MEMO
TO: Readers
FROM: Ouiser-san
SUBJECT: Action Items, Follow-up, and Blatant Lies
Date: Right Now
As a result of last week’s postings, several items were deemed necessary for further review, discussion or action. Those items are outlined below:
Action Items:
1) Women in Japan– (Read original post here)- Yes folks- women in Japan are the new up and comers. Sporting a revamped fashion statement- navy suits with white dress shirts, opaque hose and fashionable matching pumps, these ladies are breaking in to careers 1950’s style- from the bottom up. Many of you expressed surprise that women don’t enjoy the same equal status as women from Westernized countries.
A tidbit to tantalize your taste buds. In the United States, most statistics indicate 50% of women will leave one’s job permanently after the first child is born. In Japan, the statistic states most women will leave permanently upon marriage.
I promise a post or two on this very dynamic issue which will most certainly alter the course of Japan’s future.
2) Regarding the bank’s refusal to issue funds due to our inadvertent negligence in providing a change in address. TokyoBling wrote that it could have been more dire:
“You’re lucky they didn’t demand the official hanko (seal) of your residence (the request for one which produced my latest bank-related expat moment).”
In Japan, one has the characters for one’s name as well as a hanko- or seal. The hanko is a small, round ink stamp which fits inside a blue round circle on certain documents.
Apparently I dodged a bullet.
Follow Up:
3) Why is Offspring #1 the only one who gets hurt snowboarding? 2 reasons. The first, Offspring #2 and I snowboard, he does tricks with a snowboard attached to his feet. Second, we wear this:
Yea- these add about 30 pounds to the posterior, butt, falling is like butter.
Blatant Lies:
Regarding “For Me- You Shouldn’t Have”– the only truth was my long-standing and deeply hallowed reign as Social Chairman at what started as one of the South’s finest academic institutions of higher learning to what later became a prestigious party school.
Misc:
A certain member of the comment team- commonly referred to in this blog by a body part- is on a performance improvement plan based on her last diatribe whereupon she described one of my food posts as having the look and apparent smell of cat food.
Everyone else, I appreciate your comments, support and good will. I look forward to seeing the “Hey- you have a comment” when I wake up in the morning.
Please let me know via my “Contact Form” or comments if there are particular issues or questions about Japan you’d like addressed in a post.
Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Ouiser
Hey from Japan- or wherever the moving van arrives- Emily Cannell 
Hey, you have a comment!
Tell us! We, as ignorant readers, need to know the most valuable lesson we can learn from Japanese culture or society. Please share another great story that makes us regret not living in Japan right now because we miss out on this great life lesson.
And maybe, some lessons learned from (mediocre) karaoke?
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Will do!! I have a few of those up my sleeve!
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Those snowboarding pants are priceless.
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They are a step up from my homemade version- the original was a pair of boys boarding shorts- which I further customized for greater protection with football pads. Not pretty but did the trick.
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I loved this post! The hanko is fascinating. Why is that Asians seem to so love stamps?
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Thanks K! My guess is originally it was status. These weren’t introduced in to the general population in Japan until the late 1800’s although they were used by the Emporers, government officials etc from 57AD. Now, the hanko are official as they are official signatures- as such, they have to be kept safe- locked up in the house safe from theft.
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Your very own stamp? Pretty cool.
Also? Those pants are AWESOME. I could use a pair just to avoid the corners and pesky walls in my house. Who has time to safely navigate hallways? I mean, really.
Excited to hear more news from Japan! Keep the posts coming!
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Truly- these are like little diapers (without the mess) for grown ups. You fall, and the padding protects the fanny bone. You just get right up and go about your business. I’m for protection over style any day. And Tori- how do you find time to write with a baby? AND- write so WELL?
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Are the snowboarding pants a special Japanese design, or does one get them everywhere? I wonder if they got the idea from watching babies with diapers on falling and bouncing straight up again?! 🙂
Does every individual have a hanko? Even foreigners living in Japan?
I am so glad that you have invited questions from your readers. Of course, you may not be so glad after a while! The first question I have is: who is Andretti-san?
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The Hanko- you have to apply for them and I think foreigners can get them- but- once you have it- you have to use it. So- it’s a double edged sword in my book.
Andretti-san is our driver. So named after my favorite race car driver from when I was a kid- Mario Andretti. many ExPats in Japan have drivers vs. cars. In Japan, the driving is done on the left side of the road but that’s not the deal breaker. Parking places are very few and far between. Before one buys a car, you must prove that a you have a place in which to park your car and it is very pricey- almost as much as the car. So, instead of having a car, we have Andretti-san. He never parks, he just stops in the road, wherever he wants. As you can tell from the blog, he has become our go to guy! When he’s not around, we take the subway or cabs. It’s so easy to get around here, when he’s not working (on weekends) we don’t need a car.
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I’m with Emiel! I’m looking forward to a karaoke-night post 😉
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The Tasmanian Bloodhound keeps hounding me to go with she and her English friend. A video post? Of her maybe….
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My heavens. Imagine my surprise to find the university where I went to school/work at now was the one you attended as well! I was scrolling down and BAM! Denny Chimes. XD
See, you should have taken Japanese lessons from Arizumi-Sensei when you where here! XD
~ Lisa Sandy
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ROll TIDE! I had no idea I’d be able to get out of the state when I was there much less go to Japan!! I actually took Spanish.
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You and the rest of campus. The Spanish department has the spot of “Preferred Language” in a strangle hold. 🙂
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I lived in Texas until 7th grade so I considered it cheating. No one I knew even took a language. I didn’t even know Japanese was an option-
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Mmmmm quick typing = typos. Lesson learned. Please change that last sentence to:
“See, you should have taken Japanese lessons from Arizumi-Sensei when you were here! XD”
\(^_^;;;) Thank you.
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Your evil Emoji face didn’t come through- hahahah
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Hiroette – Best place for Japanese smileys.
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Going there next!!
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I feel for you.
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