Beginning on July 9th, 2012 changes to the immigration system, alien registration, re-entry visa will take place.  A new [Resident Card] will be issued for those wanting to stay in Japan.

If you want to stay in Japan for an extended period of time,  ask yourself what you have to offer to Japan.  What do you have that they can’t already find in their country.  Do you have a special skill?  Do you have a degree?  Always remember that visiting Japan is totally different from living there.

Check out this link put out by the Immigration Bureau of Japan, to see how you may be affected by the upcoming changes.  http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/newimmiact_1/en/index.html

Good Luck!

JapanNewbie is a cool site for those wanting to learn about Japan.  For those of you with preconceived notions about Japan, I would definitely recommend you check out this site.    There are sites out there with more information “about” Japan but this site has a variety of information about different aspects of Japan.   So, if you’re an up and coming Japanophile, stop  by and click around the site.

A lot has happened since my last post. The prime minister has changed… again. The yen is still too strong for comfort, and central Japan is cleaning up after a typhoon has left 32 dead and 57 missing.  Nevertheless, we must always keep looking toward and preparing for the future.  So if you’re looking to study abroad, or thinking about sending your child,  the [Guide to Studying in Japan] is a good place to start looking.

I worked for Jalpak in the beginning 90′s. I got to meet some really good people and it was a great learning experience. I recently received an email from a friend of mine saying that Jalpak Bangkok will be shutting down at the end of June. I couldn’t believe it. Jalpak has been in Bangkok since 1979.

As time goes on, we may very well see other major player pull out of certain regions. With the internet, we now have a much more connected world and the need for traditional travel agencies has been dwindling.

When I talked to my friends in Fukushima, they tell me that they are pretty much on their own.  Not sure if it is the radiation that is keeping people out, but they tell me that the Japan Red Cross is not around.   They volunteer at the shelters and tell me that people are in dire need of supplies and it is only getting worse in the shelters.

The stories they tell me are not the stories that the media will talk about.  They are fed up with the lack of actual support.  There are a lot of feel good measures and millions of Yen/ Dollars being donated to the Japan Red Cross, but if the money is not being transitioned into actual help for the people it is pointless.  They have decided to do their own fund raising in an effort to get monies directly to the shelters.

Please click on the picture below.  They are selling T-shirts in hopes of generating money for the children and shelters of Fukushima.   If you have any questions you can contact me directly or contact them (contact info on attachment).

You tend to long for any degree of normalcy.  Even the little things become luxuries.

One question that I always get, is “I want to help or donate, but I want to give directly to people”.  I guess there are a lot of us that feel that our efforts will not go directly to the victims.

In this post, I will post links of where one can find information about giving, helping, or general information about Quake/Tsunami stricken areas.

Help Sites posted by Japan Today (A must see site)

*The Japan Red Cross (direct link to send money directly to them)

Emergency info from Yahoo Japan site (great place to get info)

www.city.fukushima.fukushima.jp (Fukushima City home page)

Fukushima Radio Station (Daily updates on radiation levels)

Radiation Levels in Japan Radiation levels listed by prefecture

NHK World (General info and links in English)

They have put up some useful information for those looking blackout times, train schedules, emergency numbers and so forth

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Despite the devastation, northern Japan is still really cold.  I asked my friend  where he was at the time the earthquake struck.   He said that he was at a preschool teaching when everything hit.  There were about 50 kids in the after school program.  He said he got everyone under desk or tables  and then went around to see if the others were okay.  When it stopped, he got the kids out of the building and on to the playground… only to have it start snowing.  Ouch!

We can never be too prepared for disaster, but chance does favor the prepared mind.

If you are just starting out I definitely recommend you check out this site.

I really hope that they continue adding content, but… due to the amount of effort put into each video lesson,  I think it will be really difficult for the creators to keep on adding content on a weekly or monthly basis.

Often,when I ask someone to print their name, I will say, “koko ni namae o kaite kudasai”.  They will often ask if they can “sign” in Japanese.  Many of them know a good deal of English, so I will usually say ” Eigo de Purinto…”.   This will sometimes prompt a “Purinto te nani”? (What is “Print”?)

