- Current Date & Time
-
In Japan, it is:
Monday, Feb 6, 2012, 7:35 AM -
In Iowa, USA:
Sunday, Feb 5, 2012, 4:35 PM
- Information Links
- Currency Converter
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- Japan Railways Homepage
- Hyperdia -- Japan Train Routes & Timetables
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- Yokota Air Base - USAF Official Site
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- CFAY Yokosuka - USN Official Site
- NAF Atsugi - USN offical Site
- MCAS Iwakuni - USMC Official Site
- CFAS Sasebo - USN Official Site
- Engrish.com -- Love This Site!!!
- Online Babelfish Translator
Welcome to Japan Days. Some of my fondest memories are from my days in Japan, therefore I have started this website. Originally, I had most of this content on another site, but the theme of the content was inconsistent with the theme of that site. For that reason, and also because I am an incurable geek who loves to experiment with code, I decided to open Japan-Days.info, dedicated to my days in Japan.
The site is for anyone with an interest in Japan. Members of the US Armed Forces and their dependents who are either currently stationed, previously stationed, or about to be stationed in Japan, are very welcome here. The time that I spent there as a member of the USAF in the 1970's changed my life, and my hope is that any of you who have the opportunity to go there can find information in here that will enable you to better enjoy your tour in that wonderful, fascinating country. and that will help you to make the most of this great opportunity to experience a most amazing country and culture.
I hope that you enjoy the website, and please check back often as I add more content.
--Bob
Mouseover the image to pause the slideshow.
Currently, the picture gallery from which the random pics are selected include photos that we took in 2005.
As I develop more of the site, I plan to add more pictures to the gallery, and I plan to enhance the function that dynamically builds the slideshow to select photos by category, with categories being defined and selected for content relevancy.
- Japan, Asia, and Travel News
- News On Japan
- US, Japan agree to partial Marine transfer from Okinawa
Reuters 2012-02-05 09:08:15
The United States and Japan have agreed to tweak a six-year-old agreement on Marines based on the southern island of Okinawa, allowing Washington to deploy forces to the Pacific island of Guam regardless of the debate over moving a disputed airbase. The Guam deployment had been held hostage by a political stalemate in Japan over the shifting of the Futenma base to another site on Okinawa, an issue given added importance in recent years by China's growing military might in the region. Japanese newspapers said the new plan would allow Washington to shrink the expensive Guam relocation plan at a time when it is under pressure to cut defense spending because of deficit woes even as it turns its attention to China. (Reuters) - Sony: can a new CEO save the struggling tech giant?
telegraph.co.uk 2012-02-05 01:17:58
Look around most living rooms and the chances are there's a Sony product somewhere: whether it's a television, a DVD player, an ageing video recorder or a hifi, the Japanese corporation has dominated consumer electronics for decades. Recently, however, the company has struggled. Led until this week by Welshman Sir Howard Stringer, Sony has battled floods in Japan, a fire at its main warehouse in London, a rising Yen and a resolutely unprofitable TV business. While its profile remains high, the business has been under pressure. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the world's biggest trade fair, one major retailer's top buyer told me: "Panasonic are on the rise, Samsung are dominant - but I worry about Sony." This week, the company announced a 17 per cent drop in sales and a $2billion loss. (telegraph.co.uk) - Kobayashi wins chicken wing crown
Japan Times 2012-02-05 00:58:39
Multiple hot dog eating champion Takeru Kobayashi has won an annual chicken wing eating contest in Philadelphia, downing a record 337 wings in 30 minutes. At Wing Bowl XX, the 33-year-old Kobayashi on Friday smashed the previous record of 255 wings set last year by local champ Jonathan Squibb to win a $20,000 cash prize, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on its website. The massive circuslike bash, hosted by a local radio station, was held in a sports arena and reportedly drew a crowd of about 20,000 eating enthusiasts who were entertained by local sports celebrities, scantily clad women and mud wrestling. (Japan Times) - Our woods may be home to a 'new ' spider species
Japan Times 2012-02-05 00:58:39
An apparently new species of spider has been found in our woods, even though the creature has probably been around since long before humans came to Japan. To be specific, our spider researcher, Koji Arai, has found an arachnid on our Afan Woodland Trust property in Nagano Prefecture that he believes has never been documented before. It is a very small spider, about 4 mm long, and it is clearly of the genus Cybaeus - a free-hunter type of small spiders that live on the ground in forests. Both male (smaller abdomen) and female specimens have been found and are now undergoing peer assessment to confirm whether or not this is indeed a new species. (Japan Times) - Students' retreat from English
Japan Times 2012-02-05 00:58:39
A recent education ministry survey of third-year middle school students nationwide found most students have an ambivalent and contradictory attitude toward English. Of the 3,225 students surveyed, most felt English was important to study, but few wanted a job requiring English. The disjuncture between what they consider important and what they want for themselves is puzzling and disappointing. In the survey, 85 percent agreed English was important and 70 percent - up from 47 percent in 2003 - agreed that knowing English would give them an edge in finding a job in the future. Clearly, English is perceived as integral to internationalizing Japan and the world. However, despite students' increasing awareness of the importance of English, the percentage of students who said they did not want to get a job requiring English increased six percentage points to a whopping 43 percent. (Japan Times) - Sales tax may be raised higher than 10% due to welfare reforms: Noda
Japan Times 2012-02-05 00:58:39
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Saturday said the sales tax could be raised higher than the 10 percent rate currently proposed, due to the radical overhaul of the welfare system he is pushing. "There is a possibility the consumption tax might be increased to more than 10 percent, as a result of implementing drastic reforms of the pension and social security systems," Noda said during a question and answer session after a speech in Tokyo. He also reiterated his determination to pass legislation during the current ordinary Diet session that would double the 5 percent sales levy, as part of a broader package of reforms to ensure the country's welfare system remains sustainable. (Japan Times)