Living in Japan

What is a Japanese apartment like?

To make living in Japan fun and not unbearable, you need a decent if not a nice place to live. Where you live of course, makes a huge difference in how you feel about wherever you live, but especially in a foreign country like Japan. Your Japanese apartment should be as much of an oasis as you can make it.


A Japanese apartment is different from what you can expect back home. The amenities are few if any. You will need to furnish it from the top down, including the light fixtures!

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"I'm Not Color Blind!"

"I'm Not Color Blind!"

by Kevin Burns


Photo by Devanshe Chauhan


"We understand color-vision deficiencies better than we used to," a school official explained. "It's no longer necessary to test all children because most educational and occupational restrictions have been eliminated."*

*From the article, "Ending Discrimination, Colorblind schoolkids can see clearly now," The Japan Times

Me at 13: "Dad, that carpet down there is brown. See I`m not color blind!" Dad shakes his head, "Kev, sorry but it is green." Looks disappointed. There is something unstated, some kind of unstated tension.

Damn! Even logic won`t lick this thing I think. Why would a carpet be green? My attempt at proving I wasn`t color blind (or somehow deficient in some way) had failed again. "Dad what is the big deal? Does it really matter if I am color blind or not?" "No not really, just your life will be a bit tougher is all."

Maybe that was all there was, but I felt there was a shame attached to it. I failed the tests. Everyone elementary school could see the thing in the ink blot except me. It seemed so anyway.

It started in grade one, I was drawing Mauro Grespan a Canadian of Italian descent, and I drew his face light green. All the kids laughed at what a great joke I had pulled. It was no joke. That light green crayon looked light brown to me. Mauro Grespan never looked green (except perhaps) in his college days. But that day he looked brown to me, but so did that light green crayon.

That was how I found out I was somehow different. It isn't such a big deal as some things are, yet it was a shock just the same and it has been with me throughout my life. It is a funny kind of unstated thing where in a way you pretend to be something you are not--to hide the fact.

In Japan where I live and teach English now, I was told to never tell anyone I was color blind. My first employer in Nagoya, told me to never mention it to anyone other than him. He was a Scotsman and told me to not mention it to the Japanese staff. He said I shouldn't teach any units on color unless I was sure about how to do it, without making mistakes. Fair enough.

It had been seen as a major "handicap" here. I think things are changing but it happened partly at least, due to an incident concerning the Japanese royal family:

"In 1920, Field Marshall Yamagata Aritomo tried to block the engagement of Hirohito, then crown prince, because colorblindness ran in his fiancee's family. Ultimately, the effort failed, and the couple married in 1924. But the publicity left the general public with the impression that colorblindness is a grave disability, according to Motohiko Murakami, professor emeritus at Keio University School of Medicine and author of a book on color blindness."*

*From the article, "Ending Discrimination, Colorblind schoolkids can see clearly now," The Japan Times

Indeed Japanese place emphasis on bloodlines and any kind of abnormality is cause for shame. But let`s be honest, us western folk are not beyond that kind of thinking either. There is a lot of toxic shame all around about various things. I'm not bitter. I'm just being honest.

In my twenties; though I well knew I was colorblind, I decided to give it a shot and see if I could be a commercial airline pilot. My father had flown a bomber during World War 2, and two of my uncles had been pilots as well, one of whom captained for CP Air.

I took CP Air's pinhole test where they test you with different colored lights in a huge room. You have to identify green and red lights. I knew I was green/brown color blind, but thought I might have a shot with green/red and I knew if given the chance, I would be a great pilot.

I seemed to get through the first half of the test, but was taken into a huge room and asked to identify the colors of various pinhole lights. I failed. Failing wasn't fun, but the look of disgust by the tester was annoying.

I think colorblind people face that. It isn't like being called a bad name. But there is this undercurrent that not just your color vision is deficient, but YOU are.

Perhaps the tester was just hoping I would pass. Perhaps he knew my uncle. Who knows?

