japantravel

what is the Best Food In Japan

2011-04-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

what is Best Food In Japan
•A Traditional Japanese Meal is always served with green tea.

•A bowl of Miso Soup accompanies breakfast, lunch and dinner too. It is made from Miso paste, wakame seaweed and small pieces of tofu.
Tofu is made of soy beans which is an important source of protein.

•Agedashi Tofu is tofu slices that are deep fried and dipped into a soy sauce.

•Tempura is deep fried seafood or vegetables and mushrooms, coated with tempura mix.

•A bowl of plain cooked rice is served with every Japanese meal. Yes, breakfast too.

•Sashimi is raw fish, eaten with soy sauce and wasabi. Impeccably fresh fish is the secret to wonderful sashimi and sushi. You can count on it to be fresh and clean in every Tokyo restaurant. Try these Tokyo Restaurants in Tokyo Fish Market.

•Japanese people love their noodles. Soba noodles are made of buckwheat. Ramen are thin noodles prepared in a soup. Somen are thin noodles eaten cold and considered a summer specialty.

•Shabu-Shabu is a delicious Japanese style meat fondue. Thinly sliced quality meat is dipped into boiling water along with vegetables, mushrooms and tofu. Ponzu vinegar or a sesame sauce goes with the meat.

•Yakitori are grilled chicken pieces on skewers.

•Onigiri are rice balls wrapped in nori seaweed. They contain umeboshi (pickled Japanese plum), katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings), tuna or salmon. Rice balls are a healthy and low-cost snack available at every convenience store.

•Japanese Curry Rice (Kare Raisu) is a very simple dish, tasty and inexpensive. It is so popular that many fast-food restaurants serve it, especially in Tokyo subway stations.

•Kobe beef is a delicacy from cattle raised in Kobe district. There is a long tradition of raising cattle in that area of Japan. The cattle drinks beer(!!!) and receives a daily massage(!!!. The price accordingly is expensive.

•The local people in Japan don't like sugary desserts. The Japanese desserts are made from pounded rice, sweet red bean apanese dessertspaste, sweet white bean paste, mashed sweet potatoes and chestnuts.
Try Mochi Japanese cake or Wagashi . Stores change the colors and shapes of Wagashi to reflect the changes of season. Also very recommended are Green tea ice cream and Green tea Japanese cake.

Sony VAIO Z Series VPCZ134GX/S Notebook

2011-04-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

Sony VAIO Z Series VPCZ134GX/S Notebook
Sony VAIO Z Series VPCZ134GX/S Notebook

Sony VAIO Z Series VPCZ134GX/S Notebook PC Feature

Box Contents – Sony VPCZ134GX/S Notebook, Standard Capacity Lithium-Ion Battery, AC power adapter, Power Cord; Software Bundle – Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit, Microsoft Office 2010 Starter, Norton Internet Security 2010 30-Day Trial Offer, 1-Year Limited Warranty
Intel Core i5-460M 2.53GHz Processor with Turbo(R) Boost Technology up to 2.80GHz
3MB L3 Cache
4GB DDR3 1066MHz RAM (8GB max.)
128GB SATA SSD (64GB + 64GB)

Sony VAIO Z Series VPCZ134GX/S Notebook PC Overview

The Sony VAIO Z Series VPCZ134GX/S Notebook PC gives you the power and functionality of a larger PC packed into a durable notebook that weighs just over 3 lbs (with standard battery). By using a mercury-free backlit LED display, the Sony VAIO Z Series VPCZ134GX/S Notebook PC keeps one less chemical out of both your home and the landfills. From its convenient backlit keyboard to its Dynamic Hybrid Graphics system that delivers power when you need it, the Sony VAIO Z Series VPCZ134GX/S Notebook PC has all the features that make for a world-class mobile computing experience

from - http://sportliveupdate88.typad.net/2011/02/27/sony-vaio-z-series-vpcz134gxs-notebook-pc/

Food Supplement Safety

2011-03-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

Food Supplement Safety
The food supplements sold by CFS Nutrition are well known micronutrients that have been scientifically studied and used for many years, establishing them as extremely safe when used by adults in the recommended daily quantities.

The quality we deliver is the highest available. Our products have all been produced and packaged at FDA (Food and Drug Administration) inspected and approved US manufacturing facilities. All of our supplements meet USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) standards for quality, purity, and potency
Skeptics and critics in the medical community continue to publicly raise questions regarding the safety, efficacy, and "dubious" origins of food supplements. These views are widely publicized in the media. The conclusion drawn by those expressing these opinions is usually a call for stricter controls by the FDA, and for requiring the involvement of MDs in the prescription and supervision of people taking food supplements, "for the publics safety".

We quote Jesus Christ in the introduction of this topic because he best describes the antics of those whose "bread is buttered" by prescribing pharmaceutical drugs, provoking controversy over food supplement safety. Lets explore briefly the issues of dubious origins, the safety record, proven efficacy, and FDA regulation.

Micronutrients naturally occur in the foods, herbs, and spices we eat. These substances are utilized by the body to perform the many inherent chemical processes of life, almost always without the potential for unwanted side effects when ingested in moderate quantities.

Pharmaceutical drugs on the other hand do not show up naturally in foods, and are intended to intervene, or interfere with life's inherent chemical processes to produce a specific outcome. These substances almost always have the potential for unwanted, severe, and even fatal side effects when taken in the prescribed doses.

Many over-the-counter pharmaceuticals and food supplements are produced by the same manufacturing companies, putting these suppliers under constant FDA scrutiny. Raw materials for food supplements come from companies ranging from "Archer Daniels Midlands" a Fortune 500 company with billions in revenue, to "Mom and Pops Echinacea Farm", run by Mom and Pop with thousands in revenue.

What all reputable food supplement manufacturers demand, and all reputable raw material producers provide, is a "certificate of analysis" detailing a laboratory analysis of the raw material and its contaminants. Manufacturers audit their suppliers by conducting independent analysis to verify the trustworthiness of the "certificates of analysis" they receive. Raw materials and suppliers who don't stack up are rejected. This is how quality is controlled in the industry, using free market principles. Everyone wants to be successful in business, and concern for public safety is paramount. While not perfect, this system is self correcting and self cleansing.

from - http://www.cfsn.com/safety.html

Sony Internet TV with Google TV review

2011-03-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sony Internet TV with Google TV review
Sony Internet TV with Google TV review
Sony Internet TV with Google TV review
If you're interested in being an early adopter of Google TV, for now you can choose a separate passthrough box like the Logitech Revue or Sony's Blu-ray player, or plop the whole experience into the display with Sony's new Internet TV line. We spent some time with the Sony Internet TV NSX-32GT1, and we're a bit surprised to find that it could feature the best implementation of the Google TV experience of them all. But is that enough? After you've digested our impressions of the platform as a whole, check out our review of the Internet TV to find out

This review is primarily of the Sony Internet TV hardware -- make sure you read our full Google TV review to get a feel for the platform itself!

Strictly as a display, the appearance of the Internet TV is different from most HDTVs on the market, with a white curved back and rather unique stand. Ultimately they're just aesthetic differences, though, and getting it set up wasn't terribly complicated, although the power cord's winding entrance into the back of the TV reduced its length to something slightly shorter than we were accustomed to. Despite packing the Google TV-standard 1.2GHz Intel processor, it's not noticeably deeper or heavier than a standard 32-inch LCD using CCFL backlighting, but relatively chunky compare to an edge-lit LED TV. We didn't pick up on any fan noise, and while there's some warmth at the upper left rear of the unit, we don't anticipate keeping things cool to be problem. As far as what you have to actually look at, the display performance is about average, with good colors and decent black levels.

We didn't notice a lot of the bloom or uneven backlighting that can occur in edge-lit units, but negatives included relatively shallow horizontal viewing angles left and a very shiny, glossy, reflective finish. Even though it's a 60Hz display and not 120Hz like many newer TVs, we didn't notice any motion blur issues while watching sports or playing games. In general, the 32-inch Internet TV performs about where it's priced as a mid-range HDTV option, although it's frustrating that buyers who want more features in their HDTV -- faster displays, 3D -- can't get them from the Internet TV line.
Our Internet TV came equipped with four HDMI inputs, four USB ports, two IR blaster ports, optical audio out, integrated WiFi, and an Ethernet jack, plus a couple of elements unique to this hardware from other Google TV implementations: component ins and coaxial cable jack with an integrated QAM tuner. One of the HDMI jacks includes HDMI 1.4's Audio Return Channel so you can pipe sound back down to a connected receiver while the integrated speakers continue the "adequate, not outstanding" theme. The included IR blaster used easily stuck onto our Comcast-provided DVR unit, but it's not intended to cover the input, so it simply hung over the top of the box, and performed its function adequately. Two of the HDMI jacks and all four USB ports are side mounted for easy access, along with a button for syncing the RF remote and a headphone jack. One notable quirk of this TV is the lack of hardware volume or input buttons on the unit itself. It's a minor omission,

but that'll be missed when you can't locate the remote and a commercial starts blasting. The display settings app appears to be fully featured and integrated with Google TV -- it's accessible through the menu or through a function key shortcut on the control pad, and it also allows for the glowing "Sony" logo on the front to be disabled at will Oh and the remote, that many keyed monstrosity that has so been derided as 80s-ish, a Jaguar design reject, too complicated, too useless? It's actually pretty easy to get used to. One-handed or two-handed, it's light and well-balanced for a good feel in-hand, and features mostly familiar controls. We're still not in love with the optical trackpad at the upper right -- although we got better at using it to mouse around after a few days, we never got 100% accurate or experienced the level of responsiveness we'd like to see. As a universal remote controlling the cable box via IR blaster, it was still effective, however.

The playback keys mapped naturally to the DVR and were very responsive, but we did find a few things that will probably prevent it from being your one and only remote on the living room table: jumping back to a previous channel was confusingly and unintuitively mapped to the Tab key, and while it was easy to use once we found it, there's no indication of what button does what during setup. We also were unable to find a way to replace certain functions of our cable TV remote, like paging up and down through the guide, so it's possible you'll need to keep that around for the time being. The keyboard itself had a quality,

responsive feel and we were able to fly though text input when necessary. Unfortunately there's no support at this time for programmable or learning functions, so you're stuck with what it's capable of out of the box. There are no remote apps available currently, so we couldn't test out what control from a phone would be like

from - http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/29/sony-internet-tv-with-google-tv-review/

What do guys think about virgin girls?

2011-03-22T21:23:00.001-07:00

What do guys think about virgin girls?

- guys would much rather have their girlfriend be virgin its a good thing for them to know that no other guy had had them in a sexual manner. and well as when it comes down to sex it changes a little if they are looking for fun no strings attached they would kinda rather have a girl that is not a virgin so that they can be dealing with a women that is a bit more experienced. but also they would want a virgin so that they feel special about being the first one whether they keep it to themselves or later on go off and brag about being the first one

- It's flattering to know that someone wants you to be there first sexual partner. But this is nothing to judge a person by.

Through your life time you will meet partners that have little experience and some who have a lot. There are benefits to both. Someone with experience may be more responsible, mature and might make the experience more rewarding for all concerned. Someone who is not is probably looking for intimacy on a more emotional level. The fact that they have chosen you suggests that you are someone they feel they can trust to share in this experience. It may be more exciting to you that they are inexperienced and you are "breaking them in". As long as you are honest and responsible and safe then what attracts you to a person is entirely up to you. There is no right or wrong
as long as you are not being abusive or hurting the other person.

The sexual experience changes as we mature and age. What you want today wont be the same as what you want at 25 or 30 or 45.

- Im a virgin i think they like girls who are virgins more
boys are very judgement know a days they think every girl is the same like if a rumor gets spread about you tounge kissing A guy or whatever ur title will be SLUT see its the same with a girl if you bang 1 dude he'll think your a slut but sum dudes dont care not every1 is the same

High-tech Japanese home of the future

2011-03-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

High-tech Japanese home of the future
TOKYO (Reuters) - Imagine getting home from work to be greeted by the family robot, which recognizes your voice and reminds you that you've forgotten your spouse's birthday before alerting you that the hospital has just called.

You go to the study and use a touch panel to activate your video messages on a display that takes up half the wall. A doctor appears: "I've been monitoring your urine on the Internet. You're too fat, your sugar level is high and you drink too much beer."
This may sound like a scene from "The Jetsons," the popular science-fiction cartoon from the 1960s that provided a glimpse of what the home and society could look like in 2062, but your home might look more like the Jetsons' in just a matter of years.

Japanese corporations, from toilet maker Toto to electronics makers like Matsushita, are pouring millions into developing products for this home of the future where every appliance is connected to a network, accessible from anywhere at anytime.

"Since the amount of information available will grow tremendously, much will depend on the ability to search intelligently," said Tetsuji Miyano, head of the new business planning office at Matsushita Electric Works (MEW)

"But I think we will see human lives improve in terms of saving time and travel costs" in step with the networking of the home.

MEW is a building materials subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial, maker of Panasonic branded electronics.

While a house full of networked gadgets raises sticky issues such as how to protect private information, the future home will no doubt be kinder to the elderly and disabled, easier on the environment and more connected to the outside.

Matsushita Electric Industrial's vision of the home beyond 2010, on display at its Tokyo showroom, comes complete with a talking robot, a study that looks more like a spaceship cockpit and an iris scanner at the front door.

Naturally, the dining room is high-tech as well. It features a kitchen table with a touch-screen surface that displays images beamed from a projector below. A wide-screen display and vibrating glass speakers are on the adjacent wall.

Sit down for dinner and a jellyfish known as an "agent" swims your way. Each family member has his or her own "agent," which contains personal information and can be commanded with a simple device to download text or images from the Web
A family might plan a trip together at the table with each member using the Internet to explain where he or she wants to go.

As Matsushita sees it, communication in the future home will be more interactive and computers will be more intuitive -- operated mainly by touch, voice or simple one-button commands.

"The agent knows each family members' hobbies and tastes...and you don't have to use the PC directly," said Nao Kurosawa, a guide at Matsushita's Panasonic Center where the showroom is housed.

"Many elderly and children aren't that comfortable using the (keyboard-operated) PC," she said.

