Since the Tsunami, how are things in Japan? Getting better? Getting worse?

Question:

Are things in Japan getting better or worse? How much of Japan that was destroyed is rebuilt?

Answer:

The majority of Japan is back to normal and operating as usual. All international airports are operating and this even includes Sendai Airport, which was damaged by the tsunami, and the bullet trains are all running as normal. Japan was hit hard by the disaster, but only 0.1 per cent of Japan was affected by the tsunami.

If the United States has the Statue Of Liberty and Paris has the Eiffel Tower. What does Japan have?

Question:

If the United States has the Statue Of Liberty and Paris has the Eiffel Tower. What does Japan have?

I am thinking of redoing my room and I would like to do something like "around the world" somewhere I would have the Statue Of Liberty or maybe the Hollywood sign. I have come up blank for something to do with Japan.

Please Help

Answer:

Mt. Fuji, Kinkakuji and Tokyo tower...
Maybe something like this.
http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/rakuic…

Does red light district industry in Japan cater service to foreigners in Japan?

Question:

Or are only Japanese allowed to be served?

just a question out of curiosity

Answer:

Some of them do. Some others do not.

Can you buy a willer express pass in Japan?

Question:

Or do you have to buy it somewhere else like the JR pass?

Answer:

Yes, you can. See this web site:http://travel.willer.co.jp/

Japanese citizenship?

Question:

Apparently it is easier for a foreigner to obtain Japanese citizenship than a Japanese permanent residence because it takes a minimum of 5 years of stay in Japan to get citizenship as compared to 10 years for PR.

Is this true?

And other than English/Mandarin translators and teachers, what other jobs in Japan are in demand for foreigners?

Answer:

The number of years is just one condition. Generally, it's more likely that PR be granted on you than citizenship after you applied for it.

So we can't say that it's easier to get citizenship than PR.

>And other than English/Mandarin translators and teachers, what other jobs in Japan are in demand for foreigners?

Not so many. Maybe, import-export job.

Addition:
3day's case (3 years) was possible because he was on spouse visa. You can get PR after you have lived in Japan for 3 years under spouse visa. I did not write it first because it's a special case and not for everyone.

How to use かかる or かける because there are a lot uses?

Question:

Answer:

かける: transitive verb
かかる: intransitive verb

かける: Call
掛ける: Hang
賭ける: Bet
架ける: Build (a bridge)

欠ける (intransitive verb): Partially broken

Where are the deaf schools in tokyo?

Question:

my cousin now lives in tokyo. she is 17.
where are high schools especially for deaf teenagers in tokyo?
are there any colleges in tokyo especially for deaf people?

thank you

Answer:

>where are high schools especially for deaf teenagers in tokyo?

This Katsushika Deaf School has high school course.
http://www.katsushika-sd.metro.tokyo.jp/…

>are there any colleges in tokyo especially for deaf people?

hmmm, I don't think there is. But she can go to a correspondence college.

Traditional Japanese songs sung in winter?

Question:

I Am the president of my school choir and I was asked by our instructor to find tradiitional music from japan that are sung in winter. can you please help me in my task?

Answer:

This お正月 is a song Japanese sing when we are counting days for New Year.
http://douyoushouka.blog112.fc2.com/blog…

Budget Vacation Help - Tokyo Metro + Hakone?

Question:

We are a family of four (2 adult children and our 60 yr.old parents) visiting Japan for the first time this coming Spring. We want to spend 2 weeks in the Tokyo metro area, but the Yunessun resort in Hakone sounds really nice. Everyone left the planning of this whole trip to me and I'm a bit overwhelmed! So, to take a bit of the load off me, can anyone suggest a plan regarding transportation? I know a rail pass is a waste if we're only gonna do Tokyo metro, but what about the day trip to Hakone?

I know we'll arrive at Narita airport and stay at the Park Hyatt Shinjuku. So, what's the cheapest way to get:

from Narita to the Hyatt
from the Hyatt to Yunessun for an entire day
from Yunessun when it closes back to the Hyatt
and, finally, from the Hyatt to Narita on the final day

plus, of course, the cheapest way to get around Tokyo metro for all those in-between days!
thanks in advance, everyone, for any help!

