HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ntetsuya@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Nishimura)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Youth Hostels
Date: 8 Sep 92 16:13:59 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

In article <Bu8ypw.7zp@news.cso.uiuc.edu> kth40861@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Kirby Herazy ) writes:
>
>I would like to know how the youth hostels are as an alternative to
>hotels.  Please recommend any other economical alternatives for sleeping
>arrangements.
>
>
>Thank you.

	Youth hostels usually charge you about 1500-3000 per night including 
	a supper and a breakfast.  They will rent you a sleeping sheet for
	around 100-300 yen when y0u don't have one.  In most places alcohol is
	prohibited.  Men and women stay in separate rooms.  Smoking is OK in
	many places but only in mutual living rooms.
	I would recommend you to make reservations in advance and to get a 
	membership card either in Japan or in the US.  This will make the 
	business easier.  Some hostels sometimes charge non-members extra.
	
	Alternatives that I can think of...
	In large cities:
		business hotels		4000-8000 yen/night/person
					no meals
		capsul hotels		3500-6000 yen/night/person
					no meals, no more than one person can
					sleep in the same component  :->
		kaNi ryokan		1500-5000 yen/night/person
					no meals

	In rural area and small cities
		the same accomodations above except womewhat cheaper prices

		miNshuku		4000-6000 yen/night/person
					two meals

	and almost ALL OVER in Japan
		rabu hoteru (love hotels)!!!!
				5000-12000 yen/night/TWO persons basically  ;->
				no meals
	
	And the last and cheapest resort is making friends with someone in 
	the town and stay with them...  :-]

	Hope this helps.

					Tetsuya Nishimura
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: aoki@physics.ucla.edu (ken aoki)
Subject: Re: The Northern Islands
Summary: what do people think?
Keywords: four small islands,  public perception,
Organization: UCLA Department of Physics
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 16:52:29 GMT

In article <1992Sep14.225704.27250@Csli.Stanford.EDU> hiraga@Csli.Stanford.EDU (Yuzuru Hiraga) writes:
>In article <1992Sep14.174726.2912@physics.ucla.edu> I wrote:
>>Methinks the people are missing the point. (Or are people
>>just kidding without saying the obvious?)
>>
>>The four islands have not much to do with practicality, IMHO.
>>It is just a matter of principle. Also, the Japanese
>>politicians have used it as a political tool.
> [lines deleted]
>>On the practical side, I think it is the fishing rights
>>and also the possibility of oil fields(weren't there some around
>>there? perhaps I am mistaken). But I don't think that part is
>>as important.
>
>Opposed to you, Ken, and as Dave McLane suggested, there do exist
 ^^^^^^^
>substantial issues.  And this should be seen from both sides,
>positive factors for Japan and negative for Russia.
[...explanation of the materialistic side deleted for brevity...]

I don't intend to get into an argument, but are you saying
that the majority of the people in JAPAN want the islands
back for its materialistic or militaristic values?

What I said was that while there are substantial materialistic
issues, the majority of the people in Japan want the islands back
as a matter of principle and its emotional/sentimental values.
I was under this impression whenever I heard about this
topic in Japan.   However, I am quite out of touch and it is
quite possible that I am completely wrong, but I would like
to know.

>-Yuzuru Hiraga

I am assuming that most people in Japan know about the four
islands and also want them back (which I believe is true.)
There is a substantial materialstic side, but I did not
think they were 'as important' in the general public's eye.

There has been quite a few good discussions about the materialistic
aspects from both sides, in this group to which I have
nothing to add to.               
-- 
                        Kenichiro Aoki. (aoki@physics.ucla.edu)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: aoki@physics.ucla.edu (ken aoki)
Subject: Re: The Northern Islands
Summary:  impractical and political
Organization: UCLA Department of Physics
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 17:47:26 GMT

Methinks the people are missing the point. (Or are people
just kidding without saying the obvious?)

The four islands have not much to do with practicality, IMHO.
It is just a matter of principle. Also, the Japanese
politicians have used it as a political tool.
(Having a common nasty enemy facilitates unity,  opportunity
to make excuses for building up defense, offers distraction, etc.)
Bringing up this topic so often, so that now the general
public is somewhat emotional about this subject. 
(or sentimental, or whatever.) Or it seems that way to me.
So now, the japanese politicians cannot back down and will
have to take a hard line.

On the practical side, I think it is the fishing rights
and also the possibility of oil fields(weren't there some around
there? perhaps I am mistaken). But I don't think that part is
as important.

Just my 2 cents worth.