High-tech toilets, privacy concerns
But with consumers unlikely to shell out the extra money for such products and with issues such as the availability of sufficient bandwith not yet resolved, a fully networked house as envisioned by Matsushita is still several years down the road.

For now, the Osaka-based company is testing a service called "Kurashi Net" on a limited basis in the Kansai region in western Japan.

The service allows consumers to control appliances like air-conditioners or microwaves through a central control pad or mobile phone. This means you can switch on your air-conditioner to cool your house before you arrive or use your cell phone to get the oven going for dinner as you drive home from work.

Kurashi Net (kurashi means 'home life' in Japanese) also offers a sensor-based security service that notifies the homeowner's cell phone when a specified window or door is ajar.

But perhaps some of the most interesting work being done by Japanese corporations is in the bathroom, an area in many Japanese homes that is already awash in high-tech gadgetry.

While toilets in Western countries tend to have one basic function: flush, a Japanese toilet might come equipped with a heated seat, a flush sensor and a remote-controlled bidet.

Toto already sells a toilet that tests a person's urine for sugar, useful in treating diabetes and generally monitoring a person's health. Japan's largest toilet maker is working on a networked version of the machine.

"We are doing joint research with a communications firm on how best to gather and store data (from the toilet) and send it safely to the doctor," said Kaoru Nogami, general manager of Toto's restroom product research and development.

At the earliest, Nogami said it would take three years to produce this product. He said that today's version of the Internet was probably not reliable and that one of the main hurdles would be making sure that the network was secure.

Indeed, protecting the private information of consumers will be a major legal issue for manufacturers like Toto and electronics firms looking to outfit the future networked home.

Critics say companies should be doing more to address this concern.

"They talk about how convenient it will be, but they haven't explained to the public about the risks involved or what measures they have made," said Tsutomu Shimizu, a Tokyo-based lawyer.

"Electronics makers will probably be the first party to become the target of a lawsuit if something goes wrong."

from -http://money.cnn.com/2004/04/06/technology/personaltech/japanese_future.rb/index.htm

nuclear meltdown in japan

2011-03-15T07:11:00.001-07:00

Snap analysis: Japan may have hours to prevent nuclear meltdown
Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) is racing to cool down the reactor core after a highly unusual "station blackout" -- the total loss of power necessary to keep water circulating through the plant to prevent overheating.
Daiichi Units 1, 2 and 3 reactors shut down automatically at 2:46 p.m. local time due to the earthquake. But about an hour later, the on-site diesel back-up generators also shut, leaving the reactors without alternating current (AC) power.
That caused Tepco to declare an emergency and the government to evacuate thousands of people from near the plant. Such a blackout is "one of the most serious conditions that can affect a nuclear plant," according to experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a U.S. based nuclear watchdog group.
"If all AC power is lost, the options to cool the core are limited," the group warned.
TEPCO also said it has lost ability to control pressure at some of the reactors at its Daini plant nearby.
The reactors at Fukushima can operate without AC power because they are steam-driven and therefore do not require electric pumps, but the reactors do require direct current (DC) power from batteries for its valves and controls to function.
If battery power is depleted before AC power is restored, the plant would stop supplying water to the core and the cooling water level in the reactor core could drop.
RADIATION RELEASE
Officials are now considering releasing some radiation to relieve pressure in the containment at the Daiichi plant and are also considering releasing pressure at Daini
signs that difficulties are mounting. Such a release has only occurred once in U.S. history, at Three Mile Island.
"(It's) a sign that the Japanese are pulling out all the stops they can to prevent this accident from developing into a core melt and also prevent it from causing a breach of the containment (system) from the pressure that is building up inside the core because of excess heat," said Mark Hibbs, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
While the restoration of power through additional generators should allow TEPCO to bring the situation back under control, left unchecked the coolant could boil off within hours. That would cause the core to overheat and damage the fuel, according to nuclear experts familiar with the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania in 1979.
It could take hours more for the metal surrounding the ceramic uranium fuel pellets in the fuel rods to melt, which is what happened at Three Mile Island. That accident essentially frozen the nuclear industry for three decades.
Seven years later the industry suffered another blow after the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine exploded due to an uncontrolled power surge that damaged the reactor core, releasing a radioactive cloud that blanketed Europe.
The metal on the fuel rods would not melt until temperatures far exceed 1,000 degrees F. The ceramic uranium pellets would not melt until temperatures reached about 2,000 degrees F, nuclear experts said.
If it occurred, that would ultimately cause a meltdown, with the core becoming a molten mass that would melt through the steel reactor vessel, releasing a large amount of radioactivity into the containment building that surrounds the vessel, the Union of Concerned Scientists said.
The main purpose of the building -- an air tight steel or reinforced concrete structure with walls between four to eight feet thick -- is to keep radioactivity from being released into the environment.
While there has not been any indication of damage that would undermine the building's ability to contain the pressure and allow radioactivity to leak out, there is a danger that if pressure builds too much then the walls could be breached

Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/121974/20110312/japanese-massive-earthquake-tsunami-nuclear-meltdown.htm#ixzz1Gg1rFHQl

Junk food delicious Are there Really Any Junk Food

2011-03-08T19:32:00.000-08:00

Junk food delicious Are there Really Any Junk Food
If you want to eat a delicious organic Fuji apply you might have to spend around 75 cents. However, commonly value meals are provided at the cost of merely 99-cents. The cost of the food itself might be only 24-cent if general expenses are considered. If a big delicious Fuji apple cost 75 cent how is it possible to provide a whole meal at the cost of only $99 cents.
How is it possible to sell a meal for less than a dollar knowing that providing the meal carries various expenses like; ingredient, table & chairs, wages for cooks and servers, refrigeration equipment, restaurant rent, advertising and utility bills?

The real question is, how is it possible to sell wholesome food at 99 cents while equally generating a profit?
In America nearly 70 percent of the population is overweight. Other developed countries are also slowly adjusting to the trend. There are hundreds of junk food dealers like Pizza Hut, Mars, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Kraft, which are selling foods to attract customers. Humans are genetically programmed to consume delicious food and junk food has captured this unique feature of having a nice flavouring taste.
Humans are genetically programmed to store fat. In the past, our predecessors lived under periods where they were exposed to famine. Those people who had the best ability to store fat were those who survived. This is why our genes have this inherited ability to save food when there is a surplus of food available. This is why junk food is a problem to society. It is cheap and available in quantities. Moreover, carbohydrates of junk food are easily changed and stored as fat. This is why an increasing number of people are obese and children are now suffering from Type II Diabetes.
In other words, those commercial deals entitled value meal are causing damage to our body. They are also triggering premature death, not directly from the food but from pathologies that develop with time after consuming junk food.
Additionally, food dealers have found that people are effortlessly addicted to sugars as well as simple carbohydrates. So marketers find simple but tasty food solutions for customer. They are not necessarily healthy but rather tasty. This is why there is an increasing volume of junk food on the market.
In fact, the “value Meal’s” that is being sold by various food dealers do, in reality, poison our body. Companies claim that they are providing great affordable products; however, what’s really in the food is another question

Business model converts innovation to economic

2011-03-06T22:41:00.000-08:00

Business model converts innovation to economic value for the business.
Abstract: On the Internet, the advertising business model is a cornerstone of many service businesses. In this paper, we propose an advertising business model for machine-oriented

The business model spells-out how a company makes money by specifying where it is positioned in the value chain. It draws on a multitude on business subjects including entrepreneurship, strategy, economics, finance, operations, and marketing.

Simply put, a business model describes how a business positions itself within the value chain of its industry and how it intends to sustain itself, that is to generate revenue.

In the most basic sense, a business model is the method of doing business by which a company can sustain itself – that is, generate revenue.

Old business models don't work in the new economy. "The classic business model that has dictated the structure of every company from General Motors to Microsoft is so at odds with contemporary economic currents that is must and will disappear."2
Business models are perhaps the most discussed and least understood aspect of the web. There is so much talk about how the web changes traditional business models. But there is little clear-cut evidence of exactly what this means. As part of the businessbusinessbusiness modelmodelmodel, there is a need to address internal factors that relate to the ongoing operation of the company. This will involve defining the departments and divisions within the company, along with the procedures that govern the creation of positions and job responsibilities within each department. Management of all the departments is also an important component of the businessbusinessbusiness modelmodelmodel, as is the definitions of the responsibilities of the executives within the organization. BusinessBusinessBusiness operations such as manufacturing facilities, defining the production process, and allowing for the labor needs to produce the products are also part of the businessbusinessbusiness modelmodelmodel.

External factors also are part of a comprehensive businessbusinessbusiness modelmodelmodel. Chief among these elements is defining the target consumer audience for the goods and services produced by the corporation. This one single element of identifying the target audience will influence the form and function of both the marketing and sales efforts of the company, which in turn will impact the overall cost to produce each unit of a product. The businessbusinessbusiness modelmodelmodel will take this information into consideration and set retail pricing that will allow the company to operate at a profit, assuming a certain level of sales is realized consistently.

BusinessBusinessBusiness operations, sales and marketing concerns and forecasts, labor costs, and organizational structure are all essential components of the businessbusinessbusiness modelmodelmodel. Operating with a comprehensive modelmodelmodel helps a company to maintain focus on a core mission, while periodic reviews and updates help to keep the businessbusinessbusiness modelmodelmodel relevant to current economic conditions and consumer demands.

In the most basic sense, a business model is the method of doing business by which a company can sustain itself -- that is, generate revenue. The business model spells-out how a company makes money by specifying where it is positioned in the value chain.

Some models are quite simple. A company produces a good or service and sells it to customers. If all goes well, the revenues from sales exceed the cost of operation and the company realizes a profit. Other models can be more intricately woven. Broadcasting is a good example. Radio and later television programming has been broadcasted over the airwaves free to anyone with a receiver for much of the past century. The broadcaster is part of a complex network of distributors, content creators, advertisers (and their agencies), and listeners or viewers. Who makes money and how much is not always clear at the outset. The bottom line depends on many competing factors.

Internet commerce will give rise to new kinds of business models. That much is certain. But the web is also likely to reinvent tried-and-true models. Auctions are a perfect example. One of the oldest forms of brokering, auctions have been widely used throughout the world to set prices for such items as agricultural commodities, financial instruments, and unique items like fine art and antiquities. The Web has popularized the auction model and broadened its applicability to a wide array of goods and services.

Business models have been defined and categorized in many different ways. This is one attempt to present a comprehensive and cogent taxonomy of business models observable on the web. The proposed taxonomy is not meant to be exhaustive or definitive. Internet business models continue to evolve. New and interesting variations can be expected in the future.

Japan's Adult Industry Given Access to Blu-ray

2011-03-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

Japan's Adult Industry Given Access to Blu-ray
While the effect of adult films on the format war may be a heavily contested, the fact remains that there is a huge demand for this type of material. In Japan, the ability to release adult material on Blu-ray just got a whole lot easier. Assist Corp, who has handled most of the early adult Blu-ray content in Japan, has partnered with a company based in Taiwan to begin replication of adult titles. They are expected to begin production next month. Sony has long mandated that, while they will not allow their own production facilities to replicate adult material, they will assist any company which wants to do so. With the addition of this new production facility (which purchased the manufacturing equipment directly from Sony), adult content producers now have an additional outlet to manufacturer their features in high definition

Comparative Analysis of the Quality of Life of School Children in Japan and Korea

2011-02-28T05:57:00.000-08:00

Comparative Analysis of the Quality of Life of School Children in Japan and Korea

It is important to know the way of thinking in their daily life on the children in the physical and mental adolescence in duration of growth and development. What and how these children think about their daily life, what support their life mentally, what fulfill and gratify their days are major focus. The research was to investigate and compare both countries children of Japan and Korea from the concept of the QOL. The research method for investigation was conducted questionnairing on 28 questions about five domains, such as living domain, physical domain, mental domain,

psychological and emotional domain, and social domain. Then, the factor analysis was executed in order to grasp the important factor in the life of children. Subjects were totaled one thousand and four hundred twenty-six pupils in elementary school and junior high school of Japan and Korea. As a result, the elementary school boys and girls of Japan was together the first factor the physical domain on exercise and sports. And the elementary school boys of Korea becomes the first factor the social domain which makes the relationship with friend very important. It is thought like the effect of the education based on the spirit of the Confucianism. The elementary school girls of Korea was the first factor the problem on the body condition in the physical domains. In addition, it was important factor, such as "concentrating to study" and "reading books" as a mental domain, and "have bad habits", or "exclusion from friends" as a psychological and emotional domain for elementary school child. First factor of the junior high school boys were together physical domain such as exercise and sports on both countries of Japan and Korea. However, the body condition in the physical domain is being taken up at the second factor. First factor of the junior high school girls of Japan was a physical domain on exercise and sports.... (author abst.)

from -http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200324/000020032403A0744734.php

Tokyo Female Fashion Trends Revealed Through Cross Analysis

2011-02-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

Tokyo Female Fashion Trends Revealed Through Cross Analysis
December 28th 2009,
Having analyzed the apparel fashion trends individually for Tokyo women in their teens, twenties and thirties, Hello-Global.com has now released the cross analysis report comparing the tendencies across these age groups. The 300 respondents were surveyed in the Tokyo metropolitan area to determine primarily what, where and how much they spend on their fashion.

Tokyo has recently undergone a dramatic change recently as the relatively inexpensive H & M, Forever21 and Uniqlo are now in as much demand as the expensive luxury brands. The analysis seems to highlight this change in shopping habits.

Some intriguing facts showed that teens and twentysomethings both preferred to shop in department stores (most notably Lumine, Marui and Parco) whilst thirtysomethings preferred online shopping (Rakuten). Across the board they all agreed that the No.1 resource for fashion trend information was fashion magazines, followed by television. The number one fashion brand in all three groups was Nolley’s (Japanese fashion store). Although the women in twenties and thirties were similar in taste for overseas brands (Louis Vuitton and Coach), Forever21 topped the teen’s list. One thing they all agreed on was their most recent favorite purchase which was the one-piece dress.

