Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan,news.answers Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!nwnexus!neopath!mike From: mike@neopath.com (Mike Rosenlof) Subject: Soc.culture.japan references [Monthly Posting] Message-ID: <1994Apr12.210247.3330@neopath.com> Followup-To: soc.culture.japan Summary: FAQ list Keywords: FAQ Sender: news@neopath.com Reply-To: mike@neopath.com (Mike Rosenlof) Organization: NeoPath Inc. Bellevue Washington Date: Tue, 12 Apr 1994 21:02:47 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Lines: 1444 Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu soc.culture.japan:35252 news.answers:17992 Archive-name: japan/references Subject: (0.0) Administrivia We're late this month due to a change of our news transport mechanism. Keep those electronic cards and letters coming folks. I mostly just edit you out there do the writing. Subject: (1.0) Table of Contents (0.0) Administrivia (1.0) Table of Contents (2.0) Redistribution (3.0) About soc.culture.japan (3.1) What is soc.culture.japan about? (3.2) Reminders (3.3) Kill Files (3.3.1) rn/trn KILL files (4.0) Japanese Culture (4.1) Bibliography (4.2) Japanese Films and TV Programs (4.3) Is "Gaijin" a derogatory term? (4.4) Burakumin and Ainu (4.5) Language (4.5.1) Is "arigato" from Purtugese "obrigado"? (4.6) Sumo (5.0) Going to Japan (5.1) Travel Info (5.2) Finding a Job (for non-Japanese) (5.2.1) JET (5.2.2) Other English Teaching Jobs (5.3) Taking Electronics - video, computers (5.4) What are the laws for Japanese citizenship at birth? (5.5) Gifts ! (5.6) Homestays (6.0) Japanese Information Processing (6.1) Internet Access (6.1.1) TWICS (6.2) Finding an E-mail address to XXX in Japan (6.3) How can I read or write Japanese on my computer (6.3.1) Japanese on the Macintosh (6.3.2) Japanese on MS-DOS and Windows (6.3.3) Japanese on Unix, X-windows (6.4) Character Encodings (99.0) Misc. (99.1) Overseas subscriptions to the Japan Times (99.2) How can I get copies of Japanese research papers? [+] new stuff or corrections added [!] new section This list is maintained by Mike rosenlof (206)455-5932 mike@neopath.com NeoPath, Bellevue Washington USA ---- Subject: (2.0) Redistribution Copies may be freely distributed intact, and portions may be quoted provided proper credit is given. "From the soc.culture.japan FAQ article." would be sufficient credit. Please do not repost this FAQ back to soc.culture.japan or to any mailing list or BBS that will automatically find its way back to s.c.j. As the editor, I have attempted to credit original authors as well as I know them, and if they have wished to be credited. If anybody sees their writing here, and wishes something about it changed, please send e-mail to the address above. --- Subject: (3.0) About soc.culture.japan ---- Subject: (3.1) What is soc.culture.japan about? Soc.culture.japan started out as a BITNET mailing list that was administered from one of the machines at MIT. Sometime in or around 1987, the newsgroup soc.culture.japan was created, and articles between s.c.j and the mailing list were gated back and forth for quite a while. The original mailing list aparently no longer exists, and the audience for s.c.j has grown much wider in the years since those early days. The 'newsgroups' file at my site lists the purpose of s.c.j as Everything Japanese, except the Japanese language so from the most basic sense, that's what this group is about. Language discussions appear frequently, and so do many other topics. The table of contents of this FAQ gives some clues as to what somebody consideres frequently asked questions. There are also Frequently Argued Topics in s.c.j. many of them relate to many of the less than admirable aspects of Japanese history and culture. Actions of the Japanese military during World War II, and past and current attitudes toward Japan's asian neighbors are popular FATs. The newsgroup has readers from a number of countries, native cultures, and native languages. With rare exceptions, all posts are in English, which means if Japanese readers post, they are generally not using their native language. Misunderstandings because of language difficulties are very possible. This group is reported widely read in Japan by Japanese, but the majority of posts _from_ Japan are North American or European expatriates. --- Subject: (3.2) Reminders Read news.announce.newusers. Japan is certainly an interesting and important topic these days. Soc.culture.japan CAN BE an important conduit for discussion, but readers must keep in mind several things. Consider for instance that learning about the culture thru say the martial arts is a bit "insulting." One might not know that rec.martial-arts now exists, but one might commit a social faux pas as they say. Similarly, one would not generalize Japanese business with say The Book of Five Rings. A bit of email research (asking your news admin) can avoid this embarassment. This newsgroup contains much useful information, but does have its share of noise. In an effort to minimize the noise, this file begins with a little polite reminder that... 1) Misunderstanding is EXTREMELY likely. This is always the case on usenet, but even more so in newsgroups read by and posted to be people representing multiple cultures and native languages. To paraphrase H. Spencer: an ounce of understanding beats a pound of flaming. 2) Read news.announce.newusers and comprehend BEFORE posting. 2a) Edit SUBJECT lines, MINIMIZE cross-posting, and use FOLLOW-UP lines. 3) Read some books about Japan and the other countries whose relations with Japan you wish to discuss. This will help eliminate the "gross generalizations" contained in many posts. This will also minimize cyclic discussion. Of course, no single book can convey all viewpoints or perspectives. Read a couple with an open mind. A bibliography is included in this post. 4) Avoid using inflamatory terms to refer to people of other races and nationalities. For example, it is very rude to refer to the Japanese as Japs, and referring to non-Japanese as Gaijin is controversial at best, offensive to some. There are such terms for all nationalities and races. Strive to educate! 5) Be mindful of the fact that all of us have different values: Americans, Europeans, Japanese, Asian Americans of all backgrounds other news groups exist: soc.culture.asian.american soc.culture.korean soc.culture.china soc.culture.taiwan soc.culture.hongkong soc.culture.usa soc.culture.europe etc... comp.research.japan soc.penpals sci.lang.japan The entire fj hierarchy comes to several sites in the U.S., but articles are in Japanese, so reading them requires terminals with Kanji support. fj.life.in-japan may also be of interest. It's not widely available in the U.S., but most articles are in English so don't require special software. 