TT-673 -- Lifeguards with Nothing Better to Do, ebiz news from Japan

* * * * * * * * * T E R R I E 'S T A K E * * * * * * *

A weekly roundup of news & information from Terrie Lloyd.
(http://www.terrie.com)

General Edition Sunday, August 05, 2012, Issue No. 673

+++ INDEX

- What's New -- Lifeguards with Nothing Better to Do
- News -- Labor law limits contract durations
- Upcoming Events
- Corrections/Feedback
- Travel Picks -- Mie-ken and Shizuoka-ken
- News Credits

SUBSCRIBE to, UNSUBSCRIBE from Terrie's Take at:
http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie

BACK ISSUES
http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take, or,
http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/

---------- PBXL TOTAL TELEPHONY SOLUTION (TTS) ------------

PAYING TOO MUCH FOR MONTHLY CALLING CHARGES?
PBXL's Total Telephony Solution is the answer for unlimited
domestic and international calling. With PBXL cloud
telephony and TTS, enjoy a fully managed solution with zero
variable costs. No office is too big or too small to save
money.

- Unlimited calling within Japan and 23 countries
- Flat-rate calling charges based on number of phones
- PBXL will review your current bills and save you money

Check out our website today at http://en.pbxl.jp
e-mail us at info@pbxl.jp or call us at 03-4550-2557

------------ PBXL is BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS --------------

+++ WHAT'S NEW

As of this morning (Sunday) Japanese swimmers had picked up
11 medals at the London Olympics, including three silver
medals. Satomi Suzuki, one of the silver medal winners, tied
the Japanese record for 200m breaststroke and became the first
Japanese female swimmer to win two medals at the same
games (she also earned a bronze in the 100m event earlier).

With 11 gongs, Japan is now making its presence felt like
never before in international swimming, and was lying
second in the medals table, after the USA. Traditional
powerhouses, China and Australia, had 10 each. In
comparison, in Beijing in 2008, Japan won just 5 medals in
swimming, although admittedly two of them were gold (Kosuke
Kitajima won both). With those 5 medals, Japan ended up in
6th place in the medals table, with Australia in 2nd. So it's no
wonder that with a better spread of medals and a much higher
total, the Japanese press is lauding the methods of Japanese
swim coach Norimasa Hirai. As an Asahi Shimbun interview
back in February stated, Hirai may be polite and gentle in
public, but with his students, he apparently is very
strong-minded, authoritarian, and demanding -- just as any
high-level coach might be expected to be -- but which appears
to have earned him some fallings out with potential stars as
well.

So you might think that with all this success, that
swimming is becoming popular in Japan with kids again,
which it may well do after these Olympics. But at the same
time, we know from practical experience that swimming in
Japan is not a particularly pleasant activity, due to the
way that swimming pools are policed. Indeed, given that
most pools are only open for just two months of the year
and close at least 4-6 weeks before the weather starts to
cool down again -- "fun" seems to be very low on the
list of pool-owners' priorities. It makes you wonder, actually,
why the authorities even bother building pools when they
are so under-utilized.

[Continued below...]

--- NAGAMINE & MISHIMA - Securing Your Success in Japan ---

Starting a new company in Japan? Looking to streamline
your current operations?

The team of bilingual experts at Nagamine & Mishima is able
to provide high quality accounting, payroll and tax
services that both exceed expectations and fit your budget.
Our services help customers improve their operations and
bottom line results.

To find out more about our services and how we can help
your business in Japan succeed, please visit our website
www.nagamine-mishima.com or reach us directly by telephone
at 03-3581-1975 or by email at info@nagamine-mishima.com.

---------- YOUR BOTTOM LINE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY------------

[...Article continues]

Anyway, it's summer and it's hot and since the kids are out
of school, what better thing to do than make for a local
swimming pool or the beach? Back in early July we started
off with pools first, since our kids get out for summer
earlier than those going to regular Japanese schools do.
First stop was the local school swimming pool, which was
virtually bereft of kids -- although there were lots of old
people doing water resistance walking rather than
swimming, and imperious lifeguards counting heads every
couple of minutes. As a side note, you don't realize just how
many genki old people there are in suburban Japan until you
go to a local school or community pool in early July... ;-)

Next we tried the local government-run pool. In truth, both
times we had forgotten the mixed blessings of being in
orderly, rules-based Japan. Firstly you need to make sure
that you come forearmed with a head cap and goggles. Forget
those, and you can forget about swimming -- the cap because
you may molt in the pool and there will be hell to pay if
you do. Then the goggles because Japanese pool operators
(schools and local governments alike) put in enough
chemicals to bleach not only your hair but your eyes as
well.