The key decision factor for making a purchase was design, price and then brand loyalty in all groups, with quality being not as important as these key factors. The most influential person on their purchase for teens and twentysomethings was friends and family but interestingly for thirtysomethings not only family but also TV stars made a difference for them

from - http://www.hello-global.com/en/company-news/pr-tokyo-female-fashion-trends-revealed-through-cross-analysis

Japan's women wary to wed

2011-02-23T20:17:00.000-08:00

Japan's women wary to wed
It is nearly 15 years since Japan's economy ground to a halt, triggering a period of introspection about the country's values and its place in the world. In the first of a special series, BBC News Online's Sarah Buckley reports on women's changing attitudes to marriage.
Multi-coloured collars, premium chews, and cat picture books line the shelves at a swanky emporium in Ebisu, upmarket Tokyo.

Veronique is just one of a string of establishments catering for a boom in Japanese dog owners.

But its success seems as much due to a rejection of marriage as a new-found love for the canine.

"There are lots of women who have dogs as their family or child," said Rie Shimozono, the shop's owner. "They carry the dog in a bag so that they are always spending time with it."

Gazing through the window was Kazoko Endo, with Fukusuke, her daschund, in tow. She is typical of an increasing number of 30-something women in Japan - successful, single, and childless.

"Of course we will get married to someone," said Kazoko, referring to her and her dog. But the very fact that she was not even dating at 38 suggested it was not a priority.

Twenty years ago, women like Ms Endo would have had a wedding ring on her finger and children at her feet.
But changing expectations, both of relationships and careers, mean women across Japan, from school-leavers to members of the royal family, are grappling with a choice between traditional roles and modern freedoms.

The dilemma left more than one in four Japanese women aged 30-34 still unmarried, in 2000.

As a result women are having children much later, if at all. Japan's birth rate dipped to just 1.29 children per woman last year, one of the lowest in the developed world, from 1.54 in 1990.

Hiroe Shibata, 35, who works for a multinational pharmaceutical company, said her priority was her career.

"I'm not against marriage. It's just not happening to me now," she said, pointing out that long working hours followed by evening school left her with no time to date.

She said she loved children, but when asked if she worried about her biological clock, she replied: "If I have the time, then I'll have to think about it."

Even women with less pressing commitments did not seem in a hurry to tie the knot.

Yumiko Koshi, 33, was one of a number of women waiting to see pop idols Tokio last week. Bands originally marketed at teenagers are becoming popular with 30- and 40-something females unfettered by family life.

Yumiko said she wanted to get married, but only if she "found a nice guy". She said she had a boyfriend, but did not see him as marriage material. "It's fun to play with him but I don't think he's reliable enough as a husband. Sometimes he can't make decisions."

"Maybe I might have a lonely old age, but I can't just marry somebody not so good and have a hard time."

According to Sumiko Iwao, author of The Japanese Woman, many women no longer see marriage as an important goal.

"I guess they do not plan to stay single, they just don't meet with the kind of people they want to marry. They don't feel obsessed with being a housewife. If you find a good husband, that's fine, and if you don't, that's also fine.

"Japanese women tend to be very practical and very pragmatic. What are the benefits of getting married?"

For most people in Japan, where unmarried parents are still rare, the main "benefit" is children. And that is the point at which modern freedoms clash headlong with traditional expectations.

Hiroe Shibata explained: "If you get married, your parents expect you to have a baby. If you have a baby, it's going to be very difficult to manage your work and bring up children."
No-one is more aware of this tension than Japan's Princess Masako. On entry to the Imperial family she has been forced to give up her high-flying diplomatic career to concentrate on bearing a male heir. Earlier this year she was diagnosed with a nervous disorder due to stress.

Her unique role obviously brings its own strains. But many women are finding the sacrifice of hard-won economic success and freedom for childbirth tough.

"I think that being a mother reinforces the female role - once you have kids you have some responsibilities to be shared with your partner," said Hiroko Mizushima, a lawmaker specialising in gender equality for the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan.

However, Ms Mizushima cited government research, from 1995, which suggested full-time working men spent 26 minutes each weekday on domestic chores, compared to 3 hours, 18 minutes by full-time working women. The data may now be outdated, but Ms Mizushima said the balance had not changed.

Other disincentives are that their husbands work long hours, child care is limited; baby sitters are expensive; and if women decide to work part-time, they are paid less than half that of a full-time worker
Ryuko Ishikawa, a family psychiatrist, believes 30-something women are not prepared to "repeat their mothers' mistakes" in settling for the role of housewife. But she said many of her female clients' ambitions were not supported by their husbands.

She referred to the Japanese saying 'deru kugi wa utareru' - the 'nail that sticks out will get hammered'. It is used to denote the person who upsets the social norm.

"Now, women are becoming 'deru kugi' - are sticking out. There's very few males who would say 'that's right, we have to support you.' Instead they (the women) are being hammered," said Dr Ishikawa.

One of those women, caught up in the conflict between the present and the past, appears to be Princess Masako.

"I think Masako-san is a good example of the typical Japanese 'deru-kugi' - the capable woman. I don't think she's ill. I think she's normal," Dr Ishikawa said

Doing business in Japan? Starting business in Japan? Starting or incorporating a Japanese company? Registering a Japanese branch-office? Creating a Ja

2011-02-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

Doing business in Japan? Starting business in Japan? Starting or incorporating a Japanese company? Registering a Japanese branch-office? Creating a Japanese market-entry strategy?

Doing business in Japan is ALL we do! We provide Japanese market-entry, PR, sales, marketing, company incorporation, branch-office registration, executive recruitment and business management services (including registered address and proxy director services) to companies doing business in Japan.

In the past year we have:

Supported the launch of a leading skin care range in Isetan Shinjuku in record time (Eve Lom Cosmetics).
Sold a $1,100,000 deal for a leading provider of online collaboration and information management in the construction and plant-engineering industry (Aconex).
Launched a joint-venture with the world's leading plant-engineering design and analysis software company (COADE).
Incorporated several companies at record speeds of 1 - 2 weeks each.
We specialize in the cosmetics and merchandising, software and technology, and financial services and banking industries, but our clients include a Forbes-list US billionaire, a leading European cosmetics and skin care products retailer, a leading European fragrances and perfumes retailer, a publicly listed financial services and banking company, an online advertising technology provider, a digital print technology research company, the world's leading construction industry online information and collaboration management service provider, the world's leading petroleum and chemical industry software developer, the world's leading online real estate asset management service provider, a leading property management company, a financial services (life settlements) company, the City of Osaka and many others

from - http://www.venturejapan.com/

Analysis of sex, age and disease factors contributing to prolonged life expectancy at birth, in cases of malignant neoplasms in Japan

2011-02-20T23:36:00.000-08:00

Analysis of sex, age and disease factors contributing to prolonged life expectancy at birth, in cases of malignant neoplasms in Japan
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the contribution made by the change in mortality from malignant neoplasms to the life expectancy at birth, observed during the years 1965-1995 in Japan.

METHODS: We used data on the population and number of deaths by cause, age and sex in 1965, 1975, 1985 and 1995. The contribution of different ages and causes of death to the change in life expectancy were examined with the method developed by Pollard.

RESULTS: We found that, among all causes, the decrease of mortality from stomach cancer led to the greatest improvement in life expectancy for both sexes. On the other hand, negative contributions were seen with cancers of many sites, such as cancer of the intestine, liver and lung for males, and cancer of the intestine, gallbladder, lung and breast for females. Recently, the contributing years of all cancers have been negative because of the increase in mortality from malignant neoplasms. In addition, increase of death from malignant neoplasms in middle-aged and elderly people negatively influenced the life expectancy at birth.

CONCLUSIONS: Female cancer influenced the improvement in life expectancy at birth. Cancer for males, however, contributed little to improvement of life expectancy at birth except for a little prolongation of life expectancy at birth during the years 1965-1975. To develop a public health policy, the contributing years to life expectancy at birth can be a useful indication in evaluating the impact of death from various diseases. It is necessary to analyze the contribution made by various causes of death to the changes of life expectancy at birth

from -
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12749605

Japanese Candy & Snacks

2011-02-15T22:42:00.000-08:00

Japanese Candy & Snacks

Cybersnacks carries a wide variety of fun Japanese Candy and japanese Snacks. Try our Giant Chocolate or Strawberry Pocky, fruity Fusen Gum,

or a variety of Japanese Hard Candy. Remember the chewy candy wrapped in rice paper? We carry Tomoe Ame, as well as Hello Kitty Candy and creamy Japanese Milk Candy

Trip to Japan

2011-02-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

Millions of men in dark suits, crowded subway trains, sushi, taxi drivers with white gloves, neon lights, earth quakes, capsule hotels, sake, sumo wrestling, samurais, geisha, bullet trains, toilets so advanced that you need an instruction manual to use them, manga, polite people, Lost in Translation….this is our trip report from JAPAN.

A short summary
The dream team Nikki and Gard on another adventure :-) This time we headed for Japan and we travelled in the period May 15th to May 28th 2005. We started out in Tokyo where we stayed for about a week. We used a Japan Rail Pass to get to Nagoya (the World Expo) and after that we went to Kyoto where we stayed 5 nights and we used this as a home base to see Kyoto itself, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kobe, Himeji etc. I hope that this trip report can help others that are going to Japan. Get in touch if you have any questions or comments and I’ll do my best to answer. All pictures are taken by Nikki and Gard with our Canon Powershot S1 IS camera (now available in a S2 version).
Prelude
So why Japan? Through movies and books we have become a bit fascinated by the Japanese culture. We also like to travel to destinations that are different compared to Norway/South Africa. One of our worries was that it would be a very expensive trip as the rumour has it that everything is expensive in Japan. Another concern was the language problem as we got an impression that English is not widely spoken. But we found out that the rumours where exaggerated and I hope that this trip report will show that.

Planning a trip is important and, as usual, we bought a guidebook in the DK Eyewitness series from Amazon. This gave us some idea of what to expect but we also used the internet to try and get an understanding of what to see, what to do and where to go while in Japan. After searching for a while we ended up buying tickets with www.reisebutikken.no and we got the tickets for the reasonable amount of about 6500 kroner each (about 800€). We were quite late when it came to booking hotels in Japan. We started searching for hotels on different websites and local travel agencies and it was hard to understand where it would be best to stay in such a big city as Tokyo. Our travel agency came up with a suggestion to stay near Shinagawa station but I’m not sure that would have been so great…it seemed to be a bit outside of town. In the end we booked a room at The New Otani hotel in the Akasaka district. We booked the hotel using Expedia and it cost us 180 US dollars per night. In Kyoto we booked a room at Hotel Gimmond and we booked this directly on the hotels homepage (www.gimmond.co.jp/kyoto/khome-e.htm) and we got the room for about 95 US dollars per night. We also stayed a couple of nights at the Akasaka Excel Tokyu near the New Otani. This hotel was booked through Asiarooms and Expedia at about 160 US dollars. We were quite happy with staying in the Akasaka area by the way. From the subway station Akasaka-mitsuke it was only a few minutes to Ginza, Shinjuku and Shibuya

The Economic Analysis of the Japanese Firm

2011-02-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

from -
http://www.amazon.com/Economic-Analysis-Japanese-Firm-Contributions/dp/0444868224

This book is a result of a collective project by Japanese economists, conducted over the period 1981-83, and contains articles on various aspects of the Japanese firm with comments by Western authorities in labor economics, corporate finance theory, and Japanese economic studies. Topics treated include: the workings of internal labor organization, economic rationality of such practices as ``life-time'' employment, seniority wages, enterprise unionism and bonus system, the roles of the bank in corporate finance and corporate groupings, the management process and its efficiency, and government-business relationship. Main features of this work are: - the first economic treatment of the Japanese firm, both its financial and labor aspects, beyond the culturalist approach - All the propositions are tested by various empirical methods such as econometrics techniques, interviews - includes institutional description related to the Japanese firm, such as accounting, corporate tax, the workings of internal labor organization on the shop floor

Japan Student Association

2011-02-12T14:26:00.000-08:00

Japan Student Association
The Japan Student Association is an organization striving to the better understanding of Japanese language and culture within the University of Michigan community. Through various events, as well as a bi-weekly Coffee Hour, we aim to spread awareness of traditional and American Japanese culture, making connections with other students on campus who share this common interest. Every spring, Japan Student Association holds the Japan Cultural Festival, promoting interest and enthusiasm in Japanese culture through a wide variety of performances and displays. Japan Student Association is open to everyone, whether of Japanese decent or not

NAMCO BANDAI Financial and Strategic Analysis Review

2011-02-09T22:29:00.000-08:00

NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. (NBH) is principally involved in the entertainment industry. The company operates through five strategic business units namely Toys and Hobby, Amusement Facility, Game Contents, Network, and Visual and Music Content. The Toys and Hobby segment is involved in planning, manufacturing and marketing of toys, candy toys, cards, and sundries among others. The Amusement Facility segment is involved in providing various amusement facilities. Game Contents segment is engaged in manufacturing and marketing of home game software and Network segment is involved in planning and developing e-commerce businesses and expanding mobile phone and PC content.

This comprehensive SWOT profile of NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. provides you an in-depth strategic analysis of the company’s businesses and operations. The profile has been compiled by GlobalData to bring to you a clear and an unbiased view of the company’s key strengths and weaknesses and the potential opportunities and threats. The profile helps you formulate strategies that augment your business by enabling you to understand your partners, customers and competitors better.

This company report forms part of GlobalData’s ‘Profile on Demand’ service, covering over 50,000 of the world’s leading companies. Once purchased, GlobalData’s highly qualified team of company analysts will comprehensively research and author a full financial and strategic analysis of NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. including a detailed SWOT analysis, and deliver this direct to you in pdf format within two business days. (excluding weekends).

The profile contains critical company information including*,

- Business description – A detailed description of the company’s operations and business divisions.
- Corporate strategy – Analyst’s summarization of the company’s business strategy.
- SWOT Analysis – A detailed analysis of the company’s strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats.
- Company history – Progression of key events associated with the company.
- Major products and services – A list of major products, services and brands of the company.
- Key competitors – A list of key competitors to the company.
- Key employees – A list of the key executives of the company.
- Executive biographies – A brief summary of the executives’ employment history.
- Key operational heads – A list of personnel heading key departments/functions.
- Important locations and subsidiaries – A list and contact details of key locations and subsidiaries of the company.
- Detailed financial ratios for the past five years – The latest financial ratios derived from the annual financial statements published by the company with 5 years history.
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Note*: Some sections may be missing if data is unavailable for the company.

