Xmas cards? New Years cards?

In Japan, Xmas cards aren’t commonly exchanged — but 年賀状 (New Years postcards) are.

When I lived in America, everyone gave Xmas cards to friends and family.  I had never heard of a New Years card until I came to Japan.

I have been sending and receiving New Years postcards every year since I came to Japan … but these days, more and more people in Japan … especially young people don’t bother to hand-write “real” paper New Years postcards — they just send ケータイ年賀状 (cellphone New Years postcards).

It’s not the same. I think people appreciate getting a hand-written card.
My kids love their cellphones … but they still write New Years postcards by hand, I’m happy to say.

How about you?  Do you send hand-written Xmas or New Years cards?
Email cards?
None at all?

Tokyo is the travelers’ favorite city

The Trip Advisor website had a survey for travelers to rank world cities in nine categories such as friendliest locals, cleanliness, public transportation, etc.

Tokyo ranked first place in five categories and second place in another.

Tokyo Tower and Zojoji Temple (image from “Trip Advisor”)

Here are the top three cities in each of the nine categories:

Category	First place	Second place	Third place
Friendliest locals	Cancun	Tokyo	Lisbon
Friendliest taxi drivers	Tokyo	Cancun	Singapore
Best taxi services	Tokyo	Singapore	Dubai
Cleanest streets	Tokyo	Singapore	Zurich
Ease of getting around	Zurich	Vienna	Singapore
Best public transport	Tokyo	Zurich	Munich
Best value for money	Lisbon	Budapest	Bangkok
Best for shopping	New York City	Bangkok	Dubai
Safest city	Tokyo	Singapore	Dubrovnik

And here were the ones that were voted as the worst in the same categories (except for “Safest city”…for some reason that category wasn’t listed on the site):

Category	Last place	Second to last	Third to last
Friendliest locals	Moscow	London	Hong Kong
Friendliest taxi drivers	Moscow	Beijing	Brussels
Best taxi services	Moscow	Beijing	Kuala Lumpur
Cleanest streets	Mumbai	Marrakech	Punta Cana
Ease of getting around	Mumbai	Punta Cana	Moscow
Best Public Transport	Hanoi	Sharm el Sheikh	Marrakech
Best value for money	Oslo	Moscow	Zurich
Best for shopping	Moscow	Oslo	Punta Cana

Have you been to any of these cities? Do you agree with the ranking?
Which cities would you rank as best and worst?

Why Japan?

I’m an American and I like America. I’d visit there more often if it wasn’t so expensive (especially for five people) to take such a long trip…but I have been living in Japan since 1990. Most of my life now.
So the few occasions that I have been able to visit America, it has felt more like a foreign country to me. It’s fun to visit and experience the culture…but it feels nice to return home—to Tokyo.

Every once in a while someone will ask me why I decided to live in Japan permanently.

Well…it’s not easy to explain why you love your city. Especially to someone whose never seen it.

I live in Tokyo rather than anywhere else in the world because—

☆ it’s very convenient;
– With few exceptions, anything you want to buy, to eat, to drink or to do can be found in Tokyo.
– The public transportation system has bus stops, train stations and subway stations everywhere and the buses, subways and trains run often and on time. Precisely on time.

☆ the service is top-notch;
– No matter where you go–a high-end department store, a “mom and pop” store, a five-star restaurant, a fast-food joint–the place will surely be clean, the staff will be courteous, and whatever you buy will be of the highest quality.

☆ everything’s on time;
– T.V. shows in Japan are scheduled to start at precise times such 5:57PM rather than at general times such as 6PM. And they start exactly on time.
– The bus, subway and trains have time tables…and they’re also exactly on time. Everyday, I catch the 7:11AM train to work…it’s scheduled at 7:11 and that’s when it arrives at my station. Not 7:10 or 7:12…but at 7:11 everyday.

