The X-Pat Files -  October 2007

 (Brought to you by H&R Consultants)

  The X-Pat Files Community E-Newsletter provides a forum for the spread of information useful for English speakers living in Aichi.  You can use the newsletter as an informational resource, and of course you can send in information you would like to share.
  This newsletter is a community service from The Japan Real Estate and Relocation company, H&R Consultants (www.japanhomesearch.com), and is edited by Sue Conolly (http://web.mac.com/conolly).

  Contents for This Edition

  1.  X-Pat Files Review - Earthquake Procedures
  2.  Japanese TV Dramas
  3.  Japanese Funeral Etiquette
  4.  Yahoo BB English Service Number
  5.  Upcoming Events
  6.  Handa Dashi Festival
  7.  Indian Restaurant Pariwar
  8.  Decluttering / Personal Household Organizer
  9.  Yoshida Orthopedic Surgery
  10. Cooling Off
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   1. X-Pat Files Review - Earthquake Preparation

The following quick-link information is compiled from past issues of the X-Pat Files.  To find specific information from past issues of the X-Pat Files, go to www.xpat-files.com and type a keyword (eg. dentist) into the search function to find all past issues of the newsletter which contain that word.  Please let us know if information can be updated for future issues of the X-Pat Files.

A few months ago the X-Pat Files compiled and sent out a guide to earthquake preparation (copied also below).  Since that time, H&R Consultants and ReloJapan have put together a package for their relocation clients which includes this information, and also maps which will assist in the case that one family member (such as a father who is at work at the time of an earthquake) is forced to walk home from work due to roads and or railways being closed.  In cases such as these, certain roads are designated as evacuation walking routes, and it pays to know which one you would likely use in the event of an earthquake.

If you would like a copy of this earthquake information package in PDF, please send an e-mail, telling us where you live and where you work (so that we can send you the information current for you), to: ritsuko_nakashima@hrconslt.com.

There's no point in being too worried about an earthquake that may or may not hit while you are living in Japan, but there's even less point in not being prepared for the eventuality.  Since a major earthquake has not occurred in this area since the Ansei Tokai Earthquake in 1854, a major earthquake is expected to strike in the near future. This is called the Tokai Earthquake.

While it is not possible to provide warnings for all earthquakes, there is a system of three types of information that are released to the public to foresee the Tokai Earthquake:

1. Tokai Earthquake Observation Information or "Tokai Earthquake Report" (Tokai Jishin Kansoku Jouhou）

This is just a preliminary stage and means that the various organizations are gathering more data on the likelihood of an earthquake.  Don't change the way you are living, except to pay attention to TV and radio.  By the way, if you are ever concerned about an earthquake it is best to be able to see national television station NHK (Channel 3 on most televisions) in your home.  While the other Japanese commercial stations also recieve the information, the NHK always has the best and latest information as the official channel in Japan.  For the Chubu Area, Radio i (79.5FM) has bullitens in foreign languages for the spread of earthquake-related information.

2. Tokai Earthquake Warning Information or "Tokai Earthquake Advisory" (Tokai Jishin Chuui Jouhou)

This information is dispersed when there is a greater possibility of an earthquake occurring.  Children must be accompanied home from school by a responsible adult, and facilities will start preparing for the eventuality of an earthquake.  Check your emergency supplies and confirm your evacuation routes.

3. Tokai Earthquake Alert Order or "Tokai Earthquake Warning" (Tokai Jishin Yochi Jouhou)

This announcement is issued if it appears that the Tokai Earthquake will strike in the near future.  Earthquake Disaster Warning Headquarters will be established and Emergency Message service 171 will be activated.  Change into comfortable clothing and close the gas main and valves on propane gas cylinders.  Those who live in areas where there is a danger of tidal waves or landslides should quickly contact neighbours and evacuate to a safe location.

It is also possible to check on earthquakes that have already happened, on the Japan Meterological Agency page which contains maps of affected areas and level of maximum seismic intensity (the Japanese system - JMA Seismic Intensity). 

It is important as a family to discuss what you will do in the event of a large earthquake. 

* Where is the safest place at home?
* Where are the emergency supplies at home?
* Do you have fire extinguishers in your home and where are they?
* Where is the nearest evacuation shelter and evacuation route?
* What are the responsibilities of each family member when evacuating?
* Decide how to contact family members, and about where to meet for both a daytime and nighttime earthquake scenario.
* Put personal effects and first aid kit in a place where they are easily accessable
* As a family, learn how to use the NTT disaster emergency dial 171.
* Look into disaster information options from your mobile phone provider such as this one from Softbank, this one from au, or this one from docomo.  Remember that in the event of a disaster different phones will work in different areas depending on which transmitters have been damaged.

Also as a family, prepare the following items for emergency evacuation:

*  By your bed: shoes (in case of broken glass), flashlight, whistle, glasses, medication
*  Emergency survival bag (put in an easily accessable place known to all family members) : valuables such as cash including change, passports, foreign registration cards, credit cards, bank passbook, drivers licence.  *  Radio, emergency food rations, bottled water, mobile phone.
*  Clothes to be used in an emergency, including gloves and small towels.
*  First aid kit including medicine, bandaids, tissue paper, small scissors, tape etc.
*  The emergency bag must be as light as possible for ease of carrying.

In another place in the house known to all family members, stockpile the following items:

* Emergency food and bottled water for three full days
* Portable cooking stove and fuel (careful to check use-by dates and safe storage)
* rope
* disposable chopsticks
* blankets
* strong masking tape
* paper tableware and thick foil cooking plates (available from camping stores)
* Families who camp - keep your camping goods updated and in good order, in an easily accessable place.  Taking up camping as a family hobby is one of the best earthquake preparations you can do!

Again as a family, think about your responses as a family in the time of disaster:

* Learn about the location of evacuation shelters in your area.
* Learn about the provision of water in the case of an emergency.
* Read up on advice from the fire department.
* Find good guides to earthquake preparation on the internet - even if they are not from this exact area much of the information contained is useful.  Use the guides like a checklist, be prepared.
* Read up on earthquake warning systems. 