Answer:

http://www.odakyu.jp/english/freepass/yu… the site for Hakone Yunnesen and Odakyu rail transportation and its fare.
http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/bus_ser… is for Limo fare Narita/shinjuku.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suica is for a versatile fare card to get around on surface trains, subways, buses.
http://www.hatobus.com/en/index.html is the site where I strongly recommned you to plan your days in Tokyo.

from Narita to the Hyatt,
I recommend you to take Limo bus service, because it's cheaper and easier to get your Hotel. 3000yen each in total 12000yen for your party while taxi cost about 22000yen.

from the Hyatt to Yunessun for an entire day
The best way to go Yussun is walk (about 10minutes) to Shinjuku stn and take Odakyu line as explained in the above web site.

from Yunessun when it closes back to the Hyatt
Take the reverse route of the above back.

and, finally, from the Hyatt to Narita on the final day
Take the Limo back to Narita.

the cheapest way to get around Tokyo metro for all those in-between days!
The cheapest and fruitful way to get around is to get "suica" with which you can ride any bus, trains(surface/underground) including Odakyu lines.

Additionally I recommend you to consider making good use of "Hato bus" for sightseeing of Tokyo.

Is creating your own company in Japan hard ? And what it takes ?

Question:

I know Japan is in a economic down turn right now so maybe it would be a little bit harder now, but im talking in general. On my knowledge Japan have a well regulated system so it shouldn't be that hard. Almost 130 million population is not that much for a company that aims at selling its products but i think its not that bad either for a start. Im not really an expert in economics and business, so if somebody knows more i would appreciate any advice and some more information. Thanks.

Answer:

You have misread the intention of the 'well regulated system'. It is far easier for a non-American company to setup shop in the US, than for a non-Japanese company to setup shop in Japan.

For a Japanese in Japan, it would not be any more a problem than say an American in the US. It may even be easier in Japan because they won't have to worry about being sued out of existence at a drop of a hat from a customer. Remember the multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by a woman in the US because she was burned when she spilled her coffee from McDonald's? That would have been laughed out of court in Japan. So in that sense owning and operating a business is easier.

However, for a non-Japanese to start a business in Japan it is NOT going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination. The 'well regulated system' was intentionally designed to protect Japanese companies and industry from foreign competition. Japan has a protected economy which basically makes it harder for a foreign businesses to conduct business without some sort of partnership with a Japanese business entity. They (the Japanese) basically have it setup so that one way of another a Japanese business can get a piece of the pie.

This has been a long running sore point various countries have with Japan and has not changed in over 30 years.

How can I discover my birth-grandparents in Japan?

Question:

My dad was adopted from Japan when he was 2 years old I believe. And not shortly after that, him and his adopted parents moved to America. Sadly, I'm afraid we've lost his adoption papers.. So, I'm not sure how to find my birth-grandparents, or where to start. All I know about my birth-grandparents is that they had 3 children, one being my dad, another his brother, and a third brother who passed away. Can anybody help me? I really want to discover my Dad's side of the family. What steps do I need to take in order to find the hospital he was born/adopted at, etc, how to find his real parents? etc etc. Thankssss.

Answer:

I think it is up to your dad to do this and not yourself i am afraid. It is possible he wants to move on with his life and you just trying to bring this up might be burden to him. Having said this, you can always ask him if he is interested in finding out and seek his permission if you want to 'go it alone'. Good luck

Visiting Japan this December, needs help on etiquette, attitudes and clothing?

Question:

Questions 1-6 are meant to help a friend of mine, since I'll be visiting with her. She can't really speak Japanese, and has quite the weird accent even with English.

1. When visiting a traditional restaurant, will it be rude to sit with crossed legs and ask for spoon and fork instead of chopsticks?
2. Is it even alright to squeal (loudly) at cute goods in Akihabara/Ikebukuro? (e.g: doujinshi, cosplay items, etc.)
3. What is the basic clothing for winter in Japan?
4. Will Japanese be offended if a foreigner speaks loudly in public?
5. If you can't speak Japanese at all, and got lost in Japan, what is the most accurate thing to do? Will it be safe to ask pedestrians around?
6. Will childish attitude be tolerated for a 15-years-old?

The questions below are optional. It's just my personal curiosity. Note that I have self-taught Japanese to myself since last year.