6) Lastly, please remember that different cultures each approach mail and news a little differently. Although not many people post to s.c.j from Japan, many people in Japan do read it. We are not going to solve intercultural flame wars here, but it would help if we didn't get involved and sought real solutions instead. ---- Subject: (3.3) Kill Files Since soc.culture.japan covers a wide range of topics, its volume is fairly high, count on over 100 articles every day. There is also a wide range of interests and opinions expressed that are not going to be of interest to all readers. Several news reading programs support KILL files, which allow articles to be discarded due to subject, author, or many other criterea. This section currently deals only with rn/trn. Others are urged to send similar information for their favorite news reader. --- Subject: (3.3.1) rn/trn KILL files In all of the examples below, strings for searches, those inside slash (/) characters may be regular expressions like those used in ed(1). Searches are generally NOT case sensitive. When reading articles from any newsgroup, control-k allows you to edit the KILL file for that newsgroup. To discard articles with subject lines matching a string, add a line like /unwanted topic/:j the string within the slash characters is searched for on all article subject lines, and when found, the command 'j' (junk the article) is executed. If you add a ':=' to the end of the command it will print that subject line so you can go back and read it anyway if you like. /unwatned topic/:j:= To discard articles cross posted to a particular newsgroup, add a line like /Newsgroups:.*bad.group.name/h:j:= to be strictly correct, you would add a backslash (\) before the dots in the group name, but this is usually OK. To discard articles from a particular author, add a line like /From:.*Author Name/h:j:= or this works in my version of trn /Author Name/f:j:= This looks for the author's name as it's reported in the article header. The name can be either the real name or e-mail address. More detailed information can be found in the man page on rn or trn. ---- Subject: (4.0) Japanese Culture ---- Subject: (4.1) Bibliography There is a lot of material written about many aspects of Japanese culture, and available from many more authoritative sources than a computer news group. This bibliography lists a few widely available titles that are aimed toward general readers, not sociologists. Some of the books listed have their own bibliographies for further study. A search of any good library's catalog will list many more. Japanese Society and Culture: The Japanese Mind; Robert C. Christopher A general introduction to Japanese society. Widely available. Includes a bibliography. Learning to Bow; Bruce Feiler An American teaching English at public jr. high schools in rural Japan. Describes the educational system, relations between Japanese and foreigners, and other aspects of current culture. Japanese Things ; Basil Hall Chamberlain Describes Japan at the beginning of the Meiji era (from 1868). Some parts are dated, and therefore more of a historical reference, others still apply. History: Japan; Edwin O. Reischaur A brief introduction to the long history of Japan. Not great, but widely available. A History of Japan; Sir George B. Sansom A considerably more extensive history. 3 volumes. Literature: Kawabata Yasunari Snow Country Thousand Cranes _Snow_Country_ is one of the most famous novels in Japan. It describes the relationship of a teacher from Tokyo and a geisha at a small hot spring resort. Natsume Soseki Botchan Kokoro Sorekara Soseki is considered by many to be Japan's greatest author, and _Kokoro_ is often considered his most important novel. Botchan is earlier in his career, a much more lighthearted story. Mishima Yukio Temple of the Golden Pavillion Mishima is perhaps, as famous for his 1968 storming of the Japan Self Defense Forces headquarters and subsequent suicide as for his writing. Many of his novels have been translated to English. Mishima is probably more popular outside Japan than at home. Tanizaki Junichiro The Makioka Sisters The Key Some Prefer Nettles Tanizaki lived through approximately the same time as Mishima, but was much more popular in Japan than Mishima. "The Makioka Sisters" and "Some Prefer Nettles" have the transition from traditional to modern (westernized) Japan. Widely available in English. The following authors and collections represent modern Japan. They may never reach the stature as the authors listed above, but some are popular and all represent to some degree what's happening in Japan now. Abe Kobo The Woman of the Dunes Around the Curve (short stories) Abe is sometimes called the Edgar Allen Poe of Japan. Similar macabre or twisted type stories. Died in January 1993. Murakami Haruki A Wild Sheep Chase The Hard Boiled Wonderland at the End of the World Murakami is a current best selling author in Japan. These two novels are (sometimes wild) fantasy adventures. The Showa Anthology; Van C. Gessel * Tomone Matsumoto Ed. vol 1 1929-1961 vol 2 1961-1984 Volume 1 especially includes stories by some of Japan's most respected authors. New Japanese Voices; Helen Mistios Ed. More recent than _The_Showa_Anthology_. Monkey Brain Sushi; ??? Ed. Also very recent. Short story collection. Economics and Business: Made In Japan ; Akio Morita Widely available in the U.S. Morita is the founder of Sony. Describes where Japan went right, and others. The Political Economy of Japan; K. Yamamura and A. Y. Yasuba, eds. Covers many aspects of Japanese economics and Politics, easy for non-specialists to read. Religion: On Understanding Japanese Religion; Joseph M. Kitagawa A collection of essays, on topics ranging from prehistoric background of Japanese religion, cross-cultural influences, folk religion, Shinto, Buddhism and Kobo Daishi, Confusiansim, and New Religions. The following are OK, but not great references. Shinto, The Kami Way Tuttle publishing. A brief overview of Shinto organization and practices. Japanese Pilgrimage; Oliver Statler Partly historical fiction, partly Statler's writing about walking a pilgrimage to 88 temples in Shikoku. Computing: Understanding Japanese Information Processing; Ken Lunde The author has been a frequent SCJ contributer in the area of Japanese text processing. It comes highly recomended from several sources. --- Subject: (4.2) Japanese Films and TV Programs There are a number of books on Japanese film. The following is an introduction. Beverley Bare Buehrer, Japanese Films: A Filmography and Commentary, 1921-1989 Contains credits, plot synopsis and comments on a number of Japanese films that are available dubbed or with English subtitles. Kurosawa Akira and Mizugochi Kenji are considered by many film critics to be the greatest of Japan's directors. Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai" and Mizoguchi's "Ugetsu Monogatari" along with Ozu Yasujiro's "Tokyo Story" have at times appeared on the Sight and Sound magazine's once every ten years poll of film critics. Ichikawa Kon has directed a few movies that have made it to the U.S. and Itami Juzo has been popular for "Tampopo" and "A Taxing Woman". The following companies are sources of Japanese movies, some on film, some on video. Sony Video Software, 1700 Broadway, N.Y., NY 10019 Balzac Video, 1253 Tanager Lane, West Chester, PA 19382 Embassy Home Entertainment, 1901 Avenue of the Starts, L.A., CA 90067 Connoisseur Video Collection, 8455 Beverly Blvd., Suite 302, L.A., CA 90048 Video Yesteryear, PO Box C, Sandy Hook, Conn. 06482 New Yorker Films, 16 W. 61 St., N.Y., NY 10023 Historical Films, PO Box 29035, Chicago, IL 60629 Media Home Entertainment, 5730 Buckingham Parkway, Culver City, CA 90230 Pacific Arts, 50 N. La Cienega Blvd., Suite 210, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Corinth Films, 34 Gransevoort St., N.Y., NY 10014 Republic Pictures Home Video, 12636 Beatrice St., L.A., CA 90066 In many larger cities, especially on the west coast of the United States, there are Video stores that rent tapes of movies and TV programs directly from Japan. These tapes are generally NOT subtitled, and TV programs have commercials and everything. Some of these rental outlets are in grocery or book stores that carry a lot of Japanese goods. --- Subject: (4.3) Is "Gaijin" a derogatory term? This issue crops up occasionally as a usually heated debate in this newsgroup. Gaijin is a contraction of the word gaikokujin, and literally means "foreigner". The Japanese language has several cases of using "gai" (outside) with a noun to indicate one of from another country. Gaisha for foreign cars, gaijin for foreign people, gaika for foreign goods. Some people are deeply offended by the word, saying that "gaijin" refers to outsiders rife with undesirable characteristics. There is no doubt that is one meaning of the word. "Gaijin" is also used in many cases where it is probably not intended as a negative statement. Consider that it is common in the Japanese language to address people whose names are not known, or even if names are known, by titles: omawari san, Mr. Policeman; sushiya san, Mr. Sushi Shop. It is not unusual for a Japanese speaker to call a non Japanese who is otherwise not known, "gaijin san". It should be noted that: The language also has much stronger words for cases where a speaker wants to discriminate or insult. and Non-asian foreigners _will_ be called "gaijin" by many Japanese. --- Subject: (4.4) Burakumin and Ainu --- Subject: (4.5) Language Language issues come up regularly in this newsgroup. Even though language and culture are directly linked, the newsgroup sci.lang.japan is prefered for discussions about the language. The newsgroup is also linked to the NIHONGO mailing list. The FAQ for sci.lang.japan is posted from time to time. To subscribe to the list, send an e-mail message to: Listserv@mitvma.mit.edu or Listserv@mitvma.bitnet with no subject and the line SUB Nihongo Please don't send messages for subscription or unsubscription to the addresses for posting on the list. To post an article or question, just send it as normal e-mail to: Nihongo@mitvma.mit.edu or Nihongo@mitvma.bitnet The article will be distributed to all the readers of the list and posted automatically in the newsgroup sci.lang.japan. Please don't send articles to the addresses of subscription and unsubscription. To do other things, send an e-mail message to: Listserv@mitvma.mit.edu or Listserv@mitvma.bitnet with no subject and the line HELP as the message The FAQ file has info on computer programs for learning Japanese, other Japanese-study information, and information about text processing on various computers that may or may not be more up to date than this FAQ. The sci.lang.japan FAQ is available at ftp.uwtc.washington.edu, in /pub/Japanese/FAQ.sci.lang.japan.v4.93. Presumably, the 'v4.93' part of the filename will change. ---- Subject: (4.5.1) Is "arigato" from Purtugese "obrigado"? The Portugese were the first Europeans to have a lot of contact with Japan, mostly in the 16th century. Japanese took many words from the Portugese language, "pan" and "tabako" for bread and tobacco are two easy examples. Despite the similary of meaning and sound, the linguistic sources agree that "arigatou" is pure Japanese, unrelated to "obrigado". ---- Subject: (4.6) Sumo from riley@hachi.hi-tech.ac.jp Sumo Winning Techniques: The English descriptions below are not overly descriptive, and if you haven't seen the technique used, you may not know how it works. Well, being the resident expert (NOT), I am just passing along the info that I could find. I didn't want to take up too much bandwidth with more detailed explanations, either. If anyone has a better way to express a technique in English, please feel free to send it to me by e-mail, and I'll amend the list and send it out later. Enjoy! 1) Abisetaoshi: backward force-down 2) Amiuchi: net-casting twist-down 3) Ashitori: two-handed leg tip-over 4) Chongake: heel-brace force-down 5) Gasshohineri: clasped-hands twist throw 6) Harimanage: rear-belt throw 7) Hatakikomi: slap-down 8) Hikiotoshi: hand pull-down 9) Hikkake: arm-grabbing force-out 10) Ippon-Zeoi: over-the-shoulder throw 11) Izori: submarine scoop reverse dump 12) Kainahineri: two-handed arm twist-down 13) Kakenage: arm-leg combination throw 14) Kakezori: leg-kick sacrifice throw 15) Katasukashi: under-shoulder swing-down 16) Kawazugake: backward lift counter trip 17) Kekaeshi: footsweep 18) Ketaguri: inside-ankle-kick pull-down 19) Kimedashi: elbow-clamp force-out 20) Kimetaoshi: elbow-clamp force-down 21) Kirikaeshi: twisting backward knee trip 22) Komatasukui: over-thigh scoop dump 23) Koshinage: hip-lift throw 24) Kotenage: arm-lock throw 25) Kubihineri: twisting head throw 26) Kubinage: head-lock throw 27) Makiotoshi: sideways twist-throw 28) Mitokorozeme: triple attack force-out 29) Nichonage: leg-sweep throw 30) Nimaigeri: ankle-kick twist-down 31) Okuridashi: rear push-out 32) Okuritaoshi: rear pull-down 33) Omata: open-stance thigh-grabbing dump 34) Oshidashi: frontal push-out 35) Oshitaoshi: frontal push-down 36) Sabaori: forward force-down 37) Sakatottari: arm-bar throw counter 38) Shitatedashinage: pulling under-arm throw 39) Shitatehineri: twisting under-arm throw 40) Shitatenage: under-arm throw 41) Shumokuzori: bell-hammer shoulder throw 42) Sotogake: outside leg trip 43) Sotokomata: under-thigh scoop dump 44) Sotomuso: outer-thigh-grabbing twist-down 45) Soto-Tasukizori: cat-fooling throw 46) Sukuinage: beltless arm-throw 47) Susoharai: backward footsweep 