Earthquake-proof your home, paying special attention to items that could cause injury:

* Special items to help stabilize furniture are sold in home centers.  These are called Jishin Taisaku Goods.  Find the jishin taisaku area in your local shop, and see what small measures you can take to stop your furniture from falling over, or glass from breaking.
* Glass should be reinforced in some way - some windows are already earthquake proof such as pebbled glass with wire criss-crossed through it to prevent splintering.  Clear glass however can have plastic film applied to it to stop the glass from splintering as it breaks.
* Cupboards that contain plates and glasses should, if possible, have sliding doors and not opening doors.  If they do have opening doors, one easy thing to do is to apply child locks so that doors do not open easily by shaking.
* Get into the habit of turning your gas off at the mains.  In Japan this is a relatively easy thing to do in the kitchen - you just need to make the habit.
* Displaying beautiful items on open shelves, use some kind of double-sided tape to prevent them from falling over, or worse yet, flying off the shelf and injuring someone.  You can buy this tape from the home center - experiment with different types to find the best kind for your purpose.
* Beds should not be under windows or near mirrors.  Think about potential injury and escape routes when placing a bed in a room.
* Do not put tall furniture on soft flooring like carpet.
* Put light objects on the top and heavy objects on the bottom.
* Don't put heavy furniture near doorways - it could block your escape if it fell.

Finally, just get into a good frame of mind for earthquake survival.  Remember, it's not about fearing the worst.  It's just about making the best of a potential emergency:

* This guidebook from Mie Prefecture gives good advice about earthquake proofing your home and surviving an earthquake, with real experiences from earthquake survivors.
* Again, in the event of an earthquake it is important to pay heed to information being distributed by national television station NHK (Channel 3 on most televisions) and Radio i (79.5FM), so seek out sources of this information when you can.  Having access on your TV to Japanese television stations, and an FM radio that works on batteries, is the difference between having information and not having it.
* Be nice to your neighbours.  Join the local neighbourhood association.  Take part in local community clean-up campaigns.  In the event of emergencies (not just earthquakes), your neighbours could be your best resource.

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  2. TV Dramas

Japanese TV Dramas, unlike their western counterparts only last for ten episodes, making each series easy to understand within itself.  Storylines are simple, acting is exaggerated, and the overall effect is both entertaining, and educational in regard to the Japanese language and culture.

I watched my first drama (Tokyo Love Story - this really dates my years in Japan!) after returning from a week in Japanese hospital and an appendectomy.  I didn't know much Japanese, but I did know the word for "appendix", and so was immediately addicted to the drama when I could understand that one of the main characters in this drama and I shared the same affliction.  Several episodes later, and I found myself already looking forward to the next season to see what Japanese stories would come my way.

In my history of watching Japanese dramas, I've seen it all.  I've seen the comical, the romantic, the absolutely overly dramatic and the downright depressing.  There are blacker-than-black TV dramas, and lighter-than-air TV dramas.  Most of them, however, share a certain comedic and/or dramatic sense that even if you're not a Japanese speaker, you'll be tuning in next week to see what happens.  With every episode, I found that I could understand some of the words and phrases.  I found myself using these words and phrases in the next week (sometimes correctly, sometimes not).  Each episode builds on the next, until you have a complete story, and a tiny little step toward a complete vocabulary.  However, it's not the vocabulary that really makes Japanese TV Drama worth watching linguistically.  It's the fact that, even if the actors overact, they are always using conversational everyday Japanese.  This stuff is worth watching, if even for the intonation, if even for the daily listening practice.  That the Japanese TV Drama is highly entertaining is just icing on the cake.

There are four seasons of Japanese TV Drama per year, Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.  There are something like 20 different dramas to choose from each time, so it pays to either research into your options, or watch all of the first episodes that you can to find the one you are most likely to stick with.  When I am in drama-watching mood, this is the way I do it.  Some dramas I like better than others, and it's worth the one week of solid TV watching you do to choose the most entertaining one.

The very best database in English that I have found for Japanese dramas, is j-dorama.com, which also lists the dramas listed below for the autumn 2007 season.  Another option with extensive coverage of the autumn dramas is the Japanese Entertainment News website TokyoGraph.  Another one with lots of dramas (albeit older ones) is the j-ent! page.  By the way, if you don't want to rely on television for your Japanese Drama fix, many of the best ones, even the really old ones are right there in the video shop.  Some of the DVD series include subtitles in Japanese, for extra reading practice (actually they are put there for hearing-impaired viewers, but are the number one way of improving your Japanese, FAST!).

The Autumn Season is upon us, so here is a list of upcoming Japanese TV dramas listed in order of the date of their first episode.  Where possibile I have included a link to an English explanation of the drama (many even have Wikipedia listings!), and where not I have linked to the official Japanese website.  The trendiest and most popular ones to watch (marked with an *asterisk), are the night-time ones from 9pm or 10pm, especially those made by the commercial stations such as Fuji or TV Tokyo.

By the way, there are 6 nationwide television networks including the national TV station NHK, and they each have local stations that air their shows in each area.  In Aichi Prefecture, the list of stations are as follows:

Fuji TV airs as Tokai TV on channel 1
NHK airs as itself, on channel 3, with educational programming on 9
TBS airs as CBC on channel 5
NTV airs as Chukyo TV on channel 7
Asahi TV airs as Nagoya TV (Me-tere) on channel 11
TV Tokyo airs as TV Aichi on channel 12


Mon 1 Oct - Chiritotechin - (morning) - Monday to Saturday from 8:15am to 8:30 am on NHK (3)

Location includes Fukui prefecture and outlines the world of Rakugo, the traditional Japanese style of comedy, where the person would sit on a pillow and recite comical monologues from memory (traditionally performed only by males). It is the story of an insecure young woman named Kiyomi Wada (Shihori Kanjiya) who leaves home for Osaka after graduating from high school. There, she discovers the world of rakugo, a traditional form of storytelling. As a result, she makes up her mind to become a rakugo artist.

Mon 1 Oct - Ai no Meikyuu (Labyrinth of Love) - (daytime) every week day from 1:00pm to 1:30pm on Fuji TV (1)

Maki Miyamoto plays Ayaka, the daughter of a distinguished family who winds up in a loveless marriage with Mitsuo (Naoki Hosaka), the heir of business concern Ayukawa Industries. After returning from the honeymoon, Ayaka is informed by her mother-in-law that she must bear a son as soon as possible, and during every ovulation period the couple are sent away to the holiday home to make babies. After she discovers that he's having an affair with his brother's widow Kanako (Kaori Takahashi), she ends up falling for the servant Kota, who is also married. The complex web of love even extends to the characters' eventual children, who appear in the latter half of the series.


