Speed Dating - Saturday Dec 5th!

15:37 Japan Travel
Nagoya Speed Dating is holding it’s 9th party in Nagoya!
  • Date: Saturday December 5th, 2009
  • Time: 6-9pm registration from 6:00 to 6:30pm
  • Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:50pm.
  • Place: Nagoya Tsurumai City Public Hall, 1-1-3 Tsurumai (very close to JR Nagoya Station)
  • PREPAY FEE : Men 2500, Women 2000. *includes 1 free drink and light food*
  • 40 couples only! 40 men and 40 women! Reserve and prepay to join!
  • AT THE DOOR: Men 3000 yen, women 2500 yen. Price includes 1 free drink and light food
  • Dress code: Anything (Casual, etc)
  • Reservations: PrePaid spots are Guaranteed! Only 40 men and 40 women. Reserve and prepay to secure your spot.

Nagoya Speed Dating is a great way to meet new people in the Aichi, Gifu and Mie Areas! At Nagoya Speed Dating, you will receive a number, an assigned table, and a personalized Speeding Ticket form. When the host says to start you will have between 3 to 5 minutes to talk to the person at your table. When the time is up the host will give you a signal. At that time the men will change tables and the women will remain seated. All you have to do is mark your speeding ticket with a yes or a no for each person. At the end of the event, the tickets will be analyzed and Nagoya Speed Dating will notify you of your matches. After that you will also receive contact info for the people you have matched with. Nagoya Speed Dating is a safe, easy, and fun way to meet new people. Come check out Nagoya Speed Dating!

Map & Directions

Contact: 080-3648-1666(Japanese) 080-5469-6317(English)

Get off at Tsurumai Station (JR Chuo Line [South Exit] or Subway Tsurumai Line [Exit #4])

Nagoya Tsurumai City Public Hall, 1-1-3 Tsurumai

Train Directions
  • From Nagoya Station from Nagoya Station take the JR Chuo-Honsen Line and get off at the second station (Tsurumai). From Tsurumai Station, get off at south exit
  • From Sakae/Fushimi Area, catch the Tsurumai Subway Line at Fushimi Station(bound for Akaike) and get off at the third (3rd) stop - Tsurumai. From Tsurumai Station, get off at exit #4
Tsurumai
Tsurumai Station
JR Chuo Line/Tsurumai Line


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International Space Station and JAXA

7:01 Japan Travel
スペース　ステーション



The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is one of the agencies of the 11 from around the world involved in the International Space Station (ISS) project. Once complete, the still partially built space station will be about the size of a soccer field. However, it is already plenty big enough - even in its partially complete state - for the reflections of the sun's rays that it deflects to earth to be visible from the earth's surface.

To give people living in Japan the chance to view the space station for themselves, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has a daily "calendar" on its website showing at what times and from where in Japan the space station will be visible on any one day.

From as far north as Hokkaido, all the way south to Okinawa, everyone in Japan has the chance to see the space station depending on the station's orbit on any particular day. When it passes over, it is close enough that even people in big cities like Tokyo and Osaka can see it in spite of the light pollution.

Go to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency website to find out when you can next see the international space station.

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Japan This Week 29 November 2009

9:25 Japan Travel
今週の日本

Japan News.Dollar Hits a 14-Year Low Versus the Yen

New York Times

Tokyo is the new Paris, say Michelin

Guardian

Deflation, surging yen threaten Japan's recovery

Washington Post

Twitter, de pago en Japón

El Pais

Tokyo warns of double-dip recession

Times Online

In Japan, 'Herbivore' Boys Subvert Ideas Of Manhood

NPR

Prosecutors to quiz Hatoyama's mom on funds

Japan Times

A Imizu, au Japon, la difficile intégration de la communauté pakistanaise

Le Monde

Scant welcome for refugees in Japan

BBC

Tax Burdens, Around the World

New York Times

Daisuke Naito to defend WBC flyweight title against bad boy Kameda

Yahoo Sports

Last week's Japan news


Japan Statistics

Computing Speed of Major Supercomputers

Name of Machine (Maker name, lab, country): speed - trillion calculations/second

1. Jaguar (Cray, Oakridge National Laboratory, USA): 1,759 (speed)
2. Roadrunner (IBM, Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA): 1,042
3. Kraken (Cray, University of Tennessee, USA): 832
4. Eugene (IBM, Juelich Research Center, Germany): 826
5. China Milky Way (National University of Defense Technology, China): 563

