Michael Clark a Canadian, first worked as an English teacher in Japan,
here is his take on one incident that occurred during a private lesson
at the school he worked at:
"Good evening Mr. Watanabe, how are you?" I asked.
"Ah, ohhh, ah, good Mr. Clarke," he nervously shot back, getting half out of his seat and then sitting back down. "Ah, anyway," he went on, "how about that erection?"
I froze. "Erection?", I repeated back to him while my face turned red and I slowly moved the textbook that I was holding to hide my groin area.
'My God!' I thought. Could it be true!?! I dared not look. Did I just walk in here with a big woody? I had been flipping through a copy of Vogue in the teacher's lounge.
"E-E-Excuse me," I managed to say.
"You know!" he said, "Erection, Erection, there's a new Plime Minister....It's in the newspaper. How do you say? ... a poritical erection."
--from Michael Clark`s Blog "Hunkabutta"
http://www.hunkabutta.com
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
I Love Driving in Japan!
Pictured: FAG Motors in Odawara, courtesy of Chris Zanella
By Kevin Burns
Anyone can follow the rules, but Japanese Drivers Make Their Own Rules!
Stop signs back home mean stop, Stop signs in Japan are Optional!
Red lights, smed lights, Red lights --they are Optional too!
To Japanese green is blue (go figure?)
Green lights mean go.
Yellow lights mean go.
Even red lights mean go!
I love it here! I never stop for anything!
...Well except for them monster trucks. I mean they are big.
Okay we can`t turn on a red that is a bummer,
and I miss that when I drive in Japan.
But pedestrians, smedestrians, ignore `em!
If they dare to cross, screw `em, you can drive faster!
I Like to see them Run!
Hit one you get 50 points.
Two for a dollar!
(or 150 Yen, the yen is very strong these days)
What about the police you say?
They don`t do anything.
No they ain`t sipping coffee and horking down donuts
at Tim Hortons,
they be checking seat belts,
and at the exact same location and time every week!!!!!
I love Japan!!!!
So you know that at 3:30PM on Tuesday they will be at the tunnel,
and at 5:30PM on Friday they will be at the bridge as usual!
I`ve even gotten to know them because I see them all the time.
"Hi Hiroshi! How`s the wife and kids."
"Okage same de," he`ll say with his usual smile,
as he pulls over some poor schmuck from Kawasaki
who doesn`t know that Friday evening is bridge day in Odawara.
Poor guy,
someone should have posted the schedule for him on the internet.
Maybe that is my task for today.
I love the bosozoku too. They do whatever they want!
And what do the police do?
Nothing!
They don`t do a thing!
One policeman at the police station told me honestly,
they don`t do anything about them.
The law favours the bosozoku should he get injured while the police are persuing them.
One policeman in Fujisawa lost his job over it!
(Apparently a true story unfortunately--Editor)
This bosozoku was driving all over the place and this
cop tried to stop him with a long stick and the bosozuku
crashed into a fence.
No the bosozuku didn`t go to jail, the policeman was fired.
So they don`t bother with the bosozoku much. Not good for job
security and Hiroshi has a pension coming up.
Let`s be honest, the Police are too busy anyway..........
They are…… too busy checking seat belts at the tunnel,
...or doing paper work in the office,
or sleeping on the futon in the back room of the Koban.
Come to think of it, I wish I had become a policeman.
I could use the extra Shut eye.
I love it here. So Sorry, gotta run, --the red light….
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants and Immigrants to Japan
Akashi Shoten Inc, Japan's biggest human rights publisher, will sell
"HANDBOOK FOR NEWCOMERS, MIGRANTS, AND IMMIGRANTS TO JAPAN", by
Administrative Solicitor HIGUCHI Akira and author ARUDOU Debito from March 15.
Details in brief:
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"HANDBOOK FOR NEWCOMERS, MIGRANTS, AND IMMIGRANTS TO JAPAN"
ISBN: 978-4-7503-2741-9
Authors: HIGUCHI Akira and ARUDOU Debito
Languages: English and Japanese (on corresponding pages)
Publisher: Akashi Shoten Inc., Tokyo (http://www.akashi.co.jp)
372 Pages. Price: 2300 yen (2415 yen after tax)
Goal: To help non-Japanese entrants become residents and immigrants
Topics: Securing stable visas, Establishing businesses and secure
jobs, Resolving legal problems, Planning for the future from entry into
Japan to death.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Interested in living in Japan? Not visiting. Actually living here,
perhaps permanently? In recent years, hundreds of thousands of
Non-Japanese residents have come here for good. However, there is often
insufficient information on how to make your life more secure. HANDBOOK will
help--offering advice on topics like stabilizing your visa and
employment, establishing your own business, dealing with frequent social
problems, writing your Will, even working with Japan's Civil Society. Buy
this book and start planning your future in this wonderful country!
