Twentythree

Requirement to be added to “jobs in which Japanese is used.”

For foreigners wanting to work in Japan, one of the most common paths into the country is through a Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa. Among other professions, it’s the visa issued to foreign nationals working as English teachers, either as ALTs at regular schools for Japanese children or at for-adults eikaiwa/conversational English schools.

According to a report from nonprofit organization Kyodo, citing sources related to the decision-making process, the Japanese government will be adding a new requirement to the application process that may make it much more difficult to acquire: Japanese language proficiency.

Currently, the primary requirement to obtain an Engineer or Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa is a university degree or sufficient work experience in the field of employment. Japanese language skills aren’t part of the evaluation criteria, and with Japanese employers often handling much of the paperwork filing for obtaining the foreign worker’s visa, through the Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa it’s possible to get a job in Japan without speaking even a word of Japanese. Under the new system, though, applicants would be required to have Japanese language skills equivalent to the N2 level of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, or the B2 level of the CEFR standards.

While not full-on fluency, those are also by no means easy-to-acquire Japanese language skills. They’re not the sort of ability you can reach by taking a semester or two of intro-level Japanese class at your home-country college. Assuming you’ve got other work/educational responsibilities that prevent you from going to language school full-time, you’re probably looking at two years or more to get up to N2-level proficiency. As such, the new requirement has the potential to shut the door on a lot of plans to move to Japan for work right after college graduation unless you’ve been putting in some serious study time already.

There are, however, a few reasons to hold off on panicking if you’ve been dreaming of moving to Japan. First, it’s currently unclear if the requirement of N2/B2-level proficiency would require applicants to have passed those tests, or if alternative proof of proficiency, such as college credits in Japanese language classes, would be accepted. The language proficiency requirement would also only be required for those applying for the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services as part of their initial entry into Japan. The requirement would be waived for foreigners currently in Japan on student visas applying to transition directly into Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status.

Also, the Japanese language proficiency requirement will reportedly only be applied for foreigners “entering into jobs where Japanese is used.” That, though, raises as-yet unanswered questions of what the criteria will be to determine if “Japanese is used” as part of a job. Would an English teacher’s job be seen as “using Japanese” if the school’s administrators, or the parents of the students they teach, communicate in Japanese? Would an engineer, whose regular work is largely technical in nature, be considered to have a “uses Japanese” job if clients communicate with the company in Japanese?

According to the source, the new requirement was prompted by numerous instances of foreign workers entering Japan on Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services but then working in unskilled labor roles, a violation of the visa terms. At first it might seem hard to see how raising visa requirements would reduce the number of foreigners working in unskilled labor positions, but, while not mentioned in the Kyodo report, there are likely two things the Japanese government hopes to accomplish through stricter standards.

Taken at face-value and in good faith, requiring that foreigners coming to Japan for jobs that require them to actually be able to use Japanese would be a logical and reasonable way to prevent situations where a foreigner comes to Japan, can’t do the job they came here to do, and ends up in a sector they aren’t authorized to work in (unskilled labor has its own separate, stricter immigration policies and procedures). In addition, by shrinking the candidate pool and making its average resume stronger, requiring Japanese proficiency would make it harder, and more expensive, for unscrupulous Japanese employers to bring workers to Japan on Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visas for jobs that are actually unskilled labor.

At the same time, significantly raising the visa requirements for language teaching positions would have major implications for ALT and eikaiwa staffing. Most jobs in those sectors are entry-level, low-paying positions, and many applicants have relatively low language skills upon their arrival in Japan, with the opportunity to acclimate to the local language often a major point of attraction in offsetting an unimpressive salary. If organizations looking for ALT and eikaiwa teachers suddenly have to limit their hiring to candidates who already have N2-level Japanese language proficiency, they may find it difficult to secure a sufficient number of workers, especially within their current budgets.

The new visa requirement would come amidst a growing governmental/societal sentiment in Japan that improved Japanese language skills are going to be crucial in harmonious integration of the growing foreign population into Japanese society, with Japanese language proficiency being considered as a new requirement for those seeking permanent residency in the country.

