fjef
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Posts posted by fjef
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Both our kids have been very happy in Japanese schools - even happier since we moved away from Tokyo. We have friends that have put their kids in international schools and think we are doing our kids a disservice.
My kids have Japanese and Canadian passports - our thinking was that they should be as exposed and immersed in both cultures as possible - international schools would remove them from Japanese culture and put them in a transient 'rich' kid environment. It would also be harder for them to make friends in the neighbourhood as so many Japanese activities are centered around the school and community.
What we have also done is made sure they travel to Canada as much as possible - expensive - but not as expensive as international school and they get the language and cultural exposure they need every summer and/or at Christmas. This has been far more valuable to us and them than any International school experience.
My wife is very involved in the PTA and (unfortunately) I have to make appearances at ceremonies etc (not too many other dads are ever there) but it helps us blend into the community we chose to live in.
The good news is that both of our kids are completely bilingual - most of the families we know that have gone the international school route have had language (one or the other or both) or family communication problems that we have not had.
But every situation is different - it may not be what you need to do for your kids. We feel really lucky that we have avoided so many of the problems that we hear about - and we avoided them mostly by not taking other people's advice!
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The old small town fighting over every yen/dollar/shilling game.
I've been through it in the ski-pub business in Austria when the locals all laughed and said we wouldn't survive the first winter and then became jealous after we opened 3 more pubs in the surrounding area in the next 3 years. I've been through it in Canada too.
The success of our business in Austria brought more people to the resort as it became better known and in a short time it even reached the 'world famous' class of success. The locals slowly began to realize that if they focussed on making their own businesses better, and not wasting time and energy on local politics, it was better for the tourists and better for everyone - but took about 10 years for that to work itself out.
The same thing happened when we opened the first pub in the new town center in Whistler in 1980. All the new business were fighting with each other and trying to steal customers and protect their 'own'. It took years for the town to mature and have business focus on cooperation and improving the overall tourist experience - which should really be the focus of any resort town.
To stop the in-fighting in Whistler in the early days, we sponsored a locals race for all of the hotel/restaurant and bar staff - it sure helped break through the BS and helped some of the early businesses shift from negative in-fighting and move toward cooperating.
It didn't happen quickly and there will always be rivalry but there is a line between a healthy rivalry and a destructive one. There will always be resort town competition - but if everyone focussed on improving the tourist experience instead of haggling over every yen, everyone with a good business will benefit.
A word of advice for those just starting out - from an old ski bum who has been through it all before...
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15 years ago my gf said 'I'm pregnant'. I said 'wow'. That was about it.
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Here is an ipod reliability study - some look like they are more reliable than others. We have 4 in our house - including the original 5 gig scroll wheel that is still going strong.
I put my shuffle through the wash and the battery died - the rest of it is still working.
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My boat is lonely this summer so far- I've been really busy and it needs 2 days of work before it can go out this year. Sept through Dec is the best time of year so I hope its ready to go then.
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I have had hours of air time on skis. In my dreams. But its one dream I like to have even if the scenery is a repeat.
I've had ski flying dreams since my first 'real' GS race when I was 15.
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I skied there in summers from 1976 to 1979 when I was ski bumming in Austria.
First trip to Tibet was in 1986 - just when it first opened for travelers - was pretty wild territory then.
Is 48 an oldie? Careful - you'll get here sooner than you think!
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3,250m on skiis in Hintertux, Austria - have skiied there in the 70's and was back last April. The glacier is much smaller - but there are many more lifts now.
I wasn't on skiis but the highest (altitude wise) I have been is 5,000 plus meters in Tibet in 1987 - very near the Everest base camp staging area. Weather moved in and we could not get to the first camp but at that altitude, walking, breathing and everything else was a challenge so it was a relief to head back to Lhasa. The most amazing scenery I have ever encountered.
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I think it is a Japan thing - when I sit down to eat with my wife and kids, I expect (from my upbringing) that it is the time of day to get caught up with each other and talk.
In Japanese families I have been with, meal time is all about the eating unless its a special occasion. My wife often tells the kids (and me) to shut up and eat and I have to remind her that it is the only time we have to talk to each other. This comes up often.
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When I ran a live house on weekends in Tokyo (about a million years ago) we were visited by the local yaks who wanted a cut to 'keep the police away'. The dancing license was mentioned but, amazingly enough, the young Japanese manager of the place we were renting told us that the live house actually had one. When the boys came back again to to collect, we said we already had a license and they got really frustrated and left. A few months later, I moved to a house in the neighbourhood which happened to be right across the street from a big yak - since we became neighbors, we never had a problem and they used to deliver nice fish and gifts when they were over stocked. I suppose we were just lucky then - anything could have happened...
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under/over 30 is a big difference - as far as I know, you need to pay extra (lots) for drivers under 30.
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When I drive through Tokyo I find open wireless connections almost everywhere. The only problem using them is you can't control them - if your neighbours suddenly secure it or turn it off, you are out of luck. Until then, enjoy...
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Miso - this can only mean one thing - we are married to the same woman!Quote:Originally posted by misorano:
And then the conversation goes like this:
Her: "What do you want for dinner?"
Me: "Anything is fine"
Her: "Don't say that"
Me: "OK then, How about Okonomiyaki?"
