What Do You Think?
Almost all of my postings end with these four words.
There is a reason for that. I genuinely want to know what readers of my posts think. Nothing profound, eh?
I make it my point to find a nugget, a piece of info, a news event, something I think is interesting, and then post on it.
The discerning reader can generally tell where I stand by the way I present the info or ask the question.
However, the main purpose in my posts is to create a discussion, to cause the reader to have to grapple/deal/consider the info I have presented.
If someone reads a post of mine and then ponders even for a moment about what was written, I feel I have succeeded.
If a reader decides to write back and share an opinion, I am even more delighted.
However, if a reader will turn to a colleague, a friend, a family member and ask 'what do you think about…? then I am thrilled.
I hope that my posts will cause reflection, give insight, be the source of a discussion in something such as an ESL class.
I hope the readers here will learn something, think something, feel they know something more and can discuss it, will communicate with others about the topics and in the end…the world will become a better place…because we have talked.
What do you think?
There is a new social business news site that is all about business.The site is Bizzbites - tasty bite-sized morsels of business intelligence that are submitted and voted on by the community.This is right up my alley. I like to…
if you were to read “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins as well as All the Shah’s Men, and Overthrow, both by Kinzer ” you’ll more than likely agree that the US is attempting to maintain a course of forced regime change in Iraq in order to grab control of Iraq Oil . The talk about having handed back sovereinity to Iraqi’s is pure and total farce. If not, why the largest embassy in the world and the need for permanent bases. The US has no plan to depart Iraq - EVER.
I think General Motors & Ford is getting a bad rap because thire cars & trucks will still be running when other will be in the junk yard.
Princess Masako is a lovely, modern woman, well qualified to stand next to the Crown Prince. She is prevented by archaic traditions from being the role model for the modern Japanese woman.
Japanese women see her struggles to maintain her career, to contribute her many talents to her country which are thwarted by the old-fashioned guards of the royal household. It is no wonder that intelligent and educated Japanese women choose a career over marriage and children since they are not permitted to maintain a career and be wives and mothers by the society in which they live, which is governed by many out-moded practices.
Tradition is very important; but not when it stifles the progress of the nation and represses the capable Japanese woman who wants to serve her country and have a normal, modern life concurrently.
Princess Masako embodies the ability and promise of the modern Japanese woman who has been crushed by outmoded tradition which is not keeping pace with the rest of the world. It should be possible for a country to maintain its culture and traditions without destroying the individuals who make up that country and prevent them from contributing their ability to optimum measure in the service of their country.
Most foreign wives have the greatest sympathy and understanding for Princess Masako and admiration for her husband who has defended her as much as he can given the circumstances which restrict him.
While Princess Kiko is a lovely lady and to a large extent the opposite of the modern Japanese woman and embodies traditional Japanese values, she is perhaps an anachronism in Japan and plays her traditional role perfectly.
However, it is Princess Masako who could lead the way to a more modern and useful function for the royal family and not just join the ranks of revered figureheads.
Tradition is precious, unique, and laudable, but not when it will ultimately be detrimental to the progress and modernity of the country. Since the birth of a prince, we would hope that Princess Masako can relax and live a more stress-free life and enjoy the childhood of her lovely little Princess daughter, obviously loved by both her parents whose joy is transparent when watching their daughter at her school activities. Our hopes go with the Prince, Princess and the little Princess for a happy and useful life.
Princess Masako is the future of Japan; Princess Kiko is the past of Japan. Both lovely ladies have a role to play, but one cannot replace the other in this modern world. We wish both ladies the best as they epitomize the division in Japanese thinking and philosophy.
Mitsubishi Corp and the Russian Government is trying to resolve the many issues surrounding the Sakhalin 2 gas project.Trillions of yen have been spent on the unfinished project and it is getting harder and harder for Mitsubishi, Mitsui and Royal…
You mentioned “Nikkei is the same abbreviation for Tokyo’s key stock exchange.” Not sure if this is just a typo, but its a stock index (well they have a bunch of them), the exchange is the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The TSE has its own index, TOPIX (another memorable name…) and in fact used to own what is now the Nikkei 225.
A nice piece of writing by the way.
