Prospective adopting parents who are current or former residents of Japan and are adopting children from countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention) need to be aware that Japan does not have a child abuse registry.

The Hague Adoption Convention went into effect in the U.S. in April 2008.  Japan is not a signatory to the Hague Adoption Convention; however, U.S. citizens who are adopting children from Hague countries (including China and the Philippines) need a child abuse registry check from every country where they have been a resident.  If you are living in Japan or used to live in Japan, you may be asked during the adoption process to get a “child abuse registry check” from Japan; however, Japan does not have such a registry and you must inform the person requesting the check about this fact.  

For more information on adoptions, please visit the State Department website athttp://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/adoption_485.html.

Learn Japanese!

I previously posted about the Yokota AB RAPCON and the citizens living around the base receiving money for noise damage. Here is an update related to both stories:

Flight routes can now be easily set for westward-bound passenger planes from Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

That is because the Yokota airspace, which expands over the west of the airport and is under the air traffic control of the U.S. Air Force’s Yokota Air Base, has now been returned in part to Japan.

The skies over the metropolitan area are now more crowded. Accordingly, it is very significant that new air routes have been secured for flights to and from Haneda.

The Japanese and U.S. governments have also agreed to consider necessary conditions by fiscal 2009 for the United States to return the Yokota airspace in its entirety. We want the two governments to push ahead with talks for specifics about the airspace’s overall reversion.

The Yokota airspace came under the Allied Powers’ control after the end of World War II. After that, its traffic control was transferred to the U.S. military. Since then, the U.S. Air Force, based on the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, has controlled the air traffic of U.S. military and Self-Defense Forces aircraft to and from the Yokota, Atsugi, and Iruma bases.

In May 2006, the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed on the Yokota airspace’s partial reversion as a step in the process of realigning U.S. forces in Japan. This is the eighth time for the United States to return part of the airspace. This time, however, the United States has returned 20% of the airspace’s area and 50% of its volume.

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Dream homes can come true if you know all the right things

So you are ready to be king of your own castle in Japan. Adios to the days when you, a mere rent-paying tenant of a grotty apartment, worried about landlords taking you to the cleaners for spilling tea on the carpet or making minuscule holes in the walls to pin up framed pics.

Dream home: Be it a log house in the mountains or a condominium in a high-rise, buying a home in Japan requires lots of time, research . . . and money. JAPAN TIMES ILLUSTRATION

Proud homeowners can drill holes willy-nilly and spill coffee or beer to their hearts’ content! Of course, there are other sound reasons for owning your own property, too — that warm sense of “owning,” the often poor condition of rental properties, freedom to park a car, freedom from the invidious “key money” system here . . . and the low interest rates in Japan that almost always ensure that your monthly mortgage payments will be lower than your rent.

But how to go about getting a mortgage, whether for a new or preowned place in the sun?

Here’s our rough point-by-point guide to buying a residential property in Japan, with insight into some of the head- spinning legal and technical terms that homeowners-to-be must wrestle with. All Web sites referred to are in Japanese only unless otherwise specified.

Have cash ready

Unless you are awash with dearly departed daddy’s dosh, or have just won the lottery, you’ll likely be looking to buy your property through a mortgage. Generally, it’s best to pay 25 to 30 percent of the purchase price in cash (including taxes and other fees), though some lenders offer virtually deposit-free loans. Before they’ll grant you a mortgage, many banks insist your annual earnings are at least ¥3 million to ¥5.5 million.

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The following are the experiences of four foreigners who have ventured into property purchase in Japan.

Jim (American; 45 years old; 17 years in Japan) House for a family of two in Yokohama purchased in September 2008 for ¥65 million.

“I thought it would be difficult to find a rental where I could park a car and a couple of motorcycles, as well as keep a couple of pets. Also, I thought it would be better to invest in property rather than rent. I’m not sure how long I’ll stay in Japan — but I’ve been saying that all along!

“The house is very well constructed, it looks like a ‘house’ (there are some strange designs here), and there is a decent amount of space between it and the surrounding properties.

“I bought it together with my wife. We split a 35-year loan we took out through a bank that the real-estate company introduced. We plan to pay it off sooner.

“The process went very smoothly, no doubt helped by the fact that I’m a permanent resident and we qualified financially. Of course, decreasing property values are a concern, but when you rent you’re spending money that will never return. To help ensure the property value remains high, I chose a location that’s quiet as well as convenient for commuters going to Tokyo or Yokohama. I also think the garage will make the property attractive as it’s a rare feature and will be a big sales point.

