<div class="gmail_quote">* * * * * * * * * T E R R I E 'S T A K E * * * * * * *<br><br>A weekly roundup of news & information from Terrie Lloyd.<br>(<a href="http://www.terrie.com" target="_blank">http://www.terrie.com</a>)<br>
<br>General Edition Sunday, August 05, 2012, Issue No. 673<br>
<br>+++ INDEX<br><br>- What's New -- Lifeguards with Nothing Better to Do<br>- News -- Labor law limits contract durations<br>- Upcoming Events<br>- Corrections/Feedback<br>- Travel Picks -- Mie-ken and Shizuoka-ken<br>
- News Credits<br><br>SUBSCRIBE to, UNSUBSCRIBE from Terrie's Take at:<br><a href="http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie" target="_blank">http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie</a><br><br>BACK ISSUES<br>
<a href="http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take" target="_blank">http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take</a>, or,<br>
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e-mail us at <a href="mailto:info@pbxl.jp" target="_blank">info@pbxl.jp</a> or call us at 03-4550-2557<br><br>------------ PBXL is BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS --------------<br><br>+++ WHAT'S NEW<br><br>As of this morning (Sunday) Japanese swimmers had picked up<br>
11 medals at the London Olympics, including three silver <br>medals. Satomi Suzuki, one of the silver medal winners, tied <br>the Japanese record for 200m breaststroke and became the first<br>Japanese female swimmer to win two medals at the same <br>
games (she also earned a bronze in the 100m event earlier).<br><br>With 11 gongs, Japan is now making its presence felt like <br>never before in international swimming, and was lying <br>second in the medals table, after the USA.
Traditional <br>powerhouses, China and Australia, had 10 each. In <br>comparison, in Beijing in 2008, Japan won just 5 medals in <br>swimming, although admittedly two of them were gold (Kosuke<br> Kitajima won both). With those 5 medals, Japan ended up in <br>
6th place in the medals table, with Australia in 2nd. So it's no<br>wonder that with a better spread of medals and a much higher<br>total, the Japanese press is lauding the methods of Japanese<br>swim coach Norimasa Hirai. As an Asahi
Shimbun interview<br>back in February stated, Hirai may be polite and gentle in <br>public, but with his students, he apparently is very <br>strong-minded, authoritarian, and demanding -- just as any<br> high-level coach might be expected to be -- but which appears<br>
to have earned him some fallings out with potential stars as <br>well.<br><br>So you might think that with all this success, that <br>swimming is becoming popular in Japan with kids again, <br>which it may well do after these Olympics. But at the same <br>
time, we know from practical experience that swimming in <br>
Japan is not a particularly pleasant activity, due to the <br>way that swimming pools are policed. Indeed, given that<br>most pools are only open for just two months of the year<br>and close at least 4-6 weeks before the weather starts to<br>
cool down again -- "fun" seems to be very low on the <br>list of pool-owners' priorities. It makes you wonder, actually, <br>why the authorities even bother building pools when they <br>are so under-utilized.<br>
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<br>---------- YOUR BOTTOM LINE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY------------<br><br><br>[...Article continues]<br><br>Anyway, it's summer and it's hot and since the kids are out<br>of school, what better thing to do than make for a local <br>
swimming pool or the beach? Back in early July we started <br>off with pools first, since our kids get out for summer <br>earlier than those going to regular Japanese schools do. <br>First stop was the local school swimming pool, which was <br>
virtually bereft of kids -- although there were lots of old <br>people doing water resistance walking rather than <br>swimming, and imperious lifeguards counting heads every<br>couple of minutes. As a side note, you don't realize just how <br>
many genki old people there are in suburban Japan until you<br>go to a local school or community pool in early July... ;-)<br><br>Next we tried the local government-run pool. In truth, both<br>times we had forgotten the mixed blessings of being in <br>
orderly, rules-based Japan. Firstly you need to make sure <br>that you come forearmed with a head cap and goggles. Forget<br>those, and you can forget about swimming -- the cap because<br>you may molt in the pool and there will be hell to pay if <br>
you do. Then the goggles because Japanese pool operators <br>(schools and local governments alike) put in enough <br>chemicals to bleach not only your hair but your eyes as <br>well.<br><br>Once you're in the pool, you are suddenly reminded of why <br>
