2010年8月のブログ記事一覧(3ページ目)-英語で活かすあなたのキャリア　『ジャパントゥデイジョブ』

Home to the World’s Fifth Best Taxi Drivers

2010-08-10 10:50:28 | ブログ記事

Tokyo – Home to the World’s Fifth Best Taxi Drivers

http://injapan.gaijinpot.com/2010/08/10/tokyo-%E2%80%93-home-to-the-worlds-fifth-best-taxis-driver/

Travel portal hotels.com has completed a survey to find the world’s best taxi drivers. The best in the world are apparently to be found in London. London cabs, still officially known as hackney carriages, are rated the highest because their drivers are friendly and know how to get to their destination, according to the survey. Tokyo taxi drivers ranked 5th.

The survey found that London taxis, despite being the most expensive, beat rivals across the globe to head the list for the third consecutive years, scoring 59% in votes on several categories by travelers. Drivers in London must pass an examination called The Knowledge to get a taxi license.

New York’s taxis came second in the list, scoring 27%, but their drivers tied with Parisian taxi drivers as the rudest, the report said, adding that New York was the easiest place to hail a cab.

Rome’s taxi drivers were voted the worst in the world when it came to the quality of driving.

‘‘Traveling by taxi is one of the first experiences that many travelers have upon arrival in a new city. In fact, the research found that cabs are by far the most popular method of traveling from the airport to their hotel,’’ hotels.com said in a statement.

The global poll scored city based taxis for their levels of cleanliness, value, quality of driving, knowledge of the area, friendliness, safety and availability.

Tokyo taxis scored 26%, and Bangkok famed for its tuk-tuks got 14%. Madrid’s taxis were ranked sixth in the poll, followed by Copenhagen and Dublin with 11% and Frankfurt and Paris with 10%, according to Reuters.

Taxis in Sydney scored badly in the areas of value for money, availability and knowledge of the area. What do you think? Are Tokyo taxi’s deserving of fifth place or should they be a little higher?

Old-school Tokyo Metro Manner Posters

2010-08-10 10:49:35 | ブログ記事

Old-school Tokyo Metro Manner Posters

http://injapan.gaijinpot.com/2010/08/10/old-school-tokyo-metro-manner-posters/

The series of Metro Manner posters that have been displayed around Tokyo underground stations for the past year of so and were designed by Bunpei Yorifuji have proven bery popular – if a little unsuccessful. The current crop switch the negative messages for something more positive, rewarding people for good behavior rather than admonishing them for bad.

Courtesy of the Pink Tentacle blog, here are some of the manner posters that have appeared in Tokyo in the past.

Cinderella rushing from the ball at the stroke of midnight, is used here to warn you against the danger of trying to rush into the train at the last possible moment. See the original here.

This one is obvious and not too different from the more modern iterations. That is, except for the appearance of Superman on the train. Original is available here.

The paintings of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec are the inspiration here, this one urging people not to smoke on the train platforms. More details at Pink Tentacle.

And here are a couple of the latest from the current set. Looking at the imagery used here it is safe to say that everyone can get the message. Which style works for you? Old or new? – Be sure to check out Pink Tentacle for the full set of classic posters, covering 1976 to 1982.

Bon Odori(盆踊り)

2010-08-04 10:32:29 | ブログ記事

Bon Odori(盆踊り)

http://injapan.gaijinpot.com/2010/08/03/bon-odori/

And now for something relatively different.

Compulsorily celebrated in early to mid-August in most regions of Japan, Obon week is one of the country’s three major holiday seasons.

Which is probably why it plays havoc with domestic and international travel, and raises the prospect of completely booked-out accommodation or outrageously stiff hotel rates.

[Obon September]

On top of these, business itself comes to a standstill, as much as this concept is possible in an über-metropolis like Tokyo. Most shops, banks, ATMs and stores are closed for the duration of the week, during which employees, and obviously the artificially-intelligent types that run the ATMs, are coerced by their bosses to take mandatory vacation (or leave-without-pay), all in observance of this thing called Obon.

So what’s all the big fuss about, anyway?

While Obon is the annual Buddhist event in which to commemorate and memorialize one’s ancestors, it’s also believed that the freewheeling spirits of these dearly departed return to this world in order to visit their relatives.

And – yep – it all happens round Obon time.

So the festival has shaped-up as an significant traditional custom in Japan, as well as a bit of a late-summer cleaning fiesta: people from the big cities return to their home towns to visit and clean their old folks’ graves, then scrub their own places too.

[obon_archive1]

Colourful paper lanterns are propped up in front of houses to guide the ancestors’ spirits home (just in case they’ve forgotten), there’s a swag of ceremonial food and sake on offer, and Japanese rediscover of modicum of religiosity.