31. Earth Simulator Center (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Techonology): 122

Source: Yomiuri Shinbun

Accident & Fatality Rate/100,000 flights by airline (year founded):

Delta (1929): 1.17
United (1926): 0.31
Cuban Airlines (1929): 18.53
British Airways (1919): 0.17
Air France (1933): 0.72
KLM (1919): 0.81
ANA (1952): 0.22
JAL (1951): 1.36
Korean Airways (1948): 2.58
Singapore Airlines (1947): 1.50
China Airways (1959): 7.16

Source: Asahi Yomiuri

Gender Empowerment Measure, ranking by country

The ranking is based on data from 109 countries. The data includes the number of members of parliament, female executives, women in technical fields, male-female pay differential, etc.

1. Sweden
2. Norway
3. Finland
4. Denmark
5. Holland
6. Belgium
7. Australia
8. Iceland
9. Germany

54. Honduras
55. Venezuela
56. Kyrgyzstan
57. Japan
58. Surinam

Source: Asahi Yomiuri (citing the United Nations)

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Japan By Rail Review

7:52 Japan Travel
Japan By RailJapan By Rail: (2nd Edition)

by Ramsey Zarifeh

Trailblazer Publications

ISBN: 1-8737-5697-6 496 pp

The eagerly awaited, fully revised and expanded second edition of Japan By Rail was published in 2007 and is a definite alternative to challenge for space in your luggage along with the other so-called "major" guides on Japan.

This handy book is geared to visitors arriving with the Japan Rail Pass and planning to see the country by train. With some of the world's quickest and most punctual rail services, seeing Japan by train can be a joy in itself, whether you are speeding through the cities along the Pacific coast by bullet-train or chugging through the mountains of Kyushu at a more sedate pace.

Much of the first half of the book thus takes the reader through everything you need to know on the Japan Rail pass, Japanese railways (JR in particular), possible routes and essential train etiquette. The level of detail is impressive and the practical information for the visitor both on Japan in general and Japanese railways in particular makes this book pretty much a must for visitors who a) have bought the Japan Rail Pass and b) like traveling by train.

The book is also useful for residents of Japan looking to see more of the country by rail - a quick, greener alternative to the nation's packed and stressful highways and expensive domestic air network.

The heart of Japan By Rail are its guides to the country's two main gateways - Tokyo & Osaka - and detailed route guides to the cities and attractions of Japan's four major islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku.

A typical city guide contains a well-spaced map with place names in English and Japanese in the key, what to see and do in each place with opening times and prices plus information on the main station, local transport, where to stay and where to eat and drink.

Author Zarifeh rounds out the book with four appendices: a Japan rail route guide, glossary, useful Japanese phrases and train timetables.
There are also some reasonable color photographs and a number of special boxed texts on various points of interest. Recommended.

Buy this book from Amazon USA I UK I Japan




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Fire Cistern in Myoshinji Temple

7:01 Japan Travel
Myoshinji Temple Kyoto妙心寺の防火水そう

The red symbol pictured at right indicates the location of a fire prevention cistern in Kyoto's Myoshinji Temple.

The final character, 槽 (so), has been rendered in kana （そう）to make it easier to understand.

Fire, of course, is a constant worry in Kyoto. The city still contains a high percentage of buildings made out of wood and paper and tatami (straw).

Temples and shrines, in particular, are wary lest an entire compound burn to the ground.

Below left is the bell tower within the Myoshinji Temple grounds. The bell is rung in the morning and evening, and its echo can be heard throughout the neighborhood.

The cistern is not far from the bell.


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Osaka dialect

7:01 Japan Travel
大阪弁

Q. "Mohkarimakka?"
A. "Akimahen"

This exchange in Japanese would confound anyone who had studied Japanese the formal way.

