HIGHTECH
Hello, Yoshimasa here. I am sure many of you are already aware of this, but OSS (open source software) offers a great base to start a community, and for lots of OSS, like Python, PHP, and WordPress, you do not need any permission from the software creators or management groups to do so.
No-Touch Touch Panels Draw Attention as a Contact Infection Countermeasure
To avoid exposure to the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) it is important to guard against droplets produced by breathing, respiration and coughing, and also to prevent contact infection via the hands and fingers. That’s why in addition to such measures as keeping one’s social distance, wearing a mask when around other people, and maintaining proper ventilation, other measures such as not touching one’s face with one’s hands and frequent hand washing are also recommended.
Hello, Yoshimasa here. Japan’s IT business is adopting Python, along with artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, and network infrastructure. Those fields are clearly going to continue spreading in Japan, and as each of them started to break here right around the same time, they have contributed to Python’s current boom.
COVID-19 completely changes the working environment of Japanese companies
Railways running in Japan’s urban areas are extremely busy during the morning and evening commuting hours. For corporate employees work at the office is the accepted norm, and although this has recently decreased, previously employees were required to come in to work even during typhoons and other terrible weather.
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. You would think that now that you have the job, you don't have to worry about impressions, but apparently that's not how it works. So, here's a short crash course on what's expected.
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.
Online interviews, whether by Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts or other platforms, are becoming more common, especially in these days of Covid-19. Here are 12 tips to help you excel in an online video interview and get that dream job in Japan.
In this article we will look at Japanese honorific language, called keigo (敬語), and suggest how you might use it in the course of an interview.
LIFE & RESIDENCE
Here are our hot tips for cheap but healthy eating in Japan.
STUDY
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.
In this article we introduce some of the best smartphone apps for studying Japanese vocabulary, grammar, reading, and kanji.
CULTURE
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).
Setsubun is an annual festival celebrated widely both in private homes and public areas that at first glance seems to consist of equal parts charm and eccentricity. Can you imagine wearing a plastic devil-mask while the rest of your family gleefully pelts you with dried beans? This is a key part of the Setsubun celebration!
Japanese gardens take many forms. There are large, meandering stroll gardens, hilly landscape gardens that can best be enjoyed from a single vantage point, smaller gardens attached to teahouses, tiny interior courtyard gardens, and stony dry landscapes.
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).