returnee kids hate going back to Japanese school (we made <br>our's go at one point, for language skills) -- because of <br>the incessant and often meaningless rules. In the case of <br>swimming pools, the problem is hard-core lifeguards, who <br>
won't be happy unless they can see you at all times and <br>who certainly don't want your kids don't behave like kids<br>(splashing, yelling, and generally chasing each other in the<br> water). Whistles, shouting, arm waving, and lots of PA <br>
messages are the order of the day, and they can really<br>wreck a family's day out. <br><br>Then how about the part where everyone has to get out of<br>the pool and take a break every 50 minutes, while a <br>lifeguard swims aimlessly around looking for drowned <br>
swimmers? What intelligent purpose can those enforced<br>breaks possibly serve? If you're tired, you get out -- 50 <br>minutes of exercise is not a magical number, except <br>perhaps to a bureaucrat writing a rule book. And people<br>
don't drown at exactly 10 minutes to the hour...<br><br>Forget about diving, swimming underwater for a whole <br>length, having pony fights, or bottom-of-the-pool tea <br>parties -- all the good stuff we did as kids ourselves. <br>
Instead, you can expect to be told off by some guard for <br>daring to put your head underwater for more than a few <br>seconds, since they can't see you... We have to ask, if a <br>child can't hold their breath for 5-10 seconds and feel <br>
comfortable underwater, then what are they doing in a pool <br>in the first place? <br><br>With this kind of over-control, and we saw Japanese Dads <br>get it in the neck as well, it's no wonder that the public <br>pool changing area in the Shibuya sports center in <br>
Nishihara has a sign in Japanese and English saying, please<br>"be polite and avoid conflict". To be honest, the mentality<br>of the guards is enough to drive any sane adult to <br>violence, unless perhaps you had such feelings bred out of <br>
you after 12 years in a Japanese public school. So after <br>2-3 similar experiences at different pools, we stopped <br>going -- which is perhaps why the pools are generally <br>deserted most days... <br><br>But it's hot and it's summer. So this weekend we decided <br>
that since the pools are depressing, why don't we head for <br>the beaches instead? Thoughts of wide open spaces and lots <br>of waves to thrash about in were enough to get us to pile <br>into a car and head for a remote area of the Boso <br>
peninsular, to Wada-ura beach -- just down from Kamogawa. <br>It looked nice enough on the internet and sure enough it <br>didn't disappoint. We found parking easily, because really <br>only the locals use this place, being 2 1/2 hours from <br>
Tokyo. <br><br>We got out the swimming gear and as a family raced for the <br>water. This particular part of a larger beach is protected <br>by a ring of rocks, so the massive waves crashing on the <br>outer boundary were soothed to a mild and fun swell by the <br>
time they hit the swimming area. The beach is also <br>surrounded by nets, although we couldn't tell if they were <br>for sharks, jelly fish, or people. It was great not to be <br>surrounded by the smell of chlorine and to listen to the <br>
sound of breakers, birds, and laughing kids.<br><br>But then, suddenly there was a yelling from the beach and a<br>brightly dressed teenage lifeguard jumped up and down <br>gesticulating. "Don't go so far out!" <br>
"Who, us?" we asked. <br>Yes, she was pointing directly at us. <br>We then stood up in the water, showing that we weren't <br>deeper than waist-height (we were actually trying to be <br>safe) and nonetheless she wanted us to come in closer to <br>
where the little kids were. It didn't matter that there <br>were nets, floats, no waves to speak of, and that we'd be <br>hard pressed drowning in waist-high water. She wanted <br>control and that was that. It really put a damper on <br>
things. The kids still enjoyed themselves, but every now <br>and again we would look furtively towards the lifeguard <br>box to see if what we were doing was OK. At least at the <br>Wada-ura beach they allowed us to swim underwater and dive <br>
into waves. Thanks for small blessings.<br><br>Then at exactly 16:30 in the afternoon the beachguards <br>packed up and went home, leaving the remaining swimmers to<br>fend for themselves. Had we known this part of the routine,<br>
we would have arrived around 17:00 and enjoyed ourselves a <br>lot more! Furthermore, taking a walk down the beach towards<br>Kamogawa before leaving, we noticed large signs on the <br>tsunami walls saying "No swimming" -- more control. But it <br>
seems that like many things in Japan, these signs are only <br>for those who choose to read them. A cook at a local <br>restaurant, who turns out to be a surfer during the <br>daytime, told us that surfers are left alone even where <br>