Key benefits of buying this profile include,

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Understand and respond to your competitors’ business structure and strategies, and capitalize on their weaknesses. Stay up to date on the major developments affecting the company.
- The company’s core strengths and weaknesses and areas of development or decline are analyzed and presented in the profile objectively. Recent developments in the company covered in the profile help you track important events.

Equip yourself with information that enables you to sharpen your strategies and transform your operations profitably.
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Scout for potential investments and acquisition targets, with detailed insight into the companies’ strategic, financial and operational performance.
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Read more: http://www.reportlinker.com/p0246264/NAMCO-BANDAI-Holdings-Inc-7832-Financial-and-Strategic-Analysis-Review.html#ixzz3qGMyIhsv

from - http://www.reportlinker.com/p0246264/NAMCO-BANDAI-Holdings-Inc-7832-Financial-and-Strategic-Analysis-Review.html

The Coffee Shops of Japan

2011-02-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

With Japan rated as the third largest coffee consumer in the world, it comes as no surprise that coffee shops (kissatens)Â abound,Â with Tokyo aloneÂ home to over ten thousand. Shops come in all sizes and styles, but the smaller versions usually include only a counter and a few tables that are often sole proprietorships run by a husband and wife team who are helped by a part time waitress. These establishments also often double as a small restaurantÂ which offer sandwiches or a light meal during lunchtime. For breakfast a "morning set" is often available which usually consists of juice, coffee, eggs and toast. These mom and pop businesses are gradually being replaced by the bigger chainÂ shops such as Detour, Tully's, and Starbucks, which offer over the counter coffee,Â more spaciousÂ seating arrangements, and in the case of Starbucks a no smoking environment. This has proven to be a big selling point in a nation that currently has very few restrictions in regard to smoking in public restaurants and bars.

Others have striven to develop a unique theme to distinguish themselves from the competition.Â Music coffee shops for exampleÂ featuring jazz, classical, or rock, have always been a favoriteÂ hangout for the younger crowd since their inception in the early 1960's. Less mainstream but proving to be quite popular are the manga (comic book) coffee shops that have sprung up in recent years inÂ Tokyo. Coffee is served gratuitously, and theÂ customer pays onlyÂ for theÂ duration of time spent reading the thousands of mangaÂ provided on library type shelves lining the room.Â On a similar theme, "Maid Kissa" coffee shops feature beautiful young waitresses donned inÂ maid costumes that resemble characters from famous Japanese comics.Â As the customer enters the premise he or she is greeted by anÂ alluringÂ "welcome home my master". In addition to the verbal role play offered,Â maids pour coffeeÂ and tea for patrons, or engage in a game of cards upon request. Many of these coffee shops are decorated in the style of an English Mansion to simulate feelings of truly being "master of the house". Some shops are subtly veering from the coffee shop image by referring to their place of business as cafes, often reflecting the owners personal taste in interior design and music, and emphasizing a European atmosphere where home style food and a great cup of coffee can still be enjoyed.

Despite the various themes employed by owners to attract customers, the main feature of the menu is still coffee. For purists looking for an exotic blend or a special roasting method, a growing number of shops are now offering patrons fresh ground coffee using in house percolating techniques they hope will lure customers away from the instant coffee shop franchises that have come to dominate the market in recent years. Whether you're searching for a temporary sanctuary from the clamor of the city, or a quick pick me up first thing in the morning, coffee shops in Japan have something for everyone

cost to travel in Japan

2011-02-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Planning to travel in Japan? Whether you're only visiting for a few days or expecting to travel as part of a longer stay here, this information should give you an idea of how much you can expect to spend. I'm assuming that you are a budget traveller, otherwise this page wouldn't be of much interest to you anyway.

Information correct (to the best of my knowledge) as of summer 2001; I'm not in a position to make further updates.

Money
In case there's anyone out there who doesn't already know this, the currency in Japan is the yen. As of early April 2001, the US dollar is hovering around ¥120-125, but please check a more up-to-date source before you travel! (See my links page for a currency converter.) There are coins in ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100 and ¥500 denominations; for notes it's ¥1000, ¥2000, ¥5000 and ¥10,000. This last amount is referred to as "ichi-man en" - the Japanese count in ten-thousands rather than in thousands. Of the coins, ¥10 and ¥100 are the most useful, since these are accepted by telephones, luggage lockers (found at every station) and the ubiquitous vending machines - though most machines will give change.

In Japan, cash rules. Department stores and larger shops will often accept credit cards, but most things are paid for in cash. It's quite normal - and safer than in most other countries - to carry large amounts of money (equivalent to several hundred British pounds or US dollars) around with you.

Money can usually be exchanged at banks and post offices. Post offices generally have longer opening hours. I don't think they charge commission; I believe it's built into the exchange rate. If you have an international cash card (Cirrus, Mastercard, Visa, AmEx, etc.), most Post Office cash machines will now give you money - and they'll even speak (yes speak) English to you! However, be warned that most cashpoints in Japan close down around 7pm and for at least part of the weekend. (The average salaryman probably works longer hours than the cashpoints!) There are often additional charges for using cash machines at weekends and sometimes even in the early evening, so try to stick to using them only on weekdays, and withdraw plenty of money!

There is a 5% sales tax added on to most purchases when you pay. It's not usually included in the ticket price.

Inflation is low at present; prices have hardly changed since my first visit to Japan in mid-1997.

Getting around
Train is by far the easiest way of getting to most of the places you're likely to want to visit in Japan. The trains aren't cheap, but they're clean and punctual, and there are some special-offer rail passes available. Which one is the best to go for depends on how far you want to travel and over how long a period.

The main railway company is Japan Rail or JR, which has an extensive network of lines throughout the country (apart from Okinawa, where there are no railways at all, although a monorail was under construction in Naha when I visited (New Year 2000)). There are also numerous private railways, many of them serving more remote areas. You'll probably be able to get to most of the places you're interested in by using JR lines. Cities are usually served by a combination of JR lines, private suburban lines and underground railways. I'm told that in Nagoya, for example, an underground ticket costs from ¥200 to ¥290, with one-day passes available for ¥740.

If you pay as you go then it's about ¥1000-1200 for a 1-hour journey on local trains. A short hop of one or two stops will cost ¥180-200. On my local line the futsuu are the slow trains that stop at every station (they're the ones with 2 kanji characters) and the shinkaisoku (3 kanji) are the faster ones that stop less frequently. However, the terminology varies from one line to the next. Normal tickets are valid on either.

If you come around school holiday times then you can get the Seishun Juhachi Kippu (Youth 18 Ticket), a pass that gives you 5 days (not necessarily consecutive) of unlimited travel on local JR trains for Y11,500. You can buy it at any JR station with a ticket office. You can also use this pass for up to five people travelling together - just get it stamped once per person per day of travel. It's primarily intended for students but anyone can buy it. The approximate dates of validity are: 1st March - 10th April; 20th July - 10th September; 10th December - 20th January. The ticket is only on sale up until about ten days before the end of the period of validity.

I live in Hikone, near the Maibara stop on the shinkansen line. I've used a juhachi-kippu to make return trips to Hiroshima, Kyushu and Tokyo. The Hiroshima trip took about 8 hours and three trains each way, so it was just about tolerable; the Tokyo trip was 8-9 hours and 5-6 trains each way during the day, so I wouldn't recommend it. Better to either get an overnight bus or train, or to splash out on a shinkansen ticket which will get you from Tokyo to Maibara in about two hours for about ¥10,000, then switch to a local train which will take you to Kyoto for ¥1100 or Osaka for about ¥1900. I believe the overnight bus is about ¥8000. (See my links page for links to sites giving further information.) As for my Kyushu trip, by leaving Hikone at 5am I would have made it to Kumamoto before 10pm if it hadn't been for a big earthquake that struck shortly after I passed through Hiroshima! For the return trip I took the overnight "Moonlight Kyushu" from Fukuoka (Hakata) to Kyoto.

Alternatively you can buy the Japan Rail Pass before you come to Japan; this allows you to travel on the shinkansen (bullet train) but it's a lot more expensive so it's only worthwhile if you want to travel long distances over a short period. The 1-week JR Pass costs ¥28,300, which is roughly the same price as a return trip from Tokyo to Kyoto on the shinkansen. Bear in mind that it's only good for seven concecutive days once validated, so the time continues to tick away even if you stay in one place for a few days. It's also only available to holders of a tourist visa, so if you're working in Japan then you're not eligible. It's possible to get round this restriction, but it's not legal!

Accommodation
Yes, accommodation in Japan is expensive. The cheapest option is usually youth hostels, and even they're normally at least ¥2500 per night. Some require IYHF membership, or offer a discount to members; some don't. (There's an extremely cheap hostel in Himeji - only ¥700 a night when I visited in August 1999 - but it looks as if it was built shortly after the war and hasn't been renovated since, there's a 9pm curfew and no English is spoken.)

Capsule hotels are usually around ¥3000-4000 and can be found in the entertainment areas of large cities. You can check in at any time of the night. The snag for us females is that most of them are men-only.

Love hotels are a good option if you're travelling as a couple or a group of three or four people. Hotels usually charge per person rather than per room, love hotels being the one exception - you can pack in as many people as you like. A love hotel generally has a gaudy appearance, a curtained parking area, and a board advertising rates for a "rest" (a daytime visit of a couple of hours) and a "stay". A "stay" usually costs between ¥4500 and ¥7000. The emphasis is on privacy and discretion; you choose the room you want from a photo on an illuminated board, and pay for the room without ever seeing the clerk's face. Usually you can't check in for a "stay" until after about 9pm. (I have to admit that I've actually never stayed in a love hotel myself!)

Traditional Japanese hotels are called ryokan; they cost from about ¥5000 per person per night, but more exclusive ones can be five or even ten times that price. Their cheaper cousins are called minshuku, with rates usually between ¥3000 and ¥6000 per person. A minshuku is usually a private home which rents out rooms to guests. These are the Japanese equivalent of a British B&B, though unlike at a B&B, usually no food is included in the price.

You shouldn't need to carry a sleeping bag unless you're planning to camp - and finding places to camp in Japan isn't all that easy. A cotton sheet sleeping bag may be useful if you're hostelling; often sheet hire is included in the overnight rates, but sometimes there's an additional charge of about ¥200.

Food and drink
You can eat quite well for about ¥2000 a day. Drinks are very expensive - usually about ¥500, even for soft drinks - but water is always provided free in restaurants. (Sometimes you'll be given green tea by default and will have to ask for water - "o-mizu kudasai" - if you want it.)

To keep your costs down, it's best to make lunch your main meal of the day. You can get breakfast from a bakery or convenience store (konbini) for a couple of hundred yen, and for your other meals noodles are generally the best bet. A lot of places have display windows containing plastic models of the food, so all you need to do is drag the waiter/waitress outside and point to the one you want. You can get a huge bowl of noodles (Chinese-style "ramen", buckwheat "soba" noodles or thick white "udon") for around ¥500-700. Okonomiyaki - a kind of thick savoury pancake - is also good, and is popular mainly in western Japan. (Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki also contains noodles, Kansai-style doesn't.)

In the evening you can eat in a food-and-drink establishment called an izakaya, but the costs can often mount up quite quickly. There's usually a menu with pictures of the food, and you order several small dishes between a group of people and split the cost - along similar lines to tapas. Individual dishes aren't expensive, but nor are they usually very big, and you have the cost of drinks to take into account as well.

If you're visiting in summer then you'll find that you need to drink gallons of liquid to avoid getting dehydrated. A vending machine selling chilled drinks (usually for ¥120 unless you're in a tourist trap) is never far away. In winter these same machines sell hot drinks too.

Being vegetarian in Japan is not easy. If you're willing to eat fish then that will make things a lot easier. You can ask for a pizza with no meat and no fish, but sometimes it will still arrive with prawns and bacon on it! Japanese often take the word "niku" (meat) to mean "beef", so anything that comes from a pig is OK, and of course prawns aren't fish, are they?! Many dishes are based on dashi, which is a soup stock made with kelp (seaweed) and dried fish; this even includes the basic miso soup.

Miscellaneous
Telephones: Japanese phone charges are quite high. You can make international calls from silver payphones and from green ones bearing an "international" metal plate. Phone cards can be bought from convenience stores. For an international call, you can dial 001, then the area code (minus the initial zero) followed by the number you want, but I believe it's a bit cheaper if you replace the 001 with 0041 or 0061, which routes the call through a different provider. You can get AT&T cards from Lawson convenience stores which allow you to make international calls from payphones for around ¥40 per minute, depending on which country you're calling.

If you need to get rid of your luggage during the day then there are lockers (koin rokka) at every sizeable station. The small ones are usually ¥300 for up to 24 hours, with a 72-hour limit. A normal-sized rucksack without side pockets will usually fit into a small locker, provided that the frame isn't too long. Bigger lockers are often in short supply.

If you can make your base in Kansai, then just about everywhere else in Kansai should be close enough for a day trip on local trains - this includes Kyoto (the city to visit in Japan), Osaka, Nara (an attractive former capital), Kobe and Himeji (famous castle). Osaka is like Tokyo on a smaller scale, so if you see Osaka then you don't really need to go to Tokyo for the Japanese urban experience! There are international flights available to Kansai International Airport, south of Osaka, so you don't necessarily need to fly to Narita (south-east of Tokyo).

Public toilets don't normally provide toilet paper (incidentally, you squat facing the hood end) so if you're offered a pack of tissues on the street - they usually seem to be advertising karaoke places, chat lines or mobile phones - then it's a good idea to accept. Busy shopping areas and station entrances are the best places for free tissues!

Cigarettes are widely available from vending machines for ¥260-280. I've heard that Japanese cigarettes are highly addictive because there are no legal constraints on the manufacturers and so of course they want to get as many people hooked as possible! As a result a high proportion of the population are smokers: something like 54% of men and 24% of women, if I remember rightly. Smoking isn't allowed on trains (except in certain carriages of long-distance ones) but don't expect to find smoke-free areas in restaurants.

