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 RSS2010-02-07The following quote is from an American doctor practicing medicine in Korea, but could just as easily be said of Japan: "The number one problem with all patients, local and foreigner alike, is communication. Korean doctors see five to ten times the number of patients that Western doctors see, and it can often get very busy and crowded. Koreans put up with this lack of communication and explanation, but foreigners are much more used to personalized care. They can be very inquisitive, but Korean doctors are too busy to explain. I think there is a big difference in expectations – the concept of medicine to Westerners is that it is a necessary evil, a toxin. But for Asians, it is a mechanism for correcting the imbalances in your body – like ying and yang. The doctor is the guru, and his decisions are not questioned. While a Westerner will thank me for not giving him any medicine, a Korean will invariably ask for an injection!" Doctors in Japan often seem like factory workers the way they run through patients. I recently went to a clinic to get antihistamines in preparation for the upcoming hay fever season. Even after explaining that I was currently not experiencing symptoms of any kind, he still proceeded to spray three different unidentified liquids up my nose, one of which I assume was a decongestant based on the irritation I later felt. I'm positive he was just running through the motions, giving the same treatment to anyone who sits down in front of him. Part of the problem is that in Japan, it's often cheaper to physically go to the doctor to get painkillers and cold medicine than it is to buy it from the drug store. As mentioned above, there does seem to be an implicit trust in doctors. Last year I baffled a doctor by asking why he was trying to pump antibiotics into me without knowing whether my fever was being caused by a bacteria or not. Luckily, the Japanese word for penicillin is very similar, otherwise I wouldn't have known what they were planning to put in me. According to my wife, it's unheard of for a Japanese person to question a doctor's advice like that. add comment to post #640 Read the rest of the article ... :here. 2010-02-07Rebecca Flint, aka xBexTahx, aka Beckii Cruel, aka ベッキー・クルーエル, is a 14 year old British girl who likes anime and J-Pop. She also likes cosplaying and dancing to anime themes so she put videos of herself dancing in costume up on Youtube and started getting a following in Japan. She got so popular that a giant Japanese entertainment company, Tokuma Japan, signed her and made a DVD. They recruited two other grils as well, another from England and one from France, to make the trio “Beckii Cruel and the Cruel Angels.” Here is the promotional video for their debut. The DVD will apparently also have some solo videos of Beckii covering songs she got famous dancing to in Japanese with a British accent. I’m really happy for anyone who can do what they like doing for fun and get paid and famous for it. It's great to see people living dreams. I’m just worried that, like so many other indie acts gone major, the super produced sheen, in this case that would be the high quality production and inflated cliche cuteness with bubbles, designer clothes and manufactured camera shots (like the classic look down and off to one side, long blink, eye contact, innocent smile, head wiggle shot) will actually take away most of the charm that made her popular in the first place. On top of the DIY respect she has for being so prolific, I think a lot of her otaku fans really enjoyed the voyeuristic appeal of watching a teenage girl anime fan dance around in her bedroom. But I’m sure Tokuma Japan can cash in heavily on her popularity before the fans all realize that for themselves. Still, I bet she is having a blast being pampered like a star in Tokyo. Imagine being a young anime loving girl and getting an otaku shopping and dancing adventure in Japan. She is one the few who actually get to experience this country as the dream land they all imagine it to be from watching anime all the time. Guardian UK has an article about her success with the phrases moe idol and cosplay in quotes, and otaku in italics. Essential reading for anyone looking for an article that explains what anime and "cosplay" mean. Basically inessential reading for anyone who visits this site. add comment to post #639 marlow:time to cash in on this action. i'm going to start doing this. 2010-02-05You know who that is? That’s Shinichi Sasaki, Toyota Corporation’s top manager of quality and control, the department responsible for the quality of all Toyota made vehicles. Now that Toyota has announced a second recall for problems affecting over 8 