“At the end of the day, even if I never turn a profit I’ll be doing quite well if I can live in a nice place for a number of years and get most of my investment back.”

 

Rab (Scottish; 8.5 years in Japan) Land in Saitama Prefecture purchased for ¥14.5 million, and a log house for a family of six being built for ¥30 million.

“We realized that paying money every month in rent would leave us owning nothing when we retired, yet the mortgage payments every month (about the same as the rent) would result in us owning a house and land.

“It had to be a house and land, as we have two kids and wanted space for them to play in and also to fully incorporate some eco concepts into the residence. Having been out to the start of the Japan Alps near Chichibu, we liked that area (countryside, forests, mountains rivers, etc.) and the commute to my work in Tokyo was not too bad.

“The biggest challenge was qualifying for the mortgage. The borrower needs to be in a full-time job and have been in it for at least two or three years. Also, any outstanding loans reduce the amount that can be borrowed.

“I am aware that house prices fall in Japan over time — basicaly for quality reasons. But this is not a factor with log houses as they maintain their structural integrity. Whether the Japanese housing market is aware of this is irrelevant as we don’t plan to sell, but to set up home there for good as we can have low bills, grow food, have access to water, space, beautiful scenery and an eco-friendly lifestyle.

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Foreigners in a market gone from boom to bust and back (a bit)

Foreigners and the Japanese property market — the two sound like unlikely bedfellows, but in recent years their “liaisons” have been the focus of much media attention — and not all of it positive.

 

First it was investments by foreigners driving up land prices; now they’re supposed to be driving them down.

Of course, most of these investments are by foreign-owned or foreign-run corporations, as opposed to your run-of-the-mill individual gaijin. However, the number of foreign residents buying properties in Japan is certainly on the rise, and, like their corporate cousins, these buyers are bringing to the Japanese property market a set of presumptions and expectations that are often very different from the homegrown variety. That can play in their favor, but it can also lead to costly mistakes.

So, before we start construction on the Timeout guide to property-buying in Japan, let’s survey the landscape a little, examining in particular the sometimes troubled but nonetheless ever-closer relationship that’s developed between foreigners and the local property market.

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I seems that Hairfish experienced her first quake in Japan:

So, I’m in bed dreaming and all of a sudden, I’m feel my futon moving, as if someone were pushing it across the wood floor. In my half awake-half asleep haze, I look up to see the curtains swaying a bit, along with the girls’ desks, and my table covered in books and homework. When I awake fully, I notice the entire room is swaying and I pop up from under my covers, thinking, “WTF?!”.

The pix above is of a traditional Japanese wedding. Check out more pix at the Hairfish blog here.

The talented and sometimes funny owarai duo, Tunnels, have recently hooked-up with DJ Ozma (former Kishidan band leader) to form and produce a temporary female trio called Yajima Biyoshitsu (Yajima Beauty Salon). The female trio is actually the three men in drag. Here is the official website.

The Yajima Biyoshitsu new song ties into a new Lotte chewing gum commercial (the CM schedule can be found here) starring actress Masami Nagasawa. The debut song, “Nihon no Mikata - Nevada Kara Kimashita,” debuted on TV the day before and saw a reportedly 14,000 chaku-uta (ringtone) downloads in the hour after its premiere, taking the #1 spot on the Recochoku daily charts.

 

 Commercial: Play Now | Play in Popup | Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Press Conference: Play Now | Play in Popup | Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Now I do not mind comedy but I do mind the direction that the group, Avex and Lotte took in putting this commercial together.

According to the story line, the trio is supposedly made up of a family from Nevada, consisting of a 36-year-old former stripper named Margaret Yajima (played by DJ Ozma) and her two daughters, the 17-year-old Naomi and the 11-year-old Strawberry both played by Tunnels. The mother a.k.a. Black Bolt (her stage name at the shake joint) brought her daughters to Japan to look for their father, a Japanese barber or beautician named Yajima. 

I worked with the Tunnels twice in the late 90’s and their current comedy to me is mediocre at best. These guys are known for pushing the envelope or being over-the-top when it comes to stereotypes. To see DJ Ozma come out of retirement to do this gig is sort of a disappointment since I have been a fan of his since he was a leading the band Kishidan. Additionally, I have done a print, television and internet campaign for Lotte’s restaurant chain, Lotteria. 