Japanese has a myriad of dialects that vary widely enough to sometimes make mutual understanding between Japanese speakers difficult.

ben is Japanese for "dialect," and besides the standard Tokyo-ben or Kanto-ben, perhaps the most famous dialect is Osaka-ben.

Osaka-ben is characterized mainly by radical abbreviation of sounds. The opening dialog's question "Mohkarimakka?" is, in standard Japanese, "Mohkete imasu ka"? or "Are you making money?" or "How's it going?", "How's business?". The reply "Akimahen," in standard Japanese, "Akimasen," means something like "Pretty lousy." or "Lousy as usual."

Here you can see another characteristic of the Osaka dialect: the replacement of the negative suffix "masen" with "mahen." This reflects the generally softer consonants of the Kansai region compared with the crisper and more clearly enunciated tones of Kanto.

More Osaka-ben coming in later Thursday posts.

Ittekima! ("Back soon!")



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Japan Visitor November Newsletter

17:35 Japan Travel
ジャパンニュースレター

There's still time to enter our November competition and win a free prize by subscribing to the Japan Visitor newsletter before the end of the month.

Take a look at November's Japan Visitor newsletter to see what you will receive in your email inbox.

Japan Visitor November Newsletter


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Speed Dating - Sunday Dec 6th!

21:50 Japan Travel
Nagoya Speed Dating is holding it’s 9th party in Nagoya!
  • Date: Saturday December 5th, 2009
  • Time: 6-9pm registration from 6:00 to 6:30pm
  • Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:50pm.
  • Place: Nagoya Tsurumai City Public Hall, 1-1-3 Tsurumai (very close to JR Nagoya Station)
  • PREPAY FEE : Men 2500, Women 2000. *includes 1 free drink and light food*
  • 40 couples only! 40 men and 40 women! Reserve and prepay to join!
  • AT THE DOOR: Men 3000 yen, women 2500 yen. Price includes 1 free drink and light food
  • Dress code: Anything (Casual, etc)
  • Reservations: PrePaid spots are Guaranteed! Only 40 men and 40 women. Reserve and prepay to secure your spot.

Nagoya Speed Dating is a great way to meet new people in the Aichi, Gifu and Mie Areas! At Nagoya Speed Dating, you will receive a number, an assigned table, and a personalized Speeding Ticket form. When the host says to start you will have between 3 to 5 minutes to talk to the person at your table. When the time is up the host will give you a signal. At that time the men will change tables and the women will remain seated. All you have to do is mark your speeding ticket with a yes or a no for each person. At the end of the event, the tickets will be analyzed and Nagoya Speed Dating will notify you of your matches. After that you will also receive contact info for the people you have matched with. Nagoya Speed Dating is a safe, easy, and fun way to meet new people. Come check out Nagoya Speed Dating!

Map & Directions

Contact: 080-3648-1666(Japanese) 080-5469-6317(English)

Get off at Tsurumai Station (JR Chuo Line [South Exit] or Subway Tsurumai Line [Exit #4])

Nagoya Tsurumai City Public Hall, 1-1-3 Tsurumai

Train Directions
  • From Nagoya Station from Nagoya Station take the JR Chuo-Honsen Line and get off at the second station (Tsurumai). From Tsurumai Station, get off at south exit
  • From Sakae/Fushimi Area, catch the Tsurumai Subway Line at Fushimi Station(bound for Akaike) and get off at the third (3rd) stop - Tsurumai. From Tsurumai Station, get off at exit #4
Tsurumai
Tsurumai Station
JR Chuo Line/Tsurumai Line


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Nagoya Friends - Party at Red Rock! 11/28 (Sat.)

21:48 Japan Travel
Nagoya Friends 76th party in Nagoya!
at

  • Date: Saturday November 28th, 2009
  • Time: 18:30 - 21:00
  • Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:50pm.
  • Place: The Red Rock (2F Aster Plaza Building, 4-14-6 Sakae, Nagoya (very close to Sakae Station)
  • Fee: 3000 Yen
  • Dress code: Anything (Casual, etc)
  • Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Just show up to the party!
  • Over 25,000 Yen worth of exciting prize giveaways each month!

