 | ミュータント・メッセージ (角川文庫) (1999/04) マルロ モーガン 商品詳細を見る |
何も持たずに生まれ、何も持たずに死ぬ。
それがアボリジニ。
あるとき、一人の白人女性が、アボリジニ部族とともに砂漠を歩く旅に出た。
言葉を介さず通い合う心。
手を触れるだけで癒される体。
灼熱の大地で体験する目をみはるような出来事の数々。
その中で、ひとつずつ気づかされていく本来の地球と人類の姿。
そして120日間の旅の末に彼女が到達したものとは…。
物質文明にまみれた我々ミュータントへの強烈なメッセージがこめられた衝撃的な作品。
私もオーストラリアでアボリジニを見たが、この白人女性のように深く触れ合ってはいない。
観光物産化するアボリジニ。
だが、彼らの生き方から学ぶべきものは多い。
今さらだけど、どうせなら留学する前に読んでおきたかった。。。
これからオーストラリアに留学する人はぜひ読んでみてください。
そして、現地でであったらぜひ言葉をかわしてみてください。
海外に行っても携帯があると便利です。
特に、私のように半年以上海外に滞在するときは、電話がないと不便です。
と言っても、日本の知人や友達と話したいからではありません。
単純に、海外で知り合った友達とＳＭＳで話したいからです。
遊びに行くにも、予定を立てるにも、いまや海外でもＳＭＳ携帯は必需品。
でも、日本の携帯は海外ではなかなか高くて使えませんでしたし、すべての携帯が海外で使えるわけではありません。
３Ｇ携帯なら海外の友達の携帯ともＳＭＳできるのですが、たまにしか行かない海外のためにわざわざ３Ｇ携帯を買うのもどうかと思います。
かといって、現地でテルストラやオプタスといった電話会社からプリペイド型携帯電話を購入するのは面倒です。
そこでオススメなのが、知る人ぞ知るモベルの携帯。
実はこれ、長期滞在する人だけじゃなく、何回も海外に旅行したり出張したりするような人にもオススメなのです。
なぜかというと、日本で手に入れて、そのまま海外にも持って行けるし、単純に、安いからです。
レンタルでも、買い取ってもとにかく安いんです。
これならセカンド携帯として持っていても損はありませんよね。
本当かどうかはあなた自身で確かめてみてください。
まずは下のモベルのバナーをクリックしてみてね。
モベルのサイトで行き先を選んで、出発日と帰国日を入力すればＯＫ。
あとは出てくる情報を見れば、一目瞭然。
私が留学するときはこのような携帯がなかったので、現地でプリペイド式の携帯を購入しました。
が、帰国するとき全部使い切れず結局残ったポイントも携帯端末もシドニー空港のゴミ箱に捨ててしまいました。
こんなもったいないことをするくらいなら、最初からモベルにしていればよかったと今更ながら後悔してます。。。
★モベルのサイトへ行くには、下のバナーをクリックしてね。
特に、私のように半年以上海外に滞在するときは、電話がないと不便です。
と言っても、日本の知人や友達と話したいからではありません。
単純に、海外で知り合った友達とＳＭＳで話したいからです。
遊びに行くにも、予定を立てるにも、いまや海外でもＳＭＳ携帯は必需品。
でも、日本の携帯は海外ではなかなか高くて使えませんでしたし、すべての携帯が海外で使えるわけではありません。
３Ｇ携帯なら海外の友達の携帯ともＳＭＳできるのですが、たまにしか行かない海外のためにわざわざ３Ｇ携帯を買うのもどうかと思います。
かといって、現地でテルストラやオプタスといった電話会社からプリペイド型携帯電話を購入するのは面倒です。
そこでオススメなのが、知る人ぞ知るモベルの携帯。
実はこれ、長期滞在する人だけじゃなく、何回も海外に旅行したり出張したりするような人にもオススメなのです。
なぜかというと、日本で手に入れて、そのまま海外にも持って行けるし、単純に、安いからです。
レンタルでも、買い取ってもとにかく安いんです。
これならセカンド携帯として持っていても損はありませんよね。
本当かどうかはあなた自身で確かめてみてください。
まずは下のモベルのバナーをクリックしてみてね。
モベルのサイトで行き先を選んで、出発日と帰国日を入力すればＯＫ。
あとは出てくる情報を見れば、一目瞭然。
私が留学するときはこのような携帯がなかったので、現地でプリペイド式の携帯を購入しました。
が、帰国するとき全部使い切れず結局残ったポイントも携帯端末もシドニー空港のゴミ箱に捨ててしまいました。
こんなもったいないことをするくらいなら、最初からモベルにしていればよかったと今更ながら後悔してます。。。
★モベルのサイトへ行くには、下のバナーをクリックしてね。
いよいよ明日、午後５時発の飛行機でオーストラリアに向けて出発します。
最終日の今日も、市役所行ったり、ハローワーク行ったり、病院に行ったり、銀行・郵便局に行ったり、いろいろバタバタしてましたが、ようやく準備もすべて終わりました。
（あとおまけにフィットネスクラブに行って最後の水泳もしてきました。）
あとは明日お昼に成田空港行きのバスに乗るだけです。
シドニーには翌日の朝８時くらいに着くく予定で、早ければ午前中にはホームステイ先に到着する見込み。
なので、今から明日の夜くらいまではおそらく日記の更新ができません。
次回更新するときはシドニーからということになります。
ということで、シドニーからもいろいろ記事を書きますのでまた遊びにきてください。
では、行ってきまぁ〜す。
最終日の今日も、市役所行ったり、ハローワーク行ったり、病院に行ったり、銀行・郵便局に行ったり、いろいろバタバタしてましたが、ようやく準備もすべて終わりました。
（あとおまけにフィットネスクラブに行って最後の水泳もしてきました。）
あとは明日お昼に成田空港行きのバスに乗るだけです。
シドニーには翌日の朝８時くらいに着くく予定で、早ければ午前中にはホームステイ先に到着する見込み。
なので、今から明日の夜くらいまではおそらく日記の更新ができません。
次回更新するときはシドニーからということになります。
ということで、シドニーからもいろいろ記事を書きますのでまた遊びにきてください。
では、行ってきまぁ〜す。
きょう名刺を作りました。
年賀状ソフト筆まめというソフトで自作したんですが、自分でいうのも何なのですがなかなかの出来栄えに仕上がりました。
表は名前と自分の写真、メールアドレス、それと学校名なんかを書きました。
裏には、プロフィールやメッセージを書きました。
ちなみに裏はこんな感じです。
◆Profile
Occupation: News producer, Web producer, Web Searcher
Hobby : Swimming, Taking pictures, Walking, Traveling, Baseball and Drinking
◆I'm looking for...