Mon 1 Oct - ChocoMimi - (daytime) Monday from 5:30pm on TV Tokyo (12)

"ChocoMimi" is based on a fashion manga by Konami Sonoda about two schoolmate friends, Choco Sakurai and Mimi Nekota, and their daily lives. Choco and Mimi are played by teen fashion model Yukika Teramoto and AKB48's Kayano Masuyama, respectively.


Tue 2 Oct - Biyou Shonen Celebrity (Beautiful Boy Celebrity) - every Tuesday 5:30pm to 6:00pm on TV Tokyo (12)

The story of five young male beauty consultants who fight it out in the competitive world of beauty, in the trendy salon "Celebrity".  This is a good drama for anyone interested in the Japanese phenomenon of pretty-boy culture, or anyone who has ever grappled with the philosophical question "What is true physical beauty?".


Tue 2 Oct - Cutie Honey: THE LIVE - every Tue late-night from 1:00am on TV Tokyo (12)

Bishoujo Club 31 member Mikie Hara stars in this adaptation of Go Nagai's manga "Cutie Honey." In addition to multiple anime versions and a second manga series, it was previously turned into a live-action movie directed by Hideaki Anno and starring Eriko Sato. The story revolves around the young Honey Kisaragi (Hara), who is actually an android created by father. Using her ability to transform into different identities, she fights against the evil Panther Claw organization.


Wed 3 Oct - Mahou Sensei Negima! (Negima Magic Teacher!) - every Wed late-night from 1:50am on TV Tokyo (12)

This is an adaptation of Ken Akamatsu's "Negima!" manga series about a young male wizard (played by actress Yukina Kashiwa) from Wales who is assigned as a teacher at the "normal" Mahora Academy in Japan. The story focuses mainly on his interaction with his 31 female students.


Fri 5 Oct - Shigeshoshi (The Embalmer) - every Friday late-night from 12:12am on TV Tokyo (12)

Based on a manga by Mitsukazu Mihara, this human drama tells the story of a young man (Masato Wada) who comes to understand the meaning of life and death through his job as an embalmer.


*Sat 6 Oct - Judge - every Saturday from 9pm to 10pm on NHK (3)

Hidetoshi Nishijima stars as a judge who gets assigned to a remote island in southern Japan, where there are no other judges. The series focuses on his personal growth as he deals with the inhabitants and their problems.  A story about him and the people of the island, portrayed through incidents of divorce, traffic infringements and criminal trials.

*Mon 8 Oct - Akakusa Fukumaru Ryokan  - every Monday 8pm to 9pm on TBS (5)

Set in an old-line inn in Asakusa. It is about Fukumaru Daikichi, the owner of Fukumaru Inn who is played by Nishida Toshiyuki (who fans of the old TV Series "Monkey" will recognise as the character "Pigsy"). The inn has been in business for over 60 years, and Daikichi is its third owner. Known as “nosy Dai-san” from people of Asakusa, Daikichi pries into the affairs of others and ends up making matters worse. As social conditions change, his inn business faces difficult situation, but he cannot help but stop being nosy. In each episode, various guest actors/actresses appear to take the key role sometimes as a guest to the inn or as a someone Daikichi meets in the neighborhood area. Exchanges between guest actors/actresses and Dakichi will definitely make the viewers cry and laugh in all episodes.  This is the second series of this popular drama which enjoyed a spring season earlier this year.

**Wed 10 Oct - Hatarakiman (Working Man) - every Wed at 10pm - 11pm - NTV (7)

Miho Kanno stars in this adaptation of the "Hataraki Man" manga series by Moyoco Anno. Kanno plays Hiroko Matsukata, a hard-working editor of Weekly JIDAI magazine. Her devoted attitude towards her work has led her colleagues to give her the nickname of "hataraki man" ("working man").


**Thu 11 Oct - 3B Kinpachi Sensei - every Thu at 9pm - 10pm on TBS (5)

Now in his 8th series, Kinpachi Sensei, everyone's favorite junior high school (ninth grade) teacher, returns to the television screen. When the series first went into production in 1979, delinquency and on-campus violence were big social problems. Over the years, the pressing problems became truancy and bullying, and more recently, disorderly conduct in classrooms and children with explosive tempers. Kinpachi Sensei returns to the classroom to help teenagers caught between childhood and adulthood, who suffer many social and emotional strains.


**Thu 11 Oct - Iryu Team Medical Dragon 2 - every Thu at 10pm - 10:54pm on Fuji TV (1)

This is the sequel to the medical drama "Iryu," which topped Oricon's satisfaction survey for the spring 2006 season. The show is originally based on a manga by Taro Nogizaka and Akira Nagai. In the first series, Ryutaro Asada is enjoying his peaceful life in the countryside, when he is visited by Akira Kato, assistant professor of the Faculty of Cardiac Surgery at Meishin University Medical Hospital. Ryutaro is a genius surgeon who used to lead "Team Medical Dragon," a world-class NGO medical team. In harsh environments that lacked medicine and electricity, Ryutaro witnessed many lives pass away. At the same time, he saved many other lives, helping his matchless skill overwhelm other doctors. As a female doctor, Akira managed to become an assistant professor. She has ambitions to be promoted to professor by succeeding in a surgery using the Batista technique — an extremely difficult type of heart surgery — and also by writing a paper on it. A year ago, Akira witnessed Ryutaro's skills when he was an NGO doctor. That's why she recruits him and asks him to use the Batista technique. Since Ryutaro's arrival, urgent patients who would have been abandoned in the past, are miraculously saved by the "hands of God."

In the second series, Kenji Sakaguchi returns with most of the main cast - the biggest change is that Izumi Inamori's character is gone, while Yuki Uchida joins the show as a medical journalist. Season 2 will deal with problems in hospital management, particularly in the departments of obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics. It will also tackle issues in the medical facilities in rural areas. In Iryu 2, Asada Ryutaro wages a new battle against the realities of Japan's medical care system. The government has drafted legislation to tackle the recent inflation of medical fees; hospitals have entered an era in which they will go bankrupt if they aren't independently run. At the same time, hospital mergers and takeovers are also taking place. Additionally, the obstetrics and pediatrics departments are being closed in succession, and there are inadequate doctors in the region - issues that are closely related to these hospital management problems. Now, hospitals, like the average corporation, face collapse if they are not profitable.