There will be free food along with free drinks (beers, wine, cocktail drinks and juices).
Our party is not a dinner party, but we will have light food & snacks.
Quantities are limited, so please come early! Please free to come alone or bring your friends.
EVERYBODY is welcome to join regardless of nationality/gender. Reservation is greatly appreciated.
About 125-150+ people are expected to attend. Approximately 55% female and 45% male, 70% Japanese and 30% non-Japanese.
Pictures from previous Nagoya Friends Parties.

Map & Directions

Contact: 080-3648-1666(Japanese) 080-5469-6317(English)

Get off at Sakae Station [Exit #13]

Red Rock Nagoya

The Red Rock (2F Aster Plaza Building,
4-14-6 Sakae, Nagoya (very close to Sakae Station)

The Red Rock is located behind the Chunichi Building in the Sakae business/shopping district.

Subway access from Sakae Station (serving the yellow and purple lines) Exit 13. It’s a big station connected to a huge underground shopping mall so you’ll need to do a little underground walking.

We’re also just a couple of minutes’ walk from the Tokyu and Precede hotels, and a 10 minute walk up Hirokoji Street from the Hilton Hotel in Fushimi.

Train Directions
  • From Nagoya Stn. take the Higashiyama Subway line to Sakae Station (GET OFF at Sakae Station!!) Take exit #13 and then walk straight AWAY from Hirokoji-Dori for about 3/4 of a block. TURN LEFT Red Rock is on the right side of the street in the middle of the block. Look for the sign on the sidewalk.

Sakae Station
Higashiyama Line


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Kohaku Uta Gassen NHK TV Lineup

16:04 Japan Travel
mikawa-kenichi紅白歌合戦

With just over a month remaining in 2009, Japanese eyes are beginning to turn towards the annual "Kohaku Uta Gassen" New Year's Eve television extravaganza.

Unlike the West, New Year's Eve in Japan is a fairly tame affair. Many stay home and watch Kohaku, which literally means "Red White."

In a nutshell, the program is a singing "battle." The great and famous from Japan's music world are divided into Red (female) and White (male) teams. A panel of almost as famous judges evaluates each act, and then just prior to the tolling of the temple bells to ring in the new year one team is declared the winner.

To generate excitement, the eagerly awaited list of guests on the NHK program was recently announced.

Here is this year's lineup:

Red Team

aiko
Junko Akimoto
Ayaka
Angela Aki
Ikimono Gakari
Sayuri Ishikawa
AKB48
Ai Otsuka
GIRL NEXT DOOR
Miyuki Kawanaka
Kaela Kimura
Kumi Koda
Natsuko Godai
Sachiko Kobayashi
Fuyumi Sakamoto
Yoshimi Tendo
DREAMS COME TRUE
Mika Nakashima
Mitsuko Nakamura
Ayumi Hamasaki
Perfume
Ayaka Hirahara
Nana Mizuki
Kaori Mizumori
Akiko Wada

White Team
Arashi
ALICE
Hiroshi Itsuki
EXILE
NYC boys
Saburo Kitajima
Takeshi Kitayama
Kobukuro
Jero
SMAP
TVXQ
TOKIO
Hideaki Tokunaga
Kiyoshi Hikawa
FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
Masaharu Fukuyama
Akira Fuse
flumpool
Takashi Hosokawa
Porno Graffiti
Kenichi Mikawa
Shinichi Mori
Yusuke Kamiji
Yuzu
Remioromen
The lineup is a mix of old and new, from Saburo Kitajima who will be making his 46th appearance on the program to first timer Arashi.

On the women's side two stalwarts will be leading the charge: Kyoto's Kumi Koda and veteran Akiko Wada.

Another highlight is the annual outfit worn by Kenichi Mikawa - pictured above - ever the campy performer.


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Fare Adjustment Machines

17:21 Japan Travel
のりこし清算機

Fare adjustment machines (norikoshi seisanki) can be seen at all Japanese train stations and are a wonderful idea.