NTT shops and a few department stores offer free Internet access, generally for 30 minutes at a time. They often don't allow you to use email sites though. You can usually find an Internet cafe or two in a fair-sized city, but they're not as widespread as in many other parts of Asia.

Postscript
Is there any further information that you think should be included on this page? Have you found the existing content helpful? Please mail me with your comments, using one of the links below.

Thanks to Nick Ramsay for his contributions

from -
http://tanuki.org.uk/japancosts.html

15 killed in sex-shop fire in Japan

2011-01-30T20:47:00.000-08:00

from
www.prokerala.com
A fire early Wednesday in an Osaka sex shop left 15 patrons dead, emergency authorities said.

The blaze broke out in a video sex shop on the ground floor of a seven-storey building. The bodies of 15 men were found in individual, private viewing cabins after the fire, which took about an hour and a half to extinguish, Japanese media reported.

Another 10 men and one woman were rescued from the blaze, with three of them suffering serious injuries

Who is eligible for a JAPAN RAIL PASS?

2011-01-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

1. You are a foreign tourist visiting Japan from abroad for sight-seeing,under the entry status of "temporary visitor."

"Temporary Visitor" entry status, according to Japanese Immigration Law, allows a stay in Japan of 15 days or 90 days for "sight-seeing, etc." If you apply for a "stay for sight-seeing" when you enter Japan, entry personnel will stamp your passport as "Temporary Visitor," as shown below. Only persons who have a passport bearing this stamp can use a JAPAN RAIL PASS.

2. You are a Japanese national living in a foreigncountry,

a.who is qualified to live permanently in that country, or
b. who is married to a non-Japanese residing in a country other than Japan.

Note: Persons meeting conditions a or b above must be required to show proof of same at the point of purchase of an Exchange Order and obtaining a JAPAN RAIL PASS.
Also note: The former condition about a Japanese national "who has been living in a foreign country for ten or more years" is discontinued from 1 April 2004 purchase

There are two types of JAPAN RAIL PASS: Green (for superior-class Green cars), and Ordinary. Each of these types is available as a 7-day, 14-day, or 21-day PASS.See "JAPAN RAIL PASS validity", for services that can be used with a JAPAN RAIL PASS
The above are yen (or ) prices for a JAPAN RAIL PASS Exchange Order; the actual cost in local currency is calculated at the time the Exchange Order is issued. Note that the purchase exchange rate may differ from the exchange rate in effect when you actually visit Japan.

The local currency price, applicable exchange rate, and issue date for an Exchange Order are specified on the Exchange Order itself. PASS prices for children apply from age 6 to and including age 11. Prices are subject to change. The applicable price is the price valid on the date when an Exchange Order is issued.

Travel to Japan on a budget

2011-01-21T01:17:00.000-08:00

Too often people consider Japan too expensive for a vacation, but that doesn't have to be so. With a little preparation and some helpful hints, anyone can experience the magic of the Orient on a budget.

Before doing anything, the cardinal rule of vacation in Japan is research. Head to a local bookstore and pick up an inexpensive travel guide. You might be tempted to purchase a book with a wealth of pictures and fun facts, but for the serious traveler, these are best avoided. Try to find a book that is content intensive, giving concrete information about hotels, restaurants, and sights
For less expense and hassle, try to avoid planning your trip in August, early January, or late April through early May. These are important festival times for the Japanese, and most hotels are likely to be booked. Those that aren't might charge more, so unless you want to participate in one of the major festivals avoid these times for your trip.

When purchasing your plane tickets, start by checking around the internet. After getting a clear idea of what is out there, call your local travel agent. Many agents have special deals with the airlines, and can get you a discounted deal.

Also, if you plan to do a lot of travelling outside of Tokyo, be sure to buy a Japan Rail Pass. These passes can be purchased in one, two, and three week increments. These tourist-only passes that Japan Rail sells let you ride the bullet trains and smaller Japan Rail trains free of charge, shaving hundreds of dollars off your trip!

Booking hotels is a major consideration. The least expensive places to stay are usually Ryokan. A Ryokan is a Japanese inn, providing bamboo mat floors and simple mattresses to sleep on. They provide one of the best experiences of the Japanese lifestyle. Freestanding, wooden, ultra-traditional Ryokan can cost hundreds of dollars a night, but Ryokan affiliated with the Japanese Inn Group generally offer a less costly alternative. These inns may be situated in more modern surroundings, but they retain all the calm, peaceful spirit of the original.

If nightlife is your thing, however, be aware that most Ryokan have curfews. In that case your best bet is to shop around at local business hotels, looking for the best rate. Try to get a location close to a major subway stop. Your tired feet will be glad you did!

You've probably heard all of the rumors about how expensive food in Japan is. While it's true that classy restaurants can charge well over one hundred dollars for a meal, consider eating in smaller, family run establishments. There are numerous little eateries serving traditional Japanese meals like sushi, udon, and nabe, at a fraction of the cost of the larger restaurants. These restaurants provide a cozier atmosphere anyway, with a chance to observe the locals.

Yes coffee, soda, and alcohol are all outrageously priced in Japan, but once again there is a cheap and novel solution: Vending Machines! The Japanese are obsessed with vending machines. You'll find them serving most drinks, cigarettes, toiletries, even books and video tapes! You'll see these machines virtually everywhere, giving you ample opportunity to find and purchase what you need.

For day trips, use your guidebook to find the best in temples, museums, and other attractions. These low cost day trips provide some of the best education in Japanese culture.

Finally, be sure to visit cities outside of Tokyo. With the Japan Rail Pass you'll have the opportunity, and there is simply so much to see. Kyoto is a city steeped in Japan's traditions and history, and Hakone is a beautiful land of forests and mountains close to the famous Mount Fuji. Both destinations provide must see excitement for your trip through Japan.

Follow all of these suggestions, and you are garunteed a budget vacation that you will never forget

FROM - /www.essortment.com

Shinjuku West - The Business District

2011-01-21T01:12:00.000-08:00

Streams of screaming neon, high pitched shrieking sounds; people, people everywhere - silent and robotic. There's no room, there's no escape - earthquakes yet skyscrapers, it's hot, it's humid, it's calm, it's still for this is Shinjuku - a business and shopping district in the west of Tokyo and the ultimate, overwhelming experience. Shinjuku Station is a good place to start. It's box- like yet convoluted but over two million people successfully pass through each day! That's quite an achievement! So, with getting lost all part of the fun, there are three main exits. Take the "East Exit" for the high street shopping area, the "South Exit" for the Times Square Shopping Centre and the "West Exit" for the skyscraper and business zone.
Shinjuku West - The Business District
Once the site of a water-filled reservoir, the land on the west side of Shinjuku Station is now dominated by skyscrapers.
For maximum "salary-man" and "office-lady" impact, it's best to hit the streets around rush hour or lunchtime.
Beginning in Shinjuku Station, follow the signs to the "West Exit". You should then emerge onto an open-square area surrounded by department stores, banks and insurance companies. The two funnel like constructions at either end are air vents for the station below.
Using the pedestrian walkway that runs along the front of Odakyu Halc department store, make your way towards Fuji Bank. In the streets behind the bank you'll find what is now considered to be one of the best areas in Tokyo for buying electronic and photographic equipment. Work through the streets in a westerly direction until you come to a main road. Just over this road and opposite the post office, you'll find the Keio Plaza Hotel. Today, compared to its neighbours it's small, but in 1971 this was Shinjuku's tallest building. It's 170 meters high and has forty seven floors.
From the front entrance of the hotel, head off in a northerly direction. As one road over-passes the other, look to the left for a good view of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. At the end of the overpass you'll see some steps. These lead down to the concourse of the Mitsui Building. Finished in 1974, the building is 209 meters high and has 55 floors. Inside, together with shops and restaurants, you'll find the Pentax Forum. This is an exhibition space for photographs and photographic equipment (open daily, except public holidays 10:30 am to 6:30 pm).
Next look for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. With Notre Dame in Paris apparently and clearly the inspiration, you won't mistake it. The building, the fourth tallest in Japan, was finished in 1990. It's 296 meters high and thanks to special shock absorbing pillars and posts, it's supposed to be fully earthquake proof. There are two observation galleries, one in each tower at 45 floors up. Entrance is free and the panoramic view is fantastic. On a clear day, you can even Mount Fuji and Yokohama! (Open: Tuesday to Friday 9:30 am to 5:30. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 9:30 am to 7:30 pm. Closed: Mondays, Tuesdays (if the day before was a public holiday) December 29th - 31st and January 2nd - 3rd inclusive).
Shinjuku Chuo (Central) Park is next to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. It's not particularly picturesque, but you may find it socially interesting - much of it is a shanty town inhabited by down and outs. On some Sundays a flea market is held in the entrance.
Just over the road from the park you should be able to see the Century Hyatt Hotel. With this and the Tokyo Metropolitan Building facing you, turn left and walk towards the set of traffic lights. At the traffic lights turn right, and then make your way back east to find Shinjuku Station. On the way, just past the Hilton Hotel, notice the large red "LOVE" statue next to the I-Land Patio. The I-Land Patio can be quite surreal at times - the sound of gushing water, piped ambient music; shiny, metallic furniture. But the restaurants have nobody in them; the outside tables have nobody at them! It's an empty space - quite bizarre for Tokyo!
Shomben Yokocho ("Piss Alley")
Not as the name suggests, "Piss Alley" is in fact a collection of ramshackle huts and restaurants located between the train tracks and the side of the Odakyu Department store. In 1999 when a fire broke out in a ramen shop, the area was almost completely destroyed. Now however it's been re-built, and as the character has been retained, at night it still remains one of the city's most atmospheric places to wander.
Shinjuku Eastmouth
Shinjuku Eastmouth is the high street shopping area. It's also where you'll find "Kabukicho", the red light district.
From inside Shinjuku Station, follow the signs to the "Central East Exit". Once out you'll see "My City". Somewhat unfortunate in appearance, the building was finished in 1964. The inside is divided into a mass of small shop units.
Studio Alta
The two main shopping streets are Shinjuku Dori Avenue and Yasukuni Dori Avenue. Don't forget too, all the little streets in between. Studio Alta, with its giant TV screen, is directly opposite My City. As a popular rendezvous point, the entrance is often so crowded that meeting the person you're supposed to be meeting is really no option at all.Strip clubs, hostess bars and pachinko parlours occupy Kabukicho. But here too, you'll also find many mainstream cinemas together with Koma Stadium, a venue for traditional music and dance (tickets available on the door). To get to Kabukicho, cross over Yasukuni Dori Avenue in the direction away from Shinjuku Station.
Shinjuku Southmouth
A breathtaking building at dusk, the Times Square Shopping Centre stands on land that was once occupied by tumble down wooden shacks and drinking places. Finished in 1996, inside you'll find a branch of Tokyu Hands the famous arts and crafts shop, and Kinokunia which sells English books.

travel in Akihabara

2010-06-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

Akihabara first started specializing in electronics when people dealing in black market radio parts began setting up shop under the elevated JR railroad after World War II. As Japan's manufacturing technology and economy grew during the 50's and 60's, the shops starting selling televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, and other consumer household goods.
Many computer stores started opening stores in Akihabara during the PC boom of the 80's and 90's, and otaku obsessed with computers and anime poured into the area. Japanese electronics manufacturers sometimes send prototypes of new products to Akihabara stores in order to see how popular they are with consumers there before release them into the national and international markets.

The urban legend that Coca Cola was originally green when it was first created is actually false (according to the company itself), but the idea still lives on in the hearts and minds of many of us. So it was with no little excitement that I first beheld Asahi's 'Green Cola' sitting on the convenience store shelves. It didn't take me long to figure out what was wrong though, it's not actually green. Sigh. Turns out that the 'green' isn't referring to the colour, but to the supposedly ecological way it's made. However there doesn't seem to be anything particularily environmentally friendly about it, unless the assertion that the drink's lack of colourants, caffeine and preservatives is supposed to equal green? Maybe Asahi is hoping people would focus on the gimmick instead of asking questions.Mt. Kumotori is Tokyo's highest mountain at 2012 meters. The route Kumi and I took started from Mitsumine shrine (Chichibu), finished in Kamosawa (Okutama), and required an overnight stay in a mountain lodge called Kumotori Sanso. The day started grey and overcast (as many Tokyo weekends are prone to do) but we decided to bite the bullet and just go, having planned this hike a number of weeks ago. We arrived at Mitsumine shrine (above photo) at around 11am (about 3.5 hours from our apartment) and took a quick look around the complex. Although the 2000 year old mountain shrine is supposedly worth a second look, we didn't stay long as it was already late in the morning and we had a 6 hour hike ahead of us. Although it wasn't raining, there was a dense mist surrounding everything.Kumi registers us for our hike at the beginning of the trail (below shot), in case we get lost or eaten by bears.
Akihabara now has over 250 electronics stores, from huge megachains to small part suppliers. Most of the shops are gathered around Akihabara Station and along Chuo Dori (Chuo Avenue), and many of the bigger ones have staff that speak English, Chinese, and Korean. Prices can vary significantly between stores and, unlike most places in Japan, are sometimes negotiable.
Many of the electronics in Akihabara are for use in Japan only and overseas shoppers should be sure to check voltage and warranty requirements before buying electronics to use at home. Duty free shopping is also available to foreigners (passport required) on purchases of more than 10,000 yen at some of the larger stores.

Economic and health in japan

2010-06-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

The absolute percentages of people reporting poor health declined across all socioeconomic statuses following the crisis. However, after controlling for confounding factors, the odds ratio (OR) for poor self-rated health (95% confidence intervals) among middle-class non-manual workers (clerical/sales/service workers) compared with the highest class workers (managers/administrators) was 1.02 (0.92 to 1.14) before the crisis but increased to 1.14 (1.02 to 1.29) after the crisis (p for temporal change = 0.02). Japan is located in an area where several continental and oceanic plates meet. This is the cause for frequent earthquakes and the presence of many volcanoes. Over 1,000 times earthquakes happen in one year. Additionally, many typhoons make landfall every year because Japan is located in the temperate zone. So government needs to secure a reliable crisis management system. The Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995 was big turning point in the development of contingency planning. 6,400 people died and 43,792 people injured over the disaster. After the earthquake, 16 laws are established or revised based on the lessons and reflections from this incident and Japanese crisis management system had been improved a lot. The association was stronger among males. The adjusted ORs among professional workers and young female homemakers also marginally increased over time. Unemployed people were twice as likely to report poor health compared with the highest class workers throughout the period. Self-rated health of people with middle to higher incomes deteriorated in relative terms following the crisis compared with that of lower income people.

