What the hell is up with China??

In the past 3 months they've been responsible for toxic plastic and lead in paint on children's toys, poison in toothpaste and tires, and hazardous food including tainted beef and pork and contaminated fish. Now they're the ones responsible for the recall of 46 million batteries built for Nokia because they may overheat causing them to explode or leak acid. Great, that's just great...
The batteries were made in China by Matsushita Electrical Industrial of Japan.

See? even the Japanese are sending stuff to be made in China for less money! And they don't even like each other!! Proof:
Rape of Nanking
Japan: China is 'scary country'
China blames Japan for tensions

The world's largest toymaker, Mattel, recalled more than 18 million Chinese-made toys in mid-August because of hazards from small magnets that can cause injury if swallowed, just two weeks after it recalled 1.5 million toys due to fears over lead paint.

Other Chinese export scares have hit toothpaste, animal-food ingredients, tires, eels and seafood, and deadly chemicals that found their way into cough medicine, killing dozens of patients in Panama.

Get a clue China! Stop making stuff that sucks and will kill us! We don't like your "Made In China" label all over everything anyway. Just because you're cheaper doesn't mean you're better, dumb asses! And don't even get me started on the whole Communism thing...

I'm not buying crap from China if I can help it!

But shit, my mouse, keyboard, desk phone, monitor, speakers... all this stuff says "Made In China" DAMN!

Japanese women and their crazy fashion!

Stand by for a looong but VERY entertaining and interesting update!
The idea of this was given to me by another website but I've modified it a bit and added more content. I will be adding my own pictures later in the week.

It’s no secret that Japan is home to some wild fashion trends and fads, particularly when it comes to girls/women. Here are some examples of common species to be found in Tokyo. My favorite is the Lolita and Gothic Lolita. I think the Ganguro and Yamanba are just nasty!

Kogal

First, the famous (and sometimes notorious) Japanese schoolgirl. In the photo below, you’ll see 2 types. On the left, you see the standard Japanese schoolgirls wearing their school’s uniform. On the right, you see high school girls who have deep tans, blonde-ish hair, loose socks secured in place with adhesive, with skirts pulled up at their waist. These fashion-conscious high school girls are known as “kogals” and frequently travel in packs around the Shibuya district shopping for clothing and brand-name goods. The most notorious of these girls practice “enjo kosai” which is translated as “compensated dating”, but is really just prostitution to fund their materialistic shopping habit.

From Wikipedia:

Kogal (コギャル, kogyaru) is a subculture of girls and young women in urban Japan, one of several types of so-called gyaru. They are characterized by conspicuously displaying their disposable income through distinctive tastes in fashion, music, and social activity. In general, the kogal "look" roughly approximates a sun-tanned California Valley girl, and indeed, there are even some linguistic similarities between these Western groups and Kogal. Both subcultures have derived entire sets of slang terms (such as "Kogalese" (コギャル語, kogyaru-go)). Kogals are not to be confused with the ganguro subculture, although they are similar.

Kogals are known for wearing platform boots, a miniskirt, copious amounts of makeup, hair coloring (usually blonde or brown), artificial suntans, and designer accessories. If in school uniform, the look typically includes skirts pinned very high and loose socks (large baggy socks that go up to the knee). Kogals' busy social lives and desire for new material goods leads them to be among the first consumers of Japanese mobile phone technology, and their taste in clothes tends toward names such as Burberry scarves and Louis Vuitton handbags. Kogals spend much of their free time (and their parents' income) shopping, and their culture centers on the Shibuya district of Tokyo, in particular the 109 building, although any major Japanese city is sure to have at least a small population. During the summer, kogals may sometimes be seen at the beach. They are generally not seen in high-end department stores.

