Polite Japanese bloggers
I've been wondering if there's such a thing as characteristics of Japanese bloggers. I wrote about how competitive Japanese bloggers are when it comes to getting PVs (page views) to their sites. Then I read an interview with Mena Trott, of the Movable Type fame, in the May 30 issue of Aera magazine. She says our blogs reflect the US-Japan cultural differences.
Telly Heaven
Forget the couch. Now television is best viewed lying on your futon, with a laptop on your stomach.
(this article first appeared in the June 6/June 13, 2005 issue of newsweek international)
Akiko Takasu loves TV dramas. Every morning the violin teacher and mother of three teenagers in Saitama, north of Tokyo, quickly finishes her morning chores--cleaning up the house, doing laundry and dishes. Then she tunes in to ``Winter Sonata,'' a popular Korean soap, uninterrupted by her husband and kids. But she doesn't sit down in front of the family's big TV set; Takasu gazes into the 17-inch screen of a desktop computer. The drama is being broadcast on the Internet, so she watches whenever she's ready. ``I watch it alone,'' says Takasu. ``This way I can really get into the world of this wonderful story.''
(this article first appeared in the June 6/June 13, 2005 issue of newsweek international)
Akiko Takasu loves TV dramas. Every morning the violin teacher and mother of three teenagers in Saitama, north of Tokyo, quickly finishes her morning chores--cleaning up the house, doing laundry and dishes. Then she tunes in to ``Winter Sonata,'' a popular Korean soap, uninterrupted by her husband and kids. But she doesn't sit down in front of the family's big TV set; Takasu gazes into the 17-inch screen of a desktop computer. The drama is being broadcast on the Internet, so she watches whenever she's ready. ``I watch it alone,'' says Takasu. ``This way I can really get into the world of this wonderful story.''
Struggling to Get By
Japan's single moms need better jobs -- and more aid.
(this article first appeared in the may 9, 2005 issue of newsweek international)
A pen and notebook in hand, Asako Yasuda gazes into the laptop screen on a conference table. Career counselor Kayoko Ozawa is demonstrating how to use a public job-search Web site. After a few clicks, a couple of possibilities emerge, but no full-time position. "You'll get something, I promise," Ozawa tells Yasuda, a high-school graduate and former hairdresser. "I cannot relax until I find a stable job," she says.
(this article first appeared in the may 9, 2005 issue of newsweek international)
A pen and notebook in hand, Asako Yasuda gazes into the laptop screen on a conference table. Career counselor Kayoko Ozawa is demonstrating how to use a public job-search Web site. After a few clicks, a couple of possibilities emerge, but no full-time position. "You'll get something, I promise," Ozawa tells Yasuda, a high-school graduate and former hairdresser. "I cannot relax until I find a stable job," she says.
Blogging as a Blood Sport
(this article first appeared in the may 9, 2005 issue of newsweek international)
Not long ago I watched the final episode of "Friends," which aired in the United States a year ago. Ross and Rachel's ending up together was such an anticlimax, I told my husband. To this profound observation he replied: "Which one is Rachel?"
What's a TV devotee to do, with no one to share her passion? Launch a blog, of course. Mine is devoted to such minutiae as how C. J. in "The West Wing" always wears a scooped T shirt under her blouse.
Not long ago I watched the final episode of "Friends," which aired in the United States a year ago. Ross and Rachel's ending up together was such an anticlimax, I told my husband. To this profound observation he replied: "Which one is Rachel?"
What's a TV devotee to do, with no one to share her passion? Launch a blog, of course. Mine is devoted to such minutiae as how C. J. in "The West Wing" always wears a scooped T shirt under her blouse.
May I Have This Dance?
Japanese women flock to Austria to become princesses for a season.
(this article first appeared in the april 11-18, 2005 issue of newsweek international)
For at least part of every year, Makiko Krone is a princess. Dressed in a dramatic evening gown and escorted by a princely young man, she spends the winter waltzing her way through the regal balls in Vienna. By March, when the ball season ends, Krone—like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight—closes up her rented apartment in Vienna and returns to her ordinary life in Tokyo. There she helps arrange trips for other Japanese women eager to fulfill their dreams. "Any woman can be—and is—a princess," she insists.
(this article first appeared in the april 11-18, 2005 issue of newsweek international)
For at least part of every year, Makiko Krone is a princess. Dressed in a dramatic evening gown and escorted by a princely young man, she spends the winter waltzing her way through the regal balls in Vienna. By March, when the ball season ends, Krone—like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight—closes up her rented apartment in Vienna and returns to her ordinary life in Tokyo. There she helps arrange trips for other Japanese women eager to fulfill their dreams. "Any woman can be—and is—a princess," she insists.