Language exchange friends: Please teach me English. I will teach you Japanese.
Keypals : Let's communicate with each other by e-mail.
Friends : Would you enjoy Australia together?
と、こんな感じです。
留学するときに持っていくと便利なものとして名刺がいいよと教えてくれたのは、このサイトと相互リンクをしているナベーロンさんでした。
私もナベーロンさんのアドバイス通り名刺を作って持参することにしました。
お世話になる方、親しい友達になれそうな方などに配って末永くつきあっていける友達をたくさん作りたいなと思います。
皆さんも留学するときは名刺を作って配ってみてはどうでしょうか。
日本のように携帯電話を皆が持っていれば名刺なんか作らずにメル友をどんどん作れますが、外国ではそうはいきませんから名刺がきっと役に立つと思うんです。
ちなみに、年賀状ソフトなんか持ってないよという方は、こちらをどうぞ。
オンラインで早く安くあなたの名刺を作れます。
確か１００枚１２００円だったと思います。
どうぞ試してみてください。
ナベーロンさんもオススメしています。
※ちなみに筆まめは、Ｖｅｒ１５が９月１７日発売されるそうです。
今回のヴァージョンでは金色の文字が印字できるそうです。
年賀状ソフト筆まめというソフトで自作したんですが、自分でいうのも何なのですがなかなかの出来栄えに仕上がりました。
表は名前と自分の写真、メールアドレス、それと学校名なんかを書きました。
裏には、プロフィールやメッセージを書きました。
ちなみに裏はこんな感じです。
◆Profile
Occupation: News producer, Web producer, Web Searcher
Hobby : Swimming, Taking pictures, Walking, Traveling, Baseball and Drinking
◆I'm looking for...
Language exchange friends: Please teach me English. I will teach you Japanese.
Keypals : Let's communicate with each other by e-mail.
Friends : Would you enjoy Australia together?
と、こんな感じです。
留学するときに持っていくと便利なものとして名刺がいいよと教えてくれたのは、このサイトと相互リンクをしているナベーロンさんでした。
私もナベーロンさんのアドバイス通り名刺を作って持参することにしました。
お世話になる方、親しい友達になれそうな方などに配って末永くつきあっていける友達をたくさん作りたいなと思います。
皆さんも留学するときは名刺を作って配ってみてはどうでしょうか。
日本のように携帯電話を皆が持っていれば名刺なんか作らずにメル友をどんどん作れますが、外国ではそうはいきませんから名刺がきっと役に立つと思うんです。
ちなみに、年賀状ソフトなんか持ってないよという方は、こちらをどうぞ。
オンラインで早く安くあなたの名刺を作れます。
確か１００枚１２００円だったと思います。
どうぞ試してみてください。
ナベーロンさんもオススメしています。
※ちなみに筆まめは、Ｖｅｒ１５が９月１７日発売されるそうです。
今回のヴァージョンでは金色の文字が印字できるそうです。
あなたも話してみませんか？日本のことを英語で。
外国で日本のことを紹介するために日本に関する面白いデータについていろいろ調べてみました。
よかったら参考にしてください。
*はカテゴリ名、**は見出し、***は説明文の順で書いてあります。
* Marriage
** Over 1/3d of the younger generations don't "see the point" of getting married.
*** Young people have lost their enthusiasm for getting married.
** 1/3d of Japanese marriages are said to be arranged.
*** But arranged marriage doesn't mean forced marriage. There's no pressure to marry someone you don't want to marry. A go-between called a nakodo. The nakodo are not professional matchmakers. They are just people who introducing prospective marriage partners.
** The age at which people get married is rising (Men:28.5/Women:26.4)
** Simple marriages are in fashion, but the average wedding still costs 2.78million yen.
*** The total costs of marriage (if getting engaged, the honeymoon and setting up a household are added in) are 7.29 million yen. This is around 1 million yen less than 1993, when the highest ever figure was reached.
