http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/rss mikkom's latest journal entries Lang-8 Inc. Thu May 23 09:45:03 UTC 2013 Thu May 23 09:45:03 UTC 2013 Lang-8 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Lang-8


Have you ever heard of the environmentally conscious Austrian artist, Hundertwasser?
He left a few works in Osaka.
One of them is the Maishima Refuse Incineration Plant.
Yesterday I went there as an interpreter to help tourists from Thailand .

You can see the design by Hundertwasser on the facade of the plant, in the pics I uploaded.
His concept is Nature.
As there are no identical objects in Nature, every design of pillars and windows is different, though, some of which are not practical but only ornamental.

Since he is only an artist, but not an architect, he sent a drawing and an exterior model in one hundredth scale to the Osaka City government.
However, our municipal government paid him 60 million yen for them, which made the plant notorious as a waste of tax money.
But I could say it's reasonable.
Because we needed some waste first as this plant was built to treat wastes.

Posted at Sat Dec 11 04:51:02 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/724648 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/724648 mikkom Sat Dec 11 04:51:02 UTC 2010

I bought iPhone last month.
I'm not used to using it yet.
However, I downloaded some applications and tried them.

My favorite one is "voice-recognition Mail cloud", which texts recognizing my voice.
I think the biggest iPhone's downside for Japanese is texting.
On this point, the cell phones made in Japan are more efficient.
However, the application is a big help.
Also you can use it for tweeting.

Another application I'd like to recommend is "Genius Scan".
You can see how to use it in my pictures.
The right pic was picked up from the left one with the application.
It's amazing, isn't it?



Posted at Thu Dec 02 13:27:05 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/714531 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/714531 mikkom Thu Dec 02 13:27:05 UTC 2010


Please take a closer look at these pictures.

This year the colors of the leaves are fabulous.

This temple's name is Eikando(永観堂), which features maple trees.

It is one of the best places to visit in Fall.

The entrance fee is now1000yen, which is little bit more expensive than the 600 yen charged in other seasons. However, in my opinion, the opportunity to experience the autumn splendor is worth the extra charge.

Posted at Wed Nov 24 04:52:28 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/704859 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/704859 mikkom Wed Nov 24 04:52:28 UTC 2010 Our prime minister attended the meeting in Yokohama as an observer, and expressed his intentions to participate in the TPP..

There were some demonstrations against participation in the TPP.
Most of them were farmers.
Japanese farmers have been protected by our government since 1960.

Much of our tax money has been used to save the agriculture industry.
It was OK when agriculture accounted for around 10% of the GDP in 1960.
Now it is only 1% and 65% of farmers are old enough to retire.
In spite of all the money, our food self-sufficiency is under 40% now, which is low compared with 80% in 1960.

Most of the lawmakers are elected in prefectures, where the percentage of farmers in the population is relatively high because the main industry is agriculture.
As those lawmakers want to secure their seats, they do their best to protect globally-uncompetitive agriculture.
As a result, much of our tax money is used in vain.

For example, our government had fixed the price of rice, then too many farmers had planted it, consequently too much rice was produced.
Therefore the policy of "gentan"(減反）, or reducing the rice fields, is practiced.
The farmers who stopped or changed their crops from rice to other crops were subsidized.

Too many subsidies ares suffocating the industry.
Overly expensive food made in Japan is starving people working in other industries.

Now is the time to change this ridiculous policy.
I hope TPP can be the Black Ships of Commodore Perry.






Posted at Mon Nov 15 03:11:01 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/693872 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/693872 mikkom Mon Nov 15 03:11:01 UTC 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO3icKluj7o&feature=player_embedded#!



In this incident, who has to take responsibility?
I think our government does.
Especially our red shadow shogun (chief cabinet secretary) has to.
His first decision made things worse.
After the incident, he must have been informed that the Chinese captain deliberately attacked Japan's coast guard's ship.
But he decided to release the captain because he wanted to get along with the Chinese government.
In nautical terms, he didn't want to "make waves".

