MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2022

we touched this same spot with our hands, our feet, our gaze and our dreams

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Thinking globally to save riches of the sea


Given the price a single bluefin tuna can fetch -- one sold for a record $173,600 a few years ago at Tokyo's Tsukiji market -- it's not surprising that the rich, buttery fish is a prized catch. Or that it has prompted a feeding frenzy among international traders. Read here.....
(By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post)

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Christmas chorale members take a bough

IKURO AIBA
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Christmas chorale members take a bough
(IKURO AIBA/ THE ASAHI SHIMBUN) 

Chorists on a 7-meter tall platform give voice to a "Singing human Christmas tree" at Megumi Chalet Karuizawa, a Christian education center in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. The specially built platform can hold 60 people. Performances, which started on Nov. 22, will be held twice a day, from 7 p.m. and from 8 p.m., on Dec. 5, 12, 19 and 23.(IHT/Asahi: November 28,2009)

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Air Canada to begin non-stop Calgary-Tokyo flights

Air Canada is to launch non-stop flights between Calgary and Tokyo. The airline will operate three times weekly flights to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport beginning March 27, 2010 in time for summer peak travel.
To promote its new Calgary-Tokyo route, Air Canada is offering introductory fares starting from C$598 round-trip before taxes and other charges.
“The introduction of the only non-stop service between Calgary and Tokyo is great news for customers traveling between Alberta and Asia on business or leisure as well as for freight forwarders,” said Ben Smith, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer. “Air Canada’s new non-stop Narita service will provide Albertans direct access to a major Asian gateway that offers one convenient connection point with our Star Alliance partners to key destinations throughout Asia including Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok, Taipei, several points across Japan among others. Our initial schedule of three weekly flights during the 2010 summer season is the first step towards building year-round, daily flights.”
In addition to offering efficient connections at Narita to points throughout Asia with Air Canada’s Star Alliance partners, ANA, Asiana, THAI and United Airlines, Air Canada’s Calgary-Japan flights are timed to offer convenient connections to and from communities across Alberta and Western Canada served by Air Canada.
Air Canada’s Calgary-Tokyo flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, departing Calgary at 12:20 p.m. and arriving in Narita the following day at 2 p.m. Flights will depart Narita on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 4 p.m., arriving Calgary same day at 10:45 a.m.
Air Canada will operate the new non-stop service with fully refurbished 211-seat Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft offering a choice of Economy Class and Executive First service featuring 24 lie-flat bed suites.
The new Calgary-Tokyo service will complement the carrier’s daily non-stop flights to Tokyo from both Vancouver and Toronto. Next summer, the carrier will offer up to 17 flights each week from Canada to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport.

In Japan, 'Herbivore' Boys Subvert Ideas Of Manhood


November 25, 2009
The sensitive New Age man has finally arrived in the land of the salaryman. But there is a catch — a particularly important one in Japan, where the declining birthrate has caused alarm: The new Japanese man doesn't appear to be interested in women or sex.
In Tokyo on the weekends, the trendy area of Harajuku is a melting pot of urban tribes: Lolita goths bat their fake eyelashes, while the punks glower.
Away from the strutting are the retiring wallflowers, a quiet army of sweet young men with floppy hair and skinny jeans. These young men are becoming known as Japan's "herbivores" — from the Japanese phrase for "grass-eating boys" — guys who are heterosexual but who say they aren't really interested in matters of the flesh. Read & Listen to the story here.....

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Tokyo Tops Paris in the Michelin Guide


Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009
Bloomberg

The Michelin Guide gave top billing to 11 restaurants in Tokyo on Tuesday, vaulting the Japanese capital over Paris as the city with the most three-star eateries.
All but one of the nine Tokyo restaurants that won Michelin's highest accolade last year retained the rating this year.
Hamadaya, which serves traditional Japanese cuisine, lost one of its three stars.
Three restaurants, Esaki, Sushi Saito and Yukimura, were promoted to three-star status after getting two last year. Paris has 10 three-star restaurants, Michelin said.
The 2010 Tokyo edition, Michelin's third for the city, goes on sale Friday.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Readers in Asia: Share Your Thoughts

November 13, 2009, 1:11 pm

Readers in Asia: Share Your Thoughts

Obama in Asia
Jason Reed/Reuters; Charles Dharapak/Associated Press; Cliff Owen/Associated Press
 
To foster discussion of President Barack Obama’s trip to Asia, the Times is inviting readers living in the countries he is visiting to share their views with us via video. If you live in Japan, Singapore, China or South Korea, we would like you to film yourself telling us what you believe Mr. Obama could do for your country.
Readers may send their videos — shot on whatever sort of camera is available — to us using this e-mail address: video@nyt.com. Please state your name and your location in your video. For readers who prefer to send text comments, please use the comment box below.

Do you know how to write?

Japanese Leader Slanders Christianity
Send Email or Call to Protest and Support the Church in Japan!
TokyoJapan-
Just before President Obama arrives in Japan, The Secretary General of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan in a series of remarks slandered Christianity and Western Civilization.