Fare Adjustment Machines

If you have bought the wrong ticket or decide to change your destination in mid-journey, you can pay any excess fare at one of these machines, rather than face an on-the-spot-fine and a criminal record as you might in the UK for example.

Just place your ticket in the slot and the machine calculates your excess fare. Pay the excess with your charge card, notes or coins and the machine issues you with a new ticket to pass the barrier. Simple, efficient...just the ticket.

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Japan This Week 22 November 2009

10:02 Japan Travel
今週の日本

Japan News.Dueling Alliances Make Aid Offers to Japan Airlines

New York Times

Tokyo is the new Paris, say Michelin

Guardian

Exploring Naoshima, Japan's island of art

Washington Post

Arte desenfadado desde Japón

El Pais

Ministers and bank divided as Japan faces prospect of return to deflation

Times Online

U.S. serviceman admits to Okinawa hit-and-run

Japan Times

Japan’s downward spiral

Global Post

Le salut d'Obama à l'empereur du Japon vivement critiqué aux Etats-Unis

Le Monde

Japan call for vuvuzela ban

BBC

Japan snubbed for Asia’s top team award

Yahoo Sports

Last week's Japan news


Japan Statistics

61% of Japanese wives check their husband's cell phone histories, according to a poll conducted by the Macromill internet company.

Married women aged 20 - 39 surveyed said they were checking for extramarital affairs (35%), just out of curiosity (34%), or to see if their husbands were hiding anything (28%).

Source: Kyodo News

World Rugby Rankings:

1. New Zealand
2. South Africa
3. Australia
4. France
5. Ireland
6. England
7. Argentina
8. Wales
9. Scotland
10. Fiji
11. Samoa
12. Italy
13. Japan

Source: Daily Yomiuri


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Japanese Baseball 2009 Awards

19:58 Japan Travel
日本野球

Japanese baseball announced it's 2009 Awards this week in a ceremony at Akasaka Sacas.

Yomiuri Giants slugger Alex Ramirez was named the 2009 Central League MVP after leading the CL with a .322 average with 31 homers and 103 RBIs. Ramirez, who won last year as well, is the first back-to-back winner since Sadaharu Oh in 1976-1977.

His teammate Tetsuya Matsumoto walked away with he CL rookie of the year honors. Matsumoto became the second former ikusei player to win the award after teammate Tetsuya Yamaguchi was named ROY last season.

Matsumoto batted .293 with 15 RBIs and 16 stolen bases for the Giants this season.

The Central League Best Nine was also announced and consists of: Shinnosuke Abe (catcher, Yomiuri Giants), Tony Blanco (first base, Chunichi Dragons), Akihiro Higashide (second base, Hiroshima Carp), Michihiro Ogasawara (third base, Yomiuri Giants), Hayato Sakamoto (shortstop, Yomiuri Giants), Norichika Aoki (outfield Tokyo Yakult Swallows), Seiichi Uchikawa (outfield, Yokohama BayStars), Ramirez, Dicky Gonzalez (pitcher, Yomiuri Giants).

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters Yu Darvish won the Pacific League's top honor, winning the MVP award for the second time in his five-year career. Darvish went 15-5 for the Fighters and posted a PL high 1.73 ERA in 23 starts before being sidelined with back problems and shoulder strain. Darvish struck out 167 batters this season.

He joins Ichiro Suzuki (Orix Buffaloes) and Kazuhisa Inao (Nishitetsu Lions) as the only players to win two MVPs in their first five seasons.

Hawks reliever Tadashi Settsu was the PL rookie of the year after leading the league with 70 appearances and posting a 1.47 ERA.

The Pacific League best nine is as follows: Hidenori Tanoue (catcher, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks), Shinji Takahashi (first base, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters), Kensuke Tanaka (second baseman, Fighters), Takeya Nakamura (third base, Seibu Lions), Hiroyuki Nakajima (Lions, shortstop), Teppei Tsuchiya (outfield, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles), Yoshio Itoi (outfield, Fighters), Atsunori Inaba (outfield, Fighters), Takeshi Yamasaki (designated hitter, Eagles), Darvish (pitcher, Fighters).