A formal announcement of the new visa requirement is expected to be made later this month.

Source: 47 News/Kyodo via Livedoor News
Top image: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24)
Insert image: Pakutaso
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Look, I’m tired. Just think up your own lede for this, OK?

The other day, I was talking to someone I hallucinated about the importance of sleep. In these days, where the world never seems to stop moving, it can be hard to carve out the recommended seven to eight hours a day. We tend to think of this time as wasted, rather than as a crucial function of our body to maintain health.

It’s a problem medical equipment makers at ResMed work hard on, and as a way to gauge which countries need to understand this the most, they’ve been holding the Global Sleep Survey each year. This survey asks 30,000 people in 13 countries about their sleeping habits and knowledge, and for the fourth year in a row, Japan was found to sleep the worst.

Looking at the key factor of hours of sleep per night, Japan was the shortest on average, with only six hours and 23 minutes. There was some stiff competition this year, however, with the USA not too far behind, resting for six hours and 29 minutes, and the UK getting only two more minutes per night than them. Countries with the longest night’s rest were China, with seven hours and 14 minutes, and Brazil, clocking in at seven hours and seven minutes.

Japan also ranked dead last in terms of sleep knowledge, probably because everyone was too tired to learn about it. Just 63 percent of respondents in Japan knew that sleeping well can prolong life expectancy, the lowest of all participating countries, and well below the 84 percent average. People in Japan were also least aware that sleep deprivation can lead to conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

When Japanese respondents were asked what they did to help sleep better, the number one answer was “nothing”, at 38 percent. It was followed by a warm bath at 34 percent, which honestly feels more like a cop out, because that’s more of a custom than something done solely to get to sleep. When asked what sleep aids were used, the majority of Japanese respondents essentially said “Ummm…” at 57 percent, with “blackout curtains” in a distant second, at 20 percent.

If you think Japan’s famously grueling work culture is to blame, you might be correct. Only 26 percent of respondents in Japan said they felt their supervisors cared about their health, and 24 percent said their workplace put a priority on rest and recovery, nearly half the global average in both cases. In addition, 62 percent of people in Japan said they’ve never taken a day off work due to fatigue, more than double the global average of 30 percent.

▼ You haven’t truly lived in Japan until you’ve napped on a toilet at work.

The one area where Japan is leading the world in is the ominously named “sleep divorce,” with 57 percent saying they sleep in different beds than their significant other. Studies suggest that this habit can result in higher quality of sleep, but ResMed warns that sleeping alone also means no one can pick up on possible symptoms of disorders like sleep apnea syndrome that could lead to more serious health problems.

Suffice it to say, the people least surprised by these results were the people of Japan. In comments about the news, a majority felt that overwork was the main cause, while others felt the sheer amount of addictive entertainment may be partly to blame for it all.

“Go to bed!”
“We have the longest working hours in the world too, so this is no shock.”
“I think everyone is on edge here because they can’t get enough sleep.”
“It wouldn’t be this way if we could get home before sunset.”
“I get home at the same time, but I’m having trouble falling asleep. My sleep time is decreasing each year.”
“Everyone’s blaming work, but I bet most of you are staying up on your smartphones.”
“I feel pretty refreshed after six hours and 30 minutes.”
“We could work less hours, but that’s less money and a more difficult life.”
“If we sacrifice sleep, our work declines, and we need to work more, and we sleep less…”
“There’s too much good anime on late at night. I’m unemployed and still busy.”
“We are a nation of wasted effort.”
“I only sleep for about 5 hours a night and nap like a dolphin during the day.”

In case you’re not a marine biologist, dolphins literally sleep with one eye open all the time. Because they’d likely die from drowning or predators if they perfectly went to sleep, they can manage to just shut down half of their brain at a time to give it some rest. Quite frankly, that is a trick I would love to learn myself, and it could help a lot of other people in Japan by the looks of things.