Most of Nikkei’s newspapers, etc. already use Nikkei rather than the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc. (The Nikkei Weekly, Nikkei this, Nikkei that). I think the company name change is the final step in the process of accepting this as reality. I suspect there are a few companies around Japan that have all the important-sounding acronyms for their brands, but still have the company name in long, long, long form.
Thank you, Axel, for pointing out my mistake. I have made the correction.
Japan requires nine years of compulsory education and has done so since 1947.However, more and more Japanese are studying longer and at a higher level.In 1970, 6.5% of Japanese females went on to university. 2004 - 35.2% do college.In 1970…
Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. has developed a way to slow down the speed of light to about 1/50,000th of its full speed.It has not happened yet, but what this means is that it might become possible to store information…
Toyota is expected to draw close, perhaps even pass up GM next year as the world's number one manufacturer of automobiles.Toyota's president says that even though Toyota made the right move by offering environmentally friendly technology at the…
Japan will increased its general budget account by 4% to 82.91 trillion.New government bond issuance will see the largest decline ever - down 15.2% - to 25.43 trillion yen.For the first time in three years general expenditures will be up…
Japan is said to have one of the lowest crime rates for civilized countries.In 1980, Japan experienced just 1.16 crimes per 100 people. However, that number steadily grew to 2.24 per 100 when it peaked in 2002. The steepest growth…
Japan will see several records broken in the economic sector in 2006.1. Japan will see the 59th consecutive month of economic expansion in December. The previous record was 57 months from 1965-1970.2. Pretax profits for listed companies are expected to…
J: "Hey! Your steak looks just like mine."K: "And, your glass of milk looks like the one they gave me!"The Food and Drug Administration "said it couldn't find any differences between meat and milk from healthy conventionall…
The Japanese brokerage, Nomura Securities Co., advised the largest number of deals in 2005 but lost the top spot to Goldman Sachs in terms of transaction value.1. Goldman Sachs deals amounted to $48.68 billion.2. UBS.3. Merrill Lynch5. Nomura engaged i…
Toyota Motor Corp. knows it needs to produce a more economical car to be competitive in China and India.Toyota's answer is to first start producing 80,000 - 90,000 Yaris cars beginning in mid-2008. The Yaris is sold as the Vits…
In 2005, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reported that domestic violence in Japan occurred in nearly 40 percent of homes.Among married couples 26.7% of women reported they had been beaten by their spouse. The women folk, however, are…
I don't know if it qualifies me as being cold-hearted, but I was anxious to read the news this morning, knowing that Hussein would be gone by the time I got up.He was. I wonder…why it took so long and…
Fuji Xerox Co. has developed the world's fastest toner-based printer.The machines use light instead of heat to affix toner to paper and cuts paper rolls AFTER printing.The result - 450 A4 (almost 8.5 x 11) size pages per minute.The printer…
Japan does not change easily. Or, does it change at all?The Japanese government announced that beginning in '09 promotions will be merit based instead of seniority-based.The new promotion system will cover:1. Elite "career" bureaucrats2. …
Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) is hoping for real growth of 2.2% and nominal growth of 3.3% a year if reform measures and productivity-boosting technological innovations can be implemented.Keidanren issued its first medium- to long-term e…
Japan is facing a declining population. Some have predicted that the country may have as much as 25% fewer people by 2050.However, 2006 saw some improvement for the country.1. Births were up 23,000 over 2005 to 1,086,000.2. Birth rate was…
The number of traffic deaths in Japan was the lowest in more than 51 years.In 1955, more than 6,500 people died on the roads. Last year, 6,352 people took their chariots to heaven…or otherwise. It was also the sixth consecutive year…
NHK is Japan's national broadcaster. Every New Year's Eve NHK puts on a music special.This year it seems the it was too special.Dancers appeared to be topless and with skimpy bikini-style bottoms and feathered headdresses.They covered the stage…
A Japanese bigwig in the Komeito party wants the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to open a discussion to the proposed system that would allow white-collar workers to be exempt from work-hour limits.His reasoning is that workers are afraid of losing…
The Japanese government is considering lowering the age for adulthood from 20 years old to 18 years old.Two reasons come to mind:1. More young people are turning to crime2. international trendsWhy not change the laws of punishment for younger aged…
