The U.S. Foreign Service is a career like no other; every day U.S. Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) represent the United States to the world, promoting peace, stability and prosperity. We welcome your interest in this challenging, unique work where you can be involved in the important issues of the world, where you can contribute, and make a difference.
The Guide to the Foreign Service Officer Selection Process (263kb, available athttp://careers.state.gov/docs/3.0_FSO_RegGuide.pdf ) is provided for informational purposes only and contains information regarding registration for the test, sample test and essay questions, testing for individuals with disabilities, how to prepare for the test, as well as explanations of the different career tracks and life in the Foreign Service.
The next U.S. Foreign Service Officer Test will be offered at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on November 6-7, 2008.
In Japan, the Embassy and Consulates will offer the FSOT according to the following schedule.
Fukuoka November 6-7
Nagoya November 6-7
Naha not available
Osaka November 7
Sapporo November 6
Tokyo November 6-7
To register, please go to http://careers.state.gov/officer/register.html
Read the rest of this entry »
U.S. citizens should register to vote now for the November 4, 2008, presidential and general elections. Many states close voter registration on October 4, 2008, which is 30 days before the general election. Be sure to allow sufficient time for your voting registration forms to reach the U.S. by mail.
Voters who have not yet registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot should complete a Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) on the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website at www.fvap.gov. Voters may also pick up a hard copy of the FPCA from any U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate.
You should also complete a new Federal Postcard Application if you have moved or changed your name since the last time you voted.
FPCAs may be mailed to your local voting officials in the U.S. through the regular international mail or from any U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Some states also accept FPCAs by fax or e-mail.
For more information, review our webpage about absentee voting: http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7124c.html
Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Read the rest of this entry »
Japanese telecommunications carrier KDDI will start offering from October 1G bps (bits per second) fiber-optic Internet hook-ups for less than the current price of a connection one tenth the speed, it said this week.
The Hikari One Home Gigabit service will cost ¥5,460 (US$51.40) per month and provide an upstream and downstream connection at 1G bps. Internet-based telephone service and cable TV service can be added to the connection for an additional fee.
It will be available to single-dwelling homes and apartment buildings up to three floors high in the Tokyo area and Hokkaido island in north Japan. KDDI’s current fiber-optic service for such buildings tops out at 100M bps and costs ¥6,615 while the broadly available 10M bps DSL (digital subscriber line) service costs around ¥4,599.
Japanese Internet users already enjoy some of the fastest and cheapest Internet connections in the world. Aggressive investment by carriers in fiber-optic networks and the country’s densely packed cities leave many homes and buildings within easy reach of a fiber optic connection.
As of the end of June subscriptions to fiber-optic Internet services totalled 13 million whereas those to DSL services stood at 12.3 million, according to figures from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Cable Internet services, where speeds of up to 160M bps are available in some regions, had attracted 4 million subscribers to bring the total number of high-speed connections in the country to 29.3 million.
Source
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.
I’ve mentioned Don Quixote a few times here, as well as Roppongi, but here’s a little bit of background information: Roppongi, besides having a reputation as the Devil’s Playground (I don’t think it’s that bad but it is pretty weird, especially for Japan) literally translates as ’six trees’; or six (roku) book (hon) tree (ki) , if you know your literal translation of kanji. 
Roppongi is a known for Roppongi Hills, it’s active/vibrant night life and the huge presence of Western tutorists and expats. However, a majority of the people who live in Roppongi are Japanese but if you talk to people here, you’d never know that. Like Chicago, Tokyo is a city of neighborhoods and Roppongi is probably one of the better known neighborhoods in Tokyo.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Roppongi because it’s so accessible to me and because I really miss McDonalds and things that remind me of home, such as Don Quixote. One of my favorite blogs, demonbaby, has some great articles on ‘weird’ Japan — that’s pretty self explanatory. There are lots of things here in Japan, material and otherwise, that are very unusual to Westerners, and so far, I’ve found some…interesting things at Don Quixote. Actually, interesting may be putting it lightly but I’ll leave it up to you to decide.
