UP|Japan

Osaka / Kobe / Kyoto

RegalTDP — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:37:38 +0000

If you haven't heard, all of Japan - and especially Kobe and Osaka - are going crazy over the Swine Flu.

Spread of Swine Flu Puts Japan in Crisis Mode - NYT
Swine Flu Infects More People in Japan - Bloomberg

It's even had some benefit to the local economy:

Japan Mask-Maker Stocks Climb as Flu Comes to Tokyo - Reuters

Osaka / Kobe / Kyoto

RegalTDP — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:30:23 +0000

A UP forum on Japan isn't complete if it doesn't include a thread on Kansai. 18 million people, $341 billion GDP, a longer and richer history than Tokyo, and a unique culture all its own. Definitely one of my favorite places in the world.

Tokyo

Neo — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:39:04 +0000

Here is a great time lapse video of Tokyo:

Commuting in Tokyo

Southron — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:35:44 +0000

Check out this amazing video of an automated, underground 9,400-bike parking garage that opened near a Tokyo subway station this year. Commuters walk their bikes down into the $67 million facility via bike-friendly stairs, and a robotic arm parks their bikes for about $18 per month. According to the video, over 700,000 people ride bikes to Tokyo train stations as part of their daily commute - more than the number of bicycle commuters in the entire United States.

The link below includes video in English, but the YouTube video is in Japanese.

Tokyo's High-tech Bike Storage Solution

Tokyo in 1935

monsoon — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:02:35 +0000

Neo, on Apr 4 2008, 05:13 PM, said:

.... I wonder how much of what is seen in the video still exists in the city as it is today?

My guess is not much. Tokyo was pretty much leveled by incendiary bombs in the last year of WWII. (1944-1945) The destruction was comparable to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki except of course it took more than one bomb to do it.

Great video BTW. Thanks for posting. Imperial Japan looks remarkably modern in those photos and I would have guess that it was a 1950s city in the USA from the air shots. I really looks as if the citizens of that Tokyo were well off, comfortable, and enjoyed themselves.

Tokyo in 1935

Neo — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:13:51 +0000

Ah, thanks for posting that video! It is amazing how built up Tokyo was even in 1935. Great video quality for something like that too, especially for it to be so old. I wonder how much of what is seen in the video still exists in the city as it is today?

Tokyo in 1935

pinetree221 — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:47:12 +0000

I came across this Youtube video showing Tokyo streetscapes around the year 1935, and I thought people on this forum might find it interesting.

Tokyo

Nashville_maestro — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:15:44 +0000

monsoon, on Feb 19 2008, 09:17 PM, said:

The definition of the Tokyo metro is different than that in the USA and is simply an arbitrary circle drawn around the center of the city. Using the same definition of development NYC's metro would only include the 5 boroughs. The developed area above is known as the Kanto region and respresents an continuously developed urban area of over 50 million people. There is nothing like it in North America not even close.

I didnt know that! 50 million!? Good grief! I must have read the 30 something million as people living inside the wards or something. I was about to move to Tokyo before personal issues came up that prevented me from moving for the time being. I researched Tokyo for a long time and even halfway learned Japanese. Shinjuku has got to be the hands down best streetscape in the world. Oh wait, Shibuya crossing ties shinjuku.

Tokyo

monsoon — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:17:19 +0000

Nashville_maestro, on Feb 19 2008, 09:49 PM, said:

.......
Now that is a HUGE city. Needs to be though. Roughly 33 million people live in metro tokyo making it the most populous city in the world.

Tokyo

Nashville_maestro — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 02:49:00 +0000

^Stupid you. You only knoe THREE languages!? That is sooo 1990's!

Seriously though. You can see tokyo from outer space with the naked eye! Granted, you can also see new york but it's not as big. Less than half actually.

Tokyo from space according to google maps (the grayish area around the green arrow):

Now that is a HUGE city. Needs to be though. Roughly 33 million people live in metro tokyo making it the most populous city in the world.

Tokyo

cajun — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 01:37:15 +0000

I really want to visit one day.....now if only I can learn to speak Japanese.

Stupid me, I speak French and English, then learned spanish in High school. I want to learn an eastern language.

Japan: Land of the falling birthrate

Nashville_maestro — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:06:57 +0000

This isn't just bad for japan. It's bad news for the rest of the world too. I mean we have the second largest economy in the world here. What will happen when its economy is in the slumps due to a lack of workforce? In this day and age we live in a world economy. If one major country is hit, the others suffer as well. For example, after 9/11, it wasn't just the united states that had a blow to the economy but the entire modern world just about.

Point being, we do an awful lot of buisness with japan and if they start hurting, so will we.

jobs in japan

joeDowntown — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 18:14:08 +0000

I'd agree with Nashville here. I have been to Tokyo three times and find that many Japanese cannot speak a lick of English (so if your Japanese language skills are not great, good luck).

Also, it is very hard to get into Japan unless you are sponsored by a company. My company wanted to move someone to Japan who's wife was Japanese, and we still had to sponsor him.

Personally, I think most Americans would be miserable living in Japan. I could see it being a very lonely place if it were not for the fact that people *have* to watch over me and entertain me.