Until we somehow master that art, ResMed suggests that the society and government of Japan view sleep deprivation not as a personal problem but something that everyone must tackle together as a people. And until that happens, it’s important to monitor your own health and well-being as best you can to ensure you don’t miss out on sleep like the people of Japan are known to do, but instead live a long life… like the people of Japan are known to do…

Hang on a sec…

Source: PR Times, My Game News Flash, Maidona News
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Cozy Corner unveils a mini-Pokédex’s worth of adorable Pokémon desserts.

Variety is the figurative name of the game in the Pokémon franchise. Even if you’re not aiming for full-on caught-em-all Pokémon Master status, any capable trainer knows that it’s important to acquire a Pokémon roster of diverse Types and skill sets, so that you’re prepared for anything that an opponent might throw out against you in battle.

And you knew where else diversity can be extremely desirable? Desserts.

Japanese bakery chain Cozy Corner has a penchant for nine-piece cake sets, and this time they’re drawing from the ample inspiration available in the Pokédex. Starting at the center of the above photo we’ve got a Pikachu cake, banana-flavored and loaded with popping candy to recrate the tingle of his Thunderbolt attack.

Also part of the set are Psyduck, whose confusion perhaps stems from the complexity of the lemon tea whipped cream…

…Jigglypuff, a tart made of strawberry custard (“purin” being both the Japanese word for custard and Jigglypuff’s name in Japan)…

…a chocolate caramel Eevee, complete with little Poké Ball cookie…

…a blueberry cream Ditto, with chocolate sauce facial features…

…a “soda” (citrus cider) Piplup, with a bit of extra mousse to recreate the Bubble Beam attack…

…a Bulbasaur roll cake, with the flavors of muscat grape and yogurt…

…Gengar, who bends the rules by escaping the bounds of cake-dom with what Cozy Corner describes as “a gelatin with a suspicious aura” and the taste of peach and grape…

…and, finally, Charizard, unleashing a Flamethrower attack of mango whipped cream.

▼ And yes, even the box they come in is cute.

Of course, no single Pokémon species is as adored as Pikachu, and so the face of the franchise’s face also is the muse for a larger, but still individual-sized, cake.

This isn’t just a scaled-up version of the Pikachu confection from the nine-piece set. Instead, it’s a sponge cake with a custard cream topping and inner layers of whipped cream and caramel sauce.

However, all of those delicious cream fillings and mousse toppings mean that these cakes probably won’t keep very long or travel long distances very well. So if you’re, for instance, looking for souvenirs to being back from a trip to Japan, the more practical option might be one of Cozy Corner’s new sets of Pokémon cookies, madeleines, and financiers.

The eight-madeleine Eeeve Friends and 12-piece Party Box set, which also has edible illustration cookies and Poké Ball-shaped financiers, are both eye-catching, but the sturdiest, and easiest to reuse, container comes with the 10-piece Pikachu Can set.

The cake set and individual Pikachu cake are priced at 3,654 yen (US$23) and 777 yen, respectively, while the baked goods bundles are 864, 1,512 and 1,890. While pre-purchases aren’t explicitly required, between limited in-store quantities and the perennial popularity of all things Pokémon, reservations are the smart strategy and can be made through the Cozy Corner website here as of April 5 and until May 2, with in-store pickup dates available between April 10 and May 7.

Source: Cozy Corner, PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Cozy Corner, PR Times
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Perfect for the shinobi who wants to stay out of the sun and snack on sweets.

Japanese clothing brand Sara’s catalog includes a zip-up hoodie that’s officially named the “Perfect Parka.” The company also uses a second name they use for the garment, perhaps because perfection is a subjective concept, or maybe because they realize that when people see it, they’re naturally going to call it the “Ninja Parka.”