*Fri 12 Oct - Utahime - every Friday from 10pm to 10:54am on TBS (5)

"Utahime" is based on a play performed by Tokyo Seleccion Deluxe, the theater troupe of actor Takayuki Takuma (also known as screenwriter Mikio Satake). Tomoya Nagase plays two roles: the present-day son of a woman known as the "songstress of the Showa era" (a guest role played by Judy Ong), and the father of the woman in the past. Most of the action takes place around 1960, where Taro Shimanto (Nagase) is a movie theater screen operator who lost his memory ten years earlier. Saki Aibu plays his love interest Rei Kishida, the daughter of the theater's owner.  Set in Kochi Prefecture.


*Fri 12 Oct - Mop Girl - every Friday from 11:15pm to 12:10am on Asahi TV (11)

Kitagawa plays the part of the slow but hardworking Momoko, a low-ranking employee at a funeral services company who carries a mop as part of her job. However, Momoko happens to possess a strange ability. Whenever she comes across the corpse of someone who has left strong feelings behind, she travels back in time to save that person from his or her fate.


*Sat 13 Oct - Dream Again - every Saturday at 9pm - 9:54pm on NTV (7)

This original series stars Takashi Sorimachi as the pro baseball player Shunsuke Ogi, who is forced to retire after a shoulder injury. He continues to train in hope of returning to the game, but a sudden accident leads to his death. God decides to give him a second chance, placing his soul into the body of another man - a wealthy fund company manager - but adjusting to his new life isn't easy...


Sat 13 Oct - Hari-kei - every Saturday late-night at 12:50am (first episode at 1:05am) on NTV (7)

This unusual series stars Tomoya Nakamura as a man referred to as "hari-kei" - while normal humans have evolved from apelike ancestors, Harihiko Mimita is part of a family evolved from hedgehogs ("harinezumi" in Japanese, where "hari" refers to the needles). The story focuses on the challenges he faces in trying to lead a normal life, including a romance with a normal human (Eri Murakawa).


**Sun 14 Oct - Hatachi no Koibito (20-year-old Girlfriend) - every Sunday at 9pm - 9:54pm on TBS (5)

Partly described as a romantic comedy, "Hatachi no Koibito" tells the story of Keisuke Inoue (Sanma Akashiya), a married salaryman. At the age of 50, he begins thinking about his purpose in life. By chance, he encounters Yuri Sawada (Masami Nagasawa), a 20-year-old graphic design student full of hopes and dreams for the future. Because of her resemblance to his girlfriend from long ago, he finds his heart unexpectedly beating faster...


**Mon 15 Oct - Galileo - every Tuesday at 9pm - 9:54pm on Fuji TV (1)

"Galileo" is an adaptation of the "Tantei Galileo" novel series by Naoki Prize-winning author Keigo Higashino. With the starring role, the ever-popular Masaharu Fukuyama makes his return to the small screen - his last drama was the 2003 "Bijo ka Yajuu" with Nanako Matsushima. Here, Fukuyama plays the mystery-solving physics professor Manabu Yukawa (also known as "Galileo"), whose intelligence and good looks are offset by his eccentric character. He is contrasted by his partner, the rookie detective Kaoru Utsumi (Kou Shibasaki), a character who only appears later in the original novels.



**Tue 16 Oct - Aberenbo Mama (Wild Mama) - every Tuesday at 9pm - 9:54pm on Fuji TV (1)

The comical home drama stars Ueto as the strong-minded Ayu, who has just married a divorced man (Yo Oizumi), despite a 12-year age difference and contrasting backgrounds (she grew up by the sea while he was raised in the city), as well as a 5-year-old son from his first marriage. While Ayu and her husband have their disagreements at home, she also gets in arguments with people outside the house, such as the other mothers at her son's kindergarten.


**Tue 16 Oct - Swan no Baka - every Tuesday at 10pm - 10:54pm on Fuji TV (1)

This comedy stars Takaya Kamikawa as the 40-year-old Daisuke Suwano, a salaryman struggling to preserve his dignity as a man - his wife (Misako Tanaka) controls the money at home, and due to their daughter (Karen Miyama) taking exams, his allowance has been cut to only 30,000 yen a month.  Hiroki Narimiya plays Kawase, an IT company manager who works in the same building as Suwano's office, while Hitori Gekidan plays a deputy manager of the building's cafe.


*Tue 16 Oct - Yuukan Club - every Tuesday at 10pm - 10:54pm on NTV (7)

"Yukan Club" is the first manga by Yukari Ichijo to be adapted as a live-action series. It tells the comical story of six student council members at a prominent high school known for its elite clientele. In their spare time, they are members of their own "leisure club," which generally involves unexpected adventures. KAT-TUN's Jin Akanishi plays the lead, Miroku Shochikubai, the son of a police commissioner.


*Thu 18 Oct - Joshi-deka! (Lady Cop!) - every Thu at 10pm - 10:54pm on TBS (5)

Yukie Nakama and Pinko Izumi co-star as an unlikely pair of cops who work together to solve crimes. Nakama plays a rookie whose only strengths are her shooting skills and her enthusiasm, while Izumi plays a veteran officer with the #1 arrest rate. One of the series' highlights is Korean actor Ryu Si-won as part of the regular cast, portraying the son of Izumi's former lover.


Thu 18 Oct - Kaze no Hate (The Edge of the Wind)- every Thu at 8pm - 8:45pm on NHK (3)

Based on the short novel of the same name by Shuhei Fujisawa (but continuing beyond the ending of that book), this Japanese historical drama is set in the Tohoku region of Japan in the late 18th to early 19th century.  Koichi Sato plays the role of Kuwayama Matazaemon, a man who has spent his life climbing the ranks of his clan but begins to consider retirement, in the summer of his 53rd year.  Five of his friends vie for the honour of continuing in his name...


*Wed 24 Oct - Aibou (Partner)- every Wed at 9pm - 9:54pm on Asahi TV (11)

This is the sixth series of the long-running detective drama "Aibou," which stars Yutaka Mizutani and Yasufumi Terawaki. The show will also see a movie version in the spring, shortly after the new season wraps up in March.

Special Mission Task Team – is not considered as important as it might sound. It is positioned in the lowest section of the Metropolitan Police Department and so-called as the “oversized garbage dealer". Sugishita Ukyo (Mizutani) is a head of this Special Mission Task team. As people rumor that anyone who worked under Ukyo eventually leaves the office, he is called “the grave keeper of human resource". However, there was another reason why people call him in this name. When Ukyo fist transferred to this section with his secret mission, all of his direct reports died mysteriously. Somehow, the police have sealed this incident from further investigation.