Check out the Roppongi pix here.
This in from Hairfish:
Everyone goes nuts over Roppongi, and I admit, its interesting but Shibuya is where it’s at, mainly because it’s where the locals hang out. It’s far more affordable to spend a night in Shibuya and even go to a pub or a club without spending over 5,000 YEN (that’s about 50 USD). For my train fair, food, and karaoke, I only spent 2,000 YEN. There is so much to see and do. Shibuya really is something to see at night. There are arcades everywhere, purikura, places to go shopping, great clubs to dance in or even hang out at, pubs and bars to have a drink and mingle with the locals. Plus, Shibuya is a stop away from Harajuku, two stops away from Shinjuku and you can walk to Yogogi Park as well.
Next weekend, I’ll be back in Shibuya, but this weekend, I’ll be heading out to Harajuku and Meiji-jinga for some more exploring. Until then, I have homework to do…
Checkout the Shibuya pix here.
Have you ever wondered how the Geisha, Maiko or Kabuki actors keep their make-up and lipstick so flawless? Curious to know why so many Japanese women have such clear complexions? Need a perfect gift? How about one of Japan’s top selling cosmetic gift items?
Kimono Girl Oil Blotting Paper is 100% natural, hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, and powder-free! Each Kimono Girl package is made from a hand-drawn Kagayuzen kimono pattern and no two Kimono Girl packages are the same!
The Kimono Girl concept was developed by the co-founder of The 963 Group, LLC. She is a veteran of the fashion and cosmetic industry with over 15-years experience in Tokyo’s upscale boutiques such as ZaGinza, Shiseido and Chanel.
“Women around the world should use a quality facial and lipstick blotting tissue. Too often I see people wiping the oil off their face using their hands, a tissue, or handkerchief.
In Japan, we use a high-quality and affordable blotting paper to keep the oil and bacteria off the T-Zone. This really helps to prevent breakouts. Additionally, women who use Kimono Girl do not have to worry about lint or other residue from tissues when blotting their lipstick. With Kimono Girl Oil Blotting Paper, we get it right the first time!”
Whether you wear make-up, lipstick, or keep the natural look, Kimono Girl Oil Blotting Paper will help keep your skin clean and healthy!
Order the perfect gift, Kimono Girl Oil Blotting Paper. The 963 Group, LLC ships worldwide!
Scilla Alecci of Global Voices reports that ”Nike Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of sportswear multinational Nike, will turn a public park in central Tokyo (Shibuya Ward), Miyashita Park [ja] [????], into what they call “Nike Park” [ja]. The naming rights have already been acquired from the Ward for about 150 million Yen, which will be paid over the next 5 years, and the go-ahead for the work was given last August. Investing about 450 million Yen toward renewal of the park, Nike will provide leisure facilities such as a skate-board ground and a café, in addition to the already existing two futsal grounds.”
I previously reported on the homeless people in Japan:
For those that live in Japan, you know about the homeless problem in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. You know the deal about the value of cardboard boxes and the nice racket set-up to “employ” the homeless by buying the boxes and then reselling them to recycle facilities. But I bet you did not know about how Nike is just doing it in Shibuya.
Click here to read the rest of Ms. Alecci’s story.
I will start posting on the various Soul & Funk bars in Japan. Here is an event hosted by one J-brotha that put soul and disco on the map in Japan, Kawabata Oya-G!
EVENT: KAWABATA OYA-G Presents 70’s SOUL & JAZZ FUNK!!
DATE: 2008.09.24(?) 22:00-MIDNIGHT
GUEST DJ: KAWABATA (formerly of MIRACLE)
PLACE:? Velours @ Tokyo-to, Minato-ku Minami Aoyama 6-4-6 #b1 Almost Blue
CONTACT: TEL 03-5778-4777
WEBSITE: http://www.velours.jp/
Former makuuchi division Russian wrestler, 20-year-old Toshinori Wakanoho (whose real name is Soslan Gagloev), under arrest for possessing marijuana, has told police that he first turned to drugs in his early teens, and that after he entered the sumo world he smoked dope every time he went home to Russia.