Ordering details at http://www.debito.org/index.php/?page_id=582
Further Information follows:
===================================
ADVANCE BOOK REVIEWS
BOOK TOUR FROM SENDAI TO FUKUOKA STARTING MARCH 15
(including the FCCJ, Good Day Books, and Amnesty International)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
===================================
Advance book reviews (excerpts):
===================================
"Higuchi and Arudou's HANDBOOK promises to be the second passport
for foreigners in Japan. It provides a map to navigate the legal,
economic, and social mazes of contemporary Japanese life. Practical and
affordable, clear and concise, the Handbook should contribute not only to a
better life for newcomers to Japan but also to a more humane society in
Japan."
--Dr John Lie, Dean of International and Area Studies, University of
California Berkeley, and author of MULTIETHNIC JAPAN.
"Finally, the book I always wished I had, explaining in clear and
precise language the legal labyrinths that make life interesting and
sometimes treacherous for non-Japanese trying to find their way in Japan.
This is the A-Z what to watch out for and how to do it guide that
will help all non-Japanese living in Japan... I can think of no other
book that comes close in promoting mutual understanding, one that is
grounded in the law and brimming with practical advice."
--Dr Jeff Kingston, Director of Asian Studies, Temple University Japan,
and author of JAPAN'S QUIET TRANSFORMATION
"If there weren't an Arudou Debito, we would have had to invent
one... Arudou and Higuchi's Handbook is an indispensable reference for
all outsiders who live here for any length of time."
--Alex Kerr, author, DOGS AND DEMONS and LOST JAPAN
===================================
BOOK TOUR
(specific details on locales and times at
http://www.debito.org/index.php/?page_id=582)
Sat March 15 Sendai FRANCA
Sun March 16 NUGW Tokyo Nambu, Shinbashi
Mon March 17 Roppongi Bar Association
Tues March 18 Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, Tokyo
Weds March 19 Amnesty International Tokyo
Fri March 21 Kamesei Ryokan, Nagano
Sat March 22 Kamesei Ryokan, Nagano,
Sun March 23 Good Day Books Tokyo Ebisu
Tues March 25 Osaka FRANCA
Thurs March 27 Shiga University
Fri March 28 JALT Kobe
Sat March 29 JALT Wakayama
Sat March 29 JALT Osaka
Sun March 30 JALT Okayama
Tues April 1 Fukuoka General Union
===================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS AND PREFACE (excerpts)
Migration of labor is an unignorable reality in this globalizing world.
Japan is no exception. In recent years, Japan has had record numbers
of registered foreigners, international marriages, and people receiving
permanent residency. This guidebook is designed to help non-Japanese
settle in Japan, and become more secure residents and contributors to
Japanese society.
Japan is one of the richest societies in the world, with an extremely
high standard of living. People will want to come here. They are doing
so. Japan, by the way, wants foreigners too. Prime Ministerial cabinet
reports, business federations, and the United Nations have advised more
immigration to Japan to offset its aging society, low birthrate, labor
shortages, and shrinking tax base. Unfortunately, the attitude of the
Japanese government towards immigration has generally been one of
neglect. Newcomers are not given sufficient guidance to help them settle down
in Japan as residents with stable jobs and lifestyles. HANDBOOK wishes
to fill that gap....
Chapter One: ARRIVING IN JAPAN
1 - Understanding the structure of the Japanese Visa System (the
difference between "Visa", "Status of Residence" (SOR) and "Certificate of
Eligibility" (COE))
2 - Procedures for coming to Japan
- Acquiring SOR from outside Japan
- Changing or acquiring SOR from inside Japan
- Chart summarizing Visa, COE, and SOR
3 - Procedures after you came to Japan
- Bringing your family over to Japan
- Leaving Japan temporarily
- Extending your stay in Japan
- Changing jobs in Japan
- Changing SOR so you can work
- Chart summarizing Immigration procedures
4 - What kinds of Status of Residence are there?
- Chart outlining all 27 possible SOR
- Recommendations for specific jobs
- Requirements for select Statuses of Residence
5 - What if you overstay or work without proper status?