**Thu 25 Oct - Oishii Gohan (Delicious Rice) - every Thu at 9pm - 9:54pm on Asahi TV (11)

The show is set in a rice shop in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa. It is a home comedy about an obstinate but compassionate old man, Kasugai Ryuuhei (Watari Tetsuya), who runs an old rice shop, his optimistic daughter-in-law (Fujiwara Norika) and his eldest son (Tokushige Satoshi) who ends up working at his father's shop when he learns of his father's illness. It depicts how the estranged family rallies around when Kasugai is diagnosed with illness after years of being worn out by his stubbornness.


*Thu 25 Oct - Kyoto Chiken no Onna - every Thu at 9pm - 9:54pm on Asahi TV (11)

Veteran actress Yuko Natori stars in this the fourth series of returned TV Asahi network series. She plays a lady prosecutor in the ancient capital Kyoto who solves crimes with a housewife's intuitive good sense.


*Fri 26 Oct - O-Edo Yoshiwara Jiken-hyo (The Edo Yoshiwara Incident)- every Fri at 8pm - 8:54pm on TV Tokyo (12)

Set in the Edo period, this drama depicts the stories of four women who protect Yoshiwara courtesan from heartless men.  This period drama is set in the Yoshiwara red-light district of Edo. Chizuru Azuma, Megumi Yokoyama, Emi Kobayashi, and Hisako Manda play four women of various occupations. Due to their pride in the district, they take it upon themselves to punish any men who mistreat the area's prostitutes.



**Fri 26 Oct - Otoko no Kosodate (Single Father)- every Fri at 9pm - 9:54pm on Asahi TV (11)

The show is described as a home comedy depicting the problems faced by a modern family. Takahashi plays a third-rate magazine writer. As an irresponsible father, his reliable wife has always been in charge of the household and their three children. Unfortunately, she suddenly passes away, forcing him to deal with raising the kids for the first time in his life.


Mon 29 Oct - Ai no Uta (Song of Love) - weekdays at 1pm on TBS (5)

Akiko Hinagata stars as Aki Kurokawa, about to marry a man (Kohki Okada) who has three children from a previous marriage. But before they are able to tie the knot, the man dies in a sudden car accident. As a result, Aki begins living with the three children to take care of them.


Mon 29 Oct - Nekketsu Nise Kazoku - weekdays at 1:30 on TBS (5)

This "family" drama stars Atsuko Sudo as Yoko Hiyama, a young woman left with no other relatives after her grandmother passes away. One day, she meets someone who resembles her grandmother. From that point on, she somehow ends up living with eight complete strangers as a fake family.


Sat 3 Nov - SP (Security Police) - every Saturday from 11:10pm to 11:55pm on Fuji TV (1)

Okada plays Kaoru Inoue, a member of a police escort division. Ever since losing his parents at a young age, he has possessed heightened senses and a photographic memory. He also has other skills, such as analyzing footprints. His boss is being played by Shinichi Tsutsumi.



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  3. Japanese Funeral Etiquette

Many expatriates in Japan are at a loss when death occurs in the workplace, a family member of a colleague or even a friend or neighbour.  Reading up on Japanese funeral customs will help you some of the way, but knowing just what to do and how to be of best support to the mourners, is trickier.

Firstly, know that a Japanese funeral happens over some days.  There is a wake the night before, called an o-tsuya, and then there is the funeral the next day.  Depending on how close you are to the deceased, you could go to either or both. 

Kohden - offering to the family of the deceased

At a Japanese funeral or wake, bring money in a funeral envelope rather than flowers.  If you brought money to the wake, you don't have to bring it again at the funeral, and vice-versa.  Do not bring amounts that contain the number 4 or 9.  It is considered bad luck to bring amounts containing even numbers, however the exception to this rule is 20,000 yen.  However, the amount that you give, depends very much on your relationship to the deceased.  Don't give too much or too little, as this could be construed as sacastic or rude.  Just consult the following list, and then give what you feel would be right in your situation given your relationship with the deceased or mourners.

Neighbours - 5,000 to 10,000 yen
Colleagues - 5,000 to 10,000 yen
Acquaintences or Family of Friends - 5,000 to 10,000 yen
Friends - 10,000 yen
Relatives except those listed below - 10,000 to 20,000 yen
Aunts and uncles - 10,000 to 30,000 yen
Grandparents - 10,000 to 30,000 yen
Siblings - 10,000 to 50,000 yen
Parents - 50,000 to 100,000 yen

The money goes into a special envelope (called a kohden) which can be purchased at convenience stores, or the 100 yen shop.  Choose the envelope carefully, as the wrong colour cord (mizuhiki) will indicate a different kind of occasion.  The cord for a funeral envelope is black and white, or silver.  The more elaborate the envelope, the larger the amount of money that goes inside, so for a lower amount choose a simpler style of envelope.  For examples of the different styles of envelopes, have a look at this page. 

On the outside of the envelope on the front, it is customary to use a fude-pen or brush pen to write your name.  Have a Japanese person help you with this, as it should be written vertically and in Japanese, under the mizuhiki cord.  If you are writing two names, they can be parallel, or you can write the name of a representative and then the number of additional well-wishers as in this example. Above the mizuhiki cord, if there is nothing already written on the envelope you should write a simple condolence, as in this example.  On the back of the envelope (scroll down the page on the previous example), your address is written, along with the amount of money that you have enclosed inside.  This helps the reception people sort out the money, so that later the mourners can know what kind of gift to give you in return for your condolance money. 

Attending the Funeral or Wake

At a wake or funeral, bow respectfully to the family when you go up to the front.  Most of these functions will be open casket, so bow also in rememberence over the deceased.  Wear black or dark clothes (all black is preferable). Women often wear pearls, as the only acceptable form of jewelry - absolutely don't wear anything flashy like diamonds or bright colours, similarly do not wear anything provocative like a mini-skirt - think conservative.  In short, do not wear anything that will attract attention.  Don't bring attention to yourself by making a lot of noise, and don't make jokes.  It is recommended to remain quiet throughout the ceremony (rather than being tempted to make conversation about memories of the deceased), keeping verbal contact to the mourners at a minimum.  Subtle eye-contact and bowing to the family of the deceased, is deemed to be much more appropriate.