Now unlike the Gosperats, no black face is involved in this current CM and it seems that men (on television) dressing up as women in Japan is sort of a norm. What I find extremely distasteful is the description of the faux black women, the implied teenage pregnancy and the husband that left the US (his family and his business) to return to Japan. What’s up with that?! Read the rest of this entry »

James at Japan Probe posted this interesting video of a kid living out his mother’s dream [my opinion]. The mom is so set on her son passing frickin’ tests instead of him ENJOYING youth and LOVING TO LEARN, the poor kid is reduced to living a Japanese businessman’s life at an early age. Check out what James has to say below: 

“Below is an excerpt from an NTV feature report about an elementary schooler aiming to be the youngest Japanese person to pass grade 1 of the Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency:

 

 YouTube: Play Now | Play in Popup | Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As you can see, the poor kid spends every single moment of his free time studying. He attends and elite private school where English language education is stressed, and when he gets home from school he engages in non-stop English cramming. Even meal times are spent watching English language movies with English subtitles as reading/listening practice. The video clip also shows him studying for a French proficiency test. His mother buys him toy cars are rewards for successfully answering study questions. 

Grade 1 of the Eiken exam tests university level English proficiency, and it’s unreasonable to expect an elementary school kid to pass it. However, his mother drives him on and he takes the test. He ends up failing it, but he is determined to take it again until he passes. He’ll also continue to study French after having passed a beginner level French proficiency test.”

 

 YouTube: Play Now | Play in Popup | Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This in from the Pink Tentacle:

This video takes a peek inside their Reversible Destiny Lofts in the Mitaka area of western Tokyo. Designed to stimulate the senses and force inhabitants to use balance, physical strength and imagination, the lofts feature uneven floors, oddly positioned power switches and outlets, walls and surfaces painted a dizzying array of colors, a tiny exit to the balcony, a transparent shower room, irregularly shaped curtainless windows, and more.

For the adventurous, two rental units are now available for 220,000 and 250,000 yen ($2,000/$2,400) per month, which is a bit pricey for Tokyo, but not outrageous. Short-term stays can also be arranged.

Part 8: So I’m walking along the fence of the new school and see a lemon chuhi tallboy inside the fence. I think to myself, It can’t be that bad…can it?

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Part 7: You know, the ichinensei (first-year students) aren’t so bad. Maybe this is due to them being right out of elementary school. The ninensei (second-year students) and especially the sannensei (third-year students) are another story, however.

CLASS ONE: THE SANNENSEI

Most of the sannensei are not all that bad. They mostly make fun of my English and talk while I talk. One boy in particular insisted on repeating -in a funny voice- the last word I said. What really irks me is that the Japanese teacher stands right next to him and very, very, politely tries to get him to listen. The student, meanwhile, continues to do what he’s doing.

As far as I know, there is no such thing as being directly disciplined by the teacher in most Japanese public schools. If that is the case, I guess I flipped the script when I stopped the class and called the Japanese teacher to the front of the classroom in order to translate.

I should add that despite the state-of-the-art facilities, new pool, tatami room and refurbished interior, the sannensei Japanese teacher speaks less English that the ichinensei Japanese teacher - go figure! In fact, I’d go as far as to say that some of the sannensei students speak more English than she does. This is my reality in the Japanese public school system. Read the rest of this entry »

 

 The Japan that Foreigners See: Play Now | Play in Popup | Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here is an interesting video that gives insight into life in Japan. I don’t know if I will have time to subtitle this since I will have surgery soon.

Enjoy!


Japanese Baby - Funny bloopers R us 

SAPPORO — NTT’s Communication Science Laboratories have compiled a list of the top 50 most common first words in Japanese spoken by babies and announced them at a meeting of the Japanese Psychological Association in Sapporo that started on Friday.

Researchers drew their findings from Baby’s Growth Diary, a user-generated community site where new parents can write a journal of their experiences. Data was taken from 398 infants aged 10 months to 3 years, between April 2007 and February this year.

Their results showed that “manma” (gohan [food]) was the first word to be spoken, usually around the age of 15 and a half months, with words like banana [ba-na-na] (19th), tea [ocha] (25th) and milk [mi-ru-ku] (38th) coming in later on.

At number 4 was “mama”, with “papa” coming in 8th, “jiiji” (grandfather) 24th, and “baaba” (grandmother) 37th.

Among the top 50 words, there were five times more nouns than verbs. In English-speaking countries, this ratio is closer to 12:1.

“English-speaking parents teach their children the names of things; in Asia, they tend to stress emotions and feelings,” explained researcher Tetsuo Kobayashi.

Source

BTW, what do you think of the video? Are images more powerful than words?