48) Susotori: ankle-grabbing backward dump 49) Tasukizori: shoulder sacrifice throw 50) Tottari: arm-bar throw 51) Tsukaminage: lift throw 52) Tsukidashi: thrust out 53) Tsukiotoshi: twist-down 54: Tsukitaoshi: thrust-down 55) Tsumatori: leg-lift dump 56) Tsuridashi: lift out 57) Tsuriotoshi: lift dump 58) Uchigake: inside leg trip 59) Uchimuso: inner-thigh-grabbing twist-down 60) Utchari: backward pivot throw 61) Uwatedashinage: pulling over-arm throw 62) Uwatehineri: twisting over-arm throw 63) Uwatenage: over-arm throw 64) Waridashi: upper-arm force-out 65) Watashikomi: thigh-grabbing push-down 66) Yaguranage: pendulum throw 67) Yobimodoshi: backward push-down 68) Yorikiri: frontal force-out 69) Yoritaoshi: frontal crush-out 70) Zubineri: elbow-twist throw The following non-techniques are how one loses all by oneself: Koshikudake: inadvertent hip collapse Isamiashi: inadvertent step-out --- Subject: (5.0) Going to Japan --- Subject: (5.1) Travel info One way to get exposure to Japanese culture is to actually travel to Japan. Unfortunately Japan's reputation, in the U.S. at least, is that it's horrendously expensive. In reality, it can be expensive, but doesn't have to be. A rather lengthy file of general travel hints gets posted to s.c.j from time to time. It is not included in this FAQ list due to its size. It is available by anonymous FTP from neutrino.nuc.berkeley.edu (128.32.142.191) in the directory pub/Japanese/travel. --- Subject: (5.2) Getting a Job in Japan (for non-Japanese) From: fester@etorofu.island.com (Mike Fester) Getting a job in Japan involves some lag time and effort, but is not really that difficult, especially if you have a technical degree and speak some Japanese. The hard part is knowing where/how to look. And, as in the rest of the world, the better your qualifications, the easier it is. If you can speak, read, and write Japanese (you need not be fluent), pick up a copy of the magazine _Shuushoku Jouhou_ ("Job Hunting Information") at a Japanese bookstore. It comes out 3 times a year, and it contains company descriptions, benefits explanations, etc, from companies who are actively recruiting new employees. In Japan, the magazine is (or was) free, but overseas it costs about $2. It also has lots of postcards to fill out (1 per company) which you send in to those companies in which you have an interest. If you have work experience in addition to the technical degree, don't pay too much attention to the salaries listed, as those are for absolute beginners. Note: there are other magazines for such job-hunting info, but _Shuushoku_ is one of the more expensive. Companies advertising in it are, in general, better able to come to terms with employing a foreigner who does not have exposure to the Japanese system. If you cannot get Shuushoku Jouhou easily, you can write the publisher/distrib- tor directly. It's published by Recruit U.S.A./International Career Information Inc., 1055 W. Seventh St., Suite 2680, Los Angeles, CA 90017, Tel (213)955-4900. There is another magazine of the same sort called _Adapt_. If you want to subscribe to it, you can call 1-800-344-7241 (from U.S. and Canada). If you do not speak Japanese, it becomes more difficult, but not impossible. Get ahold of the daily edition of _The Japan Times_, particularly the Monday and Thursday issues. They contain job offers (usually in English, but often in French, German, Italian, etc). Many of these are targetted specifically for foreigners. See the following section of this FAQ list for subscription info. If you have a non-technical degree, but speak Japanese, again, it is a bit more difficult, but not impossible. The _Shuushoku_ route works well there. If none of those applies to you, you really have to hustle. Probably, you will have to actually visit Japan (read: Tokyo) and personally answer those ads for English teachers. There are a lot of jobs available, but there is also a lot of competition. You'll have to hustle, but it can be done. If you take the _Shuushoku_ route, expect to send about 45 - 60 cards in for every 3 or for positive responses. Many of the companies will show an interest, and will await your arrival in Japan for an interview. Some may fly you out at their expense (I got 3 such flights). ONCE I'VE GOT AN OFFER, THEN WHAT? Once you've got an offer, you'll have to negotiate on salary and moving expenses. The company will have to then offer you a contract, which you must sign. They or you then apply for your visa. This can take about 3 - 4 months. One thing you need to remember in this negotiation procedure is that things are different in Japan than here. In the larger cities especially, getting an apartment is EXPENSIVE. Frequently (almost always) you will have to pay an honorarium to your landlord/lady equivalent to about 2 months' rent (non refundable). If you use a rental agency to find your place (you almost certainly will) you will pay them about 1 - 2 months' rent as a fee. There are excep- tions of course, but these are not the rule. Also, remember that many apart- ments will NOT rent to foreigners. Nothing you can do about it, really, so keep looking. Someone will take you. Also, getting a phone in Japan is expensive: you will have to buy a 'phone line' from NTT for about $600-680, depending on exchange rate. Sometimes these are available "used" for less. This entitles you to phone service. Then you have to pay for the phone and installation itself (about another $100+). Use all this info in negotiating your moving expenses. Contrary to popular belief, not all (in fact, not most) companies have living quarters for their employees. You will also pay a cleaning deposit and usually a monthly 'management fee' for cleaning the whole apartment, garbage collection, etc. You can be accepted as a 'shain' (real-live employee) or 'keiyakusha' (contractor). There are advantages to each. As a 'shain', you will receive the various 'teate' that the company offers its employees. These are 'allowances' and are NOT included in your wages (they are NOT taxable). These frequently include FULL payment of your train fee (can easily be over $100 a month) which is a pass along one or more train lines from your apartment to work. There is also a payment for your residence; this is NOT a full payment of rent, but is frequently about 50% of the rent. Also, if you have a family, you get an additional allowance for each child and for your spouse. You will receive full coverage under the Japanese national medical plan, and also get the company bonuses. These bonuses can be up to 3 months salary. HOWEVER, they are not always "bonuses". Some companies include them in the yearly salary package they offer their employees, and they withhold part of your salary from each paycheck in order to pay it. Check to be sure which procedure