The true purpose of the Ninja Parka, though, isn’t chic shinobi style. It’s to provide protection from UV rays. See, in addition to being the land of the rising sun, Japan is also a land of harsh sunlight during the warmer months of the year. Staying in the shade isn’t always so easy to do, though. Without daylight savings the sun comes up very early in Japan, and a reliance on public transportation means that, at the very least, you’re going to be spending a chunk of time walking to/from the train station or bus stop when venturing out. Between the Ninja Parka’s UV-resistant material, long sleeves, hood, and mesh mask, though, you can keep the sun off of yourself, while still seeing where you’re going.

But wait, what if at the same time that your skin is seeking protection, your stomach is clamoring for snacks? No problem, because the mask is also equipped with a zipper.

Simply slide it down when it’s time to take a bite or sip of whatever refreshments you’re indulging in, then zip it back up when you’re done.

▼ Even ninja love Starbucks Japan, it seems.

There’s also a mesh section at the nape of the neck, to help with air circulation when you’ve got the hood up.

In addition to the full Perfect/Ninja Parka, Sara has also added a “Breezy See-through Parka” to the lineup, which shares the same basic construction but with a mesh abdomen section. Pairing it with a crop-top, as the model in the photos below is doing, looks like it’s still put you at risk of burns in the belly button area, but wearing it over a regular-length top would essentially give you the same protection as the full Ninja Parka while keeping your midsection cooler.

And if all you really want is the hood, Sara offers it by itself too.

▼ Again, the ensemble shown in the photo seems like it’s putting some parts of the body at considerable risk of sunburning while providing maximum protection to others, but I suppose individual needs vary by wearer.

Sara offers all three of the items through Rakuten, with the Ninja Parka here for 16,280 yen (US$105), the breezy version here for 15,180 yen, and the hood here for 5.390 yen.

Source, images: PR Times
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Family Mart’s celebration of the Nintendo series continues with fuzzy, useful, and, most importantly, cute merch.

The villagers of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing video game series recently moved into new dwellings: Family Mart. We recently took a look at the line of Animal Crossing cosmetics that are part of the collaboration, but even if you’re not in the market for moisturizer or an adorable lipstick holder case, there are still ways to get in on the fun with some soft, cozy, and functional merch.

That might look like just a decorative plushie strap of twin tanuki Timmy and Tommy. Undo the snap on the reverse side, though, and you’ll find that there’s a terrycloth towel hidden inside!

Hand towels like this are incredibly, well, handy to have on you when out and about in Japan. It’s rare for public restrooms to be stocked with paper towels, and alternatively, as we get farther from winter the weather is going to get increasingly hot and humid, so having something soft and absorbent to towel yourself off with can be a lifesaver on a sweaty afternoon.

The towel itself attaches to the pouch interior with a snap too, and there’s another snap on the pouch’s strap, so you can completely detach the towel and use the pouch to hold something else, like a pair of sunglasses.

And since the strap has a snap too, you can even attach it to a hook or towel rack and hang the towel up for use at home.

There’s less flexibility in terms of how to use the other crossover creation we’re looking at today, but no shortage of cuteness in Family Mart’s Animal Crossing socks.

In some parts of the world, convenience store socks would fall firmly in the “things you buy because you went out, got drunk, and just now woke up in a storm drain” category (hey, it happens). However, Family Mart has been winning fans by offering surprisingly high-quality, and comfortable, apparel essentials, with their socks in particular becoming a fan favorite, so much so that they even sold socks for ice cream for a while.

Available in both adult and kid sizes, Family Mart’s Animal Crossing socks are a clever mix of aesthetic elements. The stripes feature hues that regularly show up in the games’ color design, acting as a subtle signal to fellow fans while still looking fashionable in their own right to those unfamiliar with the source material. Printed on the lower part of the socks is an illustration of Tom Nook and the series’ in-Japanese title (どうぶつの森/Dobutsu no Mori [“Animal Forest”]. Having the more overt references to the games on the lower part of the socks makes perfect sense from a Japanese cultural perspective. Since you remove your shoes when entering a Japanese home, once you’re among friends you can feel free to unabashedly geek out together over your video game socks.

