Tokyo Electric is looking for a few good part-timers willing to do some work in the nuclear power plants in Fukushima. They are offering workers 10,000 yen per hour to take the risk and do some work for them. Although over $100 US sounds like a good hourly rate, they only want people to work…
My vote would have been with Mac Akasaka of the Smile Party. However, I am honestly surprised that Hideo Higashikokubaru, the former entertainer and governor of Miyazaki, was unable to take Tokyo away from incumbent governor Shintaro Ishihara… … some friends have said that I should not be surprised at all. The readers of NewzJapan tend…
Tokyo Shimbun reports on a 27 year old plant worker who received a call to come to the Fukushima Daiichi plant and work, but turned it down for the sake of his 26 year old wife and 3 year old son. The man said that many workers over the age of 50 were returning to…
Miyazaki Governor Hideo Higashikokubaru, also known as comedian, writer, and TV personality Sonomanma Higashi, has his eyes set on following his stint in Kyushu with becoming the next governor of Tokyo. He announced his official candidacy this week. Incumbent Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who loves a good (or bad) soundbite, continues to be criticized for…
I usually don’t read a lot of Japanese news in English, but an article in Gendai’s online magazine led me to hunt down an article on Time’s site. Funny that Gendai refers to Time for a hard-hitting story on how the government and bureaucracy in place in Japan has made it hard for other countries…
Two new policies have been introduced by TEPCO in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Tohoku region this month. Residents to be affected by the billing changes are understandably livid after enduring both planned and unplanned blackouts, in addition to cooperating with TEPCO and government requests to conserve as much energy…
It’s no secret that Lady Gaga is a fan of Japan. She has just put a bracelet up for sale that says “We pray for Japan” in both Japanese and English. The bracelet is on sale for $5 and all proceeds will go directly to Japan relief efforts. She is very quick to act and…
An interesting graphic was recently released showing the number of twitter users per 10,000 residents. There were not too many surprises here as prefectures with large, busy cities tended to rate higher. However after a second look at the data, I also tend to think that cities with a large number of universities fared well…
Aeon will be consolidating the naming of all of its Jusco, Saty, and Aeon starting March 1st 2011. Despite the tough economic times in Japan, Aeon has grown into one of Japan’s largest retailers. 92 Saty stores and 294 Jusco stores under the Aeon umbrella will be known as Aeon stores. Many shops have already…
Given the number of people moved by public transportation each day in Japan, some things are bound to go wrong. The ticket machines in Japanese train stations, and the wickets, or ticket gates, are also generally well-maintained. Even the most well-oiled machines may go wild at times. Here are a few videos of Japanese train…
The “mimamori keitai 005Z”, or the “protection cell phone” (my translation) is set to be released in March 2011. The phone has a crime prevention buzzer built in, and only has 1 button on it. The display is a tiny 1.2 inches, and was designed with young children in mind. It will also be equipped…
Japanese singer, Hitomi, has called her own husband her greatest enemy in raising their children. She recently released a new baby clothing line in collaboration with Seven&i Holdings (the growing powerhouse behind Japan’s 7-11 convenience stores, Itoyokado malls, and much more). Hitomi’s clothing line will be called Pomipomi, and when announcing it commented that there…