O-Shoukou - Lighting Incense for the Deceased

Depending on the funeral (Christian ceremonies will be different as this is a Buddhist custom), you may be required to light incense in honour of the deceased as part of the funeral ceremonies.   Other people at the funeral will also be doing this before you, so you will see what to do, but this is the basic procedure for offering o-shoukou.

First of all, you will be offering o-shoukou in either a sitting or a standing style.  Follow the lead of the person in front of you on this. 

For a standing offering, stand two or three steps in front of the offering place.  Bow to the priest once, and the family of the deceased once (if the deceased was married, you will be bowing to each side of the family).  Take one step forward toward the offering place, face it directly, put your hands together as in prayer, and bow once to the deceased (this graphic shows the correct position).  Then in a 3-fingered pinch (between your thumb, pointer and middle finger) take some of the grainy incense and raise it to the level of your eyes.  Then, sprinkle the incense on the burning pile by rubbing your three fingers together to distribute evenly.  This may be repeated one to three times (it depends on the specific religion of the offerer), but again, take the lead of the person in front of you.  Once you have finished, return your hands to the prayer position and offer a prayer for the deceased.  Once you have finished, take two to three steps back again, turn to face the family and bow once more. 

The sitting offering is similar to the standing, with small variations.  Approach the stand and bow once to the preist, once to the family (or families) of the deceased.  Sit in seiza style with your legs under you, back from the cushion provided or a little bit back from the front of the offering place.  Facing towards the family, and with your hands in prayer style, bow again to the family from sitting position.  From here, sidle over to the cushion or the place directly in front of the offering place, and the offer as you would for the standing style (this graphic shows the correct procedure for sitting).  In a 3-fingered pinch (between your thumb, pointer and middle finger) take some of the grainy incense and raise it to the level of your eyes.  Then, sprinkle the incense on the burning pile by rubbing your three fingers together to distribute evenly.  This may be repeated one to three times (it depends on the specific religion of the offerer), but again, take the lead of the person in front of you.  Once you have finished, return your hands to the prayer position and offer a prayer for the deceased.  Once you have finished, stand up carefully with your hands in front of you, and in a very slightly crouching position, bow once to the priest and once to the family of the deceased.  Return to your place, still in this semi-crouching position and not standing fully straight upright.

By the way, for anyone who is interested in the very many rituals and customs carried out before, during and after a Japanese funeral, the very black comedy "The Funeral" ("O-Sohshiki") by the director Juzo Itami is a must-see.  One word of caution, however, this is an adults-only movie, so please do watch with discretion.  Available on DVD, it had an international following so should probably have the option for English subtitles.


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  4. Yahoo BB English Service Number
(Thank you to Bob Moorehead for this submission)

I recently had to contact Yahoo BB from the States (we moved back this summer) about our account.  A simple google search revealed secret hidden Yahoo BB english support numbers. According to the nice, english-speaking japanese operator, they have had english support for a few years but the company doesn't want to tell anyone about it. You dial the number and get assistance immediately. No 'press 1 for this, press 2 for that.' , an actual human answering the phone, and they say great things like "I have no clue what is going on" instead of the long and complex polite japanese scripts the japanese-speaking staff is supposed to follow. The clarity of the reply, even if it wasn't particularly helpful, was refreshing.

So, there are 2 numbers. One is toll-free, which didn't work when I called it with skype. That number is 0800-1111-130. The line for cell phones and IP phones is 03-6888-4943. The japanese lines have you press various buttons for different services, but the english lines give you direct support.

If you need support for Yahoo BB-TV, they might need to transfer your call to a Japanese-speaking representative, so this isn't completely one-stop shopping, but it is a huge improvement over yahoo BB's normally crappy customer service. I always hated calling them.

I had to call them this time because when they sent our final bill, we figured out that they were charging us for a sports channel that we didn't order.  Apparently we'd been paying for it since March.  They said we ordered it using the remote control.  I said we didn't.  They said we did.  I said we didn't.  I asked if we had ordered it, why didn't we get the channel? They said if you didn't watch it, how do you know you didn't get it?  I said I like to channel surf and it wasn't there.

Finally, faced with my unrelenting onslaught of "no", or, in japanese, "I'm really sorry but no", they relented and said they would refund my money, not by doing anything simple like deducting it from my final bill, but by sending me a form that a friend in Japan will have to fill out, so they can furikomi her the money.  They can't just put it in our bank account because our Yahoo BB contract was cancelled. Luckily our mail is being forwarded to that friend in Japan, because they can't send it to another address either - they can only send it to the address of the (non-existant) account holder.  Don't you just love japanese bureaucracy sometimes?


Editor's Note:  In the experience of H&R Consultants who used to use Yahoo BB for all their clients, it is very, very easy to sign up for a Yahoo BB Account, but much less easy to deal with customer service if anything should go wrong.  The actual service itself seemed to work well and be of high quality if there were no problems, but any time there was a glitch it cost some time on the phone to work it out.  Also, as in this case above, the most problems seemed to occur when the account is cancelled.  In some cases the customer lost internet access for the last two months of their service, because in all cases Yahoo BB insists on all final bills going to the actual addressee and not a representative.

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  5. Upcoming Events


Meet and Greet
Helen Braithwaite

Date: Tuesday, 9th October (2nd Tuesday of each month)
Time: 11:30am
Place: Shooters Sports Bar and Grill, Fushimi  (http://www.shooters-nagoya.com)
Price: 1500 yen for buffet lunch and a drink.
RSVP: to Helen Braithwaite at helenjbraithwaite@gmail.com or by phone on 090-2186-3717 as soon as possible but by Saturday the 6th of October at the latest. 

For those of you who are new to Nagoya please come and join us for lunch.  Meet and Greet lunch is the ideal place to make new friends, have a chat and find out what is going on in Nagoya.  Shooters has a relaxed atmosphere and is closed during the day except for our event, so we have the run of the place.  This means that it is a VERY easy event for mothers with babies or small children.  It also means, however, that I must ask for an RSVP so that Shooters can cater for the correct number of people.