In article <2673@aegis.or.jp> davidg@aegis.or.jp (Dave McLane) writes:
>smittie@beach.csulb.edu (Smittie) writes:
>
>>>All right, so if once the Japanese acquire the Northern Islands, what are they
>>>going to do with them?  Turn them into tourist traps?  Watch the four rocks
>>>turn into four recreational complexes overnight?  Better yet, connect them
>>>with subways.  Turn island #1 into a parking lot, #2 into a disneyland,
>>>#3 into a Seibu department outlet, and #4 into a Self-Defense Force naval
>>>air station.
>
>>So what if they do? The islands will have become Japanese property and that
>>means they get to do whatever they want with it.
>
>Has anyone noticed the huge importance given to some little rock
>stuck way off the shores of Japan proper? As long as this is above
>water it marks the end of Japan and thus the fishing rights. From
>time to time there have been articles showing how it is being built
>up artificially to maintain these rights. Likewise, having the
>four islands will greatly expand the area open to Japanese fishing.
>
>Just an idea...
>
>Dave
>
>--
>Dave McLane 
>JUNET: davidg@aegis.or.jp (ONLY within Japan: post otherwise)
>Nagaokakyoshi, Kyoto Japan Tel: +81-75-951-1168 Fax: +81-75-957-1087
>


-- 
                        Kenichiro Aoki. (aoki@physics.ucla.edu)
From: kumamoto@sj.ate.slb.com (Danny Kumamoto)
Subject: Re: travelling
Keywords: JR pass
Reply-To: kumamoto@sj.ate.slb.com (Danny Kumamoto)
Organization: Schlumberger Technologies, San Jose, CA.
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 92 08:56:59 GMT

mike@neopath.wa.com (Mike Rosenlof) writes:
>The Japan rail pass allows unlimited travel on all JR trains, busses,
>and ferries. Note that most busses and ferries are not JR.

"Unlimited on all" is not true.  There are several restrictions:

	Some long distance buses
	Some ferries (like the one from Fukuoka to S.Korea, if my memory
		is correct)
	Some trains, like overnight sleeping compartments
	First class private compartments

You have to pay full fare (i.e., no JR pass discounts) to ride on any
of these exceptions.

Note that you cannot upgrade from economy ("futsuu") to first class
("green"), either.  If you have economy pass, you must pay full fare
to get first class seats.  Keep in mind that first class seats get
filled up rather quickly, esp. if you want to go long distance.

>without the pass. Nikko is a Y1769 trip, not Y2470. 

Right.  Y2,470 is the JR price for local train.  However, if you take
Shinkansen part of the way, the cost jumps to Y5,130 (economy).  The
only advantage is that you get there about 30-45 minutes faster (one
way).  If you're staying in Yokohama or Oomiya or Odawara, having a JR
pass will make visiting and shopping in Tokyo very convenient (since
Shinkansen is the fastest, but expensive, way to get into Tokyo).

Danny

Internet:  kumamoto@sj.ate.slb.com
SLOWnet:   Verisys Inc., An NTT-Schlumberger Company
             2-2-1 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa-ken 229, Japan

  "Where are the men?" the little prince [asked.] "It is a little
lonely in the desert..."
  "It is also lonely among men," the snake said.
From: mrc@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU (Mark Crispin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Hitokappu Bay
Date: 15 Sep 92 20:20:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: Tomobiki.MS-C.716588430.1103527590.mrc
Organization: University of Washington
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Mime-Version: 1.0

The Pearl Harbor Strike Force left from Hitokappu Bay on Etorofu, and headed
east until it was almost due north of Oahu.  Then it headed south.  Hitokappu
was used for secrecy and strategic reasons.

The training for the attack was at Sakurajima in Kyu^shu^.
From: robohen@ocf.berkeley.edu (Henry Robertson)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Need advice on Nartia to Kawasaki
Date: 14 Sep 1992 01:22:05 GMT
Organization: U. C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: headcrash.berkeley.edu

If you can ask your friend to make a reservation for you on the Narita Express,
it will take you to Ueno or Tokyo station.  There is a line that goes
from Tokyo to Kawasaki via Yokohama.  The last train lines are typically 11:30
PM to 12:30AM.  Sounds like you may be pushing a bit, but if you are not
burdened by luggage too much then I suspect you can make it.  When I
fled Japan on a fiscal-emergency basis this summer, I carried two large
suitcases on the Yamanote line from Shibuya to Tokyo, then took the slow
local line to Narita (which is cheaper than the express & doesn't
require reservations).  As long as you don't mind looking like a fool,
anything is possible.

Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: aoki@physics.ucla.edu (ken aoki)
Subject: Re: Foreigner in Japan.
Summary: je ne parle pas francais
Keywords: 'international language'?
Organization: UCLA Department of Physics
Distribution: soc.culture.japan
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 14:51:04 GMT

In article <PASCAL.92Sep8135345@ap22.apd.cpg.sony.co.jp> pascal@apd.cpg.sony.co.jp (Pascal Goguey) writes:
[stuff deleted]
>
>	However, every time I have something to ask to a Japanese person,
>for example in the street, I get replied in English. Unfortunately, I'm not
>English, neither American, and I was wondering why the Japanese think like :
>
>	#define		white		American
>
[stuff deleted again]

The majority of the Japanese can only speak English
as a foreign language, if they can 'speak' any foreign language at
all. Also, they perceive English as the most international language.
I confess that if I met someone and I had no idea of his/her background,
I would try English first. (Not much choice either; Francais?
Moi? Je ne peux.)

So people just think that this person must speak/understand 
English at least better than Japanese; which is a wrong assumption 
in your case. There are people from other countries who do speak
Japanese fluently, but you gotta admit, it is rare.
I have met a few and I am always impressed. (Since I am not
impressed as much by Japanese people speaking English fluently,
which is more common but not that common, why, you may ask. 
I don't know the answer to that.)

Even though if you do ask in Japanese, I would have thought
they would try Japanese first, and then English. (but apparently not.)
But I have been guilty of the same crime; last time I was in Tokyo,
when somebody came up to me struggling to phrase 'how do i get to...'
in japanese, I answered in English. It worked fine.
I wasn't thinking, but I would have rationalized that the
guy's English must be better than this.

Just my subjective observations.

>--
>  Pascal Goguey  Sony Corporation  ($@GC9%7Z(J  $@8d7](J)
>  Communication Products Group Audio Products Div
>  Atsugi TEC, Japan
>
>  Aucun homme n'est jamais assez fort pour ce calcul.
-- 
                        Kenichiro Aoki. (aoki@physics.ucla.edu)
From: robohen@ocf.berkeley.edu (Henry Robertson)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Japanese immigration
Date: 9 Sep 1992 20:22:22 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
NNTP-Posting-Host: sandstorm.berkeley.edu

Ohtsuka sed,

Give her a break. She can do whatever she wants to do.
Narita Airport is the most crowded international airport
with the worst facilities I have ever seen.

My words exactly!  Narita is in desperate need of remodeling their kitsche
early '70-s pseudo-futurist architecture.  They need to expand rail service
& not make passengers walk 180 degrees around the dome, on the other side of
a plexiglass barricade, to get to the stolid customs gate.  They need to
install more international telephones & expand the lobby to make it more
user/foreigner-friendly.  The security guards should be better versed in
English.  They need to eliminate these ridiculous restrictions on where
you can carry baggage carts & where you can't.  Also, install an X-ray
machine, instead of opening up every goddamn bag & rummaging through the
contents.  

I understand that they are building a new terminal, after finally tearing
down a concrete barricade that leftists constructed to prevent expansion.
I hope the airport can experience an image-upgrade then.

Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: jwb@capek.rdt.monash.edu.au (Jim Breen)
Subject: Re: travelling
Keywords: JR pass
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 23:01:53 GMT

kumamoto@sj.ate.slb.com (Danny Kumamoto) writes:
>mike@neopath.wa.com (Mike Rosenlof) writes:
>>The Japan rail pass allows unlimited travel on all JR trains, busses,
>>and ferries. Note that most busses and ferries are not JR.

>"Unlimited on all" is not true.  There are several restrictions:

>	Some long distance buses
>	Some ferries (like the one from Fukuoka to S.Korea, if my memory
>		is correct)
>	Some trains, like overnight sleeping compartments
>	First class private compartments
 
Not quite true. In the case of sleepers, which I have used going to
and from Kyuushuu and Hokkaidou, the Pass covers the basic ticket price,
but you have to pay the the sleeper fee and the "limited express"
surcharge.

-- 
Jim Breen                           JIS:$B%8%`!!%V%j!<%s(J
Department of Robotics & Digital Technology. Monash University. 
PO Box 197 Caulfield East VIC 3145 Australia (ph) +61 3 573 2552 
(fax) +61 3 573 2345  AARNet/Internet:jwb@capek.rdt.monash.edu.au
From: masuda@fcs280b.ncifcrf.gov (Michiaki Masuda)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Attractive, Wealthy Japanese Woman Sought
Date: 14 Sep 92 21:41:51 GMT
Organization: Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center

In article <Qegb=Sq00WB49m7mE4@andrew.cmu.edu> hh0u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Hiroshi Haga) writes:
>>>Oh Gerard, you're such a card! Everyone knows "gaijin" is
>>>the Japanese word for "Cajun". Whatta guy!