* Divorce
** More than 50% think "If you're unhappy, then separate."
*** Divorce rate in major countries (per 1000 population)/Japan: 1.94, Korea: 1.2, China: 4.6, U.S.A:4.4, U.K:3.0, France: 1.9
* Infants
** The overall birthrate: 1.38 infants per woman
*** The birthrates of Japan and European countries are showing a yearly decline.
*** Overall birthrate of major countries/Japan: 1.38, Korea: 1.66, U.S.A:2.04, U.K:1.71, France: 1.70, Australia: 1.82
** 40%:"We don't need children."
*** ...Among women, the most common response was "Loss of free time," with "It is mentally draining" second. For men, the same "Loss of free time" was in the top spot, while "A diminution of the money I can spend as I like" was in second place.
* Youngsters
** Children want to be carpenters, but their parents want them to be government officials.
*** For boys, 1st: carpenters, 2nd: expert/scholar, 3rd: baseball player
*** For women, 1st: restaurant owner, 2nd: nurse, 3rd: vet/animal minder/animal trainer, 4th: florist
* Women
** The labor of the full-time homemaker is equivalent to 3,040,000 yen.
** 44% say "I'll get married and quit my job."
* Seniors
** 48% say "We don't want to live our children, just with my spouse."
*** 40% say "We wish to live next door to our offspring."
*** 7% say "We wish to live with our children."
** 52% say "Looking after our parents is not just a mater of course."
* Pets
** Dogs are out-and-away favorite with children
*** At 38.2%, dogs are the most common pet for children to actually own, followed by cats at 16.2%. Then came goldfish, hamster and turtles.
*** Of pets that children want to have, dogs come out an easy first with 47.2%; rabbits are in second place, with cats third with 6.9%.
* Longevity
** Average life expectancy gap between men and women is 6.63 years.
*** The gap between women and men is growing every year.
*** Average life expectancy in major countries/Japan M:77 W:83, France M:73, W:81, Sweden M:75 W:81, U.K M:74 W:79, U.S.A M:72 W:79, Korea M:67 W:75, China M:66 W:70
** Our average life expectancy is among the highest in the world.
** What are the reasons for the increase?
*** It's a combination of things. One factor is that our infant mortality rate has been sharply reduced in recent years. Now it's less than 6 deaths among children under age one per 1000 live births.
* Professions
** Working population of 67,930,000
** Agricultural workers: Down from 77% to 5%
*** The proportion of the population engaged in agriculture has declined tremendously since 1872 when it accounted for 77% of the entire work force.
*** Proportion of population by employment type (primary industries: secondary industries: tertiary industries)/Japan 1:3:6, U.S.A 1:2:7, France 1:2:7, Australia 1:2:7, China 6:2:2
** Services are the biggest business sector.
* The "Salaryman"
** Total working hours are the same as the UK and US.
*** International comparison of total annual hours worked/Japan: 1983, U.S.A:2005, U.K:1934, France: 1667, Germany: 1517
*** Over the last 10 years the number of hours that the Japanese work has registered a definite decline. The total hours worked in 1998 were an average of 1879, making for a decline of 232 hours from 1988.
* Retirement: Unemployment
** 1,150,000 people made involuntarily redundant.
*** In April 1999, the Japanese rate of unemployment was 4.8% with 3,420,000 people fully unemployed - a record high for the last 30 years.
** Unemployment among the young (15-19 year-old men) at the 10% level
** 33 years of continuous service gets you a retirement bonus of 26,170,000 yen.
* Pensions
** 50,000 yen short of the necessary minimum.
*** The average sum of company pensions and national pension fund is 235,000 yen-which falls some 50,000 yen short of the average sum specified as the necessary minimum.
** In an age of ultra-low interest, company pensions are having a hard time too.*** Company pensions are one thing that can compensate for the inadequacy of the state pension. Both the welfare pension fund and retirement bonus pay-outs have got into trouble, due to the unprecedented low interest climate, and gone into the red.
* Consumption
** Real consumer expenditure declines 6 years in succession.
*** The average family's monthly expenditure in 1998 was 328,186 yen-a decline of 1.5% from the previous year. Since consumer prices had risen by 0.7%, this means a real decline of 2.2% occurred. This is the first 6-year continuous decline since the survey began in 1963.
** spending decline even as income rises.
*** The trend is for consumption to decline even as disposable income increase.
***domestic and international prices differences/Tokyo: cola drink 109 yen/can, hamburger 184 yen/piece, Gasoline 105 yen/liter, movie 1800 yen/performance, video rental 412 yen/movie, haircut 3600 yen/cut
*** Japan is home to more than 5 million vending machines of which over half dispense drinks.
**We don't bargain in Japan.
*** In Japan, the custom of bargaining over prices is not commonplace.
*** We don't have the custom of bargaining with small merchants and shopkeepers that you find in other countries in Asia. Japanese in general don't like to argue about prices, especially in public.
*** But there is some reward for a good customer. It's called omake. This is the custom of a small shopkeeper giving something extra to the customer.
* Ingredients
** Rice-consumption down 10 kg in 13 years.
*** People were asked whether they preferred bread or rice for breakfast. 68% of respodents preferred rice, putting it far ahead of bread's 28%.