Japan has the world best efficient public transportation network, especially within metropolitan areas and between the large cities. Japanese public transportation is characterized by its punctuality, its superb service, and the large crowds of people using it. Railways are most common, convenient and efficient way of transportation. Dozens of Japanese railway companies compete in regional and local passenger transportation markets. There are 173 airports in Japan and flying is a popular way to travel between cities. The main international gateways are Narita International Airport, Kansai International Airport and Ch?bu Centrair International Airport. The main domestic hub is Haneda Airport, which is Asia's busiest airport. Japan has 1,152,207 km of highways with 863,003 km paved and 289,204 km of unpaved ways, and also there are 1770 km of Waterways and twenty-two major seaports. People can get goods easily and fast.
Conclusions: Self-rated health improved in absolute terms for all occupational groups even after the economic recession. However, the relative disparity increased between the top and middle occupational groups in men.

dinner in japan

2010-06-08T00:20:00.000-07:00

Strange but suggestive, "Noriko's Dinner Table" reps less a sequel to helmer Sion Sono's previous horror satire "Suicide Club" than an existential parallel. "Table" follows two teenage sisters who shed their identities to join a quasi-prostitution ring. Although told through a cascade of flashes forward and back, the puzzle doesn't quite form a complete picture by the end, which may leave genre fans frustrated but the arthouse crowd intrigued. Either way, pic -- which won special jury mention at Karlovy Vary -- is too long by half and will serve meager B.O. portions, but heartier meals on ancillary.
Pic is divided into five chapters, four of them named after major characters. Although each of the characters contributes a lengthy, overextended voiceover spiel explaining his/her thoughts and feelings, storytelling is highly fractured. Shots and scenes from different points in the story are jumbled together throughout to create a kaleidoscopic overall narrative -- and what was probably an editing room nightmare.
The story, in correct chronological order rather than how it is actually told, goes something like this: The Shimabara family -- journalist father Tetsuzo (Ken Mitsuishi), wife Taeko and their two daughters, 17-year-old Noriko (Kazue Fukiishi) and her younger sister Yuka (Yuriko Yoshitaka) -- live in Toyokawa. Shy and vaguely unhappy, Noriko becomes obsessed with a Web site called Haikyo.com (literally "a deserted or abandoned place"), where she makes online friends with other teenage girls. Japanese housewife Kazumi Izaki dutifully prepares lunchboxes for her family at the crack of dawn each morning before hitting the gym to beat up grown men.
Izaki, who became Japan’s oldest professional boxer last year, could soon overtake George Foreman by winning a world title at 46 years old.
However, Izaki still swaps her boxing gloves for an apron at least twice a day, also cooking dinner for her husband and two daughters before her evening training. She survives on barely three hours’ sleep a night.
Izaki’s future hung in the balance earlier this year when the World Boxing Council ruled she was too old to face Mexican Ana Maria Torres for the world superflyweight crown, pulling the plug on her Feb. 28 fight with the hard-hitting champion.
“I’m not scared of Torres,” said a defiant Izaki, who burst into tears the first time she hit another woman after taking up boxing 11 years ago.
Taping her hands beneath black-and-white photographs of Muhammad Ali at the height of his powers, Izaki is aware of the dangers involved, and has the scars to prove it.
“I’ve broken my nose in three places and broken a bone under my eye socket once,” she smiled. “All in sparring against men. Injuries are part of boxing.”
If Izaki beats the red tape and Torres, she will eclipse Foreman, who was 45 when he regained the world heavyweight crown in 1994.
“I don’t think about my age,” she insisted. “Once the gong rings all I can hear is my trainer — and my kids yelling, ‘Go on, mum!’ As long as my body works I’ll carry on.”
Her immediate plans were more clear-cut, involving a visit to the fishmonger.
“I’m doing grilled mackerel with grated radish tonight,” she smiled
Noriko decides to run away to Toyko to meet Haikyo's queen bee, Ueno54, who turns out to be a young woman named Kumiko (Tsugumi), a member of a bizarre group called Family Circle, semi-amateur actors for hire by clients in complex games of pretend.
Adopting her online nickname "Mitsuko," Noriko joins Family Circle and begins to forget her former identity, especially after Kumiko forces her to watch the mass suicide of 54 schoolgirls at Shinjuku station, the key event in Sono's "Suicide Club."
Final act, much too long in the waiting, turns into a Grand Guignol bloodbath, involving the dining table of the title along with other household objects, resulting in a bizarre open ending that hardly answers the most pressing questions but has a compelling mystery about it.
Overlap between "Noriko's Dinner Table" and the gorier "Suicide Club" extends not just to the Shinjuku suicide scene and preoccupation with shadowy cults, but also to thematic interest in alienation and the generation gap. New film, which is big on the nature of role-playing and memory, feels a bit more pretentious, although the occasional scene or image manages to deliver a hefty wallop.
Thesping is mostly OK, though a little hammy, suggesting the helmer is more interested in moving characters like chess pieces around his board.

Travel in Hiroshima

2010-06-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

When the first atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima on 6 Aug 1945 the city became an immediate symbol for the horrors of war. Today Hiroshima (pop. 1 086 000) has several moving reminders of that day of utter devastation.
The centerpiece is called the A-Bomb Dome—it’s the skeleton of a domed building that survived the blast. Across the street is Peace Park where you’ll find the Cenotaph for the Victims (it contains all of their names) and the Atomic Bomb Museum. The museum’s photographs are the most compelling (and perhaps horrifying): They show the actual effects of radiation on human flesh.
The most moving monument is the Children’s Peace Memorial (also called the Sadako Monument) which celebrates the desire for long life and happiness traditionally expressed in the folding of paper cranes. You may see groups of schoolchildren adding more paper cranes strung together in rainbow garlands to the millions that already surround the base of the memorial. It is a tradition that every school group or organization that visits this memorial, will place 1,000 paper cranes there. Our group from Canada placed 1,000 paper cranes and it was a very emotional time for the students.
In the years since the war Hiroshima has been rebuilt into a fairly typical industrial city (Mazda has a huge factory there). It has covered shopping arcades lively department stores (with ardent consumers) and a helpful information office. The city’s streetcar system is not extensive but it is efficient and provides announcements of stops in both Japanese and English.
Miyajima island lies just off the coast from Hiroshima—a short ferry ride from the end of the streetcar line. The main reasons to go there are solitude the view and the Shrine of Itsukushima which is built on wooden piers over the water. The shrine’s torii (the huge T-shaped gate at the entrance to a Shinto shrine) is out at the head of a bay—its orange paint stunning against the blue water has made this one of the most photographed places in Japan. (To get the best pictures be there when the tide’s in.) The shrine was constructed hundreds of years ago when the island was considered holy and commoners could approach it only by boat. Today travelers often find lodging on Miyajima while visiting Hiroshima. They don’t leave the island without sampling the locally made crackers.
Only 30 mi/45 km from Hiroshima on the JR Sanyo railway line in Iwakuni is the most famous bridge in Japan the Kintai-kyo. Built in 1673 the Brocade Sash Bridge is composed of five gracefully arched spans. The bridge was originally meant for the use of samurai—all others were forbidden to step upon it. Vestiges of the Edo-period castle town can be seen in the vicinity of the bridge.
Two nearby villages are famous for their pottery. Bizen has been producing its distinct deep brown pottery for the past 1 000 years. Hagi only began crafting pottery 300 years ago when master craftsmen were kidnapped from Korea to learn the secrets of their art. Hiroshima is 175 mi/280 km west of Osaka.
Contributors

Shopping in Osaka japan

2010-06-05T23:36:00.000-07:00

There are almost as many shopping opportunities in the city of Osaka as places to eat out. Perhaps largely to a surge in the yen, Tokyo is back as the most expensive city in the world, followed by Osaka which made a leap from last year when it ranked 11th in the cost of living survey by consultants Mercer. The best department stores can be found around the Umeda Stations and also in the JR Osaka area, where there is plenty to keep you occupied for your whole holiday.

Osaka's shopping scene is known for its electronics and Den Den Town is a true highlight, where a huge selection of local stores specialise in electronic goods. It is worth bearing in mind that it is possible to avoid paying sales tax if the store features a tax-free sign. Tourists visiting Osaka and looking to take advantage of this saving should be sure to bring their passport when shopping.
Osaka Shopping: When to Shop / Opening Hours - Osaka, Japan, JP
The general shopping hours in Osaka are fairly simple to predict, with the majority of shops around the city choosing to open seven days a week, from as early as 09:00, until 18:30 or slightly later. The main department stores usually tend to open at 10:00, with the smallest shops closing at around 17:00. Some of the city's smaller shops also remain closed each Sunday and many choose to close each Wednesday.

Osaka Shopping: Where to Shop - Osaka, Japan, JP
For food-related shopping in Osaka, the Doguya-suji Arcade is a good bet and is located in the Minami district, featuring around 40 shops in total. The city is almost over run with enormous shopping centres, malls and department stores, with highlights including the spreading ATC complex, where many popular shops stand alongside restaurants, cafes, waterfront attractions and entertainment venues, such as the ATC Hall.

The America Village (Amerika-Mura) contains a huge selection of shops and restaurants, together with a number of popular love hotels.
At the heart of Osaka's American-style Amerika-Mura district, the Big Street Shopping Mall is not to be missed and boasts nine floors of shops and more, including a cinema and many seasonal events. The nearby Triangle Park is also a good place to visit in this part of Osaka and features plenty of benches, where many people choose to take a much-needed break from shopping.

One of the most popular shopping centres in Osaka is without doubt Namba City, an underground mall in the Minami area and close to Namba train station. With Japanese chain stores, inexpensive goods, many excellent restaurants and a maze of interconnecting halls, Namba City lies alongside the city hall and is also next to the Nannan Town, a further underground shopping complex.
Moscow falls to the third from the top, while New York jumps to the eighth from the 22th last year.

Lagos (32) and Abidjan (34) are more expensive than San Francisco (34) or Luxembourg (38) while Bratislava (30) and Algiers (40) come higher than Frankfurt (48) or Washington (66).

Birmingham (125) and Wellington (139) are cheaper than Guatemala City (119) or Bogota (120).

Residents in Tokyo would pay £3,751.28 a month to rent a luxury two-bedroom unfurnished appartment while those in Johannesburg would pay just £624.16. A cup of coffee, including service, costs £4.08 in Paris, while it is just £1.80 in Sydney.

Warsaw is the cheapest place to buy a litre of pasturtised whole milk, above 2.5 pct fat (£0.55) while Beijing is the most expensive (£1.82) and Tokyo the second most expensive (£1.79).

The main shopping malls and stores in the city of Osaka are shown below.

food in japan

2010-06-05T00:21:00.000-07:00

food in japan The objective of this research is to analyze the food consumption patterns and to conduct econometric analysis of food demand structure in Japan. In this study, we pay special attention to the questions on whether or not rice is an inferior good as previous researchers have so claimed and to what extent Japanese food consumption pattern has been westernized.

We use the cross-sectional household data, Annual Report on the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) in 1997 compiled by the Statistics Bureau, Management and Coordination Agency in Japan. For major 11 food items, the total number of observations used for estimation is 95,223. Food items are non-glutinous rice, bread, noodle, fresh fish, and shellfish, fresh meat, milk, eggs, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, fats and oil, and food away from home. For meat items, the total number of observations used for estimation is 94,200, and items in interest are beef, pork, poultry, ground meat, ham, sausage, and bacon.

In order to deal with the zero-consumption problem associated with household-level microdata, we apply various single equation models: Working-Leser model estimated by OLS, Heckman’s sample selection model, and Tobit mode. For a complete demand system analysis, we apply the linearly approximated almost ideal demand system (LA/AIDS).Additionally, we apply the nonlinear almost ideal demand (AIDS) system.

Empirical results from the major 11 food items show that the expenditure elasticity of rice is positive and close to one. This proves that rice consumed in Japan is a normal good, contrary to the results from preceding studies. Marshallian uncompensated and Hicksian compensated own-price elasticities for rice are highly elastic in all models; on the other hand, the own price elasticity for meat is relatively price inelastic. Fresh meats and rice are mild complements in all models; however, fresh fish and rice show the mixed results with repect to their substitution pattern.

Results from meat items show that the expenditure elasticity of beef is greater than unity, while other meat products are inelastic. Additionally, the expenditure and price elasticities look very similar to that of Western nations. This study shows that the Japanese meat consumption pattern has become westernized.

travel in Hokkaido

2010-06-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

The Nihonshoki is often said to be the first mention of Hokkaido in recorded history. According to the text, Abe no Hirafu led a large navy and army to northern areas from 658 to 660 and came into contact with the Mishihase and Emishi. One of the places Hirafu went to was called Watarishima, which is often believed to be present-day Hokkaido. However, many theories exist in relation to the details of this event, including the location of Watarishima and the common belief that the Emishi in Watarishima were the ancestors of the present-day Ainu.During the Nara and Heian periods, people in Hokkaido conducted trade with the Dewa Province, the outpost of the Japanese central government. From the medieval ages, the people in Hokkaido began to be called Ezo. Around the same time Hokkaido came to be called Ezochi or Ezogashima. The Ezo mainly relied upon hunting and fishing and obtained rice and iron through trade with the Japanese.During the Muromachi period, the Japanese created a settlement at the south of the Oshima peninsula. As more people moved to the settlement to avoid battles, disputes arose between the Japanese and the Ainu. The disputes eventually developed into a battle. Takeda Nobuhiro killed the Ainu leader and established a Japanese victory. Nobuhiro's descendants became the rulers of the Matsumae Han, which ruled the south of Ezochi until the end of the Edo period.The Matsumae Han's economy relied upon trade with the Ainu. The Matsumae family was granted exclusive trading rights with the Ainu in the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods. The Han gradually changed trade conditions so they came to favor Japanese merchants. As a result, some Ainu rebelled against the Matsumae han, but the rebellions were defeated. During the Meiji Restoration, the Shogunate realized there was a need to prepare northern defenses against Russian aggressions and took over most control of Ezochi. The Shogunate made the Ainu burden slightly easier, but did not change the overall form of rule.Hokkaido was known as Ezochi until the Meiji Restoration. Shortly after the Boshin War in 1868, a group of Tokugawa loyalists led by Enomoto Takeaki proclaimed the island's independence as the Republic of Ezo, but the rebellion was crushed in May 1869. Ezochi was subsequently put under control of the Colonization Office. When establishing the Colonization Office, the Meiji Government decided to change the name of Ezochi. Matsuura Takeshirō submitted 6 ideas, including names such as Kaihokudo (海北道) and Hokkaido (北加伊道) to the government. The government eventually decided to use the name Hokkaido, but decided to write it as 北海道, as a compromise between 海北道 and because of the similarity with names such as Tokaido (東海道). According to Matsuura, the name was thought up because the Ainu called the region "Kai." In 1882, the Colonization Office was abolished, and Hokkaido was separated into three prefectures, Hakodate, Sapporo, and Nemuro. In 1886, the three prefectures were abolished, and Hokkaido was put under the Hokkaido Agency. Hokkaido became equal with other prefectures in 1947, when the revised Local Autonomy Law became effective.