Indeed color-blindness rarely affects job performance. In some cases it is actually an advantage. Colorblind recruits are prized in the military as they are not confused by camouflage. They pick out objects by shape and not color--these are some of the skills of a good sniper.

Sports: I am a good amateur tennis player. I occasionally play with Canada's former number 1 singles player Tony Bardsley. I am known for my exceptional volleying ability. Green ball--green background. Are there any studies about how many of the world`s top tennis players are color blind? How about some of our war heroes?

As a teacher, I have had to be sure I can teach a unit on color. One way around that has been to have another teacher write the names of the colors on the back of the color cards, so I can read which color it is as I am showing the students. Plus if they say green when it is brown, I can quickly note that and correct them.

When dressing I like to have my wife confirm that what I am wearing looks good. I have had some horrible experiences of wearing green socks with brown pants and things like that. Now my wardrobe is pretty simple and I am known for being a good dresser. I have worked at it though. Yet I still have a lingering doubt about how I am dressed.

I don't feel that being colorblind is a big deal. I don't feel I am color deficient. I feel that we simply see the world in different ways. There are many people who see the world in exactly the same way that I do. Another way of naming us, if you want to, is simply calling us a minority, or a vision minority.

What gives the majority the right to call us deficient? Perhaps in fact, being "colorblind," is a gift.

Colorblindness an Evolutionary Advantage?

It could be that in evolutionary terms, people like me were necessary to spot the saber toothed cat more easily. Having 5% of us, protected the other 95% from being cat food! &nb sp; I think my theory has potential, yet I am not aware of anyone else espousing it. I think that we should think outside of the box a bit more about all of these things.

Sometimes what we call a deficiency, a challenge, or God forbid--a handicap, turns out to be an advantage. In 100 years will we even be discussing this? I wonder. I hope not.

To see how color blind people view colors see: www.vischeck.com

About the Author
Kevin Burns is married, has three great kids, teaches English in a Japanese university, and owns an English school in Kanagawa, Japan called Kevin's English Schools, www.eikaiwa1.com.

He loves to write and does this at his many websites. You can visit Kevin's sites:

# How to Teach English in Japan www.how-to-teach-english-in-japan.com
# Japan Living at www.japanliving.org
# A site he does with his two young sons on his love of Lego at www.burns-brick-country.com

Afterword: In Japan at least, while discrimination at universities has greatly lessened, 94 universities were found to restrict entry by colorblind applicants in fields of study such as dentistry, my very own--education, and engineering.

Why? If I am not sure of a color I simply ask. Just as you do about certain things. Totally blind applicants could enroll while colorblind could not!

While I can understand not wanting me to fly your commercial airliner in case an emergency light goes on, I don't see why I cannot be a dentist, teacher or engineer. Let's not go too far with this.

Discrimination in hiring still persists in Japan: colorblind are barred from certain public service jobs such as the police force or fire department, and some private companies.

"If you ask them why, they have no scientific justification."--Yasuyo Takayanagi, opthamologist and activist (conducted survey on colorblindness and Japanese universities and employment)*

--The Japan Times, Alice Gordenker*

The Sakura Blog

Our Sakura Blog has been updated plus the homepage has received a complete
makeover. As well we will have a professional designer redesign the site.
So check it out!

Japan Living

English Schools Being Tainted by Sleaze

by Kevin Burns

Some websites are being slandered by sex sites and many of them
happen to be English schools all over Japan!

Sadly its part of the Google world.
They (contemptible websites) look for popular sites, and then snatch the keywords to put in their sleazy place and pop up when people are really looking for you.
I don`t actually know what you can do about it - except demand Google do something about them hi-jacking keywords and Google effectively promoting this kind of behaviour and sleaze. Some gentle hints about exposing the problem in the press - such as your regular column in Japanese media - may assist them in their actions.
--JL a computer programmer in the UK

One example of this kind of unfortunate sleaze takes place at this
undesirable site: Adult Videos Klikfeed Info

If you check the sourcecode of the above site, you will find
many English schools with their addresses and telephone
numbers right in the source code. Some popular
children`s textbook titles are also in this site`s
sourcecode!