According to a statement Wakanoho made to police, he went to a nightclub in Tokyo’s Roppongi entertainment district by himself on June 20, where he was offered marijuana by a Russian man and a black man. He smoked the drug in the club’s restroom using a bong, or water pipe. Wakanoho then bought marijuana, two pipes and rolling papers from the black man for 20,000 yen. Read the rest of this entry »
My previous posts on the yakuza and certain illegal activities have received many hits on the blog and Google search. The interesting article below gives additional insight into one of Tokyo’s most popular nightspots, Roppongi:
TOKYO - Given Tokyo’s well-earned reputation as a metropolis of concrete, vacant lots typically do not stay empty for long. But the 3,800-square-meter site in Roppongi, halfway between Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown, might remain fenced off and covered with dirt for some time.
The infamous TSK.CCC Terminal building formerly occupied the property until its demolition was completed in April - just one chapter in a bizarre case involving gangsters, property rights, and fraud whose roots can be traced back to Korean mobster Hisayuki Machii (“the Ginza Tiger”), who made his fortune in real estate and operated a ferry service between Japan and South Korea.
Machii headed the company Toa Sogo Kigyo (TSK), a front for the Tosei-kai yakuza gang, which dominated Tokyo’s glitzy Ginza district in the early 1960s. He opened the company’s “Celebrity Choice Club” (CCC) in Roppongi in 1973. The then lavish complex, which rose seven floors above ground and three below, boasted night clubs, a beauty salon, a spa, the headquarters of Toa Sogo Kigyo, and a rooftop garden and a tennis court - all just seconds from the bustling Roppongi crossing. A gala opening that summer featured appearances by entertainers, politicians, and sports stars, such as Yomiuri Giants legend Shigeo Nagashima.
The trusted associate of the Korean-born Machii was Yoshio Kodama, the notorious political fixer, power broker, and Class-A war criminal. The boxy, maze-like TSK building was their Camelot. Read the rest of this entry »
The secrets out! Joe Biden was critical of Obama at the beginning, stating: “Obama is not ready!” Joe Biden voted for the war in Iraq. Will John McCain focus on these statements. Of course he will. But hey, game on!
Late Friday, CNN reported that Sen. Hillary Clinton had been told she is not the vice presidential choice, Joe Biden will fill the role and the US Secret Service has been dispatched to Senator Biden’s home.
Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Joe Biden has extensive foreign policy experience and would help beef up Obama’s relatively light resume on matters of national security. Biden recently returned from Georgia where he met with leaders to discuss the Russian invasion and the volatile region.
Hillary Clinton was not vetted for the VP spot since she is considered not a good match for the VP ticket and Bill Clinton still carries some negative political baggage. Although Obama calls for Change, Biden is a long time Washington insider but Biden brings experience and know-how (someone who can vouch for Obama) plus the all-important foreign policy experience that McCain claims Obama lacks.
Click here to see Joe Biden’s stance on Civil Rights, Defense, and other issues.
Click here to view Joe Biden’s home page.
BTW, Biden’s son serves in the US Army JAG Corps and is about to deploy to Iraq.
VOTE OBAMA-BIDEN 2008
obama biden obama biden obama biden obama biden obama biden obama biden Barack Obama, Barack Obama Joe Biden, Barack Obama Vice President, Barack Obama VP,Barack Obama VP Pick, Biden For Vp, Joe Biden, Joe Biden Vp, Joe Biden Vp Pick, Obama Biden, Obama Biden 08, Obama Biden 2008, Obama Biden Ticket, Politics News
Check out the new updates from Dear Life Japan. The vlogger has finally arrived in Japan!
I look forward to learning more about her experiences in rural Japan. Please be sure to send her your questions and feedback!