there is supposed to be no swimming, because neither the <br>teenagers serving as lifeguards nor the local authorities <br>can control them. <br><br>OK, so next time we hit Wada-ura for a bit of watery<br>freedom, we'll be packing surfboards and will arrive <br>
shortly before dusk... :-)<br><br>And so it is that we wonder how Japan gets enough kids to <br>get sufficiently interested in swimming that they'd want to<br>one day become Olympic champions? Right now they're more <br>
likely to want to be passive bystanders instead -- since that<br>is an approved activity. Rather, we think the various <br>organizations involved in swimming and lifesaving should <br>consider their roles more closely and make swimming more <br>
attractive and fun for the nation's children (and of <br>course their parents, too). Otherwise, the current haul of<br>medals may simply turn out to be an aberration, as the <br>number of future aspirants dwindles due to lack of interest<br>
by today's kids.<br><br>**************<br><br>A reminder that our sister company Metropolis is listing<br>a wonderful wooded plot next to the 27-hole Enrei golf<br>course in Suwa, Nagano, for just JPY6,800,000 (about<br>
US$80,000). The property is 1,032 square meters, and is<br>located right on the edge of the golf course, so that you<br>will never be built out. See photos and a full description<br>here. <a href="http://bit.ly/LzdHST" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LzdHST</a>. The owner is keen to sell<br>
quickly, which is why the property is so competitively<br>priced.<br><br><br>...The information janitors/<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>-------------------- Delta Air Lines ----------------------<br>
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<br>+++ NEWS<br><br>- Labor law limits contract durations<br>- Suica/Pasmo transactions pass 3m daily<br>- Changes in bank shareholding rules<br>- Japanese restaurants becoming popular in Thailand<br>- New law extends working age rights<br>
<br><br><br><br>=> Labor law limits contract durations<br><br>The Diet has passed a law that makes it more difficult for <br>employers to fire contract workers after several renewals, <br>providing those workers are filling jobs on the same basis <br>
as regular employees. The law also sets five years as the <br>practical limit for contract renewals, after which the <br>contractor can have the option of joining the employer as <br>a full-time staff member. ***Ed: All good stuff from an <br>
employee's point of view, but another nail in the coffin <br>for Japanese manufacturers as they try to manage the <br>record-high yen.** (Source: TT commentary from <br><a href="http://japantimes.co.jp" target="_blank">japantimes.co.jp</a>, Aug 4, 2012)<br>
<br><a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120804b4.html" target="_blank">http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120804b4.html</a><br><br><br>=> Suica/Pasmo transactions pass 3m daily<br><br>Near-field payments may be the subject of fierce debate <br>
abroad, but in Japan it's a tried and true way of <br>extracting massive amounts of money from Japanese <br>consumers. Apparently the JR and Tokyo subway system's <br>Suica and Pasmo cards have collectively passed 3m <br>
transactions per day for the first time. There were 78.77m <br>transactions performed in the month of July, as consumers <br>increase their use of the cards for more than just train <br>rides. 40.2m Suica and 20.57m Pasmo cards have been issued <br>
so far. ***Ed: Imagine the sheer volume of pre-paid cash <br>that JR and the other rail operators are sitting on -- <br>most people pre-pay JPY3,000-JPY5,000, meaning that about <br>JPY200bn (about US$2.5bn) or more is earning overnight <br>
interest on the money markets for these companies. <br>(Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com" target="_blank">e.nikkei.com</a>, Aug 4, 2012)<br><br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120804D0308A16.htm?GID=58" target="_blank">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120804D0308A16.htm?GID=58</a><br>
<br>=> Changes in bank shareholding rules<br><br>The timing of a new Financial Services Agency (FSA) rule <br>change to allow banks to increase their holdings of <br>non-financial firms from just 5% to up to 20% seems very <br>
convenient to us. Given that the banks are going to be <br>experiencing a slew of bad loans once the Shizuka Kamei <br>loan moratorium ends next March, we expect there to be a <br>lot of sleight of hand going on as defaulting loans are <br>
dealt with. Swapping debt for shares, something that the <br>new FSA rule allows, seems to be one such back-door <br>arrangement. (Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://e.nikkei.com" target="_blank">e.nikkei.com</a>, <br>
Aug 2, 2012)<br>
<br><a href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120801D0108F01.htm" target="_blank">http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120801D0108F01.htm</a><br><br>=> Japanese restaurants becoming popular in Thailand<br><br>Thai company PDS Holdings has found itself with a hit on <br>