It`s amazing that Google
allows this to happen! I should think that a lawsuit
against the website or Google.com would be pursuable based
on damage to reputations.

Apparently people sell the above information to sites like
this sleazy adult video site, and then they put
it in their sourcecode.
It supposedly helps improve their internet rankings,
but damages the reputations of decent businesses,
and Google is allowing this to go on.

Requests for interviews with Google have met with
silence so far. I think teachers and school owners
should know however.

A month after it was raised during a session of the Search Engine Strategies show, and even longer since it was raised on various search forums, a bug allowing people to hijack listings at Google continues. Pandia has a nice summary: Spammers hijack web site listings in Google...Google bug allows 3rd party hijacking.--Search Engine
Watch.com

Hopefully Google will correct the problem before too many businesses
and people are hurt, and before I will add, Google looses more money
and prestige.

Robert A. Burns was a Good Man and my Father

OBITUARY

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Dylan Thomas



On October 6th, 2007, Dr. Robert A. Burns (known to all his friends as "Bob"), passed away at the Delta Hospital after a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was 86. He was a gentle soul raging for a time but accepting the dying of his light with characteristic grace and dignity.

He was born in Wilkie, Sask., in 1921. He grew up and attended high school in that small prairie town along with his sister Eunice, brothers Gordon and Stan. During his childhood, he developed a love of hockey which he continued well into his later years. When war broke out in Europe, he took flight training in Manitoba and became a flight lieutenant with the RCAF. For most of the war he was stationed in Gibralter piloting a Hudson bomber out over the North African coast in search of German and Italian submarines. Toward the war’s end, he was transferred to a base near Prestwick, Scotland, where he met his future wife, Sylvia Kathleen Ludgate from Ayr. They were married in 1944 and returned to Canada shortly thereafter.

They took up residence in Saskatoon, where Robert began studying Pre-Med at the University of Saskatchewan. In 1946, their first son, Wayne was born. On completion of his Pre-med studies, Bob with Sylvia and baby son, moved to Toronto where he built a small house and buckled down to complete his M.D. at the University of Toronto.

Because of a long affinity for British Columbia, he and Sylvia decided to move to the coast and Dr. Robert Burns interned at the Vancouver General Hospital. In 1951 their second son, Graham was born and the young family moved to Port Alberni, a bustling pulp, paper and sawmill town at the time. Over the next thirteen years in Port Alberni, Dr. Burns practiced family medicine, became a respected member of the local medical community and participated in various community organizations, the PTA, the Boy Scouts and Alberni Valley Rotarians. He became a vocal member of the School Board. The family had a cottage on Sproat Lake where they spent memorable summers. There were vacations in Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Hornby Island with their many friends. In 1963 his third son, Kevin was born.

In 1964 after a long search for a place to further his studies toward a specialty in skin diseases, Dr. Burns and family embarked on the next four years for further studies in Dermatology at a Veterans’ Administration Hospital in Long Beach, California. While the work was intense, the four years were productive. But with the war in Vietnam, race riots in Watts and the political situation in the USA seeming more and more precarious, the family decided to return to the sanctity of Canada in 1968. They settled in Tsawwassen. Dr. Burns began practicing Dermatology in offices in both Richmond and later, Tsawwassen. He quickly built a thriving practice which he continued until he was 77 when he retired. He loved the daily routine of his office and was a reluctant retiree. Throughout his active years, he was an enthusiastic member of the local golf and tennis clubs and a proud Rotarian. His other loves were listening to jazz, playing the piano, traveling around the world on frequent trips with Sylvia, charting the ups and downs of the stock market, telling a good joke, and plying the local waters in a boat he co-owned with another doctor. He was a compassionate, caring and generous doctor all his life, delivering hundreds of babies in Port Alberni, administering to the needs of the native people on the reserve in Alberni, and frequently going out on call at all hours of the night. In Richmond and Tsawwassen he built up a large and loyal patient base as a Dermatologist, receiving referrals from most of the general practitioners in the two communities.