*** Rice is still very popular, but, it has clearly been declining for some time.
** The Japanese love squid more than any kind of seafood.
*** 5 most popular marine products (by quantity)/1st: squid, 2nd: tuna, 3rd:salmon, shrimp, 4th:mackerel
* Chopsticks
*** We use chopsticks whenever we eat Japanese food. For some people that's all the time. And we use chopsticks for Chinese and some other kinds of Asian food too. But if we're eating Western-style food, we usually use knives, forks, and spoons. At some meals you might see a table set with both chopsticks and Western utensils.
* Accommodation
** 60% own their residence and 40% rent
*** The average area of residences in Japan is now over 90m2.
*** Compared to 5 years, high-rise apartment houses had increased by 37.8% and detached houses by 4.7%.
*** The proportion of owned and rented accommodation is 6 to 4.
*** Number of residences and their area/rooms per dwelling: 4.75 rooms, floor area per dwelling: 90.61m2
*** In America the average floor area per house was 177.5m2, while in Germany the average single residential room space was 87.9m2.
** What about condominiums or apartment?
*** We do have apartments. And there are also condominiums and better rental apartments. These are called "mansions." They're popular, but generally small by Western standards. And the purchase prices or the rental fees are very high.
* Family
** What's the average size of a Japanese family?
*** Between three and four people. Japanese homes are small, and consumer prices are high. Average couples don't have enough room or enough money for a large family. We want our children to have a high standard of living, so we limit the number. With family planning, most couples now have just one or two children. That's why Japanese families are getting smaller.
* Baths
*** It's quite different from the way Westerners do it. The main thing is that we wash ourselves outside the tub. The tub itself is just for soaking. We don't ever soap ourselves inside the tub. And we're careful to rinse all the subs off before we get into the tub. Other people use the tub after we do, and there mustn't be any soapsuds in the water. Other people use the same bath water.
*** The bath water is quite clean, because we've already washed and rinsed ourselves before getting into it. The tub is quite deep, and the water is really hot. We enjoy just soaking in it. It's so relaxing.
* The Environment
** 1 person produces 1110 grams of garbage in 1 day.
*** The 1110 grams of garbage produces every day by the average citizen add up to 417 kg person per year.
*** Per capita annual quantity of garbage disposed/Japan: 417kg, U.S.A: 730kg, U.K:340kg, Germany: 320kg, Australia: 690kg
** 44% are "very worried" about dioxins.
* Computers
** 11% of people in their 30s have mastered personal computers.
** In 5 years the internet population hits 16,940,000 people.
* Telephones and the postal service
** 37 hours chatting on the phone per person.
** Young people can't live without a mobile phone.
** Post office business: A loss of 97.8 billion yen.
* TV & Radio
** 2.24 TVs per household
* Schools
** 90% of American women go to university.
*** Over 90% of American women go on to higher education (defined as something than a junior high college).
*** A comparison of high school attendance/Japan: 40%, Korea: 50%, France: 40%, U.S.A: 80%
** Serious decline in scholastic ability of students
*** The decline in the ability of Japanese university students is causing concern. Factors such as the reduction of study hours poor to high school, and universities competing for greater student numbers by cutting entrance exam subjects have resulted in a rise in students who lack basic knowledge.
** Cram-schools and regular schools joining forces: Policy switches at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
** 80% of children are irritable and exasperated.
*** The reason why they felt irritated and exasperated frequently is that...50% students said "When I'm not getting on well with my friends." 48% said "When I don't understand the lesson." 30% said "without knowing why."
** Bullying declines, but violence on the rise.
*** Cases of bullying have declined for 2 year in a row, but there were still 42,790 incidents.
** Cost of private education up to university graduating 20,000,000yen.
*** Attending only private institutions from nursery school to university will set you back a little over 20,000,000 yen.
* Crime
** Japanese murder rate is 1/15 of the US.
*** The UK has the highest rate of overall crime, while the US is far ahead in murder. Japan is remarkably low in both categories, with a rate of occurrence of major crimes that is 1/6th of the UK, and a murder rate of less than 1/7th of the US. Looking at the actual numbers, America has over 15 times as many as Japan.
*** Occurrence of crime in the major countries (per 100,000 of population)/Japan: 1440, U.S.A:5079, France: 6110, Germany: 8125, UK: 9360
*** Number of detected murders /Japan: 1257, U.S.A:19645, France: 2385, Germany: 3531, UK: 1355
*** Rates of occurrence murder (per 100,000 of population)/Japan: 1.0, U.S.A:7.4, France: 4.1, Germany: 4.3, UK: 2.6
** Juvenile crimes are not increasing.
*** Japanese juvenile crimes are not high either when compared with other countries. Looking at the per capita figures for 1996, the Japanese rate is 1/5th that of Germany, 1/3rd that of the UK, and one-half that of France and the US.
*** Japan has an extremely low crime rate- one of the lowest in the world.
** The reason for the low crime rate
*** There are some obvious practical reasons. First, there's a relative absence of handguns in Japan. Gun control laws are strictly enforced. Second is the relatively low incidence of drug usage. Third is our racial and cultural homogeneity. The lack of class barriers may be another.
