Archive for July, 2009

Update on errors in New York Times piece

Remember our post a couple days ago about problems in a New York Times magazine piece about “2-D Love”? It looks like Lisa Katayama, the author of the article, has returned from her vacation and seen Adamu’s fact-checking post.

Unfortunately, Katayama has chosen to announce to the world via twitter that she won’t respond to it:

Update: She wrote the following on her blog.

This always happens when I write an article about Japan. People get mad and question the authenticity of my sources, and then start criticizing what kind of person I am, etc. But it’s not my job to monitor how people read into things or to divulge my sources to the world. Like all professional writers, I only use primary sources unless they’re absolutely unavailable, and I don’t write about topics I have biases about unless it’s an explicitly subjective piece. I think it’s great for people to hold opinions about my writing, but if you say something mean on my blog or elsewhere, or harass me on Twitter, I’m not gonna write back to you. The NY Times has a fact-check department, and they’ll correct anything that’s wrong.

Update 2: I have been informed that it is standard journalistic policy for writers to let newspapers handle fact-checking issues and corrections after an article has been printed. Apparently this means that the author is supposed to refer complaints to the newspaper instead of directly responding to them. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how the New York Times handles this case.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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Japanese TV news reports on poor working conditions of foreign English teachers

NTV’s “Real Time News” sometimes airs some pretty dumb special reports, but it also devotes considerable time to serious issues. Here’s a very good report on how using dispatch companies to employ foreign English teachers is killing the quality of English education in Japanese public schools and making foreigners endure poor working conditions (subtitled in English):
Part 1

These videos were originally uploaded by the General Union, which seems to be doing some good work fighting for better working conditions and posting the latest news on this issue.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Tokyo Metro runs foreign language commercials on Japanese TV

Tokyo Metro has been running some interesting commercials lately. Each commercial features tourists from a different country being told about the convenience of the Tokyo Metro system in their native language. Japanese subtitles are provided.

Here are the French tourist / Chinese tourist commercials:

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Is Miss Universe Japan’s national costume a national disgrace?

It would seem that a lot of internet users are upset about the “Japanese” national costume that Miss Universe Japan 2009 Emiri Miyasaka will be wearing in the big competition.

A ZakZak article introduces the controversy to Japanese readers, revealing that many comments have criticized the design and American blogs are calling it something a porn star would wear. Photos of costumes worn by the two previous Miss Universe Japan representatives are included in the article, but neither is quite as ridiculous as the one Emiri will wear.

Itai News has posted a record of comments left by Japanese net users, most of whom agree with the negative views expressed about the costume. In some she was described as:

• a national disgrace
• making fun of Japanese traditional clothing and culture
• a stupidly designed stupid costume for a stupid person to wear
• vulgar / perverted
• like a kyabakura hostess
• something akin to the emperor’s new clothes – is she surrounded by nothing but yes men?

There are also a few comments from users who don’t see much of a problem with the costume. However, the majority of comments seemed to be negative.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)