7. Being an Indochinese with the average Asian-face, if I suddenly say:
「私は日本人じゃないので、もう一度おゆっくり話してください」?
Is it considered rude, weird or improper?

8. Do you have bad experience with foreigners in Japan?

I apologise if my English is quite weird.

英語はあまりよくないですが、リプは日本語でもおｋです！

Answer:

1. No problem.
2. If you want to, sure. You won't be kicked out of the stores or anything... maybe just some strange looks.
3. Boots, jackets, scarves.
4. Not offended, but annoyed. Even I am annoyed by it.
5. An iPhone helps. Many signs are also in English. It's pretty hard to get lost, really.
6. EDIT: You can do as you like if you're there on your own. No one will confront you, but you may get some stares. Obviously this sort of behavior isn't ideal, but if it can't be helped...
7. It's perfectly OK.
8. Most foreigners support one another in Japan, so no, not personally.

Which language should I learn to be more hireable in Japan: Spanish or Chinese?

Question:

Let me start this question off by telling you my current position. I work for a Japanese automotive parts manufacturer in the U.S. I translate of design specs and interpret for meetings. I have Japanese Language qualifications and interpreter training, so please don't answer this question with "Japanese"

In addition to that, I have conversational ability in Spanish and Chinese. I would like to start working on improving one of these languages. Which one would make me more hireable as a translator? I have seen a lot of postings for Chinese-Japanese-English positions so I am leaning toward this. Any thoughts from people who are over there?

Answer:

um.., I'm confused.
I had a feeling that you're teaching Japanese from the following question (which had no respond from you..)
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind…
日系企業にお勤めで、企業内日本語研修という意味だったのでしょうか？
教材についての相談は会社にすべきだったのでは？

To answer your question, my honest opinion is, "to start working on improving one of Chinese/Spanish languages” means you're still not ready to be a translator for these language. There're more Cantonese people living outside of China, as you might know. Do you read Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese) sentences? If you go for "Chinese-Japanese-English positions" professionally, you need to be already fluent(-level) in all these languages.
----------------
今、追記を読みました。 日本語本当にお上手だと思います。( I usually do
proofreading here in "Japan" So just one thing: 獲得→ 習得 ^^;)

数年前、カナダで日本語の上手な中国籍の夫婦と知り合ったのですが、ご主人は
日本に10年滞在歴があるという方でした。 無口な方でしたが、日本語力は相当
おありのようで、日本では特許事務所に勤めていらっしゃったそうです。 今は
アメリカの法律事務所で、やはり日本企業対象（だったか… 要するに、中国語と
日本語力を必要とする）の特許関連の職務に携わっていらっしゃるそうです。
What I want to say is, in my humble opinion, while you become multilingual,
you might need a specific field you should be proud of. For example, as you
currently work for automotive parts manufacturer, you'd better stay in the
same field, which will bring higher-quality experiences.
Translators are also required their "得意分野"

私も、スペイン語より中国語の方が今後は需要も高いと思います。

どうぞ頑張ってください。

---------- Spanish option
"司法（法廷）通訳人　court interpreter"
should be widely demanded as more and more South Americans (except for Brazilians) live in Japan, especially in the industrial district. If you're interested in, target will be "gaining technical terms" (I heard this when I was in Japan)
¡Buena suerte!

Seoul or Tokyo? Which is better?

Question:

Which is more technologically advanced? more amazing nightlife? better food? great sightings? and great shopping? so Tokyo is very popular around the world but Seoul is getting more attention now and i heard its underrated.. Which is better to visit?

Answer:

This question is asked in different forms: "do Japanese/Koreans hate/love each other, "which is better to live in?" who has the sexiest looking girls"? etc. Been the diplomat, i will give a diplomatic answer: They are plus and minus points for both countries. If you must choose, it is best to visit both places and draw conclusions from that.

Are there any Dance schools in Okinawa, Japan?

Question:

Im mostly looking for good Hip Hop and probably lyrical classes and MAYBE english speakers( I know a good bit of Japanese but still)... Where is somewhere I can go thats close to this description?

Answer:

Okinawa Actors School is quite famous. (e.g. Amuro Namie)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_Act…

Are there any good Japanese shops in the UK?

Question:

Answer:

Muji and UniQlo.