The Strating Payment is double in Japan

Japanese stylel of working at the companies are different those of the United States.
How many times an American business man changes the jobs of companies?

The Japanese style is more fixed.
Japanese Companies hire fresh men and women every April.
They have just garduated the college and no experience.
So the company teach them in a few years.
But the starting salaly is very high comperaing an American fresh men who have no experience.
It is almost double.
A Japanse fresh man has already got the first salary which is paid once a month on 20th or 25th of the month. It's gross amount is $22-23000.

They used work until their retirement age in the same company.
It is the fixed employment and the payment would increace year by year.

Unfortunatly, Japanese companies could not afford this system.
There are are early retirement system and they hire more temporay employees.
This has been better tendency of last fifteen years.

But since last year the economy has been getting well, it seems the fixed engagement would be
back.
The labor law of Japan is very old. It protect the employees right too much.
There are complecated process to fire employees.

But Japanese young business men has less thought that they will work at the same company or do the same job for their rest of their life.
Peoples philosophy is advanced than the law.

Jewish and Japanese

Japanese has honestly no prejudice against Jewish.
Japanese do not know what is Jewish. Jewish are one of the foreign people.
Japanese do not understand what Nazis did against Jewish.
Japanese do not realize what going on at Palestine.
(Please read the article about General Tojo's attitude about Jewish ref8gees.)

I have worked at NYC for ten years and most of the works I did with Jewish Americans.
I go to the Church in Japan and read the Bible.
So I know more than what is Jewish people and their positions in the world.

I could not say what is right and not right.
Just I think Jewish people seek the probabilities for everything than the average of the world.
This is close to the Chinese.

Japanese are friend of Jewish right now, but Japanese are sometime fool not to seek the probabilities but the faith.

A Japanese critics Hichihei Yamamoto wrote a long comments about "Jewish and Japanese" their comparisons about 30 years ago. He wanted to make the Japanese characters clear.
Many Japanese kids want to be a American Major Leaguers, it is very bad probability efforts
to be lawers or doctors.

Copy Right Problems in China

It take more time to solve the problem.
I have worked in China for some Japanese clients.
So far I understand they have little sence for copy rights.
To make an imitation is not a sin for them.

The present leaders of China seems very normal and reasonable guys.
But the society is different as those of Europeans, Americans and Japanese.
For most of them the first priority is to earn the money, how is next.

There are almost all the Chinese Brands exactly like Japanese Brands exsisted.
Yamaha had a trouble with their former Chinese partner, because the former partner produce the old type Yamaha products as the brand name of "Nihon Yamaha" after they broke up.
Most of the logo not only the name are very resemble with original Japanese both name and color.

When Japanese authority went to Chinese govement to complain the problem, the Japanese
was told that Japanese has been used Chinese characters for many centurires so
it was a small problem between two countries.

The Hypocrisy of the History

I have not learned the American history in a school in the United States.
I learned it among the world history in Japan.

In the United State, Abraham Lincoln was one of the great president of the country.
But I do not get the idea.
Is it true that he was a great leader?"
He was called "Honest Abe", " The Rail Spliter" or " The Great Emancipator".

He sits on the Lincoln Memorial in Washigton DC. Why? Do you accept this?
The reasons this is an irony of the history are as follows.
He killed many Native Americans in Illinois.
"The goverment of the people , by the people , for the people." was not his original words.
He just copied.

Is it true that the Civil War was for giving the freedom of slaves?
I do not think so. The slavery would not last long if the plantators seek more efficient productiont of their products.

600,000 people died at the Civil War, even do you call him a great leader of America?
There were many ways that he could solve the problems without going into the war.

I dare say that he dis not worth even a penny.
Ask Mr. Tom Hanks.
I admire Abraham as a street fighter for his courage and his body.

Future of Agriculture Business

I came from Japan where we have completly different customs of meals.
Of course most of the people eat three times a day.
It is same and also same to enjoy eating with their families.

Japan can produce only 40% of her demands.
Most of the supplies she needs have been coming from the U.S. and Australia.
Japanese eat more variety of materials and create big choices of food.
Eating many small portions of big variety of foods is no doubt good for human body.

When we eat Western style lunch, I e-mail to my wife so. She prepares Japanese style
dinner. One day we have fish, next day we will have meat.

The volume of imported bottoles of wine shows that Japanes eat more western style meals.