Singapore, on the other hand, seems like an ideal situation if you want to work in Asia. Booming economy, English is the official language and the Job market is *ridiculously* tight. And, every other car you see is a BMW or Mercedes. Things must be going well.

Joe

jobs in japan

Nashville_maestro — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 05:49:17 +0000

orulz, on Jul 30 2007, 03:03 PM, said:

If it still matters I'd like to say that it's virtually impossible o get a job teaching english there simply because that every other forigner that moves there tries doing that so you REALLY have to luck out with a position opening to do that. More realisticlaly, your visa will expire before that happens.

If you really want a smooth transition there your best bet is to get a job here in the states that you know has offices over there and look for open positions available for transfer. Not only will your legality already be secure there but a lot of companys -especially the larger ones- will even provide you with housing until you get on your feet. Sweet deal...

I'd also like to say that its pretty tough moving there. It's hard to get in unless you have strings already pulling for you over there (i.e. a buisness, school, etc) and once your there, with the exception of tokyo, they are in fact pretty hostile of forigners. Tokyo isnt much better either. I've known a few people that moved there and one of them actually moved back because she was so fed up with getting discriminated against. I've also read some pretty bad stories as well such as people refusing to sit near you in the subway, calling you "ignorant forigner" in japanese thinking you cant understand them, etc. Not trying to discourage you though! I say go for it!

Liberal Democratic Party to lose majority control of Parliament?

Raintree21 — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:53:36 +0000

Parliament elected Yasuo Fukuda to be Japan's prime minister.

Liberal Democratic Party to lose majority control of Parliament?

Raintree21 — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:52:24 +0000

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Wednesday he will resign.

Liberal Democratic Party to lose majority control of Parliament?

okinawatyphoon — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 03:50:27 +0000

This makes me upset. I'm a big fan of Abe, and I'm glad he's staying. He's a great US ally, and I think he'll overcome his domestic issues.

Tokyo

Otenyuda — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:57:12 +0000

MikesLogic, on Mar 30 2007, 04:34 PM, said:

people here just seem to be snubbing one of the most urban cities in the world.

Oh, who cares about new york? Really?

Tokyo

Kamuda_Train — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:53:10 +0000

Tokyo is amazing!

jobs in japan

orulz — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 21:03:16 +0000

If you want to go to Japan as an English speaker with essentially no Japanese language skills, essentially your only option - outside of a US military base - is to teach English, or be in a position somehow related to the instruction of English.

If you have moderate Japanese language skills (fluent, but not native-level fluent) you may be able to find a job at a Japanese office of a foreign company, most likely in some sort of position interfacing between the local office and the headquarters. If you are looking to truly integrate within a Japanese company, you need to have pretty much native-level fluency.

jobs in japan

monsoon — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 23:20:17 +0000

ShapeShifter, on Jul 6 2007, 10:54 PM, said:

Thats weird, I heard it IS easy for foreigners (that only speak English). I have two grandparents that live in Japan. The nice thing about working for a company in Japan is they can't fire you; only embarass you by repremanding you in public or giving you a lower position in the company.

It may be easy for visitors but for people working in most corporations in technical jobs they are going to need to know some Japanese. In addition, not only can foreigners be fired from a job there, when it happens the work visa also disappears and they have to leave Japan.

jobs in japan

Raintree21 — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 20:20:31 +0000

A friend of mine lived in Japan for 2 years with her Japanese husband and said she hated life. She said she couldn't find work because she didn't know the language well enough and that it was a necesity if you were to live there. The only reason she was able to get by was because her husband supported her. She said that she could find people to talk to because the Japanese people were always looking for someone to practice their English with but when it came to business, fluent Japanese was a must.

Liberal Democratic Party to lose majority control of Parliament?

Raintree21 — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:31:29 +0000

Exit polls show that the majority of voters voted for the Democratic Party of Japan, which made huge gains in the Parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed Sunday to stay in office despite the reported severe and humiliating defeat in parliamentary elections and calls from within his party to resign. His ruling party maintains control of the lower chamber, which chooses the prime minister and exit polls by major television networks showed the LDP and its junior coalition partner, the New Komei Party, emerging with 104 seats - a 28-seat loss that left it far short of the 122 needed to control the house. The Democratic Party appeared set to win 111 seats, up from 83.

From The Charlotte Observer

jobs in japan

ShapeShifter — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 03:54:16 +0000

El Norte�o, on Jul 6 2007, 09:27 PM, said:

I have not gone to Japan, but I can advise you , I have gone to china and language is very important. If you cannot speak the language at the level of an educated person, it will be very difficult for you. Also, japan is not easy for foreigners they say...but I do not know from experience...
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Yo no he visitado japon, pero si he visitado china, asi te aviso aprender el idioma muy bien. Para trabajar de profesional se exige hablar al nivel de una persona bien culta. Si no puedes, entonces sera muy dificil para ti, especialmente en japon, donde los extranjeros no son bienvenidos ...o asi se dice... pero, no he visitado aquel pais, tal vez estoy equivocado...

Tokyo

El Norte�o — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 03:31:17 +0000

Excelent photos!
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excelentes fotos!