Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category
Why interest in Japan is cool again - an exclusive interview with Tofugu
On February 01, 2008 in Interviews
Hello everyone. Today we are back with Koichi, the panda hat wearing blogger from Tofugu.com. If you missed it, yesterday we had a fun time watching Koichi’s video on Segat Sanshiro (the Chuck Norris of Japan).
DailyJ: What is the mission/vision of your site? What is Tofugu all about?
The overarching goal (I suppose our mission statement) is to make interest in Japan cool again. We don’t hate otakus or anything, but we want to encourage people to be interested in Japan for the “right” reasons … not because they love seeing Naruto and Sasuke make out.
Other than that, we really go for quality articles. We don’t try to come out with a post every day; rather, we want to bring original content to the table, and even if we find something off of another blog, we are going to research it better.
DailyJ: I’m not big on anime either (I had to look up Sasuke if that is any indication), but what would you say are “right” reasons for people to be interested in Japan?
Oh man, that’s a tough one. I can’t go and say that there are any “right” and “wrong” reasons to learn Japanese, because sometimes some of the “wrong” reasons lead people to the “right” ones. I think people should learn another language because they are genuinely interested in the culture (and meeting new people that are a part of it). I think a lot of people think they know about Japanese culture because they watch a lot of anime, and think that is a good reason to learn Japanese. I mostly just get irritated when people watch a ton of anime and try to learn Japanese solely because of it. EVERY language should be learned because because you respect their culture, not because you are obsessed with their TV shows … though drama might be a teeny-tiny exception (jk).
HaHa. Didn’t know we play hardball here at DailyJ did, ya? 
Join us again tomorrow (or subscribe) to hear what Koichi has to say about Tofugu being crowned Japan humour blog of the year 2007!
And be sure to give your comments on the interview. Let us know what you think, what you like and what we can improve.
Submit or suffer the wrath of Segata Sanshiro! - the official Tofugu world domination interview
On January 31, 2008 in Interviews
It’s here. It’s wonderful. It’s … wonky
I am excited to bring you the first part of an interview with our new panda-headed overload Koichi of Tofugu.com! Today he is going to show you why Japan has Chuck Norris beat.
> 
Despite what you might have read about Chuck Norris Facts (which have even been translated into Japanese on Rocking In Hakata) there is someone you should fear even more than the famous Texas ranger.
DailyJ: Segata Sanshiro is so awesome. Is it really possible that he could have been destroyed by that nuclear bomb? Should we be playing Sega Saturn just in case?
Koichi: Everyone should at least be playing the Dreamcast, in Segata Sanshiro’s memory. Shenmue is awesome, and Segata Sanshiro voice acted one of the characters in it.
I don’t know about you but I think I am going to go out looking for an old Sega Saturn tomorrow…
Speaking of tomorrow be sure to join us then (or better, subscribe now) when we will have some more Q and A with Koichi.
Until then be sure to visit Tofugu
Have a great day!
DailyJ
“Remember, this is Japan” - an intervew with South Of Reality
On January 23, 2008 in Interviews
Today we’re back again with South Of Reality. Yesterday he gave us his opinions on Nova and ESL. Now let’s hear a little bit about his site and some advice he has for anyone interested in living in Japan.
DailyJ: What is the mission/vision of your site? What is your site all about?
SouthOfReality: Mainly for networking purposes. It just kind of evolved into a blog/information site. It’s just about living in Japan. Not much advice. Just various ramblings mixed in with information I wish I’d had when I first came to Japan.
DailyJ: Tell us more about that (”information I wish I’d had when I first came to Japan”). What kind of information do you focus on?
SouthOfReality: Things that could impact a person’s lifestyle, for example. Many foreigners have no knowledge about health insurance requirements in this country. Eikaiwa companies, as well as others, never inform their foreign staff that national health insurance enrollment is mandatory for those residing in Japan for a year or more. Some companies, like NOVA, make (made?) money off their foreign teachers by selling them insurance from one of their partner companies. Some foreigners, who were unaware of the mandatory public health insurance enrollment requirement have been required to make back payments for all of the time they were in Japan and not enrolled in the system.
DailyJ: If there was only one piece advice you could give to someone interested in living in Japan, what would it be?
SouthOfReality: Remember, this is Japan. There’s a different work ethic here… Lot’s of things are different. Be willing to adapt. And, leave your preconceptions at home.
DailyJ: If there is anything else you want to say, feel free.