its hands after opening two Gyu-kaku brand restaurants in <br>Bangkok, and the company says it will open another 6 stores<br>by the end of 2013. PDS says that each restaurant broke <br>even within 4 months of opening, thanks to pricing about <br>
100 food items at between 30-1,800 baht (THB) (about <br>JPY75-JPY2,500). The Japanese restaurant sector in <br>Bankgkok has sales of around THB11bn (JPY27.5bn) and no <br>doubt other Japanese food operators are watching with close<br>
interest. (Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://bangkokpost.com" target="_blank">bangkokpost.com</a>, Aug <br>2, 2012)<br><br><a href="http://bit.ly/OIQGJy" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/OIQGJy</a><br><br><br>=> New law extends working age rights<br>
<br>The Diet lower house as passed legislation that gives <br>workers the right to stay at their jobs until they turn 65,<br>requiring their employers to keep them on. The new law, <br>which is expected to be in force from April 2013, <br>
unfortunately doesn't have any teeth, since employers who <br>do fire staff after 60 will not be penalized for doing so. <br>***Ed: About all the government has said they will do is to<br>"name-and-shame" companies retiring workers early, in the <br>
public media.** (Source: TT commentary from <a href="http://bloomberg.com" target="_blank">bloomberg.com</a>, <br>Aug 3, 2012)<br><br><a href="http://bloom.bg/Nhx12d" target="_blank">http://bloom.bg/Nhx12d</a><br><br><br>
<br>NOTE: Broken links<br>Many online news sources remove their articles after just a<br>
few days of posting them, thus breaking our links -- we<br>apologize for the inconvenience.<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>----- ACCJ Journal - Connect to CEOs of MNEs in Japan -----<br>
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contact us in English or Japanese at 03-4550-2926 or email <br><a href="mailto:sales@accjjournal.com" target="_blank">sales@accjjournal.com</a>.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>+++ CANDIDATE ROUND UP/VACANCIES<br>
<br>=> BiOS, a Division of the LINC Media group, is actively<br>marketing the following positions for customers setting up<br>or expanding in Japan, as well as other employers of<br>bilinguals.<br><br>** HIGHLIGHTED POSITION<br>
<br>BiOS is urgently looking for Data Center Operators to <br>provide media service support at one of the largest data <br>centers in the Tokyo area. The candidate will be <br>responsible for setting up tape library equipment, updating<br>
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at the data center.<br><br>This position is suitable for someone with at least one <br>year of hardware support with user support background. In <br>addition, since this role requires direct coordination with<br>both regional and global IT teams, business-level English <br>
and business-level Japanese will be required.<br><br>Remuneration is JPY3M– JPY3.6M depending on your experience<br>and skill level.<br><br>** POSITIONS VACANT<br><br>- Senior Support Eng, global IT company, JPY4.5M - JPY5.5M<br>
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<br>** BiOS Job Mail<br><br>Every 2 weeks BiOS sends out a regular communication to its<br>job seeking candidates, called BiOS Job Mail. Every edition<br>carries a list of BiOS's current and most up-to-date<br>vacancies, with each entry featuring a short job<br>
description and a direct link to the main entry on the BiOS<br>home page. Regardless of whether you are unemployed and<br>searching, thinking about a career change, or just curious<br>to know if there is something out there that might suit you<br>
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<br>Interested individuals may e-mail resumes to:<br><a href="mailto:toshisada.onishi@biosjp.com" target="_blank">toshisada.onishi@biosjp.com</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br>
<br>+++ UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS<br><br>---------------- Start a Company in Japan -----------------<br><br>Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar 29th of September, 2012<br><br>If you have been considering setting up your own company,<br>
find out what it takes to make it successful. Terrie Lloyd,<br>founder of over 17 start-up companies in Japan, will be <br>giving an English-language seminar and Q&A on starting up <br>a company in Japan.<br><br>This is an ideal opportunity to find out what is involved,<br>
and to ask specific questions that are not normally <br>answered in business books. All materials are in English <br>and are Japan-focused.<br><br>For more details:<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar" target="_blank">http://www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar</a><br>
