Category Archives: Japan (日本)

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) March 24, 2020 13-year old Hime Takimoto saw the long lines of people in front of drugstores waiting for surgical masks that had already sold out and noticed the profiteering going on in selling them on auction and flea market sites on the Net. She decided to do something about it and asked her mom to withdraw her savings. She took her savings and purchased fabric and mask-making materials and began to sew. She managed to make 612 cloth masks and attached handwritten messages to each one expressing her hopes that they would be of some help. She took her hand-sewn masks and gave them to Mayor Nagasaki of Yamanashi Prefecture, who gratefully accepted them and promised to distribute them to elderly and children’s institutions. The photo in the Japanese article shows her donating her […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) March 21, 2020 Quarantine Shaming In an AP article yesterday entitled, “‘Quarantine shaming’: US navigates radical new social norms” Gillian Flaccus outlines how Americans are now expressing their irritation at those who ignore social distancing for their own selfish pleasures. According to the article, a person who posted photos on Instagram of a small dinner gathering of local business leaders at a local restaurant was blasted for his actions in the current COVID-19 environment where people are being encouraged to self-isolate. Likewise, the people who flocked to the less-populated suburbs from LA as soon as schools were closed were singled out. It made me think about Japan and the large numbers of people (especially teenagers) who are ignoring the government’s admonition to stay home and refrain from unnecessary travel. As we enter the 2nd day […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) March 4, 2020 Cram Schools: The Next Infection Epicenters? I watched news footage on TV showing students attending cram schools (juku) from the morning due to the government’s shutdown of the schools. The economics of most cram schools dictate that they utilized limited and usually rented space to seat as many students as possible. As such, the students on TV were seated even closer to each other than they would be in school classrooms. The cram school operators stressed that they were taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 such as using alcohol to wash their students hands, taking body temperatures and having their students wear masks. Still, from what we’ve seen so far in nosocomial in-hospital infections where the infected were professionals with expertise in the prevention of the same. It’s ludicrous to […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) January 19, 2020 I’ve tried to keep track of the students I’ve taught martial arts to over the past 40 years or so. One thing that surfaces time and again is the relation between junior high and high school club activities and their reaching their full potentials. I’ve taught students who were bright and brilliant academically in their elementary school years go on to junior high and join a school club that dominated their time to the point where they had no time to study. Some junior high and high school club teachers feel that their club has to produce Olympic athletes and be the best in the country no matter what the cost. I can immediately think of two ex-students who suffered permanent injuries as a result of this kind of thinking and a […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) January 14, 2020 I’ve noticed a trend to feature retro 1960’s – 80’s commercials in Japanese ads on TV over the past two years or so. For me, they’re quite cute and nostalgic; so much so that I often find myself forgetting the product they were advertising afterwards… レトロＣＭ この過去2年間ほどに60年～80年代のレトロ テレビＣＭが多くなったような気がする。 私にとっては、それらは可愛くって懐かしい。しかし、レトロのイメージが強過ぎて、後で何の宣伝だったかを思い出せない… ****** English novels by Billy Hammond published by AELS (AELS出版英語書籍リスト）   I. Majoh Gakuin and Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools Trilogy 1. Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools 2. Lost Witch (The second book) 3. Fate & Magic (The final book in the trilogy) II. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire Trilogy 1. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire 2. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire – Returns 3. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire – Challenges (The final book in the trilogy) III. Fantasy fiction set […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) December 19, 2019 Many 24-7 businesses such as convenience stores are planning to take January 1st off to give their employees a chance to enjoy New Year’s. When I filled up with gas on Monday, I noticed a sign at the station announcing they’d be closed from the 1st to the 3rd. While all of this may sound pretty revolutionary to younger people, for those who were in Japan during the first half of the Showa years, it’s nothing unusual. Back then, everything except the shrines and temples shut down. On the bad side, most of the few businesses that stayed open charged “New Year’s Prices.” お正月３ケ日 授業員を休ますために様々な店は来年から元日～３日までお正月休みを決めている。 月曜日にガソリンを入れた時、スタンドの張り紙に１日～３日のお休みに気付いた。 若者にとってはこれが革新的と思われるかも知らないが、昭和を生きて来た人たちには珍しくも何もないだ。昭和時代の大半には神社やお寺以外の殆どの店がその三日間休みだった。残念な面は営業していた店は『お正月料金』を貰っていた。 ********** English novels by Billy Hammond published by AELS (AELS出版英語書籍リスト）   I. Majoh Gakuin and Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools Trilogy 1. Majoh Gakuin […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) December 16, 2019 In North America and Hawaii, 911 is the number used to access emergency services, which include law enforcement, ambulance, fire and rescue. In 96% of the US, calling 911 will connect the caller with a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAT) that will automatically give the dispatcher the address the call originates from. The dispatcher at the PSAT will send out emergency responders. Japan uses 119 (the reverse of 911) for their fire, rescue and ambulance services and 110 for law enforcement. 911（日本なら119番または110番） 日本には消防や救急隊要請番号は『119』だけど、北米（ハワイも含む）では全ての緊急要請は『911』となる。警察、救急、消防が全てその番号で対応されている。その番後を廻すとPublic Safety Answering Point (PSAP)(緊急応答機関)の局に電話が転送される。そこからその事態に応じての警察・消防などに連絡を取り、派遣される。 ********** English novels by Billy Hammond published by AELS (AELS出版英語書籍リスト）   I. Majoh Gakuin and Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools Trilogy 1. Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools 2. Lost Witch (The second book) 3. Fate & Magic (The final book […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) December 12, 2019 “Code Blue” is the name of a popular Japanese TV drama series featuring helicopter air ambulance doctors. In the theater version of it that aired on December 7, 2019, the beginning portion featured a real helicopter doctor team at a Japanese hospital. During the episode, someone on the doctors’ team made a reference to the patient and FAST. I don’t recall any explanatory subtitles, but then again I might have missed them. For viewers who are wondering what it is, it’s part of the algorithm used in assessing multi-trauma patients. It stands for Focused Assessment Sonographic Trauma and is used to identify fluid leakages such as hemorrhages. The first step in FAST is to view the area on the right side which contains what is known as Morrison’s pouch, which will show […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) December 7, 2019 During the years of the Japanese economic bubble, companies used to print and give away calendars like crazy. After the bubble burst, free calendars became somewhat of a rarity. It took a while, but things picked up during the past few years and I’ve managed to get enough large-sized calendars to meet my home and office needs. This year, though, seems to be a small calendar year… It might be the result of the tax increases imposed by the government this year…??? 無料カレンダー バブル経済期にはどの会社でもカレンダーを印刷・配っていた。しかし、バブル崩壊後、無料カレンダーは珍しい物となった。しかし、この過去数年間、自分が必要とする家と事務所の数を再び貰えるようになった。今年は大型カレンダーはまだけど…現在の増税日本経済を反映しているかな？？ *********** English novels by Billy Hammond published by AELS (AELS出版英語書籍リスト）   I. Majoh Gakuin and Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools Trilogy 1. Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools 2. Lost Witch (The second book) 3. Fate & Magic (The final book in the trilogy) […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) November 9, 2019 The Japanese government is embroiled in a controversy regarding subjecting prospective university students to English exams developed and graded by private companies. In addition, the move to introduce English education in elementary schools has been underway for the past few years. My question is, “Is this really helpful for everyone?” Some kids are quick learners and will suck up knowledge like vacuum cleaners, while others struggle to master even a single lesson in class. Why should English take priority over learning Japanese? Learning a second language at the grade school level takes time away from studying subjects like Japanese and arithmetic that the student will absolutely need later in life. Perhaps it’s time to rethink priorities and prevent wash-outs who are failures in all subjects due to being forced to have study […]