☆ people are polite and think of others;
– Not only with words such as ‘excuse me’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, but people here are considerate others with actions:
no one talks on their cell-phone while they’re indoors; everyone cleans up after themselves at movie theaters, ball games, parks, etc.
– If you misplace your property, it’s quite likely to be returned to you.

☆ there’s so much to do;
– museums, zoo, amusement parks, festivals, and other events – even after over twenty-two years here, I still enjoy going out.

☆ the city is beautiful;

But the recent shootings in America at a movie theater, a shopping mall, a hospital and most shocking – an elementary school have reminded me of the main reason that I decided to raise my children in Japan rather than in America:

☆ safety;
All of those shootings in America were tragic and make me wonder why so many Americans think it’s important or necessary for anyone to own a gun.
I recently read online that Florida (the U.S. state that I grew up in) recently issued the state’s one-millionth gun license. It’s unbelievable!
Also unbelievable was when I read that many states in America have decided to legalize marijuana.

In Japan, drugs are very illegal and gun licenses are extremely rare and difficult to get.
Basically, only the police, the military* (* “self-defense force”) and hunters can legally own a gun. For a hunter to get a gun license, he must attend shooting and safety classes, pass an exam, pass a mental-health evaluation, and pass a criminal history background check. The police also must inspect the gun locker that the applicant intends to keep the weapon.
Also, the gun license is only valid for three years…the whole process must be repeated every three years.
Needless to say, almost no one even bothers to apply for a gun license in Japan.

The crime rate in Japan in very low…especially violent crime. But when a murder or robbery does occur, a knife is the usual weapon of choice for violent criminals here—therefore the casualty rate is low.

Also, Japanese police aren’t so quick to draw their weapons as they are in America.  It’s a news story if a police unholsters his gun!

I can’t understand why guns are so popular in America.
They’re not very useful for home security. Most burglars break into a home when either the home-owner is out or asleep. An alarm and/or a guard dog would be much more useful in those situations.
A dog is loyal to it’s owner too…unlike a firearm. If an unarmed burglar finds a hidden gun in the house he’s broken into, suddenly he’s an armed burglar.
And how many accidental deaths result from mishandling of guns by children or drunk or careless owners? Many, it seems.

Americans say that it’s their “right to bear arms”. But, if no one else had one, would you really need a tool that’s sole purpose is to end life?

2012 Kanji of the Year

Every December (for the past seventeen years or so), a 漢字 (Japanese (Chinese) written character) is chosen which has a meaning that best summarizes the passing year.

Last year the character 「絆」 (bonding) was chosen because of the way the world came together to help Japan after the March 11th earthquake.

Well, this year, for the first time since this tradition began, the 「今年の漢字」 (“Kanji of the Year“) will be a repeat.

In the year 2000, the 「今年の漢字」 (“Kanji of the Year“) was 「金」 (“gold”) because Japan won gold medals at that year’s Olympics and also because “Kin-san” of the famous elderly Japanese twins “Kin-san and Gin-san died that year—and her name meant “gold”.

This year too, 「金」 (“gold”) was chosen again to be the 「今年の漢字」 (“Kanji of the Year“).
And once again the reason for this choice was because of the gold medals that Japan won at the Olympics. Other reasons cited were the opening of the Tokyo Sky Tree, the Nobel Prize won by a Japanese professor, and the solar eclipse last spring.

The character 「金」 for “gold”.

Writing the Kanji of the Year for 2012 in the official ceremony.

Pepsi…Vader or pirates?

Once again, Pepsi Japan is offering special collectors’ edition bottles and cans.

Starting last October 23rd (2012), Pepsi Japan started selling 「エナジーコーラ」 (“Energy Cola”) for a limited time in cans with an image of fire and Darth Vader from the Star Wars movies.

Energy Cola contains five ingredients that are meant to boost energy:
Royal jelly, argenine, asian ginseng, guarana extract and caffeine.

And in late November (2012), they began offering their NEX cola in bottles with images from the Japanese マンガ (manga comics) called “One Piece“.

Which would you choose?