Critics of the Kogal subculture decry its materialism as reflecting a larger psychological or spiritual emptiness in modern Japanese life. Some kogals support their lifestyle with allowances from wealthy parents, living a "freeter" or "parasite single" existence that grates against traditional principles of duty and industry. More may engage in the practice of "compensated dating", or enjo kōsai, which may at times border on quasi-legal prostitution. Internet-based usage of this term has led some Western observers to the mistake of believing that "kogal" means "prostitute".

The kogal phenomenon emerged in the mid-1990s and its effects can still be seen today in its numerous off-shoots of sub-categories, although conservative tastes in dress and hair color seem to be on the upswing. Interestingly enough, the Gothic Lolita aesthetic has been described as a reaction to the kogal look, in that it attempts to reclaim childhood innocence, though skeptics of this theory would point out that most Lolita merely model after J-rock cosplay and spend just as much, if not even more money on their appearance when compared to kogals.

The term's etymology is disputed: the most common theory is that it was derived from the Japanese word for "high school", kōtō gakkō (高等学校, kōtō gakkō), or kōkō (高校, kōkō) for short, although others claim that it comes from ko (子), the Japanese word for "girl" or "child". The "gal" originates from English. See gyaru.

Ganguro

Next, we have the “70’s California surfer girl” look species commonly known as “Ganguro”, or “black face”, so named for their dark artificial tans. Here’s more info from Wikipedia:

Ganguro (ガングロ, Ganguro) is an alternative fashion trend among young Japanese women which peaked in popularity around the year 2000, but remains evident today. The Shibuya and Ikebukuro districts of Tokyo are the center of ganguro fashion.

In ganguro fashion, a deep tan is combined with hair dyed in shades of orange to blonde, or a silver gray known as "high bleached". Black ink is used as eyeliner and white concealer is used as lipstick and eyeshadow. False eyelashes and sparkling face powder are often added to this. Platform shoes and brightly-colored outfits complete the ganguro look. Also typical of ganguro fashion are tie-dyed sarongs, miniskirts, and lots of bracelets, rings and necklaces.

The deep ganguro tan is in direct conflict with traditional Japanese ideas of feminine beauty. Due to this, as well as their use of slang, unconventional fashion sense, and perceived lack of hygiene, ganguro gals are almost always portrayed negatively by the Japanese media.

Fashion magazines like Egg and Cawaii have had a direct influence on the ganguro. Other popular ganguro magazines include Popteen and Ego System. The ganguro culture has evolved its own synchronized dances, called Para Para. Participants do predetermined moves at the same time, usually as accompaniment to J-pop music. Para Para events are held by ganguro circles, and involve either going to clubs to perform Para Para or gathering to learn new dances.

One of the most famous early ganguro girls was known as Buriteri, nicknamed after the black soy sauce used to flavor yellowtail fish in teriyaki cooking. Egg made her a star by frequently featuring her in its pages during the height of the ganguro craze. After modeling and advertising for the Shibyua tanning salon "Blacky", social pressure and negative press convinced Buriteri to retire from the ganguro lifestyle.

Yamanba (ヤマンバ, Yamanba), is a newer term often used to describe extreme practitioners of ganguro fashion. Yamanba feature darker tans and add white lipstick, pastel eye makeup, tiny metallic or glittery adhesives below the eyes, brightly-colored contact lenses, plastic day-glo-colored clothing, and incongruous accessories to the ganguro look. Some yamanba wear stuffed animals as decorations. The male equivalent is called a "center guy" (センター街, Sentaagai, Center Street), a pun on the name of a pedestrian shopping street near Shibuya Station in Tokyo where yamanba and center guys are often seen.

The etymology of the word "ganguro" is disputed. Some academics claim that the name derives from the word ganguro (顔黒, ganguro blackface), but ganguro practitioners invariably say it derives from the phrase gangankuro (ガンガン黒, gangankuro exceptionally dark). The term yamanba derives from Yama-uba, the name of a mountain hag in Japanese folklore whom the fashion is thought to resemble. It is sometimes shortened to manba in Japanese slang.