* Earthquakes
** There are many earthquakes in Japan.
*** Japan is located on one of the most active earthquake belts in the world. We have small tremors so often that we don't pay much attention to them. But we've had some terrible earthquakes in the past. So we're always aware of the possibility of a major earthquake disaster in Japan.
* Emperor
** What's the status of the Emperor?
*** It's very similar to the status of the Queen of England. The Emperor is the symbolic head of state, with no real governmental power. His duties, like convening the Diet, for example, are ceremonial. Since the end of World War 2, Japan has been a constitutional monarchy. And the function and duties of the Emperor are defined by the constitution that was adopted at that time.
* Recreation
** Pachinko fades as the PC looms large.
*** How many people do what in their free time? /1st:eating out, 2nd:Driving, 3rd:Sightseeing trips in Japan, 4th:Karaoke, 5th:Watching videos, 6th:Listening to music, 7th:Zoos, parks aquariums, museums, 8th:Bars, pubs etc., 9th:Bowling, 10th:gardening
* Vacations
** Travel: Average trip inside Japan is 5.24 nights.
** 15,810,000 people travel abroad.
*** With 4,950,000 Japanese visitors, America is overwhelmingly the most popular destination. It is followed by China, Thailand, and Taiwan.
* Sports
** Mountain-climbing big with older people.
*** Estimated totals persons for each sports/1st: Walking 26222, 2nd: Bowling 21428, 3rd Calisthenics 20938, 4th Golf 11741, 5th: Skiing, 6th Swimming, 7th: Sea-swimming, 8th Fishing, 9th Hiking, 10th: Cycling
*** The 10 most popular spectator sports/1st: Professional Baseball, 2nd: High School Baseball, 3rd Marathon, 4th Professional Soccer, 5th: Horse Racing, 6th Professional Golf, 7th: Youth Soccer, 8th Youth Baseball, 9th University rugby, 10th: Volleyball
** Japanese are crazy about baseball.
***It's even more popular there than in the States. We have two professional leagues, the Central and the Pacific. Each league has six teams. In October the pennant winners compete in the Japan Series, which corresponds to the American World series.
***There's a lot of more amateur baseball in Japan than anywhere else. We have nonprofessional intercity games, which are extremely popular. Japanese even watch high school baseball on nationwide TV in every spring and summer.
* Religious Belief
** Tiny minority of 3.2% believe religion to be very "important."
** 160,000,000 Japanese believers
*** There were 183,471 religious foundations in Japan at the end of 1996.
*** The number of Japanese believers is 160,000,000. The reason for the total exceeding the actual number of Japanese people is doubling up of Shinto and Buddhism. Of the various Buddhist sects, Nichiren has the greatest number of followers. This is followed by Jodo and then Shingon. These 3 sects are in competition with each other, each having over 10,000,000 followers.
** All of us are not Buddhists.
*** Some Japanese may be more religious than others. And some of us may say we are not religious at all. But almost all of us recognize that we have been deeply affected by the Buddhist tradition. Japan is a Buddhist country. Buddhist has influenced almost every aspect of our culture-our art, our literature, our architecture, our approach to life.
*** There are certain traditional times to visit a Buddhist temple, like New Year, for example. Or we can go anytime we want to pray for something. And many of us visit the temples to enjoy the beauty we find there.
*** There are Buddhist temples everywhere-small neighborhood ones, and large, elaborate ones with many buildings and gardens. The temples are so different from each other that choosing is difficult, especially if time is limited. A famous one right in Tokyo is the Asakusa Kannon Temple, which dates back to the year 645. Kyoto is the site of over 1650 Buddhist temples.
* Death
** Suicides: 31,734 in 1998
*** An comparison of suicide rates(per 100,000 of population)/Japan:25.2, Korea:9.5, U.S.A:12.0, U.K:7.4, Germany:15.8, France:20.8, Hungary:32.9, Denmark:22.3, Finland:27.2, Australia:12.8, Russia:41.5
** Sickness-based suffering is the commonest cause.
*** In every country there are more suicides among older people. Japan is consistent with this, and the over-65s are the age group with the highest number of suicides.
*Cars
**The average family have one or none car in Tokyo. Two-car families are rare in Tokyo. One reason is the expense. Another is space and good transportation. Most cities in Tokyo are crowded, and there's not much space for parking cars. The main streets have heavy traffic, and residential streets are often narrow and winding. Public transportations are really fast and very convenient. Public transportation is on time. We have good buses, subways, and commuter trains. And there are usually taxis available.
* Christmas
** Japanese celebrate Christmas too.
*** We do celebrate Christmas, but not in a religious way. There are few Christmas in Japan, so it isn't an official holiday like in the West. But we do enjoy Christmas- you hear Christmas carols in the street, and hotels and restaurants have big dinners and parties. Stores have Santa, too.
* What are we proud of?
** Walkman, Bathes, Vending machines, Excelent baseball player, Low crime rate, Convenience
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*はカテゴリ名、**は見出し、***は説明文の順で書いてあります。
* Marriage
** Over 1/3d of the younger generations don't "see the point" of getting married.
*** Young people have lost their enthusiasm for getting married.
** 1/3d of Japanese marriages are said to be arranged.
*** But arranged marriage doesn't mean forced marriage. There's no pressure to marry someone you don't want to marry. A go-between called a nakodo. The nakodo are not professional matchmakers. They are just people who introducing prospective marriage partners.