Once you're in the pool, you are suddenly reminded of why
returnee kids hate going back to Japanese school (we made
our's go at one point, for language skills) -- because of
the incessant and often meaningless rules. In the case of
swimming pools, the problem is hard-core lifeguards, who
won't be happy unless they can see you at all times and
who certainly don't want your kids don't behave like kids
(splashing, yelling, and generally chasing each other in the
water). Whistles, shouting, arm waving, and lots of PA
messages are the order of the day, and they can really
wreck a family's day out.

Then how about the part where everyone has to get out of
the pool and take a break every 50 minutes, while a
lifeguard swims aimlessly around looking for drowned
swimmers? What intelligent purpose can those enforced
breaks possibly serve? If you're tired, you get out -- 50
minutes of exercise is not a magical number, except
perhaps to a bureaucrat writing a rule book. And people
don't drown at exactly 10 minutes to the hour...

Forget about diving, swimming underwater for a whole
length, having pony fights, or bottom-of-the-pool tea
parties -- all the good stuff we did as kids ourselves.
Instead, you can expect to be told off by some guard for
daring to put your head underwater for more than a few
seconds, since they can't see you... We have to ask, if a
child can't hold their breath for 5-10 seconds and feel
comfortable underwater, then what are they doing in a pool
in the first place?

With this kind of over-control, and we saw Japanese Dads
get it in the neck as well, it's no wonder that the public
pool changing area in the Shibuya sports center in
Nishihara has a sign in Japanese and English saying, please
"be polite and avoid conflict". To be honest, the mentality
of the guards is enough to drive any sane adult to
violence, unless perhaps you had such feelings bred out of
you after 12 years in a Japanese public school. So after
2-3 similar experiences at different pools, we stopped
going -- which is perhaps why the pools are generally
deserted most days...

But it's hot and it's summer. So this weekend we decided
that since the pools are depressing, why don't we head for
the beaches instead? Thoughts of wide open spaces and lots
of waves to thrash about in were enough to get us to pile
into a car and head for a remote area of the Boso
peninsular, to Wada-ura beach -- just down from Kamogawa.
It looked nice enough on the internet and sure enough it
didn't disappoint. We found parking easily, because really
only the locals use this place, being 2 1/2 hours from
Tokyo.

We got out the swimming gear and as a family raced for the
water. This particular part of a larger beach is protected
by a ring of rocks, so the massive waves crashing on the
outer boundary were soothed to a mild and fun swell by the
time they hit the swimming area. The beach is also
surrounded by nets, although we couldn't tell if they were
for sharks, jelly fish, or people. It was great not to be
surrounded by the smell of chlorine and to listen to the
sound of breakers, birds, and laughing kids.

But then, suddenly there was a yelling from the beach and a
brightly dressed teenage lifeguard jumped up and down
gesticulating. "Don't go so far out!"
"Who, us?" we asked.
Yes, she was pointing directly at us.
We then stood up in the water, showing that we weren't
deeper than waist-height (we were actually trying to be
safe) and nonetheless she wanted us to come in closer to
where the little kids were. It didn't matter that there
were nets, floats, no waves to speak of, and that we'd be
hard pressed drowning in waist-high water. She wanted
control and that was that. It really put a damper on
things. The kids still enjoyed themselves, but every now
and again we would look furtively towards the lifeguard
box to see if what we were doing was OK. At least at the
Wada-ura beach they allowed us to swim underwater and dive
into waves. Thanks for small blessings.

Then at exactly 16:30 in the afternoon the beachguards
packed up and went home, leaving the remaining swimmers to
fend for themselves. Had we known this part of the routine,
we would have arrived around 17:00 and enjoyed ourselves a
lot more! Furthermore, taking a walk down the beach towards
Kamogawa before leaving, we noticed large signs on the
tsunami walls saying "No swimming" -- more control. But it
seems that like many things in Japan, these signs are only
for those who choose to read them. A cook at a local
restaurant, who turns out to be a surfer during the
daytime, told us that surfers are left alone even where
there is supposed to be no swimming, because neither the
teenagers serving as lifeguards nor the local authorities
can control them.