The younger people will understand “Buroku-tai” or Block style lettering.  The older people will understand Katsujitai.   So, if you are trying to get someone to print their name, try using “Katsujitai (活字体) to explain yourself.

Note*: To  sign your name or to write in cursive is Hikitai.  If you are teaching kids, you may want to use “Suzuki-moji”.

That’s your tidbit for today.

In 2011, I will cross my fingers but don’t feel the economy will get any better in Japan or in America.

I hope you had a chance to watch the Kohaku and Arashi on NHK.

I wish everyone a Happy 2011.

One upcoming treasure of a site is kayoumorodomi.com.    This site displays images of  the Christmas Decorations put out by Kayou Morodomi.   Having lived in the U.S for a short while and with a passion for crafts she started out by helping others put up Christmas decorations.  Now, 15 plus years later, her Christmas decorations adorn hotel lobbies and really put the cheer in Christmas.

So if you ever have a chance to stop by Kita-Kyushu in Fukuoka prefecture, be sure to stop by and see some of her works.  If you can’t make it to Kita-Kyshu please visit her blog at kayou-m.blogspot.com.

If you need more information regarding the new terminal at Haneda airport please check out their site: www.haneda-airport.jp

Check it out, Learning Chocolate has got to be one of the coolest sites to help you learn vocabulary words.   This site does a great job in covering A LOT of vocab  AND as you click on a group and you will also be able to click on that word and have it read back to you by a native speaker.  FURTHERMORE… they also provide you with activities such as matching and fill in the blank so you can test your skills.

When it comes to vocabulary groups, this site not only covers the basics but also goes above and beyond to include such groups as Kitchenware, Internal Organs, Insect LIfe Cycle, Land Vehicles and MANY more.

To top it off… if this wasn’t good enough, they also allow you to learn Chinese, Spanish, and English.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

For reading and translating Japanese, Rikaichan is one of the best tools out there.

In January of 2009 I wrote about Rikaichan.  For anyone studying Japanese, this tool is a definite must.  Some of the features (as listed on the polarcloud.com site) are:

• Simple to use, just hover the mouse on top of a Japanese word.
• Automatically de-inflects verbs and adjectives.
• Has an optional toolbar that allows you to manually type the word you are looking up
• Detailed kanji view shows meaning/keyword in English, on/kun readings, and other information.
• Hiragana, katakana and half-width katakana are treated the same making it possible to look up stylized/emphasized words.

Original post can be found by clicking here.

Download it , try it out and let me know wheat you think.

Japan has vending machines for just about everything and anything.  In the video you will see a few, but if you ever live there you will be surprised at the vending machines you see; including neckties, flowers, beer and much more.

Check out the videos they have posted this month and let me know what you think.

So if you’re looking to work in Japan, I’d definitely take time to stop by this site.

Shoot me a message and let me know what you think!

Geoff

As I am getting ready to put out a children’s book to help young learners or ESL students learn the sounds necessary to speak English, I am constantly on the look out for publishers and book stores in Japan.

In my search today, I came across Sasugabooks.com. This is an English site that provides books for anyone wanting to learn Japanese or learn about Japan.  They have books in both English and Japanese.   Their categories include Anime, Magazines, Origami, Martial Arts, Learn English, Learn Japanese and many more.

If you’re looking for a book on Japan, stop by, check out their site and if you have time, let me know what you think.

Japan-i is a cool site for newbies.  It’s not overloaded with ads and will allow you to learn a bit about Japan.  Here you can find general information about Japan, World Heritage Sites, Onsens and much more.

At a glance their forum seems decent, but their events calendar could be updated.  When you have a chance, check it out and let me know what you think.

I, myself,  am not a big fan of Tokyo and can stay there for maybe about 3 days before I feel the need to run out of there.   But when I am there I like to make the most of my time.   There is nothing more valuable than a good map when you are planning where to stay in relation to where you want to go.

One great site to check out if you are going there is www.tokyometro.jp/global/en/index.html.  You can find information on sightseeing spots,  how to get around on the subway (vital information if you want to move around efficiently in Tokyo), access to the airport and value tickets.  There is even a link so you can download the Tokyometro Guide.

Check it out when you have time.