- Recent changes to Immigration law
- Examples of unintended violations
- Our advice if you overstay your SOR
6 - Getting Permanent Residency and Japanese Nationality
- Chart summarizing the requirements and differences between the two
7 - Conclusions and final advice on how to make your SOR stable
Chapter Two: STABILIZING EMPLOYMENT AND LIFESTYLES
1 - Characteristics of Japanese labor environment
2 - Labor law
3 - Labor contract
4 - Salary system
5 - Deduction and Taxes
6 - Labor insurance and Social Insurance for workers
7 - Summary
Chapter Three: STARTING A BUSINESS
1 Why start a business?
2 Sole Proprietorship (kojin jigyou) or Corporation (houjin jigyou)?
3 Type of corporations
4 Other forms of business (NPO, LLP)
5 Procedures for starting a business by setting up a kabushiki gaisha
6 Business license
7 Periodical procedures to keep your business going
8 Advice for a successful business
9 Terminology
Chapter Four: WHAT TO DO IF RESOLVING PROBLEMS
LIFESTYLE:
(These are frequently asked questions about overcoming obstacles and
improving your lifestyle in Japan.)
if you want to study Japanese
if you want to open a bank account (and get an inkan seal)
if you want a credit card
if you want insurance (auto, life, property)
if you want a driver license
if you want to buy a car
if you are involved in a traffic accident
if you want Permanent Residency (eijuuken)
if you want to buy property
if you want to sell your property, apartment or house
if you need counseling or psychiatric help
if you want to take Japanese citizenship (kika)
POLICING:
if you are asked for a passport or ID ("Gaijin Card") check by police
if you are asked for a passport or Gaijin Card check by anyone else
if you are arrested or taken into custody by the police
if you are a victim of a crime
DISCRIMINATION:
(What we mean by "discrimination", pg ##)
if you are refused entry to a business
if you are refused entry to a hotel
if you are refused an apartment
if you have a problem with your landlord, or are threatened with
eviction
if you are refused a loan
if you want to protest something you feel is discriminatory
GOING TO COURT:
if you want legal advice, or need to find a lawyer
if you want to go to court
if you want to go to small-claims court (for fraud, broken business
contracts, etc.)
WORKPLACE DISPUTES:
if you want government support for labor dispute negotiations
if you want to join or form a labor union
if you want to find another job
FAMILY MATTERS:
if you want to get married
if you want to register your children in Japanese schools
if you want to register your newborn Japanese children with
non-Japanese names
if you have a problem (such as ijime bullying) in your children's
schools
if you want to change your children's schools
if you suffer from Domestic Violence
if you want to get divorced
if you are having visitation, child custody, or child support problems
if you are a pregnant out of wedlock by a Japanese man
Chapter Five: RETIREMENT AND PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
1 FINANCIALLY PREPARING FOR OLD AGE
- Corporate Retirement Benefits (taishokukin)
- Pension (nenkin)
- Private annuity (kojin nenkin)
- Long-term investment
2 LIFESTYLE AND HEALTHCARE
- Elderly care and Nursing Care Insurance (kaigo hoken)
- Medical care and Medical services for the aged (roujin hoken)
- Guardian for adults (seinen kouken)
3 INHERITANCE AND WILL
- Inheritance (souzoku) and taxes
- Last Will and Testament (yuigon, igon)
- Japanese rules regarding family inheritance
4- POSTHUMOUS CARE
- Culturally-sensitive funerals (osoushiki)
- Japanese cremation rules
- Repatriating a body for ceremonies overseas
- Maintaining a funeral plot in Japan
Chapter Six: GIVING SOMETHING BACK: DEVELOPING THE CIVIL SOCIETY
1. How to find a group
2. Starting your own group
3. Formalizing your group (NGOs etc.)
4. Making activism more than just a hobby.
5. Running for elected office
6. Staying positive when people claim "Japan will never change"
7. Conclusions
Chapter Seven: CONCLUSIONS: SUMMARIZING WHAT WE THINK YOU SHOULD DO TO
CREATE STRONGER ROOTS IN JAPAN
"HANDBOOK FOR NEWCOMERS, MIGRANTS, AND IMMIGRANTS TO JAPAN", by
Administrative Solicitor HIGUCHI Akira and author ARUDOU Debito from March 15.