OK, so next time we hit Wada-ura for a bit of watery
freedom, we'll be packing surfboards and will arrive
shortly before dusk... :-)

And so it is that we wonder how Japan gets enough kids to
get sufficiently interested in swimming that they'd want to
one day become Olympic champions? Right now they're more
likely to want to be passive bystanders instead -- since that
is an approved activity. Rather, we think the various
organizations involved in swimming and lifesaving should
consider their roles more closely and make swimming more
attractive and fun for the nation's children (and of
course their parents, too). Otherwise, the current haul of
medals may simply turn out to be an aberration, as the
number of future aspirants dwindles due to lack of interest
by today's kids.

**************

A reminder that our sister company Metropolis is listing
a wonderful wooded plot next to the 27-hole Enrei golf
course in Suwa, Nagano, for just JPY6,800,000 (about
US$80,000). The property is 1,032 square meters, and is
located right on the edge of the golf course, so that you
will never be built out. See photos and a full description
here. http://bit.ly/LzdHST. The owner is keen to sell
quickly, which is why the property is so competitively
priced.

...The information janitors/

***------------------------****-------------------------***

-------------------- Delta Air Lines ----------------------

SUMMER HEATS UP WITH MORE MILES TO EARN,
MORE ONLINE SAVINGS FROM DELTA.COM.

This summer, enjoy an exclusive 3% savings when you book a
trip on delta.com for flights from Japan to the United
States, Hawaii, Asia, or Micronesia. To get your savings:

1. Go to “Redeem Certificate” at delta.com and enter
WYAVE4GD into the Certificate Number field.
2. Enter redemption code ADFH9EBHQ when prompted.
3. Search and complete your flight booking(s). All travels
must be completed by December 31, 2012.

While you travel the world, remember that you can earn
additional miles with our SkyMiles partners for hotel
reservations, rental cars and even online purchases. For a
full list of our partners, please visit delta.com.

All SkyMiles program rules apply to SkyMiles program
membership, miles, offers, mile accrual, mile redemption,
and travel benefits. The rules are subject to change any
time.

To review the rules, please visit delta.com/memberguide.
-----------------------------------------------------------

+++ NEWS

- Labor law limits contract durations
- Suica/Pasmo transactions pass 3m daily
- Changes in bank shareholding rules
- Japanese restaurants becoming popular in Thailand
- New law extends working age rights

=> Labor law limits contract durations

The Diet has passed a law that makes it more difficult for
employers to fire contract workers after several renewals,
providing those workers are filling jobs on the same basis
as regular employees. The law also sets five years as the
practical limit for contract renewals, after which the
contractor can have the option of joining the employer as
a full-time staff member. ***Ed: All good stuff from an
employee's point of view, but another nail in the coffin
for Japanese manufacturers as they try to manage the
record-high yen.** (Source: TT commentary from
japantimes.co.jp, Aug 4, 2012)

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120804b4.html

=> Suica/Pasmo transactions pass 3m daily

Near-field payments may be the subject of fierce debate
abroad, but in Japan it's a tried and true way of
extracting massive amounts of money from Japanese
consumers. Apparently the JR and Tokyo subway system's
Suica and Pasmo cards have collectively passed 3m
transactions per day for the first time. There were 78.77m
transactions performed in the month of July, as consumers
increase their use of the cards for more than just train
rides. 40.2m Suica and 20.57m Pasmo cards have been issued
so far. ***Ed: Imagine the sheer volume of pre-paid cash
that JR and the other rail operators are sitting on --
most people pre-pay JPY3,000-JPY5,000, meaning that about
JPY200bn (about US$2.5bn) or more is earning overnight
interest on the money markets for these companies.
(Source: TT commentary from e.nikkei.com, Aug 4, 2012)

http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120804D0308A16.htm?GID=58

=> Changes in bank shareholding rules

The timing of a new Financial Services Agency (FSA) rule
change to allow banks to increase their holdings of
non-financial firms from just 5% to up to 20% seems very
convenient to us. Given that the banks are going to be
experiencing a slew of bad loans once the Shizuka Kamei
loan moratorium ends next March, we expect there to be a
lot of sleight of hand going on as defaulting loans are
dealt with. Swapping debt for shares, something that the
new FSA rule allows, seems to be one such back-door
arrangement. (Source: TT commentary from e.nikkei.com,
Aug 2, 2012)