I used to befriend quite a few young Chinese workers who were in Japan as trainees/interns learning the ropes of Japanese companies.A half dozen or more (both sexes) would be forced to live in a 2 bedroom home and share…
1. Market analysts say that start-up stocks will begin sluggishly but surge toward the end of 2007.2. Market participants (85%) expect investment trusts to be the biggest buyers of Japanese stocks in 2007.3. Japanese companies will continue to aggressi…
NTT DoCoMo plans to launch a low-cost cell phone data communications service with transmission speeds the same as those of fiber-optic connections.The Super 3G service will allow users to watch high-quality video on their itty bitty screens with only a…
They do live long in Japan…but this long?Minagawa Yone of Fukuoka prefecture turned 114 today.She was born in 1893!She was widowed early…could have been widowed several times…and raised five children on her own by selling flowers and veggies in a…
What was that lesson we learned in kindergarten? to share?Eastman Kodak Co. and Sony Corp. decided to let bygones be bygones by ending a 20-year-old patent dispute over digital-camera inventions.Instead, the two giants entered a cross-licensing deal gi…
Japan has been able to stay competitive despite high wages and high cost of living largely because Japanese companies continue to innovate, to become more efficient.Japan is perhaps the best at efficiency as well.They are about to get better.A group…
Japan has been able to stay competitive despite high wages and a high cost of living largely because Japanese companies continue to innovate, to become more efficient. Also, because Japanese and the better Japanese universities are great at innovating….
The Financial Services Agency clamped down on 163 financial institutions …up 50% from the year before.Major banks, foreign banks, shinkin banks and credit associations, brokerages, and loan companies were caught in their misdeeds.1. Moneylenders rece…
Japan's Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth thinks they have come up with another way to destroy, er, save the earth from global warming.Instead of allowing CO2 emissions into the air, or just pumping the emissions into the…
Toyota deserves to beat GM. I’ve owned a Tercel and an Echo — two darned good and reliable cars.
I worked for a company that gave out Pontiacs to use as company cars. While that sounds sexy, getting stranded wasn’t.
Pontiac Fiero: It’s faulty electrical system made the car blow fuses nearly every day. When the car’s ignition was turned off, there was the possibility that it would later simply not start. Period. It spent nearly as much time in the shop as it did on the road.
Pontiac Grand Prix: The car had an oddity with the brakes that made the pedal become rigid (and thus not stop the car) about one out of ten times. I sailed through many an intersection. Like the Fiero, this car was continuously in the shop and the mechanics could never fix the problem.
Pontiac Grand AM: This car reliably blew an alternator every 10,000 miles or so. Like the other two Pontiacs, it spent a considerable amount of time in the shop. The other design problem was that first gear was just about useless because it was a front wheel drive with nearly 300 HP (can anyone say “torque steer”?)
None of the three Pontiacs enjoyed a service life exceeding 70,000 miles.
GM? Never again!
Sanyo Electric Co. will convert its washer-dryer factory in Shiga prefecture into a solar panel factory beginning in April of this year.Reminds me of the Bible phrase 'beating swords into plowshares.'Demand for solar panels is increasing in Jap…
Honda is putting its money where its mouth and hopes for increased sales are…in Research and Development in the U.S.Honda will spend about $90 million to take some of the burden off its R & D group in Japan.Honda's Ohio…
Japanese club hosts allow girls to sit next to customers, big wigs and such to help them (the men) run up huge bar tabs.Two girls seemed to be too good at running up a bill. In one case they couldn't…
Workers culled 8,000 chickens at a poultry farm in Miyazaki, Japan.Then, 3,800 of the birds were incinerated or killed with CO2 and wrapped in plastic bags to be disposed of.About 150 workers from anti-bird flu headquarters, themselves wrapped in masks…
Honda Motor Co. will invest $150-200 million to set up a second automobile plant in India. The deadline - 2009. Initial capacity will be 50,000 cars. The location will be in northern Rajasthan near New Delhi and will become the…
I’ve traded one GM product before 100,000 MILES had rolled thru the odometer. That was a 72,000 mile ‘99 Yukon traded for an ‘04 as a reward to my wife for having a record year in real estate sales.
My 1989 GMC Safari van has 232,000 miles with never having had the valve covers off. I just traded a 2001 Sierra with 120,000 miles for a 2007 Chevy Silverado 4×4 that is FLAWLESS.
Cram your toyotas and Smoke ‘em Malibu!