Details in brief:
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"HANDBOOK FOR NEWCOMERS, MIGRANTS, AND IMMIGRANTS TO JAPAN"
ISBN: 978-4-7503-2741-9
Authors: HIGUCHI Akira and ARUDOU Debito
Languages: English and Japanese (on corresponding pages)
Publisher: Akashi Shoten Inc., Tokyo (http://www.akashi.co.jp)
372 Pages. Price: 2300 yen (2415 yen after tax)
Goal: To help non-Japanese entrants become residents and immigrants
Topics: Securing stable visas, Establishing businesses and secure
jobs, Resolving legal problems, Planning for the future from entry into
Japan to death.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Interested in living in Japan? Not visiting. Actually living here,
perhaps permanently? In recent years, hundreds of thousands of
Non-Japanese residents have come here for good. However, there is often
insufficient information on how to make your life more secure. HANDBOOK will
help--offering advice on topics like stabilizing your visa and
employment, establishing your own business, dealing with frequent social
problems, writing your Will, even working with Japan's Civil Society. Buy
this book and start planning your future in this wonderful country!
Ordering details at http://www.debito.org/index.php/?page_id=582
Further Information follows:
===================================
ADVANCE BOOK REVIEWS
BOOK TOUR FROM SENDAI TO FUKUOKA STARTING MARCH 15
(including the FCCJ, Good Day Books, and Amnesty International)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
===================================
Advance book reviews (excerpts):
===================================
"Higuchi and Arudou's HANDBOOK promises to be the second passport
for foreigners in Japan. It provides a map to navigate the legal,
economic, and social mazes of contemporary Japanese life. Practical and
affordable, clear and concise, the Handbook should contribute not only to a
better life for newcomers to Japan but also to a more humane society in
Japan."
--Dr John Lie, Dean of International and Area Studies, University of
California Berkeley, and author of MULTIETHNIC JAPAN.
"Finally, the book I always wished I had, explaining in clear and
precise language the legal labyrinths that make life interesting and
sometimes treacherous for non-Japanese trying to find their way in Japan.
This is the A-Z what to watch out for and how to do it guide that
will help all non-Japanese living in Japan... I can think of no other
book that comes close in promoting mutual understanding, one that is
grounded in the law and brimming with practical advice."
--Dr Jeff Kingston, Director of Asian Studies, Temple University Japan,
and author of JAPAN'S QUIET TRANSFORMATION
"If there weren't an Arudou Debito, we would have had to invent
one... Arudou and Higuchi's Handbook is an indispensable reference for
all outsiders who live here for any length of time."
--Alex Kerr, author, DOGS AND DEMONS and LOST JAPAN
===================================
BOOK TOUR
(specific details on locales and times at
http://www.debito.org/index.php/?page_id=582)
Sat March 15 Sendai FRANCA
Sun March 16 NUGW Tokyo Nambu, Shinbashi
Mon March 17 Roppongi Bar Association
Tues March 18 Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, Tokyo
Weds March 19 Amnesty International Tokyo
Fri March 21 Kamesei Ryokan, Nagano
Sat March 22 Kamesei Ryokan, Nagano,
Sun March 23 Good Day Books Tokyo Ebisu
Tues March 25 Osaka FRANCA
Thurs March 27 Shiga University
Fri March 28 JALT Kobe
Sat March 29 JALT Wakayama
Sat March 29 JALT Osaka
Sun March 30 JALT Okayama
Tues April 1 Fukuoka General Union
===================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS AND PREFACE (excerpts)
Migration of labor is an unignorable reality in this globalizing world.
Japan is no exception. In recent years, Japan has had record numbers
of registered foreigners, international marriages, and people receiving
permanent residency. This guidebook is designed to help non-Japanese
settle in Japan, and become more secure residents and contributors to
Japanese society.
Japan is one of the richest societies in the world, with an extremely
high standard of living. People will want to come here. They are doing
so. Japan, by the way, wants foreigners too. Prime Ministerial cabinet
reports, business federations, and the United Nations have advised more
immigration to Japan to offset its aging society, low birthrate, labor
shortages, and shrinking tax base. Unfortunately, the attitude of the
Japanese government towards immigration has generally been one of
neglect. Newcomers are not given sufficient guidance to help them settle down
in Japan as residents with stable jobs and lifestyles. HANDBOOK wishes
to fill that gap....
Chapter One: ARRIVING IN JAPAN
1 - Understanding the structure of the Japanese Visa System (the
difference between "Visa", "Status of Residence" (SOR) and "Certificate of
Eligibility" (COE))
2 - Procedures for coming to Japan
- Acquiring SOR from outside Japan
- Changing or acquiring SOR from inside Japan
- Chart summarizing Visa, COE, and SOR
3 - Procedures after you came to Japan
- Bringing your family over to Japan
- Leaving Japan temporarily
- Extending your stay in Japan
- Changing jobs in Japan
- Changing SOR so you can work
- Chart summarizing Immigration procedures
4 - What kinds of Status of Residence are there?