© Jason Coskrey & JapanVisitor.com
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Flower Arrangement

14:49 Japan Travel
Kyoto Gosho生花

On a recent visit to the Imperial Palace, in Kyoto, we saw several large examples of Japanese flower arrangement.

Both of the pieces were in open arcades within the Palace.

They feature flowers and plants seasonally appropriate: autumn in all its glory.

The arrangement at bottom left is from Ninnaji Temple. This is noted on the small wooden plaque at the base of the arrangement.

They are wild but controlled, and colorful in a subdued way.


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Jazz Up Your Japanese with Onomatopoeia

19:33 Japan Travel
Jazz Up Your Japanese with OnomatopoeiaJazz Up Your Japanese with Onomatopoeia

by Hiroko Fukuda
Kodansha International

ISBN: 4-7700-2956-X238 pp

Originally published by Kodansha as "Flip, Slither and Bang: Japanese Sound and Action Words" as part of their Power Japanese series, this volume has undergone a makeover for the 21st century. Fukuda has added a useful overview introduction, and revision quizzes, both of which should help key Japanese onomatopoeia stick in your head. And there's a lot to remember.

While Japanese has appropriated Chinese script for most of its conceptual words, and promiscuously borrowed from English and other languages for more recent phenomena such as computers, it can be proud of the homegrown nature of its pervasive onomatopoeia - not to mention their expressive 'punch'. While in English, such words are often associated with animal noises and children's tales, Japanese uses onomatopoeia widely, in anything from literature to everyday adult conversations, and to express everything from a simple sound to a complex emotional state. What English often uses metaphor to express, Japanese gets across with onomatopoeia.

Wanwan may indeed be the sound of a Japanese doggy, but mukamuka means seriously cheesed off, gennari means worn out, and sesseto means as regular as clockwork. Adult enough for you? Fukuda's introduction helps the learner contextualise the different forms and uses of Japanese onomatopoeia. This, along with an overall book structure based around situational dialogues, creates a fairly structured learning approach. As usual with a book focusing on one aspect of language, there is the temptation to pack in as many target expressions as possible until the dialogues become a bit buyobuyo (bloated). But apart from this, the language is very natural (in fact, "too" natural for the beginner, who should first be learning standard Japanese verb forms, for instance).

The dialogues are followed by clear explanations of the target onomatopoeia and example sentences. All text is provided in original Japanese (with furigana readings) plus an English translation, while the dialogues also come in a romanised form for the less able reader. Helpful cultural notes are also scattered throughout the text. The quizzes at the end of each section review the onomatopoeia, and the handy indexes allow you to find both Japanese and English definitions, so you can locate a particular expression you've heard in Japanese, or find an equivalent for the English concept you want to get across, independently of the dialogue contexts. Note though that this book is not a substitute for a dictionary of onomatopoeia, as it chooses to be selectively detailed rather than comprehensive.

Jazz Up Your Japanese with Onomatopoeia is subtitled For All Levels, which I think is a little ambitious, as much of the material would be overwhelming for neophytes. But this very density of information is a boon for the more advanced student. It will reward close study by significantly enhancing your knowledge of an underemphasised aspect of Japanese language that in many ways embodies the Japanese mindset.

Richard Donovan


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Chukyo University Nagoya

16:42 Japan Travel
Chukyo University in Nagoya may not be in the Ivy League of Japanese universities but it certainly excels in women's figure skating.

Chukyo University Nagoya

Two of Japan's best figure skaters, Mao Asada and Miki Ando, both attend Chukyo.

The modern campus building towers above the crossroads at Yagoto in the south east of the city and the university has its own entrance from the Yagoto subway on the Meijo Line.

There are two large ice rinks open to the public in Nagoya: Nippon Gaishi Arena - a five minute walk from JR Kasadera Station on the JR Tokaido Line, two stops from Kanayama Station and The Nagoya Sports Center Rink at Osu Kannon, a three minute walk from Exit 2 of Osu Kannon Subway Station on the Tsurumai Line.