The Nomura research institute surveyed workers at publicly traded and unlisted companies to get their take on Mergers & Acquisitions.As many as 73% of employees who have experienced a merger and acquisition said they would welcome a hostile takeove…
Little old ladies knocking on doors account for 45.9% of life insurance sales in Japan. Life insurance also doubles as a savings plan.For the under-30 group, three years ago 18.9% of life insurance was purchased by spiffy looking young fellows…
Japanese department stores hit the sales floors running with hot sales the first couple of days this year but have since seen things cool way down.Mitsukoshi had some best sales ever marks posted on January 2nd but have seen sales…
Japan's Sanyo Electric and China's Haier Group have formed a JV to develop and sell refrigerators.Sanyo will own 40% (the freezer) and Haier gets 60% (the refrigerator compartment).The market for the fridges are Asia.Japanese and Chinese apartm…
Two major retailers are pulling Fujiya sweets from their shelves. Convenience stores and supermarket firms are following suit.Fujiya has been using ingredients past their expiration dates for more several years….and instead of looking at a seven day …
NEC Corp. and Toshiba Corp. have unveiled new Windows Vista-compatible machines.The machines will hit the market the same time Microsoft Corp. launches its very long awaited Vista operating system.Japanese consumers are not likely to be wowed by the ne…
Japanese domestic relationships are seen in a completely different light in my neighboring city, San Francisco.What goes on at home does not always stay at home.California's domestic laws are very very strict. If a third party reports a quarrel of…
Nissan Motor Co. and Dongfeng Motor Group Co. have received official approval to form a auto finance company together in China.Dongfeng Nissan Auto Finance Co. will be based in Shanghai and start assisting people in becoming slaves to their cars…
Despite not meeting production and distribution deadlines and being four months behind schedule in Europe, Sony Corp. said it took only two months for cumulative production and shipments of its new game console to read 2 million globally.As of January…
Toyota Motor Corp. president, Watanabe Katsuaki, says the company is willing to consider a tie-up with Ford Motor Co.I can't imagine why. It won't be long before Toyota will gobble up Ford anyway.Still, the president says a center on technologi…
Japan launched its first ever free Manga (comic) magazine.The comic book, "Comic Gumbo" will be the nation's first comic book funded entirely by advertising.Each week, 100,000 copies of a 230-page comic, with work by more than a dozen pro…
When I get frustrated, I usually just yell at my computer screen. In a worst case scenario…well, that is the worst I do.But this guy…snatched a 3 year old boy away from the little boys 59-year old grandmother, ran up…
Asahi Breweries has been Japan's best beer for the past 6 years…with a market share of 37.8%.Kirin Beer, however, is breathing down its neck with a share of 37.6%.The five top breweries in Japan shipped 497.5 million 20 bottle cases…
Three years ago China accused Japan of sending rice to them with insects in it. (Not purposely, of course.)Consequently, China put a ban on rice imports…until yesterday.Japan's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister and his Chinese counterp…
Nearly 30 million people in Japan smoke. That's amazing considering Japan has only 127 million people, including kids.Some 43% of men smoke and 13% of women huff and puff and then eventually die. What about the people sitting next to…
Suspected bullying had been pointed out in parents' complaints and media reports.Consequently, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry in Japan took another look at 41 suicide cases from March 1999 to October 2006.Of those 4…
Toyota is recalling more than a half million Sequoias and Tundra that were made in the U.S. between 2003-2006.The SUV and pickup trucks have suspension joint problems that COULD become inoperative when driven…due to parts wear.It will be Toyota's…
The United States confirmed reports that China conducted a test last week using a ballistic missile to destroy an old Chinese weather satellite.Japan's response, "Regarding the use of a ballistic missile to destroy a satellite, the Japanese go…
One of the waitresses at a hot new restaurant in Tokyo says, ""We'd like salarymen who can't normally be dirty with the OLs in their office to come down and enjoy a meal with us."A salaryman is a Japanese businessman,…
Japan's Maritime Self-defense Force and China's People's Liberation Navy have agreed to follow through on exchanging port visits.The desire to exchange port visits was first voiced in 2000. However, Japan's previous PM, Koizumi's vi…