- Chart outlining all 27 possible SOR
- Recommendations for specific jobs
- Requirements for select Statuses of Residence
5 - What if you overstay or work without proper status?
- Recent changes to Immigration law
- Examples of unintended violations
- Our advice if you overstay your SOR
6 - Getting Permanent Residency and Japanese Nationality
- Chart summarizing the requirements and differences between the two
7 - Conclusions and final advice on how to make your SOR stable
Chapter Two: STABILIZING EMPLOYMENT AND LIFESTYLES
1 - Characteristics of Japanese labor environment
2 - Labor law
3 - Labor contract
4 - Salary system
5 - Deduction and Taxes
6 - Labor insurance and Social Insurance for workers
7 - Summary
Chapter Three: STARTING A BUSINESS
1 Why start a business?
2 Sole Proprietorship (kojin jigyou) or Corporation (houjin jigyou)?
3 Type of corporations
4 Other forms of business (NPO, LLP)
5 Procedures for starting a business by setting up a kabushiki gaisha
6 Business license
7 Periodical procedures to keep your business going
8 Advice for a successful business
9 Terminology
Chapter Four: WHAT TO DO IF RESOLVING PROBLEMS
LIFESTYLE:
(These are frequently asked questions about overcoming obstacles and
improving your lifestyle in Japan.)
if you want to study Japanese
if you want to open a bank account (and get an inkan seal)
if you want a credit card
if you want insurance (auto, life, property)
if you want a driver license
if you want to buy a car
if you are involved in a traffic accident
if you want Permanent Residency (eijuuken)
if you want to buy property
if you want to sell your property, apartment or house
if you need counseling or psychiatric help
if you want to take Japanese citizenship (kika)
POLICING:
if you are asked for a passport or ID ("Gaijin Card") check by police
if you are asked for a passport or Gaijin Card check by anyone else
if you are arrested or taken into custody by the police
if you are a victim of a crime
DISCRIMINATION:
(What we mean by "discrimination", pg ##)
if you are refused entry to a business
if you are refused entry to a hotel
if you are refused an apartment
if you have a problem with your landlord, or are threatened with
eviction
if you are refused a loan
if you want to protest something you feel is discriminatory
GOING TO COURT:
if you want legal advice, or need to find a lawyer
if you want to go to court
if you want to go to small-claims court (for fraud, broken business
contracts, etc.)
WORKPLACE DISPUTES:
if you want government support for labor dispute negotiations
if you want to join or form a labor union
if you want to find another job
FAMILY MATTERS:
if you want to get married
if you want to register your children in Japanese schools
if you want to register your newborn Japanese children with
non-Japanese names
if you have a problem (such as ijime bullying) in your children's
schools
if you want to change your children's schools
if you suffer from Domestic Violence
if you want to get divorced
if you are having visitation, child custody, or child support problems
if you are a pregnant out of wedlock by a Japanese man
Chapter Five: RETIREMENT AND PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
1 FINANCIALLY PREPARING FOR OLD AGE
- Corporate Retirement Benefits (taishokukin)
- Pension (nenkin)
- Private annuity (kojin nenkin)
- Long-term investment
2 LIFESTYLE AND HEALTHCARE
- Elderly care and Nursing Care Insurance (kaigo hoken)
- Medical care and Medical services for the aged (roujin hoken)
- Guardian for adults (seinen kouken)
3 INHERITANCE AND WILL
- Inheritance (souzoku) and taxes
- Last Will and Testament (yuigon, igon)
- Japanese rules regarding family inheritance
4- POSTHUMOUS CARE
- Culturally-sensitive funerals (osoushiki)
- Japanese cremation rules
- Repatriating a body for ceremonies overseas
- Maintaining a funeral plot in Japan
Chapter Six: GIVING SOMETHING BACK: DEVELOPING THE CIVIL SOCIETY
1. How to find a group
2. Starting your own group
3. Formalizing your group (NGOs etc.)
4. Making activism more than just a hobby.
5. Running for elected office
6. Staying positive when people claim "Japan will never change"
7. Conclusions
Chapter Seven: CONCLUSIONS: SUMMARIZING WHAT WE THINK YOU SHOULD DO TO
CREATE STRONGER ROOTS IN JAPAN
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