SouthOfReality: よろしくお願いします。
Thank you SouthOfReality for the interview! I hope all of you enjoyed it too. Be sure to check out his site and say hello.
And to all a good day,
DailyJ
What South Of Reality has to say about ESL and Nova - an exclusive interview
On January 22, 2008 in Interviews
Smug little bunny.
Today were back with South Of Reality hearing his opinion on English teaching in Japan. If you’ve had your head in the sand and have not heard about the Nova debacle, this post ought to “enlighten” (translated disgust) you.
DailyJ: Can you tell us a bit more about your experiences with Eikaiwa?
SouthOfReality: I have several years of eikaiwa experience and have worked for two of the big-4 schools. The non-NOVA experience was thousand times better than the NOVA one.
DailyJ: Any comment on the NOVA blow up?
SouthOfReality: NOVA has to be the lowest of the big-4 eikaiwa schools. It was a shit system when I was there and I doubt that things were improved there after I left. The practice of signing students up for 3-year contracts and spending all that money right away to keep expanding was foolish and Nozomu Sahashi should f***ing burn for his part in driving that company into the dirt.
DailyJ: What advice would you give to someone living in their home country who wants to become an ESL teacher?
SouthOfReality: If that person was considering eikaiwa work, I’d tell them to browse the big Japan forums, like the one at Gaijin Pot. Dave’s ESL Cafe is good, too. Eikaiwa is a business and employees are required to work as hard as necessary to bring in the bread. This may include 6 - 8 lessons per day, assisting with sales, product recommendations, student counselings… It’s not a walk in the park. On the other hand, it’s not rocket science and the work can be mind-numbing. But, anyone who’s outgoing and likes people in general will do alright in eikaiwa.
ALT work was different. I spent half of my time just hanging out with kids during club activities or chatting with Japanese teachers. It was a great experience. I’m glad I got a chance to see what life is really like in Japanese public schools. I’d recommend ALT work to those who are interested in becoming real, certified teachers.
Join us again tomorrow when we will chat with SouthOfReality about why he started his site and how it can help you. (Click here to subscribe via RSS)
Have a great day
DailyJ
A blogger with too much time on his hands? - an exclusive interview with South of Reality
On January 20, 2008 in Interviews
Hi All. Today I have a treat for you, South of Reality has given DailyJ an interview.
DailyJ: What motivated you to start South of Reality?
SouthOfReality:Too much time on my hands.
I wish I had that problem! 
Then I could contact more bloggers
DailyJ: Tell me more about your site. Why it excites you. What you love about it. Don’t hold back from telling us your story.
SouthOfReality: Well, it’s a chance for me to share information about Japan with other foreigners, who are either living in Japan or would like to come. I have made some friends through my site and have been able to offer others help. A lot of what I post seems to point out the negative goings on in Japan, but for me it’s a kind of therapy. I mean, I love the place; Don’t get me wrong. It’s just that when you live somewhere for awhile and you call it home, you tend to want to bitch about what happens in your own backyard because it significantly affects your existence. It’s hard for me to bring this stuff up with my Japanese friends because they either get defensive or just plain offended. And, when I’m out with my fellow ex-pats, we want to have a good time, not bitch about the shit that pisses us off.
DailyJ: What posts/content are your favourites?
Hard to say. I’d like to start posting more positive stuff, though.
DailyJ: Actually I kind of like the negative news stories (maybe I have a morbid curiosity). Part of me likes the focus on violent crimes committed by Japanese. I guess that is a reaction to the old “gaijin hanzai” magazine (I’m fairly certain that violence is Japan is mainly Japanese).
SouthOfReality: Supposedly, MacArthur called Japan a nation of 13-year olds. When watching TV here or chatting with people, I’m often surprised by the naivete. I know that I don’t know everything, but Christ! It’s unbelievable how shallow so many people I’ve met here are. I don’t know if it’s cultural or what, but I almost feel sorry for them when I consider how much paranoia and fear of the unknown they have to live with. Why they have to live with it is something I’m still trying to figure out. I guess it has a lot to do with the homogeneity of the people here.
This is just the first post, but I want to go ahead and thank SouthOfReality now for this interview. Drawing you out with questions and then listening to your answers (which have been really interesting) has been fun. And you were patient with me despite the delay, thanks for that!
I hope all of you liked the interview too. Be sure to click here and check out South Of Reality. And then stay tuned (subscribe via RSS) to hear what SouthOfReality has to say about Eikaiwa.