He is deeply missed and remembered by Sylvia, his wife for 63 years of marriage, his three sons, Wayne, Graham and Kevin and his six grandchildren. The Burns family would like to thank his caregivers at the Waterford and the staff at the Palliative Care ward of the Delta Hospital. A Memorial will be held in his honour for friends and family, on Sunday, October 14th from 2 to 4 PM in the reception room at Fairway Estates on Hunter Road in Tsawwassen. Anyone who wishes to attend is welcome and should call [604] 731-6317 for details and directions.

Obituary written by Wayne D. Burns

Chinese and Japanese

"I feel that a lot of the time, generation after generation — for us and for Japanese young people too, we seem to have a hard time understanding each other. It's like we don't want to understand each other because of this history, so we stay on the superficial level."
--Violet Du Feng, a Chinese co-producer of "Nanking," a U.S. documentary about the 1937 Japanese occupation of the city, now known as Nanjing. She said she hopes that the film, which uses only firsthand accounts to tell its story, can help jump-start stalled communication between young Japanese and Chinese. (Kyodo)

Bring Out the Star in You with Karaoke

Pictured: Asakusa Tokyo courtesy of Fuji Film staff
by Horace Jurdon

If music soothes the savage beast, then the karaoke phenomenon can be credited with pleasing party animals all over the world.

With karaoke, anyone can be in the spotlight. Singing is a great stress reliever and the perfect way to leave your worries at the doorstep. Besides, singing makes you feel good and it's just plain fun. A karaoke machine is a great way to have a blast with your friends and family and it's the perfect starting point to building your own in-house jam session.

The Japanese word Karaoke is derive from two words: Kara, which means "empty", and Oke, short for okesutora, or orchestra. Karaoke entertainment systems provide pre-recorded musical accompaniment of popular songs. In most cases, karaoke performers follow the lyrics on a video screen as the music plays on.

After karaoke music and parties fully swept Asia, they began to form a solid presence in North America. Since the first virtual concert machine was introduced in Japan in the 1970's, karaoke parties have become favorite pastimes for small time stars of all types. In fact, karaoke became so popular that the media adopted the term to use for all occasions when live music was replaced by "canned" or pre-recorded music.

This history of Japan is rich with artistic elements, including music. Traditional Japanese music is present in ancient culture, mythology and history. Japanese Samurais are even known to use dancing, singing and music as an element in their training and education.

The history of karaoke can be traced back to the early 1970's, and a singer named Daisuke Inoue. A crowd favorite at a bar called Utagoe Kissa, Inoue was often asked to provide recordings of his music so that fans could sing along. Realizing the potential, Inoue created a tape recorder that played a song for a 100-yen coin. At that time, 100-yen was about the price of two typical lunches, so it was considered expensive to use this new music machine. Even so, the combination of old-time jukebox and future karaoke machine proved to be a huge hit in Japan. Inoue decided that instead of selling the machines, he would lease them so that the stores and bars would not have to purchase new songs on their own.

The invention of the karaoke machine was intensely important to the culture of modern Japan; so much so, that Daisuke Inoue was awarded the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for "providing an entirely new way for people to learn to tolerate each other."

The act of singing karaoke is known as "Karaoke Time", and has been a popular form of entertainment in East Asia since the early 1980's. The karaoke phenomenon quickly spread to other parts of the world, and its popularity soon reached record heights. Before long, the karaoke craze reached North American shores, took the entire continent by storm and opened brand new opportunities for enterprising individuals.