your company follows. As a keiyakusha, you will have to provide for all your expenses, including insurance, etc, and you do not receive bonuses. However, it usually pays a lot better, usually enough to MORE THAN compensate for the loss of the teate's. Also, some companies may not allow you to work outside their company on your own time (eg, as a translator). As a keiyakysha, you can make a LOT of money in your spare time. Once everyone has agreed to the conditions of employment, the company will apply for your visa. They will probably act as your guarantors for your con- duct in Japan (if, however, you have relatives there, you can ask them to do so). If you are married to a Japanese national, however, you can apply for a spouse visa. In either event, you will need the contract, and a guarantor. If you can, get the spouse visa; you will have more flexibility in getting another job, assuming things do not work out with your new company as you expected. Also, they can be granted for longer periods of time, though in practice, only a single year is granted for first-time entrants into Japan (and sometimes for people who have been there for years). You will also need lots of documentation, including college transcripts, proper identification, etc. Once you have made the application, you must wait. I have had embassy people tell me the process would take "3 weeks", but 2 - 3 months is about right. BE VERY POLITE TO EVERYONE YOU DEAL WITH AT THE CONSULATE OR AT IMMIGRATION! THEY CAN KEEP YOU OUT OF THE COUNTRY ON A WHIM AND THERE WILL BE NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT! Not fair, of course, but that's life. Once you have gotten your visa, you can go to Japan and begin your new career/life/adventure. You must register at the local city hall (and they aparently will no longer fingerprint you). You will have to pay a residence tax (which can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars) each year. You will have to pay Japanese income tax (usually MUCH lower than US tax). If you make less than $70,000 a year, you can get an exemption from US taxes, though you still have to file. WHAT IF I AM LOOKING FOR A LANGUAGE TEACHING/TRANSLATION JOB? I will address the spouse situation first, as many people seem concerned about finding a job when they move with their spouse to Japan. Note: whether or not you speak Japanese, the suggestions for language teaching apply. My advice is to learn the language as quickly as possible, once you're there. This opens the translation / interpretation jobs to you; MUCH more lucrative, and in many cases, more interesting. If you are married to a Japanese, and have, or can get, a spouse visa (as above) you should have no problems once you get to Japan, if you are willing to hustle. Most jobs are not full-time, however. It is MUCH easier to find these part-time jobs than full-time jobs. You can get quite a few of them. Standard pay, through an agency, is Y3,000-Y4,500/hour. These jobs are often advertised in the Monday and Thursday edition of the _Japan Times_. After you get some experience, it becomes a bit easier to get a full-time lecturer job at a university. The competition is much tougher for these, but the longer you're in Japan, the better your chances. And once you have some experience, it is much easier to keep getting these part-time jobs, if you so desire. Also, your name will become known in the teaching circles, and you'll have more access to better information on full-time positions. If you are not married, you will need to find a sponsor in one of the companies you will be working for. Many companies are unwilling to do this. My advice is to keep plugging. If you can make it to Tokyo, you CAN find such a job, IF you answer every ad that you see. If you are outside of Japan, then it becomes much more difficult, about like finding a job in any country without being there. What few hints I have are above. Part-time jobs offer transportation costs, period. Only full-time jobs will provide benefits (usually). However, you can very nicely supplement your income with translation jobs. This would enable you to work at home. (It assumes, of course, that you will speak/read some Japanese.) These jobs are also advertised in the J Times. Get a FAX and a computer capable of handling Japanese language and you really can make a lot of money. It is, however, a constant hustle. Note: most J-E translation jobs pay about Y5,000 a page, E-J pays about Y3,000. I did get one translation job that paid Y10,000 a page, but those are rare. Many of these translation companies also offer the occasional interpretation job as well. These can be real plums; my wife and I got paid Y100,000 EACH for a one-day outing to the beach at Chiba with a couple of foreign models. If you stay in Japan long enough to learn the language even moderately well, you will find a larger and larger number of translation/interpretation jobs coming your way, as there is a very high turnover among employees of these these smaller translation/interpretation companies. WHAT IF I JUST WANT A JOB FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS? Some countries, eg, Great Britain, have reciprocity agreements with Japan, allowing people to work for a couple months under various restrictions with nothing more than tourist visas. The US (last I checked, 1991) was not such a country. It IS possible to get a part-time teaching job or two, and some translation jobs if you hustle. It is illegal, and if you get caught, you'd better do some sincere apologizing to avoid getting kicked out of the country. As noted above, Japanese authorities can be much more forgiving if you give them reason to be (no guarantees of course.) Many companies will not ask you too many questions about your visa status, if you don't volunteer anything, or "misrepresent" your status. So, it CAN be done, and if you get caught, most likely the worst that will happen is you will get kicked out of Japan. There are also some internship programs available for specific areas, but these are very competitive, and Japanese authorities sometimes have problems getting intern visas run through immigration (sounds strange, but it is true.) Consult your local program for more info. So, have fun, work hard, and enjoy the land of the rising Yen! (some information here courtesy of Ray Tang) ---- Subject: (5.2.1) JET From: jer@twics.com (Jerry Blanton) JET stands for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, a program sponsored by the Japanese Ministries of Education, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs. The program began in 1987 and was designed to bring young, native English speakers to Japan to assist English teachers in public junior high, high schools and college/universities as well as to help bring 'internationalization' (the 1980's buzzword) to Japan. These goals has now been expanded to include German and French speakers as well. Currently (1994), participating countries are: USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand. This year there are over 3,000 participants (hereafter referred to as 'JETs') spread across the entirety of Japan. There are two types of JET positions: 1) ALT (Assistant Language Teacher). The ALT goes to junior/high/colleges and 'team-teaches' with a native Japanese teacher. Until 1989 there were only English instructors on the program but then it was expanded to include German and French teachers as well (big cities only). ALTs work in a wide range of situations and some ALTs teach in only one school while others never visit the same school twice. 