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A battle is brewing
A battle is brewing on the business front. Japan’s domestic towel makers are urging the government to place import restrictions on foreign towels that they claim are erroding their marketbase. But the Japan Chain Stores Association says they must import towels to provide convenience to consumers. I’ve used Japanese-made towels. They’re not especially remarkable. Bath…
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i-mode penetration
20 million i-mode users
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If you’ve been thinking
If you’ve been thinking of visiting Japan, this might be a good time. The dollar is over 119 yen, the highest it’s been since July 1999. The dollar hit bottom at about 101 yen in December 1999 after a drastic overnight drop from 108 to 104 in September. We saw people at the bank selling…
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I’m not sure what
I’m not sure what I’d do without the online Travel Expert. It’s a scaled down version of Japanese software that tells me how to get from point A to point B. Today I want to know how to get from home (Kasuga) to a town in Hyogo Prefecture, several hundred miles away. I used my…
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Today is Hina Matsuri,
Today is Hina Matsuri, the doll festival. It used to be a holiday for girls, with a Boy’s Day coming along later in the spring. But these days, Boy’s Day is now Children’s Day and Hina Matsuri is just a minor blip on the calendar. Girls arrange dolls representing the emperor’s court from the Heian…
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Japan’s Prime Minster, Yoshiro
Japan’s Prime Minster, Yoshiro Mori, is not much longer for his post. The press have been speculating on the date that he will face a no-confidence vote (his second since he took office last April) and be asked to step down. Some members of his own party have recommended that he quit the post voluntarily.…
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Last night, I had
Last night, I had an experience I haven’t had in years. I got a ride home. Brendan, the crazy proprietor of Pizzakaya, had driven out to Chiba for supplies before going to the restaurant for work. When we arrived for our usual Wednesday night pizza fest, he told me and Tod that he’d give us…
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I think I’m becoming
I think I’m becoming a computer expert. Those of you who know me personally may think I already am one. I’ve been working with computers for the last ten years, after all. I know a lot of things. But I’ve never thought of myself as an expert. Experts are the sort of people who know…
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First Kitchen, a Japanese
First Kitchen, a Japanese fast food chain, serves up the strangest side dish: french fries with flavourings. The hot fries are dropped into a paper bag, sprinkled with dried seasonings and mixed up Shake N Bake style. This season’s flavours: Garlic Butter Basil Consomme: beefy, salty taste Jaga-Butter: buttered baked potato Cheese and Kimchee: a…
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Each year our language
Each year our language school hosts a torture session. They call it a speech contest. I’m not sure which is worse torture–preparing and delivering a speech, or sitting through two and a half hours of others’ speeches. This year, Tod & I combined forces to present a skit about two frogs setting out to see…
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