http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120801D0108F01.htm

=> Japanese restaurants becoming popular in Thailand

Thai company PDS Holdings has found itself with a hit on
its hands after opening two Gyu-kaku brand restaurants in
Bangkok, and the company says it will open another 6 stores
by the end of 2013. PDS says that each restaurant broke
even within 4 months of opening, thanks to pricing about
100 food items at between 30-1,800 baht (THB) (about
JPY75-JPY2,500). The Japanese restaurant sector in
Bankgkok has sales of around THB11bn (JPY27.5bn) and no
doubt other Japanese food operators are watching with close
interest. (Source: TT commentary from bangkokpost.com, Aug
2, 2012)

http://bit.ly/OIQGJy

=> New law extends working age rights

The Diet lower house as passed legislation that gives
workers the right to stay at their jobs until they turn 65,
requiring their employers to keep them on. The new law,
which is expected to be in force from April 2013,
unfortunately doesn't have any teeth, since employers who
do fire staff after 60 will not be penalized for doing so.
***Ed: About all the government has said they will do is to
"name-and-shame" companies retiring workers early, in the
public media.** (Source: TT commentary from bloomberg.com,
Aug 3, 2012)

http://bloom.bg/Nhx12d

NOTE: Broken links
Many online news sources remove their articles after just a
few days of posting them, thus breaking our links -- we
apologize for the inconvenience.

***------------------------****-------------------------***

----- ACCJ Journal - Connect to CEOs of MNEs in Japan -----

Looking to reach out to key decision makers in Japan? With
our English & Japanese language ACCJ Journals, we have an
open line to CxOs of major American & Japanese companies in
Japan.

For the month of July and to celebrate Independence Day, we
are offering companies a 60% discount on any advertising
product in the ACCJ Journal if payment is settled by August
31st!

We are eager to support your strategic communications and
hope to hear from you soon. For more details, please
contact us in English or Japanese at 03-4550-2926 or email
sales@accjjournal.com.
-----------------------------------------------------------

+++ CANDIDATE ROUND UP/VACANCIES

=> BiOS, a Division of the LINC Media group, is actively
marketing the following positions for customers setting up
or expanding in Japan, as well as other employers of
bilinguals.

** HIGHLIGHTED POSITION

BiOS is urgently looking for Data Center Operators to
provide media service support at one of the largest data
centers in the Tokyo area. The candidate will be
responsible for setting up tape library equipment, updating
the tape library, as well as checking data availability.
You will also be responsible for coordinating vendor
schedules, reporting to data center leaders, escorting
visitors to the data center, and providing ad-hoc support
at the data center.

This position is suitable for someone with at least one
year of hardware support with user support background. In
addition, since this role requires direct coordination with
both regional and global IT teams, business-level English
and business-level Japanese will be required.

Remuneration is JPY3M– JPY3.6M depending on your experience
and skill level.

** POSITIONS VACANT

- Senior Support Eng, global IT company, JPY4.5M - JPY5.5M
- Project Manager, global IT company, JPY5.4M - JPY7M
- Bilingual Desktop Engr, telco., JPY3M – 4M
- Electrical Engr (Data Center), DC co., JPY5M – JPY6.5M
- Personal Assistant, investment firm, JPY3.6M – JPY5M

** BiOS Job Mail

Every 2 weeks BiOS sends out a regular communication to its
job seeking candidates, called BiOS Job Mail. Every edition
carries a list of BiOS's current and most up-to-date
vacancies, with each entry featuring a short job
description and a direct link to the main entry on the BiOS
home page. Regardless of whether you are unemployed and
searching, thinking about a career change, or just curious
to know if there is something out there that might suit you
better, the BiOS Job Mail newsletter is an easy and
convenient way for you to stay informed. If you would like
to register for the BiOS Job Mail, or to find out more,
please email toshisada.onishi@biosjp.com.

Interested individuals may e-mail resumes to:
toshisada.onishi@biosjp.com

-----------------------------------------------------------
***------------------------****-------------------------***

+++ UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

---------------- Start a Company in Japan -----------------

Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar 29th of September, 2012

If you have been considering setting up your own company,
find out what it takes to make it successful. Terrie Lloyd,
founder of over 17 start-up companies in Japan, will be
giving an English-language seminar and Q&A on starting up
a company in Japan.

This is an ideal opportunity to find out what is involved,
and to ask specific questions that are not normally
answered in business books. All materials are in English
and are Japan-focused.

For more details:
http://www.japaninc.com/entrepreneur_handbook_seminar
-----------------------------------------------------------

-----TiE event: "Fireside chat with solar experts" --------

The introduction of a feed-in-tariff at 42yen per kWh
beginning in July this year was one of the most attractive
subsidy programs in the world. Not only numerous solar farm
projects are popping up from no where, but small
residential solar installations are also expected to boom.
TiE Japan is inviting two residential solar experts from
the UK and Japan, to discuss recent developments in the
residential solar market.