ACCJ & TJCS Champagne Ball and Awards Evening
DATE: Friday, November 16th, 7:00pm (Reception from 6:30pm)
VENUE: Hilton Nagoya

Mark your calendars for the social event of the year!  Two of the most active international NPOs in the Chubu Region, the ACCJ (American Chamber of Commerce in Japan) and the TJCS (Tokai Japan Canada Society) are committed to strengthening the sense of community amongst all foreign national and internationally-minded Japanese.  The two organizations once again team up to bring you The Champagne Ball and Awards Evening, a celebration of this community.

* Complimentary glass of sparkling wine at reception
* Sumptuous dinner buffet
* Live music by our mistress of ceremonies, renowned jazz chanteuse Prisca Molotsi
* Dance music by Nagoya-based pop band Whoop!
* Community service awards
* Fantastic prizes
* Complimentary entry to Hilton Nagoya's Windows on the World for the after-party
* Special rates at the Hilton Nagoya for guests staying overnight (call 052-212-1111 for details)
* Babysitting service (call 052-229-1525 for details)
* Big screen live video
* Cigar corner

DATE: Friday, November 16th
TIME: 7:00pm
DOORS OPEN: 6:30pm
VENUE: Hilton Nagoya, Oogi Ballroom
DRESS: Business attire or formal.  Black tie is welcome.
BABYSITTING: Please contact ACCJ office at 052-229-1525 for details
TICKETS: 10,000 yen per person
RESERVATIONS: Please make reservations by November 12th.
TEL: (052) 212-1033  FAX: (052) 212-1007
E-MAIL: champagneball@tjcs.jp
URL:  http://www.tjcs.jp/champagne/
VENUE: Hilton Nagoya



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  6. Handa Dashi Festival
Steve Burson

The "Handa Dashi Festival" is held only once every 5 years, gathering 31 spectacular dashi (floats) in the city to one place.  It is said to be the number one dashi festival in Japan to which about 470,000 visitors come. 

The festival is coming up soon: Saturday the 6th and Sunday the 7th of October.  If you only see one festival while you are in Japan, then this is the one to see.  Festivities begin from the morning and continue until night time when lamps are lit on all of the fabulous floats.

On the official Japanese website, you can scroll down the page to the light blue button just above the map, clicking on this will give you a short video which shows what to expect, but of course being there on the day is about 1000 times better than the tiny little video!  You can also see a slide show of still shots here.

To get there by car, it is 15 minutes south-east of Handa Chuo Intersection of the Chita Peninsula Expressway.  It is however perhaps a better alternative to take one of two trains:

* 10 minutes walk from Handa Station of JR Taketoyo Line.
* 10 - 15 minutes walk from Chita-Handa Station of Meitetsu Kowa Line

For train routes and times, please check Hyperdia before you set out.  From either station, walk east toward Handa City Hall (follow all the other festival goers!).  To see this on a zoomable map, scroll down to the bottom of the official Japanese website front page.

For more information, please call 0569-21-3111 (Extension : 309 - sorry, Japanese only)

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  7. Indian Restaurant Pariwar
(thank you to Geri White for this submission)

This restaurant located in Owariasahi was recommended to me by an Indian friend and I have been a regular ever since!  I would have to say this is probably the best Indian restaurant I have been to. A wide varieity of Indian cuisine at reasonable cost.

Pariwar Indian Restaurant (Japanese website also has clickable map)
Serves Lunch and Dinner and closes on Tuesdays.
Open: 11am - 3pm (Last Order 2:30) and 5:30pm - 10pm (Last Order 9:30)
Closest station: Owariasahi on the Meitetsu Seto Line
Address: Owariasahi-shi Arai-cho Kaminota 2882-5
Phone Number -- 0561-51-0877



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8. Decluttering / Personal Household Organizer
(Thank you to Erin Sakakibara for this submission)


Do you have too much stuff and too little space? (...and who doesn't in Japan?).  Perhaps you are overwhelmed with the prospect of packing up your Japan life to go back home? Well, if you are anything me, you find yourself hopelessly unorganized and before even attempting to rectify the situation, you already feel defeated. Don't despair!  Hope is in the community in the form of a dynamo named Marie Langlois!  Marie is your (wo)man when it comes to organizing your closet, room or life!  She has great ideas and truly "lives to organize"! I recently was in dire straits when two rooms of stuff had to be "downsized" in order to prepare for new furniture and a room reformation. A couple of hours over several days and I was in ship-shape and as I write this I'm sitting in my "new" ultra-organized and very relaxing living room.  So de-stress by getting yourself organized with help and guidance from Marie...she's waiting for your call!

Marie Langlois
Phone Number: 090-6581-8508
e-mail: mlanglois84@hotmail.com


And it is likely that when you are cleaning out those closets and cluttered spaces you'll find useful things for which you'd like to find a new home.  Check out the following groups that you can subscribe to, which allow you to post your items for sale or list them for free:

Tell and Sell Japan

Tell and Sell Japan is a mailing list for foreign people living in Japan who want to sell, buy, trade or give away new or gently used merchandise and other personal items such as:

* Brand new items ordered from overseas, but the size/style/colour was wrong
* Quality clothes for special occasions you have worn only once or twice, a formal dress, suit, etc.
* Maternity clothes, or outgrown babies' or children's clothes
* Unwanted gift items, unused cosmetics, etc.
* Books, videos, DVDs, CDs
* Items that have to be sold because you are leaving Japan or moving ("Sayonara Sales")

FreeCycle Japan

Members must currently live in Japan, or be coming back soon.

"Freecycle"(TM) is a combination of the words 'free' and 'recycle,' and the Freecycle (TM) Japan list provides a place where members can list items of any sort they are seeking, or wish togive away, barter, or exchange. There are only two conditions: 1) that the items be free, and 2) that the item be shippable within Japan.  Ideas could include clothing, CDs, books, furniture -- anything is possible. After the initial listing, all transactions take place between individuals offlist. Enjoy Freecycle!



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  9. Yoshida Orthopedic Surgery

This one I dredged up from my memory, from my time as a relocation consultant when I recieved information about an English speaking orthopedic doctor and rehabilitation centre.  Not trusting my memory, I called them up again, and the surgery is still there, and the doctor still speaks English!  The family who recommended him to me lived here for about 20 years, and had four children all born and raised in Japan.  Everyone went here with their broken bones, their sprains and their ingrown toenails - so it's a great resource to have for a family.  Close to Fujigaoka Station on the Higashiyama Line.