The Yomiuri Weekly surveyed 1000 married people, 200 age 20-40 and 800 people age 40-70.More than 50% of both men (67%) and women (52%) said they were satisfied with their marriages.The six biggest problem areas:1. Spouses Personality - 31.6% of…
Coca-Cola (Japan) Co. and others in its group said it will recall 134,000 bottles of soft drinks.The reason: a piece of rubber was found inside a two-liter bottle of Aquarius - a sports type drink.Two-liter plastic bottles of Aquarius and…
The governor of Miyazaki prefecture resigned after he was arrested for alleged involvement in a public works bid-rigging scheme.The ruling Liberal Democratic Party field two candidates, ex-bureaucrats as candidates, but both lost to the independent Son…
He's English, he's a man, and he's in Osaka….and he almost always makes me laugh.His choices for topics also serve as good commentary on how things Japanese.The Englishman came across an ad placed by an American Pervert - businessman, who…
Flex-fuel cars can run on either ethanol, gasoline or a mixture of the two. A built-in sensor reads the proportion of ethanol (made from sugarcane and corn) to control combustion.Three Japanaese carmakers - Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co., and…
Swedish truck maker, AB Volvo, wants in on the joint venture of Nissan Motor Co. and Dongfeng Motor Group to make heavy and medium-duty commercial vehicles.Nissan announced a plan in September to sell its entire stake - 6% of outstanding…
Hitachi Ltd, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI R & D and NEC Corp. have developed a technology that will allow individuals to use cell phones for identification."The technology uses PKI (public key infrastructure) encryption to verify electronic certificates s…
Japanese students go to school year round. The school year starts the beginning of April. There is a short, homework-filled, 6 weekish summer break, and another 1-2 week break at the end of March.The kids go to school six days…
I remember when I was participating in a one hundred mile in Yamaguchi prefecture, way back when I was about half the size I am now.During the lead up to, or perhaps after the run…not only am I older and…
Brazil has more native Japanese than any other country in the world other than Japan.Because there are so many Japanese in Brazil, Japanese law entitles them to come to Japan as guest workers.However, just because someone walks into a garage,…
Japan's fiscal year runs from April to March. Kyoto-based Nintendo had a goal in mind of how much money it wanted to make in net profits for the year.At the end of December, the company had already met its target…
Fujiya Co., maker of sweets, cream puffs and other products is in serious trouble and the prospects are getting worse.The company is under investigation for selling products made with expired dairy products. As of yesterday, 485 rats were caught roamin…
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to hum right by Honda Motor Co. in 2007 to become China's top Japanese carmaker.Honda is predicting 410,000 units to be sold this year…Toyota is predicting 450,000.Toyota is being aggressive - launching new models as well…
Japan's current number one wrestler is from Mongolia…Yokozuna Asahoryu.An unnamed wrestler and another man are accusing him of paying $6,500 a match to wrestlers to let him win.Sumo's bosses will discuss the accusations next week with the Yok…
Honda Motor Co. zoom, zoom, zoom zoomed by Nissan in '06 to become Japan's number two automaker.Honda sold 1.33 million cars in Japan, up 5.6% and 2.3 million cars overseas, up 7.1%.Nissan sold 1.23 million cars in Japan, down 14.9%…
Hitachi Ltd. has agreed to pay $400,000 a year to feature Moanalua Garden's giant monkeypod tree in ads and corporate literature for the next ten years.The tree is 50 feet (15 meters) tall and looks like a giant umbrella.The tree…
This analogy is sure to make Japanese women want to jump into bed.Japan's 71-year old Health Minister compared Japanese women to "birth-giving machines."Addressing Japan's declining birth rate the minister said "The number of wom…
Japan's funeral industry is said to be worth some $10 billion and growing as Japan ages.I remember when my Japanese father-in-law died. I was out teaching when I got the news. Around 10pm I made my way to the morgue…
With the swoop of a calligraphy brush, NEC Corp. has suddenly become much more eco-friendly.The company has decided to add more of its EcoSymbol label to more of its products.Information systems with the EcoSymbol mark, supposedly help companies reduce…
Not only does Japan make the best cars, its tires are number one as well.Bridgestone Tire will be the sole supplier to: 1. Formula One Racingand 2. IndyCar SeriesHenry and Harvey are surely rolling over in their graves.Frances' Michelin Tires…
