[Nightclubs]

Did anybody go to the Halloween party at Ageha last night? I honestly thought I'd died and gone to heaven! Amazing party!

[Nightclubs]

I think wombs sound system is pretty good, but it has such a big room to fill. Yellows is prob my favourite - bass is a bit slack, but LOUD!

Havent been to Atom for two years either - last time I went was fun - probably not really my cup of tea, but a unique japanese "experience" - it was "Egg" night!

[get ready for the fingerprinting...]

This is a real pain:

Foreigners queue = 1.5 hours wait

Japanese queue = 10 minute wait. (in my experience...)

I just hope that if they are going to make residents do this, then they will have more staff on to deal with it.

[Nightclubs]

Clubs in Japan are ace! I like Womb, Yellow, Air and Unit. Im going to Ageha for Halloween, and in a couple of weeks, something a little different.....Atom!

Ive still never seen any trouble or fights in Japanese clubs, unlike back in England, where something like that is pretty much guaranteed.

I think the gas panic places are still going, but, trust me, DONT DO IT!

[Freedom of speech is gone in America]

If I get caught riding my bike drunk, and my employer finds out I will be SACKED from my job!!! My boss insists on reminding us of this every time we go out drinking and then get on our bikes to go home!

 

Anyway, I too have been arrested (in England), for a crime I hadnt committed. The police wanted to charge me on the night, but due to having a solicitor, I was not charged (actually, my solicitor objected on a technicality). In the end, the police said that they believed my version of events and I was never charged. I have no complaints about the police behaviour throughout this episode.

Unfortunately, I think that if the same thing had happened in Japan, I would have been held for a month, with no access to a lawyer, I would have been sacked from my job, before being found guilty of anything and the police wouldnt have let me go until I signed some kind of "confession", then I would have been sent home after spending 6 months in in jail, never allowed to return. Thinking about this makes me seriously consider whether or not I want to stay in Japan long-term.....

[Freedom of speech is gone in America]

5 officers could have handled the man. So why tazer him?

Why was the use of the tazer necessary? This is a dangerous weapon, remember, linked to several deaths, capable of causing cardiac arrest and inducing seizures.

The guy was being an idiot - I totally agree that he shouldnt have been pushing police, and behaving like that. But, in my country (last time I was there anyway), if you pushed the police, they would push you to the floor, stick handcuffs on, drag you off to the police station and have you up in front of the courts to be tried and punished - thats the way the justice system works in a free country. They wouldnt push you to the floor, and then blast you with a tazer, for no other reason, than "cos I felt like it", from what I can see.

I stand by my analogy - this didnt happen, of course. But, taking someones theory eg "If your not misbehaving, you dont need to worry", or "He was a very frustrating guy, so that justifies tazering him" and applying those theories to analogous situations (even if they're more vivid/extreme), is a standard method for testing theories.

The fact that the guy was frustrating/ had pushed an officers arm away or whatever - are simply "mitigating circumstances" which do not make the ultimate act of the unnecessary "tasering" right, but I would certiainly agree that they should be taken into account when deciding on what to do with the officers.

[Freedom of speech is gone in America]

Samurai said:

But I have to wonder how much he just wouldn't settle down with, how many... 5 officers on him? Are all 5 really incompetent or was the guy just impossible to control?

 

So if the police didnt have access to a tazer, or any guns or whatever, presumably there was a chance that this guy could have got up from his position, kicked the policewoman in the face, and, I dont know - pulled out a gun and shot someone or whatever.

No, the guy wouldve just been aprehended, probably in not much more time, or with any more risk (probably considerably less risk, than that involved when passing 50,000 volts across somebodys chest) than it took having "tazered" him.

As for the officers being frustrated - see my last post - that boss was frustrated too - I mean, how many times had he told his employee to stop being late? But, it doesnt mean he was right to punch her in the face - even if he had warned her, twice beforehand that if she was late again, he would punch her in the face.

[Freedom of speech is gone in America]

Ken of Kentropolis said :

If you live your life without causing trouble, there is no need to be worried about stuff like this. Surely.

 

Disagree. Look at that in another context : Imagine your wife has a job, but she keeps turning up late - her boss, a big guy - used to do a bit of boxing, keeps warning her and hes getting pretty fed up with her. Then one day she turns up late yet again, so her boss punches her in the face!!

 

If theres no need to be worried because we're not causing trouble, then presumably, we can simply ignore the actions of the boss - it doesnt affect us.

Actually, everybody would be outraged at the bosses actions, and would be demanding the boss be fired and charged with a criminal offence - quite rightly so. And so it is here. It is not the job of the police to go dishing out punishments - that is the job of the courts.

