Japan got a new Prime Minister on September 2nd, a guy by the name of Yoshihiko Noda. Apparently the Diet (similar to Congress or Parliament) elects the Prime Minister and can also get rid of him whenever they so choose. As a result, Japan goes through a lot of Prime Ministers. I don't think one has lasted more than a year in the past five or six years even though I don't believe there is a limit on how long or how often someone can be Prime Minister. Our Japanese teacher told us that all the past Prime Ministers is one of harder things to learn as a Japanese school child.
The last guy was the one that was all over the news during the March earthquake, it seems the Diet "lost confidence" in him so they ditched him. I always felt sorry for the poor man, I don't think he slept for most of the spring.
Our Japanese teacher also told us that the new guy is known as an exceptional orator, and is good at languages. And, he is famous for giving speeches at train stations. It seems there are some popular jokes about how he's always to be found carrying on about something in a train station. He probably doesn't mind, if this article is any indication....he seems to have a pretty good sense of humor. Wonder if that will still be the case when his year is up. ;)
September 9, 2011
September 8, 2011
Where Have All the Sunflowers Gone?
I received a phone call this morning from someone who had been watching the news in the US. Based on that news, this person had determined that there was a good chance Chad and I were washed away in a typhoony mudslide. I am happy to report that we were not, and that here the only lasting effect of the weekend of rain and wind is that all our neighbors have cut down their gigantic sunflowers. Fortunately I managed to get a photo a couple of weeks ago.
I believe the mudslides and such were farther north, unfortunately in the same general area as the March earthquake. I imagine the destruction lent itself to further destruction. The only thing I've seen lately about what's going on up north is this article about a man who refuses to leave the evacuation area. A few things in the interview stood out to me, namely that he believes the rest of the country has moved on (I would tend to perhaps agree), that his relative wouldn't take him in (I was shocked), and that he is made out to be a rebel in a country of strict rule-followers. That's a popular view of the culture here and I'm not totally down with itand I'm totally an expert. I have seen plenty of minor rule-breaking since we've been here and a healthy amount of I'll-do-whatever-I-want-to-do attitude. Not as much as other nationalities maybe, but Japanese people are definitely not sheep and do not walk around looking over their shoulder for the government. That kind of stuff is more for our big red neighbor. ;D
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| note that I was clearly shooting up, as they were dangling down over my head |
I believe the mudslides and such were farther north, unfortunately in the same general area as the March earthquake. I imagine the destruction lent itself to further destruction. The only thing I've seen lately about what's going on up north is this article about a man who refuses to leave the evacuation area. A few things in the interview stood out to me, namely that he believes the rest of the country has moved on (I would tend to perhaps agree), that his relative wouldn't take him in (I was shocked), and that he is made out to be a rebel in a country of strict rule-followers. That's a popular view of the culture here and I'm not totally down with it
September 5, 2011
Bookstore Blues
I torture myself occasionally by going to the bookstore in the mall. It's torture because there are only two shelves of English books and, while the selection is pretty good, I've read half of them. I'm saving the rest for an emergency (the ones that aren't dead boring, that is).
Everything else is still virtually impossible for me to read....for now. (I recently started making my own flash cards of Japanese characters....it's very first grade.) I content myself with wandering around trying to decipher what each section is. The situation isn't that dire though, I can order books from iBooks and Nook to read on my iPad and I do so often enough to keep my sanity. I also brought all my favorites along with me and I can re-read most of those at least once or twice a year.
I haven't even found the library yet. I know there is one in Ota but so far no one had been able to give me sufficient directions. Probably for the best.....a building full of free books I can't read might do me in.
Everything else is still virtually impossible for me to read....for now. (I recently started making my own flash cards of Japanese characters....it's very first grade.) I content myself with wandering around trying to decipher what each section is. The situation isn't that dire though, I can order books from iBooks and Nook to read on my iPad and I do so often enough to keep my sanity. I also brought all my favorites along with me and I can re-read most of those at least once or twice a year.
I haven't even found the library yet. I know there is one in Ota but so far no one had been able to give me sufficient directions. Probably for the best.....a building full of free books I can't read might do me in.
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| the English section |
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| this, I have determined, is the travel section |
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| sigh |
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| I could probably barely make it through The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Rainbow Fish |
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| I've scouted the kids section a lot because I know that is where I'll have to start |
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| Harry Potter |
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