There is another rink in Toyota city at Aichi Youth Park not far from Chukyo's Toyota campus.

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Public Bath Neon Sign

10:21 Japan Travel
sento neon銭湯のネオン

Coming back from a party in north Kyoto, we came upon this wonderful neon sign.

The picture at right is seen from the rear, which means that the kanji is inverted.

Jutting out of the second story of a building on Kitaoji Dori, not far from the Kyoto Botanical Gardens, it alerts one to the small public bath (sento) tucked into a nearby side street.

The reading of the neon character is "yu" - ゆ - which is one way to read the first of the two characters 湯 in public bath.

To see the same sign from the front - and therefore in its correct form - look at the photo below left.

The warmth and simplicity of the sign beckons one to the bath house.

It is old and ordinary. No fancy baths, just one story, a beat beat up: perfect on a cold night.


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Kyoto Immigration Office

14:48 Japan Travel
Kyoto Immigration Office大阪入国管理局京都出張所

Kyoto's Immigration Office is not far from the Kamo River, on the north side of Marutamachi Dori. It is actually a sub-office that comes under the wing of the larger Osaka branch.

As Japanese immigration offices go, it is fairly small and user-friendly. The level of hostility is relatively low: most of the clients are students, European or American teachers, or Koreans who have lived in Kyoto for many generations.

Signs are in Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and English.

For those who are there to update a reentry permit, you need to go around the corner from the immigration office to a small, Chinese-run travel agency. Single entry permits are 4,000 yen, multiple entry permits are 6,000 yen

Note: You can go ahead and buy your stamp before you go into the office; this will save you a trip.

Kyoto Immigration Office

Daini Chiho Godo Chosa Bldg 4F
34-12 Higashi-Marutamachi, Marutamachi Kawabata Higashi,
Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
Tel: 075-752-5997
FAX: 075-762-2121

5 minute walk from Marutamachi Station on the Keihan Line.


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Nagoya Friends - Party at Red Rock! 11/28 (Sat.)

5:05 Japan Travel
Nagoya Friends 76th party in Nagoya!
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  • Date: Saturday November 28th, 2009
  • Time: 18:30 - 21:00
  • Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:50pm.
  • Place: The Red Rock (2F Aster Plaza Building, 4-14-6 Sakae, Nagoya (very close to Sakae Station)
  • Fee: 3000 Yen
  • Dress code: Anything (Casual, etc)
  • Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Just show up to the party!
  • Over 25,000 Yen worth of exciting prize giveaways each month!

There will be free food along with free drinks (beers, wine, cocktail drinks and juices).
Our party is not a dinner party, but we will have light food & snacks.
Quantities are limited, so please come early! Please free to come alone or bring your friends.
EVERYBODY is welcome to join regardless of nationality/gender. Reservation is greatly appreciated.
About 125-150+ people are expected to attend. Approximately 55% female and 45% male, 70% Japanese and 30% non-Japanese.
Pictures from previous Nagoya Friends Parties.

Map & Directions

Contact: 080-3648-1666(Japanese) 080-5469-6317(English)

Get off at Sakae Station [Exit #13]

Red Rock Nagoya

The Red Rock (2F Aster Plaza Building,
4-14-6 Sakae, Nagoya (very close to Sakae Station)

The Red Rock is located behind the Chunichi Building in the Sakae business/shopping district.

Subway access from Sakae Station (serving the yellow and purple lines) Exit 13. It’s a big station connected to a huge underground shopping mall so you’ll need to do a little underground walking.

We’re also just a couple of minutes’ walk from the Tokyu and Precede hotels, and a 10 minute walk up Hirokoji Street from the Hilton Hotel in Fushimi.

Train Directions
  • From Nagoya Stn. take the Higashiyama Subway line to Sakae Station (GET OFF at Sakae Station!!) Take exit #13 and then walk straight AWAY from Hirokoji-Dori for about 3/4 of a block. TURN LEFT Red Rock is on the right side of the street in the middle of the block. Look for the sign on the sidewalk.

Sakae Station
Higashiyama Line


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