Yoshida Seikeigeka Clinic (Yoshida Orthopedic Clinic)
Address: 166 Fujigaoka, Meito-ku, Nagoya 465-0048
Phone Number: 052-775-0355
Broad Area Map
Closer Area Map
By train: From Fujigaoka Station, it's three minutes walk to the south
By car: There are 20 car parking spaces in front of the building.
Procedure: You don't need an appointment, patients are seen in the order that they arrive.  Please take your insurance card with you if you have one.

Hours (reception starts 15 minutes before clinic hours)

Monday               9am - 12pm            4pm - 7pm
Tuesday               9am - 12pm            4pm - 7pm
Wednesday          9am - 12pm              *closed*
Thursday              9am - 12pm            4pm - 7pm
Friday                   9am - 12pm            4pm - 7pm
Saturday               9am - 12pm              *closed*
Sunday                                  *closed*               
Public Holidays                     *closed*

Closed on Wed & Sat afternoons, Sundays and public holidays



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  10. Cooling Off
Sue Conolly

Once I was browsing through a video shop in Yagoto, when a very large caucasian man came in to the counter.  He had a problem with the way something was sign-posted in the shop, something to do with new releases and semi-new-releases, I can't really remember.  What I do remember though, is how the conversation went down.

Basically, the stand-point of the girl behind the counter was that she knew the rule (she didn't make the rule), and it was her job to enforce it.  The stand-point of the gaijin customer, on the other hand, was that whatever the stupid rule was, logically he had a point, and that the louder and agressive he became, the more likely it would be that she would understand that he had a point and give him his own way.  He stood over her, he pointed right in her face, he yelled at her in pseudo Japanese and in filthy English.  He was so close to her, that you could imagine that his yelling at her was causing his spittle to fly into her face.  However, he didn't get his way.  The girl simply stood there, guarding her rule.

Before you think that I am picking on this poor man who was clearly just having a bad day, I ask you to remember back to the August X-Pat Files when I related a very similar situation between myself and a video shop clerk ("Don't Fight a Losing Battle").  This kind of thing happens to us all.  We think we're in the right, that Japan is in the wrong, and if only we could get these poor misguided people to understand!

Think for a moment about the stereotypes we are dealing with here.  On the one hand, it might be easy to stereotype all Japanese video shop clerks (and other Japanese behind various counters) as mindless rule sticklers.  Conversely, it might be just as easy for them to classify us as iya-na gaijin (horrible foreigners).  For sure in that video shop in Yagoto, that big man was not an ambassador for peace, in any language.

It is probably true that "the rules" are followed more closely to the letter in Japan, than they are in the west.  There's an upside to that, however.  If the rules are final, all-important, non-negotiable - then really what is there left to fight about, especially with a part-time clerk who only works the late shift on Fridays? 

Some rules are going to be more hard to let go of than others.  When I was in hospital for a month, a friend lent me a TV/video, which I put in place of the pay TV in my room which only showed TV in Japanese.  At first nothing was said, but then somebody remembered "The Rule" (which I highly suspect they just made up after a sales rep for the pay TV company happened to walk past my room).  No amount of pleading or arguing would work, and the further up the management food chain we asked, the stronger "No!" we got.

In retrospect, all these things in my past take on a different perspective.  For one thing, thesedays portable DVD players are so small that it's hard to imagine any hospital being brave enough to ban them.  For another thing, all that time spent arguing and lamenting, and I got nothing to show for it.  Nothing, except perhaps a very good life education.

During my recent trip to New York, I went to what I would describe as "the worst restaurant in the world" down on the boardwalk at Brighton Beach.  The waitress was surly, after she'd taken our order, she took a phone call on her mobile phone and sat a few tables away from us talking on the phone for 45 minutes and smoking, directly in front of a "No Smoking" sign.  Directly above the obligatory brass plaque in the bathroom stating "Employees must wash their hands after using the toilet".  There was another, hand written sign; "Employees MUST wash their hands after using the toilet" (one sign was clearly not enough).  Ironically, when I wanted to leave a sarcastically tiny tip, "Gratuity" was already included in the bill at 15%.  The final price including the forced tip was $38.60.  I only had $40, but was determined that the $1.40 was not going as an additional tip.  However, when the seedy manager (reluctantly) gave me $1 back, I never called him on the extra 40 cents.

Have I been in Japan too long to be assertive in a restaurant?  Perhaps.  However, that 40 cents I lost in the restaurant that day was a really small price to pay for my peace of mind, gained in my experiences which have shown me - nothing's really so important you should waste time fuming about stuff you can't change.

Things to try in the heat of the moment:

*  Ask yourself: Is this issue going to be important next year?  In five years?
*  Breathe, always breathe.  Holding your breath is the best way to cut your brain off from oxygen, and you need oxygen in your brain now more than ever!
*  Focus on something else - perhaps there is something planned later in your day you don't want to spoil with this feeling.  If you have your kids with you, perhaps you'd rather be cool and calm for your kids.  You only have one childhood to spend with them, how much of that do you really want to be cranky?
*  Avoid the situation if you can (pay all your bills on time, shop online if you find shopping stressful, get help from a Japanese speaker if you need it)
*  Give yourself a break.  Try not to do too many things in one day, have a cup of tea.
*  Use humour - bring yourself down a level by making light of the situation and making light of your attitude.  Imagine yourself, exaggerated, as the big hefty gaijin in the video shop yelling, pointing and spitting in the clerk's face.
*  Try and imagine as much as you can about the other person.  Where they are coming from, how they got this job, what they are going to do after work.  Take the imagery as far as you can.  See yourself sharing a job with this person, sharing a beer with this person.  Maybe you two can sing karaoke together!  What song would you sing?

 
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  That`s it for this edition of the newsletter. We hope you found it informative - please let us know what you would like to see in future editions, and we will attempt to address your issues.

 If you need to find some information from a previous edition, please try the search function on http://www.xpat-files.com.  Carrying out a text search with key words will take you directly to previous editions of the newsletter in which information appeared.

  A disclaimer - While we do try to check submissions when they come to me, we do not take responsibility for the accuracy of any donated information.  Nor do we take responsibility if your experience of places and services you find through this newsletter are not as rewarding as they were for the person who originally sent in the information. Obviously everyone`s experience is different.

  If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, please do so online at http://www.xpat-files.com, where in the future we would like to archive information contained in this newsletter.

  If have some information you feel might be of benefit to the Expat community, please send as much information as you can to info@xpat-files.com.

  The newsletter will be as good as the contributions made to it, so please send in ideas and materials!