He was like leaders of non-mainstream clans, such as the Tosa clan, in what is now Kochi prefecture, at the end of the Edo period (in the late 19th century).
During the Edo period every feudal lord had to show his loyalty to the Tokugawa shogunate.
This meant that they couldn't offend any of the mainstream clans, such as the Owari clan - one of three top Tokugawa-related families.

The first clash between steamboats owned by these mainstream and non-mainstream clans took place at the end of the Edo period.
One foggy night the Owari clan's boat hit Tosa clan's boat and sank it.
First, the Owari clan tried to claim compensation for the damage to their boat.
Perhaps because they were intimidated by the idea of confronting the powerful Owari clan, the leaders of the Tosa clan appeared willing to accept the settlement.
This despite the fact that the Owari's boat had caused the collision.
However, Ryoma Sakamoto, the captain of Tosa clan's boat, said "this is the first dispute of steamboat clash, if we accept defeat so easily, we will be laughed at by foreign countries."
Then he suggested that they follow the prevalent law on the seas and ask the British Royal Navy to judge the dispute.
As a result, Tosa clan got an arm and a leg from Owari clan.
This episode gave non-mainstream clans the momentum to topple the Tokugawa shogunate government.

I wish Ryoma lived in Japan now.










Posted at Sat Nov 06 05:09:11 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/683665 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/683665 mikkom Sat Nov 06 05:09:11 UTC 2010 Freedom of speech has been incorporated into our country's constitution.
In my country there are many Internet users and more mobile-phone subscribers. They can access the Internet to express their views, including critical views. I often say that we should not only let people have the freedom of speech; we, more important, must create conditions to let them criticize the work of the government.
All this must be conducted within the range allowed by the constitution and the laws so that the country will have normal order.
And that is all the more necessary for my country.

※I changed some words to adapt it to a quiz.



Posted at Sun Oct 24 14:59:07 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/668845 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/668845 mikkom Sun Oct 24 14:59:07 UTC 2010


ALL MADE IN JAPAN

BEST BUY

1 FOR ￥＿＿＿
3 FOR ￥＿＿＿

HANDMADE DOLLS COME WITH A STRAP
(A strap means a cord to attach it to something like a cellphone or a purse)

(One of my purpose of peddling is communicating with foreigners.
Therefore I'd like to do something to please foreigners.
How about giving information to them? In this case, are these signs OK?)

ANY QUSETION IS WELCOMED

WE'LL SHOW YOU THE WAY TO ANYWHERE

ASK US ABOUT ANYTHING!!

(How about offering a free service to write their names in Japanese(kanji)?
In this case, which sign is better, or would you suggest any better one?)

①DO YOU WANT US TO WRITE YOUR NAME IN JAPANESE(KANJI)?

②WE'LL OFFER THE SERVICE TO WRITE YOUR NAME IN JAPANESE(KANJI)

③WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET YOUR NAME IN JAPANESE(KANJI)?

(Also I'd like to limit this free service to people who bought something.
In this case, is this sign OK?)

THIS IS A FREE SERVICE IF YOU TAKE MY BUDDY
(This phrase is supposed to be said by one of my handmade dolls)

What service would you expect us Japanese most when you visit Japan?





Posted at Sun Oct 24 03:30:31 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/668072 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/668072 mikkom Sun Oct 24 03:30:31 UTC 2010


I'm worried about Japanese people living in China.
They went to China to study the language or to work because they, like me, like China and want to make friends with Chinese people.
However, I heard that many Chinese people have joined demonstrations and some of those people have been very violent.

The Chinese government is telling a lie to the people to instigate them against Japan.
Here is some evidence.

Chinese map before 1970 shows that the islands belong to Japan.
You can see the map, one of my pics.

248 Japanese fishermen were living on one of the islands in 1909.
Although Chinese government claims Japan stole it from China, actually our government had been investigating the islands to make sure that they were a no-man's land for 10 years(from 1885 to 1895).