Yamanba

Next, we have a close relative of the Ganguro, the Yama-uba (山姥, Yama-uba mountain crone) is a yōkai ("spirit" or "monster") found in Japanese folklore. The name may also be spelled "Yamamba" or "Yamanba". From Wikipedia:

Yamanba (ヤマンバ, Yamanba), is a newer term often used to describe extreme practitioners of ganguro fashion. Yamanba feature darker tans and add white lipstick, pastel eye makeup, tiny metallic or glittery adhesives below the eyes, brightly-colored contact lenses, plastic day-glo-colored clothing, and incongruous accessories to the ganguro look. Some yamanba wear stuffed animals as decorations. The male equivalent is called a "center guy" (センター街, Sentaagai, Center Street), a pun on the name of a pedestrian shopping street near Shibuya Station in Tokyo where yamanba and center guys are often seen.

The contrast in that last photo is striking. I guess this is one way to express your individuality in a homogeneous society.

Lolita

From Wikipedia:

Lolita fashion (ロリータ・ファッション) is part of the fashion style and subculture Gothic & Lolita, which originated in Japan, largely inspired by Victorian children's clothing and the elaborate costumes of the Rococo period. Other influences include the western gothic and punk fashions.

Skirts are typically knee length and are worn with a panier or petticoat to add volume. Over-knee socks, knee socks or stockings are extremely popular, especially printed with roses or crowns or topped with lace. Footwear is typically cute, child-like shoes such as Mary Janes, though Vivienne Westwood rocking horse shoes, and replicas of them are also very popular. Skirts are typically paired with either a frilly, ruffled, or lace-trimmed Victorian blouse, often with Peter Pan or sailor collars, or a lacey 'cutsew'.

Other garments are either dresses in one or more pieces, or pinafore jumper skirts, made to be worn over a blouse. Lace-trimmed headdresses, mini-top hats worn to one side, and intricate old-fashioned jewelry are some favored accessories of lolitas.

Though not the founder of the style, the Lolita fashion is often considered to have been popularised by Mana, of the band Malice Mizer and current moi dix mois, who also coined the term "Elegant Gothic Lolita" for his clothing brand.
The fashion started in the 70s, though it did not gain popularity and media presence until the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Lolita Fashion Subcategories:

Lolita Fashion can be classified into Gothic Lolita, Sweet Lolita, Classic Lolita, and Punk Lolita. There are also other spinoffs of the style, such as Wa-Lolita. Additionally, related sub-fashions of Aristocrat and Ouji are sometimes considered to be in keeping with the lolita culture and fashion.

Gothic Lolita

Influenced by certain elements of gothic fashion, Gothic Lolita - also abbreviated to gothloli - has probably become the most popular style within Lolita fashion and certainly the most recognized in the west. This style started as a youth subculture sometime around 1997/1998 and became a well-established genre available in various boutiques and some major department stores by around 2001. Some observers consider it a reaction to the "Kogal" aesthetic.

It is commonly mistaken as the blanket term for Lolita fashion and Gothic Lolita in Western Lolita culture. The name "EGL" applies only to that specific line of clothing in Moi-même-Moitié, which is in the Gothic Lolita style. Non-Japanese outsiders sometimes refer to Gothic Lolita as EGL, but this is generally frowned upon within Western lolita circles, as anyone who uses it is assumed to have only a shallow understanding of the fashion. (See bottom paragraph for more.)

Gothic Lolita clothes can be divided into the further subcategories:

• Gothic Lolita: Gothic lolita is the most common and most popular in the gothic subcategory of lolita fashion. Clothes are often black and white in colour but the term may encompass black and dark blue (in the style of Moitié) or black and red. Dark green is also used, but is uncommon. Generally speaking, gothic lolita is a darker style of lolita with typically gothic elements added to it
• Kuro Lolita (black lolitas): Kuro Lolita, or Kurololi, is gothic, or sometimes sweet, lolita but with a strict black on black color scheme.
• Guro Lolita (gruesome or grotesque lolitas): Guro Lolita, or Gurololi, means gruesome or horrible lolita. This style is often more of a costume and requires the wearer to dress with gore, as though they had been injured or in hospital - for example bandages, casts, fake blood and eyepatches.