Her: "Okonomiyaki------" (Said in a dissaproving tone
Me: " Argh-------------------"
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If you are sharing a computer, it might be best to set up separate accounts so you don't have to share files and settings.
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For the last part, see Kumapix link again...Quote:Originally posted by firedog23:
China, India have 2 billion+ people each and their industry/autos probably have something to do with the global warming.
Whoa! Fact Check!
CIA estimates for 2006:
Pop of China: 1,313,973,713
Pop of India: 1,095,351,995
Not 2 billion each!
(Pop of USA: 298,444,215)
Iran, one of the leaders of oil have a state produced vehicle that gets apporx 8 miles per gallon.
The USA, one of the leaders of oil have a GM produced vehicle that gets apporx 8 miles per gallon.
See the tests on the Hummer H3:
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/03/09/000276.html
Many large American SUVs get slightly more than 8 mpg
Have you seen pictures of Mexico City? Not exactly a beautiful view due to the pollution.
Have you seen pictures of LA, and many more? Not exactly a beautiful view due to the pollution.
Brazil has it right when it comes to Oil, they don't import it but they are still cutting down their own Amazon at a gigantic rate.
And the majority of products made from rain forrest trees are sold where? And the beef produced after the land is cleared is sold where?
Have you tried to see Mt. Fuji from Tokyo? It's not exactly a given now a days.
Russia, Pakistan, and the rest of the world have something to do with global warming. This is not something that just started in 2000 but has been building for alot longer than Bush's presidency.
I'm not trying to say that its only the US' fault - but credit should be given where its due... -
It's the dreaded windows time bomb virus. Your computer is doomed.
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From our experience, Japanese names for girls are easy - there are many nice choices. Naming boys is much harder if you want something creative and pronounceable for the folks at home. Good luck with names - I ended up with 2 boys...Quote:Originally posted by me jane:
No. Tarzan's mum is catholic but neither of us are particularly religious. Just trying to decide a name is hard enough! -
I had that problem for a while - but now my wife is beginning to think its not always right.Quote:Originally posted by tsondaboy:
The most annoying thing is not the navi itself, but having the lady next to you arguing about why you are not following what the navi says.
The other useless feature is the ETA - it is so far off, it would be better if they just left it off. The first time I set it to go to Hakuba on the highway, it said it would take 13 hours.
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My Navi works best when its off - the damn thing takes the longest routes to everywhere. A waste of 150,000 yen...
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I think some of what Soubriquet is alluding to is an 'only in Japan' issue that makes it worse when you are being manipulated by a Japanese woman and you are the foreign father.
A foreign father has no rights as far as the kids go and the woman can do as she pleases. There are so many horror stories out there when relationships go bad - and if they start out badly all the more to worry about. Griller needs to be aware of what he might be getting himself into. There is no support for him and his kid (if it is his) in the Japanese legal or social system.
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Well running windows on it for one - and the Viao comes with so many pop-up ad windows and 'buy me' software trials it's a nightmare. Sony has just admitted to installing spyware on Viaos so we can hope that this is no longer a problem - at least in the US.Quote:Originally posted by oblivion:
What makes a Vaio a "spyware, adware and virus magnet"? -
Uuuuuggggh - its a Viao and it runs XP/Vista.
Looks like a small and efficient spyware, adware and virus magnet.
No thanks.
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You will also need to have an ISP (internet Service Provider) like ATT Spinnet (not all ISPs support Air-H connections). So there is an additional monthly charge (usually about 2,000/month for basic internet access. The Wilcom charges are only for the data transfer between your provider and your computer.
I think all of the cards available now are at least 4X. Mine is 4X and works well most of the time for web access and email depending on where I am. I was able to check email once at a restaurant half way up Happo. Being able to do that allowed me an extra day of skiing instead of spending the day in the office.
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You are soooooo 2004, CB - G5's are already old and the new Intel Macs are blowing them away - and the new Macbook is an awesome deal at 135,000 yen.Quote:Originally posted by Creek Boy:
[QB] sweet, Id like a G4 preeaazzee!
parenting in Japan
in General off-topic discussions
Posted
My oldest is 14 and we were quite concerned about jr high school but most of our worries turned out not to be problems at all. There have been a couple of occasions where my wife and I have suggested to the teacher/principal that the school was making decisions and rules (after school club stuff) for our son that we felt were decisions the parents should make.
We had no problems discussing this with the school and the school had no problem accommodating our requests and in one recent case even relaxing their rules for all of the students. We have found the schools to be quite receptive - most parents don't provide schools with much in the way of feedback.
We are also lucky that both our kids are popular and have not had to deal with much bullying. There are occasions when they get called 'Americajin' etc but they have learned to handle it as they will have to deal with it as long as they live in Japan. Both kids (9 and 14) can handle it.
When I was a kid I got teased for having to wear white socks (I had some skin irritation for a while and the doctor thought it might have been an allergy related to the dye in socks). I think I had a much harder time dealing with that then my kids have had going to Japanese schools.
I would suggest that both you and your wife spend a little time talking to the school and meeting the teachers and making them understand that you want to know if there are any problems. I am sure communicating with the school has helped us prevent problems that might have happened if we weren't paying attention.