Actually, the aguriculture of Japan is getting not worth as business.
The scale is too small. This resposibility was by GHQ, when they occupied Japan taking lands from land owners and divided to individual units.
So farmers must develope high value produces.
Last a few years her agricuture turns to export some high value produces to Aisian countrie.

It is different but both countries should need to change their customs.
Not many countries wast such a lot of leftover food in garbage cans.

What do you do your metric systems?

Globel satandards of mesurements are the metric system.
When I go to shopping and ask something about what I want to buy, if the people working there
from abroad, it is easier to discuss about the size, weight and so on.
Because they know the metric also.

One of the reasons that American Auto Industry is losing their share in the world is that they do not use the metric system.
Except American and British, rest of the world mesures by the metric systems.
No yard, inch and pound.

I know my weight by pounds because I do boxing. 138pounds is my weight.
But when I am asked how many inchs your height, it is confused.
I always answer differently.

Ironically, the calibers of the guns is the first thing that Americans is adapting the metrics.
9mm, 5.62mm and 11mm are European metric caliber which Americans have all.

If Americans and British are using yard and pound system, they will reach to some ceilling
someday.

The metric system is one of the rare victories of French.

Superior Sports Lessons in America

During my saty in the United States and after I returned to Japan I had took some sports lessons from Americans.

They are Golfing, Swimming, Shooting, Flying and Boxing.
I paid them, of couse. They are lesson professinals.
The lesson systems in America is very effective and I think the cost are reasonable so far.
There are many professional people who live teaching their skill to others in America.

The swimming, I did it in Japan.
My instructor was named Quick an African American ex Marinco.
His lesson was hard.
Before taking the lesson ,I could swim rather well but lesson told me a lot of new factors.
Usually I swim 1000m(1100 yards) by free style every morning, during April to November.
My rap time was twenty minutes.
Before the lesson I could not swim 1000m by free style and I got a new way of turning.
It really worthed it . He was a good coach.

When I left the company, there are two lessons for employee left, a boxing and a strech class.

The causes of the VT masssacre will finish fuzzy.

People has became emotional.
They do not think logical about the incident.

Who is the resposible person about the massacre?
Do not finish it finding in obscurity.

It is easy to conclude the incident that the killer was a crazy man.
Even if he was crazy someone could prevent it.

The school gathers symapathy doing some ceremonies for the students who were killed.
It is a dangerous phenomenon.

The case is going to as same as 911's.
They are going to the different directions not realistic directions.

After 911 the goverment went wrong directions and the final disition was Iraq.
They could prevent the tragedy by different and samller, simpler ways.
Airlines, airports and seculity agencies should have resposible. The causes are always simple.

What happened the school security, it was the basic.
The school is too big for my standard. No one can watch 26000 students.

The Golden Age of Black Actors

Those who produce films have no trouble to cast any blacke male actors nowadays.
There are many good actors who have quite good carriers.

I saw Forest Whitaker in 1993 at NYC's hotel lobby.
He was a good actor and soon later he directed " Waiting to Echale."
Finally he got an Oscar this year.

Spike Lee is famous for a director of the films. He acted very well in many films.
"Do the Right Thing" is one of my favourite. He did the right thing.

From senior to young, there are a lot of choices for casting.

Seniors are such as Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Danny Glover and so on.
Younger ones are, Ice Cube, Jammie Foxx. Eddie Murphy, Will Smith,Wesley Snipes and so on.
Do not forget about Denzel Washington.
I have not seen Chris Tuker and Chris Rock recently.

I like the comedies "House Party" "Barbar Shop" and so on.

One very important factor for black actors and it is a great pity is that if those black actors act same role as white men they should be almost same characters as they are white actors.

Of course some of them have strong black characters.
It started in 1967' Sidney Poitier in "The Guest coming to Dinner."

Real Luxury

I drove so called a luxury car "Lexus" for nine years, three models.
But I never feel them as lucury cars.
It has high performance, beautiful and expensive but I had no satisfaction.
They lack something for me.
The concept of luxury is not only as the subject of cars?

Most important factors for human life are in a good health and having some extra time.
Of course one needs money to do something.
Luxury should make feel the people about something.

"Health", when I was young I think about it little.
The other day my wife had some doubts for her exsamination, finally they found it nothing.
It was a good exsample. We felt it luxury.