Makeup is usually dark in color, in contrast with other Lolita genres where light makeup is used. A pale complexion is preferable, but not 'goth/white face' pale. However, in western countries it is not unheard of - and actually quite common - to have gothic lolitas with darker skin. Red lipstick and smokey and/or neatly defined eyes using black eyeliner and khol are often used. However, the makeup is not as heavy or dramatic as Western gothic; it is softer.

The outfits may be accessorized with other props like conspicuous pocketbooks, hatboxes and handbags, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins, and crucifixes. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are occasionally carried, and some brands make special "goken" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC. Super Dollfies may also be carried around.

Gothic Lolita was influenced and popularized by the look of androgynous musicians who pertained to the Japanese visual kei movement. Mana, the crossdressing former leader and guitarist of the visual kei themed band Malice Mizer, is widely credited for having helped popularize Gothic Lolita. He coined the terms Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) and Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA) to describe the style of his own fashion label Moi-même-Moitié, which was founded in 1999 and quickly established itself as one of the most coveted brands of the Gothic Lolita scene. Another common Gothic Lolita brand is Atelier BOZ.

Yes, they do exist. Check out the scene at a McDonald’s in Tokyo (below).

Maid

From Wikipedia:

Cosplay restaurants (コスプレ系飲食店, Cosplay restaurants), are theme restaurants and pubs that originated in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan around the year 2000. They include maid cafés (メイドカフェ, maid cafés) and butler cafés (執事喫茶, shitsuji kissa), where the service staff dress as elegant maids, or as butlers. Such restaurants and cafés have quickly become a staple of Japanese otaku culture. Compared with service at normal cafés, the service at cosplay cafés involves the creation of a rather different atmosphere. The staff treat the customers as masters and mistresses in a private home rather than merely as café customers.

The popularity of the Cosplay restaurants and maid cafes has spread to other regions in Japan, such as Osaka's Den Den Town as well as other countries, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Canada.^{[citation needed]}

Maid cafe

Maids promoting maid cafes in Akihabara

Meido

The maids are often dressed in a combination of french maid-styled uniforms in attempt to look "moe". They also behave in a "cute" and "moe" manner. Sometimes, the maid outfit is augmented with cat or bunny ears. At maid cafes, most service staff members are female, and male jobs are typically limited to bar-backing and janitorial duties.

Some homepages of maid cafés offer pictures and profiles of the maids.

Service

When a customer enters the café, the maids typically give an extraordinarily humble greeting, such as "Welcome home, Master" (お帰りなさいませ、ご主人様!) in order to play the role of a house servant. In order to enhance the illusion that the customer is indeed the master, they often serve the customer in a very deferential fashion. For example, staff sometimes kneel to mix sugar or milk in teas or other drinks. The purpose of the maid cafés and their service is to make customers feel as though they are at home and to encourage them to relax. Although exemplary customer service is typical of Japan, maid cafés take special care to pamper patrons.

Image is Everything.

Do you believe in the stereotype that Japanese women are conservative? You may change your mind after you see the next few photos. The scenes below are common throughout the city at all times of the day.

Notice the exposed garter on this young lady’s right leg (below).

And it doesn’t stop even after you become a parent, apparently.

I know, I know...

I have completely shirked my responsibility to you and I have let this blog go the way of the Dodo.
I sincerely apologize.

I think part of the reason has to do with the fact that despite how much I enjoy being here in Tokyo, I have grown quite a bit homesick. The daily quirkiness of the Japanese is still there but I find myself less enthusiastic to report about it.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm still enjoying myself incredibly and loving what I do and the opportunity to be here is fantastic! It's just that some of the original culture shock has worn off.

