2012年2月 7日
Sharing Bedrooms
I was talking to a friend last night about his kids, and a subject came up that I have been meaning to ask you about, so I decided to do another entry.
Actually, the same topic also came up last week when I was talking to another friend. Both of these friends have a daughter. One of them has two sons, and the other has one son. The topic we were talking about was sleeping arrangements, because I was very surprised to hear that in both families, the daughters shared a room with their brother. One of the girls is still very young, but the other is 11, and her brother is 12.
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2012年2月 3日
A Scary Statistic (Feedback)
I went skiing today for the first time in about five years. I went to Teine Highlands in Sapporo, which is a place I used to go all the time when I lived here. I was a bit worried about whether I would still be able to ski because it has been so long, but I was fine. I was able to go down all the same runs I used to go down with no problem at all, and I only had two minor falls. I was using new skis and boots that I bought last week, and I was really pleased with both of them. I'm going to Rusutsu tomorrow, so I'll have a chance to get more used to them. By the way, skiing today reminded me that the best feeling in the world is not slipping into an onsen or curling up in a warm bed on a cold night, it's taking ski boots off after you've been wearing them for a few hours!
Anyway, thanks for your comments on the topic. Here is some feedback...
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2012年1月30日
A Scary Statistic
I know that many of you do not like talking about politics or the economy, but I heard a statistic the other day that really scared me. It was that:
of the money that the Japanese government spends every year, only 40% is covered by income from taxes.
In other words, more than half of all the money the government spends each year is borrowed, and it will have to be paid back with interest in the future. Apparently, Japan's debts are so huge that they make Greece's debts look like a child's pocket money!
I'm sure you have seen the news stories about Mr. Noda's plans to increase the rate of consumption tax, first to 8%, and then to 10%. As many of you know, the rate in Britain is now 20%, so his proposals seem very mild to me. However, many people are very strongly against his plans.
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2012年1月27日
Free Stuff (Feedback)
I'm in Hokkaido now, and it is very cold! I'm staying at Marukoma Onsen near Shikotsu-ko tonight, so I will be warming myself in the lovely onsen in the very near future.
I went shopping today, and I bought two new pairs of skis - one for telemarking, and one for regular skiing. My old telemark skis were more than 10 years old, and I was a bit worried that they might break. I didn't have a pair of regular skis because I lost one of my old ones while I was night skiing in Niseko a few years ago, and I haven't been to a ski resort since then. Anyway, I have all the gear now, so I will be doing lots of skiing next week.
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2012年1月23日
Free Stuff
On Saturday, I had a few hours to kill while I was waiting for a friend, so I decided to go to Bic Camera to ask about Wi-Fi routers. Incidentally, for years I thought this shop was called "Big Camera." What on earth does "Bic" mean? Anyway, I wanted a Wi-fi router so that I would be able to access the Internet on my iPad and my computer when I am not at home. I thought it might be a good idea to get a Docomo router because my phone is from AU, so if I had a Docomo one, that would give me access to both networks. I don't know how much you know about mobile networks, but they are about to change from 3G, or "third generation" to 4G. Docomo already has a Wi-fi router for the new 4G network, which is called "LTE" (the network, that is). It is incredibly fast, but it is only available in a few areas. The AU Wi-Fi router uses a system called "Wi-Max," which is not 4G, but which is faster than regular 3G because it uses a different network of antennas. The "Wi-Max" reception area is quite big already, and it is growing all the time.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I decided to get the AU router.
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2012年1月20日
A Citizen's Duty? (Feedback)
Thanks for your comments. As most of you pointed out, this is a difficult topic. It's even more difficult in the UK where people often get very violent, especially when they are drunk. There have been lots of stories over recent years of people being stabbed when they challenged groups of youths who were breaking the law. It is a real shame that our society has become like this. Interestingly, an American friend who lives in Atlanta once told me that it is not so much of a problem there. The reason is that everyone knows that everyone else is probably carrying a gun, so people tend to be much more polite to each other. When he told me this, we were in his car, so I said, "How about you?" He said, "Yes, there is a shotgun under the back seat"!
Anyway, here is some feedback on your comments...
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2012年1月16日
A Citizen's Duty?
I read a story this morning about a TEPCO employee who kicked and punched a member of the public who tried to stop him destroying a traffic cone when he was drunk. I read this story on the Japan Today website, and as usual, the comments were more interesting than the story. The comments basically focus on the debate about what ordinary citizens should do when we see someone doing something wrong. Should we say something, or should we just ignore it and walk away?
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2011年12月19日
Christmas Plans
I can't remember whether I have mentioned this before or not, but I am going back to the UK for Christmas and New Year. I'm leaving on Thursday, and I won't be back in Japan until the 7th of January. I'm really looking forward to seeing all my friends again and spending time with my family, but I'm a bit worried about how much weight I'm going to put on because of all the Christmas food. Oh well, I suppose that going on a diet will have to be my New Year's resolution. Again.
Anyway, I will post comments from time to time while I am in the UK, but I won't be doing another discussion topic until I come back. In the meantime, please tell us about your Christmas plans, and feel free to exchange holiday messages or discuss anything else that grabs your attention.
Thanks again to all the regulars for your comments throughout the year, and I wish you all the best for Christmas and the New Year.
Bye for now.
PS If anyone wants to talk about Kim Jong-il's death, please feel free! I would be interested to know how Japanese people are feeling about that.
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2011年12月16日
School Bags (Feedback)
Thanks for educating me on the topic of "randoseru" this week. As I said in my last comment, I still cannot believe that people pay so much money for a child's school bag, but I guess that if parents (or grandparents) want to buy these bags, then that is up to them. As Moo said, however, I think there is a danger of parents using their children as a kind of possession to compete with other families. This cannot be healthy, either for the children or for the parents.
I'll have to ask my mum, but I'm pretty sure that I used a cheap sports bag when I was in primary school, and I think all the other kids did the same. If I told her how much Japanese parents pay for their kids' satchels, she would probably have a heart attack! Actually, I was also thinking that it is not a good idea to have every child taking identical bags to school. Surely that must get confusing.
Anyway, here is some feedback on your comments.
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2011年12月12日
School Bags
Even though I have lived in Japan for a long time, I still find things that amaze me. A couple of weeks ago, I was in a shop looking for Christmas presents for Matilda, and I saw a "Kitty" bag like the ones elementary students take to school. I thought it was quite cute, but there was something weird about the price tag.
No matter how I looked at it, there seemed to be too many digits. The price began with a "4" and a "7," and then there was a "9" and a "5" after that. I didn't have any problem understanding that, because 4,795 yen would seem to be a reasonable price for a child's school bag. (We used to call them "satchels.") The problem was that after the "5," there was a zero!
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