And extra time, this is also an important factor. Those who can afford it have the sense of luxury.
While I drove a Lexus, I had no extra time.

A "Lexus", while driving it I never afford both of them.
So ther were not a luxury car.

The Gunman at VT is not a Crazy Man

When I saw TV news at the early stage, there was a scene that a cop was catching an Asian student. So I prodicted that the gunman was an Asian.
I am an Aisan so I might be sneseive but it was right. The gunman was an Asian.
I belive this is the first big crime that an Asian involved in this country.
The gunman died so no one could know what was the truth.

Korean society when they started their carrier after Vitnam War in the United States, they have been a good model of the American immigrant. They have worked hard with the strong tie of their families. Their second or third generations tried to have higher educations.
They have never involved the big crime secne. They has no "Mafia."

Japanese Americans have been mixed up with American society completely. Their third and fouth generations are not Japanese but American.

Seeing the scenes from VT, I found there were few African American students been there.

The gunman Cho had a great expectations from their family and at the school no one might
care about him.

As my mother she is in the generation of Japanese had some dicriminations feeling against Koreans knows about Cho's positions at the VT most.
It was sad for everybody.

I myself could not give up my suspicions about North Korean's involvement about this crime.
They ceate eccentrical ways.

The Reallity of the Gunman

It was such a shocking news.
There is not many people who shot almost 50 people and killed 32 by handguns.
He must be trained and he is not crazy. There must be some background.

I should think about " No guns kill any people but people kill people" again.

My mother sent me an e-mail from Japan saying she would like to tell the president of the college that he is an easy going man. He should feel more responsible those who were killed and
their parents.
Because she thinks this shooting should be predictalbe.

The high pressure to Korean kids by their parents is abnormality big.
It used be same in Japan, but many of Japanese parents have gave up that kind of expectations.

So what we should learn from this tragedy is reality is more complicated.
The president of the Viginia Tec may be easy going guy.

Those parents who lost their kids are almost same age as us.
Thinking about if I were, I would have no words.

A Mind Control

The tragedy at Virginia Tec has several mysteries.
One of them is why the gunman was so efficient.
He shot less than 100 rounds and killed thirtytwo people and wounded fifteeen.

He should be trained as a killer.
Otherwise no good shooter could do that even attaking unarmed students.
Most of the wounded people were by his .22 caliber pistotols. A 22 caliber pistol is usually used for a target shooting. It is 5.5mm and a full metal jucket bullet could penetrate a human body with less damage.
A 9mm pisotol is a lethal weapon.

Obiously the sounds which someone took by a celler phone included two kinds of sounds of two different pistols.

Was he trained shooting or killing people at somewhere for some purpose ?
Did hear some voice ordering to kill the people around which controled his mind?

" A gun does not kill a man, A man kills a man" is a famous words that I have believed.

But this incident made me changing my theory about guns.
(This will continue.)

"YAMATO" the soul of Japan

"YAMATO" is an old name of country of Japan.
(There is also the name of some district near Tokyo.)
It is not used as officially in Japan.

When they named the world biggest battleship as Yamato in 1940.
They never thought about the ship would be destructed.
When they completed the ship, Japanse Navy proved the airforces were suprior than battle ships. Not only the Pearl Harbor attack, the next day their air forces destroyed British two
battle ships, Price of Wales and Repalus.

During WWII, YAMATO and her sisiter ship MUSASHI were not active because they consumed a lot of fuel.
MUSASHI was sink in Phillipines.

YAMATO went one way Kamikaze attack in May of 1944.
She was attacked hundreds of American dive bombers and topedo attackers and sink nearKyushu Island.
Nobody thought about she could reach to Okinawa.
They just wanted the place she die.

White Cars

In Japan a TV commercial by a house makere that is a parody of the state in the White House is
popular. President "Bush" concluded " I will make a statement in front of Daiwa House tomorrow."

When I drove to a shopping center in New England yesterday, I found the propotion of white cars is not big, about 10%.
In Japan somehow their cars should be in White Color and the propotion is more than 50%.
I heard some one from the car industry, painting process to white is cheapest.
NYPD did all their police cars in white was from the same reason.

In Europe there are vareities of colors of the cars. It is enjoyable.

Why are the cars in Japan in white?

I do not know the real reason. It should be their taste.
The other day I attended a funeral at a country side. People gathered by black, white and other quite color's cars. I found one of the reasons.
I drove my red car. It was an only red car among more than fifity cars.