Never fear though, I will try to regain some of my lost enthusiasm and begin posting again with vigor! I do find it difficult too, that I share a camera with MaryMegan so much of what I witness during the day I am not prepared to capture for the blog. Maybe more posts without pictures is called for, I do not know.

Cheers until next time.

27 skills your child needs to know that they're not getting in school...

I came upon this while surfing the Internet, like ya do... VERY GOOD reading.

Everyone knows that our school system, in general, is not giving our kids the basic reading, writing, arithmetic and science skills needed to be competitive in the high-tech workforce of the upcoming generation (at least, that’s the general assumption, and we won’t argue it here).

But there’s much more to life than those basic subjects, and unless you have an exceptional teacher who is willing to break out of the mold, your child isn’t learning the crucial things he or she needs to learn in life.

Think about your own experience for a moment. When you got out of high school, did you know everything you needed in order to survive in life, let alone succeed? If you were lucky, you knew how to read and had some basic history and math skills, and if you were even luckier, you had good study habits that would serve you well in college.

But were you prepared for life? Most likely not, unless you had parents who did you that favor. In fact, many of us screwed up our early adult lives because we didn’t know those skills — and we’re paying the consequences now.

That’s a part of life, you might say, learning these lessons. But it’s also possible to prepare your child a bit before they go out on their own, and if we can’t get the schools to teach these skills, then let’s do it ourselves.

What follows is a basic curriculum in life that a child should know before reaching adulthood. There will probably be other skills you can add to this list, but at least it’s a starting point.

A note on how to teach these things: These subjects should not be taught by lectures or textbooks. They can only be taught by setting examples, by conversation, by showing, and by allowing the child (or teenager) to do these things on their own (with supervision at first). Once you’ve talked about the skill, showed your child how to do it, and let them do it under supervision a few times, give your child the trust to do it on their own, and to learn from their own mistakes. Check back every now and then to talk about what they've learned.

Financial

• Saving. Spend less than you earn. It’s such a simple maxim, and yet very few young adults understand it or know how to follow it. Teach your child from a young age to put part of money he receives or earns in the bank. Teach him how to set a savings goal, and save for it, and then purchase whatever it is he was saving for.
• Budgeting. Many of us dread this task as adults, and suffer because of it, because we lack the understanding and skills necessary to make budgeting a breeze. Teach them simple budgeting skills, and what’s involved, and they won’t have problems as an adult. You could wait until teenage years to do something like this — but it’s a good thing because this shows them why basic math is necessary.
• Paying bills. Give them bills to pay and have them pay it on time, online or in the real world. Learn how to write a check, paper and online, and how to make sure that you’re never late with bills again — either pay them immediately or automatically.
• Investing. What is investing and why is it necessary? How do you do it and what are different ways of doing it? How do you research an investment? How does it compound over time? This is a good conversation to have with your teen.
• Frugality. This is something to teach them from an early age. How to shop around to get a good deal, to compare between products of different prices and quality, to make things last and not waste, to cook at home instead of eating out too much, to control impulse buying. When we go out and do a shopping spree, including before Christmas, we are teaching them just the opposite.
• Credit. This is a major problem for many adults. Teach them the responsible use for credit, and how to avoid it when it’s not necessary, and how to avoid getting into too much debt, and how to use a credit card responsibly.
• Retirement. Is it better to work hard and retire or to take mini-retirements throughout life? That’s a personal question, but your child should be aware of the options and the pros and cons of each, and how to do each. Why it’s important to start investing in retirement when you’re young, and how much of a difference that can make through compound interest. How to do it automatically.
• Charity. Why this is an important use of your money, and how to make it a regular habit. This should be not only a financial issue, but a social one. Show them how to volunteer their time and effort as well.