1920年中国政府承認尖閣諸島（釣魚島）是日本領土，把一張感謝状送給日本。
In 1920 some Chinese fishermen were saved by Japanese there, and Chinese government sent a thank-you letter to Japan, which said the islands belongs to Japan.
You can see the letter in the photos I put.

Which do you believe, Chinese opaque information symbolised by Google's retreat or Japanese crystal-clear information?

Posted at Sun Oct 17 03:48:24 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/659617 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/659617 mikkom Sun Oct 17 03:48:24 UTC 2010 He is now serving an 11-year term in Jail.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of “his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.”

Unfortunately as he is in Jail, he can't be present at the award ceremony.
I wish Chinese government would allow his wife to be present in his place.

I'd like the Chinese people to think about this reality.
The person who should be admired is in Jail.
Which means justice is dead.
In what sort of society can a person be arrested for speaking the truth?
Without an opportunity to become a hero, you can't help being tainted by greed.

I hope this prize will act as a key to real freedom for the people.




Posted at Fri Oct 08 14:06:31 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/649595 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/649595 mikkom Fri Oct 08 14:06:31 UTC 2010 Kobe city renewed the contract to rent it more five years this June.
The contract stipulates that its death from any reason other than natural causes will cost 500,000 dollars, which is being covered by insurance.

Panda's length of life is 20 years.
If it is adapted to people's life, Koukou is 56 years old, which is almost retirement age.
Koukou should have been replaced to younger one.

How much money should we pay to China?
Do Chinese people know we paid a lot of money as ODA?
Big dams, bridges, high ways, power plants and so on were built by our money.
When we go to other Asian countries, we can see some words of thanks to Japan on boards at the foot of such buildings.
However, we've never seen such boards in China.

It's a shame for each other.

Posted at Sat Oct 02 11:29:48 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/642410 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/642410 mikkom Sat Oct 02 11:29:48 UTC 2010 It could hamper the use of many arms.
It could make arms scraps.

Embargo of rails, which can bear 80t per 1m, invented by Japanese company.
It's impossible to support rail road systems without it.
Of course, building the bullet train system requires it.

Embargo of small power shovels and bulldozers made by Komatsu Factory.
Also ones already exported will require maintenance by the workers for Komatsu.

Embargo of paint used for stealth weapons.
Although PRC has not yet developed stealth weapons, it wants to.

Embargo of Jet fuel for battle planes, which is made from heavy oil easily available.
It could make battle planes white elephants.


Japan would never use these kinds of countercharges.
This time we proved it.
I believe we can keep our confidence in the world.

Also I believe the Pinnacle Islands are parts of Japan.
Because PRC's map had depicted them as Japanese Islands until natural resources were found around them.

Delibrately ramming foreign ships in the sea of other's sovereignty is a kind of terror, isn't it?
What kind of nation claims consolation money for arresting a terrorist?

Japanese workers are not terrorists.
I can't believe they did something bad in this timing.
What kind of nation arrests foreigners for no reason?



Posted at Thu Sep 30 14:17:24 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/640461 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/640461 mikkom Thu Sep 30 14:17:24 UTC 2010


Do you like curry?

As everyone knows, curry has its root in India.
However, as curry was first introduced to Japan by the Britain Navy as a custom of eating curry every Friday, Japanese curry is different from original Indian one.
It is thicker enough to go well with soft japonica rice and to keep fried pork or chicken crispy.

As a result, we diversified how to eat curry very well.
For example, curry noodle(udon or ramen), curry pan (fried bread stuffed with curry), curry flavored snacks, etc.

However, we eat most is, of course, curry and rice, especially made by our own mother.
Therefore, many food companies tried to make helpful stuff like curry blocks.
The most successful product is retort curry, which is now popular all over the world.

Curry is not only good for your tongue but also good for your blood circulation.
So it is one of the basic menus for astronauts.
Following a notable cup noodle, retort curry is now going out of the earth.