Nagasaki travel today

2010-06-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

The best and easiest way to travel around the beautiful bay city of Nagasaki is by tram. The logical place to begin is central Nagasaki in the station area, known as Daikoku-machi, which although cluttered and busy, contains dozens of shops and restaurants of interest, as well as a handful of popular and moderately-priced business hotels, including the Hotel Wing Port Nagasaki and the Nagasaki Orion Hotel, whose comfortable rooms are only about a one minute walk from Nagasaki Station. In addition, extra travel information is available nearby at the Nagasaki Tourist Information Centre. After getting some maps and advice, the 26 Martyrs Memorial, in Nishizaka-machi, and Honren-ji in Chikugo-machi are both popular tourist attractions. Make sure to budget plenty of time to see all the sites, however, as Nagasaki's plentiful hills and steep inclines, wear out even the fittest of tourists.
Nagasaki Bay
Continuing south, you will soon be at the Ohato tram stop. Reaching out into the bay to the West is Motofuna-machi, where, besides a few hotels with good views of the bay, you will find the Nagasaki Terminal and port area. From here, boats run tours of the bay and carry passengers to such destinations as Iojima, where you can experience an amazing view from the top of the unmanned Iojima Lighthouse. Pass over the Nakashima River, and you have arrived in Dejima-machi, an area of considerable world fame. Dejima was an artificial island built in 1636 in Nagasaki Bay for foreign traders, as foreigners were barred from the country. Here you will find a park and the Dejima museum, dedicated to the former Dutch outpost of the same name. While there, grab lunch at Chikyukan, a unique restaurant where both the menu and chefs change daily.
Shinchi-machi

Founded before 1500, Nagasaki was originally a secluded harbour village. It enjoyed little historical significance until contact with European explorers in 1542, when a Portuguese ship accidentally landed nearby, somewhere in Kagoshima prefecture. The zealous Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier arrived in another part of the territory in 1549, but left for China in 1551 and died soon afterwards. His followers who remained behind converted a number of daimyo (feudal lords). The most notable among them was Omura Sumitada, who derived great profit from his conversion through an accompanying deal to receive a portion of the trade from Portuguese ships at a port they established in Nagasaki in 1571 with his assistance.Under the national isolation policy of the Tokugawa shogunate, Nagasaki harbour was the only harbour to which entry of foreign ships was permitted. Even today, Nagasaki shows the influence of many cultures such as Dutch, Portuguese, and Chinese.The little harbor village quickly grew into a diverse port city, and Portuguese products imported through Nagasaki (such as tobacco, bread, tempura, textiles, and a Portuguese sponge-cake called castellas) were assimilated into popular Japanese culture. The Portuguese also brought with them many goods from China.In 1587, Nagasaki's prosperity was threatened when Toyotomi Hideyoshi came to power. Concerned with the large Christian influence in southern Japan, he ordered the expulsion of all missionaries. Omura had given the Jesuits partial administrative control of Nagasaki, and the city now returned to Imperial control. Japanese and foreign Christians were persecuted, with Hideyoshi crucifying 26 Christians in Nagasaki in 1596 to deter any attempt to usurp his power. Portuguese traders were not ostracized, however, and so the city continued to thrive.When Tokugawa Ieyasu took power almost twenty years later, conditions did not improve much. Christianity was banned outright in 1614 and all missionaries were deported, as well as daimyo who would not renounce the religion. A brutal campaign of persecution followed, with thousands across Kyushu and other parts of Japan killed or tortured. The Christians did put up some initial resistance, with the Nagasaki Shimabara enclave of destitute Christians and local peasants rising in rebellion in 1637. Ultimately numbering 40,000, they captured Shimabara Castle and humiliated the local daimyo. The shogun dispatched 120,000 soldiers to quash the uprising, thus ending Japan's brief 'Christian Century.' Christians still remained, of course, but all went into hiding, still the victims of occasional inquisitions.The Dutch had been quietly making inroads into Japan during this time, despite the shogunate's official policy of ending foreign influence within the country. The Dutch demonstrated that they were interested in trading alone, and demonstrated their commitment during the Shimabara Rebellion by firing on those Christians in support of the shogun. In 1641 they were granted Dejima, an artificial island in Nagasaki Bay, as a base of operations. From this date until 1855, Japan's contact with the outside world was limited to Nagasaki. In 1720 the ban on Dutch books was lifted, causing hundreds of scholars to flood into Nagasaki to study European science and art.During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate governed the city, appointing a hatamoto, the Nagasaki bugyō, as its chief administrator.
Nagasaki History - Modern era
US Commodore Matthew Perry landed in 1853. The Shogunate crumbled shortly afterward, and Japan opened its doors once again to foreign trade and diplomatic relations. Nagasaki became a free port in 1859 and modernization began in earnest in 1868. With the Meiji Restoration, Nagasaki quickly began to assume some economic dominance. Its main industry was ship-building. This very industry would eventually make it a target in World War II, since many warships used by the Japanese Navy during the war were built in its factories and docks.
From this point, the tram veers west toward Shinchi-machi, an area more colloquially known as China Town. This area is similar to other Chinatowns worldwide, with excellent Chinese restaurants and a few specialty shops. From Tsuki-machi, the nearest tram stop, you can then head south toward the Glover Gardens. Glover Gardens are considered an "important cultural asset" by the Japanese government, because it is the home of the oldest wooden building of western design in Japan. The gardens are a relaxing and tranquil place to have lunch, or visit the nearby historical buildings, such as Oura Cathedral and the famed Dutch Slope. The slope is

coffee shop in tokyo

2010-06-02T00:52:00.000-07:00

Whichever caf้ you decide to visit, you may be surprised to find that Caf้ culture is a little different as I explained in, Marking Your Spot. Now I would like to tell you about my attempt to mark, ‘My Own Spot’.
After carefully watching how Japanese people get seats in their very crowded cafes I felt somewhat confident that I could do it. I had to do it, for sitting down with a cup of coffee what my favorite past time. It was more than just a past time; it was a way of life.
I entered the caf้ and quickly spotted the perfect table. I walked up to it and proudly placed my belongings on one of the chairs and made my way to the counter and ordered. My timing was impeccable, my technique cool, smooth and accurate. “This wasn’t so bad,” I thought to myself. As I waited for my fresh brewed coffee and dessert I noticed that other people in line were staring at me. It’s not uncommon for Japanese people to stare at strangers, especially foreigners, but this felt different. I thought I had done something wrong or someone had made of with my things? But, I was wrong. Instead to my disbelief there was a small group of people sitting at MY table and my things and the chair that they rested on had been pushed into the middle of the aisle.
I wasn’t prepared for this. I had no experience on how to handle this situation. So, I thought that there might have been some kind of misunderstanding. Perhaps they had not seen my belongings or perhaps someone else might have pushed my things into the aisle. Maybe they just didn’t realize. So, I approached the table and politely explained to them in Japanese and accompanying hand gestures that I had marked this table as my own, just as everyone else does in Japan. It was then that the three older ladies all looked up at me, as if I had done something wrong. There was a brief and tense moment until one of the ladies replied, “Ki-ni-shi-nai.” Meaning, “ I don’t care.”
At that moment many ideas ran through my mind and a small crowd was starting to form around me and I felt that I must do something, but what? Perhaps I should completely lose it and throw my coffee in their faces and watch them scream in agonizing pain, but then I remembered that I ordered an iced latte. Then I thought I should make my plastic fork into a weapon and create a scene much like those found in a prison movie. But before I could even begin to think of how to create such a weapon, the person at the next table got up from their seat and left. Leaving me the perfect opportunity to redeem my self-esteem. No one would dare try to take my new established territory seeing that my manhood was on the line. So, I finally sat down to my coffee. One of my favorite spots I'll usually hit up in Culver City. It's a little hard to find; the place is located in an alleyway next to one of the public parking structures. The place itself is small.I'm a fan of the Royales - basic scrambled eggs mixed with various ingredients. Usually when I come here this is what I get. Cheap food, great service, and basic but good breakfast. Cash only and good parking since it's located next to a parking structure. Nothing special about the interior - it's old, wood paneling plastered with various pictures of actors and what not. My kind of joint. This is old school and will be back for more. One of my favorite "hole in the wall" places
When I told my friends of this story, they all laughed. Unknowingly, the rules of claiming your domain in a cafe do not apply to older women in Japan.
Please don’t get me wrong. I have always considered myself a gentleman of sorts. I willingly open doors for women and often give up my seat on the subway, and bus. But, older women or oh-ba sans as they are referred to here, are much more different than anything I have experienced back home. If you cross their path they will push, shove or hit you at the drop of a hat. Of the social hierarchy they are the most feared next to roving thugs and gangsters.
They usually travel in packs of three or more, but are just as potent by themselves. They are not concerned with the taste of coffee or the aroma. Nor are they interested in the ambience, caffeine buzz or even the people in the caf้. The reason they come to the caf้ is to get out of the house and exert their powers on innocent victims. It is not uncommon for these groups of women to sit down at a table, whether it’s occupied or not, with one cup of coffee for four hours or more. In some areas they completely dominate the local cafes causing certain death to the caf้ owners. Really a great place to have a quick, cheap breakfast. Usually not too crowded. Saturdays you might see a short line, but nothing to worry about, five minutes maybe. I liked my Hawaiian royale last time, and it was excellent, especially the Portuguese sausage part (the char siu was a little dry). I've had lots of the other breakfast items, and never disappointed. It's in the alley. Find it. Go. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done.
As I sit down at my seat in one of the most crowded areas of central Tokyo. Where the most ruthless caf้-goers can be found I am proud to say that I crossed their paths and was able to live and tell about it. And as I finish my decent cup of coffee, I get up and watch people scuttle and dash for my seat I smile to myself, then pass through the crowd and make my way to the door. It’s then that I see a fellow foreigner remarking to his friend, “Sure is crowded, How do you get a seat around here?”

travel in osaka

2010-05-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

Towel manufacturer associations in Osaka Prefecture and the Shikoku region both claim to be the top producers in the country, but base their claims on different calculation methods.
With a longer history in towel production, Osaka Prefecture used to be the runaway market leader before World War II. In the late 1950s, however, Shikoku overtook Osaka, thanks to success in making cotton blankets.
But the towel gap has narrowed in recent years, with 9,381 tons produced in Shikoku and 9,209 tons in Osaka Prefecture last year. The combined volume accounted for 99 percent of domestic towel production.
The Osaka Towel Industrial Association in Izumisano in the prefecture, which has 102 member firms, cites the volume of towels brought to dye houses as its production figure.
On the other hand, the Shikoku Towel Industrial Association in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, with 132 members, calculates production by using the yield rate, which shows the percentage of cotton yarn that is actually turned into towels without being wasted. The association multiplies the amount of yarn by the yield rate to calculate towel production.
The association had set the yield rate at 84 percent until 2007 but gradually raised it to 90 percent in 2008, 94 percent in 2009 and 95 percent in 2010. It is known that humans have inhabited what is now called Osaka since more than 10,000 years ago. Around the 5th century A.D., Chinese culture was introduced to Japan via the Korean peninsula, and Osaka became the center of politics and culture of Japan.
In the 7th century, the first capital of Japan, modeled after the capital of China, was established in Osaka. Thereafter, though the capital was subsequently moved to nearby Nara and Kyoto, Osaka continued to flourish uninterruptedly, serving as the gateway of culture and trade.
Around the end of the 12th century, political power fell into the hands of the warrior class and Japan entered an age of civil strife; however, Sakai (south of present-day Osaka City) developed as a free city of the type seen in medieval Italy. Furthermore, in 1583, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who accomplished the great task of unifying the country, chose Osaka as his base and constructed the magnificent Osaka Castle, making Osaka the political and economic center of Japan.
In the 17th century, though the political center shifted to Tokyo, called Edo at the time, Osaka continued playing a vital role in managing the nation's economy and distribution of goods, and was therefore named the "Nation's Kitchen". During this period, a broad town-based culture flourished and reached maturity in Osaka. Private schools, such as Kaitokudo and Tekijuku not under the educational dictates of the government, also took root in Osaka. In this way, open-mindedness and a vigorous enterprising spirit were nurtured, forming a rich setting for a soon-to-be modern metropolis.
Then, in the 19th century, the confusion brought on by the Meiji Restoration as well as the building of a modern state dealt Osaka merchants a severe blow. However, Osaka rose from this hardship and developed into an industrial area, emerging as a modern district. Recovering again from devastation by repeated air raids during World War II, Osaka, as a commercial center of Japan, has played a major role in distribution, trade, and industry.
Osaka is now making the next leap forward to becoming an international city for the exchange of goods and information between people from all over the wo
The Osaka side argues the yield rate should be set at about 90 percent. "Using this rate, Shikoku's towel production should've been less than 9,000 tons in 2009, meaning Osaka Prefecture was the top production center," an association official said.
The Osaka association printed the phrase "Japan's largest towel production center" on a promotional poster at the end of last year.
If Osaka really is on top, it would be the association's first No. 1 billing in half a century. "[The title] will enhance our name recognition and encourage towel producers," the official said.
However, the Shikoku association still boasts on its Web site of being the nation's largest towel production center.

travel in nagoya today

2010-05-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

Nagoya is located at the heart of central Japan, some 1,5 hours by train south of Tokyo. Some of the scenic areas of the region include Nobi Plain, and the Omo River valley. As the nucleus of this central area, Nagoya, with its population of more than 2.15 million, is one of Japan's major cities, and an important industrial and cultural center.
The main sight in town is undoubtedly the Nagoya Castle, famous for the golden dolphins adorning its rooftop, was constructed in 1612 and a new castle town formed. Nagoya is actively preparing for a future in which lifestyle, technology, and culture work together to create a harmonious environment.

