Don't forget to Vote!

I'm sure you have all noticed the signs in the train stations, in shop windows, and on buses. On August 30th, that's tomorrow, Japanese people go to the polls to elect new representatives, and probably a new prime minister as well. When I walked by the station this morning near my home in Koiwa, the communist party and the democratic party of Japan were both giving speeches and handing out campaign leaflets.

Even though I can't vote, I am looking forward to see the results. It seems like prim minster Aso is on his way out, and Mr. Hatoyama will likely be the new prime minister of Japan. I am also interested to see how the communist party does. They say that many young people are now joining the party, and it will be interesting to see if they turn out to vote.

Japanese politicians always seem to become unpopular soon after they win an election. It will be interesting to see how long the new government lasts, and what it will do to try and gain the trust of the people.

Everyone, don't forget to vote on Sunday!!!

Media and Swine Flu

I am a little worried about the way that the media here in Japan is handling the outbreak of swine flu. This morning I noticed the lead story on the news was that the new swine flu had spread to the Tokyo area. They gave details on where the newly infected person lives, and even the route they traveled to get back to their house, even telling us if the person was wearing a mask or not. I think this is a little irresponsible. It makes people worry, yet doesn't seem to help them at all. I wish the news would focus on what people should do to prevent getting sick and reassure people that this new flu really isn't any more dangerous than normal flu.

The news did mention that you shoul wash your hands, and it did mention how to take care of people who were sick in their homes, and it did mention that you would likely not die from catching the flu, but it should have spent more time on these important matters and less time telling people about where the new cases of swine flu happened and transportation routes that the infected person may have traveled. This is simply not helpful.

The news is suppossed to be a public service. Encouraging people to panic is not a service. Instead, I would like to see the news providing more balanced coverage and urging people to recognise swine flu for what it is, just a bad case of the flu.

Summer is Here!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a nice Golden Week. Sadly, the weather was not very nice. But for the past two weeks, the weather has been almost perfect. It has become very hot in Tokyo, and it is not yet humid. I think this might be the best time of year in the Kanto area.

I think the nicest thing about summer in Tokyo is waiting for the train. In the winter, it can get very cold waiting for the tarin outside. But in the summer, it is very pleasant to stand on the platform, especially if there is a nice breeze.

Also in the summer many restaruants in Tokyo put tables outside so you can sit and have a coffee or a meal and enjoy the weather. Tokyo gets hot and humid, but I still like eating outside. Where I come from, it is very hard to eat outside because there are so many insects. This is not a problem in Tokyo.

I am really looking forward to summer. It's my favorite season of the year.

First Bird Flu, then Pig Flu!

The other day a student asked me "what does swine mean." I told them that it was a word that we didn't use anymore, but is a technical name for pigs. That is why we are hearing so much about swine flu lately, it is a flue virus carried by pigs. Earlier, we heard about "avian" flu. "Avian" is just a technical word for bird. Sometimes I think that using technical words, and not ordinary English, can make things seem scarier than they really are. Luckily, people seem to be remarkably calm about the new swine flu in Mexico. Though many people have died so far, all of them have been in Mexico, and the disease seems to be not as bad as people thought orginally.

One good thing about all the preparations for bird flu is that when pig flu came around, though it happened from an unexpected source (pigs) and in an unexpected place (Mexico, not Asia) many health professionals, such as doctors and governments, were ready for the rapid spread of a dangerous virus. So far the swine flu has not been as deadly as it could be, and we have the preparations made for bird flu to thank for that. This just goes to show that it always pays to be prepared, even if it pays off in ways you might not have expected!

Golden Week Plans

Golden Week is coming up soon! I hope that everyone has made some interesting plans. I have talked to many students who are going traveling around Japan and some who are going to other countries, like France. Some people are just planning on staying home and relaxing, like me.

One of my students asked me today if "Golden Week" was Japanese English. The answer is yes. We don't have any holidays that last for nearly a week like in Japan, so it is a word that Japanese people made up. We do have a similiar idea though. American call the time from Thanksgiving to New Years the "Holiday Season" because three of the biggest holidays in the United States happen within about one month of each other. Sadly, we don't get to take that month off work! "Golden Week" may be Japanese English, but I think it's a good word. In Japan, people do not get very much vacation time, so the time that they do get to take off work is truly "Golden."

What are your plans for Golden week? Please let everyone know what you did by making a post on the blog! You can even include some photos!

Robots!

Did anyone see the female robot onthe news the other day?

Scientists in Japan keep developing new robots, and the seem to get more advanced all the time. Researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrail Science and Technology have created a female robot that can walk, talk, and even copy human facial expressions.

Japan has a long history with robots that seem friendly. Recently Honda and Sony have both made robots that might make good friends for humans. Sony unveiled a robot dog, Aibo, and Honda makes Asimov, who is meant to look cute so as not to scare people. Perhaps the most famous of all robots in Japan is Astro Boy (or Mighty Atom) who was made to replace his creator's dead son. Robots seem to have a long hisotry of being friends to people in Japan. The new robot shown off this week though goes further than ever before.

Japanese scientists hope that soemday human-like robots will be able to help out with household chores like cleaning and watching children and maybe even do simple jobs that humans do now, like secratary or receptionist work. This would be very useful, because with Japan's population declining, people will need all the help they can get to free up more people for more difficult work. Can you imagine, in twenty years, robots might be making our breakfast, driving our train, and greeting us when we come into work!

Hillary Clinton Does Asia

Recently, US Secratery of State Hillary Clinton visited Asia. On the agenda was Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, and of course, China. US president Barack Obama lived in Indonesia as a child, and he is currently very popular there. Also, the United States is trying to reach out to Muslims. Since Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim nation and an ally of the US, it made sense that Hillary Clinto would visit.
Recently North Korea has been making a lot of noise about a potential long range missile test. Relations between North and South Korea have also been worsening for around a year now. Many South Koreans say they are nervous about North Korea's recent behavior. It was important that Hillary Clinton visit the South to send a strong message of support for South Korea.
China is one of the United States' most important economic partners. Also, China will probably soon become the strongest power in Asia. Of course Hillary Clinton would have much to discuss with the Chinese.
But what about Japan? The Japanese economy is in recession, the political situation here is a mess. America seems to be paying more attention to other countries in Asia like China, India, and Indonesia. The US even failed to help Japan push North Korea for the return of the abductees. Why was it so important that Clinton visit Japan?
The answer is that to the US, Japan is still an important partner and friend. There have been many problems in the relationship recently, but US president Obama wants to reassure the Japanese people that they are still important to the US. That is also why Prime Minister Aso was the first foreign leader to vist the White House. Even though the US and Japan may have many disagreements and both countries face many problems, it is important for the two countries to work together. The US does not want Japan to forget this. That is why Hillary Clinton was sent to Japan first on her tour of Asia.

Why Learn English?

Howdy everyone!

Today I read the introduction on the blog. It says "Teachers' diary and thoughts about education." So today I would like to ask a question to all of you? Why do you think it is important to learn English?

In many European countries, Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and more, you have to learn English to be able to be a successful college student. Almost everyone in these nations can speak at least a little English, and if they graduated college, they can read, speak, and usually write fairly well. Why do you think this is? For many countries in Asia, it is the same. If you go to India, the Philipines, Singapore, or Malaysia, almost all college students can speak English very well. Why do you think that English is so important to these people?

It is interesting when you compare Japan and the United States to these countries. In the US and Japan, people can usually speak only one language, no matter how long they went to school. In the US many people can understand a bit of Spanish, and in Japan, many people have studied English, but both countries are basically mono-lingual (only speaking one language). Why do the US and Japan put so little effort into learning other languages when so many other countries try so hard to learn a second or even third language?

I think that the US and Japan need to tell their people how much fun it is to learn another language, as well as all the benefits- such as experiencing a new culture and increased career opportunities- that come with it. I think it's great that so many students at Global Communications feel the same way I do.

(If anyone has any ideas why English is so important to these people, or why they think English is important for them, please write a comment. Thanks!)

Karuiza's Most Famous Resident

Three fun facts about Karuizawa,possibly the most famous resort town in Japan.

1) John Lennon visited Karuizawa often. Even though his wife, Yoko Ono, may be from Saitama, John's favorite place in Japan was Karuizawa.
2) Karuizawa is the only town to host both summer and winter Olympic events. In the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Karuizawa hosted equestrian, or horse riding events, and in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic games, Karuizawa hosted the curling events.
3) Mt. Asama, the second higest mountain in Japan is located in Karuizawa.

Mt. Asama was in the news the other day because it had an eruption. You can see a picture at the top of this blog. Mt. Asama is still an active voclcano and erupts from time to time. When you visit Mt. Asama volcano park there are safety shelters to hinde inside in case Asama has a sudden eruption (though I really doubt that they would do much good!).

Mt. Asama erupted early in the morning of February 3rd. Many local residents and tourists heard and felt the eruption. No one was hurt, but school children wore masks on the way to school to keep out volcanic ash and were not allowed to go outside and play during break times.

Have you ever been to Mt. Asama? I think it is one of the most beautiful places I have been to in Japan. But like many beautiful places, it can also be dangerous. If anyone has any good Mt. Asama stories, or maybe has seen an eruption of Mt. Asama or a different volcano first-hand, please post a comment. I would like to hear about your volcano experiences. Especially being from a place with no volcanos, I find these fire-mountains very interesting, and a little bit frightening.

Coming of Age Day

Howdy Everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. I know I did, and it was all thanks to Coming of Age Day, or Seijin no Hi. On Coming of Age Day, many young women dress in kimono, most young men wear suits, and everyone goes to a party in their hometown to see old friends, maybe a shrine to make good wishes for the next stage of their life, and then a drinking party afterwards.

I personally think that Coming of Age Day is a wonderful tradition. First of all, kimono are beautiful. I love to see people wearing them- I wish more men would decide to wear kimono as well! Second of all, the idea of becoming an adult with old friends from junior high or high school seems very fitting to me. You knew each other as children, and now you enter the adult world together.

Lastly, I think that becoming an adult all at once is a good thing. In the United States, we become legal adults when we are 18 years old. We can vote, get married, and even smoke. But we cannot drink alcohol until we turn 21. I like the Japanese way of bundling everything together so that wehn you turn 20, you can enjoy all the rights of an adult instead of growing up little by little.

I don't think that any of our students participated in Coming of Age Day this year, but maybe some of our students' children or even grandchildren did. I wish all the new adults luck in the next stage of their life, and I hope that everyone had an enjoyable vacation thanks to them.