But the big deal and the biggest fun at Obon time are the oh-so-special evening dance-offs, dubbed bon odori.

Kids and their grandparents don summer kimonos (yukata), and as the bon odori music plays, they perform a dance routine that is, in some respects, choreographed the same way throughout Japan.

There are specific moves that I like to call “The Shoveller” and “Vogue”, but these get lost in the (written) translation here.

The typical bon odori dance involves people lining up around a high wooden building made especially for the festival, called a yagura, which doubles as a bandstand for the musicians, taiko drummers, and guest crooners. [MV5BMzc5NTY1OTc3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTM2ODI0MQ@@._V1._SX433_SY500_]

It also bears an unnerving resemblance to the ever-collapsing watch-tower in ‘60s US sit-com F Troop .

Some dancers proceed clockwise, and some dancers sidle counter-clockwise around the yagura, depending upon the particular festival, but never the twain shall meet.

Amidst the traditional soundtrack is inserted a bunch of enka classics and famous anime TV tunes, like those for Doraemon and Pokémon – and grandmas are just as likely to bop away at these, with adept panache, as their whippersnapper descendants.

Somewhat creepily, it’s also a widely held belief that those spirits of deceased loved ones are jigging in step at the same time.

There are even more traditions and customs to round out this one-week extravaganza – kids who’ve caught goldfish at carnival booths are often subsequently heard shrieking as ghost stories are told, Buddhist shrines are decorated in outrageous new ways, processions of people march in the streets, and fireworks fill the sky. You’d swear you can even smell brimstone… but it’s probably just gunpowder.

At the tail-end of Obon, floating lanterns are lobbed into rivers, lakes and seas in order to guide the spirits back into their world, perhaps so they can choreograph new heavenly dance moves for next year’s event.

[SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA]

Working in the Japanese Games Industry

2010-08-02 15:26:01 | ブログ記事

Working in the Japanese Games Industry
http://injapan.gaijinpot.com/2010/08/02/working-in-the-japanese-games-industry/

Facebook game maker and hot US start-up Zynga recently announced a joint venture deal with Softbank, setting up a Japanese subsidiary to start bringing popular online social games from the west over to Japan for use on Softbank mobiles and Japanese web services. With that, we thought it might be a good time to take the first of a series of looks into the games industry in Japan, the changes taking place and how you might be able to take advantage.

Rico Shen / Wikimedia

Coming to Japan to make video games is the dream of many but breaking in can seem all-but impossible. However, scratch below the surface and it might not seam as hard as you think. While openings exist for translators, proofreaders and testers (GaijinPot has featured some from companies including Aeria Games and GALA) the need for developers continues to be huge.

Konami, Sega and other big game companies will recruit during job fairs, this one at UBX in Akihabara recently is a good example. They require Japanese, as will the majority of positions, but also have a need to add to their creative teams with new ideas.

Another way that is increasing in popularity is to go through the education system. Digital Hollywood and HAL are two examples here. Both are promoting their classes to foreigners and put graduates in touch with industry figures upon course completion. Again, although Japanese is required, conversational level is often enough to get by.

If going through a Japanese college does not sound your thing or you already have qualifications then taking the direct method of contacting game companies also pays off. In these cases however making the most of your foreign skills is paramount.

Game Score Blog / Flikr

If you can draw, bring a sketchbook portfolio and show it off. Japan produces some of the world’s best designers but they often end up lost in the corporate crowd, therefor you will need to stand out. Have your own game idea? Tell them all about it, especially if you can tie it in to something that they already do.

In addition, be prepared to harden yourself to big-company corporate culture. The successful game companies in Japan work round the clock and despite the fun products that they put out, they expect professionalism at all times.

Make sure this is something you want to do for your own development in the games industry too. Despite the Japanese games that meet with huge popularity overseas, 90% of titles that see the light of day locally are churned out to a smattering of applause and sales.

Check GaijinPot jobs for what developer jobs we have currently and check back to see new ones as they come in. Part 2 of this will look more at how the industry itself is changing.

Rakuten To Link Japan And Taiwan Online Malls

2010-08-02 12:24:51 | 気になるニュース

Report: Rakuten To Link Japan And Taiwan Online Malls
Japan’s biggest business daily, The Nikkei, today reports that the country’s biggest e-commerce company, Rakuten, is planning to links its Japanese and Taiwanese online malls so that customers from these countries can order products from both Japan- and Taiwan-based merchants. Ac
source: Asiajin

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Home to the World’s Fifth Best Taxi Drivers

Old-school Tokyo Metro Manner Posters

Bon Odori(盆踊り)

Working in the Japanese Games Industry

Rakuten To Link Japan And Taiwan Online Malls

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英語で活かすあなたのキャリア　『ジャパントゥデイジョブ』