>>  What?  Excuse me! Who or What told you so? 
>>  I'm a Japanese, but taught that 'gaijin' means 'foreigner'
>>in English. 

>I thought whoever said Gaijin means Cajun was just joking....how naive
>of me.

   If my memory serves me correctly, it was not "gaijin" but "gajin" in the
original post.

   I thought it was "ga (miyabi = elegance)" + "jin (hito = person)" that he
was talking about. 

   He deserves the name.

[Looking-for-a-woman stuff deleted.]

Michiaki Masuda
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: cecouch@athena.mit.edu (Christopher E Couch)
Subject: Re: travelling
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 23:48:59 GMT


I went to Japan for 4 weeks starting January 3 of 1992.  As you are planning to do,
I stayed with friends and traveled lots (from Nojiri-ko on the Japan Sea coast to
Oosaka).

Including skiing at Kurohime and some fun nights in Roppongi (like a wedding 
post-party!), I spent about US$800 on food, drink, and activities.  Of course, I
never paid for a bed or a breakfast.

Definitely get a Japan Rail pass while you're state-side (you can't get one in Japan).
I paid about US$220 for a 10-day pass, and traveled the equivalent of perhaps US$1000
or more on Shinkansen alone.  I wish I had bought a longer pass...it can pay for itself
with one trip on a Shinkansen.

See your travel agent to purchase a JR Pass.

I paid US$680 for a round-trip LAX/Narita ticket on Singapore Airlines which I 
purchased around October 1991.  I highly recommend SA:  cheap, amazing service
(they crush JAL, IMHO), and very comfortable (all new 747-400 jets).

Tanoshitekudasai!!!!!

Christopher
From: jroth@aegis.or.jp (Joel Roth)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan,aegis.bbs
Subject: Toilet Technology
Date: 13 Sep 92 22:40:40 GMT
Followup-To: soc.culture.japan
Distribution: world
Organization: Aegis Society, Kyoto Japan

I am posting this article in response to a request from the net.
Please note that this is an unofficial translation of parts of a
Japanese-language press release.

Also note that the language has been "sanitized" as well.


Matshushita Housing Products has developed a warm-water paperless
toilet that requires minimal installation space and is designed to
stay clean and hygenic.

The toilet saves space through use of high-density mounting
technology, centralized controls and a remote control unit. This
makes it just 45cm wide, the narrowest product on the market.

Several innovations contribute to more hygienic use. A bowl spray
function activated when the user sits down directs mist at the toilet
bowl for three minutes to prevent adhesion. Odor is suppressed by a
catalytic material in the bowl that absorbs and then breaks down
odor-causing compounds. It is estimated to be effective for
approximately seven years. Microbe growth is controlled by a
bacteria-resistant silver-zeolite composite used in the toilet seat,
the washing nozzle, and the bowl-cleaning nozzle. The front panel
removes for easy cleaning and the nozzles have a self-cleaning mode.

Japanese list prices:

Water main connection: 159,000
Pump style: 154,000

Please post replies to the net, email will bounce.

--
Have a nice day!
From: ntetsuya@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Nishimura)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Troublesome words
Date: 12 Sep 92 22:13:48 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

In article <1992Sep12.214156.23570@Csli.Stanford.EDU> hiraga@Csli.Stanford.EDU (Yuzuru Hiraga) writes:
>
>DISCLAIMER: You brought this up, not me :-)

	Yes, I did!  :->

[stuff deleted]

>Writing this, I noticed that in the Japanese tease line:
>"Aho, Baka, Chindon-ya! ...", the "naughty-words" begin with ABC. Interesting.
> ^^^^^^^^^^
	We said "Baka, Kaba, Chindon-ya" when I was a kid.  I lived in just 
	west side of Nagoya.
>
>-Yuzuru

					Tetsuya Nishimura
From: robohen@ocf.berkeley.edu (Henry Robertson)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: re: Hentai Mags
Date: 6 Sep 1992 04:11:16 GMT
Organization: U. C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
NNTP-Posting-Host: monsoon.berkeley.edu

While we're at it, I might as well say that 
Tokyo's nightlife brings out racism in naked form.  In the Shinjuku
red-light district, We have an entire hierarchy of hostess clubs, whose
prices are directly proportional to nationality.  At the bottom of the
ladder, we have Philippine clubs, then Thai clubs, then Taiwan clubs, and
Korean clubs at the top.  Existent in every city throughout Japan, the
thinly disguised brothels with take-out charges on the hostesses have
been a fact of life for Japanese salarymen since the late '70s.  Before,
you had only Japanese hostesses, but due to the labor shortage, cheaper
alternatives were imported to fulfill demand.  And we should also 
remember that Japanese men in "inelegant" professions like farming or
taxi-driving quite often marry Phillippine women, on a contract of sending
their families so much dowry per month.  It all goes to say that
the ugly American is certainly, certainly not alone.

Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: tony2@prefect.uucp (21131-gozdz)
Subject: Re: Need advice on Nartia to Kawasaki
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 01:44:32 GMT

In article <15103@mindlink.bc.ca> Manjit_Bedi@mindlink.bc.ca (Manjit Bedi) writes:
>I am supposed to land at 8:40 PM on Sept. 21rst and I am possibly going to stay
>at a freind's place.  But he lives in Kawasaki.  Is it an impossible dream to
>hope to make to his apartment the same night?  How long does the Narita
>express train take to get Yokohama station?  I could at least taxi from
>the station to his apartment.  I am concerned that by the time I clear
>customs it may be kind of late.
>
>I have been there before.  I lived in Osaka for awhile.  So I speak some
>Japanese
>but I am very unfamiliar with Narita airport.
>
>Manjit
>--
>        Manjit Bedi
>                ( Manjit_Bedi@mindlink.bc.ca or manjit@inde.bc.ca )

It takes 45 (Narita Express) to 1 hr (reg. train) from
Narita to Tokyo Station. There you catch a direct train
to Kawasaki Station (20 min., the 9th stop on the Tokaido 
Line). You don't have to go to Yokohama, and you should 
be home before midnight.

Tony
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: hiraga@Csli.Stanford.EDU (Yuzuru Hiraga)
Subject: Re: The Northern Islands
Organization: Stanford University CSLI
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 22:57:04 GMT

In article <1992Sep14.174726.2912@physics.ucla.edu> aoki@physics.ucla.edu (ken aoki) writes:
>Methinks the people are missing the point. (Or are people
>just kidding without saying the obvious?)
>
>The four islands have not much to do with practicality, IMHO.
>It is just a matter of principle. Also, the Japanese
>politicians have used it as a political tool.
 [lines deleted]
>On the practical side, I think it is the fishing rights
>and also the possibility of oil fields(weren't there some around
>there? perhaps I am mistaken). But I don't think that part is
>as important.

Opposed to you, Ken, and as Dave McLane suggested, there do exist
substantial issues.  And this should be seen from both sides,
positive factors for Japan and negative for Russia.
One of course, is fishing rights -- expanding Japanese territorial/
economic waters will grant rich fishery of salmon/trout/cod/crab for
Japanese fishing, AND excluding Russian (and also Korean?) ships.
And also the rights for mineral excavation (including oil, if any).

Another (more) major problem, especially on the Russian side,
is territorial/military issues.  Apart from losing the existing
military bases on the islands, giving up the islands will seriously
impede the pathway to the Pacific for the Russain fleet based
in Vladivostok (I wonder whether the US military will ask for base sites,
once the islands had been returned).

As a side note, the Japanese fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor was
launched from Hitokappu-Bay on Etorofu island, because that will provide
more secrecy of action, and also the shortest path to Hawaii.
# I always wondered on the origin of the name "Etorofu" -- sounds
# quite Russian.  Anybody know something?

I agree that this territorial issue is seriously impeding
Russo-Japanese relationships.  I suspect that Gorbachev would have
handled this much more efficiently.  I have serious doubts on the
diplomatic (well, not only diplomatic) abilities of Yeltsin.
Not to mention the lame responses of Japanese politicians...

-Yuzuru Hiraga
From: masuda@fcs280b.ncifcrf.gov (Michiaki Masuda)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Hentai Mags
Date: 9 Sep 92 20:39:16 GMT
Organization: Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center

In article <18jin3INNihm@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> cb522@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Cathy Atwood) writes:
>
>The following book would be of interest, if you are following
>this thread:
>Pink Samurai: Love, marriage & sex in contemporary Japan
>by Nicholas Bornoff, Pocket Books, 1991
.....
>This book was on the remainder shelf at Dalton's at the 
>beginning of the summer.  This hardback edition may still be
>floating around.

   The book is already floating around the outlet shops. I found a large
stack of this book at a book outlet store in WV. Didn't seem to be
selling well.
   Me? No, I didn't buy one. Why should I? I've gone through everything the
title says... 8-)

Michiaki Masuda
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan