Tag: Japanese | RocketNews24

Japanese

Japanese Permanent Resident Status to be Awarded to Overseas Students? A New Appeal by the Mayor of Kyoto

Apr 15, 2013 by Andrew Miller
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On April 10, the mayor of Kyoto Keiji Yamada made public his intentions to appeal to the government to award overseas students who graduate from Kyoto University with the right to permanent residence. It is a proposal entitled ‘Kyoto University Special Ward’ and also incorporates other supportive measures for foreign students. With a decrease in student intake within Japan in recent years, it is hoped that by providing incentives for academically skilled overseas students, Kyoto will not only be able to compete with other cities like Tokyo but will also be able to add a new lease of life to its cultural city.

Mar 4, 2013 by Andrew Miller
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The Japanese word “karoushi”, meaning “death from overwork”, is a term that has gained recognition across the globe and is arguably testimony to the zeal with which many Japanese people carry out their work. Westerners observing Japan’s high standard of living and yet long labour hours often struggle to fully comprehend the Japanese mindset. The prevailing ideology for many in the west is that we “work to live”, in Japan, however, many appear to live to work.

Nov 16, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Japanese people often get a hard time for their lack of English language skills. But with so few Japanese ever setting foot outside their own country, it’s little wonder that one of the most frequently heard reasons given for struggling with the language is the lack of opportunity to use it.

Just last night, in fact, I was completely caught off guard when a teenage girl in my local convenience store seized the opportunity to break out her English and asked me whether I needed a plastic bag. Unfortunately, I was completely unprepared for the question and it was only after she had repeated herself three times that I realised that a) she was speaking English and b) I’d probably just ensured that she never dare to do so ever again.

But perhaps the prospect of a free cup of coffee would rekindle her enthusiasm for language?

As part of a promotional campaign for the launch of its new ReFLEX language learning software, Rosetta Stone is opening a special limited-time-only cafe in a Shinjuku book store, giving customers the chance to use their English, and doling out free cups of coffee to those who can.

Sep 2, 2012 by Steven
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Back in 2006, Japanese mass media began using the term “guerrilla rainstorm” to describe short localized downpours of over 100 mm of rain per hour that appeared suddenly and unexpectedly.

The phenomenon is thought to be a result of rapid development of cumulonimbus clouds near urban areas caused by a combination of heat islands and local winds. The rainstorms have proven incredibly difficult to predict (hence the name “guerilla”) and are known for causing flash floods in urban areas.

The photo you see above is of one such guerrilla rainstorm, taken from Tokyo Skytree on September 1.

Aug 28, 2012 by Steven
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Many Japanese people lament their inability to carry out a proper conversation in English despite studying it for 10 years in junior high, high school and university.

Some people blame the education system, some people blame the lack of transparency between Japanese and other languages; but there just seems to be something about Japanese people that makes them terrible with foreign languages.

Continuing from yesterday’s post, we’d like to share the last part of Japanese columnist Ryuuji Haneishi’s discussion of why he believes they are.

Aug 27, 2012 by Steven
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Many Japanese people lament their inability to carry out a proper conversation in English despite 10 years of study during junior high, high school and university.

While anyone who has taught English at a public school in Japan would probably be quick to point their finger at a curriculum still largely grounded in rote memorization and strange textbook phrases, it’s also important to realize that Japanese has absolutely nothing in common with any of the European languages and most other languages in the world.

But aside this inherent disadvantage, there just seems to be something about Japanese people that makes them terrible with foreign languages.

Jul 4, 2012 by Jessica
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Tracking Twitter trends can teach us a lot about language, for instance that Japanese women are more likely than men to tweet about boobs. It can also introduce us to hitherto unknown expressions coined and trending in the Twitterverse. We at Rocket News have been looking into some very strange examples, and we’d like to enlighten you today. Get ready, because your eyes are about to get pregnant! Read More

HEMORRHOIDS! The Best of Comically Bad Japanese T-Shirts on Non-Japanese Torsos

Apr 11, 2012 by Mac Denny
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Everyone loves Engrish, and everyone enjoys lampooning the machines that create it and the silly humans who wear it.

Is it as funny when the tables are turned? What happens when non-Japanese deck themselves out in clothing with unintelligible characters on it, only to have the true meaning outed on the web for all to see? Read More

New York As Seen By The Japanese In 8 Random Points

Oct 29, 2011 by Steven
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New York. From Broadway to numerous tourist spots like the Statue of Liberty, many Japanese people hold an image as a land of unlimited entertainment. At the same time, many of us may also relate the city with things like high prices and, likely due to the popularity of American crime dramas in Japan, violence.

During a recent trip to New York, I asked several Japanese people who have moved there to share their impressions of the city with the rest of us back home. I’ve also added some of my thoughts, and hopefully this list will give you a good understanding of what parts of New York stick out to Japanese people who have stepped away from the TV and onto the streets. Read More

New York’s Bento Burger Impresses The Japanese

Oct 28, 2011 by Steven
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During a recent trip to New York, we heard about a Japan-inspired hamburger restaurant that’s popular with the locals called Bento Burger.

When we say Japan-inspired hamburger, we don’t just mean things like teriyaki sauce or ramen noodle buns (though Kobe Beef and Japanese Hambuugu are available). As the name suggests, Bento Burger arranges its hamburgers on bento box-inspired platters along with a variety of toppings, which customers may dress their burger with or enjoy separately. Read More

Restauraunt Staffed By Dancing Robot Samurai Waiters

Jun 6, 2011 by Steven
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Restaurant employees of the future may be modeled after warriors of the past. At least, that’s the impression we were left with after visiting Hajime, a restaurant staffed by dancing robot samurai waiters. Read More

Lost in Translation: a different kind of relief

Apr 15, 2011 by Steven
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One day, while walking around in downtown Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, with an empty stomach, I found a tiny hamburger stand. Considering that I flew all the way to Malaysia specifically to experience the exotic, I decided that eating a hamburger would be boring. However, as I was passing the stand my eyes locked onto a word on the menu board. Read More