Archive for December, 2007
Thank you RockingInHakata, Hello interview with a Wikipedian?
On December 10, 2007 in Announcements, Interviews we'd like to do, Suggestions Please
I had been wanting to interview a major contributor to Japan-related articles on Wikipedia for awhile now. I really respect what these people are doing.
And it looks like I may get my wish because Deas from Rocking In Hakata just emailed me some great info about one of the top contributors on Wikipedia, a Mr. Charles Ainsworth. He lives in Japan and is the 7th largest contributer to Wikipedia! Hopefully he can spare us a bit of his time.
If you have any questions you would like to ask him feel free to leave them in the comments section. Here are some I have:
- What motivated you to start contributing to Wikipedia?
- What advice would you give to anyone wanting to join WikiProject Japan and contribute to writing Japan-related Wikipedia articles?
- As a blogger and website owner, how can I and others like me help support the project?
- Which articles on Japan are your favourite and why?
Can you think of any others?
They have your fingerprint and your photograph, now is your chance to be famous
On December 09, 2007 in Announcements, Interviews we'd like to do, Rights of foreigners
\\Breaking News from the J-web //
Turner at Keeping Pace In Japan is interviewing any foreigners who have gone through immigration to ask them about their experience. AND in collaboration with him, Daily J will also run the interviews. It should make for some interesting interviews I think.
Here is a clip from the original “Call for Interviews“
With the fingerprinting and photographing system in place at all ports of entry, I would like to hear from people over Skype or email about their experiences. Everyone is welcome to voice their opinions, but in particular, I’m looking for:
1. Permanent residents who were separated from their families
2. Anyone who registered for and used the automated gate system
3. People who were mistakenly directed into the “foreign guests” line by immigration officials, despite being exempt
4. Those who had trouble with the scanning equipment
5. Foreign visitors to Japan who have Japanese ancestry, or look “Japanese”
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His email address, in case you didn’t catch it, is realtome05 [att] yahoo.com
So please contact him today for an interview and let us hear your story!
Have a great day
Daily J
Do YOU want to be interviewed?
On December 08, 2007 in Announcements, Interviews we'd like to do
Unfortunately, due to facts of life - like having to work to eat - I am no longer able to conduct interviews, especially on any sort of regular basis. It is my sincere hope that I will be able to again in the future, but even then it is probably best if I take them one at a time.
That said, I would still love to hear from you and if you let me know that you want an interview I will keep you on the list for when I have the time again.
Sorry for the let down
It is rough chasing down bloggers, twisting their arms and squeezing interviews out of them while they squirm about kicking you in the shins 
Seriously, it is a lot of work contacting Japan bloggers and webmasters and interviewing them. It is work, but fun work. So I definitely like doing it and will keep on doing it.
But one person alone cannot collect all the great news and behind the scenes motivation and aspirations of the Japan-related web. We (the Japan-related web) are too big and too active for that, and that is a good thing.
So how can we create a place where all of this information can be reported? And how can I interview ALL of the people who are making the web a better place for Japan-enthusiasts?
I’m not exactly sure so I would love to hear if you have any ideas!
Here are some things I think will help (are helping):
- Contacting me if you want an interview or if you have news
- If there is someone you want Daily J to interview let me know, or tell them to contact me.
- Whenever you give feedback, suggestions and comment it REALLY helps. Thank you guys so much!
I want to talk more about that first one:
Contact me if you want an interview or if you have news!
Daily J reports on the Japan-related web. Bloggers, if you blog about Japan, that means YOU! Webmasters, have a cool site about Japan? Daily J wants to report about YOU!
We are obsessed with the Japan-related web. We don’t want to do an interview once and that is it, we want to talk about what you are up to. If you update something on your site, we want to talk about it. If you are doing a new series on Why Chicken Ramen Rocks, we want to report it. We are 100% absolutely positively interested in you! Tell us your story.
For everyone (blogger or not): I am sure you know some great Japan-related sites and blogs. And I bet that you have wondered: how did they start? who is behind the site and what are they like? You can find out if you tell them do an interview with Daily J. And best of all, if you do that Daily J will be your friend and fan forever 
Ok. Some practicals.
Here are starter questions that you can use (answer the ones you like and send them to us for an interview!) :
- What is the mission/vision of your site? What is your site all about?
- What motivated you to start it?
- What part of running your site do you like the best?
- Where do you see your site going in the future?
- What projects/etc. are you working on?
- How can others best interact with your site and contribute?
- What makes your site unique and how can readers get the most from your site?
- What posts/content are your favourites?
- And, if there is anything else you want to say, feel free to say it.
(send them to eaglelandgrace [att] gmail [dott] com)
What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Your feedback is alway appreciated.
Have a great day!
Daily J
unknown Gems of the Japan-related web? What do you guys think?
On December 07, 2007 in On the J-web
Following up on what I mentioned yesterday, I will be posting some interesting Japan-related resources I have found (just a few of them).
I want to start a discussion about them and hear your feedback about which ones you like. So let me know what you think!
Quote from their site:
Trusted Consultants
A dedicated team
Focused on the success
…of the job hunter
One of many sites helping foreigners with jobs in Japan. I had another (possibly better) one but I must have misplaced it. Anyway, what do you think? Is this a diamond or a dud?
#2 http://www.readmanga.com/index.php
For the manga fans out there…
FREE Online manga viewer. Looks like lots of freely viewable manga issues if that is your thing. So is this a hidden gem?
Internet Townpages (telephone directory and more) for Japan in English! Gem?