Speakers:
Mr. Wayne Morris, Managing Director, Big Green Company
http://www.biggreencompany.co.uk/

Dr. Yoshihiko Matsumoto, Strategist JX Nippon Oil & Energy
Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/yoshihiko-matsumoto/13/38b/295

Date: Aug. 10 (Fri) 6:30pm
Venue: DTwo Solutions Mtg room.
4F, 4-8-6 Roppongi
http://dtwo-solutions.com/Contact.htm
Cost: Free of charge

Phone: +81-3-6439-1188 to reserve a seat.
***------------------------****-------------------------***

+++ CORRECTIONS/FEEDBACK

In this section we run comments and corrections submitted
by readers. We encourage you to spot our mistakes and
amplify our points, by email, to editors@terrie.com.

*** No feedback this week.

***------------------------****-------------------------***

+++ TRAVEL DESTINATIONS PICKS

=> Tsubaki Taisho, an Unearthly Shrine -- Mie-ken
One of Japan's oldest & most revered shrines, Tsubaki.

The Tsubaki Taisha, as it is known to the locals, is
located far from the city center. The shrine is surrounded
by the enormous trees of a thick lush forest, high in the
mountainous region, and like many of Japan’s Grand Shrines,
there is something unearthly about the atmosphere. It’s as
though you truly are under the gaze of the Shinto gods.
There are six main shrines within the complex, and many
hundreds of lesser shrines dotting the landscape.

Tsubaki Taisha is dedicated to the god of guidance,
courage, strength and righteousness, Sarutahiko No Okami.
Sarutahiko is said to be the greatest of just six earth
born gods, and is often depicted as being a large powerful
figure with a flowing beard and long nose, a most
un-Japanese looking face!

http://japantourist.jp/view/tsubaki-taisho-an-unearthly-shrine

=> Izu Peninsula West Coast -- Shizuoka-ken
A water lover's guide

I first toured Izu peninsula by bicycle in August during
Obon week, a Japanese celebration of ancestors. It was
indeed hot and humid, and the experience was magical. I
have been back to Izu dozens of times since then, in all
seasons, and I continue to be amazed by the seemingly
limitless opportunities for the water enthusiast around
nearly every turn.

The shape of Izu is a snake's head, tipped slightly to the
left. Osezaki, on the top left tip is about 22 km southwest
of the city of Numazu, a right turn off route 17. It is a
scuba diving point and offers up a magnificent view of
Mount Fuji. Divers can pay the nominal shrine entrance fee
and dive to the right, where there are soft corals and a
variety of smaller fish, or they can walk over the hump and
dive to the left for a deeper dive with larger animals. On
both sides the current can be strong so be aware of
distance traveled and where to turn back; use your computer
or count kick cycles. After your dives, the restaurants
back at the beach area, where beginner dive classes take
place, are reasonable and the food is delicious. There's
also a hot bath further back in the dive shops' area if
you're feeling chilled.

http://japantourist.jp/view/izu-peninsula-west-coast

***------------------------****-------------------------***

***********************************************************
END

SUBSCRIBERS: 7,920 members as of August 05, 2012
(We purge our list regularly.)

+++ ABOUT US

STAFF
Written by: Terrie Lloyd (terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com)

HELP: E-mail Terrie-request@mailman.japaninc.com
with the word 'help' in the subject or body (don't include
the quotes), and you will get back a message with
instructions.

FEEDBACK
Send letters (Feedback, Inquiries & Information) to the
editor to terrie.lloyd@japaninc.com.

ADVERTISING INFORMATION
For more information on advertising in this newsletter,
Contact ads@japaninc.com.

SUBSCRIBE
Get Terrie's Take by giving your name and email address at
http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up, or go
straight to Mailman at:
http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie

BACK ISSUES
http://www.japaninc.com/terries_take
or, http://mailman.japaninc.com/pipermail/terrie/

Copyright 2012 Japan Inc. Communications Inc.

----------------- Japan Inc opens up Japan ----------------

J@pan Inc authoritatively chronicles business trends in
Japan. Each posting brings you in-depth analysis of
business, people and technology in the world's third
largest economy.

Visit www.japaninc.com for the best business insight on
Japan available.
-----------------------------------------------------------

_______________________________________________
Terrie mailing list
Terrie@mailman.japaninc.com
http://mailman.japaninc.com/mailman/listinfo/terrie