Posted at Mon Sep 20 08:50:56 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/628236 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/628236 mikkom Mon Sep 20 08:50:56 UTC 2010 Therefore many Indonesian tourists visit Japan at this time of the year.
I escorted one group of them till yesterday.

As they used Korean Airline, the flight crossing the route of the ninth typhoon from Seoul to Japan was awful.
Their plane was shaken by the typhoon moving northward on Monday.
However next day the typhoon turned eastward like it was following them.
Then the typhoon continued to impress our Indonesian guests. On the train the typhoon poured rain on our coach the whole way from Tokyo to Kyoto.
Luckily, when we arrived at Kyoto, the rain stopped and we enjoyed visiting temples.

Under the crazy itinerary we got to ride on the bullet train from Kyoto to Shin Osaka for a grand total of thirteen minutes.
Actually, it took eighteen minutes because the train had to wait at a stoplight for five minutes
Although,the Japanese public transportation system is very punctual, serious natural disasters like typhoons or earthquakes sometimes hamper it.
While we were there, many bullet trains scheduled to travel to Tokyo couldn't leave Shin Osaka station.
Consequently, the station became very crowded and our departure was delayed.
I thought my tourists were unlucky because they were influenced by the typhoon twice.
However, later I realized that right after our train left Tokyo Station no bullet trains were able to leave the station for two more hours!
So, i guess "my" Indonesian tourists were actually very lucky!

Posted at Sat Sep 11 01:36:35 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/617795 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/617795 mikkom Sat Sep 11 01:36:35 UTC 2010
It's a household registration system in China.
It was invented 2000 years ago, when the Han dynasty used it as a way to collect taxes and determine who served in the army.
However, this obsolete system was revived in 1958 to keep poor rural farmers from flooding into the cities.

Most cities relaxed the system because of the dynamic change occurring within the Chinese social systems.
However, Beijing still strictly enforces the hukou. As a result migrant workers and their families, which by some estimate account for as many as one third of Beijing's population, are not covered by it.

Without it they pay Beijing taxes, but their children are not allowed to attend Beijing's public schools.
They are charged more for tickets to some city parks.
They don't qualify for subsidized apartments.
They cannot enroll their families in the city's public health-insurance program.

As the easiest way to get hukou is to marry people with hukou, having hukou has been regarded as the lure until now.

However, recently even Beijing has started to relax it.
Migrant's children are allowed to attend public schools.

Marriage-oriented Pekingese, this may be the last chance to sell yourselves with hukou.

By the way, if you type hukou on your PC screen, you'll find 不幸, unhappy in Japanese.
Is it only a coincidence?



Posted at Thu Sep 02 15:53:23 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/608320 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/608320 mikkom Thu Sep 02 15:53:23 UTC 2010
Visitors have to wait more than three hours to enter popular pavilions, such as the Japanese, German, Swiss pavilions.
This reminds me of the Aichi World Expo, where I waited for four hours to enter the German pavilion.

However, some Chinese people squeezed through the loophole.
Senior citizens who are older than 74 years old and the physically challenged in wheelchairs can get through priority entrances with their attendants, who are usually their families, relatives or friends.
People in wheelchairs followed by a few attendants inundated the entrances.

Then staff at the pavilions started to require the people's certificates to make sure about their age or handicapped status.

As a result, a new business started outside the Expo.
What kind of business?
It's a wheelchair rental business.
Unlike an ordinary public service, the wheelchair is occupied by the elderly with the certificate.

Therefore, you can get through the priority entrance by pushing the wheelchair, and paying 500 yuan (75 dollars) to him and 160 yuan as the entrance fee.
Given the normal price of the entrance fee is 160 yuan, you have to pay four times more.

On the other hand, the cunning elderly can get in the Expo for nothing, getting paid 410 yuan (the entrance fee for senior citizens is 90 yuan) in a wheelchair.
What easy money!





Posted at Tue Aug 31 15:04:19 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/606046 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/606046 mikkom Tue Aug 31 15:04:19 UTC 2010 It is divided into two categories, green one and black one.
However, both of them are made of similar green leaves.
The difference of its colors are attributed to how to be made.

