HIGHTECH
Hello, Yoshimasa here. The Python Engineer Certification Exam I and my coworkers run has been taken by over 10,000 students in the past three years, and is on track to be taken by another 10,000 in its fourth year.
When it comes to protecting sensitive information from cyber-attacks, often external threats come first in mind, while the risk of insider threats is still rather underestimated.
An effective COVID-19 countermeasure is avoiding contact with the virus
About a year has passed since the news first spread of a mysterious outbreak of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. Since then, although there is a continuing trend for the new coronavirus (COVID-19) to spread, much knowledge has been gained.
WORK
It turns out there's a bit more to talking to people at work than one article can cover. I know, I wish there wasn't, but since it's things you might need to know, we might as well cover it.
So, you’ve got a job at a Japanese company. Congratulations! You’ve made it through the application and interview process, and now it’s actually time to go to work.
So you just got a new job. Congratulations! The bad news is that you now go to work. I know, I'm not a fan either; really wish someone warned me that this would happen. Worse, there's going to be a first time you go to work, and people are going to expect a lot of things from this.
We have asked Sergei about life as a programmer in Ukraine, in general, and also he shared with us what is his job like, and how it is to work for a Japanese company.
LIFE & RESIDENCE
Today, we'll be looking at some tips on how to save money in Japan. Part of this has to do with cost of living staying more or less the same while a lot of people have less work than before, but really, it's useful to know anyway.
STUDY
We are in a golden age for Japanese language learners. Apart from all the apps, websites, interactive textbooks, and more that you can use to teach yourself, right now access to Japanese content is unprecedented. There is so much out there it can be hard to know where to get started. In this article, I’ll be offering some tips and introducing some of the best Japanese dramas to help out!
Business language in English is famous for its overly complex jargon which though intended to impress the listener, often leaves people scratching their heads. The situation is similar in Japan, but an interesting point is that many popular Japanese business buzzwords have been adapted from the English language.
There seems to be a general idea that learning the Japanese language is quite difficult. It’s backed up by official sources, too, like the US Government’s Foreign Service Institute’s School of Language studies. The SLS ranks languages by the length of time typically required for native English speaking students to reach “Professional Working Proficiency” in a large number of languages.
CULTURE
Japan has a generous number of annual public holidays. There are 16 annual shukujitsu (祝日, national holidays) peppered throughout the year during which schools, public institutions, and many businesses are closed. By law, if a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will also be a holiday.
Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) is a special festival which is held in Japan every year on March 3rd. This festival, which is known either as "Girl’s Day" or "Doll’s Day" in English, is a family celebration for young girls and is dedicated to their health and happiness.
As you probably know, Japanese has three alphabets: Hiragana, katakana, and kanji. You're going to need all three of those; something I'm specifying mostly because I've met people who insist that just one will do, and you should pick kanji because then you know Chinese too (no, it's not the same, and 'I've been to Korea' just makes things worse).
TRAVEL
This is the second part of a two-part article on Japan’s most beautiful traditional gardens. In Part 1 we introduced gardens from Himeji, Hiroshima, Nara, Tokyo, and Kyoto. In Part 2 we return to Kyoto to visit two truly unique landscape gardens and then finish with the three most famous gardens in Japan.
Mountains cover around 70% of Japan and as hiking is a popular pastime in this country, its hiking trails are well-maintained, clearly sign-posted, and very easy to access. Even if you are based in one of Japan’s major metropolitan centers you are never more than a short train ride from a scenic mountain trek.
Japan has a reputation for high tech products and futuristic convenience, but much of the country has also maintained a historic flavor. You might not believe it as you walk through the glittering scene of Shinjuku, but it is not at all hard to find neighborhoods, and sometimes whole towns, that still look much like they did during the feudal Edo period (1603-1886).