Once my younger brother tried to buy a car at Hokkaido. My mother asked him the color.
It was white. My mother persuaded him to change it in yellow.
Her reason is in norther country white cars were not distinctive.

One of the reason I like red cars, I have one in Japan and the other is in the U.S. the color red is distinctive.
Of couse I have disliked communists for many years.

Sushi is a wonderful food

Before I leave Tokyo, we went to the Sushi place near our house.
We have been there almost 25 yrears.
The rules and the manner to have Sushi are a little bit different thoes of the U.S.

First, of course there aer conversation between us and chef. We know him for many years so he
understands our taste and catchs our mood instantly. He never speaks too much and same subjects.
In first clasa Sushi place at Tokyo, a customer never offere drink to a chef.
They never drink during working. They are real busy to cut a fish and arrenge it a Sushi.
They never use already prepared, cut materials.

And, speed is different. A shef should be fast to find the process of serving.
A chef at Tokyo works double thoes of in the U.S.
Chefs who returned from the U.S. to Japan could not find the job in Tokyo, he may go to some local area.

On the day I return to Tokyo, we gather the place and he will say just "Welcom back." and give
me a real smile.

You do not need to order a set of two same Sushi.
We ususally eat one each and more varieties.
Sushi is a strange food that we could not over eat.

At a small town in New England

I flew to JFK airport from Narita the day before yesterday.
It took almost tweleve hours plus going to Narita and coming here from JFK.

It is a long, long trip.
One of my neighourhood people came to JFK to pick me up driving my Jeep.

The weather did not welcome me, yesterday it rained all day long.
But the town and people are friendly to me at the post office , the bank and some shopping places.
I spent last year twice, ten weeks before Summer and six week in Autum.
I and my wife who joined before Summer enjoyed a lot,life of the New England.
We did not go far last year. Last sevral years whenever we spent in this town we drove to somewhere in New England with our own golf bags.

The house has been intact. I found just mainor trouble but the next door guy fix it.
The gardener did good job.

The picnic tabel in the cold rain looked it takes more time until we enjoy lunch after gofing but the season stepes very quickly.
Same in Japan those who has four seasons are happy.
I know the people who has only two different seasons , a dry and a wet.

I found the bill from the tax collector of the town. It has raised 90% in ten years.

Why are Eggs at Easter?

We went to the church near by for the Easter Service.
Kids had Eggs.

The service was great.
To believe or not believe Jesus was back three days after is not important.
This is just a faith.
We may believe it.

We had a dinner with our freind together at Tokyo American Clug.
Someone asked why they serve eggs on Easter.
Nobody could answer it.
I asked the next table people from Australia, he said "That is just a Americans custom."

Who and When did make this custom in the United States ?
It may be same as to have turkies at Thanksgiving and Christman.

Masters' Tournament in Japan

I have got up early in the morning yesterday and today will get up tomorrow and after tomorrow to see the Tournament on live TV.

There are many stories. I like Masters from Augusta, Georgia most.
It starts first among the four majors.
I like to see the faces of the people both playing the game and watching the game.
The visitors may be "within 20%" highend ones. They seems to believe what they actually see.
They may not believe what someone say or mass media.
They search the real one by themselves.

If Els would not be in the final rounds Japanese would be disappointed. ( Stupidly the TV live
has cut before the results would come out.)
They like Tiger, Els and Mickelson would be seen tomorrow.

I used worked for "World Match Play" in England sponsored by a Japanese Automobile Company. I have seen Faldom, Siingh, Coupless and so on.
It recollects me the time.

Japanese Crimes and Trial System

Japan used be a very low rate crime country.
Recently it is not like used be. I have an alarm system in my house.

The crimes have been increased 50% in last seven years.
Last few years the rate of arrest also increased, it is a good news.
But the ability of the Japanese police forces reached their limit.

Right now the rate of murder cases is 90%. But there are many complecated cases and crimes by the people from other countries make them difficult to arrest.
Some cases the susupects had run away next morning they killed someone to Brazil.
There is no treatment between two countries to deliver the suspects from Brazil to Japan.
The prisons are full, because there are too many Chinese in.

For the usual crimes , such as larceny, rape and fraud, the arrest rate is 30%, I guess.

Also the crime of false investments for senior people have been increasing.