Heated earlier to prevent from being fermented, leaves keep green.
As a result, green tea contains much antioxidants such as catechin and vitamin C, which can keep you green too.
Actually it was originally introduced to Japan as a kind of medicines by Buddhist monks.
Green tea itself being easily oxidizable, you have to consume it in a good season or keep it in a freezer.

Fermented completely, leaves turn black.
Although black tea itself keeps longer, it doesn't keep you younger.

Speaking of ferment, we Japanese love fermented food such as natto, miso, soy sauce and so on.
Then, why don't we ferment tea?
That's another cup of tea.

Posted at Sun Aug 29 02:46:30 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/603226 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/603226 mikkom Sun Aug 29 02:46:30 UTC 2010 However, I have to confess that I often go there.
Not for food but for drinks or desserts.

When I want to go there, I say "let's go to Macdo."
Macdo is the name called by people in the western area of Japan.
In the eastern area it is called Mac.

I feel that Mac has more major image than Macdo does because the eastern area includes Tokyo, where 10% of the Japanese live.
But across the world, more people call it Macdo as people in France and philippine use the abbreviated name.

In U.S.A., where the company is based, I've heard people call it golden arches from the shape of its yellow trade sign or Mickey D's.
Mickey D's confuses me with a Japanese famous figure skater, Miki Ando.
She is nicknamed Mikitty, which sounds similar to Mickey D's pronounced by Americans.
It's like hara kiri pronounced by me sounds as hello kitty for a cute American girl.
I wrote about the story in my entry before.
http://lang-8.com/100313/journals/420775/What%27s-the-relationship-between-Hello-Kitty-and-committing-suicide%3F

Which nickname do you like?




Posted at Thu Aug 26 12:36:07 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/600732 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/600732 mikkom Thu Aug 26 12:36:07 UTC 2010 As the word, like, is regarded as a stative verb, it can't be used as progressive verb, which is the party line for me.

Of course if you google "I'm liking" on UTube, you can find many examples for the new usage in music lyrics.
However, music lyrics are allowed to make any grammatical mistake because rhyming is more important than following grammatical rules.

Also, I've heard MacDonald's advertisement is using it in U.S., however, considering their worst food, the wrong usage of a word is nothing.

It might sound cool to use a new way, which others hesitate to use.
It might be brave to make a word grammatically wrong, which risks being regarded as an idiot by others.

However, please don't make already messy English grammar more messy.

Posted at Wed Aug 25 01:48:43 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/599162 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/599162 mikkom Wed Aug 25 01:48:43 UTC 2010 They met the girl through a mobile encounter site.
One of them is a twenty-three-year-old guy living on welfare benefits.
He had claimed that he couldn't work as he was suffering from insomnia.

I didn't know we could get welfare benefits because of insomnia.
There are many kinds of drug for the disease.
Actually he was prescribed such a medicine for free as adding benefits.
However, he used it not to cure his disease but to make the victim sleep.

In Japan welfare benefits are left to local civil servants.
Therefore, whether he/she can get it or not is arbitrary.
Consequently insistent citizens would win.

The servant who admitted him a recipient is to be responsible for giving him time and drug to rape the girl.



Posted at Mon Aug 23 15:39:35 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/597633 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/597633 mikkom Mon Aug 23 15:39:35 UTC 2010 Heat-wave fatality has already exceeded one hundred, which is five times more than usual year.

The recent news about the death of heat stroke showed the agony of the poor.

The seventy-six-year-old victim lived with his son in Saitama city.
His son lost his job because of back problem around ten years ago.
Japanese long-struggling economy made it difficult for him to find a new job.
They had to live on the father's small amount of national pension, fifty-five thousand yen a month.

Thus they couldn't afford utilities.
They managed to pay for only water, however, gave up electricity and gas.
The father, who was born in Hokkaido, couldn't survive this scorching heat without electricity.

The son once applied for welfare benefits, however, he got turned down.
He might be too decent to get it.
Civil servants tend to obey outrageous citizens and ignore decent ones.