** The age at which people get married is rising (Men:28.5/Women:26.4)
** Simple marriages are in fashion, but the average wedding still costs 2.78million yen.
*** The total costs of marriage (if getting engaged, the honeymoon and setting up a household are added in) are 7.29 million yen. This is around 1 million yen less than 1993, when the highest ever figure was reached.
* Divorce
** More than 50% think "If you're unhappy, then separate."
*** Divorce rate in major countries (per 1000 population)/Japan: 1.94, Korea: 1.2, China: 4.6, U.S.A:4.4, U.K:3.0, France: 1.9
* Infants
** The overall birthrate: 1.38 infants per woman
*** The birthrates of Japan and European countries are showing a yearly decline.
*** Overall birthrate of major countries/Japan: 1.38, Korea: 1.66, U.S.A:2.04, U.K:1.71, France: 1.70, Australia: 1.82
** 40%:"We don't need children."
*** ...Among women, the most common response was "Loss of free time," with "It is mentally draining" second. For men, the same "Loss of free time" was in the top spot, while "A diminution of the money I can spend as I like" was in second place.
* Youngsters
** Children want to be carpenters, but their parents want them to be government officials.
*** For boys, 1st: carpenters, 2nd: expert/scholar, 3rd: baseball player
*** For women, 1st: restaurant owner, 2nd: nurse, 3rd: vet/animal minder/animal trainer, 4th: florist
* Women
** The labor of the full-time homemaker is equivalent to 3,040,000 yen.
** 44% say "I'll get married and quit my job."
* Seniors
** 48% say "We don't want to live our children, just with my spouse."
*** 40% say "We wish to live next door to our offspring."
*** 7% say "We wish to live with our children."
** 52% say "Looking after our parents is not just a mater of course."
* Pets
** Dogs are out-and-away favorite with children
*** At 38.2%, dogs are the most common pet for children to actually own, followed by cats at 16.2%. Then came goldfish, hamster and turtles.
*** Of pets that children want to have, dogs come out an easy first with 47.2%; rabbits are in second place, with cats third with 6.9%.
* Longevity
** Average life expectancy gap between men and women is 6.63 years.
*** The gap between women and men is growing every year.
*** Average life expectancy in major countries/Japan M:77 W:83, France M:73, W:81, Sweden M:75 W:81, U.K M:74 W:79, U.S.A M:72 W:79, Korea M:67 W:75, China M:66 W:70
** Our average life expectancy is among the highest in the world.
** What are the reasons for the increase?
*** It's a combination of things. One factor is that our infant mortality rate has been sharply reduced in recent years. Now it's less than 6 deaths among children under age one per 1000 live births.
* Professions
** Working population of 67,930,000
** Agricultural workers: Down from 77% to 5%
*** The proportion of the population engaged in agriculture has declined tremendously since 1872 when it accounted for 77% of the entire work force.
*** Proportion of population by employment type (primary industries: secondary industries: tertiary industries)/Japan 1:3:6, U.S.A 1:2:7, France 1:2:7, Australia 1:2:7, China 6:2:2
** Services are the biggest business sector.
* The "Salaryman"
** Total working hours are the same as the UK and US.
*** International comparison of total annual hours worked/Japan: 1983, U.S.A:2005, U.K:1934, France: 1667, Germany: 1517
*** Over the last 10 years the number of hours that the Japanese work has registered a definite decline. The total hours worked in 1998 were an average of 1879, making for a decline of 232 hours from 1988.
* Retirement: Unemployment
** 1,150,000 people made involuntarily redundant.
*** In April 1999, the Japanese rate of unemployment was 4.8% with 3,420,000 people fully unemployed - a record high for the last 30 years.
** Unemployment among the young (15-19 year-old men) at the 10% level
** 33 years of continuous service gets you a retirement bonus of 26,170,000 yen.
* Pensions
** 50,000 yen short of the necessary minimum.
*** The average sum of company pensions and national pension fund is 235,000 yen-which falls some 50,000 yen short of the average sum specified as the necessary minimum.
** In an age of ultra-low interest, company pensions are having a hard time too.*** Company pensions are one thing that can compensate for the inadequacy of the state pension. Both the welfare pension fund and retirement bonus pay-outs have got into trouble, due to the unprecedented low interest climate, and gone into the red.
* Consumption
** Real consumer expenditure declines 6 years in succession.
*** The average family's monthly expenditure in 1998 was 328,186 yen-a decline of 1.5% from the previous year. Since consumer prices had risen by 0.7%, this means a real decline of 2.2% occurred. This is the first 6-year continuous decline since the survey began in 1963.
** spending decline even as income rises.
*** The trend is for consumption to decline even as disposable income increase.
***domestic and international prices differences/Tokyo: cola drink 109 yen/can, hamburger 184 yen/piece, Gasoline 105 yen/liter, movie 1800 yen/performance, video rental 412 yen/movie, haircut 3600 yen/cut
*** Japan is home to more than 5 million vending machines of which over half dispense drinks.
**We don't bargain in Japan.
*** In Japan, the custom of bargaining over prices is not commonplace.
*** We don't have the custom of bargaining with small merchants and shopkeepers that you find in other countries in Asia. Japanese in general don't like to argue about prices, especially in public.