million vehicles worldwide, it is he that had to face the public. In the above video he is sort of owning up to the problems. But you know who that isn’t? CEO and Toyota founder’s grandson, Akio Toyota. That guy has been silent since the most recent troubles started, raising quite a bit of concern in people around here. You see, in Japan, the top guy is usually expected to take the responsibility pretty quickly. Did you notice anything else that was missing? No, probably not. But lots of Japanese people did. They noticed there was no actual apology, complete with a huge bow. With mounting safety problems, the company runs the risk of losing public confidence globally, which some fear will reflect badly on Japan as a whole, especially just after Japan Airlines just went belly up. Apparently, the lack of properly functioning brake systems and accelerator pedals that don’t stick in the full go position isn’t what is going to hurt their public image. It’s the lack of deep bows and tearful executives. The Guardian has an article about it, saying even the government is putting pressure on Toyota to do what it can to protect Japan’s business integrity. With bankrupt airlines and car manufacturers in trouble over one thing or another, perhaps Japan just can’t help mimicking it’s best friend, the good‘ol US of A. add comment to post #638 upd8:As I was writing this post earlier today, Toyota held a press conference right here in Nagoya with the president in full apologetic form. Take a look. Now that is some good apologizing.  There! All better. The Wallstreet Journal has a great article covering everything from the beginning of the problems to the most recent actions taken by the company. n8:See! Everyone loves apologies! Pronunciation:I like how the old saggy eyes newscaster can say the name of the car company correctly but can't pronounce the man's name right. "That is president and CEO Akio [Toe-yacht-a]...." n8:I don't know what happened to the Wall Street Journal link, but the database won't let me fix it. Here is the link to a good article recapping the recent problems. WSJ 2010-02-05 See this guy, he is the number one dude in Sumo. He also was just forced to retire. Last month he got into his third drunken brawl, breaking a guys nose. The other guy was also drunk so he didn't press charges, just asked that Asashoryu pay the medical expenses. All very civil. But, this is his third time getting into shit like this and he has always sort of flouted the rules of sumo. He once grabbed the topknot of an opponent to pull him down, which is strictly forbidden. It's weird having a "bad boy" image in fighting sports, which every news channel is willing to throw up when talking about Asashoryu. He has spent his life training to fight and win and has always had a love / hate relationship with Japan, the country that has provided him a career but cannot forget he is from Mongolia. So he was crying last night on television as he was forced to quit, or retire. I am more interested in what happens now to both him and Sumo. In Japan a lot of people complain that Sumo has no character to keep people interested. Asashoryu was the exception to that rule and he was one of the only wrestlers I followed. So the sport is now blander than it was and is trying to find a place in 21st century sports. His career options aren't limited, but if he is totally predictable and unoriginal, he will take a shot at K-1 or Pride or one of the mixed martial arts leagues in Japan. Akebono did this and failed miserably getting beat by a smaller member of the Gracie stable before quitting and trying pro wrestling. Asashoryu is in better physical condition so I would be interested to see if he could pull it off. add comment to post #637 Peter:The media should just give it up and call me first. Here is a translation of a news story via JapanProbe: "The Japanese press is wildly speculating about why he (Asashoryu) went to Hawaii and what he may be planning in the future. It is rumored that Asashoryu had some drinks with MMA fighter Satoshi Ishii, who is known to have announced a desire to fight against him. Does that mean that Asashoryu could be considering a career as a professional fighter? Representatives of MMA organizations have expressed interest in Asashoryu, but nobody knows what he is planning." 2010-02-05SHIT COMING UP IN AND AROUND NAGOYA
Recipient of Hikan Ninja's coveted "Best Flyer Ever" Award
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I AM AMWE RELEASE PARTY Sunday, Feb. 21 from 14:00-18:00 Osu Capsule Market B1 in Osu FREE apparently After party from 21:00 at Club JB's in Sakae add comment to post #636 AMWE:In case you were too lazy to click the link above:
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