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Take a look at how quickly Fuji Television’s news reporter aged. Between 2004 and 2007 he added twenty years to his life.
Update: The poor fellow is actually Tosaka Junichi from NHK — still I dunno what happened to him (thanks Michael!)
In case you didn’t know, employees in Japan are classified in numerous rankings, for example, 部長 (buchou) 課長 (kachou), and the top rank 社長 (shachou) meaning Company President. Usually, normal salaryman’s or OL’s stay on the same company for most of their lifetime, starting from the lowest rank and going up until they hit the wall. Say, if you won’t go beyond 部長 (buchou) for example, you may hear others saying that you’re a 部長止まり (buchou-domari), domari meaning stop/halt.
But in order to ascend, you need to work extra hours, not take your well-deserved vacation (since you might actually lose your job too — or at least people fear that), and keep going on until you turn like the old man above. After that, when you’re 60 years old, you’ll get fired from your current position. This does not mean that you’ll be retired: you still got 5 more years until retirement, and in the meantime, you can either live off your savings (not common) or go back to working like the lowest rank peasant — usually, the same company hires you again for a puny salary. After that, it’s 5 more years and you’re 65, retired, and with no energy in your batteries left.
That’s one scary side of Japan that we all would prefer not to know, and that’s why I prefer being my own boss ^^; of course, not all work force in Japan is like that, but most are. Anyone around here with a background as a salaryman in Japan?
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I totally understand this guy. I mean, it’s the 21st Century and the Way of the Samurai never said that one should not eat ice cream. It’s gotta be hot in that Samurai armor and carrying that sword makes you sweat a lot! ^^;
Via Neta.
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Was hearing on the news that the Recession will probably worsen the high suicide rate in Japan. Every fifteen minutes, one Japanese commits suicide, which is quite scary.
Anyway, out of coincidence, saw this picture on the net and decided to share it ^^ it’s the usual Internet Explorer 404 Not Found error, though it reads “Job not found”, and goes one saying that the Company that you were aiming for is f*cked up, and to please check if you were having too high hopes and that any job in any office or anything will do for now, and so on.
My Japanese sensei always tells me stories about the 90’s Bubble Economy in Japan, which triggered a series of unfortunate suicides in Japan and its effect can still be felt — last year was Japan’s 11th consecutive year with more than 30,000 suicides. When I saw Mount Fuji through the window, little did I know that one of the forests at the base of Fuji-san — Aokigahara — is the world’s second most popular suicide location, just behind San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
Ever since one of my classmates commited suicide more than ten years ago (we were kids), I’ve always wondered what goes through the mind of said lads. Despair, resignation, frustration… I’ve felt beaten and stomped by life before, finding it hard to stand up and keep on going, and I can’t imagine how people keep on living after things ten times worse than my small insignificant problems. I know some people think it’s irresponsible and somewhat coward, but I really feel pity for them. Oh well ^^;
Via Neta.
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Thought all Asians were good at Karaoke?
Maybe not ^^;
Via iistix
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Been busy with work stuff and improving Instant Ramen’s layout a bit (in the meantime, we apologize for any turbulence the passengers may feel ^^), and this girl helped me relief some stress, though I prefer her before picture with glasses. Maybe it’s just me?
Via Neta.
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Young ones, the Future is in Your Hands! Err…Here’s my own original share of Japanese sleeping everywhere. It’s probably no novelty to you that Japanese people sleep anywhere (and if it is, you won’t last two trains figuring that out). Well, these are not only Japanese, these are students from a very respectable University in Tokyo in a quite respectable research laboratory.
Tasty~