Thinking

• Critical thinking. One of the most important skills not taught in school. These days, we are taught to be robots, to listen to the teacher and not to question, to accept what we are told and not to think, to be good employees and to shut up. If you’re an employer, you might want your employees to be like this, and if you’re a politician, you might want your citizens to be like this. But is that how you want your child to be? An unquestioning, naive, ignorant citizen/employee/student? If so, carry on. If not, just start introducing the habit of questioning why? And the skill of find out the answer. And how to question authority — there is no one right answer. Conversation is a good way to accomplish this skill.
• Reading. Sure, we’re taught to read. But schools most often make this boring. Show your child the wonderful imaginative worlds there are out there. And show them how to find out about stuff in the world through the Internet, and how to evaluate what they read for credibility, logic, factualness.

Success

• Positive thinking. While critical thinking is an important skill, it’s also important to have a positive outlook on life. Sure, things may be screwed up, but they can be changed for the better. Find solutions instead of complaints. And most of all, learn to believe in yourself, and to block out negative self-thinking.
• Motivation. Learn that discipline isn’t the key to achieving a goal, but motivation. How to motivate yourself, different strategies, and how great it feels to achieve a goal. Start them with small, easily achievable goals, and let them develop this skill.
• Procrastination. It’s a problem we all deal with as adults (and even as kids). Now, I believe that there should be a time for goofing off, being lazy, and having fun. But when there’s something to do that we really need to do, how do we get ourselves to do it? Learn the reasons behind procrastination, and how to address them. How to beat procrastination.
• Passion. One of the most important ways to be successful is to find something you’re passionate about, and do that for a living. Your child won’t know the answer at a young age, but you should show her how to find her passion and how to pursue it, and why that’s important.

Social

• Anti-competition. As kids, we’re taught how to be competitive. In the adult world, that’s how we behave. And that results in back-stabbing, undercutting, feelings of resentment, and other life-affirming things like that. Instead, teach your child how there is room for many people to be successful, and how you’re more likely to be successful if you help others to be successful, and how they’ll help you in return. Learn that making friends and allies is better than making enemies, and how to do that. Learn cooperation and teamwork before competition.
• Compassion. Not taught in the schools at all. In fact, instead of teaching children how to empathize with others and try to ease their suffering, our schools often teach children to increase the suffering of others. Learn to put yourself in the shoes of others, to try to understand them, and to help them end their suffering.
• Love. Compassion’s twin brother, love differs only in that instead of wanting to ease the suffering of others, you want their happiness. Both are crucial.
• Listening. Are our children taught how to listen in school? Or how to talk at someone. Perhaps that’s why many adults don’t have this critical skill. Learn how to truly listen to someone, to understand what they’re saying, to empathize.
• Conversation. Goes hand-in-hand with listening, but the art of conversation is something that isn’t taught in school. In fact, kids are taught that conversation is bad in most cases. But in most cases, a conversation is what is needed, not a lecture. This is an extremely important social skill that should start in the home. Learn to converse with your child instead of talk at him.

Practical

• Auto. Why cars are needed (no, not to look cool), how to buy a practical car, how to take care of it. How the engine works, what might break down, and how it’s fixed. Should be taught to both boys and girls (that should be obvious, but I had to say it).
• Household. How to fix things around the house and keep things maintained. Plumbing, electricity, heating and cooling, painting, roofing, lawn, all that good stuff. The tools and skills necessary to do just the basic maintenance and repairs. And how to know when to call a professional.
• Cleaning. Too many adults grow up without knowing how to do laundry, to clean a house properly, to keep the house clean and uncluttered, to have a weekly and monthly cleaning routine. Teach your child all these things instead of just telling her what to do.
• Organization. How to keep paperwork organized, how to keep things in their place, how to keep a to-do list, how to set routines, how to focus on the important tasks.
  