Next time
On DailyJ
How you can make GTA happy - an interview with Gaba Teachers Association
On January 16, 2008 in Interviews
If you missed it, here is yesterday’s post. We have a couple more questions today as part of our fun with “Gaba Teachers Association.” But first I want to highlight a very funny GTA post.
“Eight-year old reflects on how his life could have turned out if only he had studied harder” - the sad thing is, this is not at all far from reality…
Ok. Let’s roll interview:
DailyJ: How can interested people get the most from your site?
GTA: Please click on random articles as a favor because my happiness is directly tied to my page view count.
DailyJ: Who do you think would love GTA and why?
GTA: According to Google Analytics, the vast majority of people take one look and exit from the site. Once in a while, there’ll be one guy or girl who looks at 50 pages. I assume they must be teachers who have been in Japan for a while and have had similar experiences.
I thought about changing the title to Worldwide English Teachers, or W.E.T. but I’m not sure if this would be more attractive.
DailyJ: What part of running GTA is the most fun for you?
GTA: That’s easy, Google Analytics. I like knowing that a kid in Jordan googled “Teacher Erection” and found my site. Or a college kid in Texas who wants to know “American teachers, japan danger?”
A big thank you to GTA for giving the interview. Be sure to check out the site and contribute to his happiness. I for one welcome our new GABA overload… :)
What GTA has to say about Gaba and ESL in Japan - an interview with “Gaba Teacher’s Association”
On January 15, 2008 in Interviews
After a bit of a delay, here is the rest of the interview we started a few days ago with the GTA, onion.com of ESL news.
DailyJ: Why did you chose Gaba and what has your experience with them been like?
GTA: I chose Gaba because I don’t like rejection or going to more than 1 or 2 job interviews. Nothing is worse than being rejected by an English school. So I’d rather take the safest bet.
Working there is perfectly pleasant and there are lots of good people there. You won’t make a lot of money , but the job itself can be enjoyable. I’ve never been treated unfairly.
The real problem is that schools such as Gaba are using a non-full time “flexible” schedule system, which allows them to pay part-time salaries and cut out all your benefits, vacation time, sick leave, and so on. If you want to make 280,000, you’ll have to “flex” out your schedule.
DailyJ: What is the purpose of GTA? Purely entertainment?
GTA: Mainly entertainment. But I hope it also neutralizes some of the marketing images, words, and euphemisms, that are used when English Schools market themselves. Particularly, Gaba because they market their product to both students and teachers. It’s inescapable if you ride the train or look at a newspaper.
I’ve never studied marketing, but it’s fun to try to figure out what marketers are thinking or why they include something. There’s a lot of lonely people who looking for fulfilment everywhere, but think its particularly evident in Japan. There’s a lot of English School advertisements that aim for that.
In Gaba’s case, they also market their product to the teachers. They have an employment system where they can actually get more revenue, by increasing their staff as much as possible. Thus, they need to not one, but two ads on the front page of the Daily Yomiuri. Teachers are usually recent University grads, so they need to market a commodity that they are searching for–mainly things like professionalism, career growth, stylish environment, and professionalism. I mention professionalism twice, only because Gaba mentions it twice in their recruiting ads.
So, rather than simply write about how this school sucks or this school is like a sweat-shop (which I think is insulting to real fast-food and sweatshop workers), I wanted to take these images presented and turn them against the schools who created them.
:) good stuff. That’s all for today but we will hear a little more from GTA tomorrow. But first I want to ask you:
Did you have fun? What do you think of GTA?
Why this site is the onion.com of ESL news- an exclusive interview with Gaba Teachers Association
On January 11, 2008 in Interviews
“After months and months of pondering,
I’ve put together a few answers to your questions below. -GTA”
Finally its here! After much arm-twisting, waiting, and then failure (on my part) to post promptly, DailyJ has brought you the interview with the “bestest” news source for ESL teachers in Japan!!
Daily J: What motivated you to start Gaba Teacher’s Association?
GTA: At first I wanted to write about my life living in Japan, but even my parents didn’t read what I wrote. I thought my account of the cherry blossom season was accurate and insightful. I wanted to also write about teaching English. I wrote some “serious” article, but it seemed quite ridiculous and gave up. Then I saw some ad for GEOS where the woman looked as if she could be a cyborg, or clone or something. So I wrote about that and it became an Onion style article. I realized I could use this style to write about workplaces, my friends, or myself.
Gaba Teacher’s Assocation really is a hilarious site. If you do no believe me take a look at this snippet from its disclaimer:
“All content on this site is purely fiction and does not represent the views of any human being in the world. Note that all authors are complete paranoid schizophrenic who have never satisfied a beautiful woman, or an ugly toothless woman for that matter. This site has no affiliation or with Gaba Man-To-Man English. However, we do encourage people to go there as it is the most bestest English school in Japan. All content on this site should be ignored as it will just waste your time. We are not responsible for you wasting your time. “
So grab a bag of popcorn, sit back and prepare to laugh as you check out what all the hoopla is about on GTA
And be sure to come back tomorrow to learn what GTA has to say about Gaba and ESL in Japan (or subscribe via RSS)!
How you can contribute to amassing the greatest list of Japan Blogs in the world! - an interview with JapanBlogList
On December 20, 2007 in Interviews
Yesterday we had a little chat with Gerry from JapanBlogList and learnt a bit about his mission. If you missed it, you might benefit from reading it first and of course look at the JapanBlogList itself.
Today we are going to take a closer look at what this project has to offer and how you can help make it even better.
Daily J: How do you feel your project can benefit people interested in Japan?
Gerry: Sometimes trying to find a good blog on Japan is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Some of the smaller blogs don’t get the exposure they deserve, so the Japan Blog list can help those people. They can learn more about life in Japan and other Japan-related topics.
Daily J: How might others be able to contribute to the project?
Gerry: Of course! There are so many blogs out there, I alone cannot keep track of all of them. That is why I ask readers to feel free to email their submissions and I will add them to the list. I make sure each site is not SPAM before I add it to the list–quality control, baby!
(DailyJ Sidenote: Quality control is one of the things I really like about this project)
Daily J: Is there anything else you would like to say?
Gerry: Right now The Japan Blog List has gotten out of the gates a little slow, so it could use some help from the blog community. If you feel that the list is worthy enough to grace your site, I would appreciate it if you could link back to The Japan Blog List! Also, please help by submitting more blogs that are not listed (thanks to those who have helped create the initial list!). Cheers, and keep up the fantastic blogging everyone!!!
Last but not least, special thanks to Daily J for giving us the opportunity for an interview! Cheers! =)
(emphasis added)
Chris and Nick commented yesterday and made some good points. 1) It is a good thing that should be taken further. 2) With such a huge list it is a little overwhelming trying to look at it all.
Well, the plan is, it will go further! And we hope it will be amazing. So come back tomorrow and find out why!
Until then, help your fellow Japan-enthusiast out and spread the word.
Have a great day.
DailyJ
A simple bloglist, a powerful mission - an exclusive interview with JapanBlogList
On December 19, 2007 in Interviews
Ladies and gentlefolk, I am very pleased to bring you part one of our interview with Gerry from JapanBlogList! Today we will hear just a little bit about the mission and motivations behind his project. And I’ll spill the beans (a little) about why I like it so much.
Daily J: For our readers that may not know, can you tell us what is the mission/vision of your site?
Gerry: My mission is to create a website where enthusiasts of Japan can come and find the websites they love! Everybody loves discovering a new and fresh blog or site, so hopefully The Japan Blog List can satisfy that thirst!
Daily J: What motivated you to start JapanBlogList? (what problems, etc. where you trying to solve? i.e. Why catalogue all the Japan-related blogs on the web?)
Gerry: Well, I noticed there was a blog list for Korea blogs, and there was no blog list for Japanese blogs! So if Korean bloggers can have a blog list, why not Japan?
Daily J: Where do you see your site going in the future?
Gerry: I hope it can be helpful to people who want to learn more about different cultures, in particular, Japan (and have some fun reading the fantastic blogs out there too).
Daily J: Do you have any other sites/blogs about Japan? Which Japan blogs are your favourites? (no pressure )
Gerry: Well, I would love to follow them all, but a few of my favorites (in no particular order) are Mike’s Blender, Danny Choo, Japan Probe, and Japan Daily Photo. There are many more, but these are the ones I check regularly in my RSS feed!
(Daily sidenote: Japan Daily Photo is by Evan Pike my old schoolmate from uni. One day I should get an interview)
Why I like Japan Blog List:
JBL is trying to compile a list of ALL the Japan-related blogs online. Nipponster is trying to help better organise and enhance ALL of the Japan-related content online. Match made in heaven!
Join us again tomorrow to learn how you too can contribute to the Japan Blog List project!
Until then, check the list out at http://www.japanbloglist.com and have a great day.
Daily J