Posted at Sun Aug 22 07:42:57 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/596011 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/596011 mikkom Sun Aug 22 07:42:57 UTC 2010 However, Kanji institute, which bought the right to hold the test last year, announced the renunciation of it next year.

As Ikenobo Yasuko, the head of the institute, has just taken over the organization because of the former head's inappropriate management, she told that she didn't know the deficit balance of the test and that it's impossible to keep holding it.

At BJT you can score out of 800 points unlike JLPT, at which you can get a grade from 1 to 5.

I'm sorry for foreigners who are preparing the test.


Posted at Wed Aug 18 15:54:21 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/592377 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/592377 mikkom Wed Aug 18 15:54:21 UTC 2010 We Japanese are not used to the merit system yet, so this figure is striking.

The recruits, who can revel in their privileged position, are G-type new staff, who will be hired in Nomura Holdings next spring.

What's G-type?
In this case, G is an abbreviation of global.
Thus they have to work all over the world, required a good command of English.

How good command is sought?
TOEIC 800 is enough, which is less than Korean National Bank's credentials, 900, however, various abilities other than English should be covered.

Are you an eligible person for it?





Posted at Mon Aug 16 09:23:02 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/589547 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/589547 mikkom Mon Aug 16 09:23:02 UTC 2010
Have you ever seen Engrish.com?
I've just taken a look at it and found a lot of funny signs.
However, I found a sign, which is common in Japan.

Please look at the picture↑

This is a breakable wall, which I have in my balcony of my condo.
As there is no hole to throw an emergency ladder in my balcony, I have to break the wall to move into the next balcony in case of emergency.
That wall is a breakable wall, which can be easily broken when kicked.

I didn't know they are strange walls for foreigners.
For Japanese the sign isn't funny at all.


Posted at Sat Aug 14 16:20:02 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/587604 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/587604 mikkom Sat Aug 14 16:20:02 UTC 2010 It's a Japanese famous confectionery company.
However, if the Korean read this, they might say I'm wrong.
Since there is a big chaebol(Korean conglomerate) called Lotte, they may think Lotte in Japan is a Korean company too.

In fact, Lotte is a Japanese company, whose history I'll show you briefly.
In 1945 Takeo Shigemitsu, the founder of Lotte co.,Ltd., started his own company named Hikari special chemical research, where he was making and selling soap and pomade.
In 1947 he started to produce and sell chewing gum.
In 1948 he established Lotte co.,Ltd..

Now then, who built Korean Lotte Chaebol?
It's 辛格浩(I don't know how to pronounce it) established it in 1966.
You must be familiar with department stores, amusement parks and hotels called Lotte in Korea.

Well then, why do they share a name?
Because the founder is the same person.
Takeo Shigemitsu is a Korean-Japanese man, who usually has two names in Japanese and Korean.
In Japan there are many Korean people, who are called 「在日」(=the Koreans who live in Japan）".
Some of them are very successful, and the most successful one is 辛格浩.
We have a saying 「故郷に錦を飾る」(=return home as a hero), and he must be a good example of it.

Posted at Mon Aug 09 16:04:18 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/582064 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/582064 mikkom Mon Aug 09 16:04:18 UTC 2010
Since ancient days, we have fought against Mother Nature.
Additionally we have to fight against self-inflicted consequence now.
Air and water pollution, acid rain, global warming, and so on.
There are many problems caused by industrialization.

However, the worst thing created by human in the world must be the atom-bomb.
It is said that the bomb left nothing, lodging trees and buildings.
Actually, a lot of predicament is left.
The worst plight is leukemia.
As the disease is heritable, children of the radiation-exposed can die early.
The bomb destroys not only existing lives but also the future of them.

Although we made a lot of carcinogen accidentally, the bombs were made intentionally.
If indiscriminate killing can be defined as terror, the bomb should be defined as a tool of terror.