General Motors Corp has the world's best carmaker breathing down its neck.So….the company decides to steering wheels on the right side of its cars and fight back.Good for GM, right?Wrong.GM is putting more steering wheels on the right side of…
Sumitomo Corp. and Toshiba Corp. are talking about how the two companies can share the Westinghouse load.Toshiba shelled out $5.4 billion to take a 77% stake in Westinghouse Electric Co., nuclear power plant manufacturer.U.S. engineering firm Shaw Grou…
Japanese trains are so crowded that during the morning rush hour, platform workers are hired to push people in to the carriages.I can remember not getting both feet down in time and standing on one foot between train stops -…
European carmakers, Porsche and Ferrari, know also that Japanese do cars better…even supercars. One writer thinks that Porsche nor Ferrari can touch the gizometry - supercar made out of geek's computer game - of the Nissan Skyline GT-R. The Europ…
Toyota is already poised to become the number one seller of passenger cars. Now, the company is going after GM and Ford's pickup truck leadership…with the Tundra.Toyota will succeed.Here are five reasons:1. Toyota has been planning their Tundra m…
Toray Industries Inc. has developed a new kind of high-peformance plastic that behaves the same as rubber.When crashed or jolted, it absorbs shocks by deforming instead of cracking.The practical applications of the material - automobile bumpers, casing…
Nikon Corp. expexts to make about 92 million yen group operating profits, up 38% from '05 and a new record for the company.Most of the profits are coming from sales of their SLR (single-lens reflex) digital cameras, which Nikon now…
A Japanese comedian filming a scene on the island of Hainan in China for the Osaka-based Asahi Broadcasting Corp. thought it might be funny to drop his drawers, show his backside, moon Chinese tourists as the Moon (Lunar) New Year…
Sumco Corp. is the world's second largest manufacturer of silicon wafers.The company plans on spending about 350 billion yen to triple its capacity to produce 300mm wafers within the next three years.The world's number one, Shin-Etsu Chemical h…
Universities in Japan are trying their hand at a new kind of business…investment.Japanese universities used to hold their assets in the form of cash, deposits and/or domestic bonds. Most still do. However, now about one in seven of Japan's univer…
A 37-year old mother dropped by a convenient store before meeting a 39-year old man. Sounds innocent enough. Buy him some rock candy. Maybe get him a newspaper.Nope…she borrowed a pair of scissors, 20cm (8 inches) long to go after…
Sony Corp. is not playing varsity and buying out a junior varsity member. JV is joint venture. Sony will purchase its entire stake in the joint venture Sony Broadband Solutions Corp. in hopes of strengthening its broadband IT solutions and…
A 43-year young Japanese female TV announcer committed suicide by leaping to her death from a condo where she lived in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.Her body was found by a passer-by. A suicide note was left. The announcer was undergoing treatment for…
It might be an even older profession than prostitution.When women realized that men would pay for a look…they began to show. When they realized the men would pay for more a touch…well, things got in hand.As an officer in charge…
China does everything more cheaply….including making chopsticks. More than 90% of the disposable chopsticks in Japan are made in China.Japan's Nakamoto Seicho KK is wants to change that and is fighting back.The company has developed a technology …
Sony might be losing money with its PS3, for now, but it is making up for it elsewhere…at the theatres.While guys and gals are buying pizza, snacks and large flat-screen TVs, Sony is offering up movies for women, girls and…
During Japan's heyday, late 80's and early 90's when the world thought Japan's economy might surpass the economy of the United States, the value of assets was not the only thing that became inflated.Companies also inflated their staffs …
The top four lenders in Japan, Takefuji Corp., Acom Co., Promise Co. and Aiful Corp. are shifting their focus to customers with good credit.Previously the firms' approval rates were around 60-70%. However, those getting new lines of credit has drop…
Japan's Central Labor Relations Commission asked 373 firms employing 1,000 or more workers and with a capital of at least 500 million yen:Is anybody in your company putting in more than 100 hours of overtime in a month?One in three…
Konica Minolta thinks it has a chance to win business from smaller printing companies away from Fuji Xerox.Konica Minolta did what Japan does best….made a good product better, more efficient and cheaper.By eliminating parts and production costs in ex…