In addition to being sold inside Family Mart branches, the Animal Crossing socks and towel/pouch, priced at 600 yen (US$3.90) and 2,290 yen, respectively, can be ordered through Family Mart’s online store here (payment in Bells not accepted, however).

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Even the massively popular coffee chain itself wasn’t expecting such a positive response, prompting temporary closure less than half a year after opening.

It was with great fanfare that, in November, Starbucks Japan opened its first-ever branch on a Shinkansen station platform. With the coffeehouse chain popular all over Japan, the idea of a branch right where travelers board the bullet train, so that they can sip their Starbucks as they zip around the country, made a lot of sense.

However, scarcely four months since the opening of the branch on the Shinkansen platform of Shin Yokohama Station in the city of Yokohama, Starbucks has announced that it will be closing. That might seem shocking, given the chain’s enviable record of success, but the Shinkansen platform Starbucks isn’t closing because it didn’t have enough customers, but because it attracted more customers than even Starbucks itself was expecting, and so renovations, ahead of a reopening, have been swiftly greenlit.

To be honest, from the start it felt like the Shin Yokohama Shinkansen Starbucks was at least in part a concept test. Though the station is part of the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail line that connects Tokyo with Kyoto and Osaka, Shin Yokohama is much smaller than some of the other stations along the route. The initial version of the Shinkansen platform Starbucks is of a very modest size, only about as big as a train platform kiosk or standing noodle stand, and its menu is pared down quite a bit compared to standard Starbucks branches, with only a few basic brewed coffees room-temperature snacks.

▼ We visited to try it out for ourselves in December.

Now that Starbucks has confirmed that fans will visit a Shinkansen platform location, it can start expanding on its scale and offerings. “Far more people than we’d imagined have made use of [the Shinkansen platform branch], and it has opened our eyes to opportunities to improve their Starbucks experience,” says the company in its announcement of the closure and renovations. “Through taking this time to evolve our operations and the enjoyable services we provide, we will return offering richer, more vibrant coffee experiences to all of our visitors at the moment they start their journeys.”

The last day for the current Shin Yokohama Shinkansen platform Starbucks, before it closes for renovations, will be April 25. The reopening is tentatively scheduled for June, but the company says it take longer, depending on how quickly construction work progresses. The speed with which the Shin Yokohama branch exceeded expectations also suggests that Starbucks will be looking to expand the concept to platforms at other Shinkansen Stations as well.

Source: Starbucks Japan
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This Whisper of the Heart couple can finally have the happy ending they never got in the anime.

With a main character who’s an aspiring novelist, it’s fitting that Whisper of the Heart is a Ghibli anime film that has stories within its stories. One of those involves the Baron, a cat figurine in an antique shop that sparks the imagination of protagonist Shizuku, and which serves as a symbol of how young love comes with no guarantees, as the Baron has become separated from its companion piece, Louise.

Within the anime, the Baron and Louise are never reunited, but there’s still a way for fans to bring the star-crossed feline figurines together again.

Donguri Closet, the feminine fashion and accessory sub-brand of Studio Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku, has crafted a set of Whisper of the Heart earrings. Made of glass, pewter, and surgical stainless steel, the Baron-themed pair shown above features dangling diamond-shaped rhinestones with the dazzling emerald-green color of the Baron’s eyes.

Ah, but this is supposed to be a reunion, right? So there’s also a second set, inspired by Louise, with fittings and rhinestones reflecting the colors of her fur and eyes.

While either set looks lovely as a fashionably asymmetrical feline/floral motif, mixing and matching them means that you can bring the Baron and Louise together again by wearing both at the same time. They’re even oriented to be worn this way, with the Baron facing forward when worn on your right ear, and Louise looking in the same direction when worn on your left.

Not that the flower designs are any slouches in the looks department either, though.

The Whisper of the Heart Reunion Baron and Louise Earrings, to use their official names, are priced at 8,800 yen (US$57) per set and are available through the Donguri Kyowakoku online shop here.

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Studio Ghibli, PR Times
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