*** But there is some reward for a good customer. It's called omake. This is the custom of a small shopkeeper giving something extra to the customer.
* Ingredients
** Rice-consumption down 10 kg in 13 years.
*** People were asked whether they preferred bread or rice for breakfast. 68% of respodents preferred rice, putting it far ahead of bread's 28%.
*** Rice is still very popular, but, it has clearly been declining for some time.
** The Japanese love squid more than any kind of seafood.
*** 5 most popular marine products (by quantity)/1st: squid, 2nd: tuna, 3rd:salmon, shrimp, 4th:mackerel
* Chopsticks
*** We use chopsticks whenever we eat Japanese food. For some people that's all the time. And we use chopsticks for Chinese and some other kinds of Asian food too. But if we're eating Western-style food, we usually use knives, forks, and spoons. At some meals you might see a table set with both chopsticks and Western utensils.
* Accommodation
** 60% own their residence and 40% rent
*** The average area of residences in Japan is now over 90m2.
*** Compared to 5 years, high-rise apartment houses had increased by 37.8% and detached houses by 4.7%.
*** The proportion of owned and rented accommodation is 6 to 4.
*** Number of residences and their area/rooms per dwelling: 4.75 rooms, floor area per dwelling: 90.61m2
*** In America the average floor area per house was 177.5m2, while in Germany the average single residential room space was 87.9m2.
** What about condominiums or apartment?
*** We do have apartments. And there are also condominiums and better rental apartments. These are called "mansions." They're popular, but generally small by Western standards. And the purchase prices or the rental fees are very high.
* Family
** What's the average size of a Japanese family?
*** Between three and four people. Japanese homes are small, and consumer prices are high. Average couples don't have enough room or enough money for a large family. We want our children to have a high standard of living, so we limit the number. With family planning, most couples now have just one or two children. That's why Japanese families are getting smaller.
* Baths
*** It's quite different from the way Westerners do it. The main thing is that we wash ourselves outside the tub. The tub itself is just for soaking. We don't ever soap ourselves inside the tub. And we're careful to rinse all the subs off before we get into the tub. Other people use the tub after we do, and there mustn't be any soapsuds in the water. Other people use the same bath water.
*** The bath water is quite clean, because we've already washed and rinsed ourselves before getting into it. The tub is quite deep, and the water is really hot. We enjoy just soaking in it. It's so relaxing.
* The Environment
** 1 person produces 1110 grams of garbage in 1 day.
*** The 1110 grams of garbage produces every day by the average citizen add up to 417 kg person per year.
*** Per capita annual quantity of garbage disposed/Japan: 417kg, U.S.A: 730kg, U.K:340kg, Germany: 320kg, Australia: 690kg
** 44% are "very worried" about dioxins.
* Computers
** 11% of people in their 30s have mastered personal computers.
** In 5 years the internet population hits 16,940,000 people.
* Telephones and the postal service
** 37 hours chatting on the phone per person.
** Young people can't live without a mobile phone.
** Post office business: A loss of 97.8 billion yen.
* TV & Radio
** 2.24 TVs per household
* Schools
** 90% of American women go to university.
*** Over 90% of American women go on to higher education (defined as something than a junior high college).
*** A comparison of high school attendance/Japan: 40%, Korea: 50%, France: 40%, U.S.A: 80%
** Serious decline in scholastic ability of students
*** The decline in the ability of Japanese university students is causing concern. Factors such as the reduction of study hours poor to high school, and universities competing for greater student numbers by cutting entrance exam subjects have resulted in a rise in students who lack basic knowledge.
** Cram-schools and regular schools joining forces: Policy switches at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
** 80% of children are irritable and exasperated.
*** The reason why they felt irritated and exasperated frequently is that...50% students said "When I'm not getting on well with my friends." 48% said "When I don't understand the lesson." 30% said "without knowing why."
** Bullying declines, but violence on the rise.
*** Cases of bullying have declined for 2 year in a row, but there were still 42,790 incidents.
** Cost of private education up to university graduating 20,000,000yen.
*** Attending only private institutions from nursery school to university will set you back a little over 20,000,000 yen.
* Crime
** Japanese murder rate is 1/15 of the US.
*** The UK has the highest rate of overall crime, while the US is far ahead in murder. Japan is remarkably low in both categories, with a rate of occurrence of major crimes that is 1/6th of the UK, and a murder rate of less than 1/7th of the US. Looking at the actual numbers, America has over 15 times as many as Japan.
*** Occurrence of crime in the major countries (per 100,000 of population)/Japan: 1440, U.S.A:5079, France: 6110, Germany: 8125, UK: 9360
*** Number of detected murders /Japan: 1257, U.S.A:19645, France: 2385, Germany: 3531, UK: 1355
*** Rates of occurrence murder (per 100,000 of population)/Japan: 1.0, U.S.A:7.4, France: 4.1, Germany: 4.3, UK: 2.6
** Juvenile crimes are not increasing.
*** Japanese juvenile crimes are not high either when compared with other countries. Looking at the per capita figures for 1996, the Japanese rate is 1/5th that of Germany, 1/3rd that of the UK, and one-half that of France and the US.