Patients on Japan's national health insurance program often overpay. When the overpayment is more than 10,000, local municipalities are required to notify the patient.In more than 40% (42.8%) of Japan's 1,832 municipalities, patients were NOT i…
Despite sluggish sales in Japan, Toyota Motor Corp is reporting a 7.3% rise in quarterly profits.Sales were up 15.3%. Net profit and sales were new Toyota records for ANY quarter.1. Reliability2. Fuel-efficient3. Quality4. PriceToyota makes more …
In 2000 Mitsubshi Motors admitted to covering up auto defects in its cars for more than 20 years.Recalls followed…..Then Mitsubishi revealed that there was more wrong than it had initially admitted.Red ink followed.Japan's number four automaker, …
Leave it to a Japanese company (okay, I am partial to the quality and ingenuity of the Japanese) to come up with one of the coolest robots I have ever seen.I can't do these things on a skateboard, can you?Well,…
This is not a baby making machine. Those are different. This is a birth giving machine. One of Japan's knotheaded politicians spilled the beans about the invention last week when he referred to it in a…
As if showing America how to build cars and put parts in them is not enough.A Japanese company, Itochu Corp., is preparing to show America how to supply building materials for homes.The trading company is Japan's largest in terms of…
Japan is not always the squeaky clean country that some think. Where there is money there is greed. Where there is greed there is crime.In 2006 Japan had a record 113,860 filings of suspected money laundering. That's one filing EVERY…
Tokyo's prominence is losing ground to Hong Kong and Singapore as the premier financial center in Asia.Hong Kong's market capitalization grew by a factor of 11, Singapore's by a factor of 20 over the past 16 years. Tokyo's grew by…
Curfue in Japanese bars
My God! Shades of that idiot lawyer on Com7thFleet
Staff, in 1963, that forced a midmight curfue (Get caught in Yokosuka after 2400 and you were swept up) that caused hundreds of sailors to get into trouble and
and thus screw up many a budding Naval Career. Over his dead body, it was removed by the CNO in 1966+/-.
The U.S. told Japan it is considering lifting some financial sanctions it has imposed against the DPRK on financial assets the regime has in Macau.The lifting seems to be related to the North's decision to return to the six-nation talks.The…
Toyota Motor Corp. introduced a technology that uses cell phone networks to automatically update the maps used in its car navigation systems.Instead of bringing the car into the dealership for updates, the new Map on Demand will update itself each…
The Japan Sumo Association has decided to fight back. Kodansha Ltd., publisher of the Shukan Gendai, accused Japan's top ranked wrestler, Asashoryu, of fixing matches.The JSA doesn't like being pushed around…that's their job. Consequently…
Taking a bath in chocolate is the new nuttiness in Hakone, Japan this Valentine Day season.A spa resort is saying that by adding cacao (cocoa?) extract and trehalose the bath will have the effect of keeping moisture in, resulting in…
Only one voluntary bankruptcy every 20 minutes…and that is good news!For the third year in a row the number of voluntary bankruptcies was down in Japan.About 174,000 people/companies filed for bankruptcy, 18,000 less than the previous year.The number…
European carmakers, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, are high advanced in developing diesel engines that reduce CO2 emissions.America and Japan have been concentrating on reducing nitrogen oxide.The EU wants cars, Japanese or otherwise, to reduce CO2 emissions.J…
This is about being accused of groping a girl in Japan NOT about being guilty of groping her.At times Japan's trains are so packed with people that it is almost impossible to NOT rub up against someone of the opposite…
In my previous post, I explained how easy it is for a guy to be accused of groping on a train….how easy is to grope on a train.But when you are accused, it's all over but the fine paying and…
Valentine's Day in Japan is one sided. Men do NOT buy chocolate or flowers or diamonds, anything, for their girl friends or wives.Only the women buy gifts…for their husbands, lovers, boyfriends, friends who are boys, colleagues, ski team members….
I have a 2006 Honda Civic LX. I had the chance to check out other models, such as the Chevrolet Cobalt.
The Cobalt was a decent car. It looked good, it drove good, and it was comfortable. It certainly was better than the Cavalier (having owned a 1992 Cavalier and driven a 1997 model a few times) and it was an adequate car. But, that was what bothered me about the Cobalt: it was just adequate. There wasn’t much of anything that was outstanding about it. The looks were good, but the lines screamed RENT ME! The interior was okay, but felt somewhat claustrophobic.