The question here is "Could four burly police men not apprehend a skinny, unarmed, big-mouthed student in a safe manner without the use of their new and potentially lethal toy - the tazer, when they already had him pinned to the floor?". If they couldnt manage that - then they're obviously not fit for the job. If they could, then the use of the tazer was totally unnecessary. If the law in that state allows this to happen (I think its a bit vague, actually), then it really should be reviewed IMO

[NOVA Saga]

Im working on fuel cells - a new technology which should be a cleaner, more efficient source of energy.

[NOVA Saga]

Thanks! Took me ages to type that!

[Who did Kagura yesterday?]

Ahh Kagura! I went there on most of my outings last season - and by timing my trips, I was able to get some good powder almost every time, despite the poor season. As with most high resorts though, watch out for the wind on snowy days. I did just that on, I think March the 3rd last year and went to Kandatsu instead - got almost of full day of waist deep! Might not get there so much this season cos a day trip is more tricky for me now.

[Freedom of speech is gone in America]

Of course, the "Tasing" was totally unnecessary. It is the job of the police to arrest suspects and put together evidence, not to issue punishments - thats the job of the courts.

Anyway, I like to think that this wouldnt ever happen in my country, England. We dont have such laws as "Three strikes and your out", because, as we might say in England, well, its just not cricket (sorry!). The laws pertaining to the police use of such powerfull and potentially lethal weapons as Tasers, are quite clear - officers should only use them as an alternative to lethal force - ie in a potentially life-threatening situation. If this happened to the guy in England, I imagine he could press charges against the offending officers. But what crime, would the "Tasing bro'" be charged with? Assault? I dont think so, as the attack actually involved the use of a material object, so I think it would be...

.

.

.

Wait for it..

.

.

.

Assault with Battery!!

[NOVA Saga]

In response to some of the above, I may have sounded like the stereotypical, bad Nova teacher, but in all honesty, I genuinely dont believe that was the case. I put in three years of service with them, and only received 5000 yen pay rise at the end of my first year. My attendance was excellent - 100%, no less, in my first year, and I guess 98-99% in the second two - my worst attendance was after the AAM had used contract renewal time to force the unwanted schedule change - an act which, if Im not mistaken, is illegal under Japanese law. I very much doubt that this was to try to get me to to resign as, if they didnt want to work there anymore, they would have simply given me the months notice that they werent going to renew my contract. This was just bad management by a middle manager who was almost universally disliked in the company. In terms of career development, I requested on numerous occasions to be put forward for various training days (eg toeic training, CAT etc) but never received these. I almost always turned up to work smartly dressed, in a smart suit (not a requirement), and clean-shaven - there may have been one or two occasions where my "tie wasnt straight" or something, and the nit-picking ATs would be quick enough to tell you off about it like a little child. Actually, when I did come in for criticism, I would always try to respond in a professional manner - at work at least. I was pretty popular among students too, and I pretty much always gave energetic, positve and educational lessons - using the book 98% of the time. I genuinely believe I was worth a pay rise - particularly on my final contract renewal - just to feel my efforts had been appreciated. Actually, most Nova teachers I met, did a pretty good job under the circumstances, and were generally professional enough, and the stereotypical "bad" Nova teacher was in the minority. However, most Nova teachers would get the same treatment as myself.

In terms of my comment about not getting to the office with enough time - I agree, my attitude of "why should I work when Im not being paid" was pretty bad - but why did I have this attitude? Its because Nova has exactly this attitude when it comes to its teachers pay, holidays etc.

So why didnt I leave sooner? Well, I was looking for an ESL position in a HS or something, and was was actually offered a position elsewhere, but in the end, I decided that I really needed to get back into my research, and I started looking for such a job - I didnt want to take on another esl job in the meantime, as I didnt want to leave after what might have been a very short time if I found a job in my field. My research is such a specialised area, that it actually took quite a long time to find relevant positions to apply for. So I ended up working for Nova for longer than I really wanted. Im glad I stuck around in Japan though, because eventually I got a great job here and Im now very happy . In the job I do now, I genuinely feel like I am trusted to do my job. I work 2-3 hours overtime with no extra pay, every day, and Im happy to do so because a) Thats the way it is in Japan I think my employers trust me c) I find the work interesting and rewarding d) because I feel like Im bettering myself e)I believe Im making a contribution towards solving an important global issue. So Im very thankfull for that.

I wish I could have said these same things about Nova.

I dont know where I would be now if I hadnt come to Japan with Nova, but as I had an interest in the country, I may have ended up here anyway - perhaps a year or so later. As I said, I would recommend coming to Japan with Nova, but I wouldnt recommend staying there too long. Its not a terrible place to work, but it could be so much better, if they perhaps weeded out the few bad teachers in the interview process, and were then able to not treat the teachers like children by default (eg non-socialisation policy), endless nit-picking, secretly spying on lessons etc. Also more training for teachers, and especially for ATs - middle managers etc. which would prevent things like ATs altering the schedule so they get all the free lessons to do "admin" tasks, which could have easily, and much more fairly been delegated to other very busy teachers.

[NOVA Saga]

thursday said:

"Did Nova get you into the country?"