Happiness

• Be present. For some reason, this extremely important skill is never taught to us when we’re kids. In truth, the younger we are, the more natural this skill is. As we get older, we start thinking about the future and the past, and the present seems to slip away from us. Some skills for living in the present would go a long way.
• Enjoy life. Kids don’t have much of a problem with this, but some awareness of its importance and how to do it, even as an adult, would be helpful. Set a good example of this, and your kids will follow.
• Find purpose. Whether this is a higher religious purpose, or the purpose of making your family happy, or the purpose of finding your calling, having a purpose in life is extremely important. Teach your children the importance of this and show how to do it yourself.
• Develop intimate relationships. The best way to teach this is to develop an intimate relationship with your child, and model it with your spouse or other significant other (within appropriateness). Teach them the skills for developing these types of relationships, talk about the importance of it, and how to get through the bumpy parts as well. There are bad times in every relationship, but with the right skills of communication, empathy and compromise, they can get through them.

I've been a little lazy...

...about posting lately. My apologies.

It's mainly because I post from work when I have time and I haven't had time. I've been working on testing Japanese language support with our S/MIME email solution and it's been driving me nuts! Well I finally got it tested. I discovered that, unfortunately, we don't support East Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Korean) languages with our implementation of S/MIME, so it's back to the drawing board for the RIM Canada Developer guys. :)

I also haven't posted because the pictures that we've been taking are at home on MaryMegan's computer and not on mine at work. When I can copy them over I will post at length because I have a lot to show you.

Of course I am still loving Japan. The weather is getting warmer. Outside and INSIDE!
Get this - The first week or so I was in the office I kept commenting on the temperature and how warm it was and people were just shrugging their shoulders and probably thinking "silly Gaijin...". Well, after getting a thermometer I discovered that it routinely hits 80 degrees Fahrenheit in this office!! I bought a mini electronic fan at Tokyu Hands Creative Life Store to assist with this all too common aspect of office life in Japan. And to think, I inherited my Dad's sweat glands. We sweat first around our hairline which means I look like I've been wearing a sweaty headband all day.

Haha. I love ya, Dad!

Alright. That's all for now. Stay tuned for more.

Observation time...

An observation I have made recently:

In Japan, a country of roughly 127 million people and Tokyo a city of roughly 12 million people, almost everyone carries a mobile phone. The mobile phone user count reached 100 million this year and continues to grow. The observation: I never hear a mobile phone ring. Let me say that again. I NEVER hear a mobile phone ring!!

Almost every person that I am around on the streets, the subway and trains, the office, everywhere, has their phone set to vibrate or silent mode. How cool is that?? I never have to listen to some annoying ringtone or have to worry that I will be disturbed while dining with my family.

Want to know what else is cool? Almost no one talks on their mobile phones in public! If they are talking on their phone it is behind their hand shielding their mouths so as not to disturb those around them. They are practically whispering too. Most people use their phones for messaging each other, BlackBerry anyone??, or for games and web browsing. Allowing your mobile phone to ring or talking on it on the trains and subway is a BIG faux paux.

People are courteous and contentious about those around them. On a packed subway if a person, usually a young person, is doing something considered “rude”, like talking on a mobile phone where others can hear you, an elder only has to glance his way to remind him of what is right or wrong. And get this… they listen! They will hang up. A society where one has respect for their elders is truly a refreshing thing. It extends to many aspects of their life too, not just mobile phones.

In America, one might get beat up or worse for telling a youth to hang up their phone because they are being loud or rude. This is largely a regional as well as cultural problem. We should take a few tips from the Japanese. Also, those silly bluetooth headsets that are left on your ear whether you’re using them or not are non-existent. They don’t use them. Idiots in the airport talking so loudly that the entire gate knows their business just wouldn’t be allowed and they aren’t present. Movie theaters do not have phones ringing in them at all! Kids are polite and respectful and it shows.