The nearby Shikemichi quarter is well worth a visit. Its history dates back to the days of commodities merchants of the 18th century. Old warehouses, private homes, temples and shrines remain to this day.

Downtown Nagoya is bustling and busy. It's a good place for shopping but it often leaves the visitor out of breath. The Hisaya Odori Park is the place to head for then. It consists of a series of parks in the downtown area and it's great for relaxing a bit.
The implementation of an efficient and convenient transportation system made up of railways, ports, and canals led to the rapid development of these industries. In 1907, Nagoya Port was opened and along with the reinforcing of the connecting Shinhori River helped popularize Nagoya merchandise throughout Japan. Nagoya established itself as a modern commercial and industrial city. During World War I (1914-1918), the demand for metals, machinery, and the heavy industry continued to increase. Nagoya stepped in to meet the demands. In the 1930’s, exports from Nagoya increased remarkably, especially in heavy industries. As a result, employment in related areas such as machinery and metals boomed.

　

Around 1920, the automobile industry began to lay its foundations with the announcement of the "Chukyo Detroit Plan". Five companies worked together and produced a domestic passenger car in 1932. Later this automobile industry was succeeded by the famous Toyota Motor Corporation. The airplane industry started at about the same time. Before and during World War II, Nagoya was the largest industrial center for production of military materials. More than 10,000 Zero Fighters, 60% of the national total, were manufactured here.

　

The central water supply system began in 1904 and by 1923, drains and sewers had been installed in the central part of the city. Four sewage plants were built between 1930 and 1934 to ensure the purity of the rivers. In the early 1900’s, the City constructed and improved the city road network. Between 1908 and 1924, five main streets were constructed. Together with the opening of the Nagoya port, rivers and waterways were also improved, bridges were built or repaired, and special consideration was given to the efficiency of water transportation.

　

Approximately one-fourth of Nagoya was destroyed during World War II. Almost half of the population evacuated the city and most city functions were brought to a standstill. However just 45 days after the war ended, the City Assembly approved an extensive reconstruction plan. It was to be a long and arduous assignment. This plan included everything needed for a modern city such as city streets, subways, parks, and greenery. One of the central features of the plan was the construction of two 100 meter-wide roads and nine 50 meter-wide road which would serve as the main routes for automobile transportation in a city of two million people.

　

In the public transportation sector, construction of a subway system linking Nagoya Station and Sakae began in 1957. Subway construction has moved along at a rapid pace over the last 40 years. In order to fulfill the responsibilities for the Tokyo Olympics, the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Nagoya to Kobe Expressway were completed in early 1964. An efficient and convenient bus network has also been set up throughout the city.

　

In September 1959, the most severe post-war disaster struck Nagoya. The Ise Bay typhoon struck the southern part of the city, flooding the entire area. The west bank of the Shonai River collapsed, and 1,851 residents were killed, 118,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and over 530,000 people were made homeless by the catastrophe. The city implemented a comprehensive relief effort and at the same time, received help and support from its sister-city, Los Angeles, and many other cities both in Japan and overseas. In order to prevent a recurrence of such a disaster, the city has taken extensive measures to improve the breakwaters in the port area, and to strengthen and heighten the embankments along the rivers in the city

Osu is perfect for shopping or to visit one of the many museums in the area. The last sight not to be missed is the Atsuta Shrine. One of the three major shrines in Japan along with Ise and Meiji. Atsuta Shrine houses the Kusanagi (grass-mowing) Sword, one of the three Sacred Treasures of the Imperial Family.

Sakae is a busy shopping area, and recently has added a new Apple store, for those in need of a little free internet.

Hokkaido

2010-03-31T01:44:00.000-07:00

Hokkaido is a sport and nature lovers paradise and also offers some of the largest and most Can't decide if a tour or activity is right for you? Viator travelers have reviewed thousands of tours and things to do: what they love, what they like and what they think could be better. Make the most of your next trip with the following Japan traveler reviews.beautiful cities in Japan. Hokkaido offers the spectacular Sapporo Snow Festival, skiing and snow boarding mountains, river rafting, hiking and hundreds of wonderful and relaxing Japanese style “Onsens” or natural hot spring baths. The people are friendly and the food and sea food is perhaps the freshest and most delicious in all Japan.The Japan Labor Review is a quarterly journal of research in the field of labor studies. For the purpose of providing valuable information on Japanese labor issues to the broad range of overseas readers, articles are selected, edited, and published by an editorial board of the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training.

japan tour part 2

2010-03-15T01:28:00.000-07:00

There has been some concern that Japanese travelers are not adequately protected against malaria, especially when compared to Western travelers. Multi-national studies of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding malaria risk have previously been conducted in travelers.

We conducted a KAP study in Japanese travelers using the same standardized questionnaire as the previous studies. Unlike those studies, questionnaires could not be distributed at departure lounges/gates at international airports, and therefore, travelers were sourced from several different study sites, targeting different populations.

A total of 212 Japanese travelers who had visited malarious areas were enrolled, of which 63.2% had visited Asia and 28.3% visited sub-Saharan Africa. Significant shortcomings in KAP were noted with respect to lack of knowledge about symptoms of malaria, poor awareness of malaria risk at their destination, and non-adherence to adequate antimosquito measures. Chemoprophylaxis use was lower among Japanese travelers than travelers from other countries, even when confining to those traveling to sub-Saharan Africa.

Japanese travel medicine providers and general practitioners who engage in pre-travel consultation should raise awareness of travelers about the seriousness of malaria, the need for improved compliance with chemoprophylaxis, and the importance of being properly prepared prior to departure

Fukuoka Japan

2010-02-21T00:40:00.000-08:00

Fukuoka is considered as one of the oldest cities of Japan. Located in Kyushu Island, Fukuoka is formed by the fusion of Hakata the port city of Japan and Fukuoka. As among the oldest city of Japan Fukuoka city still follow traditional Japanese culture and customs that can be clearly reflected in the surroundings as well as in the cuisines. Fukuoka Travel Guide offers lot of information about the history, geography, culture and attractions of city to the tourists.
The places that one must visit in Fukuoka are the Nokonoshima Island, the Fukuoka Castle Ruins, the Tohori Park, Museums, Marine Park Uminonakamichi, Sky Dream Fukuoka, shrines and temples, which are many in number, Fukuoka Dome, the Canal City etc.

Fukuoka is also home to innumerous hotels. One may have varied choice of accommodation that ranges from budget hotel to five - star hotel or from cheap hotels to resorts that provide you with the perfect ambience required to spend good times with friends or family.

As far as shopping is concerned you need to make a trip to the Canal City, the most famous shopping complex of Fukuoka. The other places to visit for shopping purposes are the Tenjin Underground Shopping Arcade, Kawabata Shopping Arcade, Marina Town and many others. At these shopping malls you can pick up a souvenir of your choice.

The cost of food at most of the restaurants at the Fukuoka is within one's budget. At the local restaurants one can try out the Mizutaki, (water# skimmed chicken stew). The local food stalls also serve variety of Japanese cuisines. One can try out the Ramen (a whitish soup made out of a broth of boiled pork bones) garnished with leaf mustard and red pickled ginger. At the Fukuoka city one must try out the cod roe or the spicy mentaiko.

For transportation within the city you can opt for the bus service, that is quiet frequent or can hire a taxi. If you want to avoid the bus or a taxi, then you can avail the subway trains

An ancient and key point of exchange between Japan and the rest of Asia. A cradle of culture.

Fukuoka is situated in the northern extremity of Kyushu, facing the Sea of Suo to the northeast, the Sea of Genkai to the northwest, and the Sea of Ariake to the southwest. As the prefecture borders the Korean Peninsula to the continent of China with a strait in between, Fukuoka was the first place in Japan to be exposed to the culture of the continent. Ever since the Government-General of Kyushu, Dazaifu, was set up in the 7th century, Fukuoka has grown as the hub of the Kyushu region.

In Dazaifu, the ancient capital of the Kyushu region that lasted for 500 years, is Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine, where about 6,000 red and white plum trees of 200 varieties and 30,000 irises of 50 different varieties lie, as well as other seasonal flowers that can be enjoyed. As Tenman-gu enshrines the god of academic achievement, it is visited by many people, students seeking luck in their entrance examinations mostly, all year round. Also, the prefecture has scenic spots such as the Senbutsu limestone cavern, a national natural treasure with beautiful stalagmite and stone pillars, as well as Space World, the world's first space theme park.

The city of Fukuoka, also known as Hakata, is not only the center of administration and economy in the Kyushu region but also a terminal for air routes and railroads. The Hakata Dontaku is a colorful port festival held in summer each year. Highlighted by a parade of children in traditional dress, men and women in fancy costume, and 'te-odori' dancing (dancing with nothing in hand) people through the streets, this event draws more than 580 groups and about 31,000 citizens,

nakoya so cool

2010-02-21T00:36:00.000-08:00

Nagoya
Nagoya City breathes history, as testified by the epic movies (such as Shogun and Ran) centred around Nagoya Castle. But it was Expo 2005 that put Nagoya on the world map. A total of 121 countries participated in the event, which attracted more than 22 million visitors over the six months of the Expo. Post-Expo, Nagoya is positioning itself both as a centre for hi-tech industries and as a tourist gateway. Toyota Cars, old and new famed ceramics Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples dolls and robots castles, feudal villas and farmhouses pearls, art and a plethora of shopping and nightlife.

The City Nagoya successfully lives up to the expectations placed upon it as Japans fourth largest city. The “Greater Nagoya area” (a 100 km-square area with Nagoya City at its centre, encompassing the three prefectures of Aichi, Gifu and Mie) is indisputably THE manufacturing hub of Japan, particularly in the fields of biotechnology and automobile manufacture. But the city is not all about industry and industriousness. Nagoya is poised to become the transport hub of Japan, with Chubu Central Japan International Airport (CENTRAIR), Japan’s first 24-hour airport, just 30 minutes by fast rail from downtown Nagoya. In Nagoya, super-modernity blends seamlessly with timelessness. As former home to the Edo-era shoguns (Emperors) of Japan, the whole city breathes history. In a bid to boost tourism to Nagoya, the area stretching from Nagoya Castle to Tokugawaen has been dubbed “The Cultural Path”, billed as a living testimonial to 400 years of Nagoya history. The Cultural Path is lined with many historic buildings that have survived from the Edo (1603-1867), Meiji (1868-1911), Taisho (1912-1925) and Showa (1926-1988) periods. Just hanging out in Nagoya is one of life’s supreme pleasures. Check out Central Park with its striking TV Tower. Walk the streets of Nishiki precinct, a Soho or Montmartre on steroids. Then step back 250 years, on a trip out of town to the super-scenic Kiso Valley. Within a loose triangle formed by Sakae, Yaba-cho and Osu Kannon stations is the city’s principal shopping and entertainment district called Sakae. Here streets are lined with department stores, huge malls and an endless choice of eating and drinking venues. The port district is going through some major redevlopement too and now hosts a number of museums and attractions.

Read more about Nagoya:
The City, Do & See, Cafés, Eating, Bars & Nightlife, Shopping, Sleeping, Essential Information

1300th Anniversary of Nara Capital

2010-02-21T00:31:00.001-08:00

In 2010, Nara is celebrating its 1300th anniversary!
In ancient times, Japan's Imperial Palace would move with the ascension of every new Emperor. This tradition was discontinued in 710, when Heijo, present day Nara, was selected as the site of the country's first permanent capital. Despite the intentions to make it permanent, Heijo-kyo (Nara Capital) lasted less than a century. Because the city's large temples exerted too much political influence, the capital was eventually moved to Nagaoka in 784 and then to Kyoto in 794.

On the 1300th anniversary of Heijo-kyo, some major reconstruction works have been carried out on the former grounds of Heijo Palace, and various special events will be held. Anniversary related events started from January 1, 2010, but the celebration will not be in full swing until April 24, when the main venue is opened on the former grounds of the Heijo Palace.

Reconstruction of historic buildings

After the capital had been moved out of Nara, the palace structures were moved or abandoned, and within a relatively short time period there was little evidence left of the area's glorious past. For the following millennium, the former palace grounds were mainly used as rice fields until major excavation works were started in the 1950s.

In 1998, the South Gate and the East Garden of the former palace grounds were reconstructed and opened to the public. And for the big anniversary in 2010, the former Imperial Audience Hall has been reconstructed and will be opened to the public in April. The palace grounds will serve as the main venue of the celebrations.

Apart from the palace grounds, some of Nara's major temples have been engaging in renovation and reconstruction projects as well. In time for the anniversary, Toshodaiji Temple, southwest of central Nara, finished the extensive renovation of its main hall, which lasted for almost a decade. And Kofukuji Temple in the city center has completed excavation works and the construction of the foundation for the reconstruction of its main hall, which had been lost in the past (to be completed in 2015).

Events

The main celebrations and events will be carried out from April 24 to November 7, 2010 on the former grounds of Heijo Palace. Among the announced events and attractions are exhibitions on the history of Nara, a life-size replica of a ship used for diplomatic relations with the Asian mainland, parades, hand-on experience opportunities and music and light shows.

The events and reconstructions surrounding the anniversary create an additional reason to visit Nara in 2010, besides the city's regular historic sights and annual events. Some events will also be held in other locations of Nara Prefecture, the cradle of Japanese civilization, such as in the lesser known towns of