2) CIR (Coordinator for International Relations) The CIR position helps to fulfill the lofty internationalization goal. CIRs work in prefectural offices or in large cities (or sometimes not so big) doing anything from tourism to helping the city deal with the influx of foreign workers. The CIR position is much less defined than the ALT. The vast majority of JETs fall into the ALT category while only a few hundred are CIRs. Where Do I Sign Up? All hiring for the JET program is done in the home countries of respondents. Generally, the initial applications have to be received by mid-December and then notification of interviews is made in late January or early Februrary with the interviews being held in Feb. Most interviews are conducted at the Japanese embassy or consulates in each country. To be an ALT you DO NOT need to speak Japanese, nor do you need any special knowledge about Japan. You do need to have an interest in Japan and a willingness to help the Japanese improve their English skills. Because CIRs tend to work more with larger government offices, they need more Japanese skills from the outset, although this is NOT always the case. In all cases, you must have at least a bachelors degree by the time that you are to departfor Japan (end of July). The JET year is from August 1 to July 31. JETs are pretty well paid considering that the majority of participants are fresh out of college and have no experience. As of this writing, the JET salary is 3,600,000 yen which is about US$30,000. This is TAX FREE so your monthly salary is 300,000 yen wihich is more than enough to live on, and then some. Big city JETs often complain that they make less due to higher cost of living, but they are no where near poverty level. Besides, the JET program isn't about making money, it's about a great opportunity to live in Japan, learn Japanese, and work. If you are interested in finding out more about applying for the JET Program, contact you closest Japanese Embassy or consulate. You can also e-mail me, Jerry Blanton (jer@twics.com) for general questions, however, I left the JET program three years ago so I cannot answer questions about specific matters. ---- Subject: (5.2.2) Other English Teaching Jobs [look back at the main section 5.2 - it's got a little on this] Japan is known for being relatively easy to find good paying English teaching jobs with few qualifications. That's the reputation, but it's not nearly as true now as it was several years ago. There are many English schools in Japan, and many of them still hire native English speakers, but the good ones--and "good" means both the quality of their teaching and how they treat their employees--are much more likely to require that their employees have experience or even some credential in teaching ESL. Freelancing is possible, but getting established is difficult. Note that freelancing on a tourist visa is illegal, and to get a working visa, you need a sponsor--usually an employer, but friends or relatives are possible. The bottom line is that it's not as easy as it once was. ---- Subject: (5.3) Taking Electronics - video, computers The Japanese TV standard is NTSC, the same as used in the North America and a few other places, so videotapes and laserDiscs from Japan are compatable with North American equipment. Channel assignments are somewhat different, so a North American TV set won't necessarily work if you take it to Japan. SECAM or PAL equipment won't be much use in Japan, but reportedly can be purchased in Japan if you want to take something home. Because of the channel assignment differences, a TV set and a VCR or laserdisc player need to be connected by the RCA type video cables (or S-video), not the coaxial "signal modulated onto channel 3 or 4" cables. There are probably exceptions to this statement, but in general, this is so. Electricity is 100 volts 50hz in Eastern Japan, 60hz in western Japan. The dividing line is the Oi river in Shizuoka prefecture about half way between Tokyo and Nagoya. Aparently, Tokyo and Osaka, being the first cities in Japan to elictrify, ordered their equipment from different European (or US?) sources, thus the frequency difference. The outlets fit US standard two prong plugs with two parallel flat blades. There are many houses that don't have the third wire ground hole in their outlets, so she three prong grounded plugs common on PCs in the US may have a problem with the ground pin. Power supplies on many computers can handle a wide range of voltages. The MAC IIvx nearby says 100-240V, 50-60 Hz. So with the correct line cord, it will be happy in Japan, but I don't know that to do if there's no ground connection. Some devices with motors depend on the line frequency for their speed and will run slow in eastern Japan. With the lower voltage, devices with heating elements will run cooler. ---- Subject: (5.4) What are the laws for Japanese citizenship at birth? [disclaimer] The following was written by an individual who is not an expert, nor a lawyer in the matter in question. The information is believed to be correct, but don't say you weren't warned if it's wrong. 0. If both parents are Japanese citizens then the child is a Japanese citizen; though if the child is known to have a second citizenship for some reason (such as being born in a country that grants citizenship due to place of birth) then rules for dual citizens apply. 1. If one parent is a Japanese citizen and one parent is a non-Japanese citizen, then the child is a Japanese citizen, but must choose by age 22 whether to keep Japanese citizenship or the other citizenship. The child's choice is recognized legally by Japan. The child's choice might or might not be recognized by the other country, so the child might choose Japan and still be a dual citizen when in the other country or maybe third countries. Until recently, this was the rule only if the father was the Japanese citizen -- if the mother was the Japanese citizen, the child might become stateless as a result. But the law no longer discriminates by parent's sex. 2. If both parents are non-Japanese, then the child is not a Japanese citizen. Status depends only on the laws of the countries of the parents' citizenships, and maybe of the country where the child was born. 3. If the parents are not married but both recognize the child as theirs, the above rules still apply. 