Had enough of the Tokyo heat? What better way to spend a quiet stippy weekend than hit the streets of Hong Kong for a bite of 飲茶 (Yum Cha / Dim Sum) and a couple of rounds of 麻雀 (Mahjongg) with the locals in Kowloon Park? If you catch JAL, you can even convince yourself that you’re doing something to help the Mother Country. But JAL isn’t the only connection that Hong Kong has with Japan (and whatever else it is that we at Stippy.com claim we are writing about). We are always keen for a challenge and love it when our readers Continue reading Japanese Beatles in Hong Kong – Mr. Moonlight is the new Abbey Road?
Category Archives: Japan: People and Society
Would you buy a used car from this man?
Would you buy a used car from this man? Which man? Well that’s a good question. (I probably wouldn’t buy one from either) In this instance, I mean the man on the left, Masahiro Origuchi (折口雅博), the infamous ex-President of Comsn (コムスン) – the company that, according to their English homepage, is “preserving the dignity and independence of the elderly” (link) when they are not screwing taxpayers by lining their pockets with illegal subsidies.
To be frank, I don’t know if I’d buy a used car from a guy with a smile like that, but want about a used plane? Continue reading Would you buy a used car from this man?
Darwin and Japan’s Lost Generation
It seems a number of the people tuning in to Stippy are married and have kids. I, also a parent living in Tokyo, just checked out an old site that I used to look at for News on Japan. Aptly it is called newsonjapan.com. Looking at the society section I wanted to check if a certain story that I have a personal connection to, was in the English news yet. It isn’t but what I saw was quite scary.
On the Society page for the news on Japan, there were three articles about little kids suffering and dying thanks to their parent’s lack of ability to cope and act maturely when making basic parental decisions. What is happening to parents in Japan these days? Is there a distinct change in the way that Japanese parents treat (through action and inaction) their kids, leading to this scary spate of twisted horrible crimes that we witness daily? Continue reading Darwin and Japan’s Lost Generation
88.5 the New 86 for Japanese Women?
The World Health Organization has issued their annual report for 2006 called the “World Health Report” stating that life expectancy is expected to increase worldwide with the highest projected life expectancy in 2030 to be Japanese women, at 88.5 years. That’s up 2.5 years from the current life expectancy of 86 years. The life expectancy for Japanese males is 79 years, a little less than a decade short of women but certainly a long life by any standards.
Generally speaking the average lifespan is on the upswing but there are areas in Africa where due to AIDS and other diseases a person might be considered Continue reading 88.5 the New 86 for Japanese Women?
Who is Japan’s Favourite TV personality? Mino-Monta, Final Answer!
If you have ever lived in Japan, you know this man. At just about any time of the day, you can flick a few channels on the TV and there he will be. “Mino Monta” (みのもんた, who’s real name is actually Norio Minorikawa, 御法川 法男) is everywhere in Japan. You cant escape the man, who apart from seemingly living in TV studios, is also regularly on the radio, as well as being slated on huge billboards, plastered over the side of buses, not to mention his appearances in countless TV commercials. (Even as I am writing this, he just greeted me on a Tama Home TV ad).
Monta is a master of almost all genres of TV. He appears totally natural whether it be on talk shows, news programs or “variety TV” shows (as they are called in Japan). Documentaries are also in his forte, playing a great David Attenborough when he wants, and even Continue reading Who is Japan’s Favourite TV personality? Mino-Monta, Final Answer!