The new entertainment import industry flourished in the Western world. Enterprising Americans were quick to see the investment potential in a brand new type of entertainment that provided cool, relaxing fun, as well as bringing people together in a tolerant, patient manner. Karaoke bars and nightclubs known as "KTV boxes" opened across North America, providing eager would-be performers with fresh new venues, software and equipment.

Since its inception in the United States and other western countries, people have begun to take karaoke more seriously. American bars are unlikely to have karaoke seven nights a week as they do in East Asia. Many however, have upgraded their equipment from the small, standalone machines that started the craze over two decades ago. Crowds can follow song lyrics on television screens displayed throughout the bars, and some even offer big screen TVs.

The karaoke sensation has also entered our homes. From inexpensive children's versions to high-end machines, home karaoke systems can be connected to a pre-existing entertainment center and families can join in the fun. Karaoke music can be downloaded from the Internet, and fans can sing along with their computers if they do not have a personal karaoke machine available.

If you've got song in your heart and just need to sing out loud, find a karaoke machine and bring out the star in you.
About the Author

Horace Jurdon loves writing for some of today's most popular web sites, on creative recreation and recreation and leisure issues.Feel free to grab a unique version of this article from the karaoke Articles Submission Service

Visiting the Japanese Home

Pictured: A Japanese Castle

by: Tom Takihi


So, you plan to visit a Japanese home? Well, before you do such you must first learn the etiquette in Japanese homes. The Japanese home culture revolves around three values: courtesy, cleanliness, and graciousness. Learning to apply these values whether in the Japanese context or not benefits you not only as you deal with the Japanese - it will allow you better dealings and communications with other people as well.

Courtesy. The first thing you have to do is greet the family. Bowing slightly as you greet them would be the best move, for shaking hands is still an awkward formality in Japan. The lower you bow the more respect you give.

If you could bring a small present, do so, especially a food souvenir called “omiyage” in Japan to delight your hosts and immediately create a warm atmosphere. It is preferable to bring local culinary specialties from your home town or country.

During conversations, remember to be more subtle than usual with your thoughts and emotions. Compared to people in the Western culture, the Japanese are more reserved during talks. In Japanese discussions there is what they call the honne (real opinion) and the tatemae (public opinion). In most situations it is the tatemae that is expressed to not disturb group harmony or cause any offense. This is why the Japanese are considered bad at public debates. Do avoid interrupting people when they are speaking or are in the middle of thinking. The Japanese don’t mind short periods of silence during discussions.

Cleanliness. Leave your shoes outside the door, on the spot where others have left theirs. Wearing shoes inside a Japanese home is considered unclean. If you are not immediately provided slippers, you can wear your socks inside the house. So make sure you are wearing nice and socks without holes! If you are wearing slippers, remember to remove them as you enter a room with tatami mats on the floor, for slippers could damage these mats. There are special slippers especially designated for the toilet area, so remember to take off your slippers when entering such.

As in most Asian countries, it is rude to blow your nose in front of other people. It is especially rude to blow your nose in a handkerchief and then stuff the handkerchief in your pocket afterwards. The Japanese use paper tissue when doing such. Excuse yourself if you feel the urge to do this deed to avoid offending anyone.

Graciousness. During mealtimes, the Japanese will offer you to try everything served on the table. Make sure to amiably try even just a bite of each of the food. Place your chopsticks on a special holder and do not stick them up in your rice. As opposed to Western manners, Japanese slurp noodles. It is actually preferred that bowls or plates be brought up the mouth when slurping rather than bending your head towards it.

Of course the Japanese will know and understand that you are from another culture, but knowing their traditions before you set foot on their door helps your visit to go more smoothly. Most Japanese families that host visitors of other races are “spoilers”, meaning they want to give you everything you need in all efforts to please. Hence, always remember to be gracious and please them in return.

About The Author
Tom Takihi is the proud owner of Japan Discovery, the largest portal of information of Japan on the web. To learn more about the Japanese home etiquette, please visit-: http://www.japandiscovery.com/home_living/Etiquette/