Then I test drove the Civic. It was more than adequate in every way over the Cobalt. The look and lines were outstanding; definitely the best looking economy car I had ever seen. It didn’t look like a rental, but a car that I actually wanted to own. The interior was also comfortable, but Honda managed to take it a step further with seats having better support and an interior that felt like I was in a much larger car. This is a car that definitely was outstanding, where “good enough” wasn’t quite good enough.
And, the real kicker: this is our first Japanese car purchase after 20 years. The 2006 Civic felt like a better car than the 2006 Cobalt for only a couple thousand more. This car replaced a 1992 Oldsmobile Achieva whose Quad engine bit the big one after 230,000 miles.
The Civic now has over 26,000 miles on it and it isn’t even a year old yet. No problems and it still drives silky smooth. And, I still average 33 MPG in mixed driving while I manage 38-39 MPG in highway driving.
And, to top it off, the Honda dealer and Honda America asked how the service and sales experience was as well as the car itself. We never had this kind of attention from Ford or GM when we bought their vehicles new.
With these kinds of cars and the level of service I got, it’s not very hard now to figure out why GM and Ford are struggling.
There are two women in Japan that it is said - "they will bring success to any product they plug."That is what a super model should do…bring success to the company they represent.Ebirhara Yuri and Oshikiri Moe are at the…
A special guest appearance in "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" did not garner Kumada Yoko top ranking in the weekly MSN-Mainichi polls…the girl karate chopped her way through several blocks of Chocolate….a nice Valentine's Day gesture. …
Toyota Motor Corp. announced plans to build its second manufacturing facility, a small-car plant in southern India.The deadline for completion is 2010 and the cost is 40-50 billion yen.Toyota gets most of its group operating profit (60%) from North Ame…
Japan wants North Korea to resolve the issue of abductions by North Korea of Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s. North Korea says the issue has been resolved.Some say Japan is isolating itself in the six party talks by linking…
A 26-story, 83-room Tokyo Hotel built during Japan's bubble era is said to resemble a Christmas tree.But, the 100,000 yen a night rooms are not booking like they used to.What to do?Plans are in the works to take the building…
Fujiwara Norika showed up in a tiny cosplay miniskirt to promote pachinko machines where she is the model character.What this pretty girl and pachinko machines have in common is beyond me.I guess it's the where-there-are-girls-guys-will-come market…
The policeman didn't risk his life, he gave his life, rescuing a suicidal woman.A woman parked her body on some railway tracks. When a passerby notified the policeman, he dragged her away.But, she ran back. When he tried to pull…
Suddenly, high school girls in Osaka can tell the future. Perhaps they got tired of the 'other way' they resorted to to make money to buy designer items.Customers 20- to 60-year old are lining up, some as long as seven…
Japan's respected Nihon Keizai Business Newspaper reported that Toyota was going to invest up 50 billion yen to build a second factory in India to produce 100,000 small cars.I trusted Nikkei…and, well, I was wrong.A Toyota spokeman says no decisi…
Eating cloned meat? I don’t know about that, They should probably start by feeding it to the billions of people who are starving first. Finding out if there are any side effects after people eat it for 10yrs. or so before going “public”.
I mean eating cloned meat vs. real meat– are they positive it won’t turn people into clones? “Dolly” isn’t that old, what if some “wires” got crossed and suddenly she goes wacko; clones (as far as I know) can’t reproduce. So what will eventually happen?
Will the world turn into “Humans vs. Clones”? Think “Terminator” or like the Hybrid cars; will it eventually turn into “Maximum Overdrive”?!! Poeple need to tell these damned “scientists” ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!
Youtube and the entire Japanese media are having a hard time coming to terms.Anything and everything, including copyrighted material, that appeared on Japanese television was finding its way on Youtube until finally the Japanese Society for Rights of A…
Japan has a plan to increase its labor force.1. The government is drawing up a five year plan to boost the employment rate of single mothers and welfare recipients.2. The governemnt will create a smart card to help low-wage earners…
There are two categories or readers: simple readers and those which feel the urge to write something down. The second category could also be spited in two: “truth tellers” and the “avatars”. Beware of “avatars”! They have nothing to say but they say it anyway.
Leave a comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
________________________
A book by CosmoFair founder, Bill Belew, that might change your world
_____________________
Add to Technorati Favorites
Archives
Most Commented