:: travellingcari.com ::

It’sOva: probably the only part of the situation that anyone can laugh at. Nova files for bankruptcy with debt of ¥43.9 billion Not surprised, but it’s still bittersweet. The crippling blow came in June, when the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry ordered Nova to partially suspend business because of false advertising. The penalty, which [...]

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yeah, that sounds a lot better in Japanese….I no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu. I remember when I first learned the proverb from one of my students the first time I was in Japan, but I forgot about it until I read it this morning in The Blue-Eyed Salaryman. Cover included because I can’t [...]

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Things have only gotten more interesting in the last month. I’ve enjoyed the Facebook groups as a venue for re-connecting with old friends from either stint in Japan but they’ve also given me far more information about the current state of the bunny. Nova Collapse Feared is certainly an attention-garnering headline, but it doesn’t say [...]

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So it seems that NOVA’s financial struggles, due in part to their METI sanction handed down in June, have come to a head with teachers not being paid according to their contract. Reports had surfaced last month of a huge operating loss, but I admit I’m somewhat surprised. I guess I just didn’t think it [...]

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When I can’t figure something out, i.e. the coin operated cold drink dispenser in the local shop, I think people will expect it. After all, I’m a foreigner. And then I realize that I don’t look like one. When that happened in Spain, it didn’t seem abnormal because I was only one month removed from [...]

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First encounter with a place, as with love, is one you never forget. As I’ve alluded to in the past, for me, it’s Spain. Even today, almost five years since my first return trip to Spain in October 2002, I can’t forget the feeling of seeing the same statues at Atocha and the same vendors [...]

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Thanks – got it – that is a very fine, thoughtful review; would you please let the reviewer know how much it is appreciated? The author Lesley Thomas was very gratified to read it, and would like to tell her that she is working on another book about women in Lapp and ancient Norse cultures. [...]

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