-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>-----TiE event: "Fireside chat with solar experts" --------<br><br>The introduction of a feed-in-tariff at 42yen per kWh <br>beginning in July this year was one of the most attractive <br>
subsidy programs in the world. Not only numerous solar farm<br>projects are popping up from no where, but small <br>residential solar installations are also expected to boom.<br>TiE Japan is inviting two residential solar experts from <br>
the UK and Japan, to discuss recent developments in the<br>residential solar market.<br><br>Speakers:<br> Mr. Wayne Morris, Managing Director, Big Green Company<br> <a href="http://www.biggreencompany.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.biggreencompany.co.uk/</a><br>
<br> Dr. Yoshihiko Matsumoto, Strategist JX Nippon Oil & Energy<br> Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology<br> <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/yoshihiko-matsumoto/13/38b/295" target="_blank">http://www.linkedin.com/pub/yoshihiko-matsumoto/13/38b/295</a><br>
<br><br>Date: Aug. 10 (Fri) 6:30pm<br>Venue: DTwo Solutions Mtg room.<br> 4F, 4-8-6 Roppongi<br> <a href="http://dtwo-solutions.com/Contact.htm" target="_blank">http://dtwo-solutions.com/Contact.htm</a><br>Cost: Free of charge<br>
<br>Phone: <a href="tel:%2B81-3-6439-1188" value="+81364391188" target="_blank">+81-3-6439-1188</a> to reserve a seat.<br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ CORRECTIONS/FEEDBACK<br><br>
In this section we run comments and corrections submitted<br>by readers. We encourage you to spot our mistakes and<br>
amplify our points, by email, to <a href="mailto:editors@terrie.com" target="_blank">editors@terrie.com</a>.<br><br>*** No feedback this week.<br><br>***------------------------****-------------------------***<br><br>+++ TRAVEL DESTINATIONS PICKS<br>
<br>=> Tsubaki Taisho, an Unearthly Shrine -- Mie-ken<br>One of Japan's oldest & most revered shrines, Tsubaki.<br><br>The Tsubaki Taisha, as it is known to the locals, is <br>located far from the city center. The shrine is surrounded<br>
by the enormous trees of a thick lush forest, high in the <br>mountainous region, and like many of Japan’s Grand Shrines,<br>there is something unearthly about the atmosphere. It’s as <br>though you truly are under the gaze of the Shinto gods. <br>
There are six main shrines within the complex, and many <br>hundreds of lesser shrines dotting the landscape.<br><br>Tsubaki Taisha is dedicated to the god of guidance, <br>courage, strength and righteousness, Sarutahiko No Okami. <br>
Sarutahiko is said to be the greatest of just six earth <br>born gods, and is often depicted as being a large powerful <br>figure with a flowing beard and long nose, a most <br>un-Japanese looking face!<br><br><a href="http://japantourist.jp/view/tsubaki-taisho-an-unearthly-shrine" target="_blank">http://japantourist.jp/view/tsubaki-taisho-an-unearthly-shrine</a><br>
<br>=> Izu Peninsula West Coast -- Shizuoka-ken<br>A water lover's guide<br><br>I first toured Izu peninsula by bicycle in August during <br>Obon week, a Japanese celebration of ancestors. It was <br>indeed hot and humid, and the experience was magical. I <br>
have been back to Izu dozens of times since then, in all <br>seasons, and I continue to be amazed by the seemingly <br>limitless opportunities for the water enthusiast around <br>nearly every turn.<br><br>The shape of Izu is a snake's head, tipped slightly to the <br>
left. Osezaki, on the top left tip is about 22 km southwest<br>of the city of Numazu, a right turn off route 17. It is a <br>scuba diving point and offers up a magnificent view of <br>Mount Fuji. Divers can pay the nominal shrine entrance fee <br>
and dive to the right, where there are soft corals and a <br>variety of smaller fish, or they can walk over the hump and<br>dive to the left for a deeper dive with larger animals. On <br>both sides the current can be strong so be aware of <br>
distance traveled and where to turn back; use your computer<br>or count kick cycles. After your dives, the restaurants <br>back at the beach area, where beginner dive classes take <br>place, are reasonable and the food is delicious. There's <br>
also a hot bath further back in the dive shops' area if <br>you're feeling chilled.<br><br><a href="http://japantourist.jp/view/izu-peninsula-west-coast" target="_blank">http://japantourist.jp/view/izu-peninsula-west-coast</a><br>
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<br>+++ ABOUT US<br><br>STAFF<br>Written by: Terrie Lloyd (<a href="mailto:terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com" target="_blank">terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com</a>)<br><br>HELP: E-mail <a href="mailto:Terrie-request@mailman.japaninc.com" target="_blank">Terrie-request@mailman.japaninc.com</a><br>
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