The police precinct which manages my area was built when I was a college student, but still the same and size.
This area has been developed and increased the population especially in day time.
So I have never seen cops patrol near my house with their low charged handguns.

In diet, the new trial law passed and finally Japan will have a jury system.

Who knows Willie Nelson in Japan?

The first album I bought when I got to the United State was Willie's "Red Headed Stranger."
I like this album which was a LP and bought a CD later.
It is a story of an outlaw consisted several songs. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" was famous.

Actually, I believe most of music fans do not know him in Japan.
He came to Japan once in early 80's and had only one concert.
I and my wife went there and found that one third of the audiences were Americans.
He was great and his sister Bobby did the roll of a piano.
When I listen to his albums, Bobby did not sound elder than he. Her play was strong.
I am sorry tha she has not appear resently.

I also bought his movie "Honeysuckle Rose" tape which was based on his own life.

Country music is not popular in Japan.
Most of the albums are sold only 2000 at most.
Why? There are many great songs and a singers.
My wife told me when I watch his DVD, she never know him if she had been with me.

"Dixie Chichs" is the same here. I bought their first album.

Once there were two goverments in Japan

The Paris Expo in 1867, from Japan Shougun's Bakufu, Saga and Sagtsuma were participated.
The Expo rules is one exhibition from one counrty.
In this year Satsuma announced to represent Japan.
The items they exhibit were mostly crafts such as a huge flower vase.

Satsuma used has a catchwords of the policy "Anti Foreign Power and Respect the Emperor"
In 1868 Satsuma was no doubt to contribure the Meiji Restoration.
But, before 1863 this load and Sumurais were radical and there sent some terrorists to Kyoto and Edo(Tokyo). Terrorists killed some foreign people who visited Japan.

The famous "Namamugi Incidenst" occured in 1862.
Satsuma's Samurais killed two English businessmen who tried to cross in front of the load marching.
British sent their strong fleets to Satsuma Bay with 100 cannons.
Between them there was a two days fight.
This was a battle of artillery. British lost the captain of the flag ship their total toll was 63 men. Satsuma lost all the cannons on the ground.

This was the first battle that British could not win in Asia.
For Satsuma it was not realistic to act as anti foreign power.

This was a small war but it was the start of Japanse realistic policy.

My first English teacher

Japanese English teaching for kids starts at the age of twelve.
And other foreign languages education starts at the age of eighteen.
For Japanese, foreign languages are poorest ability.

My first English teacher was an American.
I went in junior high school in 1955 which was a special kind of school attached of the educational
department of the college.
I do not know how she came and what was the system.

She was Ms Yabrou( the spelling might be incorrect and I do not know her first name).
She was a tall woman from New England. I had no idea how old she was.
Looking back the picture we were togther she was not so old I thought.
She might be 30's.

She tought our class only in six month.
One of my class mate met her at a nursing home in 1990's near New Port.
She said she had smiled.
During she tought us English, we had an impression she never smiled.
There are many students from the class who studied with her, worked using English job later.
Many of us worked trading companies, teachers, and worked abroad.

I only remember her beautifle printed shirts.

There is no fareness for a joint ventur business

I wrote that I have worked for almost ten years for joint ventur companies.
One in the Untited States for Japanese company with American, in Japan for US's company with Japanese.
Both I was on the top of the companies even they are not big companies.

The most important factor I had in my mind was to make fare both sides, employees, shareholders and customers.
Consequently I found there is no fairness about the joint ventur business.

I tryed to be fare for the emplyoees but for the Japanese majority's a Japanese is a top.
( The company I started in the U.S. my sucessor is an American. It is not common.)

Also there is no trusts between two parties.
Japanese do not turst foreign partners not only Americans but any, British, Scotish, Jewish and
Asians.
Foreign partners do not trust Japanese.
It is most unhappy factor for the people working together.

Foreign company's objectives usually set in very short term, used be in half a year , one qauter
of a year and now a month.
Japanese set longer. So there is a complict always about making a plan.

As a member of Tokyo American Club, I heard many comversations of the people who come form many other countries who work joint companies in Japan. They complain are common
that I used to have.

Joint venture business seems no meanings.
The business leaders should choose the better way to make maximize both cultures work for
their business.
Otherwise nobody will be happy. Even today it is difficult to understand each other completely.
So 100years or 70years ago it is not doubt there were many misunderstandings between countries.
venture companies