in a girl with whom you could hardly communicate? The answer is - I have always been incredibly curious, wanting to learn, but also I have always been very shy. In the week earlier I had convinced myself I was going to find a GF. Having been to a boys only private school I really had no idea how to talk to girls. How refreshing to meet someone who couldn't understand me anyway. It made it all so much easier.

Anyway in ensuing weeks I went to her workplace every Sunday for lunch, then on 5th week she called me, because instead I went to my father's place. So we got together Monday night with her Chinese friend. Anyway that was our first kiss. Just from observing her behaviour it was evident that she was very romantic about the occasion. She closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against mine. Much more innocent than any prior Australian experience.

In coming weeks our relationship quickened pace. Firstly my gay sharemate left, but not before stealing one of my shirts. It was a thin jumper which probably looked great on him. He had justified the theft by giving me one of his shirts that he didnt want. I guess he would call it a trade. It made me reflect on whether being gay was one big rationalisation, but actually I can't see anything wrong with homosexuality if you are so inclined. I think it doesnt matter what you do, so much as the motive for doing it.

The other event which transpired was that Kihoko - my new Japanese friend - needed to move out of her apartment because her friend was going back to Japan. I invited her to stay at my place. She agreed. It didnt take long before we had consumated the relationship. She was gorgeous.
In coming months we would spend more time with her friends since I really didnt have many good friends. I particularly liked the dynamic you get when you have 2 Aussie guys with 2 Japanese girls. It only works in a 4-way set. I couldnt relate to this guy if it was just the 2 of us.
I was at that time a very shy guy and Kihoko was a valued partner. Ultimately I would come to marry her, which was a mistake, but given my lack of meaningful relationships up until the age of 28yo, not surprising to me.
Philosophically I had a choice about locking in this relationship or attempting to find another. I decided to lock in the 'value (bird) in the hand is worth 2 in the bush' and marry her. She was really quite idealistic about it, whereas for me it was a piece of paper. Yep, it was a mistake to get married without more life experience. I was a wise man at 28yo, but in relationships, and understanding myself, I had alot to earn. It was clear I was not going to get any meaningful help from anyone else because I had never had any meaningful relationships.
Once we got married, things changed. I noticed that she was not so understanding. Before we got married she would hold things in. She would go to work and return home and say "Andrew, I was very upset with you today, but after thinking about it, you're right. I love you, etc". But after getting married, I noted a lack of patience. She suddenly felt entitled to press the issue and loose control, and sometimes it was over such frivilous issues.
The one which I will never forget was at Woolworths. Normally she would cook, as she was good at it, and not without appreciation. On this dayt however, having grown up with roast lamb, I decided to cook a roast 'like my mother used to cook it'. Clearly she had some issues of insecurity, because she thought belittled by my longing for a roast, likely seeing it as some preference I had for my mom's cooking. I was shocked by the magnitude of the slip, which was a total misunderstanding. The neighbours even called the police, and she was embarrassed to tell them. When I tried to explain the police say 'Wait we'll get her statement first'. After hearing her, they didn't even bother getting a statement from me.
Whenever I go to the police station, I know they are going to have a chuckle over that one. As it turned out, I was poorly equipped at that time to deal with her issues, and it was a good decision to leave her within the year. I didn't loose interest in Japanese girls. I've never had such an honest and supportive relationship in my life, so I went searching for another Japanese relationship. Not exclusively, just the feedback I got from Aussie girls was negative.
I have come to understand the reason why. I work through relationships, whereas I think western girls want to join up all the dots before they dive in. I think the 'scarcity' factor in my life, of possible relationships is a big reason for this choice. I dont see anything wrong with it, as I grow relationships.