******** JUST FOR FUN ***********
Found this on the octopus dropkick. (the simpsongs and Mr. sparkle). Thought I’d include it for a fun distraction 
*******************************************************
#4 http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/japan.html
Famous Japanese folk tales in English. I like this one, but what do you think?
A virtual tour of tokyo (featuring 360 degree panoramic interactive views)! Wow
#6 http://www.syvum.com/squizzes/country/japan/
Japan quizzes. I like the Tokyo quiz.
#7 http://www.manythings.org/japanese/links
Manythings. A Select List of Japanese Language Study Sites.
#8 http://web-japan.org/jvt/en/index.html
Jpn culture videos
#9 http://www.jpss.jp/eng/life/
Support for foreign students in Japan! What do you think of this? Useful?
What Japan-related hidden gems have you found?
“25 gems of the Japan-related web that you knew nothing aboutâ€
On December 06, 2007 in Announcements
That’s the name of the ebook that, as I mentioned, I wanted to give to newsletter subscribers.
I am rethinking it now though.
I think that instead of me narrowing them down by myself, I would like to let you guys have a say. Plus, that way I can share a lot more than 25 sites with you.
So I will be posting links to some interesting Japan-related resources/sites along with my thoughts on them. And then I will open the discussion up to thoughts and comments from all of you.
So look forward to that starting from tomorrow! 
And (as always) let me know what you think
A meandering walk on the Japan-related web
On December 05, 2007 in On the J-web, Rights of foreigners
I was taking a look at what past interviewees are up to today, strolling around their sites and walking of the path to look at shiny things elsewhere on the J-web (I am easily distracted).
Here is some of what I found:
Yahoo, Ebay Unite! - RisingSunOfNihon breaks news of the deal between Yahoo! Japan Auctions and Ebay. Pretty interesting.
Turner from KeepingPaceInJapan is asking foreigners who have been through fingerprinting at immigration for interviews. So if you have and you want to be interviewed let him know!
Gyaku.jp interviewed a professor, David McNeill, from my old university, Jouchi (Sophia) U. I did not know it before but Professor McNeill writes for JapanFocus.org. One highlight of the interview was the question about fingerprinting (towards the bottom).
Also on Gyaku I found a link to this Debito article about child-custody issues in Japan. I have a divorced friend who lost all contact with his children, so I knew a bit about the issue already (it is very sad). Here is a documentary they produced to draw attention to the issue:
“For Taka and Mana” Trailer
Connections
On December 05, 2007 in Community building
First of all I want to share today’s interesting connections I found on our past interviewees blogs:
Sake and beer commercials!
As those who were around for the “drunken interview” know, GaijinTonic is THE authority on Japanese beers and bars. And now he wants to introduce you to some hilarious Japanese beer commercials
But, what’s this? RockingInHakata chimes in too. And with a sake video to boot! (the wine guy murders the Japanese names though )
And then RisingSunOfNihon ruins the whole vibe with the bad news that the price of beer in Japan will go up by about 5% next year. I’m thinking that may cut into GaijinTonic’s “research” funds…
Sorry about that bad news, guys. But I have some good news:
I have been looking for online work for a little while and I have found some. What does this have to do with anything?
It will give me more time to work on my online projects like Daily J!
So hopefully things can really start rolling.
Hi all
On December 03, 2007 in Announcements
I have been working on a lot of little ideas, partnerships and technical improvements for Daily J and Nipponster.
That, and work, has been keeping me busy.
So for today, the message is just to
stay tuned !
More sites we’d like to interview and an endless sea of Japan-related sites
On December 01, 2007 in DailyJ Mission, Interviews we'd like to do
Here are two sites that are very close to my heart:
#1 Stippy.com
Stippy is a website written by graduates of the Monbusho Scholarship (foreign students in Japan) for foreigners in Japan. As a former foreign student (and monbusho stipend “stippy” receiver) I would love to interview the people behind this site.
#2 Piqniq.jp (A social networking website for foreign families.)
“Piqniq is a social network for English-speaking families living in Japan. Our goal is to create a Japan-specific online community and information resource to help you and your family get things done in a country where simple tasks can easily become complicated.”
“A Japan-specific online community”? How could I pass up interviewing them?!
An Endless Sea of Japan-related sites…
In 2003 I decided to build a website were foreigners in Japan, especially students, could share their stories about Japan with the world and possibly help and inspire future foreign students. I started it with the help of a friend and without any tech skills. It didn’t go anywhere but it forced me to learn the ins and outs of creating websites.
From that time up to now I have been building websites (with help from my friends) that chase that dream of helping foreigners in Japan. That dream is what led us to the idea of Nipponster, Japan-related search, and the quest “to better organise and enhance all of the Japan-related content online.”
Since we were determined (crazy enough) to try to organise and enhance everything, we had to do a lot of research and chronicling of websites. I have seen sites about Japan that I would probably never have seen if I were not working on this project and each has something slightly unique to offer. I’m sure that you have seen plenty of sites too that I might not know about and vice versa.
So the question came to my mind “How can we all make sense of all of this information?” I would always like to hear your opinion on that. So let me know.
Some bloggers and webmasters have proposed to me the idea of creating an open and transparent wiki-based encyclopedia (like wikipedia) of everything Japanese, that all could contribute to but no one person would control or own. Inside of that wiki we could create the largest directory (list) of Japan-related sites on the whole web. With everyone contributing a little of their effort, time and info on sites that they like, the directory would have the potential to grow larger than anything a webmaster could do individually.
I think their idea has merit, and I have been thinking about the details of the idea for awhile, but I want to hear what you guys think. So let me know.