 

Its a fair point and yes they did - if it hadnt been for Nova, I might not have come to Japan, so Im thankful for that. I have recommended my freinds to come to Japan through Nova as its an easy way to get set up here.

However, in my three years at nova:

a) I received ZERO YEN pay rise in my last two contract renewals.

I received little or no career development - I didnt even get CAT trained (lets you decide students level).

c)I had an Assistant Area Manager use contract renewal time to force through an extremely undesired schedule change, meaning I couldnt see my girlfriend anymore.

d) I received inumerable petty complaints (see above) about things like tie not being straight, not being clean shaven, not teaching the book lessons (even though the students in question had told me they hated the book), not getting into the office with enough time in advance of my lessons (eg. well before I started getting paid)

y)Didnt get importand documents I requested over 2 weeks in advance, which I needed to change my visa status for my new job.

For these reasons, along with the fact that I didnt really want to do ESL teaching for too long, I just couldnt take this job seriously.

Come to Japan with Nova (but not for the next six months - they might be going bankrupt), work part-time for a while, and then get a different job, if you can.

[NOVA Saga]

I suffered 3 years of Nova tedium, but left 2 months ago for what I consider to be a proper job. Many of my friends in Japan are ex Nova teachers, and I think there are probabaly a lot of good people working for them who I would genuinely sympathise with if Nova goes down, I feel for the students too. However, there are quite a few people working there, most notably some of the people in the lower supervisory/management positions, who deserve all they get. I know if Nova goes down and I bump in to a certain "boss" from my previous branch, I will be saying to him "dont forget to straighten your tie for your next job interview, mate" - those who have experienced Nova will know what Im talking about..!

[what's everybody listening to now?]

Just getting into Radioheads new album "In Rainbows" - you can download it for whatever price you want at their website - they no longer have a contract and have done a "musical Bosman"! Favourite tracks so far include "Wierd Fishes", "Nude" and "Reckoner". Maybe not music to "hit the park" to mind....

[Pre-Season Excersise?]

Some good advice here, I think. My old housemate was in training for the Canadian bobsleigh team - he was huge and he swore by the squats - he recommended doing something called "blocking" which involves holding your breath on the main weight-bearing part of the excersise. I think squats do a lot more than doing the leg press (I can leg press 160kg, but squat only 100). At my previous gym, they insisted on people using the belt (provided) for squats - might be a good idea for higher weights. I think its also a good point about balance - I think my quads are a bit stronger than my hamstrings, so maybe I need to work on them more.

I just finished my friday night workout of various booze-based excersises - may I recommend exchanging that can of 300 en Kirin Ichiban, for a 270 yen bottle of Heartland (green bottle - no label) - a delicious booze, and you get half a litre for that price! Pretty drinkable stuff tho, so maybe better after the onsen at the end of the day..!

[Pre-Season Excersise?]

I hope I havent scared anyone off! Unfortunately, Im neither particularly fit nor buff - I started going to the gym more regularly and playing the football, but I also started eating the huge, cheap teishoku at lunchtime since I started my new job! I definately wouldnt mind doing some biking - my bike really isnt up to mountains though - come to think of it - neither am I! I think the squat is a good all-round lower body excersise - but make sure you keep your back straight!

[Pre-Season Excersise?]

According to doctors, skiing can be a dangerous activity - the so called "phantom foot" scenario can result in serious knee injury - a snapped ACL can require surgury, and you wont be doing any more skiing for a while. Boarders can be prone to other types of injury. Our learned friends in the medical professions advise us that we can reduce our chance of such injuries with appropriate pre-season training - for example, knees can be protected by strengthening the quads, hamstrings calfs etc. With this advice in mind, Ive been trying to do more excersises at the gym such as squats, leg curls and leg extensions. Im also playing footy for half an hour every lunch.

What pre season training are people doing? Do you have any tips? Perhaps you go cycling or jogging, or maybe you are lucky enough to live in the mountains and get lots of autumn hiking done in preparation! Im sure there are quite a few out there who dont do anything - maybe just take it easy the first few outings and put up with the burning muscles...!

[last bus from Nagano to Hakuba?]

Thanks very much for the prompt reply guys! The 9pm bus should be perfect! Im looking forward to it - just saw the weather forecast and apparently there could be snow in Hokkaido from Saturday even down to lower levels and in the mountains above 1500m in Tohoku!

[last bus from Nagano to Hakuba?]

Could anybody tell me what time the last bus is from Nagano to Hakuba on a Friday night? (searched, but got conflicting info). I used to live in Omiya, so last season mainly did day trips to Kagura, but I now live in Tsukuba, so I guess the day trip isnt really an easy option anymore. I think theres a train leaving Tsukuba around 6ish (cant leave earlier because of work) that gets me to Nagano at 8.42pm, so if theres a bus after that I can stay friday and saturday and get two good days on the slopes...

Thanks in advance for your help.