*** Japan has an extremely low crime rate- one of the lowest in the world.
** The reason for the low crime rate
*** There are some obvious practical reasons. First, there's a relative absence of handguns in Japan. Gun control laws are strictly enforced. Second is the relatively low incidence of drug usage. Third is our racial and cultural homogeneity. The lack of class barriers may be another.
* Earthquakes
** There are many earthquakes in Japan.
*** Japan is located on one of the most active earthquake belts in the world. We have small tremors so often that we don't pay much attention to them. But we've had some terrible earthquakes in the past. So we're always aware of the possibility of a major earthquake disaster in Japan.
* Emperor
** What's the status of the Emperor?
*** It's very similar to the status of the Queen of England. The Emperor is the symbolic head of state, with no real governmental power. His duties, like convening the Diet, for example, are ceremonial. Since the end of World War 2, Japan has been a constitutional monarchy. And the function and duties of the Emperor are defined by the constitution that was adopted at that time.
* Recreation
** Pachinko fades as the PC looms large.
*** How many people do what in their free time? /1st:eating out, 2nd:Driving, 3rd:Sightseeing trips in Japan, 4th:Karaoke, 5th:Watching videos, 6th:Listening to music, 7th:Zoos, parks aquariums, museums, 8th:Bars, pubs etc., 9th:Bowling, 10th:gardening
* Vacations
** Travel: Average trip inside Japan is 5.24 nights.
** 15,810,000 people travel abroad.
*** With 4,950,000 Japanese visitors, America is overwhelmingly the most popular destination. It is followed by China, Thailand, and Taiwan.
* Sports
** Mountain-climbing big with older people.
*** Estimated totals persons for each sports/1st: Walking 26222, 2nd: Bowling 21428, 3rd Calisthenics 20938, 4th Golf 11741, 5th: Skiing, 6th Swimming, 7th: Sea-swimming, 8th Fishing, 9th Hiking, 10th: Cycling
*** The 10 most popular spectator sports/1st: Professional Baseball, 2nd: High School Baseball, 3rd Marathon, 4th Professional Soccer, 5th: Horse Racing, 6th Professional Golf, 7th: Youth Soccer, 8th Youth Baseball, 9th University rugby, 10th: Volleyball
** Japanese are crazy about baseball.
***It's even more popular there than in the States. We have two professional leagues, the Central and the Pacific. Each league has six teams. In October the pennant winners compete in the Japan Series, which corresponds to the American World series.
***There's a lot of more amateur baseball in Japan than anywhere else. We have nonprofessional intercity games, which are extremely popular. Japanese even watch high school baseball on nationwide TV in every spring and summer.
* Religious Belief
** Tiny minority of 3.2% believe religion to be very "important."
** 160,000,000 Japanese believers
*** There were 183,471 religious foundations in Japan at the end of 1996.
*** The number of Japanese believers is 160,000,000. The reason for the total exceeding the actual number of Japanese people is doubling up of Shinto and Buddhism. Of the various Buddhist sects, Nichiren has the greatest number of followers. This is followed by Jodo and then Shingon. These 3 sects are in competition with each other, each having over 10,000,000 followers.
** All of us are not Buddhists.
*** Some Japanese may be more religious than others. And some of us may say we are not religious at all. But almost all of us recognize that we have been deeply affected by the Buddhist tradition. Japan is a Buddhist country. Buddhist has influenced almost every aspect of our culture-our art, our literature, our architecture, our approach to life.
*** There are certain traditional times to visit a Buddhist temple, like New Year, for example. Or we can go anytime we want to pray for something. And many of us visit the temples to enjoy the beauty we find there.
*** There are Buddhist temples everywhere-small neighborhood ones, and large, elaborate ones with many buildings and gardens. The temples are so different from each other that choosing is difficult, especially if time is limited. A famous one right in Tokyo is the Asakusa Kannon Temple, which dates back to the year 645. Kyoto is the site of over 1650 Buddhist temples.
* Death
** Suicides: 31,734 in 1998
*** An comparison of suicide rates(per 100,000 of population)/Japan:25.2, Korea:9.5, U.S.A:12.0, U.K:7.4, Germany:15.8, France:20.8, Hungary:32.9, Denmark:22.3, Finland:27.2, Australia:12.8, Russia:41.5
** Sickness-based suffering is the commonest cause.
*** In every country there are more suicides among older people. Japan is consistent with this, and the over-65s are the age group with the highest number of suicides.
*Cars
**The average family have one or none car in Tokyo. Two-car families are rare in Tokyo. One reason is the expense. Another is space and good transportation. Most cities in Tokyo are crowded, and there's not much space for parking cars. The main streets have heavy traffic, and residential streets are often narrow and winding. Public transportations are really fast and very convenient. Public transportation is on time. We have good buses, subways, and commuter trains. And there are usually taxis available.
* Christmas
** Japanese celebrate Christmas too.
*** We do celebrate Christmas, but not in a religious way. There are few Christmas in Japan, so it isn't an official holiday like in the West. But we do enjoy Christmas- you hear Christmas carols in the street, and hotels and restaurants have big dinners and parties. Stores have Santa, too.
* What are we proud of?
** Walkman, Bathes, Vending machines, Excelent baseball player, Low crime rate, Convenience
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