4. If the parents are not married and the father does not recognize the child as his, then only the mother's citizenship (and possibly the child's place of birth) determine the child's citizenship(s). 5. If both parents are unknown and the child was born in Japan, then the law says that the child is a Japanese citizen. This case has probably not been tested recently in the courts or otherwise, so the status of such a child will probably in reaality, be stateless. ---- Subject: (5.5) Gifts [working on it] ---- Subject: (5.6) Homestays The following was received by a reader from the Japanese Consulate whos address follows. There have been no reports on what any of these organizations are really like. Consulate General of Japan 250 East First Street, Suite 1507 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Telephone (213) 624-8305 Thank you for your interest in finding a host family in Japan. The following organizations will assist you in your homestay search: 1) The Japan Foundation 244 South San Pedro Street, #508 Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 617-1159 2) LEX America 68 Leonard Street Belmont, MA 02178 (617) 489-5898 3) Nihon Kokusai Seikatsu Taiken Kyoukai 4-5 Kojimachi, Tachibana Building Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 120 4) Tokyo WMCA 1-8 Kanda Surugadai Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 101 5) International Friendship Association 1-10 Chiyoda Building, Nanpei-dai Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan 150 6) Japan Junior Chamber, Inc. International Exchange Committee 2-14-3 Hirakawa Cho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 102 ---- Subject: (6.0) Japanese Information Processing Look back to the bibliography section of this file, and note a book by Ken Lunde. It's a good start to answering many questions in this area. The sci.lang.japan FAQ file is also a good reference. --- Subject: (6.1) How to get internet access in Japan There used to be information in this section that was old and out of date. The following is all the recent information I have now. --- Subject: (6.1.1) TWICS TWICS offers E-mail, netnews, telnet, FTP, gopher, and other services. The following is from their introduction HOW TO GET STARTED Joining TWICS is easy! Just set your modem and communication software to use 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit, then dial (03) 3351-8244. After your modem connects, press RETURN. You will see Connected to Twics (Tokyo) Username: Enter GUEST, press RETURN, and you will see a menu of options that allow you to browse information about TWICS services, as well as to fill out an online application. Your account should be ready by the next business day. FOR MORE INFORMATION TWICS International Education Center Building 1-21 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 160 Japan Telephone: (03) 3351-5977 Facsimile: (03) 3353-6096 Modem: (03) 3351-8244 E-mail: info@twics.com --- Subject: (6.2) E-Mail adress to xxx in Japan One of the most frequent asked questions (faq) in this group has been: "Does anybody know the e-mail address to xxx in Japan?" One of the questions I often get asked concerns how to contact specific sites or people in Japan by email. While there's no foolproof way, oftentimes you can guess an email address from the recipient's affiliation. The translation from affiliation to email domain can be made with the help of the standard list of active domains in Japan. As an example, to contact someone at Akita University, you might try loginname@akita-u.ac.jp where "loginname" is something reasonable like the person's last name, their first initial followed by last name, etc. If that doesn't work and you know the person is in, say, the CS department, you might try loginname@cs.akita-u.ac.jp If all else fails, sending a query to the loginname "postmaster" at that site will usually elicit a response. A list of active domains is also available for anonymous FTP from cs.arizona.edu [192.12.69.5] as file "japan/email.domains. THIS CAN BE VERY USEFUL if you're trying to guess at an address. --- Subject: (6.3) How can I read or write Japanese on my computer? This question is broken down into three subsections, Macintosh, IBM (PC and compatables), and Unix. Unix means mostly X-windows software. Reading Japanese on a computer requires a terminal emulator or text editor program that 1) handles the two byte character set(s) which are used for transmitting kanji electronically; and 2) Displays the text in a readable form, at least one kanji font is generally required. Writing Japanese requires an input system, which may or may not be built in to a text editor. The input system takes keyboard input, usually romaji, converts to kana, and then converts words or phrases to kanji. An article from Ken Lunde which describes character encoding and other aspects of Japanese language on computers is available at several FTP sites. There are several FTP sites which cary Japanese related software. Try one near you first before trying one on the other side of an ocean. North America ftp.uwtc.washington.edu /pub/Japanese Lots of stuff for all platforms mindseye.berkeley.edu [128.32.232.19] /pub/kanji A few MS-DOS utilities Japan azabu.tkl.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp [130.69.16.7] Japanese related programs for PCs utsun.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp [133.11.7.250] jTeX scslwide.sony.co.jp [133.138.199.1] a few MS-DOS utilities ftp.cs.titech.ac.jp [131.112.16.39] ftp.tohoku.ac.jp lots of good stuff Australia monu6.cc.monash.edu.au pub/nihongo A few MS-Dos and Mac utilities many language references including kanjidic and edict dictionary files Europe kuso.shef.ac.uk pub/japanese, pub/news/fj Mirrors monu6.cc.monash.edu.au as well as other things nic.funet.fi pub/cluture/japan lots of stuff --- Subject: (6.3.1) Japanese on the Macintosh Apple sells the "Japanese Language Kit" to run on system 7.1. It has true type Kanji fonts, an input conversion system and dictionary. It also costs a bunch of money. It lists for something like $250, and is reportedly available from some of the discount software places for about $190.00 Version 7.1 and later of the macintosh operating system is called "World Script Ready". Different modules for different languages can be installed and input methods switched from language to language with a manu or control panel choice. Earlier versions of KanjiTalk may or may not be available from