I can't understand countries that have made many experiments to make the bombs even after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Last year, the president Obama declared the elimination of the atom-bomb.
He showed his strong will power, sending ambassador Roos to the peace ceremony in Hiroshima.

No leader wants to drop the bomb in his/her own territory.
Our former prime minister once told he'd like to do something good for the universe.
He was too philanthropic to keep his post.
I hope the leaders of have-nations think something good for the earth.







Posted at Sat Aug 07 08:58:42 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/579539 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/579539 mikkom Sat Aug 07 08:58:42 UTC 2010 As a result, 66 people can't be reached.
As Osaka city is supposed to have 800 centenarians, the city government can't search all of them yet.
I wonder how many people will be found dead.
Most of them have got benefits in some way.
Our tax money has been paid to ghosts.
Also the worldly accepted myth, Japanese longevity trait, is now dubious.

Posted at Thu Aug 05 16:19:50 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/577980 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/577980 mikkom Thu Aug 05 16:19:50 UTC 2010


Yesterday I went to a public bath, "sento" in Japanese.
Public bathes in Japan date back to the twelfth century.
As home bathes were rare before World War Ⅱ, many people used public bathes.
Public bath users gradually decreased along with the growing number of home bathes.
However, in these ten years a new type of public bath, which is called "super sento" have appeared and become popular.
I enjoyed one.

Just after you enter the entrance, you'll find a sign saying "no tattoo".
Tattoo is a big no-no in any type of public bath.
If you've got a small tattoo on your body, please cover with something.
Tattoo is a kind of sign of "893", Japanese gang.

There are many kinds of bath tubs there.
Babble bath tub: water pressure massages you
Hydrogen bath tub: you can expect anti-aging effects
Silk bath tub: water color is white, which is similar to hot spring water
Open air bath tub: you can enjoy scenery of the outside
Bedrock bath (similar to a sauna bath without water): perspiration detoxes

After cleaning your body you can enjoy good food in a self-service restaurant.

Going to a super sento is a healthy leisure.
I can recommend you a nice super sento if you live in Nagoya city.
Please google "Kita no Yu (喜多の湯)".

Posted at Tue Aug 03 15:55:39 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/575847 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/575847 mikkom Tue Aug 03 15:55:39 UTC 2010 In May neighbors called police and reported that children's cry could be heard from the room.
Then police officers checked the room.
However, the door was locked and no sound could be heard.

Their mother had locked them in since winter.
Although in June she returned there only to find them died, she left them behind.

Recent heat wave caused the bodies to rot and stink warned neighbors again.





Posted at Fri Jul 30 15:02:32 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/571675 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/571675 mikkom Fri Jul 30 15:02:32 UTC 2010 His grandchild reported the elderly man had said that he would be a mummy and not to bother him at that time.
As he was very stubborn, no member of the family couldn't come into his room and has left him alone for thirty years.
Then thirty years later, he was found as a skeletal remains.

Nine and half million yen was transferred to his account as a kind of pension and about three million yen has been withdrawn recently.

There are many stories like this and most of them are related to a pension scam.


Posted at Thu Jul 29 15:46:38 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/570712 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/570712 mikkom Thu Jul 29 15:46:38 UTC 2010 Therefore it was called "the base of the rising sun", which became "日本".

After World War Ⅱ, Japan had stood on the balanced power among big countries.
First, Korean War let japan make headway.
Secondly, the cold war made Japan democratic.
In the period of the economic bubble Japan bought buildings all over the world.

After the bubble burst, we Japanese have been like bedridden elderly people.

Hikikomori syndrome made many promising young people void.
According to a inquiry done by a university, almost half of recruits don't want to work abroad.
If you see the number of international students from Japan, comparing with Chinese and Koreans, you'll be surprised at the small number.

Now Chinese people are coming to Japan to buy buildings.
From now on China is the country where the sun is rising.









Posted at Wed Jul 28 15:35:18 UTC 2010
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/569655 http://www.lang-8.com/100313/journals/569655 mikkom Wed Jul 28 15:35:18 UTC 2010