Speaking at Koyacho to an audience from the Japan Buddhist Federation said `Christianity is exclusive and self-righteous"

Commenting on Islam he said “It is exclusive too like Christianity too, but Christianity is worse.”

He carried his comments further saying “Western society because it is based on Christianity is dead as well.”

Ozawa, the head of the Democratic Party which won recent elections made the comments to reporters following his talk to the Federation.

As the head of the party, Ozawa is seen as the real power in Japan and experts are shocked to have an international leader of his stature speak derisively of Christianity as well as Western Civilization.

Ironically, Koyachi, the place where the conference was held is according to officials there formerly the site of a Christian Monastery from the 8th century.
 

Further the Democratic Party of Japan according to reports received financial support from the mother of Prime Minister Hatoyama who is a well known Christian and has the largest number of Christian believers of any Japanese party.

The previous Prime Minister, Taro Aso was a Christian believer as is the current Empress Michiko of Japan.

Christians in Japan are particularly upset as Japan has the notoriety of having the longest persecution of Christians in history with a nearly 250 year period known as the `Japanese Holocaust` in which up to one million “kirishitan” or indigenous Christians were martyred.

Please send a message to The Democratic Party headquarters is
info@dpj.or.jp or call 011 81 3 3595 9988

Please send a message to the Prime Ministers Office is at
kantei@mmz.kantei.go.jp or info@kantei.go.jp or call 011 81 3 5253 2111

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

DPJ's Ozawa calls Christianity 'self-righteous'

TOKYO —
Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa said Tuesday that Christianity is an ‘‘exclusive and self-righteous religion’’ after meeting with a Buddhist group leader. ‘‘European and U.S. societies with a historical background of Christianity are bogged down,’’ the ruling party’s No. 2 leader told reporters after meeting Yukei Matsunaga, president of the Japan Buddhist Federation, in Wakayama Prefecture.
On Islam, Ozawa said, ‘‘It is better than Christianity but it is also exclusive.’’ But Ozawa praised Buddhism, saying, ‘‘It teaches us a state of mind and way of life from the start about how human beings should be.’’ He added that the cause of the current social turmoil in Japan is that Japanese people are losing their original spiritual values.
   
‘‘Politicians cannot conduct politics if they are not prepared to work as both a human being and Japanese,’’ Ozawa said.
   
On the Liberal Democratic Party which became an opposition party following a general election in August, Ozawa said, ‘‘It is originally a typically Japanese party, but it lost that virtue. That is the biggest reason why it lost people’s support.’’

Monday, November 09, 2009

Men's smoking rate in Japan at record-low 36.8%

TOKYO —

The smoking rate among men in Japan has fallen to a record-low 36.8% since the survey of its kind was launched in 1986, while the rate among women stood at 9.1%, dropping below 10% for the first time since 2001, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Monday. The rate among the men and women in total was 21.8% in the survey conducted a year ago, down 5.9 percentage points in five years.
   
The percentage of smokers who want to quit smoking was 28.5% for men and 37.4% for women. The ministry attributed the smoking rate decrease to rising health consciousness and introduction of ‘‘taspo’’ smart cards in July last year, which are only issued to people aged 20 or older and enable holders to buy cigarettes at vending machines.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Last Bilingual Japanese Newspaper in San Francisco Suspends Operation



New America Media, News Report, Ngoc Nguyen, Posted: Nov 02, 2009
The recent closure of two bilingual Japanese-American newspapers reflects not only demographic shifts in the community, but also a time of reinvention for newspapers serving the Japanese-American community, according to ethnic media experts.

With its last issue on October 30, the Hokubei Mainichi became the second bilingual Japanese-American newspaper in Northern California to shut down in the last two months. Its competitor, the Nichi Bei Times, folded in September. Read more of this story here…..


Sunday, November 01, 2009

Do you have product you would like to sell in Japan?


Do you have product you would like to sell in Japan?



Startline has a two story 15,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Shin Kawasaki waiting to act as your receiving and shipping station in Japan. Did you know that the greater Tokyo Metropolitan area is still the world's most populous and prosperous? With over 30 million population, your product can reach these consumers by the equivalent of UPS ground in one-day for a very affordable price.



Until now and for the past 20 years Startline has specialized in importing and selling American and specialty car parts from Hokkaido to Okinawa. With 450 dealers in Japan our network is extensive. We welcome your automotive possibilities so please contact us if you have product you want to sell in Japan.

With the recent worldwide downturn in automobile sales we have been experiencing a downturn in sales and so now we are looking to other product areas to import, warehouse and distribute throughout the Japanese archipelago.  If you have any ideas or products give Ken Nielsen a call.

STARTLINE

3918 East Main Street, Suite 114, Mesa, AZ  85205-8545
Tel: 480-807-2074  Fax: 480-807-2076
My office: 619-285-1149
Mobile: 619-218-5486

Skype Name: nirusen