APDA (Apple Programmer's and Developers Association, 800-282-2732, or 408-562-3910). This is a kanji version of the Macintosh System and Finder, system 6 for about $65. There is gomTalk, which takes a U.S. system 7.0 or so and a 6.n version of Kanji talk and produces a Japanese system 7. Don't expect true type fonts. More details not available here. Once a Japanese OS is installed, you can run many applications on a U.S. mac and use Japanese input to create Japanese text. However many U.S. applications make assumptions about single byte characters, so you will be disapointed. You can use the following: free/shareware ASLEdit an english/kanji text editor, simple terminal emulator NinjaTerm terminal emulator commercial Hypercard Nisus High end word processor. Japanese version available in U.S. Microsoft and Claris, and probably others produce Japanese versions of their software, but for various reasons, aren't sold in the U.S. You can bring them back from Japan. Much commercial software in Japan is very expensive. Many programs that won't work correctly for creating text do fine when reading only. Most word processing programs fit this category. You may need to select all text in your document and change it to a font that contains kanji - look for font names like "Kyoto" or "Osaka". --- Subject: (6.3.2) Japanese on MS-DOS and Windows The optimal solution to Japanese processing on a PC is to: Install Linux/X11R5 (get the relevant HOWTO file from comp.os.linux.announce). This not only gives you Kanji fonts, but also Chinese, Hangul, Hebrew, etc. etc. All this is free with X11R5. Of course, by installing Linux you get fullblown UNIX, UNIX networking, etc. as well. DOS/V is the Japanese version of MS-DOS for PC ATs. It was released in Japan in 1991, now it's in version 5.0. There are already many commercial programs for this OS, including text editors. The V of DOS/V is from VGA (It only works on VGA), and it is fully compatible with MS-DOS for IBM-PCs. Actually it's the MS-DOS with some device drivers for processing fonts and input. It also has commands to switch quickly between Japanese and English. As an example of commercial text editor, there is a DOS/V version of Ichitaro the best-selling editor in Japan. The Dash version which has less functions than the complete one costs about US$200. There are also many Japanese version of English programs for PCs such as Windows 3.0, Lotus 1-2-3, MS-Works, etc. Moke 1.1 is a shareware text editor runs on more basic systems than jwp or njstar. Moke 2.0 is a commercial product and is available from J.J. Edwards, KiCompware, 1812 N. Erb St., Appleton, WI 54911, or Mark Edwards, #405 Konya manshon 4-12-6 Gono kami, Hamura-cho, Nishitamagun, Tokyo, Japan 190 Hterm - A communication program for MS-DOS which will display ASCII, JASCII, JIS1, and JIS2. From most of the FTP sites mentioned. KD (Kanji Driver) by Izumi Ohzawa Kanji viewer/ front-end-processor for Kermit. FTP from mindseye at berkeley. Mr. Ohzawa recommends hterm. There is also a high-end word processor called EW+ (about like WordPerfect?) for the IBM PC available from: Information Technology Laboratory 415 Madison Ave. 19th Floor New York, NY 10017 Tel: 212-832-5300 (Yuki Maruyama) Fax: 212-832-6677 Price: $850.00 ($499.00 for Universities). There is also a lower-end word-processor called JWP which has gotten a lot of usenet notice lately. from several FTP sites. Definitely at ftp.uwtc.washington.edu. Something called njstar exists also... YKH is a freeware Japanese terminal emulator for MS-DOS computers with VGA. It has the following features: o VT320 terminal emulation o ASCII, JIS, NEW-JIS, SHIFT-JIS, EUC formats o even when "stripped" by newsreaders, Japanese displayed correctly o com1 and com2 to 9600 baud o DECNET LAT, DECNET CTERM network terminal protocols o roumaji-kana translation from wuarchive.wustl.edu in mirrors/msdos/modem/ykh.zip --- Subject: (6.3.3) Japanese on Unix, X-windows The standard X-windows distribution contains kanji fonts, Look in the contrib area of your copy of X-windows. Kinput, kterm (terminal program) etc. Nemacs is a version of Gnu emacs modified to handle double byte characters. It interfaces to a kanji conversion server that's distributed as part of the Wnn package. Get Nemacs and Wnn from ftp.uwtc.washington.edu The full nemacs distribution is available at crl.nmsu.edu in pub/misc/nemacs-3.3.2.tar.Z Nemacs is not supported any more, the new program is MULE, Multilingual Enhancement to GNU Emacs, currently version 0.9.7.1. Available at least on etlport.etl.go.jp or sh.wide.ad.jp (faster), and ftp.funet.fi. MULE is larger and more complex than nemacs, if you only want Japanese, no other languages, you still may be happier with nemacs. --- Subject: (99.0) Misc. ---- Subject: (99.1) Overseas subscriptions to the Japan Times From: Ray Tang via Mike Fester [this info is from approximately April of 1993] The Japan Times is a daily newspaper, published in English. Japan Times Daily order Info Monthly Subscription Rates Overseas (airmail rates) [various countries in Europe and South East Asia but not Canada] USA(Washington D.C., Illinois, Washington, california) 11,380 yen All other areas in USA 12,480 yen For overseas subscription and inquiries contact: Oversea Courier Service Co., Ltd. (Subscription Dept.) 9 Shibaura 2-chome, Minato-ku Tokyo 108 Tel (03) 5476-8131 or Circulation Dept., The Japan Times, Ltd. Monthly Bound Volume: Japan 6,180 yen (Consumption tax included) overseas rates available upon request Canadian Orders: Oversea Courier Service (Canada) Ltd. Toronto Office 480 Carlingview Drive Rexdale, Ontario M9W-6M8 Tel (416) 675-9066 675-9067 Fax: (41) 675-6897 Telex: 6989593 (SHIBUN TOR) Manager: Mr. J. Colton ---- Subject: (99.2) How can I get copies of Japanese research papers? [ this information may be out of date -ed ] Free japanese tech searches: An American researcher can request a search by calling the NACSIS (Japan's National Center for Science Information Systems) operator between 1:00 and 4:00 PM EDT at (202) 357-7278 or sending an electronic mail message to nacsis@nsf.gov (internet) or nacsis@NSF (bitnet). Searches can also be requested by writing to NACSIS Operator, National Science Foundation, Room 416A, 1800 G Street N.W., Washington, DC 20550. The databases include information about research projects sponsored by Japan's Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture; papers presented at electronics and chemistry society conferences; doctoral theses; and Japanese- and foreign-language holdings of periodicals and books in the libraries of 1100 Japanese universities. Translation is fairly expensive running at this time (1990) at $50-80 per page of text. Double that for 1994. -- mike rosenlof (206)455-5932 mike@neopath.com NeoPath, Bellevue Washington USA