To live in the US and see this contrast is shocking. When I go back to the States it is going to seem so “loud”. This has been stated by some of my colleagues as well when they travel to North America. Everything is loud by comparison. I hardly ever hear a horn honk either, but that’s a different post…

I think we should all switch our phones to vibrate and text each other more often. That’s what the BlackBerry does best! Oh and respect our elders. I forgot that bit, that’s a good thing too.

For Justin...

Because he thinks Yakuza only wave fans around...

I guess this is what they do on their day off because this dude is missing the fingertips on his middle and index finger!!

Is that me??

I think that's me standing on the left side of the Shrine. No shirt, white pants, holding the fan... Like my tatts?? Haha.

My Japanese Colleague at work, Hiroshi-san, told me that the white vertical banner with black writing hanging off the building is a Police banner and it basically says "People of Asakusa push out the Yakuza!" How funny and ironic! The town obviously doesn't mind them too much.

YAKUZA!

At the Sanja Matsuri festival we went to this weekend, I had read that it might be possible to see some members of Yakuza, or Japanese organized crime/mafia. I didn't know for sure though because everyone I asked about it was very quiet and hush-hush (Shi-Shi), how appropriate! Some people even told me not to believe everything I read in America even though I read that in a local magazine!

Anyway, check out the pictures of the Yakuza at the festival below. Yakuza are identified by their full body tattoos. Normally on any other day in Japan showing your tattoos in public could get you arrested because your basically saying "I'm in the Mafia" by having them. Notice how the tattos are done so that normal business clothing could cover them up. They stop before they get too close to the hands and wrists and before they get too close to the feet and ankles. The older Yakuza sometimes cover their whole bodies after they "retire" from daily life. At that point they kind of become a "badge of honor" :)




I have a ton of pictures but these will give you an idea until I can figure out how to put the rest in an online photo album. Stix? Help Mate! :)

Here is a photo of the shrine where all of this was happening.

This picture was taken the weekend before the festival. During the festival one could not move in this courtyard!

More later. It's time to go to lunch!

RIM Office in Japan:

Here is a picture of the lobby:













It's not terribly huge as you can see but we're not a huge group here in Japan. Maybe 25 employees at the moment. Most of them are Marketing and Operations. The technical and sales team together only add up to about 8 people. It's growing though. My buddy and colleague from when I started with RIM, John McAndrews, will be arriving next month. He's a great guy and we have a lot of fun together!














This is a shrine on the roof of the neighboring building. This type of setting is everywhere in Japan. I'll be walking down the street and wedged between two buildings or tucked down an alley is a shrine. Unfortunately I don't know what they are in honor of, but they are cool none-the-less.

Welcome!

Well this will be my blog space since MaryMegan and Jackson have theirs here.

I think this is where I will share my observations and thoughts on Japan from a business or "Salaryman" perspective. I'll also post pictures once I get a small camera to snap shots as I'm out and about during the work week.

My walk to work, I choose to walk when the weather allows, is about 30-40 minutes depending on how I go and if I walk fast or slower to check things out. I usually get to the office between 9 and 10 in the morning. The start of the work day varies depending on your position and company you work for. Here at RIM Japan most people start at 10 and leave at 6 or 7pm. In some companies it is not uncommon to work from 8am to 9 or 10pm!
Its no wonder why Japan's suicide rate is among the highest in the industrialized world. More than 32,000 Japanese took their own lives in 2004, the bulk of them older Japanese suffering financial woes as the country struggled through a decade of economic stagnation. And 12 to 16 hour work days!!!!

I also get to choose whether I wear a suit or jeans and a polo because I am Technical. If I were in Sales I would wear a suit every day, just like the majority of Japanese. My work experience is a little skewed because I am working for a Canadian company in Japan and not a Japanese one. I can see another building across from ours and I can observe some of the truly Japanese way of office life. I will post a picture when I have one.

Keep checking here often and of course check on MaryMegan's blog for more pics and info about us living and playing and coping in Japan. This is SO amazing.


A Picture of Kyoto in the Spring with Cherry Blossoms (Sakura)